God Has A Place For Us In His House And In His Courts

"This is what The Lord Almighty says: 'If you will walk in My ways and keep My requirements, then you will govern My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here." Zechariah 3:7 (NIV)

The prophet Zechariah tole the people that Israel would be restored and that there would be a place for His people to serve Him, if they would walk in His ways and keep His requirements.

The same applies to us today, if we walk the walk and follow His word, God has a place for us to serve Him now here on earth and later on in heaven.

Let Us Do Better At Giving God Glory Honor And Respect

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due Me? If I am a master, where is the respect due Me?" says The Lord Almighty." Malachi 1:6 (NIV)

The prophet Malachi was chastising the priests for not giving God their bests during their sacrifices. They were sacrificing wounded, diseased, and crippled animals upon the altar instead of animals without spot or blemish. Malachi told them that God was not pleased with them.

The prophet was directing these comments and questions to the priests. However, they also can be applied to us today. We do not show God the honor and respect that is due to Him. We don't give God our best. We don't keep His commandments. We don't follow His word in our daily lives. We don't read and study His word daily as we should. We don't pray and thank Him enough. We don't or talk like He is in our hearts. We don't tell others about Him or what He has done for us. We don't act like everyday is a day of thanksgiving and not just worship time on Sunday. We say that we love Him, let us try to let our actions match our words more with each passing day.

The Suffering Of Christ Predicted

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:3-5 (NIV)

More than 400 years beforehand, the prophet Isaiah predicted the rejection and suffering that Jesus Christ would endure during His earthly ministry. Isaiah stated that Jesus would be pierced and physically abused for our iniquities and transgressions, and that by His wounds we would be healed.

The physical suffering that Jesus would endure as payment for our sins so that we might be saved, was predicted by the prophet Isaiah and later verified by the apostles Matthew, Mark, and John, and by Luke, the physician and close companion of the apostle Paul. We ought to thank Jesus The Christ everyday for His role in our redemption and salvation.

Do You Know Who Jesus The Christ Really Is?

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of The Majesty in heaven. So He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, 'You are My Son; today I have become Your Father'? Or again, 'I will be His Father, and He will be My Son'? 6 And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says, 'Let all God's angels worship Him.' In speaking of the angels He says, 'He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.' 8 But about The Son He says, 'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has set You above Your companions by anointing You with the oil of joy." He also says, 'In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.' To which of the angels did God ever say, 'Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet'? Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" Hebrews 1:1-14 (NIV)

This unknown author of the Books of Hebrews provides a brief description of who Jesus The Christ really is. While the description is not comprehensive, complete, or exhaustive, it presents His relationship to God, His involvement in the creation of the universe, the power of His word, His purification of our sins, His position in heaven, His relationship to the angels, His love of righteousness, His hatred of wickedness, and His eternal nature.

No one knows all about Jesus The Christ. The little that we know is that which is revealed to us in His Holy Word. However, if you do not know Him, or if you want a brief description of exactly who He is, then you should read chapter one of the Book of Hebrews. It briefly describes His relationship to God, to us, to the angles, and His involvement in the creation and maintenance of the universe. What an awesome God we serve.

We Have All We Need But We Need To Use It

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:3-8 (NIV)

Simon Peter, the Apostle of Christ, writing to the Gentile Christians in the area of Asia Minor directly, and to all Christians indirectly, to instruct them in how to defend themselves against the false teachers. The believer cannot be indifferent but must make maximum effort escape the dangers of sin and false doctrine. They must exercise their Christian characteristics to accomplish spiritual growth in order to be effective and productive in their Christian walk and work.

Good Christian behavior does not happen by accident, it requires a conscience effort. God has given us all that we need to do His will. However, we must choose to exercise these gifts, and make an active effort to behave in a Christ-like manner. According to John MacArthur, "We add to those by our diligent devotion to personal righteousness." Knowing what is right and not doing it, is a sin of omission.

