Category: Know These Truths

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Join The Hunt

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You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29;13. ESV

When I was growing up, it was not unusual to be out with my mother on a hunt – a treasure hunt, that is. I honestly don’t remember a lot of rummage sales, but I do remember thrift shops and even alleys of our neighboring city bringing her great joy. The target of her hunting was most typically furniture, but dishes, books, and toys or bikes were among the hauls as well. Once spotted, she would size up the target, and if she could envision a place or use for the newfound pieces, she would squeeze us all closer together in the family station wagon and load up the treasure, or on some of the hunts, she would have to make arrangements to return. for the bounty at another time. When we arrived home, we would spill out of the wagon and help her haul the treasures out of the station wagon and into her large treasure chest, otherwise known as the big old garage that was on the back of our property.

Oh, the joys of that garage as a kid. It was the setting of a schoolhouse for this want-to-be teacher and her friends; It was the place of wild west shootouts for my brothers and, yes, me – when they dared to let me join in the fun. And it was the place where my mom would create, or should I say recreate, the treasures from her hunts. Of course, Dad would get in on the action from time to time as well – helping her sand or paint. However, I fondly remember his hands on his hips as he stared at the treasure, saying, “Eleanor, what in the world are we going to do with this?”

She may not have known the answer at the time, but our house eventually and continually bore the evidence of her treasure hunting – as restored tables and chairs became the place for family dinners, game nights, and my dad’s old typewriter (a valuable treasure from one of the hunts). Cabinets that were once eyesores were made beautiful and filled the rooms of our wonderful old home, holding dishes, books, and other treasures produced by the hunts. Couches, chairs, and ottomans, once tattered and worn, were recovered and transformed into pieces that not only made our home both attractive and comfortable for our family and countless friends who frequently stopped by. Both the hunting process and the restoration were just part of our simple living.

Many of these treasures now fill my home. So, I suppose it was natural for today’s verse to stir up memories of those hunts from long ago. Of course, seeking God as the treasure has a vastly different outcome than hunting treasure with my mom. You see, Mom’s treasures needed to be restored, but when we seek and find God, we are the ones who are changed. He reclaims us and restores us; He takes what was once ugly, tattered, and worn, and He changes us from the inside out, making us beautiful new creations meant to fill the world around us with the evidence of His handiwork and the joy of His presence.

I have always loved today’s verse from Jeremiah. The thought of seeking God as “treasure” reminds me of the words of the Psalmist, who wrote,

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge … The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them, there is great reward.“

Psalm 19:1-2, 7-11 (ESV)

His fingerprints, His still small voice, His untold gifts of grace that fill our days, His mercies that are new every morning, and His word that can never be fully mined are just some of the daily treasures that fill my mind and heart and a treasure chest of journals. And, they are indeed more precious to me than the finest of gold or the sweetest of honey. Perhaps the best part about this treasure hunt and what reminded me so much of my hunts with Mom is found in the truth of this quote:

“This verse isn’t about a frantic spiritual scavenger hunt. It’s a gentle invitation to open our eyes to the everyday moments where God is already present. He’s in the sunrise that takes your breath away, the unexpected kindness of a stranger, the quiet strength that rises within us when we need it most.” ourdailyverse.com:

Friend, seek God with all of your heart and soul; desire Him more than you desire the wealth and sweet things of this world. Through prayer and worship and time in His Word, you will find Him. Ask Him to open the eyes of Your heart, and you will see His fingerprints all around you. Pray for ears to hear even His still small voice, and you will hear sweet whispers of His love. Stay alert, and you will see and experience the abundance of His grace and faithful mercies. You will be delighted and inspired by His strength in your trials and weaknesses, and you will know His peace that passes all understanding over your fears and burdens. May these treasures become the treasures of your heart and draw you closer to Him. Never stop seeking the treasures that are yours through Christ Jesus. When and if you feel far from Him – draw close to Him, and He will draw close to you.

Seeking God “with all your heart” isn’t a call to religious perfection. It’s an invitation to bring your authentic self to each moment. Your doubts? Bring them. Your joy? He delights in it. Your mess? That’s where His grace shines brightest. God is as present in your tears as He is in your laughter, in your questions as much as in your certainties.

ourdailyverse.com
The More We Know
Know These Truths
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Spirit

Off the Beaten Path 2.0

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Love Your Enemies – But Why?

