Perfect Love Rules

Love One Another.

It is written that love is the greatest of all gifts, and truly it is. Love is powerful, and there is power in love. Love brings joy to the soul, encouragement to the brokenhearted, and hope to the hopeless. Love conquers all things, overcomes all things, and endures all things. For love, this love that I speak of. It comes from God, poured forth like a mighty river flowing from the very heart of God himself.

Blessings, in the love of Christ.
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

Love

http://picturemythoughts.blogspot.com

Getting Our Priorities Right

* Getting our priorities right: God, His Word, His Spirit - at the centre of our life
* The Priority of Worship: Father, Son and Holy Spirit – “Glorify Your Name”
* In our worship, let us seek the blessing of God.
* Blessed by the Lord, let us share His blessing with others.
This is an outline of a post which you can read here (it is the third post on the page - "First (Trinity) .... ").

The Infinity Of God: "So Free, So Infinite His Grace"(5).

There is always more to God than we can ever hope to understand. He is ‘the eternal God’ (Deuteronomy 32:27). He reaches out to us without reducing Himself to the level of our limited understanding. He comes to us with a ‘love’ which ‘surpasses knowledge’ (Ephesians 3:19). He gives to us a ‘peace’ that ‘surpasses all understanding’ (Philippians 4:7). He fills us with a ‘joy’ that is ‘inexpressible’ (1 Peter 1:8). He saves us without removing the element of mystery. Salvation is never within our grasp. It is always His work. He is the God of salvation. We do not save ourselves. We can only receive salvation from him. We see the greatness of His holiness (Habakkuk 1:13). We see the greatness of our sin (Jeremiah 17:9). We rejoice in the greatness of His salvation (1 Timothy 1:15). We say, ‘His greatness is unsearchable’ (Psalm 145:3).

The Infinity Of God: "So Free, So Infinite His Grace" (4).

This is not an infinity that leaves us confused. This is the gospel which brings comfort. His ‘love’ is ‘amazing’. His ‘mercy’ is ‘immense’. His ‘grace’ is ‘infinite’ (Mission Praise, Combined Edition, (Marshall Pickering, London, 1990), 33). This is the gospel of Christ. This is not only the bridging of the gap between the infinite God and His finite creation. It is the work of redemption, accomplished by the holy God on behalf of sinful humanity. When we look into ‘the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:6), we are in the presence of mystery. It is not, however, a mystery that leaves us baffled. It is the mystery of salvation. He is the God who ‘hides himself’. He is also our ‘Saviour’ (Isaiah 45:15).

The Infinity Of God: "So Free, So Infinite His Grace" (3).

Like Isaiah, we are led to worship. Our thoughts become an echo of the heavenly worship: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts’ (6:3). Our worship is grounded in divine grace. There is not only an awareness of the infinity of God. In our worship, we speak of God’s infinity – ‘Great God of wonders, all Thy ways are matchless’. This, however, is not the central focus of our worship. We speak also of God’s grace. Of all God’s matchless ways, there is one of His ways which is ‘unrivalled’. It is ‘grace’. This is what causes us to lift up our hearts and voices in joyful praise: ‘Who is a pardoning God like Thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?’ (Mission Praise, Combined Edition, (Marshall Pickering, London, 1990), 197). Above all the other features of God’s infinity, there is one that inspires our worship more than any other. It is His infinite grace. This is not an infinity that bewilders us. This is the ‘grace’ by which we are ‘saved’ (Ephesians 2:8).

The Infinity Of God: "So Free, So Infinite His Grace"(2).

When we speak of God, we must speak with humility. He is far greater than all of our words about Him can ever be. We must never forget that ‘the secret things belong to the Lord our God’. This, however, is not all that we can say about the Lord our God. We can also say this – ‘the things revealed belong to us’ (Deuteronomy 29:29). The infinite God has revealed Himself to us. This is what gives us confidence when we speak of God. Here, we have the mystery of revelation. There are ‘things’ which are beyond our understanding – ‘things which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man’. These things have been revealed to us by God (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). God has revealed Himself to us without ceasing to be the infinite God. He has given to us a true knowledge of Himself without providing us with a full knowledge of Himself. When we consider the great difference between ourselves and God, we must learn to echo the words of Isaiah. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His ways are higher than our ways (55:8-9). As we consider the nature of this great difference, we can learn much from observing the context within which Isaiah contrasts our thoughts with God’s thoughts, our ways with God’s ways. Isaiah speaks of divine grace (55:6-7). Here, we have the great difference between our thoughts and God’s thoughts, the great contrast between our ways and God’s ways. Confronted by our sin, we can only echo Isaiah’s confession, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined!’ When, however, we listen for the Word of the Lord, we hear His word of grace, ‘your sin is forgiven’ (6:5, 7). This is the great difference between our thoughts and God’s thoughts. Our thoughts are centred upon our sin. His thoughts are centred upon His salvation. This is the great contrast between our ways and His ways. Our way is the way of sin. His way is the way of salvation.

