Today's Good News

June 2003

6/01/03            Jude 1:20
But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit.

God is at work in my life seeking for my best good.  I can trust the Lord and can trust Him with my life.  As I talk with the Lord He will speak to me.

6/02/03            2 Peter 1:5
So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better.

There are 7,000 plus promises in the Word of God that were written to me.  God’s Word will guide me.  His promises will give me the wisdom I need to face the challenges of the world.

6/03/03            2 Peter 1:1
This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of you who share the same precious faith we have, faith given to us by Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, who makes us right with God.

I have a relationship with God.  The depth of that relationship is based upon my willingness to spend time with Jesus.  God is waiting on me to come and visit with Him.

6/04/03            1 Peter 5:9
Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

Suffering is universal.  I must remember that everyone seeking to serve Jesus is suffering.  If I will remember this I will be better equipped to help them tell the Good News.

6/05/03            1 Peter 1:21
Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.

Trusting God is not a password to the garden of my desires.  My trust will get me to where the Lord would have me go.  When I put myself at the middle of the equation of life I am heading for a fall.  The Lord is God and there is no other.

6/06/03            1 Peter 1:7
These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

I am not a prisoner of the events of this world.  I am a resident of eternity.  Therefore I can and will live my life like a child of the ruler of the universe.

6/07/03            James 2:26
Just as the body is dead without a spirit, so also faith is dead without good deeds.

When my heart is right my life will be right.  The unique commitment of a child of God is to do the next right thing.

6/08/03            James 1:3
For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

Tumbled castles and faded dreams control the minds and hearts of most people.  I am not waiting for the world to put its stamp of approval on my life.  My life has value and worth.  God has a plan for me.  In Christ I am victorious.

 

6/09/03            Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.

The world is at war with me.  In this world I will have trouble.  Dealing with my sin will never be easy.  If Jesus has my heart and my attention He will teach me to deal with my sin.

6/10/03            Hebrews 11:6
So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Following God is a choice.  I must learn to manage my time.  I must take the time to build a relationship with the Lord.  Time with God is an important part of building my faith.

6/11/03            Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

I do a lot of things everyday that I don’t understand or know about fully.  As I develop my relationship with Jesus there will always be a lot of things I don’t understand.  For example the fact that Jesus loves me.  It is hard to understand.

6/12/03            Mark 1:1
Here begins the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.

The best news I have ever heard is the news that Jesus loves me.  It totally revolutionizes my life.  Jesus is Lord.

6/13/03            Mark 1:2-3
In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God said, “Look, I am sending my messenger before you, and he will prepare your way.  He is a voice shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare a pathway for the Lord’s coming! Make a straight road for him!’

I have a message from God.  That message is Jesus has changed my life.  Christ will change yours if you will let Him.

6/14/03            Mark 1:9
One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and he was baptized by John in the Jordan River.

God wants my obedience more than my success.  Success as I define it is short-lived.  Obedience connects me with the will of God.  Do the next right thing.

6/15/03            Mark 1:12
Immediately the Holy Spirit compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness.

Service involves suffering.  If I am going to serve the Lord, I will suffer.

6/16/03 Acts 4:12
There is salvation in no one else!  There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them.

Jesus is the only way to the Father.  No one else can save us.  No one else can give us life.  In Jesus we have eternal life.  Without Christ we have eternal separation from the Father.

6/17/03 Psalm 37:28
For the Lord loves justice, and He will never abandon the godly.  He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will perish.

Time really is an enemy.  Time challenges my faith and my will.  Time is always telling me how badly things are going.  The truth is that I have everything I need in Christ.

6/18/03 Psalm 86:16
Look down and have mercy on me.  Give strength to your servant; yes save me, for I am your servant.

I can trust the Lord.  He will not forget me.  He will give me the things I need.

6/19/03 2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful; He will make you strong and guard you from the evil one.

I cannot stand against the evil one.  I need the Lord.  In Christ I have the strength that I need to deal with my life.

6/20/03            Philippians 3:3
Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.

My life is good.  The plan God has for my life is good.  I can care for others because the Father cares for me.  When I care for someone I am acting like Jesus.

6/21/03            Philippians 3:5-7
Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.  Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God.  He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.

I can serve the Lord.  My example is Jesus as He served the Father.  I can risk all things, suffer all things, do all things in Christ.

6/22/03            Philippians 3:8
And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.

I can rejoice.  The Lord loves me and has provided for me.  Jesus wants me to tell you about my relationship with Him.  Whatever it costs Jesus will equip and enable me to share the Gospel.

6/23/03            Philippians 3:13
For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.

Failure is not an indication of a poor relationship with Jesus.  Failing to obey and serve is evidence of a poor relationship with Jesus.  If I spend time with Jesus I will obey Him and have the strength to serve Him.

6/24/03 Philippians 3:14
In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing,

A rebellious spirit always complains and argues.  I cannot bend the knee to Jesus with a rebellious spirit.

6/25/03 Philippians 4:4
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice!

Joy is not a forced emotion.  When I spend time with Jesus joy is the result.  I cannot step into the presence of the Living Lord without experiencing His grace and love and peace.

6/26/03            2 Timothy 1:13
Hold on to the pattern of right teaching you learned from me. And remember to live in the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.

The focus of my life must be Jesus.  Not my gifts or skills or opportunities.  Jesus is Lord and wants me to surrender to Him.

6/27/03            Titus 2:2
Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have strong faith and be filled with love and patience.

Self-control is a key element in leadership.  Weak people are difficult to deal with.  Many people are weak.  If I am under control Christ will be able to use me to help people.

6/28/03            Hebrews 6:1
So let us stop going over the basics of Christianity again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start all over again with the importance of turning away from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.

Stop doing evil.  Get help, change, spend time with Jesus and stop doing evil.  If you will not stop doing evil you will not grow in Jesus.

6/29/03            Hebrews 10:38
And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

I must always be turning back to Jesus.  Everyday my goal must be to become more like Christ.  Whatever it takes Lord change me.

6/30/03            Hebrews 10:39
But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation.

I asked Jesus to save me.  He did.  I can live my life with the absolute confidence that the Lord did exactly what He said He would.  I am not what I will be but I am totally saved.

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Clay Corvin

Clay Corvin is currently a Bible Teacher and occasional preacher at Bethel Community Baptist Church in New Orleans. He is the retired VP Business and Professor of Admin at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary after completing 38 years as their Business Administrator. He was the pastor at the Brantley Baptist Center for twenty-five years. He is married to Carol Corvin and the father of three children and has three grandchildren. He ministers today as Co-pastor of the Bethel Community Baptist Church and seeks to share the Gospel with everyone. Jesus is Lord!