DISCIPLINE #1 OF 12 - CREATION

 

RESPECT - THIRD VALUE OF A SOLDIER OF CHRIST

 

SHOW LOVE TO THOSE WHO WALK AWAY

 TEXT:   1 CORINTHIANS 16:13

FINDING REST IN A RESTLESS WORLD

TEXTS: HEBREWS 4:9 AND MATTHEW 11:28

GODLY CHARACTER PART 1 - 6TH KEY TO THE KINGDOM

 TEXT:  1 PETER 3:7-9

  

THIRD SET OF KEYS TO THE KINGDOM - FEAR GOD, LOVE PEOPLE

TEXT: 1 Peter 1: 17-24 

FIRST CHRISTMAS MOVIE OF 2021!

 

FIRST CHRISTMAS MOVIE OF 2021!

PLAYING IN PEORIA

GQT – Willow Knolls 14

4100 W. Willow Knolls Dr. Peoria, Il. 61615

 

PRAYER TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER FOR FATHER'S DAY 2021

Oh Great Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You that You are the God Who calls us unto Yourself, depraved sinners though we are, who can be redeemed only by the Precious Blood of Your dear Son, the Savior.

You are a Father to the Fatherless. You are the Hope to the Hopeless. You welcome the Loveless. You comfort the brokenhearted. You bind up the wounded. You are the Almighty and Everlasting Father and keeper of our souls.

Lord, as we approach a time where the world celebrate Fathers, on Father’s Day, we know that many today grew up with missing dads or single moms. In Your mercy, grace and compassion, You never moved but many…in fact, more and more are moving away from You, as the follow the corrupt systems and ideologies of this world. We pray that the scales may fall of their eyes, in so much that while this perverse and corrupt generation of leaders are turning the hearts of the majority towards the god of this world, to their pending doom, You remain seated High and Lifted up in the Heavens with Your loving Arms wide open.

You’re so good that even Jesus, Who did not consider equality with You a thing to be grasped, gave up His Throne and the Scriptures says in Hebrews 5:8 that He obeyed You, even while He suffered, as He came to accomplish You Will, and not even His.

So now, dear Heavenly Father, while You loved this cosmos so much You gave Your Own Son, in so much that whosoever believeth in Him would have everlasting, eternal life, we are the “whosoever”.

In Your Great Grace, Almighty God, Who shakes the heavens, cause the seas to roar and still pastes the real rainbow on the matchless sky after the rains in a display of Your Majestic Power, we pray that today, this week, this month and while it is called NOW, we pray and ask a special measure of grace.

You have already given us all we need in the form of God, the Holy Spirit, and now we ask for a turbo boost of supernatural power to execute and fly to our next phase in spiritual maturity. But Lord, help us as we grow in grace, and dunamis and boldness for the gospel, help us that this goes hand in Hand with Delight and Joy.

Our Faith is the one TRUE Faith ever, in all the universe. Because of our redemption, dear Father, we can delight in You. We delight in Your Truth. We delight in Your Word. We delight in Your Son. We delight in the Holy Spirit – God Three in One and the gates of hell cannot steal our Joy, far less prevail. The overflowing blessedness from this delight, should empower those of us who are fathers, and who represent You on earth to our children, grandchildren and those around us, to find rest, peace, love and joy in You as well.

Spur us now and always to the heights of holiness that our piety may bring Godly pleasure because our true Hope really is our happiness. What some may call our duty, is really our delight in serving You this day and always, proving, dear God, that the root and the flower are as intertwined in its blooming such as delighting in You is and the doctrine of our Faith. Lord, to that end, we bow before You in all humility, commitment and submission to Your Almighty Power in Heaven, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, in His Name, amen and amen.

NDP 2021: PRAYER ON THE WONDER AND WORK OF JESUS

Heavenly Father, as the final week of the first quarter of 2021 rolls on, we stand in awe of You and express total praise and gratitude at the reality of our Salvation! We recall the days, when we were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Heaven, and aliens to the Covenant of Promise. No matter what age we were, before we knew the Power of that Promise, we were dead to sin and headed to a place called Hell, reserved for the devil and his minions. We did not even know we were without Hope, without a Prayer, and without the one True God.

