Jul 1, 2024 – Colossians 2:2 – encouragement through the love and truth of God in the Gospel
”That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ”
Colossians 2:2
Hi Everyone!
There are people who I call ”closet Christians” because they want to take their faith into a corner and not share it with anyone.
This is the person who feels they don’t have to go to Church, who doesn’t have to watch preaching on television, and they just claim to be where they need to be.
I don’t agree with any of that because we are the Church and we are built to be a body of people from different backgrounds and with different gifts to impact the world in concert for the glory of God.
Love and truth are supposed to be the common threads that run through all of us: the things that the world should see and know when God is truly among us. In love people experience the character of God and in truth we experience the stability and mystery of the Gospel.
Today, we will look at Colossians 2:2, encouragement through the love and truth of God in the Gospel.
”That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ”
The word ”heart” refers to the seat of one’s inner being, the seat of one’s thoughts, emotions, desires, passions, and the will”.
The word ”comforted” means ”solace, exhortation, or encouragement”.
God desires that our knowledge of Him will cause a heart change within us that encourages us to stand on His Word.
This comfort is given to us alone, because in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, the Bible says, ”Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.”
We must make sure that our encouragement is coming from the right place and from the right Person. In God, I have a deep comfort that doesn’t hedge on circumstances, and it is a comfort that I can share with others because God provides me with an abundance, so that I can share with others.
In 2 Corinthians 1:6-7, the Bible says, ”And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.”
As a church and even as individuals we are going suffer, but God gives us the power to endure and triumph over what comes our way. If He doesn’t deliver us from the suffering, He will encourage and empower us in the suffering.
The phrase ”knit together” means ”to be woven together, or united”.
The word ”love” means affection, or benevolence”.
Love is supposed to be the thread that runs through all of us, and it is also the evidence that God is at work in us. No believer is supposed to seek to live a solitary life apart from the body of believers, apart from the love that runs through all of us.
In 1 Peter 1:22, the Bible says, ”Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently”.
The word of God we receive gives us the necessary tools to extend love to our fellow believers, and this should always be present. Would you want to be a guest at a house where it’s occupants seem to hate each other? Would that be very uncomfortable?
In Colossians 3:14, the Bible says, ”And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”
This isn’t something that just comes to us. We have to actively pursue love, robing ourselves in it. When they see us, they are supposed to see love.
The phrase ”full assurance” means ”entire confidence”.
The word ”understanding” means ”full discernment”. Do we see that God doesn’t want us doing anything part way?
The word ”mystery” means ”secret”.
In Colossians 1:9-10, the Bible says, ”For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God”.
God desires us to know Him in such a way that our lives bear His truth, His love, and His wisdom.
God desires us to walk in fruitfulness, so that we continue to receive God’s knowledge of Christ and also so that our lives can bear witness to His presence in our lives.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 2, 2024 – Colossians 2:3 – where the treasures of our wisdom come from
”In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Colossians 2:3
Hi Everyone!
I am in college again, this time taking my Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies, with a minor in Psychology.
I was just blessed to be able to obtain my Associate’s in Arts Degree.
I have come to understand through my studies that there are two kinds of knowledge, worldly knowledge and spiritual knowledge, and sadly, there are people who believe worldly knowledge is the pathway to spirituality.
All the knowledge in the world cannot provide God’s plan for salvation, nor can it teach us all truth.
Instead of seeking the truth, people pursue a piece of knowledge and call it truth, but sadly, most spend their lives in a pointless search that leads them further and further away from THE truth.
In Christ lies all wisdom and knowledge and there is no other pathway to what God provides for His children.
Think about it. I have been teaching the Word of God for at least eight years now without any formal training before January of this year.
Today, we will look at Colossians 2:3, where the treasures of our wisdom come from.
”In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Colosse was a city that used to be a popular travel and trade route. Travel and trade routes were key places to share and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because people would then share the Gospel on their way home.
Scholars say that the cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis were gaining more popularity and Colosse was in a state of decline, but the Church in Colosse was suffering a different sort of decline because false teaching was poisoning the Church and its believers. This was the major problem that Paul addressed in his letter to the Church in Colosse.
The word ”hid” means ”kept secret”.
The word ”treasures” means ”a deposit of spiritual wealth”.
The treasures of the kingdom are available to all who believe in the name of Jesus Christ, receiving Him as Lord and Savior, but to them who don’t believe, they will continue to elude them.
In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, the Bible says, ”But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
This is the person who pours through the pages of the world’s knowledge, trying to find what only God in Christ can provide. The more they try to see with their own eyes, the more blind they become. The kingdom will be sitting there in front of their faces and they won’t accept it because it isn’t aligned with the stuff they have accepted to be truth.
In 1 Corinthians 1:23-25, the Bible says, ”But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
Could it be that the Gospel is too simple for those who have complicated it through academia, the pursuit of mere knowledge and learning? Preaching and teaching Christ throws so many people off because it can’t be that easy in their minds, and they miss the best thing that could ever happen to them because they can’t accept what is right in their face.
The word ”wisdom” means ”divine wisdom, infinite skill, insight, knowledge, and purity”.
The word ”knowledge” means ”doctrine of God”.
In 1 Corinthians 2:6-7, the Bible says, ”Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory”.
It seems like the Church in Corinth was having some of these same problems with worldly wisdom versus Godly wisdom. We have this problem nearly two thousand years later in the world we live in. When we speak the truth it is something the world has real trouble understanding because they are trying to understand spiritual things through earthly means.
In Colossians 1:9-10, the Bible says, ”For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God”.
We can’t walk in the way God ordains for us unless we receive His knowledge and wisdom. Our fruitfulness comes from the knowledge and wisdom that the Lord provides. Everything we know and will know is in the Lord.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 3, 2024 – Colossians 2:7 – establishing our faith on Christ’s foundation
”Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
Colossians 2:7
Hi Everyone!
Is Christ our firm foundation?
If not, what are we rooted in?
There was a time I was rooted in crime, sin, destruction, and I lived a very turbulent existence.
I realized that what I was ”rooted” in actually left me suspended and without roots, causing me to be carried away in my sin without the ability to stop.
Being rooted in Christ, I am secure in Him so when things come and press against me, I am able to stand strongly despite the crumbling effect the circumstances should have over me.
That in itself built a testimony of the truth of the Gospel that encouraged brothers in my prison environment.
It took time for me to get there, but praise be to God that He has proven Himself to be that sure foundation that we build our lives upon.
I love with gratefulness because His foundation has kept me during many storms.
Today, we will be looking at Colossians 2:7, establishing our faith on Christ’s foundation.
”Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
The word ”rooted” means ”stabilized”.
The phrase ”built up” speaks of edification, figuratively implying a building upon, spoken of the Christian faith and Christian life, both the whole church and its individual members as built upon the only foundation, Christ.
This implying the constant internal development of the kingdom of God and the visible church, like a holy temple progressively and unceasingly built up from the foundation.
So in Christ, we are planted in His foundation, built up in Him and then stabilized, making us strong and able to stand in the face of storms.
In Ephesians 2:20-22, the Bible says, ”And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
We have teachers in the prophets and apostles who were inspired by God to write their accounts for our education and our edification. God is very intentional and desires us to be built with the right material.
In 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, the Bible says, ”According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
When we receive our teachings, we have to always make sure that it comes from the Word of God. We have to really consider the fact that we are not only building up our lives, but there is someone else who is going to learn from our example. What they learn from us could be what they build their lives upon.
The word ”stablished” means ”confirmed”. To confirm something means to prove something as true or trustworthy. Would you drive across a bridge 100 feet in the air unless it was properly inspected?
In 1 Corinthians 3:12-13, the Bible says, ”Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”
Our faith and our work in the faith will always be subject to testing, and the testing will reveal what foundation we are built on, because anything not built on Christ will not survive.
The word ”faith” speaks of the Gospel truth that causes a transformation for those who place their reliance upon Christ for salvation and who have assurance in the Word of God.
The word ”taught” means ”instructed, tutored, or placed into the mind”.
The word ”abounding” means ”to be in excess”.
The word ”thanksgiving” means ”showing gratitude as an act of worship”.
In Ephesians 3:16-17, the Bible says, ”That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love.”
God’s teaching strengthens us from the inside out, reinforcing us in Him. As we receive God’s Word by faith, we allow Him to build us on His foundation in love.
In Matthew 7:24-25, the Bible says, ”Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock”.
No matter what comes our way, when the storm clears, we will be left standing because we were built and founded in Him.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 4, 2024 – Colossians 2:8 – spotting the fraud in a crowd of teaching
”Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
Colossians 2:8
Hi Everyone!
The church in Colosse was battling through false doctrine being spread that was hindering people from receiving the Gospel truth of Jesus Christ.
Paul is writing this letter to warn the church to be on guard for these false teachings so that they don’t get mixed into the Gospel and conveyed to the Church as truth.
