John 15:9-10 (NKJV) 9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Now that we have had a refresher, and we have been reminded of the foundations of what salvation is and what it is not, let us move on to talk about what God asks of us once we become His child.

This is something good for all of us to ponder on because it can be easy to get off track and lose sight of the foundational things that our faith was built on.

So, now you are a child of God.

What next? How does this new life in Christ work?

The first answer to that is found above, as Jesus said that if we love Him, we should keep His commandments.

To clarify, this is about more than following a set of rules. Jesus wasn’t referring to simply following the 10 Commandments and living happily ever after.

He was implying that anyone who claims to love Him should prove it by willingly following the ways that He taught us.

What did He teach us?

To keep our priorities in order, always putting God first in everything.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

If we can get this one thing right, so many other things about our lives will fall into place.

And how do we know what He asks of us when it comes to keeping Him first?

We use the “tool” that He supplied us with; His Word!

The Bible is our handbook for life; a user’s manual that gives us knowledge and understanding in every topic we need to grow and mature in Christ.

It is more than just a book with printed pages. It is alive and breathing; a timeless word from God to the world, sharing His love and magnificence with anyone who will take the time to read it and seek the treasures that are contained within its pages.

We urge you to make the time to get into His word. Treat it as it should be treated; like something that is necessary for our survival.

And as we consistently put Him first by learning of Him, we will begin to see ourselves change, from the inside, out, as God replaces our thoughts with His thoughts, our heart with His heart, and our desires with His desires.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

John 3:16 (NKJV) 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Sometimes it is good for us to remember and reflect on the foundations of our faith.

Life gets busy, and as we walk through our day-to-day things, we can sometimes get sidetracked and forget Who we are children of and what our faith is really about.

So, over the next several days, we will be walking through our new Essentials of Faith series. We hope you enjoy it, learn from it, and are reminded of what our walk with God is about.

Let’s get started!

John 3:16 is one of the most often quoted verses in the entirety of God’s word. And there is a good reason for this.

These words spoken by Jesus take us past all the dos and don’ts that people often get hung up on when they think of God.

He wanted us to know that God is a God of love, not just a God of laws and regulations, as was so often perceived by the Jews.

You see, the Jewish leaders so frequently expounded on the tenets of The Law, they completely tossed out the love of God. Sadly, this was done partially because it made keeping the Jews under their control much easier.

But Jesus came to swing the wrecking ball, so to speak, destroying the narrative of the Jewish leadership and showing who God really is.

He was, after all, Emmanuel, God in the flesh walking among us.

This should also serve as a reminder to each of us that God’s love is the source of our salvation, not our own righteousness.

Our own righteousness is worthless, as so accurately stated by the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV) 6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

The NLT translation says it this way:

Isaiah 64:6 (NLT) 6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

It is only God’s love for us that can overcome our unrighteousness and make a way for us to be saved.

Thank you, Father, for loving us despite ourselves.

Please join us again tomorrow.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!