God's Word For Every Day

Haggai 1:1-2:23; 2 John 1-13; Proverbs 29:19-27 God calls His people – “Be strong” (Haggai 2:4). This call comes to the “governor”, “the high priest” and “all you people of the land” (Haggai 2:2). We need spiritual strength in government, in the Church and throughout the land. This strength is needed if we are to build upon the sure foundation of truth. The Lord’s work is to be built up. This can only be done when we stand for the truth in the face of “many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh” (2 John 7). John tells us that we must take care to ensure fruitfulness in the Lord’s work – “Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully” (2 John 8). The danger we must take care to avoid is described pictorially in Haggai 1:6 – “You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” When we hear a message such as this, we must receive it with humility and not with pride – “A man’s pride brin...

'He's a born again Christian.' This phrase suggests that there are some Christians who are born again, and there are  other Christians who are not born again. What are we to make of this? According to Jesus, you cannot be a Christian unless you have been born again. There is no such thing as a Christian, who has not been born again. To be a Christian is to be born again. Jesus doesn't say that some people need to be born again, and other people can be Christians without being born again. Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again" (John 3:3). He doesn't say, 'Being born again might be a good idea for some of you, but there are others for whom it's not really all that important.' Jesus says, "You must be born again" (John 3:7). The new birth can be described in different ways: 'born from above', 'born of the Spirit', 'born anew.' Each phrase teaches us somethin...

“Look to yourselves, that you may not lose what you have worked for, but may win a full reward” (2 John 8). Your work is at stake. Your glory is at stake. Help us, Lord, to keep on going. Help us not to give up. How dare we take it easy when You’re calling us to be earnest? Help us to be more committed to You. Your work will suffer, if we are half-hearted. Lord, help us to love You and serve You with our whole heart.