Podcasts about his son

Review Lessons 171-180IntroductionWe now review again. This time we are ready to give more effort and more time to what we undertake. We recognize we are preparing for another phase of understanding. We would take this step completely, that we may go on again more certain, more sincere, with faith upheld more surely. Our footsteps have not been unwavering, and doubts have made us walk uncertainly and slowly on the road this course sets forth. But now we hasten on, for we approach a greater certainty, a firmer purpose and a surer goal.Steady our feet, our Father. Let our doubts be quiet and our holy minds be still, and speak to us. We have no words to give to You. We would but listen to Your Word, and make it ours. Lead our practicing as does a father lead a little child along a way he does not understand. Yet does he follow, sure that he is safe because his father leads the way for him.So do we bring our practicing to You. And if we stumble, You will raise us up. If we forget the way, we count upon Your sure remembering. We wander off, but You will not forget to call us back. Quicken our footsteps now, that we may walk more certainly and quickly unto You. And we accept the Word You offer us to unify our practicing, as we review the thoughts that You have given us.This is the thought which should precede the thoughts that we review. Each one but clarifies some aspect of this thought, or helps it be more meaningful, more personal and true, and more descriptive of the holy Self we share and now prepare to know again:God is but Love, and therefore so am I.This Self alone knows love. This Self alone is perfectly consistent in Its thoughts; knows Its Creator, understands Itself, is perfect in Its knowledge and Its love, and never changes from Its constant state of union with Its Father and Itself.And it is This That waits to meet us at the journey's ending. Every step we take brings us a little nearer. This review will shorten time immeasurably, if we keep in mind that This remains our goal, and as we practice it is This to Which we are approaching. Let us raise our hearts from dust to life, as we remember This is promised us, and that this course was sent to open up the path of light to us, and teach us, step by step, how to return to the eternal Self we thought we lost.I take the journey with you. For I share your doubts and fears a little while, that you may come to me who recognize the road by which all fears and doubts are overcome. We walk together. I must understand uncertainty and pain, although I know they have no meaning. Yet a savior must remain with those he teaches, seeing what they see, but still retaining in his mind the way that led him out, and now will lead you out with him. God's Son is crucified until you walk along the road with me.My resurrection comes again each time I lead a brother safely to the place at which the journey ends and is forgot. I am renewed each time a brother learns there is a way from misery and pain. I am reborn each time a brother's mind turns to the light in him and looks for me. I have forgotten no one. Help me now to lead you back to where the journey was begun, to make another choice with me.Release me as you practice once again the thoughts I brought to you from Him Who sees your bitter need, and knows the answer God has given Him. Together we review these thoughts. Together we devote our time and effort to them. And together we will teach them to our brothers. God would not have Heaven incomplete. It waits for you, as I do. I am incomplete without your part in me. And as I am made whole we go together to our ancient home, prepared for us before time was and kept unchanged by time, immaculate and safe, as it will be at last when time is done.Let this review be then your gift to me. For this alone I need; that you will hear the words I speak, and give them to the world. You are my voice, my eyes, my feet, my hands through which I save the world. The Self from Which I call to you is but your own. To Him we go together. Take your brother's hand, for this is not a way we walk alone. In him I walk with you, and you with me. Our Father wills His Son be one with Him. What lives but must not then be one with you?Let this review become a time in which we share a new experience for you, yet one as old as time and older still. Hallowed your name. Your glory undefiled forever. And your wholeness now complete, as God established it. You are His Son, completing His extension in your own. We practice but an ancient truth we knew before illusion seemed to claim the world. And we remind the world that it is free of all illusions every time we say:God is but Love, and therefore so am I.With this we start each day of our review. With this we start and end each period of practice time. And with this thought we sleep, to waken once again with these same words upon our lips, to greet another day. No thought that we review but we surround with it, and use the thoughts to hold it up before our minds, and keep it clear in our remembrance throughout the day. And thus, when we have finished this review, we will have recognized the words we speak are true.Yet are the words but aids, and to be used, except at the beginning and the end of practice periods, but to recall the mind, as needed, to its purpose. We place faith in the experience that comes from practice, not the means we use. We wait for the experience, and recognize that it is only here conviction lies. We use the words, and try and try again to go beyond them to their meaning, which is far beyond their sound. The sound grows dim and disappears, as we approach the Source of meaning. It is Here that we find rest.LESSON 171Review of Lessons 151 - 152God is but Love, and therefore so am I.(151) All things are echoes of the Voice for God.God is but Love, and therefore so am I.(152) The power of decision is my own.God is but Love, and therefore so am I.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

We are told in 2 Timothy 3 verses 16 that "all Scripture has been breathed out by God". This includes the book of Revelation which is known in the Greek as 'the Apocalypse'. It was as its first verse tells us given to the Lord Jesus Christ by his Father who showed our Lord the matters "revealed" in that book. But having received those wonderful matters Jesus 'reveals' those matters via his angel through John the Apostle to all believers. In Revelation we have the only book in the Bible directly given to believers by the Lord Jesus Christ (1 verse 1) and encompassing blessings on the diligent readers (v3). It contains letters of advice in chapters 2-3 from the Lord which are portrayed in the opening vision of 1verses 9-20,. Each of the seven ecclesias in Turkey are told what's wrong with their attitude, and also they receive commendation for their successes. The 7 letters all emphasise faithful works that are necessary to please our Father and His Son. These works are seen in the faithful lives of His children as they strive to walk to the Father's kingdom guided daily by the energy drawn from the love of the Father and His Son and given to us through the Word of the Almighty. From this amalgam of instructions we are to be both warned and encouraged; in order for us to, like our Lord 'overcome' the world (2 verses 26-27) and so be blessed to inherit the Kingdom.

Today,we're continuing to look at Luke 22. We are now in the upper room on Thursdayevening with our Lord Jesus Christ and His twelve disciples. In verses 14–16, theyhave sat down at the table to eat the Passover meal with Jesus the night beforeHe will be crucified. According to John's Gospel (John 13), Jesus had risenfrom the table and washed all the disciple's feet which would have includedJudas before they went through the eating of the Jewish Passover. It is afterthis that Jesus reveals the disciple who has already betrayed Him and made adeal with the chief priest (Matthew 26:14).  Ona number of occasions Jesus had already hinted to His disciples that one oftheir number was not truly with Him (John 6:66-71), but now He openly spokeabout a traitor in their midst. However, He did not do this just for the sakeof the disciples, but more for the sake of Judas. Jesus had kissed Judas andwashed his feet, and now He was giving Judas another opportunity to repent. Itis most significant that Jesus did not openly identify Judas as the traitor butin a sense had protected him until the very end. Aquestion we all ask is that if Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, why didHe choose him in the first place? And, if somebody had to betray the Lord, whycondemn Judas? After all, he simply did God's will and fulfilled the OldTestament prophecy in Psalms 41:9; 55:12-14; 69:25; 109:8; Acts 1:15-20. Youmight remember that before Jesus chose His 12 Apostles, He spent a whole nightin prayer (Luke 6:12-16), so we must believe that it was the Father's will thatJudas be among them (John 8:29). But the selection of Judas did not seal hisfate; rather, it gave him opportunity to watch the Lord Jesus closely, believe,and be saved. God in His sovereignty had determined that His Son would bebetrayed by a friend, but divine foreknowledge does not destroy humanresponsibility or accountability. Judas made each decision freely and would bejudged accordingly, even though he still fulfilled the decree of God (Acts2:23). Thefact that the disciples were puzzled by this strange announcement reveals thatthey did not know Judas' true character, their own hearts, or the prophecies inthe Psalms. It appears that they all ask the question after Jesus made thisannouncement, “Is it I?” (Matthew 26:22-25). Nor did they remember the Lord'sstatements that He would be betrayed into the hands of the enemy (Matthew17:22; 20:18). If Peter had fully understood what was happening, he might haveused his sword on Judas! Thereis much about Judas that remains a mystery to us, and we must not speculate toomuch. Judas is certainly a witness to the sinlessness of Jesus Christ, for ifanybody could have given witness against Him, it was Judas. However, theauthorities had to find false witnesses in order to build their case againstJesus. Remember when Judas went back to the chief priest and gave them back theirmoney admitted that he had "betrayed innocent blood" (Matthew27:4). Itis at this point that Judas left the Upper Room to go to the religious leadersand get ready for the arrest of Jesus in the Garden. Judas went out "andit was night" (John 13:30), for he was obeying the prince of darkness(Luke 22:53). Jesus had said, “Woe to that man by whom He is betrayed”.  That man was Judas, and for him it was night,and is still night, and always will be night! Wemust also remember that Satan can still appear as an angel of light, and like Judas,sit in our church, stand in the pulpit, serve on the leadership team, and deceiveeveryone as he destroys the church. Paul warned the church about these peoplein 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.  Oneday Jesus will expose these people for who they really are! In the meantime, weshould be aware!  Godbless!

After inviting his readers to continue to pray to God, John openly reminds them of what God's primary will is: that they believe in His Son, and that they love one another.

The Apostle Paul was distressed, buffeted by Satan. Evidently, Paul's practice of buffeting his body was insufficient to keep him humble.Paul prayed three times for relief from the thorn in his flesh, and when the answer came back, (no) My grace is sufficient for you, Paul's response was:"And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."2 Corinthians 12:9-10When God tells us no, there is a reason. All that He does in our lives, including answering our prayers, is to accomplish this one thing:"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren;""And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; 30 and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."Romans 8:28-30Conformity to Jesus comes through humility. Therefore, when He says no, our praise, adoration, and thanksgiving are just as enthusiastic as when we get what we pray for. "What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more."Robert Murray M'CheyneAssistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossardwww.frponprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 052

In today's episode, Pastor Dom speaks on his upcoming sermon series on the book of Esther. Pastor teaches on how the book of Esther is not on Esther but on God's sovereign rule to bring forth His Son.For more info about Pastor Dom and the current church he is pastoring use the link below.Desert Sky Baptist!!!Street Talk Theology has a new sponsor!!!Logos Christian Academy is the proud new sponsor of Street Talk Theology. As Casa Grande's premier classical education school, Logos Christian Academy teaches from a biblical worldview, equipping students both academically and spiritually.They are passionate about teaching students HOW to think, instead of what to think. To find out how to enroll, or to simply learn more, visit logosclassical.org

Dr. Henry was one of the most challenging professors I had in college. And I anticipated the final exam in his class was going to be a monumental challenge. Who knows what questions Dr. Henry could throw at us from his incredible intellect! Well, word began to leak out about his final from the first students that took it. They didn't give any details - they just shared one surprising, tantalizing fact. They said, "There's only one question on the exam!" Well, most of us took that news as encouragement as we stood on the edge of academic survival. But when Dr. Henry set the exam in front of us, we weren't quite as encouraged. This entire semester of theology class had been devoted to what the Bible says about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The professor's question? "Describe the Person and work of the Holy Spirit." Oh come on! One question, but what a question! I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Single Question on Your Final Exam." You may have been out of school a while. I'm sure you don't miss final exams, but you still have one more. We all do. The day your heart beats its last and you stand before the God who made you. And it appears from God's Word, the Bible, that there will only be one question on your final exam. But what a question! Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 John 5:11-12. "God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." God says the human race is divided into two groups, and only two. Those who have Jesus and therefore have eternal life - they will go to heaven when they die. And those who do not have Jesus and therefore do not have eternal life - they'll go to eternal separation from God. In the words of John 3:36, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." Now there's no question where God wants you to be forever - with Him in heaven. That's why He paid such a high price to remove what would keep you out of heaven - the sin of your life; all those countless times you've done it your way instead of God's way. You can't get into heaven with sin. And it won't work just trying to repay the wrong we've done with religion or being good. Sin has to be removed, not repaid. And that seems impossible when the penalty for running our own lives is an eternal death penalty. But God loves you so much that, according to John 3:16, "He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." God sent His Son to carry all the guilt and all the dying of your sin - to literally die your death penalty. So you shouldn't be surprised when you stand before God and He asks you that one question on His final exam - the one that determines where you'll be forever. "What did you do with My Son?" Not, "What good things did you do?" Not, "Did you believe the right things?" Not, "What religion were you?" God is interested in only one thing, "What did you do with His Son who gave His life for you?" The only answer that will open the gates of heaven to you is, "Lord, I invited Your Son, Jesus, into my heart and I put my total trust in Him to be my Rescuer from my sin." Has there ever been a time when you've done that? If you're not sure, please let today be your Jesus-day. Tell Him you want to be His - you want to belong to Him. "Jesus, I believe when You died on that cross it was for me. And I'm putting all my trust in You today." Our website exists to help you to cross over from death to life this very day. I hope you'll check it out - ANewStory.com. The final exam is coming - God has set the time. He'll ask you, "What did you do with My Son?" I pray you'll be able to point to this very day as the day you say, "I asked Him to save me from my sin."

