News you won't see in controlled mainstream media.

--God is Righteous
--By: Max Lucado

--The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” Yes, righteousness is what God is—and yes, righteousness is what we are not! And, yes, righteousness is what God requires. But Romans 3:21 tells us, “God has a way to make people right with Him.”

In the 23rd Psalm, David said it like this, “He leads me in the path of righteousness.” And Daniel 9:14 declares, “Our God is right in everything He does.”

The path of righteousness is a narrow, winding trail up a steep hill. At the top of the hill is a Cross. At the base of the cross are countless bags full of innumerable sins. Get the point? Calvary is the compost pile for guilt. Wouldn’t you like to leave yours there as well?
"Oh Yes, Lord Jesus, thank you for paying on my 'sin-debt', on that old rugged Cross. I trust completely in You as my Lord and Savior! Hallelujah what a Savior, my Redeemer, My Lord Jesus Christ! =YOU ARE MY KING!
<http://youtu.be/Gt6l-6oVDjY>
-------------

--A Light in Dark Places ~~
-2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness', made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)
----
EVERY one of us has known troubling times. Because evil has tainted this world since almost the beginning of time, it is not uncommon for people to find themselves in dark places. We all live in dark days marked by sicknesses, addictions, strife in relationships, wars, and economic despair. However, as Christians we are not overcome. God, choosing to make His power known, opens our eyes so that we can know the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Before He left this earth, He said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you...Do not let your hearts be troubled..." (John 14:27). Jesus' peace conquers our troubles and heartaches. Sin and death do not have a legitimate claim on us. We must remind ourselves that "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
--(Philippians 4:7)

--Anchor

--Jesus and the Study of Scripture

“And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (John 7:15)

-In the midst of the annual Feast of Tabernacles, “Jesus went up into the temple, and taught” (John 7:14), and the unique caliber of His teaching (literally “indoctrinating”) caused the Jewish scholars there to “marvel.”

Their question on this occasion was how an uneducated man, who had never been taught by the scribes and rabbis, could have acquired such a remarkable understanding of the Holy Scriptures. He had never had formal training in the Word; yet, when He taught, “he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29).

His answer to their question was amazing: “My doctrine [or ‘teaching’] is not mine, but his that sent me” (John 7:16).

There are two factors at work here. First of all, His working knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures was encyclopedic, acquired in the same way any other student of the Word can acquire it—by diligent and prayerful personal study thereof. He had done this all His life from the time He was a small boy. Remember how He had “asked questions” of the astonished doctors in the temple, and then how He was “subject unto” His parents, and how He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:46; 51-52). In all of this, He is a perfect human example to us as we also seek to learn the Scriptures and to grow in wisdom and in favor with God.

But beyond His human understanding of the Word, of course, was His own innate divine wisdom and authority. He was eternal God, as well as perfect man. Thus He not only has authenticated the former Scriptures and given us an example in their study and use, but has also conveyed perfectly to us, through His holy apostles and prophets, the Scriptures of the New Covenant as well. ICR/HMM
["And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one." (1 John 5:8)]=When I Speak Your Name / Kari Jobe
<http://youtu.be/H5zRyAPdgUE>
------------

--Christianity, More Than a Creed or Code

--BIBLE MEDITATION:
“...and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

-DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
-Are Christians fools for believing in Jesus? Are we serving a false God? If you go to the tomb of Confucius, you’ll find it’s occupied. If you go to the tomb of Buddha, you’ll find it’s occupied. If you go to the tomb of Jesus, you’ll find it empty. He is a risen Savior. Now that’s very important, because you can take Confucius out of Confucianism and still have Confucianism, and you can take Buddha out of Buddhism and still have Buddhism.
But you cannot take Jesus Christ out of Christianity and still have Christianity because Christianity is not a code. It’s not a creed. It’s not a cause. It is Christ Himself.

--ACTION POINT:
You have a hope that the world needs to hear about. Who can you share that hope with today?
--Adrian Rogers~~/ MIGHTY TO SAVE -By: Laura Story
<http://youtu.be/pYqogpLpC5Q>

--The Three Appearings of Christ

“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” (Hebrews 9:24)

-Although we usually think in terms of two appearances of Christ, once at His first coming and again at His second coming, the ninth chapter of Hebrews specifically refers to three “appearings,” each involving a different Greek word. With reference to His first appearing, we read: “Now once in the end of the [age] hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (v. 26). The word used here means “to make manifest.” It is the word used in 1 John 3:5: “He was manifested to take away our sins.”

His second coming is the topic in Hebrews 9:28, where the word means to show oneself visibly. “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

But there is also a third appearing mentioned in Hebrews 9, and this is the one in our text referring to Christ’s present and perpetual appearance on our behalf in the presence of God in heaven. The word here means “to inform,” referring to His advocacy on our behalf as our “defense attorney,” so to speak. Not only did Christ die for us; not only will He come for us; right now, He is interceding for us!

This work of Christ on our behalf is vitally important, although we do not think of it nearly as much as we do His two other appearings. This appearing affects us right now, every day, and is of infinite value. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:1-2). “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

--ICR/ HMM /<http://youtu.be/4iPIi7sunEU>

--THE BOOK OF NATURE~~
-Read: Romans 1:18-24

-"Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made."
--Romans 1:20
------
--SCOTTISH-American John Muir (1838-1914) was raised by a Christian father who placed great emphasis on Scripture memory. By young adulthood, John allegedly could recite from memory all of the New Testament and large portions of the Old Testament.

As a young man, Muir developed a great love for God's creation and viewed it as a source for understanding God. Historian Dennis Williams says that Muir referred to creation as the "Book of Nature." While exploring the wilderness, he was able to study the plants and animals in an environment that "came straight from the hand of God, uncorrupted by civilization and domestication." Muir went on to lead the forest conservation movement and was instrumental in creating many US national parks, including Yosemite, Sequoia, and Mount Rainier.

To nurture the spiritual interest of children and youth, we should primarily focus on the Bible. But we can also take them to God's outdoor classroom, where we can cultivate their love for the Creator by showing the majesty of Creation: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead" (Romans 1:20).
-----
--IN GOD'S PATTERN BOOK OF NATURE WE CAN TRACE MANY VALUABLE LESSONS. THE BIBLE IS GOD'S TREASURE MAP TO HEAVEN. READ IT, OBEY IT, AND YOU WILL SOON SHARE IN IT'S BEAUTY WITH JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR~

--ODB Devotional~~
<http://youtu.be/7PIVaadNe2w>

--Jesus Christ Our Creator= + + +

--Theory of Everything~~
--Read: John 1:1-13 ~~

--"For by Him all things were created that are in Heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible."
---- (Colossians 1:16)~

--Scientists have been looking for the "Theory of Everything." One person who thinks he's found it is physicist Brian Greene, who wrote 'The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory.'
Greene's "string theory" is a complicated concept suggesting that at its tiniest level everything consists of combinations of vibrating strands, or strings. He has described his theory as "a framework with the capacity to explain every fundamental feature upon which the world is constructed."

Over the years, thinkers from Newton to Einstein to Hawking to Greene have spent the greater portion of their lives trying to figure out how the universe works--and they have proposed fascinating theories.

In reality, for any theory to explain everything in the universe adequately it must begin and end with God. "All things...visible and invisible" (Colossians 1:16) have their origin in Him and exist for His glory (Psalm 72:19). The first few verses of John's gospel tell us that our Lord created the universe, and that without His hand of Creation nothing would exist.

That's why when we consider the world and everything in it, we can exclaim with Isaiah: "The whole earth is full of His glory!" (6:3) Praise His Holy name!

-'Our God has fashioned earth and sky,
Sun, moon, and stars beyond compare;
His workmanship we can't deny---
His fingerprints are everywhere.'

--All Creation is an outstretched finger pointing toward God. ~~

--ODB/DE =/To Him Who Sits On the Throne! (see Revelation 5:12-13)
<http://youtu.be/hoPWj88ccwU>
------------

--GOD'S PURPOSE~~

--Mark 5:21-34
----
The counsel of the
LORD stands forever,
the plans of His heart
to all generations.
--Psalm 33:11
----
-Jesus' disciples were accompanying Him on an urgent mission when their trip was interrupted (Mark 5:21-42). The daughter of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, was dying. Time was of the essence, and Jesus was on His way to their home. Then Jesus stopped and said, "Who touched My clothes?" (v.30)

The disciples seemed irritated by this and said, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" (v.31). But Jesus saw it as the opportunity to minister to a suffering woman. Her illness had made her ceremonially unclean and unable to participate in community life for 12 years! (see Lev. 15:25-27).

While Jesus was talking to this woman, Jairus' daughter died. It was too late--or so it seemed. But the delay allowed Jairus to experience an even deeper knowledge of Jesus and His power--even power over death!

-Sometimes our disappointment can be God's appointment.
------
--LOOK FOR GOD'S PURPOSE IN YOUR NEXT INTERRUPTION~~

--ODB/PFC= / God's Not Dead--/Newsboys ~~
<http://youtu.be/S_OTz-lpDjw>

--JESUS CHRIST:
-A Gift From
-the Father~~

-[Read Matthew 7:11]
-----
-WE try to give presents that are meaningful but we aren't always successful. However, God's gift---His Son Jesus--is always the right one for everybody. This gift is:

**Heaven Sent. / Jesus was sent to earth from the heavenlies in order to fulfill God's plan (John 6:38). Every aspect of His life--from His birth as a little baby to His death on the Cross- --was part of the Father's gift to us.

**Needed. / God gave His Son to us because of our desperate need for rescue. Sin ruined the human race (Rom 3:23) and placed us all under divine condemnation (5:18). Since we are unable to pay the price justly demanded by God for our sin, our greatest need has always been for a Savior who could pay our sin debt for us (6:23). Only Jesus qualified because He was without sin. He became our Redeemer, reconciling us to God (5:10).

**Sacrificial./ God sent Jesus to die in our place so that we might become part of His family. The Son deliberately sacrificed His life to accomplish the Father's plan.

**Perfect./ Jesus was God in human flesh, walking among mankind. His character and will are flawless, and He works perfectly on our behalf (8:28,29).

**Precious./ Jesus Christ can do for us what no material thing or other person can. In Him, we become new creations belonging to God (2 Cor. 5:17).

God wrapped His special present to us in human flesh so we might know Him and identify with Him. How closely intertwined is Jesus' life with yours?

--IN TOUCH~~
--TO KNOW YOU IS 'TO WANT TO KNOW YOU MORE' /Casting Crowns
<http://youtu.be/P4xp6ygQoAo>
-------------------

--The Guarantee of Eternal Life
--Read | Revelation 19:4-9

-The first chapter of Matthew lists the lineage of Jesus Christ: 42 generations starting with the miracle child born to Abraham and ending with the miracle of deity assuming human form. In between are the names of a schemer, a prostitute, a murderer, kings, and former idol worshipers. These men and women had their lives transformed by God and, by His supernatural workings, were given a place in the ancestry of our Savior. God protected this line despite deceit, betrayal, war, captivity, and assimilation.

It is this same God who promises us eternal life through Jesus Christ. The Bible recounts promise after promise from God, and 2 Corinthians 1:20 reassures us that they are all “yes” in Christ. We who are born again through faith in Jesus are given a permanent place in God’s family, which is guaranteed by both the Father and the Son (John 10:28-29). The Holy Spirit is given to us as a seal of the pledge, ensuring that we will receive our eternal inheritance as children of God (2 Cor. 1:21-22).

For the guarantee of eternal life to take effect, there is but a single requirement—that we enter into a personal relationship with Christ. The Lord Himself registers our name in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 21:27).
--There are no additional specifications to meet for the guarantee to be in effect, and it remains in place forever. Eternal life belongs to us the instant we become children of God. The Lord has promised, and we can count on it. Hallelujah!

