Psalm 34 (New Living Translation)
1 I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the Lord;
let all who are helpless take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.
7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
he surrounds and defends all who fear him.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
9 Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
for those who fear him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, and listen to me,
and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
12 Does anyone want to live a life
that is long and prosperous?
13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
15 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;
his ears are open to their cries for help.
16 But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;
he will erase their memory from the earth.
17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
19 The righteous person faces many troubles,
but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
20 For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;
not one of them is broken!
21 Calamity will surely overtake the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.
No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Another text from Jon Courson
But made himself of no reputation ...
Philippians 2:7
This phrase in Greek is ‘kenosis’, or, literally, ‘he emptied himself’. Jesus emptied Himself. Of what? Of His divinity? No. When Jesus came as a Man, He was still God. Then of what did He empty Himself? He emptied Himself of His Divine powers.
The implications of the doctrine of kenosis are huge because it means that everything Jesus did — the miracles He ministered, the prayers He prayed, the teachings He gave — were not done in His own power. Jesus healed and prayed and taught through the power of the Holy Spirit as He followed the Father’s directives.
Because I didn’t know this for probably 20+ years, when I read that Jesus walked on water, I thought, ‘Big deal. He’s Jesus’; when I read that He overcame temptation, I thought, ‘Big deal. He’s Jesus’; when I read that He spent the night in prayer, I thought, ‘Big deal. He’s Jesus.’ Thus, the miracles and stories of the Gospels were irrelevant to me as far as they related to being an example or model for me.
I didn’t understand kenosis. I didn’t grasp Philippians 2. I didn’t comprehend that when Jesus came to earth, He emptied Himself of His Divine abilities — which means everything Jesus did, He did as a man just like me. Before He did anything, Jesus had to be obedient to the Father, to pray, to put Himself on the line, to be empowered by the Spirit — or nothing would happen. That’s why He said, ‘Of my own self, I can do nothing,’ (John 5:30) — and neither can you.
When a man who is serious about loving and serving God understands the kenosis of Philippians 2, he’ll never look at Jesus the same way. He’ll see that Jesus’ life is truly a model for anyone willing to be directed by the Father and empowered by the Spirit.
Philippians 2:7
This phrase in Greek is ‘kenosis’, or, literally, ‘he emptied himself’. Jesus emptied Himself. Of what? Of His divinity? No. When Jesus came as a Man, He was still God. Then of what did He empty Himself? He emptied Himself of His Divine powers.
The implications of the doctrine of kenosis are huge because it means that everything Jesus did — the miracles He ministered, the prayers He prayed, the teachings He gave — were not done in His own power. Jesus healed and prayed and taught through the power of the Holy Spirit as He followed the Father’s directives.
Because I didn’t know this for probably 20+ years, when I read that Jesus walked on water, I thought, ‘Big deal. He’s Jesus’; when I read that He overcame temptation, I thought, ‘Big deal. He’s Jesus’; when I read that He spent the night in prayer, I thought, ‘Big deal. He’s Jesus.’ Thus, the miracles and stories of the Gospels were irrelevant to me as far as they related to being an example or model for me.
I didn’t understand kenosis. I didn’t grasp Philippians 2. I didn’t comprehend that when Jesus came to earth, He emptied Himself of His Divine abilities — which means everything Jesus did, He did as a man just like me. Before He did anything, Jesus had to be obedient to the Father, to pray, to put Himself on the line, to be empowered by the Spirit — or nothing would happen. That’s why He said, ‘Of my own self, I can do nothing,’ (John 5:30) — and neither can you.
When a man who is serious about loving and serving God understands the kenosis of Philippians 2, he’ll never look at Jesus the same way. He’ll see that Jesus’ life is truly a model for anyone willing to be directed by the Father and empowered by the Spirit.
