Tag Archives: god jesus

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Charles Stanley – Jesus: Doorway to the Father

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John 14:6-11

A significant percentage of westerners profess to know God and therefore call themselves Christians. Yet many of them do not believe in Jesus or His claim to be the Son of God. The fact is, a person cannot know the Father and be His child unless he or she has received Jesus Christ as Savior and entered into a personal relationship with Him.

Jesus is the doorway to salvation. It’s not enough to “know God” in the sense of simply realizing there is a supreme Deity. Without faith in Jesus, it is impossible to come to the Father (John 14:6). Since God is holy, He can’t tolerate sin in His presence. But all people are sinners (Ps. 53:3; Isa. 53:6). Jesus died in our place to pay our debt and thereby bridge the gap between impure man and holy God. Any person who receives His sacrifice for sin is forgiven, declared righteous, and welcomed into fellowship with God.

Jesus is the doorway to revelation. He was the earthly representation of His Father in heaven. Christ’s life among men provides the most complete picture we have of the Father. Jesus’ actions, choices, and teachings reveal how the Almighty thinks and what He desires from us.

Jesus said that He and His Father are one (John 10:30). Omitting Christ from religious beliefs or practice leaves people with an inaccurate view of the Creator. We are saved not by works but by faith, through grace (Eph. 2:8-9). And the faith God values is the belief “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

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Greg Laurie – Will He Find Faith?

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“Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” —Luke 18:8

I am not a patient sick person. I don’t like to lay around, immobilized. As soon as I start feeling better, I want to get going. When I am feeling good again, I will go and work out or take a brisk walk. But then I feel kind of fatigued afterward.

In Revelation 3, we find a description of a church that is coming back to life, the church of Philadelphia. The Great Physician gives His divine assessment: “You have a little strength . . .” (verse 8). This isn’t a negative comment about their weakness, but a commendation of their strength. They are like a sick person who is making a recovery.

This is not a super church of the end times, but it is a reviving one. If ever there was a super church, it was the church of the first century. Although they had their flaws, it was the church that changed the world. And it was the church that gave us a template we are to follow.

The implication in Revelation 3 is that the church of Philadelphia is making a comeback. Perhaps a revival is taking place. Revival is what God does for us, and revival is a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. Let’s pray that God sends a revival, or an awakening, to America.

Evangelism is what we do for God. Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” The idea being that it is not a church that has taken the world over, but a church that is doing something.

Jesus commends the church of Philadelphia for taking little steps, and we need to take those little steps as well. God has given us enough strength to do what He has called us to do.

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Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Walk in the Light

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“Later, in one of His talks, Jesus said to the people, ‘I am the Light of the world. So if you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path” (John 8:12).

The living room of our home was dark when I quietly slipped a key into the lock and opened the door one night, walking slowly and softly so as not to awaken Vonette and our sons who were very young. Though they had been trained to put away their toys, somehow in the rush to get ready for bed that night they had left cars and a train and other favorite play things scattered throughout the living room.

You guessed it! I stepped on one with wheels that almost threw me to the floor before I could regain my balance. Many a person has broken a leg or an arm under similar circumstances, and some have even fallen and hit their heads on sharp objects, resulting in a fatal accident.

So it is in the spiritual realm. If we insist on walking in the darkness, we will inevitably stumble and take risks that can greatly jeopardize our spiritual health and, in some cases, lead to our spiritual death by cutting ourselves off from God.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness.” In the first epistle of John we are told, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not tell the truth. If we walk in the light, as God is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses [and keeps on cleansing] us from all sin.”

There is only one person who qualifies to be the light of the world. That is Jesus. So how do we follow Him? What does it mean to walk in the light? Basically, it means that there is no unconfessed sin. It means that we are filled with the Holy Spirit, that we are feasting upon the Word of God and obeying His commands which include sharing our love for Christ with others.

Bible Reading: I Thessalonians 4:5-8

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, I shall walk in the light with Christ who is the light of the world, and reflect His light in such an attractive way that those who walk in darkness will be drawn to the light as moths are drawn to a burning candle.