--IN TOUCH~/= BEULAH LAND ~~ Squire Parsons
<http://youtu.be/wwnAKhlBa_E>

-----------

--JESUS CHRIST OUR CREATOR!

---The Savior of the World~~

"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." (1 John 4:14)~

--THIS unique title of the Lord Jesus Christ assures us that when the Father sent His Son away from the glories of Heaven down to a world lost in sin, it was not just to be the Messiah of the Jews, or to assume David's throne as King of Israel, or to punish the wicked Gentile nations.

"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17).

In fact, this special title is used only one other time in the Bible, and it was used by Samaritans rather than Jews when they came to know Jesus as He ministered among them for two days. These people were mostly of Gentile background with a mixture of Israeli blood who had become adherents of a quasi-Jewish religion that was also part pagan.

But they were actually looking for a Savior, and their testimony after meeting Jesus was: "Now we believe...and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world" (John 4:42). They perceived that He had come to bring salvation to lost sinners in every nation, not just to Israel or Samaria. As He said later, "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world" (John 12:47).

And so He commanded His disciples "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations" (Luke 24:47). He became to the Father "the propitiation...for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2) when He offered up His life as a sacrifice for sins, then died and rose again. We who have believed on Him as our personal Savior are now to be His witnesses in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

--ICR/HMM
<http://youtu.be/lazaCENJRhU?list=UU9Pxq2RfQhCQ6kk-xyQdgyw>

--Son Of God/Son Of Man
--By: Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20).


--It is significant that, although Christ clearly taught that He was the unique Son of God, He most frequently referred to Himself as Son of man, earnestly desiring that people understand His true and representative humanity.

The very first use of the phrase is in Psalm 8:4: “What is . . . the Son of man, that thou visitest him?” Although David may have been thinking of all “sons of Adam” in general, the writer of Hebrews applied the passage specifically to Christ (Hebrews 2:6), “that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9). In order to save lost men, God, in Christ, had to become man through supernatural incarnation. Then, as perfect, sinless man, He could represent us all before God, finally tasting death for every man.

The vital importance of the incarnation is affirmed by John: “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God” (I John 4:2,3). It is noteworthy that Satan and his evil spirits would recognize Christ as the Son of God (Matthew 4:3; 8:28,29), but never as the Son of man! This reluctance seems also to characterize all the occultic philosophies of the so-called “New Age” movement, as well as all ancient and modern pantheistic religions. They speak glibly of “the Christ,” as a spirit which might come on many, but bitterly refuse to acknowledge that the man Jesus was actually the Son of man, God incarnate.

Finally, it is thrilling to realize that, although He only became the Son of man through His incarnation, He will always remain the Son of man! John saw Him in His glory—as we shall see Him in eternity—as “one like unto the Son of man” (Revelation 1:13; 14:14).
--ICR/ HMM =/ SON OF GOD SON OF MAN~~ / Joseph
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQy0ZVaGrbk>
------------

--WONDERS OF
-THE HEART~

-Job 38:1-11
----
'By You I have been
upheld from birth.'
--Psalm 71:6
----
-OUR heart beats about 100,000 times every day, pumping blood to every cell in our bodies. Our Creator made us in His image,(spiritually). Meaning we were made to know and love Jehovah God.

Yet as amazing as our heart is, it is only one example of a natural world that is designed to tell us something about our Creator. This is the idea behind the story of a man named Job.

Broken by a series of mounting troubles, Job felt abandoned. When God finally spoke, He didn't tell Job why he was suffering. Nor did the Creator tell him that someday He would suffer for Job. Instead, He drew Job's attention to a series of natural wonders that are always whispering to us--sometimes shouting--about a wisdom and power far greater than our own (Job 38:1-11).

So what can we learn from the complexity of this hard-working muscle, the heart? The message may be similar to the sound of waves coming to shore and stars quietly shining in the night sky. The power and wisdom or our Creator give us reason to trust Him. To share His Word with a lost and dying world. We are on this earth a short time, but enough time to share the only way to eternal life in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the Word made flesh. God is Light. -(1 John 1:1-5)~
(Be blessed by reading Colossians 1:15-20.)
----
--WHEN WE REFLECT ON THE POWER OF GOD'S CREATION,
-WE SEE THE POWER OF HIS CARE FOR US.
---[Father of Creation +++ Shout to the Lord / Hillsong
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmRCdWmtYpU>

--ETERNITY WITH GOD!

--WITH HIM
-FOREVER ~~

--Read: James 4:11-17
----
'For what is your life?
It is even a vapor that
appears for a little
time and then vanishes
away.' --James 4:14
---
-IN 1859, during the turbulent years prior to America's Civil War, Abraham Lincoln had the opportunity to speak to the Agricultural Society in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As he spoke, he shared with them the story of an ancient monarch's search for a sentence that was "true and appropriate in all times and situations." His wise men, faced with this heady challenge, gave him the sentence, "And this, too, shall pass away."

This is certainly true of our present world--it is constantly in the process of deterioration. And it's not happening just to the world; we also face the reality in our own lives that our days are numbered. James wrote, "For what is your life: It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14).

Although our current life is temporary and will pass away, the God we worship and serve is eternal. He has shared that eternity with us through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. He promises us a life that will never pass away: "For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

-When Christ returns, He will take us home to be with Him forever!
---
-For hope today, remember the end of the story--eternity with El-Shaddai, Jehovah Yahweh, Elohim. ~~

(El-Shaddai= Almighty God.
-Jehovah Yahweh= Our loving, covenant-keeping God.
-Elohim= The God above all gods.
-Adonai= JHVH =Jehovah God.)
------
<http://youtu.be/DuXB1a3NBCw>

--HAPPY ENDING!

--Read: Revelation 21:1-7
----
'I saw a new Heaven
and a new Earth.'
--Revelation 21:1 --
-----
-IN it's "plot," the story of the Bible ends up very much where it began. The broken relationship between God and human beings has healed over at last, and the curse of Genesis 3 is lifted. Borrowing images from Eden, Revelation pictures a river and a tree of life (Rev. 22:1-12). But this time a great city replaces the garden setting --a city filled with worshipers of God. No death or sadness will ever darken that scene. When we awake in the new Heaven and new Earth, we will have at last a happy ending.

Heaven is not an afterthought or an optional belief. It is the final justification of all Creation. The Bible never belittles human tragedy and disappointment--is any book more painfully honest?--but it does add one key word: 'temporary.' What we feel now, we will not always feel. The time for re-Creation will come.

For some people who feel trapped in pain or in a broken home, in economic misery or fear--for all of us--Heaven promises a timeless future of health and wholeness and pleasure and peace. The Bible begins with the promise of a Redeemer in the book of Genesis (3:15) and ends with the same promise (Rev. 21:1-7)--a guarantee of future reality. The end will be the beginning. And we will forever live with our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ! ~~
----
--The gains of Heaven will more than compensate us for the losses of earth.~~

--ODB/PY
<http://youtu.be/C4dci4Z7p6A>

---Jesus the Creator

-Question: "Is Jesus the Creator?"
-
-Answer: Genesis 1:1 says that “God created the heavens and the earth.” Then, Colossians 1:16 gives the added detail that God created “all things” through Jesus Christ. The plain teaching of Scripture, therefore, is that Jesus is the Creator of the universe.

The mystery of the triune God is difficult to understand yet is one of the doctrines revealed in Scripture. In the Bible, both God the Father and Jesus are called Shepherd, Judge, and Savior. Both are called the Pierced One—in the same verse (Zechariah 12:10). Christ is the exact representation of God the Father, having the same nature (Hebrews 1:3). There is some sense in which everything the Father does, the Son and Spirit also do, and vice versa. They are always in perfect agreement at every moment, and all three equal only One God (Deuteronomy 6:4). Knowing that Christ is God and has all the attributes of God aids our understanding of Jesus as the Creator.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). There are three important things in this passage about Jesus and the Father: 1) Jesus was “in the beginning”—He was present at creation. Jesus had existed eternally with God. 2) Jesus is distinct from the Father—He was “with” God. 3) Jesus is the same as God in nature—He “was God.”

Hebrews 1:2 says, “In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” Christ is the agent of God’s creation; the world was created “through” Him. The Father and the Son had two distinct functions in creation yet worked together to bring about the cosmos. John says, “All things were made through [Jesus], and without [Jesus] was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3, ESV). The apostle Paul reiterates: “There is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:6).

The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, was also an agent in creation (Genesis 1:2). Since the Hebrew word for “spirit” is often translated as “wind” or “breath,” we can see the activity of all three persons of the Trinity in one verse: “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6). After a thorough study of Scripture, we can conclude that God the Father is the Creator (Psalm 102:25), and He created through Jesus, God the Son (Hebrews 1:2).
'This I Believe' The Creed ~ Hillsong
<http://youtu.be/h0mPk_3dXSg>
<www.GotQuestions.org> Home

--WHOSE SIDE
-ARE YOU ON?

-Psalm 73=

-----
'It is good for me to
draw near to God.'
----Psalm 73:28

--
--IN the heat of the American Civil War, one of President Lincoln's advisors said he was grateful that God was on the side of the Union. Lincoln replied, "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

What a great challenge for us who assume that God is there to support our plans, our perspectives, our decisions, and our desires. However, Lincoln's reply reminds us that even our best plans may not be near to what God desires.

Clearly the Psalmist wants to be on God's side when he pleads, "Search me, O God, and know my heart;...and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Ps. 139:23-24). When we follow the Psalmist's example to "draw near to God" (73:28), we can be certain that we are on His side, as His Spirit helps us measure every thought and action by His ways that are always right.
So, let's ask ourselves: Are we on the Lord's side? Being on His side means that we will reflect His love to the world around us in the way we interact with others. We will forgive, treat others justly, and seek peace. God's ways are always best.
-------
-When you draw near to God, you are sure to be on His side.

--
ODB/JS
________

-JESUS IN PSALMS~

"Oh, give thanks to
the LORD, for He is
good! For His mercy
is forever! His love
endures forever!
--Psalm 136:1 -
-----
-OUR unchanging God has promised that His loving mercy endures forever. In Psalm 136, the singer celebrates this wonderful promise by making statements about God's wonder, work, and character.

He then punctutes each statement about God with the phrase, "For His mercy endures forever." Whether it is the wonder of His creation (vv.4-9), the rescue of His people (vv.10-22), or His tender care for His own (vv.23-36), we can trust Him because His mercy will never fail. In a temporary world, the permanence of God's love, grace, and mercy give us hope. We can sing with the Psalmist, "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (v.1).

-------
-God's grace is immeasurable; His mercy inexhaustible;
and His peace is always inexpressible.~~
=FOREVER/ Chris Tomlin~~
--ODB/BC
-= <http://youtu.be/6umWkVwpfBk>
--------------

--Jesus Christ Our Creator + + +
---HAPPY ENDING

--Revelation 21:1-7
----
'I saw a new Heaven
and a new earth.'
--Revelation 21:1
----
-IN it's "plot," the story of the Bible ends up very much where it began. The broken relationship between God and human beings has healed over at last, and the curse of Genesis 3 is lifted. Borrowing images from Eden, Revelation pictures a river and a tree of life (Rev. 22:1-2). But this time a great City replaces the garden setting--a City filled with worshipers of God. No death or sadness will ever darken that scene. When we awake in the new Heaven and new Earth, we will have at last a happy ending!

Heaven is not an afterthought or an optional belief. It is the final justification of all creation. The Bible never belittles human tragedy and disappointment--is any book more painfully honest? --but it does add one key word: 'temporary'. What we feel now, we will not always feel. The time for recreation will come.

