Elaine Campbell

 'Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart' (Proverbs 3:3). Here we have the counsel of King Solomon, that we should always value loyalty and kindness. These are important qualities we should adorn like a necklace is around one's neck. Throughout our Christian experience, we should love God wholeheartedly and constantly and be dependable on what God wants for each of us. Let us learn to trust God with wholeness  of heart, to be always loyal and kind to all those we come in contact with; then we will find favour with God and man and earn a good reputation. We ought to sympathise with fellow Christian in their troubles;  to forgive one another; to put on bowels of mercy and compassion; hold steadfast to the Gospel truth and never depart from it; encourage each other in the faith; and God will favour and reward us. Let us be steadfast in our love and be faithful in all our endeavours. We ought to bind

 'And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee' (Psalm 39:7). What is it one should expect of life? Sinners in a world of sin, have no hope except in Christ. Life without Christ ends in eternal death. Our days are numbered, seventy years are alloted to us, but we know not how long we have on this earth. The Psalmist looking at man, says that at our best state is altogether vanity. If we trust in the Lord, expecting all good things from Him, we do well. Everything under the sun is vanity, but in Christ we hope, and in Him alone. Whatever our state of mind, we need to surrender all to Christ and totally trust Him who is able to see us through. David saw the condition of the world and that men were only deceiving themselves, as they allowed the things of this earth to cloud their minds. He began to search his soul and appeal to God and his own conscience. We too in our time, see the condition of this world. Where sin is concern it's no different from in David's time,

 'And having food and raiment let us be therewith content' (1Timothy 6:8). To be content is gain! The Scripture says godliness with contentment is great gain. Here we see Paul speaking from personal experience about contentment - to lack or be in need. As believers, our goal should be to focus on having daily essentials and living for God, not wealth and luxury. When we desire wealth or money, we can easily fall into temptation. In saying this, nothing is wrong in acquiring wealth. We see  people in the Bible who did have wealth but kept their focus on God. It is God who we should seek first and everything else will be given us by Him, as our needs be. Paul States in Philippians 4:11 that, he has learned to be content in whatever state he may be. He knows how to be full and how to be hungry and to suffer need. Whatever God as entrusted to us, we need to be satisfied. If God has provided us with the basic necessities of having food and raiment, let us be content and give thanks

 'Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation' (Psalm 68:19). God is our Burden-bearer, who doesn't get weary or sick; and is never tired of bearing our burdens. But we also have to be willing and allow Him to bear our burdens, by casting them on Him. We live in a world of sin, where we experience sorrow, pain, grief, stress; we endure distress and are emotionally and physically drained from all the pressures of this world. There is a solution to all of these burdens we carry - Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. He daily bears our burden as we give them all to Him. The presence of the Lord is among his people and his benefits are not few. The Scriptures says they are loads! Even if the Lord allows us to be burdened with sorrow, he gives us sufficient strength to sustain it. When others oppressed or distressed us, we have no need to fear, for the Lord will rescue us from such burdens. The Scriptures says that the Lord's yoke is

 'I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me' (John 6:57). Jesus is the living bread from heaven. All who believe in Him, that He was sent by God, can have eternal life. Just as how we have to eat the physical food for it to do good to our bodies; belief in Christ is something we take inside of us - spiritual faith; that will lead us to have eternal life. Therefore, Christ declared himself as the "Bread of Life." When we feed on Him it will do good to our spiritual life. Christ said that, he lives or dwells because of the living Father who sent Him. Indeed It was the Father who sent Him to be the propitiation for our sins. Here we see Christ speaking of a loving relationship between Him and the Father, and implying that's the relationship He wants to have with us. When we abide in Christ, He will abide in us and that abiding relationship will lead us to eternal life. As we feed on Christ, that i

 'Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have I not told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; (Isaiah 44:8). When we know God and see Christ as our Redeemer and Saviour, we should have no fear neither be afraid. God had revealed all in the Scriptures about His Son Jesus Christ, from the Old Testament to the New Testament and we see have heard and seen the fulfilment. God had revealed to His people all that would happen aforetime and had declared it. Christ's disciples had the opportunity to see and to  hear from his mouth, things to come and the fulfilment of that which was declared before hand. They were called to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and other parts of the world. We are also called to be witnesses in this dark world of sin. There is no other God then, as there is no other God now beside the God of Creation. We should not excuse our ignorance, in not accepting or being satisfied with

 'Now if we be dead in Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him' (Romans 6:8). All who have died with Christ, shall also live with him. In baptism we died with Christ on a spiritual level and are resurrected to a new life, being born of the water and of the Spirit. Everyone who is in Christ, must believe he or she will live with him in eternity at His Second Coming. We must understand that when we put our faith in Christ and died with Him, we are no longer a slave to sin. Let us offer ourselves as instrument of righteousness, rather than allow our bodies to be used for sin by the Devil. As believers, it is our obligation to obey God and not continue in sin, but give ourselves totally to the Saviour, who has  taken the shame and death due to us at the cross. Let us accept the righteousness of Christ, that will lead us to eternal life in Him, and seek to become more like Him. By faith we must believe that we shall be alive with Christ presently and eternally. As Christ

 '...Thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him' (Deuteronomy 8:6). We should diligently and wholeheartedly keep the commandments of God, because they are His commands and we are His children. We should observe and do them because it is God who had created us and delivered us from the bondage of slavery. We are not only to keep the commandments of the Lord our God, but we should walk in the ways He directed, and be in awe of his majesty and power. We should have fear of offending the Lord and a reverential affection for Him, as a child have to a father. Israel disobeyed God and paid the consequences, time and time again and never seems to learn from them. We ought to learn from their experiences of what God can do when we disobey Him. We must seek to obey the Lord and walk in His ways, then we can enjoy the blessings of being obedient - health and wellness; prosperity; peace; spiritual growth and wealth. We must fear the Lord our

 'For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding' (Psalm 47:7). God is indeed the great King over all the earth. The ruler of all nations; the God of the universe. We ought to sing praises unto Him with understanding, that He is the King of all the earth. Let us worship with psalms and prayers; and praise God thoughtfully, intelligently and with deep appreciation of His Sovereignty and Providence. Let us make melody in our hearts to the King, in singing of hymns and psalms with understanding. We must understand what it is we are singing and why we are singing; and be delighted and enjoy what we are singing to the most high God. To him who seek to understands the wisdom and knowledge of God, and accept by faith the Lord Jesus Christ; let them sing praise to the King of all the earth joyfully. Let us sing praises and give honour to our exalted Redeemer; exalt His name, celebrate Him and confess that He is our Creator, Redeemer and Lord. He is the glory o

 'But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world' Galatians 6:14). Paul was alluding to the fact that there is nothing in ourselves to boast in. He would not boast in what God had accomplished through him; but he would boast only in the cross of Christ. Everything he is, was only made possible because Jesus died on the cross for his sins and all our sins to set us free. Some people boast in their education, their wealth, their ministries. But we ought to know and believe, that it was by the cross of Jesus, the world has been crucified to us and us to the world. When we are justified by faith in Christ, and what He had accomplished on the cross, we no longer need the approval of the world. This world we live in has nothing to offer us, but it's sinful worldliness. As believers we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ to offer to all who are willing to hear of the Saviour, Jesus Christ and

 'For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them' (Isaiah 59:12). Salvation is only of God, there is no other way by which we can be saved, but by the blood of the Lamb - Jesus Christ. When we trangress the law of God we commit a sin against Him, and our iniquities have separated between us and God. Sometimes, God will hide his face from His people and will not hear them because their transgressions are multiplied before Him and their sins testify against them. God is a witness to them, as they are witnesses against themselves. When we transgress God's law we become separated from God and we know our iniquities, even though we may try to cover them up, but indeed they testify against us, and are with us. We must therefore, come with a repenting heart and seek God's forgiveness. Let us not profess to be God's people, but be God's people!  Let us know t

 'Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long" (Proverbs 23:17). We are ever to put the Lord first in every thing we do. Let our focus be on the Lord our God, Creator and Redeemer, rather than on sinners, even to envy them. David was tempted to envy the wicked, and remind us in Psalm 37:1 that we should not fret ourselves because of evil doers, or be envious against the workers of iniquity. The wicked will in time reap their reward and fall into mischief, as they hardened their hearts against God and His Word. Even, as Children of God, we are sometimes apt to be envious in our hearts, towards those who do not fear or reverence God; of their prosperity, pleasure and honour, which is not eternal. But we are admonished by King Solomon, that we are not to let our heart envy sinners: but to be in fear of the Lord all the day long. We must exercise our faith and trust in the Lord. We should not look to wicked and evil men who do not fear Go

 'Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God...' (Jeremiah 26:13). As sinners we were condemned by the law of God, but through Jesus's sacrifice, and by His obedience rendered to the law, claims for our repenting souls; we are forgiven and receive the merit of His righteousness. When we become Children of God, we ought to receive the truth that repentance and forgiveness are only obtained through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must amend our ways and our doings, and obey the voice of the Lord our God; simple because He is our God, and His Word directs to His good and for our good. God promised to repent us of the evil that he had pronounced against us. Let us look deep within ourselves and stop being bitter and angry at others. Let us refrain from cursing and being rude to one another and to emulate Christ. We must be kind, loving, merciful and forgive others, just as God has forgiven us because of Christ. The Word o

 'O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble' (Isaiah 33:2). God's people will go through a time of trouble, as we approach the end of earth's history. But all those who stand upon the Word of God, and trust in the Living God, will be vindicated and their strength renewed. The Lord God, will be gracious unto us as we continue to wait upon Him. As we worship and pray to the Lord, He will be our arm every morning and our salvation in the time of trouble. We can safely lean and depend upon God. He is our Strong Tower, our Rock and Fortress and will never let us down. Let us lean and depend upon Him to support, protect and defend us. God will deliver His people from oppression and persecution in the last days, so let us faithfully hold onto Him. He is our Refiner and will refine us in time of trouble, set to come upon this earth. All who are willing to deny self; to agonise before God and

 'Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful' (Psalm 116:5). No one could love except God place his love within them. God is love and he first love us, that we can experience and know how to love. The Psalmist said in Psalm 116: 1, "I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplication." We love God because He is our God, who loves and gave his life for us, through the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ. When we acknowledge our sins and what God has done for us, we too like David, can utter the words, "Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful." If we want to know how gracious and righteous God is, we need to take a look at the Cross. God is merciful and that we know; He would not have been our God without being merciful, gracious and righteous. Our God is gracious, so we can have hope when we call upon Him. He is righteous in his justice towards us, we can safely and confidently trust His promises and rely upo

 'Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee' (Psalm118:28). God is awesome, mighty and wonderful, and is our God. We ought therefore, to give Him thanks, praise and exalt him, when we rise up in the morning until we go to sleep at night. We need to give glory to God in praise and thanksgiving because He is worthy of our worship. We must learn to come to God with a grateful heart, to rejoice and be glad in Him; knowing He is our God, the reason for our very existence. Jesus when he was on earth prayed that God would glorify him, the Son, that He may also glorify the Father. No matter what the circumstances may be in our lives, we are God's creation and was created for worship. Let us praise God with every breath we take, in humbleness and with confidence in His divine grace. Let us seek always to exalt Him as our Creator and Deliverer from sin, our God in whom we trust; let us exalt Him forever. We must acknowledge that Jehovah is the true a

