A very common verse from John u3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Breaking down the scripture here, I think this is telling us that God loves each of us so much that He allowed Jesus to reside here on earth in order to teach us His ways. In this coming to earth, Jesus paved a road for us to dwell in heaven with Him.
However, in order to get to eternal life, we must believe that Jesus is the Messiah, that He died for all sins and rose again. Our salvation means eternal life in the heavenly realms.
Father God, you call the stars by their name; you are worthy of our praise. Because of the sin in this world, your own Son was sacrificed. Forgive me, Lord, for ever doubting that You didn't love me or You didn't hear my cries. Please fill the hearts of anyone around me that has not accepted Christ as their Savior. Help them to see and hear and know that You are Lord. Give them a hunger and a thirst to grow closer to you. Thank you for consistently encouraging me to grow closer to you! Thank you, also, for all the people who stumble upon these blogs. In the name of Jesus I pray these things,
Amen
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Dec 2 - John 2
Please forgive me, Friday was a very busy day for me so I was not able to post.John 2 describes the first of the miracles of Jesus, where his mother gets him involved before his time is ready. This happens at a wedding and the wedding party runs out of wine. Mary asks the servants to ask Jesus what to do. Jesus tells the servants to fill jars to the brim, to nearly overflowing, with water. As a cup is drawn from the jar, it is found to be the choicest of wines.Later, Jesus finds himself at the temple courts just enforce the Passover. The people there are using the temple as a market. This makes Jesus angry.
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." ~John 2:19The disciples do not yet understand, the temple Jesus describes is himself, not the temple they are standing at. Jesus is the temple that will be destroyed and in three days, He will rise again. It is important to remember that Jesus quotes scripture as well as prophesies. He uses many parables and symbolism that needs to be understood. In this scripture, Jesus is sharing His authority for destroying the market at the temple. It is also important to notice that this is one time Jesus gets angered. When we do things that angers God. He may be a God that knows everything, but that doesn't mean that He cannot be angered because of the choices we make. He is a loving God that allows us to make choices. It is to love Him that God seeks, not a forced love, but a free will to love Him.Almighty God, you are all knowing. You give me choices to make and it's up to me to figure out the right response to these choices. Sometimes I make the wrong choice or sometimes I confuse the choice You want for me with the choice I want for myself. Lord, please guide me throughout the day so I can make the right choices. Thank you, Jesus, for allowing yourself to be destroyed so that you can rise again. It is because of that sacrifice that God sees me as pure and I may enter the kingdom of heaven. In Jesus name I pray these things,Amen.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Dec 1 - John 1
So, hopefully you've had time to read John 1 on your own and developed an idea of what it's about. I read it this morning, but haven't had time to write until now.
A great way to study the Bible is to follow a few simple steps:
1. Pray to remove distractions & ask God to reveal what He wants you to get out of the reading
2. Read
3. Journal
4. Pray
Whoa, journal? Really? Yes! It's great to get your thoughts on paper. Journalling is easy, you just need to get into practice!
Pastor Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope shares his journalling technique of SOAP. Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. It's pretty self explanatory and these next few weeks of going through John will be similar to this process.
S - "He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." ~John 1:2-3
O - Here, I believe, scripture is telling us that Jesus was with God in the beginning. He was with God before the creation of the world. All things were made through Jesus. Nothing was made without Jesus.
A - Jesus was born here on earth, but it wasn't when he was created. Jesus, along with the Holy Spirit and God the Father were together when the world was created. With Jesus, everything on this earth was created. So, Jesus already was and then came to this broken world knowing He would be flogged and crucified? All I can say is, "Wow!" is there any other god out there that can say that for himself? My God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above!
P - Father God in Heaven, you are ever present, the Creator, the alpha and the omega. Through the trinity of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, everything in this universe was created. Thank you, Lord, for everything You created, even the trees and birds and gorgeous sunsets. Your majesty and glory are all around me. Through the unity of the Spirit and Christ Jesus, everything comes together. In Jesus name, I thank you for all these things,
Amen.
What did you receive from this chapter? Encourage your friends and family to seek God first!
"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." ~Romans 10:9-10
A great way to study the Bible is to follow a few simple steps:
1. Pray to remove distractions & ask God to reveal what He wants you to get out of the reading
2. Read
3. Journal
4. Pray
Whoa, journal? Really? Yes! It's great to get your thoughts on paper. Journalling is easy, you just need to get into practice!
Pastor Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope shares his journalling technique of SOAP. Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. It's pretty self explanatory and these next few weeks of going through John will be similar to this process.
S - "He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." ~John 1:2-3
O - Here, I believe, scripture is telling us that Jesus was with God in the beginning. He was with God before the creation of the world. All things were made through Jesus. Nothing was made without Jesus.
A - Jesus was born here on earth, but it wasn't when he was created. Jesus, along with the Holy Spirit and God the Father were together when the world was created. With Jesus, everything on this earth was created. So, Jesus already was and then came to this broken world knowing He would be flogged and crucified? All I can say is, "Wow!" is there any other god out there that can say that for himself? My God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above!
P - Father God in Heaven, you are ever present, the Creator, the alpha and the omega. Through the trinity of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, everything in this universe was created. Thank you, Lord, for everything You created, even the trees and birds and gorgeous sunsets. Your majesty and glory are all around me. Through the unity of the Spirit and Christ Jesus, everything comes together. In Jesus name, I thank you for all these things,
Amen.
What did you receive from this chapter? Encourage your friends and family to seek God first!