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Max Lucado – At Once, Man and God

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Christ—at once, man and God.  Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Christ there is all of God in a human body.” Jesus was not a godlike man, nor a manlike God.  He was God-man. What do we do with such a person? One thing is certain, we can’t ignore Him.  He is the single most significant person who ever lived. Forget MVP; He is the entire league. The head of the parade?  Hardly.  No one else shares the street.

Dismiss Him?  We can’t.  Resist Him?  Equally difficult.

Don’t we need a God-man Savior? A just-God Jesus could make us but not understand us.  A just-man Jesus could love us but never save us. But a God-man Jesus? Near enough to touch.  Strong enough to trust.  A Savior found by millions to be irresistible.

As the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:8, nothing compares to “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

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Max Lucado – A Hope-filled Heart

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Wouldn’t you love to have a hope-filled heart? Wouldn’t you love to see the world through the eyes of Jesus?  Where we see unanswered prayer, Jesus saw answered prayer.  Where we see the absence of God, Jesus saw the plan of God.

Jesus said in Matthew 26:53:  “Surely you know I could ask my Father, and he would give me more than twelve armies of angels.”

Jesus saw His Father’s presence in every problem. Twelve armies of angels were in His sight.  Sure Max, but Jesus was God.  He could see the unseen. He had eyes for heaven and a vision for the supernatural.  I can’t see the way he saw. Not yet maybe, but don’t underestimate God’s power.

He can change the way you look at life!  God never promises to remove us from our struggles.  He does promise, however, to change the way we look at them!

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Presidential Prayer Team; C.P. – Up Close and Personal

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Many people today say they believe in God. Current politically-correct philosophy says to believe anything you want, but don’t impose your beliefs on others. But following Christ isn’t just a set of values and beliefs. Asking a Christian to not tell others about Jesus is like asking grandparents to not talk about their grandchildren!

You shall be my people, and I will be your God. Ezekiel 36:28

According to Romans 8, those who are in Christ and are following after the Spirit belong to God’s family. The greatest commandment isn’t about do’s and don’ts, it’s to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37). Think about what it is to love God with your mind, your emotions and everything that makes you a unique person. It’s a marvelous thing that creator God wants you to love Him like that. He doesn’t want a mere head nod His way. He wants an intimate loving relationship. He is an up close and personal God.

Today, acknowledge His presence. Worship Him. Thank Him for His love and remind yourself that God loves you and is very aware of all your concerns. Cast your cares on Him for He cares for you (I Peter 5:7). Then passionately bring the needs of this nation before Him.

Recommended Reading: Romans 8:1-12

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The Greatest Gift of All – Charles Stanley

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John 3:15-21

Even children understand that unless a present is opened and explored, its value will remain unknown. Yet many people neglect “unwrapping” God’s gift of salvation through Jesus. They receive His forgiveness but fail to discover the marvelous treasures made available to them as children of God.

When God the Son came to dwell on earth, He took on human flesh. This mystery is known as the incarnation. Jesus, who was fully God, lived a sinless life. Yet He was also fully human. Without Christ, we would be eternally separated from God the Father. The sin we all inherited through Adam does not allow fellowship with the perfect God. So the Savior took our iniquities upon Himself and endured the death penalty in our place. And then He rose from the dead.

In doing this, Jesus redeemed us and opened the door for eternal fellowship with the Father. Any who so choose can accept mercy instead of punishment. It is God’s free gift, which includes an eternal home in heaven. We will live forever with Christians from every generation and can look forward to reuniting with loved ones who have already died in the Lord. A small baby in a manger was truly the greatest gift of all time.

Do you have a relationship with Almighty God? Jesus came to redeem you. If you haven’t accepted His salvation, take this opportunity: admit your need for forgiveness, and ask Christ to be your Savior. The gift is wrapped and ready, waiting for you to open and enjoy all God has given.