For people who feel trapped in pain or in a broken home, in economic misery or in fear--for all of us--Heaven promises a timeless future of health and wholeness and pleasure and peace. The Bible begins with the promise of a Redeemer in the book of Genesis (3:15) and ends with that same promise (Rev. 21:1-7)--a guarantee of future reality. The end will be the beginning. All things will be made new, in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior!
----
--The gains of Heaven will more than compensate us
-for the losses of earth. Keep looking up, Jesus will come for us. He is a God that cannot lie, and our time is getting closer. 'Be ye ready, for no one knows the day or the hour the Son of Man will come.'
--ODB/PY /'Dancing in the Sky' by: Dani and Lizzy
<http://youtu.be/C4dci4Z7p6A>

--JESUS CHRIST OUR CREATOR~

--- And the Angels Were Silent
--By: Max Lucado

--THE story of young Matthew Huffman came across my desk the week I was writing this chapter. He was the six-year-old son of missionaries in Salvador, Brazil. One morning he began to complain of fever. As his temperature went up, he began losing his eyesight. His mother and father put him in the car and raced him to the hospital.

As they were driving and he was lying on his mother's lap, he did something his parents will never forget. He extended his hand in the air. His mother took it and he pulled it away. He extended it again. She again took it and he, again, pulled it back and reached into the air. Confused, the mother asked her son, "What are you reaching for, Matthew?"

"I'm reaching for Jesus' hand," he answered. And with those words he closed his eyes and slid into a coma from which he never would awaken. He died two days later, a victim of bacterial meningitis.

Of all the things he didn't learn in his short life, he'd learned the most important; who to reach for in the hour of death. ~~
--ML~~
----
Have you developed the practice of constantly looking to Jesus? If you have, you will reach to Him during your most difficult hour. If you haven't, ask Him to accompany you in all your thoughts.
Jesus said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you. Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of time." ~~
<http://youtu.be/GItTqLab0Vk>

--JESUS CHRIST OUR CREATOR!

--God is King of All the Earth!

---PSALM 47 ~~

--Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.
How awesome is the LORD Most High,
the great King over all the earth!

He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. ~~ Selah

God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
The LORD amid the shouting of trumpets.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.

For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to Him a psalm of praise.
God reigns over the nations;

God is seated on His Holy Throne.
The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the king of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted. ~~
~~~~~~~~
<http://youtu.be/3F7-8U7H0DE>

--The Eyes of the Lord

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

-Since God in His essence is Spirit (note John 4:24) and is omnipresent, one might wonder how He could have physical eyes. The fact is, however, that the Bible frequently refers to His eyes. In fact, this phrase, “the eyes of the LORD,” occurs no less than 21 times in the Bible.

While this is hard to understand in one way, it is wonderfully clear when we remember that God is omnipotent and omniscient, as well as omnipresent. “He that formed the eye, shall he not see?” (Psalm 94:9). We may not be able to understand the actual seeing mechanism of spiritual eyes; nevertheless, “the eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).

The prophet Zechariah reminds us not to “[despise] the day of small things,” for they will be observed by “the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:10). The phrase is used first of all in connection with those terrible times when “the wickedness of man was great” and “the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:5, 11). Yet God could still see righteous Noah there. “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8), and he and his family were saved through the awful worldwide Flood.

The last usage of the phrase is in Peter’s epistle, quoting Psalm 34:15: “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). We do well to remember always that one of the great names of God is “Thou God seest me” (Genesis 16:13) and then conduct ourselves accordingly, aware that our God is indeed watching us with deep love and concern.
--ICR/HMM

--WHAT LOVE IS~~

-Romans 5:1-8
-----
God demonstrates
His own love toward
us, in that while we
were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
--Romans 5:8
-------
--REAL love has a lot to do with sacrifice. That idea is in line with the wisdom of the Bible. In the Scriptures there are several Greek words for love but the highest form is 'agape' love--love that is defined and driven by self-sacrifice. Nowhere is this more true than in the love our heavenly Father has shown us in Christ. We are deeply valued by Him. Paul stated, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)

If sacrifice is the true measure of love, there could be no more precious gift than Jesus; "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)~~
----
--THE MEASURE OF LOVE IS WHAT YOU ARE WILLING TO GIVE UP FOR IT!
--ODB/BC - The Awesome Song, "How Great Thou Art" is approx seven and half minutes. Try to stay with it. WHAT A BLESSING!
<http://youtu.be/B5v1Fl149Rw>
-----------

---They Shall Never Perish

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29)

-What rich blessings Christ promises to those who “hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (v. 27). To think that the omnipotent Creator knows us and gives us eternal life! He is certainly powerful enough to see that this life is in no danger, either from our own weaknesses (“they shall never perish”) or from the enemy without (“pluck them out”). Temporary eternal life simply cannot be. The eternal life which He gives lasts for eternity.

Actually, the promise “they shall never perish” is very strong in the original Greek. A repeating negative precedes the word “perish,” and the specific form of the word “never” literally includes “eternally,” or “forever.” A more complete rendering would then be, “They shall not, in no wise perish, no, not for eternity.”

The word “man” is not in the original, and the word “any” is more properly translated “any one” or “any being.” This includes Satan—no match for the Savior. He is powerless to pluck or snatch us from either the Father’s or the Son’s hands. How could we be any more secure?

Note that the Father gave us to His beloved Son as gifts of His love. In turn, Christ values these precious gifts so much that He holds us securely in His hand, so tightly that no created being can snatch us away. The Father even assists in providing us this security, for we are also in the “Father’s hand,” and “I and my Father are one” (v. 30).

-When we consider the size and strength of the Creator’s hand, we can understand why no one, not even Satan, can snatch us out of its protective care.
--ICR/ JDM
<http://youtu.be/mff8_hwgWy4>

--Jesus the Source of Peace
--Colossians 1:15-20

-Before we knew Jesus Christ, our life was full of godlessness and wickedness—we had self-seeking ways and stubborn, unrepentant hearts (Rom. 1:18; 2:5, 8). Like our strife-filled world, we clamored for peace and tried to find it, but our efforts failed.

When we came to faith in the Savior, all of that changed. We were rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into Christ’s kingdom (Col 1:13). Every one of our sins—past, present, and future—was forgiven. Divine justice was satisfied by Christ’s sacrifice, and God’s wrath upon us was removed. We became a new creation, washed clean by Jesus’ blood (2 Cor. 5:17).

Now that sin’s power over us has been broken, we can live in accord with God. He sent His Holy Spirit to be our personal guide in this new life, helping each of us experience Christ’s peace (Rom. 8:6). We also can look forward to an eternity spent in heaven, where righteousness, tranquility, and joy abound (Rom. 14:17).

The story of the prodigal son’s return is a picture of our reconciliation with the Lord (Luke 15:11-24). The son had chosen to leave his father, living instead to please himself. Repentant, he eventually returned home; his father joyfully greeted him and forgave him, and there was harmony between them. God has done all this for us.

Our unity with the heavenly Father came at a great price—the sacrifice of His only Son. Christ gave His life for us so that we could be reconciled to God (Col. 1:20). Christian lives are to testify that Jesus is the source of our peace. Does your life communicate this message?
--IN TOUCH~~// PEACE is only found in our Creator, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Please come to Him today, and He will 'set you free' from the 'cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches.' (Read: Colossians 1:15-20)
<http://youtu.be/g5MFhZLO73A>
-------------

--Jesus Christ the Sin Bearer
--Matthew 26:26-27
----
--The Cross is so common in our culture that most people don’t think twice when they see one on a church. But unfortunately, familiarity with the symbol can actually get in the way of understanding what it truly means. So let’s stop to consider how Jesus became the bearer of sin.

We begin with Scripture written long before Jesus was born. Genesis, the first book of the Bible, explains how man chose to disobey God. Because Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, their descendants are all born under the curse of death, having inherited a sinful “flesh” nature.

In Leviticus, God’s laws for the Jewish nation included observance of Yom Kippur, the day each year when the Israelites fasted, prayed, and sacrificed an animal to atone for sin. In essence, the goat would bear the wrongs done by the people and suffer the penalty that divine justice required.

Centuries later, Isaiah prophesied that a Savior would atone for transgression once and for all (Isa. 53:5, 8; Heb. 7:27). After another 700 years, John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The Messiah had come, though He was totally different from what the people expected—so much so, in fact, that they rejected Him and requested His crucifixion.

In all, God gave 613 laws through Moses. But none of us can perfectly follow even the Ten Commandments. In fact, one reason He gave us these rules is to show us our need for a Savior (Ps. 19:7; Gal. 3:24). Meditate on those commands (Ex. 20:1-17), asking God to speak to your heart.[Jesus paid our sin-debt. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. Thank Him for paying the debt we owe, so that we may live eternally with Him, Jesus Messiah is alive now!
--IN TOUCH ~ / JESUS MESSIAH /CHRIS TOMLIN ~~
<http://youtu.be/FwJzTV1uurU>

---TOO BUSY TO NOTICE

--One’s imagination is kindled thinking about the conversation of the innkeeper and his family. Did anyone mention the arrival of the young couple the night before? Did anyone ask about the pregnancy of the girl on the donkey?
The innkeeper and his family were so busy. The day was upon them. The day’s bread had to be made. The morning’s chores had to be done. There was too much to do to imagine that the impossible had occurred. God had entered the world as a baby.

Meanwhile the city hummed. Merchants were unaware that God had visited their planet. The innkeeper would never believe that he’d just sent God into the cold. Those who missed His Majesty’s arrival—missed it not because of evil acts or malice; no, they missed it simply because they weren’t looking. Not much has changed in the last two thousand years, has it?

--In the Manger/ML-/ Cristy Lane / Away in a Manger~~<http://youtu.be/-HNmqt5JRbw>

--A SPECIAL
--BIRTH ~~

-Isaiah 7:10-15
--------
"Behold, the virgin
shall conceive and
bear a Son, and
shall call His name
Immanuel. ----
--Isaiah 7:14
-----
-IN the pages of Scripture, several baby-boy births stand out. Cain, the firstborn after Creation. Isaac, the hope of Israel's future. Samuel, the answer to a mother's fervent prayer. All extremely important. All joyously extremely important. All joyously expected. And all described exactly the same by the chroniclers of Scripture: In each case, we are told that the mother conceived and bore a son (Gen. 4:1; 21:2-3; 1 Sam. 1:20).

Now consider one more baby boy's birth. The description of this arrival was much more greatly detailed; a few words were clearly not enough to tell of Jesus' birth. In Micah, we were told where He would be born--Bethlehem (5:2). In Isaiah, that His mother would be a virgin (7:14), and that He was coming to save people from their sin (ch. 53).

In the New Testament, we were given such key information as what His name would be and why (Matt. 1:21), where He was born in fulfillment of prophecy (2:6), and how both His birth mother and His adoptive father were part of God's plan (1:16).

Jesus' birth stands above all births. His coming changed the world and can change our lives.
Let's celebrate JESUS! EMMANUEL=God With Us~~
------
--CHRIST IS THE GREATEST GIFT KNOWN TO MAN. TELL SOMEBODY!

--ODB/DB -/ EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US= MERCY ME
<http://youtu.be/V8eOGhLzuVA>
----------

--But He Made Himself of No Reputation

--BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” - Philippians 2:7

--DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Jesus came in a manger for you and for me. He willingly left the glories and riches of Heaven to be born in a stable.

Jesus became poor so that we might become rich. He lived a life of such abject poverty that when He had to pay taxes, He had to look for a coin in a fish’s mouth. When He sent out His disciples, He told them to take nothing but a staff and the power of the Holy Spirit (Mark 6:7-9). He was put to death like a common criminal so that we could wear a royal robe!

Child of God, you are rich! I am rich! Praise God! --/ JESUS YOU GAVE IT ALL!--Hillsong~
<http://youtu.be/f585oLKN6ow>
---------

- -WE LIFT HIGH THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST!
--(EL SHADDAI, ADONAI, ELOHIM, YESHUA HAMASHIACH, JEHOVAH)

---- -There are many Names for God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We shall list but a few of the God's Faithfulness, and Lordship. A lovely song by Amy Grant, EL SHADDAI, will follow.

--GOD'S FAITHFULNESS~~~

'You have dealt well with Your servant,
O LORD, according to Your word.'
-(Psalm 119:65

'Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land;
for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."
-(Genesis 28:15)

'The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those
who are bound."
--(Isaiah 61:1)

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free.
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall
be free indeed."
--(John 8:32, 36)

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."
-(Romans 8:2)

"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is liberty."
--(2 Corinthians 3:17)

"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the
fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
-(1 Corinthians 1:9)

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given
Him the name which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
and those in Heaven, and those on earth, and
those under the earth,
and that every tongue would confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
--(Philippians 2:9-11)
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuXB1a3NBCw#t=225>

---Lord of the Living and the Dead
--Romans 14:7-12 (please read)

--(vss.9-13) "For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's Judgment Seat.
It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God'" (Isa 45:23)-selected verses.

In the New Testament, Lord is the most frequently used title for Jesus Christ. Although we rarely use this term in our daily lives, we are all quite familiar with another word: boss. That is basically what Lord means—one possessing authority, power, and control. The Word of God describes Jesus as the Head of the church, the Ruler over all creation, and the Lord of lords and King of kings (Col. 1:15-18; Rev. 3:14; 17:14).

The realm of Christ's reign covers everything that happens in Heaven and on the Earth. No one—not even those who deny His existence—can be free of His rule or outside His sphere of authority. Although Satan tries to convince us that liberty is found in doing what we want, true freedom is acquired only through submission to Christ's loving Lordship.

Even death cannot release anyone from the authority of God's Son. He is Lord of both the living and the dead. All people must decide to either yield or rebel against Him, but they have the opportunity to make this choice only while they are still living. After death, they will acknowledge Christ's lordship through accountability to Him. If we have not bowed the knee to Jesus in life, we will be forced to bend it in the judgment.

Have you submitted to Christ's rule over your life? His authority causes anger or fear in individuals who have not yet yielded to Him, but those who have experienced His lovingkindness, trusted in His goodness, and surrendered to His authority take comfort in knowing Him as the Lord of their lives.
--IN TOUCH~~
[Please do not go another day without asking Jesus Christ to save you from yours sins ('All have sinned and come short of the glory of God'), confess your need for Him to be your Savior, and He will forgive your sins as far as the east is from the west. You must make that choice, individually. He turns away no one with a sincere heart. You can not do this on your own. Jesus will help you live for Him. You will spend eternity with the Messiah, Jesus Christ.~~]
---KADOSH (Holy), YESHUA (O Lord), ELOHIM (Our God)--<http://youtu.be/9995T-G4GdE>

--THE HEAVENS DECLARE
-THE GLORY OR GOD!

--'The heavens declare
the glory of God; and
the firmament shows
His handiwork.'
--Psalm 19:1 ~~
---
-David, a Jewish shepherd boy looked up at the night sky and marveled. He had a personal relationship with the living God. I imagine the sheep quietly bleating in the background as David gazed skyward. Later he would write the inspired text: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge" (Psm. 19:1-2).

In our busy schedules, we can so easily forget to stand in awe of the heavenly beauty our Creator has prepared for our enjoyment and His glory. When we set aside time to look at the night sky and marvel at what is there, we gain a deeper understanding of God and His eternal power and glory.

'We believe that this is Your world, Lord. We marvel at You and Your creativity when we look at the sky and the world around us. You, Lord, and what you have done, are amazing! We stand in awe of you.'~~ amen + + + / ALL HEAVENS DECLARE / Martin Ball ~~
<http://youtu.be/kPkZAjA610k>
-----------

--POINTING
--TO GOD ~~

-Deuteronomy 8:11-18
-------
Remember now your
Creator...before the
difficult days
come.
--Ecclesiastes 12:1
----
--"God bless our homeland, Ghana" is the first line of the Ghana's national anthem. Other African anthems include: "O Uganda, may God uphold thee," Lord, bless our nation" (South Africa).
Using the anthems as prayers, founding fathers called on God to bless their land and its people. Many national anthems in Africa and others from around the world point to God as Creator and Provider. Other lines of anthems call for reconciliation, transformation, and hope for a people often divided along ethnic, political, and social lines.

Yet today, many national leaders and citizens tend to forget God and do not live by these statements--especially when life is going well. But why wait until war, disease, storms, terrorist attacks, or election violence occurs before we remember to seek God?
Moses warned the ancient Israelites not to forget God and not to stop following His ways when life was good (Deut.8:11). Ecclesiastes 12:1 urges us to "remember now your Creator...before the difficult days come."

Getting close to God while we are strong and healthy prepares us to lean on Him for support and hope when those "difficult days" in life come.
---
--REMEMBERING OUR CREATOR CAN BE OUR PERSONAL ANTHEM. ELOHIM, (The God above all gods), GIVE HIM PRAISE! REDEEMER, YHWH (Jehovah Yahweh)
--ODB/LD--Your Great Name~~Paul Wilbur

<http://youtu.be/Hd1DXeLErfI>
-----

--GOD IS OUR
-LOVING FATHER~~

--Luke 15:11-24
----
--HUMANITY tends to project its own faulty habits onto God. Consider how God's love is often seen: Many people assume we must barter, plead, or try hard to earn the Lord's favor. But as the Prodigal Son learned, the Father's love is unconditional.

The wayward boy returned home, not expecting to be loved as before; all hoped for was a place among the family's servants. Imagine the son's delight at his dad's greeting of a hug and a celebration. The boy's actions surely didn't merit an outpouring of affection, but Jesus' parable is all about a Father who doesn't give people what they deserve.

A love based on conduct would keep people wondering 'Have I done enough?' Instead, God cares for you simply because you're you, and He expects your love in return.
Consider the Prodigal's life after his homecoming party. He didn't move into the servants' quarters and go to work. He was reinstated to his place as the second son of a wealthy man, with all of the privilege that entails. In the same way, believers are the Lord's cherished children (2 Cor 6:18). When God looks at His loved ones, He doesn't focus on their past failures, faults, or sins. He sees the heirs to His Kingdom--men and women who love Him and desire to spend eternity in His presence.

No matter how far we may wander from the Lord's perfect will for our lives, we are always welcome back. The Bible teaches that God's love cannot be lost regardless of sin or poor decisions (though we may have to live with the consequences).
-Our Father's arms are always open, saying, "Come, Come to the Father.....He's waiting.~~
--IN TOUCH// / YOU ARE MY KING - (Amazing Love)~ Candi Pearson=<http://youtu.be/zOAkTff3J1g>

---THE BEGINNING OF CREATION~~

“But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.” (Mark 10:6)

--These words of the Lord Jesus Christ ought to settle once and for all, for those who take His words seriously, the controversial question of the age of the earth. The earth was created essentially at the same time, He said, as the creation of Adam and Eve. Christ was quoting from Genesis 1:27: “male and female created He them.” This greatest of God’s creative works was “from the beginning of the creation,” not 13 billion years after the beginning of the creation, as modern old-earth advocates allege.

Surely for the evolutionist and old earth speculators, the great ages assumed by evolutionary geologists would have been most inefficient, wasteful, and cruel method that ever could have been devised for "creating" human beings.
One can understand why atheists believe in evolution and an almost infinitely old universe, for they really have no other alternative. One who believes in a personal God, on the other hand, only dishonors God if he believes such humanistic speculations rather than God’s Word. God is omniscient and omnipotent, as well as loving and merciful, and He would never do anything like this. Since man’s creation was God’s main purpose, there is no conceivable reason why He would waste billions of years in such a meaningless charade as this before getting to the point.

In fact, the only reason He took six days instead of an instant of time was to serve as a pattern for man’s work week (Exodus 20:8-11). In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ was not only a creationist, but was Himself the Creator of all things (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; etc.).

He created man and woman, and He said it was “from the beginning of the creation!”! Jehovah Yahweh, our loving, covenant-keeping God, El-Shaddai, the almighty God can not lie. 'I AM that I AM'
--ICR/ HMM /Exalted (Yahweh) YHWH~/Chris Tomlin +
<https://youtu.be/SI3xHj1l3uE>

--Jesus Above All Other Gods

--BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” --John 6:68-69

--DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever wondered why Christians were so persecuted in the days of the liberal Roman government? The Romans didn’t persecute other religious people, only Christians. Why did they pick on the Christians? Because the Christians proclaimed Jesus as Lord, and not Caesar.

The Romans were a polytheistic nation—they even built the Pantheon, which was a temple for all the gods that were worshiped in ancient Rome. When they subjugated and conquered a people, they let them keep their gods—on one condition—that they remember that Caesar was Lord.

--ACTION POINT:
As the world becomes more and more syncretized and headed toward a “One World” order, men and women who say that Jesus is the only true Lord are going to be persecuted. Will you stand and proclaim Jesus as Lord no matter what?
--Adrian Rogers
/ YOUR LOVE OH LORD~ Third Day
<https://youtu.be/DGHcWQSKyvw>
----

---THE GOD OF HEAVEN

“And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.” (Jonah 1:9)

--It was by these words that the prophet Jonah identified himself to the merchants of Tarshish as he was fleeing on their ship from the presence of the Lord. This special title, “the God of heaven,” seems generally to have been used by the Jews when they were talking to men of other religions, stressing that their God was no mere tribal deity, but the true God who had created the very heavens.

The title was first used by Abraham, speaking to his servant: “And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth” (Genesis 24:3). At this time, the nation of Israel existed only in the promise of this “God of heaven.”

It also appears frequently in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, first in the decree of Cyrus the Persian: “The LORD God of heaven . . . hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:2). Even though the Persians followed lesser gods, Cyrus knew that the one God of heaven was the Creator. The name then reappears several times in the book of Daniel, who was living in the palace of the heathen king of Babylon. Its final Old Testament occurrence is Daniel 2:44: “The God of heaven [shall] set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.”

In the New Testament it occurs only twice, both in Revelation. In one instance, John writes that the ungodly nations “blasphemed the God of heaven”; in the other, he says they “gave glory to the God of heaven” (Revelation 16:11; 11:13).
In our own witnessing today, especially to those who don’t know or believe the Bible, it is also good to stress that our God is not just the God of Judeo-Christian tradition, but the Creator of all things.
--ICR/ HMM -- Let the Heaven Open ~~ Kari Jobe
<https://youtu.be/ts20klNhm4w>

--Immortal, Invisible, God Only
--By:John D. Morris, Ph.D.
Evidence for Creation

"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17)

--Many of the grand old hymns of the faith consist of the actual words and phrases of Scripture, either repeated verbatim or paraphrased and collected around a doctrinal theme. Such is the case for the stately hymn "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise," where we find, almost in list form, the attributes and character of God. In each of the next four days, we will focus our attention on one of its four verses, and through them on our great God and His nature.

Immortal, invisible God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.
--Please continue the reading from ICR....
<http://www.icr.org/article/5248>
-----
--Immortal, Invisible, God Only Sung by: Chris McClarney
<https://youtu.be/H0IS09sewl0>
----------

---STRENGTH IN WAITING
--Isaiah 40:28-31

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary,
His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak.
And to those who have no might
He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary.
And the young men shall utterly fall.

But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles.
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."


-God has a purpose and plan for your life, and His timing is perfect. Sometimes He answers our prayers with “yes” or “no.” But at other times, He says, “Not now.” When this is the case, we can avail ourselves of the rich rewards that come while we wait.

One very practical blessing is that God strengthens us as we lean on Him during delays. Isaiah 40:31 describes an eagle soaring—an apt metaphor for how the believer who abides in the Lord will be lifted and sustained by His Spirit. (In fact, it’s interesting to note that the Hebrew for “wind” and “spirit” come from the same word: ruach.)

When we are facing a difficult decision, the real key is learning to wait. There is no verse of Scripture that tells us to take control and fight our own battles. God is the one who fights them on our behalf (2 Chron. 20:15). We are to be patient and trust in Him.

When David faced his greatest battles, he waited upon the Lord. God delivered him from destruction and set his feet on solid ground (Ps. 40:1-3). He will do the same for you. When you abide in Him, He gives supernatural energy to accomplish the things He requires of you—His Spirit does for you what you cannot do for yourself..

-In reading through the Scriptures, we see that every time one of God’s saints gains a victory, he or she is waiting and trusting in the Lord. You can likewise experience triumph in your life. When you have the omnipotent Creator of the universe acting on your behalf, you can’t lose.
--IN TOUCH~~ / EVERLASTING GOD! -Lincoln Brewster~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP2nz6PG8KM#t=50>

---CREATED ~~

--“Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” (Isaiah 43:7)

--There are three main verbs used to describe God’s work of creation in Genesis. These are “create” (Hebrew, 'bara'), “make” ('asah'), and “form” ('yatsar'). The three words are similar in meaning but each with a slightly different emphasis. None of them, of course, can mean anything at all like “evolve,” or “change,” on their own accord.

All three are used in Genesis with reference to man. “And God said, Let us make man in our image. . . . So God created man in his own image. .. . . And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground” (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7).

Although the subject of creation is commonly associated with Genesis, it is mentioned even more frequently by the great prophet Isaiah. The words 'bara' and 'yatsar' are used twice as often in Isaiah as in any other Old Testament book and are applied uniquely to works of God. All three verbs are used together in Isaiah 45:18 in order to describe, adequately, God’s purposeful work in preparing the earth for man: “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”

God created, formed, made, and established the earth, that it might be the home of men and women. But what was God’s purpose for the people who would inhabit it? Our text answers this most fundamental of questions, and once again, all three key verbs are used: “I have created him . . .. I have formed him, . . . I have made him . . . for my glory.”

-This biblical perspective alone provides the greatest of all possible incentives to live a godly and useful life. The reason we were created is to glorify God!
--ICR/HMM
-'Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin." (Hebrews 9:22)
-There it is! Somebody, or something (unblemished lamb), had to be our sacrifice. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He paid our sin-debt! Jesus Christ is our Redeemer!~~
--My Redeemer Lives~~ Nicole C. Mullen<https://youtu.be/XRW-jr_PnbQ>

--JESUS CHRIST, Our Creator!

-"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts."
-(ISAIAH 55:8)
~~~~~~~
--WHEN GOD MAKES US WAIT?
---Psalm 25:4-5 / Please read)

--On the road of life, crucial decisions are like intersections that call for us to choose which way to go. If we barrel through without seeking the mind of Christ, the road we pick may lead to regret and heartache. Although the Lord is ready and willing to offer clear direction, He doesn’t always give it quickly. Knowing that He has good reason for withholding immediate instruction can help us wait patiently at the intersection for His guidance.

At times, God leaves us in our confusion because He wants to get our attention. When everything is running smoothly, we tend to forget the Lord. But uncertainty draws us back to Him like a magnet. By aligning our steps with His and walking in submission to the Spirit, we open our ears to hear His voice.

Our waiting period is God’s preparation time. In bringing about His sovereign purposes, He may put us on hold while He coordinates events to line up with His will. Sometimes the Lord has work to accomplish in us before we are ready to handle what He’s planned for our future. Also, waiting helps strengthen us spiritually. If we instantly received His direction, we would rarely have the opportunity to exercise our faith. Christian maturity becomes evident in the ability to wait in peaceful confidence, trusting that in God’s time, we will know what to do.

If impatience tempts you to jump ahead of the Lord’s timing, you risk stepping outside of His will and missing His blessings. But by waiting until He gives clear direction, you will walk in His peace with certainty, instead of stumbling around in anxiety and confusion.
--IN TOUCH~~ 'Everlasting God' - Lincoln Brewster
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk54OqoVMoY>

--JESUS CHRIST OUR CREATOR~~


--Following God Through the Bible, Our Road Map to Heaven~
--(Please read/ Colossians 1:13-20)
~~~~~~~~~
---God's Word is Jesus/ Read it for Direction Daily~
--THE BIBLE IS LIKE the Father's diagram of Himself. He teaches believers who He is, what He thinks,and how He acts. Knowing the ways of the Lord ensures that we can make wise decisions that honor Him.

The Bible is is also God's instruction book for living. I emphasize that it should be read every day because believers cannot be spiritually successful or victorious without it. In PSALM 119:9-16, we read that if a person wants to be righteous, his or her life must comply with scriptural principles. Of course, the only way to know what those principles are is to read, study and meditate upon the Word.

God's Word is our most valuable possession. Casting it aside is as foolish as tossing away a wallet full of money. Among the Bible's riches are stories teaching us how to serve the Lord and principles about pleasing Him. It also contains a wealth of instruction for building a righteous and meaningful life.
Jesus should be first place in our life. He is the One who keeps a marriage, family, friends, and His people close. As His followers, lets 'say it, "Lord I Offer My Life to You / Don Moen
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37u6IBRDgm8>

--THE ULTIMATE FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIP
---John 5:19-20

-God is called by a variety of names in the Bible, and each one sheds light on an aspect of His nature. Jesus' favorite title for Him was Father. Surprisingly, this name for God is used only 15 times in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament, it's recorded 245 times!

Many of God's names speak of His majestic and lofty attributes that separate Him from mankind, but Father conveys intimacy. Jesus used this name not only because He was God's Son, but also to help people realize that Jehovah isn't some unapproachable Deity gazing down on them from a distance. Rather, He is their loving heavenly Father, who cares about them and wants to be involved in their everyday lives.

Throughout His time on earth, Christ revealed by example what this kind of love relationship was like. He depended completely on His Father for daily direction, power, and provision and obediently carried out every instruction. He often left the demands of ministry just to find a secluded place to be alone with Jehovah. We know Jesus successfully conveyed the riches of this relationship to His disciples, because in John 14:8, Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father"—he wanted to know Him the way Christ did.

Do you long for that kind of intimacy with God? He wants to relate to you as a Father to His child, and He's given you the privilege of drawing near to Him. In fact, He chose you before the foundation of the world and waits with open arms for you to enter His loving embrace.

--In Touch~~
[Take time to read the Birth of Jesus Christ in Matthew Chapters 1:18, & 2 ) The Birth of Jesus is also Foretold in Luke 1:26-80,and Chapter 2)]
<https://youtu.be/qHDubMpFZsI>
[/video]

--Was Adam a Real Person? Did Man Evolve From an Ape?

--Was Adam a Real Person?
---By Brian Thomas, M.S.
--Evidence for Creation

--Our anti-Bible world ridicules those who insist that Adam was a real, historical person, and consequently many Christians doubt Adam too. Old Testament professor John Walton recently wrote that perhaps “God chose one pair from the rest of the early hominids.” Do we come from apes or Adam? Two links between Adam and history reveal the relevance of the world’s first man.

Evolution’s defenders from inside and outside Christian circles reason that since science has “proven” evolution, and since evolution by default displaces a historical Adam, that on the authority of science Adam never lived. According to evolution, extinct apelike creatures gave birth to children with slightly more humanlike traits than themselves. The next generation did the same, and so on for countless generations until they gradually transformed into, well, you and me! In evolution’s history, we link to apes, not Adam.

However, biblical history links us to Adam. The Bible reveals that since each person inherits a sin nature from Adam, each of us commits sins that earn the death penalty. The Lord Jesus, who never sinned, paid that penalty for us so that “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” If Adam never existed, then we have no basis for believing in a sin nature and no reason for Jesus to die in our place.

So, Adam matters! To the evolutionist, he must not exist, lest man be considered God’s special creation instead of the product of time and matter. To the biblical Christian, Adam must exist, lest the work of Christ on the Cross and His resurrection from the grave be considered totally useless. So, which is it?

Scripture contains enough evidence to convince an honest seeker that Jesus, “the last Adam,” was just as real and relevant as the first Adam, but three sciences also support this.

First, the story of tiny changes transforming apes into men violates anatomy. Apes walk awkwardly when on two legs because God fitted their bones to also walk on all fours or swing in trees. If evolution adjusted any of these bones toward becoming more human, it would merely produce a deformed ape—one less likely to survive than its relatives.

Second, evolutionists dispute every proposed human ancestor fossil. A strange-looking fossil named Homo naledi supplies the latest example, with evolutionary anthropologists expressing doubt over whether or not it deserves to be named among humans. Future research may reveal it as merely a mashup of human and extinct ape parts.

Finally, genetics confirms Adam. About 100 new mutations accumulate every generation, so our generation holds a greater load of genetic “typos” than ever before. Mutations slowly erode information and set species on a collision course with extinction in only thousands of years. At this rate, why didn’t we all go extinct millions of years ago? We only have several thousand years’ accumulation of mutations in our genome, right in line with the Bible’s claim of Adam as our forefather.

Anatomy, paleontology, and genetics confirm that we came from Adam and Eve, not animals. This gives us even more confidence in the reality of “Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”

-For References:<www.icr.org> --[Type in title]
-"There is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving Spirit. The Spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the Spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second Man from from Heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from Heaven, so also are those who are of Heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from Heaven.= JESUS CHRIST~ (1 Corinthians 15:44-49)
--(1 Corinthians 15:44-49)

--REAL PEOPLE, REAL GOD ~~

--SEVERAL years ago I received a letter from an 'Our Daily Bread' reader after I had written about a family tragedy.
"When you told about your tragedy," this person wrote, "I realized that the writers were real people with real problems." How true that is! I look across the list of men and women who pen these articles, and I see cancer and wayward children and unfulfilled dreams and many other kinds of loss. We are indeed just regular, real people writing about a real God who understands our real problems.

The apostle Paul stands out in the 'Real People Hall of Fame.' He had physical problems. He had legal issues. He had interpersonal relationship struggles to deal with. And in all of this messy reality, he was setting an example for us. In Philippians 3:17, he said, "Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do, for Jesus."

Those around us who need the Gospel--who need Jesus--are looking for believable people who can point them to our perfect Savior. And that means we all must be real.~~
----
-ODB/DB

'You, Lord, are perfection. Yet You welcome us imperfect people to come to You for salvation. You sent Your perfect Son to earth to die for us. Help us to be real and genuine as we seek to point people to You. amen~~ '
'Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters, wherever You would call me.'

-IF WE ARE TRUE TO GOD, WE WILL NOT BE FALSE TO PEOPLE.~~/ 'Oceans (Where Feet May Fail'= Hillsong United)
--ODB/DB
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoZE2RsthRg>

--CREATED AND MADE~~

“These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.” (Genesis 2:4)

There are two accounts of creation in Genesis, with the above text marking the dividing point. In the first (Genesis 1-2:4), the name used for the Creator is “God” (Hebrew Elohim), and its termination is the summarizing “signature,” as it were: “These are the generations [Hebrew toledoth] of the heavens and of the earth when they were created.”

The second account (Genesis 2:4-5:1) normally uses the name “LORD God” (Jehovah Elohim) in chapters 2 and 3 (except where the serpent and Eve used Elohim when she was being tempted) and then simply “LORD” (Hebrew Jehovah) in chapter . This second creation account ends with Adam’s signature: “This is the book of the generations [i.e., toledoth] of Adam.”

Critics claim that the two accounts are contradictory. Actually they are complementary, the second merely giving more details of the events of the fifth and sixth days of the creation week. The Lord Jesus (who was there as the Creator!) used them both, quoting from each (Matthew 19:4-6) at the same time in the same context. (Also read Colossians 1:15-20)

Note also that “create” (Hebrew bara) is used seven times in Genesis 1, never in Genesis 2–4. In that second account, “made” and “formed” (Hebrew asah, yatsar) are the words used. Genesis 2:3 stresses the fact that “create” and “make” are different when it tells us that God rested “from all his work which God created and made.”

Evidently the verb “create,” which always has the Creator as its subject, refers to His work in calling entities into existence; “make” refers to systems constructed (by either God or men) out of previously created entities. The heavens and the earth were both “created” and “made” (see our text).
--ICR/HMM

--THE FORWARD LOOK~~

-TODAY'S READING
Luke 2:21-35
'Simeon...was
righteous and
devout...and the
Holy Spirit was
on him.' (vs.25)

-The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon (vs.25), so it was no coincidence that he was in the temple when Mary and Joseph presented their firstborn son to God. Simeon, who had been looking for the promised Messiah, took the baby in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel"' (vv.29-32).

Simeon was not longing for the glory days of Israel's history, but was looking ahead for the promised Messiah, who would come to redeem all nations.

Like Simeon, we can have an expectant, forward look in life because we know that one day we will see the Lord! He is our blessed hope. In Christ alone our hope is found. Keep your eyes on the Cross. / I See the Cross/ Brian Doerksen

Come share His Resurrection live forever
Through This death and life.

'I see the Cross
And it's all I need to see
I see the Cross
And it calls me to believe.

No other way to be reconciled
To receive complete forgiveness.
No other choice could have set us free,
Could have paid the price of justice.

So I come as I am
To the place where mercy meets me
I see the Cross.

I see the Cross.
Lifted high for all to see.
I see the Cross. It's the love the nations need.

You suffered and died, poured out Your life
You showed us the way to truly be great.

Yet this just begins the Father's full plan
Now there is a way to share in Your...

Resurrection live forever
Through Your death and life.
We'll share Your Resurrection, live forever
Through Your death and life.~~
-------
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K41UdUGlgpY>
------

--GOD IS TRIUNE

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19)

The foundational plank of Israel’s worship was Deuteronomy 6:4—“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” Even the great apostle James acknowledged, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19).

Some have suggested that the Old Testament does not teach the Trinity and that the New Testament is making a “god” out of Jesus to foster the new religion. Nothing could be further from the truth. Both sections present the triune God.

The Father is named in Malachi 2:10: “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?” Jesus Himself insisted that we pray to the Father. “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9).

The Son is clearly declared in both Testaments. “The LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” (Psalm 2:7). Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), and the apostle Paul insisted that the Lord Jesus was “all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

The Holy Spirit is hardly a stranger to both Testaments. King David knew that “the Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2). And as the Lord Jesus was preparing to go back to the Father, He promised that “the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).

This much is clear: There is one God, who is manifested to us in three Persons.
--ICR/ HMM III--This I Believe (The Creed) / Hillsong
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0mPk_3dXSg>
-------

--DRESSED IN A NEW WARDROBE/ IN CHRIST!

--The Apostle Paul says, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Think about this for a moment. When you make God’s story yours, he covers you in Christ. You wear him like a vest. Old labels no longer apply.

How about these new labels: Royal Priest. Secure. God’s Coworker. God’s Workmanship. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Psalm 103:12 reminds us not to mess with the old clothes any longer. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” You can be sure of this: He sees his Son, not your sin! In fact, Isaiah 43:25 says, “He remembers your sins no more!”
--
-More to God's Story/ML
----
--BELIEVING THE BIBLE~~

-"Ben, I'd give anything in the world if I could believe the Bible."

My friend you can.
No matter who tries to tamper with the
Christian faith...I look for two things:

-(1)-Who do they say Jesus is?
-(2)-What do they say happened on the Cross when
Jesus was crucified?

Do their answers hinge on the Bible--
or other sources?

Jesus is the only Son of God.
Jesus said,
'If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.
If you have known Me, you have known the Father.
I and the Father are One.'

-"I don't understand that," you say.

God's ways are not our ways.
Neither you nor I can understand
God's ways and--on the face of it,
these claims defy logic.

--JOHN 14:7~~

--One on One/ BH~~
--
[When we read in the book of EXODUS / Chapter 3, we read that Moses saw the burning bush, that it was not burned up. Moses turned aside to see this marvelous sight."
When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses! And he said, "Here I am."

Then [God] said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."
"I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
The LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings.
So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey..."

"Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.
But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?

And He [God}, said, "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that is I who have sent you; when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain."

(VS.7) Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?"

God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM; and He said, Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you.'" // 'I Am Not Alone' / Kari Jobe~~
-------
<https://youtu.be/Ow4OfW4DP9s>
------

--GREAT SACRIFICE ~~

-"The Lord Jesus
Christ...gave
himself for our sins
to rescue us."
--(Galatians 1:3-4)
---
-W.T STEAD, an innovative English journalist at the turn of the 20th century, was known for writing about controversial social issues. Two of the articles he published addressed the danger of ships operating with an insufficient ratio of lifeboats to passengers. Ironically, Stead was aboard the Titanic when it struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912. According to one report, after helping women and children into lifeboats, Stead sacrificed his own life by giving up his life vest and a place in the lifeboats so others could be rescued.

There is something very stirring about self-sacrifice. No greater example of that can be found than in Christ Himself. The writer of Hebrews says, "This Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God...For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (HEB. 10:12,14 NKJV). In his letter to the Galatians, Paul opened with words describing this great sacrifice: "The Lord Jesus Christ...gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age" (GAL. 1:3-4).

Jesus' offering of Himself on our behalf is the measure of His love for us. That willing sacrifice continues to rescue men and women and offer assurance of eternity with Him. ~~
--
-JESUS LAID DOWN HIS LIFE TO SHOW HIS LOVE FOR US. HE DIED SO WE CAN LIVE ETERNALLY WITH HIM. ~~
--ODB/BC --/ ETERNITY / Brian Doerksen
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvWMX6XVI_o>

--SAVING FAITH / A New-Changed Person, in Christ~
---(Please Read/ John 1:12-13)

--Belief in Jesus is the core of Christianity. Now let’s look at some implications of that saving faith.

Knowledge of who Jesus is and what He did must be accompanied by confidence that the facts are true and apply to us. First, it’s important to realize, I have broken God’s law—that makes me a sinner. All of us are born with a nature that rebels against the Lord. Second, we acknowledge that none of our efforts can earn His favor. Third, we agree that Jesus died for each of us. He paid for all our sins, no matter how terrible they are in the world’s eyes.

Next, we believe that Jesus’ death is sufficient payment for our wrongdoing; nothing else is needed. We must accept that He paid our penalty and endured the Father’s wrath in our place.
Finally, we accept by faith that we’ve been adopted into God’s family on the basis of Christ’s atoning death. The invitation is for all humanity, but not everyone has true conviction. Too many people see these facts as “information” rather than life-altering truths.

Once we are convinced that Jesus is our Savior, trust is demonstrated through action. As a “new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17), we each are no longer who we once were, and there are different values and priorities for us to embrace. Jesus, our Lord, has authority over our life, and He alone deserves to be our top priority. He knows what pleases the Father and has sent His Spirit to live in us and teach us.

Take time to examine yourself for evidence of knowledge, conviction, and trust. If one area is lacking, ask God to help you come to true saving faith.
--IN TOUCH~

[**Friends, there are too many religions in this world and until we accept that Jesus Christ wants a 'personal relationship' with each one of us, we are not saved. Jesus is alive today. He defeated death by dying on the Cross and rising from the dead. He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven interceeding for each one of us.
He will return to gather His believers and take us to live eternally with Him soon. We see the 'signs of the times' all around us. The Apostle John recorded all of this in Revelation. Jesus said in Revelation 22:7, "Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."

"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches, I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. Yes, I am coming quickly."
--(Revelation 22:12,13,16,20).

God can not lie. He is the Creator of the entire universe. (Titus 1:3)
"We are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." -(Ephesians 2:8-9]
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)]

--THE CROSS ~~

--On the Cross in the most internal of all things ever done by anyone since the creation of the universe...
God...the Son, in the flesh...

-Jesus never lusted after a man's wife...
---became adultery...
He never entertained malice in his heart toward
another man...became murder...
He never bent the knee to anyone but the Father
....became idolatry.

--The Bible says:
'He who knew no sin was made to be sin itself.'

Every sin in my life. Every sin in yours. And the penalty for each of these sins is hell. Nobody got home scot-free.

That's why the Cross is not a few hours of agony with nails in the hands. The Cross...in the mystery of God ...is the most internal moment in all Creation.

For the first time in all of eternity God the Son, as Jesus of Nazareth, is separated from God the Father,
and He endured my hell and He endured your hell.

-The price for our sins was paid...and it was paid in full.

"It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God."
---[1 Peter 3:17-18]

-"God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
---(2 Corinthians 5:21)

--/ 'Lift Your Head Weary Sinner' / David Crowder~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_yhw0ADafs>

--THE WORD OF LIFE~~

“Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” (Philippians 2:16)

The Bible is always the best commentary on itself—especially when the word or phrase is not frequent. In this case, “the word of life” is only used twice and might be interpreted in various ways without this qualifier: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life” (1 John 1:1).

In the context of Philippians 2, the emphasis is obviously on the person and work of our Lord Jesus. We who bear His name are His “sons” and are charged with the responsibility of being “lights” (Philippians 2:15) to a world that is steeped in darkness. The light that we shine is the word of life—and that is, according to the Scriptures, the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Thus, the word of life must certainly involve who Christ is (Creator, Lord, incarnate Word, King) as well as the “glorious gospel” of salvation by grace (2 Corinthians 4:4). Charged with the responsibility of “holding forth the word of life,” we are to be “the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1).

Ultimately, of course, our “light” comes from “the Light.” Since we have been delivered “from the power of darkness” (Colossians 1:13) by our Lord’s substitutionary atonement, we who “were sometimes darkness” are now “light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
-ICR/ HMM III--/ John Piper='In the Beginning was the Word'-
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvGFdXLBlNA>
------

---CREATING LIFE ~~

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”
--- (Genesis 1:20)

-The two most fundamental laws of science state that matter can neither be created nor destroyed and that all processes tend to lose order, wear out, and eventually stop functioning. This is particularly significant when considering the origin of life.

-Creation is an act of omnipotence and omniscience. Creation requires the bringing into existence of something that did not exist before. Creation even requires a unique word to define it! God had created (something from nothing) on Day One. God had then used the material of Day One to make everything else, including the stars, the sun, and the moon.

On Day Five, God created life. First were the water creatures and then the air creatures—“abundantly” throughout the planet. These living things were created, not made. On Day Six, He continued creating the “cattle,” “beasts of the earth,” and “creeping things” that would live on the dry land. They were very different from the air and water creatures, but they shared the created life that set them apart from the food that had the ability to reproduce “after its kind.”

After a close friend of the Lord Jesus had sickened and died, Jesus went to visit with the remaining sisters. As they were all grieving at the untimely loss, Christ revealed a core attribute of His diety: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25). Herein lies the source of “livingness”! Furthermore, Jesus promised, “He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 1:25-26). Do you believe this?
--ICR/ HMM III
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTsBBxTgdvg>

---NO EXCEPTION TO GOD'S LOVE~~
----(Please Read/ Romans 5:6-9)

--Oftentimes I preach, “God loves you, and He has a plan and a purpose for your life.” Yet whenever I do, it seems someone in the crowd believes that he or she is an exception. I have heard many reasons why people decide verses like “For God so loved the world ...” (John 3:16) don’t apply to them.
Sadly, they have bought into the devil’s lie that they aren’t important enough to be singled out for blessing from among the billions on earth. Or they listen to Satan’s deceiving voice when he insists that they are too weak, sinful, or scarred to merit the Lord’s love.

How do I know that God thinks you are special? Jesus Christ died for you.. Because of the heavenly Father’s love for the world, He sent His Son to die on the Cross as a sacrifice for the sins of everyone living in the past, present, or future. None of us deserve the Father’s care and protection, but thankfully, deserving isn’t the basis for His love. In fact, God’s very nature is love, which He demonstrated through Christ’s death “while we were yet sinners” (Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:8; 1 John 4:16b).

God cares so much for His children that He gives each one a place in His plan for the world. Believers are gifted with the talents and attributes needed to carry out His purpose (1 Cor. 12:11). However, Christians who consider themselves exempt from His love aren’t looking for the opportunities He sends. They are too distracted by Satan’s lying voice.

-The Lord loves you. He says so again and again in the Scriptures. But don’t take my word for it. Read His Word for yourself and see how much He cares.
--IN TOUCH~~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8357bTbAxPw>

--JESUS CHRIST OUR CREATOR~~

--"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us." --(1 John 4:10-12) ~~
----
"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."
--(John 15:9,10)

-"For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God."
--(John 16:27)
--[Scriptures from:God's Promises/ NKJV~~]--/ You Put Your Love on the Line/ Hillsong~
<https://youtu.be/foppLdmfdnY>
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foppLdmfdnY>

----THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST ~~

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
---(2 Corinthians 4:6)

--The light that shines in the soul of a lost sinner when he first comes to know Jesus Christ can only be compared to the light that Christ called forth on Day One of the creation week. We met this God of glory spiritually when we first beheld in our hearts the face of Jesus Christ.

But the face of Jesus Christ was not always deemed so glorious. We read of a time when ungodly men "did...spit in his face" (Matthew 26:67), then took a blindfold "to cover his face" (Mark 14:65), and finally, with a rain of terrible blows "struck him on the face" (Luke 22:64). Once His "countenance [was] as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars" (Song of Solomon 5:15), but when they finished their assault, his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men" (Isaiah 52:14).

"The face of the Lord is against them that do evil" (1 Peter 3:12), however, and the time is coming very soon when all those who have turned their faces from Him will call "to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb" (Revelation 6:16). When finally they will have seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ in all its consuming strength, not even the world itself could stand, "from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away" (Revelation 20:11).

For those who have looked on Him in faith, however, this will not be a time of judgment but blessing, for "they shall see His face" (Revelation 22:4). The face of Jesus Christ, fierce as devouring fire to those He must judge, is glorious in beauty and love to those who believe."
--ICR/HMM
--"You Are the Radiance/ The New Has Come" / Kelanie Gloeckler +
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsem7dk1Zc>

-THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION YOU WILL EVER ANSWER!

---WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?
-----(Matthew 16:13-18 / PLEASE READ)

The question hung in the air like a thick morning fog. Imagine the complete silence and the small crowd around Jesus looking stupefied—too scared or uncertain to speak. They didn’t know what to say in response to the Lord’s question, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15).

Then, as though some invisible hand had flipped a switch, bringing him into perfect awareness, Simon Peter’s head shot up. He looked Jesus in the eye and declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Peter got it right.

Calling Jesus “Christ” and “God’s Son” was a big deal in biblical times. Such a statement led to the death of many brave believers, as the Jewish and Roman authorities persecuted Christians who were willing to take a stand for their faith. Even those who walked side by side with Jesus and excitedly took part in His ministry would be taking a huge risk to call Him “Christ.” So they sometimes remained silent while continuing to work for the kingdom.

Isn’t it interesting that today’s church often has the opposite problem? Many people are quick to exclaim “Jesus is Lord!” but then fail to go about His work and ministry.

Is there a disparity between what you profess with your mouth and what you’re doing for the kingdom? Jesus calls us to be complete in testimony and in deed. If your confession is “Jesus is Lord,” then your life should reflect your bold stance. What can you do today to reveal your faith to others?
--IN TOUCH~~-/[Glorious Day = Casting Crowns]
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xODpgyqGCYM>
---------

---FORGIVE~~

Do you realize how many
Christian churches are split
because of unforgiveness?

Do you realize how many people can validly say---
"I know a number of mean
Christians, mean as snakes--
meaner than any people
I've known as pagans?"

Yea. Why?
Because they've missed
the whole point of the
Christian Faith--
which is forgiveness.
The greatest need in our
lives is met in Christ.

Our role model is Christ.

And even as they spat on Him, and jeered at Him,
and called Him a liar and a fraud--and challenged Him
to come down from the Cross,
He yelled:
My God, forgive them,
They don't know what they're doing."
--Luke 23:34~
--ONE on ONE/Ben Haden~~

---ABSENT FROM THE BODY~~

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
----(2 Corinthians 5:8)

This wonderful phrase of hope—“absent from the body, present with the Lord”—was the most appropriate inscription we could think of to place on the gravestone of our youngest son when he died many years ago. He was a solid Christian young man with a good Christian testimony, so we are indeed “confident” that he has been “present with the Lord” ever since sudden cancer temporarily conquered his body, leaving a beautiful wife and three young children behind.

Therefore, though we all miss him deeply, we “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Sadly, however, there are many others who are “without Christ, . . . having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). Although Christ has paid the full redemption price on the Cross to have their sins forgiven and to give them eternal life, they spurn His love and so Jesus has to say, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40).

The times of judgment are coming, when they learn that “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Right now, however, all who know Christ as their Lord and Savior can know, with Paul, that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

Furthermore, when Christ returns, “them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). And then He will change our old body, whether in the grave or still living, “that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body” and “we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (Philippians 3:21; 1 John 3:2).

--ICR/ HMM
[You can be sure. Please, if you do not know Christ, ask Him to come into your life and help you live for Him now. Tomorrow may not come. 'We must live one day at a time, and do not worry, Jesus said, for tomorrow has enough trouble of it's own.'--(Matthew 6:34 NIV)

If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please say a prayer like this one or use your own words:
'Lord, Jesus, I believe You died so that I might be accepted as a child of God. Please forgive me, help me turn from my sins, and show me how to follow you each and every day. Thank You, Lord, for saving me and giving me eternal life. Amen.~'

[To take the next step, call 1-800-789-1473 or visit intouch.org to receive our free resource, 'Now That You Believe: Beginning Your New Relationship With Jesus.]
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Make sure you are ready. Jesus could come any day.~~
He has already paid your and my sin debt. We accept His 'free gift', repent of our sins and ask Him to come into our hearts and lead, guide, and direct our steps. That 'Glorious Day' is coming. BE READY!
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xODpgyqGCYM>


-----------

---THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS~~
----(Please Read/ John 19:1-27 )

Rome used the Cross as a brutal method for executing criminals. Through Jesus’ sacrificial act, its message became one of hope and life for those who believe in Him.

The Cross meant various things to different people in the gospel account. To Pilate, Judea’s governor, it was the place where an innocent man had died. The Pharisees and Sadducees, on the other hand, saw the Cross as the way to eliminate a problem—it meant that the radical rabbi was finished, and their position and authority were no longer threatened.

When Judas Iscariot heard that Jesus was condemned to die, he became greatly distressed. I believe the betrayer had thought his actions would force Jesus to declare His kingdom, with Judas taking a high position in the new government. Instead, his error in judgment crushed any personal ambition.

In that culture, the Cross represented shameful crime. Knowing the perfection of her Son’s life and His identity as the Son of God, Mary must have been certain it was undeserved. She also no doubt saw it as fulfillment of prophecy: When Jesus was just days old, Simeon had prophesied that a sword would one day pierce Mary’s soul. (See Luke 2:34-35.) The Cross brought that about.

To Jesus’ disciples, the crucifixion was the time when their beloved friend and Messiah died. Their close relationship with Jesus seemed to end, as did their dream of being freed from Roman jurisdiction.

**What response would you give to the question, “What does the Cross mean to you?” Is it the place where a good man lost his life, a troublemaker was eliminated, or the Son of God died to save you? Jesus our Messiah willfully gave His life on that Cross to save us from sin, in order for us to go to Heaven.
---IN TOUCH~
-Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.
"And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding, of blood there is no forgiveness."
--(Hebrews 9:22-28 NASB) /Please read these verses in their entirety.)
"So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSjP_Fq3wLc>
-------

--LOOKING UNTO JESUS~~

--BIBLE MEDITATION:
-“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
--(Hebrews 12:2)

--DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What does it mean to “look to Jesus” to have all of our needs met? Well, let’s say I borrow ten thousand dollars from Dan, a friend of mine, but then I discover that I can’t pay it back. Dan is on to me and says, “If you don’t pay it back, I’m going to foreclose on you.”

So I go over to another friend, Tom, and tell him about my dire situation and ask for his help. Tom says, “That’s alright, Adrian, look to me.”

Notice that he didn’t say, “Look at me.” He said, “Look to me.” In other words, “I’ll handle it.” That’s what the Bible means when it says “look unto Jesus.” It means look to Him for whatever you need.

--ACTION POINT:
Who is looking to you to have their needs met today? Are you then looking to God or are you trying to do it on your own?

**--Adrian Rogers~**
--'You Are My Hiding Place'- / Selah~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dR0H0tAYT8>
----------

--CHRISTMAS LIGHTS~~

-'I am the light of
the world. Whoever
follows me will never
walk in darkness, but
will have the light of
life.'-(John 8:12)--
~~~~~~
EACH YEAR FOR several weeks around Christmas, Singapore's tourist belt, Orchard Road, is transformed into a wonderland of lights and colors. This light-up is designed to attract tourists to spend their money at the many stores along the street during this "golden month of business." Shoppers come to enjoy the festivities, listen to choirs sing familiar Christmas carols, and watch performers entertain.

