India is a very tough country to preach and spread the Gospel in India. There is a great need for Bibles in this country. I just ask that if God puts it on your heart that you would considering purchasing bibles to help the brave warriors that are already planted and working in this country. Here is a link to the website that can help you encourage these missionaries.
http://www.bsind.org/andhra_pradesh.html Thank you and God Bless!
Posted in Ideas & Input | Tags: Bible, Christian, Christianity, faith, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, photography, salvation, travel
“But emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”
– Philippians 2:7
As part of His humble descent from Heaven to earth, Jesus set aside the exercise of His divine privileges.
The next step in Jesus’ pattern of humility as He came to earth and lived among mankind was His emptying of Himself. But Scripture is clear that while on earth our Lord claimed to be God: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). At no time did He stop being God.
The Greek word for “emptied” gives us the theological term kenosis, the doctrine of Christ’s self-emptying. The kenosis basically reminds us of what we saw in yesterday’s lesson: Jesus’ humble refusal to cling to His advantages and privileges in Heaven. The Son of God, who has a right to everything and is fully satisfied within Himself, voluntarily emptied Himself.
We have already noted that Jesus did not empty Himself of His deity, but He did lay aside certain prerogatives. For one thing, He gave up His heavenly glory. That’s why, in anticipation of His return to the Father, Christ prayed, “Glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I ever had with Thee before the world was” (John 17:5).
Jesus also relinquished His independent authority and completely submitted Himself to the Father’s will: “Not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39). During His time on earth, Christ also voluntarily limited the use and display of His divine attributes. One good illustration of this concerned His omniscience, His knowledge of all things. In teaching about the end-times and His second coming, Jesus said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Matt. 24:36).
Jesus’ self-emptying demonstrates a wonderful aspect of the gospel. Unlike man-centered, works-oriented religions, the biblical gospel has God’s Son willingly yielding His privileges to sacrifice Himself for sinners like us.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Pray that you would become more appreciative of the sacrificial humility Jesus Christ exercised on your behalf.
For Further Study:
Scripture does not record a lot about Jesus’ boyhood. But the account we do have verifies His emptying. Read Luke 2:39-52. What does verse 47 imply about Jesus’ nature? How do verses 51-52 exemplify His emptying?
-John MacArthur
Posted in Christian | Tags: beauty, Bible, books, Christian, Christianity, devotional, faith, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Macarthur, life, love, nature, personal, photography, salvation, survival, wallpaper
Many people who think they’re kingdom citizens will someday be shocked to discover they aren’t. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” Some people think highly of the kingdom but never receive the King. They call Jesus “Lord” but don’t do His will. Lip service won’t do. You must receive the King and His kingdom (John 1:12).
You must also value the kingdom. In Matthew 13:44 Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure.” In verses 45-46 He compares it to a pearl that was so valuable, a merchant sold all he had to purchase it. That’s the value of the kingdom. It’s worth any sacrifice you have to make.
Finally, you must continually pursue the kingdom. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” In context He was discussing the basic necessities of life such as food and clothing, reminding His disciples that their Heavenly Father knew their needs and would supply them if they simply maintained the proper priorities. Unbelievers characteristically worry about meeting their own needs (v. 32), but believers are to be characterized by trusting in God and pursuing His kingdom.
Christ offers His kingdom to everyone (Matt. 28:19). The only acceptable response is to receive it, value it, and pursue it. Is that your response? Have you received the kingdom? Is it precious to you? I trust it is. If so, rejoice and serve your King well today. Make His kingdom your top priority. If not, turn from your sin and submit your life to Christ, who loves you and longs to receive you into His eternal kingdom.
Suggestions for Prayer:
For Further Study:
Read Revelation 21 and 22. As you do, think of what eternity with Christ will be like. What aspects of eternity do you especially look forward to?
-John MacArthur
Posted in Christian | Tags: beauty, Bible, books, Christian, Christianity, devotional, faith, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Macarthur, lake, life, love, mountains, nature, personal, photography, salvation, survival, wallpaper
My beloved. – Song of Songs 2:8
This was a golden name that the ancient church in her most joyous moments ascribed to the Anointed of the Lord. When the time of the singing of birds was come, and the voice of the turtledove was heard in her land, the church’s love-note was sweeter than either, as she sang, “My beloved is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies.” Ever in her song of songs she calls Him by that delightful name, “my beloved.” Even in the long winter, when idolatry had withered the garden of the Lord, her prophets found space to lay aside the burden of the Lord for a little season and to say, “Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard.”
