PURPOSE
Thursday, July 22
Our greatest purpose in the life that we have is to love and be loved by our Maker. Nothing else matters. No one else matters. Only God. He is our source of life, strength, might, courage, power, love, peace, fulfillment, joy and every good thing. Knowing God's love and experiencing Him on a daily basis is the greatest source of strength and encouragement to do all that He has commanded. We rely on His love. To do good works without His love would be good, but it would lack. Your purpose is to love God and be loved by God. Anything apart from that will always be wanting. But our God says, He is our sheppherd, we shall not be in want. Praise God.
Affliction can lead to offense
Sunday, June 6
Study of Matthew 11:1-19
Let us first look at verses 2 & 3
Please note that it said that John had already heard of the works of Christ. That is not too hard to believe considering that at some point in time his disciples must have reported to him all that they had witnessed Jesus doing. They must have told him about Jesus preaching to Matthew and the tax collectors, or about the blind that received their sight and the deaf that now hear. And they also must have mentioned to John that Jesus was raising the dead, the lame were standing up and walking and incurable diseases were being cured.
Not only did John's disciples testify of the works of Jesus but John himself also testified of who Jesus was and witnessed with his eyes the Spirit of God descending from heaven upon him like a dove. It was John who saw Jesus approaching him and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" and "I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." (John 1:29-36)
John knew who Jesus was and believe in Him. So then, why was he asking Christ if he was really the Son of God? Let us read on. After John's disciples asked Jesus John's question ...
John was a great prophet of God. He had a calling on his life that could not be shaken for even the prophet Isaiah spoke of him during his prophetic ministry. John spent his entire life in servitude to the Lord. He was humble and did not seek after glory, fame or riches. He faithfully stayed his course and when Jesus came to him, he was ready to receive him. Now there came a time when John got Herod the Tetrarch very angry since he reproved him for his brother's wife Herodias and his wicked lifestyle. For that reason, Herod threw John in to prison and John was in danger of being beheaded. Let us imagine his conditions in prison for just a moment. Picture the solitude of his cell, the darkness, his frail body laying flat on the ground as he lamented to God day and night. Imagine the smell - the air filled with a mix of pungent odors, the type that one never seems to get accustomed to. Food probably came every other day, if so much, and was not anything to desire.
John was an afflicted man. I could imagine him reflecting on the life that he lived, bringing to remembrance all that he had done for God. He must have asked God a thousand times, "Why?" "Why are you allowing me to suffer in this prison?" His prayers seemed to get no further than the ceiling and his soul found no rest. He refused to be comforted by the Holy Spirit who tried to tell him of the great reward in store for those who endure. I could also imagine his thoughts changing as his hope faded and anger and discontent surrounded him to "Are you really God? Because if you were, you would have rescued me by now? Why would God cause me to die like a dog in prison?" He allowed his flesh to get the best of him and that is when, through the bars of his cell, he commanded his disciples to relay his question to Jesus, "are you really the son of God?"
But God, in His lovingkindness, gently responded to John with an answer and a rebuke to comfort his soul during his affliction. Jesus then already forgave John for his sin and began to speak very highly of him to the multitudes that had surrounded Jesus. (Mat 11:7-19) Because he loved John and he understood his affliction.
Jesus has been in our position. He has been tempted, tormented, afflicted, persecuted, teased, beat up, alone, betrayed multiple times, forsaken by everyone, lied on, lied to, grieved, doubted by others, and every other situation you can find yourself in, Jesus has been there. He loves you, and wants you to understand that he knows how you feel. But do not lose heart, and do not be offended by him when it seems as if he is no where to be found, or it seems as if he doesn't care. He does because he LOVES you.
Let us first look at verses 2 & 3
2Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Please note that it said that John had already heard of the works of Christ. That is not too hard to believe considering that at some point in time his disciples must have reported to him all that they had witnessed Jesus doing. They must have told him about Jesus preaching to Matthew and the tax collectors, or about the blind that received their sight and the deaf that now hear. And they also must have mentioned to John that Jesus was raising the dead, the lame were standing up and walking and incurable diseases were being cured.