-The first Christ "light-up" ever was "the glory of the Lord [that] shone around" (LUKE 2:9). No tourists saw it, just a few simple shepherds out in their field. And it was followed by an unexpected rendition of "Glory to God in the Hightest" by an angelic choir (v.14).

The shepherds went to Bethlehem to see if what the angels said was true (v.15). After they had confirmed it, they could not keep to themselves what they had heard and seen. "When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this Child" (v.17).

Many of us have heard the Christmas story often. This Christmas, why not share the Good News with others that Christ--"the light of the world"--has come (JOHN 8:12).

--ODB/CPH
['LORD, help me this Christmas to reflect the light of Your presence and goodness to others. Make Your presence known to them, for You are the Light of the world.']

--ODB/CPH--/'Glory in the Highest'--Chris Tomlin~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oadNGjIdu0w>

--THE BABE IN BETHLEHEM ~
-By: Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.
-Evidence for Creation

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2) .

This is a very remarkable prophecy, explicitly predicting that the future king of Israel would be born in the little village of Bethlehem some 700 years before He finally came. Then, to assure its fulfillment, the great Emperor Augustus had to decree a comprehensive census, compelling Joseph to take Mary with him to Bethlehem for her child to be born.

That the prophecy involves an actual birth is clear, not only from the phrase “come forth,” but also from the succeeding verse which warns that God will “give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth” (v.3). The preceding verse had also predicted that “they shall smite [this coming ruler] the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek” (v.1), speaking of His initial rejection and execution.

But that is not all. The prophecy not only foresees His birth in Bethlehem, His repudiation by His own people, and His eventual installation as King over all Israel (not merely Judah), but also that this same remarkable person was none other than God Himself! His “goings forth” had been “from everlasting.” That is, He is eternally proceeding forth from His Father. He did not become God’s Son when He was born in Bethlehem; He has been coming forth eternally.

There is still another truth implied in the remarkable Hebrew word for “goings forth.” It is also used for such things as the flowing of water from a fountain or the radiations from the sun. Thus, the never-ending flowing forth of power from God through the Son is nothing less than the sustaining energy for the whole creation, as He is “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). And this was the Babe in Bethlehem!