Though the saints had never seen His face, though as yet He was not made flesh, nor had dwelt among us, nor had man beheld His glory, yet He was the consolation of Israel, the hope and joy of all the chosen, the “beloved” of all those who were upright before the Most High. We, in the summer days of the church, are also able to speak of Christ as the best beloved of our soul and to feel that He is very precious, the “distinguished among ten thousand, and altogether desirable.”
Since the church loves Jesus and claims Him as her beloved, the apostle dares to defy the whole universe to separate her from the love of Christ and declares that neither tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or the sword have been able to do it; nay, he joyously boasts, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
My sole possession is Thy love;
In earth beneath, or heaven above,
I have no other store;
And though with fervent heart I pray,
And plead with Thee day after day,
I ask for nothing more.
-Alistair Begg
Posted in Christian | Tags: Alistair Begg, beauty, Bible, books, Christian, Christianity, devotional, faith, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, love, nature, personal, photography, salvation, survival, wallpaper
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also the Greek. – Romans 1:16
My granddaughter Rylie heard a story in Sunday School about the boy that ran away from home. So I said, “Well, tell me the story.”
So she told me the entire story of the prodigal son: “This boy ran away from his dad, and he did bad things. And then he realized what he did was wrong, and he came home to his dad.”
“What did his dad do?” I asked. “Did his dad spank him?”
“No. No. His dad threw his arms around him and loved him and kissed him.”
“That’s right. So what do you think that story means? Who is the dad?”
“Well, the dad is like God.”
She got it. Jesus told truths so profound that the greatest minds can spend hours, even years, discussing them, but so simple that a child can understand them.
A philosophical argument has its place. However, there is power in the message of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And I have found that if I will just stand up and proclaim this message, that God will do amazing things—not because I am a great preacher, but because I have a great message and have confidence in it. I also believe that when I proclaim it, people will respond. And they do, because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.
We all can proclaim this simple message—so simple that a child can understand it—because that is where the power is. That is what moves people.
The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2: 2).
An effective evangelistic message will make a beeline to the cross.
-Greg Laurie
Posted in Christian | Tags: beauty, Bible, books, Christian, Christianity, devotional, faith, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, love, mountains, nature, personal, photography, Prodigal Son, salvation, survival, wallpaper
According to the part of the story God has allowed us to see, the Haunting we sense is his calling us forth on a journey. The resurrection of our heart requires that the Sacred Romance be true and that is precisely what the Scriptures tell us. As Frederick Buechner reminds us in his wonderful book Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale, the world of the gospel is the world of fairy tale, with one notable exception: It is a world of magic and mystery, of deep darkness and flickering starlight. It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too. It is a world where goodness is pitted against evil, love against hate, order against chaos, in a great struggle where often it is hard to be sure who belongs to which side because appearances are endlessly deceptive. Yet for all its confusion and wildness, it is a world where the battle goes ultimately to the good, who live happily ever after, and where in the long run everybody, good and evil alike, becomes known by his true name . . . That is the fairy tale of the Gospel with, of course, one crucial difference from all other fairy tales, which is that the claim made for it is that it is true, that it not only happened once upon a time but has kept on happening ever since and is happening still.
Let us explore together the drama that God has been weaving since before the beginning of time, which he has also placed in our hearts. Who are the main players in this Larger Story? What is the plot? How do we fit in? As we rediscover the oldest Story in the world, one that is forever young, we journey into the heart of God and toward the recovery of our own hearts. For perhaps God would be reason enough to stay open to the Romance if we knew he would keep us safe. And therein we experience a great fear and confusion.
-John Eldredge, The Sacred Romance
Posted in Ransomed Heart | Tags: beauty, Bible, books, Christian, Christianity, devotional, faith, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Eldredge, life, literature, love, mountains, nature, personal, photography, Ransomed Heart, salvation, survival, wallpaper
No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy.
And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below—
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.’
-Acts 2:16-21 NLT
Posted in Daily Scriptures | Tags: beauty, Bible, Christian, Christianity, devotional, faith, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lake, life, love, mountains, nature, personal, photography, salvation, wallpaper
“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interest of others.” – Philippians 2:4
The Lord wants us to have a general but sincere concern for the ministry interests of fellow Christians.