We are facing that same thing in our churches today, where you have pastors who have international ministries but we barely hear a Bible verse in their sermons, or pastors preaching the faulty prosperity doctrine that is causing people to view God as a banker instead the Almighty God.
People are merging philosophy into the Gospel, and audiences are being led astray slowly but surely.
Just as we have to come back to worship, we must come back to the Bible as truth.
Today, we will look at Colossians 2:8, spotting the fraud in a crowd of teaching.
”Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
The word ”beware” means ”perceive cautiously, regard with care, or take heed”.
In my neighborhood, there were ”Beware of Dog” signs placed on fences.
We typically hopped fences as kids and used people’s yards as short cuts to get where we were going. When we came upon a ”Beware of Dog” sign, we would choose another fence to jump, because why take the risk of being bitten to get some place faster.
Isn’t that what we do when something isn’t working fast enough, cut corners and put ourselves at great risk of injury to get some place faster?
In Exodus 32:1, the Bible says, ”And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.”
Moses was talking directly with God, getting a word from God for the people, but they grew impatient and told Aaron to make them a god because Moses was taking too long.
Aaron was supposed to be the ”Beware of Dog” sign, but instead became complicit with the children of Israel in their sinfulness. The same thing that happened in Colosse, happened back in Moses day and still continues today.
God’s word serves as the ”Beware of Dog” sign, but many people still find themselves hopping that fence ignoring they will be bitten.
”Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit …
The word ”spoil” means ”to seduce or lead away as booty”.
This means that we have the wealth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ taken from us by robbery, but sadly, many people have no clue that they have been scammed.
The word ”philosophy” means a study of wisdom but it also means ”Jewish sophistry”. There was not only the world’s wisdom trying to seep into the church, but the Jewish law and traditions were also implanted into the people.
The phrase ”vain deceit” means ”empty delusions”.
In Jeremiah 29:7-8, the Bible says, ”And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.”
God warned the people of Judah that they would indeed be taken captive, so He commanded them to essentially prosper where they were planted. He expressed to them that false prophets would rise up to speak against the Word He gave them, but told them to not listen to them.
This is also familiar, because in Matthew 13:18-19, Christ says, ”Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.”
The enemy is always going to try to take God’s Word from our hearts by any way He can. If he can take the Word from us, he will, or if he can sow doctrine that will cause us to doubt the Gospel, he will do that too.
… after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
The word ”tradition” means ”precepts, potentially including Jewish law”.
The word ”rudiments” means ”principles”.
In Matthew 15:2-3, Christ says, ‘‘Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”
What do we place in front of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? At every point in the history of mankind we have deviated from the Word of God, choosing worldly knowledge or church tradition over the Gospel.
When will the truth of Christ be enough?
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 5, 2024 – Colossians 3:1 – a Godly perspective in a sinful world
”If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”
Colossians 3:1
Hi Everyone!
We are new creations in Christ, and in this newness, our perspective is constantly conforming to the standard of God.
Our spiritual state was changed instantly, but we most certainly have to grow into who we are in Christ. This is the sanctification process believers in Christ go through seeking what God has for us instead of seeking what we have for ourselves.
The world system no longer carries weight in our lives and pleasing the world is no longer our priority.
We are being shaped into the image of God and by being shaped, we will begin to reach after what God desires for us, what His Word says, and where the Holy Spirit directs us.
We are now children of God as believers and partakers of the kingdom of God, so there is a standard over our lives now that positions us for Godliness.
Today, we will be looking at Colossians 3:1, a Godly perspective in a sinful world.
”If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”
The word ”risen” means ”to revivify, to be in resemblance to, to company with, or to rouse from death”.
To be risen with Christ is to come back from the dead to experience eternal life both while on earth and when we are in heaven. Eternity begins for believers at salvation, and we are no longer citizens of earth, but our citizenship is of heaven.
We had a guest pastor who was born and raised in England, but became a citizen of the United States. In doing so, he is now subject to the laws and privileges of this country, leaving the laws and privileges of England behind him.
In Romans 6:5-7, the Bible says, ”For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.”
I don’t have to remain subject to the law of sin that governed my life for so long. By being risen with Christ, my citizenship is heaven, and I am now subject to the law of love, righteousness and grace. I no longer have to carry the cross from my broken state because Jesus Christ died to lift that burden from me. That person I used to be is no longer.
The word ”seek” means ”to desire, to reach after as a form of worship”.
The word ”above” pertains to this of God: His standard, His Word, and His will.
In Ephesians 2:5-6, the Bible says, ”Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”.
Being brought back from the dead, I no longer want to live in the same state that put me to death in the first place. I want to see what being truly alive in Christ is like, so the only way I am going to do that is if I abandon my will to receive the will of God.
In Colossians 2:12, the Bible says, ”Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”
God has given us the second chance that the world isn’t giving us, that our families aren’t giving us, but sadly, we are too busy trying to be validated by a world we no longer live according to. We don’t realize that we don’t have to answer to that world anymore.
The phrase ”sitteth on the right hand of God” means that Christ has the highest seat of honour and distinction in heaven.
In Romans 8;34-35, the Bible says, ‘‘Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
By Christ sitting at the right hand of God, we are not alone in this sanctification process, left to figure things out for ourselves. We have God declaring to us in His Word who we are and what we have access to, we have Christ making intercession for us, like a lawyer speaking on our behalf, and we have the Holy Spirit in us leading us in all truth.
We are in a position to always triumph as new creations in Christ.
In Ephesians 1:20-21, the Bible says, ”Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come”.
Where Christ is, we now are, so as He lives in kingdom authority, so do we. We have to live, think, and pursue what God wants for us.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 6, 2024 – Ephesians 4:30 – breaking the grief we cause the Holy Spirit
”And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
Ephesians 4:30
Hi Everyone!
When Christ ascended to the Father in heaven, He promised to send us the Holy Spirit, who would live in us forever, and empower us to receive the truth of God.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, we have access to all power, and we have the ability to bring kingdom authority in the earth.
We have The Holy Spirit in us to help make our prayers acceptable to God through His intercession, and we also have Someone that causes us to remember everything that we have been taught in the Lord.
We have this amazing power that no one can take away, but sadly, many in the Church have never tapped into the power they have at work within them.
Through sin and unbelief, we have grieved the Holy Spirit and set back our own progress in the Lord.
If we had a child of ours, who we are instructing in the right way, but they keep deviating from the path, placing themselves in harm’s way, we would be beyond stressed.
Well, that is what we do to the Lord.
Today, we will be looking at Ephesians 4:30, breaking the grief we cause the Holy Spirit.
”And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
The word ”grieve” means ”to afflict with sorrow, to distress or sadden”.
News flash. The Holy Spirit has feelings that can be hurt just like ours.
In John 16:13, Christ says, ”Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” The Holy Spirit serves as a guide and messenger of God directly to us, helping us walk in the manner God prescribes for us.
In John 14:26, Christ says, ”But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
God gave us His Holy Spirit to make sure that we never forget His Word especially when we need it.
I know this well because when I was wrongfully placed into segregation for something I wasn’t around to witness, let alone partake in, I went five days without a Bible. Every verse about comfort, peace, affliction and victory the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance, and I was able to be fed from the Word the whole time I sat down there.
Thinking about that, God really had me covered.
Now imagine with me that God has provided us a beautiful Holt Spirit who has done amazing things for us, but instead of receiving the Holy Spirit with obedience, we ignore the Holy Spirit’s call to us.
In Isaiah 7:10-13, the Bible says, ”Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?”
God wanted Ahaz to be certain that it was Him at work, so He allowed Ahaz to ask Him for a sign to prove Himself mighty. Ahaz refused what God commanded and grieved Him in the process.
Ahaz may have thought He was doing the right thing but in Proverbs 3:5-6, the Bible says, ”Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Ahaz gave God his understanding when God only desired His obedience.
In Isaiah 63:9-10, the Bible says, ”In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.’‘
God has done far too much for us to receive disobedience in return from us.
He didn’t redeem us so that we could keep grieving His Holy Spirit, but He redeemed us so that we could live according to His intent for us at creation, for us to be in His image and likeness.
The word ”sealed” means ”stamped for security or preservation”.
The phrase ”the day of redemption” means ”deliverance at the return of the Lord for His church”.
In Ephesians 1:13, the Bible says, ”In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.”
Trust comes from of our receiving, believing and following the Word of God, and through salvation, we are sealed in the Lord forever.
To receive the promised Holy Spirit and then ignore Him is committing a major disservice to not only God but ourselves as well.
God ensures our victory through the Holy Spirit, but if we fail to obey the Spirit, the we can only blame ourselves for our failure.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 7, 2024 – Colossians 3:3 – truly alive in Christ through the death of sin
”For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:3
Hi Everyone!