27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Once again, God met me where I was this morning – and provided more words of encouragement for me to share with my friend who is struggling with someone who is making life really difficult for her. Plus, the words served as a good reminder for me of all the ways God has used them through the years to grow and strengthen my faith and to teach me the practice of loving others well and treating them as I want to be treated. It hasn’t always been easy, and I don’t always excel at it, but God has shown me many times over that I can indeed do all things through Christ, who gives me strength – even loving my “enemies.”

Friends, if we are being honest with ourselves, today’s message from God’s Word is difficult for our human minds to understand and practice- Loving those who hate or mistreat us, who terrorize or seek to destroy us, doesn’t only seem impossible -but somehow it just doesn’t seem right! As right as I know it truly is and as I’ve grown in my understanding of it through the years – I will admit when I read it again, sometimes my knee-jerk reaction is … why should our enemies not be paid back evil for evil or why should be do good to those who hate us? Why should we pray for our enemies unless it is for their destruction or to bless those who have cursed us? Why should we do good to them – when they only continue to abuse us?

The answer to all the whys is profoundly yet simply this: BECAUSE Jesus tells us to love them. So before we dismiss or even gloss over this less-than-pleasant and very difficult calling on believers, let’s remember this truth- Our God is abounding in love, full of mercy, and rich in grace. We only have to look back over the course of our life to recall just how long-suffering God has been with each of us – who are by nature sinners and, as Paul said, “children of wrath” (Eph 2:3), sinners (Rom 3:23) deserving of death but instead given the free gift of God, which is eternal life in Christ His Son (Rom 6:23).

So, yes! Nothing, absolutely nothing, seems right about this command and/or God’s expectation for the believer — that is, UNTIL we remember God’s love for us. When we remember Jesus, the One we believe in, the One who literally lay down His life for those who were enemies of the cross – enemies of His Father in Heaven – who loved the world so much that He gave — literally sent His Son, God in the flesh to the earth in the form of a man who would not only be hated – but abused and hunted down, entrapped and crucified for the sins of His enemies!

Jonathon Edward said it better when he commented on the greatness of God’s love in giving the Lord Jesus Christ: “God has given us what is of more value than all the kingdoms of the earth. He has given his only-begotten and well-beloved Son–the greatest gift he could bestow. And Christ has not only done, but he has suffered, great things, and given himself to die for us; and all freely, and without grudging… And what great things hath God done for those of us who are converted, and have been brought home to Christ; delivering us from sin, justifying and sanctifying us…And all this, when we are not good, but evil and unthankful, and in ourselves deserving only of wrath.”
  
“When viewed in this light, things begin to look a little different. By God’s grace, the desire to love our enemies should suddenly seem to come into reach. Because we were 
once the enemy who was loved.” quotes by Laurie@Thistlebend

Maybe you don’t have someone you would call an enemy in your life, but perhaps you have that person who hurt you, and you can’t or won’t forgive them. Maybe you have someone who hates you or abuses you and the last thing you want to do is repay them by doing good to them; and I’m guessing if someone struck you, you wouldn’t want to turn the other cheek.

However, consider with me the following statements from the writer of the Thistlebend posts as we close:

We once were enemies of God. While we were still His enemy, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us. This is not normally how people treat their enemies! –

Because “God first loved us, we should want to reflect Him and love others in return.” The question is, “Will we die to our self and love our enemies – Just like God did for us?”

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Off the Beaten Path 2.0

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It’s Not About Gritting Our Teeth

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13. ESV

It’s funny, yet not surprising, how God knows exactly what we need to hear and when we need to hear it, and He supplies it. Such was the case this morning, as I read from OurDailyVerse.com again. This time, it wasn’t just me that needed to hear it. He knew there was someone in my life who needed to hear not just the verse but this one particular statement: “It’s not about gritting our teeth, but about acknowledging our limitations and allowing His power to course through us.”

These devotionals are typical prayer starters for me in the morning and sometimes at the end of the day. This morning’s flowed something like this:

Father, You are Good. You enable Your people with STRENGTH to live as You have called us to live. Whether in a prison cell like Paul or facing the daily cares and fears and other challenges or enemies of this world – that trap us and “weaken” us — causing us to feel like “we can’t” press on or stand firm in our faith. Yet, we are without excuse, Father, because we are filled with the powerful strength of Christ, our Lord and Savior, who endured death on a cross when He could have called 10 thousand angels to get Him down — and who three days later walked out of the grave! – (did you just say glo-ry hal-le-lu-jah!? I know I did!)

