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). We have been given the privilege of trusting in Christ, as well as, the privilege of suffering for him. Are you willing to accept these privileges you have been offered? Is it your desire to live a godly life in Christ? Then be ready to experience sufferings for Christ's sake. You might find that while you're living a godly and faithful life, you still experience much suffering. In 2 Timothy 3:12 Paul States,  "...All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." As believers, sufferings for Christ's sake and the endurance of trials and tribulations on his behalf, is part of the walk in Christ. Christ has promised to finish the good work that He began in us as we accept him as Saviour and Lord. No matter what difficulties or dangers we face, Christ did not promised it will not happen, or that it would be ea

 '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). We have been given the privilege of trusting in Christ, as well as, the privilege of suffering for him. Are you willing to accept these privileges you have been offered? Is it your desire to live a godly life in Christ? Then be ready to experience sufferings for Christ's sake. You might find that while you're living a godly and faithful life, you still experience much suffering. In 2 Timothy 3:12 Paul States,  "...All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." As believers, sufferings for Christ's sake and the endurance of trials and tribulations on his behalf, is part of the walk in Christ. Christ has promised to finish the good work that He began in us as we accept him as Saviour and Lord. No matter what difficulties or dangers we face, Christ did not promised it will not happen, or that it would be ea

 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecutions, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?'  (Romans 8:35). It is a wonderful thing to know, that if we trust God and believe in His Son Jesus, nothing shall separate us from His love. Paul is urging us to understand that though sufferings continue, God is still with us and will see us through. There is nothing we do that keep Christ from loving us. He does  love us with an everlasting love, regardless of trials or tribulation. He is there through those trials, afflictions; our needs whether it be physical, spiritual and emotional; persecution for our faith in Christ. None of these things, can separate us from Christ's love. All believers who aspired to be in Christ, and have been saved by their faith are encouraged of God's great love for us, and feel secured before him. We have the confidence that God is for us, he loves us, even as we abide in Christ. Paul asked the que

 'God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, all them that are about him' (Psalm 89:7) God is always faithful to his children and is therefore, to be greatly feared as we reverence Him. How amazing it is to recognise that we are deeply loved by the Lord our God. It is always a great feeling to know we are loved by our parents, our spouses, and children, isn't it? How much more, should our feeling be, when we know the love of God for us, and that it stands forever. In the assembly of the angels, it is said, God is greatly to be praise. They know how to worship the Creator God and experience His presence.   With awe they praise and worship God for His amazing love for the sacrifice He made on behalf of fallen human race, through His Son Jesus Christ. We do have a lot to give God thanks for and to show reverence and awe for what He has done for us . We should approach God with awe when we think of His mighty power; His greatness; His Sovereignty. In other words

 '...Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Matthew 3:2). John the Baptist was calling to repentance the Jewish nation in his day. He was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus's ministry on earth.  Today, the same call is given to the world to repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. We are called to confess our sins and submit to the will of God. Turning from sin is necessary for each of us, in order to gain eternal life with Christ. The Jewish people were looking for a physical kingdom, wherein the coming Messiah would overthrow the Romans and establish peace and prosperity in their nation. This misconception led them to reject Christ as the Messiah and Son of God. However, the kingdom of God then was a more spiritual one, where Christ would begin to rule on earth by ruling in the hearts of those who choose to follow Him. Jesus came down from heaven, ministered to all people, died on the cross, rose and ascend to heaven, where he is interceding on our beha

 'What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace' (Romans 6:15). Sin has enslaved us, but Christ came and died for us that it shall not have dominion over us. As believers, we were once under the law, but are no more; we are now under grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is God's grace that have set us free from the law, and of such, we should refrain from sinning. We must not take lightly God's grace and forgiveness by indulging in our sinful desires. The freedom Christ has given us from sin, should lead us to resist and reject those desires and obey righteousness in Christ. The consequences of sin lead to death, but the gift of God through Christ is eternal life. All who believe in Christ, first came to him by faith. We die to sin and are no longer a slave to sin. We therefore, should serve righteousness instead of sin, accepting the free gift of God by faith in Christ Jesus, so we can become more and more like Him. We have to realise th

 'Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else' (Deuteronomy 4:39). The Lord is indeed God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. We ought to be faithful and true to God, who is ever worthy of our praise. We need to consider this important truth about God and keep  it fixed in our hearts continuously. The Lord owns the heaven and the earth and does what he  pleases with them. We rejoice to know heaven is  the Lord's dwelling place and earth his footstool; we are His creatures and are under his authority. Our obedience to God cannot merit salvation since it is a precious gift from Him. But it does lead us to be recipients of this free gift, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Only as we become obedient,  believing and trusting in Jesus by faith that we receive the gift of salvation. God's love for us demonstrate His great and mighty power and his goodn

