THE THINGS WE PRAY FOR

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. (Colossians 4:12)

Have you ever "struggled in prayer" on behalf of someone? I'm noting today, as I have my daily Bible reading in Colossians, the different things Paul and other servants of the Lord prayed for. There are many throughout the Bible. I think it would be a good study. There are those in my heart who I do struggle in prayer for. I love that the Bible lays out for us a guide as to how we should pray for them, because sometimes we just don't really know how to. We "struggle in prayer" rather than in the flesh, bringing their situations before God, crying out to God on their behalf. When we don't go to the Lord in prayer, instead too often we walk away from a need or problem because it is too much for us, or we try to "fix it" in ourselves and fix others. Sometimes we pray selfishly even for others...for what we want to see in them, or what we want them to be for our benefit. But do we struggle in prayer for them to stand mature in the Lord, fully assured in all the will of God, that God may be glorified in them?

I thought it would be good just to bring out a few of Paul's prayers on behalf of fellow believers. My favorite is two prayers in Ephesians.

Ephesians 1:16-20
(16) I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
(17) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
(18) having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
(19) and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
(20) that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

He prayed first of all, to the "Father of all glory" - of personal absolute perfect excellency - our Father through Christ Jesus. We need to look at Who our God is, His attributes, hallowing Him in our hearts, which gives us faith in Him then, as we bring our supplications before Him. What an incredible thing that we can pray to Him! He asked for the "Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." Unless the Lord opens our eyes, we are blind, spiritually. "Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened" - we have an inner being that is made alive or enlightened when His Spirit comes into us to make us His own children. It is only those so enlightened that can receive that wisdom and revelation that comes from Him alone. Paul prays for that in them in order that they might "know the hope of His calling" and "the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."

Why would he pray this? So many go on in the Christian life as if all depended on their own ability and strength to live it, but we need to see and understand that power that lives in us, that power that gave us a very real hope of eternal salvation that cannot be taken from us, is complete, is a work of Christ alone, and is a work of power sufficient for all, which is "to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead." Do we grasp that power? That power that lives in us? Do we really see it and put our faith in it for our daily struggles, temptations, trials and sufferings in this life? Paul is praying they will see this - get a revelation of it in their innermost being. What a prayer! We certainly know that if we pray this for those we are burdened for, as well as for ourselves, we are praying according to God's will.

Then there is another prayer in Ephesians Paul prays.

Ephesians 3:14-21
(14) For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
(15) from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
(16) that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
(17) so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
(18) may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
(19) and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
(20) Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
(21) to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Once again, it is through being "strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being" that He prays they would know the presence of Christ in their hearts and His love together in the body of Christ. What a wonderful prayer to pray for our homes, our families, and our churches! How can we go wrong in our relationships if we are praying for this? And God is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask for or think? And that because of "the power that works within us." And all this is for His glory in the church.

So many times we just don't know how to pray. We do struggle in prayer at times, just not understanding perhaps what the cause of a problem is, what the solution is, how to pray, how to know God's will. Any time I am struggling to know how to pray, these prayers help me. No matter what the situation, when we pray these prayers, we are getting God's heart and will to work in that person's life and in ours as well.

Here is another prayer that stands out to me:

Colossians 1:9-12
(9) And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
(10) so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
(11) May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
(12) giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Again Paul prays that they would be "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might" which is what enables these prayers for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and the ability to walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him, bearing fruit, etc., to be fulfilled in them. It is God who qualifies us, gives us the power, and enables us. Our prayers bring that grace to others. By prayer we actually are able to bring His grace to ourselves as well as another. That is a great thing!!

for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, (Philippians 1:19)

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

These prayers are always given in faith in the power of God, and in the will of God. They are always given with thanksgiving. How often do we struggle in prayer and then walk away as burdened as we were to begin with if not more so, because we really are not praying in faith, believing He will hear and answer, and not giving thanks for His perfect wisdom and will in taking the burden of this situation or person into His care, and working in it. As we pray we also need to "cast the care" of all onto Him, because He cares for us more than we can rightly care for ourselves or others.

Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. 1 Peter 5:7 (Amplified Bible)

Do we really have faith in Him, or do we think we still have to fret and worry and take care of things ourselves? Do we trust His will and His love? When we don't, we grieve the Lord and quench His Spirit.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

When we pray according to the Scripture, we know we are praying according to His will, and we have His promise that He hears us and will answer. We can pray in faith, and we can cast the care all onto Him. We can walk in assurance that God is working, whether or not we see anything outwardly happening.

Struggling in prayer does not always mean we are praying with unbelief. I believe Epaphroditus and Paul prayed in faith, yet they struggled earnestly for the church in prayer. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but there are times we struggle with the powers of darkness in prayer, standing against them as we stand our ground for the Lord. We must be strengthened again in the power of His might in order to do so.

