Thankfulness to God

One of the clearest indicators that the Holy Spirit is working in our lives
is our contentment and our thankfulness for what we have.

Then, instead of experiencing jealousy, we are able to genuinely celebrate
the gifts and blessings of others.

 

God, You are so good!

You have provided all we need and so much more.

Help us to be content with what we have,

knowing that without You we would have neither life nor breath.

 

(excert from Daily Bread 9/24 Fighting Off Jealousy)

In Jesus’ final message to His disciples,

 He said,
“You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Every corner of our world, no matter how remote, must be touched by the message of the cross.
The Savior died for the world—and that includes people both near and far.
Each of us has the opportunity to take the gospel to people in our “end of the earth.”
No matter where you are, you can tell someone about the love of Christ.
Who can you tell today?

 

People can’t believe in Jesus
If the gospel they don’t hear,
So we must proclaim its message
To the world—both far and near. —Sper

 

Any place can be the right place to witness for Christ.

Our Daily Bread is published and distributed in more than 40 languages worldwide by RBC Ministries.

What Yoke Do You Bear?

Acts 15:10b

[Peter speaking] "...by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?"

Thoughts for Today:

Previously, Peter made the point that God purified the Gentile's hearts (and gave them the Holy Spirit) because of their faith, not because they adopted the traditions and customs of the Jews.

Peter now asks the question of the day, "Why do you want to put a yoke on the necks of new believers that neither we nor our fathers were able to bear?" Wow, that's a really insightful question. You see for thousands of years the Jews had been living under the Mosaic Law which had become incredibly complicated and intricate. For example the Lord said, "Keep the Sabbath Day holy." The Jews said, "It's not that easy." So they wrote and added seven volumes into the Talmud which created rules, regulations and interpretations of what that meant exactly -- the Do's and Don'ts of keeping the Sabbath. One of those rules said you couldn't travel on the Sabbath; this was further defined as more than a thousand paces from your home; so if a Pharisee had to travel more than thousand paces he would lay down a rope from his home stretching one thousand paces, thereby creating a "hallway" which extended his home; if he had to travel farther he would simply lay down another rope, and so on ! until he arrived at his destination. He kept the Law literally, but did he keep the intention of the Law spiritually?

That is the problem with laws -- there is a never ending need to create more laws to clarify the intent of the original law. For example: no sugar means no candy, no donuts, and only certain types of cereals with less than 10 grams of sugar, etc.

You can see how quickly things can become complicated if we try to define every possibility. The bottom line is you can't. So why is this whole Law thing necessary at all? Because we, like Amanda, and the Jews who struggled greatly with the Law, we're always looking for a loophole.

So Peter asks the question, "If all these rules and regulations didn't help to bring us closer to God, then why do we want to place this same burden upon the Gentiles? Do we really want them to be as miserable as we and our fathers before us have been?" What would your answer be?

 

 

Questions to Ponder:

As you look at your life in the context of our devotion today, do you see any rules or laws you have created to define God's intention? Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." What does that mean to you? How have you made being a Christian burdensome and difficult? What has been your witness to others -- the freedom of Christ or the yoke of rules? What is God's intent? What steps can you take today to loosen the yoke of rules in your life and begin to experience freedom and joy in your journey with God?

What is the 'Good News'?

Acts 13:32-33a

[Paul speaking] "We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus."

Thoughts for Today:

Take a minute right now and grab your wife, child or friend and tell them the "good news" of Jesus Christ. Can you do it? What are some of the holes in your explanation? I did an internet search for "good news" and I came across this succinct explanation of how to talk to someone about your faith. It starts with three Bible verses:

* "For you are a mist that appears for awhile and then disappears..." James 4:14b

* "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13

* "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." John 3:17

"Okay. So where does that leave me?" someone might ask. "How exactly does one call on the name of the Lord? Why would He want to save me?"

First, know that God is perfect and holy. He made everything in this universe including you and me. Second, because He made you, He also knows every detail about you. He loves you. Because of His great love for you, He sent His Son to die for you, in your place so that you might live.

"Well, how does His Son dying for me save me?"

There is a part in each of us that is eternal. It makes you a unique and eternal being. God cannot be near sin or those who practice sin. Those who perish without the saving grace of His Son will be eternally separated from God. To be allowed into God's presence we will have to be completely pure and holy. It is only by asking His Son, Jesus, to take your sin from you and forgive you, will you be made clean. Jesus takes your sin from you and puts it on that cross on which he died. He did not stay dead. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:4B - "he was raised on the third day."

"I'm confused. What must I do to be saved?"

Pray and tell God that you know that you have done things that you know were wrong and God knows are wrong. Ask Him to forgive you because Jesus paid the price for those things that you did wrong. Ask Jesus to come into your life and change you. That's it! If you prayed those things with a sincere heart you are saved. Now find a Bible centered church and grow in love for God and others!

