Blessed Are the Merciful

When you ask a man a question, he’ll ask two questions in response: What will it cost me? What will I get out of it? All decisions in life are a risk-reward tradeoff. Life is a series of decisions. In the decisions of life, the question is, what’s it worth? The real question is not about the cost. Instead, it’s about value…. What is it that you value most?

Many men think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. The devil will tempt the gullible to believe that their salvation in Christ is insufficient…. that they need more of what the world has to offer.

The beatitudes are the keys to the kingdom of the Lord. To enter into the presence of the Lord, we must approach his throne of grace with a spirit of humility, a spirit that is destitute of myself so that he can fill me. When we’re hungry and thirsty for His righteousness, then Jesus said, I am the fountain of living waters and I am the bread of life.

The last three beatitudes are the practical application of first having a heart of humility, mourning over the sin and separation from the things of God and hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

Many churches emphasize serving. When Martha complained to Jesus because her sister Mary was not helping her serve, Jesus reproved her. He said, Mary has sought the greater thing… to sit at the Master’s feet. The beatitudes are about being, not being busy. The beatitudes define the attitudes of heart of those whom God has called into fellowship with Christ.

What is it that you value most? What is it that you love above all? Everything else is insignificant. The emphasis is on being and abiding with and within the love of God…. in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s not what you do that counts but more importantly, it’s why you’re doing it.

Jesus said, blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Loving kindness and tender mercy is the nature of God himself. Without the spirit of God, we cannot know and understand the mercy of God. Loving kindness and tender mercy is the most often used description of God in the King James Version of the Old Testament.

Many men want to bargain with God and manipulate him into giving us what we think we want. We say, we’ll worship the Lord if he’ll give us what we want. Serving God is similar to serving our wives. What can I do to serve my wife from a heart of love that my selfish flesh doesn’t really want to do? My challenge is to change my attitude to serve both God and my wife from a selfless heart of love.

Mercy is the manifestation of a heart of love. Mercy is the nature of God himself. Like as a father cherishes and loves his children, so the Lord has mercy on them that fear, respect, honor, and love him. Mercy is when my wife says to me, “we need to talk.” Mercy is when she gives me the opportunity to be restored to an upright position after i’ve fallen and broken our fellowship.

Jude 2 says, may mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. God is merciful… otherwise he would never have forgiven us. Mercy is wrapped up in the love of God… he has dealt with us, not according to our sins, not according to our nature of sin and iniquity, but according to his nature of loving kindness and tender mercy. Mercy does not recompense evil for evil. Mercy is the withholding of righteous judgement. In that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. He chose us before we chose him.

Jesus told a parable about a king whose servant owed him ten thousand talents. The servant could never repay the debt so the Lord was within his rights to demand that his wife and children serve the Lord their entire lives to pay off only a portion of the debt. However, the Lord had mercy upon his servant who owed the debt and with a heart of compassion forgave the debt. Then the servant confronted another man who owed him only ten dollars. He began to choke the man and say, pay it back! I will not forgive your meager debt. His debtor said, please be patient with me… I will pay back all that I owe. Instead the servant had his fellow slave thrown into the debtor’s prison. Then others reported back to the Lord all that the fellow slave had done. His Lord said, what is it that you have done? You asked mercy from me, shouldn’t you have forgiven your debtor like I forgave you. Then the Lord took the wicked servant and made him repay for the rest of his life everything that he had owed. This parable is an illustration of the beatitude that says, blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Forgiveness and mercy is above the rational response of a fallen world. CS Lewis said, If you are looking for a comfortable religion, then Christianity is not that religion. The beatitudes fly in the face of human logic. Even though men twist the truth of the Word of God and call good evil and evil good, God is still on the throne… What men meant for evil God meant for good.

He who is repentant and broken mourning over the sin that has separated him from God’s righteous standard, will come to the Lord with a broken and a contrite heart. With a heart of meekness, humility, brokenness and repentance we can approach God’s throne of mercy and grace forsaking our pride in poverty of the spirit, hungering and thirsting for God’s righteousness, peace, redemption, cleansing and salvation. A broken and a contrite heart God will not forsake…. that he may restore our hearts according to the heart of Christ in us…

… that we may live to the praise of the glory of God’s grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Blessed Are the Merciful

The beatitudes are the preamble to the Sermon on the Mount… Jesus’ teachings about the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

The first four beatitudes are blessed are the poor in spirt, blessed are they that mourn, blessed are the meek, and blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness. These four beatitudes lead us into meekness and humility to forsake our selfish selves in order to turn toward the Lord Jesus Christ and his righteousness.

The next theee beatitudes are the practical application of these first four beatitudes. The purpose is to love God above all as we minister to others with Christ’s heart behind our heart. These next three beatitudes focus on the nature of Christ in us the hope of glory.

The fifth beatitude says, “blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Mercy is the withholding of God’s righteous judgement. The meaning of mercy is known only when we give others the same mercy that God gave us… For in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.

Paul said, be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but instead be filled with the Holy Spirit. The gift of God’s spirit is his enablement in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.

There are four possible responses to the good news of the gospel of Christ. The first is outright resistance. The second response is , “i’ll consider your message.” The third type of response is bargaining: Let’s make a deal. God, I’ll do what You want if you do what I want. The fourth stage is, “Lord I surrender all… my life is in thy hands. Use me and make me after your will, while I am willing yielded and still. Not my will but thine be done.

The fourth stage goes beyond questioning God’s motive: Does God really have a good plan for my life? Is he working all things together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose?

CS Lewis said that if you’re looking for a religion that makes you comfortable, then Christianity is not that religion. God will break our hearts so that he can pick up the treads of our broken hearts and weave them together to conform to the image of His dear Son. Proverbs says, the crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the heart of man is for the Lord’s refinement.

