WHAT DO YOU MEDITATE ON?

Let my meditation be pleasing to Him;
As for me, I shall be glad in the Lord.
Let sinners be consumed from the earth
And let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!

Psalms 104:34-35

Introduction

When the word meditation is used what do you think about?  Do you think about a person who sets with their legs crossed and arms spread straight out touching their knees with their middle finger touching their thumb while humming?  Or maybe you think about someone in another position with an instructor repeatedly telling them to empty their minds while focusing on nirvana.  If any of these or a variation of them is what you think about you are not thinking about what the Psalmist meant, or what any other Biblical writer meant by the use of the term “meditation.”  What you are attributing to the Scriptures is Hindu, Yoga, Buddhist and other forms of Asian cultist thoughts.

The Biblical View of Meditation

So what is Biblical meditation? And how can it affect our lives in the year 2017 or at any time in our lives?  The term “meditation” is used twelve times in the book of Psalms.[i]  The word “meditation” used here and in other places in the Psalms is שִׂיחִי (siyach {see'-akh}) which means to contemplate[ii]  or to repeatedly think about.  In other words there is a deep contrast between the idea of emptying yourself of something as Yoga teaches and thinking repeatedly or contemplating something over and over as the Biblical writers are encouraging.

So how important is it to meditate and what are we as Christians to meditate on?  First, since this term is brought up more than once in the Psalms I would say it’s pretty important.  And given the number of writers in the Psalms would make this even more pronounced.  Right from the start the Psalmist notes the need for meditation, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” (1:1-2).  The importance is declare at the very first.  

But this meditation is not just about anything!  Look at the passage, “Let my meditation be pleasing to Him…”  The word used for “pleasing” in the NASB is translated as “sweet” in the KJV.  It “…is usually rendered ‘pledge’ or surety’ and carries the idea of a mortgage.”[iii]  In other words this meditation is a commitment not just something that is randomly done when the moment strikes.

A hard look at this Psalm gives us a very strong indication of what the writer was contemplating.  It also gives us some very good insight that while Eastern meditation habits teaches us to get rid of the negative in our lives, the Bible teaches us not to ignore the negative.  Rather to deal with the crisis by meditating on the Person and work of God in our lives.  Let’s look and see what the Psalmist meditated on:

1. 1He meditated on the majesty of God (vv. 1-4) 
2. He meditated on the creation of the world by God (vv. 5-9) 
3. He meditated on the provision of God to every part of creation (vv. 10-23) 
4. He meditated on the work of God in creation (vv. 24-30)

It was meditation that was pleasing to God, because it was committed to thinking about what God had done in light of properly think about who He is.

This leads us to our final thought:

What Should We Meditate On?

I reiterate that Biblical meditation does not mean to ignore the negative that maybe going on in our lives.  Rather it seeks to find the answer to three key questions while concentrating on the Person and work of God through Jesus Christ in our lives.  Over the last several years, while going through one situation after another, I lost track of my purpose in what I was going through.  I forgot about these questions.  I began to ignore God’s purposes and allowed myself to start to move toward the dark places in my mind and heart.  Through thinking about this Psalm, God opened my heart back up to Him.  Those questions are:

• ·         How is God going to receive the glory in this situation?

• ·         How can God use me in this situation to make a difference for His kingdom?

• ·         Can God’s majesty be seen in my life as I walk through this moment in time?

In the meantime here are some things we may want to put to the forefront of our mind as we are walking through difficult circumstances.  In fact if we are not going through the fires of life, we may be walking through an event with someone.

1.       God has not abandoned us (Isaiah 41:10); 
2. God’s love for us can be seen through the wrath that He poured out on His Son Jesus Christ while He suffered on the cross for our sins (Romans 3:25); 
3. God did not stop by just allowing His Son to die for us, but raised Him from the dead (physically) three days later, giving all who believe eternal life (Romans 10:9-10); 
4. God gives us His Holy Spirit so that we have both a guarantee into eternal life and the power to live for Him in this present life (Ephesians 1:13-14, 5:18);
5. The Lord is constantly praying for us (Romans 8:26; Hebrews 7:25); 
6.  Nothing can separate us from Him (Romans 8:26-38); 
7. God gives us others to help us through His local churches (Hebrews 10:24); 
8. The Lord Jesus will return for us someday (John 14:1-6).

