Let us remember context is king in interpreting Scripture.  This statement from God to King Solomon at the dedication of the Temple is directed toward the people of Israel, a fickle stiff-necked people.  And God had good reason to make this pointed statement, all people, even to this day, must be humble if they are to be in relationship with God, humility is a critical attribute of a Christian.  And prayer, prayer also is an integral part of the Christian life, a critical part, it is the very line of communication between you and God.  And in our time of prayer and meditation, we should be seeking the face of God, seeking His will, seeking His guidance, seeking His presence in our life.  And of course the act of repentance is required for salvation, no conviction, no conversion, we must all repent of our wicked ways, for none is righteous, we all have fallen short of the Glory of God.  And the Lord says, when my people, those who are called by my name do all these things, then I will hear from Heaven and then I will heal their land.  Although this was written and stated thousands of years ago, it is very much relevant to our nation today, Jesus Saves!

How often we see the less fortunate, the fatherless, the widows, those who have no one here on earth to care for them being left to fend for themselves.  Sure the government wants you to believe they are helping them, when in fact they exploit them as has been the case for thousands of years.  But God, God is the father to the fatherless, He desires to have an intimate life saving relationship with those who have no earthly father, or may have lost their earthly father.  The Lord looks after widows and orphans who have no one to care for them and love them in this life, God's love and compassion is infinite and eternal, it has no beginning or end.  And God the Father does all of this from His Holy habitation, a place of eternal hope and love, He cares for you, Jesus Saves!

In the Old Testament, God says to love him first and foremost, the first of the Ten commandments is, you shall have no other Gods before me, and then later in His teachings the Lord says, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might", from Deuteronomy chapter six, a daily prayer and thought of all Jewish people to this day.  Loving God and loving others is God's command to all of us, and Jesus tells His disciples you must love like I have loved you, loving each other in that very same way.  For by living your life in this way, the whole world will know that you are my disciples.  People all around you should know you are a child of God, it should be readily apparent to everyone by the way you walk with Jesus.  Live like Jesus, Love like Jesus, Jesus Saves!

We all have plans to do certain things in life, but are our plans, our work committed to the Lord and have we gone to Him prior to putting our plans into force?  Sometimes we want to do a certain thing, but we never even think about what God might think about it, but we go forward with it anyway... And it either fails or it ends up causing up pain and grief, or it is costly in some manner.  Here in the Book of Wisdom from Solomon, we are given some very good direction, commit your work, all of your work to the Lord, meaning we need to be in prayer long before we even try to put our plans in play, ask God if this is a plan that He desires.  Then after the Lord blesses your plan, He will establish this plan and it will work out for the best.  Remember, God desires to be the center of your life, the focal point of all you do.  Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established, Jesus Saves!

Have you noticed just how caustic our world has become?  People are at odds with each other over things that should not even be discussed, lies from the pit of Hell such as transgenderism, homosexulaity, politics, abortion, and so much more.  When we should be offering kindness toward each other and being able to calmly have a civil discussion about anything on earth.  Kindness goes a long way in a relationship, as meanness stirs up strife and trouble.  Our living example is Christ Jesus who loves people, He was compassionate toward people, He was willing to give His all to help others and He still does.  We need to see more tender hearts in our world today, having compassion, caring, and lifting others up when they are down, it is simply the right thing to do.  And forgiving one another, there is far too much bitterness in people today, people hate each other over things neither of them can change, and yet they allow the enemy to divide them.  Christ forgave you and me, let us do the same for others, Jesus Saves!

Moses has walked with God, but it is now time to stop walking on earth, God has said you will go no further, relinquish the reins of leadership to this younger man Joshua.  God has been with this people group in the wilderness for some forty years, they have seen God do some of the most amazing things, He has fed them, clothed them, given them water, taught them how they should behave, but most importantly, God has led them along, every step of the way.  Notice that Moses does not tell his protege you are in charge, it is up to you to do all of this, no, he tells him God is in charge, it is God who will lead you into this new promised land.  It is the Lord who goes before you, He will be with you always, He will never leave nor forsake you, do not fear nor be dismayed.  Let us learn from this scene, we need not fear, nor be dismayed at our world around us, remember God has a good plan, we need only trust Him and let Him lead us through this life and into eternity, Jesus Saves!

