Elaine Campbell

  'For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake' (Philippians 1:29). Those who believe on Christ, must also suffer for his sake. This is part of the Christian life, to live faithful in Christ. Paul makes it quite clear, that when we follow the will of God, we may have to suffer for Christ, even though we are faithfully living for God. The world hated Christ because of what he stood for, and will certainly hate all who follow and are obedient to Him. In following Christ and living a godly life in Him, will lead to persecution for His name sake. Christ's disciples suffered for him, as well as the Apostle Paul, who in Philippians 3:8 said he counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus His Lord; for whom he had suffered the lost of all things, counting them but dung, that he may win Christ. Christ is worthy of whatever sufferings we might face on our Christian journey, and we ou

 'But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident for, the just shall live by faith' ( Galatians 3:11). Paul in speaking to the Galatians, admonished them not to listen to heresies, that would jeopardise their relationship with Christ. The same message is relevant to us today as well. Paul here was saying, following the law cannot save us. It is our trust in God and having  faith in his Son, Jesus Christ, that can make us  right with God. That was evident, that the just shall live by faith, not by our own works. It was Christ who had redeemed us from the curse of the law by the shedding of his precious blood. We are save and made right by God's grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Abraham was justified, because He believed God  and was accounted righteous. We who are seeds of Abraham, will receive the blessings of Abraham by believing in Christ by faith and not works. The Promised blessings of Abraham by God, wasn't just for him alone, but all

 'Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified'  (Psalm 70 :4). There is something amazing and wonderful, in seeking the Lord. Therefore in seeking the Lord we are to rejoice and be glad in Him, because he is the Almighty God. Every day people are searching for meaning and the value of life, because they want the best of life. For some people searching is a daily occurrence. They search for various things, people  and places on social media and Google engine. For others, it is the most important search of their lives; searching for God. He is the most important person in life, and the only One who could offer us salvation and refuge from the things of this world. In Him we can experience the true meaning of life in earth. Without Christ being in our lives, we are nobody! When we find salvation in Christ, we should rejoice and be glad, because He has the power to save us. He came down from heaven

 'For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty and shalt lift up thy face to God' (Job 22:26). Even though Job was going through trying and difficult times, still overwhelmed by the events that took place; He had confidence in God's mercy. It didn't stop him from worshipping the true and living God. Let us who love the Lord, lift up - look up to Him with joy and confidence, even amidst our sufferings. God is wonderful and truly amazing! We can go to Him in our afflictions and confide in Him; when we are persecuted for His name's sake, we can flee to him. We can also seek Him in the day of prosperity, and delight in Him. We shall lift up our faces to God in uprightness, as Children of God. Job needed comfort and strength from his friends in his time of need. But none was forthcoming. All they did was accused him of things they didn't understand; coming to their own conclusion. They accused him of secretly doing wickedness, which result in his sufferings.

 'Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy Spirit is good, lead me into the land of uprightness' (Psalm 143:10). Knowing Jesus is important in our Christian experience. In knowing Him we will be obedient to the Word of God. Like David, we need to plead our own wretchedness and be fully assured of God's goodness towards us. In David's distress he cried out to His God for help, we too need to cry out to Jesus in our distress and be confident that he will hear us. We need the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into God's truth, as we seek to listen carefully to what His will is for our lives. The Devil doesn't like us and will try to destroy our testimonies; hinder our praise; shipwreck our lives and drown us in rivers of sorrow and self-pity and self-doubt. But we ought to stand firm upon the Rock of Ages and confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour. Therefore, we must be obedient to the Word of God; and  have sufficient grace to weather the raging

 'The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him' (Lamentations 3:24). Everyday we are alive, there is hope. When we make the Lord our portion, then can we hope in Him. God's lovingkindness, His compassion and faithfulness, gives us hope inspite of all that's happening around us. We all need the Lord, because we are sinners in need of God's grace and mercy. Therefore, we must gratefully receive whatever God brings into our lives. Jeremiah the prophet witnessed and mourned for the downfall of the city of Jerusalem and for the sinfulness of God's people. As a result, he was in deep anguish and pain. From the depths of his soul, he was able to proclaim that, "The Lord is my portion...therefore, I have hope in Him." Despite the terrible circumstances through which we are going, we can choose to place our hope in, and trust in God. As we look around the world today, we see corruption; abominable actions; cruelty; wickedness; sufferings;