by dailyd | Oct 13, 2018 | More
TOPIC: HE CARRIED OUR BURDEN
Read: 1 Peter 1:18–25, Bible in a Year: Isaiah 41–42; 1 Thessalonians 1
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
It’s not unusual for utility bills to be surprisingly high. But Kieran Healy of North Carolina received a water bill that would make your heart stop. The notification said that he owed 100 million dollars! Confident he hadn’t used that much water the previous month, Healy jokingly asked if he could pay the bill in installments.
Owing a 100-million-dollar debt would be an overwhelming burden, but that pales in comparison to the real—and immeasurable—burden sin causes us to carry. Attempting to carry the burden and consequences of our own sins ultimately leaves us feeling tired and riddled with guilt and shame. The truth is we are incapable of carrying this load.
And we were never meant to. As Peter reminded believers, only Jesus, the sinless Son of God, could carry the heavy burden of our sin and its weighty consequences (1 Peter 2:24). In His death on the cross, Jesus took all our wrongdoing on Himself and offered us His forgiveness. Because He carried our burden, we don’t have to suffer the punishment we deserve.
Instead of living in fear or guilt, the “empty way of life handed down to” us (1:18), we can enjoy a new life of love and freedom (vv. 22–23).
Prayer: Lord, sometimes our guilt and shame can feel so heavy. Help us to release our past and its pain to You and experience Your peace, knowing You have carried it all and have set us free.
Jesus carried the burden of our sin so He could give us the blessing of life.
Insight:
Our natural instinct is to lash out against injustice. But Jesus’s example (which is what Peter called it in 1 Peter 2:21) calls us to higher ground. Notice verse 23: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” Rather than returning what, arguably, His tormenters deserved, Jesus refused. In a sense, He chose to look up to the Father rather than down to those who caused His pain. Perhaps that was behind His prayer, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). In entrusting Himself to the Father, Jesus felt no need for retaliation.
For more on the cross, read The Mockery and Majesty of the Cross at discoveryseries.org/hp081.
Bill Crowder
This message was written By Marvin Williams [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]
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by dailyd | Oct 13, 2018 | More
Topic: True Freedom
. . . believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable . . . — 1 Peter 1:8
Christ is the answer to sadness and discouragement. This is a world of thwarted hopes, broken dreams, and frustrated desires. G.K. Chesterton says, “Everywhere there is speed, noise and confusion, but nowhere deep happiness and quiet hearts.”
A Hollywood columnist wrote about a famous movie star, “The bright, carefree radiance has gone from her pretty face.” Optimism and cheerfulness are products of knowing Christ. If the heart has been attuned to God through faith in Christ, then its overflow will be joyous optimism and good cheer.
You will never be free from discouragement and despondency until you have been tuned to God. Christ is the wellspring of happiness. He is the fountainhead of joy. Here is the Christian’s secret of joy.
Prayer for the day: By Your love I experience the delight of a quiet heart. Deep down is the joy that cannot be taken away. Lord, may I always keep my eyes on You, my source of joy.
Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.
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Billy Graham Daily Devotional 12 October 2018
by dailyd | Oct 13, 2018 | Seed of Destiny
Topic: Outlook – A Product Of Inward-Look
Scripture: A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil:.. Luke 6:45
Thought For The Day: The outward manifestation of a person reveals the content of his/her heart.
Sometime ago, a Christian lady was traveling in a commercial vehicle from Abuja to Lagos, Nigeria. Right in the bus, she strongly felt led to preach the gospel but she noticed that her dressing was not decent, so she decided not to preach. What a heart-touching lesson!
Beloved, any dressing or lifestyle that can hinder you from representing God in the public is not correct. Most people backup their indecency by saying that what they wear does not matter because God looks at the heart. That is not true!
Now imagine this; would you be excited if you see a pastor preaching on the altar with a ring on his ear, another one on his nose, his trousers sagging and dreadlocks on his head? Most members will leave the church and never return.
The truth is, you know a mad man not just by checking the state of his mind but by the crazy things you see him manifest outwardly. In the same manner, when you see a person seductively, suggestively or provocatively dressed, that person could be morally loose, have high tendencies for immorality or nursing immoral thoughts in his/her heart regardless of the title or position he/she occupies in church. Such a person can never be taken seriously by unbelievers.
