Devot. God's Memorial Day

Dear Friends,

I hope you have had a blessed week!

The devot. for today kicks off Memorial Day.

It's entitled 'God's Memorial Day.'  It remembers our men and women  who have fought and died of our country and also makes a spiritual application to the word 'memorial' in Scripture.

I hope you have a very blessed, restful long weekend!

Please remember that this freedom that we are celebrating this weekend is not free. 

It has been fought and paid for in blood (and still is being paid for).

If you see any of our servicemen and women this weekend, have the courage to go

up and say 'Thank You!"  It will mean the world to them.

The Lord be with you and your families this weekend in all you do!

Devot. http://www.icr.org/article/gods-memorial-day/ 

 

2 Petitions of Importance: http://aclj.org/ (Pastor Saeed, and Meriam Ibrahim- persecuted believers.  Please sign if you have not.)

Devot. No Merit of My Own

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a blessed weekend!   The devot. for today highlights the Biblical truth that we cannot get to Heaven based on our own goodness, good works, being a good person.

 

We can only get their by trusting Jesus as our way to get there and believing that His death and resurrection was more than sufficient to pay our sin debt and get us there.

 

Isaiah 64:6 states, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;"  God sees our human best as dirty, filthy rags compared to His goodness.

 

Nothing compares to God's perfect goodness! Romans 3:10, 3:23 says that there is no one on the earth that does good and sins not; we all have sinned. 

 

I heard a preacher say once that if we didn't earn our ticket to Heaven, then there is nothing that we can do to keep it.  It was given to us as a free gift bought and paid for by Christ's death and resurrection (Romans 5:15-21). 

 

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works (what we do), lest any man should boast (least we take pride in getting to Heaven)." 

 

 Just as no parent wants their child to pay them for a Christmas or b'day gift that they worked, saved, sacrificed for, so God does not want us to try and pay our way to Heaven.   It has already been paid for by JESUS and though His blood! 

 

 I hope the devot. and links are a blessed reminder that your sin debt was paid in full and there is nothing that you have to do to earn your way to Heaven.  Your 'ticket' has already been paid for by Jesus.   Lord give you and your loved ones peace and safety this coming week!

 

Devot. http://www.icr.org/article/7776/

 

Song Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbgh5qmc8xs         

 

Scripture Link:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+3%3A5-7&version=KJV 

Devot. Nothing But the Blood

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a blessed, safe week and Happy Mom's Day!

The devot. for today is the story behind the hymn "Nothing But the Blood." 

It gives the Scriptural bases for the message of the hymn.  I have also included a video link that is very good.  It is the sermon that behind one of last week's devots.- The Precious Blood of Jesus.  It isn't extremely long, but it is powerful. 

 

I have heard bits and pieces of it and would be HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU to PLEASE listen to it this weekend, or if you can't fw this email to a personal/home email, listen to bits of it over your lunch breaks next week. The message is simple, but powerful!

 

May the Lord richly bless and protect you and your loved ones this week with His peace, presence and provision and may He be in the center of all you do!  (Devot., sermon link below).

Devot:  http://revivalsounds.homestead.com/midihymnhistory/nothingbuttheblood.html

Video Link:  http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/video-archives/content.aspx?topic=The_Precious_Blood_of_Jesus_video

Devot. The Blood of Christ

Dear Friends,

I pray you had a blessed week!

I am excited to share this devot. and one of my all time favorite songs with you.

We are going to be delving into the importance of Christ's blood yet again.

You may be thinking,  "Why explain the importance of Christ's blood again?"

Because Christ's perfect, sinless blood is paramount and key to the forgiveness of

our sins. 

 

As you will read in Scripture, the Old Testament sacrifices paid for the sins of the person

offering it, but not once and for all.  Sacrifices had to be made very year. But Christ's

sacrifice covered a multitude of sins (the whole world's !) and He only had to die once

and it was enough.  

1 Peter 3:18 states, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened (made alive) by the Spirit:"

I pray that the Lord would use this devot. to spiritually 'turn on some light bulbs' and cause you to understand the importance of Christ's blood to you personality.   Lord bless and protect you and your families this weekend!  (Devot., song below)

Devot. http://www.intouch.org/you/article-archive/content?topic=the_blood_of_christ_article#.U12pGRjD_mI   

 

Song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7CHddSMDXc