We live in a world that is preoccupied with special interests. On the national and international levels, interest groups push for public acceptance of their particular agendas. Likewise, on the local level most people care only about their own personal interests. They’re concerned about their jobs, their families, their hobbies, and perhaps their favorite sports team. In addition to those, if you’re a Christian, you will be concerned about your local church. But even there you can become focused only on your area of ministry.
In today’s verse, the apostle Paul cautions us, “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests.” He is warning first of all that we shouldn’t see our personal activities and ministries as our only goals in life. When we become narrowly preoccupied with our own things, it can cause conflicts and other problems with people we know. Instead, God wants us to have a serious, caring involvement in some of the goals others are concerned about. And one way that will happen is if we take our eyes off ourselves and our often excessive concern for self-esteem in everything we do.
You may wonder exactly what Paul meant by the broad term “interests.” It is a nonspecific word that has several meanings and implications. It includes legitimate goals and responsibilities you have as a Christian, but it also extends to the same kinds of concerns others in your church and family will have. Their needs, tasks, gifts, character qualities, and ministries should be considered equal in importance to yours.
Paul, by the Holy Spirit, is calling us to pursue a high standard of Christian living, but the standard is worth pursuing. The more we understand the importance of fellow believers and that they need our prayer and concern, the less our fellowships will be plagued by unscriptural competitiveness and pride of personal interest.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Ask the Lord to help you order your priorities today, so that you’ll have time for involvement in the concerns of a Christian friend or relative.
For Further Study:
Read Luke 10:38-42. What was Martha’s attitude regarding the interests of her sister? What do Jesus’ words to Martha say about where our ultimate interest should lie?
-John Macarthur
Posted in Christian | Tags: beauty, Bible, books, Christian, Christianity, devotional, faith, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Macarthur, life, love, mountains, nature, personal, photography, salvation, wallpaper
Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool. What house will you build for me? says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things? – Acts 7:49-50
Every thinking person gets around to asking the questions “Where did I come from?”, “Why am I here?”, and “Where am I going?” Science attempts to answer the first question, philosophy seeks to answer the second one, and Jesus has the answer to all three.
Where did I come from? We were created by God in His image. And we were created with a void in our lives that cannot be filled with anything this world has to offer. It can only be filled through a relationship with Him.
Why am I here? We are here to know the God who created us and to walk in fellowship with Him, discovering His unique plan for our lives.
Where am I going? Well, that is up to you. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (Matthew 7:13).
Atheism has gained a little traction of late due to the popularity of books written by atheists. I don’t think most people are atheists, but some might describe themselves as agnostics. They won’t say there is a God, nor will they say there isn’t. They just don’t know.
Speaking in Athens, Paul said, “The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands” (Acts 17:23–24). Paul was saying there is a God, and He is the Creator of all things.
If you believe that you evolved and came from nowhere and that your life has no eternal purpose, then you have no accounting to give to anyone. But there is a God who made you.
-Greg Laurie
For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. – Galatians 3:26
The fatherhood of God is common to all His children. Ah, Little-faith, you have often said, “I wish that I had the courage of Great-heart, that I could wield his sword and be as valiant as he! But, alas, I stumble at every straw, and a shadow makes me afraid.” Listen, Little-faith. Great-heart is God’s child, and you are God’s child too; and Great-heart is not one bit more God’s child than you are. Peter and Paul, the highly-favored apostles, were of the family of the Most High; and so are you also. The weak Christian is as much a child of God as the strong one.
This cov’nant stands secure,
Though earth’s old pillars bow;
The strong, the feeble, and the weak,
Are one in Jesus now.
All the names are in the same family register. One may have more grace than another, but God our heavenly Father has the same tender heart toward all. One may do more mighty works and may bring more glory to his Father, but he whose name is the least in the kingdom of heaven is as much the child of God as he who stands among the King’s mighty men. Let this cheer and comfort us when we draw near to God and say, “Our Father.”
Yet, while we are comforted by knowing this, let us not rest contented with weak faith but ask, like the apostles, to have it increased. However feeble our faith may be, if it is real faith in Christ, we shall reach heaven at last, but we shall not honor our Master much on our pilgrimage, neither shall we abound in joy and peace. If then you would live to Christ’s glory and be happy in His service, seek to be filled with the spirit of adoption more and more completely, until perfect love shall cast out fear.
-Alistair Begg
Posted in Christian | Tags: Alistair Begg, beauty, Bible, books, Christian, Christianity, devotional, faith, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, mountains, nature, personal, photography, salvation, survival, wallpaper
hiking2christ 