It’s not about gritting our teeth, but about acknowledging our limitations and allowing His power to course through us. This doesn’t erase challenges, but it shifts how we face them, replacing fear with unwavering faith and weakness with His might.

OurDailyVerse / September 17, 2024

Sometimes, Father, the days seem filled with seemingly impossible tasks or demands. Today is one of those days for a friend of mine, and as I was praying for her, I realized that you had already given me the perfect words to encourage her. Even when we think we can’t possibly deal with a problematic/anxiety-spiking problem, Your Word declares that we can do ‘all things through Christ Who gives us strength!‘We cannot do it in our own might or will – but in the STRENGTH of CHRIST! Paul declares that “we have been crucified with Christ.” – He goes on to say that “the life we now live in the flesh we lie by faith in Your Son, who loves us and gave Himself for us.” According to Romans 8:37, We are more than conquerors – NOT by anything we have done or can do or will do but because of what Jesus did for us. The cross was ours to bear, the death was ours to die, But Christ took them for us – He was pierced for our transgressions… He was crushed for our iniquities, and the punishment that brought us peace was placed upon Him – and by His wounds, we are healed – and set free from the chains that had rendered us lost and powerless! And when we belong to Him, His Spirit lives in us, teaching and reminding us of all that Christ taught and giving us strength in our inner being.

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,1

Ephesians 3:16. ESV

I shared the prayer from the Devo with my friend, and now I am sharing it with all of you. Perhaps you need to hear it today; I encourage you to make it your own and to be strengthened by it. If it isn’t one you need to hear today, I encourage you to tuck it away for a day when life is full of more challenges than you think are possible and need to be reminded – You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you – ❤️

Dear Lord, As I confront the challenges of today, fill me with the strength that comes from You alone. Remind me that I do not face these trials by myself but with Your power within me. Help me to rely on Your strength, not my own, transforming my worries into confidence and my fears into faith.

Guide me through each moment, and let Your peace reign in my heart. Thank You for making me more than a conqueror through Your love and grace.

In Jesus’ name, I pray – 💜 Amen
  

Posted in Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Off the Beaten Path 2.0

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Generous Living x2

Yesterday, my pastor preached on “Living a Generous Life,” and this morning, I opened my morning devotion to find this verse from Proverbs 11:25: “The generous will prosper;    those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” Hmmm? My first thought was: “No way!” My second thought: “I believe God is trying to tell me something.” My third thought: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.1”

Both today’s devotion and Sunday’s message reminded me that God, the Father, is the most generous giver and Christ the most generous servant. After all, God gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. As the Scripture says, “This is love,2“ but it is also the epitome of generosity. On top of giving His Son, His grace and mercy are endlessly poured out freely and faithfully to all who believe. Blessings after blessings fall like raindrops on us and around us, and I stand in awe of the depth of His generosity and am humbled by the necessary reminder to live this way. 

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

John 4:10

May God make us blessings to those around us today and every day. May He help us be generous as He is generous with love, kindness, time, and compassion. May we, in humility, serve others even as Christ taught and demonstrated to His disciples long ago. May God help us to help others from the purest of hearts and motives. May we live and love like Jesus in all we say and do. 

Have the Attitude of Christ

2 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Shine Brightly for Christ

12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. 16 Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. 17 But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. 18 Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy. Philippians 2:1-18

OurDailyVerse.com / September 16, 2024

My notes from Pastor Lemming’s message / September 15, 2024

Living Faithful in a Faithless Land

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Wisdom

Difficult Seasons of Life

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Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us …”

Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Seasons of discontent … seasons of grief … seasons of illness … seasons of waiting … seasons of caring for aging parents … seasons of watching children or grandchildren hurting/struggling with life … seasons of interruptions … seasons of change … seasons of growing pains … seasons of barrenness … seasons of weariness … seasons of …


Whatever season you may be in you need to know that if you belong to God, He is with You. He has not forgotten you nor overlooked your season. He’s calling you to fix your eyes on Him and keep running the race. The road we are on is not a coincidence, the trials and heartaches we face are not meant to crush us but to help us grow in our faith so that we are able to endure to the finish line.1 His spirit dwells within us, enabling us to run and not grow weary and to walk and not faint. We do not need to run from the difficult places we desperately want to escape but rather we should ask God to align our hearts with His will. We do not have to postpone living the rich full lives that Christ came to bring. Instead, as Ruth Chou Simons writes, “we need to meet God where we are.” We need to place our eyes on Him – not on where we would rather be.  To borrow from the writer of Hebrews 12:1, today’s road map for our journey, we need to run with perseverance the race mapped out for us. 

