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THE ULTIMATE GIVER

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “Freely you have received, freely give.” —Matthew 10:8 

God is the ultimate Giver. He is abundantly generous and exceedingly bountiful. He gives and gives again. His blessings can’t be counted, His abundance can’t be measured, His generosity can’t be contained. He has given you the blessings of earth and the blessings of Heaven.

Because you have received so much, you have so much that you can give. You can give a smile, because God has smiled upon you; you can give a hug, because God has embraced you; you can give acceptance, because God has accepted you; you can give hope, because God has given you eternal hope; you can give compassion, because God has given you comfort; you can give kindness, because God has given you love.    

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I pray for a generous and a giving heart. Amen

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: HIS FOOTSTEPS, MY PATHWAY

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HOW DO WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD?

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” — 2 Timothy 3:16

How do we know the Bible is really God’s Word?  Let’s examine it and find out!
It would be very difficult for forty people to agree on everything they write.  And if they lived at different times, it would be impossible.  But the forty different writers of the Bible agree in all they have written!  This is because God told each of them what to write.  All of the Bible is God’s Word.  Every part of the Bible agrees.

The Bible says it comes from God.  Over and over throughout this book you can read phrases like “God said,” “Says the LORD,” “The LORD spoke,” “The Word of the LORD came to . .  .” The Bible says it is God’s Word.

A prophecy is “something that God tells before it happens.”  Many prophecies were written in the Bible.  No one could have known these things were going to happen – no one but God!  The Bible tells about cities that would be destroyed.  These prophecies came true. Read about Babylon in Isaiah 13, Jerusalem in Matthew 23:38, and Ninevah in Jonah 3:4.  Jonah’s prophecy was fulfilled a century later when Nineveh again turned from God.

The Bible told that the Lord Jesus would be born in Bethlehem seven hundred years before it happened.  The Bible said that God would bring the Jewish people back to their land again.  About twenty – five years ago (1948) this prophecy began to come true.  All the prophecies in the Bible will come true.

The Bible told scientific facts before man discovered them.  “The morning stars sang together” – Job 38:7.  Scientists have discovered that sounds come from stars.  “The life of the flesh is in the blood” – Lev. 17:11.  Only three hundred years ago men discovered that we are fed by the blood as it travels throughout our bodies.  But Moses wrote this over three thousand years ago!  The Bible says that God, “hangs the earth on nothing” – Job 26:7 and that the number of stars is like the sands of the sea.  Scientists discovered these things many years after the Bible was written.  The Bible agrees with science.

When men obey God’s Word, the Bible, their lives can be changed.  They can know their lives can be changed.  They can know their sins are forgiven.  They can receive power to please God.  The Bible has power to change lives.

STAY BLESSED

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GOD IN TIMES OF CRISIS


SCRIPTURE TEXT: “Oh, Sovereign LORD, You did indeed make heaven and earth by your mighty power and great strength. Nothing is too hard for You!” — Jeremiah 32:17

We are living in the midst of a global pandemic. This is a crisis unlike anything recent generations have ever experienced.
 
When we experience a crisis, it is natural to be overwhelmed by negative feelings. We look to the future with worry and fear. We look at the past, remembering what life had been like, with regret and maybe even anger because of our loss. Everything is out of control. Life is filled with uncertainty.
 
Shift Focus
These overwhelming negative emotions will not change unless we shift our focus from the circumstances that engulf us to our God who lives within us. This God, who is love and who loves us unconditionally, is the Sovereign Ruler of the universe. He can bring good out of bad situations for He is powerfully good. To help remind us of His faithfulness, God also has given us His promises so we won’t lose hope for the future.
 
So how can we shift our focus from the chaos of this world to a God who offers us supernatural peace?
 
1. Focus on GOD’S MAJESTY more than your circumstances
2. Focus on GOD’S FAITHFULNESS instead of your resources
3. Focus on TODAY’S BLESSINGS rather than worries about tomorrow
4. Focus on THE NEXT STEP instead of predicting the future
5. Focus on GOD’S SUPERNATURAL PRESENCE rather than your adversity

Encourage others to also focus on God’s faithfulness and promises as we walk through this challenging season together.
STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: JesusOnline
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JESUS IS OUR FRIEND

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “Today salvation has come to this house… for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” — Luke 19:9-10

One of the most shocking and incredible aspects of Jesus is that He is our Friend. It’s astonishing that our omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God who made everything in the universe and beyond with His own hands, who rules history and kingdoms, holds the power over every proton, neutron, and electron in every galaxy we have yet to discover… also wants to be… friends.
 
