Food for thought

28th March 2011

A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying in other words that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

Alexander Pope

 

 

Praise and Worship Rainbow Ribbons
A beautiful gift

&

Here's another of my new songs.... Prodigal Son

You did it all

 

 

 

Spiritual Exercise!!!

I find it so much more interesting going round the gym, exercising my faith in God's promises at the same time. Starting on the treadmill, I meditate and walk on the promises about the healing and forgiveness the blood of Jesus, obtained for me. I continue round the gym on other equipment meditating on how God is keeping that which has been committed to Him, how He renews my youth like the eagles and how my children shall be taught of the Lord. etc. etc.

I always feel so much stronger in my faith when I do this and find that the Word of God gets deep into my heart.

Then today I found this.... Its talking about how to help to eat the right food.. Well maybe it can also mean the right spiritual food!!!

Boost your will power with a quick squeeze

As John Paul Jackson says in this article... "we need to order our thoughts in the right direction. We need to think about whatever is true, pure, just, noble, holy, virtuous and praiseworthy."

The art of thinking 'lightly'

March 2011
by John Paul Jackson

 

28th March 2011

The Lord is saying. So you are still not fully convinced that I am working for your good in the shakings of the week. Yet I affirm I am truly working all this round to your good. Have I not said that they would surely gather together against you, but no weapon formed against you will prosper. That which I require from you is praise and thanksgiving. I am most assuredly working behind the scenes. Blessed are they who wait upon me.

 

Seven images of Salvation

Last week I heard this sermon from Frank Mwiko, and thought I would like to share it with you. He explained something that I had not thought of before. There are certain words which the bible uses to show some of the benefits Jesus obtained for us and previously I had just lumped them all together thinking they meant the same thing.

This is how Frank distinquishes the intricacies of and what benefits each word holds for us......

 

"The New Testament uses a wide range of images to express the richness of the work of Christ. Each of these images give part of the picture of what Jesus Christ has done for us."

 

1. Ransom..

is a word describing the price paid to achieve someone's freedom.

Mark 10: 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Strong's concordance explains that a ransom is something to loosen with.. that it is a redemption price

John 8: 34 - 36 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. .

Jesus gave himself to be a ransom to buy us back from slavery to the curse of the law..

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law

 

2. Redemption...

is a word meaning "buying back" or for a slave "buying freedom".

Strong's concordance explains that this is the act of fully buying back.

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

In Ephesians 1: 13,14 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

So to distinquish between the two words... Ransom and redemption. We see that the ransom is the price, whereas redemption is the act of buying back... We also see in Ephesians there is the indication that not only have we redemption but there will be a time of fully being redeemed. (Note from Shirley: I believe this is underlining that our spirits truly are redeemed but there will be a time when our minds and bodies are fully redeemed from all the effects of the sin of Adam and Eve).

 

3. Salvation..

Means to be rescued or delivered from a dangerous situation. The word also means healing.

Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

 

4. Forgiveness

This can be seen in two ways. In legal or financial terms, forgiveness is like the cancellation of a debt.

In personal relationship, forgiveness means the setting aside of a personal hurt or injury.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace . . . But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph_1:7; Eph_2:13)

 

5. Justification....

Means being put right with God, as if declared a court to be in the right

Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Its Just-as-if-I'd I never sinned

 

6. Reconciliation...

Means the repair of a broken relationship. God reconciles us to Himself. He acts to restore a friendship, when we respond to His initiative.

2 Corinthians 5:18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:


7. Adoption...

Making us legal children of God.. Faith in Jesus Christ brings about a change in our status, from the outside to a family member of God.

Galatians 4:4-5 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

 


 

 

 


 

I would be pleased to hear from you, therefore I have created a contact form, for you to send me your thoughts or questions etc. Shirley

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer Requests

Please pray for A, She has been into some really bad occult things due to thinking she had lost her salvation. She wants to come back to the Lord. Please pray that she will turn from all the lies of the enemy and be totally set free in the love of Jesus.

