О, благодать ("Amazing Grace" in Russian"

Jesus asked, What will you give in exchange for your soul?

Jesus asked, “ For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mk. 8:36-37)

This question from Jesus marks the highpoint in Mark’s gospel. Jesus repeated this pattern of direct confrontation throughout his earthy ministry. It’s the Lord’s own invitation to sinners to come to him for forgiveness, blessing and eternal life.

Jesus said on another occasion, “If you wish to come after me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.”

His invitation to follow him is a hard one, and accepting it comes at a high cost. True discipleship requires total commitment and costs everything.
Then Jesus drove his question yet deeper, “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

There’s an even higher price to pay for rejecting Him. Jesus graciously extended His invitation to all; but issued a dire warning to those who reject Him. In the end, rejecting him costs your eternal soul. You’re left to pay your own sin debt. You send yourself to a torturous hell for eternal punishment.

Jesus, the Son of Man, Himself suffered many things while on earth. He was rejected, and then brutally tortured and crucified on a cruel cross. But after three days, he powerfully raised himself from the grave, overcoming sin and death. Now he is seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father.

Our Holy God required a suitable sacrifice.to pay for our sin. Only His sinless Son, Jesus, could make that sacrifice to pay our sin debt. And He paid our debt for us on the Cross.

First a cross, and then a crown. First suffering and sacrifice, and then the Kingdom and glory.

Jesus’ invitation to all requires three responses:

One: self-denial. Abandon your self-effort and self -confidence. Depend on Christ alone. Give him control of your life. Give up everything to gain him.
Two: cross bearing. Following Christ closely requires a willingness to endure persecution, hostility, rejection and shame. True conversion views Christ and eternal salvation as so precious that no personal sacrifice is too great.

Three: obedience. Continuous obedience is key to discipleship. Walk the way Christ walked. He was willing to endure the cross for the joy set before him. And the glory that awaited him in heaven.

What would you give in exchange for your soul?

Jesus offers a choice. He extends a generous invitation to follow him in this life to gain eternal life. But warns of dire consequences for rejecting him. Eternity spent in a torturous hell.

Jesus paid the price in full. And his sacrifice is the only payment acceptable to God. Jesus, the infinite God, paid the infinite price to offer you salvation as a free gift.

Again, he extends his invitation with a warning. It’s a hard invitation that requires giving up your life, and threatens dire consequences for rejectors.
The human soul lives on consciously forever. Make your choice. Eternal punishment in a Christless hell; or eternal blessing and joy in heaven with Jesus.

As Jesus said,

… “If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever would lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Whoever therefore is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34b-38 MEV)

---Beverly Nickles

“The Risen Life” focuses on the heavenly and eternal

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Col. 3:1-4)

If you’ve placed your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, then you walk in a new and “risen life”. Accepting Christ as Savior saves you from sin, death and hell and raises you with Him into the eternal heaven.

Living the risen life should drastically change your aims and focus from the things of earth, to your true home in heaven and eternal life with Christ. The only road to heaven is through Him; and you have been “raised with Christ” through His resurrection.

In these Colossians 3 verses, the Apostle Paul exhorts believers to do two things: seek the things that are above; and set your minds on things above. The first speaks of our desires, and the second of the thoughts.

This means continually to “seek” eternal things in heaven with the intention of obtaining them. Instead of seeking after this world’s pleasures and goods, spend your life seeking after Christ and His righteousness.

After his crucifixion and burial, Christ rose again from the dead and in heaven sat down in the place of honor at Father God’s right hand. Jesus completed His work on Earth, and by accomplishing that could make us complete in Him. Our Heavenly Savior should be our continual focus.

Similarly, we are to continually “set out minds” on Christ and his eternal Truth. Surrender control of our minds to Christ, and keep our thoughts and meditations on Him and His glory. Our minds, wills and emotions are a battleground. Allowing Christ to control them helps win the battle over worry, fear, anger and pride. He already won these battles. Walk in His victory.

Regulate the amount of worldly influence you allow into your mind. Repent (confess and make a real change) from unbiblical mindsets and put them out of your life. Replace wrong thinking by filling your mind with the Scriptures. Keeping the Bible alive in your mind makes it easier to focus on the eternal, and for Bible Truth to flow out of you.

