Jesus Loves Me, How I Know

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Wayne Davies


One of the great themes of Scripture is the love of God.

And one of my favorite songs continues to be the celebration of that love.

 

You know this song, too. Wherever you are right now, go ahead and sing the first line:

“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

Isn’t that a wonderful expression of the truth of God’s Word?

What never ceases to amaze me is the frequency with which Scripture teaches how Jesus loves us. Come with me now and feast on these verses:

“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)

“The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20)

“Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2)

“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25)

“This is how we know what love is: Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16)

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10)

What is the meaning of the love of God? These verses, and many others, answer this question plainly and beautifully: The love of God is expressed most clearly through the death of Christ.

What does the Bible mean when it says, “God loves you”? It means that “Christ died for you.”

And what is our response? In a word – worship. May our hearts be filled with praise, thanksgiving, adoration and celebration of the One who loved us by dying for us, so we could have freedom from the penalty, power and presence of sin in this life and the next.

May the love of God take your breath away, for “It is staggering that God should love sinners; yet it is true” (J.I. Packer).

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 1:5-6)

Do any of these verses resonate in your heart today? If so, leave a comment below. I love feedback!

Perhaps you feel the need to spend time engaged in the following practice:

Commit part of each day this week to reflect on God’s love for you. Find a quiet place to read, meditate on and memorize the Scriptures above that remind you of his love. Be sure to include a time of worship – express your praise and thanksgiving to God for the way he has loved you through the death of his Son.

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What Is Jesus Doing Right Now?

Posted on February 7, 2021 by Wayne Davies

What is Jesus doing right now? Does the Bible provide an answer to that question? I believe it does. According to Scripture, here is what Jesus is doing right now.

Jesus is building his church.
He said so. “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus is sending me and you into the world to proclaim the gospel so that people repent, believe in him, and become disciples who in turn share the truth with those who are perishing. The end result is that the body of Christ continues to grow, both spiritually and numerically, by the empowering work of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is praying for his church.
He said so. “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours” (John 17:9). And so did Paul. “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).

This is a most amazing fact: every day, the Creator of the universe prays for me and for you. Doesn’t that take your breath away?

When Jesus prays for us, do you have any idea what he prays about, specifically? Again, Scripture gives us the answer.

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus prayed this prayer to the Father: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

To “sanctify” means to make holy, or, to make us more like Jesus. And we are sanctified “in” or “by” the truth of God’s Word. No one becomes like Jesus without the teaching and life-changing power of the Word of God. Without the Word, we cannot be transformed into the likeness of Christ. With it, God can and does change us from the inside out to be a “little Christ” (the meaning of the word “Christian”).

Therefore, for the genuine Christian, reading, studying and understanding the Bible is not optional. It is essential to our sanctification.

I hope you see the awesomeness of these two truths: Jesus is building his church, and Jesus is praying for your sanctification. And we get to be a part of this supernatural work of God, the greatest building project the world has ever known.

It’s amazing to me, just amazing. Thinking about it overwhelms me. I get caught up in the wonder of God’s greatness and I get so excited, I hardly know what to do with myself.

So I sit down at the computer and tell you about it. That, too, is a blessing beyond my comprehension. I am so glad to be here to watch it happen. To see Jesus building his church and sanctifying his people is just incredible to me. How about you?

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How to Get 49 Free Christian Books Online

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Wayne Davies

If you have access to the Internet, you can find a boatload of quality Christian eBooks at no charge. This is a blessing that I hope you are taking advantage of. Many of these eBooks will help you understand and apply the teaching of God’s Word. Can there be a better way to utilize the time you spend reading?

I have found so many good resources, it’s hard to decide where to start.

I’ll begin with two of my favorite authors:

R. C. Sproul
Crucial Questions Series (39 eBooks)
This is a great place to get solid Bible teaching from one of America’s most popular Bible teachers.

For immediate access to all the eBooks in this series, click here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0844K1VFW

You’ll find topics like:
Can I Know God’s Will?
Can I Lose My Salvation?
What Does It Mean to Be Born Again
Are These the Last Days?
Can I Be Sure I’m Saved?
Does God Control Everything?
How Should I Think About Money?
What Can I Do With My Guilt?
What Is Repentance?
And many more!