Please pray for L. She has 6 children. Her eldest, just a young teenager has tried to commit suicide on numerous occasions. Her son's homework is anger management and all the family have stopped going to church. L is smoking and letting the children smoke. Please pray and cover this family against the attacks of satan and that the root problems will get dealt with.

Please could you continue to pray for A's son that he will stay free from drugs and from the people who encouraged him in the past to take them. Please pray for his complete salvation in Jesus.

 

Please continue to pray for the P family. The husband very sick and in pain. His daughter feels the morphine is confusing him yet he needs drastic painkiller. Please pray for peace and wisdom in the situation

 

Please continue to pray for Jack who has cancer.

Please pray for a lady I met at the gym who is thinking about being a Christian. Her husband Fred has cancer of the oesophagus. Please pray they will both get saved and the husband will get healed.

 

Christian Bookshop

A couple of months ago, I felt the Lord was telling me to sing at the stall. He even gave me a date.... 25th March. I knew that this would mean that I would be taking an amplifier in, but the chances of getting permission to sing were very slim.

My chance came when I learnt that Urban Biz who helped me start up in the market, were celebrating outside. So I had a good excuse to just get on with it, and plead ignorance if anyone came to tell me to be quiet.

Bill Caine came to support me and I sung with the volume louder than I knew. I thought people were complaining but the next day, the opposite was true and they loved it. Maybe the Lord will have me doing a stint again.

I was blessed by a man coming to the stall who could'nt seem to get away. He came back apologising. The second time he came back he explained that the Lord wanted him to give me £30 towards the rent. Isn't God amazing!!! Thanks Jesus.

 

Shirley

 

 

Inspirational moments

More beautiful poems by Catherine

 

 

Watch of the Lord

Gudrun Brewster

PRAYER REQUESTS FOR THE NATIONS

 

 

The Word of the Lord Ministries Int'l

Katey Moreland

What Katey's doing next.......

 

Hoekstra

March 28

Intimacy of Relationship in Christ

 


But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph_2:13)
We have begun to see that the new covenant of grace is a covenant of relationship. The simple phrase "in Christ" indicates the extent of the intimacy that is available by grace. "In Christ" is where we live spiritually. It is also how we live. As sure as a fish is in the ocean and lives on the resources of the ocean, we are "in Christ" and live on the resources of Christ. As sure as a unborn child is in the mother and lives on the life of the mother, we are "in Christ" and live on the life of Christ.
We who believe in Jesus are not only "brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph_2:13), we are joined to Him in a "united closeness," like a body is to its head. "He is the head of the body, the church" (Col_1:18). We can relate to the Lord Jesus more closely than the members of our physical body relate to our physical head. We can look to Jesus for direction and coordination. We can depend upon Him for planning, guiding, and timing in our entire lives. We can anticipate that He will monitor, maintain, and adjust our situations.
This union of intimacy is also like a vine and its branches. "I am the vine, you are the branches" (Joh_15:5). We can look to Christ for our very life source. We don't have to produce a life on our own. We can concentrate on abiding (depending) on Him. He makes our lives fruitful and effective.
The intimate relationship the Lord wants to develop with us is also likened to the joining of a husband and a wife. "You also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, even to Him who was raised from the dead" (Rom_7:4). We can count upon Jesus to love us faithfully and sacrificially. We can rest in His constant companionship, never leaving us for any reason throughout our pilgrimage here on earth.
What blessings are ours for time and eternity "in Christ." Joined intimately to Christ, nothing can separate us from the love and kindness that He has for us: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. . . that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Rom_8:38-39 and Eph_2:7).


Lord Jesus, I am overwhelmed by the intimacy that is available to me, now that I am united to You. Lord, I want to depend upon You as my Vine, follow You as my head, and love You as my bridegroom. Lord, please continue to reveal to me the implications of being joined to You for all time and eternity, in Your holy name I pray, Amen.