The hardest thing about our salvation is accepting who we now are in the faith.
It is hard to fathom that even though we feel the same and look the same, we are completely different, made completely new through Christ.
I know for me, it was a hard for me to accept this as truth, because I was still in prison with the wrong I’d done clearly being lived out in the consequences I faced.
This is the point that many fall away, because they don’t realize that there is a real process to mature in the faith where we see beyond how things look and feel, in order to embrace what God says.
If God says that we are dead to our sins and old life, then He will bring us into full understanding of this fact.
I am accepting this as truth now, and I am now living according to the standard God has for me as a child and partaker of the kingdom.
Today, we will be looking at Colossians 3:3, truly alive in Christ through the death of sin.
”For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
The word ”dead” expresses a spiritual state of death that has come as the result of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, a death to our sinful, broken lives, our old nature, that was subject to condemnation.
We were in a bad place, and most of us didn’t have a clue.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Bible says, ”Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Look at this verse. ”he IS a new creation”. This is where we struggle, because when I was saved, I felt exactly the same. My feelings were trying to counter my new faith, as I was still hurting and still grieving.
I knew I was different, even though there was no evidence, and this is where faith comes in because Romans 10:17, the Bible says, ”So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Our faith is solely connected to the Word of God, so we have to forsake our own thinking and feelings until they come into full alignment with the Word of God. God knows where we are, and if we trust in His Word, He will continue to affirm to us who we are.
In Romans 6:1-3, the Bible says, ”What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?”
Just as we are to forsake sin now that we are alive in Christ, we must also forsake the instinct to revert back to our old lives and old ways of thinking. God has already made all things new, but we must grow into it by truth and faith.
The word ”life” refers to that blessed eternal state that believers in Jesus Christ experience at salvation, giving them access and power from the kingdom of God to be conformed into the image of Christ.
The word ”hid” means ”conceal by covering”.
In Christ, we are no longer vulnerable, as we are under a converting where our lives are protected and cultivated.
In Psalm 91:1-2, the Bible says, ”He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.’‘
God is the true refuge, and in Him we have shelter as we progress and live in Him. It took years for me to accept who I truly was in God and to live according to that standard. I am still learning.
In Galatians 2:19-20, the Bible says, ”For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
The truth of the matter is that God thinks the world of us, and He is deeply in love with us.
This is evidenced by Him sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins, so that we can experience this blessed state in Him while we live on earth and when we go to glory. Christ lives in me by the Holy Spirit, so there is no way we are anywhere near the same people we were before.
In Colossians 2:20, the Bible says, ”Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances”.
We have been delivered into eternity and we have been made subject to God’s Word, so along with this, comes a new standard for our lives.
In Colossians 1:10, the Bible says, ”That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God”.
This is the goal for believers, to leave our past lives behind, and receive the life God desires for us to live, lives that are fruitful, lives that are whole, lives that are truly new.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 8, 2024 – Colossians 3:10 – walking new in Christ
”And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”
Colossians 3:10
Hi Everyone!
When we received salvation for our souls by faith in Jesus Christ, we became new creations.
This was something already settled in heaven and is our new identity.
Of course, there are growing pains with getting settled into our new identities, one of which is not responding to the old names we used to have, reacting to the old things we used to react to, and living according to same standard we used to live by.
This is the difficulty in seizing the Gospel fully into ourselves, because that which seems real, really isn’t real anymore, and that which is real counters what we see and feel.
God gives us the ability to trust in Him, and with that trust, it also includes what the Word of God says about us.
In order for us to experience Godly success, we have to follow the Word of God and do what it says.
We have to put on this new man in order to be new.
Today we will look at Colossians 3:10, walking new in Christ.
”And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”
The phrase ”put on” means ”to invest in clothing”.
We have to put on this new man. This is the thing that probably goes right over our heads because we assume that if in Christ, we are new creations, then certainly God has to clothe us with our newness, but He makes that our responsibility. Why is that?
In Matthew 18:19, Christ says, ”Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”
Agreement. God said it, we believe it, we act on it.
God presents our new person to us, but we have to put it on in agreement to the Word of God.
Here is where we have problems because we have been conditioned to accept our old man, and in rebellion, we push back, because it doesn’t feel familiar.
This is where faith comes in, because even though it doesn’t feel familiar, we are to put it (our new person) on anyway, and we let God change our minds.
The word ”new” figuratively refers to our hearts, our dispositions, and natures; that will be renewed, they will become better. God makes changes at the heart level and it grows through the rest of our being.
In Romans 12:2, the Bible says, ”And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
The transformation begins from our innermost being, and it begins to make changes slowly and surely in most, but some people almost flip a switch, and the change is obvious and immediate.
I was the ”slow and sure” type, because I continued to rebel against this new man, trying to rely on my old instincts.
As I put on this new man, my views on the world I used to occupy began to change, leaving me in a position of uncertainty, because that life was truly new. There were many days I spent scratching my head wondering why I responded the way I did, because the ”old Marshall” would have done things much differently.
I began to understand the will of God and what He truly has for His children, and I realized that I had been living far beneath His desire for my life.
The word ”renewed” means ”to renovate, in a sense to change from a carnal to a Christian life; to increase in faith, hope, virtue, etc.”
The word ”knowledge” means ”recognition or full discernment of God and Christ”.
It is through the Word of God that we begin to see who we truly are and that the Word is the means by which we actually begin to live out the newness we are in Christ.
When that knowledge of who we are increases, then it will begin to cause changes in the world we live in, the vision we have, and the standards we seize.
In Ephesians 4:22-24, the Bible says, ”That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
When we receive this blessed salvation, a clothing change happens, and we change from one person to someone completely new.
We have been renewed in righteousness and holiness, that is the new standard for our lives. The work has already been done, but we have to seize it.
The word ”image” means ”resemblance, similitude, or representation”. We aren’t just made new, but we are made new to look like Christ!
In Romans 8:29, the Bible says, ”For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
God knew what we could be and it has always been His desire that we resemble Him in Christ. He has provided this, but will we accept?
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 9, 2024 – Colossians 3:12 – the clothing of a true believer
”Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering”.
Colossians 3:12
Hi Everyone!
What makes us different from the world.
If we were in a crowd of people, would they make a distinction in our character by the way we talk, the way we treat others, the faith we have?
As believers, believing is the starting point, but just as we are to be fruitful in the earth for the kingdom of God, there must also be evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our characters, because our characters are going to be our ministry in a lot of cases.
They may not hear us speak a word from the Bible, but the love we live by, the compassion we show, the humility that we hold onto will bear a record in itself.
There is a big difference between going to church and the church being in us.
The Colossian church had a problem because false teaching was misinforming them about the way they were supposed to love as believers, and Paul’s letter was to set them on the right road.
Today, we will look at Colossians 3:12, the clothing of a true believer.
”Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering”.
The phrase ”put on” means ”to invest in clothing, to clothe or array”.
When the word ”therefore” is being used, it expresses that a previous point made is being summed up. So we have to go back to catch the context.
In Colossians 3:1-3, the Bible says, ”If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
When we experienced salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, our old person became dead and buried, and a new person in us became alive in Christ.
With newness comes a new standard to live by, and by putting on the new man, we are intentionally living by the standard of God. Some people are going to try to use their backgrounds to make excuses for their lack of God’s standard.
In Colossians 3:11, the Bible says, ”Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”
Our backgrounds will no longer matter, whether it is ”murderer”, ”gang member”, ”prostitute”, ”sinner”, because the blood of Jesus Christ has made clean all of us who believe and made us all one in Him.
There are no more differences.
In Ephesians 4:23-24, the Bible says, ”And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
The new standard causes us to resemble our Lord and Savior and our behavior will represent what and Who we believe.
The word ”elect” means ”the chosen, select, or favorite of the Lord, to be a member of the kingdom of heaven, who therefore enjoy His favor and lead a holy life in communion with Him”.
We are not just going to be the elect of God, but we are going to act like we are chosen by God.
It will make sense to people that we are believers. Praise be to God alone, guys in my prison environment would have to tell others about my past to confirm my testimony because they don’t see who I used to be in who I am now.
It has to make sense to the world that we are believers. Our fruit is the evidence of what kind of tree we are, and as the elect of God, we have to always project Christ in our character.
The word ”holy” means ”sacred, consecrated, set apart for a divine purpose”.
In Ephesians 1:4, the Bible says, ‘‘According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love”.
That God already had a plan for our character and holiness is very important.
In Leviticus 11:45, the Bible says, ”For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
In remembering our deliverance, holiness should always be our goal.
The word ”beloved” means ”someone shown strong affection” and in this case, it is the Lord who is loving us.
In Jeremiah 31:3, the Bible says, ”The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
We are deeply loved by God.
The phrase ”bowels of mercies” refers to pity and compassion being present in the deepest parts of us.