This is a hard lesson to learn. Pete learned this lesson in the father’s waiting room after his wife had carried their second child to term. The doctors had said, “we’re losing the baby’s heartbeat. You need to leave the delivery room.” Pete prayed, “God, Please save my wife and baby.” God answered, “No matter the outcome, will you still love, honor and serve me?” Pete thought to himself, will I still love God as a good, good father no matter if my baby and my wife both die? Pete searched his heart. Then he answered, “Yes Lord, no matter what happens in this situation, I will still love you above all.” When the doctor came into the father’s waiting room, she pulled Pete aside and said, “I’m sorry but we lost the baby.” Pete was thankful that God had prepared his heart to love and honor him despite this bad news.

Jesus said, blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. You’re never more like Christ than when you show mercy to others. The Apostle Peter had asked Jesus, how many times must I forgive my brother? Should I forgive him seven times? The Levitical law said that you should only forgive a person three times. Peter thought that seven times would show mercy. However Jesus said, you should forgive not seven times but seventy times seven.

Jesus illustrated this point with a parable about a slave who owed his master $10 million in today’s money… a sum that could never be repaid in several lifetimes. The master could rightfully require the service of the slave’s wife and children for the rest of their lives to pay a portion of the debt. The slave approached his master and said, Lord have mercy on me… I’ll attempt to repay but this is a debt that I cannot bear.” The Lord took mercy on his servant and said, your debt is forgiven.

Then the forgiven servant confronted a fellow slave who owed him just $10. He said to the man who owed him, pay up or I will have you thrown into the debtor’s prison. The man said, please be patient with me and give me some time to pay you back. The servant dealt harshly with is fellow slave who could not immediately repay and sent him to prison. Then word came back to the Lord about how the slave that he had forgiven would not offer mercy to his fellow slave. The Lord reinstated his wicked slave’s debt and required him and his household to work the rest of their lives to pay only a partial payment of the debt rightfully owed to the Master. This parable is an illustration that those who are merciful shall receive mercy.

How can we say that we have repented and confessed our sin unless we forgive others? We are debtors burdened with a debt of sin that we cannot repay. We rightfully deserve to be committed to debtors’ prison for the rest of our lives. Even when we have done all our Lord requires of us, we cannot ask his mercy and grace because we’ve simply done our duty as subjects of our Lord. If we carried a Roman soldier’s pack one mile as the law requires, what reward can you ask… you’ve simply done your duty as required by Roman Law. Did you walk the second mile from a heart of love? According to 1 Corinthians 13, Without the love of God, even though I gave my body to be burned, it will profit me nothing.

Loving kindness and tender mercy is the most often used description of the character of God in the Old Testament. Loving Kindness is the Hebrew word “hased” which is the same word as the Greek word “Agape,” the love of God in the New Testament.

Jesus said to the Pharisees, You are servants of you father the devil… You are a brood of vipers. The devil is the father of lies and you’re just like your father the devil. Romans says, ye are slaves of whom you obey. As sons of God the nature of our Heavenly Father is loving kindness and tender mercy. We inherited his nature when we were born again not of corruptible seed that we inherited from Adam, but from the seed of the Word of God… the spirit of God in Christ in us…

That we may demonstrate our Father’s loving kindness and tender mercy to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Ascenders

Despite the chaos and the confusion in the world around us, Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of the throne of God to intercede on behalf of believers who pray in his name according to the will of God.

Although death and destruction is all around us, greater is he that is in you than he that is in this world. When we cast our care upon him, he cares for us. As men of faith, God has called us to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free, not to be entangled in the yoke of the bondage of this world and the Old Testament Law that convicted all men of sin and death. The liberty that we have in Christ is in the spirit of Christ in us the hope of glory to love God above all and to serve one another from a heart of love.

As the old hymn of Martin Luther says, “did we in our own strength confide, our battle would be losing, were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing. Doth ask whom that may be? Christ Jesus it is he… and he must win the battle.

To scale the highest mountain peaks, mountain climbers need to be prepared… they have to have the right equipment and safety lines. They need to bring their own oxygen and weather conditions need to be favorable. Climbers are connected to a safety line by devices called “ascenders” that allow them to ascend but not retreat. If they slip and lose their footing the ascender will keep them from falling. They ascend together with a team of climbers.

The analogy of mountain climbing is an example of the Christian walk… of each individual pilgrim’s progress upon the pilgrimage of this earthly life. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”. God is faithful to His word. The origin of the Aramaic word “Amen” means, “God said it…. so shall it be done.” Regardless of circumstances, situations, and the unbelief of men, God’s word shall come to pass. Why? Because God honors the integrity of His word.

Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Jesus Christ is the word of God made manifest… He said, “I always do my Father’s will.” The word of God is the will of God. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is to be a disciplined follower of the word of God.

The next verse in Hebrews 10 says, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:”. The team of mountain climbers cannot ascend to the peak unless they climb together and encourage one another. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Jesus Christ is our lifeline. What happens if we get disconnected from the line? Without the support of our brothers in Christ, the devil will have his way with us. His purpose is to steal, to kill and to destroy. Ecclesiastes says, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

Therefore, Jude says, maintain yourselves in the love of God. One wife complained to her pastor, “My husband just pushes all of my buttons.” His response: “Just get rid of your buttons.” As Pastor Pete often says, “There is nothing wrong with my wife that God can’t fix in me.” The love of God thinks no evil. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs done. It gives others grace and mercy from the heart of the love of God. The Apostle Paul said, “owe no man anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another fulfilleth the law.”

James says, Save others by snatching them out of the fire. Chuck Smith said, God will deliver us through the fire, in the fire, or by the fire. The fire of tribulation and trials reveal God’s character in us. For tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience (proven character), and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.