Believer’s lives are “hidden with Christ in God”. This carries three key implications. Through Christ, believers have an intimate common spiritual life with the Father and Son. Unbelievers cannot understand the blessed life of a believer because it is hidden from them. Believers are eternally secure, protected from all spiritual enemies, and have access to all God’s blessings.

Seated at the Father’s right hand in the heavenlies, Christ has secured our salvation, and our real lives are hidden with Him. But our hidden life with Christ will be revealed when He returns in glory. Believers will be revealed with him in glory. And when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see him as he is. Christ is the most important in life; and he is the believer’s very life.

A person whose mind and life are controlled by the Holy Spirit has a heavenly focus. He’s focused on Jesus Christ, who is our eternal hope. Beloved, you are risen with Christ. keep seeking things above. Set your mind on things above.

---Beverly Nickles

Last Gathering

Jesus, knowing he would be arrested and crucified only hours from now, gathered his 12 disciples one last time. Stunned and confused by the news that he was leaving them, Jesus pressed home vital truths his beloved disciples would need to carry on without him. His final words to them are recorded only in John’s gospel, chapter 14 – 17.

Below is the first in a short series of teachings Jesus shared during their Last Gathering. (John 13)

(1) Jesus stoops to wash other’s dirty feet (John 13)

As Jesus 12 disciples gathered with him in the Upper Room, they had no hint that this would be their last supper together. At this point, they remained completely in the dark about the shattering news Jesus would soon deliver about his imminent departure.

The disciples entered the Upper Room sulking, still irritated with each other over an earlier dispute about who would be the greatest in their Master’s coming kingdom. Still harboring anger and resentment, they silently reclined around the table. Customarily, one should have risen and humbly washed the street dust off the other’s feet. No one would.

Jesus rose, picked up the water and towel, and began to wash their feet, beginning with Judas, the one who planned his betrayal. The disciples were astonished and ashamed. Their Master was washing their dirty feet. Peter protested, even refused it, until Jesus made it clear that unless he complied, he would expel him from their fellowship.

As always, Jesus acted out of genuine love and humility. He needed to break the foul mood and return the disciples’ attitudes back to unity and love. Within 24 hours he would be dead, crucified on a cruel cross, and he had important last things to tell them. They needed to hear.

By stooping to perform this act of lowly service, Jesus changed in minutes these angry, proud and resentful men into a band of humble and loving disciples. Esteeming others greater than themselves. Jesus cleansed the sin stain from their consciences, and opened the way for restored fellowship with himself and the others.

This provides a profound example for us, of course, of the need for humble service toward each other. And provides a picture of our need for cleansing of the individual sins that stain our conscience, break our fellowship with the Lord, and block the flow of blessings. Once having been truly cleansed by the blood of Jesus, we need only to be washed of the sins we allow later to defile us.

---Beverly Nickles

Jesus said, Repent!

Jesus ministry in the world began with the preaching of a clear message: “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mt.4:17) And he preached that message clearly and consistently to the end.

Jesus picked up where John the Baptist left off when they cast him into prison. As the forerunner of Jesus, John proclaimed that same message: “Repent! For the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mt. 3:2)

When the Apostle Peter preached the first sermon at Pentecost launching the church age, he proclaimed, “Repent and be baptized…” (Acts 2:38)

Jesus came into the world to save sinners. To invite the spiritually lost to cross from darkness and death into eternal life. And to offer his life a sacrifice to make that possible.

But before one can receive the gift of eternal life, it’s necessary first to repent. To admit that he is a sinner, as all unregenerate people are, and to decide to change. Repentance is a core message of the gospel.

When a sinner repents, he agrees with God that he’s going the wrong direction and turns around. He turns from his sinful life and comes to Christ. God gives him His Spirit who make the conversion possible, and his whole life changes. He passes from sinful darkness into the light of eternal life in one miraculous moment.

The Kingdom of God comes to him, and the Holy Spirit rules in his heart. On the day of his conversion God becomes the King of his life. He begins to live for Christ. He is now on the path to receiving Truth.
Still today Jesus comes to the neediest hearts. To hearts prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive him.

“Yet to all who received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God, to those who believed in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (Jn. 1:12-13)
That is the message of the gospel. “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

---Beverly Nickles

.

Last Gathering

Jesus, knowing he would be arrested and crucified only a few hours, gathered his 12 disciples one last time. Stunned and confused by the news that he was leaving them, Jesus pressed home vital truths his beloved disciples would need to carry on without him. His final words to them are recorded only in John’s gospel, chapters 13 – 17.