 'I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me' (Proverbs 8:17). The Lord our God loves all his children and his wisdom supersedes all other wisdom. He especially love those who are his own, who love and seek after him with their hearts. In the same way He allude to the fact that, he will honour those who honour him, and those that despise Him shall be lightly esteemed (1 Samuel 2:30). Jesus's love is incomparable, selfless and Sacrificial. His love for us was his death on the cross, to give us freedom from sin and save us. God wants us to respond to His infinite love and seek him with all our hearts. He promised when we do so, that we shall find him. Jesus is the source of true wisdom and is calling out to lost humanity to come to him as we are. He will mold us, fashioned us, make and remake us into who He wants us to be, to bring glory to God. Let us seek that godly wisdom Christ offers us, by allowing the Holy Spirit to work fully and completely w

 'For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon your name' (Psalm 86:5). There are people in this world, even as believers, who find it hard to forgive due to the injuries or hurt done to them by others. Some consider themselves good or been considered good by others, but refuse to let go of the hurt or anger that may cause them to be unforgiving. But the Bible tells us that God alone is good. His goodness flows in abundance towards all those who pray and worship Him, making mention of His name. He is also ready to forgive, so when we come to Him confessing our sins, He said he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. No sooner we ask for forgiveness, He freely gives it to us. How much more should we, but seek to forgive others? Do you love to call upon the name of Jesus? When we call upon the name of the Lord; having faith in Christ, the Lord shows mercy, because He is rich and abundan

 'When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh' (Luke 21:28). We have been hearing that 'Jesus is coming soon' all our lives; but the reality is, He is definitely nearer than when we first believed. Reading the Bible, the history of the world and seeing the signs of the time in our days, must convince us that Jesus is coming soon. He is soon to come and we must be prepared to meet him jubilantly and in peace. The text said, "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." When we see these things happening, be of a  cheerful and pleasant countenance. Then look up to Jesus where our help comes from; and lift our heads to the Saviour and Deliver who has redeemed us with His precious blood. Let us have the experience of joyfulness and rejoice in the approaching salvation from heaven. There are earthquakes in divers place; tsunami; p

 'And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation' (Psalm 35:9). We have reasons to be joyful in the Lord, not because of our own skills, but in what he has done to save us. As David ascribed all honour to Jehovah, disregarding those who want to do him harm, found unspeakable joy in the Lord; so we must learn to turn away from our enemies or the things that hinders our salvation to our God, rejoicing in his salvation. He is the mighty and Sovereign God who alone can saved us, and keep what he has committed to us, and to preserve us from falling. So why not be joyful and rejoice in His salvation? We have so much to rejoice in the Lord, that will fill us with much joy, as Christ our wonderful Saviour has atoned for our sins with his precious blood. He has made it possible for us to have eternal life and has laid a firm foundation for our faith and the hope of eternal glory and happiness. We do not have to fight our own battles, Christ is always willing

 'But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying. Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid' (Matthew 14:27). Jesus was speaking to his disciples, who saw him walking on the water and thought he was a spirit. He reassured them straightway to be of good cheer, because it was him and that they should not fear. What a relief and assurance it must have been to them knowing it was Jesus, their Master. Peter was then able to call out to Jesus to bid him come to Him on the water. Knowing Jesus is near us should eliminate all our fears. He cares for us and is concerned about our peace of mind. Sometimes we call upon Him to help us and his response is immediate and without delay; other times we have to wait patiently for his response, which at times wavered our faith. But Christ is the Good Shepherd who tends to the needs of all his children. He is never far from us, and wants to reassure us of his presence, and is saying to us not to fear, but to be of good courage. He wanted his discipl

 'The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure' (Psalm 111:7). God is faithful and true, and everything he does tell of his love, his power and might. We ought to trust that He can perfect us with His righteousness through Christ Jesus. His laws and his testimony are sure and can be trusted completely, and  believed as the sure word of truth. God in his faithfulness acts faithfully and righteously towards his people, without a trace of partiality. It behoves us to  give him total praise! Everything He had proclaimed shall be found worthy of our obedience, as we stand on his unchangeable word. His commandment stands forever and are done in truth and uprightness. Therefore, His wonderful works must be a cause to praise Him. That is, we must fear Him, honour him, obey him and praise him. And  as we respond to God in this marvellous way, He will respond to us in the most loving way, enriching out lives with a sense of security and confidence. Christ

 'But he that doeth wrong shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ' (Colossians 3:25). We are admonished to have allegiance to the true and living God, the Creator of the heavens and earth. For if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. You cannot serve two masters, you'll love one and hate the other. Therefore, make Christ Jesus your Master today. As believers, when we seek to carry out good work in spirit and truth, God has promised to reward us, not because we deserve it, but by his grace He choose to give us. if it is through our own power we seek such reward, we shall suffer loss. In the verse Paul was speaking to those who were servants or perhaps slave and how they ought to conduct themselves. However, it speaks to each of us who is a child of God and find ourselves in service to another person. No matter the difficult situation we might encountered or find ourselves in, we must always choose a life th