Thus, the outward manifestation of a person reveals the content of his/her heart.
Beloved, make up your mind to be decent in character, dressing and lifestyle.
Remember This: The outward manifestation of a person reveals the content of his/her heart.
Assignments:
1. Whatever is not your intention must not command your attention; don’t be taken for what you don’t want to be known for. Never let your appearance misrepresent you.
2. Refuse to appear in such a way that would lead other people to hell fire.
Prayer: O Lord, I thank You for Your Word to me today. I make demands on Your grace to maintain a decent lifestyle in dressing. I refuse to be a source of temptation to people around me, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: SEVEN-WAY LIFESTYLE TEST
Quote: Who you look at determines what you look like; if you look at Christ, you must look like Christ. Culled from 365 WISDOM CAPSULES by Dr Paul Enenche.
Daily Reading: Jeremiah 22:1 to 23:20, 2 Thessalonians1:1 to 12, Psalm 83:1 ton 18, Proverbs 25:11 to 14
Amazing Fact: There are about 6,263 species of lizards in the world. Only two are venomous but the venom is not powerful enough to kill human beings
Today In History: 13/10/1987 Costa Rican President Oscar Arias won the Nobel Peace Prize
Don’t Forget To Attend: The Six Over flooded Sunday Services tomorrow by 6:00am, 7:20am, 8:40am, 10:00am, 11:20am and 12:40pm respectively. Come with your friends and loved ones. God bless you.
Today’s devotional was written by Pastor Paul Enenche of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Pastor Paul and Becky Enenche, as the Senior Pastors. It is a power-packed arena where God’s Presence, Principles and Power are at work for the salvation, healing and restoration of human destinies and dignities
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Seeds of Destiny 12 October 2018 Devotional
by dailyd | Oct 13, 2018 | More
Topic: Bearing The Right Fruit
Text: Luke 3:1-14 (KJV)
Key Verse: “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham“ (Luke 3:8).
MESSAGE:
The coming of John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus Christ marked the end of about four hundred years of “famine” of the word of God as prophesied (Amos 8:11). Isaiah, over seven hundred years before, had also prophesied that John would come “to prepare… the way of the LORD…” (Isaiah 40:3).
And as he came with the word, hungry masses trooped out to hear his message of repentance and baptism. He preached that they must repent and bring forth “fruits worthy of repentance” as a token of genuine faith. A mere lip confession of being the biological seeds of Abraham was not enough guarantee against “the axe” of judgement that was already laid on the root of the trees to cut down anyone who failed to bear the right kind of fruit.
Salvation experience, which begins with genuine repentance and renunciation of sin and faith in the finished work of Christ, marks the beginning of a true Christian life. Genuine salvation produces a positive change of character – an internal transformation that metamorphoses into a visible and undeniable godly lifestyle. A born-again Christian thus becomes “a new creature” after old things have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Without doubt, genuine repentance produces genuine salvation. Unfortunately, many modern-day preachers have excluded repentance from sin in their sermon, in what they call “positive gospel”. All the prophets, the apostles, emphasised repentance as a precondition for God’s forgiveness. “Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out…” (Acts 3:19). You can do this by first acknowledging that you are a sinner, confessing yours sins and praying and asking God for forgiveness. He forgives the penitent sinner.
Thought For The Day: The fruits, not leaves, make the difference.
Bible Reading In One Year: Matthew 12:22; Luke 11
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
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DCLM Daily Manna 12 October 2018
by dailyd | Oct 13, 2018 | More
Topic: Retire from Self-Care
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation. — Psalm 42:5
God wants to take care of you, and He can do a much better job of it if you will avoid a problem called independence, which is really self-care.
The desire to take care of yourself is based on fear. You are afraid of what might happen if you entrust yourself totally to God and He doesn’t come through for you. The root problem of independence is you trust yourself more than you trust God.
People love to have a back-up plan. You may ask God to get involved in your life, but if He doesn’t respond as quickly as you’d like, you take control back into your own hands.
But God has a plan for you—and His plan is much better than yours. So, give yourself to Him and see what happens. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Prayer Starter: Father, I can’t do it on my own. Help me to place my trust in You and turn over complete control. I want Your plan for my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.
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Joyce Meyer Devotional 11 October 2018 — Freedom to Be Ourselves
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