The BIG Picture (Shorts)

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Gal.3:26)   During the American Civil War, amidst the carnage of the Battle of Antietam, two soldiers from opposing sides were carried into a makeshift hospital. They were placed in adjacent cots, both suffering from severe wounds. When a nurse approached to tend to the Union soldier, he stopped her and pointed to the Confederate man lying next to him. "Please," he whispered, "look after him first." The nurse was stunned. The Union soldier's injuries were clearly more critical, and his life hung by a thread. She asked him why he would prioritize his enemy while his own condition was so dire. The dying man looked over at his foe and replied simply, "He is my brother in Christ." This selfless act transformed a battlefield of division into a sanctuary of grace. It served as a living example of the command to love one's neighbor, proving that spiritual bonds can withstand even the heat of...

  Paul told grace believers to “quit you [or act manly] like men, be strong” (1Cor.16:13) and to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Eph.6:10). We must not succumb to fear nor surrender to Satan who wages spiritual warfare against us. We must be strong! God’s power is accessed “by His Spirit in the inner man” (Eph.3:16). We cannot overcome Satan with our strength alone, but we can prevail by allowing God's words to work within us. How do we strengthen our inner “new man” in Christ? Paul instructs us to equip ourselves with “the whole armour of God” (Eph.6:11). This armour is the spiritual walk that comes from obedience to the Word within us. It will lead us in (v.14), living and sharing the gospel (v.15), protecting our minds through faith in God’s Word (v.16), living in the confidence of our eternal hope (v.17a), using the Scriptures to cut through Satan’s lies (v.17b), and being constant in prayer (v.18). Friends, surrounded yourselves by the 'words' o...