Psalm 34 - most refreshing and beautiful
Psalm 34 (New International Version)
1 I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
1 I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
This Devotional comes from Jon Courson
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Philippians 2:34
This is the key: let each one of you esteem others as being better than yourself. How does that happen? By simply realizing that every single person around you, that every single person you meet is better than you in some way or at some thing than you are. And once we look into their lives and explore who they are, we must conclude, ‘It’s a privilege to know you. I have no right to look down on you. You’re better than me.’
My natural, carnal mind doesn’t work this way. My carnal mind wants to find fault with the person next to me so I can feel better about myself. But Paul says just the opposite: Go around school tomorrow and look at every other student as being better than you — and treat them accordingly. And as you begin to develop the mindset that you’re privileged to be with everyone around you, the result will be joy. But it can’t be done apart from dependence upon the Lord day by day, moment by moment. It’s a challenge — and yet it’s something we can choose to do.
I believe verse 4 is really the key to verse 3. I will esteem others as better than myself to the degree that I listen to their stories and explore who they are — for if we knew the secret hurts and pains and suffering of even our chiefest enemy, we would find all of our animosity evaporating. If we looked into people instead of down on people, we would be filled with compassion for people.
This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Days Journey" by Pastor Jon. "A Days Journey" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testatment.
www.joncourson.com
Philippians 2:34
This is the key: let each one of you esteem others as being better than yourself. How does that happen? By simply realizing that every single person around you, that every single person you meet is better than you in some way or at some thing than you are. And once we look into their lives and explore who they are, we must conclude, ‘It’s a privilege to know you. I have no right to look down on you. You’re better than me.’
My natural, carnal mind doesn’t work this way. My carnal mind wants to find fault with the person next to me so I can feel better about myself. But Paul says just the opposite: Go around school tomorrow and look at every other student as being better than you — and treat them accordingly. And as you begin to develop the mindset that you’re privileged to be with everyone around you, the result will be joy. But it can’t be done apart from dependence upon the Lord day by day, moment by moment. It’s a challenge — and yet it’s something we can choose to do.
I believe verse 4 is really the key to verse 3. I will esteem others as better than myself to the degree that I listen to their stories and explore who they are — for if we knew the secret hurts and pains and suffering of even our chiefest enemy, we would find all of our animosity evaporating. If we looked into people instead of down on people, we would be filled with compassion for people.
This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Days Journey" by Pastor Jon. "A Days Journey" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testatment.
www.joncourson.com
Friday, August 21, 2009
http://lifehealingministries.com/?p=1111
Published by Jerry Baysinger on 21 Aug 2009 at 04:53 pm
WHATSOEVER YOU NEED, JUST ASK
The Lord Jesus spoke these words to His disciples in John 14:11-14, Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
You might be thinking, Is it possible the Lord could have given us, His disciples, a blank check, to fill out and redeem as we have need? If so, then when I ask for something in prayer, why I don’t seem to get it? I think that’s a very fair question, and it deserves to be searched out for an answer, wouldn’t you say?
When the Lord Jesus said “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do”, He obviously meant exactly what He said, because He repeated it a second time. Oh, boy, I can see some eyes lighting up right now; “Let’s see, I want a new Ferrari, nice homes, lots of money, (you fill in the blank), and so I’m going shopping because Jesus promised He would give me whatsoever I ask.” There’s only one small catch……
The Lord Jesus was speaking to His disciples. But before you think He was only speaking to those twelve or so who were following Him that day, you have to define “disciple”. So let’s do that: A disciple is defined as one who is in the same way with the teacher; he or she is a pupil, one being taught and disciplined to become as the teacher. Knowing that, now it’s easy for you to ascertain if you are a disciple of Jesus. Are you letting the Word of God teach you to be like Jesus, are you taking on His traits and personality and His works? Are you of one mind with Him? Jesus spoke that His purpose and will was to please His heavenly Father, to be at one with Him in all things. Is that YOUR purpose will and in everything in your life? Are you learning to seek to please the heavenly Father in all you do and say? Notice I said “learning”, because you’re a pupil. You probably haven’t “arrived” yet, at least I haven’t. But if you can honestly answer “YES” to these questions, then without a doubt, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.