Not only did John's disciples testify of the works of Jesus but John himself also testified of who Jesus was and witnessed with his eyes the Spirit of God descending from heaven upon him like a dove. It was John who saw Jesus approaching him and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" and "I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." (John 1:29-36)
John knew who Jesus was and believe in Him. So then, why was he asking Christ if he was really the Son of God? Let us read on. After John's disciples asked Jesus John's question ...
"4Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:In verse 6, Jesus told John to not be offended by Him. Why would John, a man filled with the Holy Spirit since he was in the womb, be offended by Jesus? Let us use our minds for a moment to put ourselves in John's position.
5The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
6And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me."
John was a great prophet of God. He had a calling on his life that could not be shaken for even the prophet Isaiah spoke of him during his prophetic ministry. John spent his entire life in servitude to the Lord. He was humble and did not seek after glory, fame or riches. He faithfully stayed his course and when Jesus came to him, he was ready to receive him. Now there came a time when John got Herod the Tetrarch very angry since he reproved him for his brother's wife Herodias and his wicked lifestyle. For that reason, Herod threw John in to prison and John was in danger of being beheaded. Let us imagine his conditions in prison for just a moment. Picture the solitude of his cell, the darkness, his frail body laying flat on the ground as he lamented to God day and night. Imagine the smell - the air filled with a mix of pungent odors, the type that one never seems to get accustomed to. Food probably came every other day, if so much, and was not anything to desire.
John was an afflicted man. I could imagine him reflecting on the life that he lived, bringing to remembrance all that he had done for God. He must have asked God a thousand times, "Why?" "Why are you allowing me to suffer in this prison?" His prayers seemed to get no further than the ceiling and his soul found no rest. He refused to be comforted by the Holy Spirit who tried to tell him of the great reward in store for those who endure. I could also imagine his thoughts changing as his hope faded and anger and discontent surrounded him to "Are you really God? Because if you were, you would have rescued me by now? Why would God cause me to die like a dog in prison?" He allowed his flesh to get the best of him and that is when, through the bars of his cell, he commanded his disciples to relay his question to Jesus, "are you really the son of God?"
But God, in His lovingkindness, gently responded to John with an answer and a rebuke to comfort his soul during his affliction. Jesus then already forgave John for his sin and began to speak very highly of him to the multitudes that had surrounded Jesus. (Mat 11:7-19) Because he loved John and he understood his affliction.
Jesus has been in our position. He has been tempted, tormented, afflicted, persecuted, teased, beat up, alone, betrayed multiple times, forsaken by everyone, lied on, lied to, grieved, doubted by others, and every other situation you can find yourself in, Jesus has been there. He loves you, and wants you to understand that he knows how you feel. But do not lose heart, and do not be offended by him when it seems as if he is no where to be found, or it seems as if he doesn't care. He does because he LOVES you.
conscious christian reggae
Solomon Jabby - Prayer and Meditation
Lyrics:
We are living in a time of mass communication/ There are many sources of daily destraction/ too many voices are fighting for our attention/ we permit our minds to focus on the tension/
the solitude of creation will offer some prevention/ let us steal away to another dimension/ A little prayer and meditation/ We'll find strength in supplication/ Withdraw from all preoccupation/
It's the healing of all the nations/ We are living in a time of massive confusion/ We are suffering from mental intrusion/ You know mankind shall never live on bread alone/ Let us steal away
and seek the throne/ The solitude of creation will offer some prevention/ Let us steal away to another dimension/ A little prayer and meditation/ We'll find strength in supplication/ Withdraw
from all preoccupation/ It's the healing of all the nations/ Meditate in silent so the Truth can be found/ Distraction choked my seed that I buried in the ground/ Escape far away from all this
interference/ We will find our rest with a little perseverance/ The solitude of creation will offer some prevention/ Let us steal away to another dimension.