We Are Children Of God

"And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him." 1 John 2:28-29 (NIV)

The Apostle John is encouraging the believers to keep the faith and conduct themselves in a Christ-like manner, so that when Christ returns they will have nothing to be ashamed of.

We need to understand that we are children of God and, as children of God, we need to behave like we belong to Him. We are in this world but not of this world. We are just travelling through here on our way to our heavenly home. Let us not get so caught up in things along the journey that we lose sight our destination.

Work As If You Were Working For The Lord

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from The Lord as a reward. It is The Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism." Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the people that they should do their best at whatever they do, as if they were working for The Lord. His point was that ultimately they were serving The Lord.

As believers we know that non-believers will make judgements about all Christians based upon what they see in our behavior. Therefore, all of our daily activities can be viewed as kingdom building activities. So, we should always do our best at whatever we are doing, because we are a reflection of Him. In the end, He will be the one to reward us.

God Seaches Our Heart And Examines Our Mind

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 'I The Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.' " Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NIV)

The Prophet Jeremiah was primarily concerned with the judgement of Judah. He told the people that God would judge each of them by examining their heart and thoughts to determine their motives. They would be rewarded or punished based upon what they deserve according to their thoughts, words, and deeds.

Man can only evaluate the words, actions and outward appearance of a person. God can search the heart and mind and judge the true inner nature of a person. God sees us like no one else can see us, twenty-four hours each day. When we say 'God knows my heart,' He does. We do not realize that our heart is much more deceitful than we want to admit. We should remember this when we pray and ask for the forgiveness of our sins.

Each Of Us Has A Gift

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." Romans 12:6-8 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the people that we all have been given gifts, thanks to the grace of God and we all have not been given the same gifts.

God has blessed each one of us with a gift. However, it is up to us to determine how we will use our gift. We should use our gift to the best of our abilities, and do so in a way that gives God glory.

The Blood Of Christ Still Works

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him." Hebrews 9:22-28 (NIV)

Without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sin. The unknown author relates the Old Testament animal sacrifices for the atonement of sin repeated annually by the High Priest with the sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of sin once and for all.

For believers, the blood of Jesus covers all of our sins. Our salvation is only possible because of the blood of Jesus, who was without sin, was shed for the remission of our sins.

God's Promise To Believers

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares The Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know The Lord,' because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. By calling this covenant 'new,' He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear." Hebrews 8:10-13 (NIV)

Here the unknown author is quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34 regarding the "new covenant." This covenant was made with the people of God. It is a promise which is based upon a spiritual change within the believer. The new covenant bring with it the forgiveness of sins. The first covenant was written in stone and failed because the people turned away from God. The new covenant will be written in the hearts and minds of believers and is not dependent upon human
behavior.

The new covenant promises us forgiveness of our sins. Once we confess our sins, and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and accept Christ as our personal savior, we are saved. (Romans 10:9-10) Our wickedness and sins are forgiven. (1 John 1:9) Once saved, we will be judged based upon what we did that gave God glory and that will determine our rewards. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 states, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved." Believers will be saved and rewarded based upon their works.

Spiritual Gorwth And Development

"In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV)

Here the unknown author of Hebrews is telling the believers that by now they ought to be seasoned and knowledgeable enough that they should be teachers. However, instead they still need to be taught the basic principals of the Word of God.

Today there are a number of people who have been attending church services for years and still know very little about the Word of God. They have heard a number of Bible stories, but they have no idea how the stories apply to their lives today. After being a Christian for years they are still babes in Christ. There are "take home points" to be learned from every Bible story and these learned lessons are to be applied to our lives. When we hear or read the Bible we should do so with purpose, to learn something that we can apply to our lives.

Be Hearers And Doers Of God's Word

"As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, 'Come and hear the message that has come from The Lord.' My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice." Ezekiel 33:30-32 (NIV)

After the prophet Ezekiel called for the people to repent, God revealed to him that the people hear his words but they do not put what they hear into practice. They continue in their sinful ways. They treat his words as a performance to be appreciated for the moment and then forgotten because it had not effect upon them.

