Casting Crowns

Revelation 4:10-11 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Why do the twenty-four elders cast their crowns before Jesus? Because He loved them and died for them. He extended grace to save them, He kept them, He gifted them to serve, and He equipped them for victory. Without that, they wouldn’t have crowns.

There’s nothing more valuable to God than dedicated Christians. These are the ones He uses in His service and for His glory. These are the ones who will receive rewards and crowns in Heaven. And these will also be casting crowns before Him, joining thousands upon thousands and thousands of saints as they praise the One who is worthy to receive glory and honor and power---our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What about you? Will you be there? If you are lost or if you are not sure about your spiritual condition, trust Jesus as your personal  Savior. Ask Him to forgive your sins and come into your heart.

Testimony

1 Chronicles 16:8 Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

I love to hear God’s people tell of His goodness. I love to hear folks testify of their salvation experience. I love to hear folks brag on the Savior. Apparently, the Lord loves that as well.

We must be willing to tell what God has done for us. It doesn’t have to be a twenty minute exposition, just a simple testimony of grace and gratitude.

One of the greatest testimonies ever spoken is simply----“I want to thank the Lord for saving me.” That’s making known the deeds of the Lord among the people.

 If it has been a while or maybe you have never testified of God’s goodness, I challenge you to give it a try. I think you will want to do so again.

Do You Have God's Ear?

James 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Prayer should be based on FACTS. F=Faith; A=Adoration; C=Confession; T=Thanksgiving; S=Supplications.

Sometimes we pray about all those things---at other times only some. But those are the things Jesus has commanded us to pray about. He will honor proper praying. We are to pray believing that God will hear us and answer in His way in His time. Do you have God’s ear?

It’s not the arithmetic of our prayers, how many they are;

Nor the rhetoric of our prayers, how eloquent they may be;

Nor the geometry of our prayers, how long they be;

Nor the logic of our prayers, how argumentative they may be;

Nor the method of our prayers, how orderly they may be:

It is fervency of spirit which availeth much.

Wisdom

James 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Wisdom is more than mere knowledge. It involves skills in the affairs of life, tact, sound judgment, and good sense  I fear that the vast majority look in all the wrong places for wisdom.

This world and its ideas don’t have the answers for the  problems we face. Wisdom comes from God. Our society  in large part is ignorant of the Bible and the ways of God. If believers are to be effective for the Lord, we must not be lacking in wisdom.

We need to understand that the wisdom of God is usually not received immediately. We must be willing to seek Him in prayer, read His Word, and meditate upon Him.

There’s no limit to the wisdom of God. He is more than able to provide all we need and will give it without measure if we sincerely desire to receive it. We lack wisdom because we don’t ask expecting to receive.

Christ Is Greater Than The World

1 John 4:1,4  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. . . . . [4] Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

The world doesn’t share our faith or support our cause. Everyone believes something and many seek to influence us with their modern theology. But the Lord is in the hearts of believers. He stands with us, equips us to serve Him, and accomplishes His will. God is greater than the world.

More than ever, believers  need to be dedicated to the Lord. We need  spiritual discernment. We need to be settled in the truth of God’s Word. We must know what we believe and why. When we know truth we will not be lead astray with error.

"Lord, show us the truth in your Word. Amen."

The Gospel Of Christ

Romans 1:16-17  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

The Apostle Paul knew first hand about the power of the Gospel of Christ. It drastically changed his life. Every life that is redeemed by the Gospel of grace is a life that is forever changed, a life that becomes a thing of praise and glory to Almighty God.

There are many different gospels being preached in our day.

• The Gospel of religion says, “Turn over a new leaf.”
• The Gospel of materialism says, “Your worth is determined by what you have. Gain is the goal of life.”
• The Gospel of liberalism says “I'm OK and you're OK. God accepts us like we are and will take us to Heaven if Heaven really exists.”
• The Gospel of society .comsays, “Do as you please for life is short.”
• The Gospel of Christ says, “You are a sinner, and if you die in your sins, you will go the Hell. However, God loves you and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus into the world. Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead. If you will place your faith in Him, then you can and will be eternally saved.”

The saints of God  have been given a Gospel worth believing and one that is worth sharing. Are you trusting the Gospel of Christ for your salvation? Are you sharing the Gospel like Paul did or are you ashamed of the Gospel of Christ?

The Battles We Face

Joshua 5:13-14 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

Israel is about to attack the city of Jericho. Before that battle, the leader of Israel, Joshua, goes out to inspect the battle site and  comes face to face with the real leader of Israel. Yielding the battle to Jesus,  Joshua humbles himself, falls at the Lord’s feet and worships Him.

May this remind us who is in control of the battles we face. May this remind us of the necessity of humbling ourselves at the feet of Jesus, to submit to God’s will, whatever that will may be. His will is what matters most.

If we would enjoy real spiritual victory in our lives, we must come to understand who really fights our battles.