Jesus is a Friend to not just the brightest and best, the most powerful and accomplished, the prettiest and wealthiest. He is a ready Friend to anyone. Anyone! He was at ease and fully Himself among the elite (The Pharisee Nicodemus in John 3) and the most hated people in the whole culture (tax collectors in Luke 19:1-10). He was the life of the party (John 2:1-11) and the perfect Friend One-on-One (Peter in John 21:15-19).
 
Jesus shows again and again that when He came to earth, He was relatable–just like us normal people. He chose to be average. Seemingly unremarkable. Approachable. Fun and funny. Kind. He chose Capernaum as His home base, an average town like yours and mine. He made friends with Pete, Andy, Phil, Tom, Matt, Bart, and all the riff-raff. Ordinary folk. Fishermen and townsfolk. Peter’s my favorite. Bold and emotional, blundering, and passionate. He’s the guy who will step out on the water and yet inwardly roll his eyes at obeying Jesus who knows “nothing” about fishing because Peter was the pro. The fish aren’t out in the daytime. They’re not out in the deep, they’re in the shallows.
 
Jesus shows His abundance. And His friendship. He didn’t chastise Peter. He loved Him.
 
Doesn’t that give you hope? If Jesus chose to be friends with John the Wild, and Peter the Passionate, and sly Levi, and Andy the cynic, and James and John the hotheads, then you and I are welcome friends to our King, too.
 
If you’re anyone… you’re in!

PRAYER: “Jesus, we love You. Thank You for being our Friend. It’s hard to grasp Your greatness along with how personable You choose to be. You know every detail of every single thing, and yet You care about us, and love us, and are involved in our lives. How can we thank You for being such a Friend! We love You, Lord.” Amen.

STAY BLESSED

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RESPONDING TO OUR CULTURE

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “ …And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it .But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ ” —1 Peter 3:15-16 

How do you react when you see people being hostile toward Christian beliefs? Do you let your anger simmer, get into an argument on Facebook, or just keep quiet? It’s difficult to know how to respond to those who show antagonism to our faith, but Peter gives us good advice in today’s passage.
 
Be willing to suffer or be misunderstood. Since the world finds holiness, obedience, and reverence for God confusing or even offensive, taking a stand for righteousness may bring you criticism instead of praise. Don’t fear the intimidation, but remember that when you are persecuted, you are blessed (Matt. 5:10).
 
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart. A follower of Jesus is no longer enslaved to the world but is now a slave of Christ and His righteousness (Rom. 6:18; 1 Corinthians 7:22).
 
Always be ready to give a defense for your hope. This is to be done gently and respectfully—never with anger or condemnation.
 
Keep a good conscience. You can’t foresee how God may use your example. Perhaps your righteous behavior and words will influence others to see their own sin and turn to Christ.
 
Even though our culture looks very dark, Christ can use your light to show someone the way to  Jesus.

PRAYER: “Father, give me the grace and strength to gently correct people and bring them closer to You.” Amen.

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: IN TOUCH.ORG

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THE POWER OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him,
and bless His name.” – Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)


INTRODUCTION
Praise and thanksgiving are vital steps toward entering the presence of God. Thanksgiving gets
us through the gates, and praise brings us into the courtroom of the King of Kings. Without
taking these steps, we remain outside of the courts of God.
Unfortunately, many Christian pray that way. We stand outside of the gates crying out for God
to help us or to heal us. Sometimes we ask others to pray for us, but we never go inside
ourselves. We don’t enter into His presence, because we fail to apply these two simple
principles from the Word of God. We don’t enter into His gates with thanksgiving and enter
into His courts with praise.
Ten lepers also stood at a distance, crying out for Jesus to heal them, and He did – but only one
returned to give thanks. All ten were healed physically, but only one entered His presence of
God and was also healed spiritually. Thanksgiving is an amazing thing; it grants us access into
the very presence of God! Praise and thanksgiving take effort, just like returning to thank
Jesus…