Today, we're looking at Luke chapter 22. This chapterdescribes the events that took place on Thursday of Passion Week. Remember, onThursday evening, when the sun went down, it was actually the beginning of theJewish day, Friday. This is the day the Passover lamb would be killed. Twothings stand out in this passage to me that I've noticed over the years, and hascaught my attention. I'd love to share it with you today. In verse 7, it says, "Thencame the day of unleavened bread when the Passover must be killed."Now, remember, from the beginning of time, Jesus Christ is the Lamb that wasslain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). God's plan was that oneday His Son would take our place on an old rugged cross in Jerusalem. Yearsago, I had my attention drawn to the passage in Job 1 that tells us ithappened on a day when Satan appeared before God and accused the brethren.God said, "What about my servant Job?" Satan got God's permission totake Job's wealth and to cause his ten children to be killed in a wind storm(Job 1:6-22). In Job 2, it begins again, "Now there was a day” whenSatan got permission to take away Job's health. Job went on to say, "NakedI came into the world, and naked I'll leave the world. Though the Lord slay me,yet will I trust Him." My friend, this all happened on a day. Everythinghappens on a day. It happened on a day when you were born. You were born in aweek, but it happened on a day. It happened on a day when we trust Jesus Christas our personal Lord and Savior. The day Luke 22:7 is speaking of, is a daythat all eternity looks forward to and looks back to—the day when the Passover,Jesus Christ, the precious Son of God, the Lamb of God, would die on a cross, beingcrucified for our sins. Alsointeresting, in Luke 22:14, it says, "When the hour had come."Not only was it a day, Friday, when Jesus would be killed as our Passover Lamband crucified on a cross, laying down His life voluntarily for you and me, butthere was the hour when this would take place—an exact time that God hadplanned from eternity past.  Didyou ever notice how John points out that up to this hour, Jesus could not beharmed or killed. It says in John 7:30, "No one laid a hand on Himbecause His hour had not yet come." In John 8:20, again, itsays they did not lay a hand on Him; they would have liked to stone Him in thatchapter, but “His hour had not come”. Buy then, in John 12:28,just as Jesus goes into the upper room with His disciples, the Scripture says,"The hour has come that the Son of Man should beglorified." Jesus knew when that hour had come. Herein Luke 22:14, when the hour had come, He sat down with the twelve apostles andsaid to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passoverwith you before I suffer. For I say to you, I'll no longer eat of it until itis fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Jesus knew when His hour hadcome. In John chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, it describes what happened inthat hour in the upper room with His disciples and the hour that He would go tothat cross and die in our place for our sins. In John 17:1, in His HighPriestly prayer, Jesus said, "Father, the hour has come." Oh,my friend, Jesus knew the exact time that He would die and be glorified for oursins in our place.Today, you can trust Jesus totake away your sins. Today is the day of salvation. “Behold, now isthe accepted time” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2), the hour for you and me to makethat decision to live our lives for Jesus Christ. I trust you'll do that today.Everything happens in a day and in an hour. Ilove these Scriptures: “The day of Passover came, the hour hadcome”, and Jesus gave His life and was glorified!  Godbless!

John 5:14-16 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason, the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. The lame man probably had not participated in a feast for 38 years. He could not have entered the temple in his condition, but now that he was healed, he headed for the temple to join the celebration. That's where Jesus found him. Let's notice Jesus' love for the man and the man's betrayal of Jesus. Jesus loved the man enough to go looking for him. Jesus found him in the temple, which implies He went looking for him. He had a message for him that provided an opportunity for the man to engage with Jesus regarding his deeper need for healing—the salvation of his soul. The opportunity was provided by telling him his responsibility before God—do not sin anymore. Let's not miss this. He told him to do the impossible from a natural human perspective. The love of God was revealed by Jesus' admonition to not sin anymore. If the Spirit of God was at work, the man would have responded with a confession of sin and a brokenness that comes from an awareness of helplessness. Faith in Jesus can only come when a person realizes they must repent of trusting in themselves. In a real sense, Jesus knocked on his door, to see if the Holy Spirit would answer. This, by the way, is the love of God. The Law is meant to reveal the power of sin and our helpless condition so that we might repent of trusting in ourselves, humble ourselves, and call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. That's how the Law is. It is spiritual (Rom. 7:15) and has the power to reveal whether the flesh or the Spirit is at work. That's the message of Romans 7. Unfortunately for this man, the Spirit was not at work. Instead, this time having learned Jesus' name, he went away to tell the Jews who had healed him and broken the Sabbath. He betrayed Jesus to the Jews. He returned evil for good, which demonstrated an amazing hardness of heart. It was clear that the Father wasn't saving the man at that time. Let's not miss this example of God's love being poured out to His enemies. Jesus healed the man, not because the man was one that the Father had given Him to save, but one the Father had given Him to love. Jesus lived to love with His Father, and the Father loved even if it resulted in suffering. There are times when Jesus avoided these conflicts, but this is one time when He didn't. We will be faced with the same situations. We must abide in Jesus, so we can have the wisdom to know when to draw back and when to engage. Both can be acts of love when guided by the Holy Spirit. Our encouragement today is to love with Jesus, even when doing so may bring suffering and persecution. When we love like that, it is for the glory of God. God is glorified through His Son, as He loves His enemies through us. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

The principle is that God is the Boss, His purpose is to change and conform us into the image of His Son, the wheel is our life and its circumstances.  We are the clay. The water on the Potter's wheel is the Word of God that makes us malleable clay. VF-1835 Jeremiah 18 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches from Faith Center in Glendale. Call 1-800-338-3030 24x7 to leave a message for Pastor Scott. You may make reservations to attend a live service, leave a prayer request or make a commitment. Pastor Scott appreciates messages and reads them often during live broadcasts. Follow @Pastor_Scott on Twitter and visit her official Facebook page @Pastor.M.Scott. Download Pastor Scott's "Understand the Bible" app for iPhone, iPad and iPod at the Apple App Store and for Android devices in the Google Store. Pastor Scott can also be seen 24x7 on Roku and Amazon Fire on the "Understand the Bible?" channel. ©2025 Pastor Melissa Scott, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved

But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' Luke 16:29 ESV I don't know if it's a “guy thing,” but I seem to never be able to find anything in the refrigerator. I'll stand there staring, looking for one thing, absolutely convinced it isn't in there, then insist that what I need was never available in the first place. It isn't until I humble myself (usually out of immature frustration) and ask my wife, “Babe, do you know where this is? I don't see it!” that things get solved. Two seconds tops:“Top shelf, behind the ketchup.” After all my insistence, what I needed was in front of me the whole time. I usually find what I need, but it takes some humbling to get there. Most of the time in life, what we need is right in front of us. As Christians, God has given us everything necessary to thrive: His Word, His Holy Spirit, and our eternal connection to Him through His Son, Jesus. Yet there are many moments when we don't see any of that, even when it's staring us in the face. Sometimes it's due to self-inflicted wounds like apathy, selfishness, or outright rebellion. But often, I'd argue, the issue is far more subtle, and far more dangerous. We fail to see what's in front of us because of comfort. Comfort comes from many sources, our time, money, heritage, zip code, and resources, and it makes us feel secure. But that very comfort can press us to forget, or even disregard, what we've been called to. When we get too comfortable, we're prone to miss everything God has graciously given us. In Luke 16, the rich man had everything, but he missed the suffering man at his gate and the truth of God's Word. His comfort blinded him to eternal realities. So we ask: • What is the Christian truly called to do in life? • In what ways are we ignoring the commission we've been given? • Who do we overlook or avoid because we assume we're already set for eternity. This week, we'll explore these questions and more.

Romans 1:6-7 — Why does God love people? Many believe He loves those who do good. This belief stems from the idea that one must first change and then God will love them. Is His loved based on human ability to change? In this sermon on Romans 1:6–7 titled “The Called of Jesus Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that God's love is not contingent on the person changing, but just the opposite. That change is based on God's love. Christians are not those who are earning love from God, but rather Christians are those who already are loved by God. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that God loves His people in the same way He loves His Son. This love is based purely on His grace and it's a love that has the power to change. Because of His love, Christians are called the beloved; they are called saints. The motivation to change is no longer based upon human hope that God might accept them. The motivation to change now comes from the call: “Be who you are.” If Christians are indeed the beloved of God, let them display it. If they are indeed saints, let them show that they are saints. Christians are who they are by grace and distinct from the world, that they may glorify God.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 16; 2 Chron 15-16; Colossians 1 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible podcast! On this June 15th episode, Heather invites us to gather around the Scriptures on day 166 of our journey through the Bible. Today's readings include First Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 15 and 16, and Colossians 1. Heather guides us through the turbulent stories of Israel's kings, the challenges and reforms of King Asa, and Paul's powerful words to the Colossians about Christ's reconciling work. With reflection and heartfelt prayers, Heather reminds us that God has found what He's looking for—not in human perfection, but in Christ, and now in us because of His grace. Tune in for encouragement, inspiring prayers, and a reminder that you are holy and blameless before God through Jesus. Let's warm our hearts together around the fire of God's love and be reminded that we are deeply loved and called to live in His joy. TODAY'S DEVOTION: God has finally found what He's looking for. All through today's readings we saw God searching—looking not just at the kings of Israel or Judah, not just at Asa or Baasha or Omri, but looking for hearts fully committed to Him. The Scriptures say, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” Time and again, Israel's history was marked by leaders who missed the mark—who, despite God's faithfulness, turned to idols, alliances, or their own wisdom rather than trusting Him fully. Even Asa, who began so well, faltered in trusting foreign kings, and in the end, sought only human help. But the good news, as Paul announces in the letter to the Colossians, is that God has indeed found what He's been searching for—not in any of those kings, not in us, but in His Son. There is only One who ever truly lived a life fully committed to the Father. And when the Father looked at the Son, He said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” Here's the miracle: by God's grace, you and I are now found in the Son. Christ has reconciled us to Himself through His death on the cross. Paul tells us, “As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.” The thing God has been searching for—wholehearted devotion, purity, and faithfulness—is now found in Christ, and because you are in Him, it is found in you too. Not by our striving or our record, but by Christ's victory. This is the secret Paul wants us to see: “Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing His glory.” You are not only reconciled, forgiven, and restored, but you are now blameless in God's presence. God's search is over—He finds His heart's desire in you, because you are in His Son. Let the truth of this gospel settle in your heart today: You are loved, accepted, and holy in Christ. Christ has done what no king, no prophet, no human heart on its own ever could. Now let us live from that place—abiding in Him, depending on Christ's power at work within us, and letting His joy be our strength. That is my prayer for you, for those you love, and for my own soul today. May you enter into the joy of being found—completely, eternally—in Christ. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day. Preserve us with your mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you, bring the nations into your fold. Pour out your spirit on all flesh and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. And now, Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love where there is injury, pardon where there is doubt, faith where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light, and where there is sadness, joy. O Lord, grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen. And now, as our Lord has taught us, we are bold to pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Romans 1:6-7 — Why does God love people? Many believe He loves those who do good. This belief stems from the idea that one must first change and then God will love them. Is His loved based on human ability to change? In this sermon on Romans 1:6–7 titled “The Called of Jesus Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that God's love is not contingent on the person changing, but just the opposite. That change is based on God's love. Christians are not those who are earning love from God, but rather Christians are those who already are loved by God. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that God loves His people in the same way He loves His Son. This love is based purely on His grace and it's a love that has the power to change. Because of His love, Christians are called the beloved; they are called saints. The motivation to change is no longer based upon human hope that God might accept them. The motivation to change now comes from the call: “Be who you are.” If Christians are indeed the beloved of God, let them display it. If they are indeed saints, let them show that they are saints. Christians are who they are by grace and distinct from the world, that they may glorify God. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/603/29

Friends of the Rosary,Today is the Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity. This feast, which falls on the first Sunday after Pentecost, originated in the ninth century to honor the Most Holy Trinity, our Triune God.The mystery of the Holy Trinity is a synthesis of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost.It reflects our inner desire to share the life of God, as baptized in the name of the Blessed Trinity.Only in heaven, in union with Christ, will we properly understand what this fundamental dogma of our faith means.This mystery is based on the sublime truth that there is one God and in this one, eternal, incomprehensible God, there are three Divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.All three Persons participated in the work of our redemption.The Father created and called us to the faith by sending His Son to earth, for "God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son." The Son, the Redeemer, and Savior Jesus Christ became man, made us children of God, and died for us. The Holy Spirit, after Christ's ascension, became our Guide, Consoler, and Sanctifier, making us His temple.Sunday is the "Day of the Lord," the day of His resurrection, and the day of the Most Holy Trinity.Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠June 15, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

In former times, God spoke in a variety of ways and through many different means, but once Jesus came, God spoke to us through His Son. And Jesus has given us everything we need.

