April 14 – The Sting Is Gone

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NASB)

Our promise today is found in the last verse of  1 Corinthians fifteen. It continues instructions Paul gave in the first verses of the chapter (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). Where we are spiritually depends on what we are taught and learn and then choose to believe. The gospel Paul had preached in Corinth (1 Corinthians 2:1–2) had not changed; but he feared that along with the declension in the church regarding the message of Christ crucified and its implication for believers, the same was happening with regard to the message of Christ resurrected. False teachers work for our enemy Satan to turn people away from the truth of Jesus’s resurrection. For the proof Christ is who He claims to be is His resurrection. So the enemies will always attempt to deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul had clearly stated the case for Christ’s resurrection and that if He did not rise from the dead our faith in Him would be useless. But his resurrection is true. Christ did not stay in the grave. He conquered the sting and power of death for all who believe. He secured our victory over death so that what we do for Christ’s Gospel is not in vain. 

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September 7 – Hope, Joy, Peace

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”   Romans 15:13  (NASB)

Don't we all wish that this could be our everyday experience?  We are confronted with many things that might rob us of our joy and peace, especially when our faith falters under the oppression of temptations. In our verse today the Apostle Paul is sending this encouraging promise to the followers of Jesus who were living in Rome and to us as well.  It was a difficult time to be a believer under Roman rule. The government did not welcome such “subversive” thought.  Today we can see our brothers and sisters around the world facing persecution and dying for professing the name of Jesus.  This promise is for them and for us as the movement against true faith is spreading and growing in our country and world. Paul is praying the believers in Rome that they will realize our God gives us hope and fills us with Joy and Peace.  These are ours from God when we faithfully believe Him and His promises.  How do we experience this?  We maintain our hold on to the hope God has given to us. A hope that overflows – that hope is really assurance that helps us know His promises will all come true.   

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June 23 – Knowing Real Hope

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:13  (NASB)

This verse reminds us of the plans God has for those who enter His family by faith believing in Jesus Christ.  We notice first of all in this verse our God is called the God of hope and we notice that He is eager to share this hope with us.  Yes, our verse says that God's desire for us is that we overflow with hope.  Now, as we have clarified before, when the Bible  speaks of hope it means “expectation” and it doesn't mean "wish-fullness" It means that there is something for us to look forward to.  It is our anticipation of receiving what we have been promised – that is our hope and it will not disappoint if what we hope for is what God has promised us is ours. God's earnest desire is that we are always looking forward to wonderful prospects which He has prepared for us into eternity.  Let's never forget what a future we have.  Let's allow this hope to overflow resulting in joy, love, and peace. That may be difficult to understand sometimes but it is our promise and it was given to us by God.   

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September 3 – Labor, Worthy or Worthless

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”  1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)

Even though the day we call Labor Day in the United States is considered a holiday for people to not work, we can think of it as a reminder of the part of life that we call 'Labor'.  You have likely heard the verse that we have selected for today and you perhaps know that it comes at the end of a chapter about the resurrection.  So the promise of our verse is about the day when our work on earth will be over.  Yes, there will be a day when we are in heaven with God our Father.  God will reward His people for what they have done for Him here on earth.  Let's not forget friends that God knows what we do for His sake and He has promised to reward us accordingly.  Is our work today going to be worthy of a reward?  This is the question the apostle Paul was asking and encouraging us to be always abounding in the work of the Lord so that our labor will not be worthy and not worthless when that day come. 

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July 15 – To All The World

“...for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” Jonah 4:2b (ESV)

The words in this verse from the prophet Jonah, were not necessarily given in the best attitude.  Jonah is giving his reason, or excuse, for why he disobeyed God's instruction to go to Nineveh and when he did go, he complained.  Jonah knew all this about God but he thought only the people of Israel should benefit from it.  He didn't think their enemy in the heathen city of Nineveh should be included.  We are gald that God's goodness and righteousness and love have come to us and all nations.  We can now experience God's grace and compassion and His abounding love in our lives.  And, we can experience it every day.  We can stand behind those who spread His message of love to all who do not know it – in our community and our state as well as the ends of the earth.  Jonah declares a promise of God that is as true to us today as it was in his time.  Gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love, relenting from disaster for those who call on Him and believe in Him.

July 7 – Abounding, Inexhaustible, Good

“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.” Psalm 86:5 (NASB)

This verse has been chosen because we want to focus on the expression David has written in this prayer song. It is the expression “abundant in lovingkindness.”  Other versions might read “abounding in steadfast love” or “abounding in love.”  What does it mean that God is abounding or abundant in love?  It means that He has so much love that it keeps flowing, it keeps running over.  It means that no matter how much love He shows us there is still much more there for us to experience. In fact, He has an inexhaustible reserve and there is no way that our Lord will ever run out of His love that He has for us and shows to us. There is enough love in the heart of God to meet all our needs, to cover every situation that we will ever face.  But our verse reminds us that in order to experience God's love we need to call to Him.  He promises that He is good and ready to forgive and help every person that calls on Him.  Let's call on Him today for whatever challenges we face or for whatever failures we've experienced.  God is pouring out His love on us.

September 6 – Abounding Love

“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.”  Psalm 86:5 (NIV)

The Psalms were written to be songs and to be sung in worship, praise and prayer. When David wrote these words and then sang them to God,  he was expressing what he had experienced in his own life. But we noticed that he praised God for responding to all who would call on Him and that included us. We can join with David in thanking God for His love to each one of us when we turn to Him. When we think of how God has forgiven us and how He forgives us whenever we seek His forgiveness, we realize that this is due to His love for us, and it's because He loves us that He treats us so kindly. Let's join with David and say as he did, “You, Lord are forgiving and good abounding in love to all who call to you.” Today, whatever we encounter, let's remember the promise and call on God.