Ephesians 6:10-18
(10) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
(11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
(12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
(13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
(14) Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
(15) and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
(16) In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
(17) and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
(18) praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

This is one of the most thorough guidelines for us to come before the Lord in prayer that Paul gives us through the Holy Spirit in the Word, I believe. It has precise instructions for us, and refers back to Ephesians 1-2 giving us the ground we are to stand on. Our prayers are not effective if we are not "putting on" the full armor of God and standing dressed in all He has provided for us. We don't have the strength to stand and to do spiritual battle for ourselves or others if we are not "strengthened in the power of His might" being "strong in the Lord." Key phrase - "in the Lord." Only those "in Christ" have this available to them. The world neither understands or has that armor in order to stand against the powers of darkness. In fact, the Bible tells us they are under the influence of the evil one. That's why as we pray for unsaved loved ones we must pray that the Lord will grant them the grace to have their eyes opened to the truth where satan has blinded their minds and hardened their hearts.

These are just a few of the prayers the Lord gives us in His Word and instructions regarding prayer. We can read books on prayer, others' experiences with prayer, testimonies of prayer, and so forth, but as we are in the Word itself we find our hearts molded according to His heart, and His Spirit filling us with the spirit of prayer and intercession according to His will and understanding, and empowers us with all that we need to come before Him. And if we pray according to His will, with the mind of Christ, we know we have the things we ask for. Prayer is for every child of God, no matter what his level of maturity in the Lord. It is not just for the "spiritual giant" and in fact many who think they are spiritual giants because they have learned some special formula for getting from God, are missing out completely on what God has in mind through prayer.

1 John 5:14-15
(14) And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
(15) And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Prayer is our avenue of fellowship and communion with God. It is a way for us to learn to know His heart and will as well as surrender of ours to Him. It is a way that we communicate with Him and He with us. It is our interacting with His Word which is living, as we make that communication of Him to us ours back to Him. It is vital in our relationship with God. Oh how we miss out if we are not in prayer!

Thank You Father, for the awesome privilege of prayer. Thank You for Your guidelines and promises and assurances in Your Word as we do. I pray that You'll grant us the grace to pray more and not neglect this wonderful privilege! Show us how much we are missing because we do not bring all before You, asking in Jesus name.

If you want to know more about this salvation and are not sure you are going to Heaven, you can know. His Word assures us how we can know. Click here to read more.

FULFILLMENT IN CHRIST

Colossians 2:6-10
(6) As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
(7) Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
(8) Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
(9) For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
(10) And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power

Everyone is looking for fulfillment in life. It's amazing at how many different directions that pursuit takes people. Some try to find it in doing good to others and some seek it by taking all they can get from others. Some think giving themselves to every passion and desire will give them fulfillment. Some think asceticism and giving up everything that in any way gives pleasure will help them to find their real selves and be fulfilled. No matter what direction we choose, good or evil, our hearts are hungry to be filled with what we think will satisfy our longing for fulfillment, purpose, and satisfaction in this life.

As believers we are aware that the world's way will not fulfill us. We have tried the life of sin and found it to be destructive in our own lives as well as for others in our life. We've come to know Christ as our Savior and we seek His fulfillment in our lives. But even in the church, there is controversy over what that means. "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." When the church borrows philosophies from the world, from humanism, and tries to adapt them to their Christian life, there will be problems. Many times we do this without even realizing it. We hear those worldly ways of thinking so much that unless we are in the Word continually, filling ourselves with that Word of Christ, rooted, built up, and established in faith in Him, then those worldly humanistic philosophies begin to sound very good to us, and very much like truth. If we don't understand our position in Christ that we are dead with Him…dead to sin, self, and the world, and alive with Him…risen up to a new life, a new nature, a new power within us to live unto Him, then we are still living under the old way of thinking. That way of thinking tells us we must find our happiness and fulfillment in this life, and now as believers Christ is to provide that for us. We try to find it in our "calling" as if there is one calling for us and can only be fulfilled in that calling.

Even when we want to live with our whole hearts for the Lord, in Christian zeal, wanting to serve Him, we are unaware of our motives. Zeal for God is a good thing, right? We're supposed to live for the Lord. We're supposed to serve Him. We're supposed to go out and win souls, right? So in our zeal to do so, we are unaware that we are doing it for ourselves…our own fulfillment as a Christian. We're doing it for our own spiritual benefit, rather than for His glory. How do we know if this is true?

The first time I heard that I was shocked. I didn't think there was anything wrong with me zealously wanting to be busy serving the Lord. I didn't see how my seeking God and spiritual gain could possibly be something selfish. But the Lord showed me my heart, by showing me my failure of loving those around me. I put my "work for the Lord" and my "seeking spiritual blessing" and "gifts" above the person next to me and their needs. Sometimes the people right there in front of us that are a trial in our lives, or the person at church that is a trial for us, or the person at work that God put in our lives to test us, they are the ones God gave us to love and serve. Instead we look at programs and events and conferences we can be involved in and go to for our growth as what God wants for us and we don't feel fulfilled unless we are busy with them. We don't feel like we're "doing anything for the Lord." When something inspires us that we heard or read, we consider it "spiritual growth." Sometimes God chastises us and takes us aside, when a relationship is not right, until we see that all our serving or learning or seeking is nothing to Him, but that relationship is. We are meant to walk in humility and love toward one another. Are we neglecting that? If we are sensitive to His Spirit, we will begin to see that the trials and failures and hardships that come into our lives are the real things that God uses to grow us and make us and fill us.