I am certain there are many, many other things that could be added to this list.  The key importance is that as we walk through difficulty we do so by being committed to meditating on Him from the scriptures.  This should be our utmost desire.  With this we will glorify Him, be used for the purpose of building His kingdom, and other’s will see God’s majesty in our lives!

NEXT WEEK:  BEING GLAD IN THE LORD

His Servant with You,

Steven Swaim

President & Founder, Be Devoted Ministries

If you have any speaking engagements in which you would like for me to speak, feel free and contact me at StevenSwaim@BeDevotedMinistries.com.  Please place “Speaking Engagement” in the subject line.  I will need a contact phone number, date of the event, and the place in which I will be speaking.  All other arrangements will be made when contact is initiated by me. 

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[i] Homer Heathers, Jr., The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.  Hendrickson Publishing, Peabody, Massachusetts, 1982, Pg. 393.

[ii] http://qbible.com/hebrew-old-testament/psalms/104.html

[iii] John Phillips, Exploring The Psalms, Volume Two Psalms 89-150.  Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, New Jersey, 1988, Pg. 137

WHEN THE TRUTH STARTS TO COME OUT

I have spoken out against the homosexual agenda for many years, especially where the Biblical text stands.  Within the last year I released several articles dealing with a pamlet called The Politics Of Homosexuality.  This pamplet was the starting point for a moment that has been associated with destroying much of what the world considers the norm dealing with sexuality, family life and marriage.  The article that I am about to present to you came across my desk several weeks ago.  I am very appreciative of those who forwarded it to me.  It is a story that is rarely told and needs to be heard and read.  For all the homophobia mess that many claim leads to those of the same sex persuation being mistreated there are stories like this one which get surpressed.  It is the other side of the coin.  It is the side that I have personally noted in personally dealing with those who are locked up in homosexual behavior...anger and violence.  Please read this with an open understanding that not everyone in the same sex movement shows this kind of behavior but I'm afraid that it is stories such as this that get covered up while those who are intellectually honest about the issue are called names in the media.  Let me further say that I am not, nor to I agree with Catholism, but I believe that what Biship Thomas Paprocki brings out dealing with what happened is important.  My special thanks to CNS.com for this piece.

Bishop: Catholic Mom Murdered by Gay Man ‘Died a Martyr for Her Faith’

July 11, 2013 - 9:37 PM

By Michael W. Chapman

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                                                                                                                                          Bishop Thomas Paprocki,
                                                                                                                            head of the Catholic diocese of Springfield, Illinois.

(CNSNews.com) – A Catholic mother who  

was brutally murdered by a gay man because
she challenged him about his homosexual lifestyle
“died as a martyr for her faith,” according to
Bishop Thomas Paprocki, head of the Catholic
diocese in Springfield, Ill., who also said the
woman’s “murder was widely ignored by the
media,” apparently for political reasons.                              



The woman, Mary Stachowicz, a 51-year-old mother of four children and devout Catholic, was beaten, stabbed, raped, and strangled to death by then-19-year-old Nicholas Gutierrez on Nov. 13, 2002. He then wrapped her body in plastic and stuffed it under the floorboards of his apartment. After his arrest, Guttierrez gave a videotaped statement to police saying “he attacked Stachowicz after she confronted him for being a homosexual,” reported the Chicago Tribune.

According to the defense attorney, Stachowicz apparently had asked Gutierrez, “Why do you sleep with boys?”

Bishop Paprocki spoke about Stachowicz and her 2002 death during a discussion about same-sex marriage sponsored by the Jesuit Alumni in Arizona group, in Phoenix, on May 31 of this year. In his opening remarks, the bishop talked about the extensive coverage by the media given to the murder of Matthew Shephard, who was killed partly because he was gay, and contrasted that with the minimal coverage given to the Stachowicz case, a mother killed because she shared her Catholic beliefs with another person.