Jesus Christ is our lifeline who keeps us from falling. Therefore, give diligence with urgency to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things you shall never fall. What are these things? According to 1 Peter 2, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness the love of God.

It’s easy to become discouraged about current world events and the sins of the world (and our own hearts) that so easily beset us. However to run with patience, press toward the mark of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. We ascend to new heights as we pursue our Lord along with others who chase after Christ. Jude 23 says, Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless in the presence of his glory with exceeding joy… to the only wise God be glory and majesty and honor and glory both now and forever, Amen and Amen …

… That we may live to the the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Through the Fire

In the spiritual battle, there are two offensive weapons according to Ephesians 6. The first is the sword of the spirit which is the Word of truth. The second weapon is prayer. Prayer is God’s force multiplier. With God, no weapon formed against us shall stand. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual for the pulling down of the devil’s spiritual strongholds.

Though all seems lost and futile as we are bombarded with the news from Afghanistan and Haiti where death and destruction run rampant, where terrorist extremists wreak havoc against the people. We whom God has called wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the powers of darkness, against the prince of the power of the air, against spiritual wickedness from on high.

As a brother from Afghanistan prayed weeping, we pray with unbroken hearts for God’s deliverance in this life or the next. Even though our hearts break, know that you, our fellow Christians remain under the hand of our Heavenly Father. We who have gathered together underground, pray for you and beseech your prayers for God’s will to be done in us and through us to his honor and glory.

Chuck Smith said, God always delivers his people either in the fire, through the fire, or by the fire. The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, but God refines the heart of man. Trials and tribulation try us and refine us to reveal his character within us.

According to Jeremiah 17:6, the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked… who can know it? Our hearts deceive us when we think that we can stand in our own power. There is wickedness in the heart of flesh that we inherited from Adam’s fall. The people said to Jesus, didn’t we cast out demons and perform wondrous miracles in your name? Jesus said, depart from me ye workers of iniquity… I never knew thee. The heart of man deceives us into thinking that we’re self sufficient in our own self serving power. The deceitful heart cheats men into suffering the consequences of their prideful acts. He said to the Pharisees, In vain do they worship me, they draw nigh unto me with their lips, and honor me with their mouths, but their heart is far from me. Sin is missing the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Sin will have its way with us if we fail to repent of our having forsaken the Lord and the truth of His word.

Spurgeon says, the guilty sinner must cease and desist from confessing righteousness in his own doing… in the nature of his own flesh. Confession unto repentance begins with being broken before the Lord. As the Apostle Paul said, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. As Isaiah said when God revealed the greatness of his glory, “woe is me, I am unworthy…. a man of unclean lips.” Then a seraphim touched a hot coal of fire to Isaiah’s lips to purge him with God’s refining fire. Only God can cleanse us through the atoning sacrifice of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. For he who knew no sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

In Romans 7 Paul said, “who shall deliver me from this dead body?” The answer is in Romans 8….The law of the spirit of life in Christ has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.

Oswald Chambers said, thank God for breaking our hearts for what breaks his. The light of Christ can shine forth only when God breaks the clay pots of our earthen vessels. For we have this treasure of the spirit in earthen vessels… in jars of clay so that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

The nature of the flesh will conceal, deny, and refuse to acknowledge the sin nature that we inherited from Adam. Sin is broken fellowship. Sin separates our hearts from God and the righteous standard of his holy word. John 3 says, He that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. However, Jesus Christ came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. For he who doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be manifest that they are wrought of God.

Therefore, be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. It is the goodness, the loving kindness, grace, and mercy of the Lord that calls a man to repentance.

The theme of 1 John is our fellowship with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice on our behalf. 1 John 1:3 says, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

Repentance is to turn from sin and unto the Lord. 1 John 1:7 says walk in the light as he is in the light and the blood of Jesus Christ shall cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Walking in the love of God will cleanse our hearts… the cleansing is in the walking. Sin is missing the mark. However When we return our hearts to the Lord, we press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Jesus said, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall inherit the earth. Peace is available only through the prince of peace. Jesus said, my peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid. Peace is the result of reconciliation… of bringing together that which has been separated. Jesus Christ’s is the one who reconciles us with God. Acceding to Ephesians 2:14-15:
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby…

2 Corinthians 5 says, we are ambassadors for Christ. As his emissaries, We’re sent to deliver a peace treaty from our homeland in Heaven, for we are citizens of heaven. The message is the gospel message of the good news of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Jesus Christ is the one who reconciles God to man. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…

That through his payment for sin on our behalf, we may ever live to the praise of the glory of our Father’s grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Desperate Hearts

Jeremiah 17:9 says, “the heart is desperately wicked above all things, who can know it?” The Apostle Paul said, “In my flesh dwelleth no good thing.” The fallen nature that we inherited from Adam seeks the things of this world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. However, Jesus said, blessed are they who hunger and thirst, not for the things of this fallen word, but for God’s righteousness. They are blessed because they shall be filled. Only God can satisfy and fill those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

CS Lewis said, if you’re looking for a religion that makes you comfortable, then Christianity is not that religion. It’s uncomfortable to admit when we’re wrong. However, Proverbs 28:13 says, “He that covereth (and hides) his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Men of this world seek to justify themselves. Those who deny God think that they are in charge of their own lives… that they can define for themselves what is just and praiseworthy in order to appease their own selfish hearts. They take pride in their own self righteousness that says, I’m not subject to a holy God. Then they think they’re justified when they transgress God’s righteous standard for truth.

