“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
 
This verse is about Victory—spiritual victory that we can have if we maintain the kind of tight relationship with Jesus Christ the Apostle Paul has been describing in this section of scripture. 
 
Having just listed some of the difficulties we may experience as human beings, Paul interrupts and makes this powerful and dramatic statement about Victory. Those who are faithful are not just conquerors—they are “more than conquerors,” Paul says in describing our ongoing battle with Satan.
 
The key to this Victory is not allowing anything—any of the kinds of problems he mentions here—to separate us from the love of Christ nor the love of God. That separation could come only as a result of our failing to obey the instructions provided in the inspired word. 
 
The goal of every sincere Christian, then, is to come to the end of life with the assurance of Victory in our hearts as we view judgment day and eternity. 
 
Love,
Joe

“And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?” (Judges 2:2).
 
When God gave the land of Canaan to the tribes of Israel, it was with the understanding that they would drive out the wicked people found there. They were to break down their idols and their altars.
 
In that beautiful land of promise, God wanted them to create a pure and holy nation that would literally glow with the glory of God against the backdrop of the wicked idolatry that was present there. The problem was they did not do what God commanded; so, theirs was a story of failure. They became tired, too eager to build their houses and to develop their farms.
 
Like these people, sometimes we ignore direct teaching in scripture about how God wants us to conduct our physical and spiritual lives: instead, we take care of our own business and follow our own ideas, thinking God will love what we are doing regardless.
 
If that ever becomes our way of thinking and mode of operating, we must know that the New Testament teaches we will arouse the same kind of displeasure from God as they did.
 
We in the Christian Age have the same kind of direction as these people of old: we must follow God’s direction, even if we do not understand His reason for requiring it. Jesus put it best: “If you love me, keep My commandments.”
 
Love,
Joe

“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).
 
James addresses one of the most rewarding opportunities available to us as followers of Jesus Christ as he teaches about our responsibility for helping each other get to heaven.
 
First of all, there is the truth that every Christian has the obligation to obey. Second, there is the possibility that we will stray away from the truth—that is, depart from the way laid out in scripture for us to follow.
 
If such an error happens in the life of one of our fellow Christians, we are responsible for trying to assist that person in returning to the truth of God—in love, of course. 
 
If we are successful, we will help that person save his soul as well as help him or her cover—that is, receive forgiveness for—whatever sin he may have been guilty of committing.
 
Love,
Joe

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me” (John 14:23-24).
 
A man named Judas (not Iscariot) serves as spokesman for the group here as Jesus interacts with His disciples in this, one of His parting messages. And Jesus could not have been clearer in His response: we make known our love for the Father and for Jesus by what we do and speak.
 
Claims of love and devotion by themselves are not acceptable, even loud and “showy” ones. If our love for God is not real, it is not pleasing to Him—God has never accepted hypocritical actions from His creation. Rather, we manifest our devotion and love for Him by keeping His words.
 
So, the way we conduct our lives and the attitudes we manifest are highly important. It is not that we do good deeds to be seen of others—we do them to please God. On the other hand, our manner of life should be such that our love for God and for the things pertaining to God naturally show through to those around us.
 
The message of these two verses can make a significant difference in our spiritual acceptability. Such verses as these can serve as a wake-up call if we lend a sincere, listening ear to them.
 
Love,
Joe

“Better not to vow than to vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5).
 
God has always demanded integrity from His people; and the keeping of vows is no exception. While the New Testament more often uses words like “keeping promises” and “telling the truth,” the Old Testament is replete with teaching about the making and keeping of vows.
 
The preacher, in this verse, says it more succinctly than any of the other writers: when we make a vow to God, we must intend to keep it or we should not make it at all.  To “pay” means we have every intention of doing whatever it is we are promising.
 
Vows include any promise we make to God or before God: for example, obeying the gospel (this vow means we intend to be faithful to Him for the rest of our lives) or taking our marriage vows (this one means we commit ourselves to our spouse for the rest of our lives).
 
If we fail to keep any promise to anyone, we have violated our relationship with God; and we stand in need of His forgiveness. As we begin another new year, it is well that we think seriously about the resolutions we make—these resolutions are vows for which we are responsible.
 
Love,
Joe