 'But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee' (John 11:22). The story of Lazarus is one that is well known. This family were friends of Jesus, whom he loved dearly, and consisted of Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus. The message of Lazarus sickness was sent to Jesus who didn't come straight away but arrived four days after Lazarus was dead and buried. Whilst in a conversation with his disciples, regarding Lazarus, Jesus alluded to the fact that Lazarus was asleep and he was going to Bethany to awake him. But the disciples misunderstood Jesus' statement and thought Lazarus was truly sleeping as normal. Then Jesus came straight our and said, "Lazarus is dead." When Jesus caught up with Martha, she was frustrated and grieved. Even though she was in this emotional state, she trusted Jesus to make things right. She said unto Him, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died, but I know, that even now whats

 'For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish' (2 Corinthians 2:15). Paul is saying metaphorically that, as Christians we are the aroma of Christ on the earth. In truth, we make Christ present on earth, as He is in us. Every where we go we should be that fragrance of Christ to our fellow believers, and unbelievers alike. As Christians, our attitude should be distinctive, to those who are of the faith and to those who and perishing in sin due to lack of faith in Christ. Everyone we come in contact with, should know we are Christians, by the attitudes we display, which should mirror Christ; and exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. It is by living a life of love and sacrifice that we will emanate the fragrance of Christ - among those who are saved and forgiven of their sins; and those who are perishing and unforgiven of their sins. In ourselves we cannot be a sweet savour of Christ, because we are sinful beings and our

 'Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick  and the dead' (1 Peter 4:5). There are many who live their lives in sinful pleasures, as if there is no God. In so doing they choose to be separated from the One who created them. It was so in Peter's time and the same in our time. But one day, they will have to face  God, who is ever patient; and will have to give an account to the One who is ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. As believers, we ought to live for and in Christ. Many have suffered for Christ and many are ready to suffer for Him. We, before our acceptance of Christ, once seek the sinful pleasures of this world, and was separated from God. But having now given our hearts to the Lord, we are no longer a slave to sin, and should resist the urge to be like the world, as we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us and give us the mind of Christ. This might mean, us suffering abuse or even persecution for following Christ and seeking

 'Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;'  (Romans 12:12) In Romans chapter 12, Paul gives an insight into how we should behave as Christians. He also points out that we being many, but are all one in the body of Christ, and members one to another. Then in verse 12, Paul admonished us as to how we are to respond in various situations we might face in our lives. We are told to rejoice in hope. Why? Because it is  Christ we hope in. Our hearts should be full of joy, knowing we have peace when we put our hope in Christ. We are also to be patient in our tribulations or afflictions. We cannot be patient in our own strength, we need the help of the Holy Spirit to persevere in our patience, and help us not to give us but to press on to victory. We are also admonished to be persistent in prayers. We are never to cease praying, knowing when we come to God in prayers, He will hear and answer. We must emulate Christ, and show we trust God in all circumsta

 'For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus  Christ' (1 Corinthians 3:11). All who accept Christ as their personal Saviour from sin, are co-labourers under Christ. We are Builders, laying the foundations, which is Jesus Christ, as we preach the gospel and study the Word with others. No one else can be that sure foundation, but Christ our head  cornerstone, who binds the church as one. The Songwriter penned it like this, "The Church has one foundation, 'tis Jesus Christ her Lord; she is His new creation, by water and the word; From heaven He came and sought her, to be His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her, for her life He died." The good news of salvation starts and ends with faith in Jesus. If we add or take away from this gospel, we make it of non effect. Paul wants us to understand that our faith needs to be grounded in Jesus Christ, not in no other person. We see in the past where God's people focused their loyalty on

 'Let him praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven' (Psalm 148:13). Whether young men or women, old men or children, we are all God's children, who are called to praise the name of the Lord; because the name of the Lord is excellent and his glory above the earth and heaven. There is none like unto the Lord our God, that can even be compared unto him. His glory surpasses all others and is greater than any glory that we can render to him. We should never stop praising the name of the Lord or his character, because He is God and is worthy of our praise. It was in Christ, that all things were created, therefore everything created should  praise the Lord God; because with His power he commanded all things into being. He also created man into his own image to worship him. Let us give thanks unto the Lord, and serve him with gladness of heart, because He is God, and that we know. Let us rejoice in the goodness of God eac