Heavenward!
Eph.2:14 “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. …he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us” [with emphasis].
I am so confident that until I am raptured, then rapture will not end. A lot of people question my confidence and I turn them back to God’s Word. My confidence is in the truth that Jesus has come to break down the wall of hostility that separated me from God and now I have peace with God.
But Now
Eph.2:14 “For Christ himself has brought peace to us …in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us”[with emphasis].
It is when we receive this gift from God, which is Jesus Christ, that we experience a three-fold peace. And the three-fold peace is peace with God, peace with self and peace with other people. When people do not fully embrace this gift, they struggle with having peace with God. Read the rest of this entry
Birth Place
Isa.9:6 “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7 His government and its peace will never end…”
For you to love someone you have to be humble. You cannot forgive without loving. For you to really forgive someone, you must love from your heart. Also you cannot have peace without forgiveness. For you to have peace, you must forgive.
Not Without
Matt.5:39 “But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also…43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” [with emphasis]
If you really want to follow Jesus and be a follower of Christ, you have to love. Some people say that Islam is a religion of peace and I say they have not read the Koran. Whoever really wants to be a follower of Mohammed has to fight jihad.
For-Giving
Matt.5:38 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” [with emphasis]
The word forgive is a two part word “for” and “give”. “Give” means to bestow upon while “For” primarily means completely. Forgive means to completely bestow upon in advance. To forgive someone of a debt owed is to completely write off the debt. Read the rest of this entry
You Must VII
Mark 12:13 “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” [with emphasis].
It really does not make sense for believers to get attached to or marry an unbeliever because it is the God in the marriage equation that unites and solidifies. Read the rest of this entry
You Must VI
Mark 12:30 “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”
Each time there is a space between you and the person you are in a relationship with and you are faced with the question, who should move, the answer is you. And to take that a step further into the heart of God, what God wants is that both of you will become mature in God and will both collide with each other on the seat. Read the rest of this entry
You Must V
1Cor.13:4 “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged”
Remember our closing story from yesterday’s devotional? We will be taking our answer to the question of who moved a step further today. The seat that was between the couple at the end of the pastor’s message was now filled and the question is, who moved? The person that should move is the person that is closer to God.
You Must IV
Phil.2:3 “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves”
If you are still single, my advice is do not marry a selfish person. It is just an advice. Selfishness is a huge destroyer. A person cannot be selfish and humble at the same time. It does not work that way. Selfishness is one of the major cankerworms that destroys the fabric of marriage. Read the rest of this entry
You Must III
Eph.4:32 “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” [with emphasis].
If love is to last in our relationships, we must Listen with all our hearts and Forgive with all our hearts. Yesterday we explained the difference between acceptance and forgiveness. However, some issues in marriage are actually forgiveness issues. Relationships are between two imperfect people. Read the rest of this entry