The word ”kindness” means ”usefulness, goodness, or moral excellence”.
The phrase ”humbleness of mind” means ”modesty or humility”.
The word ”meekness” means ”gentleness”.
The word ”longsuffering” means ”patience”.
When holiness and love abound in us, we are going to project these attributes in our character and we will be known as believers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What are we wearing, the world or Christ?
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 10, 2024 – Colossians 3:19 – loving our wives with grace, not bitterness
”Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.”
Colossians 3:19
Hi Everyone!
I have been married to Jessica for a little over a year and a half, and it has been an amazing journey so far.
I enjoy my wife, and I am blessed immensely by our marriage.
As you probably know, our marriage is not ”conventional” by any means, by societal standards, as I am nearing my 21st year of confinement, serving 2 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Getting married was a huge faith move on both our parts, believing in God for freedom.
Our marriage has produced evidence of power, and God is undoubtedly in the midst of our marriage, blessing and perfecting it.
That doesn’t say it has been an easy journey by any means, especially being a person who is accustomed to going at life alone due to being abandoned and my inability to depend on people, and my wife being someone who initially couldn’t fathom ever submitting to any man.
God is continuing to perfect our marriage by His grace, and grace is what I have to use as a husband while we continue to grow into this oneness our marriage signifies.
Being bitter only hinders our progress.
Today, we will look at Colossians 3:19, loving our wives with grace, not bitterness.
”Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.”
The word ”love” means ”to regard with strong affection, favour, goodwill, or benevolence”.
For a deeper level of the meaning of love, let’s look at Ephesians 5:25-27, which says, ”Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
Now, this is a standard of love that we husbands have to uphold if we are effectively doing our jobs as husbands.
Did we actually think that we can have a Godly marriage without Christ being the standard that we should follow as husbands?
Christ loved us despite our flaws, covered us despite our deficiencies, forgave us when we defied Him and gave us the kingdom of God when we didn’t deserve it.
Christ did not wait on us to become the best Christians before He gave Himself for us, nor should a husband wait until his wife is completely perfect and lovable before pouring love upon her.
In Proverbs 10:12, the Bible says, ”Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.”
Just as we are not perfect in our ways, our wives are not always going be perfect in theirs.
Will our love cover them, or will we become bitter, resentful, and angry towards them?
In 1 Peter 4:8, the Bible says, ”And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”
If we love our wives, then we can’t live in offense, nor can we allow that to poison our marriages.
The word ”bitter” means ”to become embittered or harsh towards”.
This isn’t something that happens with one occurrence, but it happens when we are not vigilant and we don’t check offense at the gate when it comes.
I love what the ESV Study Bible’s commentary says, and there is a lesson in this for all husbands. It says,
”There is a tendency in the Roman world for men to rage bitterly against their wives and mistreat them. Because of their greater strength and louder voices, men in their sinful nature are prone to use harsh words, threats, unkindness and physical violence to intimidate their wives. There is no room for even a hint of this in a Christian home; instead, men are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church”.
If we are bitter against our wives, then we are not loving our wives according to the Word of God.
In Ephesians 5:28, the Bible says, ”So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.”
How would we want to be treated in the same situation? Well, if we desire to be covered in love and treated with respect and honor, then we must do the same.
In Ephesians 4:31, the Bible says, ”Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice”.
There is no room in marriage for bitterness and anger, especially from husbands. If the head poisons the marriage, then it starves out the very success it desires to have.
In 1 Peter 3:7, the Bible says, ‘‘Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”
Our access to God will be negatively affected if we don’t love and honor our wives as God commands.
What type of marriage would it be without God’s hand?
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 11, 2024 – Colossians 3:13 – forbearing and forgiving one another in love
”Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
Colossians 3:13
Hi Everyone!
I have a cellmate who is 25 years old, but has been confined off and on since he was a teenager.
He has literally grown up in confinement, never giving himself a chance to find his way out of there.
He is extremely playful, terribly irresponsible, and he can be disrespectful and mumbles as he storms off from people.
It is safe to say that he is a handful, but in the 6 months I have been roomed up with him, he has noticeably grown.
I could have gotten a new cellmate multiple times, but God impressed upon me that I am planted where I am for a reason, and I plan on seeing it through.
Sometimes, we can be planted with people who are unpleasant, people who don’t like us, or who don’t like Who we stand for, but we are called to a greater experience, to love them as they are, to forgive them when they wrong us, and to give them grace as they grow.
It is not easy, but we must always remember that Christ forgave us of greater offenses.
Today, we will look at Colossians 3:13, forbearing and forgiving one another in love.
”Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
The word ”forbearing” means ”to put up with, to exercise tolerance towards”.
The word ”forgiving” means ”to pardon or rescue”.
The word ”pardon” makes a direct impact in my understanding, because if the State Governor pardoned me, then I would be released from prison to be completely free of the sentence I am serving as if it was never committed.
When a bank forgives a loan, they wipe the debt out, ensuring that it no longer has to be paid.
In these two examples, the offenses are forgiven, but a simple Google search or credit report could easily bring the offenses back to light. It isn’t total forgiveness, but that is the world’s system of forgiveness, to ”forgive” but still air out the offense.
In Hebrews 8:12, the Bible says, ‘‘For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
In God’s system of forgiveness, He shows us treatment we don’t deserve and gives us a forgiveness we did nothing to earn.
In Hebrews 10:16-17, the Bible says, ”This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
God places us in a position to receive a full pardon in Him, and also to experience His Word being written in our hearts so we can serve Him and not sin. In putting on the new man, we have to handle people the same way Christ would, and give them the grace, compassion, love and forgiveness that they may not deserve.
In Ephesians 4:1-3, the Bible says, ”I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
We are saved and have been transformed into new creations in Christ, and with this precious gift, we have to live according to this new standard.
Our goal should always to live in peace with our fellow brothers and sisters, because Romans 12:18-20, the Bible says, ”If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.’‘
We have the Holy Spirit of God in us, so we have power at work in us. We don’t use our power to hold their offenses against them, but we use our power to live in peace, to walk in love, to be kind to those who don’t treat us well.
The word ”quarrel” means ”blame, fault, or complaint”. Let’s be serious. People are going to get under our skin, they will hurt us, and they will also attack us for our faith sometimes. What is our posture? What is our response?
In Ephesians 4:31-32, the Bible says, ‘‘Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
If we don’t check ourselves, offense can be a breeding ground for us to resist forgiving others, even knowing that we are disobeying God.
In Mark 11:25, Christ says, ”And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Do we ever want our prayers hindered because of our lack of forgiveness?
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 12, 2024 – 1 Timothy 6:8 – living with a state of Godly contentment
”And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
1 Timothy 6:8
Hi Everyone!
Are we truly content?
Let me ask a different question. Is what God had blessed us with enough in our eyes?
Modern day society is teaching people that more is better, and even when you have an abundance, you can always use a little bit more.
This is why we can have a multimillionaire indicted for insider trading or embezzlement, because somehow, the enemy told them that 2 mansions, 5 condos, and some rental properties weren’t enough.
Most of the time, our discontentment comes from looking at what other people have, and we find ourselves in a trap, trying to have what others have without knowing why?
We have to look at our own lives with the understanding that God has blessed us, and will ensure that we have everything we need.
Sometimes, it won’t be much, but it will be enough.
There have been times where I didn’t have any money on my account or food in my box, but I had an abundance of hygiene products, I had clean clothes, and they feed us three meals a day.
God always provides.
Today, we will be looking at 1 Timothy 6:8, living with a state of Godly contentment.
”And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
The word ”content” means ”to be satisfied or to experience sufficiency”.
This is a matter of perspective, and it is really an intentional mindset that we have.
There are guys in my prison environment who cook these highly expensive and highly technical meals very regularly and it would be so easy to look at them and feel that I don’t have enough, but the crazy thing is I would eat like that if I had the abundance they had!
You see how the enemy can play tricks on the mind?
This is why Exodus 20:17, the Bible says, ”Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.”
When we look at what someone else has, we have effectively taken our minds off God, and have lost appreciation for what God has given us. God set the Ten Commandments for Israel after providing for them in the wilderness supernaturally for 40 years!
In Deuteronomy 29:5, the Bible says, ”And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.”
God covered His children in the wilderness in every element that came there way. He made water come from a rock twice, fed them manna from heaven, caused quail to appear in the morning, and gave them a promised land that was already built for them. What won’t God do for His children now?
In Genesis 28:20-21, the Bible says, ”And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God”.
Jacob fled from his father’s house after cheating his brother Esau out of his inheritance and blessing and his prayer was very simple, and his desire wasn’t to be rich. He just wanted food, clothing, and to be able to come back home one day. Well Jacob ended up very wealthy in the process, and even blessed his brother Esau with some of his wealth.
