Elaine Campbell

 'And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; persecuted, we suffer it: (1 Corinthians 4:12). Paul was not one to be concerned about what others think of him or perceived him. He laboured with his hands making tents for a living as he went about saving souls for the kingdom of God. Paul choose not to depend on the church for his sustenance, but to be independent, as he laboured for Christ. He and others went through extreme hardship and choose not to live in defeat and discouragement. When they were reviled, they blessed those who treated them disrespectful. Being persecuted and suffered much for Christ's sake, they never gave up, but keep going. As believers, we should recognise and understand what it means to serve Christ and suffer for Him. Christ our Saviour suffered greatly for us while He was on earth. He was able to accomplish all for us because He looked to His Father for strength and assurance. Everyday we live for Christ, we should count it a bles

 'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him' (John 3:36). John the Baptist was the forerunner for Christ and bore witness that He was the Son of God, who takes away the sins of the world. All who believe  on Him, as the Son of God that came to save sinners, and accept His gift of salvation by faith, would not perish but have eternal life. Jesus has all power and authority given to him by the Father, to grant everlasting life to all who believe. We all have that choice to accept Jesus as our Saviour and Lord, and the teachings of the gospel of grace; or to reject  Him and all He stands for. For those who choose to reject and believe not that He is the Son of God, the wrath of God abides on him.  We who believe in Jesus, must obey Him because they both go together. That is, if you believe, then you will obey. It is by faith in Jesus that we believe He is the Son of God, then by our

 'And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more' (Hebrews 10:17). God is ever faithful to His people, even when we are unfaithful to Him. He promised Israel that He would remember their sins and iniquities no more, and has faithfully promised us the same. Christ died once and for  all on the cross for all peoples of the earth. He paid the price for all with His precious blood! His finished work on Calvary is sufficient for us and has secure the remission of sin forever, for all who believe in Him as the Saviour of the world. If there is no remission of sin...there is no condemnation. It is through faith in Him that we are saved by grace and have become participators in this precious promise, "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." When God forgives, he forgets! Every sin forgiven is cancelled and no longer exists. We thank God that in Christ we are entrusted to serve  in a new and better way - the new covenant. God is truly amazing and forgivi

 'The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth His trust in the Lord shall be safe' (Proverbs 29:25) When we seek to put our trust in others it beings pain, disappointment, problems, confusion and despair; but in Christ we have a safety net. The pressures of life makes us fearful; our circumstances tend to increase our fears and decrease our faith in God. When we allow such fear to control us we find ourselves doing the wrong things, committing some evil acts not pleasing to God and they become a snare for us. However, when we choose to trust in the Lord we are safe and secure. The Word of God gives us encouragement and reassurance of what it means to trust God, the One who is able to deliver us when we trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. Our fears are dispelled when we stand firm on the promises of God by faith. 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.'  When we fear God - reverence Him, it brings wisdom and strength; hope and joy; trust and confidence that

 'Thou openest thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living things' (Psalm145 16). All living things created by God have needs. However, man's needs also create desires. It is God who is our Provider and He promises to supply all our needs both physical and spiritual. God's goodness is great, it is His goodness and mercy that shall follow us all the days of our lives. When God open hIs hand all creation is satisfied. He makes the rain to fall and the sun to shine  upon the earth as He provides for the needs of every living thing. God does not give grudgingly, nor does He gives sparingly. In famine or of scarcity, He opens His hand, in good and bad times  His hand is open to satisfy us. For those who love God, He is the object of their desires. For those who seeks after righteousness, He is the object of their desire to be righteous. He will seek to fulfil those desires we are after. Whatever we desire to have of God, God will grant it to us. So when we hear the

 'I protest by your rejoicing  which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily' (1 Corinthians 15:31). Christ our Lord came and died for each and everyone to save us from the bondage of sin. He lived on this earth, ministered to the needs of all who He encountered; He was crucified, and resurrected and is now interceding for us, as our High Priest in Heaven. What if there was no resurrection? What would be the implications for God's people? The preaching of the gospel would be a lie, our faith would be worthless and we would all have remained in our sin. Paul is saying, there would be no cause to his dying daily, or for any one who believed and accept Jesus as their personal Saviour to die daily. Paul was expecting death at any time for Christ's sake. He was constantly in peril of his life, he encountered extreme sufferings and was beset with death. He was willing to die at anytime and in any way for Christ's sake. He did not count his life dear unto himself, but

 'In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul' (Psalm 94:19). The Lord is our Fortress and our Rock in whom we  must take refuge. When you are experiencing anxiety or surrounded by great anxiety, you ought to turn to the Lord for help. Our help comes from Him, who made the heavens and the earth. The word of God said, "Be anxious for nothing...with prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let our request be made known unto God" (Philippians 4:6).  God will take care of our needs, therefore we have so cause to worry and be anxious. But if we do get upset and is beside ourselves at times, we know we can turn to God; He will calm us down and cheer us up. In His love we can find great relief and joy. In the multitude of our thoughts  - the many anxious thoughts we may be jostling with, we can find consolation only in God. No matter how much pain and affliction you might be going through, or the pressures that life  brings, God the fountain of al

