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The core change of salvation is not escape from eternal destruction, but  a transformation from false powers and promises to whole heartedly worship the only living and true God.

There is great worth in human examples. God has designed incredible power to be demonstrated through followers of Jesus who understand and articulate gospel centrality well and live lives continually shaped by it.  Authentic believers openly speaking Christ into all things.

As Paul is commending the Thessalonians for the Spirit’s fruit in them, he reminds them of God’s unmerited, choosing love for them and grounds all that he sees in them in that reality. God’s love being poured out on people through his gospel going forward in word and in power is the mean’s by which the church is established and strengthened.

Spiritual Vitality… what does the prayerful work of our faith look like? What does the labor of our love for one another look like and how steadfast is our confidence in Christ?

I am coming and all will be perfectly rewarded by me, including you. Come to me and let me cleanse you. Listen to the Spirit telling you now “come”. Listen to the Church say “come”. Come and add your voice to tell others to come be with Christ and have your thirsty soul satisfied by Christ as a gift …without your merit.

Again and again we place ourselves at the feet of Jesus and welcome his commission to go out like Jesus and be a servant like he was. Its our spiritual act of worship.

David reminds us that it becomes easier to praise the Lord in every season when we “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Even in difficult times, when we are brokenhearted or hurting, we can trust that God is near.

Sing dear family of God. Sing Sing because our great Father is the righteous terminator of sin, in us through the forgiveness of our Savior Jesus and outside of us, in every ounce of existance the Judge Jesus. Because he loves it. Sing it loud, sing it new, sing it with music, sing it with joy and gladness…. For our God is a consuming fire.

Psalm 40 showed us how perfect Jesus would be and would rely upon the Father as he navigated the true valley of the shadow of death so that we wouldn’t.  And because he did that, we now can cry out to the Father in our need and know he will truly deliver us into joy and gladness and so we can rest in him now before he has delivered us.

In the end, we are people who wait with God through prayer, watching for every part of his response, taking note of them and telling one another and the watching world of the accounts of Gods faithful and loving answers to our prayers for God’s praise and for the hope that they too will see and fear and trust the Lord.

In the Kingdom life-race that God has given each of us, weights of life and sin war against our minds and hearts to slow us down or stop us.  God calls us to fight against these obstacles and sin and to embrace his refining help for each of us in this. The question for you is “ Will I embrace God’s refining training he says I need and will truly want”?

When we treasure Christ above the things of this world, we find contentment in God’s provision.

The Sign of Jonah calls all of us to acknowledge God's great power, our own sin, and the incredible gift of mercy and redemption offered to us through Jesus Christ.

In the most dramatic fashion, Jesus completed the work of redemption by rising from the grave, pursuing his disciples and demonstrating that he is the Messiah who always keeps his promises.