But now, because of the Cross, because we repented of our sins, because we bottomed out and ended up face down in the sick muck and mire of this corrupt world, and because You love us so much, You reached out Your Mighty Hand to us. Because when we were so far away from You, Your Grace, Your Love, Your Mercy, Your Compassion and the Precious Supernatural Blood of Jesus brought us up - and near to You, oh God!

You lifted us up from the miry clay. You set our feet upon the rock, like hinds feet. You put a new song in our mouths. A hymn of praise to our God, which we shall sing from Glory to Glory until we see Your Glory Face to face on the other side of Eternity. 

For that, oh Mighty King, we fall on our faces before You in humble worship, because You are worthy. 

We surrender the rest of our few days to You, because You are gracious.  

We commit those same days to the furthering of Your Kingdom's message here on earth, that all our own ends of the earth, even if it is across the street, because You are God.

Father, most Holy Father, we once were hostile to You, Who sit on the Throne, but because of the Atonement on the Cross, You took the Holy Law of Moses and replaced it with Christ, so that we, who trust and believe and accept Him as Lord, will have lives resulting in Peace. Thank You, most Precious Abba, for putting that hostility to death and for raising up the banner of Truth and Love, so that we - aliens in a foreign land - are no longer strangers and heathens in Your midst, but fellow citizens with the saints in Heaven who have gone before us.

So, Lord, as we go through our daily lives this week. As we pray and delight in the Law of the Lord, so that we can be like trees along the running brooks of water, give us a burden for whom You would like us to pray or fast for or reach out to, in our own Acts 1:8 paradigm, so that they too, can experience the love, mercy and kindness of our Jesus.

Help us to love with a perfect love, but also help us to do so in Truth, since Truth without love is deception. So Lord, as we come to thee with this burden on our hearts to see many come to repentance and faith, help us to share, teach and live this fact: 

That to come to You is to come home from exile.

That to come to You is to come to land out of the raging storm.

That to come to  You is to come to rest after long labor

That to come to You is to come to the goal of our desires and the summit of our wishes....the Goal of which is one Divine Person, Who will always be our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Your only Begotten Son. For it is in His Precious Name we pray today, amen and amen.

CONSIDER THIS: DOMINION

 "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace….Romans 6:14

CONSIDER THIS: God gave mankind “dominion” or rule, reign, authority, stewardship etc over creation after the Creation. Adam was allowed to name all animals, birds and such. That divinely-appointed dominion was replaced after Genesis 3 by the dominion of darkness which sin brought into the world, after Adam and Eve sinned again Holy God. Christ defeated the ruler of evil – Satan – on the Cross, yet those who call themselves Christians never fully grasp the true meaning and victory of their redemption. The reason – sin. Until you and I comprehend the TRUE measure of Grace TODAY, we will never gain victory over that which has caused us so much grief.

ACTION: Our Prayer today should lead us to seek to submit to the Spirit’s leading into all discernment and Truth.

Almighty God, King of Heaven and earth, the Lord Jesus – Your Son, reminded us many times in Scripture that He came to do Your Will….that it was not His Will, but that Your Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Lord, we have a problem submitting and surrendering EVERY corner of our lives to You and Your Holy Will for our lives. Today, Lord, may we search our very souls to see if there is something within us, which we are holding back, which right now, right now, in the Name of Jesus, needs to be let go off and given over to You and not reached for again, in Jesus’ Strong and Holy Name amen.

CONSIER THIS: LONGSUFFERING

 “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love…Ephesians 4:2

CONSIDER THIS: The word “Longsuffering” is from the original “makrothumia” which really means faithful Godly peace, calm and keeping a Godly head on, while evil abounds all around you. Christians and families who follow the Bible are under attack from governments and society worldwide, including here. It is Sodom and Gomorrah all over again…and again.

