abandoned to Christ.

I know some of you are thinking "Worship in the presence of our enemies? What a strange thing to say!" I suppose it does sound a bit strange. After all, is it not written in Scripture that we ought to worship in the presence of our LORD God? ( 1 Chronicles 16:29 , Ezekiel 46:3 , Psalm 95:6 ) Good point! Yes, it's true, God calls His children into an intimate relationship with Him and invites us to enter His presence to worship Him "in the splendor of His holiness". But God doesn't call us to worship Him whenever or wherever it's most comfortable, convenient or in a situation that "makes sense" to us. No, instead, God calls His children to worship Him anywhere and everywhere and ALL THE TIME! Our Father God expects us to even be able to worship Him before the presence of our enemies so that they will know that we do not fear those that can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. No, instead we fear [ revere ] the One [God] who can destroy both s...

Spirituality has always been popular. But spirituality and Christianity are two VERY different things. Do you know why spirituality is so popular? Because it requires nothing of a person. To be spiritual, all you need is to do is just say you believe in a "higher being", "higher authority" or "higher power", trust you're going to Heaven based on your "good" deeds (i.e., attend a local church, give to charity, read the Bible, feed the hungry, help the poor, etc.) and just overall, feel good about yourself. But Christianity (that is to follow, resemble, and have the same character of Christ) requires everything ... your very life. Why is this? Because Jesus Christ suffered and died to give us His righteousness and took on our unrighteousness, our sins, and our filth (2 Corinthians 5:21). Basically, by Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection, God has offered us a "trade"...Christ's righteousness for our unrighteousnes...

Proverbs 27:5-6 "Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." One of the greatest things Jesus said will cause the world to know that we are His...His followers...His friends....His Bride....one family of God, united in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit is this - our love for one another ( John 14:34-35 ). And how do we Christians love one another as Christ has loved us? We do what Jesus did. We love with: No concern for what we might gain or lose from loving the other person ( Matthew 16:25-26 , Galatians 1:10 , 1 Peter 3:13-14 ). The best interest of the other person, not according to our opinion of what is best, but according to what God says is best ( 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 , Ephesians 4:29 , Philippians 2:3-5 & 1 Peter 4:11 ). Sacrificial love - for if we serve & give to one another only when it's convenient for us, we are no longer "living sacrifices", but conveniently living ...

What a refreshing and precious little version of our Lord's prayer sung by one of Jesus' little precious babes. If you need a little encouragement, a little light to shine in your day, you've GOT to watch this video! Matthew 21:16(b) (NKJV) "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"

Jesus A - Z To the A rtist, He is the Altogether Lovely One To the B uilder, He is the Chief Cornerstone To the C hef, He is the Bread of Life To the D octor, He is the Great Physician To the E ducator, He is the Master Teacher To the F lorist, He is the Rose of Sharon and Lily of the Valley To the G eologist, He is the Rock of Ages To the H orticulturist, He is the True Vine To the I ntellectual, He is the Wisdom o f God To the J eweler, He is the Head of the Church the Pearl of Great Price To the K ing, He is the Prince of Peace To the L awyer, He is the Judge of all the Earth To the M anufacturer, He is the Creator of All Things To the N ewsman, He is the Glad Tidings of Great Joy To the O culist (in search of the light), He is the Light of the World To the P hilanthropist, He is the Gift of God To the Q ueen, He is the King of Kings To the R abbi, He is the Messiah To the S cholar, He is the Truth To the T heologian, He is the Author and the Finisher of our F...

I am so thankful for the patience of our Lord and Savior. I am so thankful that God is good and that He is perfect and suffers long with us. Aren't you? Sometimes I struggle with what God wants me to do vs. what I think He wants me to do. During these times, I ask, "Lord, is this what You want me to do? Are you sure? It doesn't make sense. And here's why I don't think it's a good idea." Then I remember Jesus' words in Luke 6:46 , "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" I'm grateful Jesus didn't leave me without an example to follow and with no light to cast away the shadow of my doubts. I'm glad He showed me the Scripture below: John 11:7-14 In this passage, the disciples questioned Jesus' decision, not because they didn't love or believe in Jesus, but they questioned him because they loved Him with fallible, human love, a friendship love ( philia ) and were trying to honor Him by ...

This is a video poem written by Emeal Zwayne ("EZ") with Way of the Master. It's a great poem about life and is a great resource for anyone...children or adults who want answers to hard questions. Please watch it and share how it's been used to encourage you in your faith and relationships with others. I'll pass your stories along to EZ so that our brother may be blessed in knowing how God has used his gift of writing to spur others on toward love and good deeds. SHARE Like this post? Share it on Facebook.