LET THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINE UPON YOU

^{Romans 8:35} Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? ³⁶ (Even the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. ³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. ³⁹ Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

^{Hebrews 13:8} Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ⁹ Don’t be fooled by any kind of strange teachings. It is better to receive strength from God’s undeserved kindness than to depend on certain foods. After all, these foods don’t really help the people who eat them. ¹⁰ But we have an altar where even the priests who serve in the place of worship have no right to eat.

 "Take Courage You who are persecuted
For My Names Sake"

Followers of Jesus delivering his message of salvation have always been unwanted ever since Jesus himself first delivered it 2,000 years ago. He was so unwanted by the established political leadership of his day that early in his ministry they plotted how they could kill him. Less than three years later, they succeeded; death by crucifixion.
All of his apostles (excluding Judas, the betrayer), except one, died a martyr's death. John was banished to a remote island, all for the crime of delivering Jesus' message. Paul, initially a zealous persecutor of Christians, after his conversion became an equally zealous deliverer of the message. He was imprisoned several times, beaten with rods and lashes, once stoned and left for dead, and finally beheaded, simply for delivering the message.
Likewise, ever since, Christians have been persecuted and executed because they are unwanted. Even in the United States, Australia and many other nations persons publicly proclaiming the name of Jesus are ridiculed by the mainstream media, denied the right to meet in public facilities, even fired from their job for sharing the message or wearing a cross in their lapel.
Many are excommunicated from their family and ostracized from their ethnic community. But Jesus warned his followers that he came, not to bring peace, but a sword. His word would set father against son, brother against brother and those who followed him would be hated for his name's sake.
The good news is that even though the messengers are officially unwanted, there are always those individuals, even among the establishment, who accept Jesus' offer of salvation and rejoice in it. Jesus' last words to his 11 disciples were, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." That is why the messengers go.

ALBERT N. BRAUER,
retired, Orange Park USA.

DON'T LOSE HEART

Do not lose heart, then, my friend, in pursuing your spiritual life. There is yet time, and your hour is not past. Why delay your destiny? Arise! Begin at once and say: "Now is the time to act, now is the time to fight, now is the proper time to amend." We have cause, therefore, because of our frailty and feebleness, to humble ourselves and never think anything great of ourselves. Through neglect we may quickly lose that which by God’s grace we have acquired. What, eventually, will become of us who so quickly grow lukewarm? Woe to us if we presume to rest in peace and security when actually there is no true holiness in our lives. It would be beneficial for us, like good novices, to be instructed once more in the principles of a good life, to see if there be hope of amendment and greater spiritual progress in the future.

 The Believer’s Blessings & Promises in Jesus Christ

^{Psalm 31:19} Your goodness is so great! You have stored up great blessings for those who honour you. You have done so much for those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. ²⁰ You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues. ²¹ Praise the Lord, for he has shown me his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack. ²² In sudden fear I had cried out, "I have been cut off from the Lord!" But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help. ²³ Love the Lord, all you faithful ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes all who are arrogant. ²⁴ So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the Lord!

^Psalm71:5 O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood. ⁶ Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you

^{Psalm 42:8} Through each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. ⁹ "O God my rock," I cry, "Why have you forsaken me? Why must I wander in darkness, oppressed by my enemies?" ¹⁰ Their taunts pierce me like a fatal wound. They scoff, "Where is this God of yours?" ¹¹ Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

^{1Peter 1:21} Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.

^{1Peter 1:13} So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn’t know any better then. ¹⁵ But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be his children—is holy. ¹⁶ For he himself has said,

 " Keep yourselves pure."

^{1John 3:2} Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. ³ And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure.

^{Isaiah 55:1} "Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free! ² Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul! ³ "Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David. ⁴ He displayed my power by being my witness and a leader among the nations. ⁵ You also will command the nations, and they will come running to obey, because I, the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious."⁶ Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. ⁷ Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.⁸ "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. ⁹ For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.¹⁰ "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. ¹¹ It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. ¹² You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! ¹³ Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.

^{Proverbs 14:29} Those who control their anger have great understanding; those with a hasty temper will make mistakes. ³⁰ A relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it away.

^{Colossians 1:3} We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ for we have heard that you trust in Christ Jesus and that you love all of God’s people. ⁵ You do this because you are looking forward to the joys of heaven—as you have been ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. ⁶ This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere, just as it changed yours that very first day you heard and understood the truth about God’s great kindness to sinners.

^{Colossians 1:27} For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory.

^{Ephesians 1:3} How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. ⁴ Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. ⁵ His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. ⁶ So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. ⁷ He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. ⁸ He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹ God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. ¹⁰ And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. ¹¹ Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. ¹² God’s purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. ¹³ And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. ¹⁴ The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.

^{John 14:18} No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.

^{Gal 4:6} And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father.

^{Heb 12:9} Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever?

^{Deut 8:5} So you should realize that just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you to help you.

^{Job 22:26} "Then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and look up to God. ²⁷ You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows to him. ²⁸ Whatever you decide to do will be accomplished, and light will shine on the road ahead of you. ²⁹ If someone is brought low and you say, ‘Help him up,’ God will save the downcast. ³⁰ Then even sinners will be rescued by your pure hands."

^{John 15:9} "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. ¹⁰ When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! ¹² I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you.

^{Psalm 126:5} Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. ⁶ They weep as they go to plant their seed,  but they sing as they return with the harvest.

^{2Sam 7:14} I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will use other nations to punish him.

^{Job 22:21} "Stop quarrelling with God! If you agree with him, you will have peace at last, and things will go well for you. ²² Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart.

^{Prov 3:11} My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. ¹² For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

^{Prov 14:26} Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a place of refuge for their children.

^{Heb 12:5} And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, "My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. ⁶ For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children." ⁷ As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? ⁸ If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all. ⁹ Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever? ¹⁰ For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

^{Rom 8:29} For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.

^{Rom 8:16} For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

^{Gal 3:28} There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians—you are one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.

 ^{Gal 4:7} Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.

^{Eph 3:6} And this is the secret plan: The Gentiles have an equal share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God’s children. Both groups have believed the Good News, and both are part of the same body and enjoy together the promise of blessings through Christ Jesus.

^{John 11:51} This prophecy that Jesus should die for the entire nation came from Caiaphs in his position as high priest. He didn’t think of it himself; he was inspired to say it. ⁵² It was a prediction that Jesus’ death would be not for Israel only, but for the gathering together of all the children of God scattered around the world.

^{Gal 4:4} But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. ⁵ God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.

^{Eph 1:3} How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. ⁴ Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. ⁵ His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.

^{Heb 2:9} What we do see is Jesus, who "for a little while was made lower than the angels" and now is "crowned with glory and honor" because he suffered death for us. Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone in all the world. ¹⁰ And it was only right that God—who made everything and for whom everything was made—should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation.

^{Psalm 31:23} Love the Lord, all you faithful ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes all who are arrogant. 24 So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the Lord!

^{1Peter 1:3} All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. ⁴ For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. ⁵ And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. ⁶ So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.

^{Isaiah1 61:0} I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels. ¹¹ The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, filled with young plants springing up everywhere.

^{1Peter 1:7} These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. ⁸ You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. ⁹ Your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

^{1Peter 1:10} This salvation was something the prophets wanted to know more about. They prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you, even though they had many questions as to what it all could mean. ¹¹ They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They wondered when and to whom all this would happen. ¹² They were told that these things would not happen during their lifetime, but many years later, during yours. And now this Good News has been announced by those who preached to you in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

Christ is Our Life Line