Tag Archives: Jews

Our Loving God is always near

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Our loving God is always near—forever by our side

READ: John 20:19-29

Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” —John 20:26

At our church we often sing the beautiful song by Ron and Carol Harris: “In This Very Room.” It begins, “In this very room there’s quite enough love for one like me.” This song reminds me that although there is great encouragement in gathering with other Christians for worship, the important thing is that Christ is present. But it goes beyond that. He is with us not just at church but in every room of our lives.

I wonder where you’re reading this—a kitchen, a coffee shop, a prison cell, a military post? Perhaps you’re in a hospital or a courtroom. It may be a room that reflects everything that’s right in your life or a place that represents all that’s wrong. And you might be afraid.

In the aftermath of the awful reality of Jesus’ crucifixion, His followers met in a familiar room. John records that “when the doors were shut [locked] where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” (John 20:19). A week later it happened again when Jesus entered through locked doors to bring peace through His presence (vv.26-29).

Wherever you are today, “There’s quite enough hope and quite enough power to chase away any gloom, for Jesus, Lord Jesus, is in this very room.” —David McCasland

When in the midst of life with its problems,
Bent with our toil and burdens we bear;
Wonderful thought and deep consolation:
Jesus is always there. —Lillenas

Our loving God is always near—forever by our side.

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 Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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How often do you remember what Jesus did for you

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How often do you remember what Jesus did for you

Forgotten?

Pastor David’s Devotional

John 19:31-42

“Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken.’ And again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced.’ After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.”

NKJV

How often do you remember what Jesus did for you? We can be so quick to forget. Some of this forgetfulness is an instrument of God‘s healing. Sometimes, we forget pain that we suffered and trials we endured. We also forget names, numbers, and sometimes birthdays and even anniversaries. I got married on Valentine’s Day and it helps that the stores put out hearts to help me remember. We tend to forget (or not think about) the most important date of all and the event itself–the crucifixion.

Communion is a time of remembering. Remembering what He did for us. He bled. He died. He took our punishment when He did not have to. Our job? To remember. That is why Jesus told us during communion to remember. Why? The sad fact is, we might forget. Celebrate communion often. Do it at home, do it at work, do it with your parents and do it with your kids.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” NKJV

Throughout history, we have had slogans like ‘remember the Alamo’ or ‘remember the Maine’. Ours is simple. Remember Jesus.

Life Lesson: We need to realize what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Dear Father,

Let me never forget what Jesus did for me. I thank You for providing a means of forgiveness so that we can know the fullness of Your grace. Help me not only to remember, but to share and not only to share but to show. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Ask And Watch God Arise

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Jesus H. ChristAsk and Watch God Arise

Matthew 8:6-7 says: “And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.” Here was a centurion, not even saved, not born again. It doesn’t even say he was a Jew, and yet he asked Jesus for help. He told Him he had someone dear to him who was not whole, someone who was not well. The servant was vexed, tormented, taken captive, and broken. Jesus immediately, without any questions or reservations said, “I will come and heal him.” Jesus wants to make people whole. He wants to come to your home and make you whole. I don’t know if you are broken financially, emotionally, relationally, in marriage, or in body, but Jesus is saying to you right now, “I will come and make you whole.” All you need to do today is just think how simple it was for the centurion. Make it as simple for you today. Say to Him, “Jesus, come and heal. Come and bless. Come and repair. Come and deliver.” Whatever you need, fill in the blank for yourself. Ask, and watch God arise.

He will come!

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God’s Word has no limits.

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God’s Word has no limits.

John 4:50, “Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.”

JOHN 4:46-54

Jesus didn’t have to touch the child. He didn’t have to send anything home with the father to affect the cure. All He did was speak and the son was instantly healed (v. 53).

This man had traveled over fifteen miles from Capernaum to Cana to find Jesus. Therefore, the son was not within ‘earshot” so that Jesus’ words sparked some cord of hope in his heart, thereby releasing God’s power. No, Jesus’ spoken word had so much power that no barriers (such as time or space) had any affect on it whatsoever.

This is hard for us to comprehend. We spend an entire lifetime learning physical limitations and adapting to them. But there are no limits to the power of God’s word. Jesus created everything in this physical universe by His words, and that creation will respond to anything He says.

The Lord gave His Word to the Jews but they didn’t believe it. Hebrews 4:2 says, “…the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it].” We have been given God’s words too, in the Bible. If we will speak God’s Word in faith, we will get the same results that Jesus did here.

May Our God The Almighty prosper Nigeria and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

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We are citizens of heaven

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WE ARE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN

But there’s far more
to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the
Saviour, the Master, Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20 MSG)

When you were born again, your citizenship changed
instantly! Your real citizenship is not the one on your international passport,
because having been born again, the Bible says “ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints, and of the household of God”  (Ephesians 2:19). Your real citizenship is
in heaven. The Message Translation puts it this way: “…….You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now
your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here,
with as much right to the name Christians as anyone…..” (Ephesians 2:19).