That means when you ask for something, your purpose for asking will be exactly the same as Jesus’ purpose was when He prayed; that is, He wanted to advance His Father’s Kingdom. He wasn’t asking for anything to promote His own agenda, after all, Jesus came here to seek and save the lost. He said in Luke 4:18: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
So that means, when we ask the heavenly Father for something, it should be for the above purpose, because as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you shouldn’t have any other purpose in mind. Are you still with me? If so, you are beginning to see why so many prayers go unanswered, because we are not acting like disciples, and we have our own interests at heart. BUT AND IF we are asking according to the Father’s will, we are promised the Lord Jesus will give us those things. Now before you go getting goofy on me and getting into the ditch with questions like; Is it always God’s will to heal?, you must again look at the ministry of the Lord Jesus while He was upon the earth training His disciples for service. Was everyone healed that Jesus ministered to? Yes, because healing is the Father’s will, and Jesus clearly taught us that, by healing whoever came to Him with a need. And not only that, He taught His disciples (that’s you and me) to go and do likewise. He clearly demonstrated it was the Father’s will to meet our everyday needs, when He fed the 5,000 who were with Him one day when He was teaching. Even His first miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding when the wine ran out, demonstrated his concern for a wedding celebration to go well for the young couple. Another thing, Jesus taught on giving, but He never said “Give to ME.” He said “Give to the poor.” There are those who SAY they are disciples of Jesus, who are greedy for gain, enticing people to give to them using various scriptures to manipulate them. But a tree is known by its fruit, and sooner or later their fruit will appear and give them away. The Lord knows those who are His own, and He will see to it that they are well taken care of, you can bank on that.
We often underestimate God’s compassion. So often we think the heavenly Father is like a stern, hard-to-please earthly father, whom we can never please no matter what we do. Many of us have or had parents like that, so it’s just natural for us to think our heavenly Father is like that, too. And with an attitude like that, it’s easy to believe in your heart that when you ask the Father for something, that the answer will most likely be “no” or “not now”. But that isn’t the Father’s attitude toward you at all. That’s why the Lord Jesus said in John 16:24, Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receve, that your joy may be full. Apparently then, our heavenly Father doesn’t have a problem with us being full of joy. He isn’t an old fuddy-duddy, you know. He is a very loving, compassionate Father who wants us to really enjoy our relationship with Him.
Our job as disciples of the Lord Jesus is to point people to the Father’s love. And you won’t do that by telling people He’s out to send them to hell. Rather, we must make it clear to them that our heavenly Father took the necessary steps to deliver us from hell, and all the oppression of the devil, such as poverty and sickness. I have found through the years that, as the old proverb says, it’s easier to draw flies with honey than it is with vinegar. I think you know what I mean. Can someone look at your life, and the way you behave and want to know the heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus because of you? If so, you’re a disciple of Jesus Christ! If not, today is a real good time for YOU to become one!
The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:32, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? So then, what’s the secret of receiving what you ask for from the Lord? Simple; ask according to the Father’s will. We can know the Father’s will by looking at what the Lord Jesus did, and then do likewise. When your purposes finally line up with the Father’s, ask what you will, and it will be done for you! Not because I said so, but because Jesus said so. And He would know!
The Lord knows you have physical needs that have to be met, and He doesn’t want you being worried about how those needs are going to be met. Instead, He wants you to focus your attention upon Him. Make the Kingdom of God your first priority, and let Him take care of the details. And to Him, they’re all details. NO WORRIES, MATE! Whatsoever you have need of, just ask Him. He wants your joy to be full.
WHATSOEVER YOU NEED, JUST ASK
The Lord Jesus spoke these words to His disciples in John 14:11-14, Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
You might be thinking, Is it possible the Lord could have given us, His disciples, a blank check, to fill out and redeem as we have need? If so, then when I ask for something in prayer, why I don’t seem to get it? I think that’s a very fair question, and it deserves to be searched out for an answer, wouldn’t you say?