The Infinity Of God: "So Free, So Infinite His Grace" (1).

Where do we begin? Where do we end? There is no beginning. There is no end. This is infinity. It seems like infinity beckons us like a deep, dark hole. We are out of our depth. We grope about in the darkness. We wonder where we have come from. We wonder where we are going. When we speak of God, we speak of depth, but we do not speak of darkness. When we speak of ‘the deep things of God’ (1 Corinthians 2:10), we are not being lured by a faceless, nameless infinity, into a deep, dark hole. We are being led by the God of love, the God who gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. He is leading us out of darkness. He is leading us into His light (1 John 4:8; John 3:16; 8:12). His light is ‘unapproachable light’. Here, we find ourselves in the presence of infinity. It is not, however, an infinity which threatens to overwhelm us. It is an infinity which promises to welcome us. It is the infinity of his love. It is the infinity of his mercy. It is the infinity of his grace. In ourselves, we dare not approach his ‘unapproachable light’ (1 Timothy 6:16). Through Christ, we have ‘access’ (Ephesians 3:18) to His ‘unapproachable light’. Through Christ, we ‘draw near with confidence’ to ‘the King of kings and Lord of lords’ (1 Timothy 6:15). Our confidence comes from this – ‘the Lord of glory’ has made Himself known to us as ‘the King of love’ (1 Corinthians 2:8; Psalm 23:1, paraphrased).

God Is Preparing For Us "A Rich Welcome Into The Eternal Kingdom Of Our Lord And Saviour Jesus Christ."

2 Peter 1:1-2:10a
God ‘has given us His very great and precious promises’(1:4). God has a great purpose for us. He is preparing for us ‘a rich welcome into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’(11). The pathway to heavenly and eternal glory is not an easy one. Often, we will be tempted to settle for being ‘ineffective and unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ’. There will be many distractions, drawing our attention away from Christ. We must keep our eyes on Him if we are not to become ‘blind and short-sighted’. We can so easily forget the most important thing - we have been ‘cleansed from our old sins’. It is so important that we keep looking to Christ, remembering what He has done for us and giving thanks to Him (1:8-9). ‘The Lord’ will not fail us in our ‘trials’(2:9). Let’s not fail Him!

2 Peter 2:10b-3:18
‘Grow’ in Christ and give ‘glory’ to Him. Centred on ‘our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’, our life is filled with ‘grace’ and ‘glory’. From Him, we receive ‘grace’- ‘From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another’. From Him, we receive ‘glory’- ‘I have given them the glory that You gave Me’(3:18; John 1:16; 17:22). Where does this life of grace and glory begin? It begins with God. In ourselves, there is sin. In Him, there is salvation. ‘He is patient with us’. He waits for us to ‘come to repentance’. He shows us our sin so that we might learn to look to our Saviour - ‘Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation’(3:9; 2 Corinthians 7:10). Turn to the Lord. Let it be real. Let Him lead you in His pathway - the pathway of grace and glory.

If We Want To Serve God, We Must Learn To Worship Him.

1 Peter 3:1-4:6
The world is preoccupied with outward appearances. As Christians, we should be more concerned with our inward attitude. ‘In your hearts reverence Christ as Lord’. Pray for His ‘attitude’- ‘a tender heart and a humble mind’(8,15; 4:1). We believe the Gospel - ‘Christ died for our sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God’. Let’s share the Gospel - ‘Be always ready to give...a reason for the hope that is in you’. How are we to share the Gospel? - ‘with gentleness and respect’(18,15). We must get the attitude right - ‘so that nothing will hinder our prayers’(7). We need more than the ‘right’ prayers - words that sound good. We need the right attitude. The blessing will not come because our words sound good. It will only come when our attitude is right.

