Tag: Jim Hughes

Why Jesus Came

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 (NLT)
Why Jesus Came

There was no other reason why Jesus came into the world; He came to save sinners, you and I. We must never take this lightly. Jesus loves us and came to save us from certain life in eternal hell. This marvellous truth should so captivate our thoughts that we are driven to our knees in gratitude and worship our wondrous Saviour and Lord.

I don’t know how you perceived yourself before you came to Christ. Paul saw himself as the worst of sinners. No matter how good of a person we thought we were, without Christ we were in the same boat as Paul. We were sinners undeserving of God’s love and favor. Like Paul, we ought to be amazed at the fact that Jesus bothered with us. Our sins made us enemies of God and deserving of His wrath. You without Christ were the worst you have ever been. Whether you were the best or worst of sinners, you were still an enemy of God, undeserving of God’s forgiveness and mercy.

Jesus saves us so that we can tell others this simple truth: “If God can save me, He can save you, too.” We each have a story of redemption to tell. We ought to be telling it over and over again. No one is beyond God’s forgiveness. God is patient with the lost and anyone who is willing can be saved. Our lives are a living testimony of what God can do.

Praise God for His marvellous patience, mercy, and love! I am redeemed! Shout it from the rooftop to all who will listen. Let your voice be heard. People everywhere must be told that Jesus can and does save everyone who comes to Him with a broken, repentant heart.

What Really Matters

Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.

1 Timothy 1:4 (NLT)

How much time is wasted arguing over things that really don’t matter? Probably a lot. We sometimes get into some interesting “discussions” that end up doing nothing more than cause hard feelings that sometimes result in broken fellowship that is never quite restored. How sad!! We need to be careful about what issues we choose to get defensive over. As much as we would like to think otherwise, our opinions really don’t matter all that much. What does matter are those things which help us and others to grow in faith.

We need to focus our attention on things that edify the soul and the source of those things is the Word of God. The Word of God should never be argued over. We can have different understandings on interpretations and applications, but they should NEVER be allowed to sever relationships in the body of Christ. We should agree to disagree agreeably on our different understandings and move on to how we can help each other grow in faith.

If we truly love each other as God loves us, we will work very hard to live peaceably with each other and work together for our common good and Christ’s glory on earth. Loving each other ought to disarm those things which divide us. As long as Christ is the focus of our faith and we rally around the cross, we should accept one another as brothers and sisters in Him and help each other become a holy people, a people after God’s own heart.

Stand Firm

With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.

2 Thessalonians 2:15 (NLT)

Paul had been reminding the church that the Lord is coming back to right the wrong. Judgment is coming on the earth against those who reject God and His Word. It is going to happen and Paul reminds them here to stand firm and hang on tight to the Lord and His ways. There are times in which it means we desperately hang on. Doubts, discouragements, defeats, disillusionments, and despair are all part of life. We must never stop hanging on, no matter what comes our way. Eternity is at stake.

person wearing black boots standing firm

We live in a very unstable and unsteady world. People are lost and are staggering around trying to find some semblance of meaning and purpose for their lives. People are grasping for whatever their depraved minds tell them will bring them a sense of pleasure and enjoyment in their desperate lives. People everywhere are without hope and are seeking whatever reason they can find to keep on living.

Stand firm on the solid foundation of God’s Word. Trust in what God says. Live diligently by its precepts. It is the only truth there is in the world. Don’t listen to the opinions of men or trust what they say. Listen to God and what He says.

Keep a strong grip on everything you have been taught from God. Don’t let go of what you know is from God. He will never lead you astray. He will always tell you what you need to know. His only desire for you is that which is good for your soul. We live in a very perilous time and it is imperative that we cling tightly to the Lord.

Stay focused on Christ. It is when we lose our focus that we lose our grip, stumble, and fall. Don’t let anything in life distract you. Eternal life with Christ awaits those who stand firm and don’t lose their grip.

Prophecies

Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.

1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (NLT)

Prophecies are not limited to just the end times. They include anything God reveals about the future. Many predictions are made in the name of God about life. Unless they are clearly verified by God’s Word, accept them with extreme caution. God only speaks from the context of His Word. He never says anything that contradicts or conflicts with His Word. Never. Therefore, be discerning about what you believe about the future. Test what you hear in light of God’s Word. If His Word is in agreement, then you have reason to believe it is true. So many of us are way too quick to accept and believe what we hear simply because someone who is supposed to know what he is talking about says it. Examine everything you hear in light of what God has already said.

sky blue with sun rays of sunshine

One of the sure ways of knowing that the Bible is true is the way history has unfolded in light of the prophecies of the prophets of old. We read often of what they said was going to happen and it did. The Bible is historically accurate on all it proclaims. It can be trusted to be accurate on all the prophecies not yet fulfilled.

Everything that God has proclaimed is both true and good. Do not let Satan confuse you about it. Don’t doubt God’s Word, no matter how convincing someone’s words may be. All Scripture comes directly from the mind and heart of God. It is absolutely true in everything it says from beginning to end. Unless you stand on that truth, you will be led astray. It is very important that we understand this, especially in these days, because we live amongst so many smooth talkers and people who have personality plus. If we are not careful, we get caught up by the messenger instead of the message.

Prophecies are anything that speaks of what God is going to do. Pay attention to them, but always put what man says about them to the test of God’s Word. Be wary of anyone who adds to or takes away from what God has already said.

God never contradicts himself. If there seems to be a problem with what has been said, the problem is with man’s understanding, not with what God has said. God is absolutely trustworthy in everything He declares. If He said it happened, it happened. If He says something is going to happen, it will.

Hold on to that which is true and good. Let it guide your living.

Jim Hughes
https://cthroughmarriage.blogspot.com

Stifling The Spirit

Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (NLT)

We stifle the Holy Spirit whenever we do not hear or listen to what He is saying to us. He speaks to us mainly through the Word of God and there are so many different ways we fail to hear Him speak as we read it. We often read it with our minds already made up as to what it says, instead of just reading it for understanding of what is being said. We do not set aside quiet time when we read it so we can hear the Spirit speak. We do not read enough of it to get a sense of what is being said. We do not read it with our minds engaged. We do not read it with the idea that we can learn new things. We don’t read it knowing we need to hear from God.

Silhouette of Woman thinking on Swing during Golden Hour

We stifle the Spirit when we shut out the Word being proclaimed. We sometimes hear the Word proclaimed and do not evaluate it in light of the Word. Instead of thinking over a text for ourselves, we blindly accept what others say about it. We need to put everything we hear to the test of God’s Word before we accept it. In order to do that, we must engage our minds when the Word is being spoken.

We need to hold on to that which is good and discard that which is not. If we hear the Word being spoken, we take that which is good and discard that which is not good. Just because someone may say it is true, doesn’t make it true.

We are to keep away from every kind of evil. In our minds, there should be a warning sign in front of evil when we encounter it. WARNING: DANGER AHEAD. DO NOT GO ANY CLOSER. IT IS DEADLY TO YOUR SOUL. We dare not take evil lightly. Stay away from it for the health of your soul.

Jim Hughes
https://cthroughmarriage.blogspot.com