As the bishop said: "A Google search on the Internet for the name 'Matthew Shepard' at one time produced 11,900,000 results. Matthew Shepard was a 21-year-old college student who was savagely beaten to death in 1998 in Wyoming. His murder has been called a hate crime because Shepard was gay.


Mary Stachowicz (1951-2002)

“A similar search on the Internet for the name ‘Mary Stachowicz’ yielded 26,800 results. In 2002, Mary Stachowicz was also brutally murdered, but the circumstances were quite different.

“Mary, the gentle, devout 51-year-old Catholic mother of four urged her co-worker, Nicholas Gutierrez, 19, to change his gay lifestyle. Infuriated by this, as he later told police, he allegedly beat, stabbed and strangled her to death and then stuffed her mangled body in a crawl space in his apartment, located above a Chicago funeral home, where they both worked.

“I know about Mary Stachowicz, not from the Internet, but personally, because Mary was my secretary at the parish where I was pastor before I was named a bishop.

“She worked part time at the funeral home and part time at the parish. One afternoon, she didn’t show up at her usual starting time. This was unusual because she was always on time. A call to the funeral home disclosed that her car was still in their parking lot and her purse with her car keys was still at her desk, but there was no sign of Mary.

“As Mary’s family and friends prayed and worried about her disappearance, Gutierrez prayed with them. Three days later, her mutilated body was discovered in a crawl space in his apartment.

“Both murders were senseless and brutal, and I condemn them both unequivocally. However, the fact that there are over eleven-and-a-half million more Internet stories about Matthew Shepard than Mary Stachowicz indicates where popular sentiment lies today on the question of same-sex relationships.

“Shepard’s story has received such widespread attention because his homosexuality was the chief motive for his murder.

“Mary’s murder was widely ignored by the media, despite the fact that she died as a martyr for her faith.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines martyrdom as “the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude. "Let me become the food of the beasts, through whom it will be given me to reach God." (2473)

Nicholas Gutierrez was convicted of the murder of Mary Stachowicz and sentenced to life in prison in 2007. In July 2010, Bishop Paprocki gave his official approval, imprimatur, to a prayer that describes Mary Stachowicz as “pure of heart and devoted to chastity” and that if it is God’s will, “she be glorified by the Church” as a saint.

AN EASTER THOUGHT

Here are some thoughts about what the Lord Jesus went through the crucifixion on our behalf.  Some of the timeline maybe off but it's in the right time frame.  Hope you enjoy!

On Thursday night:

Around 6:00 our time while many us are having dinner or watching TV or spending time doing various things two thousand years earlier our Lord Jesus would have been spending the evening with the disciples celebrating the Passover and instituting the Lord's Supper.

Sometime around 9:00 while many of us were getting ready for bed or finishing up our daily tasks the Lord and His disciples would have been making their way to the garden of Gethsemane.   While there He would agonize in prayer over the death He was about to face on the cross.

During that time Judas would be conspiring with Sanhedrin to bring the Lord to trial on trumped up charges of blaspheme. 

Friday morning:

Around 12:00 a.m. our time while many of us are sound asleep in the comfort of our own beds, two thousand years earlier a group of temple guards follow Judas to locate Jesus and bring Him to the Sanhedrin.  The great betrayal has occurred!!

At 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning most of us sleep restfully in our beds, but the Lord would just begin  monkey trail set up against Him.

By 6:00 a.m. while some of us are starting to get up to start the day, the kangaroo court that had Jesus is now dismissed.  Peter denied the Lord three times and Judas hanged himself.  Now the Pharisees would take Jesus to Pilate, Governor over the region.

By 7:00 a.m. while the rest of us are getting up, Jesus would have been carried to Pilate.  Here He will be falsely accused and Pilate will cross-examine Him.  Afterward Pilate will send Him to King Herod.