Below is the seventh in a short series of teachings Jesus shared during their Last Gathering. (John 14)

(7) Jesus: preparing a place for you (John 14)

Jesus told them, “I go to prepare a place for you.” And further, “…if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

He had just told them, that “…in my Father’s house are many rooms…”
Jesus continues to unfold the shocking announcement that so distressed his inner circle. That he would be leaving them within hours. Further, he tells them that they cannot follow him now, but will follow him later.

The time of Jesus’ humiliation is drawing to a close, climaxing within hours with his crucifixion, and ushering in his return to glory.

Now, amidst the many promises Jesus showers upon them comes an eternal and heavenly one. That he will return now to his Father’s House, which is Heaven, and there prepare a dwelling place for each disciple, whom he will later receive to himself. This promise made then to each chosen apostle, extended to all disciples throughout time who would come after them.

In ancient times, children grew up in their parent’s homes, and when married built on additions and continued to live there. Over time, the father’s house grew from the addition of more and more dwelling places.

This pictures Heaven with only one house, the Father’s House, with many rooms or dwelling places. All the children will dwell as one family for eternity in the Father’s House.

When the time comes, he will receive each child to live with him there. Jesus told them, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, you may be also.”

That’s a promise. And Jesus tells only the Truth.

---Beverly Nickles

Last Gathering

Jesus, knowing he would be arrested and crucified only hours from now, gathered his 12 disciples one last time. Stunned and confused by the news that he was leaving them, Jesus pressed home vital truths his beloved disciples would need to carry on without him. His final words to them are recorded only in John’s gospel, chapters 13 – 17.

Below is the sixth in a short series of teachings Jesus shared during their Last Gathering. (John 15)

(6) Jesus said, they will hate you, too (John 15)

Mixed in to the love and lengthy list of promises he lavished on his disciples; Jesus warned them of dangerous times ahead. Jesus said, they hated me, and they will hate you, too.

Events that followed demonstrated the truth of Jesus’ words. Going out in Jesus’ name brought down on his beloved disciples regular abuse with various ones stoned, beaten, imprisoned and even murdered. All the original 12 disciples eventually were martyred, except for John who was boiled in oil and exiled on the Island of Patmos.

This was the beginning of a long history of abuse, punishment and sometimes death of Jesus’ followers down through the centuries. Statistics show that persecution against Christians has accelerated and even gained momentum in our times.

Jesus gave three reasons. One, the Father lifts true believers out of the evil world system and sets them apart. The righteousness and Truth they now represent rebukes those who remain in the world system controlled by Satan and triggers hostility. Two, the world hated Jesus and so hates those who represent him. Three, unregenerate people really don’t know God, but hate him though they may be blind to that.

Old Testament verses prophesied Christ’s coming, rejection and crucifixion. A Messianic prophesy (Ps. 69:4) says, “they hated me without a cause.”

In their minds, the already distraught disciples probably questioned how they would survive. How could they fulfill their mission in the face of such hatred and persecution? Jesus told them. When the Helper comes, the Holy Spirit, he will provide the power needed to overcome.

The Holy Spirit provides all a believer needs to stand in the evil day. He has supplied to believers down through the ages everything the Father has to offer and still empowers believers today.

And in a hostile world, believers joined by the Father’s supernatural love, can cling to each other. Brethren, love one another.

---Beverly Nickles

Last Gathering

Jesus, knowing he would be arrested and crucified only hours from now, gathered his 12 disciples one last time. Stunned and confused by the news that he was leaving them, Jesus pressed home vital truths his beloved disciples would need to carry on without him. His final words to them are recorded only in John’s gospel, chapters 14-17.

Below is the fifth in a short series of teachings Jesus shared during their Last Gathering. (John 15)

(5) Jesus said, “I am the vine…abide in me” (John 15)

Jesus already said his last words to his disciples. Prepared to face the night, he says, “Arise, let us go out”

But on their faces, he saw distressed and confused expressions, and a hesitancy to leave. The disciples felt they would soon lose Jesus, and feared that without him they could do nothing. Jesus lovingly gathered them around him and tried to calm their fears.

“I am the true vine, and you are the branches.” Jesus spoke a parable about the vine and branches. The vine symbolized their close connection to him. He told how it would continue and be maintained. “Abide in me, and I in you.”

Secured by Christ’s life, and the attachment of faithful disciples to him, God’s purposes in creation could bear fruit on earth.