The Lord began to show me the difference between selfish motives of serving and serving out of love. He began showing me that what I thought was my service to Him many times was wood, hay, and stubble. He also showed me that many times we think the "doing" is serving, when He is really looking for what we are "being." We have to take the time for Him to make us a vessel of honor and fill us with His Spirit, working in us a humility, grace, and brokenness before we can come out of ourselves in order to see the true needs of those closest to us, and those around us. Are we being Christ to them?

If there is a trial in a relationship in your life, bring that relationship before the Lord. Don't look at how that other person has failed you, but ask the Lord where you have failed them. Ask the Lord if you have loved them the same way you wanted to be loved by them, or respected them the same way you wanted to be respected by them, or if you have thought of their needs above your own, or esteemed them as more important than yourself, as our own Lord has done for us. Would you rather be wounded yourself than to hurt them? I found out myself that when His love was really in my heart for someone, that was the case. I would rather be hurt than to see that one hurt. I would rather suffer an offense than to "put them in their place." And as I brought my hurt and disappointment to the Lord instead of trying to fix them, I found the Lord worked in that person's heart and they began to see. That may not always happen, but when we are truly acting in love, the Lord works in hearts!

Philippians 2:3-8
3) Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
(4) Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
(5) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
(6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
(7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
(8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

That's a good test every time we find ourselves in conflict. It's easy to point to the other person. Maybe the other person is reacting to us. Perhaps the Lord does need to deal with them, and perhaps they have wronged you. But all you can do is take your own heart before the Lord and allow Him to humble you, and to change you, and to make you what He wants you to be for that person. It is no accident God brought that person into your life. They are not a "hindrance" to your growth or your "work" for the Lord. Nothing can be if we are walking in the Spirit daily. Paul served while in chains. Every opportunity, whether in prison or free, was an opportunity for Christ. Rather than being a hindrance to growth or service, they are your growth and service. God is teaching you to walk in humility, grace, and love. He uses those closest to us to teach us that. Sometimes He uses our own family. Sometimes he uses friends or people in church who are difficult. Sometimes he uses enemies. But none are accidents in your life. We have to ask the Lord what He wants to reveal to us through each one.

Many times God takes away the very things in our lives we thought was our fulfillment in finding our place in serving Him. We thought we were called to a particular calling or ministry. But we find hindrances to that and we find it just doesn't happen. Something comes along to test us and things happen beyond our control. It looks like all hope for that is gone. But what is our fulfillment in Christ? It is being obedient to Him in the circumstances He puts us in, and allowing Him to have His way in us, trusting His hand. It is submitting ourselves to what He is trying to teach us. It is trusting Him to be glorified through whatever circumstances you find yourself in, and asking how He wants to be glorified in you through it. Perhaps sickness makes it impossible for you to go on a missions trip, or to be active in programs in the church or other ways of serving Him. If the Lord allows it, He has a purpose and has a plan to be glorified in you right where you are. He'll take care of the other things. Perhaps you planned on being involved in a ministry, but there is trouble in your own home and you have a rebellious child, or a sick or troubled child, or problems in your marriage. You feel that these things are hindrances and in your way. They are not in God's way. You may have to give up the "ministry" that you thought to find your niche, your fulfillment in, and this is not the plan you had for your life, but it is God's plan for you to be there for them. It is God's plan sometimes for you to give up your dreams for another person, to help them find Christ. It's God's plan for you to put others before yourself and ask how you can love that person better, and remember they are just as precious in God's eyes as you are, and that they are those who Christ shed His precious blood for as well. How much better to know that I pleased God by walking in love, that I would rather be wronged than to harm one that Christ died for, than that I was active in a lot of "doings" for Him. If I am doing, doing, doing, but not "being" my doing becomes nothing of any worth at all.

What is my real fulfillment? It is denying myself, taking up my cross, and following Christ. It is walking in an abiding relationship with Him every day, as I sit at His feet and listen to His heart, through His Word, letting Him lead me, and trusting His hand in every circumstance in my life, submitting myself under His mighty hand that in due time He might lift me up. It is giving up all seeking of my own fulfillment just to find it in only pleasing Him and not myself. It is seeking His glory and giving up my own. I may find my church does not fulfill my needs. I may find my family does not fulfill my needs. I may find my friends don't fulfill my needs. I've seen people go from one place to another seeking those to do so, and always leaving behind a path of hurt, and being hurt because they are never going to find that. But if God puts us in a place and He is the one Who led us there, than as we learn to walk in love and serve one another there, that's where we will find our place in Christ. We won't find perfection in people, and maybe we'll have to "bear with one another" for a time, and maybe we won't have opportunity to use our "gifts," but we are learning to be His church, and His children, and allowing Him to work in our hearts, and through that we become a testimony to the world and others around us. It is in that, that we are receiving true gifts from Him that can have true value to others and it is through the process that true fruit of the Spirit is developed in us and will flow through us and God is glorified in our midst. We are not independent of the body of Christ. We are His body and we must treasure that body and do all we can to strengthen it, being committed to it in love. We do so by giving up of ourselves for one another in the Spirit, as HE works in us to make us, to strengthen us, and to build us into that building where He will dwell in us forever.

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (1 John 3:11)

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16)

If you want to know more about this salvation and are not sure you are going to Heaven, you can know. His Word assures us how we can know. Click here to read more.