When the Lord Jesus said “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do”, He obviously meant exactly what He said, because He repeated it a second time. Oh, boy, I can see some eyes lighting up right now; “Let’s see, I want a new Ferrari, nice homes, lots of money, (you fill in the blank), and so I’m going shopping because Jesus promised He would give me whatsoever I ask.” There’s only one small catch……
The Lord Jesus was speaking to His disciples. But before you think He was only speaking to those twelve or so who were following Him that day, you have to define “disciple”. So let’s do that: A disciple is defined as one who is in the same way with the teacher; he or she is a pupil, one being taught and disciplined to become as the teacher. Knowing that, now it’s easy for you to ascertain if you are a disciple of Jesus. Are you letting the Word of God teach you to be like Jesus, are you taking on His traits and personality and His works? Are you of one mind with Him? Jesus spoke that His purpose and will was to please His heavenly Father, to be at one with Him in all things. Is that YOUR purpose will and in everything in your life? Are you learning to seek to please the heavenly Father in all you do and say? Notice I said “learning”, because you’re a pupil. You probably haven’t “arrived” yet, at least I haven’t. But if you can honestly answer “YES” to these questions, then without a doubt, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.
That means when you ask for something, your purpose for asking will be exactly the same as Jesus’ purpose was when He prayed; that is, He wanted to advance His Father’s Kingdom. He wasn’t asking for anything to promote His own agenda, after all, Jesus came here to seek and save the lost. He said in Luke 4:18: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
So that means, when we ask the heavenly Father for something, it should be for the above purpose, because as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you shouldn’t have any other purpose in mind. Are you still with me? If so, you are beginning to see why so many prayers go unanswered, because we are not acting like disciples, and we have our own interests at heart. BUT AND IF we are asking according to the Father’s will, we are promised the Lord Jesus will give us those things. Now before you go getting goofy on me and getting into the ditch with questions like; Is it always God’s will to heal?, you must again look at the ministry of the Lord Jesus while He was upon the earth training His disciples for service. Was everyone healed that Jesus ministered to? Yes, because healing is the Father’s will, and Jesus clearly taught us that, by healing whoever came to Him with a need. And not only that, He taught His disciples (that’s you and me) to go and do likewise. He clearly demonstrated it was the Father’s will to meet our everyday needs, when He fed the 5,000 who were with Him one day when He was teaching. Even His first miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding when the wine ran out, demonstrated his concern for a wedding celebration to go well for the young couple. Another thing, Jesus taught on giving, but He never said “Give to ME.” He said “Give to the poor.” There are those who SAY they are disciples of Jesus, who are greedy for gain, enticing people to give to them using various scriptures to manipulate them. But a tree is known by its fruit, and sooner or later their fruit will appear and give them away. The Lord knows those who are His own, and He will see to it that they are well taken care of, you can bank on that.
We often underestimate God’s compassion. So often we think the heavenly Father is like a stern, hard-to-please earthly father, whom we can never please no matter what we do. Many of us have or had parents like that, so it’s just natural for us to think our heavenly Father is like that, too. And with an attitude like that, it’s easy to believe in your heart that when you ask the Father for something, that the answer will most likely be “no” or “not now”. But that isn’t the Father’s attitude toward you at all. That’s why the Lord Jesus said in John 16:24, Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receve, that your joy may be full. Apparently then, our heavenly Father doesn’t have a problem with us being full of joy. He isn’t an old fuddy-duddy, you know. He is a very loving, compassionate Father who wants us to really enjoy our relationship with Him.
Our job as disciples of the Lord Jesus is to point people to the Father’s love. And you won’t do that by telling people He’s out to send them to hell. Rather, we must make it clear to them that our heavenly Father took the necessary steps to deliver us from hell, and all the oppression of the devil, such as poverty and sickness. I have found through the years that, as the old proverb says, it’s easier to draw flies with honey than it is with vinegar. I think you know what I mean. Can someone look at your life, and the way you behave and want to know the heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus because of you? If so, you’re a disciple of Jesus Christ! If not, today is a real good time for YOU to become one!