He highlighted some characteristics of this union.

First, that Christ and his disciples together form one whole, and neither is complete without the other. A vine cannot bear fruit without its branches; and branches cannot live separate from the vine. Separately, the stem remains fruitless, and the branches wither and die. Together they form one fruit-bearing tree.

God is a Spirit. He needs human hands to do the work, and a mouth to speak his words. He gives these to his disciples, while supplying them with love and perseverance and everything needed to accomplish the task.

Second, this unity works as one organic whole because one common life unites them. The disciple is joined with Christ in an intimate and vital spiritual union. Through this, he receives the same Holy Spirit that made Christ who he was on earth.

The branch is one with the stem because it draws life from it and bears fruit appropriate to that tree. If that connection is maintained, Christ’s beliefs, thoughts, feelings and goals become the disciple’s own.

Third, the expected result of this connection is “righteous” fruit flowing from Christ’s life through the disciple. As the Apostle Paul said, “Not I, but Christ in me. “

The Father attends to disciples as a gardener attends to plants. In every season, he loving cuts away the sin and disobedience that hinder fruitfulness. And fruitless branches are cut off and cast into the fire.

---Beverly Nickles

Last Gathering

Jesus, knowing he would be arrested and crucified only hours from now, gathered his 12 disciples one last time. Stunned and confused by the news that he was leaving them, Jesus pressed home vital truths his beloved disciples would need to carry on without him. His final words to them are recorded only in John’s gospel, chapters 13 – 17.

Below is the second in a short series of teachings Jesus shared during their Last Gathering. (John 13-17)

(2) Jesus lavishes love and promises (John 13-17)

Five full chapters describe Jesus’ final conversation with His 12 disciples in the hours before His arrest and crucifixion. Usually called “The Upper Room Discourse” (John 13-17), this teaching is considered a high point of the four gospels.

Jesus lavishes love and promise after promise on His closest disciples and all who would come after them. Then He seals it with a prayer to the Father to fulfill all the promises made. Moreover, He states that soon He will be seated at the right hand of the Father’s Heavenly throne. There He will intercede personally for His own until He sees them gathered around Him for eternity.

He tells them He is leaving, but goes to prepare a place for them. He will come again to get them and take them there with Him. However, until that day they won’t be left on their own, for He is sending another to them like Himself. The Holy Spirit, who will advocate, help and lead them into Truth.
The most common word in these five chapters is “love”. “Having loved His own, He loved them to the end.” In spite of themselves, or anything they did or ever will do, He loves them infinitely and always will. His love is unconditional and eternal.

Love is the dominant reality of the Christian life.

Jesus pours out promises of all He will do for them. These promises are active for all His disciples even now. He promises among other things: His indwelling Holy Spirit to teach and help; love and the capacity to love others; a home in Heaven; provision for all needs; spiritual fruitfulness; joy; victory during persecution, power to proclaim the gospel; answered prayer.

Finally, He prays in the disciples’ hearing for the Father to fulfill all His promises. All these things and more already belong to those who are truly His.

---Beverly Nickles

Night approaches, work while it’s day

“I must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.” (Jn. 9:4)

God the Father sent his Son, Jesus, from heaven to earth with an assignment to complete and a period of time to accomplish it. Mindful of this, Jesus moved purposefully through life and ministry, understanding that he was a servant according to the Father’s will. As his followers, we also live under a divine assignment to be completed within a predetermined lifespan.

Jesus said, “I must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.” (Jn. 9:4) He had just healed a man born blind who now could see. Doing the Father’s work brought glory to God on the earth. Likewise, we honor and glorify the Father when we do the work he assigned and empowered us to do.

Jesus, the Son of God, humbly submitted under the Father’s authority. He said he could do only what the Father showed him to do; that he could do nothing on his own. If the Son of God so humbly submitted to the Father’s plan, how much more should we?

Jesus knew his days on earth were numbered and that “night is coming”. One day he would die on the Cross. He had much work to do before that day arrived. This same sense of urgency should compel us to complete within our allotted number of days our divinely assigned tasks.

Time is precious. One day we will stand before the Lord and give account for our lives. The way we use our allotted time on earth determines how we live out eternity.

Driving home this truth, Jonathan Edwards sparked in 1734 the greatest revival ever experienced in North America. His sermon entitled, “The Preciousness of Time and the Importance of Redeeming It,” ignited the Great Awakening. He layed out three great time wasters that rob us of time that is then lost forever: idleness, wickedness, and worldliness.

