Good Friday is the Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Jesus died on a cross a little more than 2000 years ago.  Jesus suffered the slow, public, painful, humiliating death that was generally reserved for those who had committed heinous crimes.

What are some things we know about Jesus?

• Scripture tells us that Jesus is the son of God.

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; [17] and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I (God the Father) am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17 ESV)

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them … [7] And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” (Mark 9:2-7 ESV)

• Scripture tells us that Jesus created the world.

He (Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16 ESV)

All things were made through him (Jesus), and without him (Jesus) was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3 ESV)

• Scripture tells us that Jesus is God.

In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God. (John 1:1 ESV)

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:23 ESV)

I (Jesus) and the Father are one.” (John 10:30 ESV)

• Jesus Christ, God the Son, out of obedience to God the Father, died on the cross.

… but (Jesus) emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8 ESV)

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18 ESV)

• Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25 NIV)

… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8 ESV)

Summary:  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the creator of the universe, God the Son, willingly came to earth in human form to die on a cross so that our broken relationship with God could be restored.

To be continued:  Be sure to read the Seeking His Kingdom Easter post.

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

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He (Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16 ESV)

 “In him (Jesus Christ) was life …” John 1:4

Jesus said unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.            (John 5:24 ESV)

Happy Easter

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Are you living the life that God planned for you to live?

You are able to live the life that God intended for you to live.  You are offered everything you need to become the person God intended you to be.

Everything that you, as a Christian, need for living a life that is pleasing to God is given to you by God as you grow in your knowledge of Jesus Christ.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,  by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

As a Christian you have been delivered from the domain of darkness and are now a member of Christ’s kingdom.  You are no longer slaves to sin. Your life should reflect the fact that you are a member of Christ’s kingdom. 

If you want to live the life that God planned for you to live, you will have a passion for knowing Jesus better.  You will read the Bible. You need to have a strong desire to learn about His “precious and very great promises” that He has passed on to you in the scriptures.  You must believe and claim these promises for yourself.

Scripture names seven qualities that need to be incorporated into your life for you to be fruitful and effective in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)

Your faith needs to be supplemented with the seven qualities listed below.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (2 Peter 1:5-7 ESV)

Virtue

Knowledge

Self-control

Steadfastness

Godliness

Brotherly affection

Love

(Click on each of the above links to review that quality)

A prayer for you:

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9-14 ESV)

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

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Are you living the life that God planned for you to live?

We are able to live the life that God intended for us to live.  We are offered everything we need to become the person God intended us to be.

This is the eighth of a series of posts discussing qualities we need to develop in our lives that will help us live the life that God intended us to live.

2 Peter 1:5-8 lists seven qualities that will help us become the person God wants us to be.

This post addresses the final quality, love.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (2 Peter 1:5-7 ESV)

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)

If you want to be the person that God wants you to be, you need this most important quality of love.

The Great Commandment

… a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.  “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself….” (Matthew 22:34-40 ESV)

You are commanded to love God and to love your neighbors as yourself.

This love comes from God.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7 ESV)

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19 ESV)

This command to love is repeated throughout scripture.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34 ESV)

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.           (1 Peter 4:8 ESV)

Let brotherly love continue. (Hebrews 13:1 ESV)

A definition of love.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV)

Prayer:  Father, help me to love you and my neighbor.

 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.     (1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV)

Be sure to read “Living the Life God Planned for You to Live (Part 9”) the final post in this series.

 Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

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Are you living the life that God planned for you to live?

We are able to live the life that God intended for us to live.  We are offered everything we need to become the person God intended us to be.

This is the seventh of a series of posts discussing qualities we need to develop in our lives that will help us live the life that God intended us to live.

2 Peter 1:5-8 lists seven qualities that will help us become the person God wants us to be.

This post addresses brotherly affection.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, (2 Peter 1:5-7 ESV)

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)

If we want to be the person that God wants to be, we need the quality of brotherly affection in our lives.  Other versions of scripture call this quality:

brotherly kindness (KJV)

kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ (ERV)

mutual affection (NIV)

kindness for one another (NIRV)

Simply put, we need to have an unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4 ESV)

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:9-10 ESV)

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 ESV)

Without a genuine concern for other Christians we are not the person God wants us to be.

Prayer:  Father, help me to develop the quality of brotherly affection.

 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 ESV)

 (Be sure to read future posts that will discuss more qualities that will help us live our lives as God intended.)

 Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

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Are you living the life that God planned for you to live?

We are able to live the life that God intended for us to live.  We are offered everything we need to become the person God intended us to be.

This is the sixth of a series of posts discussing qualities we need to develop in our lives that will help us live the life that God intended us to live.

2 Peter 1:5-8 lists seven qualities that will help us become the person God wants us to be.

This post addresses godliness.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, (2 Peter 1:5-6 ESV)

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)

Godliness is a combination of character and conduct. Godliness is an outward demonstration of an inner life. A godly person is a person who desires to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God.

So what kind of people should you be? Your lives should be holy and devoted to God.       (2 Peter 3:11 ERV)

A godly person is living a life that has been transformed by God.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 ESV)

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him … , (2 Peter 1:3 ESV)

A godly person is someone whose life has been transformed by God  and is being transformed by the Word of God.

