Without God and Without Love

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Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.  Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful.  Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.  Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.

Colossians 3: 14 - 17

When one person truly loves another human being, he or she is  touching the essence of God Himself.  If someone rejects God, then he must also reject love, because God is love!  Many years ago I visited a country that officially rejected God.  It was dark and dreary and there were no indications that love was part of what was happening among the people!  When you are without God, you are without love!  

Someone once said that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the ultimate love story.  Love is the reason that Jesus came to this earth, and love is the reason that He died on the cross.  The most profound message of Scripture is this:  Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!

Every time two people find themselves in a real loving relationship, they are getting close to the reality of God.  Don’t forget that a loving sexual relationship which was designed for a man and a woman in marriage is not the only love between people.  Brother or sister, parent and child and dear friends can also experience love that comes from God!  

When the love of God is missing in your world, it will be dark and sad.  But when you let the love of Christ fill your heart and mind, you will see the Light all around you.

“Thank You Jesus for the Love that we may touch on this earth because of who You are!   Praise Your Holy Name forever. Amen.” 

Touched by the Power of God!

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In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years.   She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse.  The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes.  She had said to herself, "If I can just touch his clothes, I will get well."  As soon as she touched them, her bleeding stopped, and she knew she was well.  At that moment Jesus felt power go out from him. He turned to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"  His disciples said to him, "Look at all these people crowding around you! How can you ask who touched you?"  But Jesus turned to see who had touched him.  The woman knew what had happened to her. She came shaking with fear and knelt down in front of Jesus. Then she told him the whole story.  Jesus said to the woman, "You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace! You are healed, and you will no longer be in pain."

Mark 5: 24 - 34

Why did you come to Jesus?  There may have been many reasons why you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  You may have decided to follow Jesus because His message was the best you had ever heard.  You may have turned your heart to Him because your family was setting their hopes on Jesus.  But in the Bible many of the stories are about people who encountered Jesus and were touched by the power of God!  He fulfilled a need, or healed an illness, or in some way gave you what no one else could ever give you.  

If you have decided to be a disciple of Christ, but have never felt the power of God touch your needs and your life, then ask Jesus to let you feel His power working where you are in need!

The power of God will give you a powerful testimony to share with those who don’t know the Lord!  

“Lord Jesus, I do believe Your Word and confess that You are my Lord.  But Jesus I need to feel Your power applied to my point of need.  And may that Lord Jesus cause many others to praise Your name forever.  Amen.”

A Strong Warning!

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So Darius ordered Daniel to be brought out and thrown into a pit of lions. But he said to Daniel, "You have been faithful to your God, and I pray that he will rescue you."   A stone was rolled over the pit, and it was sealed. Then Darius and his officials stamped the seal to show that no one should let Daniel out.   All night long the king could not sleep. He did not eat anything, and he would not let anyone come in to entertain him.   At daybreak the king got up and ran to the pit.   He was anxious and shouted, "Daniel, you were faithful and served your God. Was he able to save you from the lions?"   Daniel answered, "Your Majesty, I hope you live forever!   My God knew that I was innocent, and he sent an angel to keep the lions from eating me. Your Majesty, I have never done anything to hurt you."   The king was relieved to hear Daniel's voice, and he gave orders for him to be taken out of the pit. Daniel's faith in his God had kept him from being harmed.   And the king ordered the men who had brought charges against Daniel to be thrown into the pit, together with their wives and children. But before they even reached the bottom, the lions ripped them to pieces.

Daniel 6: 16 - 24

Daniel refused to quit praying to God, even though the King had made a law that required it!  There is no indication that Daniel even considered obeying a law that required him to disobey God.  

There is in this story a strong warning for those who would accuse a righteous person who is faithful in his allegiance to God.  The men who brought the charges against Daniel were correct that he had broken the law of the king.  But they were very wrong, because they were defending a law that offended God Almighty!  Those men and their families suffered the same fate that they had wanted for Daniel.  

So if you are responsible, in any way for making or voting for the laws of your country, your first responsibility is to make sure that those laws are consistent with the will of God.  If they are not, you had better oppose them so that you will not end up like the men who accused Daniel.

“Lord Jesus, help me to be like Daniel and worship and pray to only You, no matter what the law of man might require.  May You, Jesus be praised forever.  Amen.”

Pray for Everyone to Worship God!

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Our God, be kind and bless us! Be pleased and smile.  Then everyone on earth will learn to follow you, and all nations will see your power to save us.   Make everyone praise you and shout your praises.   Let the nations celebrate with joyful songs, because you judge fairly and guide all nations.   Make everyone praise you and shout your praises.   Our God has blessed the earth with a wonderful harvest!   Pray for his blessings to continue and for everyone on earth to worship our God.

Psalm 67: 1 - 7

This Psalm encourages us to pray for the “wonderful harvest” on earth to continue and to pray that everyone on earth will worship God!  I don’t believe the Psalmist was talking about a harvest of corn and beans, but rather a harvest of men and women!  Even today there are thousands and thousands of people turning to Jesus and beginning a glorious life of following Him!  

But if you take Psalm 67 seriously you will pray that everyone on earth, at some point will worship God!  How can that be?  Well, the simple answer is that when Jesus returns, every knee will bow before Him and everyone will praise and worship Him!  

No matter how hard your heart is now, or how much you oppose the Lord, when you see Him you will fall down and praise Him!  You will not be able to do anything else.  

