“just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” John 15:10-12 How much do you trust God? Do you ever feel like you are stepping off the ledge when He asks you to do something that is not you? Let’s read Hebrews 4:14-16 and 5: 4-9. How does Jesus help us hold firm to what we believe? What did Jesus face? What difference might it make to consider Jesus facing a struggle with similar roots? What is the invitation given in Hebrews 4:16? What is offered after the invitation? In chapter 5:4-9, how does this show the humility of Jesus and His…
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Obey My Commandments
When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, . . . John 15:10-12 How do you feel about being obedient to God and what He asks of you? Do you clench your jaw a little or a lot?? Well, let’s dive in a little about this today! When Jesus said, obey my commandments, you remain in my love, He wasn’t/ isn’t putting us behind jail bars. He was putting up guardrails to keep us from going off the cliff! Keeping us from falling away from His love. Obedience to Jesus keeps us in the staying power. It keeps us on the road to…
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Eve: Part 2
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world. 1 John 2:16 We don’t take warnings or truth very well. In fact, seldom do I meet a person who handles truth and warnings very well. We don’t stop to really think about the consequences. Our choices will affect others. Whether it is good or bad, it affects others. Being affected by other choices can be directly or indirectly. Through Eve, we learn that talking to Satan and walking with God do not go hand in…
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Advent: Day Twenty -One
When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born, “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'” Matthew 2:4-6 By the time Jesus is born, the Jewish people are desperate for a political revolutionary. Yet, the way we think and how God goes about his business is different. If we expect Jesus to fit into our…
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Advent: Day Ten
In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. Luke 2:1-3 . Proverbs 4:12 promises that “when you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.” God’s love ties us forward on the path He has ordained. Joseph and Mary were not planning on a trip to Bethlehem; however, God orchestrated circumstances in their lives to fulfill the prophecies of the Messiah. God can make these promises to us because His…
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Bless His Holy Name
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Psalm 103: 1-5 Do you ever talk to yourself about where your soul is with God? Do you bless the Lord and his Holy name? Do you remember the benefits he gives you? This Psalm is an expression of thanksgiving and praise to…
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Loved By God
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:8-10 “As the Father…
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A Love That Is Everlasting
the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Jeremiah 31:3 God loves his people with an everlasting love. He reaches out with kindness to his children. Look at the Israelites. They obey God, then slip away from him. It’s a yo-yo. Yet, there is God just waiting for them to return to him. God still loves them, showing grace and mercy. God will discipline us for our disobedience. He is still calling us home. He is still loving us. I caught myself questioning the Israelites fo them turning to other gods. For instance, Why…
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God’s Grace
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short fo the glory of God. I have sinned. I still sin. You sin. The person next door sins. Your best friend’s sins. whether we are nonbelievers still living in sin, new believers trying so hard to figure out this new way of life, or a mature, seasoned Christian still falling here and there. Bottom line we all sinned. And the sad point is we fall short of God’s glory. What is the Glory of God? Is it important? According to the dictionary – glory means high renown or honor won by notable achievements magnificent or great beauty take great pride or…
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Mysterious Plans
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10 How do you handle surprises? Do you like them or hate them? Personally, I don’t care for them, especially if I know that a surprise is coming. Birthdays, Christmas, Mother’s day – my husband knows to not let me know or to tell me all. He hates it, but I am ok with not being surprised. Read…