Getting Ready For The Lord's Return
Jesus Is Coming Again. Make Sure That You Are Ready For His Return.
Double Standards
"How Are We To Get Ready For Christ's Return?"
A New Journey Through The Scriptures
I hope you will visit the "Daily Devotional Readings" and receive a blessing from the Lord.
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"When you read God's Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, 'It is talking to me, and about me.'" (Soren Kierkegaard).
Let's commit ourselves afresh to reading the Word of God day-by-day.
Here are some links which you may find helpful.
Read a specific comment online
"Rejoice In Your Great Privilege ... "
"O God, My Whole Being Desires You ... "
"At The Cross ... "
The Blessings Of God
I just want to encourage you to seek the Lord. To call out to God for help, for direction, for comfort.
May God's favor shine upon you.
inhisgloriousnameministriesonline.blogspot.com
"God Wants To Bless Us ... "
God wants to bless us. Let's pray, "Lord, I want You to be my salvation and my strength"
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This thought is taken from
Isaiah 29:17-30:17
'In returning and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, "No!"' (15-16). God wants to bless us. He wants to be our 'salvation'. He wants to be our 'strength'. How does God bless us? How does He become our 'salvation'? How does He become our 'strength'? We must want His blessing. We must want His 'salvation'. We must want His 'strength'. We must return to Him and rest in Him. We must quietly listen to His Word, putting our trust in Him. There is no 'salvation' without 'returning and rest'. There is no 'strength' without 'quietness and trust'. God does not force Himself upon us. We can say, 'No! I will have none of it'. God wants to bless you. Will you say, 'Yes, Lord! I want You to be my 'salvation'. I want You to be my 'strength'?
An Angel Coming Down From Heaven
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
Rev 18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Rev 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Rev 18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
Rev 18:12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
Rev 18:13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
Rev 18:14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
Rev 18:15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
Rev 18:16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
Rev 18:17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
Rev 18:18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
Rev 18:19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
Rev 18:20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and [ye] holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Rev 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast [it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
Rev 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft [he be], shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
Rev 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
Rev 18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
New Life In Christ
Israel, Middle East
Something to ponder, coupled with current sitautions around the globe.
The Holy Spirit Leads Us To Jesus.
‘Rivers of living water’ were flowing out of Jesus’ heart. ‘No man ever spoke like this man’! ‘The Spirit’ was speaking through Him with power (John 7:37-39).
* From Jesus, we receive the gift of the Spirit.
The disciples are filled with ‘fear.’ Jesus comes to them. He gives them His ‘peace’ and ‘joy.’ From Jesus, they receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:19-20, 23).
The Holy Spirit Leads Us To Serve The Lord.
Paul speaks about ‘gifts of the Spirit.’ They are ‘given for the common good’ (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). We’re not ‘to show off’: ‘Look at me. The Church can’t do without me’. When we draw attention to ourselves rather than Christ, we are not living ‘by the Spirit of God.’ He moves us to say, with our whole heart, ‘Jesus is Lord’ (1 Corinthians 12:3). We live in fellowship with one another: ‘the body does not consist of one member but of many’ (1 Corinthians 12:14). ‘I’m happy - as long as I’m getting my own way’: We can do without this kind of attitude! What about ‘the common good’? Sometimes, things don’t go according to my plan. Perhaps, my plan needs revising - to take account of ‘the common good.’ When self raises its ugly head - ‘It’s my way or no way at all’ - let’s not forget the ‘still more excellent way’ (1 Corinthians 12:3). It is the way of love - Christ’s love!
The Holy Spirit Leads Us To Worship The Lord.
‘I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live’ (Psalm 104:33). Do you feel like giving up? Other things are becoming more important to you. Worshipping the Lord is being pushed out to the edge of your life. Wrong attitudes are creeping in. It starts with the idea, ‘Worship’s just an hour on a Sunday’. Then, it becomes, ‘I’ll worship the Lord when I feel like it’. It soon becomes, ‘I’ll worship the Lord when I’ve nothing better to do’. Before long, all desire for worshipping the Lord has gone! Little-by-little, you are drifting away from the Lord. It’s time to start thinking about what’s happening. It’s time for a new beginning. It’s time for an ‘all my life’ commitment to worshipping the Lord - not just on a Sunday, not only when I feel like it, not only ‘when there’s nothing better to do’!
Speaking The Word Of God In The Power Of The Holy Spirit.