When you find a product that delivers as promised, is reliable, and lasts and performs, you will continue to buy that product, it is trustworthy.  Well the most trustworthy of them all is the Lord your God, He is always there, He is more than dependable,  He gives you an Eternal Lifetime Guarantee, and He never fails...  Is that not exactly what we are all looking for?  Trust in the Lord forever, with all your heart, soul and might in every way in every day, for He is an everlasting Rock, an immovable Rock.  What is the only constant in this world, one thing that has always been and has never changed, not even in the slightest?  GOD!  God has always been, He created all that was ever created, and He remains steadfast even when us humans fail Him, sin against Him, and even walk away from Him, God remains an everlasting Rock.  If you are struggling in life, life seems to be getting the best of you, and are feeling like a sinking ship in the midst of a great raging ocean, call out to the Lord, He is trustworthy to answer your prayers, and He will never let you down.  Seek God in all situations, Jesus Saves!

An interesting statement here from the Prophet Malachi, and it strikes a chord of confusion among scholars as to its real meaning.  It makes the most sense in the idea that Malachi is saying that the unbelieving children will come to a reconciliation with their believing fathers in time.  And that the unfaithful unbelieving fathers will come to faith like their believing children in time as well.  Over the past almost two thousand years this has happened periodically through awakenings and revivals, in the last days this will occur as well.  This is what we pray for so often within our families and churches for reconciliation of broken families.  The separation of families because of faith in Christ is real and it is heartbreaking, but Jesus said it would be this way.  Let us all be praying for this restoration of families to come, Jesus Saves!

Isaiah chapter 4o also known as the comfort chapter, written by the prophet during some very dismal times in Israel.  But no matter what might be going on in your life right now, be it good or bad, God is near to the brokenhearted.  We cannot allow our life's circumstances to rule our relationship with the Lord for God never changes and He never moves away.  When we feel lonely and distant from God, it is because we have moved, we have changed our attitude toward Him.  But He will always give us the strength to carry on, when we wait upon the Lord, He will renew our strength.  As Isaiah wrote here, God will lift you up, you will have wings like eagles able to soar to heights unknown, and you will not grow weary as you trust the Lord in all things.  And as we walk with God, it must be on His terms not ours, our relationship with God is His, we exist for Him, not the other way around.  Know God, Know Peace, Jesus Saves!

As a Born Again Christian we are rebirthed into Hope, Hope is a part of our new creation DNA, for without Hope faith fades.  Now being patient in tribulation, that can be a challenge for many a believer, it is hard to walk through those dark valleys where so many times God seems to be at a distance.  But when we know God intimately, not just knowledge of Him, not just bible study about Him, but our relationship with Him is part of who we are, it is there that we can have patience in tribulation.  And of course as with every other part of the Christians life, we must be in constant prayer, constant communication with the one who gave you life.  Today, examine your walk with Christ, your ability to walk by faith, and how truly intimate you are with God.  Is your relationship where it should be, or is it an on again off again kind of connection that you have with the Lord.  Make your relationship with the Lord the highest priority you have in your life, Jesus Saves!

Let's face it, life can be extremely busy, work, children, school, community meetings, and so many other things that have real tendancy to occupy our time.  Then on top of all of that, we have concerns, worries, anxieties about a multitude of other things causing us to lose sight of the one who is in total control of our lives, God.  So, before any of those occupiers come into play, put God and His kingdom first, above and before all other people and events in your life, consider God prior to anything else.  When we put God first He will take away the worry and anxiety, He will lead us in paths of righteousness, and He will  walk side by side with us through whatever we are doing because we are leaning on His understanding and not our own.  In context, Jesus has just taught on the fallacy of worry, and some of what people worry about, and that God knows, He understands and He will provide all you need, all of these will be added to you, if you remember that God loves you and He will take care of you always, Jesus Saves!

Rejoice always, people ask, how can I rejoice always, I have lots of problems, stuff that I just cannot get joyful about.  Rejoice in Christ Jesus, the one who saved you, the one who died for you, the one who paid it all for you, that is more than something to rejoice over.  It is truly a mindset, it is a change of attitude, away from the old, and in with the new, praising God always.  And as well we must ibe n prayer without ceasing, we all have plenty to pray about, there is never a time in your life when you will be left with nothing to pray for, if nothing else, we shall be thanking God for all He is doing in our lives in all circumstances.  We need to be thankful for God and His many blessings always, He gave you life, He sustains your life, and He provides for all your needs, give thanks.  For all of this is indeed the will of God, He has filled your heart with joy, peace, love and hope, for through Christ Jesus you have been saved, redeemed, given a new life, eternal life, Jesus Saves!

