Ephesians 2:12 - "…remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."  NASU 
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• It Can't Get Any Worse 

While reading this verse the thought came to me of something I heard a man say many years ago about a person who was experiencing a severe crisis in his life. The statement was "his life is like the last chapter of a book titled "What's The Use".
 
If you are a Christian and you are having a rough day. I highly recommend reading this verse and think about how horrible a non-Christian's life is.
 
A non-Christian is separated from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, a stranger to the covenants of promise, they have NO HOPE and they are without God in this world.
 
What problem could a Christian have that would even vaguely compare to being separated, excluded, having no hope, and without God?
 
Now I can't speak for anyone but myself but seriously could a person's life get any worse than the person who is outside of Christ? I absolutely think it cannot.
 
How horrible would your life be if you were hopeless and without God? And yet, that is exactly where we were when we were without Christ in our lives. 

• You Don't Have To Live In The Worse Place 

The good news my friend is we don't have to live in the worst place in the world. We can live in the best place. We can live in Christ.
 
The words "in Christ" are found 90 times in the New Testament. I would like to share some of the great blessings a person who is "in Christ" has in this life.
 
Romans 3:24 - "…the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
 
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Romans 8:1 - "…no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
 
Romans 8:39 - "…the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
1 Corinthians 1:2 - To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus,
 
1 Corinthians 15:22- "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive."
 
2 Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
 
I have listed 7 things a Christian has because he/she is "in Christ". The next time you are having a rough day I would like to suggest you read and meditate on the 7 things you have because you are "in Christ".
 
The good news is to remember there are 83 other items we have because we are "in Christ". As you read your New Testament you might want to underline every time you see the phrase "in Christ".
 
Now would be a good time to look up and say "Thank you God for allowing me to live "in Christ" the greatest place on earth."
 
Think About This:
 
We have forgiveness because of where we are and that is "in Christ".
 
Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

John 15:1-2 - I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.  NASU 
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• Some Suffering May Be Good 

Jesus is using the analogy of how a Christ-follower is like a branch of a vine.
 
God, the Father, is the vinedresser. He has the responsibility to help the vine produce the best fruit possible. He does this in two ways. The first is by removing the branch from the vine if it is not producing fruit and that branch will be thrown into the fire later.
 
Secondly, the method of pruning is used to help the branch that is producing fruit to produce even more fruit on the vine.
 
When you prune something you cut if back for the branch to produce even more fruit. Pruning may hurt at first but it will guarantee the branch will produce more and better fruit during the next harvest.
 
The novice vinedresser may find this hard to believe that by pruning back the branches he will be helping to enlarge his crop and produce tastier fruit. When you prune away sucker branches as they are called it allows the sap to feed the good branches.
 
I used this principle on my dad's lemon tree in AZ a few years back. The next season dad's lemons were larger and tastier, but my dad told me he thought I might have initially killed his tree.
 
Where there is pruning there is a certain amount of temporary pain and suffering. 

• Trust In The Vinedresser 

When the Heavenly Father takes certain things in our life away from us we may not be happy at first, but when we trust God, the Vinedresser, things will work out best for us.
 
God knows what we need and don't need in our life. He knows better than we do what is best for us. I am sure as parents we have at one time or another believed we knew what was best for our children. It isn't any different with God except He is right every time.  

• What Should Be Pruned From Your Life? 

Jesus informs us that as fruit-bearing branches we are going to go through a pruning season when He said this: "…every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit."
 
You will notice it is the branch that is bearing fruit that goes through the pruning process.

So let me ask you, "What should be pruned from your life?"
 
Think About This:
 
Adversity is never pleasant, but sometimes it is the only way we will learn.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
Go To  www.SeragosPumpUps.com  

Galatians 2:16 - "…nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified."  NASU 
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• Try Working Your Way There 

Some people believe what will happen on Judgment Day is God will have a set of scales and He will place all of your "good deeds" on one side and all your "bad deeds" on the other and whichever one is the heaviest will determine your eternal outcome.
 
We are not going to be allowed entrance into Heaven because of our "good deeds".
 
In 1964 J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers had a hit song entitled "Last Kiss" I have included some of the lyrics of the song:
 
            Well, where oh where can my baby be?
            The Lord took her away from me.
            She's gone to heaven, so I got to be good,
            So I can see my baby when I leave this world.
 
These lyrics may be romantic but theologically they are horrible. God gets blamed for taking her away because of his carelessness while driving. Then he has to be good to get to heaven to see her.
 
Well, nothing could be further from the truth. You CAN NOT be good enough to get to heaven. No one and I mean no one is going to get to Heaven because of their good works and if you try, you will fail. 

• Being Justified Opens Heaven's Door 

Paul says justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ. We will get to Heaven by having faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us, not what we have done or plan on doing. We can't be good enough to get to heaven, but Jesus Christ was good enough to get us there.
 
Here is how one of my college Professors, Jack Cottrell, explains justification:
 
[The meaning of justification: It is the same as having the debt of penalty for your sins forgiven. It is a legal term. It refers to standing before the Judge of the universe in the divine courtroom and having him declare, “NO PENALTY FOR YOU!”
 
This happens not only on the future Judgment Day. It is happening now, and will be happening throughout our lives as believers. This is why we have assurance of salvation. We know we are justified; we know our sins are forgiven. It is not a question of how good we are, but how forgiven we are. It is hearing God say, “No penalty for you! No condemnation for you (Rom. 8:1)! No hell for you! No fear for you!”] 

• Choice Is Ours 

The way to Heaven is by allowing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to atone for our sins. When we allow His sacrifice to justify us then we will know when we die we will be allowed to enter Heaven. This is called "assurance" of our salvation.
 
The choice is ours.
 
We can depend on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ or we can do like the lyrics of the songs says try being good enough for God to allow us entrance into Heaven.
 
Gal 3:24-27 - Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
 
The people who try to obey laws are trying to get to Heaven on their own merits. Paul says the purpose of the Law was to lead us to Christ and it is our faith in Jesus that will bring about our Justification.
 
Think About This:
 
Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word