Ward's Words | BY WARD PIMLEY

Sharing the Lord's Message of Grace

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Tag: God

  • LIVING AS JESUS LIVED-Watching How We Act and How We Talk

    As followers of Jesus Christ, it’s not enough that we proclaim our faith; we also need to live as He lived, to act and talk in a way that glorifies Him. Why? So we can lead more people to place their trust in Him for their salvation. With His help, we can do all that despite our personal failings.

    • 1 John 2:6 (NKJV) “He who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walked.” 
    • 1 Juan 2:6 (RVR1960) «El que dice que permanece en él, debe andar como él anduvo.»

    Message By Ward Pimley

    You’ve heard that popular saying: “Walk the walk; don’t just talk the talk.”

    You know what it means: It means to be “authentic,” to be the “real deal,” to live out your life, your everyday life, in the same manner, according to the same  guidelines, that you say you do. 1 John 2:6 NLT says it this way: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” 

    As followers of Jesus Christ, we proclaim to the world that we believe in Him, that we listen to Him, and so we also ought to live as He lived. 

    THE BIBLE – Where God’s Answers Meet Man’s Questions

    Since that’s an impossibility — we are not perfect as He is — we need to add the caveat that we *try* to live our lives as He showed us how to live, but that in our failings, when we humbly come to Him and repent of our faults, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins. (1 John 1:9)†

    CHRISTIANITY’S GIFT TO MANKIND

    THAT IS THE REAL GIFT we Christians offer the world.

    That’s why we’re different, and it is in that promise, that relationship with Almighty God, that we are given the greatest gift possible — eternal life in Paradise with God (Luke 23:43; 1 John 2:25).

    Do you know the Lord? Do you really *know* Him? Do you have a personal relationship with Him? If you do, you will enjoy the promise that God, who cannot lie, has made — eternal life with Him. 

    If you do not have a personal relationship with Him, there’s another promise that God, who cannot lie, holds out to you — eternal life without Him.

    If you choose to live in this world with Him, you will spend eternity with Him. If you choose to live in this world without Him, you will spend eternity without Him,

    Which future do *you* want?

    ~PRAYER~

    If you want the peace, the joy, and the abundant life that God promises (John 10:10), then humbly and sincerely recite this prayer (or use your own words expressing the same thought):

    FATHER IN HEAVEN, I am a sinner in need of Your forgiving grace. I believe in Your Son, Jesus Christ, and that He lived a sinless life to become a sacrifice for my sinful heart and then suffered and died on the Cross to bear the wrath that I deserve. Lord, this gift of atonement is so wonderful – I want it for myself. Please forgive me, Lord God, and send Your Holy Spirit into my heart. Become my Savior, but even more than my Savior, come into my heart and be my Lord. With a grateful and believing heart, I pray.

    AMEN

    IF YOU GENUINELY PRAYED THAT PRAYER (OR ONE LIKE IT), WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

    Now that you claim the mantel of God’s adopted child (John 1:12; Romans 8:14), walk as He walked (Galatians 5:25; 1 John 2:6). 

    As you enter your new life as a disciple of Jesus Christ, please make it a priority to:

    1. Open your Bible daily and read His inspired word  (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21), 
    2. Pray daily to the loving Father (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Romans 12:12), and 
    3. Live for Him daily in your personal walk (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). 

    YOU’LL BE BLESSED IF YOU DO (REVELATION 1:3).

    †Unless otherwise marked, Bible references are to the NIV Bible (2011 copyright).

  • JESUS IS OUR HEAVENLY ADVOCATE

    WHAT AN AMAZING ASSURANCE! Jesus is our Advocate in Heaven, speaking on our behalf to the Father.

    • I John 2:1 (NKJV) “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
    • 1 Juan 2:1 (NTV) “Mis queridos hijos, les escribo estas cosas, para que no pequen; pero si alguno peca, tenemos un abogado que defiende nuestro caso ante el Padre. Es Jesucristo, el que es verdaderamente justo.”

    Weekly Message By Ward Pimley

    WHAT AN AMAZING ASSURANCE! Jesus is our Advocate in Heaven, speaking on our behalf to the Father. That is so important, because as we read in the Book of Job (Job, Chapters 1-2) and even now is in Heaven accusing us of all manner of sins and disobedience (1 Peter 5:8; Rev. 12:10).

    “Did you see that!” Satan points out. “Did you see what John did, what Sally said, what Bob and Heather are doing! Hold their actions, their words, against them!”

    Jesus Is Our Advocate Before the Father

    Yet Jesus is speaking on behalf of those — don’t miss this point — who trust Him for their salvation. The Bible tells us that those of us who know Jesus as our Savior are the true children of God, and those are the ones for whom Jesus advocates.

    That means that if ~you~ have come to Jesus and received Him into your heart, confessing your sin to Him and repenting in sorrow, He will send the Holy Spirit to wash you clean of impurity, to guide you into all righteousness, and to hold you tight as a guarantee of your salvation.

    Plus, and this is the bonus part, Jesus will ~advocate~ for you, on your behalf, to the Father and thwart the vicious claims against you levied by the Enemy.

