The elders before the throne

‘I saw four and twenty elders sitting clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold…The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power.’ Revelation 4:4,10–11

Suggested Further Reading: Romans 5:17–6:2

They who are Christ’s are kings. Take care that you wear your crown, by reigning over your lusts. Be a king in the midst of all that would lead you astray. Christ Jesus has broken the neck of your sin; put your foot upon it; keep it under; subdue it. In the world at large act a king’s part. If any would tempt you to betray Christ for gain, say, ‘How can I? I am a king. How shall I betray Christ?’ Let the nobility of your nature come out in your actings. Forgive in a royal manner, as a king can forgive. Be ready to give to others as God has helped you, as a king gives. Let your liberality of spirit be right royal. Let your actions never be mean, sneaking, cowardly, dastardly. Do the right thing, and defy the worst. Dare all your foes in the pursuit of that which is right, and let men see while they look upon you that there is a something under your homely appearance which they cannot understand. Men make a deal of fuss about the blood of the aristocracy; I dare say it is not very different from the blood of crossing-sweepers. But there is a great deal of difference between the lifeblood of the saints and the lifeblood of the proudest prince; for they who love Christ have fed upon his flesh, and have drunk of his blood, and have been made partakers of the divine nature. These are the royal ones; these are the aristocrats; these are the nobility, and all are mean beside. Christians, perhaps some of you have not reigned as kings during the last week. You have been either murmuring, like poor whining beggars, or you have been scraping, like dunghill rakers, with your covetousness, or you have been sinning, like idle boys in the street, who roll in the mire. You have not lived up to your kingship.

For meditation: Christians have a royal law to fulfil (James 2:8); in keeping with our position in Christ our response to temptation ought to be ‘Should such a man as I?…I will not.’ (Nehemiah 6:11)

Beware of the Wolves

 

 

Iliamari Mendoza-Gómez – cbn.com

There is no doubt that current times are difficult. Hatred, envy, greed—conflict is all around us. I remember when life growing up was simpler, less hectic. Kids played on the street while the neighbors enjoyed a friendly chat, and strangers would greet each other as they passed by. You could see people smiling, helping each other. There was respect, values.

The Bible talks about the evil increasing in the last days, and this is what we are experiencing today, not only in the world but also in the church.

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit (Jude 1:17-19 NIV).

Be careful, for example, of churches that only seem to preach about prosperity and good times. Be careful that they don’t call what’s bad as being good and what’s good as being bad. And make sure they don’t twist the Word of God to confuse and lie to their congregations.

Please don’t misunderstand me. God does want us to prosper and have an abundant life, but He wants us to be wise and lean on Him and not on our own understanding.

Be on guard against those who would pull you away from what God wants.

These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage (Jude 1:16).

In Matthew 10:16, Jesus said: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

You might ask, “How do I accomplish this?” The beauty of God is that He answers—and in 1 Peter 5:8, He tells us that we need to be alert and of sober mind.

Make sure you are serious about your relationship with God. Be disciplined by reading the Word of God, and always seek Him. Be careful of your salvation and vigilant of the wolves that want to see you fall from grace. The enemy has a plan and it is to destroy us. And he uses many things—such as people, money, work, sickness—to take our focus away from Jesus. As part of the body of Christ, we must help each other.

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life (Jude 1:20-21).

The good news is that we don’t have to do this alone. Jesus is with you and me, walking beside us every day to guide every one of our steps! Jesus defeated the devil when He died on the cross. He has great plans for our lives. He gave us purpose and authority—and His love for us is eternal. He loves you just the way you are.

Today, I encourage you to keep your focus on Jesus and be intentional in your relationship with Him. Read your Bible to gain the knowledge you need to continue your walk with the Lord. Pray, worship, spend time in His glorious presence, and if you don’t know Jesus, my friend, I invite you to give your heart to Him. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. May God bless you abundantly!

Imitate Good

 

Janice Moore – CBN.com

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but [imitate] what is good. The one who ractices good [exhibiting godly character, moral courage, and personal integrity] is of God; the one who practices [or permits or tolerates] evil has not seen God [he has no personal experience with Him and does not know Him at all] (3 John 1:11 AMP).

Before babies develop their own personalities, they mimic everything they see—good or bad—everything. The Word tells us to teach our children the way they should go:

Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], even when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

Teaching and modeling what’s good will make a difference in the lives of young people as they grow and mature. That is why it is essential for us to be doers of the Word rather than hearers only.

Have you seen the movie, Imitation of Life? (It was made in the 30s and then remade in the late 50s.) It was epic, innovative, and quite radical for its time. It involved a very fair-skinned black girl passing as white to obtain better opportunities that would lead to a better life. The idea of wanting a better life is not inherently evil, but the idea of faking your identity to be someone else is not good. Doing so would make you a perpetrator, a fake, a counterfeit, and encourages lies and a whole lot of deceptive behavior. Her life was not an imitation of good, much to the detriment of herself and the people in her life.

Sadly, many movies and television shows depict how not to live. Now, let’s also briefly consider video games. Video games are so popular, and the animation is so real that they vividly imitate life’s experiences. But are they imitating good? Once again, the answer is often no.