 'I am come a Light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness' (John 12:46). Jesus identified himself from the very beginning of His ministry as the true Light of the world, the One who gives light to all man who comes into the world. He is God's guiding Light that expels all darkness, and open the eyes of man to the truth of His word and to direct man's steps into the path of peace, unto salvation. When man sin, darkness fell upon the fallen world. We were in need of a Saviour to bring  light and truth into our hearts. God sent Jesus to remove that darkness with His true light, which would reveal the gospel of His grace. Without Christ, we would be in utter darkness and  separated from God forever. Jesus the Light of the world make it possible for us to be reconciled to God. He being the Light of the world, give us the opportunity to walk in His light, as we believe on Him. We are instructed as believers, to walk in His light as Christ

 'And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul' (Deuteronomy 10:12). Moses reminded the Children of Israel that they were a peculiar people chosen by God to be a light and a witness to the Gentile nation. Because of unbelief, and rebellion towards God, He had allowed their fathers to all die in the wilderness, and now they are called to be totally committed to God. In his exhortation, Moses, admonishes them to fear the Lord; walk in His way; love and serve Him. The call for us to commit ourselves to the Lord, is still relevant today. We are called to total commitment to our Lord and Saviour; to have a deep reverence for His Holy name; a heart desirous of walking in His ways and to exercise total trust in His promises. So what does the Lord requires of us? 1) To fear the Lord thy God.  It doesn't mean we must be afraid

 'Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise' (Psalm 98:4). We are called to worship the Lord who is our Saviour and Judge, in response to what He has done for us. To worship Him for His greatness in song and music. To celebrate His goodness, we are called to sing, shout for joy, play instruments, and applaud Him. When you experience God and what He has done for you, you can't but lift up your voice and praise Him. We have a Saviour who has been touched by our infirmities and can relate to what we are going through because He had been through it all. We have to give Him praise! When you praise, lift up your voice with strength as you rejoice and sing praises unto Him. Lift up your heart to praise and magnify the God of your salvation, for His great and marvellous works. How can we praise the Lord? We must praise in in our words; in our actions; in our thoughts; praise Him in our works; and praise Him in our life.  Prais

 'And  the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent' (Act 17:30). Paul was on Mars Hill in Athens surrounded by the intellects of the city when he declared the truth about God. In this Greek culture, it was the belief of the people to create their gods, whether idols of gold, silver or stone in their own image for worship. It was on the premise of the inscription of an unknown God that Paul seek to address them. He let them know that man was made"in the image of God" and should worship only Him, who is the true and living God. He went on to say that, it is this ignorance of not knowing the true God that God winked at, but that time of ignorance was now over, where they were allow to go their own way. But are now commanded to repent of their sins and worship the living God. When you come to the realisation of who God is, the truth of your origin and your need of salvation, your time of ignorance is over and it's time o

 'Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength' (Isaiah 26:4). In a time where there is so much confusion and uncertainty, God is calling us to trust Him always. He is our everlasting strength - the Rock of all ages, Jesus Christ our Lord. He is our refuge and strength in every trial we face and our everlasting Rock in every raging storms of our lives. He is our peace in the midst of perplexity and our Fortress in times of trouble who will cause all things to work together for good. All our blessings; temporal or spiritual comes from him, which give us cause to trust Him forever. Christ our solid Rock in ages past and ages to come, is our Righteousness and and in Him we find shelter in the time of storm. We can trust Him at all times and in everything. To give us victory over sin and temptation; to bear us up under affliction and to help us withstand the spiritual attacks that may come our way. It is a good thing to put our confidence in the Lor

 "Let your heart therefore  be perfect with the Lord, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day' (1 King 8:61). We are all sinners by birth as a result of Adam and Eve sinning. So as sinners, can we possess a perfect heart? Jesus said, "Be ye perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 4:48). Being perfect does not mean having a sinless or flawless heart. It was said, David had a perfect heart towards God all the days of his life, yet he failed the Lord. It is interesting to say, that man looks at the outward appearance by what he sees, but God judges the heart and its unseen motives (1 Samuel 16:7). When our heart is perfect  with the Lord, we allow the Holy Spirit to search the depths and crevices of our heart; to dig out and expose every sin that may be hidden there. The Holy Spirit will convict our heart and motivates and encourages us to walk in the statutes of God and to keep His commandments.  A perfect heart

 'For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper' (Psalm72:12). Throughout His ministry Jesus was always concerned about the poor and needy, the vulnerable and outcast. He didn't just see their physical  needs but more so, their spiritual needs. They were not treated well by society so Jesus made concessions for them. In times of need He was their deliverer. Jesus is kind, tender and compassionate towards these groups of people and for those who could not help themselves, nor seem to find help in others. They can always look to Jesus, for He is looking for them. It is interesting to note that we are all in need of Jesus, when we cry out to him from the depths of our souls, He hears and addresses our needs. Christ is all the mediator we need. He hears our cry and delivers us from our troubles, out of the hands of our enemies and supplies our need at the same time. In His sermon on the mount Christ also refer to the poor in the spiri

 'Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withhold good things from you' (Jeremiah 5:25). God is a giver of good gifts and bestow upon His people bountiful blessings. The people of Judah transgress against the Lord and as a result of their iniquities have turned away the rain and the bountiful harvest God wanted them to have. God's beneficence has been restrained by their continuous sinning, and He wanted to bring them to a sense of their sins and an acknowledgment of them. Therefore, He withhold the blessings they should have gotten. We too through our rejection of God, or continuous sinning can obstruct God's access to us, so his beneficence does not reach us. We can provoke God when we become proud, thinking we can do without God, be dependent on self. We must fear God - reverence Him. He is the Almighty and Sovereign God. He sends rain, he provides crops for food. He sets boundaries for the vast sea and the waves tossed and roared yet they

 'For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened' (Matthew 7:8). Prayer is important to all who seek to know God and to have a relationship with Him. It is important as the air we breathe, in the Christian's life. When praying for what we want or need we must be honest to God about our thoughts and feelings. Being honest will open God's ears to our prayers. We should  also learn to be specific in our request. God already knows what we are in need of before we ask, but He wants to hear from us. When we come to Him, it creates a greater bond between He and us. It doesn't mean because you are specific, it guarantees your prayers will be answered in the way you want Him to, as He may have other plans for you. But He will answer in His own time and according to His will and purpose. As Jesus was coming to the end of His Sermon on the Mount, he encouraged and motivated His hearers to pray. He said, "Ask, a

 'Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am the Lord your God' (Luke 20:7). God was speaking to Moses regarding the practices of the Children of Israel. They were at this point, living like the heathen, worshipping their gods and sacrificing even their children to these false gods. Today, we might not be sacrificing our children to false god, but instead we want to do all that the world is doing, not what God is calling us to do. We comprise the standards of God to those of the world, and God is not please. He is saying to us, that those kind of living separates us from him and leads to a life of destruction. He is  is calling us to sanctify ourselves and be holy, for He is the Lord our God. We must therefore, ask Him to consecrate us, to anoint us, so we can live lives that are acceptable to Him. How can we accomplish this? We must change the way we think, change our attitudes and our lifestyles, changing everything that is not in accordance to the will of God. W

'The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression' (Proverbs 19:11). It is very important to maintain unity in our relationship. However, in life when some one hurt and caused you pain, it can be difficult to maintain the relationship if we let it escalate. Some people are easily offended, some might hold a grudge for a long time, while others might seek revenge. These actions may lead to a broken relationship or see a relationship ended. We can choose not to be offended, nor hold a grudge, nor take revenge to maintain unity in the relationship. It is not easy to do, but in Christ we must trust. He will give us the strength to do what seems impossible to us. "The discretion of a man deferreth his anger." God is longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth. We must reflect Christ and have a good character; to bring honour to His name by deferring our anger and choose not to be angry, so we sin. It is our duty and in our int

'Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments' (Psalm 119:73). The psalmist here in seeking to be taught by God; recognised first the Creator, and that his hands had made and fashioned him. It is always a good thing to remember that if we are created, we must have a Creator. Knowing this truth bring purpose - that we are here for a purpose. It brings us a knowledge of who we are, where we are from and who is responsible for us. It gives us a sense of gratitude and great affection towards God as we recognised His amazing love and the power within His hands as He formed and fashioned us. How interestingly, that God called into being all of creation through the power of His word; but with man He personally, skillfully and lovingly and with wisdom made us with His power of His hands. We have so many reasons to give praise, to trust and be confident in God. He is the source of our life! David knowing God intimately, seeks enlighte

'In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him' (Ephesians 3:12). God has called all people's of the earth to worship him, as their Creator. He wants them to have a relationship with Him; to know and trust Him. For all who  heed the call and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, and Saviour -  the Son of God; we are now apart of the spiritual family of God. Paul prayed for spiritual strength of the Ephesian church that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith. We too individually and corporately need spiritual strength, to carry on the work God has called us to do. The text  above points out two important benefits that we have in Christ. First, we have boldness granted by God.  That is, liberty to speak our minds plainly and freely; to be free from the spirit of bondage; to be able to speak with confidence. Secondly, we have 'access with confidence.' In other words, we have a way to the Father through our faith in Jesus Christ. We have conf

I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour' (Isaiah 43:11). When sin came into the world, a Saviour was needed. God's love for His Children was so great, that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die for us - sinners to save us from our sins. What an amazing God we serve! Who can love us like God? 1 John 4:1:14 tells us clearly, that the Father has sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world. God in Christ is our Saviour! God states that He, and He alone is Jehovah and there is none beside him. We are His creation and must never have any other gods but Him. We should not make any graven images to worship as our god, because it is only Jehovah who is God, our only Saviour. It is Christ, one of the member of the Godhead who came down from heaven, live among us, and died for our sin so we could live. Through Christ, we can do all things; we in ourselves cannot do anything to help ourselves, it is Christ alone who can help us - not our friends or family; onl