Lord, help me to have strong faith today. Please grant me not just bold faith but meaningful faith. Lord, I don't want to just be a great lion of faith if their isn't the pursuit, the striving for holiness, the purpose in fulfilling Your will. Faith without works is dead. Please strengthen me as I face the day ahead. Allow the Holy Spirit to go before me to soften hearts and prepare souls to receive your gift of salvation. And may I be given the courage to speak Your word, to exercise faith and to help transform lives. I humbly ask these things in the precious name of the Savior, Jesus Christ, amen!
- JSS
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
A See-Saw Spiritual Life
Our spiritual life is like a see-saw. God is the upright support in the middle which never moves. The plank is our spiritual life. On one side we must balance - ‘studying the Word’. On the other side - ‘spiritual production’. One without the other results in either a dead-spiritual-life or the production of dead-works. Study without production is like a tree that never bears fruit. Works without study inevitably result in the production of wood, hay and stubble to be burnt at the ‘Judgement Seat of Christ’. As with most things there must be a balance. However, one does come before the other - learning the Word of God always comes before production. Yet if there is no production (applying those things we learn) there will be no movement. Our spiritual lives should always be in motion. If it is one-sided we should not be surprised when we become a spiritual dead weight moving nowhere.
- Taken from www.freechristianillustrations.com.
Designed by Ian & Sue Coate.
Used with permission.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Love: The Greatest Gift
I Corinthians 13:1-13 NKJV
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Dearest Lord, I need You and Your selfless gift of love. Without You I am nothing, I can't become anything and without Iove I can do nothing. I wouldn't even know what love is if it had not come from You first.
Lord, I need to understand how to love, how to give unselfishly and without restraint. So, Lord, lead me in love. Please teach me to wash other's feet like Jesus did. Teach me to love the unlovable and even my enemies.
Graciously humble me. Break my stoney heart and nurture a tender heart instead. I need a heart like Your son.
Heavenly Father, help me to extend Your mercy, forgiveness and grace. May true love work it's way through me to offer hope and healing. It's in
the precious name of Jesus, I pray, amen. -JSS
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Dearest Lord, I need You and Your selfless gift of love. Without You I am nothing, I can't become anything and without Iove I can do nothing. I wouldn't even know what love is if it had not come from You first.
Lord, I need to understand how to love, how to give unselfishly and without restraint. So, Lord, lead me in love. Please teach me to wash other's feet like Jesus did. Teach me to love the unlovable and even my enemies.
Graciously humble me. Break my stoney heart and nurture a tender heart instead. I need a heart like Your son.
Heavenly Father, help me to extend Your mercy, forgiveness and grace. May true love work it's way through me to offer hope and healing. It's in
the precious name of Jesus, I pray, amen. -JSS
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