The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:32, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? So then, what’s the secret of receiving what you ask for from the Lord? Simple; ask according to the Father’s will. We can know the Father’s will by looking at what the Lord Jesus did, and then do likewise. When your purposes finally line up with the Father’s, ask what you will, and it will be done for you! Not because I said so, but because Jesus said so. And He would know!
The Lord knows you have physical needs that have to be met, and He doesn’t want you being worried about how those needs are going to be met. Instead, He wants you to focus your attention upon Him. Make the Kingdom of God your first priority, and let Him take care of the details. And to Him, they’re all details. NO WORRIES, MATE! Whatsoever you have need of, just ask Him. He wants your joy to be full.
http://vinodisaac.com/
From Vinod's Desk
Dear Friends,
Loving Greetings in the Sweet and infallible name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' (Bible --> Jeremiah 33:3)
When my eyes slipped over this verse in Bible, I got greatly astonished with the fact that how gracious and loving the God is.
If we look at the previous chapters and verses in Jeremiah, we find God is dealing with a set of people who are rebellious and are determined to do every thing against God's will, Yet the God who is intolerant toward sin is showing His great tolerance toward human beings and giving an opportunity to come back and get restored. That is why He is saying Call to Me, and I will answer you.
In Verse 6 God says 'Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. Is it not wonderful that not only God asks, the violators of rules, to turn back but also promises to give abundance of peace and truth beside health and healing.
Yes my friends this the greatest quality of God that He cares for us and He has concern for us that is why He did send His only begotten Son in to this world to die for our sins and to give us eternal life.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
If you want to receive the forgiveness of sins and wants eternal life, Jesus is the answer. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and ask Him to come into your life. You will have life in abundance.
May God bless you and help you to lead a holy life, a life without spot. Amen
Vinod Kumar Isaac
Dear Friends,
Loving Greetings in the Sweet and infallible name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' (Bible --> Jeremiah 33:3)
When my eyes slipped over this verse in Bible, I got greatly astonished with the fact that how gracious and loving the God is.
If we look at the previous chapters and verses in Jeremiah, we find God is dealing with a set of people who are rebellious and are determined to do every thing against God's will, Yet the God who is intolerant toward sin is showing His great tolerance toward human beings and giving an opportunity to come back and get restored. That is why He is saying Call to Me, and I will answer you.
In Verse 6 God says 'Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. Is it not wonderful that not only God asks, the violators of rules, to turn back but also promises to give abundance of peace and truth beside health and healing.
Yes my friends this the greatest quality of God that He cares for us and He has concern for us that is why He did send His only begotten Son in to this world to die for our sins and to give us eternal life.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
If you want to receive the forgiveness of sins and wants eternal life, Jesus is the answer. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and ask Him to come into your life. You will have life in abundance.
May God bless you and help you to lead a holy life, a life without spot. Amen
Vinod Kumar Isaac
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Stop stupidity!
A post from Jon Courson:
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11
The first step to being strong is to realize that life is not an encounter group. Life is not a bonding meeting. Life is not a playground. Life is a battleground. And the reason so many in the Church are weak is because they’re not armed for battle.
If the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day did so dressed in their jammies, something would have been terribly wrong. Yet I believe we live in a day of ‘jammy Christianity’. ‘Let’s put on our jammies and talk about how we feel,’ we say. ‘Let’s have a slumber party, and we’ll all bond.’
No. Paul tells us to put on our armor, to take advantage of the equipment God has given us to navigate life and negotiate the war which surrounds us.
Dear saint, you can stand against the wiles of the devil — the cunning, clever attacks of Satan — only to the degree that you’re protected with the whole armor of God.
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11
The first step to being strong is to realize that life is not an encounter group. Life is not a bonding meeting. Life is not a playground. Life is a battleground. And the reason so many in the Church are weak is because they’re not armed for battle.
