Stained glass at St John the Baptist’s Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus’ description of himself “I am the Good Shepherd” (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: “To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, let the Word Of God come and abide in you

John 15:3 says: “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” The Bible also says in Psalm 119:9 “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy word.” We live holy lives. We have been washed in the blood of Jesus. His Word – as we allow it to come in by…

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. —Psalm 90:12

We live in a society that’s overrun with warning labels. From disclaimers on pills, to “use-by” dates on soup cans, to danger signs on chain saws—warning labels draw our attention to impending hazards. Recently I received a box with a precious gift inside. The sender had attached a big red sticker to the package that said, fragile: handle with care. When I think about life and its fragility, I wonder if we shouldn’t all wear one of those red stickers.

It’s not a good idea to cruise through life thinking that we are invincible and that everything is going to be just fine—only to discover that we are far more fragile than we thought. It takes only a call from the doctor telling us that we have a life-threatening disease…

The Benefits Of Fasting

MATTHEW 6:16, “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

MATTHEW 6:14-18

It was a Jewish custom to anoint one’s self with olive oil and in Jesus’ day it was apparently customary to anoint the heads of your guests, also (Lk. 7:46). At times ointment or perfumes were used in this personal anointing. A lack of having one’s head anointed was associated with mourning or sorrow.

Jesus is saying that there should be no external sign of fasting or sorrow, but it should be done secretly to the Lord to receive a full reward. Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 7:5, that abstinence from the physical relationship in marriage for the purpose of fasting should not be done…

Marriage Day (Photo credit: Fikra)

Love Never Fails

Charity [or love] never faileth.
1 Corinthians 13:8a

God‘s plan for man and woman and for preserving Christian marriage
relationships, in particular, is summed up in a single chapter of the
Bible, 1 Corinthians . When God talks about love, He’s talking about
agape love, the God-kind of love. This love never fails, which means
that there’s no time and no place when it won’t work. A man and a woman
who are citing “irreconcilable differences” as their reason for getting
a divorce don’t have any Word to stand on.

Love suffers long. Real love isn’t a sweet concoction that loses its
power after the first taste or two. The love that anchors marriages for
a lifetime goes way beyond the temporary psychological and biochemical
thrill we call “falling in love.”

Real love doesn’t fade just because wrinkles begin to…

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
Matthew 25:35-36

Hope Lives

 
She lay in the palm of my hand-two months old, weighing less than three pounds. We rushed her from the stick house where her mother and siblings lived, to a medical clinic recently stocked with supplies. Only a couple of months ago, her limbs were thin as reeds, but today they are chubby and strong. The black circles under her eyes are gone. She smiles! She laughs! She lives, praise God, she lives!

Satan did not claim that little girl. But there are so many others who still…

God‘s Love

God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

Romans 5:5, NIV

Did you know that you are God’s special loved one? Why would He love you so? Maybe it’s because when you abide in Christ you are so saturated in Jesus that when God looks at you, He sees His own precious Son and envelopes you in His love for Jesus’ sake!

As you and I develop and grow in this love relationship with God, abiding with Him through meaningful prayer and Bible reading, getting to know Him on a deeper level as we live out what we say we believe, He fills us with Himself. And “God is love” (1 John 4:16, NKJV). As you and I are filled with God, we will be filled with His love, not only…

Be Your Brother’s Keeper

Obadiah 1:11

“In the day that you stood on the other side-In the day that strangers carried captive his forces, When foreigners entered his gates And cast lots for Jerusalem–Even you were as one of them.”
NKJV

Apathy, detachment, disinterest, disregard… no matter what you call it, it’s not an option as a follower of Jesus. In the book of Obadiah, God proclaims judgment on Edom because they stood by and watched Israel be destroyed and taken into captivity. They saw their brother in need and did nothing. Contrast this to Jesus who was active in our redemption.

Philippians 2:7-8 “but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the…

Are you the faithful steward?

Luke 12:42 “And the Lord said “who then is that faithful & wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?”

God needs people whom He can work with to get His Will done here on earth. He needs someone who will be faithful and act on His Word. Someone who is alert to the move of the Holy Spirit, knows His Word and will be obedient to it. God needs people He can count on, whom He can trust over His household.

Are you the faithful steward?

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus…

4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern California provided by LivingWaters Ministry. Obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ. “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone” Mark 16:15 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Help for the Helpless

“Jesus asked him, ‘Do you want to be well?” -John 5:6

Jesus was walking through Jerusalem. Think New York City. That’s what Jerusalem
was – the metropolitan gathering spot. It was crowed with all kinds of people. Eventually,
Jesus passed by a pool called “Bethesda.” This pool was believed to have magical
powers. Many believed that when the waters were stirred, the first one to enter
the pool would be healed. So, hundreds of sick people were lying by this pool,
watching and waiting for their opportunity to be healed.

One man had been waiting 38 years for his miracle! He was a paralytic and he had

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled

Matthew 5:6

Healing begins when you do something. God’s help is near and always available, but it’s given to those who seek it. Healing starts when you take a step. God honours radical, risk-takingfaith.

When arks are built, lives are saved. When soldiers march, Jerichos tumble.

When staffs are raised, seas still open. When a lunch is shared, thousands are fed.

