The power of precise prayer

 Philippians 2:1-4 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Our world has seemed out of control in recent weeks. The images are searing. The pain and confusion is palpable. It’s understandable to feel overwhelmed and paralyzed. We’re with you. Here reminding you that this is what you were made for - moments of desperation that beg for hope, light and a response. Let’s do this together. 

We will provide a direct update on the situation in Afghanistan and Haiti, and we will pray together and we will respond together. Join us on September 2 from 4-5 pm ET. God, give us the courage not to look away.

Women of Welcome Ministry.

A precise prayer gives Christ the opportunity to remove all doubt about his love and interest. Your problem becomes his pathway. The challenge you face becomes a canvas upon which Christ can demonstrate his finest work. So offer a simple prayer and entrust the problem to Christ. Max Lucado

Titus "Good Works"

Jesus came to us, died for us and rose again to offer  us the gift of eternal salvation with Him forever.

God loves us so!!

We do not gain salvation by our good works but it is an outward sign of an inward change. Deeds of kindness show our love and gratitude for God who so loves the world that He gives us Jesus.

Titus

God wants His people to devote themselves to doing good works. Older men, older women, young women, young men, should “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things”. In his letter, Paul exhorts the believers at Crete to display the testimony of good works to outsiders. While good works are a Christian duty, they are also a gift from God. Through justification in Christ, God declares us righteous. We must have this legal standing in order to qualify before God to do good works. Redemption removes us from the jurisdiction of Satan by paying the debt incurred by our sins. At the same time, it places us in the family of God so that we might be “His own special people, zealous for good works”.

2:11-14 for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

2:2-5 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; 3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

3:1-8 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

3:14 And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.

Paul reminds the believers in Crete of the price and purpose of God’s redemption. The Greek word used here, lytroō, for to redeem means “to release” or “set free,” especially from slavery. Good deeds are not a means to salvation; rather, they are the appropriate response to God’s redemptive work in Christ. The Greek word used here, blasphēmeō, describes speaking against someone with the purpose of harming his or her reputation. Believers will ruin their own reputation if they seek to ruin the reputation of others. Paul asserts that believers must show kindness to all people, not only to one another. Those now saved must not forget the means of their salvation: the mercy of God. God appeared to rescue humanity from its dire situation.

God’s kindness and love appeared in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. In His saving work, Christ models the kindness and love that believers must show all people.

Regeneration refers to the transformation of the corrupt human nature by the Holy Spirit. Jesus described salvation in similar terms, emphasizing God’s radical work within a person. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, believers experience a rebirth from a state of spiritual death. The presence of the Spirit enables them to live in a manner that pleases God. The washing here denotes an inner, spiritual cleansing it probably does not refer to baptism. 

We are declared righteous  in God’s sight—not by human merit, but by His grace. 

Justification represents God’s pardoning and acceptance of sinners who express faith in Jesus Christ (and God’s faithfulness shown through Him). Christ’s death and resurrection are central to justification because they demonstrate God’s justice and mercy. God did not ignore sin and forsake His justice; rather, He condemned sin and satisfied the demands of His justice through the death of Christ. Likewise, God did not ignore the sinner and abandon His mercy; instead, He granted sinners righteousness and life through the resurrection of Christ—both of which the law could not provide. 

After being justified by Christ, believers do good works as evidence of their salvation. Faithlife Bible.

Twice in this context Paul speaks of Christ’s appearance in history. The first time Christ came in grace to save men from their sins; the second time He will come in glory to reign.

The appearance of the grace of God is to produce two results in the lives of believers: First, we are to resist the evil temptations of this world, living godly lives in this present age. Second, we are to look for Christ’s return. Paul reminded Timothy that there is a special crown awaiting “all who have loved His appearing.”. Great God and Savior Jesus Christ is one of the strongest statements of the deity of Christ in the NT. With His death on the Cross, Christ paid the price to release us from the bondage of sin to which every unbeliever is a slave. 

God’s purpose in redeeming us is not only to save us from hell; He also wants to free us from sin so that we can produce good works that glorify Him. NKJ Bible.

Isaiah 53:12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Ezekiel 37:23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

Galatians 1:4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Psalm 150

Let all that we are, every fiber of our being, praise the Lord!

God alone is worthy to be praised and glorified.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

We can't let our desire for or devotion to people, jobs, status, looks, bank accounts or social media be taken to the extreme of worship. And no matter the idol, misplaced worship is destructive. Idolatry is a painfully pointless pursuit. First5

Psalm 150:1-6

1 Praise  the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;

Praise Him with the lute and harp!