Time is limited and passes quickly. Once it’s lost, it’s gone forever. Redeem the time. People in hell would love to have the time you have available now to invest wisely for and with the Lord.

Finally, the Apostle Paul could say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:7) At the end of his earthly life, Jesus said to the Father, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (Jn. 17:4)

Let’s strive to make the most of our opportunities. To die without regrets.

---Beverly Nickles

…’O you of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (For the Gentiles seek after all these things.) For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you. Therefore, take no thought about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take thought about the things of itself. Sufficient to the day is the trouble thereof. (Matthew 6:30c-34)

Jesus invites believers to live free of worry and anxiety, but instead to rest in the loving care of our Heavenly Father. He knows our needs; is more than able to provide; and promises to take care of us. This message is about trust.

Jesus addressed this here in the Sermon on the Mount: the most famous sermon preached by the greatest preacher ever to walk the earth.

His tone is an emphatic “stop it!” Three times He commands, “Don’t worry!” (verses 25, 31, 34). Worry is concern carried too far, so that it distracts us and disrupts our lives. Worry is the sin of unbelief; an expression of a lack of trust in our faithful Heavenly Father. Saying, God, I don’t trust you.

Jesus lists here our needs for food and drink, clothing, and shelter, and reminds us that the God who created us knows what we need. Furthermore, as our loving Father and Master, he promised and made himself responsible to supply our needs. He points to the birds He always feeds; to the lilies He beautifully clothes. They never worry.

As His children, Jesus tells us: “…seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you.” The material things Jesus mentioned here are legitimate basic needs. But our first priority, as blood-bought children of God, must be His Kingdom. “We are in the world, but not of it.” Now, we live in two worlds and this one only temporary, but our eternal home is with the Heavenly Father.

We’re living in trying and tumultuous times. Increase your faith in our Heavenly Father through prayer, Bible reading, and fellowship with other believers. He holds you in the palm of His strong yet gentle hand.

As Jesus said in Mathew 6 verses 25 thru 34.

“Therefore, I say to you, take no thought about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they do not sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? Who among you by taking thought can add a cubit to his stature?

“Why take thought about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: They neither work, nor do they spin. Yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. Therefore, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is here and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (For the Gentiles seek after all these things.) For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you. Therefore, take no thought about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take thought about the things of itself. Sufficient to the day is the trouble thereof. (Matthew 6:25-34)

---Beverly Nickles

Faith pleases God

By faith Enoch was taken to heaven so that he would not see death. He was not found, because God took him away. For before he was taken, he had this commendation, that he pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb. 11: 5-6)

Enoch was commended for this: that he pleased God. He’s on the list of outstanding examples in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith”. Enoch’s faith in God pleased Him. In the end, God rewarded him by taking him suddenly and directly to his final heavenly home without Enoch passing through the pain of death.

The Bible reveals little about this giant of faith. He lived a life of daily, consistent and close communion with God for 300 years. Constantly aware of God’s presence. He partook of the fellowship that God extends to all His children, and so desires to enjoy.

Enoch lived in the time leading up to the Great Flood --- a time of universal corruption and violence. He was surrounded constantly by every form of wickedness. Men pursued vile lusts without fear or shame. Yet in that environment, Enoch remained righteous, perfectly reconciled to God, and at peace with Him. Enoch was God’s friend.

Such a deep and continuous relationship with God required that Enoch first believe in God and that He is who he says he is. Finally, when it was Enoch’s time to pass from this Earth, God simply “took him”. He was there, and then suddenly he disappeared. Passing seamlessly from standing in God’s presence on Earth, into His eternal presence in Heaven.

Among other things, Enoch demonstrated salvation’s great promise of resurrection. Of a soul putting his faith entirely in Christ for eternal salvation; and at the end of this life, a promise to be raised to his eternal home in heaven with the Father.

---Beverly Nickles

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13)

When met with a challenging circumstance, a Christian faces an important choice: to face it with energy and courage; or to give in to a sense of defeat.

Choose victory. You can achieve anything the Lord gives you to do. God’s power is perfected in our weakness.

Three key reasons:

One, when you feel too weak, God offers His own strength to fill in your lack. He empowers you spiritually to fulfill any task he gives you.