    “Yes,” He will tell the Father, “John did this, and Sally said that, and Bob and Heather were wrong, but, Father, ~they are with Me.~ They are mine! I have paid the price for their sin. I am holding them in My hand for all eternity.”

    My friends, it doesn’t get any better than that.

    LIFE CHANGING MOMENT

    IF YOU HAVE NOT TURNED your life over to the Great Promise of Life and Redemption, would you do so now? Here’s what you should do: Pray with me (or use your own words to mean the same thing).

    Heavenly Father, I am a sinful man/woman in need of grace. I am sorry for my sin and seek the redemption and cleansing that is possible only through the blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son, which was shed on the Cross for me. Lord, forgive me and have mercy on me. Come into my heart now as my Savior and as my Lord, and transform me to walk as You walk. Lord, I pray this humbly in the name of Jesus. AMEN

    IF YOU HAVE PRAYED THAT PRAYER (or one like it) and genuinely mean it, then Welcome to the Kingdom of God! You are now a true child of God, and your soul is forever held in the hands of the Father and the Son, with the Holy Spirit as your down payment, as your guarantee of a future reward. Now, go and tell someone about what God has done for you and how God can do the same thing for him (her).

    May God bless you as you go …

    PRAYER

    ABBA FATHER, Thank You for giving us an advocate, who speaks on our behalf, assuring You that our sin has been washed clean by His blood and that we are now spotless in Your eyes. Lord, that assurance gives us great comfort as we hold dear to Your promises of forgiveness, grace, mercy, and eternal joy with You. Lord, remove all barriers between us so our fellowship with You will be restored and never shattered, that we will hear Your voice, Lord, and You will hear our prayers. Lord, we offer this prayer in the magnificent name of Your Son and our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

    AMEN

  • MY FATHER IS ALWAYS WORKING

    Jesus, in His earthly ministry, did not talk to us about rest. He talked to us about our mission, our ministry, our witnessing—in short, our work.

    MESSAGE BY WARD PIMLEY

    IF YOU WERE TO ASK ME to describe a perfect week, or even a day, no doubt I would conjure up a restful spot, probably near the ocean with a bright sun and low humidity, and I would be lounging in a comfortable chair sipping a cool drink.

    30s-SOMETHING COUPLE RELAXING BY THE LAKE

    Oh, sure, there are varieties of that image; for example, a mountainside retreat overlooking a verdant valley, or an early morning with the Bible and a steaming hot cup of coffee, but even those are not much different from the first image.

    In all three scenarios, I would be at rest.

    Yet, Jesus, in His earthly ministry, did not talk to us about rest. He talked to us about our mission, our ministry, our witnessing—in short, our work.

    We are to learn from Him and follow Him:

    • Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” — John 5:17 (NLT)

    • Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. — Colossians 3:23 (NKJV)

    • Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. — Galatians 6:4 (CSB)

    Henry Blackaby, in his book Experiencing God (Kindle edition, loc. 1767), put it this way:

    “In Scripture, you never find God asking people to dream up what they want to do for Him. He never urges His people to set impressive goals and generate grand visions for Him and His kingdom.”

    ~WILLING SERVANTS~

    IN FACT, IN SCRIPTURE, we find God TELLING people what He wants them to do.

    Here’s King David looking for men to step up and pledge their allegiance to the Lord:

    • 1 Chronicles 29:5b (NKJV): “Who [then] is willing to consecrate himself this day to the LORD?”

    God is always on mission, and His mission is to reconcile a broken world of disobedient humans to Himself—-men and women created in His image for His glory, who in misguided pride, prefer to serve their own desires, not the Creator’s.

    In the next verse, God gives us the response He expects:

    • 1 Chronicles 29:6 (NKJV): “Then the leaders of the households, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.”

    Don’t miss the key words “Gave willingly.” Not only did they give, which was what God wanted them to do, but they gave “willingly” from the heart.

    ~PRAYER FOR PEACE~

    If you want the peace and joy that comes only from giving “willingly” to God’s design for your life, then would you join me in this prayer (or use similar words):

    “LORD GOD, I am so lost. I feel an emptiness inside that I know only You can fill. Would You come into my heart and rescue me from myself and the world’s influence on my life. Lord, forgive me for how I’ve rejected You and gone my own way. I am a sinner lost in time, and I claim the promise that is mine when Christ took my sins upon Himself and suffered on the Cross for me. Lord, forgive me and give me new life.” AMEN

    If you prayed that prayer (or one similar) and genuinely meant it, then Welcome to the Kingdom of God, your Creator and Sustainer!

    From this day on, you are a new creature; the old has been washed away, replaced by the new.

    To keep on the straight path, determine to do these things daily:

    1) Read Your Bible.

    2) Pray To God.

    3) Fellowship With Other Believers.

    GO TELL SOMEONE WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU!

    PRAYER

    GOD’S HOLY WORD
    GOD’S HOLY WORD

    HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU for the gift of life through the shed blood of Your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We lift up those, Lord, who have come to You in trust for their salvation that they may know of Your unending love, Your unqualified forgiveness, and Your beneficial commands. Lord, we honor You, we praise You, we love You, and we worship You. In Jesus’ name.

    AMEN