ACTION: Still, let’s pray to Abba, OUR Father, even as the scoffers’ father – the devil – is ramping it up in his last days. Let us pray today (and from now on) to stay humble; to stay encouraged because God has elected us and not man; and to stay focused ON ETERNITY WITH HIM. This will give us the endurance…i.e. the “longsuffering” attribute we need today. Finally, let us pray for our persecuted brothers in sisters in China, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and in the Americas.

Oh most Gracious Heavenly Father, in Jesus Precious Name, first of all we thank You that Your patience and love for us is beyond human comprehension as You await Your people coming to their right minds and obeying, walking, trusting and living in Your Word. Lord, we pray for the Hope and encouragement we find through Your Spirit, Your Word and the Truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for our brothers and sisters and their churches in the persecuted lands who are losing everything, including their lives, for the cause of Christ and worship of the ONLY ONE TRUE GOD IN HEAVEN and Your Son Jesus Christ. Strengthen these persecuted brethren against their enemies who are also enemies of the Risen Savior. Bless Your church across the world and in this country, that we may stand for Truth and Righteousness in Love, Faith, Humility and Power in Jesus’ Strong and Holy Name, amen.

CONSIDER THIS: CONNECTIVITY

 In the same way, even though we are many individuals, Christ makes us one body and individuals who are connected to each other….Romans 12:5

CONSIDER THIS:  Connectivity is not found in the bible, but its concept is. Check out today’s verse. While we may be in many types of houses every Sunday morning, we are connected by this only one fact – the God of Heaven sent God the Son to be born; live as a man and die for us, so that God the Spirit can live in us to keep us connected to both Him AND each other! Both the dying world and us will not get this fully, this side of heaven.

ACTION: Our calling is to be the CONDUIT for this Connectivity of Christ’s Children- the Church. Are you available RIGHT NOW to be used to love someone new into this exclusive Body of Believers? Christians are built for relationships – first with God, and then with each other, in the Body of Christ. Pray the Lord grows you in fellowship with the people of God, starting today in the store, gas station, office or home.

Father of Lights, oh merciful God of Heaven, thank You for yet another day, in Jesus’ Name. You made the sun to rule by day and the moon and stars to rule by night. Lord, You created us for fellowship, for relationship, to show Your love for each other, as You have loved us. Make us and in many cases, continue to use us, to be that middle man or woman, whom the world sees, that would bridge the gap between loneliness and love; between hopelessness and hope; between despair and delight; between giving up and giving You a chance. Let US stand in the gap for someone else this week, month or year to show them a better way – the Way of the Truth, the Way of the Gospel, the Way of Christ, unto Whom all praise, joy and glory belong, in His Name – the Name of Jesus we pray, amen.

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PLUMBLINE DEVOTIONAL: HEBREWS 4:14-16

TEXT:

HEBREWS 4:14-16

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. 

16 Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

PLUMBLINE DEVOTIONAL: COLOSSIANS 3:12-17

 TEXT: COLOSSIANS 3:12-17

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

PLUMBLINE DEVOTIONAL: COLOSSIANS 2:16-23

 TEXT: COLOSSIANS 2:16-23

16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

PLUMBLINE DEVOTIONAL: COLOSSIANS 2:13-15

TEXT: COLOSSIANS 2:13-15

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities[b] and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

LOVE LETTERS, LAST WORDS, LEGACY

TEXT:

2 Samuel 23 English Standard Version (ESV)

       The Last Words of David

23 Now these are the last words of David:

The oracle of David, the son of Jesse,
    the oracle of the man who was raised on high,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
    the sweet psalmist of Israel:[a]

2 “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me;
    his word is on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel has spoken;
    the Rock of Israel has said to me:
When one rules justly over men,
    ruling in the fear of God,
4 he dawns on them like the morning light,
    like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
    like rain[b] that makes grass to sprout from the earth.

5 “For does not my house stand so with God?
    For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
    ordered in all things and secure.
For will he not cause to prosper
    all my help and my desire?
6 But worthless men[c] are all like thorns that are thrown away,
    for they cannot be taken with the hand;
7 but the man who touches them
    arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear,
    and they are utterly consumed with fire.”[d]

2 Timothy 4:6-8

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

LOOKING BACK WITH GRATITUDE

TEXT:
PSALM 18:1-3 ~  "I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.