In His greatest sign and wonder, the LORD Almighty delivers His people through the judgment that falls upon His Son, a display of power great enough to overcome hardened hearts.

For Jesus Followers, Fasting, with Food, Will Symbolize a Victory Over Oneself and Solidify a Personal Relationship with God MESSAGE SUMMARY: In the early Christian Church, which was under great stress and constant physical danger, God's direction and blessing was needed. Therefore, fasting was considered by Church leaders as a key element of their communion with God when they needed both His direction and blessing, as we find in Acts 14:23: “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.". As a challenge, "consider the food issue" in your life, especially when you need God's direction in your life, because food has such a stronghold on us. Fasting and tithing can significantly deepen your personal relationship with God because fasting is not easy; but success in fasting, especially with food, can symbolize your victory over yourself and solidify your commitment to your personal relationship with God.     TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 4:1-2; Matthew 6:16-18; 2 Samuel 12:15-17; Psalms144:1-15. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Five Needs of Fathers” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

LESSON 166 I Am Entrusted With The Gifts Of God.All things are given you. God's trust in you is limitless. He knows His Son. He gives without exception, holding nothing back that can contribute to your happiness. And yet, unless your will is one with His, His gifts are not received. But what would make you think there is another will than His?Here is the paradox that underlies the making of the world. This world is not the Will of God, and so it is not real. Yet those who think it real must still believe there is another will, and one that leads to opposite effects from those He wills. Impossible indeed; but every mind that looks upon the world and judges it as certain, solid, trustworthy and true believes in two creators; or in one, himself alone. But never in one God.The gifts of God are not acceptable to anyone who holds such strange beliefs. He must believe that to accept God's gifts, however evident they may become, however urgently he may be called to claim them as his own, is to be pressed to treachery against himself. He must deny their presence, contradict the truth, and suffer to preserve the world he made.Here is the only home he thinks he knows. Here is the only safety he believes that he can find. Without the world he made is he an outcast; homeless and afraid. He does not realize that it is here he is afraid indeed, and homeless, too; an outcast wandering so far from home, so long away, he does not realize he has forgotten where he came from, where he goes, and even who he really is.Yet in his lonely, senseless wanderings, God's gifts go with him, all unknown to him. He cannot lose them. But he will not look at what is given him. He wanders on, aware of the futility he sees about him everywhere, perceiving how his little lot but dwindles, as he goes ahead to nowhere. Still he wanders on in misery and poverty, alone though God is with him, and a treasure his so great that everything the world contains is valueless before its magnitude.He seems a sorry figure; weary, worn, in threadbare clothing, and with feet that bleed a little from the rocky road he walks. No one but has identified with him, for everyone who comes here has pursued the path he follows, and has felt defeat and hopelessness as he is feeling them. Yet is he really tragic, when you see that he is following the way he chose, and need but realize Who walks with him and open up his treasures to be free?This is your chosen self, the one you made as a replacement for reality. This is the self you savagely defend against all reason, every evidence, and all the witnesses with proof to show this is not you. You heed them not. You go on your appointed way, with eyes cast down lest you might catch a glimpse of truth, and be released from self-deception and set free.You cower fearfully lest you should feel Christ's touch upon your shoulder, and perceive His gentle hand directing you to look upon your gifts. How could you then proclaim your poverty in exile? He would make you laugh at this perception of yourself. Where is self-pity then? And what becomes of all the tragedy you sought to make for him whom God intended only joy?Your ancient fear has come upon you now, and justice has caught up with you at last. Christ's hand has touched your shoulder, and you feel that you are not alone. You even think the miserable self you thought was you may not be your Identity. Perhaps God's Word is truer than your own. Perhaps His gifts to you are real. Perhaps He has not wholly been outwitted by your plan to keep His Son in deep oblivion, and go the way you chose without your Self.God's Will does not oppose. It merely is. It is not God you have imprisoned in your plan to lose your Self. He does not know about a plan so alien to His Will. There was a need He did not understand, to which He gave an Answer. That is all. And you who have this Answer given you have need no more of anything but This.Now do we live, for now we cannot die. The wish for death is answered, and the sight that looked upon it now has been replaced by vision which perceives that you are not what you pretend to be. One walks with you Who gently answers all your fears with this one merciful reply, “It is not so.” He points to all the gifts you have each time the thought of poverty oppresses you, and speaks of His Companionship when you perceive yourself as lonely and afraid.Yet He reminds you still of one thing more you had forgotten. For His touch on you has made you like Himself. The gifts you have are not for you alone. What He has come to offer you, you now must learn to give. This is the lesson that His giving holds, for He has saved you from the solitude you sought to make in which to hide from God. He has reminded you of all the gifts that God has given you. He speaks as well of what becomes your will when you accept these gifts, and recognize they are your own.The gifts are yours, entrusted to your care, to give to all who chose the lonely road you have escaped. They do not understand they but pursue their wishes. It is you who teach them now. For you have learned of Christ there is another way for them to walk. Teach them by showing them the happiness that comes to those who feel the touch of Christ, and recognize God's gifts. Let sorrow not tempt you to be unfaithful to your trust.Your sighs will now betray the hopes of those who look to you for their release. Your tears are theirs. If you are sick, you but withhold their healing. What you fear but teaches them their fears are justified. Your hand becomes the giver of Christ's touch; your change of mind becomes the proof that who accepts God's gifts can never suffer anything. You are entrusted with the world's release from pain.Betray it not. Become the living proof of what Christ's touch can offer everyone. God has entrusted all His gifts to you. Be witness in your happiness to how transformed the mind becomes which chooses to accept His gifts, and feel the touch of Christ. Such is your mission now. For God entrusts the giving of His gifts to all who have received them. He has shared His joy with you. And now you go to share it with the world.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

Five Needs of Fathers MESSAGE SUMMARY: Introduction -- Father's, we need to understand God's expectations of Fathers. In  Ephesians 6:4, Paul defines God's expectations of fathers: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.". Also, Proverbs 22:6 presents what expectations we might have if fathers adhere to God's expectations: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.". Dads are to bring up their children in "the way they should go" (their calling). Discipline, wisely administered by fathers, is an important attribute and need for fathers, as the author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 12:9-11: “. . . we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”. Today's Message -- The Five Needs of Dads: 1) Companionship -- Genesis 2:18, the majority of men were made not to be alone; 2) Respect – honor, appreciation, respect, as Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:33: “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."; 3) Know How to Face Temptation -- when we are tempted (temptation is not a sin) God will provide us a way out of succumbing to the temptation, 1 Corinthians 10:13; 4) Not to Be Foolish -- Proverbs 13:20; and 5) and Remember that God Expects You to Be a Dad -- Ephesians 6:4 and Proverbs 22:6, dads are to train their children so that their children are raised “in the way he should go' and in a way that meets God's expectations of both the dad and the child. Men are motivated when they know they will be held accountable, and God is holding us accountable for how we fathers raise our children. There is a void of faithful men and fathers today; therefore, dad's, should ask God to help you to be faithful as a father. Fathers should hope that, when we are judged by God, He tells us: “Well done good and faithful servant!”. “God, how many more {hours, days, and years} do I have, as a father, to meet your expectations and to receive the joys of being a father”   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6; Genesis 2:18; Proverbs 19:22; Ephesians 5:33; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Proverbs 13:20; Hebrews 12:9-11;  (Click the Bible References, in blue, below to read the full Bible text for these Scripture References.). A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “For Jesus Followers, Fasting, with Food, Will Symbolize a Victory Over Oneself and Solidify a Personal Relationship with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Love can be risky. At least between humans. Not only are we experts at violating love, we often have all the wrong ideas about it to start with. We think it has everything to do with how others make us feel, as opposed to how we serve them. We should delight in the fact that God is love. He never gets it wrong. And the proof of that love (as if we needed that!) is the death of His Son for His people.

In this sermon, Our LifePoint Partner Brain Stout emphasizes the greatness of God as revealed in Scripture and personal experiences, encouraging the congregation to praise God wholeheartedly. He focuses on Psalm 111, highlighting that God's perfect plan from the beginning was the redemption offered through His Son. Pastor shares a personal story of uncertainty and the journey of establishing ministry amidst challenges, illustrating God's grace and guidance. The message concludes by urging everyone to actively study and remember God's works and to engage in supportive fellowship to strengthen one another in faith.

A lesson on God's faithfulness to providentially accomplish His purposes through His servants, even against giants that seem overwhelming. As we continue in our study through 2nd Samuel today, we continue observing the epilogue which highlights David's life of continual warfare. In a period of weariness for himself and his men, they had to face multiple incursions against literal giants in some cases. Recall how Goliath, just one giant, struck such fear into the hearts of Israel. Nevertheless, God provided the grace, strength, and skill for victory through His servants. In the very same way, we live our Christian walk by grace as well. In and of ourselves we are utterly unable to win the battle against the flesh, the world, and the devil. But even against such mighty foes, God's grace is greater. And because His Son has overcome them all, we have victory through Him by faith. So keep your eyes on Him, and you will walk in victory.