How about church leaders? Can you look to them for inspiration? When they actively choose to follow Christ and obey Him, then yes.

Remember your leaders [for it was they] who brought you the word of God; and consider the result of their conduct [the outcome of their godly lives] and imitate their faith [their conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things, the Provider of eternal salvation through Christ, and imitate their reliance on God with absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] (Hebrews 13:7).

Interestingly, the Bible includes stories of evil that no one should imitate, such as those of Cain, Delilah, and Saul. However, there are many more stories from Scripture that portray good behavior—including the stories of Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and especially, of course, the story our beloved Savior, Jesus.

In the 11th chapter of Hebrews, you’ll find a discussion about the heroes of the Bible, describing how their faith catapulted them into the “faith hall of fame” and demonstrating behavior that should be imitated.

But you can also find beautiful stories told every day in this world that should inspire us all—stories of people volunteering to help disaster victims, medical professionals working countless hours to help, missionaries working in remote places to share the Gospel, and regular people going beyond the call of duty.

Since we are to imitate good, an effective way to do that is to “pay it forward.” The concept of paying it forward is a good example of imitating good. It involves someone doing a good deed—and the person receiving that good deed is required to do the same—to “pay it forward” to someone else. There is even a Pay It Forward day!

Immanuel, He Is God With Us!

 

Marissa Nordlum – Email Analyst

Have you ever prayed for the presence of Christ to be so tangible in your life that you can feel and see it? I think all of us who call ourselves Christ followers have prayed a prayer like this at one point or another.

While the Holiday season can be a season of hope and renewal, it is often a season of restlessness and fear about the future. It’s easy to lose our perspective on the hope of Christ when we are focused on our momentary lack. If you have felt that way, be encouraged, you are not alone! I will be the first to say that I have been there before, doubting and wondering if God was going to show up.

This past Christmas season, finances had been very tight. Things didn’t seem to add up and my husband and I worried about providing gifts for our young toddlers plus paying all the bills that were due. We felt overwhelmed with stress and doubt.

During this season of uncertainty, my husband began to pray and truly ask the Lord for a miracle. I didn’t realize how desperate our need was, as he didn’t share it all with me. He just began to pray.

A few days later, while the kids were eating dinner, he was opening mail that we had picked up from the mailbox. As crazy as it sounds, there in front of us was a check from our mortgage company saying we had paid too much over the year and they were refunding us a check. This check was around the exact amount of our monthly mortgage payments plus a little extra. We were in shock. But we knew it was God with us.

God was reminding us of His provision in every season. My husband and I praised and thanked God right there in our kitchen for His provision over our little family. We were left truly in awe at how God responded.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14 NIV).

When I read this verse during the Holiday season, I am often reminded that when Jesus came, He truly was Immanuel, God with us. He lived, breathed, walked, and was with us as God the Father had sent Him. He can sympathize with our pain and our weakness (Hebrews 4:15), and He knows our every need even before we ask (Matthew 6:8).

Matthew 1:23 says,

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”).

During the Christmas season, His Word contains some beautiful reminders to us:

Philippians 4:19 says, “…my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus,” and Matthew 6:28-30 says that if He clothes the flowers of the field, how much more will He take care of our needs.

If today you find yourself overwhelmed during the Christmas season like I did, call out to God. He is faithful to provide in every season. When things seem hopeless, He is present. Whether you need His financial provision or His comfort and peace for your mind, He is Immanuel, God with us. He became flesh and dwelt among us for this very reason.

I pray this Christmas season you would see the goodness of God poured over your life. That even in the doubt, you would be reminded of His grace, provision, and overwhelming love for you. May you be blessed as you put your hope in Him.

Merry Christmas!

Standing Firm

 

 

Brenda Williams – cbn.com

Don’t you just love the fact that our God proves Himself faithful and trustworthy over and over? Because He knows the end from the beginning, we can always trust Him—confident that He is working behind the scenes on our behalf. In every situation, He has our best interests at heart and will turn everything around for our good and for His glory if we choose to trust Him.

I experienced God’s faithfulness several years ago when I worked as a secretary in sales. On my second day there, I discovered it was going to be a challenge after my boss told me to lie whenever a sticky problem came up. I was so disappointed in being asked to compromise the truth and thought to myself, Well, that won’t work! During a few years of pressure, God enabled me to find other avenues to solve problems instead of stooping to lies. I lost that job because I kept taking a stand for righteousness, and my boss lost his biggest client due to lying. Later, the Lord led me to the best job I’d ever had by working at CBN, a ministry of amazing integrity and sincerity.

Many of you have already encountered something similar or you might in the future. As lawlessness increases in our culture, we are called upon by God to make a choice—and take a stand for the Lord when someone asks us to compromise. In His faithfulness, the Lord will help us stand. He will deliver us, and He will reward us. We know that it is ultimately Christ we serve, not man.