The preacher is supposed to tell us what "thus saith The Lord." It is up to us to hear what he says and then to act accordingly. If he tells us and we do not put what he says in to practice, the he will not be held accountable for us. God will only hold him accountable for us if he does not tell us what God tell him to say. We go to church to hear the Word of God, but if we do not put what we hear into practice in our lives, then attending church did nothing for us. Exposure to the Word of God should produce a change in us, if it does not, then we should question our salvation. We need to put the Word of God word into practice in our lives.

We Will Be Rewarded For Helping God's People

"God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10 (NIV)

This unknown author of the book of Hebrews told the believers that God sees the love and good deeds shown to His people and it will not go unnoticed or be forgotten.

God sees all of the good things that we do to help His people. The love that we show our brothers and sisters in Christ will be recorded in a heavenly ledger. Being a blessing to others will result in us being blessed. The good work that we do for others will be rewarded.

If We Confess Our Sins God Will Forgive Us

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:8-9 (NIV)

John, the youngest of the twelve disciples of Jesus, writes this letter in his old age as the last of the twelve. This general epistle is not addressed to any particular church or group and is therefore considered to be applicable to all believers. Here they are told that if they confess their sins to God, then they will be forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness.

Romans 3:23 states that of us have sinned, believers included. The issue is not "if we sin," the issue is "are we willing to confess all of our sins." When we pray and confess our sins, it would be better for us if we identify each sin that we want to be forgiven for committing. Stating each of our sinful acts, thoughts, and spoken words may result in some very long prayers. However,
if we want to be forgiven for each sin, then we ought to confess each sin. It can be a humbling experience trying to list all of the sins committed in a day. Such an activity might help us to realize that we are not as good as we would like to think that we are, and it might help to become more Christ-like by causing us to commit fewer sins.

Keep The Faith Don't Turn Away From God

"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called 'Today', so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first." Hebrews 3:12-14 (NIV)

The unknown author of the book of Hebrews is telling the scattered Christians not to turn away from the true and living God. He warned them not to develop a sinful unbelieving heart during the hard times that they were enduring after the death of Christ. He encouraged them to hold on to the faith that they had when they first believed.

It is not hard to find a person who claims that they used to believe until something happened, like the death of a loved one or the development of a serious health problem, that caused them to lose faith and become a non-believer. What is hard, is not becoming one of those people ourselves when we face very difficult, faith testing times. Jesus said, "No one who puts his hand the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62) Jesus also said, "... but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." (Matthew 10:22) Giving up when the going gets hard is never looked upon very highly. The world has a saying, "Winners never quit, and quitters never win." We are winners, we have already been assured of the victory. (Romans 8:37; 1 Corinthians 15:57; & 1 John 5:4) Don't give up the faith. And, let us do what we can to encourage others to also keep the faith.

The Holy Spirit Will Remind Us Of God's Word

Jesus said, "All this I have spoken while still with you. But The Counselor, The Holy Spirit, whom The Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:25-26 (NIV)

The Apostle John wanted all believers to know that one function of The Holy Spirit is to bring to their remembrance all of the things that Jesus taught them while He was with them.

The Holy Spirit serves the same function for us today. Even though today we have the Bible to read, in print and electronic forms, The Holy Spirit still reminds us of what Jesus said and taught. By bringing to our mind the appropriate Bible verse for a particular situation, The Holy Spirit helps us to make better choices. He only reminds us of what The Word of God says, He does not make us say or do the right thing. We must choose what we say and do for ourselves. However, if you have never read or heard The Word of God, then He cannot help you. But He can enlighten you once you have been exposed to The Word. So, read the Bible and study it, so that The Holy Spirit will have something to remind you of to help you live a better life.

Approaching The Throne Of Grace

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

The unknown author of the book of Hebrews clearly states that they can the throne of grace and God with confidence that they will be received and not be turned away. They can be sure that they will receive God's mercy and grace in their time of need.