4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

This corporate praise psalm functions as the concluding doxology for the psalter. The psalm opens with a series of exhortations to praise Yahweh because of who He is. The psalmist wants Yahweh to be praised in the temple—the place that signified His dwelling place on earth—and in heaven, where the fullness of His glory dwells, for His deeds and character. He then exhorts the Israelites to praise Yahweh with a series of musical instruments, which implies great enthusiasm and joy. The psalm and psalter concludes with a final call for everything to praise Yahweh. Faithlife Bible.

The intent is for praise to come to God in His dwelling in heaven.

The very breath that God gives us should be used to praise Him. As long as we live we should praise our Creator. By His breath God created all things and by our breath we should adore Him. The Book of Psalms begins with God’s blessing on the righteous and concludes with all of creation blessing its loving Creator. NKJ Bible.

We are here stirred up to praise God. Praise God for his sanctuary, and the privileges we enjoy by having it among us; praise him because of his power and glory in the firmament. Those who praise the Lord in heaven, behold displays of his power and glory which we cannot now conceive. But the greatest of all his mighty acts is known in his earthly sanctuary. The holiness and the love of our God are more displayed in man’s redemption, than in all his other works. Let us praise our God and Saviour for it. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Genesis 1:6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

Deuteronomy 3:24 ‘O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?

Who do we think God is?

He is full of mercy and grace. His mercies are new everyday. He is long-suffering wanting no one to perish but ALL to come to Him for the salvation He freely offers to us in Jesus. It allows us to come to Him as "Abba" Daddy! He loves us so.

Who do we think God is?

God doesn’t cause it all but He uses it all for our good!

Hebrews 8:12-13

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

He forgives our sin

He removes our sin

He forgets our sin

God is good ALL the time.

God responds to us with a smile on his face and his arms full of grace.

John 20:29

 How many times is this repeated in Scripture…Just BELIEVE!  Faith pleases the Father. Everything else will fall into place.

Jesus is the Son of God, God in the flesh. In Him we obtain eternal life.

Our Jewish brothers and sisters use a prayer beginning, Barukh Adonai, Blessing God, or seeing God in all things, in all places. It is a way of slowing down (the Pause Button). Terry Hershey “Sabbath Moments.

John 20:29

29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

This refers to people—like John’s audience, and believers today—who have not seen the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes.

On the basis of the book’s testimony, John calls for people to believe in Jesus—the world’s King and Savior, as well as God’s Son—and receive the eternal life that comes through His death and resurrection. Faithlife Bible.

Those who have not seen includes all who have believed in Christ since His ascension to the Father. John states the purpose of his book. His purpose was to convince his readers that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah who fulfilled God’s promises to Israel. Jesus is the Son of God, God in the flesh. By believing these things, a person obtains eternal life. NKJ Bible.

Sound and sincere believers, though slow and weak, shall be graciously accepted of the Lord Jesus. It is the duty of those who read and hear the gospel, to believe, to embrace the doctrine of Christ, and that record concerning him. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

1 Peter 1:8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

Daniel 5:22–30

As Christians we need to humble ourselves before God! Pride is an idol in God’s eyes. He will teach us His way…the easy way or the hard way but we will learn the lessons we need to be like Jesus.

God will not be mocked!

He spoke of the indwelling glory of God that would reside in His followers: "The glory that you have given me I have given to them ... so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me" (John 17:22-23). The purpose of His indwelling glory is clear ... that the world may know God's love through the person of Jesus Christ.

God's glory first resided in the tabernacle, then the temple, then in Christ and now in us. Through the indwelling Spirit of Christ, we become the reflection of God's glory to a broken world. We are image-bearers of our Savior, and we are "being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another" (2 Corinthians 3:18a). Pursuing Jesus changes us; it transforms us into His likeness. First5.

Daniel 5:22–30

22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.

25 “And this is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN

26 This is the interpretation of each word. Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 Tekel: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 Peres: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Belshazzar’s Fall

30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.

Like Nebuchadnezzar, pride is the ultimate cause of Belshazzar’s downfall. Unlike Nebuchadnezzar, however, Belshazzar will not be restored. Though Belshazzar apparently knew of this incident, he was unaware that Daniel—Nebuchadnezzar’s most trusted advisor—had informed him of his fate. Belshazzar will not follow Nebuchadnezzar’s example of repentance. He consequently receives no opportunity to repent.