The Word of God, the logos, it is living and active, it is a guide for your soul, it leads you in paths of righteousness, it lights your path.  One might say, well how does a book of words do such a thing?  How can this be?  Because it is from God, it truly is a supernatural writing, God revealing His story to the reader, and it is filled with wonderful words of life.  The Lord tells us we are to follow His path, to walk by faith not by sight, and we are to walk in the word, all of these are possible if we spend quality time in the Word of God.  The Bible keeps us on that narrow path of life, for when we ignore the word, when we forget the word and go our own way, we find ourselves on the broad road to destruction, a place of darkness and death.  But the Word of God is a lamp to my feet, keeping me in step with God every day, and it lights my path that leads to eternal life, Jesus Saves!

This statement from the apostle Peter must not be overlooked or discounted, this is serious, the devil, Satan is our biggest foe, he hates you and would love nothing less than to destroy you.  Peter knows firsthand exactly what this feels like and looks like, Satan had sifted him as Jesus had warned, and Peter found himself denying the Lord, not once, but three times.  Peter was at rock bottom, it was a very dark time in his life, but he learned just how powerful an enemy Satan is. The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter six to put on the armor of God every day for "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places"  It is a Spiritual war zone out there in that vast world we live in, it is Spiritual Warfare, every day!  Stay in the Word, in prayer, in devotion to the Lord and the devil will flee, the word of God is Satan's kryptonite, Jesus Saves!

A Psalm of Praise, My soul longs for the courts of the Lord.  Blessed are those whose strength is in the Lord, those who trust Him to lead them , guide them, and deliver them from all circumstances, knowing God is their true strength as they travel through this world.  The world we live in is a rough place, it is dark, it is full of all kinds of evil, it is living contrary to God's commands, and you and I, without God, do not have the strength to endure it, our strength comes from the Lord.  This Psalm begins with "How lovely is your dwelling place", for those who trust the Lord, who rely wholly upon Him, it is their heart which is set on that highway to Zion, destined for your dwelling place.  Today, set your heart on the Lord and His great love, ask Him to give you His strength to get through this day for He is all you need, Jesus Saves!

The writer of Hebrews gives some really encouraging and uplifting advice to us as followers of Christ Jesus for the race of life we are running, a race he ran as well.  There have been many people who have run this same race before we have and they ran it with endurance and they made it, they finished.  Back in the time when this was written, runners in big races, like marathons and such ran completely naked, there was no extra weight or anything to interfere with the runners ability to run freely.  We are to think like that, eliminate everything from your life that is a hindrance to running the Christian race, be it sin, worries, or other things that weigh us down.  We have been chosen by God to be in this race, we follow or run through faith, faith that strengthens us to keep running, and by the grace of God we will keep running until the end, until we complete our race.  At the end of this race is a prize beyond human comprehension, a paradise that cannot be known or understood in human terms, so therefore run with all endurance the race that has been set before you, Jesus Saves!

God has given us all that we need for salvation, therefore let us grow in His Grace unto eternity.  We are human beings, we do have limited power, limited strength, and limited abilities, but God is limitless in every way, He is our power, He is our strength, and He is every ability we need to live a Chrst centered life.  God did not call us to Himself because we had it all together, that we were perfect and righteous... Not at all, God called to be saved, in the condition we were.  But God also calls us to be sanctified in Him, a process of change that will take all of this life and then perfection as we enter eternity with Him.  Just like what Jesus told the apostle Paul when he prayed for relief from his thorn in the flesh, 2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest  upon me"  No matter what might be happening in your life today, God's grace is sufficient for each and everyone of us, Jesus Saves!

What a Mighty God we serve.  No matter what is going around us, in our lives, or any place in the vast universe, our God is Mighty.  And every one of us can without a doubt say, "He has done great things for me", God created you, He knew when you were being knitted together within the confines of your mothers womb and He knows you today.  In context, this is the virgin Mary's song to the Lord, better known as the Magnificat, a song of great praise for all God had done in her life.  God had just turned Mary's world upside down, her life was changing forever, she would never be that same innocent little girl, but highly blessed as well.  And Mary, as can we, says, Holy is His name, Holy, Holy, Holy is our God.  Today, let us ponder just how great God is in our lives, count your blessings, and praise God, the Mighty One to save, praise His Holy name, Jesus Saves!

God from the beginning desires that His people care for and tend to those who are in need, He set forth guidelines to allow the poor to come and gleen from the outer edge of grain fields, it was a requirement. As we read through the Prophets, those generations had forgotten God and His care for the less fortunate, and they ignored them and mistreated them, and it cost them everything.  Today, we as Christians are still called by God to care for those in need, widows, orphans and the poor, it is our duty.  Here the apostle Paul reiterates what Jesus had said to His disciples during His ministry, "It is more blessed to give than to receive".  Giving is a true blessing, it fills the heart to overflowing, it is an act of love that the Lord presented to many, and we too can be the recipient of that blessing by giving of our time, talent and treasure as we have, Jesus Saves!