"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." ~Romans 10:9-10
Monday, November 28, 2011
A free gift
Christmas time is here. As the retailers decorate with garlands and ornaments, competing for your every last penny, Jesus waits to give you a free gift. Yep, you read that right, a FREE gift.
How can that be? There's got to be a catch, you might be thinking. Well, guess what? There are no strings attached. Jesus is willing to give you the free gift of life.
I'm already living life on my own and everything's going just fine, you might also be thinking. I'm happy for what I have and what I do and what my life is like. I've lived this long on my own and things are fine.
Hmmm, well, things might be going great right now. There's always something that could be better. Yes, you are living a life right here and now. Jesus wants to give you an eternal life, a life full of joy, peace, love, patience, gentleness, and self-control.
"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." ~Romans 10:9-10
All you need to do is now down and pray:
Jesus, thank you for waiting for me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for dying on the cross so that I may live. Without you, I am nothing and this life is meaningless. Fill me, Lord, with your goodness. I desire to know you. Holy Spirit, lead me. I pray these things in the name of Jesus, amen.
It doesn't need to be these exact words. but something similar to acknowledge Jesus as your Savior, thanking Him for His sacrifice and ask Him into your heart.
If you've prayed that prayer of salvation today, recently or many years ago, I encourage you to dig into the Word. Begin in the Gospels. Or simply join me in the Book of John, beginning Dec 1. Let's read a chapter a day and discuss what we got out of it each day. I look forward to hearing what you're getting out of it, too! So, please, add your comments!
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| Naypong: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2617 |
How can that be? There's got to be a catch, you might be thinking. Well, guess what? There are no strings attached. Jesus is willing to give you the free gift of life.
I'm already living life on my own and everything's going just fine, you might also be thinking. I'm happy for what I have and what I do and what my life is like. I've lived this long on my own and things are fine.
Hmmm, well, things might be going great right now. There's always something that could be better. Yes, you are living a life right here and now. Jesus wants to give you an eternal life, a life full of joy, peace, love, patience, gentleness, and self-control.
"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." ~Romans 10:9-10
All you need to do is now down and pray:
Jesus, thank you for waiting for me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for dying on the cross so that I may live. Without you, I am nothing and this life is meaningless. Fill me, Lord, with your goodness. I desire to know you. Holy Spirit, lead me. I pray these things in the name of Jesus, amen.
It doesn't need to be these exact words. but something similar to acknowledge Jesus as your Savior, thanking Him for His sacrifice and ask Him into your heart.
If you've prayed that prayer of salvation today, recently or many years ago, I encourage you to dig into the Word. Begin in the Gospels. Or simply join me in the Book of John, beginning Dec 1. Let's read a chapter a day and discuss what we got out of it each day. I look forward to hearing what you're getting out of it, too! So, please, add your comments!
Friday, November 25, 2011
starting the morning
the alarm goes off. turn it off, snooze it, or hide under the pillow? get out of bed or stay tucked in? go to work or play hookie?
from the moment we wake up, we are faced with choices. many times we just follow our usual routine and thoughtlessly start the day. some of us have children that make each morning a challenge. some of us even have pets that dictate what happens each morning, yet even pets follow routines.
how do i start my morning? usually, the alarm on my phone goes off and i stay in bed. i choose whether i'll play on my apps or read my bible. on my quest to read through the bible from cover to cover in a year has its downfalls every several days for me, then i force myself to catch up. skipping my morning reading is all about the choices i make when i wake up. sleep in or wake up and read? selfishly do what i feel like or work on that relationship with the Almighty God? it all depends on what day it is, how much rest i got the night before, and what the plan is for the day.
prayer before reading is highly recommended by many. ask God to clear your mind and speak to you during this time you want to get to know Him better. and when you're done reading, pray again. this time, share with God what you got out of it, what you learned, how it affects your current situation or helped you realize something from the past, whatever comes to mind.
if you're willing to go through the Book of John with me, i'll be starting it again on december 1st. feel free to subscribe or stop in to see how this book speaks to me and share your own thoughts as well. i'd love to hear your thoughts!
from the moment we wake up, we are faced with choices. many times we just follow our usual routine and thoughtlessly start the day. some of us have children that make each morning a challenge. some of us even have pets that dictate what happens each morning, yet even pets follow routines.
how do i start my morning? usually, the alarm on my phone goes off and i stay in bed. i choose whether i'll play on my apps or read my bible. on my quest to read through the bible from cover to cover in a year has its downfalls every several days for me, then i force myself to catch up. skipping my morning reading is all about the choices i make when i wake up. sleep in or wake up and read? selfishly do what i feel like or work on that relationship with the Almighty God? it all depends on what day it is, how much rest i got the night before, and what the plan is for the day.
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” ~Lamentations3:22-24 NIVrenew yourself every morning by spending time with your Creator God. he wants a closer relationship with you and He wants to bless you with heavenly blessings. new to reading the bible? a great place to start is not page 1, actually, it's in the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. the first three basically have the same information from their own perspectives. the Book of John actually shares the life of the Son of God here on earth. i've often heard that this is where beginners should start. John has 30 chapters, so if you read a chapter a day, you'll be done in 30 days.
prayer before reading is highly recommended by many. ask God to clear your mind and speak to you during this time you want to get to know Him better. and when you're done reading, pray again. this time, share with God what you got out of it, what you learned, how it affects your current situation or helped you realize something from the past, whatever comes to mind.
if you're willing to go through the Book of John with me, i'll be starting it again on december 1st. feel free to subscribe or stop in to see how this book speaks to me and share your own thoughts as well. i'd love to hear your thoughts!
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| winnond: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1970 |
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