1 Peter 4:7-5:14
In all the service we offer to God, there is to be the offering of worship: ‘To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever’(4:11; 5:11). We will not learn to serve God unless we are learning to worship Him. There is a ‘form of religion’ which ‘denies the power’ of God - ‘These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me’(2 Timothy 3:5; Matthew 15:8). They go through the motions - but their hearts are not in it! We must pray that God will deliver us from this kind of thing: ‘O for a heart to praise my God! A heart from sin set free; A heart that always feels Thy blood, so freely shed for me’(Church Hymnary, 85). ‘Religion’ is about respectability. Salvation is about renewal: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me’(Psalm 51:10).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Jesus Makes The Difference - He Changes Us

1 Peter 1:1-25
On earth, we have ‘trials’. In ‘heaven’, we will have ‘salvation’(3-9). In our journey from trials to salvation, from earth to heaven, we are to live a life of holiness and love. In this life of ‘obedience to the truth’, we must never forget that we have been ‘redeemed with the precious blood of Christ’(15,22,18-19). We must never take pride in our obedience - ‘boasting is excluded’. All that can be said about ourselves is this: ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’. What makes the difference? What is it that changes us? What is it that sets us on the pathway of holiness and love? We have received ‘the redemption which is in Christ Jesus’. Our ‘faith’ is in Him (Romans 3:27,23-25). He makes the difference. He changes us. He makes us holy. He fills us with His love.

1 Peter 2:1-25
Being ‘God’s own people’ is a great privilege- ‘you have received mercy’. It is also a great responsibility- ‘declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light’(9-10). God’s people are described as ‘strangers in the world’(11). We must not think of ourselves as ‘superior’- ‘a cut above the rest’. We are not! In ourselves, we are ‘strangers’- ‘without God in the world’. There’s nothing ‘special’ about us, There’s something very special about what God has done for us: ‘In Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ’(Ephesians 2:12-13). As those who ‘have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls’, let’s point others to Him who ‘bore our sins...that we might die to sin and live to righteousness’(24-25).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God Loves Us. He Calls Us to Be His Faithful People.

Malachi 1:1-2:17
God looks upon us in our sin. What does He see? He sees ‘the Wicked Land. He sees ‘a people always under the wrath of the Lord’(1:4). He looks at what Christ has done for us - ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’; ‘While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’; ‘Christ died for our sins’(1 Timothy 1:15; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3). God looks upon us in Christ - and everything is so very different: ‘God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God’(2 Corinthians 5:21). There, at the Cross of Christ, we hear God’s Word of love - ‘I have loved you’; ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’(1:2; Jeremiah 31:3).

Malachi 3:1-4:6
God calls us to be His faithful people. He says, ‘Return to Me’. He promises to bless those who return to Him: ‘I will return to you’. God calls us to honour Him with our ‘tithes and offerings': ‘Bring the whole tithe (tenth) into the storehouse...’. When we honour the Lord, He has promised that He will honour us: ‘Those who honour Me, I will honour’. When we honour the Lord with our obedience, He promises that He will honour us with His blessing. He promises to ‘open the windows of heaven and pour down for us an overflowing blessing’. Satan - ‘the devourer’- will be defeated. We will ‘serve God’. He will take ‘delight’ in us. We will be His ‘treasured possession’(3:8-12,17-19; 1 Samuel 2:30).

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An additional note on tithing
Since this article was posted, I have received an important comment from Dr Russell Kelly. Rather than keeping Dr Kelly's detailed comment on this blog, I have decided to add my own note, which will direct readers to his writings. He has discussed, at length, the question, "Should the Church teach Tithing?". He has reached the conclusion that "Tithing is not a Christian Doctrine".
Also of interest is Stuart Murray's book, "Beyond Tithing" (Paternoster Press, 2000). Murray adopts a similar position (though his exposition of Scripture is less detailed than Russ Kelly's). In his discussion of Malachi 3:8-12, he writes, "Tithing is an important, although somewhat obscure component in the worship life and social legislation of the nation of Israel. Nothing more. ... It is not a fundamental principle that can or should be transferred from its Old Testament context into the experience of Christians and churches today." (p. 88).
I appreciate the work of Russ Kelly and Stuart Murray. I hope that, by adding this note, I have indicated that I am aware of the importance of taking great care in our interpretation of Malachi's words regarding tithing. Whatever our answer to the question, "Should the Church teach Tithing?", I hope that all of us will hear the words of Malachi as a call to consecrate ourselves fully to the Lord our God.

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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

"Life Under The Sun" Or Life in The Son?

Ecclesiastes 8:1-9:10
‘Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might...’(9:10). ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart...’(Colossians 3:23-24). These two verses seem, at first, to be saying the same thing - until we read the rest of each verse! The first is describing life ‘under the sun’(9:9): ‘in the grave where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom’. The second describes life in the Son: ‘you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward’. There is more to life than life under the sun. There is life in the Son. In everything we do, we must remember this: ‘It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving’. We are ‘working for the Lord, not for men’. ‘Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord... your labour in the Lord is not in vain’(1 Corinthians 15:58).

Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20
‘Wisdom is better than weapons of war’(9:18). We are to seek the better way, the way of wisdom, the way of peace: ‘The wisdom that comes from heaven is... peace-loving... Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness’(James 3:18). We look back over the history of our world. We wish there had been more peace and less war. We pray for a better future - more peace, less war. We pray to ‘the God of peace’. We pray for ‘the peace of God’. We pray that God will fulfill His promise: ‘The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet’(Philippians 4:9,7; Romans 15:33; 16:20). Let us look to ‘the Cross of Jesus’. Let us trust in ‘Christ, the Royal Master’. He leads us in His victory: ‘At the Name of Jesus, Satan’s legions flee; On then, Christian soldiers, On to victory!’(Church Hymnary, 480).

Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:14
‘Fear God, and keep His commandments’(12:13). This is ‘the heart of the matter’. It’s ‘the matter of the heart’. How can we even begin to fear God and keep His commandments if our hearts are full of sin? How can our hearts be cleansed from sin? There’s only one way we can learn to ‘fear God, and keep His commandments’. We must begin by opening our hearts to our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. We must look to Him for forgiveness - ‘I will cleanse you’. We must look to Him for a new beginning - ‘I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit in you’(Ezekiel 36:26). Let our fear of the Lord be filled with the love of Jesus. Let our keeping of God’s commandments be filled with thanksgiving for Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Let us be devoted to Christ: ‘Take my heart - it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne’(Church Hymnary, 462).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Treasures On Earth, Treasures In Heaven - Which Is Most Important To You?

Ecclesiastes 5:1-6:12
‘The man who loves money can never have enough’(5:10). Some people are never satisfied, They’re always wanting more. This is the world’s way. The more you have, the more you want. The Lord’s way is very different: ‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth... Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... Do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?”or “What shall we drink?”or “What shall we wear?”... Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well’. ‘Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him?’(Matthew 6:21-23,31-33; James 2:5). There’s more to life than ‘getting on in the world’. ‘Treasures on earth, treasures in heaven’- Which world is most important to you?

Ecclesiastes 7:1-29
‘Do not be over-righteous and do not be over-wise’(16). Christ is ‘our righteousness and our wisdom’(1 Corinthians 1:30). We must not take pride in our own righteousness or our own wisdom. We must not be like the arrogant ‘Pharisee’: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men...’. If we get ‘too big for our boots’, we may be ‘brought down to earth with a bump’! This is what God says to those who think they’re wise: ‘Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?’(Luke 18:11-12; 1 Corinthians 1:20). We do not make ourselves righteous. We do not make ourselves wise. ‘Through faith in Jesus Christ’, we receive ‘God’s righteousness’. We become ‘wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’(Romans 3:21-26; 2 Timothy 3:14-17).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Let Jesus Christ Fill Your "God-Shaped Blank."

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2:26
Without Christ. life is empty. With Him, everything changes. He fills our life with God’s blessing. With Him, we have more than life ‘under the sun’. We have life ‘in the Son’- abundant life, eternal life (1:3,14; 2:11,17; John 10:10; 1 John 5:11-12). Which life do you want? You can settle for life ‘under the sun’. Many people do. They never think about the meaning of life. They never ask , ‘What is the purpose of my life?’. There is another life, a better life, a life with meaning, purpose and direction. You can come to Christ and receive life ‘in the Son’. This is life ‘from above. This is our ‘foretaste of glory divine’: ‘Angels descending bring from above echoes of mercy, whispers of love’‘Looking above’, we are ‘filled with His goodness’ and saved by ‘His love’. In our ‘Saviour’, we are ‘happy and blest’ (Mission Praise, 59).

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4:16
‘God has put eternity into man’s mind’(3:11). In every human heart, there is a God-shaped blank. It can only be filled by Jesus Christ. Many people try to find true happiness without opening their heart to Jesus Christ. That’s like ‘trying to catch the wind’(4:16). True happiness keeps slipping through your fingers. There’s always something missing - ‘an aching void the world can never fill’(Church Hymnary, 663). Jesus Christ stands at the door of every human heart. He knocks. He waits for your answer. He says, ‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in...’(Revelation 3:20). Will you invite Him into your heart? He is waiting for you to pray, ‘Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus’.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Spirit Of The Living God, Fall Afresh On Me ...