LOOKING IN THE MIRROR

The first thing in the morning I usually do, after I get up, is to look into the mirror and see what I need to deal with for the day to prepare my outward appearance in a way that I will be able to present myself to the Lord for His service and to others who have to spend any time with me. Sometimes when I get up it looks pretty challenging! The damage of the night is evident! I can choose to ignore what I see and just walk away from that mirror as I am and say who cares? I don't want to bother with it, but that is pretty disrespectful to both God and those I am in contact with. Or I can say to myself, "I belong to the Lord and I am to love others as I love myself so I need to present myself as I perceive the Lord and others would have me to best do that to bless them."

There is another kind of mirror that is a mirror of our soul that we have been given. It is the Word of God. It shows us the hidden things of the heart when we look into it, if we do so honestly in humility before God. We can treat that mirror view of our hearts in many different ways as we look at the reflection we see there.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:12-13)

Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:21-25)

Ancient mirrors were made of polished brass or other metals, they were not clear and gave a dim image to the one who looked into it. Just so we only see all that God has for us in eternity very dimly, as a dim image of what is to come. We don't see all perfectly, though His Word gives us all we need at this time for life and godliness. But when the day comes that we are standing before Him and receiving our full redemption, we will then know fully, just as we are even now fully known by Him. What a glorious day that will be! We will have been perfectly conformed to that perfect image of the Son! This is even now what the Lord is doing and called us to, to be conformed to the image of His Son, and everything that comes into the life of a believer is to that purpose.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28-29)

But He gives us the mirror of His Word that we might look into it each day in order for that work of being made into His image to be done. It both shows us His image which we are to walk more and more according to, and which we are being made into, and it shows us an image of ourselves, which tells us how far from His image we have come. It exposes the hidden things of our hearts, and contrasts our sinful nature to His perfect divine nature. As we gaze more and more into that perfect reflection of Who He is, we begin more and more to walk by faith according to that and it is more and more reflected in our lives.

But as James says in James 1:24-25 above, we can also walk away and forget what we've seen and be hearers of the Word but not doers. The Lord has been showing me lately even as I perceived myself as a "doer" of the Word, that there are many ways I need to newly apply that Word to my daily life that I've overlooked in reading it, as I face a new challenge and a new trial in my life. Sometimes the road ahead seems impossible, and we don't want to face it. We want to just look away, hope it isn't true, hope it will not be something we have to truly face. But as the plaque I have on my living room wall says, "If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it." Just as in past trials, I have gone to the Word to find my strength and comfort and counsel, I must now as well face this challenge, be obedient to the Word, apply it in every aspect to my life in faith, and trust the Lord, even as I feel I do not have what it takes to do so, or the strength to do so. To me it seems impossible, but with God all things are possible and He makes the way. The Word is not only my mirror, but it is my road map, my counsel, my guide on the path that the Lord already has prepared for me to lead me through this "red sea" I must face, even as I trust Him alone to part the waters and lead me through it. As I read it, I am convicted of my lack as well as His provision, and am strengthened in faith to act on it.

One small example happened to me as I was reading Rom. 12:12 recently, which I have made my verse for the day to memorize and hopefully practice more each day... “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” As well as, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” (Romans 12:11)

We "serve" the Lord by our faith in His Word which brings obedience. Through these little verses, I saw so many ways I was letting my flesh overcome in me and cause me to be ineffective in big things as well as little things daily. I looked up the word, “slothful” as well as “fervent”... So much, lately I am more weary, and it is so easy for me when I am weary, both physically and emotionally, to be slothful in putting off of doing things that need doing both spiritually, in prayer for others, or in doing things for my own family. The anxiety of being overwhelmed and weary causes me to procrastinate or even to neglect doing certain things, and the weariness is the opposite of being “fervent.” I can let the foreboding of life ahead take away all the energy for life now today, and let it rob me of joy, as well as strength.

I read these things thinking I need to be a doer of the Word, not just read it, agreeing, but then forgetting to practice. I need to rejoice in hope, as it is a command of the Lord as well as something I can trust in…that I do indeed have hope in the Lord and promise for the future. The Lord is pointing out to me daily where I need to “practice” “apply” be a “doer” and not just a reader! So I need to be trusting Him to make me aware throughout the day, as I go along, as that’s when it’s easy to forget. Sometimes when trials and challenges come, it quickens us to the need to be more of a doer, a "practicer" of each of the things we read in His Word that otherwise may just escape our notice.

Fervent from Vine’s NT:
C. Verb.
zeo (G2204), "to be hot, to boil" (Eng. "zeal" is akin), is metaphorically used of "fervency" of spirit, Act_18:25; Rom_12:11.

This is so opposite weariness of spirit! I cannot let myself grow “weary in well-doing." No wonder Paul said to “rejoice always” and again I say Rejoice!! His joy is our strength, and when we allow depression over our circumstances to set in (and who had more reason to be depressed than Paul?) then it robs our strength. We need to present ourselves to Christ as a living sacrifice, and look to Him, knowing He lives in us as believers, and that "I’ve been crucified with Him and risen with Him and the life I now live I live by faith in Him"... I can by faith put on Christ, and trust in His resurrection power in me. My eyes will have to be on Him as He daily continues to conform me to that image. If I tried to overcome in myself and with my eyes on me, I would faint in despair!! I would only become more weary! But as I look into that perfect image of Christ in His Word, that Word works in me to conform me to His image even as the Spirit He has given me takes that Word in power and makes it effective in me.