If the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day did so dressed in their jammies, something would have been terribly wrong. Yet I believe we live in a day of ‘jammy Christianity’. ‘Let’s put on our jammies and talk about how we feel,’ we say. ‘Let’s have a slumber party, and we’ll all bond.’
No. Paul tells us to put on our armor, to take advantage of the equipment God has given us to navigate life and negotiate the war which surrounds us.
Dear saint, you can stand against the wiles of the devil — the cunning, clever attacks of Satan — only to the degree that you’re protected with the whole armor of God.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
A post from Jon Courson - http://www.joncourson.com/
August 15
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you ...
Ephesians 4:1
The word ‘therefore’ being such a pivotal word in Scripture, whenever you come across it in the Word, it’s good to stop and ask what it is there for. In this case, as Paul begins the second half of his letter, launching into the practical aspects of our life in Christ, he refers to the doctrinal foundation he laid in Chapters 1-3. In other words, before telling us how we are to walk, he reminds us we must first understand where we sit.
In Chapters 1-3, Paul told us we were adopted into God’s family, elected before the foundation of the world, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, sealed with the Holy Spirit — all while we were dead in our sin. And this is where so many Christians stumble. They try and walk before they sit. Sermons are preached; seminars are given; books are published on the way husbands should love their wives and the way wives should submit to their husbands; or the way we should live in purity; or what we should do as a Church Body — all without acknowledging what God has already done for us, all without factoring in the fact that there’s nothing we can do to make God love us any more than He loves us right now.
I have found that most Christians believe they are the initiators in spiritual life, feeling that if they can just pray enough, do enough, be enough, God will love them and bless them. So they try to walk worthy — but sooner or later, they fail and throw in the towel.
Our Christian walk is not something we do to try to earn God’s favor or merit His love. Rather, it is a response to how He loves us, what He’s done for us, how good He’s been to us. 'We love Him,' the Apostle John said, 'because He first loved us' (I John 4:19). He is the Initiator, we the responders. We don’t love Him so He’ll love us. We love Him because He first loved us.
This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Days Journey" by Pastor Jon. "A Days Journey" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testatment. If you would like your own copy of "A Days Journey" you may go to his web and obtain it from there.
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you ...
Ephesians 4:1
The word ‘therefore’ being such a pivotal word in Scripture, whenever you come across it in the Word, it’s good to stop and ask what it is there for. In this case, as Paul begins the second half of his letter, launching into the practical aspects of our life in Christ, he refers to the doctrinal foundation he laid in Chapters 1-3. In other words, before telling us how we are to walk, he reminds us we must first understand where we sit.
In Chapters 1-3, Paul told us we were adopted into God’s family, elected before the foundation of the world, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, sealed with the Holy Spirit — all while we were dead in our sin. And this is where so many Christians stumble. They try and walk before they sit. Sermons are preached; seminars are given; books are published on the way husbands should love their wives and the way wives should submit to their husbands; or the way we should live in purity; or what we should do as a Church Body — all without acknowledging what God has already done for us, all without factoring in the fact that there’s nothing we can do to make God love us any more than He loves us right now.
I have found that most Christians believe they are the initiators in spiritual life, feeling that if they can just pray enough, do enough, be enough, God will love them and bless them. So they try to walk worthy — but sooner or later, they fail and throw in the towel.
Our Christian walk is not something we do to try to earn God’s favor or merit His love. Rather, it is a response to how He loves us, what He’s done for us, how good He’s been to us. 'We love Him,' the Apostle John said, 'because He first loved us' (I John 4:19). He is the Initiator, we the responders. We don’t love Him so He’ll love us. We love Him because He first loved us.
This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Days Journey" by Pastor Jon. "A Days Journey" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testatment. If you would like your own copy of "A Days Journey" you may go to his web and obtain it from there.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Would it be bad if "our church" got wiped off the face of the map??!!