Charles H. Spurgeon
Best known for his preaching, this 19th century British pastor is also the most prolific author in the history of Christianity, by far. Click on this link to find many of his eBooks on Amazon at no cost, or 99 cents.

https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Haddon-Spurgeon/e/B000APSXTK

Here’s a few of my favorite Spurgeon freebies:
The Soul Winner: How to Lead Sinners to the Saviour
Following Christ: Losing Your Life for His Sake
Life in Christ: Lessons from Our Lord’s Miracles and Parables (3 volumes)
The Greatest Fight: Spurgeon’s Urgent Message for Pastors, Teachers and Evangelists
The Heart of the Gospel
The Golden Alphabet: An Exposition of Psalm 119
Words of Warning: For Those Wavering Between Belief and Unbelief
Honest Faith
Spurgeon Gems
Jesus Came to Save Sinners: An Earnest Conversation with Those Who Long for Salvation

Enjoy!

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COVID-19 and the Fear of Death

Posted on January 17, 2021 by Wayne Davies

The headlines in our local newspaper stated the grim facts:

“Death toll reaches 2 million.”

The article then began with these disturbing words: “The global death toll from COVID-19 topped 2 million Friday, crossing the threshold amid a vaccine rollout so immense but so uneven that in some countries there is real hope of vanquishing the outbreak, while in other, less-developed parts of the world, it seems a far-off dream.”

How do you react to news like that?

Do you ever think about death? It’s been in the news for the past year in a way I’ve never seen in my lifetime. We hear about it constantly. The media keeps telling us, every day, how many people died the day before.

It’s also one of the main themes of the Bible.

“People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Jesus talked about death repeatedly. “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8:24).

The purpose of this blog post is to ask you this question:

Are you afraid to die?

Fear of death is a common experience. It’s part of the human condition.

But thanks be to God, Jesus came to save us from both death itself and the fear of death.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Many people are slaves to the fear of death. Wow. That’s quite a statement. And the events of the past year bear witness to that reality, don’t they?

How about you? Are you afraid to die?

I pose that question because I care about you and your eternal destiny.

I had the opportunity to pose that question to one of my closest friends.

You can read the story of that conversation here:

God’s Answer to Man’s Ultimate Question
https://godwrotethebook.com/mans-ultimate-question/

In closing, here is Resolution #9 from Jonathan’s Edwards famous list of 70 resolutions.

“Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.” Thinking much about death motivates me to think much about living each day as if it will be my last. It may be.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is the first in a series of 6 articles that answer the question, “How can I be set free from the fear of death?” Here are the links to all 6 articles:

God’s Answer to Man’s Ultimate Question
https://godwrotethebook.com/mans-ultimate-question/

What Does It Mean to Be Saved?
https://godwrotethebook.com/meaning-of-saved/

How to Receive Salvation
https://godwrotethebook.com/meaning-of-grace-and-faith/

The Meaning of “Not By Works”
https://godwrotethebook.com/meaning-of-not-by-works/

The Meaning of “Good Works”
https://godwrotethebook.com/meaning-of-good-works/

Does Jesus Contradict Paul?
https://godwrotethebook.com/does-jesus-contradict-paul/

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70 Resolutions for 2021

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Wayne Davies
Do you ever make New Year’s resolutions?

I do . . .

Just about every day.

A young man by the name of Jonathan Edwards thought long and hard about what God wanted him to do with his life, and he wrote down 70 resolutions, way back in the early 1700’s.

Edwards went on to become arguably the greatest preacher and theologian in the history of the United States.

Have you ever read these resolutions? They are some of the most God-focused and Christ-honoring words I’ve ever read (outside of the Bible). I highly recommend that you take time to go through them. Pick out a few that you like and use them to stimulate your prayer life, with a view to living every moment of every day for the glory of God. That was the #1 goal of Edwards’ life. May it be ours, too.

To read all 70 resolutions in their original order . . .
http://twominutetheology.com/the-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards/

For an updated version in modern English . . .
https://wdennisgriffith.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/revised-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards/

To listen to them being read . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Pfy8o5Wr4

Here’s an article that sorts the resolutions into categories, such as Overall Life Mission, Good Works, Time Management, Relationships, Suffering, Character, and Spiritual Life (Assurance, The Scriptures, Prayer, The Lord’s Day, Righteousness, Sin and Self-Examination, Communion with God).
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards

Which resolution do you find most helpful? Let me know down below. I love feedback.

My favorite is #9:
“Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.” Thinking much about death motivates me to think much about living each day as if it will be my last. It may be.

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My Favorite Christmas Verse

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Wayne Davies

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

For many, today will be a day of consumption, feeding our bodies with food and other material goods. May this also be a day of much-needed spiritual consumption, feeding our souls with the Word of God and the great truths of the birth of Jesus.

Here’s my favorite Christmas verses:

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Because Jesus left the glory of heaven, we have received spiritual riches of infinite value.

Forgiveness of sins, deliverance from the wrath of a holy God, a reconciled relationship with the Father – these are but three of the countless gifts that come from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, all because He was willing and able to enter our world.

