Elaine Campbell

 'Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? (Lamentations 3:37). God is the Creator of the universe. He spoke with  power and everything was done. He lovingly molded and fashioned man from the dust of the earth and breathe into man his breath, bringing life to him. God preserves and watches over the affairs of His world. He make judgement as our Judge, as a result of man been fallen. There is nothing that can come to pass without His command. If we think otherwise, we are denying His power and judgement. We can never understand the prerogatives of God, because He is God, and doeth whatsoever he pleaseth. He is wisdom and everything that takes place flows from His eternal and unchangeable counsel. God never changes, He is the same yesterday, today and forever more - the immutable God. Nothing is done in this world, that He doesn't see; even the evil surmising of men. All things that happen are because God allows them to. There is nothing that

 'Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me' (John 15:4). God's love for us is deep and that's why He came in the person of His Son to die for all humanity. So is Christ's love for each of us; as God's Children Christ's love for us, is compared with the mutual love that His Father has towards Him. We see here, how loved and special we are to our Creator, God. Christ loves us dearly as the Father loves Him, and demonstrates it at the Cross. As Christ taught his disciples to abide in him, He is teaching the same to all who will believe on him; that is, all who are saved by grace through faith in Him. When we are born again - by the water and of the Spirit, we have to bear fruit in our Christian life. It is our duty to obey and honour our heavenly Father, as we abide in Christ. For us to bear fruit, we must abide in Christ, for there is no other way. Christ is saying

 'Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful' (Luke 6:36). As human beings our natural inclination is to judge one another. We tend not to look at our imperfections, but eager to correct others, because we are inherently selfish. Scripture teaches that we should not judge others or the same judgement will be meted out to us. God is our Judge, and if He is merciful, we too should show mercy to those we tend to judge.  Jesus is our example, and we ought to follow Him, walking in the way God desires us to walk. He is merciful and we are admonished to be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful. That means we should be sympathetic, compassionate, forgiving, be tender- hearted, show empathy towards other; being merciful in the same way our Father has shown mercy to us. We need to truly imitate Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, enabling us to show mercy to others. We will reflect the character of God when we walk in spirit and in truth - being mercif

 'It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect' (Psalm 18:32). The Christian journey is a battlefield consisting of good and evil. There is a spiritual battle going on for our minds -  Christ wants to save us and Satan wants to destroy us. Those who choose God will be battered and bruise by Satan; but the Lord has prepared us for this warfare and has girt us with the armour of God, so we will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). God had delivered David many a times from his enemies, including king Saul. He was delivered from physical and spiritual battles victoriously, and praised God for his deliverance. He acknowledged that its God who girded him with strength and make his way perfect. It is indeed God who gives us strength, whether physically or spiritually; He fortified our minds and give strength to our bodies that we will be able to carry out His work in the right way and with the right attitude. It is He that makes our w

 'Wherefore we receiving a  kingdom which cannot be be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear' (Hebrews 12:28). Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We cannot go to Father except through The Son. Christ's death and resurrection means eternal life for all who trust and believe in Him. He is the One who offers salvation to mankind; because He is the means to our salvation and also the rewarder. Under the Old covenant, the blood of bulls and goats were offered up as the atoning sacrifice, which was a type of Christ, who was to come. It didn't offer easy access to God, as the new covenant under grace. The new covenant offered something better, something beyond rituals  and earthly needs. By faith in Christ, we are now apart of a kingdom that cannot be moved, and an inheritance kept for us in heaven. In Christ we have peace in God, a peace that passeth all our understanding. As we cling to that old rugged cross, which

 'For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; he will save'  (Isaiah 33: 22). Oh, how wonderful! O, how marvellous is our God to us. He loves us so much that he came down in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ to rescue us from sin and death. Jesus the incarnate God, endured the shame and the cross to restore us to the image of God, that was marred at the entrance of sin, and to reconcile us back to our heavenly Father. God had committed all judgment to Christ our Lord, so he could judge his people; to right our wrongs, and avenge our injuries inflected by our enemies. He is indeed our Lawgiver, He not only gave us his laws in which we should abide, but he wrote them on our hearts and put his Spirit within us, to enable us to keep them. He is also our Sovereign King, ruler of the world. He is our Creator and therefore, has the authority and right to govern us. He made us and not we ourselves.  As His created beings, we rebelled against his kingly

 'Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand'  (Philippians 4:5). Sin has been engrained in us since the fall of our foreparents - Adam and Eve, in such a way that our natural desire is always to sin. It takes only the blood of Jesus to be able to wash and cleanse us from our sinfulness. As human beings, we sometimes find it hard to love each other, or even to get on with one another. Even as  Christian believers, we bicker and fight amongst ourselves. However, when we know God and trust and obey Him, by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us, we will demonstrate more love and kindness towards each other. Our disagreements would be more positive and seasoned with love. We will seek to handle them with maturity and wisdom. We must aim to be slow to speak, slow to anger, but quick to listen. Paul was speaking to two sisters in the faith, Euodia and Syntyche, to try and put aside their differences and be of one mind; as he is also encouraging every one of us in