The Sermon on the Mount explains Jesus’ keys to the kingdom of heaven… the things that set believers apart as followers of Christ. Matthew Henry said, It’s folly to trust in man, for he is frail and deceitful. Our own hearts deceive us into thinking that we trust in God when we really don’t. It’s a common mistake for men to think their own hearts better than they really are. God’s standard for truth says that the heart of man is deceitful above all things. A deceived heart calls evil good and good evil. Then It colors the lie with a rosy deception. It distorts the truth, blinds the eyes, and cheats men so that they fall into their own ruin. The heart of man is deadly, desperate, and past relief. Its conscience is seared with a hot iron…. it deceives itself into thinking it is the candle of the Lord. It twists the truth into a corrupt, watered down disposition. The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. As the Apostle Paul said, “Who can deliver me from the body of this death?”

Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing. To bear good fruit you must abide in the vine. I am the vine and ye are the branches.”

To know the condition of our fallen hearts, we must compare our hearts to the righteous standard… the Word of God and Jesus Christ, the word of God made flesh. There is no hope apart from the grace of God through the payment for sin Jesus Christ made on our behalf.

We can know our hearts when we walk in the light as Christ is in the light. Then when we walk in the light as he is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In 1 John, the sin is to break fellowship… In order to have a right relationship with God, we must reconcile our hearts with God. Our first priority is our vertical relationship with our Heavenly Father.

In a season of comfort and complacency our heart will be tempted to fall into sin. King David left the battlefield, forsaking God’s call as Israel’s commander in chief. Instead, he retreated to his palace for rest and relaxation. Then in a moment of complacency, he gazed longingly upon his neighbor Bathsheba bathing on her rooftop. He was consumed with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. David’s lust was consummated in adultery, deception, and murder.

1 John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The sin is anything that breaks our fellowship with God by leading our hearts away from God’s heart. Sin is missing the mark. The mark is the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The solution to sin is to pursue the mark…. to chase after our Lord together with others who also chase after Christ.

Jesus said, blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. David in his confession said in Psalm 139:23-24, search me O Lord and know my heart… if there is any evil thing in me. Create in me a new heart O Lord, and cleanse me from all iniquity.

It’s easy to deceive our own hearts. As men, we look at our own outward appearance. However God looketh upon the heart. Men often do the right things but for the wrong reasons. The people said to Jesus, didn’t we cast out demons…didn’t we prophesy and do many wonderful works in your name? Jesus said, depart from me ye workers of iniquity… I never knew you. He said to the Pharisees in Mark 7:6-7, “Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

How do we know if we’re doing the right things for the right reasons? According to 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding (the truth of the Law of God) as in a glass (mirror) the (spiritual) glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory (of the flesh) to glory (of the spirit), even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” When we through through Christ’s eyes behind our eyes look into the word of God, it reflects our true nature as born again believers… the reflection of the Holy Spirit of God in Christ in us.

The nature of God is mercy, grace, compassion and love. Romans 3;23 says, all have sinned and come short of God’s righteous standard. The solution to sin is the Saviour from sin. According to Romans 6:23, “for the wages of sin Is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Thank God for reproof and correction. For whom the Lord loves, he takes the time with care and concern to chastise. To correct means to return to an upright position. Even though it’s painful to be straightened, when we have our vertical relation with Him in alignment, we can live in the abundance of life to which he’s called us. The blessing is in seeking the Blessor and not the blessing…

… that our hearts may be made right to praise and glorify our Heavenly Father through His son, our Lord Jesus Christ… that we may ever live in Fellowship, in communion with our Lord to love, honor and glorify God.

Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Pete McKenzie 0:19
led to one of the greatest hours of prayer we’ve had in a long time, on Friday mornings, and we’ve been doing that for 28 years, meaning guys meeting together and go into war, go into battle. We fight with spiritual weapons in these battles, we have to learn to do that. And prayer is the best spiritual weapon. It’s the key spiritual weapon. Do you know we see things happening in Afghanistan, and now we know in Mongolia, in India and around the world, God’s working. And he’s working powerfully. And he’s working to do one thing. And that’s the draw man to himself. He’s not trying to save countries, he’s not worried about what’s going on politically. He never bothered himself with that when he became a man and came down and live 33 years, he didn’t get involved in all that. He had bigger fish to fry. He had the gospel. He had died on the cross redeeming new me from one big issue sin. And sin is a reason that all that’s going on in the world is happening, all the hurt, all the atrocities, all the gulags all the killing fields, all the divorces, separations, church splits, all the division, all the hate, all the bitterness, all the revenge. All of this is called the one thing man is a sinner, and all have sinned. It’s not just a few have sinned, we have sinned. You and I have sinned, we could be part of the Taliban, but by God’s grace, we have it within our hearts. And we’re going to talk about that today. But before I do, I want to read something that I received this morning. It’s a word from the underground church in in Afghanistan is a little pause in between each sentence. But there’s a I didn’t have time, I didn’t get it in time to get it to our guys and get it on the screen up here. But there’s a member of the underground church and he shared his heart about what’s going on in Afghanistan. Now read you what he’s saying. Hello, dear sisters and brothers in this. His face is on the screen. But it’s all garbled. So you can’t tell I hope you’re healthy. Today in Afghanistan is the first day of Taliban rule. I don’t know what the future of this country will be.

We’re not able to control her emotions. He’s weeping is he saying these things?

Because we’ve wanted worked so hard for 20 years.

And all our work over the past 20 years has been lost in one night.

Only God understands how much pain we have, and how broken Our hearts are.

We are crying out. We are crying not out of fear. But because our hearts ache for our beautiful country.

It has now been destroyed by this savage and extremist group. Every precious thing of value in our nation is now destroyed. The whole world has abandoned us.

Those who said they support us have now abandoned us to the worst situation imaginable.