The enigmatic message is “a mina, a mina, a shekel, and two halves” and refers to units of measure. The related verbal forms mean “to number, to weigh, to divide,” respectively. The surface meaning of the terms is clear enough, referring to weights in the sense of currency. The puzzle is the significance of the words for Belshazzar and his guests. Daniel explains the message by playing on the verbal meanings: being numbered, being weighed, being divided. 

God has appraised Belshazzar and found him to be an insufficient ruler. As a result, He will strip the kingdom from him and divide it among the Medes and Persians. Despite the unfavorable interpretation, Belshazzar promotes Daniel as promised. Though Daniel refused the reward in the beginning he accepts it here. As a servant of Belshazzar, he likely had no choice. Like Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar may have been trying to assuage God’s wrath by honoring His prophet.

God’s retribution is swift. Faithlife  Bible.

While these things were passing in the palace, it is considered that the army of Cyrus entered the city; and when Belshazzar was slain, a general submission followed. Soon will every impenitent sinner find the writing of God’s word brought to pass upon him, whether he is weighed in the balance of the law as a self-righteous Pharisee, or in that of the gospel as a painted hypocrite. Matthew Henry Commentary.

When Daniel refused Belshazzar’s gifts and rewards, he was not being ungrateful or showing disrespect. He was simply saying that he would interpret the writing regardless of reward. The repetition is for emphasis. God had numbered the days of Belshazzar’s kingdom; its time was up. TEKEL means weighed. God had weighed Belshazzar, and the king did not measure up to God’s standard of righteousness. UPHARSIN, the plural of Peres, means divided. That very night Babylon would be divided and defeated by the Medes and Persians. That very night (October 12, 539 b.c.) Babylon fell to the Persian army commanded by Gubaru. NKJ Bible.

Exodus 10:3 So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

2 Chronicles 33:23 And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.

2 Chronicles 36:12 He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD.

Luke 8:46-48

We cannot receive from God unless we believe He exists. Our faith opens the  door to His mercy and grace because He cares for us. We can come to God boldly in our faith.

Trust Him to heal you …Mind, Body and Spirit. 

According to Philippians 2:7, Jesus took “the very nature of a servant.” He became like us so he could serve us. He entered the world not to demand our allegiance but to display his affection.

He knew you’d be sleepy, he knew you’d be grief stricken, and hungry. He knew you’d face pain. If not the pain of the body, the pain of the soul. He knew you’d face thirst. If not a thirst for water, at least a thirst for truth. And the truth we glean from the image of a thirsty Christ on the cross is: Jesus understands. Max Lucado

May our hearts be open to all the peoples and nations of the earth. May we recognize the goodness and beauty that you have sown in each of us, and thus forge bonds of unity, common projects and shared dreams. Amen. Pope Francis

Luke 8:46-48

46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

The woman might have feared that Jesus would be angry, since she did not ask permission—especially if touching Jesus made Him ceremonially unclean. Alternatively, her trembling may simply indicate an appropriate level of awe and reverence at the display of Jesus’ healing power. Faithlife Bible.

This condition not only would have been embarrassing, it would have made the woman unclean. It took great courage for her to seek out Jesus. Note that her action was not criticized, but commended. NKJ Bible.

This woman came trembling, yet her faith saved her. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Mark 5:34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

Luke 6:19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

Luke 7:50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Mark 2:23-28

God is aware of our physical needs and Jesus is Lord of all.

What a compassionate, merciful, loving God we serve!

Jesus performed many miracles on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

“‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Mark 2:23–28

23 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

25 But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”

27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

The sabbath is a sacred and Divine institution; a privilege and benefit, not a task and drudgery. God never designed it to be a burden to us, therefore we must not make it so to ourselves. The sabbath was instituted for the good of mankind, as living in society, having many wants and troubles, preparing for a state of happiness or misery. Man was not made for the sabbath, as if his keeping it could be of service to God, nor was he commanded to keep it outward observances to his real hurt. Every observance respecting it, is to be interpreted by the rule of mercy. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Ripe grain can be eaten whole and is both tasty and nutritious. Plucking bits of grain from another’s field for sustenance was permitted under Mosaic law.

The point to the Pharisees’ accusation against Jesus and His disciples was that they had performed work on the Sabbath, but their charge was dubious. The act of plucking grain should not be confused with Sabbath work condemned in the law. This incident is further proof of rising opposition to Jesus’ ministry. Part of Jesus’ defense was to recall the story of David’s eating the showbread from the tabernacle. Since that bread was intended for the priests, it was not lawful for others to eat. Jesus does not declare directly the innocence of either David or His disciples, but instead reminds His critics of the meaning of the Sabbath for humans and His own Lordship over it. NKJ Bible.

