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A sharing of Christian video sermons delivered globally by Archbishop Foley Beach
Episodes
Friday Mar 03, 2023
Friday Mar 03, 2023
How God Says He Loves Us: Part 2 -- The Covenant with Abraham
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Throughout human history, God has reached out to humans for a personal relationship and to express His love for humankind. We have a God that loves us so much, and God’s love for us is expressed to us through His “covenants”. Also, God’s “covenants” reveal to us His grace and faithfulness. In today’s message, we will discuss God’s Covenant with Abram and Abraham. A “covenant” can be defined as an “oath or promise of God”. In a Biblical covenant: 1) God establishes the Covenant; 2) God always implies that “I am your God, and you are my people” – God desires a personal relationship with us; and 3) God sets the covenant’s terms and rulers.
In Genesis 12:1-5, God presents His promise to Abram: “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.".
In Genesis 15:18, God makes a covenant with Abram: “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your offspring I give his land . . .’”. In Genesis 17:4-5, God makes another covenant with Abram changing Abram’s name to Abraham: “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.". in Genesis 21-1-4, Abraham’s son through Sarah, that God had promised Abraham, is born: “The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.”.
In Genesis 22:1-18, the final part of God’s covenant with Abraham is found when God provided the blood sacrifice of the lamb that sealed His covenant with Abraham: “And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, ‘By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.’”.
The significance of God’s covenant with Abraham includes: 1) Abraham believed God and had faith, and because of Abraham’s faith God made Abraham righteous – foretells the significance of the Gospel because God’s covenant through Jesus for us is a covenant of faith; 2) God’s covenant with Abraham foreshadows His covenant through Jesus as he Messiah, the Christ – Isaac is the first legitimate son of Abraham, and Jesus is considered the last son through Abraham, Isaac voluntarily went to the alter and Jesus voluntarily went to the cross, Abraham offered his son as a sacrifice and God gave His Son as a sacrifice; 3) God’s covenant is still being fulfilled today – in a physical sense, the covenant is fulfilled through the Arabs and the Jews since both consider Abraham as their father and fulfilled in a spiritual sense through Jesus as Paul tells us in Galatians 3:14: “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.".
Remember, the God who made covenant with Abraham is Jesus.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans 10:9; Genesis 9:20-29; Genesis 3:15; Genesis 12:1-9; Genesis 15:1-27; 1 Peter 3:18-21; John 3:16-17; Hebrews 11:6; Galatians 3:7-9,14-16,29.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “At Jesus’ Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Veil” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday Feb 24, 2023
Friday Feb 24, 2023
How God Says He Loves Us: Part 1 -- The Covenant with Noah
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
We have a God that loves us so much, and God’s love for us is expressed to us through His “covenants”. Also, God’s “covenants” reveal to us His grace and faithfulness. In today’s message, we will discuss God’s Covenant with Noah. A “covenant” can be defined as an “oath or promise of God”. In a Biblical covenant: 1) God establishes the Covenant; 2) God always implies that “I am your God, and you are my people” – God desires a personal relationship with us; and 3) God sets the covenant’s terms and rulers.
In Genesis 6:5-22, the corruption of humanity, through mankind’s sin after the Fall, became too much for God, and He became sorry that He made mankind. From Genesis, we know that God “grieved in His heart” because of human evil, corruption, and violence. However, Noah found favor in the eyes of God. Noah was righteous and blameless, and Noah “walked with God”.
After destroying all humans and all other inhabitants of the earth, except for Noah, his family, those animals that Noah collected for His arch, God “blessed Noah in Genesis 9:1-29; and God established His covenant with Noah in Genesis 9:9-1:10,11-13: “’Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you . . . that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.’". Therefore, this covenant is not only with Noah and all other living things on the earth; but God’s covenant with Noah is with us too! The “rain’bow’” is a sign of this covenant between Noah and all humanity; and this “rainbow” is, also, a sign of God’s love, grace, and mercy.
