HEROES OF FAITH: Hebrews 11:33-39

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Through faith, the writer of Hebrews tells us, some believers “subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword.” Out of weakness they “were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” Women “received their dead raised to life again.” Others, though, faced much darker days. They “were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.” Some went through “cruel mockings and scourgings,” through “bonds and imprisonment.” They “were stoned, they were sawn asunder,” and “slain with the sword.” These faithful people “wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented.” The world was not worthy of them. They wandered “in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” And yet, “these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise.” It’s a powerful mix of triumph and terrible suffering, all held together by simple trust in God.

Could we endure like that?

Reading these lines makes me stop and wonder. The wins sound amazing. Who wouldn’t want to be part of stories where faith shuts the mouth of danger and turns the tide of battle? But then the tone shifts, and we see the cost. People choosing torture over compromise. Choosing a future hope over present relief. Living homeless and hunted, with nothing but their faith to keep them going.

We probably won’t face lions or flames in our everyday lives. Still, the question feels real. When smaller pressures come, when standing up for what’s right costs us friends or comfort or security, will we hold on? When answers don’t come quickly and the waiting gets heavy, can we keep believing there’s something better ahead?

These believers weren’t superhuman. What they had was a deep-rooted confidence that God is trustworthy, even when life hurts. They lived like this world isn’t the final chapter.

Can I honestly say I can do what they did? But the same God who carried them is the same God we hope in today. The real question is whether we’ll fix our eyes on Him and say He’s worth it, no matter what comes. Whether in the good days or the hard ones, may we run our part of the race, looking to Jesus, with the same quiet faithfulness (12:1-3). One day, faith will become sight, and all the waiting will have been worth it.

The writer concludes “God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” The picture is that they will receive the promise when we receive the promise in Christ. The faithful from yesterday and the faithful today will share in the same perfect blessing in Christ.

Agape

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All Spiritual Blessings In Christ: Adoption

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Adoption & Heirs
Every spiritual blessing God gives comes to us only in Christ. The apostle Paul opens Ephesians with this sweeping truth: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3).

Among the greatest of these blessings are adoption and inheritance. Through faith in Jesus, God takes us who were once outsiders and adopts us as His own children. We are no longer slaves or strangers but sons and daughters in His family. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:4-7).

This adoption brings full rights. We receive the Spirit of adoption. And because we are now children, we become heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. An eternal inheritance awaits us that nothing in this world can take away. “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:15-17).

How did we come to this inheritance and adoption? Paul wrote by inspiration, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

We’re able to be baptized into Christ because of what He did on the cross. “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby… Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:14-19);

All of it is found in Christ alone. Through Jesus we are welcomed home, fully adopted, and made rich with every spiritual blessing the Father has to give. Now all that remains is the redemption of our body when Christ returns. “…even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). Having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:7).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1Peter 1:3-5).

Agape
spencer

Bearing Fruit unto Holiness

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“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

The Apostle Paul writes about bearing fruit, comparing our former lives to our new life having been baptized into Christ.

“For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:20-23).

In this passage he had reminded the saints in Rome they had died to sin when they were baptized into the death of Christ. “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (vss 2-4).

What does all of this mean for us today? Prior to obeying the gospel the fruit of our shameful lives was leading to death (eternal separation from God Isaiah 59:2). Do you remember Romans chapter one? “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Rom 1:32). Read that whole chapter and see those shameful things worthy of death. Recall what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth; “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1Corinthians 6:9-11).

Here’s the comfort: Those who have been baptized into Christ’s death, for the forgiveness of sins, have put on Christ, and have the circumcision of the heart by the working of God, have been set free from sin, and are now on that narrow path that leads to eternal life as servants of God!* We have been washed, we are sanctified, we are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Agape
Spencer

*Romans 6:3-4; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:11-12; Matthew 7:13-14.

The Season of Life

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THE SEASONS OF LIFE

Today is the first day of summer. While we in Texas thought it already began, it’s officially today.

