America

by

#829 Beatitudes Today – Freedom in Christ

First published July 4, 2012

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As His disciples and others heard Jesus present the Beatitudes, one of the things they probably did not realize was the freedom they would have in Him.  Today, those of us in the United States of America are celebrating Independence Day, a day in which we celebrate freedom as a country from being a possession of any other nation.  This freedom is considered a precious possession of every citizen of as well as most non-citizens living in America, and all will celebrate today accordingly.  We as Christians have freedom in Christ with Him having set us free from the burden of sin.  The Beatitudes are not restrictions on that freedom; they are attitudes that we should faithfully and obediently be willing to assume for the freedom that is ours.  Just as we have a choice of countries in which to live, we likewise have a choice of how we are going to live:  in the slavery of sin or the freedom in Jesus Christ.

What is your choice?

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”   (Galatians 5:1 – NIV)

May God Richly Bless You Today

by

#691 Held

Guest devotion by Travis Patterson, orchestra teacher and Bible study leader at First Baptist Church El Paso, Texas.

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We live in a difficult time. The church of America has been assaulted with so many false doctrines it can be very difficult and overwhelming to find truth anymore.  In addition, the media delights in finding another minister who has “fallen from grace.”  Add that with the “anti-religion” politically correct atmosphere we experience every day at work; it would appear that the true Church of Jesus Christ does not have a chance of survival in this country.  But through prayer, God will open our eyes to amazing works of His Spirit happening.  The church has seen such days before as was the case in the first century of Christianity.  Christians stood firm and fearless in the face of discomfort, loss of possessions and loss of life.  Today we may be encouraged from our brothers and sisters from Colossae! The path of suffering is ultimately a path of victory, because it is the path of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! As we learn to hold fast to our Head, our Savior, our Lord, we will see God making us strong by His Spirit and using us to hold members of the body together in love.  We will experience what it is like to be “Held” to “the praise of the glory of His grace.”[1]

Are you allowing God to make you strong by His Spirit so you can experience what it is like to be “held” to “the praise of the glory of His grace?”

“And not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”  (Colossians 2:19 – NASB)

[1] Ephesians 1:6