Two: This includes ALL things. Paul emphatically states that everything in your life that’s within God’s will, according to his word, and for his glory, He makes you able to do it, and supplies His own power. God’s power is perfected in your weakness.

Three: Christ supplies everything you need from his limitless resources. When you feel inadequate and ill-equipped, the Lord can step in with his resources, which far exceed your need.

God’s strength is comprehensive, covering physical, mental, emotional and volitional lack. There’s nothing he can’t do for you.

Paul had learned to live in victory no matter what circumstances he found himself in. He wrote the statement above from a small Roman prison cell where this zealous and driven apostle had spent two years shackled to a guard. Facing a trial and possible execution, this possibly was the lowest point in Paul’s life.

Yet in the midst of this, Paul expressed gratitude to believers in Macedonia and Philippi who had supported him as they could. And said that he had learned to be content in all circumstances; whether in abundance or lack; in comfort or distress.

Like Paul, if a matter is God’s will for you, by his grace and empowerment, you can do it. You can prevail.

But his victory and supply won’t come automatically. It’s mediated by drawing near to Him through the Word, prayer, worship, obedience, fellowship and service.

--- Beverly Nickles

“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes… And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning….” Job 42: 5-6, 12a

Job comes to the end of his prolonged period of suffering in chapter 42. The Book of Job addresses pain and suffering in a believer’s life. Job suffered profound material and personal loss, and then agonized from sore boils all over his body from head to foot. Already in despair, his friends visited and further tormented him, each in turn offering Job different “counsel” about why God was treating him this way.

Finally, God himself broke into the conversation, and gave Job His account of His great work of Creation. As Job listened, he saw with increasing clarity the vast greatness and glory of God, and his own comparative tininess in the universe. Job confessed to the pride and rebellion against God that he now saw in his own heart and repented. Now he felt contentment just to be in fellowship with His God.

The main point of Job’s story is God’s sovereignty. He created the universe, put everything in place, and keeps it all going. He’s in control, and doesn’t owe anyone explanations for why he does what he does. He knows what he’s doing, and His children can trust Him.

Job’s “friends” had explained much to him about God, and even got a lot of it right. But one error all three repeated misrepresented God and made Him angry. All three said that God rewards the righteous, but punishes the unrighteous. Therefore, Job must be suffering because God is punishing him for sin.

Job’s ordeal was a trial permitted by God, who had already told Satan that Job was “blameless and upright” and “There is none like him on the earth”. God knew that Job would remain faithful no matter what.

Yet the extreme trial did bring to the surface a serious flaw in Job’s thinking about God and his relationship with him. Before the trial, Job saw himself as somewhat a Sheik worthy to walk with God. Now he recognizes his smallness in the universe; and understands how blessed he is to be in relationship with its Creator. Job confessed his sinful pride and repented.

Now, God turns to address Job’s friends. Not only had they further tormented Job in his agony by their wrong understanding of God and accusations against him. But they offended God by repeating a serious falsehood about his character.

He would forgive them, but after they went to Job and made sacrifice to God. Then Job would intercede on their behalf, and God would hear Job’s prayers for them. This, of course, necessitated on Job’s part that he first himself forgive his friends. (Job is a type of Christ, who suffered greatly during his earthly life, and made sacrifice and intercession on others behalf.)

After this, the Lord delivered Job out of his painful circumstances, and blessed him with twice as much as he had before. God graciously restored to Job twice what he had before this testing, though he wasn’t obligated to return anything at all.

Job lived a full life for another 140, enjoying his great-grandchildren.

---Beverly Nickles

Jesus said, die to yourself, produce much fruit

Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it. And he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. (Jn. 12:23-26)

The time has come for Jesus to transition to his glorification. Soon to transition from his earthly life to death on the Cross.

He said, “…except a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Jesus used the analogy of a grain for wheat. That grain must “die” by being placed in the ground, where the outer shell decomposes or rots. Once that grain “dies”, the inner life of that seed can come alive, and start producing. It might produce a huge plant, and abundant fruit, and lots more seeds over many productive seasons. But unless it “dies”, it remains as only that one tiny grain of wheat --- alone.

Jesus, by willingly sacrificing his life on the Cross, made a way of eternal salvation and abundant life on earth available to all people everywhere throughout time. The Son of God, giving up his one earthly life, made a blessed life on earth, and eternal life with him in heaven possible for multitudes who came after.

Jesus said further, “He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow me.”

