Author: Chuck Musselwhite

Light That Brings New Life

I am usually up before the sun. I can see it rise from where I sit while I do my devotions. Those first rays of the morning bring everything to life around my window. The Birds start to chirp, the animals and insects start to move to the warmth, and the plants start to turn towards the light. When we follow Jesus, that darkness no longer can overcome us. He is the light that brings new life.
John 1:4-5“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
The light brings new life. It shines in on the darkness. It wakes the world up and brings warmth to the cold. Jesus came into the world to bring new life. He shines in on the darkness of your soul and gives you hope. He brings life to dead bones and illuminates the darkness so His disciples can see the way. Nothing can stop His penetrating light.

Entering Into God’s Promises

Do you know there are over seven hundred promises from God in the Bible? What’s amazing is that God has kept every one of them. Many of these promises are for you today. Entering into God’s promises takes a step of faith on your part. Are you going to leave what is comfortable and step into the unknown? That is usually what it takes. Today we see Israel was on the cusp of the Jordan river and entering into God’s promises.

Joshua 3:17 “Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.”

This is the second time God has parted the waters for the Israelites. This time they are crossing the Jordan and entering the promised land. They are about to realize all that God has promised them. Notice how it still took a step of faith? Moses was gone, and Joshua was in charge. Can I trust him? On top of that, they had to pass through the Jordan during the flooding season. What if the water breaks away and we drown? When God promises something He will bring it to completion.

Time to Make Some Changes

Everything needs maintenance, or it decays. Left too long, it will fall into disrepair. That’s why you see buildings falling apart. The owner has neglected them. Eventually, you wake up and realize it’s time to make some changes. That is how Asa felt when he heard the prophecy of the Lord. He went about reforming the nation of Israel and bringing it back to the Lord.

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭15:15

“All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their mind. They had sought him with all their heart, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.”

King Asa was known as a reformer. He heard the prophecy from Obed and started to tear down the idols all over Israel, and then he consecrated the nation of Israel, and they sacrificed 700 bulls and 7000 lambs to the Lord. He then committed to seeking the Lord with all of his heart, and Israel followed him. After this oath, they rejoiced and sought the Lord, and He gave them rest on all sides.

How to Live a Happy Life

Do you remember the song “Don’t worry, be happy?” It was part of a soundtrack for a movie in the 80s. It caught on, and people used to sing it to themselves as a reminder not to worry so much. Everyone wants to know how to live a happy life. The Bible doesn’t use the…

Separated from God?

Have you ever been separated from something, and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t reach it? Have you ever felt separated from God? Feel like you can’t reach him? God can reach us anytime, but several things keep us away from him. God wants to draw you closer to Him. He needs you…

Incline Your Ear

If someone is talking to me, I am at the age that I have to lean in to hear them. If the person speaks softly, I will often place my ear close to their mouth. Even then, I still need to ask them to repeat what they said. When Isaiah says to incline your ear,…

An Open Door

An open door intrigues me. My curiosity always gets the best of me, and I want to look at what’s behind it. It amounts to nothing most of the time, but sometimes you get a pleasant surprise. God will open a door that he wants us to walk through. He has our best interests at…

Show Compassion

There is a lot of selfless giving going on in the world today. People are donating their time and resources to those down and destitute. It warms your heart to see all of the acts of kindness going on. One famous chef provided over three million meals in one week to those who have lost…

Increase Your Faith

Have you ever doubted yourself? Did you have to make a decision where you didn’t know the outcome or perform a task you have never done before? It is easy to lose faith in your abilities when it is something new. That is the way the disciples felt being around Jesus. He was going around performing miracles, He spoke like no one they had ever heard, and He treated people with compassion and kindness. When he told them that he was leaving and they were going to lead the church it had to make them feel inadequate. They asked Him to increase their faith. Did you know you can ask Jesus to increase your faith?

Luke 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Faith is the primary substance of following Jesus. It takes faith to believe in a God you can’t see. It takes faith to step out and do something new for the Lord. This faith isn’t in yourself but Jesus himself. When we put our trust in Him, we are expressing our faith. When we send up a prayer expecting an answer, our faith is in action. You can’t manufacture your own faith. It is something that has to be given.

Made Alive in the Spirit

Have you ever been around children who live in poverty? Even in the worst circumstances, they go about having fun with their friends. They find joy wherever they are. Do you realize that Jesus came to give you abundant life? Are you moping around feeling sorry for yourself? That isn’t what God intended when He sent His Son. He came that you would be made alive in the Spirit. That means we can live a life with peace and joy.

1 Peter 3:18
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”

Peter presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ in one of the clearest and straightforward verses in all of the Bible. We have been made alive in the Spirit because Jesus suffered and was put to death. Look at the transaction that was necessary here. The just, which means without sin, did this for the unjust. This is so revolutionary. Have you ever heard of a good person sacrificing himself for the bad? History is full of the unjust suffering for the just, yet Jesus turned that on its ear and suffered for those of us who don’t deserve it.