Find Satisfaction in the God of All Comfort

Dear friend,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:3-4).

What are you looking to for comfort?

One American restaurant chain has placed large billboards across the country that include their name along with just two words: Comfort Food! I suppose the idea is you can pull into their place after a long day and find comfort in a chicken n’ dumplins or a piece of cobbler. Of course people look for comfort in all kinds of other things too. For example, luxury cars, comfortable houses, savings accounts, and holidays. In addition to these benign seeming things, certain sins are sometimes used in attempts to bring comfort in the midst of stressful lives.

But the Christian has a source of comfort that is infinitely better than any of these earthly things. In the verse above God is described as the “Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.” We need not look to the things of the earth when we have the Almighty as our Father. He has given us love, grace, salvation, and hope for heaven! He has given us Himself! If we have “any affliction” we can turn to Him! Let’s not settle for less!

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John

Renounce All Things for Jesus!

Dear friend,

“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).

This is one of those statements that is too often “swept under the rug” as if it had never been spoken. When it is discussed it is usually in the context of explaining how Jesus does not really mean what He says. This is a shame, because all scripture is given for our good and we ought to consider the implication of these words in our lives.

We are a called upon by King Jesus to give up everything for Him! He ought to have first place in our lives. The other things we enjoy in this world (family, friends, job, position, possessions) are for His service, honor, and glory.

Jesus makes it plain that He wants our all. Of course He is a gracious and patient Master, who does not treat us as our sins deserve, but do not make the mistake of assuming He is okay with half-hearted devotion. He is calling His followers to put him ahead of all things.

It is ironic that we ignore and resist this teaching because we think it will make up less happy. The truth is that our greatest happiness comes when we let Jesus reign supreme in us! We were made for Him!

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John

We Are Loved By God Despite Our Sin!

Dear friend,

Are you feeling guilty today Christian? Convinced that you have blown it too badly to be forgiven this time? I want to offer some words of encouragement, but before I do I need to be clear about something that you may have misunderstood in the past. The truth is that you have never been good enough. That’s right, you have never been good enough for God. The Bible says, “There is no one righteous, no not one” (Rom. 3:10) and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

I share this, not to make you feel bad, but to relieve you of any notion that God loved you because you are such a lovable person. It is this false idea that really gets us down when we have failed in some way. Too many Christians have convinced themselves that God loves them because of their behavior. Then, when they sin, they lose all hope because they feel they are no longer “good.”

The reality of the Christian life is that God loves us despite our sin (Rom. 5:8). Our righteousness before God comes, not from our good actions, but from the grace of Christ! It is through the gift of faith in Christ that we are able to stand before the Lord! It is because of the work of Christ on the cross that God loves us!

Of course you should hate your sin and turn away from it, but do not believe the lie that says God stopped loving you because of your sin. He never loved you because you are such a great person anyway, He loves you because of Jesus!

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John

Place Your Hope in the Lord

Dear friends,

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool” (Ps. 39:7-8).

According to one definition, hope is “a feeling of expectation and desire for something good to happen.” The verse above is a refreshing reminder that we can place our hope in God. That is to say if we want good things in our lives, then we need not look to other people or things of the earth. It is the Lord Almighty who can deliver us from all trouble and care.

In fact, our God is so good and gracious that He even delivers us from all our transgressions. We do not need to be perfect and sinless to place our hope in Him. Rather we can hope in Him despite our sin. We may deserve to be mocked by fools because of what we have said and done. But we can have deliverance because of our gracious God!

What or who are you hoping in today? Place your hope in the Lord Jesus and you will experience good things!

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John

The Love of God Gives Us Strength for Christian Living!

Dear friends,

“But God showed his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

The mercy of God in this verse is greatly encouraging!

It is encouraging first of all, because it proves that our salvation from sin does not come because God saw anything good in us. Christ laid down His life for us although we were guilty sinners! We are not saved because of our works, but rather through His work on the cross for us and the gift of faith. We can exclaim with Paul, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15).

Secondly, the mercy of God in this verse is encourage in our continuing battle with sin. Since we were saved apart from our own ability, then this same external power of God is available to help us live for Jesus. In fact, looking to God (and outside of ourselves) for help will be a great aid in the struggle against sin in our lives. We must rely on the power of the Lord in the process of Christian living just like we rely on His power for the once and for all event of salvation.

Look for strength in His love today!

Your friend,

Stephen

Our Confidence is in the Message of the Lord

Dear friends,

“Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you” (Acts 27:22a).

The statement above, made by Paul, must have seemed incredible to those who heard it. How could this man dare say such a thing as if it were an absolute fact? The hearers were on a tiny ship that had been caught in a hurricane-like Mediterranean storm for two weeks. The sailors had already thrown all the ships gear overboard to keep it from being sunk by the rain and waves. Now they had almost no means of navigating the ship and were completely at the mercy of the savage storm. The sailors and passengers were drenched, sleep deprived, worn out, and nearly broken. They had abandoned hope since there was no end to the storm in sight. And yet here is Paul saying, in effect, “You’ll be fine. Let’s eat!”

Where did he get this audacious confidence from? How could he be so bold? His certainty came from the source of his message. The Lord has sent an angel to tell Paul that all would be well. Having received this word from the Almighty, Paul was confident to share the truth with his weary shipmates as an absolute certainty. And indeed it did come to pass in just that way. Every passenger on board was spared and made it safely to land.

Friends, an angel told Paul what God had in mind, but we do not even need an angel! We have God’s words recorded for us in the Bible. In the scripture, the will of God, His plan for you and destiny of the universe is declared. The words on the pages of the Bible are straight from the mouth of the Lord (2 Tim. 3:16). Therefore, we can take what God says and boldly declare it to the world, no matter what is going on. Our confidence is in the message of the Lord. Let’s not be shy about declaring it with certainty!

“So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told” (Acts 27:25).

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John

Salvation Is Always Possible With God

Dear friends,

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:26).

Jesus’s comment above is a direct answer to the question, “Who then can be saved?” Our Lord had just told the disciples that it was difficult for rich people to go to heaven. They thought if that were the case, it would be even harder for poor people like them. However, Jesus declares that all men, rich and poor, can be saved from sin and the eternal punishment they deserve.

This is because the Almighty Lord is graciously applying His power to meet our spiritual needs. Salvation from sin, forgiveness, and eternal life are possible for us because God does impossible things! It is by His grace, mercy, and power that sinners are effectively called to repentance.

This same awesome power is available by grace to help us battle sin each day. We could never be the people we should on our own, but remember - with God all things are possible! Because of His power God can save even the most unlikely people and there is no sin that God cannot help you overcome!

Your friend,

Stephen

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