In 1985, my vision became seriously impaired. I could only read with great concentration, and then only with my Bible very close to my eyes. The specialist diagnosed me with keratoconus. This is a disease that thins the normally round cornea, bulges it into a cone shape and, in my case, leaving ripples in the cornea. This progressive disease causes distorted vision, depth perception problems, and light sensitivity. When this disease began and intensified, I feared I would become incapacitated, unable to minister or support my young family. Once word spread about my difficulty, believers from around the country began to call me with the encouraging words: “I’m praying for you.” It’s hard to express how much that meant to me and how thankful I am that God answered their prayers.

When the Apostle Paul opened his letter to the believers at Colossae, he encouraged them by saying he was: “praying always” for them (Colossians 1:3). Paul was, what we call today, “a prayer warrior.” He prayed regularly for the needs of other saints. He assured the believers at Ephesus that he would “cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:16). Paul reminds them again of his prayers over his concern that they would be discouraged by his persecutions. He writes: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory…” (Ephesians 3:14,16). When Paul was aware of a need in the life of other believers, his response was to hold them up to the throne of grace, asking God to intervene on their behalf. Knowing there were questions and concerns among new believers at Thessalonica about what happened to saints when they died before the Rapture, Paul again assures them of his prayers. He tells them he planned to come see them soon, and that he was “night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face…” (I Thessalonians 3:10). It must have been an encouragement to the believers at Colossae to know Paul was praying for them, and that he would “not cease to pray” for their needs (Colossians 1:9).

You, too, have likely been greatly encouraged by the assurance of someone praying for you in a time of real need. Now it is time for you to “pay it forward.” Spend some time now lifting up someone in prayer, and seek to become a real prayer warrior.

Free Mail Subscription

My wife’s father and I are both real football fans. We can joyfully talk about football for long periods of time. We anticipate every recruiting class, season, and game. When our teams played for, and won, the national championship, we talked about it extensively, replayed the game, and rejoiced in the victory. With a sense of reverence, it occurs to me that we believers should be even more enthusiastic fans of God and be constantly rejoicing in Him.

In Philippians 4:4, Paul tells us to: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice.” Notice that the emphasis, and focus, of rejoicing is not in our circumstances, but in the Lord Himself. A study of the Scriptures reveals there are many aspects of the Lord that should produce rejoicing in us. Jeremiah wrote about how mercifully God deals with sinful man. He said: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not, they are new every morning…” (Lamentations 3:22-23). David wrote: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 103:8). He added: “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised…I will speak of the glorious honor of Thy majesty… the Lord is gracious, and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy” (Psalm 145:3-8). Likewise, Moses said: “The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty…” (Numbers 14:18). Even in the face of Israel’s blatant rebellion, Nehemiah proclaimed: “…but Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not” (Nehemiah 9:17). But even when, in righteousness, God will judge the sins of mankind, we have the assurance: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). Many passages describe God’s holiness, righteousness, power, omniscience, and love. For example: “…God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). After we trust in Christ, we have the assurance of eternal security, and on our behalf, He “…is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…” (Ephesians 3:20).

Throughout today, we should exalt the Lord in songs of praise and rejoice in His greatness. Doing so will not only glorify God, but it will also draw us closer to Him and give us a greater appreciation for our salvation.

Free Mail Subscription

We have a very close friend who moved to Florida from Puerto Rico twenty-six years ago. Understandably, she is still proud of her native country, misses family there, and occasionally longs to see her hometown. However, during a recent visit, she realized that her old home simply isn’t home any more. So much has changed in Puerto Rico over the years that it barely resembles how she remembers it. Moreover, she has built a new life here with current relationships and has a grace church that she loves. Her epiphany has been that her new life is really home. Her former home could never really be home again.

Philippians 3:20 says: “For our conversation [or citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” In a real sense, every true child of God today has had a transfer of citizenship. Prior to salvation, we all “…walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). We were at home, or comfortable, with the sinful characteristics of our day. But that changes within when we trust in Christ alone for salvation. “…If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [or creation]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). This certainly does not mean believers never fail in sin or never again desire sinful activities. It does mean that God changes us within spiritually. Now, when we knowingly sin, the Holy Spirit strikes our conscience and gives us a deep desire to live for Christ instead of simply for self. Like Moses, who refused the “pleasures of sin” in Egypt so that he might walk with the Lord (Hebrews 11:24-27), believers are drawn in the new nature, by God, to walk with Him. We realize, as the chorus says: “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue…” Our real home is heaven.

Talk about your new heavenly home, think about it, and long to see it. Never again allow yourself to become “at home” in this world. Our life should now be spent setting our affections on things above (Colossians 3:1-6) and living for Christ. We must be looking for the Savior who may return for us soon. Remember, you are now a citizen of heaven.

Free Mail Subscription

Most of our purchases are with a credit card. There is a convenience because we don’t need to carry large amounts of cash, but we also do it to accumulate points to use for free airline tickets. Recently, I scheduled a doctor’s appointment over the phone, and they required a deposit with a credit card to secure my appointment. After reading off the card number, I repeated it again for clarity. Sure enough, the listener had recorded it incorrectly. I anticipated this possibility. That’s why I repeated the number just to be sure they got it right. It was the safe thing to do.

As we read through Scriptures, it is easy to see that God often repeats the same instructions over and over. Why does He do so? Paul tells us why in Philippians 3:1: “To write the same things [again] to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.” It didn’t bother Paul to repeat important doctrine. He knew believers easily forget, and that the truth doesn’t always register the first time. Three subjects were often repeated to Paul’s converts: circumcision, baptism, and forgiveness. Freedom from the Mosaic Law was hard for many to embrace. In part, this was because false teachers constantly sought to impose this legalism on those Paul led to Christ. They also had not fully grasped the principle of rightly dividing between instructions to Israel and to the Body of Christ. So, Paul warned the Galatians that circumcision avails nothing. They needed to stand fast in liberty (5:1-2). Then he explained to the Colossian believers that they had a far superior spiritual circumcision (Colossians 2:10-11). Water baptism was confusing for many, because God once required this to accompany faith in order for Jews to be saved (Mark 1:4; Acts 2:38). In our new Dispensation of Grace, Paul explained we have salvation by faith alone. Water baptism would detract from the cross, and today we have a superior spiritual baptism (Ephesians 4:5; I Corinthians 1:14-18; I Corinthians 12:13). Many are also confused about forgiveness. God required Israelites to confess their sins for forgiveness (Matthew 3:6, Mark 1:5). But believers today are given full forgiveness of all sins at the moment of salvation (Colossians 2:13; Ephesians 1:7).

Paul knew forgetfulness and lack of comprehension made repeating key doctrines the safe thing to do. When we read these verses, may we be, as a hymn describes: “hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.”

Free Mail Subscription