‘No one can say “Jesus is Lord”except by the Holy Spirit’(1 Corinthians 12:3). ‘In Jerusalem’, on ‘the day of Pentecost’, there are ‘Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven’ (Acts 2:1, 5). They are ‘amazed’ at what they hear - ‘we hear them telling in our own tongue the mighty works of God’ (Acts 2:7-11). The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ (John 16:14). ‘To God be the glory! Great things He hath done!’(Church Hymnary, 374). Speaking ‘as the Spirit gave them utterance’, the apostles pave the way for Peter’s bold proclamation: ‘God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified’ (Acts 2:36). Empowered ‘by the Holy Spirit’, this message - ‘Jesus is Lord’ - is still God’s way of bringing people to Himself. When the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied (Numbers 11:25): Preaching Christ and praying for the Spirit’s power, let us look to God for His blessing.
Preaching, Praise, Prayer And The Power Of The Holy Spirit
We Need Clear Teaching From God's Word.
1 Corinthians 14:3 - The Word of God is to be spoken so that people will be built up in the faith, encouraged to go on with the Lord, and comforted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 14:4, 6 - The Church is to be edified. we are to be taught God's Word so that our minds are raised above earthly things, raised to a deeper love for the Saviour and a closer walk with Him.
1 Corinthians 14:8 - If the Church is to rise to the challenge of living for Christ, there must be clear teaching from God's Word: "If the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?"
1 Corinthians 14:12, 19 - Building the Church up in the faith, giving instruction from the Word of God - these are to be the priorities in the Church's life. Alongside this commitment to the preaching and teaching of God's Word, there is to be a commitment to prayer - "We will give ourselves continually to prayer , and to the ministry of the Word" (Acts 6:4).
1 Corinthians 14:20 - We are called to be mature in our thinking. We grow towards Christian maturity as we fill our minds with the Word of God.
Reading, Studying And Hearing God's Word
First, there is "the quiet time." We spend time each day, reading the Word of God. I encourage you to read the Word of God each day, Find some time, each day for a "quiet time" with the Lord.
Second, we can study the Bible in groups. Those who are involved in group Bible studies will testify to the value of gathering together with others to study God's Word. I encourage you to become part of a group which meets regularly to study the Lord's Word.
Third, we can hear God's Word preached when we come to Church. Before I begin to speak about the preaching of God's Word, I encourage you to pray for those who are called to preach the Word of the Lord. We do not preach God's Word perfectly. You can always look around and find other preachers who will be "better" than your own preacher. When you start thinking like this, remind yourself, "The preacher we have is the one whom God has called to be our spiritual leader." Pray for your preacher. Pray that the preaching will be filled with the power of God. Pray that it will be helpful to those who listen to the preaching.
God Is Speaking. Are We Listening?
The Bible is like a record. The message is on the record, but you will only hear it if you play the record. God's message is in the Bible, but you will only hear it if you read your Bible. How do we hear the message on the record? We bring the needle and the record into contact with each other. How do we really hear God speaking to us? We bring the reader and the Author into contact with each other.
Two years after I received my Gideon's New Testament, I came to faith in Jesus Christ. When I found Christ, my living Saviour, I also discovered the Bible as a new and living Book. Let's return to the record and the needle. What makes the difference when the needle touches the record? It's the electrical power. What makes the difference when the reader and the Author are brought into contact with each other? It is the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, our eyes are opened. We read the Bible with new eyes. We do not only see the many pages and the many words. We also see Jesus, the Saviour, the living Word of God. Without the Holy Spirit, the Bible seems to us to be so many hundreds of pages and so many difficult words. With the Holy Spirit living in us, we learn to read the Bible as the true and living Word of God.
Do You Believe That The Bible Is God's Word? - Let Him Speak To You Through His Word.
I heard the story of a woman who was most adamant in her belief, "The Bible is the Word of God." She said, "Yes. I believe that the Bible is God's Word." This is what she said. She spoke these words with such emotion. It would have been difficult to question the sincerity of her belief. There was, however, one very serious question mark over her belief. there was one disturbing fact which raised the question, "How much difference does this strongly held belief really make to her life?" What was this strange contradiction at the heart of the woman's life? On the one hand, she insisted, "I believe the Bible is God's Word." On the other hand, there was the strange fact that she did not even own a Bible. you could have searched her house from top to bottom. You would have found many things. Even after searching high and low, you would not have found a Bible. For all her professed belief, she had never even taken the trouble to purchase a Bible for herself. she said that she believed the Bible, yet she never read the Bible. It does not make sense to sat, "The Bible is God's Word", and then neglect to allow God to speak to you through His Word.
Israel & Hamas
As we watch what is unfolding with Israel and Hamas let us pray for the civilian population that is caught up in this situation.
Happy New Year Around The World
Happy New Year from:
inhisgloriousnameministriesonline.blogspot.com