Around 8:00 when most of us have had our day well under way, the Lord would have been in the presence of King Herod who would mock Him and want Him to preform miracles.  King Herod would quickly get tired of Him and send Him back to Pilate.

About 9:00 while we move along our daily tasks the Lord would be back before Pilate.  After a small exchange the infamous question would be asked of the crowd regarding Jesus or Barabbas.  The crowd calls for Barabbas' release and for Jesus crucifixion.

By 10:00 a.m. the Lord is going to be mocked and beaten.  At some point He will begin His move down the way of suffering.

Around 11:00 a.m. while some of us are preparing for lunch, the Lord would have been in the process of being hanged on the cross.

Between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. while we mill around with our daily lives, the Lord would hang on the cross.  He would suffer, bleed, be made fun of, spat on, called names, laughed at, and take on our sins.  It would be six hours of pure agony and pain.  Not minutes, but hours would be spent on this cross on our behalf.  Temporarily He will loose His eternal fellowship with God the Father so that if we believe on Him alone we will not suffer that same lose.

Around 6:00 p.m. while many of us get ready to eat our evening meals and spend the time with family and friends, Joseph of Arimathea would ask for the Lord's body.  His body would have been taken off of the cross, prepared for burial and laid in Joseph's tomb.

After the burial (say sometime close to 8:00 p.m.) while many of us are winding up the last day of the week, the disciples are on the run and hiding.

Saturday:

While we enjoy the day doing whatever it is we need to do, the disciples would be in hiding for fear of their lives.  But the Sanhedrin have other concerns.  They go to Pilate requesting guards be placed at the tomb.  They, unlike the disciples, remember Jesus' claim of resurrection after the third day and fear the disciples may try and steal the body claiming resurrection.  Guards are dispatched, nobody look for  disciples.

Sunday morning:

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.
 (Matthew 28:1-8)

The rest is HIStory!!!!!

Let me know what you think!

Happy Easter,

Steven Swaim
President and Founder, Be Devoted Ministries

WELCOME TO 2013

INTRODUCTION

My title sounds somewhat like a bad 1980s or 1990s song, but it is what it says.  The year of 2012 has moved on and is gone and 2013 is here to take its place.  2012 was marked by some remarkable things this year that were both negative and some very interesting positives.  It was filled with chaos and with strategic movements; a time of sadness and extreme gladness.  We witnessed the brutal slaughter of people in the Colorado Springs movie theater and the horrific heartlessness of a selfish, unkind butchering of small children as well as a number of the staff at Sandy Hook Elementary.  We lived through one of the most brutal election years in the history of our nation.  And we see a nation that is beginning to shift to a more socialistic way of thinking prompted by its ongoing selfish desire to get something for nothing.  But in the midst of it all there is God and His goodness, providing for His people every day in every way.  2013 provides a place for a short stop to review life in 2012 and symbolizes that life moves one with reckless abandonment of the past.  We can do nothing about what happened in 2012, but with God’s grace and help we can move into 2013 with the perspective of changing the world around us.

FOCUS

So in order to move forward into a new year what should we do?  Hebrews 12:1-3 gives us the answers: 

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  ³ For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

There are four things that we can take from this passage which helps us understand how to move forward remembering what we have learned and lived through this past year.

THOSE WHO HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST STILL CHEERING US ON

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,…”-v. 1a

You have to read Hebrews 12 in the context of Hebrews 11.  In Hebrews 11 the writer had taken the time to note specific examples of people from the Old Testament who walked with God in the Old Testament in faith.  Some of these people lived life in the mundane while others lived it in castles as kings.  Some suffered and endured while others prospered gaining notoriety.  Yet others died for their faith in some very tragic ways.  Regardless these saints believed, trusted God, taking Him at His word that there was something better waiting for them in the life to come.  They made it and now Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, David, Isaiah, and others are declared by the author as cheering the Jewish believers of his day on.  They are described as looking from the portals of Heaven yelling, “Don’t give up!  Don’t give in!  Don’t surrender!  Keep the faith!”  Those in the days of the writing of Hebrews were being tempted to go back and serve God in ritualism, but the writer wants it understood that service can only be done by faith like those of old.  The Old Testament believers are raising their voices in opposition to them quitting.  They demand that they move forward in faith and do it with recklessness that screams out Who they belong to and the need to believe in Him for eternal life.