I can rejoice in hope because that hope is very, very real. A real and living hope! It is a sure hope. I will see the glory of the Lord in all He allows or brings into my life. His Word is powerful and effective to bring about all that He purposes it to. What a joy that we are called according to that purpose, and are being made into His image through it! What a loss if I fail to trust it, agree with it, and obey it!

If you want to know more about this salvation and are not sure you are going to Heaven, you can know. His Word assures us how we can know. Click here to read more.

SHARE THE GIFT

What is the gift? It is Jesus Himself, come down from Heaven, to us. It seems we can grow cold or insensitive to hearing that because we hear it again and again, each year. But do we take the time to really think on what an incredible gift that was? Do we really grasp the meaning of it or what would have been if He never came?

Many in the world think they'd be just fine if they never heard that story, or never heard the name of Jesus. They get along just fine with Him, so they think. Yet they don't know that it is because of His mercy every single moment of every single day that they breathe the air in this world and enjoy all the pleasures they have, and are able to think and love and feel and make choices. And the wrong choice, to ignore or reject Him will one day eternally separate them from Him, and His creation, and all those things they enjoy.

The meaning of Christmas gets talked about a lot. To some it is just making others happy. For some it is love...whatever their definition of that is. For some it is giving. For some it is doing something meaningful for someone else. If we truly know the meaning, all those things may happen, but first we have to know Him. He is the meaning. It is the Gospel, the good news, the message that He came to earth and took on human form...the God-man. He took onto Himself our sins on the cross though He was sinless, and died in our place, and then after 3 days He rose again. His message is that all who believe in Him, who trust and rely on His salvation will have the free gift of eternal life. And one day, just as He came as He said the first time, to save, He will come again, as He said. Our corrupted bodies will be changed and put on incorruption, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, and we who believe in Him will be taken up to meet Him in the air, and then to be with Him forever.

1 Corinthians 15:52-57
(52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
(53) For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
(54) When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
(55) "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
(56) The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
(57) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 14:1-3
(1) "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
(2) In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
(3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

I love this time of year because that story comes alive to me again and again through the worship, the Christmas carols, the Scriptures, and meditating on that perfect gift. His joy fills my heart and His hope, even in the midst of hopeless sorrow or circumstances. I've learned that the real gift and message of Christmas can stay with me all year long, and the feelings it brings, as well as the joy of giving of myself to others as the Lord leads. It's not for just one time of year.

I just wanted to share this beautiful video with you. Listen to the end because there is a special treat in the ending of the song that will give you goose bumps. I hope you all have a very blessed, Merry, joyful, Christmas thinking on Christ and giving His love, His gift, to whoever He brings your way, whether that be family, friend, or someone you don't even know. It is a gift for us to share. I have one disagreement with the statement he makes in the end...to him the meaning of life is to be happy. Of course he says that is by following the teachings of Jesus. I'd like to clarify that a little more. The meaning of life IS Jesus. He is the truth the life and the way. Life itself is in Him alone.

1 John 5:11-12
(11) And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
(12) Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

If you want to know more about this gift of eternal life, please read more here.

A LIGHT FOR REVELATION

John 1:1-5
(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(2) He was in the beginning with God.
(3) All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
(4) In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
(5) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I heard a sermon this week by Erwin Lutzer where he said, "you notice nobody looks for a 'flashdark' they always look for a 'flashlight.'" He went on to say darkness never overcomes light but light always overcomes darkness. I thought that was something to ponder. Jesus was the light that came into this world. This time of year is a good time to meditate on that. What a thing God wrought in the earth!! In the darkness we do not see. Many want to stay in that darkness because they become accustomed to it, and it's comfortable to them. Many times we let in only so much light, but we don't want too much because light tends to expose things. It shows what's really there. Jesus is such a light. He exposes the thoughts and intents of the heart and shows us what is really inside of us. Many times that is just too difficult for us to see or accept. That's why along with that light, exposing all, He is also the remedy and Savior of our hearts once the disease in them is truly exposed. He's the healer of the heart He Himself breaks with exposing light, exposing and convicting of the sin that is killing and destroying us - the very thing we think is our happiness and with all our strength try to hold onto.

Luke 2:31-35
(31) that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
(32) a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."
(33) And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.
(34) And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed
(35) (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

Hebrews 4:12-13
(12) For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
(13) And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Robertson's Word Pictures: May be revealed (apokaluphthōsin). Unveiled. First aorist passive subjunctive after hopōs an and expresses God’s purpose in the mission of the Messiah. He is to test men’s thoughts (dialogismoi) and purposes. They will be compelled to take a stand for Christ or against him. That is true today.