The Lord is Good, good seems to be so lacking in describing God, the word is truly a simplistic complimentary word meaning "to be desired of, approved of, having the qualities required for a specific role, and that which is morally right, righteous".  Yes God is all of those but so much more, God is God, He is perfect in every way.  The Prophet goes on to say God is a stronghold in the day of trouble, a place where we can go when the world is closing in on us, when problems overwhelm us, when we need the comfort of a loving father.  For God knows those who take refuge in Him, yes He does for those who come to God for refuge are in a relationship with Him, they know Him, and He knows them.  We serve an Awesome God, one who loves you, cares for you, and desires that you have a place of comfort, rest and refuge in Him always.  Come to the Lord in your time of trouble, He is your refuge and peace, Jesus Saves!

Jesus, the Light of the World, the one who created light, the one who brought the light of men into this dark world, it is He who has filled you with His light.  Here Jesus says to those who have believed in Him through faith, let your light shine in the dark world, let people know that you are a child of God, a disciple of Christ.  People whom you come in contact with every day should see the light of Christ in you, in your actions, in your words, just in how you display hope and a peace as you walk through this life with Jesus.  As this world continues to fall deeper into darkness, the light of Christ through you will shine ever brighter, and as others experience that light, they too will give glory to God as they see the goodness and righteousness of God in you.  Today, as you go out into the world, be the Salt and Light Jesus taught you to be, be a testimony of the Saving grace of Christ Jesus, Jesus Saves!

The Prophet Isaiah brings Good News to the afflicted nation as he proclaims a day, far in the future when Jerusalem will be the center of the world when Jesus returns in all His glory to guide those in that place through eternity.  A new world, a new earth, and new Heaven and a new Jerusalem, all being given light by the Lord Himself as there will be sun, but the Son, the Light of the World.  The Glory of the Lord will be the light that has come, the light that shines upon you.  Today as in the times in which Isaiah lived are dark, there is a lot of despair, injustice, godlessness, and many disasters are occurring all around the world, many people are without hope.  But there is a light coming, arise and shine for your Lord is coming, the salvation of the world, His return is imminent.  This same sentiment is reiterated by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:14 "for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” ~ Jesus Saves!

     The return of Jesus, people have been looking up for His return for many years, and many were certain it would happen during their lifetime.  But we know He is coming back, and we know it will be soon, very soon.  Therefore we must be ready, storing up treasures in Heaven, working for the Kingdom of God, telling others of His great love.  Sure, there are many signs that tell us it appears as though Jesus might return at any moment, but even if He does not come back in the next year, or ten years or one hundred years, He is coming back.  
       We cannot allow this life to dominate our thoughts and our time, there is far too much at stake to not be attentive to the Lord and His call upon our life.  What priorities do you have in your life?  What does each day look like?  Is Jesus the biggest part of your days, or an afterthought?  Life is short, death is sure, sin is the problem, and Christ is the cure, Jesus Saves!

Solomon writes of a woman who is beautiful, and it is her inward beauty that matters most, the fact she fears the Lord.  As Solomon writes of her, he states charm is deceitful; it can be turned on and turned off, it can be a facade to cover up a great deal.  And beauty, well beauty if vain and it is fleeting, for most people beauty fades with age, and beauty does not reflect the real person .  The real person comes from the heart, a person who loves God with all her heart, and her life reflects that love of God in every way, in every aspect of her life.  But this truth and reality applies to men and women, as we live in a sex charged, beauty oriented world, people strive to look like someone who doesn't exist, the person on the television or in a picture, as both have been highly doctored to reveal a very phony beauty.  Jesus spoke of this very thing to the religious leaders, He said you look great on the outside all polished up, but the inside is full of dead men's bones, for there was no love of God to be found in them.  Love God, love others, let who you are be visible through your heart for God, Jesus Saves!

What is the first thing Jesus says we must do if we are going to be His disciples?   We must first deny ourselves, take me out of the picture and put Him first, above everything else in life.  And the Lord does not give us an option to remain in the world, in sin, in inappropriate relationships, No, He says I want you, all of you.  And unless and until you deny yourself, you will not be able to take up your cross as the Lord instructs, you must be willing to follow in His footsteps no matter where it leads.  Bearing your cross is knowing and understanding that this path of salvation could very well lead to persecution, trials, tribulations.  But we can also know that Jesus paved The Way, He has walked this path before us, it is narrow and can be lonely, but it is worth everything it costs.  It is time to now deny yourself, give up your will for God's will, give up your desires for God's desires, deny the flesh and follow the Spirit, Jesus Saves!