THE JOYFUL LIFE - THE BLESSINGS OF FORGIVENESS, PART 2

Personal baggage is a terrible thing to carry around. The sad thing is too many carry theirs around for a lifetime, never seeking remedy, relief or restoration. Guilt - real or imagined or created out of thin air - is a heavy burden. It not only destroys your joy, but is the devil's ploy to keep God's Children down.

We, who are followers and disciples of the Lord Jesus, are on a journey and like any good traveler, we must check our baggage in before we get on that flight. No good airline will allow a passenger to bring a huge fifty pound suitcase unto an aircraft...of any size. There is simply, first, no place to store that big bag and secondly it would not fair to the other passengers.

So what are we do do, when the believer actually has a past which has never been confessed or dealt with, and the guilt of the sinful act(s) are just eating away inside. Well, the next portion of Psalm 32, clearly shows us what happened when the man of God - David - covered up his sin for two years....that is, until God sent His prophet Nathan, to bust him.

We read, from Psalm 32:
3  When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.
4  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5  I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Verses 3 and 4 tells us exactly what happens when a person lives with sin and shame, covered over with a blanket, on the inside. 
 -  It affects the person physically. Things may appear nice and healthy on the outside, but like the whitewashed tombs which Jesus spoke about, on the inside, things ain't right.

 -  The psalmist David said there was "groaning all day long". So even if all is well in every day life, and the job is getting down. The person seems to be accomplishing things at her job or in his particular role, but there is not peace inside. Apart from the physical internal decline, now the emotions are in play.

 -  When verse 4 proclaims that the "Hand of the Lord was heavy", this denotes the conscience.  The Lord has written His Law on EVERY single spiritual heart of every single human who was ever been or will be born. This is our conscience. We instinctively know when we have done wrong - either to God or to another person. If a person is saved, the Holy Spirit immediately convicts us of our sin, which as we saw earlier, is missing the mark.

Everyone can confirm these three symptoms of guilt and baggage in each of our lives in the past, until we made it right. Guilt and baggage affects the person physically, emotionally and spiritually. We learn of this from Psalm 32:3-4 and from personal experience.

The remedy is verse 5! Here is how the sinner got his joy back and how anyone who has fallen short before God, or before a loved one, or even more intense - offended a person whom you do not even like,  can be made completely whole. This is the ONLY way to live the Joyful Christian Life. Look at verse 5: 

  -  He not only acknowledge the general umbrella of sin, which his actions fell under, but he acknowledged getting busted, did not say "the devil made me do it" or some such "playing the victim". He own his actions. But he went even further and laid his soul and entire person before the Lord.

  -  He got detailed about his sin. Getting specific about what the actions committed against God and another person are, are KEY to full restoration. Iniquity is worse than just saying a bad word, shouting at someone, or posting something mean on social media. Iniquity violates God's High Moral Standards. We Christians know better than to do that, and if we ever "go there", it would serve us well to uncover it before God and if it is against another person - then, seek immediate forgiveness.

-  Certain sins break ALL God's Commandments. As the Book of James tells us, when we break one commandment, we break them all, since the Law of God is like a chain. Outright rebellion against God is knowing that having that affair is dead wrong, but doing it anyway, because it's more about you than God. It is knowing that getting into that automobile drunk is stupid or cheating on your taxes etc. Even disobeying a command of God.  Rebellion against God is NOT wise and can cause a temporary break between a person and her/his family and definitely, against God.

The good news is the Love, Grace, Mercy and Compassion of our Great God in Heaven can, has and will forgive all of this and lead us to full restoration.  

THE GRACEFUL SERVANT

#Grace & genuine love for others will shine through the believer who is solidly grounded on the #Truth of the #Gospel. We serve & can reach others so much better. Let's get it done:

DETAILS"
TEXT: 1 Timothy 4: 6-9 The graceful servant of the Lord keeps his or herself free from moral failure and also takes care of the body as well as the soul. This way, we can be accepted as "the real deal" not just by others around us, but by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in this life and the next.