Galatians 3:23-5:6
‘God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts’(4:6). The Spirit is not a reward we earn by being good people. The Spirit is God’s gift (Titus 3:5). Paul connects the gift of the Spirit with Christ’s death for us and our faith in Christ(3:13-14). We do not come to God with our religion in one hand and our morality in the other, insisting that we deserve to be blessed by Him. We look away from ourselves to Christ - ‘Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy Cross I cling’(Church Hymnary, 83). All pride in ourselves must be brought to Christ’s Cross as we humbly pray, ‘Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me, break me, melt me, mould me, fill me’(Mission Praise, 613). God has given His Spirit to us. Let’s give ourselves to Him - to ‘be filled with the Spirit’(Ephesians 5:18).

Galatians 5:7-6:18
What are we praying for when we ask God to fill us with His Spirit? We are praying ‘for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control’. This is ‘the fruit of the Spirit’(22-23). How are we to be filled with the Spirit? How does the fruit of the Spirit grow in our lives? We keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, saying in our hearts, ‘God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world’(6:14). ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace’(Mission Praise, 712). Looking to Him, let’s concentrate on the one thing that really matters - living as ‘a new creation’(6:15).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Keeping Christ At The Centre

Galatians 1:1-2:10 - ‘A revelation of Jesus Christ’(1:12) - This is what the Gospel is all about. Christ is the Gospel. Without Him, there is no Gospel. What was Paul’s testimony? What did he preach to others? - God ‘was pleased to reveal His Son in order that I might preach Him…’ (1:15-16). We have no other testimony. We have no other message. Christ is our Testimony. Christ is our Message. Paul’s conversion, Paul’s preaching - All of this comes from a very long time ago. So much has changed. Things are so different now. We listen to this kind of talk and we wonder, ‘Is the Gospel still relevant?’. Should we not leave Christ in the past and ‘get on with living in today’s world?’.We listen to the world’s talk and we are filled with doubts. Listen to God’s Word: ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever’(Hebrews 13:8).
Galatians 2:11-3:22 - Who is the Christ who stands in the centre of Paul’s testimony and preaching? He is the crucified Christ - ‘I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me’. He is the living Christ - ‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’. In Christ, there is love- ‘He loved me’. In Christ there is life- He ‘lives in me’(2:20). The world tells us to forget about Christ - ‘He’s out-of-date’. The Word of God calls us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, to keep walking in the Spirit. Don’t be a fool. Don’t let the world’s ‘patter’ drown out the Lord’s warning: ‘Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?… Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?’(1,3).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Ministers Wanted

Your invited to become a part of the ministry network around the world. Visit In His Glorious Name Ministries Online, look around and leave us a comment so we can contact you. We are always looking for dedicated blog authors that have the desire to share the love of Christ with others.

We Receive Strength When We Praise The Name Of The Lord.

‘Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. His greatness is beyond understanding’. Let us worship our great God: ‘I will exalt You, my God the King. I will praise Your Name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise You and extol Your Name for ever and ever’ (Psalm 145:1-3).

The God whom we worship is so much greater than the worship we bring to Him. Our worship is to be a ‘joyful celebration’.

* We celebrate His great love: ‘The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love’.

* We rejoice in His great faithfulness: ‘The Lord is faithful to all His promises’.

Here on earth, we have only begun to worship our great God. Our worship will continue in His ‘everlasting Kingdom’. There, we will ‘praise His Name for ever and ever’ (Psalm 145:7-8, 13, 21).

Thought For The Day - "A Prayer For Revival ... "

A prayer for revival: "O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee. Send a revival. Start the work in me."

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This thought is taken from

Psalm 85:1-13

We are to pray for revival - 'Restore us again, O God our Saviour...Will You not revive us again that Your people may rejoice in You?' (4,6). We are to pray that God will 'grant us His salvation'. We are to pray that 'His saving presence will remain in our land'. We must pray that 'His glory may dwell in our land' (7,9). We are to pray for real listening - 'I will listen to what God the Lord will say' - , a real turning to the Lord - 'turning to Him in our hearts' - , and a real sense of His blessing - 'He will speak peace to His people' (8). Prayer for revival does not begin as a prayer for others. It begins with ourselves: 'O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee; send a revival - start the work in me'. It begins with this prayer: "Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine; fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine'(Mission Praise, 587).

Thought For The Day - "Satan Will Not Prevail ... "

Satan will not prevail over the Lord and His people. The victory is the Lord's. He gives His victory to us.