Life just seems to happen doesn't it? We get up, do pretty much the same thing as yesterday, over and over. And as someone who believes in Jesus it can be easy for us to lose sight of what God wants us to do with our lives. And it turns out – that in His eyes, you and I – we're Ambassadors of Christ. That's quite a calling.   First a Citizen, Then an Ambassador Right about now, depending on how you count some of the smaller ones, there are over 200 countries in this world. One source I read lists 223, another 192. Let's say there are around 200 – some of them are huge and powerful, right down to the smallest country in the world. What a huge variation: China, population 1.34 billion, at one end of the scale, right down to the Pitcairn Islands, official population 50, at the other end and everything in between. Now, anyone whose had brothers and sisters knows that siblings don't always get on. And the history of humanity is a history of wars, invasions, conquests, dominance, exploitation – in fact right now, there are around thirty recognised wars going on around the world, not to mention the other, quote "lower level" conflicts. So how do all of these cuntries get on? Well, hopefully these days, most of the time, when there's disagreement on an issue, instead of fighting wars as the first step in the process, countries use a thing called, "diplomacy". They have diplomats and so they use diplomatic channels to discuss and resolve most of the issues between them. The head of a diplomatic mission is usually called, "the ambassador". So in my country we have an American ambassador, we have a Chinese ambassador; we have an Indian ambassador and so on. And here's the thing: none of those people are Australians. The American ambassador is, well, he's American, the Chinese ambassador is Chinese, the Indian ambassador is, well, as you would expect, Indian. So not only is the ambassador a citizen of the country which he or she represents, they also look like they come from that country and they speak like that they come from that country because they do come from that country. Now, all of that is, I would hope pretty much blindingly, glimpsingly, obvious to all of us and the job of the ambassador of each country is to be his or her country's representative with a foreign government – the channel through which their country raises issues with another government and vice versa. Sometimes; many times those are difficult issues. You can imagine, for instance, the exchanges that occur between Indian and Pakistani diplomats or at times between China and America on trade issues or between the various European countries within their Union. Ambassadors are there to represent their country; the country of their citizenship, in a foreign land. The Apostle Paul had this to say on the issue. Have a listen it comes – if you have a Bible, open it up – Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 16: From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though once we knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. See, almost sounds as if Paul is saying he's not so much a Roman citizen, which he was, but he's a citizen of God's Kingdom, sent as an ambassador to explain and to share God's message of reconciliation and forgiveness into a foreign world. “So we are ambassadors for Christ since God is making His appeal through us.” And in fact, elsewhere, Paul writes exactly that. Philippians chapter 3, verse 20: Our citizenship is in heaven and it is from there that we are expecting a saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. So there it is. Paul sees his role as being an ambassador of Christ – declaring the forgiveness that God has for each and every person on this planet, if only they will put their faith in His Son and the eternal and glorious reconciliation we can have with Him when we take that step. And that ... that is simply carrying on what Jesus came to do. Mark chapter 1, verse 38 – Jesus answered: Let us go on to the neighbouring towns so that I may proclaim the message there also for that is what I came out to do. John chapter 18, verse 37 – Pontius Pilot asked Him: So are you a king? And Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king, for this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. Jesus came in order to tell us the Good News, and in fact, to "be" the Good News. The Apostle Paul saw himself as an ambassador of that Good News, even to the point of being an ambassador in chains, on death row. Ephesians chapter 6, verse 19: "Pray also for me so that when I speak a message may be given to me to make known with boldness, the mystery of the Gospel for which I am,” writes Paul, “an ambassador in chains". My friend, what did you come to do? Where is your citizenship? Are you a citizen of this world or are you an ambassador in a foreign land, bringing the Good News of the Gospel of reconciliation with God, through Jesus Christ, into a lost and hurting world? My hunch is that anyone who calls themselves a Christian; anyone who takes on themself the name of Christ, is called, not to a life of comfort, so much, as a life of following hard after Jesus. Luke chapter 4, verse 27: Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Over these coming weeks on the programme we are going to be talking about living our lives as ambassadors ... ambassadors of Christ. What does that mean – what does that look like? Well, we will be looking at that. Today the point I think we are meant to get out of our time together, you and I, is that firstly a disciple is a citizen of the country that he or she represents. And if we are to be ambassadors of Christ, as Paul wrote, as much as we are immersed in our culture, as important as that is in reaching out to those around us with the Good News of Jesus, we are not, my friend, citizens of this world, but we are citizens of heaven, sent as ambassadors into a foreign land. And as ambassadors often find, the foreign places into which they're sent – they don't always want to hear what they have to say. It's not always easy being an ambassador. In fact, the reason that countries need ambassadors is to deal with difficult issues; the tensions that could escalate into conflicts. Ambassadors, yes, have to be diplomatic but they also have to tackle the difficult issues. And as Jesus came as an ambassador of heaven to proclaim the truth and was ultimately crucified for it and if Paul followed in His footsteps as an ambassador of Christ and was ultimately executed for it, if you and I are going to life out our lives in the small corner where God has put us as citizens of heaven, we are to be ambassadors of Christ. That's not always going to be easy! The world won't always want to hear – it could cost us everything but I'm afraid it comes with the territory ... the territory of being an ambassador of Christ.   Did God Really Mean That? I know of people who believe in Jesus, who go to church Sunday and Sunday; they sit there in the pews, sing the songs, listen to the preacher but they're not flashy; they're not up front performers or musicians or speakers or leaders. Every now or then perhaps, they make morning tea or contribute somehow to the life of the church, but because they're not high profile, up front people, because they're more people who blend into the background, they've decided, in their heart of hearts, that they have nothing to contribute. The world's been telling them and subtly the church has been telling them, too, "You have nothing to contribute". So lots and lots of people have come to the conclusion that they have nothing to contribute – lots and lots of people have stopped trying to live out their faith in Jesus; a faith that used to burn so brightly, and gradually, little by little, the flame within has grown dim – it's almost gone out. But for some reason ... some reason they can't quite put their finger on, they toddle along every Sunday, hoping ... no, surely, there's no more hope; secretly hoping perhaps – hoping in a way that they would never admit to themselves, let alone anyone else – that God is going to come along and do something powerful in their lives and through their lives. I wonder if you know anyone like that. Well, if you do, if perhaps there's just a little or even a lot of that going on in you; if perhaps you've been waiting and waiting and waiting for God to do something powerful in you and through you; to give you some part to play in His plan that's custom made, handmade for who He made you to be, and I believe with all my heart that today, that wait comes to an end. Today, that is over because He has a word for you today – His Word, not mine – that will set you free to be what He always planned for you to be an ambassador of Christ. Not in the same way as anyone else, you know, because you are not the same as anyone else you know, but in a unique way that fits with who you are. Now, I know beyond any shadow of any doubt that there are countless of people listening to this message today who simply cannot believe that this could possibly be true – the flame has almost gone out. That's why we are going to share with you a powerful, powerful word from God from Jesus own lips, in fact. Anyone who spent just five minutes reading one of the Gospel accounts of His life, in the first century, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, will be able to account a stream of powerful miracles that Jesus performed. He healed the sick, He raised the dead, He made water into wine, He fed thousands with almost nothing – He did so many amazing, powerful miracles ... miracles that were witnessed by many people. I mean, there's no doubt that He actually performed those miracles. It was this power that in the end got Him crucified. Not only did He preach with power, He acted in power and the people flocked to Him. It was because of the preaching and the deeds of power, the miracles that the Pharisees and the Sadducees – the religious leaders of the day – became so threatened by Jesus that they had Him crucified. And ultimately, just in case anyone was in any doubt, He Himself was raised from the dead. Now you and I, we look at Jesus – He is after all, the Son of God. He is someone that you or I can never, ever, ever be. We look at Him and we think to ourselves, "WOW, no one could ever minister that powerfully again here on earth." Have a listen to what Jesus said to His disciples, just before He was crucified – John chapter 14, verses 11 and 12: Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. Jesus didn't say that we would just be able to do the things that He did. No, no, He said that “anyone who believes in him will not only do the things he was able to do but, in fact, will do greater works than these,” Even greater! Now, it seems to me we have a choice here. We can sit quietly in church, the third pew from the back, on the left hand side – you know, where we have sat every week for what seems like an eternity – we can just sit there and believe the world and the devil's perception, that we have nothing to contribute, no role to play in God's great plan of redeeming and saving and reconciling this world to Himself. We can believe that rubbish but if we do that ... if we continue doing that the flame in our hearts for Jesus, the one that's growing dimmer and dimmer these years; that flame will eventually go out. Or, we can believe God and what He has to say. We can believe Jesus and what He has to say. We can believe God's Word. See, so often, faith is believing God's apparently outrageous claims and promises, square in the face of the mundaneness of life – a world that squeezes us into its mould – mundaneness verses majesty. The power of the Spirit verses the power of this world. Let me tell you something, I've made my choice. I was a man whose life was broken; a terrible mess. When I accept Jesus, with simple faith of a child, just on face value and still today, I'm accepting what He has to say, really simply. Not in any complicated, theological sense, just on face value and Jesus said John chapter 14, verse 12 – He said: Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and in fact, will do greater works than these because I am going to the Father. I'm taking that, how about you? You see, I think He really meant it ... I think He really means it right now. Just as Jesus came as God in the flesh to bring the Kingdom of God near to us, I believe He's calling you, He's calling me to take up our cross and to follow Him and to be His ambassadors and to do just the things He'd always planned for us to do – not in our power, but in the power of His Spirit. Works greater than His because He has gone to the Father and His plan is to involve you and me in bringing His love ... the love of Jesus Christ, the love that saw Jesus crucified on that cross; that love to those who need it. That's what I think. But in a sense, it doesn't matter what I think. Question is, what do you think?   Does the World Really Want to Know? So, God's plan is that we should be His ambassadors. It's a great plan! This plan that God has, to take every man, every woman, every child who believes in Jesus His Son and is therefore a citizen of heaven and appoint them as ambassadors of heaven; ambassadors of Christ to their little part of the globe so that through them God can make His appeal ... an appeal of grace and love, to people so that they will be reconciled to Him. Question is: does anyone want to hear what we have to say? See, so many people shy away from being an ambassador of Christ because they somehow imagine that it's the guy with the smooth voice on the radio – it must be his job to be an ambassador of Christ. Or the one they see on TV or maybe it's the youth pastor down at church – must be his job to be an ambassador of Christ. We imagine somehow, that being an ambassador in this great upfront role, someone with great public speaking style; someone with a presence – "Uh, you know, that's not me. I can't possibly do that; that can't be my job." Whatever country you may live in you have diplomats from foreign countries living in your country; performing their roles as ambassadors, so let me ask you: how often do you see those guys on TV or hear them on the radio or read about them in the newspapers – how often? The answer is almost never! Yea, maybe every now and then an ambassador might get quoted but I know if I tripped over the Ambassador of China or the Ambassador of the U.S.A. in the street, I wouldn't know them from a bar of soap. Why? Because most of the time, being an ambassador isn't about being up front in the public eye; most of it is about quietly building influence, one on one, or with small groups so that when there's a difficult issue to be dealt with between the two governments, there's a bridge already in place over which the parties can travel and talk. When there's a sensitive issue or a border dispute or a difficulty with a foreign national in a country, the diplomats talk quietly, mostly in measured tones; mostly unseen and unheard by the rest of us, to resolve the issue. Diplomacy is much more about individual relationships and trust than it is about overt brinkmanship. I wonder if we applied that model of diplomacy to our role as ambassadors of Christ, whether that doesn't cast a whole new light on the job description. We all have friends and family and work colleagues; people with whom we already have relationships of trust and I wonder whether being an ambassador of Christ isn't a whole lot more about letting our goodness shine into their lives than it is about standing up on a soapbox on a street corner or in the mall or down at the weekend at a crowded market, as I saw recently – screaming out words, supposedly from God, to a whole bunch of people with whom we don't have a relationship and who don't want to listen anyway. I wonder whether it isn't a whole bunch more about quiet diplomacy than beating someone over the head with a Bible. The people whom I allow to influence me, I've got to tell you, are the ones that I trust and the ones that I trust are the ones that I've known for quite a while. I've watched them, I've observed them – they are good people; honest, decent, have their lives together. You know what – they are the ones to whom my heart is open. Why would we expect that it's any different in being an ambassador for Christ? Jesus put it this way – He said – you can read this in Matthew chapter 5. He said: Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under the foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. In other words, anyone who steps out into the world who loves God, believes in His Son – anyone who is prepared to share that love and that faith with other people as an ambassador of Christ – you're going to be persecuted. Look back through history and that's what you'll find. Now, where I live "persecution" simply means, people might reject you or they might make fun of you, they might keep their distance. Most people I know, know who I am and what I do and what I believe and even in that role, I don't get much of that sort of stuff. And even if I did it's not much of a price to pay. Of course, in other parts of the world, persecution is very real – prison, torture, even death – very real. Look at Jesus – nailed to a cross. But what He's saying here is to be the salt of the earth anyway; add flavour! “Be My light, anyway,” Jesus is saying, “Shine light into dark places. Do those things; be those things! Shine My love into the hearts of the people around you. And if you're some upfront creature, okay, sure do that and if you're a quiet, unassuming, relationships oriented kind of person, my oh my, what a great ambassador you are going to make.” Go and build bridges and build relationships and build trust and let people see the goodness that's in your heart and in what you do. Shine light, add flavour – people like some light; people like flavour – go and do that. Sometimes we are so worried about whether other people want to hear about Jesus or not; sometimes we are so concerned with how they will react. I imagine that being an ambassador involves a lot of subtlety. I imagine the role is all about timing; knowing when to quietly build relationships; knowing when to speak about hard things. The Bible talks about speaking the truth in love – that's what diplomacy is. I read an interesting Proverb this morning in my own personal time with God. Have a listen: Well meant are the wounds of a friend but profuse are the kisses of an enemy. Sometimes that's a friend's job – to speak the truth in love – and sometimes it's hard and sometimes it hurts but the thing I know is this: being an ambassador of Christ is the job of every disciple of Jesus. Sometimes that involves just living a good life and shining a light; sometimes it involves dealing with difficult issues and doing it in love; sometimes it involves embracing your enemies; it involves all sorts of different things at different times but each one of us who believes in Jesus is called to be an ambassador of Christ in our own way, in our own neck of the woods.

