Ezekiel 16:60-63

Grace. Amazing grace!

Humbled by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for my sins and the sins of the world. It is all about His sacrifice and His worth and nothing to do with ours.

Romans 5:20 “the more we see our sinfulness, the more we see God’s abounding grace.” Max Lucado

And more amazing yet, not only had Jesus come for all God's people, but the Spirit of Jesus would now be in all God's people. "Christ in you, [is] the hope of glory," Paul announced (Colossians 1:27). God's great purpose and gracious plan of salvation in Christ, previously hidden until the right time arrived, had now been revealed. (Romans 5:6). First5

Ezekiel 16:60-63

60 “Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you. 62 And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, 63 that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord God.’ ”

This future hope is an important part of prophetic oracles of salvation. Faithlife Bible.

Despite Jerusalem’s disobedience to the Mosaic covenant and the resulting punishment, the covenant with Abraham—My covenant—would still be honored: I will remember. Fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham did not depend on the people’s faithfulness; God had made the promise and He would keep it. The everlasting covenant had been made with Abraham before the Hebrew nation even existed. This covenant would be remembered and reestablished with the exiled Judeans. 

At that time, God’s people would be ashamed by the contrast between their faithlessness and God’s faithfulness and the fact that they were being exalted over those who were less sinful—Sodom and Samaria. The people of these other sinful nations would also inherit land, but only by God’s grace, because no such covenant was made with them. Further, God would provide atonement through the New Covenant, which pointed ultimately to the Cross of Christ. NKJ  Bible.

After a full warning of judgments, mercy is remembered, mercy is reserved. These closing verses are a precious promise, in part fulfilled at the return of the penitent and reformed Jews out of Babylon, but to have fuller accomplishment in gospel times. The Divine mercy should be powerful to melt our hearts into godly sorrow for sin. Nor will God ever leave the sinner to perish, who is humbled for his sins, and comes to trust in His mercy and grace through Jesus Christ; but will keep him by his power, through faith unto salvation. Matthew Henry.

Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you—The sure mercies of David.

Ezekiel 36:31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.

Ezekiel 36:32 Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

John 14:23-28

 This is Love…out of the abundance of God’s mercy and grace He made a way for us to be saved. He did not leave us here alone but gave us Holy Spirit to teach and guide us in the way of God in Jesus Christ.

Jesus, the name above all names!

“When the train goes through a tunnel and the world gets dark, do you jump out? Of course not. You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through.” Corrie ten Boom

Without Jesus, our foundation is faulty, and we have nothing to anchor to. In light of the gospel, we are to build a life of steadfast faith that does not move. Paul reminds us that the effects of the gospel don't just happen; they are the results of daily choosing to let the Holy Spirit transform us into the image of Christ. First5 

John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

John 14:23-28

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

The Greek term used here, paraklētos, refers to a legal assistant in a court who pleads someone’s case before the judge. The judge is God, and people are judged based on whether they follow Jesus’ command to believe that eternal life comes through His death and resurrection. When on earth, Jesus was the means for believers to interact with God the Father since their sin prevented them from doing so directly. The Spirit is sent to do the same work. This is one of His many tasks.

The Spirit acts as the means of communication between God the Father and His people. Since God the Father dwells in His throne room in heaven, believers need a means to communicate with Him. The Spirit communicates with Jesus in heaven; Jesus then communicates with God the Father. Jesus’ sacrifice makes this possible since His death atones for people’s sins, providing the Spirit with a reason for believers to be allowed to communicate with the Father 

The Spirit, as God’s means of communication on earth, instructs believers and leads them to follow God’s will. The Spirit gives them access to God, His plans, and His wisdom. He can do so because of Jesus’ sacrifice for sins.

They now have a way (the Spirit) to reach God—unencumbered by rituals, sacrifices, or laws—and atonement for their sins (Jesus’ death and resurrection), so that they are free to communicate with God and be in His presence.

Jesus wants His disciples to know that His coming suffering and death is not the end of His ministry; it is the beginning of His ministry’s final purpose and the completion of God’s will for Jesus’ life. Jesus’ disciples should have rejoiced and recognized this was essential for Him to complete God’s work and to unite them with God the Father. Faithlife Bible.

In response to Judas’s question, Jesus explained that His manifestation to the disciples would be in response to their love and obedience.  If a believer loves and obeys the Lord, he or she will experience fellowship with God. If a person does not love Jesus, he or she will not obey Him. Disobedience is a serious matter, for Jesus’ words are the words of God.