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This thought is taken from

Isaiah 21:1-17

We live in a situation of conflict. We are at war with the enemy. Satan is God's enemy. Satan is our enemy. Satan is a very determined enemy. Satan is a defeated enemy. The words of verse 9 - 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon...' - , repeated again in Revelation 14:8; 18:2, assure us that Satan will not prevail over the Lord and His people. The victory is the Lord's. He gives His victory to us. When the going gets tough, when Satan seems to have the upper hand, let's remember this: 'Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe, but the King's own army none can overthrow. Round His standard ranging, victory is secure, for His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure'. Let us not hesitate to commit ourselves to Christ: 'Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine, we are on the Lord's side; Saviour, we are Thine' (Church Hymnary, 479).

The Road To Victory

Depression is like a cancer. Once it sets in, it can overtake us and place us in bondage. Severe depression has a crippling effect. It steals and robs us of our joy and ability to experience happiness. Of course we could get into all the intense reasons and causes of depression. But enough of that.

I encourage those dealing with depression to enter into a place of prayer. What kind of prayer. Simply pray and talk to God. Tell him what you are experiencing and simply ask Him for help.

I encourage you to also find some praise and worship music that you like, listen to it and make it a part of your days. You see when we lift our voices up to God, give Him praise and worship Him. The Kingdom of God, meaning heaven, comes to earth. And when the Kingdom comes, depression leaves.

Blessings, in the love of Christ
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

Thought For The Day - "We Look Forward To Christ's Return ... "

We look forward to Christ's return: the completion of the triumph achieved in His death and resurrection.

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This thought is taken from

Isaiah 25:1-26:9

'O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your Name...You have done marvellous things' (25:1). We remember what God has done for us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. We rejoice in Jesus Christ who died for us. We rejoice in Jesus Christ who rose again for us. We look forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We look forward to the Day when 'He will swallow up death for ever'. On that Day, 'the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces'. On that Day, we will look back and say, 'Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us'. On that Day, we will 'rejoice and be glad in His salvation' (25:8-9). Here and now, let us learn to 'trust in the Lord'. We can trust in Him 'for ever'. He is 'the everlasting Rock' - 'the Rock of our salvation' (4; Psalm 95:1).

Beauty To Behold

It is amazing how our world, even the universe is filled with beauty to behold. It also amazes me that some believe these things just happened by chance, simply through evolution.

Come on, look around, and see. It's all so much bigger than that.

The Book

http://picturemythoughts.blogspot.com

Say No To Depression

Depression is like a cancer. Once it sets in, it can overtake us and place us in bondage. Severe depression has a crippling effect. It steals and robs us of our joy and ability to experience happiness. Of course we could get into all the intense reasons and causes of depression. But enough of that.

I encourage those dealing with depression to enter into a place of prayer. What kind of prayer. Simply pray and talk to God. Tell him what you are experiencing and simply ask Him for help.

I encourage you to also find some praise and worship music that you like, listen to it and make it a part of your days. You see when we lift our voices up to God, give Him praise and worship Him. The Kingdom of God, meaning heaven, comes to earth. And when the Kingdom comes, depression leaves.

Blessings, in the love of Christ
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness’ (Jeremiah 31:3).

So often, we have been like ‘the prodigal son’(Luke 15:11-24). We have walked away from our Father’s House. We have wandered off into ‘the far country’. We feel that we are far from God, yet still He draws near to us.

The Lord is at work in our hearts. He is bringing us ‘to our senses’. He is reminding us of His love. He is drawing us back to Himself. In love, He is calling us home again. He is speaking to our hearts. He is saying to us, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’.

As His love reaches our hearts, ‘the prodigal son’ becomes ‘the returning son’: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son’. ‘Bring me back, let me come back, for you are the Lord my God!’(Jeremiah 31:18).

Blessings Charles

Blessings to you...

Jesus Christ - Risen And Victorious (Matthew 28:1-10)

The resurrection declares Christ’s victory over evil, the triumph of His love. There is no need for fear: ‘He has risen’- His ‘perfect love casts out fear’(5-6 1 John 4:18). There has to be a new beginning in faith. First, there was a new beginning ‘in fact- Christ has been raised from the dead’(1 Corinthians 15:20). Christ has won the victory over the grave. Christ has taken the sting out of death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Between the new beginning in faith - making disciples (19) - and the new beginning in fact - Christ’s resurrection - , there is worship (9). The fact is not dependent on our feelings. ‘He has risen’(6-7) - the fact stands, even when many doubt and few worship (17). As we worship, we are strengthened in faith, strengthened for our task. We are to invite people to come to the place where ‘they will see’ Jesus (10). We are to ‘make disciples’(19). Run and tell - with great joy (8)!

