When you look at the cross, you see the heart of Jesus.
Quotes of the month:
Though I created you without your help, I will not save you without it.
Dialogue of the Savior, Catherine of Siena
The Word of God is like a lion. You do not have to defend it, but need only let it loose and it will defend itself.
Charles Spurgeon
There can be no victory where there is no combat.
Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed
I was one way, and now I am completely different, and the thing that happened in between was Him.
Mary Magdaline as portrayed in the TV series The Chosen
We are not all in the same boat. We are in the same storm. Some have yachts. Some have canoes. Some are drowning. Just be kind and help whoever you can.
Unknown author
Why Are We Here?
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord: and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
Romans 14:8
If God had willed it, each of us might have entered heaven at the moment of conversion. It was not absolutely necessary for our preparation for immortality that we should linger here. It is possible for a man to be taken to heaven and to be found fit to partake in the inheritance of the saints in light, even though he has only just believed in Jesus. It is true that our sanctification is a long and continued process, and we shall not be perfected until we lay aside our bodies and enter within the veil; but nevertheless, if the Lord had wanted to, He could have changed us from imperfection to perfection and have taken us to heaven at once.
Why then are we here? Would God keep His children out of paradise a single moment longer than was necessary? Why is the army of the living God still on the battlefield when one charge might give them the victory? Why are His children still wandering here and there through a maze when a single word from His lips would bring them into the center of their hopes in heaven?
The answer is – they are here that they may “live to the Lord” and may bring others to know His love. We remain on earth as sowers to scatter good seed, as plowmen to break up the fallow ground, as heralds publishing salvation. We are here as “the salt of the earth,” to be a blessing to the world. We are here to glorify Christ in our daily life. We are here as workers for Him, and as workers together with Him. Let us see that our life fulfills this purpose. Let us live zealous, useful, holy lives, to “the praise of His glorious grace.”
Meanwhile we long to be with Him and daily sing – My heart is with Him on His throne,
And ill can brook delay;
Each moment listening for the voice,
“Rise up, and come away.”
Two references for the article: Matthew 5:13 and Ephesians 1:6
Source: Truth For Life Daily: Spurgeon Devotional
More Than A Book
By Paster James Merritt
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16 -17
Many different people have described the Bible throughout the centuries in many different ways. Here are just a few examples:
“A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”
Theodore Roosevelt
“Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.”
Ronald Reagan
“The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think. No book in the world equals the Bible for that.”
Harper Lee
“Hold fast to the Bible. To the influence of this Book we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization and to this we must look as our guide in the future.”
Ulysses S. Grant
“It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”
Mark Twain
To some, the Bible is an interesting read, but not really relevant for today’s culture. For others, the Bible contains good moral guidelines, but should not be taken literally. The Apostle Paul believed the Bible to be much more than this, though. In his letter to Timothy, he described all Scripture as the very words of God…breathed out by Him. It is therefore useful to teach, correct and train Christ followers – back in Paul’s day, in ours, and for those who follow after us.
If this is true – and I believe that it is – then it is important for all Christians to understand what the Bible is, and how we got this sacred Book.
The Bible is a collection of 66 books united by one common theme. It was written over a period of 1500 years, by more than 40 different authors, who lived on three different continents. It is miraculous indeed that these books have been collected, agreed upon, and accepted as the Word of God. Only God could accomplish that!
The Bible is divided into two parts called testaments – the Old and New. The word “testament” means covenant, which is a divine promise. It is important to understand that there is no difference between the Old Testament God and the New Testament God. There is one God; and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Old Testament is not out of date and irrelevant in today’s culture, and the New Testament is not God’s Plan B for saving the world. Both testaments are an unfolding of God’s plan to glorify His name in all nations by redeeming lost and rebellious people through His Son, Jesus.
Why do all these facts about the Bible matter, you may be thinking? It matters because the Bible is more than just a book. It reveals the very thoughts, intentions, and heart of the One and Only True God as He divinely spoke to men He ordained and enabled to pen each word.
The Divine Pattern of Marriage
By Pastor James Merritt
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27
There is a line that is clear when it comes to where you stand on marriage, and you will either be on one side or the other. You will either be on the side of celebration by accepting what culture says, or condemnation by affirming what God says. But I want to make a very clear point about marriage. Model marriage is what God has designed and what God has defined. In order to get this right, we are going to go back to the first wedding that resulted in the first marriage in history.
As you are going to see, I got this idea from Jesus, because the only time Jesus was asked specifically regarding divorce, He went back to the first book of the Bible, and so will we. When we do this, we will see what a true model marriage is. We’re going to look at the first truth we need to understand about marriage. Then we’ll look at a second truth.
The first thing we need to understand is the divine pattern of marriage. The first marriage was intended to be a model marriage. It was God’s visual example of why marriage is important, what it ought to be like, and who should be married. With this in mind, I want to point you to what Jesus said about marriage, and I want you to notice what He did.
Jesus quotes two verses from Genesis. He quoted Genesis 2:24, which really related to the question of divorce by saying, “What God has joined together, let no one separate.” That is all He really needed to say, but before that, He quoted Genesis 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
This verse had nothing to do with divorce; rather, it was talking about the sexual difference between a male and a female. You might think that would be irrelevant to the question of divorce today if someone’s sex doesn’t make any difference in marriage, but Jesus does quote it. Therefore, the clear point is that, according to Jesus, marriage is to be between a male and a female. Jesus said going all the way back to creation that this was the model marriage. For a marriage to be marriage, it must have two qualities: it must be monogamous (not polygamous) and it must be exclusively heterosexual. God did not give Adam two, three, or four helpers. He only gave one. He didn’t give Adam another male. He gave Adam a female. This is the definition of a model marriage, one that is clearly described in Scripture. And this is the type of marriage we should support and emulate as followers of Jesus.
“God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” Genesis 1:28
One of the divine purposes of marriage that God created is procreation. God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, therefore making it clear that God always intended marriage to be between a man and a woman.
The second truth we need to understand is the divine purpose of marriage. In Scripture, we are told that God created the male and then the female in His own image. They were alike in that they were human, but they were different in their sexuality, but that was for a reason. “God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and multiply.” The very first responsibility God gave to the very first couple was to be fruitful and multiply. In other words, to procreate – to have children in His image to be multiplied through both men and women, and He wanted both men and women to rule over the earth. He also wanted to have future generations of people who would love Him and follow Him and inherit the blessing that He promised them.
Now, this might seem obvious, but I think it’s worth stating that if God had created either two men or two women to be married, He certainly would have never given the command to be fruitful and multiply because two men and two women can’t multiply anything.
By the very fact that this is the unique, physical relationship that can produce children, God was also saying that children should be raised by a father and a mother. There are only two kinds of people who have the ability to produce the physical love in a relationship that makes children possible and that is male and female. Therefore, with this divine purpose in mind, we can clearly see God’s ideal for a model marriage.
Tidbits
Admittedly, I sometimes forget who came first, second, et cetera in Genesis, main character-wise. So I made a list; perhaps it might be helpful to you, as well.
Adam – 2:19
Eve – 3:20
Cain – 4:1
Abel – 4:2
Enoch – 4:17, Cain’s son
Seth – 4:25, Adam’s son
Noah – 5:29
Abram – 11:26, son of Terah. Later God changed his name to Abraham
Melchizedek – 15:18, mystery man of the Bible – king of Salem that Abraham met
Isaac – 17:19, son of Abraham
Jacob – 25:26, son of Isaac
Levi – 29:34, third son of Jacob
Israel – 32:38, the name first appears when God changed Jacob’s name to Israel
Esau – 32:33, Jacob’s brother, another one of Isaac’s sons
Ben-oni or Benjamin – 35:18
Joseph – 37:2, one of Jacob’s sons
Then Moses and Aaron show up in Exodus.
NEWS NOTES
I posted another video on the website recently answering the question posed by many about why I decided to create this website. So hopefully the video answers it. On the website go to the top navigational tool bar and you’ll see “videos.” Click on that and it will bring you to the video section.
Still collecting food and clothing for the Ukrainian refugees that landed in Lorain. If you have any donations, let me know and I’ll swing by and pick them up, and I thank you in advance.
A Prayer
O, God, our Father, hold forth thy light before me, recall me from my wanderings; and Thou, being my guide, may I be restored to myself and to Thee, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint Augustine
Tired of all the negative news on the regular news outlets, go to www.happynews.com and get some positive input
“God doesn’t require us to succeed, He only requires that you try.”
Mother Teresa
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