Image borrowed from Proverbs 31 devotions /August 19, 2024

Friends, whether you find yourself in a place of contentment right now or a place of discontent and struggle, I invite you to read this encouraging story/message, A Call to Persevere, by Ruth Chou Simons. 

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2024/08/19/a-call-to-persevere

If you are reading this and have never placed your hope in Jesus I invite you to read Know These Truths, and find out how you can share in our faith and hope and find strength to persevere to the end – all while experiencing the rich full life Christ promises to all who belong to Him. 

Know These Truths
  1. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4 ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

The Great Commission

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based on the Love God Greatly Study: Come, Lord Jesus, Come / w6d5

Scripture: The Road Map for The Journey
Matthew 28:16-20 / SOAP: 19-20

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20. NET
Observation and Application from the Journey

This passage speaks volumes for itself! It is the climatic statement of Jesus’ mission and His final instructions for His disciples. In large part it is a message of “commission” to continue His mission of making disciples of all nations1 They are to do with others what Jesus has done with them. What they have learned from Jesus they are to teach and model to others from every people group; as Paul says in Colossians chapter three: “It doesn’t matter if they are Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free …”

Make no mistake, Jesus’ commission started with this face-to-face with the eleven, but it is clear that it was meant for all disciples who would come after them.

Followers of Jesus are to make followers of Jesus.

original source unknown

As we’ve come to the end of our present journey – Come, Lord Jesus, Come – that has been filled with these important instructions, we must not miss that the message also contains some of His final words of enduring encouragement for then and now: “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” He is with us to the end of the age, He is with us when we are “going” to make more disciples, He is with us when we are afraid, He is with us when we are in need, He is with us in grief and in joy. He is with us while we wait on His return. He is always and forever with us! – Of course, He didn’t mean this as a literal. physical presence but rather in Spirit, for all who believe in Jesus receive the gift of His Spirit from God. The Spirit is our Advocate and Counselor, and His presence graces us with both peace and strength for all we face in this life/world.

“I have spoken these things while staying with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.

27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage.

John 14:25-27. NET

Prayer of Response to the Journey

Father, we wait for You – for Your perfect timing in sending Jesus to redeem His people. We wait to see His face and to be in Your presence. We wait with Hope and we pray for courage and obedient, yielded hearts to Your co-mission of us to carry the message of the Gospel to the world. We pray for Your help in living our faith out loud, in praying faithfully for the lost, in being ready with an answer for the Hope that is within us, We praise You for our salvation and the presence of Your Spirit with us – even to the end of the age! In the name of Jesus our Redeemer we pray and we watch and wait with hope and faith. – AMEN!

The More We Know: Side Trails along the Journey

From the LGG Journal – words of encouragement and of hope and beauty. May they be an inspiration to all who read them.

Jesus is with us to the end. We know our purpose. We know our mission. We are instructed to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations. Going out into the world means traveling to other countries, and it also means crossing the street or, in some cases, even the rooms in our homes. We need to share Christ with those near and far. We need to teach others God’s Word and how to obey it. That is more than just a conversion; Jesus wants us to disciple this generation.

When you think of the model of how Jesus chose to disciple His twelve disciples, you’ll see that He not only taught them God’s Word but also how to live it out. It’s not enough to know God’s Word in our minds; we must allow God’s Word to penetrate our hearts and change us from the inside out. God’s Word must impact the way we live our lives, the way we love, serve, and treat others. While this is all a process and takes time, we see that Jesus did life with and invested in a select group of twelve men. These men were far from perfect. They didn’t always understand Jesus, but Jesus never gave up on them.