I find it interesting that last winter I complained about the cold, and now I’m complaining about the heat. I guess I’m shocked by each season’s weather. Perhaps it’s just me?

Spiritually speaking, the seasons are there for our benefit. Paul told those in Lystra about God and His seasons, “Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17).

God’s regulated creation gives us constancy in our lives which allows us to live, plan, and grow. If nature did not have this constant regularity we could not survive. The seasons have their order and their purpose. There is WINTER (preparation), which every single time is followed by SPRING (planting), bringing us back to SUMMER (cultivation) after which is AUTUMN (harvesting). Every human everywhere can count on the seasons (within their regions). These seasons, a part of God’s overall creation, is there for us, for our health, and for our spiritual well-being. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20; cf Matt 5:45).

Other parts of God’s creation teach us about the seasons of life, “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise…Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest” (Prov 6:6-8). Ants are all in all the time. They Never quit, and they take advantage of every season in its TIME.

Other scriptures give us spiritual lessons through the physical seasons. The law of Sowing & Reaping is a powerful lesson both physically and spiritually. Let us be Sowing & or Reaping in its proper season.

The famous passage in Ecclesiastes 3 teaches us the seasons of life have a certain opportunity, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecc 3:1). We often view these negatively (read most times at funerals), but that view overlooks the opportunities available in every season of life, both the positive and the negative.

A lesson for me from the seasons and its regularity is to never give up when you’re in one particularly hard season. Winter reminds me of death and sadness. When we lived in Alaska we were warned about cabin fever. That’s when folks experience the distressing irritability, restlessness, and anxiety from being confined inside during the harsh subzero weather and prolonged darkness. Never let one hard season ruin all the seasons.

We need to stay strong and remember that SPRING follows every WINTER. It might be hot today, but very soon we’ll enjoy the beautiful cooler Autumn weather. But I haven’t been talking about weather.

Agape
spencer

The Scheme of Redemption

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THE SCHEME (PLAN) OF REDEMPTION:

Creation and the Entrance of Sin

  1. Genesis 1:27 God created man in His own image.
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:29 Man sought to sin
  3. Romans 3:9, 10, 23 All stand as sinners before God.

The Nature and Definition of Sin

  1. 1 John 1:8 If one says he has no sin he is not truthful. What is sin?
  2. 1 John 5:17 Sin is unrighteousness.
  3. Romans 1:16 Righteousness is revealed in the Bible.
  4. 1 John 3:4 Sin is lawlessness (acting without law). What law?
  5. James 1:25 Authority is found in the perfect law of liberty, the gospel of Christ.
  6. Romans 14:23 Whatever is not of faith is sin. How does one get faith?
  7. Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing the word of God.
  8. James 4:17 Not doing good is sin. How does one know what is good?
  9. Micah 6:8 What is good is shown by God to man in the Bible.

The Tragic Consequences of Sin
1) Isaiah 59:1-2 Sin is tragic. It separates man from God. (Separates; Injures; Never lets go)
2) Romans 6:23 Without God’s help, sin will separate man from God eternally.

God’s Love and Provision for Salvation
1) John 3:16 God’s love made it possible for man not to die because of his sin.
2) Matthew 1:21 Jesus came to save man from sin.
3) Jeremiah 10:23 God knew man needed help to deal with sin.
4) Proverbs 14:12 The end of the ways of man is death.
5) 2 Peter 1:3 God, in His word, has given man what he needs for life and godliness.
6) Romans 1:16 The gospel, God’s word, is His power unto salvation given through Jesus.

The Necessity of Hearing and Believing
1) Matthew 7:24-27 People must hear the words of Christ.
2) John 12:48 We will be judged by the words of Christ, therefore, we must live by them.
3) John 6:68 We must hear Christ’s words because they are the words of eternal life.
4) Romans 10:17 We must hear Christ’s words in order to believe (have faith. see John 20:30-31).
5) Hebrews 11:6 We must believe in order to come to God and be pleasing to Him.
6) John 8:24 We must believe in Jesus to keep from dying in sin.

