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)
Silence enables us to experience the kind of intimacy with God we so desperately long for. But it requires a deliberate choice to become quiet. Inside each of us there is a place of silence, and only we know when we are in that place of rest. I challenge you to become still before God, to enter that place of rest.
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!
The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty. —Numbers 14:18
Caricature artists set up their easels in public places and draw pictures of people who are willing to pay a modest price for a humorous image of themselves. Their drawings amuse us because they exaggerate one or more of our physical features in a way that is recognizable but funny.
Caricatures of God, on the other hand, are not funny. Exaggerating one of His attributes presents a distorted view that people easily dismiss. Like a caricature, a distorted view of God is not taken seriously. Those who see God portrayed only as an angry and demanding judge are easily lured away by someone who emphasizes mercy. Those who see God as a kindhearted grandfather will reject that image when they need justice. Those who see God as an intellectual idea rather than a living, loving being eventually find other ideas more appealing. Those who see God as a best friend often leave Him behind when they find human friends who are more to their liking.
God declares Himself to be merciful and gracious, but also just in punishing the guilty (Ex. 34:6-7).
As we put our faith into action, we need to avoid portraying God as having only our favorite attributes. We must worship all of God, not just what we like. —Julie Ackerman Link
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—
Oh, Thou blessed Trinity:
One in essence, yet three persons—
Thou, our God, we worship Thee. —D. De Haan
All-powerful, merciful, wise, and just is the God in whom we trust.
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!
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)
You Know God’s Voice
John 10:3 says: “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.”
When we are born again, we have a supernatural knowledge of the voice of God. We know the voice of the Father. We are not carried about by the voice of a stranger, and we don’t listen to our senses. We don’t listen to other people, unless they are representative of the voice of God and the Word of God. And we don’t listen to deceptive voices. We are not moved by circumstances, but we are moved and led by God’s Word. You know God’s voice. Wait upon the Lord. Let Him speak. When He speaks, you say, and you do. There’s where the rubber meets the road and faith is born, when you hear God and you put action to what you hear.
Hear Him!
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!
Matthew 9:24 says: “He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn.”
Are you like the people around Jesus in this story? He was entering the home of Jairus, a desperate man whose daughter had just died. There was no hope in man in this situation, but Jairus hoped in God. His family was helpless, and they were at the end of what they could do when Jesus said, “Give place, for she’s not dead.” In other words, “Give place; it’s not hopeless. Give place, for I am here. Give place; nothing is impossible if you believe Me.”
Often we think that our circumstance is beyond hope. We find it hard to see how Jesus could take the worst-case scenario and make it new. But Jesus is the master of rebuilding, the master of recreating, the master of healing, the master of repair, and the master of new beginnings. Wherever you are today, no matter what you are going through, lift up your eyes because your redemption does not come from man, and it does not come from you, but it comes from Jesus Christ.
He is there with you now!
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!
Courage is defined as “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face
difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.”
For many, it takes courage to simply get out of bed in the morning because of physical or emotional challenges.
For others, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks, it took “courage” to
confront the giant of institutional and systemic racism. As Christians, we too
must exercise courage when it comes to standing up for our beliefs-standing for
what the Bible teaches. 1 Peter 3:15-16 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer
to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this
with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak
maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
If “fitting in or going with the flow” is what makes you comfortable, then it’s time for self-reflection and examination.
While we see much turmoil in the world, we must never lose hope in Christ. Actually,
the chaos should be viewed as an opportune season for the Church to be a true witness
to the world. The time that we spend on earth is merely a vapour or a “mist”, as stated in James 4:14, when compared to the time that we’ll
spend in eternity with Christ. Trouble does not last always!!!
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!
day 89-love or forgiveness (Photo credit: katyhutch)
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mark 11:25
Don’t waste time holding onto anger toward someone who has wronged you. Forgive that person today.
John 20:23 warns, “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” If you withhold forgiveness, you will be denied forgiveness as well.
I know you have reasons for not forgiving-someone hurt you too deeply, they did it on purpose, or they haven’t asked to be forgiven. Whatever your reason is, it isn’t listed as a condition for forgiveness in the Bible.
God knows your situation and He has still called you to forgive-no matter the circumstances. No one is perfect-everyone needs to be forgiven. Do not stand in the way of your own relationship with God by denying forgiveness to someone else.
Luke 6:37 says, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt you, even if they don’t deserve it. It may not change how you feel about what they did, but it will change you. It’s too important to your spiritual health to put off.
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!
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Genesis 3:5
The serpent was appealing to the lust of being your own god and calling
your own shots. At this point, Eve was still without sin, but her
willingness to listen to satan’s lies had put her on the slippery slope
of temptation. Satan tried the same tactic on Jesus when he offered Him
“all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them” (Matthew 4:8).