Read About Ruth. Learn About Christ.

Ruth 1:1-2:23
Ruth meets Boaz. It seemed like a ‘chance’ meeting - ‘she happened to come... ‘ (2:3). It was more than that. God was at work. Ruth had committed herself to the Lord (1:16-17). She was being guided by the Lord (Psalm 37:3-5; Proverbs 3:5-6). Ruth was unassuming and grateful, hard-working and responsible (2:10,13,7,18). She is a fine example of the ‘good wife’, described in Proverbs 31:10-31. In Boaz, she found a good man - godly, generous and sensitive (2:12,14,16). We read about Ruth. We learn about Jesus Christ. When you come to Him, He says, ‘Do not go to glean in another field... ‘ - ‘There is salvation in no one else’ (2:8; Acts 4:12). In Him, there is amazing grace. He loves us. He looks upon us favourably. He takes notice of us. He died for us (2:10; Romans 5:8). Let us follow Him (1:16-17; John 6:67-69).

Ruth 3:1-4:22
Ruth was covered by the ‘garment’ of Boaz, her ‘kinsman-redeemer’ (3:9). Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer. He has become one of us. He shares our ‘flesh and blood’, our ‘humanity’. Through His ‘suffering’ and ‘death’, we are brought to ‘glory’ (Hebrews 2:10-11,14-15). In Him, we ‘rejoice’: ‘He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness’ (Isaiah 61:10). ‘Our righteous acts are like filthy rags’. Bring your ‘robes’ to Christ and let them be ‘washed’, ‘made white in the blood of the Lamb’ (Isaiah 64:6; Revelation 7:14). A ‘Moabitess’, Ruth was brought into the house of Israel (4:10-11). In Christ, Jew and Gentile become one (Ephesians 2:11-18). Ruth played her part in leading us to Christ (4:13-17; Matthew 1:1,5-6). May God help us to lead people to Christ.

Christ Will Come For Us.

In Hebrews 11:16, we are invited to think about “a better country – a heavenly one.” Can we live in the present with no thought for the future? We think about the future when we plan our holidays. We plan for the future when we do our Christmas shopping. We think ahead. We save our money for a time when we will need it.

What about the eternal future?We may try to put it on the backburner. There are more pressing things to think about it – things that have to be done today, things that have to be done tomorrow, things that must be done by the end of the week.Can we just forget about the eternal future? We may try. For a while, we may succeed. Then something happens and it all comes back to us: What about the eternal future?

Why do thoughts of the eternal future come back to us, even when our minds are so full of other things? The answer to this question is given in Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “God has put eternity into man’s mind.” In every human heart, there’s ‘a God-shaped blank.’ Jesus came to fill this ‘God-shaped blank”. He came to give us “life” – "abundant life”, “eternal life” (John 10:10; 17:3; 1 John 5:11). Without Him our lives are empty. The longing for “a better country” can only be satisfied by Him. He is God’s “foretaste of glory divine”.

We must prepare for the eternal future. In Luke 12:32-40, Jesus tells us to “be ready” for His Return (v. 40). We are to “wait” on the Lord (v. 36). We are to keep “watching” for Him (v. 37). We are to “keep our lamps burning” (v. 35).How can we do this? How can we be ready for Him, waiting for Him and watching for Him?

Keeping our lamps burning - what will this mean for us? It will mean keeping our eyes fixed on Christ. He is our “lamp” – “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Revelation 21:23; John 1:29). We must keep our eyes on Christ. He will keep us faithful. He will keep us ready for His coming.

Christ Still Comes To Us.

Who is Jesus Christ? We answer this question in terms of history. He’s a man from a long time ago, a man from the distant past, a man we could very easily forget.The answer of faith takes us beyond ancient history. It speaks of the living Christ. He still comes to us.He comes in love. He invites us to come to Him in love. Jesus Christ is God’s invitation.He invites us to come and receive salvation - ‘though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’ (Isaiah 1:18). With this promise, there is also the warning – “if you refuse and rebel …” (Isaiah 1:20). The promise and the warning – we find them both in the message brought to us by our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

- God speaks to us of His great purpose of salvation: ‘God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.’ He tells us that we can be saved through faith in Christ: ‘Whoever believes in Him is not condemned.’ He calls us back from the way of unbelief and judgment: ‘Whoever does not believe is condemned already because he does not believe in the Name of the only Son of God’ (John 3:17-18). Jesus Christ still comes to us. He comes with His 'great salvation.' Make sure that you receive God’s salvation: ‘How shall we escape if we neglect or ignore such a great salvation?’(Hebrews 2:3).