In 1 Peter 3:18-21, the Apostle Peter relates Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, which is redemptive covenant for our salvation, to God’s earlier covenant with Noah: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ . . .". In this text from 1 Peter, we learn that our “baptism” represents our Salvation through Jesus. Like Noah and his family, we have been saved “through the water” not “by the water”. Therefore, “baptism” is another covenant between God and all humanity, through God’s Grace, to save mankind from itself if we accept God’s Grace. God does not see us, now, in our sin like humanity’s evil of Noah’s time; rather, God sees us through the eternal (like the “rainbow”) “Justifying” covenant blood of Jesus.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Genesis 6:5-22; Genesis 9:1-29; 1 Peter 3:18-21; Psalms 28:1-9.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday Feb 17, 2023
Friday Feb 17, 2023
The Interior Life – Maintenance of the Inner Man -- Part 4: Our Emotional Being
MESSAGE SUMMARY: If we maintain our interior life, we can be His vessels of light in the world. We must awaken and maintain our inner lives as vigorously as we maintain our public lives – to take care of our souls and spirits as much as we take care of our bodies. Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, describes the characteristics of the inner life and the maintenance of the inner man: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
We are emotional beings, and we are made in the likeness of God – God is emotional; He loves, but He gets angry at sin. However, we don’t all have the same emotional makeup. Emotions are neither good nor bad, but how emotions are expressed impact others positively or negatively. Also, when we wrongly express our emotions, we often pay the price with health problems. Therefore, when we sin with our emotions, we interfere with our relationship with God.
Some suggestions for positively dealing with our emotions include: 1) Commit to express feelings in a Godly manner; 2) Nail past wounds and hurts to the Cross with Jesus; 3) Ask God for inner healing; 4) Understand generational patterns; 5) Take responsibility for personal emotions – stop blaming others; 6) Intentionally express emotions with appropriate words – emotions come wholly from within; and 7) Constantly remember God’s presence is with us. What would happen if we really lived our lives knowing that God is always with us?
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 21:12-13; Proverbs 14:29-30; Ephesians 4:31-32; Galatians 2:20.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “For a Jesus Follower in Difficult Circumstances, God: “is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Thursday Feb 09, 2023
Thursday Feb 09, 2023
The Interior Life – Maintenance of the Inner Man -- Part 3: The Will
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Too many of us have bought into the hustle and bustle demanded by our lifestyles of today; therefore, we have little time, today, for thinking and praying. In the meantime, life is sailing by; and the inner person is neglected. We must awaken and maintain our inner lives as vigorously as we maintain our public lives – to take care of our souls and spirits as much as we take care of our bodies. Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, describes the characteristics of the inner life and the maintenance of the inner man: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The will, in our inner life, is our God-given ability to choose. Often, we run into problems by not controlling our will – we go with the flow. Many of us have lost control of the will in our lives, and we yield control to the flesh. Our choices are stealing our lives away, and we don’t even realize that we have a choice. We must use our will to choose properly. We need to develop our “willpower” – our control over our choices by -- choosing a task; creating a plan; and following the plan. We need to develop the power for gaining control over our will and directing our will toward a spirit-filled life in Jesus. Each of our lives is to be driven by the Holly Spirit through our inner person, thereby, yielding our lives to God’s will. The Holy Spirit enables us to do God’s will in our lives.
Have you, like the people in Joshua 24, chosen (i.e. will) to serve the Lord?
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:16; Psalms 40:8; Joshua 24:14-24.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Are Given the Incredible Gift of the Holy Spirit - “your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way’””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Friday Feb 03, 2023
The Interior Life – Maintenance of the Inner Man -- Part 2: The Mind of the Soul
Message Summary: Many modern Christian want to follow God, but their interior lives are being side tracked by the world and/or their activities in their churches. Our interior lives usually don’t call for our attention and help until it’s too late. Therefore, we are missing out on the lives God calls us to live. If we don’t maintain our inner life, then we will not have the inner reserves to handle life traumas that will surely come. Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, describes the characteristics of the inner and the maintenance of the inner man: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.". Paul describes us as being comprised of body, soul, and spirit. Our inner man is all that relates to our soul and spirit. The interior life is critical for the abundant life.
The soul, in the interior life, includes our minds, which many of us are wasting. To paraphrase Proverbs, as we think, so we are. God wants us to have the mind of Christ – to think like Jesus does. We need to use our mind to think and act in a manner that reflects the character of Jesus.
If our outer life is what God means for it to be, then we must get our inner lives in order. The key to inner life order is what we do or not do with our minds.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Philippians 4:8; Philippians 2:5-7; Romans 12:2.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Are the Enemy’s {devil’s} Target to Mess You Up and To Destroy Your Relationship with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday Jan 27, 2023
Friday Jan 27, 2023
The Interior Life – Part 1: Maintenance of the Inner Man
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Introductory Message from Sermon Series “It’s About Time – Before you put anything on your business calendar, sit down with your family calendar and enter all of your family activities and interactions. Therefore, tour can effectively manage your total life not just your business life. Also, constantly give thanks to God.
Today’s Message – Examples of a modern Christians who wants to follow God but whose interior lives are being side tracked by the world and/or their activities in their churches. Our interior lives usually don’t call for our attention and help until it’s too late, However, if our interior life is not maintained, it will come crashing down with catastrophic consequences. To this end, many of us modern Christians are failing to maintain our interior life, which can become hollow and without effective roots.
In Psalms 1:3, the effective interior life is described: “He {interior life} is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”. What is the inner man? Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, describes the characteristics of the inner man: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.". Paul describes us as being comprised of body, soul, and spirit. Our inner man is all that relates to our soul and spirit. The interior life is critical for the abundant life.
In Luke 17:20-21, Jesus tells us that His Kingdom is within us: “Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.’”. In maintaining our inner lives, we want to maintain the soul and feed the spirit. What are we doing to intentionally nourish our inner self?
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 7:38; Ephesians 3:16; 1 Peter 3:3; Mark 7:21; Luke 17:20-21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Letting God Be Lord Over Your Finances, which Are His but He Entrusted to You, Will Liberate Your Life!”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday Jan 20, 2023
Friday Jan 20, 2023
It’s About Time: Part 2 – Overstressed, Overloaded, and Maxed Out Lives
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Following Jesus brings peace into our lives even though we may face great trials and tribulations. In John 16:33, Jesus tells us: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”. However, when observing the lives of modern-day Christians, we don’t find many of their lives saturated with peace.
God has given each of us a capacity for our lives with His expectations for living as Jesus described in John 10:10: “. . . I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.". The difference between what would be considered our lives’ capacity and our lives being filled to overflowing is our lives’ margin. God desires to bless us and to have our lives filled with His presence through the Holy Spirit.
Often, technology and the other worthwhile benefits of this age bring the stresses of time, making wimps of us in the management of time in our lives. In Ecclesiastes 3:1, God tells us: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:". As we manage the elements and demands of time in our lives, we must manage time for ourselves and our kids. Kids spell love as “time” – be present in their lives, mentally and emotionally. Indifference can be interpreted as a lack of genuine affection and esteem. Also, we need “God time”, a time to nurture and deepen our relationship with Jesus.
Without margin, we have built our life-foundations on sand and not on the rock of Jesus’ teachings. Ways we can build margin back into our lives is by: 1) having a weekly Sabbath; building back into our lives a time alone with God every day; 3) expecting that the unexpected will happen; 4) learning to say “no”; 5) using technology wisely; 6) pruning our activity branches; 7) prioritizing our calendars; and 8) giving thanks to God.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 1:35; John15:1-11; 1 Theologians 5:16-17.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers’ Righteousness Will Flow, with the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, from Their Heart Through Their Personal Relationship with Jesus”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jan 08, 2023
Sunday Jan 08, 2023
It’s About Time: Part 1 – Rebuilding Emotional Reserves
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Following Jesus brings peace into our lives even though we may face great trials and tribulations. In John 16:33, Jesus tells us: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”. However, when observing the lives of modern-day Christians, we don’t find many of their lives saturated with peace.
God has given each of us a capacity for our lives with His expectations for living as Jesus described in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.". The difference between what would be considered our lives’ capacity and our lives being filled to overflowing is our lives’ margin. God’s desire is to pour life into us – life to the fullest; He desires to bless us and to have our lives filled with His presence through the Holy Spirit.
Technology has brought us many blessings. Often, however, technology has often pushed us beyond our limits. God made us for Sabbath, but the place of margin in our lives is dissipating making us unavailable for the purposes of God – leading to a diminished Spiritual life. We need to get this Godly space back into our lives starting with the rebuilding of our emotional reserves. The amount of emotional energy we have is finite. Today, many have found that the “good life” is only tolerable under sedation. To retain our emotional energy, and our margin, we need to: 1) confess our sins regularly; 2) be reconciled with others; 3) cultivate important relationships; 4) rest; and 5) serve others.