Discipleship is hard. Discipleship takes time. But this is the command Jesus left us with: do as I have done. Numbers don’t matter. Pour your life into a group of individuals. Teach them God’s Word and how to obey it. Reach out to those locally and those at the ends of the earth. No one is too far from God. All are welcome at the foot of the cross. Jesus knew that the work He was calling us to was no easy task. But, He has promised us something that is a game-changer: He is with us always.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, thank You for the promise that You are always with us. Today, I pray for favor and open doors to share boldly with those near me and anywhere You might send me. Thank You for this opportunity to play a part in this amazing love story You are writing with our lives. Please open the hearts and minds of this generation to Your love. I pray this generation will turn from their sinful ways and turn to You. I pray for salvation for those who don’t yet know You, and I pray for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully through those of us who bear Your name. I pray for a mighty harvest like never before. I pray for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done. Until the day we see You face-to-face, we will pray, come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.

Have you heard the Truth? Do You know the Way? If not or if you’re not sure please take a minute to read “Know These Truths” – You might just be surprised how this Truth can change your life and renew you from the inside out! 🦋

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Encouragement as We Wait

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Based on the LGG Study: Come, Lord Jesus, Come / w6d3

Scripture: Our Road Map for the today’s Journey

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 / SOAP vs. 9-11

For God did not destine us for wrath but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that whether we are alert or asleep we will come to life together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in fact doing. 1 Thess 5:9-11 NET

Observations and Applications for the Journey

For those who have placed their faith in Jesus this passage is another beautiful reminder of God’s grace in pouring out the wrath that our sins deserved onto His Son so that we might live an eternal life with Him!💜🫶 – As I contemplated the passage a declaration from John’s first epistle came to mind – “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God”.1 Jn 3:1 – Ah the unbelievable beauty of God’s love! May this be our encouragement to one another as we wait through these trying days for His return.

May we be found faithfully living as children of the light and of the day so that those in the darkness might see and hear our message of faith and hope and be saved from the wrath that is to come on those who have not believed.

– Me, from the Insideout 🦋

If you do not know Christ as Your Savior my prayer is for you to hear and understand the truth of God’s Word – that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory and that those sins are deserving of death. But, in God’s great love and mercy He gave Jesus, His only begotten son, to die in our place – so that ALL who believe in Him would have everlasting life. Because of this exchange there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. All who have believed will be spared the wrath that is to come on those who have not believed. – If you would like to know more about these truths and how you can share in this hope I invite you to read “Know These Truths” before it’s too late.

https://atomic-temporary-62140760.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/
Prayer of Response for the Journey

(borrowed, in-part, from the LGG Journal)


Dear Lord, give me words to build up those around me. Help me to be generous with my encouragement and lead me to those I should encourage and give me the right words to say. Help me be a better encourager in these last days. Show me how I can be Your hands and feet to those who need it. Thank you, Jesus, for how You love and sustain us. Thank you for bearing God’s wrath on the cross. You are amazing in every way! Until the day when we can see you face-to-face, we pray, come, Lord Jesus, come. – May we be found faithfully sharing the Gospel message of salvation until that day, so that all who have not yet believed may hear and know and believe in the TRUTH before it is too late. Amen.

The More We Know: Side Trails of the journey

Be sure and check out today’s LGG Blog Post

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Set Apart - Living a Life for God's Glor

The Matchless Power of His Grace!

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Based on the LGG Study: Come, Lord Jesus, Come / w6d2

Scripture: The Roadmap for our Journey

Titus 2:11-15 / SOAP vs 11–13

 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. 12 It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Titus 2:11-13. NET
Observation and Application of the Journey

Have you ever considered the power of God’s grace? His grace appeared … His grace brought salvation to all people … His grace trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives … and it does all of these things while we wait for the fulfillment of our hope when Christ our great God and Savior appears. The same Savior that John wrote of in John chapter 1:14 – where he wrote: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

 He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good. 15 So communicate these things with the sort of exhortation or rebuke that carries full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you. Titus 2:14-15. NET

You see Christ gave Himself over to death for us so that we, those who believe in Him, might be set free from the law of sin and death. By His death we have been purified and set apart as a people who belong to Him and are eager to do good. Only the power of Christ’s perfect life and His spotless blood was powerful enough for this type of redemption!