In Genesis 32:13-15, the Bible says, ”And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.’‘
The person who believes that what they have is enough has no problem sharing what they have with others. The people who are the most content are the biggest givers.
In Hebrews 13:5, the Bible says, ”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 forsake thee.”
God has our backs, but when we look around about us, instead of looking to Him, will we assess what we have as not being enough, then look back to God critically, like He is not our Provider?
This is why Matthew 6:33-34, says, ”But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
Our problem comes when we look beyond what God has given us, to what our lives could be like if we had more.
God truly gives us more than enough if we look at His provision from His eyes.
Prison food sucks sometimes, well, a lot of times, but there are people in the world right now that would give their right arm for what I fail to appreciate here. Something to think about.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 13, 2024 – Proverbs 6:23 – walking in the light of the Lord
”For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life”.
Proverbs 6:23
Hi Everyone!
In life, we need direction, but where do we seek it?
Do we inquire of the world’s methods for the answer to our dilemmas, or do we seek the Word of God, which can steer us in the right direction every time?
What reveals the path in our life?
Do we meander through life aimlessly, cleaving to every good thing that looks like it could be our answer?
In the Word of God lies the truth, and in the truth lies power, understanding, and the standard by which we should always live our life.
This path is the clearest, but many of us forsake this road, even knowing that God would guide us into His good purpose.
We are sometimes conditioned into walking in dark places where we stumble around bumping into everything in our path, causing more injury than good.
I used to be this person, and the hard knocks do not feel good!
Today, we will look at Proverbs 6:23, walking in the light of the Lord.
”For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life”.
The word ”commandment” means ”law, precept, or ordinance”, but it will almost always in this case tie to the Law, the Mosaic Law that governed the people of Israel during this time.
Some will immediately ask, ”What does this have to do with us? We aren’t Jews and we are under the law of grace by faith in Jesus Christ?”
Well, let’s look at 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which says, ”All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
Didn’t that verse begin with ”all scripture”? Then there is something to be gleaned from the Law as well, even though a lot of the customs no longer are applicable. There are things in the Old Testament that still ring true about the Word of God, and if followed, it will completely bless our lives.
In Deuteronomy 28:1-2, the Bible says, ”And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.”
If we obey the commandments of the Lord, blessings will be upon us, but sadly, many of us don’t obey God’s Word or we misconstrue the understanding of what a blessing is. We look at material things, but what about divine favour, protection, or that the Holy Spirit is directing us personally in our faith journey?
The word ”light” means ”a candle”. In a historical/cultural context, a candle was used to guide people around a house, to be able to navigate in darkness.
Today, we have a light switch that can nearly wipe away all darkness from a room.
The Word of God takes away all darkness, so that we can see everything perfectly.
Imagine the person who stumbles repeatedly in their own house when it is in darkness, not realizing they have access to a light switch?
In John 1:4-5, the Bible says, ”In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
We not only have life, but as believers we have God’s light that darkness doesn’t understand.
This is why Christians aren’t too popular in worldly settings, because others can’t understand our light, nor do they understand our standard.
The word ”light” means ”illumination of God’s standard”.
In Psalm 19:7-8, the Bible says, ”The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
The Law of the Lord changes things in our lives if we allow it. There will be a heart change, wisdom comes to people who were void of it, and the Word of God causes us to see things that we used to be blind to.
In Psalm 119:105, the Bible says, ”Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
God is the one who shows us the way we should take, so if we still walk in darkness, then we have strayed from God’s path.
The word ”reproofs” means ”rebuke or correction”.
The word ”instruction” means ”chastisement or discipline”.
In Proverbs 10:17, the Bible says, ”He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.”
Repoof is God revealing to us that our behavior doesn’t line up with His Word and in it is a call to change that behavior.
Sometimes, discipline is necessary but the whole point of discipline is to lead us into the right path. Let’s allow the Word of God to be our light, leading us into the blessed life He has in store for us.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 14, 2024 – Isaiah 48:18 – walking in peace and righteousness due to obedience
”O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:”
Isaiah 48:18
Hi Everyone!
Obedience produces so many good things in a believer’s life.
First, we get to experience God being pleased with us.
Next, there are blessings God will bestow upon us when we are obedient, and our prayers will not be hindered.
Also, we won’t lose the joy of our salvation because we will stay in direct fellowship with God, walking in the light of the Lord. We get to experience the Lord’s peace in amazing ways.
In my prison environment, my habit is to follow the rules. I don’t have to worry about getting in trouble, I don’t have to worry about consequences, and in the course of my nearly 21 years being confined, I have received benefits of the best jobs in the institution because I stayed the course.
God wants to place better benefits upon us, but obedience is absolutely necessary.
Today, we will look at Isaiah 48:18, walking in peace and righteousness due to obedience.
”O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:”
This passage in Isaiah is God’s reassurance that He will free Israel from the Babylonian captivity, that their period of exile was coming to an end. He is reminding them of Who He is as God, how He has established His purpose from the beginning and how they will see His mighty hand move.
He has refined them through His Word and through discipline, and made them ready to carry His Word out.
The word ”hearkened” means ”to listen carefully, pay attention, give heed, to prick up one’s ears, to obey after hearing God’s commandments.”
The word ”commandments” means ”laws, ordinances, or precepts of God”.
The way this first line is worded, God is giving His children a hindsight analysis of their behavior, showing them what obedience would have produced.
In Deuteronomy 32:28-30, the Bible says, ”For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?”
God saw His children living in complete rejection of the Word of God, living according to whatever desire they had in their hearts. God is telling His children that because they did not live in obedience, they could not understand His will, and, while He wanted to give them victory they were denied it.
Nothing would have overtaken them had they walked in obedience.
In 2 Corinthians 2:14, the Bible says, ”Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”
Even under grace, our victory is in Jesus Christ, and to be in Christ means to bring ourselves under subjection to the Word of God, living as Christ did.
Christ always obeyed God’s Word, and as Christians we are to bear the image and likeness of Christ.
The word ”peace” means ”happiness, safety, tranquility, or prosperity”.
Peace being as a river suggests that the peace we will have by obedience will be perpetual, not seasonal. The peace the world gives is very seasonal and very contingent upon outward factors, but the peace of God is inward, and not contingent on outward factors.
In Psalm 81:13-15, the Bible says, ”Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.”
If we walk in obedience, the Lord will provide victory over our enemies, no matter how numerous, how powerful, or how infamous.
God also gives us victory over His enemy, Satan, when we walk in obedience because we don’t give him a point of vulnerability to enter. We can then walk in peace, knowing there is no enemy that can invade our space.
The word ”righteousness” means ”blameless conduct, integrity, the actions or attitudes that God expects from His children.
The phrase ”the waves of the sea” means that we will continuously be washed clean.
In Psalm 119:165-167, the Bible says, ”Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. LORD, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments. My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.”
When we live in obedience, we develop a love for the Word of God and a desire to do His will. When we keep the Word of God with our innermost parts, God responds, and the benefits will amount to a harvest of blessing.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 15, 2024 – 1 Thessalonians 2:12 – walking worthy of our calling
”That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.”
1 Thessalonians 2:12
Hi Everyone!
We have been called into a great standard in the Lord, a place in the eternal kingdom of God that has transformed us from God’s creation to God’s children.
Believers live in a world where our faith isn’t welcomed, and is highly scrutinized. People actually salivate, hoping to see a believer, who is living out their faith, fall flat on their face, and sadly, many of us do fall flat at some point in our faith walk.
We have to live our lives in accordance to the Word of God and live in the leading of the Holy Spirit, because we belong to a different kingdom now, and this kingdom commands us to live like it.
Imagine being homeless before and being given a beautiful home to live in, with clothes in the closet, and tons of food in the kitchen, but we still are exploring the streets in tattered clothing, panhandling, or digging in the garbage for a meal.
We have to be people who understand that we no longer have to live that way anymore, that God has called us to much better.
Today, we will be looking at 1 Thessalonians 2:12, walking worthy of our calling.
”That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.”
The word ”walk” means ”to tread all around as proof of ability, or to live”.
The word ”worthy” means ”appropriately, as becoming after a Godly sort”.
There is only one way to live appropriately and that is to live according to the Word of God.
In 2 Peter 1:3, the Bible says, ”According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue”.
God gives us everything we need to live a Godly life in Him, so there is no excuse why we can’t live appropriately according to God’s Word. Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection ensured that the enemy we once served has been defeated, so we have to keep him under our feet.
In Ephesians 4:1-3, the Bible says, ”I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
In living appropriately after a Godly sort, there will be evidence in our character of our walk and there will always be a purpose to our lives, whether we fully comprehend it or not.
In Philippians 1:27, the Bible says, ”Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”.
Our lives should resemble the Word and we should be conforming to the Godly standard instead of the worldly standard. The Gospel should be not only believed, but lived out. When our lives are lived by the Gospel, the Word of God, we allow God to fully work in and through us.