Jesus told His disciples these things while He was with them, but when the Holy Spirit came, He would remind the disciples of all things that Jesus had said, and would teach … all things.

The customary good-bye among the Jews was to say shalom, meaning “peace.” The Lord was about to depart, so He added to this farewell by saying, My peace. The word My is emphatic. This is no conventional wish; this is Jesus’ personal, special grant of peace. The peace that Christ gives banishes fear and dread from the heart, for Jesus is in control of all circumstances.

As the humble, submissive Son, Jesus submitted Himself to the authority of His Father. NKJ Bible.

Would we know these things for our good, we must pray for, and depend on the teaching of the Holy Ghost; thus the words of Jesus will be brought to our remembrance, and many difficulties be cleared up which are not plain to others. To all the saints, the Spirit of grace is given to be a remembrancer, and to him, by faith and prayer, we should commit the keeping of what we hear and know. Peace is put for all good, and Christ has left us all that is really and truly good, all the promised good; peace of mind from our justification before God. This Christ calls his peace, for he is himself our Peace. The peace of God widely differs from that of Pharisees or hypocrites, as is shown by its humbling and holy effects. Matthew Henry.

Luke 24:49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

John 2:22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

1 John 2:24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

Mark 1:40-42

Jesus heals

In His compassion and love He can heal you mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. He will give you an abundant, eternal  life with Him. With faith the size of a mustard seed (a very, very small seed) he can move mountains in your life.

Just Believe in His power to do what we cannot!

Mark 1:40-42

40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

Jesus Christ was the fullness of God in human flesh. God the Father, God the Spirit, and God the Son were united in the humanity of Jesus. 

Without Jesus, we had no hope. We were alienated, separated and lost, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). God offered Himself as the final sacrifice for sin, making a way to restore a relationship with us.

It cost Jesus everything to redeem us: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

Praise God we are healed by His wounds, brought near to Him through the blood of the cross and given peace through His sacrifice. So great a cost - so great a Savior! 

Jesus did what we could not do to give us a life we could never experience apart from Him. First5.

Jesus said, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

He not only healed but touched the leper. How often do we see the need but remain unmoved and uninvolved? Scripture has over 400 passages admonishing us to care for the poor. NKJ Bible.

The Greek word used here, lepros, identifies a person afflicted by a skin disease. Leviticus categorizes such individuals as ritually unclean and prohibits them from coming in contact with other Israelites during their illness. Jesus already demonstrated His ability to eliminate uncleanness when He expelled the demonic spirit at Capernaum. Now, a man with a different type of impurity seeks cleansing, and Jesus’ success confirms that God’s rule overcomes all obstacles to health and holiness.

Jesus affirms His desire to cleanse the man, indicating He is not upset by the leper’s plea. The disease represents pain and suffering. Jesus’ physical contact with the leper, followed by His immediate cleansing of him, emphasizes that Jesus’ spirit of holiness is more powerful than the uncleanness generated by the skin disease. Rather than Jesus becoming unclean, He makes the leper clean. Faithlife Bible.

Matthew 8:2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Matthew 8:3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Luke 5:12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Luke 5:13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.

Isaiah 58:13-14

Remember to keep the Sabbath a day of rest and refreshing. it is a holy day set apart for man.

Sunday my  favorite day of the week.

Mark 2:27-28

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.”

Exodus 31:17 

It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”

Isaiah 58:13-14

13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,

From doing your pleasure on My holy day,

And call the Sabbath a delight,

The holy day of the Lord honorable,

And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,

Nor finding your own pleasure,

Nor speaking your own words,

14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;

And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,

And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.

The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

The people were accustomed to going about their own business on the Sabbath, essentially trampling over the sanctity of the day. Faithlife Bible.

The sabbath is a sign between God and his professing people; his appointing it is a sign of his favour to them; and their observing it is a sign of their obedience to him. If we thus remember the sabbath day to keep it holy, we shall have the comfort and profit of it, and have reason to say, It is good to draw near to God. Matthew Henry.

what some call weeds...God calls His glory!

 

Life Church Vineyard

Holy Spirit is a person, who promises His followers, POWER.

He gives us our spiritual gifts and His power to dispense them to a dying  world. 

 

Everyone gets to play. 

Everyone means every-one!

Every one means YOU!

Test every spirit to see if it is from God.

If it’s from God, it is good.

If it’s not good, it is not from God.

All things are for God’s  glory!!

1 Corinthians 14:23-25

Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

In His presence we are convicted of how great God is and how sinful we are and in need of a Savior.