Jesus lays down a choice before each one of us. A choice to lay down ours lives in this world, in exchange for the better one he offers. To see this life, with its sin and corruption, its lawlessness and absence of true love. To see this life for what it is, and be willing to sacrifice that life, in exchange for the superior one he offers us while we’re still on this earth --- and then for eternity in heaven.

So, your life “alone” apart from Jesus and his will, or dyeing to that life to become a “seed” that produces much fruit, and many more fruit-bearing “seeds”.

And finally, Jesus said, “If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” God, our Heavenly Father, honors our decision to truly give all of ourselves to serve Him on the earth.

Jesus invites us to follow His lead. To follow him. To give up our own will in exchange for his far superior one. And in the doing, produce much fruit, live a blessed life, and live with him forever in Paradise.

---Beverly Nickles

Immeasurably more power
Ephesians 1:15-23

Paul prays for immeasurably more of God’s great power, already made available to us, to be understood and experienced in our lives. (Ephesians 1: 15-23)

Paul loved the Ephesian Christians and always prayed for them, since he heard of their great faith and love in Jesus. He desired for them to share more in the blessings and promises God made available to them. Paul’s prayer extends equally to us.

First, he asked the Father to give each one the “spirit of wisdom and revelation” to know God more and personally. There’s so much more to know and experience in relationship with Him that it exceeds our possibility to measure it. Only God’s Spirit can reveal to us Jesus’s limitlessness potential.

The Bible provides knowledge about Him, but we must take that to God in prayer and meditate on it to understand what it means in our lives. He prays that “the eyes of our heart be enlightened”, so the knowledge gained influences our decisions and how we carry out our lives.

Further, we understand the hope we have in Jesus. And that this hope results in joy and peace in this life no matter the circumstances. And removes the fear of death knowing that our inheritance is sealed in Heaven.

Second, Paul desires that we experience “immeasurably more of God’s great power” working in us. That resurrection power that God exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand at His heavenly throne. That we rise above a low-level existence, allowing God to exert His power through us in greater measure.

Seated now at the Father’s right hand, Jesus sits far above all rule and power and every name named. His power far exceeds any of the “gods” or powers on this earth and in the realms around and above us. All things were placed under His feet.

When we receive Christ, His great power becomes available to us. Unfortunately, often it remains in us as untapped potential. We fail to understand the potential God place inside us.

Take time to meditate on these truths. Of who our God is. And that His mighty power is at work in us and for us. Immeasurably more of His great power to experience than we will ever realize.

Jesus said, "All things are possible…"
Mark 9:14-29

Living by faith marks a believer’s life. We love Jesus and place our faith in him, though we cannot see Him. But far from “blind” faith, God gave us strong evidence on which to base our beliefs in His inspired Word.

Mark 9:14-29 includes Jesus’ statement, “…all things are possible to him that believes”. In this passage the Lord teaches a strong lesson on the power of faith. It marks the beginning of a series of critical lessons finally the Lord must impart to His chosen disciples.

In this encounter, His focus shifts onto the final leg of His journey to the Cross. Soon He would no longer physically be standing by the disciples. They must learn to draw on his power after He is out of sight.

Jesus has just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration and walked up on a crowd gathered around the disciples. An anguished dad runs to him and cries out for help to deliver his son from lifelong torment by a violent demon. He said, “…if you can do anything…”, though certainly Jesus’ reputation as a miraculous healer had drawn him there in the first place.

Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible...” The dad fell humbly to his knees and cried out in tears, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, told it to leave and never return, and it left the boy immediately.

The disciples had been unable to do it, though they had cast out demons many times before while ministering with Jesus. Afterward, in a private meeting the disciples asked Jesus why they had failed. Jesus reinforced the lesson that faith sees the power already available; and prayer is the road into accessing that power.

Soon Jesus would be physically out of sight, and the disciples would need to exercise their faith in his remaining presence, though even though they couldn’t see him. Prayer would access His power.

And as illustrated by the boy’s desperate dad, God doesn’t require great or perfect faith. Only faith as a “mustard seed” in the all-powerful God expressed by the one calling out to him for help.

“All things are possible to him that believes.” We must believe for things acceptable to Him and according to His will. And the promise is as true for our lives today as it was back then.

---Beverly Nickles

Jesus said Don’t be deceived
(Mt. 24:4-35; Mk. 13:5-13; Lk. 21:8-36)

“Take heed that no one deceives you.”