The word ”called” means ”to bid forth, or to invite”.
Do we really fathom that we live in a real kingdom, where the King had bid us forth to dwell in His presence?
Think about this. If the President of the United States was to invite us to the White House, wouldn’t we wear our best clothing, get our hair done, and certainly, wouldn’t we be on our best behavior? Wouldn’t we want to fulfill the wishes of the person who invited us?
Well, the same rules apply with God, but sadly, we don’t hold Him to this same esteem.
In Colossians 1:9-10, the Bible says, ”For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God”.
God is teaching us how to love when we are called into His presence, and is also teaching us how to love in this world as if He is right next to us, guiding us every step of the way.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, the Bible says, ”And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
As we aim to live appropriately after a Godly sort, God does the work of transforming us more into His image. He always finishes what He starts in us.
In 2 Timothy 1:9, the Bible says, ”Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began”.
God desires us to dwell richly in His kingdom and experience the reward of His glory, but what standard are we living by?
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 16, 2024 – Proverbs 13:3 – building a fortress for our speech
”He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.”
Proverbs 13:3
Hi Everyone!
Watch your mouth.
I used to hear this growing up, usually when I either used an obscenity or was on the verge of doing so.
I remember getting my mouth washed out with soap by someone who wasn’t necessarily leading by example, if you get my drift.
As I got older, and became a believer, watching my mouth had a much deeper meaning for me, especially as I began to move in faith.
Our words have power to produce the things of God, and of course, our words have the power to destroy everything we are trying to build.
Our words have the ability to nullify our statement of faith, and place us outside of the will of God.
Is our speech something we guard as closely as we do our valuable possessions, or do we not respect the power God has allowed our speech to possess?
Today, we will look at Proverbs 13:3, building a fortress for our speech.
”He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.”
The phrase ”keepeth his mouth” means ”to maintain what is entrusted to us, or to keep our speech under control”.
The next word ”keepeth, means something different, meaning ”to hedge about all around, to protect or to guard”.
Who would’ve thought that the state of our lives was attached to the things we say? Well, let’s take a look at that.
In Psalm 39:1, the Bible says, ”I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.’‘
As believers we have to take continuous inventory of our lives, making sure we are living according to the standard God has set, also making sure we check what is coming out of our mouths to ensure that they are words of faith and life.
Trust me, being confined for nearly twenty-one years, I have had to seriously check my speech, because one minute I can boldly speak words of faith, and the next minute, I can be preparing contingencies for the very thing I was just believing in!
In Proverbs 16:30, the Bible says, ”He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.’‘
This is wrong and doesn’t produce the positive results we were hoping for. Quite the opposite. What comes out of our mouths has the power to cause drastic changes to our lives or bring about our ruin.
The word ”destruction” means ”ruin”.
In Proverbs 21:23, the Bible says, ”Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.’‘
I found myself believing in God for something, but I trip up and begin to ruminate failure into my speech. where I dig myself in a deeper hole than the one I was already in the minute I deviated from my words of life and faith!
In Proverbs 12:13, the Bible says, ”The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.’‘
Isn’t it crazy how we can be saved, but then still assume the characteristics of the wicked? We have the same propensity as them to say things that will ruin everything around us.
The difference with believers should be that the standard of God’s Word should keep us from saying things ruinous to ourselves.
In Matthew 12:34-35, Christ says, ”O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.’‘
We have the capability as believers to produce speech that not only pleases God, and will manifest the things we are believing in.
Our speech flows from the multitude of what is in our innermost being.
This is why we have to examine ourselves, especially our speech, because otherwise we can be speaking from an ingrained default of negativity that shows that sanctification has yet to work out fully in us.
In Proverbs 18:21, the Bible says, ”Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
I don’t know about anyone else, but I want life to flow from my lips. I want to see miracles come as the result of God responding to my speech with His faithfulness. The last thing I want to do is stop God’s movement because I spoke contrary to the Word of God.
In Mark 11:22-23, the Bible says, ”And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
Our faith will be exposed by what we say, and if our words are words of life, then life will be what we experience.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 17, 2024 – 2 Timothy 2:23 – a step back from toxic conversation about the word
”But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.”
2 Timothy 2:23
Hi Everyone!
In my prison environment, I have seen many believers have some of the most toxic quarrels with unbelievers, and even with other professed believers.
A famous rapper Jay-Z said, ”Don’t argue with fools, because people from a distance can’t tell who’s who”.
What causes these disputes to happen over something that is designed to actually edify the body of Christ if done properly?
Usually there is some lie that enters into the conversation, and the context typically gets lost in the struggle for pride, with none willing to relent their position.
Many people have tried to trip me up with these conversations, but praise God I deal with conversations about the Bible with questions, where I am able to understand where the other person’s thinking has gone astray, and I can plant a seed of truth where the false doctrine was received.
Arguing only makes the Gospel look like a joke to those who don’t know better.
Today, we will look at 2 Timothy 2:23, a step back from toxic conversation about the word.
”But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.”
The word ”foolish” means ”heedless or baseless”.
The word ”unlearned” means ”nonsensical, ignorant, or flat out stupid”.
The word ”questions” means ”disputations or controversies”.
Paul is instructing Timothy, a young pastor who is going to ultimately take his place, and is preparing him for everything he is going to experience.
The wisdom of our elders is so valuable to make our lives a lot easier if we heed their truth, but sadly, many of us choose the hard way.
Paul’s primary concern is making sure the Gospel continues to go out and nothing hinders it. He is aware that there will be false teachers, false doctrine, and those people who practice the doctrine of the enemy will always try to trip up those who walk in truth.
In 1 Timothy 1:4-5, the Bible says, ”Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned”.
Believers, especially teachers and preachers should never go down the rabbit hole by partaking in endless conversations that will not produce a way for God’s glory to be revealed.
We have to ask ourselves will God be honored in the midst of this conversation?
I remember Muslim brothers in my prison environment used to try to dissuade me from believing in Christ, giving me every lie imaginable. I learned that it was pointless to put anything in a ”full cup” even as a babe, so I learned to ask specific questions that would ultimately cause them to step back all while keeping the respect level present.
The word ”avoid” means ”to decline or shun”.
In 1 Timothy 4:6-7, the Bible says, ”If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto Godliness.”
Paul was instructing Timothy that people were going to come with doctrine that was bogus and aimed at causing him to go astray. Paul desired that Timothy’s standard be Godliness, and that was what was to be measured into any conversation that came his way.
We had guys in one prison I was in that were a part of some divisive sect that were professing themselves to be Jews, and they spread their doctrine around the unit causing conflicts everywhere they went. I asked them questions and asked them to show me in the Bible where the Scriptures backed them up, and that was their last time talking to me.
In 1 Timothy 6:3-4, the Bible says, ”If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings”.
Godliness should be our goal and arguing about ignorant issues doesn’t produce the Godliness we are supposed to walk in. Believers have done more harm than good by partaking in these disputes.
The word ”gender” means ”procreate or regenerate”.
The word ”strifes” means ”battles, controversies, or fighting”.
In Titus 3:9, the Bible says, ”But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.”
Will the conversations we have bear fruit for the kingdom of God, or are we having these disputes to exalt ourselves over others? We have to be willing to check out of any conversation that doesn’t give God glory.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 18, 2024 – 1 Timothy 1:14 – the abounding grace of God imparted to His children
”And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 1:14
Hi Everyone!
We have received the grace of God by being believers of Christ.
This grace is something that we hear a lot about, but do we fully grasp what this grace has done for us.
When Christ was sent to earth from heaven, He was God robed in flesh, completely filled with the Holy Spirit.
He left us that same Holy Spirit of God, so that those who believe in Him can receive the Holy Spirit in us.
This Spirit will allow us to be people we never envisioned being, and being filled with the Holy Spirit, we can do things that we never thought we could.
The grace of God divinely empowers us to experience the kingdom of God while we live on the earth, and His grace also fills the gap between what we lack and what we need.
The grace of God builds this bridge between where we are and where God desires us to be, allowing Him to see us as the finished product instead of a work in progress.
Today, we will look at 1 Timothy 1:14, the abounding grace of God imparted to His children.
”And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”
The word ”grace” means ”divine favour, divine benefits, the divine influence of the heart, or divine empowerment”.
The key word here is ”divine” because the grace here can only come from God.
This specifically speaks of the divine grace and favour as exercised in conferring gifts, graces, and benefits on man, particularly as manifested in the benefits bestowed in and through Christ and His Gospel.
In Romans 5:19-21, the Bible says, ”For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The sin of Adam affected mankind, and we all incurred a sin debt as a result.
This debt is something that we couldn’t pay back on our own, and we actually made it worse by continuing to add more iniquity on top of that sin debt.
Only Jesus Christ, the atoning sacrifice for sin, could wash our sin clean.