Faith Must Lead to Obedience
1) Matthew 7:21 We must act on our belief (faith) with obedience.
2) Hebrews 5:8-9 Jesus will only save those who obey Him.
3) John 14:15 If you love Jesus, you will keep His commandments. What are they?

The Commands of the Gospel
1) Luke 13:3 Jesus commands all to repent.
2) Acts 17:30 All people are required to repent.
3) Matthew 10:32 All are required to confess Jesus as Lord.
4) Romans 10:10 Confession is essential to salvation.
5) Mark 16:16 Jesus commands baptism.
6) 1 Peter 3:21 Baptism now saves us.
7) Acts 22:16 Baptism washes away sin.

The Blessings of Being in Christ and His Church
1) Galatians 3:27 In baptism one puts on Christ.
2) Ephesians 1:3 All spiritual blessings are in Christ.
3) 1 Corinthians 12:13 Baptism puts one in the body of the saved.
4) Colossians 1:18 That body is Christ’s church.
5) Acts 2:47 God adds the saved to His church.
6) Ephesians 5:23 Christ is the Savior of the body, the church. (Eph 1:22-23)

The Urgency of Obedience
1) 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 Those who do not know God and those who do not obey Him will perish.
2) 2 Corinthians 6:2 Now is the time to obey.
3) James 4:13-14 There is no guarantee of a tomorrow.

Hero of Faith: Epaphroditus

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Philippians 2:25-30; 4:18.

Epaphroditus may not be the most remembered person in scripture, but what is said about him speaks volumes. Mentioned in Paul’s letter to the Philippians (2:25-30; 4:18), he stands as a model for Saints today. His story offers profound lessons on love, risk, and honor in God’s kingdom.

Paul describes him warmly as “my brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need” (Philippians 2:25). As a fellow worker and soldier alongside Paul, Epaphroditus labored tirelessly in the gospel. He was not a distant supporter but a close companion who shared in the hardships of ministry. To the church at Philippi, he served as their trusted representative, carrying their financial gift to the imprisoned apostle. Paul received “the things that came from you” through him—an “odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God” (4:18). Epaphroditus was the bridge between the Philippian believers and Paul, faithfully delivering their love in tangible form.

His journey, however, came at great personal cost. Somewhere along the way or after arriving at Rome, Epaphroditus became seriously ill, “nigh unto death” (2:30). Paul notes that he “longed after you all, and was sore troubled” (2:26), distressed not primarily for his own suffering but out of deep concern for his brethren in Philippi. He regarded not his own life and hazarded everything “for the work of Christ… to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me” (2:30). This was no reckless gamble but faithfulness, risking health and safety to advance the gospel and meet Paul’s needs.

Remarkably, Epaphroditus was not healed through the means of miraculous spiritual gifts. We know Paul had theses gifts, but their use was for a purpose determined by God (Heb 2:4; 1Cor 13:8-10). This became a lesson about the purpose of spiritual gifts, and prayer; “God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also” (2:27). Epaphroditus’s recovery highlighted that God works providentially in the Saints lives. This episode underscores that faith and service do not always shield believers from suffering. Instead, it reveals that faithfulness isn’t determined by miraculous healing; a lesson we learned also from Job (Job 1-2). We trust in a future hope.

Because of such character, Paul urged the Philippians: “Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy; and hold such in honor” (2:29). Men and women who risk their lives for Christ’s work deserve high esteem. Epaphroditus exemplified true servanthood—to the Philippians as their messenger, to Paul as a loyal companion, and ultimately to Christ as a faithful soldier who placed kingdom priorities above personal comfort.

In an age that still clings to the earthly measures of success, the life of Epaphroditus challenges us to consider spiritual measures of faith. He was eager, loving, sacrificial, and Christ-focused. His life, though briefly recorded, still speaks through centuries as an example for us to emulate. Like him, we can become fellow workers and soldiers who count not our lives dear unto ourselves, but pour them out as acceptable sacrifices to God and His people.