When it comes to Holy Spirit  the Church is made up of: believers. unbelievers. And the majority of us who are in the middle.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

A Charismatic wants to make the grace of God, in Holy Spirit, visible in our lives and the Body of Christ.

We all need to share our gifts with others. They are meant for every one.

1 Corinthians 14:26

26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification

1 Corinthians 12:7-10

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

The Tree Church

The Tree Church with Guest Pastor Tim Moore from XCHURCH.

How is your soul doing? 

Our soul is the combination of our thoughts and our desires. The thing that distracts from our mental health is our comparison based culture. With the advent of social media it has become a window to our soul. You can fall into a trap of looking at everyone else’s life as better than the one you are living. It is a filtered reality. We try to present the best of ourself. It is not the whole story. 

We all have a sense of not being good enough. We can feel that we are living in someone else’s shadow. Our culture teaches us to hide our weaknesses and and show our strengths. We live filtered lives but we are not free. 

Comparison robs us of the Person and appreciation of the talents that God created.

2 Corinthians 11:21-23

21 To our shame I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also.

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.

24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

This is Paul’s list of accomplishments. He wanted us to know that the things that the world says make you great are not the things that impress God. The message of the cross is foolishness to the world but salvation to all those who believe.

29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.

When we are weak He is strong!

You are wonderfully and remarkably made by a loving Father. He knitted you together in your mother’s womb. 

He gives us our mental, physical, emotional. He forms our personality out of us abundant love for us. We are all different! We are all unique and created in His image. We need to celebrate our differences and allow God to hone the skills that He gave to each of us for His glory!

Psalm 139:16-17

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

He starts with your purpose and the 100% He gave you. You lack nothing. We can bless others with the gifts He gave us. 

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

He will take our shame and our failures and turn them into His glory! His power is made perfect in our weakness. 

We are so very thankful for your Spirit that resides in us to shape us and allow us to use it for Your glory. 

He sees the whole of us and still calls us His friend. He gives beauty out of our ashes.

Proverbs 12:25

This day the Lord has has given me, I will rejoice and be glad   :)

Proverbs 12:25 

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,

But a good word makes it glad.

Isaiah 50:4  “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.

Anxiety loses some of its force in the face of a positive, encouraging word. Barnabas’s encouragement of Paul is a great example of this. NKJ Bible.

Today… it is enough to give, try, fall down and get back up, hug, speak from your whole heart, and whenever you can, lavish excessive compassion and mercy on anyone who crosses your path. Who knows, you may even love someone "into existence."

And after, if asked, “Was it successful?” we can answer truthfully, “I don’t know. But I do know that it mattered. That it was real. That the ordinary is the hiding place for the holy.”

There is nothing Pollyanna about this. In fact, to live this way will cost us vulnerability and an openness to pain. And a willingness to say no to behaviors that demean and diminish. Terry Hershey “SabbathMoments”

With the Lord by my side, I am a woman of courage. A woman who considers her choices carefully and thinks before she acts. I will not turn to the left or to the right, blindly following paths that will lead to my destruction. Instead, I will be a woman who stays in step with the Lord, knowing that He will keep my ways steadfast and sure (based on Proverbs 4:25-27). Lisa TerKeurst

Psalm 94:19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.

Proverbs 15:13  A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

Romans

In the unity of Holy Spirit  everything is possible and the Body of Christ thrives.

According to Paul’s words in Romans 8:28, we can be absolutely certain about four things. We know: God works; he is ceaseless and tireless. God works for our ultimate good. God works for the good of those who love him. And God works in all things. Not a few things, in all things. 

Your life: a crafted narrative written by a good God who’s working for your supreme good.

Max Lucado

The more we understand about God, the more we will trust Him and seek His direction for our lives. And as we increasingly know the Lord Jesus as our savior, through consistent relationship, our obedience and service will flow naturally out of love and gratitude. These are pursuits that not only change and sanctify us but also honor and please God. First5.

Romans

Romans is a mighty leveler, for it declares that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23). Since all are sinners, it comes as a delightful shock that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8). This is the Good News, which Paul so eloquently and systematically defends in this theological treatise addressed to the Romans.

Paul wanted to exhort Jewish and Gentile believers to live in harmony. As in most of the early churches, the gospel brought different groups of people together who otherwise would have stayed apart, whether for reasons of nationality, status, or culture. Once they came together under one roof, the challenge was to preserve their oneness in Christ. Thus throughout the letter, Paul deals with problems arising from Jewish and Gentile differences. He emphasizes what everyone shared. Since there is only one God, He is the God of both Jew and Gentile. Both groups are under sin (3:9), and both are saved through faith.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Paul now explains the nature of God’s love. God loved us when we were still without strength and ungodly. God loved us so much He sent His Son to die for us. God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us the way we are.