Trust that God always hears His children and is faithfully conforming you to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Bible Reading: Ephesians 1:3-7; 1 Peter 1:18-19"Sold!" proclaimed the fast-talking auctioneer, and Logan grinned at his mother. He found auctions fun and interesting, so he hadn't minded when she wanted to stop and see what was happening at this antique auction. "Another broken piece of junk sold to the highest bidder," Logan murmured, stifling a laugh. He liked to tease his mom about liking antiques.Mom smiled and nudged him with her elbow. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," she told him. Logan shrugged and continued sitting on his hands as the auctioneer began selling an autographed baseball. Logan had learned to avoid lifting his hand during the bidding. Earlier he had started to scratch his head and the auctioneer thought he was bidding on the item being auctioned. As they drove home after the auction, Logan asked his mom why people were so willing to spend their money on other people's junk. "I can't believe how much they'll pay for that stuff," he said. "I thought a few things they sold at the auction were cool, but people paid less for them than for stuff I wouldn't want if it were given to me! Who decides how much those things are worth?" "The condition of the piece is important," said Mom, "and whether the item is rare or not is also a factor. But the bottom line is…well, how much someone is willing to pay for it. That's really what determines how much an item is worth." Logan thought for a moment. "That's kinda like something we talked about in my class at church last week," he said. "Our teacher explained that God sent His Son to die for us--Jesus paid for our sins with His own life. I guess that makes us worth a lot!""I like that, Logan," Mom said. "I think you got a lot from that auction--even though you didn't buy anything." Logan had one more question. "Um, Mom, what did I almost buy today when I scratched my head?" "An old record player," Mom replied."Oh." Logan paused. "What's a record player?" –Mike DizeHow About You?Do you know how much you're worth? Because of what Jesus did for you, you're worth a lot--He paid a huge price for you! He gave His life to pay the price of your sin. Have you responded to that great love? Have you trusted Him as your Savior? If not, trust in Him today! (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)Today's Key Verse:You were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. (NKJV) (1 Corinthians 6:20)Today's Key Thought:You're worth what Jesus paid for you

LESSON 165Let Not My Mind Deny The Thought Of God.What makes this world seem real except your own denial of the truth that lies beyond? What but your thoughts of misery and death obscure the perfect happiness and the eternal life your Father wills for you? And what could hide what cannot be concealed except illusion? What could keep from you what you already have except your choice to see it not, denying it is there?The Thought of God created you. It left you not, nor have you ever been apart from it an instant. It belongs to you. By it you live. It is your Source of life, holding you one with it, and everything is one with you because it left you not. The Thought of God protects you, cares for you, makes soft your resting place and smooth your way, lighting your mind with happiness and love. Eternity and everlasting life shine in your mind, because the Thought of God has left you not, and still abides with you.Who would deny his safety and his peace, his joy, his healing and his peace of mind, his quiet rest, his calm awakening, if he but recognized where they abide? Would he not instantly prepare to go where they are found, abandoning all else as worthless in comparison with them? And having found them, would he not make sure they stay with him, and he remain with them?Deny not Heaven. It is yours today, but for the asking. Nor need you perceive how great the gift, how changed your mind will be before it comes to you. Ask to receive, and it is given you. Conviction lies within it. Till you welcome it as yours, uncertainty remains. Yet God is fair. Sureness is not required to receive what only your acceptance can bestow.Ask with desire. You need not be sure that you request the only thing you want. But when you have received, you will be sure you have the treasure you have always sought. What would you then exchange for it? What would induce you now to let it fade away from your ecstatic vision? For this sight proves that you have exchanged your blindness for the seeing eyes of Christ; your mind has come to lay aside denial, and accept the Thought of God as your inheritance.Now is all doubting past, the journey's end made certain, and salvation given you. Now is Christ's power in your mind, to heal as you were healed. For now you are among the saviors of the world. Your destiny lies there and nowhere else. Would God consent to let His Son remain forever starved by his denial of the nourishment he needs to live? Abundance dwells in him, and deprivation cannot cut him off from God's sustaining Love and from his home.Practice today in hope. For hope indeed is justified. Your doubts are meaningless, for God is certain. And the Thought of Him is never absent. Sureness must abide within you who are host to Him. This course removes all doubts which you have interposed between Him and your certainty of Him.We count on God, and not upon ourselves, to give us certainty. And in His Name we practice as His Word directs we do. His sureness lies beyond our every doubt. His Love remains beyond our every fear. The Thought of Him is still beyond all dreams and in our minds, according to His Will.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

Trust that God always hears His children and is faithfully conforming you to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Trust that God always hears His children and is faithfully conforming you to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:8-9Gunner ran to the garage when he heard his parents drive in. "Is Grandpa okay?" he asked anxiously as they got out of the car.Dad put his hand on Gunner's shoulder. "Your grandfather isn't suffering anymore," he said quietly. "He died this afternoon--he's in heaven now." Gunner swallowed hard, forcing back tears that choked his throat. He walked away while Dad was still talking.In his room, Gunner thought about all the things he and Grandpa had planned to do. "It's not fair!" he muttered. He looked up as Dad came in. "I don't get it," Gunner said. "I prayed all day for Grandpa. God can do anything, can't He? So why didn't He heal Grandpa?""Sometimes God's answer to what we ask is no," Dad said gently. "I don't know why He didn't heal Grandpa, but I know Jesus promises to be with us in our pain and sadness. Grandpa is in heaven with Him now, and someday we'll see him again." Gunner turned away. He wasn't ready to give up his grandfather. "But I wanted Grandpa to stay here with us."Dad sat down beside him. "When you ask Mom and me for something we don't think is good for you, we tell you no. You don't like it when we say no. You might be upset about it--maybe even angry sometimes. But you know we love you and want what's best for you, right?" Gunner nodded. "We talk about what's happening and how all of us feel, and we go on loving each other," continued Dad. "We're a family even though we disagree. Well, that's how it is with God too. When we don't get what we ask Him for, we're unhappy and sometimes get angry with Him. It's okay to tell Him how we feel, but we need to remember that God loves us so much He sent His Son to die for us. He wants what's best for us--and for Grandpa.""But I'm going to miss Grandpa so much," Gunner said, resting his face against his dad's shoulder."Me too," Dad said. "We can cry together." Gunner slipped his arm around his dad and hung on tight. "But let's thank Jesus that Grandpa is with Him now," said Dad. "And let's trust Him even though we're hurting." –Janet BoulterHow About You?Has someone you love died? Is someone sick? Tell Jesus about your hurts and fears. You may not always understand why He allows certain things to happen, but He will always be there with you and help you through times of pain and sorrow. Remember that He is good and that He loves and cares for you, even when you don't understand.Today's Key Verse:As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways. (Isaiah 55:9)Today's Key Thought:Trust Jesus when you're hurting

LESSON 164Now Are We One With Him Who Is Our Source.What time but now can truth be recognized? The present is the only time there is. And so today, this instant, now, we come to look upon what is forever there; not in our sight, but in the eyes of Christ. He looks past time, and sees eternity as represented there. He hears the sounds the senseless, busy world engenders, yet He hears them faintly. For beyond them all He hears the song of Heaven, and the Voice for God more clear, more meaningful, more near.The world fades easily away before His sight. Its sounds grow dim. A melody from far beyond the world increasingly is more and more distinct; an ancient Call to Which He gives an ancient answer. You will recognize them both, for they are but your answer to your Father's Call to you. Christ answers for you, echoing your Self, using your voice to give His glad consent; accepting your deliverance for you.How holy is your practicing today, as Christ gives you His sight and hears for you, and answers in your name the Call He hears! How quiet is the time you give to spend with Him, beyond the world. How easily are all your seeming sins forgot, and all your sorrows unremembered. On this day is grief laid by, for sights and sounds that come from nearer than the world are clear to you who will today accept the gifts He gives.There is a silence into which the world can not intrude. There is an ancient peace you carry in your heart and have not lost. There is a sense of holiness in you the thought of sin has never touched. All this today you will remember. Faithfulness in practicing today will bring rewards so great and so completely different from all things you sought before, that you will know that here your treasure is, and here your rest.This is the day when vain imaginings part like a curtain, to reveal what lies beyond them. Now is what is really there made visible, while all the shadows which appeared to hide it merely sink away. Now is the balance righted, and the scale of judgment left to Him Who judges true. And in His judgment will a world unfold in perfect innocence before your eyes. Now will you see it with the eyes of Christ. Now is its transformation clear to you.Brother, this day is sacred to the world. Your vision, given you from far beyond all things within the world, looks back on them in a new light. And what you see becomes the healing and salvation of the world. The valuable and valueless are both perceived and recognized for what they are. And what is worthy of your love receives your love, while nothing to be feared remains.We will not judge today. We will receive but what is given us from judgment made beyond the world. Our practicing today becomes our gift of thankfulness for our release from blindness and from misery. All that we see will but increase our joy, because its holiness reflects our own. We stand forgiven in the sight of Christ, with all the world forgiven in our own. We bless the world, as we behold it in the light in which our Savior looks on us, and offer it the freedom given us through His forgiving vision, not our own.Open the curtain in your practicing by merely letting go all things you think you want. Your trifling treasures put away, and leave a clean and open space within your mind where Christ can come, and offer you the treasure of salvation. He has need of your most holy mind to save the world. Is not this purpose worthy to be yours? Is not Christ's vision worthy to be sought above the world's unsatisfying goals?Let not today slip by without the gifts it holds for you receiving your consent and your acceptance. We can change the world, if you acknowledge them. You may not see the value your acceptance gives the world. But this you surely want; you can exchange all suffering for joy this very day. Practice in earnest, and the gift is yours. Would God deceive you? Can His promise fail? Can you withhold so little, when His Hand holds out complete salvation to His Son?- Jesus Christ in ACIM

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Do you find it hard to believe that God loves you? Why would He go to such great lengths, sending His Son to the cross to show you how much you mean to Him?

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 12th of June, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in Genesis 9:13: “I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” Then we go to the Book of Hebrews 12:24:”…Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant,…” God gave us, you and me, the most beautiful sign in the sky that He would never ever flood the earth again. Now, being a farmer, I study the clouds, I study the weather, and after a beautiful shower of rain on a hot summer's afternoon, what do we see? We see a beautiful rainbow in the sky, a sign that the Lord has given to you and me that He will never flood the earth with water again, but God has now given us yet another even more powerful sign - a cross. You know folks, I want to tell you honestly, Jesus Christ has been made the Mediator (that is what it says in Hebrews) between God and ourselves. What is a mediator? Well, the Oxford Dictionary calls a mediator, a peacemaker, a go-between, a middleman, and that is what Jesus Christ is to you and I. I don't know how many and maybe a lot of you listening to this message have seen it as well - I have seen a cross in the sky. Oh yes, I have seen a cloud with a cross cut out of the cloud. Then I have seen a cloud in the form of a cross, not once, many times in our great outdoor meetings, and there are thousands of witnesses who have seen the same cross. That cross is a New Covenant between you and me and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father sent His Son down to finish the job. “Go down Son, and be the final covenant between Myself and man.” If any man or woman, boy or girl, be in Christ Jesus, they are a new creation. So if you love Jesus Christ today, you have nothing to fear. When you see the rainbow in the sky, it is a beautiful reminder. Oh, but when you see the cross, you know that we have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Have a beautiful day and continue to be a cloud watcher, because remember, at the end of the day, the Master is coming back in the clouds to take you and I home to be with Him in glory forever and ever, amen.