Jesus departed from the temple at Jerusalem and sat down with his disciples on the Mt. of Olives. Now, speaking with him privately, the disciples asked, “…and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

The first sign Jesus pointed to was religious deception. Mankind would be flooded with false christs and prophets and teachers, using false signs, wonders and miracles. Widespread deception so cleverly executed that, if it was possible, even the Lord’s disciples would be deceived by it.

Jesus said, “Take heed that no one deceives you…For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Mt. 24: 4, 24) A similar warning is repeated throughout the Bible.
When the God’s Spirit comes to a person, He plants in his heart a love of Truth, so he might be saved. After salvation, he longs for Truth.

To those who reject Truth, God sends delusions. At the End of Days, God allows the world to be flooded with Satan’s lies and powerful delusions. Eternally damnable lies backed by extremely believable, miracles, signs and wonders. Only those with a God-implant love of Truth can be saved.

A steep decline in biblical knowledge and doctrine precedes this, laying the groundwork for the acceptance of lies. Biblical and doctrinal illiteracy sets people up to be led astray and to believe lies. Religious deception grows greater and greater at the end, leading to spiritual darkness and a great falling away into apostasy.

Satan will send to earth the Antichrist, a winsome, charismatic man expressing the fulfillment of man’s misplaced desire. In a short time, almost everyone will follow him. But like his Sender, he comes to kill, steal and destroy, and lead as many as possible into eternal damnation.

“Take heed that no one deceives you.”

---Beverly Nickles

Fear God, and nothing else
Proverbs 14:26

Heard a preacher say recently, “Fear God. For if you fear God, you won’t fear anything else.” That caught my attention.

People face so many fears these days and the frequency keeps dialing up. Exalting the Lord onto his ruling throne in our hearts is the right thing to do toward him and for ourselves.

The command to “fear God” runs throughout the Bible. This was Paul’s recurring message to the church. A book could be written on the topic, but I’ll keep these comments brief.

First, what does it mean to “fear God”? It doesn’t mean to feel afraid, but rather to properly reverence him. To take God more seriously than anything else and acknowledge his right to govern our lives. Recognizing him as the all-knowing, all-powerful God that he is. Allowing him his rightful place on the throne in our hearts, and never allowing him to get pushed aside.

Fear of God is the central theme that winds through Proverbs. We learn that godly fear turns us away from evil, and instead leads to good things, such as humility, hard work, abundant life and honor.

Two specific proverbs especially reveal fear of God as an antidote to earthly fear:

Proverbs 14:26 says that fear of the Lord is “strong confidence”. It makes us fearless. Remembering that Almighty God holds our lives in his hands drives out the fear of adverse circumstances and of what other people might do against us.

Proverbs 19:23 says that fear of the Lord leads to “fullness of life”. When fear of God moves in, fear of people and circumstances move out. They cannot live together in the same heart. This puts life in proper order, and leads to satisfying sleep and productivity.

What’s the alternative? According to the Bible, the one who refuses to fear the Lord is a “fool”.

---Beverly Nickles

Jesus said, You must be born again!

The conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus in John 3:1-21 is a definite text in the gospels on the new birth. Salvation is introduced here and expanded in the rest of the New Testament.

Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly at night seeking further instruction on how to enter the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus had witnessed Jesus performing miracles and teaching with authority. He understood that Jesus was “sent by God”.

Nicodemus was a leader among the Jewish religious elite, perhaps equivalent to a pope. Yet he understood that he remained outside God’s Kingdom and didn’t know how to enter in.

Jesus said,” You must be born again.” (Jn. 3:7) Nicodemus questioned how he a grow man could possibly be born a second time. Jesus explained that his first birth was fleshly and produced a fleshly human being. And that he had done nothing to bring about his birth.

Entering God’s eternal Kingdom requires a new or second birth that only the Spirit of God can bring about. It’s an act of God by which he recreates you. The regenerated one receives the mind of God and a new nature, disposition, character and life.

Up to this point, Nicodemus still failed to understand that this Jesus he spoke with was the long-promised Messiah. The Son of God. Savior and Lord.

The Spirit of God was drawing him into an encounter with Jesus. The revelation of who Jesus is demands a personal decision from each one about how he will respond to him.

Jesus stated clearly to Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “ (Jn. 3:16-17)

And that’s Good News! That’s the gospel Truth.

---Beverly Nickles