Jesus didn’t listen to satan’s temptations; He cut him off with the
Word of God.
Many Christians deal with satan’s temptations as Eve did, so it isn’t
surprising that large numbers of people who show up for church on
Sunday mornings live our lives as though we are our own gods. You may
say, “I don’t have any idols!” No? Any time you decide what you are
going to do with your life and how you are going to do it without
regard to God’s Word and without seeking His kingdom first, you have
declared your intention to become your own god.
Father,
You are the giver of life. Thank You for placing Your glory on me. I am
Your child, and You are my God and Your ways are my path. In Jesus’
name, Amen.
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!
Which would you rather have – Goddefending you, or you defending yourself? That’s the choice that Jesus is offering us here. “Turning the other cheek” is not a prescription for abuse but rather the way to get the Lord involved in your defense.
Many people feel that these instructions of Jesus guarantee that others will take advantage of us. That would be true if there was no God. But when we follow these commands of Jesus, the Lord is on our side. He said in Rom. 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
When we fight back, we are drawing on our own strength. But when we turn the other cheek, we are invoking God as our defence. Once we understand this, it becomes obvious that these instructions are for our own good.
James 1:20, says that the wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. Regardless of how appropriate our anger may seem, and regardless of how we think our wrath could make a person or situation change, we will never achieve God’s best that way.
When we defend ourselves, we stop God from defending us. It has to be one way or the other. It cannot be both ways. When we turn the other cheek to our enemies, we are loosing the power of God on our behalf. Let God defend you today.
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!
Related articles
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And Then he Punched the Other One!!! (spendomai.com)
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)
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which
the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God
said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Genesis 3:1
The enemy of our souls never seems to make a direct frontal attack. In
this verse, we see that he begins his assault by approaching the woman
God got from Adam’s rib. If you must defeat a two-person team, you
rarely begin with an assault on the stronger or the senior member. You
tackle the junior or the smaller member first, hoping to divide and
conquer. This technique began with satan in the Garden.
His first device is to question God’s Word in a subtle way: “Hath God
said…?” The devil always works to introduce doubt, but usually he
does it so smoothly that you may not even recognize it at first. The Hebrew word for subtle means cunning, crafty and smooth. Notice that he
asks questions, planting doubt in our hearts and minds: Is this really
God’s way? Did He really mean what He said? Does it have to be only
this way? What do you think God really meant?
It is no accident that satan asked Eve this question. He wasn’t
interested in Eve’s answer; he was interested in planning his own
answer in Eve’s mind.
Father,
Your Word remains true and faithful, even in the fact of satan’s
attacks. I choose to listen only to You and to plant Your Words in my
heart and mind so that I can live blameless before You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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!
According to lie-detection experts, “Our natural tendency is to trust people.” However, not everyone is trustworthy all the time. Signs that someone may be lying include fidgeting, lack of eye contact, and noticeable pauses in speaking. Even with these clues, experts warn that it is still quite tough to tell deceivers from honest people.
Joshua needed to know if he could trust the Gibeonites. When they discovered that God wanted him to get rid of some neighboring nations (Josh. 9:24), they pretended to be from a faraway land. They arrived in worn-out tunics and patched sandals, claiming, “Our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey” (v.13). The Israelites were suspicious (v.7), but they “did not ask counsel of the Lord” (v.14); and Joshua unwisely made a peace treaty with the deceivers.
Many want to gain our trust: salespeople, financial advisors, or estranged family members. If we wonder: “Can I trust you?” we shouldn’t decide quickly, based only on what seems right to us. It’s better to seek counsel from God’s Word (Ps. 119:105), godly people (Prov. 11:14), and God Himself (James 1:5). Wisdom from above will help us decide who to trust. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Protect us from deceivers, Lord,
Who lie and plot to take
Advantage of us and confuse
Decisions we must make. —Sper
A desire for discernment is God’s call to prayer.
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!
1 Corinthians 3:18-19 “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness.”
Let no one glory in man! Listen to the counsel of man but always remember that God’s Word stands. Do not put your faith & trust in man. What is wise to the world is foolishness to God. Fear God & obey Him.
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!
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)
John 9:7 says: “And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” Here Jesus made clay and put it on the blind man’s eyes. Then He sent him to the pool to wash. What a miracle when the man saw! Jesus wants all of us to allow Him to apply the truth to our eyes so that we may see God’s perfect will, and that we may see how we should walk and what sin is. God wants us to see the path of righteousness and the path of destruction and sin, so that when we encounter sin we stay away from it. It’s not that God is trying to keep us from joy, but He’s trying to keep us from being cursed. He’s trying to keep us from having the devil lord it over us. And He’s trying to keep us from an eternal hell.
