Category Archives: Christ

Spell EASTER

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E-A-S-T-E-R

E- Eternal life – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (From Romans 6:23, NIV)

A-Jesus arrested on our behalf- Then the detachment of soldiers and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him. (From John 18:12, NIV)

S- Sold for silver- When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” (From Matthew 27:3-4)

T- Truth ignored- “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. He went again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.  (From John 18:38, NIV)

E- Earthquake- When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (From Matthew 27:54, NIV)

R- Redeemed- Christ purchased our freedom and redeemed us from the curse of the Law and its condemnation by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs crucified on a cross.” (From Galatians 3:13, AMPC)

Wisdom Speaks

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Even in Bible times, phonies and liars abounded. The advice there is still good today.

Yes, friends there are phonies in our midst. Here are the highlights from the Book of Jude. I suggest you prayerfully read the whole chapter on your own.

         I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common.

         I write insisting—begging! —that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith.

         Some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen).

         Beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels.

         Their design is to replace the sheer grace of God with sheer license.

         Which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.

         I’m laying this out as clearly as I can.

         Even though you once knew all this well enough and shouldn’t need reminding.

         The Master saved a people out of Egypt. Later he destroyed those who defected.

         These people sneer at anything they can’t understand.

         Do whatever they feel like doing.

         Live by animal instinct only—they participate in their own destruction.

         They’re giving you a black eye.

         These are the bellyachers, grabbing for the biggest piece of the pie.

         Talking big, saying anything they think will get them ahead.

         Make a religion of their own whims and lusts.”

         These ones split churches, thinking only of themselves. There’s no sign of the Spirit! Friends I hope none of these are you. If it is, its not to late for prayer and repentance

Money Money Money

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The chips are down. The truth is out. All we really care about is the economy, not the people.

Listen to the news. Money, money; keep the economy going. Watch out for the stock market!

Folks they are all wrong in their yelling!

“Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she had laid an asteroid.” (Mark Twain)

Our evaluation of things is skewed. We’ve taught ourselves that more money equals better product. Not so.

Maybe that is why some still deny the Christ. He doesn’t charge an arm and a leg.

In fact Jesus gave his life freely for no other reason than that he loves us. He freely offers us forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Then he gives us the Holy Spirit to live in us.

And we say—“doesn’t cost enough…must not be worth much.” That is a lie.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”(John 8:32, NIV)

Prayer- Lord, forgive us for undervaluing your free gift to us, the most priceless gift ever offered to us. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EVERYDAY CHRISTIAN

By Nine (Formerly Brenda)

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It’s not a big issue really but I have one phone that sticks on the number 9. No matter when I try to dial a number, it always seems to have a nine in it. And the nine sticks firmly and throws off my dialing finger.

Now my phones came in a set of four so it’s not really a problem except that no matter where I am, that sticky phone seems to be the one I pick up!

I thought about how my life’s sticky keys; my trouble spots, that stir me into trouble every single day. Only if I turn my stickiness over to God will I ever get unstuck.

I think I will call myself nine…to remind myself that sticky doesn’t have to be me…only my phone.

Our isolation may have uncovered some of our stickiness. There is only one way to cope with our bad habits. .Let us not despair, for with God’s help we can conquer anything.

You might like to read Romans 8:26-37, but for now I offer you Romans 8:26, NIV.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Romans 8:26, NIV)

Prayer- Lord, you know our stuck-ness. Help us to be more like you! Amen.

 

 

 

Missing Baseball?

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This baseball game looks a bit different but perhaps you will enjoy the irony of it!

Christ is our umpire. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. (Colossians 3:15, NASB)

The rules aren’t three strikes you are out.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me; up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (Matthew 18:21-22, NIV)

Team Huddles are encouraged.He encourages team huddles. Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”(Matthew 18:20, NIV)

God loves to win. He keeps playing till he wins souls.

Truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:13-14, NIV)

And folks, never argue with the umpire.

And let the peace from Christ rule, act as umpire continually in your hearts. Let him decide and settle all questions that arise in your minds.And be thankful, giving praise to God always. (From Colossians 3:15)

Prayer- Lord, Lets play ball! Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weird Thoughts to Make Your Day

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One
Q. Why is a dentist like a far north adventurer on a polar expedition?
A. One goes on a polar expedition and the other expedites your molar.

Two
The invention of the shovel was ground-breaking, but the invention of the broom swept the nation!

Three
One moment you are twenty in the seventies and the next, you are seventy in the twenties!

Yes these are definitely silly groaners. I fully admit it, but sometimes a little laughing cheers up someone who has the right to be groaning.

My groans are many and my heart is faint.”(Lamentations 1:22 b, NIV)

And in the midst of that, along comes the Holy Spirit who groans on our behalf. Praise God!

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Romans 8:26, NIV)

Rest in the knowledge that no matter what, God’s got this!

Prayer- Lord, whatever our groans today, we thank you that you hear us. Amen.

 

 

 

 

Brenda on Dela’s Voice

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You should be able to find it on the address below or on Dela’s Voice on Facebook.