Questions to Ponder:

When was the last time you shared the "good news" of Jesus Christ with someone? Has it been a day, a week, a month, a year, or maybe never? Don't feel alone if you have never shared Jesus with anyone, there are a lot of us just like you. The question is why haven't you? Is it because you didn't know what to say? I have a challenge for you: print out this devotion and tell someone the "good news" of Jesus Christ before the end of the day with this phrase in mind -- "Successful evangelism is sharing Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God."

The COBBLER

Heals the Soul - Large Print Edition

Product type:
Gospel

Dimensions (closed):
3.75" W x 5.25" H

Dimensions (open):
7.5" W x 5.25" H

Language:
English

Version:
New International Version (NIV)

 

About this Gospel:

This edition is a large print edition of the Gospel of John containing twice as many pages as our other gospels, with text that's considerably larger in size. The other dimensions of this cover are the same as all our gospels. Like all our gospels, they include the Plan of Salvation and a decision page.

USPJNIV-COBR0612

 

Note: Quantity may be changed to a different amount at checkout. To order large quantities, add any number to your cart, then enter the desired quantity on the checkout page.

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About this cover design: This cover design features an illustration of a cobbler mending shoes which illustrates the Gospel of John as a tool for Soul repair. Product information updated 09/07/2012

Pacific Garden Mission

PGM Statement of faith

• We believe in the Scripture of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired by God, and inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life.
  2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:21
• We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  1 John 5:7; Genesis 1:26-27; Hebrews 1:8; Psalm 110:1
• We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, and was born of the Virgin Mary and is true God and true Man.
  Isaiah 7:14;Luke 1:31-35;John 1:1, 14
• We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned, and thereby incurred, not only physical death, but also a sinful nature.
  Romans 3:23;Romans 5:12;Genesis 1:27,31;Genesis 3:6-24;Psalm 51:5;Isaiah 53:6;Ephesians 2:3
• We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who believe in Him are justified on the basis of His shed blood.
  Romans 4:25;1 Corinthians 15:3;2 Corinthians 5:21;1 Peter 2:24
• We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into Heaven, in His present life there as High Priest and Advocate for us.
  1 Corinthians 15:4;Hebrews 4:14;1 John 2:1
• We believe in "that blessed hope," the personal, pre-tribulation, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
  Titus 2:13
• We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God.
  John 1:12;Acts 20:21
• We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting, conscious punishment of the lost.
  John 5:28-29

America's KESWICK

What We Believe

1. We believe that the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments only, is verbally inspired in every part by the Holy Spirit and inerrant in the original manuscripts.

2. We believe that the one triune God exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

3. We believe that Adam, created in the image of God, holy and innocent, of his own choice sinned through disobedience, being tempted of Satan. Because of Adam's sin, all men have guilt imputed to them, are totally depraved, and need to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit for salvation.

4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God, was born of a virgin, died vicariously, shed His blood as man's substitutionary sacrifice, rose bodily, ascended into heaven where He is presently exalted at the Father's right hand.

5. We believe that men are justified by grace through faith, on the grounds of the shed blood of Christ, and that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are born again of the Holy Spirit, and thereby become children of God.

6. We believe that the personal return of Jesus Christ for the Church is imminent.

7. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting conscious blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting punishment of the lost.

8. We believe that the Church, the Body of Christ, had its beginning at Pentecost, consists only of those who are born again, who are baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ at the time of regeneration, for whom He now makes intercession in heaven, and for whom He will come again.

9. We believe that it is the duty of each believer to live a holy life unto God, keeping himself unspotted from the world, and that this shall be accomplished by his constant dependence upon the Holy Spirit's enablement. This enablement for victory over sin, and power for service, is designated in the Scripture as the filling of the Spirit (not His baptism).

10. We believe that Christ commanded the Church to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, baptizing and teaching those who believe.

RBC Ministries

Statement Of Faith;
·    We believe the Bible is the inspired revelation of God, accurate in all it affirms, and our only authoritative rule for faith and practice.
·    We believe in one God in three persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
·    We believe our Lord Jesus Christ is the promised Jewish Messiah, Savior of the world, fully God and fully man.
·    We believe in our Savior’s sacrificial death for us, in fulfillment of the Scriptures, as complete payment for our sin.
·    We believe in our Savior’s bodily resurrection from the grave on the third day, followed 40 days later by His ascension to the Father.
·    We believe in forgiveness and everlasting life, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
·    We believe in dependence on the Holy Spirit for a life of grateful service to God and others.
·    We believe in one international church made up of all who are in Christ, expressed through local congregations.
·    We believe in readiness for the return of our Lord to gather His church to Himself, to fulfill His promises to Israel, and to judge the living and the dead.

We pray that our ministry will continue to be an encouragement to you.
Ministry Correspondence
RBC Ministries