Hebrews 12:22-24 says,
“You have come to Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem….”  Zion – the Heavenly
Jerusalem is your new country – your new land of nativity. How it pays to know
that you’re a citizen of the Heavenly Country!

Jesus said to the Jews “Ye
are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this
world!” (John 8:23). He knew where He came from. Though He was physically
in the earth, He was conscious of His real citizenship –Zion – the Heavenly
Jerusalem. This should be your thinking as well. Let it dawn on you that you’re
a citizen of Zion!

Zion is the beautiful country of God’s beloved people, and
that’s where you belong. There’s no failure, recession, or poverty in that
country! There’s no sickness there; no wonder the Bible says those that dwell
therein, shall not say “I am sick” (Isaiah 33:24). Refuse to be subject to the
principles of this world’s system. In this heavenly country where you now
belong, what you have is divine health, prosperity, peace and success! Be conscious
of this today, and always! Amen!

CONFESSION

I know my divine
origin; I’m from Zion, the city of the Living God. Therefore, I cannot be
subject to the principle of this world’s system. I am a heavenly citizen,
seated together with Christ Jesus in the Heavenly realms! Hallelujah! Amen!

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May Our God The
Almighty prosper Nigeria and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus
Christ Name, Amen!

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I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ

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I AM NOT
ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth;
to the Jews first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16)

The word
“gospel” means “good news”. It’s not enough to be preaching a message about
God, if it’s not “good news” then it’s not gospel. Jesus told us to preach the
gospel, which is the good news about all He had done for mankind. Some people
get mad when they hear us preach good news to sinners; they would rather we
preach hell, sin, and condemnation. They believe that it’s not right to “water
down” the message! They want the person to whom they are preaching to realize
how terrible a sinner he is, but that’s really not necessary.

The Bible
says the goodness of God leads men to repentance (Romans 2:4), not the terror
of God. The gospel to the sinner is that eternal life is available to him from
God now and that he doesn’t have to continue to wallow in sin and guilt
anymore. The gospel to the sick person is that divine health is available to
him now, so he can walk out of sickness in Christ Jesus. The gospel to the poor
man is that prosperity is now available in Christ Jesus and that he has an
inheritance waiting for him. It’s not gospel to say that it’s okay to suffer on
earth so long as you die and make heaven.

So, the next
time you want to speak to someone about Jesus Christ, make sure you preach the
gospel: THE GOOD NEWS! Your message should gladden the heart of the hearer and
reveal God’s goodness, in spite of man’s sin and wickedness. That’s the message
that turns even the hardest heart unto God. That’s the message Apostle Paul
refers to as the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).

CONFESSION

I am a minister of reconciliation, a
preacher of The Good News about Christ Jesus. My feet are shod today with this
Good News and my lips burst forth with it! As I share it, men and women are
turned from sin to righteousness, from sickness to health and from poverty to
prosperity, in the Name of Jesus Christ! Amen!

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May Our God The Almighty prosper
Nigeria and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name,
Amen!

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We can make a difference in our community

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WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

If you keep quiet at a
time like this, help will come from heaven to the Jews, and they be saved, but
you will die and your father’s family will come to an end. Yet who knows –
maybe it was for a time like this that you were made queen! (Esther 4:14)

Some people believe the only way they can be heard is by
being restive and protecting violently in public. This is wrong! We have to
learn the value, precipitation, and process of non-violent protests. God has
given us power to effect any change we desire (Acts 1:80), but we have to know
how to wisely present our cases before those in positions of authority to get
the desired results.

Sometime ago, a certain musicians gathered world leaders
together to make a decision. He wasn’t a president; he wasn’t even a politician,
yet he was able to pull this off. How? He recognized himself as somebody
special and took advantage of it. That’s the way we ought to think; let’s see
ourselves as special people, a man or woman of influence that can effect a
change. We have what it takes to make all the needed difference in our country.
From where you are, for example, you can write – letters, articles, and online
posts-anything constructive that can make a difference!

History is replete with stories of men and women who
inspired revolutions through their writings. This doesn’t mean writing
malicious things about people just to berate them, but penning constructive
suggestions that can improve the society and the country as a whole!

Perhaps you occupy a high position from where you can
influence major decisions, don’t hold back. Let no one intimidate you. Rather,
think like Esther, who through her position of influence circumspectly
presented her case before the king, and by so doing, delivered the children of Israel
from annihilation (Esther 4-5). By acting this way, you’ll not only stand for
the common good of others, but will also be inspiring godly example for
generations to follow.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You for granting me the wisdom, inspiration, motivation and ability to
conceive and execute divine ideas that’ll make Your country Nigeria a better
place. I thank You for making me a blessing and a giver, for You’ve granted   me the grace to lift others high, in Jesus
Christ Name! Amen!

 

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May Our God The Almighty prosper
Nigeria and Israel and defend them from all their enemies in Jesus Christ Name,
Amen!

 

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