Peter in his second chapter exhorts his listeners to crave God's word just as newborns cry incessantly for their mother's milk. He encourages us to become' living stones' founded upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the only true foundation laid in Zion (Isaiah 28:16). We must be built up into a holy temple in the Lord. We, like the hearers of the first century, must submit to authority and demonstrate through holy lives that we are of the same faithfulness as our shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. We shall faithfully adhere to our Father's requirements as we await the time of blessed release, which will come with the coming of our Saviour: Christ our Lord. Peter continues the theme that closed chapter 1 ie human flesh is temporary and worthless and the hope of eternal life is that the Word of God can develop within us a character that our Father will choose to perpetuate. Verses 1-10 describe the building of an edifice to the Almighty God from stones He has chosen and enlivened by His satisfying Word which when consumed produces an intense thirst and desire. The foundation stone on which the house is built is our Lord Jesus Christ – Paul elaborates on this same theme in1 Corinthians 3verses 10-17 (note the similar introduction of Paul to Peter's thoughts ie compare the beginning verses of 1 Corinthians 3 and 1 Peter 2) and Ephesians 2verses 19-22. Peter shows that the Father's purpose in making faith in His Son our Lord Jesus Christ was always the LORD's plane by citing Isaiah 8 verses 14-18; and Isaiah 28:16. Our Lord Jesus Christ also quoted these words to prove that believe in him would be the basis of salvation, whereas rejecting Jesus as God's appointed means of saving can only lead to certain and total destruction. In verses 9-10 the Apostle Peter expresses his confidence that his readers have been chosen to show the praise of their Father. In verses 11-12 the Apostle urges his readers to live lives consistent with their profession of faith. From verse 13 to the end of chapter 2 Peter expresses God's requirement for believers to endure persecution for Christ's sake following his example of submission to rulers who cruelly took his life. The argument in verses 13-14 is that the authorities are in power because the Almighty has allowed this – compare Romans 13verses 1-7. Peter's readers would find submission difficult as Rome was persecuting believers. In verses 17-20 the Apostle says that exemplary and faithful obedience even in the face of testing circumstances would demonstrate that believers were truly God's children. History tells us that such behaviour led to the acceptance of the truth by many of the pagans of that era. God will reward faithfulness which showed believers knew and understood the example that the Lord Jesus Christ had shown them in the laying down of his life for his saints – verses 21-25. Peter quotes Isaiah 53 which illustrates that our Lord was silent in his suffering that he might bring us to God. Now our Lord Jesus is overseeing and shepherding us as we walk in trust towards our Father's kingdom.

John 4:49-50 The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. The faith expressed by the official satisfied Jesus that His Father was working, and word of Christ satisfied the official. He needed no proof, in direct contrast to those Jesus rebuked for needing signs to believe. This man believed with no sign. He only needed the word of Christ. Let's notice that the faith the man had to return home with no sign or proof of his son's healing was generated by the word of Christ. At this point, there's no indication that the man believed Jesus was Lord or the Christ. He believed his son lived. However, we will discover in the next few verses that the official was on his way to a life-changing faith. Hebrews 12:3 describes Jesus as the author and perfecter of faith. This man fixed his eyes, his hope on Jesus, and when Jesus said the son lives, he took Jesus at His word. That's exactly what Paul said about faith in Romans 10:17. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” As in this case, God often uses storms in life and crises to initiate movement toward His Son. Knowing this encourages us to be alert to those God puts in our paths who are hurting, hungry, thirsty, and in desperate need. To love them well, we point them to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith. We want to lead them into an encounter with Him that will be life-changing. The best way to lead someone to a life-changing encounter with Jesus is to share with them the word of Christ—the promises of God given to us through His Son. John 14:6 comes to mind. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that He alone is the way to the Father. John 11:25-26 is another good one. Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” In times of trouble, Hebrews 4:14-16 is one of my favorite. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Do you have some favorite verses in your mind ready to share when God puts someone like this official in your path who is desperately in need of help? I hope you'll collect a few and be prepared to love them with Jesus by sharing His word. You never know how God is working until you give the word of Christ to someone. Paul said the gospel is the power of God for salvation in Romans 1:16. May the Spirit of God prepare us and work through us today as we live to love with Jesus. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

Many people believe that God wants us to suffer, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The reality is that God created you and me to be with Him eternally, which is why He gave the world His Son, Jesus Christ, to free you and me from the penalty of sin. Today, Pastor JD invites you to accept Jesus into your heart.

There's a lot of joy that comes when someone chooses to follow Jesus with their whole lives, but also, those people are extremely susceptible to believing things others say quickly. In today's message, Pastor Ken says being a new believer is great, but you also must be careful, so you don't follow false doctrine. You must read scripture to know what's true from what's not. Jesus wants you to follow Him and know Him so you can have an abundant life through the death and resurrection of His Son. 

What would change if you truly believed—deep down—that God loves you? In this powerful message, Ben Stuart walks through 1 John 4 to reveal the relentless, sacrificial, and unshakable love of God. The Father sent His Son. The Son gave His life. The Spirit remains with us. When you understand that love isn't earned but already given, it frees you from fear, insecurity, and striving—and empowers you to live with boldness, peace, and selfless love. This isn't just another sermon about God's love—it's an invitation to believe it, receive it, and be changed by it.

Send us a textWhat happens when fathers must parent while carrying their own wounds? We explore the complex journey of men trying to be providers and protectors while dealing with personal trauma and societal expectations.• Fatherhood comes with immense pressure to provide, protect, and nurture even when wounded• Men often struggle with vulnerability, building walls instead of seeking help• The lack of positive examples makes fathering particularly challenging for those who grew up without fathers• Societal emphasis on financial success creates additional wounds for men trying their best to provide• The power of healing comes through vulnerability, community support, and spiritual connection• Even God the Father experienced wounds watching His Son on the cross, showing strength manifests in weakness• Mental health concerns affect fathers but many don't seek help due to cultural expectationsIf you're a father struggling with your own wounds while trying to parent, remember that seeking help isn't weakness—it's strength. Find community, open up to trusted supporters, and above all, connect with God as the ultimate source of healing. Support the showSocial Media/Follow Us: Website:https://www.calledbygodpodcast.com/IG: https://www.instagram.com/cbg.podcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalledbyGodPodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@calledbygodpodcast

LESSON 160I Am At Home. Fear Is The Stranger Here.Fear is a stranger to the ways of love. Identify with fear, and you will be a stranger to yourself. And thus you are unknown to you. What is your Self remains an alien to the part of you which thinks that it is real, but different from yourself. Who could be sane in such a circumstance? Who but a madman could believe he is what he is not, and judge against himself?There is a stranger in our midst, who comes from an idea so foreign to the truth he speaks a different language, looks upon a world truth does not know, and understands what truth regards as senseless. Stranger yet, he does not recognize to whom he comes, and yet maintains his home belongs to him, while he is alien now who is at home. And yet, how easy it would be to say, “This is my home. Here I belong, and will not leave because a madman says I must.”What reason is there for not saying this? What could the reason be except that you had asked this stranger in to take your place, and let you be a stranger to yourself? No one would let himself be dispossessed so needlessly, unless he thought there were another home more suited to his tastes.Who is the stranger? Is it fear or you who are unsuited to the home which God provided for His Son? Is fear His Own, created in His likeness? Is it fear that love completes, and is completed by? There is no home can shelter love and fear. They cannot coexist. If you are real, then fear must be illusion. And if fear is real, then you do not exist at all.How simply, then, the question is resolved. Who fears has but denied himself and said, “I am the stranger here. And so I leave my home to one more like me than myself, and give him all I thought belonged to me.” Now is he exiled of necessity, not knowing who he is, uncertain of all things but this; that he is not himself, and that his home has been denied to him.What does he search for now? What can he find? A stranger to himself can find no home wherever he may look, for he has made return impossible. His way is lost, except a miracle will search him out and show him that he is no stranger now. The miracle will come. For in his home his Self remains. It asked no stranger in, and took no alien thought to be Itself. And It will call Its Own unto Itself in recognition of what is Its Own.Who is the stranger? Is he not the one your Self calls not? You are unable now to recognize this stranger in your midst, for you have given him your rightful place. Yet is your Self as certain of Its Own as God is of His Son. He cannot be confused about creation. He is sure of what belongs to Him. No stranger can be interposed between His knowledge and His Son's reality. He does not know of strangers. He is certain of His Son.God's certainty suffices. Who He knows to be His Son belongs where He has set His Son forever. He has answered you who ask, “Who is the stranger?” Hear His Voice assure you, quietly and sure, that you are not a stranger to your Father, nor is your Creator stranger made to you. Whom God has joined remain forever one, at home in Him, no stranger to Himself.Today we offer thanks that Christ has come to search the world for what belongs to Him. His vision sees no strangers, but beholds His Own and joyously unites with them. They see Him as a stranger, for they do not recognize themselves. Yet as they give Him welcome, they remember. And He leads them gently home again, where they belong.Not one does Christ forget. Not one He fails to give you to remember, that your home may be complete and perfect as it was established. He has not forgotten you. But you will not remember Him until you look on all as He does. Who denies his brother is denying Him, and thus refusing to accept the gift of sight by which his Self is clearly recognized, his home remembered and salvation come.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