LIFE IS A CROSS COUNTRY RACE NOT A 100 YARD/200 METER DASH

“…let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”-v. 1b

As a result of this cheering crowd ushering them along they were encouraged to give up those things which interfere with their life in Christ.  First, it notes that they were to, “…lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us,…”  In the original Olympics those who were training for a race would prepare with rocks tied around their feet.   But when it came time to run the actual race they would take these rocks off.  Because they had been training with heavy weights on their feet many times their ankles and other areas of the lower calf would be strengthened, giving them more power to run with.  It also meant that when they ran the real race without the weights they would run lighter.  The writer encouraged them to do away with “every encumbrance”.  To his original audience he is clearly telling them that the weight of the sacrificial law needed to be set aside.  The temple ritual which they were being tempted to re-enter is classified as unnecessary because of the cross of Christ.  In fact the author had already dealt with this in some degree in chapter 9:14, “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse you conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”  In other words Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was sufficient enough to have a relationship with God when we trust Him for salvation.  The point goes even deeper when we look at it from the point of view of Hebrews 11; none of the saints mentioned started or cultivated their relationship with Yahweh through the law, but rather through faith.

Second, the audience is told that they needed to throw off any sin which may cling or ensnare them.  The NASB translates it as entangling.  The nature of sin, the propensity to walk against God, is what separated them from God to begin with.  The Law could not answer the issue, but made things worse by bringing to everyone the whole issue of rebellious nature.[1] But once someone becomes a part of Christ through faith then sin is something that has been forgiven and should not have complete authority.[2]  However humanity will slip and fall into those things which the nature of rebellion will dictate and forgiveness will be needed.[3]  Here the exhortation is clear, do away with the sin of faithlessness.

Third, they are encouraged to run the race which was set before them.  Not everyone was going to face the challenges the way they were going to face them.  Each challenge was set for each generation and specifically for each person based on the way God wanted to proclaim through them His Gospel.  They were unique in one sense, but not so unusual in another.[4]

KEEPING OUR EYES ON THE GOAL IS IMPORTANT

“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,…”-v. 2a

The author continues his exhortation to those Jewish believers who are tempted to re-enter temple worship by “fixing our eyes on Jesus.”  Other translations state “looking to Jesus.”[5]  However none of the translations capture the full meaning that is given in the Greek.  The term that is translated as “fixing” or “looking” gives credence to the idea of radical abandonment that was discussed above.  It is the participle ἀφορῶντες (aphorontes) which means “to stop paying attention to other things in exchange for giving full attention to something else.”[6]  In other words here the writer wants the audience to stop looking at the distraction of the Law, temple worship, and the persecution they are going through and start giving their full focus on Jesus.

Now the question may be easily asked as to why they should do this?  The answer is given by the author, because Jesus is, “…the author and perfecter of faith,…”  The faith of the Old Testament believers which had been spoken of in chapter 11 was perfected or the maturated through Jesus Christ.  The same would be of those who were presently being written to.  Their faith was given to them from Jesus since He is the source of their faith (“author”), therefore He would be the reason that their faith would continue to mature or be perfected or finished.  He becomes the soul source for their continual existence in sharing the Gospel with those around them.

