God told Israel through Moses that He would bless them as His special possession if they would honor Him and follow His rules.

Today Christians are also God’s treasured possession because through Jesus we are part of the descendents of Abraham, to whom God told him also that he would be greatly blessed and have many descendants. But we must be careful to honor God with our words and actions and help others realize the love of God for them.

Exodus 19:

³ Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: ⁴ ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. ⁶ And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”

Jesus will return. He promised. Just as the sun rises in the east, Jesus will split the eastern sky and return to gather up His own. The Bible says only God knows specifically when this will occur. Jesus greatly desires to take as many souls as possible with Him on that most fateful day.

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Love God. Love people.

Jesus told His followers to do this in the New Testament in Matthew 22:37-39 . He summarized the Ten Commandments God gave Israel after He rescued them from the hardships of Egypt. Jesus also summarized the Commandments because the four tell you how to live God and the rest tell you how to love people.

Exodus 20:

1 Then God gave the people all these instructions^[a]:

² “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

³ “You must not have any other god but me.

⁴ “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. ⁵ You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. ⁶ But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

⁷ “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

⁸ “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ You have six days each week for your ordinary work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

¹² “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³ “You must not murder.

¹⁴ “You must not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You must not steal.

¹⁶ “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

Jesus put it simply~

Matthew 23:

³⁷ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’^{[a] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment.³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[b] 40} The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Today in countries like China, Iraq, Iran, Myanmar, Cuba and Russia people are persecuted because they follow Jesus. God rules their lives.

David wrote a Psalm about persecution. He must’ve been in the midst of trying situations. He had enemies that relentlessly pursued him to kill him. He cried out to God.

God said David was a man after His own heart. David went through difficult times long ago in his life. Today when Christians have hardships we can run to the Bible and read David’s words. God used David and David related to us in our desperations.

So~

I cry out in prayer using God’s powerful words in the Bible for my brothers and sisters in Christ across the world where Christianity is either illegal or of minor significance. I pray through Psalm 27.

Heavenly Father,

Hear our united cry and let the Gospel sweep like wildfire through these areas of the world. Abundantly bless these strong and courageous people. Supply all their needs according to your riches in glory because like Paul they are faithful in hardships to continue preaching the Gospel. Protect them in the ultimate, powerful name of Jesus. Deliver them fully from their enemy, the devil and his demons. Soften hearts of stone and bring massive healing revival! Thank You! With Jesus I pray, Amen!

Psalm 27:

My life is fuller because I go to church often. Thank you God.

Psalm 26:

I wash my hands to declare my innocence.
    I come to your altar, O Lord,
⁷ singing a song of thanksgiving
    and telling of all your wonders.
⁸ I love your sanctuary, Lord,
    the place where your glorious presence dwells.

Jesus had a need. He was hungry. He saw a fig tree but there were no digs on it so He touched it and made it either and die. His disciples saw this and were amazed. When they asked Him about it, He told them they could do even greater deeds if they trust God and refuse to doubt. That remains true for Christians today.

So~

I take this truth of Jesus and turn it into a prayer for my grown kids today. My youngest turned 21 the day before yesterday. The Bible passage, ironically, is Matthew 21:21-22. I’m trusting God, refusing to doubt and believing that all my kids will beautifully proclaim the Gospel to this generation. And any mountianous struggles that are in the way will be lifted up and cast into the sea, just like Jesus said!

If you want to be a great leader, you must have a strong attitude to serve others. Jesus became a humble servant when He died on the cross and then conquered sin and death. He served all humanity and made a way for us to live an abundant life on earth and then live for eternity in Heaven.

Matthew 20:

²⁰ Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. ²¹ “What is your request?” he asked.

She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

²² But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?”

“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

²³ Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

²⁴ When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. ²⁵ But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. ²⁶ But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. ²⁸ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In Psalm 37 it is written out how to gain the desires of your heart, promised from God.

Psalm 37:

A rich man came to Jesus. He wanted the eternal life Jesus always talked about. He asked Him what he could to get that kind of life and Jesus told him to sell his possessions and give the money to poor people. That was too great of a sacrifice so he walked away sad.

But there was still hope. God could still change the rich young man’s heart because with God all things are possible.

Matthew 19:

¹⁶ Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

¹⁷ “Why ask me about what is good?”Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” the man asked.

And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[c]”

²⁰ “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?”

²¹ Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. ²⁴ I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

²⁵ The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

²⁶ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”