All circumstances will work together in cooperation for the believer’s good—that is, the believer will be conformed to Jesus Christ now and reign with Him later. Those who love God are in fact those who are the called by God. Our love is our response to the work of the Holy Spirit in us. We are called according to His purpose. God does everything, including redemption, in order to accomplish His overarching plan. NKJ Bible.

Lamentations 1:1.2.3.

The first day of fall…the equinox of day  and night.

How bereft is the nation who has left God out.

When one of Jesus' disciples asked Him how to find eternal rest in God, Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). This is not just a bold statement. It is a grace statement. The fact that the way was made for sinful humanity to be reconciled to a holy God is merciful and miraculous. It reveals Truth is a person, Jesus Christ.

This confident expectation is offered to us as well. We can believe in Christ deeply and love others freely, knowing we have a secure place with Him in eternity. First5First5

But here’s the deal: what we do, and who we are, touches lives, plain and simple.  This matters more than ever, in a divisive world, a world on edge, a world where a kind word or gesture makes all the difference.

So. What if we let our light shine? What if we build a world where people matter? Where humanity blossoms, permeating inclusion and dignity and mercy and creativity and kindness and magnanimity and hope. Where we walk the earth each day in search of good deeds and acts to carry out. Because how we live makes a difference. Terry Hershey “SabbathMoments”

Lamentations 1:1.2.3.

1 How lonely sits the city

That was full of people!

How like a widow is she,

Who was great among the nations!

The princess among the provinces

Has become a slave!

2 She weeps bitterly in the night,

Her tears are on her cheeks;

Among all her lovers

She has none to comfort her.

All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;

They have become her enemies.

3 Judah has gone into captivity,

Under affliction and hard servitude;

She dwells among the nations,

She finds no rest;

All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits.

The prophets depicted Israel’s political and spiritual abandonment of Yahweh as adultery. 

Deportation was a common practice for the Assyrians and Babylonians, but it was also the ultimate punishment for breaking the covenant with Yahweh. Judah experienced three deportations to Babylon. Faithlife Bible.

This describes Judah’s sin of turning away from God and toward the gods of Canaan. Also, the sins of Judah often involved the sexual forms of pagan worship that characterized the Canaanite people.

The southern kingdom Judah is personified here as Jerusalem was in captivity. The implications are made clear. The reference here is to the Babylonian captivity suffered by Judah following the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. NKJ Bible.

Exodus 22:22 “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.

Isaiah 47:8 | “Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, who dwell securely, who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me; I  shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the loss of children’;

Acts 26:28–29

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die in our place. No greater love exist than the agape love of God. He wants no one to live eternity without the triune Godhead.

So, how then do we make a difference?
Here’s the deal: Your work and labor is your turf of responsibility. Which is only part of our DNA. Because no matter where we labor or toil, our calling is to spill the light. And the good news? For this we don’t have to pass a test, or qualify, we have only to be willing.

Jesus made it simple, "Let your light shine."  Not, when you get your act together. Not, when you feel noble.  Not, when you find a specific vocation. Not, after you've chased all the gloom away.  Not, after you have the precise words to say.

Just let it shine—kindness, generosity, inclusion and compassion. Because the light is already there. Inside of you. Now.  Terry Hershey “Sabbath  Moments”

Theologian N. T. Wright says, "The gospel of Jesus Christ, like a seed, is a dynamic force that shatters the hard, stony soil of sin and takes root as new life." Evidence of that new life, which we find in Colossians 1:3-5, is the genuine love the Colossians have " for all”. The lovable and not-so-loveable alike.

This isn't a love we can muster up on our own. The specific Greek word used for "love" here is agapē. It is a love that shows up with affection and benevolence without ever stopping to consider whether the recipient is worthy of it. First5

Acts 26:28–29

28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

29 And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”

Agrippa realized that Paul was doing more than just defending his faith; he was actually trying to persuade Agrippa to become a follower of Jesus Christ. If Agrippa had told those gathered that he did not believe the prophets, he would have angered the Jews. If he had acknowledged that he did believe the prophets, he would have had to give weight to Paul’s words. Agrippa avoided being maneuvered into an embarrassing corner by sidestepping the issue. The interview was becoming too personal for Agrippa’s comfort, so he ended the dialogue. NKJ Bible.

