Wednesday, October 21, 2015

It's all Christ

Take advantage of every opportunity to 
...know Christ...
...think of Christ...
...speak of Christ... 
...and reflect Christ.

-Paul Washer-

Monday, October 12, 2015

In His Hand

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one."  
~ John 10:27-30 ~


This is just such a wonderful scripture. It's such a comfort. It gives us a glorious promise that we, believers in Jesus Christ, have eternal life and will never be snatched out of Christ’s hand that holds us. What a reassuring promise! What a beautiful picture! We are safe in the hand of the omnipotent God and nothing can remove us from His grasp! 

The Greek word in John 10:28 used for pluck means to take by force or seize. Thus the word snatch in this verse is an action done without the consent of the recipient. In other words we could say that no one will kidnap, take by force, or seize us out of Christ’s hand. This is the promise Jesus gives us. However, we don’t live in God’s hand by default; we must choose to come to Him. As the psalmist wrote in Psalm 91:9-10...

"Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling."

 Does this mean that bad things will never happen to us? No, Christians are persecuted, martyred, and afflicted all the time. So what is the promise then? It’s that no evil shall befall us without our Heavenly Father’s permission.

By making God our dwelling place, we trust in His supreme sovereignty. He is more than able to take care of us, and the painful things that do come into our lives are lovingly filtered through His gentle fingers.

So I ask you….are YOU dwelling in God’s hand? Have YOU made Him your home and place of permanent residence?


There is no safer place to be than in the hands of the Almighty, Omnipotent, and Sovereign God. God, who has called you by name, is now inviting you into His sanctuary. It is an open invitation, and the only thing that can stop us is ourselves. Therefore, let us live in the Palm of His Hand! And let us make it our permanent and everlasting abode.

Friday, October 2, 2015

A Single Eye

--Written several years ago --- :)

Matthew 6:22 (emphasis added):
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. (KJV)


It's really important that this verse is read in the King James Version. This is one of the only translations that translates that word (I made it bold so you can see which one it is) as 'single'. (Most other translations translate it as 'good', 'healthy' or 'clear'.)

Anyway, this verse tells us that if our eye is single, our whole body will be full of light.

What do you suppose that means?


If your eye has a single focus, your whole body will be full of light. Single focus! Wow! 


So it's not saying that if our eyes are good and work as they are supposed to, we'll be able to see well. That's what a lot of people think. It's saying that if we have one goal in mind, if our eyes have a single focus, our whole body will be filled with light.


Now let's look at verse 23. "But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"

The Greek for that word I made bold is a word called poneros that can be translated to mean 'full of anxiety'. What happens if we are full of anxiety?

Our eyes flit around here, there and everywhere. We start looking in lots of directions. Isn't that the exact opposite of what we should have: an eye with a single focus?



I want to put it to you this afternoon that our single focus should be Jesus.

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV (emphasis added):

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.


Blessings to you all!
Bonnie