The contrast between the ways of the Pharisees and the ways of Jesus descends into hostile interrogation and rebuttal, climaxing in another declaration of Jesus’ authority.

Jews at this time debated about when human need could legitimately override the command to observe the Sabbath, and many people had strict rules regarding the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. 

The Pentateuch doesn’t specifically prohibit plucking grain on the Sabbath, though it could be understood as discouraging the gathering and preparation of food on the Sabbath. Jesus and His disciples are impoverished, which means that they may be practicing ot laws that allowed the poor to gather from a farmer’s harvest  

When David was fleeing from King Saul, he persuaded a priest to give him consecrated bread by claiming that he was on his way to a secret meeting with other servants of the king.Because David had need, his action was justified the same is true for Jesus’ disciples.

This enigmatic statement likely means that the Sabbath was established in order to give people rest. The Pharisees’ overzealous protection of the Sabbath has lost sight of its purpose and turned it into something burdensome.

Jesus’ ministry often takes place on the Sabbath. By asserting lordship over the Sabbath, He claims authority over its laws and limitations, and he claims the ability to heal on the Sabbath. Faithlife Bible.

1 Samuel 21:1 Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?”

1 Samuel 21:2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place.

Matthew 12:8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Luke 6:2 And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

Luke 6:5 And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Micah 3:1-4

God’s peace in a chaotic world is His gift to us in Christ. His peace reflected to this world is our praise to Him and His creation. Pray for the people of Afghanistan and all those who are trying to escape the terror of their own country and governments. Micah 6:8

To do justice. To love mercy. To walk humbly with our God. To bring peace to the old. To have trust in our friends. To cherish the young. Sometimes, it seems, we ask too much. Sometimes we forget that the small graces are enough.” 

“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty,” Etty Hillesum wrote. “To reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.”

Yes. Yes. That’s the gift.
The space enables me to see the sufficiency that is already there.
The space enables me to be at peace with my enoughness.
The space enables me to know that my enoughness is never predicated on what I’ve collected (or on the length of the list, or on anything external), but on the gentle hands of grace that hold me no matter what.

And, as Etty, wrote, this kind of peace spills to the world around us.

Terry Hershey “Sabbath Moments”

Micah 3:1-4

3 And I said:

“Hear now, O heads of Jacob,

And you rulers of the house of Israel:

Is it not for you to know justice?

2 You who hate good and love evil;

Who strip the skin from My people,

And the flesh from their bones;

3 Who also eat the flesh of My people,

Flay their skin from them,

Break their bones,

And chop them in pieces

Like meat for the pot,

Like flesh in the caldron.”

4 Then they will cry to the Lord,

But He will not hear them;

He will even hide His face from them at that time,

Because they have been evil in their deeds.

The rulers of Israel were responsible for ensuring justice and equity for all people in the land. The cruel oppression of the rulers against their own people is likened to cannibalism. The image is of a hunter cleaning his kill and making a pot of stew out of it. An anthropomorphism meaning that God will not answer the prayers of the ungodly leaders. Faithlife Bible

The idea here is that one might not expect justice from pagan leaders in a faraway place. But the rulers of the people of God were expected to emphasize justice. Justice is one of the key concepts of the Law. Perverting justice was strongly prohibited by God. Yet this was precisely what the leaders of Judah were doing. They had used their authority to destroy justice rather than to establish it among the people.

Micah used an image of barbaric cannibalism to describe the horrendous actions of the leaders against the people. It was as if the leaders were eating the flesh from the people’s bones. NKJ Bible

Men cannot expect to do ill, and fare well; but to find that done to them which they did to others. How seldom do wholesome truths reach the ears of those in high stations or in authority! Those who deceive others are preparing confusion for their own faces. The prophet had ardent love to God and to the souls of men; deep concern for his glory and their salvation, and zeal against sin. The difficulties he met with did not drive him from his work. He had this strength; not from and of himself, but he was full of power by the Spirit of the Lord. Those who act honestly, may act boldly. And those who come to hear the word of God, must be willing to be told of their faults, must take it kindly, and be thankful. Matthew Henry Commentary 

Habakkuk 2:5 (ESV) "Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.”

Psalm 18:41 They cried out, but there was none to save; even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.