Introduction: Leviticus 19:18 – You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:34 – You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. I Love My Enemies... (Matthew 5:43–48) ...because of WHO I AM. (Matt 5:45a) ...by WHAT I DO. (Matt 5:45b) ...because I Am CALLED TO BE DIFFERENT. (Matt 5:46–47) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Matthew 5:43-48What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What does it mean to be persecuted? When Jesus said we must pray for those who persecute us, what / how exactly should we pray?Can you genuinely love your enemy if you don't really feel like it? Why or why not?Explain Romans 12:20. How exactly does loving your enemy lead him to repentance? See also Romans 2:4.What did Jesus mean in verse 48 when He said we “must be perfect”?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Open up those Bibles to Matthew chapter 5.As we go through our series, the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 5 verse 43, Jesussaid, "You have heard that it was said."Stop there for a second.This whole section that we're in right now, if you've been following this series at all,I'm sure you've noticed that that has come up.What is it like?Six total times pastor?Like, "You have heard that it was said, but I say to you."What Jesus is dealing with here is correcting some garbage beliefs.And I've shared with you before, that's my biggest concern for this church is the areaof discernment.We live in a day that there is so much bad teaching out there.And thanks to the Internet, we have access, right?And look, I'm not saying it's all bad, but I'm saying probably for every good teachingyou can find online, you can probably find ten other garbage teaching online.And my concern for the church is people not knowing the difference.And it gets back to what did Jesus actually say?It's the issue that He was dealing with in His day, lack of discernment.Last week we saw Jesus said, "You've heard that it was said, and I for an eye."And Jesus said, "No, no, no, no, no, no."Jesus, as I say to you, I'm paraphrasing, He says, "Do not retaliate."You can walk away from last week's message and say, "Got it.Don't retaliate."So I'm just going to ignore the people that I can't stand.Well, let's keep reading.Verse 43, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate yourenemy.'But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."Oh, no, no, don't ignore your enemies.You have to look for ways to be good to them.You're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.You're saying that I not only don't get to get even with them, but I have to proactivelylove them?Yeah, that's what He said.All right?It's a hard word.So I think we should just stop and pray right now, shouldn't we?I'm going to ask that you would pray for me to be faithful to communicate God's word,accurately and clearly, and I will pray for you to have a heart open to receive what ourLord is teaching us in this part of His Sermon.All right?So let's pray.Father in heaven, as we go through this sermon from our Lord, it's just wave after wave ofthings that really confront our selfish, sinful, fleshly tendencies.And I don't know of one that's bigger than this one.I'm asking, please God, please, by the power of Your Word, Father, by the power of YourSpirit that You would change our minds today, Father, change our hearts and that we wouldn'tjust leave here knowing some things, but we leave here deeply convicted and moved to dosome things.For Your glory and honor, Father.We pray in Jesus' name.And all of God's people said, Amen.All right, let's break this down here.Jesus says in verse 43, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighborand hate your enemy.'"You have heard.You have heard.That's what we've seen in this series.The scribes and the Pharisees in Jesus' day did what's still happening today.They twist verses in the Word of God to justify whatever it is they want to justify.For them, Jesus called them out.They were justifying their lust.They were justifying their hatred.They were justifying their getting even with people.He calls them out again.You've heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy."That's what the scribes and the Pharisees said.And you're like, "Well, was that in the Old Testament?"Well, the first part was, kind of.Here's what I mean.Here's what's actually in the Scripture.Leviticus 19-18.Look at this."You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but youshall love your neighbor as yourself.I am the Lord."So you see, with the way that they sort of restated that, they ran into four problems.Four problems.The first problem is the scribes and the Pharisees left out the "as yourself" part.Did you notice that?Well, I love my neighbor, but as myself, that's a bit too much.Let's keep it vague.Because if we keep love vague, then whatever we do, we can just say it was love, right?So keep it vague.God never kept it vague.That was their first problem.Second problem is the scribes and the Pharisees redefined neighbor.And their definition of neighbor was, "Those I choose to love."That was their definition.So do you realize...the reason I'm laughing is, do you realize what that made the command?God's command is, "Love those you choose to love."That's convenient.Third problem, the scribes and the Pharisees totally added the "hate your enemy" part,right?Totally added that.You're not going to find that anywhere in the Old Testament.My vague love is for my Jewish neighbors.What about the foreigners?Hate them.And that leads us actually to the fourth problem.Because that whole love your neighbor as yourself, that was in Leviticus 19, 18.But if you go down a few verses to verse 34, it says, "You shall treat the stranger whosojourns with you as the native among you.And you shall love him as yourself."For you are strangers in the land of Egypt.I am the Lord your God.See the scribes and the Pharisees, they thought that they were honoring God by hating foreigners.And we get asked this question a lot."Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait."In the Old Testament, didn't God tell the Israelites to exterminate the nations thatwere living in the Promised Land?And don't we have all these imprecatory psalms?Like what's up with that, huh?Well, it's like the eye for an eye thing that we talked about last week.The scribes and the Pharisees took a thing that was designed for Israel as a nation andthey turned it into a personal thing.So the whole exterminate the enemies in the Promised Land.Yeah, absolutely.Israel's wars weren't personal vendettas.They were commanded by God to wipe out those nations because those nations did horriblethings.And God says, "You are not going to pollute my nation Israel."So Israel, you're going to wipe them out.And if you have a hard time with that, I would just like to lovingly remind you that Godis allowed to make those calls because vengeance belongs to Him.Okay?And God's whole purpose in that was to protect Israel as a nation in that land.That's why when you turn to your New Testament, you don't see any imprecatory language inthe New Testament.It's for Israel.And individually, we're talking about personally now, what about the people that hate me?What about the people that are my enemies?Love them.Love them.Look at verse 44, Jesus says, "But I say to you," pretty clear, isn't it?Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.You see the whole loving your neighbor command includes everyone around you, including yourenemy.Now breaking this down, when He talks about enemy, He's talking about your personal enemy.Okay?It's not this collective group idea.It's somebody who personally hates me.And Jesus says our response is to love them.That's the word agape.That is the highest form of love.That's self-sacrificing love.That's the kind of love that we should have for our enemy.And the verb tense here is constant.It's continually.You need to continually love your enemies.And you're like, well, who is my enemy?Who is it that hates you?Who is it that you know that if you tried to call them, they wouldn't answer the phone?If you sent them a text, they wouldn't reply.Or vice versa?Who is it that has been slandering you, making accusations against you?Jesus says we not only love our enemies, but you notice He ratchets it up even more whenHe says pray for those who persecute you.Those who persecute you.Those are your worst enemies.Where Jesus is speaking about your enemies who they don't just hate you.They actively hate you.These are the people that make an effort to show you how much they hate you.And as we've been going through the Sermon on the Mount, we see that a true believerin Jesus Christ is someone who is defined by the Beatitudes.And if you were here for the Beatitudes here, do you remember what the last one was?The highest rung on the ladder of following Jesus Christ is when we're persecuted.And here's the part where we stop and ask, are we persecuted?Are we really persecuted?Because here's the thing.I think for a lot of us our knee-jerk reaction to that would be I'm not persecuted, but thereality is you probably are.But you just haven't realized it.Here's what I mean by that.Here's what I mean.Persecute doesn't just mean somebody physically attacks you.Somebody murders you.Somebody gets you arrested, thrown in jail.Yes, that is persecution, but those are the most graphic manifestations of persecution.The word "persecute" literally means to pursue.That's what it means.And listen, listen to this.Persecute means somebody is chasing after you to constantly criticize and condemn you.So I imagine most of you are being persecuted right now according to the true definitionof persecution.Think about it this way.Was Jesus persecuted?If you're like, "Oh yeah, when He was crucified."Of course!But He was persecuted His entire ministry because what were they constantly doing?The proper definition.They were constantly - read the Gospels.They were constantly pursuing Jesus.They were - how would we say it?They were out to get Him.That's what persecution means.I mean, read your Gospels.They were constantly looking to criticize Jesus and assaulting Jesus, accusing Jesus."You did this in the Sabbath and you shouldn't be doing healing this way and your disciplesdidn't wash your hands and what's up with the fasting?"They were constantly, constantly, constantly after Him.That's what persecution means.And if you really follow Jesus, you have people pursuing you in that way too.Don't shout out any names.But do you have somebody at your workplace, for example, that's always watching you,always looking to get their little remarks in, get their little digs in,always looking to criticize anything you say or anything you do.That's persecution according to the proper definition.They're pursuing you.Maybe you have that family member.Never approves of a thing you do.The bum just can't do anything right and they're always vocal about it.Getting their little shots in, their little passive aggressive comments, they're alwaysout to get you.That's persecution.Maybe it's on social media.You know anything you post.You know that person is going to show up with their snarky little comment.That's pursuing.That's persecution.Jesus says we need to pray for the people to do that to us.The people that are out to get you.Jesus said pray for them.So when was the last time you did that?I don't know about you but I have a list of people that I regularly pray for.When was the last time that you loved your enemy?And you're like, why in the world would I do that?Well let's keep reading.Jesus says in verse 45, "So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."Why would you love your enemy?Why would you pray for people that are constantly out to get you?It's not because of who they are.It's because of who you are.That's the sermon that our Lord gives.That you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.It's not because of who they are.It's because of who you are.We just confess that so much of our lives, our attitudes, our moods are determined byother people, good or bad.People have a way of just like governing our lives.Here's what I mean.Your service, you go over to a giant eagle and you run into an old friend that you haven'tseen in years."Oh, that puts you in a good mood.Oh, it was so great catching up."That's going to put you in a good mood for the rest of the day, right?Or somebody makes a really jerky comment to you at work intentionally wanting to getunder your skin.Then that's just like wreck your day and you're in a bad mood for days over one jerky comment.And I would bet if you had a bad day last week, if you could point to a day last weekor like, "Oh, that was a bad day," I would be willing to bet that it had something todo with people.You're laughing because it's true.And Jesus here is saying, "My people don't react to people.My people act according to the Word of God."So let's unpack this for a few moments, shall we?When you're outlining, I want you to jot some things down.I love my enemies.Can you say that?You're like, "Not now."You will in a few minutes.I love my enemies.Number one, we already touched on this.We're going to drill a little deeper here.Number one, I love my enemies because of who I am.Look at this again.This is Jesus' whole rationale.Why would I love my enemies, Jesus?Lord, why would I pray for the people that are constantly out to get me?So that You may be sons of Your Father who is in heaven.This is where Jesus starts Your identity.You love Your enemies not because of who they are, but because of who You are.Jesus is in essence saying, "You love Your enemies because..."It's a family tradition in our family.You have family traditions.You have family traditions.You know what I mean?Every family has on brand things that they do, right?Like some families, they're like, "We're campers.We go camping."Yes, we have a house, but for a while we like to pretend that we don't.That's just what we do in our family.We live in a canvas enclosure in the wildlife.Okay, but that's your family thing.For some families, it's like, "We're beach people.We love the beach."Our family loves the beach.We love the beach.That's our family thing, right?Some families are sports families like, "Oh, we're baseball.We're a baseball family.We love the box and we're on the church softball team."And we're like, "We love baseball."Every family's got their thing, right?I mean, I remember growing up, our family.Our family had our thing.I remember when we were teenagers, Aaron actually came over to our house for Thanksgiving.And they had the stuffing out and the turkey and all the dressing and all that stuff.And I just remember our family was passing around the table a bag of funyons.And I just remember Aaron sitting there going, she looked like she saw a ghost.I'm like, "What's the matter?"She goes, "Why are you passing around a bag of funyons?It's Thanksgiving."And I'm just like, "What's Thanksgiving without funyons?"Like, "We're not the weird ones here."And then I got older and realized that we were.Every family's got their thing.That's what Jesus is saying here.Like, "Hey, hey, hey, we're in God's family."He said, "You know what we do in God's family?Do you know what we do?We love like God."And God loves His enemies.You're like, "Who are God's enemies?"Everyone.Do you realize that?Literally every single person on the planet is an enemy of God until they are reconciledto God in Jesus Christ.That's what Paul said in Romans 5, right?"If while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son."See that's the glorious reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ.When you receive Jesus Christ by faith, when you believe that He died to take away yoursin, when you believe that He rose from the dead to give you eternal life, when you turnfrom your sin and receive Him, God changes you from an enemy of God to a child of God.And now we are a child still living among enemies of God, child of God.Ephesians 4, spilling over to Ephesians 5, says, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children."This is what we do in our family.We love like God.And as His children, we imitate our dad.Do you ever notice that kids love to imitate?Do you ever notice that?Kids loved to imitate adults.It was made painfully aware to me, oh, many, many years ago, a couple decades ago at thispoint we had foster kids.Before we had any of our own kids, we had foster kids.And I remember, one little boy, he was five years old, his name was Walter, and we'd beplaying the PlayStation.We were sitting there, playing the PlayStation, and look, I was a perfect gamer back in theday.But sometimes the stupid game would glitch or something, and my guy would get killed.And when that happened, I remember I'd put the controller down, and I'd be like, "Oh,for Pete's sake!"Well Walter would be playing video games with me, and I remember he'd be playing a videogame, and he'd just randomly throw his controller down and go, "Your pee stinks!"Like no, no, no, no, no, no.No, it's for Pete's sake.But he was...It never clicked with him.He was constantly commenting on the smell of urine.Your pee stinks.Why did he do that?He was just imitating me.Right?Kids love to do that.And as a child of God, we naturally, we supernaturally want to imitate him.So when that guy at work is constantly out to get you, and you love him, and you repayhis nastiness with kindness, and then somebody else comes in and says, "Well, what are youdoing?You love that guy?That guy's a real jerk to you!"And your response says, "Yeah, I get that from my dad."You see, I see people as dad-season.Lost.Blind.Slave to sin.Heading to hell.You know what my heavenly dad taught me?He taught me that I don't need to retaliate.And my heavenly father taught me I don't need to ignore them.My heavenly father taught me that people like that need compassion.And I know right now somebody's thinking, "Yeah, I love your enemies.I see it.I hear it.Pastor Jeff, you don't know what this person said to me.You don't know the horrible things that they said to my face.You don't know the horrible things they said behind my back.Pastor Jeff, you don't know this person for years has been just out to get me."Look.You're right.They don't deserve it.You're right.They've been miserable.But you, you love them not because of who they are, but because of who you are.You're a child of God.And your heavenly father, he loves his enemies.Right?So I love my enemies because of who I am.Secondly, number two, write this one down.I love my enemies by what I do.I love my enemies by what I do.And you might be sitting here going, "Ah, yeah, this love your enemy thing.I ain't feeling it.I ain't feeling it."And I would say, "That's okay.You don't have to feel it."But you do have to do it.Because look, when the Bible talks about love, agape love, it's not an emotion.Listen, you don't have to like them.But you do have to love them.And biblically, love is an action.Here's what I mean.Love is an action.First, John 5.3 says, "For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments."Jesus said the same thing.What is it?John 14, 15.Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."John 15, Jesus said, "Abiding in Him is keeping His commandments."Notice the Bible never calls us to stir up some kind of emotion.Loving God is a choice.And yes, we worship God with our emotions in song and worship, yes, but that is thefruit of a choice to love God.The proof that you love God isn't based on your feelings.The proof that you love God according to our Lord is based on your actions.And listen, church, love works the same way with your enemies.You are not called to love your enemies by conjuring up gushy feelings.You're called to love them by your actions.You're called to love them by actively blessing them.Why?Because that's what God does.Look at verse 45, the rest of it.He says, "For He makes His Son rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on thejust and on the unjust."God is so kind to sinners.Did you ever stop and think about that?Have you ever stopped to just marvel at the glorious truth that somebody can live theirentire life and completely ignore God?And they can still have a pretty good life on the earth.Isn't that astounding?Isn't it amazing that somebody can live their entire life hating God, speaking against God,speaking against God's people, speaking against God's truth.They can live their whole life and do that, and they can still have a good life on theearth.In God's kindness, He still lets them have sun and rain and a million other good things.You can hate God, still have food and friends and laughter and family and health.And yeah, the heart hearted may refuse to be thankful or acknowledge this, but regardless,God does it anyways.God's kindness says little about them, but it says much about Him.And Jesus says, "Take note, children of God, you show love for your enemies by what youdo for them.You show love for enemies by actively seeking their good."Like, well, what does that look like, Pastor Jeff?What does that look like?Okay, so you've got a nasty, older family member who's always hated you.Go do your yard work.You got a jerk co-worker always looking to get their little shots in on you?Look for ways to sincerely and genuinely compliment their work.You got a nasty neighbor?Find out what they like and treat them.Hey, I saw your garden, and the other day I was at the store and I saw that there wasthis magazine about gardening, and I picked it up for you.I thought you might be interested.I don't know.Just get on your face and ask God to show you how you can show kindness to your enemy.Romans 12.20, Paul quotes from Proverbs 25.He says if your enemy is hungry, feed them.If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.For by so doing, you will heat burning coals on his head.When I was a young Christian, when I read this, I had this idea that if you do goodto people that aren't good to you, like if you meet their needs, they're going to havethis like mini Sodom and Gomorrah experience on their head.Like I'm going to be nice to you, and it's going to rain lava on your head.I'm burning!Like that will show them.And then I learned that that's not what that means at all.It was actually an Egyptian symbol that they would put hot coals in an insulated pot andcarried around on their head.It was a sign of repentance.See, Israel had the sackcloth and ashes.Israel had the pot of coals on their head.And that's what God's Word is driving us to.Because no one's ever been one to Jesus because a Christian matched their pettiness.No one's ever been one to Jesus because a Christian just flat-out ignored them.It's kindness that leads to repentance according to Romans 2-4.Show love to them.Actively show love to them.Why would I do that?Because it's not about who they are.It's about who you are.And one more.I love my enemies because of who I am by what I do.In Romans 2-3 we get to another because I love my enemies because I'm called to be different.Look at verses 46 and 47.Jesus says, "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?Do not even the tax collectors do the same?And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doingthan others?Do not even the Gentiles do the same?Stop there.If you're like, "You know what?I love the people that I like.I love the people that I like."Well, then you do what people who don't even know Jesus do.And our Lord here is saying, "What's so special about that?"Oh, so you think you're great because you do what's normal.Well hang on a second.Let me shine up your participation trophy.Why is it that we want applause for doing what's expected?Here's an example.Well Aaron and I, we always look at each other and kind of laugh.When we hear a dad say, "Yeah, I had a baby sit my kids last Monday."Do you hear somebody say that?You're not going to say it anymore.I had a baby sit my kids last Monday.I believe that's called being a father.You didn't baby sit your kids.What did your wife pay you $10 an hour?Like look, I'm not giving you a cookie because you did what was expected.That's what our Lord is saying here.You're expected to be different because Christians have something that no one else in the worldhas.Do you know what that is?Like the Bible?Not everybody has that.Like compassion?No, a lot of people have that.Christians have something that nobody else in the world has.You know what that is?God living in them.In other words, you should be different.I mean, anybody can go one mile.That was the law.That's expected.Anyone can give up a shirt that they lost legally in a lawsuit.That's expected.And here our Lord is saying, "Anybody can say hi to their friends."That's expected.But God expects and empowers us to do more, to be like Him.So do you do what the world expects?Or do you do what God expects because God's called you to be different than the world?Do you have a heart like God?We'll find out.We'll find out because it's revealed not in how you treat your friends, it's revealedin how you treat your enemies.You love them.Not because of who they are, but because of who you are.Oh yeah, there's one more verse.One of the most deeply convicting and challenging verses in the whole Bible.Jesus says, "You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect."In the context of this teaching, obviously, he's talking about the way we love, right?You must love perfectly the way your heavenly Father loves perfectly.That's what Jesus is saying here.And look, you and I, we look at that verse and we say, "I failed.I failed."We all have.And actually, remembering the beatitudes, step one and two of the beatitudes was recognizingthat you failed.And you're like, "Man, I'll never be perfect."But God says you must be perfect.You know what that means?It means I always have room to grow.And today we're talking about loving your enemies.And maybe right now you're saying, "You know, I knew that.I knew that, but today I'm encountered by this calling in a fresh way and I realizenow I need to grow.I want to grow in this area."It's grace.It's grace.God has made us perfectly righteous in Jesus Christ.God has adopted us as His children, and He is constantly changing us.We don't deserve anything, but God has given us everything, even though we were His enemies.It's grace.You get that?Then like your Father, give it.In just a moment, we're going to be gathering around the Lord's table as a church.And it is the Lord's table that reminds us that we are grace people.Because in essence, what we are remembering, what we are celebrating, what we are declaringwhen we take the Lord's supper together is the Lord is saying, "I saved you."Not because of who you are, but because of who I am.