True heroes of faith rarely seek the spotlight. They simply obey, serve, and love—often at great cost—trusting God as they look forward to a future hope in Christ. Epaphroditus did exactly that, and the church is richer for his example.

Agape
spencer

ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS: NO CONDEMNATION IN CHRIST

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“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1)

This happy condition of not being damned comes only to those in Christ Jesus. Being in Christ evidently refers to those who are obedient to the Gospel having been baptized into His death (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:36-27).

Sin condemns us. In Romans 7, Paul describes mankind’s struggle with sin and the bondage it produces. Sin separates us from God and through it we have sold ourselves into bondage (Rom. 7:14; Isaiah 50:1). But now, through Christ our redeemer, there is NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Him and walk after the Spirit.

The Law of Moses condemns us. Paul wrote, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Rom. 7:7). The law itself was holy and good (Rom. 7:12), but it exposed sin and made men conscious of their guilt. Through Christ, however, those who are in Him are freed from the condemnation that comes from transgressing the old law (Rom. 8:2-4).

Satan, is called the accuser (Rev. 12:10; Job 1:9; Zec. 3:1), and there are many who oppose the gospel of Christ and seek to condemn God’s people. “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Rom. 8:33-34). Through Christ, the accusations of the adversary cannot condemn those who remain faithful to Him.

Romans 8:1 specifies this freedom from condemnation is for those “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” It is not a one-time event only, but a continuing walk. To walk after the Spirit is to live according to the teaching revealed by the Holy Spirit through Christ’s Apostles and prophets (John 14:26; 16:13-15; Eph. 3:3-5). Those who are led by the Spirit are those who submit themselves to the word the Spirit revealed (Rom. 8:13-14). Faith comes by hearing God’s word (Rom. 10:17), and the written testimony of the Apostles was given so men might believe and have life through Christ (John 20:30-31).

This spiritual blessing provides comfort for those who are in Christ, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1John 5:13). Some may interpret this as once saved always saved, but don’t be confused. We can leave Christ (1Tim. 4:1; Heb. 3:12; 6:4-6; 10:26-29) and stop abiding in the doctrine of Christ (2John 1:9-10; John 6:66).

But now, through Christ, there is NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ and walk after the Spirit. We are imperfect people, and we have access to forgiveness through Christ. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1John 2:1).

Agape
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WALKING in LOVE

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“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Eph 5:1-2)

Paul wrote to the Ephesians saints to walk in love as Christ also loved us. Those are big shoes to fill!

In the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote about the superiority of love (1Cor 13:13). John wrote that love was more than lip service, but that true love requires action, in particularly toward the brethren (1John 3:6-17). He also wrote by inspiration; “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7). Lest we forget, the Lord commands us to Love one another, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34-35; 15:12, 17; Romans 13:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11-12). Love is an essential quality of Saints. But what is it?

The love of the Bible is Christlike, agape love; a deliberate, sacrificial, unconditional commitment to seek the highest good of others — even at great personal cost — patterned after Jesus’ self-giving on the cross. Agape love willingly sacrifices time, comfort, resources, rights, or even life itself for the benefit of others, and is not based on loveliness, worthiness, or a precondition of the recipient. “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1Peter 4:8)

“Let ALL that ye do be done in LOVE.”

(1Cor 16:14)

LOVE is Active and Practical. Biblical agape proves itself through deeds, not just words. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” (1John 3:18). It does good, serves, shares, forgives, and builds others up. It shows up in service toward the brethren. “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5:13).

True love does speak just in affirmations, but speaks the truth for a purpose, “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head–Christ– from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Eph 4:15-16). The chapter of love, 1Corinthians 13, tells us that speaking the truth without love is ineffective and meaningless. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”

Love is active, it can be proved (1Cor 8:8), and it has a purpose for truth.

