Jesus Christ IS Still The Same

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." Matthew 4:23 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

In many accounts of the gospels, we see that Jesus physically healed people. As a result of the physical healing, the oppressed, depressed and hopeless were supernaturally cured in more ways than just in their bodies.

The book of Matthew is full of stories of Jesus healing the sick. But does He still do that today? As the scripture says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." There are many skeptics in the world who would say Jesus can’t heal today, but there are millions more who can testify that He does.

The Lord is asking us today, "Do you want to be made well?" Whether it be physical healing, spiritual, emotional or financial healing, nothing is too great or too small for our Lord! Perhaps we've just forgotten to ask Him!

I promise you, He is still healing people today, just as he did two thousand years ago.

Still hungry? Psalm 102:27, Hebrews 1:12, Mark 1:12, Luke 4:15

Hope

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast..." - Hebrews 6:19

There is an old saying: "When a person loses hope, they begin to hope for death." Life is hard without hope. Life becomes drudgery, misery, meaningless. One reason people lose hope is that they put their hope in the wrong things---beliefs that disappoint, dreams that are unrealistic, but, most of all, in other people who disappoint and disillusion us about life and, sadly, even about God.

But God never disappoints. He gets blamed for a lot of evil that people do, but He is the One we want to put our hope in. He always wants the best for us. His Word says, "I know the plans I have for you, to give you hope and a future." He always loves us. He's always faithful. Even in death He gives us hope. In His Son Jesus, we see He understands the pain of death and He gives us the hope of victory over death as well. When we have hope over death, we can begin to live hopefully every day.

Made In The Image of God

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...'" - Genesis 1:26

What does it mean to be made in the image of God?

The answer is on page one of the Bible. It says "and God created man in His own image." What does it mean to be in the image of God? It doesn't mean physical appearance, but it does mean in God's likeness.

We can think like God. We can reason. We are creative.

We are to rule over creation. We need to care for it, protect it, and use it in a way that is pleasing to God.

We are spiritual beings. Unlike the animals, we can worship God. God desires a personal relationship with us.

We are moral beings. Man deals with right and wrong. The best way for us to do this is to obey God's Word in faith.

If we submit to God, we reflect His nature. But when we don't, we look more like beasts. Understanding this, does your life reflect the image of God or are you more like an animal? 

Still Hungry: Acts 17:28-29, Genesis 9:2, psalm 8:6-, 1 Corinthians 11:7, James 3:9

Holy Spirit = Everyone

"When He (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment." - John 16:8

The Holy Spirit convicts Christians about their sins and the need to get right with God. But, what is most amazing to me is that the Holy Spirit convicts everyone, even those who are not believers. Really? Did you know that? You may be a skeptic or even completely disinterested. Regardless, the Holy Spirit has led you to this devotion today. In our scripture reference, it states that He will convict the "world" of guilt and righteousness and judgment." That means all of us, my friend.

You see, sometimes the Holy Spirit convicts non-believers when they hear of God's love for them through Jesus Christ. Sometimes the Holy Spirit convicts non-believers of the need to surrender and give their heart and life to God. And when that occurs, it becomes the most crucial moment of decision making in your life. It is a decision to keep doing things your way or God's way. The Holy Spirit convicts and draws you, but you must make the decision whether or not to give your life to God through the person of Jesus Christ. If you do that, then the Holy Spirit will come and dwell within you and give you this inner desire to obey the commands of God.

It all begins with the fact that God has first loved us through Jesus Christ. Christ is the reason we want to love Him back and obey His commands, and this is what the Holy Spirit convicts us all to do.

Holy Spirit = Conviction

"And when (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment." - John 16:8

Let's face it, no matter how hard we try, all of us will rationalize all sorts of evil plans. As my mentor has said many times, "For many people today, there is no such thing as sin, everything is explainable." The Holy Spirit cuts right through this nonsense.

The Holy Spirit is God's gift to convict us of sin. When we are not in close relationship with God, the Holy Spirit uses the sharing or preaching of the Word of God to convict us of our need for the forgiveness and salvation of God in Christ. If we are a follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us to convict us when we do wrong with a need to get things right with God.

Did you know that the most miserable person in the world is not the non-Christian! The most miserable person in the world is the Christian who is rebelling against God, because that Christian is going through a war inside. When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, He gives us an inner desire to confess our sin to God and to seek forgiveness from those we have wronged. In the process, we get right with God once again.

The Holy Spirit is there to convict us - because God loves us and wants the best for our lives. His conviction is all about God's love.