Don’t know what’s going to happen to us. Are we supposed to live alongside the Taliban’s rule Friends, we record this video today is a testimony. We want it to remain in history. We want to be remembered by our friends and loved ones that today we have been left in the field by ourselves. But we’re not leaving the field. We will fight harder and we’ll continue in God’s work.

If we are no longer with you remember this. Remember this word from our unbroken hearts.

Please remember us the great difficulties that we now face. If any of us remain if our children remain I have a request. Please do not leave them alone. Please take care of them please do not abandon them. I’m sorry, I cried and became emotional. My heart is hurting send this to all your friends as a remembrance of their brothers and sisters in Christ. I hope this finds you under our Heavenly Father’s shelter. Thank you The supportive underground Christians in Afghan When’s the last time you were underground? How long before Christians in America have to go underground? have our religious services and gather together to pray to meet like we’re meeting today. Two or three years from now this could be an American Christian saying the same things we’ve seen a very country destroyed not before our very eyes and not overnight this has been coming for 70 years and it always get back to the question of God delivering as people not always delivered as people and Wayne quoted Chuck Smith in that regard during our prayer time, he said God always delivers his people some through the fire some in the fire and some by the fire you know always delivers this people

mentioned that this whole thing is because of one three letter word sin. Man’s despicable heart. I quoted to you last week a quote by CS Lewis it is appropriate to be quoted again today. If you’re looking for a religion that really make you comfortable, I don’t suggest Christianity. When you’re looking at guys and if you were to ask, if extremist whatever they might be a motive or eelke they might be was about diverse q2 or qu and you ask them why are you doing this? They would say the same thing that Francis said that the Hindus are saying about Christians. Our Gods quit responding because you guys are worshiping. So we have to get rid of you so our gods can answer our prayers again. That our God is God our God is king. Our God is sovereign and the other gods know what all the demons know it and they shudder. Jeremiah 17 nine says a heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it fully and know its secret motives. Be patient when we we find this devotional by Matthew Henry, when he have some commentary, thoughts on this verse.

This again is from the verse at heart is deceitful above all things in debt. desperately wicked, who can understand it? concerning the sinfulness of man’s heart in the divine inspection, it is always under. It is a folly to trust in man, for he is not only frail, but false and deceitful. We’re apt to think that we trust in God, and are entitled to the blessings here promised to those who do so. But this is a thing about but this is a thing about which our own hearts deceive us as much as anything. We think that we can trust in God when really we don’t, as appears by this, that our hopes and fears rise or fall according to second causes, smiles and frowns. It’s true in general that there’s wickedness in our hearts, which we are sales are not aware of, and don’t suspect to be their minds me when Jesus said, there are many who have come to me and say, Lord, Lord, we cast out demons in your name. We prophesied in your name, we heal people in your name, you also Depart from me, I never knew you. That’s the deceitfulness of a man’s heart. It is a common mistake among the children of men to think themselves, their own hearts at least a great deal better than they really are. The heart the conscience of man in his corrupt and fallen state is deceitful above all things. It’s subtle, and false. It’s apt to supplant or replace. It is that from which Jacob pad is named the Replace, or there’s a planter, because evil good and good evil. Put sports colors upon things. In Christ peace, when there is no peace. Men, when men say in their hearts, that there is no God, or he does not see or he will not require. for they shall have peace, though, though they go on. Now. In these in 1000, similar suggestions, the heart is deceitful. The cheats man into the their own ruin. And this will be the aggravation of it, that they are self deceived yourself, destroy yours. You’re in the hardest, desperately wicked, it is deadly, it is desperate. These are hard words, but they’re necessary words. Because if we don’t get this down, if we don’t understand this, we haven’t missed anything but the boat. The essence of Christianity is it sin is desperate and despicable and evil, is deceitful. And if we don’t understand that, it’s going to have its way with us and we’ll be victims of our own sinful natures. The case is bad indeed, in a manner deplorable and pass relief, if the conscience which should rectify the errors of the other faculties is itself a mother of faults, and a ringleader in the delusion. What will become of a man if that in him which should be the candle of the Lord gives a false light. If God’s deputy in the soul that is interested to support his interests, betrays him, such as the sequence of the heart that we may truly say, who can know it? Who can describe how bad the heart is? I don’t know about you, but it’s that generally my thinking about my heart. I give myself a lot of credit for having a pretty good heart. I even look at you sometimes and think maybe you have a good heart. But how many times a day does our heart betray us? How many times a day that we go back to our vomit? How many times a day do we compromise what we say we believe? How many times a day do we hate when we should be loving and giving mercy? How many times are we patient when we get impatient and say things that we regret later? I mean time so I get mad at my wife and my children, the government people on the freeway and never feel too bad about it because they all are screwed up. They’re messed up they deserve. They deserve my revenge. They deserve not critical spirit. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. But there is an answer and God’s given us an answer in Scripture to this sin problem that we have. Proverbs 2813 warns us so he conceals his transgressions will not prosper. But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion

Charles Spurgeon was making some comments on this and he said the tracks this tracks the way of mercy and compassion for the guilty, repentant sinner, who must cease and desist from the habit of concealing uncovering sin. It’s one thing to be a sinner, even to acknowledge your church center, but it’s another thing to conceal and cover your sin. The business of a center is to confess in PR sake. That’s what we’ve been called to do. So everybody’s sins All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But not everybody confesses. Not everybody says, search me, O God and know my heart, draw me and know my anxious thoughts and see if there’s any hurtful way and me. Not everybody, for sakes. I looked up that word for sake, means to renounce or turn away from entirely, to abandon, to give up control or influence, to give up with the intent of never again claiming a ride or interest in. But he who confesses who brings it out into the light? In a lot of times that I think we talked about this before. A lot of times we think well I confessed it, I brought it out into the light, that’s enough. But this Scripture teaches us that it’s not enough. I don’t only have to confess my sin, I have to forsake it. How many times have we heard testimonies of alcoholics, who that came to Christ, and they got a new life and new desire to be holy and right with God. So they take their alcohol and pour it down the sink, that’s forsaking that doesn’t mean they won’t be tempted to do it again, that shows where their heart is drug addicts who wash all their drugs down and flush it down the toilet. I mean, in terms of we heard that they were moved by the Holy Spirit to clean their lives to get a new life. If any man’s in Christ is a new creature. He’s a different man, as Mary said in the chosen, that was one way. And now I’m different. I’m not the same guy anymore. I’m not the cleaned up guy, the painted guy, the varnished old guy. I’m a brand new guy that never existed before. I’m a new creature in Christ. And as a creature, the best thing about that new creatures he’s forgiven for all his sin that’s driven me my whole Christian life. I was desperate and sins and trespasses as the scripture says, I couldn’t handle it I couldn’t beat it. I couldn’t control it couldn’t defeat it couldn’t work my way out of it. It couldn’t deliver myself or fix myself. Imagine how happy I was a night I came to know Christ and found out I didn’t have to fix myself I know I did. I didn’t have to I couldn’t listen to the poor in spirit. Bless those who are crushed, who are mourning blesses those who acknowledge that they’re centers and that you repent and forsake it. That’s what we’re is required of assess the business of a sinner. We must recite the evil in disown all present and future intent to abide in it. The habit of evil must be broken. Together with all places in companions, pursuits in books, and anything that would lead us astray. don’t suggest Christianity if you’re looking for a comfortable religion. If you’re looking for the Holy Spirit to overlook what’s going on in our hearts, the sin that hides in every crevice and corner of our heart, even though we’re forgiven for every sin, we’re justified. God wants to sanctify us to justified means that I’m forgiven for all my sin. He’s put it behind him as far as the east is from the west, I have the white robe of righteousness own of Christ. The blood of Christ is cleaned me from our sin, I’m justified. It’s just as if I’ve never seen before. I’m right with him in his eyes. And when he looks at me doesn’t see all my sin and all that evil in my heart. He sees the righteousness of Christ and that’s what you’ll see when I come up to the judgment. See, the great white throne. You’ll see the righteousness my heart when I get to the door of the banquet room, and they have checked me to see if I get in or not. When they see the white robes of righteousness, only the blood of Christ is cleanse me from all sin, I’ll be admitted and not only admitted but joyfully admitted. And nobody would be more joyful than me. If that happens, I may be surprised myself. Because I’ve said Lord Lord, I preached him his name I baptized in his name, have encouraged others to follow his name, but Paul said, after enlisting, so Many others to the race I myself

might be disqualified. So we know that you will know a tree by its fruit Jesus. The fruit of righteousness of the fruit of humaneness, the human heart, the sinful heart. If there is division in trouble and critical spirits and hate, revenge, anger, profanity, pornography, drugs, alcohol, jealousy, causing divisions all the time, broken relationships. And I’d say that person probably is questionable whether he really knows Christ and He walked out he got baptized, he prayed the prayer. But where’s the fruit? And the greatest fruit is the fruit of repentance, the fruit of going back and making restitution, the fruit of going to someone and making it right with them. If you come to the altar, and you know someone has something against you, I’m going to make you uncomfortable. I’m going to stir your heart, I’m going to bring you to righteousness, I’m going to bring you to a place of you can’t speak at peace with yourself until you go and do your best to make it right. Maybe you can’t make it right maybe they won’t forgive you. But you can go to them. You know, you’ve sinned, you know, you’ve heard them. And God says, Go and make it right. Go and confess your sin and to do that, to confess your sin, you have to go and acknowledge it, you have to name it. God, forgive me for drinking again, cursing again, go into that pornographic side again, speaking, disrespectfully and ugly to my wife, being angry with my children. doing the things that I do in the flesh, be filled with the Spirit. And we have that opportunity. Don’t be drunk with wine and do all the other stuff we’re talking about. Be feel to the spirit. That’s what God has given us. He’s given his spirit and in His Spirit and in his power, through the Spirit, we can live these lives we can be free, will never get to a place. And we’ve talked about this over and over again. But we need to be reminded over and over again. Least I do I figure maybe you do need to be reminded that I can fall into sin with the best I can justify and rationalize my sin. And that’s what I do. I cover it and conceal it. I don’t bring it out into the light. I don’t want people to know what I’m really like. I don’t want them to know what I think. And it is seen in the lust of my heart. And so I find myself on my knees before the Lord is saying Lord apart from you, all I can do is sin. All I can do is disappoint you and disappoint my friends, my family, my wife, my children. Church. I’m selfish to the point of being sick at my stomach from selfish looking out for myself, as it affect me, so all about me. I get mad because life is hard. It’s not supposed to be hard. Even though Jesus said in this world you will have tribulation. Praise God that He said, But take heart. I have overcome the world. The world I’ve overcome the flesh, I’ve overcome the devil. You can live these kinds of lives man. God has called us to live these lives to live in the light. To live in the light means that we first confess and we forsake when we need to. Not just going and making it right or make restitution with that person we’ve heard or sinned. But when they heard us and they sinned against us, and they let us down and betrayed us and criticized us and lied about us and called her eat good evil. That’s where I have to show my fruit of the Spirit. That’s where I get a chance to give grace and forgive even as I’ve been forgiven. That’s where I get a chance to be Christ like you’re never more like Christ. And when you forgive and give grace. They don’t deserve it. They will never ask you for forgiveness. They will never admit their sin against you. But you forgive them in your heart. One to set him free but to set him free from yourself your own heart. You always wander into sin. When you’re feeling bitterness and anger and resentment and revenge toward another to get even with them. And you always know you’re not right with them. When you see him in the grocery store or church and you avoid him. You don’t want to come face to face with him. But if you forgive him in your heart