  1. PRAISE IS VOCAL; it is uttered. It is the act of proclaiming the greatness of God, extolling
    Him for who He is. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the
    sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” We
    are to continually offer up the sacrifice of praise (whether we feel like it or not), the fruit
    of our lips. And oh, by the way, you cannot praise God with your mouth shut. You might
    think you can but you can’t. Praise has to be proclaimed – and when it is, when we
    praise God with all that is within us – our spirit is elevated into His presence. Praising
    God is never a waste of time. In fact, it’s one of the most important things we can do.

  1. THANKSGIVING IS LIKEWISE VOCAL. We praise God for who He is, and we thank Him for
    what He has done. Thanksgiving is the act of expressing gratitude for all that He has
    done. When we go to God without a heart of thanksgiving, we treat Him like a vending
    machine. If you have children, you know the difference between a demanding child and
    a grateful one.
    Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
    supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Paul tells us this,
    because we can become anxious. Instead, God wants us to bring our concerns to Him in prayer and never be so focused on our needs that we neglect the giving of thanks. Prayer and supplication needs to flow from the lips of a thankful heart. When we come to God with a heart of thanksgiving, the gates of heaven swing wide open.
    God’s Word is real; it’s true, and it’s forever settled in the heaven. Praise and thanksgiving
    usher us into His presence. He is just waiting for us to believe it and actually do it.

CONCLUSION
God alone is worthy of being worshipped. What is your attitude toward worship? Do we willingly and joyfully come into God’s presence, or are we just going through the motions, reluctantly going to church? This psalm tells us to remember God’s goodness and dependability, and then to worship with thanksgiving and praise!

WORSHIP, AND THANKS, AND BLESSING – MHB 412
1 Worship, and thanks, and blessing,
And strength ascribe to Jesus!
Jesus alone defends His own,
When earth and hell oppress us.
Jesus with joy we witness
Almighty to deliver;
Our seals set to, that God is true,
And reigns a King for ever.
2 Omnipotent Redeemer,
Our ransomed souls adore Thee;
Our Saviour Thou, we find it now,
And give Thee all the glory.
We sing Thine arm unshortened,
Brought through our sore temptation;
With heart and voice in Thee rejoice,
The God of our salvation.
3 Thine arm hath safely brought us
A way no more expected,
Than when Thy sheep passed through the deep,
By crystal walls protected.
Thy glory was our rear-ward,
Thy hand our lives did cover,
And we, even we, have passed the sea,
And marched triumphant over.
4 The world’s and Satan’s malice
Thou, Jesus, hast confounded;
And, by Thy grace, with songs of praise
Our happy souls resounded.
Accepting our deliverance,
We triumph in Thy favour,
And for the love which now we prove,
Shall praise Thy name for ever.

Stay Blessed!
Please continue to join us on Asempa 94.7 FM – Sunday 5.30 am., Sunny 88.7 FM – Tuesdays 5:30 am;
and Uniiq 95.7 FM – Saturdays 7:30 pm, YFM 107.9 – Sundays 6.30am; for our Radio Bible Study as
well as Sunny FM 88.7 FM every Sunday at 3:30 pm. for Hymn and their Stories.

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A THIRST FOR GOD

Salt and Light Ministries DevotionalThirsty-Bird-drinking-from-a-tray
SCRIPTURE TEXT: “ O God You are my God; I earnestly search for You. My soul thirst for You; my whole body longs for You…” —Psalm 63:1 

In Psalm 63, David wrote, “You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You.” God wants us to seek Him and have a loving bond with Him, as David did. So, how are we to do this?
 
Knowing Him is the first step, which takes priority above all other matters. David used the word thirst to describe his passion to know the Lord (Psalm 63:1); the apostle Paul likened his dedicated pursuit of God to a race (1 Corinthians 9:24). When we seek after Him with our heart and mind, we will find our soul becoming satisfied.
 