Prayer of response to the Journey

Father, may we never take for granted or forget the cost of our salvation. A salvation born of Your grace so powerful that it conquered the depth and deadliness of our sins, sins that made us Your enemies, condemned unclean! Yet, now we stand before You purified by the blood of Your Son and adopted as Your dearly loved children, joint heirs with Your only begotten Son. May we be quick and faithful to communicate this message to the world around us – the rich and powerful message of the Your grace God – a grace available to all who place their faith in Jesus Christ, the representation of Your grace and the coming fulfillment of our hope. – It is in His name I pray, amen!

Music inspired by the Journey
There is no power greater than the gift of God’s Grace poured out through the blood of Jesus Christ ! ❤️

Do you want to know the power of God’s Grace? Do you want to share in the Hope of Jesus Christ? Please click on Know These Truths and let God transform your life by the power of His Grace!

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The More We Know; Side Trails of our Journey

Encouragement from the LGG Journal Entry for w6d2, p176

As we wait for this happy fulfillment of our hope in Christ’s glorious return, let’s intentionally live lives that reflect the love we have for God. May our obedience flow from our love for God. Instead of looking at the world with dread, let’s see it as a place of opportunity and share Christ with those who do not know the reason for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15). Now is the time to share this amazing gift of hope in Christ with those around us. We don’t have to have all the answers, but we do need a passion to do our part in helping to bring salvation to all people. Make no mistake, you have been born in this exact generation for such a time as this.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, create in me a love and passion for those in this world who are far from You. Help me see them the way You see them, with eyes full of love, grace, and mercy. Use me powerfully now, on this day, to help reflect You to a watching world. Give me opportunities to share with those who are searching for the reason for the hope that I have. Until the day You come back, use me powerfully with the gifts You have given me. As I eagerly wait for Your return, I’ll continue to pray, come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

What will Christ say to You?

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Posted by MARYELLEN on 

Based on the LGG Study: Come, Lord Jesus, Come / w5d4 / artwork by LGG

SCRIPTURE: OUR ROADMAP FOR THE JOURNEY: MATTHEW 25 / SOAP: verse 12


But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you!’

Matthew 25:12. NET
OBSERVATION AND APPLICATION FROM THE JOURNEY

Can you imagine hearing these words from Jesus? He’s receiving others in but when you stand before Him, He denies you entrance because He doesn’t know you. You look at Him wondering how that can be, you were in church every Sunday, you grew up in a Christian home, you can repeat all of the Bible stories, why doesn’t He know you? Because knowing who someone is isn’t the same as knowing or being known by that person. Being ready for Christ’s return means having more than a head knowledge of who He is. It means having a relationship of the heart with Him, one that comes only from believing that He died for you because you were in need of a Savior. It’s a relation born not only of His crucifixion and resurrection but of you being crucified with Him and raised in newness of life. It is a heart to heart relationship that spills over into a heart to heart relationship with the Father and Spirit – and from my vantage point, there is nothing else like it in all the world.

From that belief and the gift of His indwelling Spirit we can walk with Jesus and talk with Him, we can learn of Him and grow to be like Him. Actually, we find that apart from Him we can do nothing but through Him we can do all things. He entreats us to come near to Him and to cast our cares upon Him, why? Because He cares for us. You see, life with Jesus isn’t about a religion – it’s about a relationship with Him; and through Him we are given bold and confident access to the Father’s throne of grace. It is a grace made evident through the triune-God:

  • God, the Father’s love-gift of salvation1 through His only begotten Son
  • The Son who gave His life so that whosoever believes might have eternal life rather than the horrific death their sins deserve2… and
  • Through the Spirit, the One who is gifted to all who believe to teach us all things and remind us of all Christ said, and who equips us to live as we have been called to live.

The best news is, God’s gift of grace is available to all who believe! Do you?3

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Acts 16:31

The following is from the LGG Journal for this Study / p164 – It is a wonderful explanation of the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids and a beautiful closing prayer for us all.

The Olivet Discourse continues in Matthew 25. In this section of Scripture, we read more parables that Jesus taught on the Mount of Olives concerning the end times. One parable which always concerned me when I was younger was the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. I wanted to make sure that when Christ returned, I was ready.

Part of being ready and prepared is making sure you know Jesus personally. It is not enough to know about Jesus. Knowing facts about Him like you would about a historical character from history class will not cut it. Knowing about Jesus is not the same as having a personal relationship with Him. Knowing stories about Jesus will not get you into heaven. Coming from a strong Christian home and being taught about Jesus from an early age is also not the same as knowing Him personally.

You cannot enter heaven based on your pedigree. To make sure you are included at the wedding feast and not uninvited is to personally know the bridegroom—Jesus Christ. Your relationship with Jesus must be your own. It cannot be handed down, purchased, or borrowed. The shocking truth of this parable is that there will be people who think they are Christians because they have been fooled into thinking that knowing about Jesus is the same as having a personal relationship with Him. Those will be like the five bridesmaids who ran out of oil and were not prepared when the groom returned because they did not truly put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Prayer: A Response to the Journey. Dear Lord, today I lift up all those in my life who know about You and believe that they are saved. I pray they will see their error before You return. Please use me and others in their lives to help them see that knowing about You is not the same as knowing You. I pray all those in my life will have a personal relationship with You, and we will all be prepared for that amazing day when You return. Until then, I pray, come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.

The More We Know: Side Trails of the journey
Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Ready or Not He Will Come

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Scripture: Our Roadmap for the Journey: Matthew 24 / SoAp: 42–44


Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready; because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:42-44. NLT

Observation and Application from the Journey

Whether this was your first time or the one-hundredth time reading Jesus’ answer to His disciples questions: “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” there is a lot to take in. I encourage you to read every word and to search trusted commentaries, like bibleref.com1 and gotquestions.org,2 for help in understanding Jesus’ words. However, the bottom line will always come down to this truth: It isn’t a matter of if He will come but when He will come, and we are wise to live each day as if that day is today,(my paraphrase of vs44).

The one who is ready is the one who has believed on the name of the Jesus, for only those who have believed will be saved. In Jesus’ first parable of Matthew 24:45-51, these are the ones found faithfully serving the Master when He returns. All others will be destroyed (vs. 51).

Jesus has promised to return, and He is the ultimate Promise Keeper. What He has promised, He will do. So while we wait for His return, Jesus wants us to live our lives alert to His coming. This doesn’t mean that we live in fear but in expectation. We live our lives on mission, with a purpose, and focused on advancing His Kingdom with the days we’ve been given. When we live the way God instructs us to live, we don’t have to worry about when Jesus will come back.

From the LGG Journal: Come, Lord Jesus, Come / p158

The return of Christ is always presented in Scripture as a great motivation to action, not as a reason to cease from action. In 1 Corinthians 15:58, Paul wraps up his teaching on the rapture by saying, “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:6, Paul concludes a lesson on Christ’s coming with these words: “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” To retreat and “hold the fort” was never Jesus’ intention for us. Instead, we work while we can. “Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4).

The apostles lived and served with the idea that Jesus could return within their lifetime; what if they had ceased from their labors and just “waited”? They would have been in disobedience to Christ’s command to “go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15), and the gospel would not have been spread. The apostles understood that Jesus’ imminent return meant they must busy themselves with God’s work. They lived life to the fullest, as if every day were their last. We, too, should view every day as a gift and use it to glorify God.3


We will experience tribulations in our lives, as people have all over the world through the years. No matter what we face: persecution, sickness, war, oppression, famine, or abuse, our hope is in Christ. We will endure suffering as believers in Christ, but our hope is not in being saved from suffering. Our hope is in the sacrifice of Christ, in His atoning work on the cross, and in His resurrection power that we have when we believe in Him. When we have placed our faith in Christ, our future, and our eternity, are secure in Him. He is our hope.

From the LGG Journal: Come, Lord Jesus, Come / p158
Prayer of Response to the Journey

borrowed from the Love God Greatly Journal p158 of Come, Lord Jesus, Come

Dear Lord, help me live my life alert and ready for Your return. Please use me powerfully in the lives of those who do not yet know You. Give me a heart for the lost. I pray for salvation for those who are far from You and for those who don’t believe they need You in their lives. Please use me for Your glory in these last days as I wait for Your return. Until that day, I pray, come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen

The More we Know: Side Trails of the Journey

Please check out today’s LGG Blog Post

  • If you believe in and follow Jesus as Your Lord will you help me share His message? Simply scroll down and share – or copy and paste the link to any your preferred social media
  • If you have not yet come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, I plead with you to click on and read “Know These Truths”. – Jesus is coming again, will you be ready?
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