This is a small extract from Jack Deere's book "Surprised by the voice of God"
We all agreed that evangelism was an important aspect of the work of the kingdom. At that time, our church had anywhere from four hundred to five hundred people attending on Sundays. We asked ourselves how many people had been led to Christ through the ministry of our church in the last eighteen months. We could only come up with four names, and the leadership of the church had led none of these people to Christ. It was almost as if they had accidentally fallen into the kingdom of God and ended up in our church. We concluded that if our church didn't exist, there would be no great loss of evangelism in our city. Then we asked ourselves how many people had been physically healed through the ministry of our church in the past eighteen months. After all, healing was important in the New Testament. It was certainly a sign of the coming of the kingdom. The Lord commanded the elders of the church to pray for the sick so that he could heal them (James 5:14-16). Although we had begun to pray for the sick in our church, at this point we couldn't count very many people who had been healed through our prayers. We concluded that that the healing ministry of the Holy Spirit would suffer no great loss in our city if our church no longer existed. Then we asked ourselves how many people no longer had to take antidepressants or no longer visit the psychiatrist's office on a regular basis because of the ministry of our church. We couldn't count anyone here. We could, however, count a few who had started taking antidepressants. We couldn't count any failing marriages we had saved. But we could count some we had lost. Next came addictions to drugs, alcohol, and sex. From our private counseling sessions we all knew people in our church who were struggling with these sins, but none of us could point to one person who had been conclusively delivered from one of these sins. We also realized that if our church ceased to exist there would be no missionary who would be forced to come home from the mission field, nor would there be any significant loss in the social care programs for the poor in our own city. We were forced to conclude that without the existence of our church the kingdom of God in our city would suffer no appreciable loss in evangelism, in the healing of bodies, spirits, emotions, marriages, in the care of the poor, or in the support of missionaries in other lands...."What! What have you three guys been doing?" the elders asked. "Praying" [about their church]...I realized that the church I had built had more in common with a country club than it did with the church of the New Testament.
We all agreed that evangelism was an important aspect of the work of the kingdom. At that time, our church had anywhere from four hundred to five hundred people attending on Sundays. We asked ourselves how many people had been led to Christ through the ministry of our church in the last eighteen months. We could only come up with four names, and the leadership of the church had led none of these people to Christ. It was almost as if they had accidentally fallen into the kingdom of God and ended up in our church. We concluded that if our church didn't exist, there would be no great loss of evangelism in our city. Then we asked ourselves how many people had been physically healed through the ministry of our church in the past eighteen months. After all, healing was important in the New Testament. It was certainly a sign of the coming of the kingdom. The Lord commanded the elders of the church to pray for the sick so that he could heal them (James 5:14-16). Although we had begun to pray for the sick in our church, at this point we couldn't count very many people who had been healed through our prayers. We concluded that that the healing ministry of the Holy Spirit would suffer no great loss in our city if our church no longer existed. Then we asked ourselves how many people no longer had to take antidepressants or no longer visit the psychiatrist's office on a regular basis because of the ministry of our church. We couldn't count anyone here. We could, however, count a few who had started taking antidepressants. We couldn't count any failing marriages we had saved. But we could count some we had lost. Next came addictions to drugs, alcohol, and sex. From our private counseling sessions we all knew people in our church who were struggling with these sins, but none of us could point to one person who had been conclusively delivered from one of these sins. We also realized that if our church ceased to exist there would be no missionary who would be forced to come home from the mission field, nor would there be any significant loss in the social care programs for the poor in our own city. We were forced to conclude that without the existence of our church the kingdom of God in our city would suffer no appreciable loss in evangelism, in the healing of bodies, spirits, emotions, marriages, in the care of the poor, or in the support of missionaries in other lands...."What! What have you three guys been doing?" the elders asked. "Praying" [about their church]...I realized that the church I had built had more in common with a country club than it did with the church of the New Testament.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
predestination a devotional by Jon Courson - I got this one from Jeff & Liz Harshbarger www.refugeministries.cc
Having predestinated us ...
