he Apostle Paul in writing to the church at Corinth about the love of Christ and the great sacrifice He made on the Cross states, “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” II Corinthians 5:15. What a privilege it is for the Christian to live for Christ!

C. Harold Lowden in 1915, wrote a wonderful gospel song entitled “Living For Jesus”.

Living for Jesus a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance glad hearted and free. This is the pathway of blessing for me.
Living for Jesus wherever I am. Doing each duty in His holy name;
Willing to suffer affliction and loss, Deeming each trial a part of my cross.”

What does living for God mean and why would anyone want to live for Him?

“I have come to see clearly that life is more than self. It is more than doing what I want, striving for what will benefit me, dreaming of all I can be. Life is all about my relationship with God. There is no higher calling, no loftier dream, and no greater goal than to live, breathe, and be poured out for Jesus Christ.”
― Brother Andrew , The Narrow Road: Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together

Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Colossians 3:4, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Again the question is asked, “Why would anyone want to live for God?” The Christian has discovered a love and gratitude that an unbeliever has not experienced. I John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us.” Romans 5:5, “…the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Ephesians 3:19, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.” Augustine.

I love You Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
O my soul rejoice
Take joy my King
In what You hear
May it be a sweet sweet sound
In Your ear

How do you respond to trouble, to difficult circumstances, to disappointments? Many today are experiencing sleepless nights, they are anxious, angry and restless. But God promises in Hebrews 4:9, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus went on in verse 29, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Paul said in II Corinthians 7:5, “For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.” No rest in the flesh because of circumstances! Rest unto your souls because of Christ! Listen to David in the Psalms. Psalm 37:7, “Rest in the Lord, wait patienltly for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in the way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” No matter that there is turmoil and trouble in the world, there is peace and rest in the Lord. Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation, be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Jean Nicolas Grou wrote back in the 1700’s, “How shall we rest in God? By giving ourselves wholly to him. If you give yourselves by halves, you cannot find full rest; there will ever be a lurking disquiet in that half that is withheld. Martyrs, confessors, and saints have tasted this rest, and “counted themselves happy in that they endured.” A countless host of God’s faithful servants have drunk deeply of it under the daily burden of a weary life- dull, commonplace, painful or desolate. All that God has been to them, he is ready to be to you. The heart once fairly given to God, with a clear conscience, a fitting rule of life, and a steadfast purpose of obedience, you will find a wonderful sense of rest coming over you.”

There is a great inward, spiritual difference between being filled with the Spirit and grieving the Spirit. Galatians 5:22 & 23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:…” Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God…” To grieve means to offend; to displease; to provoke. I wish we could do more for the peace of our country, of our world, our families, our churches, but inward peace is a personal choice. It is a closeness with God. It is a faith in God’s promises that produces a peace in our hearts.

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word
Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Oh, for grace to trust Him more!

I’m so glad I learned to trust Him, Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend
And I know that He is with me, Will be with me to the end.

If the Bible is true….! As a Pastor, I have heard that statement many times. My response has always been “the Bible is true”. II Timothy 3:16 states “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” II Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Romans 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

It is said of old Edwin Rushworth, who, having been a skeptic all his life, resolved to read for an hour a day the book that he had so long derided. “Wife,” he said, as he looked up from his first perusal, “if this book is right, we are all wrong!” He continued his readings for another week. “Wife!” he exclaimed at the end of that time, “if this book is right, we are lost!” He went on reading with more avidity than ever. “Wife!” he said earnestly a few nights later, “if this book is right, we may be saved!” And they were! And entering the Kingdom of Heaven, they left all their “ifs” behind them.

Jesus said in Mark 12:24, “…Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?” David wrote in Psalms 11:3, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” If someone believes the Bible, there is an answer for why we are here and what awaits us after death. Joseph Cook wrote, “Do you know a book that you are willing to put under your head for a pillow when you are dying? Very well; that is the book you want to study while you are living. There is only one such book in the world, the Bible.

If the Bible is true, men can be saved from their sins. If the Bible is true, eternity is real. If the Bible is true, it will be worth it all. Some people find the Bible difficult because they try to read it as they would read any other book, and it is not the same as any other book. Phillips Brooks writes, “The Bible is like a telescope, that he sees worlds beyond; but if he looks at his telescope, then he does not see anything but that. The Bible is a thing to be looked through, to see that which is beyond.”

Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Let me give you a word of caution. You will only learn from an Almighty God when you approach His Book with reverence. I Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” If the Bible is true…it is God’s Word.

“Politics!” The science of government; that part of ethics which consists in the regulation and government of a nation or state, for the preservation of its safety, peace and prosperity. “Politician!” One versed in the science of government and the art of governing; one skilled in politics. The Bible tells us that “if the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do?” We thank God for our Constitution and those in government who have the heart, spirit and skill to follow it.

In the Christian realm, we thank God for the Bible and those who have the heart, spirit and knowledge to follow it. There is a story recorded in I Samuel chapter 8 that we would do well to learn from. From the time of their beginning until the time of the event recorded in this chapter, the Israelites had lived under a theocratic type of government. The dictionary tells us that a theocracy is a government recognizing the immediate sovereignty of God. This was God’s will for Israel. They were to continually to look to Him as their King.

In this chapter a strange thing happens. Israel demands a king! Many reasons were advanced for this action. First, Samuel’s two sons, Joel and Abiah, had proved a great disappointment to their father and to the nation.

Samuel had made his two sons judges in Israel and they had corrupted the office. The people protested against this and because of the failure of Samuel’s two sons they wanted to reject God’s form of government.

Secondly, the nations bordering on Israel now gave signs of renewed uprisings to threaten Israel. The people were fearful of the situation as it stood and they clamored for a strong king with a strong army. God’s way didn’t look strong enough for them.

Thirdly, they wanted to be like the nations around them. They coveted the power of the surrounding nations. These were their excuses for rejecting God’s plan and desiring their own plan. They changed their form of government! We see this today with the liberal philosophy of being more like the “world” and less like “God”. There are those who desire to change or omit portions of our Constitution and there are those who desire to change or omit portions of our Bible.

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”, should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.”

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I will hide its words in my heart, that I might not sin against God.