For 10 more verses about the meaning of Christmas, please check out this resource:
10 Key Bible Verses on Christmas.

Why not spend time today reading these familiar yet timeless Scriptures about the plan of God in Christ, along with insights adapted from the ESV Study Bible.
https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-christmas/

What’s your favorite Christmas Bible verse? Please let me know in the comment box below!

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How to Spend Christmas with Jesus This Year

Posted on December 20, 2020 by Wayne Davies

Life is full of distractions. It’s so easy to lose sight of what is most important.

And with Christmas right around the corner, I’m reminded of this now more than ever.

The urgent tasks of today have a way of crowding out the ultimate priorities of eternity.

Christmas is about Christ. It can take intentionality to realize this – a conscious effort, by the grace and power of God, to remove the distractions and focus on the reason for the season.

How will you do that this Christmas?

Please take a few minutes right now and plan how you will focus on Jesus this year.

Here’s one way to do it: Read the biblical passages of the birth of Jesus.

Here they are:
Matthew 1:18-25
Matthew 2:1-23
Luke 1:1-80
Luke 2:1-40

You could read one passage each day over the four days leading up to Christmas. Or you can read all four passages on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. If you’ve never done this before, start a new tradition for yourself and/or your family. Decide on a place and time and have different family members read the various parts. In the Luke passages, for example, you’ll need someone to read the words of the the angel, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Simeon.

Before reading, offer of prayer that asks God to “Open my/our eyes, that I/we may see wonderful things” about Jesus in His Word (Psalm 119:18).

And after you read, spend time reflecting and meditating on the passages by answering a few simple but life-changing questions:
What does this passage teach me about God (Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit)?
What does this passage teach about the promises of God?
What is my response to these teachings?

Write out your answers in a journal, or discuss them with your family. Start a new tradition in your home in which you read these passages every year. What a great way to remember, celebrate and meditate on what this holiday is all about.

What do you say? Perhaps you’ve been wanting to do something like this for years but have been reluctant to do so. Procrastination has a way of circumventing the best of plans. If so, this is the time to take action and establish a new practice to bring Jesus into your life or the life of your family.

God promises to bless the reading of His Word. “As the rain and the snow come down  from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11). Certainly He would love to do so for you this advent season.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!

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50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Earth

Posted on December 20, 2020 by Wayne Davies

One of the best things about Christmas is that it makes me think about another holiday – Good Friday. Jesus came to earth for many reasons, but make no mistake about it, arguably the most important reason for His incarnation was His crucifixion.

Consider these words from the lips of Christ:

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

A ransom is the price one person pays to set another person free from slavery. How did Jesus do that? When he died on the cross, he paid the price to liberate guilty sinners like me and you from the vice-like grip of sin and all its devastating consequences in both this life and the next.

The primary purpose of the birth of Christ was the death of Christ. With or without a pandemic, it’s easy to lose sight of that. Jesus was born to die, so that we might be born again to live.

Amen?

With that unspeakably joyful thought in mind, please take time this Advent season to meditate on the incomparably glorious purpose of the Christmas story.

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Christmas than to fill our minds with the plethora of spiritual blessings accomplished by Jesus on the cross. John Piper’s Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die was written with that endeavor in mind, and it is available for no charge in PDF, Kindle (mobi) and ePub formats here:
https://www.desiringgod.org/books/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die

You can also purchase a paperback copy via the above link (or Amazon). This would make a wonderful Christmas present for any Christ-follower in your life.

Why did Jesus come to earth to die?
— to absorb the wrath of God
— to show the wealth of God’s love and grace for sinners
— for the forgiveness of our sins
— to take away our condemnation
— to make us holy, blameless and perfect
— to give us a clear conscience
— to obtain for us all things that are good for us
— to please His heavenly Father
— to become for us the place where we meet God
— to deliver us from the present evil age

Those are ten of the chapters you’ll find in Piper’s book. And there’s forty more to set your heart on fire with praise and thanksgiving to the God who loves us so much, He gave us the best Christmas present ever – His Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

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35 Psalms of Thanksgiving

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Wayne Davies

Here’s a list of 35 psalms that can jumpstart your day with a focus on gratitude to God for His bountiful harvest of blessings. Each of these Psalms has at least one verse with the word “thank” or “thanks” or “thanksgiving” (in the ESV).  The specific verses with some form of “thank” are indicated in the parenthesis.