BEING MINDFUL OF THE SUFFERING OF OUR SAVIOR KEEPS SELFISH AMBITION AWAY

“…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”-v. 2b-3

An even deeper reason is given for this complete focus onto Jesus, His sacrifice.  They are to stop and focus on Him not only because of Who He is, but also what He has done.  Jesus joyfully endured the cross.  In other words He did not run from the cross, but willingly went to it knowing what He was about to face.  Because He knew that the outcome of the pain and agony that He so desperately did not want to go through (“despising the shame”) would have greater value than not going through it at all.  The result would be that He would have His place restored to Him in Heaven after His bodily resurrection.  It was a place of distinguished honor and a place of prayerful interceding for all of humanity, especially those who had believed in Him.  By focusing on both the Person and work of the Lord Jesus the Hebrew believers would be challenged to reconsider their actions dealing with their persecution.  Because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross they are encouraged not to “grow weary and lose heart” amidst their situations.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US?

For those of us who know Jesus the application to the passage is relatively simple.  In fact if we are not careful when looking at this passage the applications can come too quickly.  So let’s look at what these verses maybe saying to us dealing with this New Year.

First, we need to remember that others have already traveled where we are going.  Someone at some time has already gone through what we are going through or are about to go through.  It’s important to remember this because when we become discouraged we can turn to Scripture and find the comfort as well as confidence that God will see us through our circumstances.  For instance if God was with Joseph and working through his life in the book of Genesis then we can conclude, if we walk with God, the same is true of us.  It is also important to understand that everyone who has gone to Heaven ahead of us knows what is to come in the future and is cheering us on to keep the faith.

Second, life is not a sprint.  It is a long cross country race.  There are no short cuts, no easy life, and no quick fixes.  Things will happen and people will treat us wrong.  Life is painful but God gives us the needed dynamics to run the race in a way that pleases Him.  What we need to do is not allow the world around us or the desires within us to overtake us.  If either or both of them do then we will find ourselves running the race in a way that is displeasing to God and filled with His correction.  Those things which encumber us and the sin with trips us up need to go and in each situation those things are nothing more than acts of unbelief, a faithless moment.

Third, if we are to ignore what the world is calling out to us and suppress our own sinful desire what are we to do?  Focus on the goal!  Focus or give full attention to Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for us.  The race we run is filled with obstacles, but Jesus is leading the way.  He is doing more than just standing at the end of the track calling out our name, but He is running ahead of us encouraging us all the way.  As we run in faith we also start carrying others with us.  If we deviate then we lose those who may have potentially followed.  One of my favorite movie scenes is from Facing The Giants where a young inexperienced football kicker’s dad rolls out to the end of the goal posts in his wheel chair.  He then stands with hands raised.  The son stops concentrating on the must win goal that he needs to make and looks to his loving father.  The kick is made and the game is won.  While the movie is untrue the reality is that our Savior encourages us on.  If He gave us the faith to trust Him for salvation, surely He can give us the faith to trust Him in the long race we are running.

Forth, being mindful of our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross can be humbling.  When there are things that we don’t want to do in order to build His Kingdom, we must be mindful of all He did even though He didn’t want to do it.  Sacrifice is called for and is uncomfortable, but it is necessary in order for faith to be seen.  Paul calls us “living sacrifices” in Romans 12:1.  Paul even notes in the middle of the most beautiful passages of all Scripture (Romans 8) the ugly reality that “…we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[7]  By giving up our lives, we live.  And no one else would understand this better than the Lord Jesus.

It is important that we do not lose our focus.  It is also important that we understand why we should keep that focus.  Either way we will be tempted and tested this coming year.  But we should always keep faith by trusting that it is our Lord who will walk with us throughout the rest of the long race we have to run.

Let me know what you think.

His Servant Together With You,

Steven Swaim

President and Founder, Be Devoted Ministries

All Scriptures quoted are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

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[1] Romans 3:19-20; 6:19; 7:5,7-12

[2] Romans 6:5-7

[3] 1^st John 1:9

[4] Paul notes in 1^st Corinthians 10:13 that everyone is tempted with the same things while the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 2:18 and 4:25 brings out that Jesus was tempted in the same manner as we are.

[5] ESV, NJKV

[6] Stephen D. Renn.  Expository Dictionary of Bible Words. Hendrickson Publishers, Pebody, MS.  2005. Pg. 869

[7] Romans 8:36b