It’s about time for us to take a serious look at our lives in the mirror and to examine our lives’ priorities. We are overloading our lives with things like stress and using up our margin in ways not intended by God and in ways that do not permit us to represent Christianity as God intended. When the trials and tribulations occur in our lives, because they are a pry of living, the absence of margin means that we have no life reserves. Without margin, we have built our life-foundations on sand and not on the rock of Jesus’ teachings.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 16:33; John 10:10; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 John 1:9; Philippians 4:13.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Have a Personal Relationship with the Creator of the Universe So Pray, Listen, and Be Patient for God’s Call”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
The Struggle with Time -- Until I Determine How We Want to Use Our Time, Others Will Determine How Our Time Is Used
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Life will never settle down until we chose to settle down. Life is a choice more than we realize. We are given twenty-four hours in a day, and if God had wanted us to have thirty-six hours in our day, He would have given us a thirty-six-hour day. Therefore, if we don’t have enough clock in our day, we are doing some things we should not be doing. We can determine some of the time traps that keep us from serving the Lord and how we can address the traps to better serve ourselves and the Lord. Is the clock our dictator; do we allocate time to serve the Lord, our families, and our work? How do we delegate?
Life will never settle down until we choose to settle down; life is a choice. To manage our time as God would have us manage our lives: 1) Work is important and necessary, but working is not living; 2) Time is life first and then money; 3) More life productivity means more time; 4) How we use our time significantly effects our self-esteem, identity, and our fulfillment; and 5) We cannot control time, but we can control how we use time.
We must get control of the time issues in our lives. The simple formula for managing our time: Prayer, Priority, and Plan. Managing our time better is a fundamental question as we end a year and begin a new year. We must learn to honor the Lord by "honoring our time".
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Ecclesiastes 9:11-17; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Romans 8:18;
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “To Be a Jesus Follower, You Must First Enter the Only Door to God’s Kingdom and that Door is Jesus – the Door to Eternal Life”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
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Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
From the Gospel of Matthew (1:18-25): “Advent, Part 4: Prelude to Jesus’ Birth”
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
In Matthew 1:1-17, the Apostle Matthew presents the genealogy for Jesus from the lineage of Joseph, even though Joseph was not Jesus’ natural father. Whereas, Luke’s Gospel presents Jesus’ genealogy from Mary’s lineage. As was prophesied by Isaiah more than five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, both Joseph and Mary were of the lineage of King David.
This fourth Sunday in Advent points us to the first coming of Jesus and His birth as a human child. Jesus birth was His Incarnation as both God and human. The coming of Jesus was a real event in the history of mankind. Often, things and events in our lives take unanticipated courses; and God intervenes in our lives just as God intervened in Joseph’s life, through the Angel, when Joseph found out about Mary’s Devine pregnancy. “Do not be afraid because this {pregnancy} is of the Holy Spirit.”
The message, in Matthew 1:21-23, from God’s intervening Angel, in Joseph’s dream, was simple; however, it changed the world for eternity: “’She {Mary}will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet {Isaiah 7:14}: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).".
In Matthew 1:24-25, Joseph responds without question and with faith and obedience to God’s intervention: “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.".
Therefore, God intervened in both the lives of Joseph and Mary, to fulfill His promise of more than five hundred years previously, to enter the world as the vulnerable baby Jesus. Jesus, who was the Incarnate God and man, would save the world from its sins. We know that we can be saved from our sins, and the effect of our sins, by coming to God in repentance of our sins and in true faith that Jesus is God and walking with Jesus, in our lives, as our Savior. Also, God has given us the Holy Spirit to facilitate our walk and to provide a personal relationship with Him.
In this time of Advent, why do we have such a difficult time of sharing this good news that was given to Joseph in God’s intervention: “and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)”? We can break out of this reluctance, to share the good news of Jesus, by bringing someone to church during Christmas and by living our lives to reflect God’s Grace when: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:16-17).
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 1:18-25; Isaiah 7:11-25; Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “As a Jesus Follower, the Greatest Witness for the Gospel that You Can Give Is for Others to See Jesus IN You”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
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