So here is a piece of advice you will never regret taking.  Don’t wait for Jesus to return.  Fall down and worship Him now!  You will worship Him later, but if you wait till then, it will be Eternally too late!

“Lord Jesus, I do fall down before You and praise Your Holy Name.  Thank You for the wonderful harvest of men and women who are worshipping You today.  Amen.”

The Miracle that Destroyed the Egyptians!

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Tell everyone on this earth to shout praises to God!  Sing about his glorious name. Honor him with praises.  Say to God, "Everything you do is fearsome, and your mighty power makes your enemies come crawling.  You are worshiped by everyone! We all sing praises to you."  Come and see the fearsome things our God has done!  When God made the sea dry up, our people walked across, and because of him, we celebrated there.  His mighty power rules forever, and nothing the nations do can be hidden from him. So don't turn against God.  All of you people, come praise our God! Let his praises be heard.

Psalm 66: 1 - 8

When God made the Red Sea dry up and the Children of Israel walked across on dry land the power of God was clearly seen by them all, including the Egyptians!  Their mistake was following God’s people into the Red Sea.  The miraculous blessing for the Israelites became the Egyptians grave.  

There are people today, who like the Egyptian army walk boldly into the “Red Sea” of God’s blessings without being a follower of Jesus!  They are following the disciples of Jesus and they mean to do them harm.  Then, like the Egyptians, the blessings of God will destroy them and not deliver them.  

If you are intent on doing God’s people harm and have walked into the miraculous provisions He has made for His people, you should beware!  The dry path in the Red Sea was prepared by God to deliver His people, not to enable you to destroy them.  Unless you repent and turn back from your evil pursuit, you will be destroyed instead!  

But if you are following Jesus and He has you escaping on the dry land of the Red Sea, don’t lose heart.  Jesus will either deliver you from the Egyptians or He will deliver you by the Army of Pharaoh.  Either way, you will be delivered!

“Lord Jesus, thank You for letting me see Your miraculous power in saving me from my enemies!  Give me the peace of knowing that You, Jesus will never fail in keeping me safe!  Praise Your Holy Name forever!  Amen.”

His Prayers are Always Answered!

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Our God, you deserve praise in Zion, where we keep our promises to you.  Everyone will come to you because you answer prayer.  Our terrible sins get us down, but you forgive us.  You bless your chosen ones, and you invite them to live near you in your temple. We will enjoy your house, the sacred temple.  Our God, you save us, and your fearsome deeds answer our prayers for justice! You give hope to people everywhere on earth, even those across the sea.  You are strong, and your mighty power put the mountains in place.  You silence the roaring waves and the noisy shouts of the nations.  People far away marvel at your fearsome deeds, and all who live under the sun celebrate and sing because of you.  You take care of the earth and send rain to help the soil grow all kinds of crops. Your rivers never run dry, and you prepare the earth to produce much grain.  You water all of its fields and level the lumpy ground. You send showers of rain to soften the soil and help the plants sprout.  Wherever your footsteps touch the earth, a rich harvest is gathered.

Psalm 65: 1 - 11

A few years ago I spent some time with a man who had, for most of his life prayed many times a day, but did not know Jesus Christ.  I asked him what was the difference in prayer before he became a Jesus follower and after.  His answer was amazing.  The man said that before he accepted Jesus as his Lord, he prayed often but his prayers were never answered! Then he declared that as a follower of Christ, his prayers are always answered!

If you pray and do not expect an answer to your prayer, then you are confessing your lack of faith in Jesus!  It is no wonder that you struggle with keeping your heart pure and your mind focused on the Lord.  

But if you pray and expect an answer, then you will begin to live every moment in confidence that Jesus is indeed with you always, even as He promised!

“Lord Jesus, help me today to pray with the calm assurance that You will respond to every request I bring to You!  And give me the Peace and Joy that comes with trusting You in everything.  May You, Jesus be praised now and forever.  Amen.” 

The Author of Your Eternity!

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The LORD gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm.  So always trust the LORD because he is forever our mighty rock.

Isaiah 26: 3 - 4

Real peace is not something that comes from external circumstances.  You are at peace, not because of what is going on around you, or even happening to you!  Peace is a condition of your heart.  Peace is a gift from God to those who have faith in Him.  If you are at peace with God, nothing else matters.  God is the author of your Eternity and will supply your every need forever.  So why would you be troubled here on this earth?  

The attacks of Satan against your life are designed to destroy or at least shake your peace.  The Enemy wants you to look at the wind and the waves instead of Jesus and begin to sink.  It is when you are living a Spirit empowered, God centered life fueled by the Almighty Himself, that you are most vulnerable to the Devil’s proclamation that what you are experiencing cannot happen!  He will tell you that it is impossible for you to be living a life that sees miracles at every turn.  You will be tempted to believe that what is happening to you is co-incidence or even “luck,”  because you are asking God for things that cannot be and you are seeing those things happen every day!

The secret of Perfect Peace is Faith.  If you seek peace you will not find it, but if you seek Jesus and the faith in Him that God gives, you will have Perfect Peace.  Trust in the Lord and you will have Peace.

“Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me Peace in response to my faith in You.  I know that the secret to Peace is seeking You in everything.  I also know that I can have Perfect Peace without any circumstance of my life changing!  May You, Jesus be praised forever.  Amen.”