 'And above all things have fervent  charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover a multitude of sins' (1 Peter 4;8). Love is of God, because God is love. We should love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sin. That is, we should seek to strengthen each other and hope to sweeten their sins with our outpouring of love. When we truly love God and one another,  it will be difficult to sin against God and each other. Peter is admonishing us as Christians to work hard at loving one another. Knowing that Christ is about to come, should motivate us to fervently love each other. We must not be too hard on ourselves, because we are not perfect, it is only through Christ that we can be. There is a war of good and evil raging within us. When we tried to do good, evil present itself. It is only Christ who works in us to will and do His good works, that enable us his grace to overcome the sin in our life. And above all, everything we do, let us have fervent love among

 'He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked' ( 1 John 2:6). If we claim  to be children of God, we must live as Christ did, and if we say Christ abides in us, we ought to walk as he also did. As a believer in Christ, we should grow to act more and more like Him, and seek to have a fellowship relationship with him. We all have sinned, but as a true believers of Christ, we should come confessing our sins, to the One who is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. Let us love God and hate the things of the world, that cannot help or save us. Christ is the living Vine and we are the branches, we are called to abide in Him. As we draw from the true and living Vine, we can say and do things that will please God, our Father. Let us all aspire as believers to be like Christ, live and walk as he did, in total dependence upon God. It is in our living and walking, that we will be able to experience the fulness of God. Wi

 'Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest' (Joshua 2:9). After the death of Moses, the Lord God encouraged and command Joshua to be courageous and not be afraid or dismayed, because He would be with him wherever he went. He would be there for with him, as he lead the Children of Israel into the Promises Land. When we trust in the Lord and His Word, we will realised  that His commands are not impossible, because with God all things are possible. Just as the Lord commanded Joshua  to be strong and courageous, we too are admonished to do likewise and the Lord will strengthen our hearts and be with us. We are to simply place our trust in God, and not our own courage and strength, because the arm of flesh will fail us. That is, we are to draw strength from the Lord and not depend on our own thoughts, or strength at anytime. Like Joshua, those who are in leadership a

 'Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established' (Proverbs 16:3). Whatever you do, commit it to the Lord and He will direct your ways and established your plans. As believers we are called upon to commit our works and all our activities unto the Lord. But how many of us try to do it in our own strength, instead of in the power of the Holy Spirit? It is only through a life in Christ that God will carry out our works and activities.  If we are disobedient or fearful, proud and vain, how can God carry out His work in us? He is not going to force us! We have to give Him our heart and allow him to transform us. In order for our plans to be successful or achieved, we must dedicate our ways and our works to the Lord. By His grace He will use them to fulfil his purpose in us. All who put their trust and believe in Christ, should rely on God in all things and entrust them to him. He is the Sovereign God and hold sovereignity over everything. We have to allow Him

 'Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever' (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus Christ our Lord, does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His plans does not change or his nature. Whatever plans He had for us in the very beginning of time remains the same. Everything we needed to know has already been revealed, even though things we think we need to know has not yet been seen; but by faith we have taken hold of, by the grace of God. God is truth and truth does not change. The same gospel preached by Paul and the  disciples is the same gospel Christ admonished us to give to the world in our time. Christ does not change nor does His gospel, God does not change, neither is His truth. As believers we will come to a better understanding of truth as we grow in Christ, but God's truth will not change. When we know that God is constant and unchanging it builds trust and confidence in Him. God has not change, and He will never change, because He is the same yesterday

 'Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake' (Psalm 79:9). Salvation is not earned, but is a gift freely given by God through Jesus Christ, to all who will accept it. God is the God of our salvation and our help comes him. When we are in trouble or in the sea of afflictions, we can cry out to God for help and he will sustain and enable us to bear out trials and afflictions, with patient endurance and without murmur. He will help and save us for the glory of His name. He will deliver us from our enemies and afflictions, and purge away our sins by the blood and sacrifice of Christ. He will pardon and forgive us for Christ's   sake. We are privileged to have such a loving God, that even when He is angry with us, His aim is always to save us, because He is the God of our salvation. He doesn't do anything without warning us first. He warns us of what will happen if we are disobedient to him. S

 'For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved' (Romans10:13). The Bible states that all have sinned and come  short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). As sinners we all have redemption in Christ Jesus, therefore we must believe by grace through faith in Him. It does not matter what race or culture  we are from, for the Lord gives his riches to all who call upon Him. When we place our faith in Christ and call upon His name, seek his salvation, we shall be saved. Paul was saying back then, that whether they be Jews or Gentiles, it didn't matter to the Lord, as long as they turn to Christ in faith, believed and call upon His name they shall be saved. Christ came to save all humanity, and when we come to Him and confess that He is Lord, believing that God raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved.  Just as how Paul had a deep desire for his fellow Jews to accept Christ as their Messiah and Saviour of the world, we too must have a great desire for souls t