The Law exposed the sin in our lives and showed that we were powerless to remove sin from our lives, but through Jesus Christ, our sins have been washed clean by His blood.
Those saved receive a continuous washing under the fountain of our Lord, His grace covering the canyon that separated us from God.
The phrase ”exceeding abundant” means ”to super-abound”.
God’s grace has no limit in the believer’s life.
In 1 Corinthians 15:9-10, the Bible says, ”For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
Imagine someone persecuting the church, incarcerating believers, condemning some to die by horrible deaths, all while thinking that they are actually fulfilling the will of God. This person is Paul, formerly known as Saul, and Paul became the chief pastor of the same church he used to persecute!
Do any of us think that this happened because of something Paul did to make his life right? Only God can take the ”worst of the worst” and turn them into a preacher of the Word of God.
In Romans 5:8-10, the Bible says, ”But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
While we were still in our sin, this offering for our sin was made, and all we have to do is receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour in order to experience this saving grace.
This turns us from an enemy of the cross to a child of God, divinely gifted to fulfill God’s intended purpose for our lives.
The word ”faith” means ”persuasion or credence in the truthfulness of God, or a reliance upon Christ for salvation”.
The word ”love” means ”affection or benevolence; a love-feast”.
In 2 Timothy 1:12-13, the Bible says, ”If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’‘
No matter if we receive Him or not, love Him or not, or trust Him or not, God is always faithful to His Word.
His grace and love are gifts poured out on undeserving people, the evidence of a merciful, mighty God.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 19, 2024 – 1 Timothy 1:15 – a faithful saying of salvation because of Jesus Christ
”This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
1 Timothy 1:15
Hi Everyone!
Jesus Christ came to save the word from their sin.
I am a living witness of that because like Paul, I believe that I was such an enemy of the cross that I look at myself as the chief sinner.
This is how I know that the salvation I had was much more powerful than my best attempt to get my life right because since my salvation, God has transformed me into a vessel that is being used for His glory.
How can a murderer turn into a minister?
Only by this great salvation. It is not limited to me, because the same salvation is available to all who believe in the name the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
I don’t have to live the way I used to live because I have a new standard because of the Holy Spirit at work within me.
Today, we will look at 1 Timothy 1:15, a faithful saying of salvation because of Jesus Christ.
”This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
The phrase ”faithful saying” means ”a trustworthy or believable statement that is worthy of credit”.
Our God doesn’t lie, and His Word is something that can be counted on.
In Hebrews 6:17-19, the Bible says, ‘‘Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.”
God is not only trustworthy in all He tells us in His Word and by the Holy Spirit, but He loves to show us how faithful His Word is. God loves to prove Himself true, so that by experiencing His faithfulness, we can remain rooted in Him under all situations.
God wants us to always know that we can confide in Him, and entrust our well being to Him.
In Psalm 91:1-2, the Bible says, ”He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”
In this secret place of oneness with our God, we have a place that we can turn to that is safe and secure, a place that we can experience the fullness of God. When we rely on, and give credit to the sayings of God, it positions us to enjoy the fruits of the kingdom of God in the manner He intended for us.
The word ”worthy” means ”deserving”.
The word ”acceptation” means ”reception, assent, or praise”.
Paul is conveying the truth from his real experience of salvation, a salvation that came to him knowing he didn’t deserve it.
In Acts 9:17-18, the Bible says, ”And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.”
Paul was so bad that Ananias who ministered to him was terrified of him, but God assured him that not only did God know exactly what He was doing, but He knew that Paul was going to be used for the glory of God.
We are literally doing a study from the teachings of Paul, the evidence of what the power of salvation and transformation can do when God is seated on the throne of our hearts.
The phrase ”Christ Jesus came into the world” shows that Christ didn’t just appear out of nowhere in the middle of the Bible.
In John 1:1-3, the Bible says, ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Christ existed since the beginning, and He came with a specific mission, to save the world from their sins.
The word ”save” means ”to deliver, or defend”.
The word ”sinners” means ”those who deviate from the standard or mark of God, making themselves an offense to Him.
In Matthew 9:12-13, the Bible says, ‘‘But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
God sent Christ into the world especially for those living in sin, those who are jacked up, those who are the worst of the worst.
In Luke 19:10, Christ says, ‘‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Christ seeks us out to show Himself faithful and to show us salvation. Will we receive it?
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 20, 2024 – 1 Timothy 6:18 – giving with all readiness
”That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate”.
1 Timothy 6:18
Hi Everyone!
Some people in the faith are rich. Some are very rich.
There is a belief that Christians are not supposed to be wealthy, but history has proven that to be terribly wrong.
Abraham was wealthy. Isaac was wealthy. Jacob was wealthy. Joseph was wealthy. David was wealthy. Solomon was extremely wealthy. Job was wealthy.
Their wealth was further evidence at that time that the Lord’s hand was upon them, and in their wealth, they were willing to give.
Some people gave money, some gave resources, and others gave time, using what God had given them to bear a record of service.
Jessica and I are not wealthy people, but we use what we do have, time, which is our wealth right now, to give to others. If there isn’t a willingness to give in our hearts, then we have robbed ourselves of the experience of seeing others’ joy being made complete, and we rob God as well.
Today, we will be looking at 1 Timothy 6:18, giving with all readiness.
”That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate”.
When a verse begins with ”That”, there is a previous word being conveyed that is connected to this one.
This means we have to go back.
In 1 Timothy 6:17, the Bible says, ”Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy”.
Paul is instructing Timothy to teach the rich people in the faith that they shouldn’t allow their wealth to replace God in their hearts, nor should they use their wealth to be arrogant, or vaunt themselves up over others. Paul is instructing the rich in how they are to serve the kingdom of God.
The phrase ”do good” means ”to act for God’s benefit or glory”.
In Colossians 3:17, the Bible says, ‘‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
God should be first in our minds when we do anything, and it should always be for His glory. When God is our focal point, we will always aim to please him in our deeds.
In Luke 12:21, Christ says, ”So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’‘
The person who is selfish is not rich, but stingy. We are blessed to be a blessing to others, and God opened up the door for us to receive wealth, not so we can turn our backs on people in need.
The phrase ”rich in good works” implies that our service should be pleasing to God, and beneficial for the kingdom of God.
This phrase implies a willingness to serve those in need, and is not exclusive to money. Time is more valuable than money because time cannot be made back once it is gone.
In 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, the Bible says, ”But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work”.
The heart is the key, be wise, if we are cheap in service, then we can’t expect God to continue to bless our deeds.
When we serve with a willing and cheerful heart, God makes His grace work wonders in our lives, giving us the ability to continue to do good works that bring glory to Him.
The phrase ”ready to distribute” means ”to be liberal in imparting”.
This implies an eagerness to serve others, that we are actively looking for opportunities to bless people.
In 1 Timothy 5:10, the Bible says, ”Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.”
You see?
Our service will bear a record, and what will our record show?
This widow depicted here has lived her life in service and shown that her stewardship in the kingdom was unto the Lord.
In Romans 12:13, the Bible says, ”Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.”
We shouldn’t ever turn a blind eye to the needs of others, and we should always have a heart for service to others.
In Hebrews 13:16, the Bible says, ”But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.’‘
God is pleased with our giving when it is done with an attitude of love and concern for the people we serve.
In Galatians 6:6, the Bible says, ”Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.”
Just as God has provided, we are to provide for others. Just as Christ gave, so must we.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 21, 2024 – 1 Thessalonians 4:1, living an abundant Godly life
”Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.”
1 Thessalonians 4:1
Hi Everyone!
Living according to God’s standard takes constant refinement, where we measure our thoughts and our actions according to the Word of God.
The things that hold up to the scrutiny of the Word remain, but the things that are sorely against the Word of God must be cast away.
Too many of us have built ”default settings” that we are so comfortable with, that we are sometimes unwilling to relinquish them in order to seize the Word’s truth in our lives.
Sanctification is a process where we continue to grow in Godliness as we mature in the Word of God.
God not only wants us to live according to His Word, but He desires us to continue to grow in faith, love, and power.
Today, we will look at 1 Thessalonians 4:1, living an abundant Godly life.
”Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.”
In Paul’s message to the church in Thessalonica, he is sending encouragement to the church in 1 Thessalonians 3, telling them to stand fast in the Lord. Paul sent Timothy to share this word with the church.
The word ”Furthermore” implies a previous message that is being added to.
This makes sense because 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, the Bible says, ‘‘Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”
When we allow God to direct our lives, we are positioned to not only succeed at whatever we place our hand to, but He will also cause us to increase in ways that we could never accomplish on our own.
In the midst of this all, we are made secure in the Lord in truth and holiness and above reproach. There are so many benefits to serving the Lord, but planting our feet on a solid foundation and being rooted in the Lord is far beyond anything we could fathom.
