Tag: Christian

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday August 17TH 2025, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

19 years ago this upcoming week my life changed forever. God rescued and saved me, and I didn’t even know that He was doing so. In the days and weeks after – I realized what was going on. I saw the light. I repented. He saved my life. I truly believe that this blog would not exist, and I would not be alive today if it were not for my salvation in Jesus Christ. But here I am – 19 years later at the age of 58 and getting ready to enter my 20TH year as a believer and a follower. It’s still not a passing fad to those who may have thought so in 2007.

I’ve been telling my story for 19 years, and I’m going to keep on doing it. The best is yet to come !

Last month here on #SundayScripture I began transcribing my original sermon that I preached to my church family in Homestead Florida on Sunday October 16TH 2022. The title of the sermon is “Blessings & Benedictions”, and it’s my 50TH sermon as identified on my SERMONS page.

Here’s Part 7:

Paul’s Benediction follows:

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

Back in the First Century – the time of the New Testament – Greek and Roman letters generally ended with a wish for the good health of the reader. Jewish letters ended with a wish for peace (Shalom). Paul closed his letters with a combination of both good health and peace.

I like that part that says “God will make this happen”. I believe that. I believe that God can and will make anything happen. He can make the impossible happen. He is faithful, and I have faith in Him. He strengthens us, and He guards us – from the evil one – from the liar.

So earlier in my message I talked about the Apostle Paul, and how he wrote 13 books of the New Testament, and how many Bible scholars call the Letter to the Hebrews Paul’s 14TH book – even though he probably didn’t write it. Hebrews is written by an unknown author in the style of Paul. It’s actually written in the form of a sermon – just like most of Paul’s letters.

So Hebrews is 13 chapters. It’s 303 verses. It’s a little less than 7,000 words. It sounds like a lot. But you can read it from start to finish in about 30 minutes. Why are you telling us this Pastor Chris ? You know – it’s my responsibility to encourage you to open your Bible, and read it during the week. That’s how you get closer to our God and His blessings for you.

(To be continued next week.)

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord – and get closer to Him with each new day.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday August 10TH 2025, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

I’m loving Friday Night Bible Study at my church where we’re reading and discussing various stories of redemption in the Bible under the “This Is MY Story” banner. A couple of Friday nights ago we read and discussed Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus from Acts 9. This series is encouraging us to share our story about how “I once was …”, and then “I met Jesus …”, and “Now I …”.

I love a good testimony. I love to share my own testimony to all who care to listen to it.

Last month here on #SundayScripture I began transcribing my original sermon that I preached to my church family in Homestead Florida on Sunday October 16TH 2022. The title of the sermon is “Blessings & Benedictions”, and it’s my 50TH sermon as identified on my SERMONS page.

Here’s Part 6:

And at the end of every good sermon about God – is a “Blessing & Benediction” – straight from God.

From the last verse (6:18) of Galatians:

Dear brothers and sisters – may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Paul’s Benediction is similar to his Greeting at the start of his letter. He wanted God’s grace to be with this church family. The Galatians needed that in order to get closer to God rather than turning away from Him. We need that too, and we have it. We have God’s grace. And here’s the Good News: God’s grace – it’s available for everyone out there.

That’s a great blessing to take out there into the world. Just substitute “brothers and sisters” for someone’s name. Make it personal for him or her. As an example: Dear Betty – may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

After Paul wrote to the Galatians he wrote to the church in Thessalonica. You know Thessalonica is a big modern city today. It’s the second-largest city in Greece with over one-million residents in its metro area. It’s an old port city on the Aegean Sea that was founded in 315 B.C. When Paul visited the city – it was already about 365 years old. That’s when he established the church there. His missionary friends – Timothy and Silas – they helped to build it up.

In his first letter to the Thessalonians – Paul encourages the new Christians with exhortations and teachings. What’s an exhortation ? It’s an urgent command.

Just before his Benediction Paul gives his final exhortations, and they are:

• Honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. (5:12)
• Show them great respect and wholehearted love. (5:13)
• Live peacefully with each other. (5:13)
• Warn those who are lazy. (5:14)
• Encourage those who are timid. (5:14)
• Take tender care of those who are weak. (5:14)
• Be patient with everyone. (5:14)
• See that no one pays back evil for evil. (5:15)
• Always try to do good to each other and to all people. (5:15)
• Always be joyful. (5:16)
• Never stop praying. (5:17)
• Be thankful in all circumstances. (5:18)
• Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. (5:19)
• Do not scoff at prophecies. (5:20)
• Test everything that is said. (5:21)
• Hold on to what is good. (5:21)
• Stay away from every kind of evil. (5:22)

You know I don’t really have to add anything at all to those exhortations – those urgent commands. They are all very self-explanatory – just the way they are. Paul was very specific and intentional in what he wrote to the new church. And they are all still very relevant today – in the 21ST Century church. Can you imagine what the church – and this world – would be like if everyone did all of those things ?

(To be continued next week.)

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord – and get closer to Him with each new day.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp