Good Morning Christians--Christ's Ones--Believers in Christ--Followers of the Way! The Way is Jesus and He came and still comes in LOVE. Love is the Way of Christ. We belong to Love. Love saved us. Love refines us. Love sends us to Love. We believe that love sent Jesus to the cross and kept Him there for us and our salvation. Love is the Way for ! ASK TO BE FILLED WITH LOVE AND FOR THE ABILITY TO LOVE LIKE JESUS ! Ask to be able to agape love like Jesus--even enemies. Ask for "want to" that we would want to live and love more and more like Him and transform the world with love! Pray for Love to drive back the hate in this wporld. Pray for many to be drawn to and by the love Christ.
Below are two devotionals for that sort of inform this thinking and prayers. Ask God to come and speak to you and instruct your prayers and steps for the day. Be still and know as you prepare to go live and love like Jesus a little more . Maybe "LOVE" is a word for you to work on this year? Agape Love is sacrificial, dying to self love we all need. It's how Jesus loves and He commands us to love like Him. Die to self and take up cross as you prepare to turn off the noise and ignore the bad examples around you and focus on Love and walk more fully in His ways . Be love in the flesh and maybe people will ask why and we can respond because that's how Jesus loves me and wants me to love you. Try it and be LOVE --every day. God is Love. We are His and filled with Love that can over flow as we get to be Jesus in the flesh . We are Love's Ones! Thanks Lord! You are Love. Overflow Your Love from me . Thanks! I love you and long to love like You. HELP! Amen!
ODB
Our Birthright in Christ
The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. Acts 11:26
The owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks offered a Chicago sports-talk host $100,000 to legally change his name to "Dallas Maverick." In addition, he said he would donate $100,000 to the man’s favorite charity. After some soul-searching, the radio host held firm and told the owner no. He explained, “I'd be saying I'd do anything for money, and that bothers me. My name is my birthright. I’d like to preserve my integrity and credibility.”
Just as the radio host’s name is his birthright, early believers in Jesus took on the name “Christian” as their spiritual birthright. Barnabas and Saul ministered a year in Antioch, and through the preaching of the good news, the church grew. The early believers in Antioch lived so much like Christ that people who didn’t believe in Jesus—called them “Christians” (Acts 11:26). So “Christians” were those who belonged to Christ. Bearing that name ultimately became a source of persecution. But Peter encouraged believers to “not be ashamed” of their birthright and of suffering for bearing that name (1 Peter 4:16).
For those who believe in Jesus, “Christian” is our birthright, and no amount of money, suffering, or abuse should cause us to compromise that name. We have a responsibility, as God provides what we need, to live every day to bring honor to the name of Christ.
By Marvin Williams
REFLECT & PRAY
When people hear the name “Christian,” what do you think fills their thoughts? What does it mean for you to be called a Christian?
Dear Jesus, please help me to live in a way that honors Your name.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
For gentile converts, the experience of being persecuted would’ve been a new and likely shocking experience. The Jewish people had experienced generations of suffering as a minority culture group and had therefore developed ways of understanding suffering and even dying for their faith. But the gentiles had been completely at ease with and accepted in their culture before their conversion to belief in Jesus. Experiencing suffering might have even caused them to doubt the truth of the gospel if they thought God’s favor should lead to their prosperity. To address this, the apostle Peter emphasizes that there’s nothing “strange” (1 Peter 4:12) about suffering for Christ. Instead, those who bear His name could view suffering for Him as a way of participating in His own suffering and could eagerly wait for the day they’d share in His glory too (vv. 13-14). As believers in Jesus, we belong to Him, and God will help us live in a way that brings honor to His name.
Monica La Rose
UR: Keep Praying
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. - James 5:17-18 (NIV)
When I arrived for dinner with a new friend from church, she introduced me to another guest, “Come and meet Kathleen.” As I entered the lounge I was surprised to find an elderly woman I had not seen in years. Her sparkling blue eyes met mine, and with tears of joyful recognition, we embraced.
Despite the time that had passed and her changed appearance, I still recognized this wonderful woman. She had regularly visited my family after my father had left us. Whenever she visited, she brought thoughtful little gifts and was genuinely interested in my brother and me. I loved the sense of peace she always embodied.
Now, almost three decades since we last saw each other, I discovered that she was a Christian and had prayed constantly for my family to come to Christ. My mother, brother, and I had since committed our lives to Christ, and I believe Kathleen’s prayers played a big part in making that happen.
Sometimes we see the results of our prayers, and other times we don’t. But we are encouraged to keep praying and trust the outcome to God.
's devotional is available to you for free because of the generosity of our donors.
Thanks to donor support, anyone can read 's meditation without logging in for up to 7 days.
Please consider supporting our ministry. Your donation or paid subscription helps ensure that readers around the world continue to receive spiritual encouragement every day.
's Prayer
Dear Lord, help us to keep on praying, trusting that you hear us and are at work, even when we don’t perceive it. Amen.
Connection Blogs
-
The Holy Spirit Is Poured Out On All People
Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike (Joel 2:28-29).
The Spirit is generous to all of God’s people. He shows no partiality for the elite, but is poured out on men and women, young and old, the poor and the wealthy. Are we walking in a way that shows we believe this promise extends to us? The Spirit pours into us so that we can pour into others and build up the body of believers through our gifts.
Father God, please give me the faith to believe that the gifts of the Spirit are available to me, my family and the community of believers I worship with! Help us all to trust that You will show us how to walk in those gifts as You pour the Spirit out upon us!
--Adapted with permission from The Summit Church (thesummitchurch.org) we are inviting you into 21 days of prayer and fasting at the beginning of this new year! Each day will focus on a different biblical attribute of the Holy Spirit.
The founding pastor of Summit Church is Bill Elliff, who is now the pastor Emeritus and serves on the Executive Leadership Team of OneCry (onecry.com). Check out the OneCry Podcast that Bill Elliff co-hosts!
Prayer Points
Praise the righteous God whose face shines upon you (Psalm 4).
Thank him for setting apart the godly for himself.
Confess any unresolved anger that causes you to sin.
Commit yourself to bringing to God gifts worthy of his name.
Ask the Lord to surround you with his favor and spread his protection over you so that you may rejoice in him.
Pray that the Spirit may thrust believers into worldwide mission, impelling young and old, men and women, to go next door and far away, into science and art, media and marketplace with the good news of God’s grace.
Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayerleader.com. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
LISTEN ONLINE