The debt of our sin is so vast that nothing less than the blood of Christ can purchase our redemption. From his sermon series in Ephesians, today R.C. Sproul marvels at the mercy of God in choosing from all eternity to grant us salvation through the death of His Son. Get R.C. Sproul's commentary on Ephesians for your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4098/donate   Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request the ebook edition of R.C. Sproul's commentary on Ephesians for your donation of any amount: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global   Meet Today's Teacher:   R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Daniel's Prayer Was “seeking him {God} by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting . . . ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God . . . we have sinned and done wrong'” MESSAGE SUMMARY: There are times when you need clarity, understanding, knowledge and insights from God about the specific issues that you, your family, your church, or your country are facing. In your personal relationship with God as a Jesus Follower, the Lord will speak to you; but sometimes it takes your listening and fasting to hear Him. For example, when Joel received a Word when the land was to be destroyed, he called a fast (i.e. Joel 1:14): “Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.”. Some things you are facing in your life must be dealt with by both prayer and fasting. Fasting releases a spiritual power – in your weakness, God is made strong in your life. Daniel's prayer, from Daniel 9:3-5, provides a context for asking direction from God: “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.'".     TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus' name, amen.  Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Joel 1:13-16; Matthew 6:16; Daniel 9:3-7; Psalms138:1-8. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Day of Pentecost – The Promise Fulfilled (All Saints Anglican Church; Peachtree City, GA)” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

The Day of Pentecost – The Promise Fulfilled (All Saints Anglican Church; Peachtree City, GA) MESSAGE SUMMARY: The Day of Pentecost – The Promise Fulfilled (All Saints Anglican Church; Peachtree City, GA) In 1900, a Roman Catholic Nun obeyed the voice of the Lord, and she wrote to Pope Leo encouraging him to pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This request began a chain of events: a nun wrote a letter; a Pope and his Cardinals prayed; and the world received a Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit through many Christian denominations during a great revival in the early twentieth century. Today, the world, along with all of us, needs to be renewed with a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost, initially, was about: people being filled with the Holy Spirit; people received Spiritual gifts; and people witnessing for Jesus. On this initial day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and preached a sermon. Afterwards, he was asked: “What must we do to be saved?”. Peter responded in Acts 2:38-39: “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.'". These events of the initial Pentecost and from the various revivals of the 20th Century relating to the Charismatic Movements are normal Christianity; this outpouring of the Holy Spirit is what God intends for His people. If we are going to have a growing relationship with Jesus, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit who enables us to know and commune with the Lord. The Holy Spirit will never lead followers of Jesus in any thing that contradicts the Bible, God's Word. In recent times, there have been teachings, regarding the Holy Spirit, that do not conform to the Bible. Too many of us are trying to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit. The question is asked: “When do we receive the Holy Spirit?”. We cannot put God in a box regarding a timing for the receipt of the Holy Spirit. However, a better question is: “Have we received the Holy Spirit?”. We are told in John 3:8: “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.". Therefore, the real question should be: “Does the Holy Spirit have me?”. Until we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit cannot indwell our lives and lead us. The best answer to the timing our receipt of the Holy Spirit is: “We should receive the Holy Spirit every day.”. We should pray every day for the Holy Spirit to fill us. We know that, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are given the “fruit of the Spirit”, as described by Paul in Galatians 5:16-26: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will bear the fruits of the Spirit and not the flesh. However, if we sin, we are not in the Holy Spirit. Pentecost reminds us that if we yield our lives to the will of God through the Holy Spirit, we are filled with the Holy Spirit; and we are given Spiritual gifts to witness for Jesus. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit; others see Jesus in us – this countenance of Jesus, seen through our lives, is the most powerful tool a Christian can have for evangelism. Are you grieving the Holy Spirit or are you filled with the Holy Spirit?     TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Acts 1:5; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Acts 2:38-39; Galatians 5:16-26; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Philippians 4:13; John 3:8; Luke 11:13; Ephesians 5:18; Romans 12:9-31; Ephesians 4:30-32. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Daniel's Prayer Was “seeking him {God} by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting . . . ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God . . . we have sinned and done wrong'””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Generosity extends far beyond financial giving, encompassing our time, affirmation, resources, and money. When we reduce generosity to just finances, we risk falling into transactional Christianity or overvaluing wealth. True generosity reflects God's heart—giving what is most valuable to us, just as God gave His Son. We demonstrate generosity when we share our time (our most irreplaceable resource), offer blessings and affirmation to others, share our resources to meet needs, and give financially to support our church and community. This generous spirit acknowledges Jesus as Lord over everything valuable in our lives.

As you dive into the Bible, you might find that the narrative often revolves around the people of Israel, capturing their stories and experiences. You know, Jesus kicked off and wrapped up His ministry right in the heart of Israel. So, does that mean God is just focused on saving them and not the entire world? Today, Pastor Mark shares some passionate insights about God's agape love. He sacrificed His one and only Son, Jesus, to take on the cross for your sins. God placed no limits and welcomed everyone in the world to find salvation through His Son. Just open your heart and receive Jesus as your Savior. That's it!

Sleep better and Stress Less— with Abide, a Christian meditation app that provides a biblically grounded place to experience peace and progress in your relationship with Christ. We hope this biblical sleep meditation, narrated by Melissa Disney helps your body relax and your mind rest on the truth found in scripture. In God’s love and mercy, He invites you to share in the eternal life found only in His Son. Find rest in this peaceful sleep story, a journey with Jesus, the way to heaven. For a 30 day free trial of our premium ad-free content, your trusted friend for better sleep is right here: https://abide.com/peaceDiscover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us

The Bible tells us that we are all going to sin and mess up, however God made a way through His Son so that we can be forgiven and healed. No matter how far away we may have gotten by the poor choices we've made, we can always come back to Him, pick up where we left off and move on.

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comActs 17 Paul continues his second missionary journey with stops in Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. In Thessalonica, Paul reasons with the Jews in the synagogue, explaining that Jesus is the Messiah who fulfilled the scriptures. While some believe, others incite a riot, forcing Paul and Silas to flee to Berea. The Bereans are praised for their eagerness to examine the scriptures daily to verify Paul's teachings. Many believe, but opposition arises again, prompting Paul to leave. In Athens, Paul is stirred by the city's idolatry and engages with philosophers in the Areopagus. He proclaims the one true God, emphasizing His power to create all things and His call for everyone to repent of their sins. He informs them that God will judge the world, providing proof by raising Jesus from the dead. The centerpiece of the gospel is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Nearly every sermon in Acts highlights the evidence for and significance of this momentous event. In Thessalonica, Paul uses the resurrection to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ. In Athens, the philosophers are challenged by Paul, who is “preaching Jesus and the resurrection.” Paul concludes his sermon to the Athenians by declaring Jesus as the final Judge, a truth established by God raising Him from the dead. God created us to seek Him, and He offered and raised His Son so that we can find Him. Some sneer at this, while others delay their response. However, true believers in the resurrection accept it and join the cause.  Dear Father, thank You for raising Your crucified Son from the dead. Thank You for the evidence of His resurrection and for the incredible, eternal assurances that accompany His victory over sin and death. Lord God, we believe. We believe You made all things and created us to seek and find You. We also believe that Your Son's death and resurrection are the only path to reach You, forgiven by His blood and granted the promise of eternal life in His name. We know Jesus will judge the world. Lead us to repent and prepare for our Savior's return.   Thought Questions: -       Why do you believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead? Are you prepared to elaborate in order to teach others about Jesus? -       The Berean listeners are commended for examining scripture to confirm Paul's words. Why should you do that when you hear teaching? -       Do you believe that God created you and that in Him you “live and move and exist”? How does this belief shape your daily life and choices?