Ephesians 1:5
Is there a pre-determination concerning salvation? Yes. But guess what? God is never seen anywhere at any time in the Bible predestining someone to go to hell. He only predestines people to go to heaven.
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels (Revelation 3:5).
The implication of this passage is enormous, for it seems to suggest that every man’s name is written in the book of life — until he makes it clear that he has no interest in the Lord, that he doesn’t want to walk with the Lord, that he wants to turn his back on the Lord. Only then is his name is blotted out.
Thus, when the book of life is opened at the Great White Throne Judgment, when all of the unbelievers are brought before God and discover their names absent from its pages, it’s not that their names were never in the book. It’s that their names were blotted out because they chose not to accept God’s plan of salvation for their lives.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).
Before the world was even spoken into existence, God saw the people who would respond to His love — not those who would initiate a search for Him, for none seeks after Him (Romans 3:11) — but those who would be inclined to respond to Him.
Whom He foreknew, He predestinated, saying, ‘I can see that Mitch is going to respond when I make Myself known to him, when the Gospel is shared with him. Therefore, I predestine Mitch to be part of My eternal Kingdom.’
‘Well,’ you say, ‘then why was someone who God knew wouldn’t respond to Him allowed to live in the first place?’
The answer is that if a person was not allowed to play his life out to the fullest extent, he could protest at the Great White Throne.
‘I got rid of you early because I could see that you weren’t going to respond to Me,’ God would say.
‘Oh, but I would have,’ the unbeliever would protest.
‘No, you wouldn’t,’ God would say.
‘Yes, I would have,’ the unbeliever would insist.
And there would be a perpetual argument. So even though it is His desire that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), God lets Joe Schmo live his 70 years to prove that righteous and true are His judgments (Revelation 16:7).
Then why does hell exist? Jesus gave us the singular reason: Hell exists for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41). It was never God’s intent to allow anyone on earth to spend eternity in hell. In fact, the only way anyone can get there is over the dead body of His Son.
Ephesians 1:5
Is there a pre-determination concerning salvation? Yes. But guess what? God is never seen anywhere at any time in the Bible predestining someone to go to hell. He only predestines people to go to heaven.
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels (Revelation 3:5).
The implication of this passage is enormous, for it seems to suggest that every man’s name is written in the book of life — until he makes it clear that he has no interest in the Lord, that he doesn’t want to walk with the Lord, that he wants to turn his back on the Lord. Only then is his name is blotted out.
Thus, when the book of life is opened at the Great White Throne Judgment, when all of the unbelievers are brought before God and discover their names absent from its pages, it’s not that their names were never in the book. It’s that their names were blotted out because they chose not to accept God’s plan of salvation for their lives.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).
Before the world was even spoken into existence, God saw the people who would respond to His love — not those who would initiate a search for Him, for none seeks after Him (Romans 3:11) — but those who would be inclined to respond to Him.
Whom He foreknew, He predestinated, saying, ‘I can see that Mitch is going to respond when I make Myself known to him, when the Gospel is shared with him. Therefore, I predestine Mitch to be part of My eternal Kingdom.’
‘Well,’ you say, ‘then why was someone who God knew wouldn’t respond to Him allowed to live in the first place?’
The answer is that if a person was not allowed to play his life out to the fullest extent, he could protest at the Great White Throne.
‘I got rid of you early because I could see that you weren’t going to respond to Me,’ God would say.
‘Oh, but I would have,’ the unbeliever would protest.
‘No, you wouldn’t,’ God would say.
‘Yes, I would have,’ the unbeliever would insist.
And there would be a perpetual argument. So even though it is His desire that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), God lets Joe Schmo live his 70 years to prove that righteous and true are His judgments (Revelation 16:7).
Then why does hell exist? Jesus gave us the singular reason: Hell exists for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41). It was never God’s intent to allow anyone on earth to spend eternity in hell. In fact, the only way anyone can get there is over the dead body of His Son.
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