This not only applied to the scattered Christians of the early church, it applies to us today. We do not need an intercessor, we can approach God directly in prayer for ourselves. He will never be too busy to hear us and He will never turn us away. Thanks to God's mercy we will not get the punishment we deserve and thanks to His grace we are blessed to receive unwarranted favor. We can always approach the throne of grace in times of need, but we should also go to Him in prayer more often during good times just to say "Thank you."

We Are Blessed To Be A Blessing To Others

"He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses." Proverbs 28:27 (NIV)

While contrasting Christian behavior versus worldly behavior, Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, basically said that he who gives to the poor will be blessed, while he who ignores to poor will be cursed.

We should make it a part of our behavior to be a blessing to those who are less fortunate than we are. Blessing were meant to be shared. We are blessed in order for us to be a blessing to others. Intentionally refusing to help someone who is in need may cause us to miss out on blessings in the future and cause us to have to endure curses instead.

A Prayer For My Christian Friends

To all of my friends, "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." 3 John 1:2 (NIV)

The Apostle John here was praying for his friend Gaius. Not much is known about Gaius, but he is obviously a very good Christian because John prayed that his physical health and his life may go as well as his soul and spiritual life is going.

So, to those of my friends who believe, and are saved, and are walking with Christ, I pray this prayer. May you enjoy good health, a good long and happy life, and may your life and physical health match your spiritual health and life. And, to those of my friends who are not saved, may something be said, written, read, prayed, preached, or sung to you that The Holy Spirit can use to convict, convince, and convert you so that you too will believe.

Pray That God Is Pleased

"God is just ... on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed ... With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and The Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thessalonians 1:6-12 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul prayed for the Thessalonian believers that God would be pleased with them and that through them Jesus Christ would be glorified.

This would seem to be an appropriate prayer for present day believers, that our every act would be prompted by our faith and that our actions would give God glory. We should pray that God would be pleased with us and would use us for His good purpose. We should include this prayer in our prayers for self and for others.

Jesus Prayed For Us

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message ..." John 17:20 (NIV)

In the garden, just before He was betrayed by Judas and arrested, Jesus prayed for Himself (John 17:1-2), for His disciples (John 17:6-9), and He prayed for us as He prayed for all believers (John 17:20-22).

When Jesus prayed for us, He prayed that as believers we would be unified in Him. That unifying bond is belief in The Word of God. That we may let the world know that Jesus is The Son of God. He also prayed that we would some day see Him in all of His glory. That belief will allow us to have eternal life and to see Him in all of His glory. Jesus also prayed for us as He prayed for His disciples that God The Father would keep them and us "from the evil one." This prayer was also for our protection from Satan and all of his wicked forces and demons. To receive the blessings that Jesus prayed for, all we have to do is believe.

May Your Light Shine Like Stars

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed ... continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life ..." Philippians 2:12-16 (NIV)

To the Philippian Christians the Apostle Paul here writes to encourage them to continue in their Christian ways so that God can use them according to His purpose. They should not complain about their situation but should continue in a Christ-like manner so that they can be like light and shine like stars in a a dark and depraved world.

We should also behave in such a way as to let the light of Jesus Christ, that is within us, shine. We are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14-16) When we act according to the will of God, we allow Him to control our lives and to use us according to His good purpose. We need to live so that we may become useful to God to spread the word in this sin sick world in which we live.

Don't Worry About Anything Pray About Everything

"Rejoice in The Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)

In his letter to the Christians in Philippi, the Apostle Paul wrote these words to encourage them to strive to be Christ-like. Because their joy comes form The Lord, they should not worry about anything. They pray and give thanks, and ask God for what they want. Because they are believers, God will protect them and give them peace.

We need to understand that our joy comes from The Lord. We believe in Him and He blesses us. We pray and thank Him and ask for more blessings. Don't worry about anything, pray about everything. Because we belong to Him, He will protect us and provide for us.

The Blessed Seed Of Abraham

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the Christians in Galatia that because they believed in Jesus Christ that they were also part of the seed of Abraham, and that the covenant that God made with Abraham regarding his seed also applied to them.