If you’ve let them go, if you’ve turned them over to the Lord to deal with, so that you could keep your heart pure and clean, you could walk up and hug them. You can be comfortable when you see him. But you don’t want to do that. And you won’t do that. If you’re concealing and covering bitterness and sin in your heart. God wants you to be free, you’re never going to be the man of God that you could be and that God’s called you to be. And I’ll never will. If we were concealing sin and rationalizing and justifying and won’t bring it into the light, will always have broken relationships. First john one seven. If you walk in the light, as he is in the line, you will have fellowship with one another, you won’t fellowship with your wife within walk in the light. Do what God nudges you to do what God pushes you to do the little things, compliment her. She may never encourage you, she might never compliment you. That doesn’t keep you from doing the right thing. You compliment her you do little gifts for her. You do things that make her feel special that you wouldn’t do to any other woman. Because she’s your wife. You ask her forgiveness, you try to make things right. When you need to, and we need to all the time. Amen. That was a week. Amen on that. like you mean it. That’s what God wants to hear. God wants to hear we agree with him, that we are sinners, we have no hope. We have a great God who’s worthy to be worshipped, who is worthy of our very lives is worth worthy, given our utmost for his highest Do you want this is the one is best. And this is how you get it. You live in the light. The light came into the world and the world rejected the light that we don’t, we did. But now we don’t. I was that way I was rejecting him, but now receive Him and honor Him. And how do I do that? By living a life that reflects him to have a strong family resemblance to my father and him to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. there’s work to be done, man, their sin rampid in the world. The Afghans, you know, the Taliban and ISIS and the mob in America. Everybody that we see working evil, they’re just useful idiots. So the devil. We fight not against flesh and blood, but against spirits and powers and authorities and the air is that that we fight. So if you understand that you’re not going to hate these people that are enslaved to the devil. And that’s what Paul told Timothy, Timothy, you’re going to, you’re going to, I’m turning you over to a church full of troublemakers. They don’t get along. They think about themselves. They’re young. There’s dumb sucking Christians if Christians at all. And now I’m turning them over to you Now don’t be refused to take their foolish and ignorant speculations, their shenanigans, all the things they do. You can’t take it to heart. refuse it for the Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome. And that’s all that leads to is quarrels. But I’m not calling you to be quarrelsome. I’m calling you to be a peacemaker. So you must be instead of taking it to heart and letting it pull you down. I’m telling you to be kind to them. Teach them by your spirit and heart and attitude the way you live. You gently correct them if you ever get an opportunity to do that. And many times we don’t. And this is why, if perhaps God may grant them repentance, perhaps it may not do it. It may not happen. You may you may do everything you’re supposed to do and they still will never repent. That maybe they will and if they are ever do this is because you responded like this if perhaps God may grant them repentance, it’s a gift to repentance is God’s calling you to repent and in verse sake, don’t pass it by. Don’t cover it over. Don’t walk away. You may or may never have the chance again, it’s a gift of God to repent. And God moves in our heart to bring us to repentance. And if we say no, we harden our heart to God. And it’s a lot easier the next time to harden our heart and the next time to harden our heart to that we get to the point where we’re used with swear salt, it’s lost its flavor. We may not be Christian at all. Perhaps God may grant in repentance. Why leave To the knowledge of the truth,

they’re in their sin because they believe lies. Life is supposed to be easy. It’s not supposed to be hard, it’s all about me. I need to be in control. And I’m not going to make peace reality that I’m going to die, I’m going to live forever. That they will call about your actions and attitude, that they may come to their senses. They may come to the knowledge of the truth and come to their senses. And that’s what God has called us to these scholars to a ministry of helping people come to their senses. Helping people come to that place where they understand that they need Christ in their life, they will never have peace without the Prince of Peace. They’ll never find forgiveness, in anyone that’s puts it behind them as far as the east in the West and gives them grace. You’ll never find that anywhere, but in Christ, and then his true people. Perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth. Why they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who holds them captive to do His will, if you looked at everybody in the world today is slaves of the captors of the devil who holds them captive to do His will. And they looked at the Pharisees, your of your father, the devil, and your desires to do His will. See, you need to understand that when you’re seeing these people, the Taliban and ISIS in all the centers in the world and all the sinful groups in the world, and warring factions, and murderers and killers and to bring in doom and gloom and that’s all it can do. When they’re slaves of the devil. Break up, churches break up, families, break up, marriages break up business. That’s all they can do. They’re slaves to the devil. And we should look at them with pity and mercy and grace, not with our and bitterness. We hate the evil, but love the sinner. And we kind of make fun of that sometimes. Because who can do that? Who can truly hate evil, but love that center who’s evil, seeing them as slaves of the devil, that’s what you are. That’s what I am. We hope they’ll love us that way. Don’t count on it. Even in the church. That’s what God has called us to be. He’s called us to be different and new and to live the life that he gave us a Holy Spirit and forgave our sin to give us to go out there and give them heaven. And that’s why we say that. That’s why I said every week I need to be reminded, I need to go give them heaven. What’s that mean? Give them grace. Forgive them, serve them, wash their feet. But to do that, we have to be done with ourselves, our right to ourselves, I’m crucified with Christ. I no longer live, praise God. I no longer live. but Christ lives in me. And now the life that I live, I live by faith. In the Son of God, Faith has to have an object and don’t just live by any faith, it’s faith in the Son of God. Why? Because he loved me and gave himself up for me. I’ll never be able to repay that. But I’m going to try. I’ll never be able to pay what I’ve been forgiven and getting to go to heaven and spend eternity instead of hell. The alternative to Heaven is not good. It’s a small gate in a narrow way and few that it’s going to go in because many are on the wide gate going through the wide gate in the broad way that leads to prediction. And I learned what prediction means it means how destruction in many go there in our job is to keep as many on get them to the small gate and the narrow way as we possibly can. If in fact we’re have done it ourselves. That’s your mission in life. That’s your calling. That’s why you’ve been gifted. That’s why you’ve been set aside. That’s why God has given you grace and mercy so you can give it away and give him heaven. So I guess he wants to know, you’re in or out. I believe that and he believes that. That’s the reason you’re here today. Get around men, like you’re sitting next to the guy in front of you and beside you and behind you. These are the kind of man we need to be with. If we’re going to get the job done. In a log, that by itself is not going to burn. You have to throw it on the fire and many logs burning together will draw crowds. They’ll gather around if you give your heart to Christ and pour it out for Christ. They’re gathered around just to watch you burn. That’s what we want. That’s what God’s calling us to be. That’s what the Beatitudes all about. Next time we’ll get down to bless it or the merciful