This is a most amazing statement of truth from God, that while you and I were still alienated from God, enemies of the Lord most high, sinners... Christ died for us.  The tremendous, never ending, Eternal love of God, it is beyond anything we can even imagine, no one has ever known love like the love of God.  We as human beings have a hard time loving each other even when we have a small  disagreement, yet alone loving another enough to lay down our lives for them.  But God, God sent His son to come and live among sinful people and sacrifice His life in the most horrendous manner known to man, crucifixion.  God did that, God loves us that much, that is a love that looks beyond every fault, every mistake, every shortcoming, every sin no matter its depth, and says I died for you.  Never forget God loves you right where you are, Jesus Saves!

This might be one of the most overlooked verses in the New Testament, as it follows one of the most well known verses in all of Scripture, John 3:16.  But this is a continuation of Jesus' statement to Nicodemus.  Jesus has told this Religious leader you must be born again, you must be born of the Spirit, you must believe, and Jesus continued and explained that the Son of Man would need to die for the sins of the world.  Jesus gives Nicodemus the Good News, and though we do not see this man's faith played out until the end of John's Gospel at Jesus' death, it becomes readily apparent Nicodemus was a believer in Christ Jesus.  This verse has a very simple and poignant message,  Jesus came into the world to save people.  Jesus came to save, to help, to heal, and deliver, all through His sacrificial death on the cross, He did not come to condemn this world, but to save it, Jesus Saves!

Throughout time people have dealt with frustration, disappointment, and exhaustion dealing with overwhelming circumstances that seemed like sure defeat.  In our world today we are living in times like that, it appears that evil and wickedness are winning at every turn, and no matter how hard we fight for righteousness, we seem to be getting pushed back.  Many Christians have lived in times like these and have fought the good fight up to the end of their life, they did not give up, they did not throw in the towel, they kept fighting for good and did not grow weary of doing good.  A great example of this is a Christian hero of many, Deitrich Bonhoeffer, he fought against the evils of the Nazi regime in Germany during World War II.  He fought the good fight, yes he lost his life in his fight for what was right, but he did not grow weary of doing good, he stayed the course right up the moment they ended his life.  Let's fight the good fight for what is right in God's eyes, not taking our eyes off the prize to be had in Heaven, Jesus Saves!

Jesus having been filled with the Spirit of God was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.  Jesus was put through a series of temptations by Satan to strengthen His humanity, as He 100% man, and 100 % God.  He was learning human obedience to the Father, and He was preparing for the ministry mission that His father had sent Him to complete. But also, this is a learning lesson for all believers to show us the proper manner in which we can overcome temptation like our Lord and Savior did.  We, like Jesus, are to take every thought captive and replace it with the Word of God.  There is no temptation that you and I cannot avoid, and we can know that the Lord always gives us a way of escape.  We like Jesus must feed our Spiritual needs before we feed our physical needs, “What digestion is to the body, Meditation is to the soul”, get into the Word of God, and the Word of God will get into you, Jesus Saves!

As Christians we are to keep the right mindset and the correct attitude about our current earthly life and our future home in Heaven.   Jesus tells us to look up for our redemption is near, and we know this to be true, we are most definitely in the end of times, Jesus could swoop us up into Heaven at any moment.  But, as long as we are still here on earth among the many people who do not know Jesus, we have work to do, we cannot be negligent of our commission.  This life here on earth is only temporary, we are only passing through, as James puts it, this life is like a vapor, it goes by quickly.  Therefore we must be about our Fathers business and at the same time keep our eyes on what is Eternal and not on what is temporal.  If we keep our eyes on Jesus and our focus on living a Christlike life, we will be attending to all the tasks He has given to us.  Let the Lord guide your life and you will always stay on that narrow path, Jesus Saves!

People often, especially those who do not know God, say why is He still not coming, where is He?  They look at God as being slow or maybe He isn't coming at all, when in fact He is doing what God does best, He is patient, with a desire to see all people come to faith.  Rabbi Pesach Wolicki wrote this about a future and a hope, "If God told you that the Messiah will come shortly after your own life ended, would you still rejoice over the Good News of the Messiah's imminent arrival?"  So, when we look at the time it has been since Jesus said He was coming back, yes it seems like a very long time, but  to God a day is a thousand years and a thousand years is a day, God lives outside our time domain, He is not slow.  God has a love for all people, and God does not want any to miss the opportunity to be saved, redeemed, to become children of God, Jesus Saves!