Today is Donut Day at the Bread Ministry 10-Noon. Come and see what God is up to and pray for Him to use you and us to connect others to God.
Good Morning Known, Redeemed Children of God! I had my pastors huddle this morning and slept in until right before that so I only have time to develop and share one thought this morning and that is you are know and redeemed by God. PTL! Check out Our Daily Bread below discussing Jesus our forerunner. You know since He rose victorious from the grave and overcame death for us, no one every remains in the grave. In the blink of an eye we are in His presence in paradise or in torment. We get to choose which. He became death for us. PTL! We discussed Sunday how He was our firstborn in that He put on His resurrection body and stepped into eternity as our Lord and Savior. He is the Way--the only way to eternity in His presence. Worship Him! Draw near and abide in His love today and always. Share this Good News with others too. Contemplate and celebrate all thius means to you and those you love. We have been saved by grace and all who come to Jesus have that same opportunity. Our job is to become more like Him and to show others the way. We are His Good News Delivery Company and we all have a part to play. We are created to love and for such a time as this! God loves you and has great plans for you. PTL! Process that with someone today and pray and then go share His love. I'm praying for you and our church to become His dynamic movement doing just that. Cone and join he party! Amen!
Remember there is someone only you can enter into their world and reach for Christ. Ask God to show you who and the Way. Amen!
ODB:
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To improve her sign language skills, Leisa immersed herself in the world of the Deaf. Soon she learned the problems they face. The Deaf are awkwardly ignored by hearing people, expected to lip-read flawlessly, and routinely get passed over for promotions at work. Most public events go uninterpreted.
Leisa’s signing steadily improved to the point where she felt at home with the Deaf. At a party, a Deaf person was surprised to learn Leisa could hear. Before Leisa could respond, another friend signed, “She has a Deaf heart.” The key had been Leisa’s willingness to live in their world.
Leisa didn’t “condescend” to be with the Deaf. Except for her hearing, she was like them. But Jesus did stoop to reach all of us—to live in our world. He “was made lower than the angels for a little while” (Hebrews 2:9). Christ “shared in [our] humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil” (v. 14). In doing so, He freed “those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (v. 15). More than that, He was “fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God” (v. 17).
Whatever we face, Jesus knows and understands. He hears our heart. He’s with us in every way.
By Tim Gustafson
REFLECT & PRAY
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What does it mean to you that Jesus has experienced the same hardships you face? How might you step into someone else’s world for a while?
Thank You, Father, for the gift of Your Son, who brings me into Your family.
For further study, read Walk with Me: Traveling with Jesus and Others on Life’s Road.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Why does Hebrews 2:10 say that Jesus was made “perfect”? As God in human flesh, wasn’t He perfect already? According to scholar Marvin R. Vincent, the Greek word translated “perfect,” teleioō, literally means “to carry to the goal” and possesses the connotative meaning of “consummation.” The idea is that Christ was made “complete” by His suffering and death. He understands in the fullest way possible what we face in this difficult world. This provides us with a greater understanding of His words from the cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30). He’d completed the mission His Father gave Him to do.
Tim Gustafson |
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