--ICR/HMM --'UNTO US'~~ / Matthew West
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DakLXBs4d-s>
-----------

--THE GIFT IS GOD-GIVEN~~

-"Every good action and every perfect gift
is from God. These good gifts come down from
the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who
does not change like their shifting shadows."
--(JAMES 1:17)

--The conclusion is unavoidable: self-salvation simply does not work. Man has no way to save himself.

But Paul announces that God has a way. Where man fails God excels. Salvation comes from heaven downward, not earth upward. "Every good action and every perfect gift is from God" (James 1:17).

Please note:** Salvation is God-given. God-driven, God-empowered, and God-originated. The gift is not from man to God. It is from God to man. ~~
--In the Grip of Grace/ML~~['God of All My Days'--Casting Crowns]https://<www.youtube.com/watch?v=RocPcgqCDE0>
----------

c

--Jesus Christ our Creator / Alive From the Beginning of Time~~
--
---THE QUEEN OF SHEBA~~

“And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.”
--((1 Kings 10:1)

--A thousand years after the famous visit of Sheba’s queen to the court of King Solomon, Jesus made a remarkable spiritual application of her experience. “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42).

Solomon had prayed for wisdom, and the Lord gave him such legendary wisdom that the news even reached the distant land of Sheba, south of Ethiopia. We do not know what hard questions were confronting Sheba’s queen, but she finally decided she must find their solutions through Solomon and his God. God honored her searching faith, “and Solomon told her all her questions,” so that she could testify that “the half was not told me. . . . Blessed be the LORD thy God” (1 Kings 10:3, 7, 9).

-In Jesus Christ “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). He who had given Solomon his great wisdom promises us that “if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

Truly the queen of Sheba will be a witness against our present generation in the coming day of judgment. People today turn to every variety of humanistic counselors for their training and guidance but refuse to come to the one who is “made unto us wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:30). The “Wonderful Counsellor” (Isaiah 9:6), who is far greater than Solomon, who said “I am . . . the truth” (John 14:6), and who promises that “the truth shall make you free” (8:32), is still inviting all from the uttermost parts of the earth to come.
--ICR/HMM
--Crowned with Many Crowns/ By: Paul Wilbur and his Orchestra in Israel.Yeshua Ha Mashiach is returning soon. Be ready!
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bjFH9BPy_M>
------------

----TRUST GOD'S TIMING ~~

-"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
—--(2 Peter 3:9)

Conversion can happen instantaneously. Some have a hard time believing that, especially when they hear of someone coming to faith who has committed a terrible crime.

They may say, “Well, isn’t that convenient? I doubt that person really has become a Christian.” Maybe not. But then again, maybe so. Conversion can take place instantaneously in any life.

It’s worth noting that both criminals who were crucified with Jesus heard Him say, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). Yet one believed and one did not. That is the mystery of the Gospel. One can hear the gospel proclaimed and say, “Yes, I believe that” and give his or her life to Christ. Another, hearing the same message, can be absolutely unmoved and continue in his or her sin.

Interestingly, one criminal started correcting the other, who had said to Jesus, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us” (verse 39). The Bible says he “rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong’” (verses 40–41).

Then he turned to Jesus and said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (verse 42). Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Here was this man facing eternal separation from God, and he was crucified next to God incarnate, who pardoned him on the spot, absolved him of all sin, and was ready to take him into paradise with Him.

-God desires for people to come to faith, but He also has His timing. Our job is to be obedient and leave the results to God. Keep spreading His Word, it will not return unto Him void. ~~
**IN TOUCH~~**
[For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
--(Ephesians 2:8-9)
"That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
--(Romans 10:9-10)~~

-"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

-"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." -(John 3:16,17,36 NASB~)]
---'All For Love'--By: Hillsong United~<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNAti01dDWM>
----------

--JESUS IS THE ONLY OPTION~~ [FIRST JOHN]
------
--Tolerance. A prized virtue today. The ability to be understanding of those with whom you differ is a sign of sophistication. Jesus, too, was a champion of tolerance:

---Tolerant of the disciples when they doubted.
---Tolerant of the crowds when they misunderstood.
---Tolerant of us when we fall.

But there is one area where Jesus was intolerant. There was one area where He was unindulgent and dogmatic. Were He to share His opinion today, He would be accused of being narrow, biased, one-sided, even bigoted.

But as far as He was concerned, when it comes to salvation, there aren't several roads...there is only one road. There aren't several ways...there is only one way...there aren't several paths...there is only one path. And that path is Jesus Himself.

That is why it is so hard for people to believe in Jesus. It's much easier to consider Him one of several options rather than 'the' option. But such a philosophy is no option. Jesus closed that door. Jesus positioned Himself as the peerless Savior of the world. In defining who He is, Jesus is bold and unapologetic.

His disciple John was equally firm.

First John was written to dispel doubts about Jesus. False teachers had entered the church, denying the incarnation of Christ. John steps up to the bench and makes His defense. John knew Him, walked with Him, lived with Him. He saw Him heal. He heard His words. John had been to the empty tomb and He knew...Jesus is not one of many options. He is the 'only' option or nothing at all.

There are times to be tolerant. And there are times to take a stand for truth. In this letter, John takes a stand.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." -(JOHN 14:6) ~~
--[1 JOHN / INTRODUCTION/ML=Life Lessons Study Bible]
--'King of My Heart' / Jeremy Riddle & Steffany Gretzinger~~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6_BLuhr0HQ>
---------------

---IN CHRIST JESUS~~

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)

One of the key doctrines of Christianity is the union of the believer with Christ. In fact, the expression “in Christ” or its equivalent is found over 160 times in Paul’s epistles alone. Since, in God’s sight, we are “in Him,” all His attributes and accomplishments are credited to us as well.

For example, Paul said even to the carnal Corinthians that “of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). To the Romans (see today’s verse) he said that being in Christ frees us from the judgment, since Christ has already borne our judgment.

To the Galatians, Paul emphasized that “ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The Ephesian epistle has many such expressions, the most comprehensive being Ephesians 1:3: “[God] hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” To the Philippians, he promised that “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). The Christians at Colosse were assured that “ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:10).

Even when we die, we “sleep in Jesus” and, when He comes again, “the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 16).

Paul even wrote to Timothy that God’s “own purpose and grace” had been “given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Timothy 1:9). These are only a few examples of the marvelous blessings shared by all who are “in Christ Jesus.” We should be willing gladly to acknowledge “every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus” (Philemon 1:6).
--ICR/HMM --/ JESUS MESSIAH/ Chris Tomlin
<https://youtu.be/QmY3jSugNBU>
-----

---WITNESSES OF THE RESURRECTION~~

“Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, . . . Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22)

The most important event since creation was the resurrection of Christ, and it was vital that the witness of His chosen apostles focus especially on this great event. They must believe with confidence in His bodily resurrection, having been with Him throughout His ministry, heard His predictions of the resurrection, then seen the infallible proofs thereof, especially the empty tomb and His post-resurrection appearances. Both the original 11 and Matthias, chosen to replace Judas, satisfied these requirements.

Then after the coming of God’s Holy Spirit at Pentecost, “with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection . . . and great grace was upon them all” (4:33). The resurrection proved that Christ was the Creator and Savior, for only the Creator of life could defeat death.

Paul also saw the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, and thus he also could be an apostle. “Am I not an apostle? . . . have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?” he could say (1 Corinthians 9:1). Only those who had seen the risen Lord and been specifically chosen by Him could be true apostles, for they must be credible witnesses of His resurrection.

And that they were! Peter could say, “We are witnesses of all things which he did . . . whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up” (Acts 10:39-40). And Paul could say, “God raised him from the dead: And he was seen many days of them . . . who are his witnesses” (13:30-31).

Yes, the apostles were true witnesses of Christ’s resurrection, and multitudes have received eternal salvation because they were! JESUS IS ALIVE!
--ICR/HMM~/ ELEVATION 2017~/ "What A Beautiful Name"<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYT6YYG3aVg>
----------

---CHRIST THE CREATIONIST ~~

“For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.” (Mark 13:19)

In predicting a future judgment on the unbelieving world, the Lord Jesus referred to “the beginning of the creation which God created,” thus affirming the biblical doctrine of supernatural, sudden creation. In the pagan world of His day, evolutionism was dominant almost everywhere. The Epicureans, for example, were atheistic evolutionists. The Stoics, Gnostics, Platonists, and others were pantheistic evolutionists. None of the extra-biblical philosophers of His day believed in a God who had created all things, including even the universe itself.

But Christ was a Ceationist, and the much-maligned “scientific creationists” of today are following His example and teaching. He even believed in recent creation, for He said (speaking of Adam and Eve) that “from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female” (Mark 10:6). The pagans all believed in an eternal cosmos, but Jesus said it had a beginning and that man and woman were a part of that beginning creation, following which “the sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27).

He also believed that the “two accounts” of creation (Genesis 1 and 2) were complementary, not contradictory, for He quoted from both in the same context. “Have ye not read,” He said, “that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female [Genesis 1], And said For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? [Genesis 2]” (Matthew 19:4-6).

There may be some Christians who are evolutionists, but there is no such thing as “Christian evolution,” for Christ was a Creationist!
--ICR/HMM/`-"What A Beautiful Name" / Hillsong United~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECyd7o033Kw>
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---ETERNAL THINGS ~~
--By: Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
---(2 Corinthians 4:18)--

One of the most difficult handicaps for a Christian to overcome is spiritual nearsightedness. It is easy to see temporal things but hard to think on eternal things.

Paul, however, in the midst of an extremely busy and difficult temporal life, somehow did manage to keep his sights on that eternal life to which he was called. The wonderful redemption that Christ purchased for us with His blood is nothing less than “eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12); and therefore “he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:9). Consequently, as joint-heirs with Him, “they which are called . . . receive the promise of eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15). He is, surely, the “God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus” (1 Peter 5:10) and has there provided for us “everlasting habitations” (Luke 16:9).

All of these eternal things—eternal redemption, eternal salvation, eternal inheritance, eternal habitations, and eternal glory—are of infinitely greater value than the temporal things that crowd our minds and limit our goals. They are all a part of the wonderful eternal life we have already received through faith in Christ. It is significant that the phrase “eternal life” (or “everlasting life,” which is the same Greek phrase) occurs no less than 44 times in the New Testament. God speaks of it often, and so should we!

-The very first eternal thing mentioned in the Bible is the “everlasting covenant” God has made with all men (Genesis 9:16). The last is the “everlasting gospel” to be preached to all men (Revelation 14:6).
--ICR/HMM---/ 'All Creatures of our God and King'/ David Crowder
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cObXwn-EgGY>
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[Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe and King above all other kings, will soon come for us, His Followers. Be sure to tell others, as Jesus instructed us to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned."
--(MARK 16:15-16 NASB) -

----AN UNLIKELY KING ~~

--In Bethlehem, the human being who best understood who God was and what He was doing, was a teenage girl in a smelly stable. As Mary looked into the face of the baby, her Son, her Lord. His Majesty—she couldn’t take her eyes off Him. Somehow Mary knew she was holding God. 'So this is He.'

And she remembered the words of the angel when he said, “His kingdom will never end!” He looked like anything but a King. His cry, though strong and healthy, was still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby.

Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter. God came near!

--And Luke 1:33 says, “His kingdom will never end!” May you be a part of it.

-From: 'God Came Near'/ML~~/ -MAJESTY / (Here I Am) by: Michael Janz -- / <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcOLw3HA51Y>
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--MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE/

From: President Donald Trump and his lovely wife, Melania. JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON! (12/24/2017)

--JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAVIOR OF THIS WORLD. PLEASE DO NOT LET ANOTHER DAY PASS, IF YOU HAVE NOT ACCEPTED HIS FREE GIFT TO YOU, FOR ETERNAL LIFE.

Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father but through Me." --(JOHN 14:6 NASB~)
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<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJblkdpjCik>
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