for they shall be shall. I shall mercy. Have you been shown mercy? Has God given you His grace? This I like it today, okay. Let’s spread it around the start in your home and then let it go from there. Let’s pray. Father, thank you for reminding us of these things that the heart is deceitful above all things that’s our hearts. We can deceive our various selves. If we live in the light, though, you’ll show us our sin. We can repent, we can walk in newness of life, we can walk forgiven Your grace and we can give it away. We can give him heaven. But to do that, we have to die. It’s uncomfortable. To do that we have to give up our right to ourself. Give us a grace to do that. Give us a desire to do that. Help us mourn over our sin. Help us be meek. And then Lord, we’re gonna learn what it means to be merciful as you have shown us mercy and we’ll give you all the credit and the glory for our God is God. They want to get rid of us because our God’s greater than their God, but they’ll never be able to do that. It’ll never happen. praise you. A bunch of thankful man here this morning. We’re grateful in our hearts for our salvation in Christ. And we want to go out there and act like it in Jesus name And all God’s men said guys

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Blessed Are The Hungry and Thristy

It’s one thing to come unto the Lord Jesus Christ. However, Jesus said, “if you continue in my word then you shall be my disciples, (my disciplined followers) indeed.” CS Lewis said, if you’re looking for a religion that makes you comfortable, then Christianity is not that religion. Christianity is unattainable in our nature of the flesh, our worldly nature that we inherited from Adam. However, We who are born again of God’s spiritual nature can understand Christ’s nature… the things of the spirit of God.

Jesus Christ himself blazed a trail straight to the heart of God. The beatitudes are the roadmap to follow Jesus Christ. There are many roads, but only one road leads back home. Home is where the heart is… Therefore, set your affections on things above. For where thy treasure is, there will your heart be also.

At home with the Lord, when Christ returns, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the Glory of God our father. Despite the confusion, chaos, strife and contention of this world, Jesus said, in this world you shall have tribulation… but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

According to 2 Timothy 4 Paul said, I have been poured out as a drink offering. I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course. Henceforth a crown of righteousness has been laid up for me and for all who are assured of salvation and look forward to the return of our Lord.

Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

The fourth beatitude says, blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled. The multitude at the Sermon on the mount knew what it meant to be hungry and thirsty. They lived in a semi-arid desert and in an impoverished culture. They often did not not have enough to eat and drink. For what are you hungry and thirsty? Jesus said to the woman at the well, I am the fountain of living waters. He who drinks of the water of life shall never thirst. He said to the crowd at Capernaum, I am the bread of life. Only Jesus Christ can satisfy our hunger for the things of the spirit… only he can quench our thirst for righteousness because our righteousness is in him… for he who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” God honors faithfulness according to his word. Jesus Christ is the faithful one. He said, I always do my Father’s will. He consistently followed his Father’s word and will.

This world is filled with problems, pressures, and pain. There are many things to mourn over in this world… for those we loved who have died and left this world… for the sin which doth so easily beset us…. for our having fallen short of the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. In the mourning we can turn our hearts to the Lord with meekness and humility. We mourn over our hunger and thirst for the things that we can not grasp in our own power. The solution to the problem is Jesus Christ himself. There are many problems but only one solution. There are many questions but only one answer, Jesus Christ himself.

The world chases after happiness. However, happiness is a fleeting emotion that lasts but for a moment. Happiness depends on happenstance. The fleeting rush of euphoria for things having worked out in this world cannot satisfy. Happiness depends on temporary wisdom, wealth, and power. However victories according to the things of this world are temporary…. they’re here today and gone tomorrow. Happiness depends on favorable co-incidences. However with God there are no co-incidences…. there are only God incidences.

God is faithful to his Word. His steadfast love endures forever. Loving kindness and tender mercy is the nature of God himself.

Hungering and thirsting after righteousness is the hunger pang for the righteousness of Christ. Repentance begins with turning from the hunger for worldly things and unto hungering for heavenly things of the spirit of God. As the prophet Jeremiah said, Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16)

Oswald Chambers said, why shouldn’t God break our hearts? In order for the light to shine forth, our earthen vessels… our clay pots must be broken. Only then can the light of the spirit of Christ in us shine forth… for we have this treasure in jars of clay so that the excellency of the power (of the spirit) may be of God and not of us. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.

Righteousness is not in our own power. Righteousness is the result of Christ’s justification as the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf. When we are born again of God’s spirt, who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall persecution or tribulation, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay…. in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Thank God for breaking our hearts. Thank God for filling us with a hunger and thirst for his righteousness…. for meekness and mourning to come unto him with empty hands and a destitute heart of humility… he alone can fill us and fulfill the purpose for which he called us…

That we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael