Tag: Truth

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What Jesus Says

JANUARY 7

MATTHEW 5:2_saying,

Jesus has reached the mark, set, and opened His mouth. Here we go! Now is the time to be blessed as only truth, love, and freedom can bless.

What Jesus says gives liberty. What Jesus says gives self-acceptance with worth.

What Jesus says gives power to forgive. What Jesus says gives God’s wisdom.

What Jesus says gives peace to pass human understanding.

What Jesus says gives courage in the midst of, and in the face of, raging storms.

What Jesus says gives love. This is not the temporal self-absorbing love, but the true, everlasting, never-failing love.

What Jesus says gives faith—incredible, phenomenal, mountain moving!

There is nothing namby-pamby about Jesus or His teachings. He brings real answers for real people with real problems.

Jesus brings strong truth for weak people who need real help.

He brings tough love that doesn’t coddle or pamper, but compassionately stays until the hurt is soothed and healing has come.

Throughout this year consider these sayings, hand-picked for you.

PRAYER

Almighty God, I have real problems and I need real answers. Help me draw closer to You through Your teachings. I can trust You to guide me in faith. I want incredible, phenomenal, mountain moving faith! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                    

Christ knows my hurts and pains—and He cares!

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The Key

JANUARY 5

MATTHEW 5:2_And he opened his mouth…

These devotionals are based on the Holy Bible, specifically Matthew chapters five through seven. Devotion can be based on many things—you just may not call it devotion. Setting aside time to read requires some devotion. What you choose to read during that time is a part of your heart’s devotion.

This blog is devoted to the Bible as the true source of spiritual power. Yes, power! To live a defeated life is to live without power. In this sermon Jesus teaches how to receive power from the truths of the Bible.

Jesus is ready for His go. He opens His mouth. Not to take a deep breath, or to eat, but to teach. All the words in this sermon are the result of one act—Jesus opened His mouth.

He could have made a decision not to open His mouth. There are more relaxing ways to spend a day than teaching a multitude of people. Jesus taught because the strongest force known to man overflowed within Him—love. Infused in the love was freedom.

There were too many unmet needs in the multitude for Jesus to keep His mouth closed. He possessed their cures. 

The Bible is the key to open a treasure box of love and freedom in your spirit. The wealth in the box is unattainable without the key.

PRAYER

Loving Jesus, Please teach me how to be devoted to You and Your Word. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                    

Christ is devoted to me—I want to be devoted to Him!

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An Ultimatum

DECEMBER 30

MATTHEW 7:29_and not as the Scribes.

Jesus’ authority came from His Father in Heaven. We need earthly authority during our days in this world, but ultimate authority reigns in heaven.

The Scribes and Pharisees craved, no, the better word is lusted for: power, authority, admiration, and respect. They wanted exactly what Jesus had!

Admiration and respect encourage and build up those in authority. When the authority rules by fear, respect becomes an ultimatum. It does not administer love.  Remember, sometimes love is administered with a firm hand. Since the people were astonished by Jesus’ kind of teaching, and saw it as totally different from the Scribes’ teaching—they obviously had not been administered love by their authorities. Their respect must have been more of an ultimatum. 

Jesus’ teachings led to truth and freedom. It gave the people answers to their struggles and created freedom in their souls.

This authority loves.

The Scribes’ teachings led to fear and bondage. The people feared the consequences if they rejected their teachings. It created bondage of the soul.

This authority oppresses.

 PRAYER

Good Shepherd, I respect and admire You because You give love to me! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ has the ultimate authority—He uses it to love me!

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While I Wait

DECEMBER 29

MATTHEW 7:29_ For he taught them as one having authority…

Freedom is the underlying principle of this entire sermon. You can add this to your freedom count as to how many times I’ve said this in the past year.

Jesus taught this sermon as The Great Healer: He gave lessons to ease worry and anxiety, and heal the soul. The healing of the soul is an important part of healing the body.   

Jesus taught as The Great Hope: Apart from Him I can do nothing good or righteous. With Him—nothing shall be impossible. Something else to add to your how many times this has been said the past year is: God controls the time table. Only He knows when my impossibilities will become possible—but I have hope! Hope keeps me on the straight and narrow while I wait.

Jesus taught as The Great Deliverer. He has shown me He can deliver me from darkness to light! Not only that—He can use me to be light!! He can use me to be salt! I can cause others to thirst for truth only Jesus can give.

Jesus taught as The Master Stonemason: One step at the time He taught me to build my life. Truth is the setting and freedom is the foundation. The architectural design for a home is reflected in a beautiful setting.

Jesus taught me how to achieve that.

 PRAYER

Lord of Lords, I want to build my life in Your setting of truth. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ gives me all I need to live like Him—Hallelujah!

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A Foundational Rock

DECEMBER 27

MATTHEW 7:28_the people were astonished at His doctrine.

I wonder if the listeners who were truth-seekers were sorry to have this sermon come to an end? Are you? There is much more in the Bible than the Sermon on the Mount—but it is certainly a foundational rock. You can continue to seek the truth, and find it, as long as you are asking, seeking, and knocking in the right places and with the right people.

Jesus has taught dynamic principles of life. He has taught them systemically and precisely, with gentleness and compassion, with firmness, in a no-nonsense manner, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, humility, and a pure heart.

2 Corinthians 8:9 (KJV), “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your [that’s you and me] sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

This is what makes Jesus’ teachings astonishing. Not only did He endure the humility of leaving the throne of God to walk the earth with mere mortals—He died for them! None were worthy of His sacrifice.

But those who receive the free gift of His life, become worthy.  

Unheard of!

Unprecedented!

Astonishing!              

 PRAYER

Rock-That-Is-Higher-Than-I, I want Your humility, pure heart, and unprecedented love! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ came to free me from death—I praise Him!