When God opens your eyes and shows you the path of righteousness and His will, then like the blind man you must go and do it. When you do, the world sees that you are a prized disciple. Today, if you know to do right, do it. What you know is wrong, refuse it. You are anointed of God, and empowered by the Holy Ghost. You can do all things. The Holy Ghost will help you mortify the deeds of your flesh, so stand strong; don’t cave in. Resist the devil, and he will flee.
Wash your eyes!
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!
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)
But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which
he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day
Moses said, “Remember God, because He’s the one who gave you the
ability, the supernatural power to eat and be full and to build goodly
houses. Everything happened because of the power that God gave you for the purpose of receiving wealth.” Notice that this power is a gift from
God.
Some people misunderstand this prosperity message, thinking that you
give in order to receive. However, you must understand that the main
purpose or motivation for giving is love. When you give out of love,
God will give the gift of His power to you out of His love.
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!
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)
The law of the Spirit that brings life made me free from the law that brings sin and death
Romans 8:3
The cross did what sacrificed lambs could not do. It erased our sins, not for a year, but for eternity. The cross did what man could not do. It granted us the right to talk with, love, and even live with God.
You can’t do that by yourself. I don’t care how many worship services you attend or good deeds you do, your goodness is insufficient . . . That’s why we need a saviour.
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!
“Then stand in the sanctuary at the place appointed for your family division and help the families assigned to you as they bring their offerings to the Temple.” NKJV
Part of being a disciple of Jesus is helping others become disciples as well. When we read the word, we should be ready to share what we’ve learned with our friends and family. When we see God answer prayers, we have a great opportunity to display the goodness of God to others. Even when we walk through difficult situations we can look for others to help disciple since, one day, they could be in that same situation.
Each moment in life can be a discipleship moment, for ourselves as well as others. This week, look for chances to disciple someone. Discipleship does not necessarily mean sitting in a classroom but can simply be a conversation or even an action. As we look for these moments, be ready for God to act. There are many believers who are wondering what the next step in the walk with Christ may be, and you may have the answer.
Matthew 28:19 ” Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Life Lesson: We should be helping others in their walk with the Lord.
Dear God,
Make me a bold disciple. Father, I desire to serve others, love my enemies and give my all to You. I ask that You would give me opportunities to make more disciples for Your kingdom. In those moments, give me the wisdom needed to push someone closer to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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!
Česky: Kříže - symbol utrpení Ježíše Krista a jeho ukřižování (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced
Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
-Revelation 1:7
I love sunrises and sunsets. When I behold the magnificent spectrum of colours spreading
across the sky, it is a feast for my eyes that warms my heart. Yet, with each sunrise
or sunset, I cannot help but wonder what it will look like when Christ returns.
Revelation says that, “Every eye will see Him.” That means everyone. Everyone! I
know on that day I will be rejoicing because Christ has returned, but I also have
a feeling that my heart will ache for some people I didn’t get to know better.
The neighbor I was too scared to talk with about Jesus. The one I was afraid would
laugh at me for my faith.
I won’t sugarcoat it – doing the work that Jesus has called us to can be hard at
times. You open yourself up to criticism and ridicule. And that only grows when
you say “yes” to full-time ministry because, when times are tough, you take public
blows from a crowded field of second guessers. Yet, what drives me each morning
to continue to do God‘s work is picturing the look on my neighbor’s face when Christ
returns, a look that says, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Perhaps you never thought you could be God’s instrument of change in someone else’s
life. Oh, how wrong you are. Today, you can choose be the ambulance driver that
brings someone you know to the Master Physician, God Almighty.
Lord Jesus, show me the person You want me to introduce to You today. In Jesus’
name, I pray. Amen.
Name loved ones and acquaintances who need to know more about Jesus. How will you
model for them the love of Christ today?
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!
Deutsch: Mutter Teresa (26.8.1919-5.9.1997); 1986 bei einer Pro-life-Kundgebung auf dem Bonner Münsterplatz English: Mother Teresa of Calcutta (26.8.1919-5.9.1997); at a pro-life meeting in 1986 in Bonn, Germany (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Mother Teresa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
.C. Immediately the top leaders of the most powerful country in the world, along with the other esteemed guests, rose to their feet and applauded. Many had tears in their eyes.
The wife of a United States Senator later said, “She looked so tiny and out-of-place in her blue-and-white habit, old gray sweater, and sandals that had obviously carried her many miles. I was struck with the contrast. I thought, ‘Lord, this frail woman has more power than I see in the Halls of Congress. She reflects Jesus everywhere she goes, and everyone is strangely moved.'”
Mother Teresa never owned anything; she never held up her fist to demand rights for herself. Yet she was raised to a pinnacle of recognition for her work with the destitute and dying in Calcutta, India. A shining example of selflessness, she proved the power of God’s love to transform people and touch a starved world.
This is real power, and, unlike that of the world, it confounds the wise and humbles the mighty. It is the power of God working through ordinary men and women for His glory.
When we are filled with His Spirit, we have that same power inside of us. But He wants us to be vessels of His mission. Then people will not see us, but will see Him in us. Like Mother Teresa, we will display a power the world does not know. But His Spirit working in us will draw others to Himself.
Your View of God Really Matters …
When people look at you, who do they see? Jesus or you? The only way people will ever see Jesus in you is if you focus on Him. It’s not enough to act right. You must focus right. Today focus on Jesus, and allow His Spirit to live through you.
Because God is all powerful, He can help us with anything.
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!
Česky: Kříže - symbol utrpení Ježíše Krista a jeho ukřižování (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Got a Dime to Spare? God did not spare His Son Jesus Christ out of love for you
Written by Sheila Schuller Coleman
“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also
with Him graciously give us all things?” -Romans 8:32
When I walk out of a store or restaurant, I am frequently stopped by those who ask,
“Got a dime to spare?” Because I’m wary of giving money to those who might use it to purchase unhealthy substances holding them hostage, I often purchase them a meal,
instead, or hand them a bag of peanuts with one of our “Hope Centre” cards stapled
to it. I encourage them to come on Monday for a hot meal, inspiration and encouragement,
a free haircut, and help with clothes, resumes, and substance abuse counselling.
At one recent Monday Meal, I met a man I’ll call “Rich” who came up to me and said,
“Pastor Sheila, I am your resident atheist.”
“Really? Well, I have good news for you, Rich. God believes in you even if you don’t
believe in Him. He loves you even if you don’t love Him.”
“I’ve told God that I’d believe in Him if I could see Him.'”
“Rich, take a look around. See Amanda over there cutting hair? See Hilda behind
the table serving the food? See Harold by the racks handing out the clothes? You
are seeing God in action through each one of them.”
Two weeks later when I ran into Rich again, he said, “Sheila, the word on the street
is that you love us.”
“Well, that’s true. But most importantly, God loves you.”
“I’m beginning to believe that.”
So, let’s look at that question, “Got a dime you can spare?” I’d like to challenge
you and ask you, “Got a life you can spare?”
God, who did not spare the life of his Son, asks us to give our lives to Him and
to serve Him – like Amanda, like Hilda, like Harold, like so many others who are
giving their lives to say through words and works, “God loves you and so do I!”
Lord, when I am tempted to think You would withhold a blessing or a deliverance
from me, I am reminded that You have promised that You will not withhold anything
I need – not even Your Son’s death on the cross. What more do I need? Thank You,
Lord! Forgive me, Lord! Amen.
God did not spare His Son out of love for you. How does that make you feel?
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!
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)
“And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in Him.” (1 John 3:5)
Do you strive to live a pure and holy life? What disciplines help you do that?
In the time of Jesus, there were religious experts called Pharisees. The highest value of life, in their view, was maintaining holiness—which, for them, meant not touching anything or anyone they might consider “unclean.” Holiness was a matter of staying on the defence socially, and avoiding certain people entirely.
What really bothered them about Jesus was the way He sought out “unclean” people—those with diseases, those with clear and unmistakable sin in their lives. Wasn’t He forfeiting His personal purity by associating with lowly individuals? It seemed an outrage! Yet Jesus led history’s holiest life even while seeking out those who needed to see and touch true purity. And in Him, they touched it. Perhaps one of the great secrets of holiness is that it can’t be hoarded.
Life demands a certain balance. We don’t want to spend time with those who can pull us down; we want to steer clear of temptation. But our holy God wants us to share true purity with those who desperately need it. He wants us to bring healing and hope, just as His Son did.
Your View of God Really Matters …
We are a reflection of God’s pure light to an unclean world. How will your light touch the darkness of another life today? Don’t hoard your light.
Because God is holy, I will live a holy life in an unclean world!
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!
Matthew 9:2 says: “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” This verse does not tell us what sin this man had committed. It doesn’t tell us the depth of the depravity or the degree of darkness. It makes no mention of the condemnation or the shame of it, or the hurt that was caused to others. The only thing Jesus focused on was the faith of the man and his friends. He turned to the man and said, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” I think that Jesus is in every one of our lives in the secret places of our shame, our condemnation, our brokenness, our remorse for hurting others, and the regret we cradle because we have not lived up to our own standards, let alone God‘s. We cringe inside because we have failed others, and we weep because we have failed ourselves. Just as Jesus said to this man, “Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven“, so He wants you to be of good cheer today. He wants you to realize that He shed His blood for you, and you have received His forgiveness. Don’t let shame, condemnation, regret, remorse or anything else keep you back from standing up strong. Just stand up strong today and say, “I have been forgiven. I refuse to live in my yesterdays anymore.”
Don’t live in yesterday!
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!
Prayer Point 