And when a garment is touched by the hand of an anemic woman in Galilee—Jesus stops!

He stops and responds.

Compared to God’s part, our part is minuscule—but necessary. We don’t have to do much, but we do have to do something! Faith with no effort is not faith at all!

Write a letter. Ask forgiveness.

Call a counsellor. Call a mom!

Visit a doctor. Be baptized.

Feed a hungry person.

In the Spirit on the Lord’s Day

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,
which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. I, John,
who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the
kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called
Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:8-9
The Apostle John was between the ages of 93 and 97 when the angel came and gave him this prophecy. John was the only one of the disciples that
died a natural death, although religious leaders and authorities tried
to kill John in numerous ways, including throwing him in a vat of
boiling oil. They finally exiled him to the Isle of Patmos, essentially
a rock that served as an island for…

Do Not Be Overcome By Evil, But Overcome Evil With Good

Romans 12:21, NIV

Lay Your Grievances Down

I was a state witness to the execution of Velma Barfield, the first woman to be executed in the United States in more than twenty-two years. I had developed a friendship with her about six months prior to her execution as a result of her correspondence with my mother and had grown to love her as a sister in Christ. Following the execution, a newspaper reporter called me, probing my reaction. “Anne, how are you going to get back at the state? Aren’t you bitter?” I knew I had the opportunity to allow the grief over my friend’s death to go a step further and become a grievance that would become bitterness.

By God’s grace, I chose to take my reaction to the cross of Christ. In prayer…

Then Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed great
[rich], and went forward, and grew until he became very great
Genesis 26:12-13

Living by Faith

Isaac had wanted to escape the famine by going down into Egypt, but God
told him not to go, saying, “You know there’s provision in Egypt, but
let me be your provider. Be obedient to me. If you stay here, I will
cause you to prosper.”

Isaac was already a prosperous man. His father was rich, and he had
everything that belonged to his father. But as a result of Isaac’s
obedience, he grew richer and richer until he became very rich.

God wanted to give Isaac an opportunity to live by faith, not by sight.
If you live by sight, you will reap natural results, but if you…

Judge not, that ye be not judged

MATTHEW 7:1-5

RIGHTEOUSJUDGMENT

There are many examples of people judging others in the scriptures. Paul prayed that our love would abound more and more in all judgment (Phil. 1:9). In light of the scriptures where Jesus and the disciples spoke of judging, it is evident that there must be a right and a wrong type of judging.

In Luke 12:56-57, Jesus uses the words “discern” and “judge” interchangeably. A dictionary definition of “judge” can mean many things from “condemn” to “appraise, to form an opinion about; to think or consider.” There is certainly nothing wrong with discerning or appraising a situation or person. Quite the contrary, we need to try the spirits (1 Jn. 4:1). Judging when done as discernment, is good.

It is the condemning type of judgment that is wrong. We can defer passing sentence on people…

Green Thought Bubbles (Photo credit: iNkMan_)

Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? Or, what shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed

Matthew 6:31

MATTHEW 6:25-34

Jesus is commanding us not to worry or be anxious about our material needs being met. It would be impossible to have no thought whatsoever about our physical needs. Even Jesus thought about His need for money to pay taxes (Mt. 17:24-27). We are simply not to be preoccupied with thinking about riches or spending our time worrying about necessities. These things will be added unto us as we seek first the Kingdom of God.

The way we take or receive an anxious thought is by speaking it. Doubtful thoughts will come, but we do not sin until we entertain them. According to this verse, speaking forth these thoughts is one way of entertaining them; therefore, don’t speak forth…

The Word Of God Is The Most Powerful Force Ever Released

(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,)
before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and
calleth those things which be not as though they were
Romans 4:17

The most powerful thing in the universe is not some chemical, atomic, nuclear, or hydrogen weapon of mass destruction. No, the most powerful
force ever released in the history of the universe is the Word of God!
God’s Word stands forever, and it is the prime creative force of the
God who calls things into being. God’s Word creates! God’s Word lives!

I am thankful that satan wasn’t a student of prophecy. Satan didn’t
understand what was happening during the thirty-three years Jesus was
on the earth. God gave the devil fair warning in Genesis 3:15, but he
just didn’t…

Humble Submission

Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.”

Matthew 26:36, NKJV

The betrayal and arrest of Jesus was preceded by an extended time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. When He stepped out of the garden to present Himself to His enemies, Jesus had been alone, praying and agonizing for hours, wrestling with the will of His Father for His life, sweating what seemed to be great drops of blood in His effort. Throughout His agony He received the personal ministration of angels who helped Him to renew His strength, and He overcame the supreme temptation of the enemy to defy God‘s purpose, choosing instead to go to the Cross.

His humble submission to His Father’s will must have given Him a mantle of power that cloaked Him…

Heaven Is Real

A young man with an incurable disease was reported to have said, “I don’t think I would be afraid to die if I knew what to expect after death.” Evidently this young man had not heard of what God has prepared for those who love Him.

The man had within him the fear of death. For the Christian there need be no fear. Christ has taken away the fear of death and has given hope.

Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go … I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:2-3). And that place, according to the Apostle Paul, is a “far better” place. Paul wrote, “having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:23).

The grave is not the end. For those who don’t know Christ, death is a…