Psalm 7                 (17)
Psalm 9                 (1)
Psalm 26               (7)
Psalm 28               (7)
Psalm 30               (4, 12)
Psalm 33               (2)
Psalm 35               (18)
Psalm 44               (8)
Psalm 50               (14, 23)
Psalm 52               (9)
Psalm 54               (6)
Psalm 56               (12)
Psalm 57               (9)
Psalm 69               (30)
Psalm 75               (1)
Psalm 79               (13)
Psalm 86               (12)
Psalm 92               (1)
Psalm 95               (2)
Psalm 97               (12)
Psalm 100             (4)
Psalm 105             (1)
Psalm 106             (1, 47)
Psalm 107             (1, 8, 15, 21, 22, 31)
Psalm 108             (3)
Psalm 111             (1)
Psalm 116             (17)
Psalm 118             (1, 19, 21, 28, 29)
Psalm 122             (4)
Psalm 136             (1, 2, 3, 26)
Psalm 138             (1, 2, 4)
Psalm 140             (13)
Psalm 142             (7)
Psalm 145             (10)
Psalm 147             (7)

A 7-Week Reading Plan to Cultivate Gratitude
Looking for an easy way to increase your thankfulness to God? Over the next 7 weeks, read one psalm from the above list each day, 5 days a week.

For example, during Week 1 you would read the following:

Monday              Psalm 7
Tuesday              Psalm 9
Wednesday        Psalm 26
Thursday            Psalm 28
Friday                 Psalm 30

During Week 2, you’d start with Psalm 33 on Monday and follow the same type of schedule.

Saturday and Sunday could be used to “catch up” (in case you miss a day). Or you can use the weekend to pick your favorite Psalm from that week’s group of five and re-read it. I also urge you to use the weekend to pick out your favorite verse from that Psalm and memorize it. Write out the verse on a 3×5 card and carry it with you over the next week, spending time reciting it and thinking about it during the day. At the end of the seven weeks, you’ll have committed seven verses about gratitude to memory that you can meditate on.

This reading plan will immerse your mind in what God’s Word says about thankfulness. Doing this will renew your mind with a plethora of verses about God’s goodness and will teach you how to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Editor’s Note: This post is an excerpt from Wayne’s book, Jesus: Savior, King, Living Water.

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How to Cultivate a Thankful Heart

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Wayne Davies

Genuine saving faith is characterized by a life of praise and thanksgiving. The true believer is filled with gratitude to God for all His gifts, especially the gift of Himself, and has a compelling desire to express that gratitude by worshipping Jesus.

This is why I’ve become so fond of reading the Psalms. The book of Psalms is the hymnal of God’s people, and we would do well to immerse ourselves in their repeated proclamations of the greatness, love and faithfulness of the Lord.

Psalm 95 is a call to worship that the believing heart is delighted to obey:

1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Over the years, God has convicted me of the sins of self-pity and ingratitude. I find it easy to look around and compare myself to others and covet their situations. Perhaps you know what I’m talking about — the “grass is greener on the other side of the fence” syndrome. This can lead to a negative attitude toward my circumstances, and before long I find myself oblivious to all the blessings of God which I am ignoring. How quickly we can become blind to the goodness of God! I have been guilty of this many times.

The antidote to such spiritual myopia is to look away from myself and turn my attention toward Jesus. And the psalms help me to do that, especially the psalms that focus on praise and thanksgiving.

I did a word study on the topic of “thanksgiving” in the Psalms. In the ESV, there are 35 psalms in which some form of the word “thank” appears (thank, thanks, thanksgiving, thankful). I started reading these psalms in the morning, asking God to help me focus on Him and His praiseworthy attributes. And I can tell you that God is at work in my heart, teaching me much about Himself for which I can worship Him.  (At the end of this post you’ll find a link to a list of these psalms, along with a 7-week reading plan to cultivate a life of gratitude.)

When reading psalms of praise and thanksgiving, the true believer’s heart will resonate with the psalmist’s, and your soul will be filled with joy. At times, while worshipping God for all He is and has done, you will be overwhelmed by the greatness  of God and experience what is described in 1 Peter 1:8 as “an inexpressible and glorious joy” (NIV), or as the KJV puts it, “joy unspeakable.”

I love this verse! And when we unpack the larger context, we find that Peter is writing to Christians who are going through tough times – “for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1:6). What kinds of trials? These believers were being persecuted for their faith: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening . . . If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed . . . If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name” (1 Peter 4:12, 14, 16).

These first century believers were facing opposition from non-believers, yet here is how Peter describes them: “Though you have not seen [Jesus], you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

People of saving faith are people who have joy even when persecuted. And we can experience this joy because regardless of our circumstances, we continue to praise and thank God for providing “the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (v. 9). We can worship God every day in any situation because He is “the rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:2).

Click here for a list of 35 psalms of thanksgiving, along with a 7-week reading plan to cultivate a life of gratitude.

Editor’s Note: This post is an excerpt from Wayne’s book, Jesus: Savior, King, Living Water.

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