Lyrics:
We are living in a time of mass communication/ There are many sources of daily destraction/ too many voices are fighting for our attention/ we permit our minds to focus on the tension/
the solitude of creation will offer some prevention/ let us steal away to another dimension/ A little prayer and meditation/ We'll find strength in supplication/ Withdraw from all preoccupation/
It's the healing of all the nations/ We are living in a time of massive confusion/ We are suffering from mental intrusion/ You know mankind shall never live on bread alone/ Let us steal away
and seek the throne/ The solitude of creation will offer some prevention/ Let us steal away to another dimension/ A little prayer and meditation/ We'll find strength in supplication/ Withdraw
from all preoccupation/ It's the healing of all the nations/ Meditate in silent so the Truth can be found/ Distraction choked my seed that I buried in the ground/ Escape far away from all this
interference/ We will find our rest with a little perseverance/ The solitude of creation will offer some prevention/ Let us steal away to another dimension.
Cuzzzzz, My Daddy says so!
Saturday, June 5
Have you ever found yourself worried about your life? Have your feelings or emotions ever gotten the better of you? Do you ever wonder about why you are the way you are? I have. I know how it feels when it seems like no one else understands how you are feeling and I know how it feels to be completely alone even though I know I am not. It's times like these where I play back unchangeable circumstances in your mind wondering where I went wrong. Aw man, Satan is such a liar. He gets me sooo mad!! Grrrr.
You know what my Daddy said? He said that He will never leave me nor will he forsake me. You know what that means? It means that I am never alone. You want to know what else he said? He said that I should never worry about my life, because my heavenly Father knows what I need. He also said that he is my Healer, my Deliverer. He said that I am more than a a conquerer and that NOTHING can separate me from His love. He said that "I will heal you so you can heal others. I will lead you, so you can lead others & I will love you so you can love others. Do not worry about your life. Live your life to help others, build up others and edify your brothers. I will take care of you."
I'm out folks.
You know what my Daddy said? He said that He will never leave me nor will he forsake me. You know what that means? It means that I am never alone. You want to know what else he said? He said that I should never worry about my life, because my heavenly Father knows what I need. He also said that he is my Healer, my Deliverer. He said that I am more than a a conquerer and that NOTHING can separate me from His love. He said that "I will heal you so you can heal others. I will lead you, so you can lead others & I will love you so you can love others. Do not worry about your life. Live your life to help others, build up others and edify your brothers. I will take care of you."
I'm out folks.
Wednesday, June 2
My quest in life at this very moment is to discover who I am in Christ Jesus.
What's yours?
Bus Stop Bible Studies
Bus Stop Bible Studies Ministry
If you are a communter in toronto then you may have already had the pleasure of seeing the Bible Bus Stop Ministry in action! I remember the first time that I witnessed it. I was walking along side of a bus parked infront of my school and the huge letters posted on the side of the bus caught my attention. It read, "God, how can I reach you?" I remember how shocked I was that someone was actually promoting God - not just any God, but the One, True and Living God! I fell even more in love with God. It made me think of how He loves people so much that He puts it in the heart of a few faithful stewards to reach the world where they are - outside of the church. Well of course, as soon as I went home I rushed to my computer to check out their website. Everything was totally legit as far as I could tell. Bible believing, People loving, Up to the times ministry. It was awesome. Below I have shared a small portion of their mission statement so that you can see where they are coming from."The mission of Bus Stop Bible Studies is to present the Word of God to the general public, in the form of Bible studies, using advertising panels inside buses, LRT (Light Rapid Transit), subway cars, and similar mediums. Bus Stop Bible Studies will present God's Word in a clear and concise manner, challenging the reader to think about what they have read by posing thoughtful, searching questions. Through the use of our website and volunteer follow-up, we wish to provide encouragement and direction to those who are impacted by the Bus Stop Bible studies.
The vision of Bus Stop Bible Studies is to see the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly presented, in a way that will bring individuals into a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ, bringing glory and honour to God the Father. This will be accomplished by displaying the Word of God in every transit system in Canada, the United States and beyond. We believe that God is a God of grace, love and righteousness, who wishes that all humanity be restored to a personal and loving relationship with Him."
Also, I would like to show you how their bible studies are presented.
Click Here to see more.
Are you interested in finding out more about this ministry? Click on one of the links provided:
Bus Stop Bible Studies Home Page
Finding a Bible
Make a Donation
Questions concerning religious advertising in the public square
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