JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is to worship God in our trials.

It has been said that “trials are not enemies of faith, but are opportunities to prove God’s faithfulness.”

God can work through our testing of our faith to build our faith to bolder places.

It happened in Acts 16, where Paul and Silas were in jail. About midnight, they were singing hymns to God. Other prisoners were listening to them. Then there was a violent earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison. Everyone’s chains came loose.

This event led to the conversion of the jailer, who asked Paul and Silas, “what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” The jailer did believe and was filled with joy.

Worshiping God in our trials is a Vital Step to a Radiant Faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Romans 10:17.

Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

The Bible is a light that guides our way, leading us to faith in Jesus. God’s Word has value for revealing Jesus as the light of the world who gives salvation to all who believe in Him.

An example of this is the Gospel of John. Near the end of this book of the Bible, John said this: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

The book of John is one of many books in the Bible that encourages us to believe in Jesus.

This Light Reflection inspires us to place our faith in Jesus to save us from our sins in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Acts 16:31.

The jailer asked Paul and Silas, who had been prisoners under his watch, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-you and your household.”

Their direct reply to the jailer highlights the significance of faith to the Christian life. They were talking about the kind of faith that trusts Jesus to save us from our sins. He has the power to free us from guilt and give us a new life that is pure and holy in God’s sight. That happens by faith. The jailer was receptive to the words of Paul and Silas and was filled with joy, because he had come to believe in God.

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to trust in Jesus to save us from our sins in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Mark 9:23.

Jesus said to a desperate father, “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Every loving parent wants to see their sons and daughters living in blessing and freedom. This father, who came to Jesus, was desperate for his son who was possessed by a destructive spirit.

The father said to Jesus, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Jesus then uttered these words, “If you can? Everything is possible for one who believes.”

The father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Jesus then commanded the spirit to come out of the boy.

The more our faith in God grows, the more we realize that nothing is too hard for Him to accomplish. He is the Creator of this world, the Savior of our souls, and the healer of troubled hearts.

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to believe in God’s power to break the strongholds of darkness in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is John 20:29.

Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

After Jesus rose from the dead, Thomas was still skeptical that the resurrection really happened. But Jesus appeared to Thomas and showed him the nail-scarred hands.

At that moment, the doubting in Thomas’s mind and heart turned into worship. He saw the evidence that Jesus was alive, and also the evidence that Jesus loved him. There were scars to prove it.  Thomas stopped doubting and believed.

Jesus not only blessed Thomas for his belief, but also pronounced a blessing on those in today’s generation who believe that Jesus rose from the dead and trust in His love for us.

This faith-building verse inspires us to believe that Jesus lives and that He loves us to the extreme in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Good News Focus is on John 14, verses 1 to 3.

Jesus told His followers, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

This statement gives us a view of what Jesus is doing right now. He is preparing a place for His followers to be with Him in His Father’s house. Today, we look around and we see the beauty of the earth which God has formed in six days. How much more beauty will we see in heaven, which Jesus has been preparing for two thousand years? In those days when we feel down or discouraged, we can look to the LORD with hope in our heart. Jesus is alive and well, and He is preparing a glorious future for His followers to be with Him in a glorious place.

Jesus is our source of good news, leading us to a place of heavenly hope in the Year of Vision.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye on Integrity is based on John 3:16 and 17.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Jesus came to the world on a rescue mission for souls that were lost without God and were helpless to produce a remedy. Jesus came to be the remedy. He is the gift from God that this world needs for forgiveness and eternal life. We can find a certain hope for our souls by trusting in His grace to save us from our sins. That is the message of the birth of Jesus, His death, and resurrection. Acts 2:21 assures us that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Trusting in Jesus for salvation is a virtue to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Stay tuned for your chance to win. Keep our number handy 717.392.2690.

Here is today’s song lineup, including a special hour of songs in the 7:00 hour, encouraging you to Believe.

Kristi Leigh – WJTL DJ
Kristi@WJTL.com

JOHN SHIRK – In our Relationship-Building Principles, we are examining some of the ways Jesus’ followers can be effective witnesses for the Gospel.

One way is to take the direct approach.

We see that in a number of places in the book of Acts. On the day of Pentecost, Peter gave a sermon where he talked about Jesus, and what He had accomplished when He was on the earth-how He died on a cross, rose from the dead, and was exalted at the right hand of God.

The people asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” 3,000 people were added to the church that day.

On another occasion, a desperate jailer asked Paul and Silas, “what must I do to be saved?” Paul’s response was direct: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-you and your household.” That man came to believe in God and was filled with joy.

When someone asks how they can be saved, that is a good time to explain that Jesus is the answer.

Taking the direct approach of sharing the Gospel is a vital relationship-building principle to take to heart in the Year of Connection.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Moment of Celebration reflects on Jesus as our source of eternal life.

Romans 10:9 says that “if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,  you will be saved.”

It seems fitting to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in the spring season, because spring marks a turning point from death to new life. The message of the Gospel celebrates the fact that Jesus cannot be found in the grave, because His body was raised to life. Because of Jesus’ triumph over death, we have a living hope. His resurrection is a joyful celebration of life following death.

His resurrection has special meaning for the person who takes the Gospel to heart. Our celebration of life is not confined just to the here-and-now, but extends beyond the grave into the picture of eternity.  Jesus is Lord. He came to save us from our sins. He has risen from the dead. He gives eternal life to those who make this claim their personal confession.

Trusting in Jesus as our source of eternal life is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.