 'But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation' (Psalm 13:5). There are people in this world who trust in others and in materialistic things; because of love, comfort, fear, or to feel better about themselves. However, these things they trust in doesn't last, and so it brings up feelings of anxiety and depression. But it is the trust in God which is of uttermost importance. We are told in Scriptures, to trust in the Lord with all our heart; and lean not unto our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct our path. (Proverbs 3: 5-6). David felt that God had abandoned him and was very lonely and  depressed from all his sufferings and life's trials.  He asked God, "How long will thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? Many of us at one point or another,

 'They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever' (Daniel 12:3). Knowing Christ and having a knowledge of Him, is important in the Christian journey. He is the only way back to the Father. Therefore, if we know Him, we know God, the Father. He is the One who can make us wise unto salvation. It is the fear of God, that's the beginning of wisdom; Knowing the awesomeness of God, His providence, who He is and what He has done for us. God has given us His Word so we may know Him, know who we are, our purpose on this earth, and His plan for our future. Man's duty is to fear God and to keep His commandments. This encapsulates everything - our love for God and our love for each other. When we study God's Word and apply it to our lives, by the holiness and righteousness of God, we become wise unto salvation. That is, we have the wisdom to hear God's voice and be led to trust it and

 'Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still' (Psalm 4:4). David is a true man of God, even amidst his wrong doings, his weakness and failings. He honoured and trusted God and seek to confess and repent of his sin and do them no more. More so, God was able to say that, "he was a man after His own heart." Being surrounded by many enemies, even his own son Absalom, who claimed the throne of his father. He was able to give wise counsel and advice to the followers of Absalom and his own followers. He urged his enemies to refrain from rebelling against the Most High God, by shunning the lies been circulated; and to his followers to shun evil and  avoid sinning, but instead to search their hearts as they lie on their bed and be still. This is saying to us, that in our adversaries and afflictions, when others are seeking to harm us, we can be righteously angry. That is, we do not get angry against the persons who seek to harm us but ag

 'Who will render to every man according to his deeds' (Romans 2:6). God knows the heart of each one of us, therefore, He is the perfect Judge. He is the One who has the authority to judge the hearts of men, and to do so according to our deeds. Jesus himself expressed that we will be judged on the basis of our behaviour or our works. He said, "For the Son of Man shall come in glory of His Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." (Matthew 16:27). Even though we will be judged on the basis of our deeds, we are not saved by our good deeds, but by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. We are sinners and our only hope of salvation is through faith in Christ. We should not judge others or the same judgement will be meted out to us. It is our natural tendency to want to judge others even when we ourselves are guilty of sinning. We therefore, need to examine our lives and our motives daily and see if we have no evil ways within us; a

 If we desire to see the King in His beauty we must here behave worthily. We must outgrow our childishness. When provocation comes let us be silent. There are times when silence is eloquence. We are to reveal the patience and kindness and forbearance that will make us worthy of being called sons and daughters of God. We are to trust Him, and believe on Him, and rely on Him. We are to follow in Christ's steps. "If any man will come after me," He says, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" ( Luke 9:23)...It may be a heavy cross to keep silent when you ought to. It may be a painful discipline, but let me assure you that silence does much more to overcome evil than a storm of angry words. Isaiah 33:17 says, 'Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.'

 'I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive' (John 5:43). The Jewish religious leaders were angry and very upset with Jesus, because He healed an impotent man who had been in this situation for forty years, on the Sabbath. Can you imagine their reaction? They were concerned about when the miracle was performed, rather than the amazing miracle they had just witness. They refuse to even believe that He was the messiah who came to save them and the world.  In verse 43, Jesus pointed out to them that, He came in the name of His Father, and they rejected Him, but are willing to accept the approval of men who came in their own name. In our time, men are just the same. The masses chose to accept and believe the words of scientists, philosophers, naturalist, evolutionists and you name them; but the living Word of God they reject, and will not accept. The God who created all things is not glorified as these schol

 'Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me' (Psalm 38:21). God has promised His people that He will never leave or forsake them and that His presence will continue to be with them. We should be confident to trust the promises of God. When our friends, family, or others forsake us, God will lift us up to Himself and give us peace and  the courage to go on. He will always help us in our time of need; sometimes He allows us to go through the fire of hardship, strife, trials, alienation, adversity, to strengthen us or test our loyalty to Him; but He is indeed very much present. God is a compassionate Father and will not leave us in our troubles, nor sickness, nor in our sorrows. We can be assured that He hears us when we call upon Him. David prayer was one of urgency and persistency. His friends had forsaken him in a time of great need and he felt as all his strength left him, as a result of the affliction caused by others. He now pleaded with God, not to forsake him, o

 'Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee' (Psalm 88:9). King Solomon, one of he wisest man that ever lived, said "Nothing is new under the sun". Affliction comes in all shape and  form. It comes from within us and from external forces. Sometimes it might even seems like we are being afflicted by God. These afflictions may bring tears, sorrow, sufferings, feelings of persecution and also of joy. The Psalmist affliction was so great that He cried out day and night before God. His soul was full of troubles and he felt like death was upon him. In his despair his voice cried and his eyes wept; he said, "Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction." His affliction didn't stop him from crying out to God in prayer, his heart felt broken as he wept with out stretched hands to God. Have you ever experienced such affliction or anguish, which led you to cry out in prayer to God, like the

 'Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the word of knowledge' (Proverbs 23:12). God has placed His laws in our hearts that we may know Him, the only true God. He has instructed us through His Word, which is a light unto our path and a lamp to our feet. He instructs us of things pertaining to His Son, Jesus Christ and His salvation, in which He has freely given to us. We must seek to apply our hearts unto His instruction persistently and earnestly. We should allow the Holy Spirit to graciously open our hearts and enlighten us, as we fix our ears attentively to listen and treasure those instructions, that may in the future influence our life. The Passage of Scripture, is suggesting that we not only should learn what God has instructed us to do but to apply our heart to those instructions. In so doing we will have a knowledge of God. This knowledge we have of God is infinitely valuable. Why?  "This is life eternal, to know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus C

 'The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and even for evermore' (Psalm 121:8). The Lord is our Protector and Shield, all we need to do is put our trust in Him. He promises to preserve our going out and our coming in - in all our business and undertakings. We need to look up to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith; knowing our help comes from Him, the One who created the heaven and the earth. We  need not fret or worry when we make Christ the centre of our lives, because we are safe evermore in Him. He keeps us safe and secure  from harms and dangers when we go out from our homes, and protect us when we return. He will do this as long as we trust and give our lives to Him, and as long as time endures. He is a patient and longsuffering God! He will keep us from wrath, malice, hatred, envying, and you can name the works of the flesh; when we give our all to Him. He will however, allow us to manifest the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, p

 'For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not' (Ecclesiastes 7:20). When God created man we were inherently good, until sin came into the world by the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Because of their sins, all of mankind have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We all have natural tendencies to sin. It is only Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came and live on this earth, was perfectly just, and went about doing good and never sinned. We can have the character of being a just person by the will of God and may even do good works but will always sin. When we accept Christ by faith and  become a new creature in Him, we are quickened by His spirit and become righteous through His own righteousness and is made good by the grace of God. Also in Christ we are made perfect! Let us not be self-righteous before God, thinking we are without sin because we do good and is considered just. But let us seek to acquire wisdom from above that will deliver us from

 'Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous' (1 Peter 3:8). The Scripture teaches us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul and with all our mind, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. This is what sums up 'love', God is the eternal love. When we truly and wholeheartedly love God and each other, we will be like-minded, sympathetic, compassionate and humble. We are called as Believers to be of one mind - holding fast together in our faith in Christ and His truth and way; living in harmony with each other, and unite in spirit and mind speaking the same things pertaining to our salvation. We are to comfort, support and encourage one another in the faith. To have compassion towards one another and be empathic towards those experiencing perplexity and difficult situations or trials. We are called to love our brothers and sisters as Christ loved us all, and to pray for each other in christ

'Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsaken thee' (Hebrews 13:5). Every child of God should allow the Lord to direct their steps each day; in thoughts, in words and in deeds. As His Children, our conversation should always reflect Him, and must be pleasing to Him. When we seek the Lord with all our hearts, we will be content in every situation of life. Our conversation will be seasoned with grace, and will stamp out covetousness. There would be no room for envy nor greed or discontentment. In harbouring discontentment in our heart, we are saying, "God, we do not trust you." We would then murmured against God; not satisfied with who we are or what we have, and begin to envy others or become lovers of money. Covetousness and discontentment demonstrate a lack of faith in the Lord our God. Therefore, it is important that we shun this appearance of evil. This can be disg

'Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth' (Isaiah 12:5). Our Lord is indeed worthy of our praise! The Word of God says, "Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works" (Psalm 105:2). God is great and good; He is mighty and powerful, and the whole earth is full of His glory. Let's sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to the glory of God; for He is from everlasting to everlasting. His righteousness excels all other righteousness, because He is pure, holy, perfect and spotless. Our own righteousness is as filthy rags, we need the righteousness of God to cover us. He is our atoning sacrifice who obtained an excellent victory over sin and death, and over Satan, that we may gain eternal life. Let us rejoice in the Lord, who is our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. His excellency is above all we can ever think, or imagine and is known in  all the earth. It is our duty to make it known to every nation, kind

 'He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the sea' (Micah 7:19). When we sin against God, there are always consequences. In Scriptures we see where Israel, God's chosen people who were suppose to be a light to the heathen nations; sinned against God, turned to the heathen gods, rebelled and disobey God, time and time again. God punished them, led them into captivity, turned away from them in disgust, withdrew His presence and at times didn't want to even see them. But He is a loving, merciful and compassionate Father. When His people whom He loves, acknowledged their sins and iniquities and cried out to him; He turns and manifest His love to them again and applies His pardoning grace.  We all at one time or another, find ourselves in that situation; or may still be finding ourselves in those situations. However, when we call upon the Lord, our God, pleading for His forgivenes