People react to light in different ways. They also react to God's light - His truth - in many different ways. Many hate that truth so much that they will do anything to stop it, to change it, to cover it, and to twist it around and confuse it. But darkness cannot overcome light. Light shown onto that darkness of deception always exposes it. Then those who oppose it will react violently, most often, even "gnashing with the teeth" (Acts 7:51-54), just as they did Stephen when he spoke the truth exposing the lies in their hearts. But in spite of the reactions of some who hated the truth and ultimately stoned and killed Stephen, many others listened and embraced the truth and found the life that truth can bring to the heart and soul. They let it expose them. They let it wound. And they ultimately let it heal. If we receive the Light of life as a good thing, it will save us and heal us and bring us life that will be eternal.

If we come to the light (His Word, the Bible), daily, as His children, the light will keep us from all the darkness in this world. We'll see clearly. We'll be drawn to what that light shows as true and good and righteous. But as His children, we sometimes don't learn to abide in that light daily, and so we let darkness hide the secret sins of the heart. We hold onto them as though they are our happiness and life, afraid of exposure. We take on the dark excuses of the flesh and the world to make them look good and acceptable, and we compromise. We don't dare listen to someone who has light from the Living Word to expose them because it would just be too painful for us to let them go and find the alternative.

But what is the alternative? The alternative is to let the flashlight of the Word of God examine, discern, and pierce the soul, freeing us from those things, submitting to His truth in our inner beings, and in the process finding Christ as our life and happiness. His light is life and health and freedom, which faith finds, accepts, and realizes as true. Today truth is rejected vehemently among the masses, even called "hate speech," only because it is speech they hate with a passion. They hold onto their deception with a vengeance and must make it so everyone else will agree with them as well or be killed or silenced. They try desperately to snuff out all sources of truth any and every way they can, through legal and political means and through violence when necessary, just as they did in Jesus day. Yet the darkness can never overcome the truth. Truth is God's flashlight and it will always overcome the darkness right up to the very end when God Himself, sends His Son, the Light of the world, to return to the earth and that very light will slay the darkness with a Word, bringing truth and righteousness to the earth at last.

Rev_19:15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. Rev_19:21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

Jesus came into this world as a light shining in a darkness that was keeping mankind in bondage. His light was meant to bring life, and not death (John 3:16-21). His purpose was to bring truth, salvation, light, life, love, and all things good to us to make us rejoice, and give us happiness in Him forever. "Joy to the world," "peace on earth and good will toward men," these are the things, His light received, brings to the heart of all who receive Him in truth. As the world celebrates Christmas, and even sings the songs of His coming to earth to bring that joy and peace, yet they don't receive the truth of that light, they never actually know it. They instead trade it for a few days in December of parties and cookies, and family gatherings and presents that will very quickly end, leaving them with a lot of bills and heartaches and wonder what it's all about. Some will try to find a deeper meaning by doing some good deeds to serve others or show love for one month or one day out of the year, but never realizing yet the heart of why He came and what the gift that He gave to the world is all about. When that light is received in the heart, any of those things become an expression of true joy in Him, and a way to share that light with others.

He came because of a promise of God to bring salvation to all of mankind, whosoever will, and to bring His light in the darkness of a world lost and caught up in its own way of wandering through life without Him, trying desperately to bring fulfillment and happiness to themselves and always moving further and further away from it, until the light shines through to their hearts and enables them to see He alone is the truth, the life, and the way. Father in Heaven, I pray in Jesus name, that many today will open their eyes and allow You to come in to their darkness and shine Your light brightly and bring truth and everlasting joy, peace, and life to them.

(Psalms 147:3) He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

If you want to know more about this salvation and are not sure you are going to Heaven, you can know. His Word assures us how we can know. Click here to read more.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

"God so loved the world…" What amazing words! The world that rebelled against Him, the world that disowned Him, the world that spat upon Him, mocked Him, despised Him, and crucified Him… that world is the world He loved. That world is the world He came into, in the form of human flesh, in order to reveal His love and bring His salvation to "whosoever will." It's as simple as that. It's for "whosoever will." But many just won't. They choose the darkness and the hate and the lies and deceptions in this world that exalt (they think) man (themselves), rather than to turn to the One Who created them and to learn to know Him and what He created them for, and all the love, blessing, goodness, righteousness and glory He has in store for them if they only "will."

That same love can fill the hearts of His own children, if they daily sit at His feet, at His Word, allowing His Spirit to teach them and fill them with it. Yet, being human, we struggle with our own reactions to evil. As we see evil growing more and more bold, prevailing, and overtaking the world, insisting on crushing all truth, all good, and all that is of God, we need to look at the reaction of Christ Himself, rather than let ourselves be overcome with it. It's easy to hate. It's easy to be angry. It's easy to respond in a like manner to evil in the world. It's "human" we might say. Yes, it's very human and natural. But we've been called to something greater than what's natural. We've been called beyond ourselves. We've been called to walk in that same love that Jesus Himself demonstrated in that while we were yet sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:5-8). We were actually called "love our enemies." We are called to the "supernatural."