Because we also believe in Jesus Christ today, we are also part of the seed of Abraham and God's promise to him also applies to us. We shall share in the blessings that God promised to Abraham and to his seed.

Exercise Good Christian Behavior Consistently

"When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray." Galatians 2:11-13 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul confronted the Apostle Peter because because he changed his behavior depending upon who was around. Peter would not fellowship with the Gentiles when his Jewish friends were around. Following his hypocrisy others were led astray.

We should behave as Christians and follow our Biblical principals, no matter where we are or who is present. We should not act one way in front of one group and another way in front of another group. Don't act differently and do wrong just to please the crowd. We should consistently demonstrate good Christian behavior, doing otherwise may lead someone astray, or cause a Christian to stumble and fall into sin following our example.

Are You One Of God's Chosen People?

"So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace." Romans 11:5 (NIV)

When the Apostle Paul was questioned as to whether God had rejected Israel because they had turned away from Him, Paul reminded them of what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel: "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me. (1 Kings 18:22) God told him that He had seven thousand believers who had not bowed down to Baal. He had a remnant of believers then in Elijah's day, and He had a remnant of believers in Paul's day.

Today, in spite of the sad state of things in this world, and in spite of all the non-believers there are, as evil as man is, God still has a remnant of believers alive today to spread His word and do His work. By the grace of God, we can be part of the remnant of believers that are working for God today, if we choose to believe.

Confess Sins Or Continue To Feel Guilty

"When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to The Lord' and You forgave the guilt of my sin." Psalms 32:3-5 (NIV)

David reports that when he sinned and did not confess it, he was miserable afterwards. Only after acknowledged his sin and confessed them to God was he able to feel better and be guilt free.

We all have sinned, and we will continue to sin as long as we continue this human existence. However, as believers we will not enjoy our sin as we used to before we were saved. We will feel bad and guilt ridden after we sin. Our sins will take a physical and emotional toll on us. We need to acknowledge our sins, confess them to God, and ask for His help so that we do not continue to commit the same sin over and over again. When we pray and confess our sins, we should be specific and name the sins that we are asking Him to forgive. Listing our sins may help us to realize just how much we need His help in order to be Christ-like. Let us not lose the joy of our salvation because we won't acknowledge and confess our sins. (Psalms 51:1-15)

Repent Or Perish

"Jesus answered, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Luke 13:2-3 (NIV)

Luke records the words of Jesus, The Christ, saying that some sinners are no worse than other sinners. If they do not repent, then they will perish.

Christian believers are still sinners just as the non-believers are sinners. The only difference is that believers are sinners who have been saved by the grace of God. Only by belief and repentance are we saved. Salvation is not earned, it is a gift from God to those who believe that Jesus is His Son. (John 3:16 & Romans 10:9-10)

Condemnation By One Man Justification By One Man

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned ... For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." Romans 5:12 & 17-19 (NIV)

To the Christians in Rome the Apostle Paul taught that because of Adam's trespass and disobedience all men were made sinners and condemned. And because of the righteousness
and obedience of Jesus, all men who believe were justified and made righteous.

Adam's sin condemned all men. Jesus Christ afforded justification and salvation to all men by His crucifiction, death, burial, and resurrection. He who was without sin, took on all of the sins of the world to justify all men. He paid the price for us. Justification is available for each of us, if we only believe.

Punished To Help Us Repent

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent." Revelation 3:19 (NIV)

During his vision John was told to write the church in Laodicea, the lukewarm church, about their shortcomings. He was also told the write that God rebukes and disciplines those that He loves, and that they should be earnest and repent.

God will chastise and punish us for doing wrong to correct us and to get us to do right because He loves us. Just as our earthly parents spanked us when we were wrong because they loved us and wanted us to do right in the future. Sometimes God allows bad things to happen to us because of our disobedience. He loves us and wants us to repent and turn from our sinful ways.