In Daniel 3, three Hebrew friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego faced this issue when working with King Nebuchadnezzar. They were upright men, fully devoted to the Lord God, who held respected positions in the King’s affairs. So, when Nebuchadnezzar demanded that all the people in his kingdom bow down and worship him, they had a choice to make. They knew the consequences of choosing God’s ways could be severe, and they were. As we read the story, into the fire they went—but they didn’t go in there alone. The fourth man, Christ Himself!—was with them, and He is with us. When Nebuchadnezzar saw this, he had the men released immediately.

Because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego took a stand for God, the king and the nation noticed and turned to worship God. When we stand for righteousness, people will take notice and it will make an impact. Although some may not like it, others may turn to the Lord. The way we live, including the choices we make, is a testimony to the life of Christ in us—and it shows people what righteousness looks like.

David once asked if there was a cause (1 Samuel 17:29). Our cause is Christ. Joshua 24:15 NKJV reads,

“… choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”

First Corinthians 16:13 tells us to stand firm in the faith. Because of our faith, it is not in us to live like those in the world. We are people of God’s kingdom and live by a higher standard. Our faith compels us, and God enables us, to choose righteousness and stand firm against compromise and overcome it.

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith (1 John 5:4).

Oh Lord, we choose to live for You. When we are faced with choosing to be like the world or You, help us choose You. We know that by Your power and grace, we will stand for righteousness, a stand for truth. Amen

Seeking the Abundant Life

 

 

Chanel Abrams – cbn.com

My heart was racing. I couldn’t catch my breath. My chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it. My arms were tingling and then numb. I couldn’t string two thoughts together nor could I stop them from racing from one topic to another. What was happening? I was having a panic attack—one of many that I would experience.

For years I suffered from anxiety and depression. I hid these attacks from my family and friends until one day I couldn’t hide anymore. I was riding in a car with my best friend when a panic attack struck me. She urged me to get help.

Soon after that, I entered intense therapy to deal with the mountain of issues I had stuffed over the years. It was gut-wrenching. Sometimes I came home from sessions and ended up balled up in the floor wailing from the subjects we covered. I did experience breakthroughs during therapy, but inside I knew there had to be more freedom.

Later, I found myself in the process to become a licensed minister. I came to know that going to church alone wasn’t going to deliver me. I needed a good church, Bible study, the Holy Spirit, and a therapist. I remember saying to the Lord, “This can’t be the life and life more abundantly that Your Word speaks of” (see John 10:10). I went on to say, “Lord, please show me how to handle these attacks.” I wanted to be free and knew that it was my birthright to be just that.

As the panic attacks continued, I recall the Holy Spirit giving me instructions on how to make it through them. He gave me Scriptures like:

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 NKJV), and “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

The one that gave me my wings to take flight was:

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, …” (1 John 4:18).

The Holy Spirit gave me breathing instructions to complete and techniques to stop my mind from spinning out of control. I found out later that these exercises are called grounding techniques. These strategies eventually showed me how to identify attacks before they started and ultimately how to defeat them.

Finally, I was free! “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36) are no longer only words in the Bible, but how I live my life. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

I am a living testimony of what being freed from the prison of anxiety and depression looks like. If He did it for me, He can do it for you.

Pray this with me: Lord help me to cast my cares on You, knowing that Your love drives out all fear. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Mom for Christmas

 

 

Carolyn B. Frasier – cbn.com

“Can I call you Mom?”

I never experienced the joy of having my own children. But one Christmas, I stared deep into the eyes of a young teenager I met at an orphanage in Russia as she asked this question. Her eyes pleaded with me to say, “Yes.”

I had spent much of my adult life single with no children. I devoted my time to working in ministry and traveling overseas on mission trips, believing that motherhood would be something I would never experience. But God had other plans.

The girl’s question weighed heavily on my heart. An orphan, she had no family—at least, no family who still claimed her. She could have clung to the hope that they would one day change their minds, but she eagerly reached out for something more, something better.

I paused. I, too, was imperfect. I wasn’t able to officially adopt her, but could I love her the way she needed to be loved? Or would I fail her like everyone else? I wasn’t sure I was up to the task, but I knew the One who was.

We are all born into a world that is broken. We yearn for something more, something better. But when we approach God, He does not hesitate. He is ready to adopt us and become our Father, a perfect Father.

First John 3 reminds us that we now belong a new family—God’s family.

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! (1 John 3:1, NLT, italics added)

We did not begin as God’s children, but when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we were not just forgiven. We joined His family!

As His children, God desires that we draw close to Him.

You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15 NLT)

We don’t have to be afraid of Him. We can call Him our “Daddy!”

Because we are part of God’s family, we have the opportunity to start over again. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us, anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! God invites us to become more like Him. Throughout the remainder of 1 John 3, we read what that means: leaving the world of sin behind and doing what is right. But over and over again, He gently reminds us that we are His “children.”

That day in Russia, I said “Yes” to that young orphan girl. She jumped into my arms and said, “I love you, Mom.” I would only be at that orphanage for a few more days and had no idea what would come next. But that Christmas, we started a relationship. Today, we are still in touch, even across the globe.

I am thankful that we serve a God who says, “Yes” to us! May we leap into His arms with the same joy and excitement when He invites us to join His family as His children.