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? (Matthew 5:43-46)

This is something the natural mind cannot accept and cannot obey! There is no such love in the heart of the natural man and it is so completely opposite of our nature that when we see it demonstrated it astounds us, and when it is told us to obey it, we simply cannot. We especially cannot when we see how evil the hearts are that oppose all that is good more and more, proclaiming good to be evil and evil to be good. How in the world could God expect us to love them? Why would He command us to do so? The very evil God hates and will one day judge - are we to love those who practice such? It boggles our minds! Our hearts rise up in anger when we hear His name blasphemed, when we hear the constant barrage of lies being told against Him, and against His Word, and against His children, those who follow His Word and seek to practice the love and righteousness that is taught there. We hear lies proclaiming those who commit acts of unspeakable violence proclaimed to be "lovers of peace" and those who truly proclaim the peace of God, and desire His righteousness, love and goodness, to be "terrorists" and anger rises up in our hearts and we want the truth to be told, lies to be seen for what they are, and we are amazed at the delusion that has taken over the world. We want to retaliate and vindicate. Truth must be told. That is for certain. It must continue to be told, clearly, whether they will believe it and receive it or not. Yet it must be told in the same spirit as thee Truth, thee Life, and thee Way. It must be told in the same love that sent forth that truth for us to "whosoever will" to come and receive eternal life from Him. It must be told with the same invitation that, "whosoever will believe may come" and find that same salvation. Even if they won't… it must be told them, and they must hear it and be given a chance to repent (turn) and receive that eternally life saving truth.

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21)

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16)

We can in no way practice the kind of love toward this world that Jesus did, unless His Spirit is in us, and that love abides in us and we abide in that love. As believers we may have His Spirit in us, but we may be quenching His Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19), and not abiding in Him. If we are not abiding in His Word, and in fellowship with Him letting His Spirit fill us daily, we are not abiding in His love. We can't. Then we are left to act according to our own fleshly responses and our own minds rather than the mind of Christ.

I just read a novel that addressed questions of how to respond to evil when it comes against you. Should we respond with violence against violence? How should we defend ourselves? Many questions came up in this story about a Mennonite community that was being attacked by someone who hated God and was threatening their safety. Mennonites believe in not resisting their enemies, but when it came down to actually having this belief tested there was great division among them. Each one had to seek God's heart in the matter and decide what God wanted them to do and respond according to their conscience regardless of the consequences. Some believed in protecting their homes and family and community with guns. Others refused saying they needed to pray and submit themselves to God and rely solely on Him. It raised many feelings and reactions inside myself as I read. I'm still reading this book and have not finished it yet so I don't know the outcome of their decisions, and in a novel, that can be manipulated by whatever the author decides. But the Author of the Bible is the One that we need to go to for such questions and find His answers alone. We won't find them unless we look at Christ Himself and let His Spirit be our teacher each moment, and our guide through our walk in this evil world. We won't know unless we learn to know Him, not just read about Him.

This morning as I was reading in the Gospel of John, I read of the arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus once again. I can never read that story without it humbling me to the bottom of my heart as I see how unworthy we all were of such love. Once again I was filled with that love and its power. It once again had an effect on me that enabled me to pray truly for my enemies, and for those who embrace the lies and evil in this world, even calling them good. It once again reminded me of the answer. It once again reminded me I can "trust myself to a faithful Creator." And I know that He hates that evil. Yet though He despises it more than we can imagine, because He is all perfect in goodness and righteousness and love, though He despises that evil, He "made Himself sin for us Who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ" (2 Cor. 5:21). He "became a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13). He became that very evil He despises, that caused the Heavenly Father to turn His face away from Him for a moment, in order that He could take on our evil Himself and free us from it, giving us in its place His righteousness and perfection that we could stand before God in perfect fellowship. In Christ we have a righteousness imputed to us that we did not deserve and He had our sins imputed to Him that He did not ever commit. How does the mind wrap itself around that kind of love?

How do we show that love to a world that is becoming increasingly filled with evil and hate and violence, other than the same way Jesus did? It is a love that is not deserved. I never deserved that love or forgiveness He gave me. They have to see a love that is not natural. They have to see the love that is supernatural. They have to see a love that is willing to die that they may live.

I know I'm lacking in that love, and when I see that I am, I go again to gaze at Him and let that love once again humble my heart and submit to it, and let it fill me. When that love fills me, I can't speak evil of another but only desire what is good for them. When that love fills me I can only forgive with the same forgiveness which that love forgave my selfish heart, not only because of the sin that selfishness led me to act on, but the sin that I was capable of doing had the Lord not saved me from myself. When we truly see our own selves for what we are, we are so grateful for His mercy and forgiveness that we can only look at the sins of others with the same forgiveness and mercy toward them (Matt. 18:21-35). When all I can see is what someone has done to me, and I forget what God has done for me, then I respond with an attitude of vengeance rather than mercy. I respond out of my own self-gain, self-protection, and self-serving. I try to cling to what I can get and what I think to have coming to me - my rights. Even when we have "righteous anger" we can act in a fleshly manner, rather than with the same Spirit of love in Christ Himself. We are to "be angry and sin not." He never condones evil, and neither should we. Yet as we stand against it we need to do so in the Spirit, and not in the flesh. We need to stand dressed in the full armor of God. We need to stand in His righteousness, and take up the Sword of the Spirit, His Word of truth, and we need to do so by the power of the Spirit, not our flesh, and not with a worldly mind set of holding onto this world. If we truly see those on the side of evil as God does we will have a deep sorrow and grief in our hearts, rather than animosity, knowing all they are missing and choosing to give up, remembering that Jesus gave His own life for their salvation, if only they would turn and believe into Him. How very sad that anyone would turn that away for anything else!

God will judge evil. The day of judgment could be very near. This world is the closest to heaven there is for those who embrace it as though it were their life. But it is the closest to hell those who embrace God's love and put their trust in Him will ever get. We have an eternity free of all evil and filled with perfect righteousness and goodness and love in His presence. We can afford any losses here and we can afford to face whatever this world throws at us because of that. We won't lose a thing, and we will only gain. Nothing can separate us from His love. If we abide in it perhaps others will see and join us also and escape the snare of the devil in this world. If we act as though this world were our home and all we have, then we'll fight for that (John 18:36). If we show them that our citizenship is in Heaven and there is something beyond this world, something way beyond anything we can gain here, and that we are willing to give up our lives here for that, perhaps they will also see it and see the spiritual battle going on for what it is in truth. It is a battle of the devil for this world. And our role in it is to bring the truth and light to them to save them from its destruction through Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

If you want to know more about this salvation and are not sure you are going to Heaven, you can know. His Word assures us how we can know. Click here to read more.

WILL THE REAL JESUS PLEASE STAND UP?

It seems in our day there is much confusion as to who the real Jesus is. There are many who proclaim a "jesus" but not Jesus, the Christ, the anointed One Who is the Son of God, Who came to take away the sin of the world. In fact many of the jesus characters being proclaimed, it seems, came to condone the sin of the world and help us to enjoy it and give us every worldly pleasure now to indulge in! This "jesus" just wants to make us happy and give us our "best life here and now." But the Jesus Who is real, the One Who truly saves us, gives us eternal life, abundant life, life that cannot be taken from us ever, and a happiness that cannot be taken from us no matter what we lose in this world and regardless of our lot in this world.

I'm old enough to remember watching a TV series back in the 60s called "To Tell The Truth," where 3 people would be introduced, all saying "My name is…." and giving the same name, and a panel who were to ask them questions and determine which of these 3 were the real so and so. After the panel put in their vote, they would ask, "will the real so and so please stand up?" Then the true person would stand and reveal themselves.

Our real Jesus stands up in the Bible, and we can see Who He is clearly if we go to the Word of God where He is revealed. As we look there we can clearly see all the false jesus's are also seen to be false. It's no wonder that those proclaiming a false jesus stir you away from the Bible telling you it is not relevant for our day. All who desire to know the real Jesus, can, and He will make Himself known to them. But you need to ask the right questions and look in the right place.

(John 6:29) Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

"that ye believe"
Strong's:
pisteuō
pist-yoo'-o
From G4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well being to Christ): - believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.

"believe on" - to or into

To believe on Him is to have faith to Him, in and upon Him, Who He is, what He has said to be true, trusting His Word and committing oneself "into" the life He has for us. This entails a turning about from self to Him, not just a head knowledge and a tagging Him onto our lives as though we could gain Him as a good luck charm, or giving mental assent to His forgiveness but not understanding or appropriating His life. Many believe on a jesus of the world's making that is not Jesus the truth, the life, and the way, Whom the Bible speaks of and reveals. This jesus of the world cannot save them. In fact this jesus only exists in the imaginations of people. They write novels trying to portray their jesus, or movies or television programs. But we must be careful that we are not receiving a false jesus that is only imagined by someone. The One we are to "believe, entrust ourselves to" is "in Him Whom He (God) has sent," not in the one the world gives you.

Matthew 7:13-23
(13) "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
(14) For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
(15) "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
(16) You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? (What comes forth from their mouth is not that Word of God, but that of the world)
(17) So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
(18) A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
(19) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
(20) Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
(21) "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
(22) On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'
(23) And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

Wolves in sheep's clothing can talk and act like true believers and fool many and even draw huge crowds. But Jesus says of them, "I never knew you." They can even do "signs and wonders" in His name. This is not true "fruit" that we are to receive, but whether or not they believe into the true Jesus of the Word, and glorify Him and His fruit of true eternal life is spoken by them to others to feed on. The true fruit is the Word of God, revealed in the Bible, for all to eat and live on (John 6).

There can be movies made of Jesus, but the jesus they portray is of someone's imagination rather than that of the Word of God, and can falsely portray Him. God's revelation of Jesus is the Word spoken to us by His Spirit and written down for us in the Bible. This is the only Jesus we are to learn to know, trust in, surrender our lives to, listen to and obey, as we believe in Him. Eating the fruit of this Jesus gives us true life. Abiding in this Jesus enables His fruit to come forth from us to feed others.

John 6:30-35
(30) So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?
(31) Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
(32) Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
(33) For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
(34) They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
(35) Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

How the enemy of our souls wants to keep us from that true Bread of life! Once we find it we wonder how we could have looked to anything else, or anyone else! Once that life comes into us and makes our spirits come alive, we don't want to feed on anything else. Nothing else will satisfy. Even as believers of the true Jesus, we must be on our guard that we are not listening or taking the word of another. We must be in HIS Word so we can discern whether or not we are. Don't let yourself be robbed!

Father in Heaven, I pray that many more will come to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ - the true Jesus Christ - Who You have sent. Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus!

If you want to know more about this salvation and are not sure you are going to Heaven, you can know. His Word assures us how we can know. Click here to read more.