Paul urged that it was the concern of every one to become a true Christian; that there is grace enough in Christ for all. He expressed his full conviction of the truth of the gospel, the absolute necessity of faith in Christ in order to salvation. Matthew Henry Commentary.

 

Philippians 1:1–2

We are one in the grace and peace of Jesus Christ. United by the power of Holy Spirit who will keep us safe until His return.

Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God”

Philippians 1:1–2

1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is our source of God's grace. John 1:14 tells us that Jesus was "full of grace and truth." Our salvation is rooted in this free gift of God's grace in Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."  

    

Jesus gives us peace by reconciling us to God. Because Jesus accomplished all that was needed for our salvation, we have peace, knowing our salvation is secure and not dependent on our good works. Jesus' reconciling work also breaks down the walls that divide us from others, and He unites all who belong to Him. First5

Colossians 1:2 (ESV) "To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father."    

Today. I am willing to do what I can, with what I have been given, with a full, grateful and willing heart.
I am willing to not worry about the outcome.
I am willing not to worry about what people think or say, or how acts of kindness will be measured in the court of public opinion.
I am willing to literally, let it be.
One snowflake at a time.

Here's the deal: our journey to wholeness and wholeheartedness is not about becoming something I am not. The journey is about reflecting what is already there. Inside. It is about making a difference, by just being you.
So, why are we afraid to let this be enough?
To know that, even as a single snowflake, there is enough. In fact, there is abundance, to know that one kind touch means the world.
You may doubt it if you wish. But know this, you still make a difference. Terry Hershey “SabbathMoments”

In his other prison epistles, Paul calls himself an apostle. In this letter he begins by giving the title of servant to Timothy and himself. It establishes Timothy, and Paul as individuals who demonstrate the same servantlike attitude that Christ had. Saints means “holy ones” (those who are separated to God) and refers to all the believers in Philippi. Paul combines the word grace with a Greek translation of the Hebrew greeting shalom, or peace. NKJ Bible.

While Paul refers to himself as an apostle in some letters, here he refers to himself as a doulos, or “slave,” of Christ. This description sets up Paul’s later remarks encouraging the Philippians to show humility—an attitude that Jesus Himself demonstrated. Faithlife Bible.

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We need to base our faith on Biblical truth!

 David French….

Beth Moore

A guy memorizing Phil 1:1-18 with us told me he was getting so much from it, he read it to a group recently. Got called a liberal. Gonna tell you right now, a lot of folks putting a checkmark in the Christian square are completely out of touch with the actual Jesus of Scripture.

She clarified that she was referring Philippians 2:1-18, which famously begins like this:

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Russell Moore

Replying to 

@BethMooreL

A pastor told me he cited “Turn the other cheek” and dealt with an outraged guy asking him why he was spouting liberal propaganda.

I know these are anecdotes, but it is still absolutely, 100 percent the truth that politicians and activists who seek to mobilize white Evangelicals are trying to mobilize millions of people who do not know or believe scripture and are thus not persuaded by appeals to scriptural principles. As political operators, those politicians and activists often feel they have to appeal to Fox News or talk radio talking points because the biblical argument simply will not resonate. It’s speaking to their audience in a foreign tongue. 

For example, I know there is large-scale churchgoing Christian resistance to vaccines, but why is there such profound religious resistance from white Evangelicals specifically when there is not one single significant denomination that theologically resists vaccines? Well, one reason, in addition to partisan politics, is that millions of self-described Evangelicals don’t have much clue about any of the teachings of the church. 

Combine the huge, unchurched “Evangelical” mass with a potent neo-fundamentalist movement that is steeped in angry Christian nationalism, and politics and religion can easily become a God-and-country branding exercise. And in that effort, the actual Bible can be an obstacle, not an asset. 

Why do I so often repeat verses like Micah 6:8 (“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God”)? Or Luke 6:28 (“bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you”)? Because I know there’s a very good chance that someone reading my work is hearing those verses and concepts for the very first time in their lives, even if they identify as Christian. 

The transformation of white Evangelicalism into a primarily political movement is a cause for deep and profound concern. It’s become a force that is helping fracture our nation and sicken its people, and its extreme elements have become instruments of cruelty and even violence.

That’s the despair. Where’s the hope? There is hope that those who identify as Christians and don’t yet connect with a Christian community are at least open to learning what Christianity means, including that it is a faith not rooted in fear. It is not rooted in anger. And no matter what any activist or pastor or politician says, it is not rooted in any American politician or any American political party.