Agape

spencer

Bearing Fruit: Pruning

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“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth (prunes) it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” (John 15:2)

PRUNING for greater fruitfulness.
In grape production (viticulture), the vinedresser removes dead or unfruitful branches entirely to concentrate the vine’s energy to improve growth and health for greater productivity. This is not destruction but care. God actively tends His people for fruitfulness, accomplished primarily through His Word, all aimed at greater Christlikeness and productivity. From this verse in John 15 we see two actions being taken by the vinedresser (God the Father):

ONE: Branches that produce no fruit are removed. “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6). This is a warning about those who were “in me” but are not bearing fruit. We see other scriptures warning of this same condition; The parable of the Sower (Mark 4:13-20); the warning about false prophets (Matt 7:15-20); and the breaking off of branches (Romans 11:11-27). The possibility of apostasy is real.

TWO: The Father cleanses or prunes fruitful branches “that it may bring forth more fruit.” The goal is increase, not comfort—removing what hinders maximum productivity. Paul wrote about a similar “pruning” using the metaphor of “mortifying” and “putting off” the works of the world (Colossians 3:5-17).

The primary instrument of pruning Jesus says is the word, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you… If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you” (John 15:3, 7). Reading, applying, and obeying Scripture convicts, corrects, and trains (cf. 2Timothy 3:16-17).

Another way God prunes is through the trials that are in this world since the fall. “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:2-4). Trials test and develop endurance, leading to maturity (perfection). God has established principles in creation and redemption that automatically correct deviation (sowing and reaping, consequences of sin, Galatians 6:7). Any true understanding of discipline through trial comes from the revealed Word of God.

Hebrews 12 informs us that discipline is for our good, as a father who loves and disciplines his son. It’s considered loving to train a child. “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Hebrews 12:6). God may use circumstances, but understanding flows from knowing His Word. God “prunes” for greater fruitfulness, because He loves us, for maturity, and to remove hindrances. We respond by abiding in Him (through His word), count trials as joy because of what it will produce in us, actively participate by removing sin & distractions, and fully trusting in God who wants us to be fully equipped for every good work. “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8).

Agape
spencer

Commencement Address 2026

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Dear class of 2026,

In my nearly 58 years of life, I’ve learned there are two ways to live: one that most people follow, and another that very few find.

When I was young, as you are today, I had the expectation that life would be nothing but FOOD, FUN, and FROLIC. I found those things, but in between came FEAR, FRUSTRATION, and FAILURE. My expectations about life, myself, and others were unrealistic. While this life offers love, laughter, and lucre, it also brings lovelessness, lows, and loss. It surprised me, disappointed me, and often depressed me. I learned this was the wide way.

Then I discovered an ancient book that taught me a better way—a way to find true joy and meaning even in the midst of pain. It showed me that focusing primarily on me, myself, and I (Jeremiah 17:9) led only to dissatisfaction, disappointment, and depression. It revealed there is more to life than what we see under the sun. It pointed me to SOMEONE who is the source of true meaning, purpose, and value—things I could never find on my own. This book taught me about LIGHT, LOVE, and LIFE. It introduced me to Jesus, “the new and living way” (Hebrews 10:20).

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-4, 14).

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). When we learn of Him, and take His yoke upon us (Matt 11:29-30; see Romans 10:17), we find rest. For those who obey His gospel, Jesus becomes their life, their purpose, their meaning, their joy, and their peace. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4; see Colossians 2:11-12; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4).

After putting on Christ (Gal 3:27), my expectations shifted from this temporary life to true hope and eternal life. This instantly gave meaning to my daily efforts, because now I do all things for Him. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:17, 23).

Welcome to life. Two ways lie before you: the wide and normal way that many follow, which ends in destruction (Matthew 7:13; 2 Thess. 1:8-9), or the narrow, new and living way that leads to eternal joy, eternal life, and inexpressible love. Choose wisely.

Agape
Spencer