This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives.  (Titus 1:1 NLT)

Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. (1 Timothy 6:3 NLT)

 Prayer:  God, teach me how to live the godly life that you have planned for me.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, (Titus 2:11-13 ESV)

 (Be sure to read future posts that will discuss more qualities that will help us live our lives as God intended.)

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

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Are you living the life that God planned for you to live?

We are able to live the life that God intended for us to live.  We are offered everything we need to become the person God intended us to be.

This is the fifth of a series of posts discussing qualities we need to develop in our lives that will help us live the life that God intended us to live.

2 Peter 1:5-8 lists seven qualities that will help us become the person God wants us to be.

This post addresses steadfastness.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, … (2 Peter 1:5-6 ESV)

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)

Different versions of scripture use a variety of words or phrases in the place of the word steadfastness.  By looking at these words and phrases you can gain a better understanding of this character quality that needs to be developed in your life if you want to become the person God wants you to be.

Patience (KJV)

Perseverance (NIV)

Endurance (GNT)

Patient endurance (NLT)

The ability to endure (Phillips)

The ability to hold on (ICB)

Passionate patience (MSG)

The strength to keep going (NIRV)

Do not give up (NLV)

Steadfastness is a quality that needs to be developed in our lives, but it comes at a price.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 ESV)

Steadfastness pays off.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)

A good application of this quality is found in Hebrews chapter 12.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, …. (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)

Prayer:  God, help me to calmly, quietly, and steadily persevere in spite pain, annoyances, times of trouble, difficulties, or hardships.

 (Be sure to read future posts that will discuss more qualities that will help us live our lives as God intended.)

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

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Are you living the life that God planned for you to live?

We are able to live the life that God intended for us to live.  We are offered everything we need to become the person God intended us to be.

This is the fourth of a series of posts discussing qualities we need to develop in our lives that will help us live the life that God intended us to live.

2 Peter 1:5-8 lists seven qualities that will help us become the person God wants us to be.

This post addresses self-control.

Self-control is the ability, with God’s help, to control your feelings, emotions, desires, or actions rather than allowing yourself to be controlled by them.

Scripture instructs us to practice self-control.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,  and knowledge with self-control … (2 Peter 1:5-6 ESV)

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)

Self-control comes from God.

God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,  waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, (Titus 2:11-13 ESV)

Without self-control you are vulnerable to Satan’s attacks.

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. (Proverbs 25:28 ESV)

Scripture tells us that it is better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. (Proverbs 16:32 ESV)

Spiritual leaders are expected to have self-control. (The qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3 are requirements for spiritual leaders but are clearly important qualities for anyone who wants to live the life God has planned for them.)

Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, (1 Timothy 3:2 ESV)

For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, [8] but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. (Titus 1:7-8 ESV)

 If you want to live the life that God has planned for you to live, you need to practice self-control.

Prayer:  God, help me to exercise self-control in all areas of my lives.

 (Be sure to read future posts that will discuss more qualities that will help us live our lives as God intended.)

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

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Are you living the life that God planned for you to live?

We are able to live the life that God intended for us to live.  We are offered everything we need to become the person God intended us to be.

This is the third of a series of posts discussing qualities we need to develop in our lives that will help us live the life that God intended us to live.

2 Peter 1:5-8 lists seven qualities that will help us become the person God wants us to be.

This post addresses knowledge.

 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, (2 Peter 1:5 ESV)

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)

Knowledge comes from God.

For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; (Proverbs 2:6 ESV)

We are told to grow in knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18 ESV)

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2 ESV)

Our knowledge should be centered on knowing God and understanding that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ.

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.                 (1 Corinthians 2:2 ESV)

And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3 ESV)

God wants us to know truth.

… God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth… (1 Timothy 2:3-4 ESV)

One of the ways we acquire knowledge is by abiding in the Word.

 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 ESV)

If we are to live the life that God has planned for us, we need to know what scripture teaches.  We need to be spending time in God’s Word and being attentive to the Holy Spirit.

Prayer:

God, help us grow in our knowledge of you, our knowledge of Jesus Christ, our knowledge of the Holy Spirit, and our knowledge of your Word.

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9-10 ESV)

 (Be sure to read future posts that will discuss more qualities that will help us live our lives as God intended.)

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

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Are you living the life that God planned for you to live?

We are able to live the life that God intended for us to live.  We are offered everything we need to become the person God intended us to be.

This is the second of a series of posts discussing qualities we need to develop in our lives that will help us live the life that God intended us to live.

Our faith in Jesus Christ is what separates us from non-Christians.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, … (Ephesians 2:8 ESV)

 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 ESV)

… because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 ESV)

After becoming a Christian, it is important that we grow and mature in our relationship with Christ.

… at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8-10 ESV)

2 Peter 1:5-8 lists seven qualities that will help us become the person God wants us to be.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)

The first of these qualities is virtue (moral excellence or goodness).

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, … (2 Peter 1:5 ESV)

… supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, (2 Peter 1:5 NLT)

 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness (2 Peter 1:5 NIV)

A life of virtue (moral excellence or goodness) is a life with high moral standards.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9 ESV)

But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.  Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. (Ephesians 5:3-4 ESV)

The life God has planned for us is a life of increasing virtue (goodness or moral excellence).  Without the quality of virtue (goodness or moral excellence) we are not who God wants us to be.

Prayer:

God, help us grow in virtue (goodness or moral excellence).

 (Be sure to read future posts that will discuss more qualities that will help us live our lives as God intended.)

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

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