Tag Archives: blessings

Do Faithful Christians Suffer?

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Some have been persuaded by false teachings or simply their own misunderstanding that by having “enough faith” and “claiming God’s promises” he or she will be blessed with good health, prosperity, and a life free of serious trials. But does God’s word in fact support the idea that a faithful Christian will experience such a physical lifetime in this age?

Despite the fact that some proponents of what has been called the “prosperity gospel” have garnered huge followings and massive amounts of money encouraging a distorted idea of what the Bible teaches in respect to how God works in our lives, one who takes a view such as described above is bound to be disappointed at some point in his or her life.

While God certainly does promise blessings for faithful obedience to his word, it’s also clear from the teachings and examples found in Scripture that the life of a genuine Christian in this age is challenging, and often calls for courage, sacrifice, and suffering. Why does God allow suffering, even for the faithful, and how may we profit from the trials we encounter as we strive to please and serve God?

Copyright © 2024 by Messenger Church of God

Unless otherwise noted Scripture taken from the New King James VersionTM
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

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Keep the Sabbath

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The Sabbath was made holy at the time of the creation, or the restoration of the earth to a habitable condition, and the renewing of life on the earth, as described in Genesis 1. The Israelites, most if not all of whom had forgotten the Sabbath command and lost track of when the Sabbath occurs, had the Sabbath revealed to them in the wilderness, before they reached Mt. Sinai (Exodus 16). The Sabbath had been, like a number of other commandments of God, a commandment from the time of creation.

The Sabbath command included specific blessings for obedience, and curses and punishment for disobedience. Yet most of the Israelites, and of course the rest of mankind, over the course of history did not take it seriously, disregarded it, and have suffered curses as a result.

The Sabbath was not just for the Jews, and the command to keep the Sabbath, not on just any day of the week, and not on Sunday, but on the day God himself sanctified and made holy, is still in force today, and will be kept by all nations after Jesus Christ returns to establish the reign of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Learn more about what the Bible teaches about the Sabbath, its history and future.

“Keep the Sabbath” audio recording by Rod Reynolds, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

cogmessenger.org

Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

Why Did God Choose Israel — Part 2

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Because of the faith of their forefathers God chose Israel. But not only for the sake of Israel. Through them the world was to have an example, and be blessed as well. Israel failed to be the example God desired, but God will ultimately bring salvation to the peoples of Israel and all nations as Scripture explains.

“Why-Did-God-Choose-Israel-part-2” COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Right and Wrong: Who Decides?

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When Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as President of the United States on March 4, 1861, seven states in the South had already declared their secession from the Union. Despite what you may have heard or read to the contrary, the reason for secession was the question of slavery. Lincoln stated it in his inaugural address: “One section of our country believes slavery is right, and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong, and ought not to be extended. This is the only substantial dispute.”

While whether slavery should be extended or not was the immediate political issue of the moment, the contention actually went deeper. There were many abolitionists who felt that slavery such as it existed in the United States at the time was a moral wrong, an evil that should be not just limited but abolished. Many abolitionists had in fact supported the proposition in the 1840’s that states favoring the abolition of slavery should separate from the South (en.wikipedia.org, “Secession in the United States,” retrieved July 17, 2020).

There were two starkly different views, as Lincoln said, of right and wrong. Who is to decide what is right and wrong?

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Blessings For Which to be Thankful

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We must not become insensible to the blessings God gives us. Indeed, we ought to make a conscious effort every day to think about ways in which we are blessed, and thank God for our blessings.

“Blessings For Which to be Thankful” by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.