It’s an hour long and you will find out much more about me than you ever hoped to!!

https://www.facebook.com/delasvoice/videos/2588500427927092/

Let me know what you think! Brenda

I Told You So

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I Told You So

How often have you heard these words…’If I were you… and I told you so?’  How often do we offer unasked advice to friends and family? How often do people do the same for us? We all mean well though, don’t we?

Do we listen to our elders who are full of life experience?  Do any of us pray before offering up our two bits of wisdom? How do we make the right decision when everyone around us offers differing advice?

Rehoboam made the wrong choice and it landed him in no end of trouble.

But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?” (1 Kings 12:8, 9, NIV)

He ignored the advice of seasoned experts and followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”(1 Kings 12:14, NIV)

 

This didn’t turn out too well for Rehoboam. You can read the rest of the story for yourself. (Hint: things went down hill from there.)  (1 Kings 18:12)

 

Oh, the consequences and guilt we bear when we make the wrong choice and someone even has the gall to point it out! Remember what happened in Acts 27?

 

But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.

After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. (Acts 27:11, 21, NIV)

Common sense told the centurion to take the advice of the pilot and the man who owned the ship, but they happened to be wrong. Were their decisions based on business sense rather than common sense? They owned the ship and they had ‘the right of say.’

What do you do when your leader is telling you one thing and your heart is telling you another?

And do you know who your leader really is? (HINT—it is GOD!)

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. (Proverbs 10:9, NIV)

Integrity-The possession of firm principles;  the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards.

We hear different advice everyday and we must learn to discern what is right and true. Then we take courage and follow through on what we know to be right. Saint Paul leads by example in Acts 21.

After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabuscame came down from Judea.  Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.  Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” (Acts 21:10-14, NIV)

How did Paul come to this decision? How did he know for sure? He listened to the Holy Spirit.

“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. (Acts 20:22-23, NIV)

Brenda J Wood aims for integrity in her everyday life and rejoices in calling you to do the same.

Are you looking for a daily devotional? Follow Brenda at everydaychristian.com or listen to her radio program, Heartfelt, at hopestreamradio.com

You can also follow Brenda at:

– http://heartfeltdevotionals.com
-http://www.twitter.com/size10hopefil

– https://www.facebook.com/brendawoodspeaker

Keep The Merry! (Guest post by Sarah Keith)

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For a few years, American atheists promoted a “Christmas” message: “Keep the merry, dump the myth.” This jarring promotion showed a picture of a laughing Santa, next to the suffering face of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. It is quite poignant that they didn’t attack the Christ Child, since that is what the merriment celebrates! No, they went right to the heart of the matter: Christ on the cross. You see for many people — apparently atheists included — it’s easy and okay to celebrate the joy of Christmas with the Jolly ol’ Man, the Elf on the Shelf, or Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer; there’s no commitment to God or call for repentance; nothing is required! (But we do spend a lot of money trying to have a merry Christmas!) The atheists’ promotion was revealing — they understood the implication of believing in the Baby in the manger — it’s beautifully stated in the hymn, Hark! the herald angels sing: “Born to raise the sons of earth; born to give them second birth.”

Atheists understand that the Baby grew up and died a terrible, bloody death on the cross. There isn’t anything “merry” about that picture! You see, to truly celebrate the Saviour’s birth, we must be willing to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Atheists, of course, are not willing to do this. But are we, who celebrate the Babe in the manger, willing to submit to the crucified and risen One when the trials and suffering of life come our way? Do we trust that God is in control and that nothing happens in our lives apart from the will of the Father? It is during these difficult times that we may be tempted to give up and ask, “Where are You, God?” or even “Is there a God?”

 

2 Corinthians 5:21 – For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (ESV)

In October of 2013, my husband survived a traumatic brain injury. I can’t imagine my family and me walking this path without the hope that God has a greater plan in mind. Admittedly, many days, I wanted to give up. Yet, where would I go? To whom would I turn? There is eternal hope in no one else!

Some of the fruit of our suffering has become evident: our family is closer, and we are grateful for the extra time to love one another. I also thank God for the body of Christ. For years now, we have been on the receiving end of love being poured out to us in a myriad of ways, all to show us Jesus-with-skin-on love! Over and over again, God has faithfully provided for us, teaching us that He is near and can be trusted.

Yes, the Christ Child is the reason for the season! His birth was for His death. His death was for our birth. In Him, we can find true Christmas joy!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to earth to give us second birth. Help us to have merry hearts today, tomorrow, and in the coming New Year. Amen.”

Sarah Keith <sarah@sundayschoolnetwork.com

https://www.SundaySchoolNetwork.com
West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Mantel Piece Living

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I expect you have your nativity scene displayed already. If you decorate for Christmas, it is a requirement. After all without the birth of Christ, we wouldn’t be celebrating the holiday at all.

Do be kind enough to give him a bit of room on your mantel at least. Then take the time to investigate why there is a Christ in Christmas