Our next step is to spend time in God’s Word. Making time to read and meditate on Scripture is essential for every believer. That’s how we learn who God is, how He works, and what He desires for us and the body of Christ. When we strive to know and understand the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will make the meaning spring to life.
 
Dedicating time to knowing and experiencing God is a critical step toward a satisfying walk with Him. Begin today by making a pledge to pursue Him more diligently and making time in your schedule for regular study and prayer. Your heavenly Father is waiting to meet with you.

PRAYER: “Father, renew in me the commitment to spend time letting Your word soak into my heart and mind.” Amen.

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: IN TOUCH.ORG

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GUARDED

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “ The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus ” —Philippians 4:7 

As you’re reading your Bible, it’s always worth noticing the words tucked within the Word, paying attention to the surprises that are hiding in plain sight. One example is today’s feature verse. Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Ephesus was that the peace of God would guard their hearts and minds in Christ. Till now, I’ve never thought of peace as a defense, a protection. But it is. A good bodyguard has nothing on the peace of God, because His peace shields our hearts and minds – the two places where, supernaturally speaking we are most vulnerable to attack.
 
How can this be? I can think of a few ways that divine peace protects us…
 
For one, peace helps us keep a cool head in adversarial situations, so that we can respond with the grace and words of the Holy Spirit instead of what we’d really like to say. Peace also can supply us with compassion for those who are opposing us. Instead of just hearing their words, God sometimes gives us a glimpse into what’s happening inside of them. That glimpse of their fear or pain won’t always ease our anger immediately, but once a little empathy trickles in, our hurt may start to evaporate, helping us to forgive.

Finally, peace produces contentment, whether circumstances are going our way or not. I’m not saying I’ve never felt disappointed or afraid while enduring hardship, but the peace of Christ prevents us from lingering in those emotions long-term.
 
As you add your own ideas to this starter list, keep it close to your heart. God’s super-peace is real, and through it, He is keeping watch over us.

PRAYER: “Let Your peace be my shield and fortress today, Jesus, from head to toe.” Amen.

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: DAY SPRING

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SITTING IT OUT


SCRIPTURE TEXT: “ Don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone… and be patient with difficult people. ” —II Timothy 2:23-24 

We’re living in a culture where almost no one hesitates to say what’s on their mind. In the court of public opinion, every topic is fair game; every comment carries weight. So Paul’s sound advice to a young pastor is a good word for us today.
 
Social media, office politics, bickering among friends or family members or within a church – petty arguments are popping up around us almost constantly, like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. Anytime they do, God invites us to pause, take a breath, and consciously decide: Am I going to join in or sit this one out?
 
We do have that choice. And according to Paul, it’s a choice worth taking seriously.
 
Conflict is essentially a bicycle built for two. When one person steps off and quits their quarrel ride, you can guarantee that, unless another rider comes along, the bike won’t be going much farther.
 
There are undoubtedly situations and topics that deserve our full (and patient) engagement. Paul’s own life bore this out. But for those little opinions that only stir up trouble, or the nitpicking over inconsequential things? We can leave those fight-starters alone, lest they become fire-starters.

PRAYER: “Though sometimes I’m tempted to spout my opinion, give me the grace to hold my tongue and walk away from the pettiness before it starts.” Amen.

STAY BLESSED

SOURCE: DAY SPRING

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ENDURING THROUGH TRIALS

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it. ” — I Corinthians 10:13 

Being tempted or tested to do the right thing day after day when all you want to do is give up is never easy, especially when the test lasts for a lifetime. But that’s how long the testing of your faith lasts! Yet when you cling to the persevering grace of God and continue to rest in the hope of salvation in Christ, a glorious crown awaits on your day of completion. Until then, you have the presence and power of God to help you and to hold onto.

Don’t blame God when you are tempted! God cannot be tempted by evil, and he doesn’t use evil to tempt others. We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. (James 1:13-14 CEV)

Stay awake and pray so that you won’t enter into temptation. (Mark 14:38 HCSB)

A man who endures trials is blessed, because when he passes the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12 HCSB)

Prayer: Father, there are so many temptations that flash before me every single day. So, one day at a time, I cling to You and the power of Your Spirit within me to walk away and help stay the course You have for me.

STAY BLESSED