Ezekiel 11:7 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron; but I shall bring you out of the midst of it.

The Lord's Prayer

For the last 25 years Holy Spirit has stressed to me what God requires of us?  He always  leads me back to…

Micah 6:8

8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

Jesus is the bread of life

The following was our Sunday message from Mitch Price, Pastor “Life Church Vineyard”

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18: 

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

2 chronicles 7:14

if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Luke 11:1-4

“Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.”

Roadblocks for God giving us our  daily bread:

thinking we are self sufficient and self entitled

Luke 18:9-14

9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Philippians 4:19

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Be rooted where you are planted.

Luke 18:13

13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

Lead me not into temptation…Save me from myself.

Hosea 2:19-20

I have faith in God’s righteousness and in His  justice. My Lord and My God.

My God is full of mercy and lovingkindness and He is faithful to fulfill that which He promises to those who trust in Him alone.

Matthew 5:3 says,"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This beautiful beatitude refers to the humble man who acknowledges that God's grace is the only option for eternal life. It's the ultimate confession of a desperate need for God. In truth, there is nothing good in us worth boasting or being prideful about other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who gives us all good things. First5.

Hosea 2:19-20

19 “I will betroth you to Me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to Me

In righteousness and justice,

In lovingkindness and mercy;

20 I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,

And you shall know the Lord.

The four virtues listed in this verse, combined with the faithfulness form the essence of Yahweh’s character. Faithlife Bible.

Betrothal was a binding commitment, the last step before the wedding and consummation. The Lord emphasized that the new marriage between Himself and Israel would be permanent. Lovingkindness means “devotion, commitment.” Israel would respond positively to the Lord’s love and acknowledge that He is her husband and benefactor. NKJ Bible.

This may foretell the restoration from the Babylonish captivity; and also be applied to the conversion of the Jews to Christ, in the days of the apostles, and the future general conversion of that nation; and believers are enabled to expect infinitely more tenderness and kindness from their holy God, than a beloved wife can expect from the kindest husband. When the people were weaned from idols, and loved the Lord, no creature should do them any harm. This may be understood of the blessings and privileges of the spiritual Israel, of every true believer, and their partaking of Christ’s righteousness; also, of the conversion of the Jews to Christ. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Isaiah 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness.

Isaiah 54:7 “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you.

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hosea 13:4 “Yet I am the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God but Me; for there is no savior besides Me.

Aliens in a foreign land

We are all foreigners. As Christians we will be judged by how we treat others as our neighbors. 

All of creation, no longer just the Jewish Nation, is united in Jesus to the glory of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God wants no one to perish. Every tribe, every nation He created in His image and His compassion and mercy extends to them.

"Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand " (James 5:7-8). First5

In Jesus Christ His glory is revealed.

Ephesians 2:12

12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Paul may be emphasizing the Gentiles’ lack of knowledge or relationship with Christ. Alternatively, he may be comparing the Gentiles to the Jews, whom God entrusted with the promises about the Messiah. Gentiles were separate from Israel; they were without the law and without God. Despite this separation, God revealed Himself to them through Christ and called them to Himself. In addition, Paul was made a minister to them. Faithlife Bible.

Paul painted vividly the bleak condition of pagans. They had no hope, for God had not reached out to them to establish a covenant relationship. However, the shed blood of Christ could bring the Gentiles back to their Creator. NKJ Bible.

Christ and his covenant are the foundation of all the Christian’s hopes. A sad and terrible description is here; but who is able to remove himself out of it? Would that this were not a true description of many baptized in the name of Christ. Who can, without trembling, reflect upon the misery of a person, separated for ever from the people of God, cut off from the body of Christ, fallen from the covenant of promise, having no hope, no Saviour, and without any God but a God of vengeance, to all eternity? To have no part in Christ! What true Christian can hear this without horror? Matthew Henry Commentary.

1 Chronicles 29:15

15 For we are aliens and pilgrims before You,

As were all our fathers;

Our days on earth are as a shadow,

And without hope.

David asserts that life on earth is transitory and even nomadic. Only when a person becomes conscious of his or her place within the care and blessing of a sovereign God does life become more than a shadow. Suddenly the hope of a future with God illuminates that person’s journey on this earth. NKJ Bible.

As we must not despair of the mercy of God, but believe that to be sufficient for the pardon of our sins, so neither must we despair of the grace of God, but believe that it is able to subdue our corruptions, though ever so strong. Matthew Henry Commentary.