The ”beseech” means ”to intreat, request of, or desire from”.
The word ”exhort” means ”comfort, invite, or call near”.
This is Paul asking the church for their undivided attention because what he is going to say is vital to their life as believers.
The word ”received” means ”to associate with oneself, to learn from”.
In Philippians 1:27, the Bible says, ‘‘Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”.
The teachings we receive are designed to be lived out.
Too many of us, me included, are really good listeners, but not effective enough doers of the Word.
To receive the Word doesn’t mean we audibly process it, but it does mean that we position ourselves to obey what we hear and live according to the truth.
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, the Bible says, ‘‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
There is a purpose for us receiving the Word of God, and that purpose is for us to become more like Christ and live according to His standard. The Word of God adds and cuts away in order for us to be able to do what God commands.
It only works when we associate ourselves with the Word to make ourselves one with it.
The word ”walk” means ”to live or follow”.
The word ”to please” means ”to be agreeable with”.
This means that our lives should bear witness to what we believe in. When we come into agreement with the Word of God, our behavior with show it.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:11-13, the Bible says, ”As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
Living a Godly life begins with what we receive as truth. Continuing to live a Godly life requires us to maintain the truth we have received.
In Colossians 1:10, the Bible says, ”That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God”.
When we live our lives unto the Lord, He will respond by making our lives fruitful, a testimony of God’s truth, power, and provision.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
LAST (actually last but one) ONE ON MARSHALL’S TABLET – HIS EMAIL:
JULY 5:
The one I am currently using now is mine, purchased by me and the content is also purchased by me. They are essentially making us surrender our tablets and we have to ”borrow” theirs, but pay for the services. Nothing from my old tablet transfers, so my stuff will be gone.
They have new messaging parameters on the new tablets, limiting our messages to 1,000 characters. The good thing about it is that the messages get sent out very quickly.
Tales from the Wisconsin Prison System. Ouch!
JULY 7;
My tablet is now dead. It won’t hold a charge and I am at 7% on my remaining battery. So I can’t do anything else until the new tablets come.
Love you Brother! Keep you posted.
Jul 22, 2024 – Proverbs 29:17 – correction being the path of rest and delight
”Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.”
Proverbs 29:17
Hi Everyone!
A child left to themselves is a disaster waiting to happen.
A child who lives to their own rules, setting their own standards, absent the leading of their parents and the admonition of the Lord, is more than likely to end up in some pretty bad spots in life.
There are statistics everywhere that show that a boy in a fatherless home is much more likely to end up in prison, without a college education, and even worse, end up perpetuating the same cycle in their own lives.
What are our babies being taught in homes absent the leading of the Lord?
What then are we as parents leaving behind, children with no sense of direction, more concerned with materialism and being seen, than living according to the Word of the Lord?
The correction and direction we don’t give, the training and nurturing we don’t extend, and the leading we don’t offer will turn into the path of destruction our children will journey through.
Today, we will look at Proverbs 29:17, correction being the path of rest and delight.
”Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.”
In the times in which Proverbs were written, this would refer to the male children in the family, especially the firstborn son.
In Genesis 27:18-19, the Bible says, ” And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.”
The firstborn son should receive the blessing, and the biggest portion of the inheritance, because he would be entrusted the legacy of his father, to continue to build where his father left off. Notice in this case Jacob stole it from Esau.
This was important because the family name was something to be valued, as evidenced by the fact that we are still talking about Isaac, Esau and Jacob to this day.
In today’s times, the builder of the family name can, and will very often be, the daughter.
In my own life, my sister seemed to be the only one who lived right, because I was in prison and my brother was in the street life, both of us having nothing to leave behind. Fortunately, my brother and I have gotten our lives back together, though sadly my sister has gone to be with the Lord.
The builder of the family name has transformed in meaning because all believers in Christ are now entrusted with the inheritance of God, therefore entrusted with building that family name.
In Romans 8:15-17, the Bible says, ”For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
As heirs, we have a responsibility to keep the Word of God and build a legacy in the Lord for future generations to come.
Due to the sin nature mankind was ”gifted” with from Adam, we will occasionally deviate from the path God has for us. I know this very well.
The word ”correct” means ”to discipline, instruct, or chastise”.
The word ”son” means ”the builder of the family name”.
In 2 Timothy 3:16, the Bible says, ”All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”.
If the Word is supposed to correct us, and our homes are supposed to be governed according to the Word of God, then why are we sitting back allowing our legacy to run wild in the world without correction or direction?
In Proverbs 22:6, the Bible says, ”Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Here is what I think. In order to train a child up, we have to be doing what we are asking our children to do. We teach them through our own behaviour, and we come alongside them and correct them when they deviate from the path.
If we aren’t living right in the Lord, how can we train up a child in the way they should go?
It begins with us.
In Hebrews 12:6-7, the Bible says, ‘‘For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”
Correction comes from love, from a parental desire to see their children succeed in life and in the Lord.
Parents can experience ”rest”, which means ”comfort”, and ”delight” which means ”pleasure”, when their children are living lives that are pleasing to God.
If they aren’t, then we have to be willing to step in with the correction and direction our children need.
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
Jul 23, 2024 – Proverbs 29:22 – releasing ourselves from sin and strife
”An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.”
Proverbs 29:22
Hi Everyone!
Anger is something that was my nemesis and a close confidant for many of my years.
It both worked against me and was my place of comfort, and there were times when I was so addicted to chaos that if a situation was too calm, I would incite people to get mad at something or someone.
About 18 years ago, I was moved to a housing unit by security staff that comprised of older men who have been doing time for many many many years.
You could hear a pin drop in that place 24 hours a day!
The first three days, I couldn’t sleep because there were no people yelling, cursing, fighting and acting a fool 24 hours a day like it was in my other unit.
There is something about putting an angry person among calm people that will make him look like a fool when he gets angry, naturally causing him to reassess his own place of comfort.
It worked with me.
Today, we will look at Proverbs 29:22, releasing ourselves from sin and strife.
”An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.”
The word ”angry” means ”wrathful, ire”.
The phrase ”stirreth up strife” means ”to create discord, contest, or quarrel”.
When they moved me into that unit around the older guys, I couldn’t believe there were so many calm people in prison! I just came from a unit where we were all angry, where we were all hurting, and that commonality became the source of many ”friendships”, but sadly also the cause of many fights.
An angry person will make a peaceful situation toxic without cause or reason. It took me being around calm people to see how my anger was a problem.
I started welcoming the peace instead of fighting against it.
In Proverbs 15:1, the Bible says, ‘‘A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”
The communication style in this new unit was much different from my old unit.
In the old unit, aggression was met with aggression and in a verbal dispute, you had about 15 seconds to make the situation square or there was going to be a fight. In this other unit, they talked to each other respectfully, even when they disagreed, and they also agreed to disagree, still keeping peace with each other.
I was learning even as I was pushing back.
In Proverbs 15:18, the Bible says, ”A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.”
I wouldn’t admit any of this back then, because everyone else was the problem, but I was this person, always angry, always starting stuff, sowing discord.
The word ”furious” means ”rage-filled, or full of fury”.
The word ”abounding” means ”exceeding in”.
The word ”transgression” means ”revolt, sin, of rebellion against God”.
The angry person is ‘exceeding in’ sin, looking for a way to be disobedient to God. I never saw it this deeply before.
In Proverbs 26:20-21, the Bible says, ”Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.”
The angry person stirs up problems by giving other people something to be mad at, and all of this disobeys God.
Let’s look at how anger disobeys God.
In Mark 12:30-32, the Bible says, ‘‘And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”
If I obey God and love others, I’m going to always want to pursue love and peace with people.
I would to want forgive those who wrong me because I want to be forgiven if I wrong them.
So when I am stirring up discord, I am not obeying God because I am not walking in love.
In Ephesians 4:26-27, the Bible says, ”Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.”
Anger is a natural emotion but love should be our equalizer. When anger remains, it provides a vehicle for the enemy to drive us off a cliff!
In Romans 12:18, the Bible says ‘‘If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.’‘
How can I live at peace when I am angry at my brother or sister, if I am sowing discord, if I am giving the enemy a bed to rest in my heart?
If I don’t live at peace with my brother, I am disobeying God.
In Romans 12:20-22, the Bible says, ‘‘Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’‘
We are supposed to treat even our enemies with love, and meet their need if they have one.
Where is there ever room for anger in love?
God Bless!
Marshall & Jessica
July 24, 2024 to August 4, 2024 Fruit Of The Spirit – 12 days – DAILY DEVOTIONAL 2023 Q4
Aug 5, 2024 to Aug 20: Psalm 91 Series – 16 days – DAILY DEVOTIONAL 2021 Q1
Aug 21, 2024 to Sept 19: Loving You Series – 30 days – DAILY DEVOTIONAL 2021 Q1