In Christ’s invitation of love, with its promise and its warning, we catch a glimpse of the future, a glorious future which is summed up for us in the marvellous words: Christ will come for us.

Christ Has Come To Us.

God is not a ‘god’ who keeps his distance from us. He comes near to us. He is not a ‘god’ who keeps his silence. He speaks to us. This is the great declaration of faith made by the Psalmist in Psalm 50:3 – “Our God comes, He does not keep silence”. “God the Lord speaks” – This is the great message which comes to us from the opening verse of Psalm 50. How does God come near to us? How does He speak to us? He comes near to us in Jesus Christ. He speaks to us through Jesus Christ.

In John 1:1, we have this tremendous description of Jesus Christ: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus Christ is the Word. God is speaking to us through Jesus Christ. How does God speak to us through Jesus Christ? He speaks to us by drawing near to us – “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus Christ is God’s Word. He is God, speaking to us. He is God, coming near to us. He is God, “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

We think about Jesus Christ. We think about His coming to our world. We ask, “What has He brought to our world?” We may answer this question in a number of ways. He has brought meaning. He has brought purpose. He has brought direction. He has brought love. He has brought joy. He has brought peace. What has Christ brought to our world? There is another answer to our question. It is not a list of many things. It is quite simply this: He has brought Himself. He has brought God. He is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

We think about Jesus Christ. We ask, “What is His message for today’s world?” We begin with the Man. He is the message. To hear His message, we must listen to Him. Before we press on to the present, His message for us today, we must go back to the past. Christ has come to us. This is our starting-point. From here, we move on to today, to the Christ who still comes to us.

To God Be The Glory! Great Things He Has Done.

Concerning ourselves, there is bad news - We cannot save ourselves.

From Christ, our Saviour, there is Good News - “He is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25).

Sin takes us far from God. Grace brings us near to God.

Sin holds us captive. Grace sets us free.

* The way of salvation does not begin with “I”: This is what I have done - my religion, my morality.

* Salvation comes from God:- “God so loved the world …” This is the the Gospel: What we could never do for ourselves, God has done for us - “He gave His only Son”, Jesus Christ, “the atoning sacrifice … for the sins of the whole world”, “the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin” (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; 1:7).

Let Freedom Rain

This should be a prayer that we all pray. That freedom would ring loudly among the nations. That freedom would flood the lands, and that all would come to know Christ as Lord.

In Christ, We Are Free.

In Christ, we are found. In Christ, we are forgiven. In Christ, we are free. The freedom which we have received in Christ is not a freedom to do as we please. We are set free for obedience, set free to obey the Lord in a way that we could never do before we knew Him. We are set free for service, set free to serve the Lord in a way that we have never served him before. Christian freedom is like the freedom of the prisoner of war. We are no longer defeated, captive and taken out of the battle. We are now free to fight for the Lord, to fight in His strength and win victories for Him.
The contrast between the old life and the new life is highlighted in Ephesians 5:18, where the Apostle Paul writes, "do not get drunk with wine ... but be filled with the Spirit." The world's way is the way of getting drunk with wine. It is the way of "debauchery." The Lord's way is the way of the new wine of the Spirit. The contrast between being filled with the world's wine and being filled with the new wine of the Spirit is both encouraging and challenging. We are encouraged. We have not received the spirit of 'Johnnie Walker' (or 'Jack Daniels').We have received the Spirit of Jesus Christ. We are challenged. We are not to be filled with the spirit of 'Johnnie Walker' (or 'Jack Daniels'). We are to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Being filled with the new wine of the Spirit may not be the world's idea of a 'good time.' It is the way to true happiness.
Found, forgiven and free - this is the Gospel's description of a Christian. Are you a Christian? - found by Christ, forgiven by Christ, free in Christ.

In Christ, We Are Forgiven.

We have been found by the Lord. We have also been forgiven by Him.
You cannot forgive yourself. You have to be forgiven by someone else.
When you sin against someone else - a husband, wife, brother, sister, friend, neighbour - you cannot simply say, "I forgive myself."
You need to be forgiven by the person you've sinned against. You cannot give forgiveness to yourself. You can only receive it as a gift.
It is the same with God's forgiveness. We have sinned against God. We need to be forgiven by God.
This is the Good News of Jesus Christ, our wonderful Saviour. Our sins have been forgiven by Jesus. In ourselves, we are guilty sinners. In Him, we are forgiven sinners.
This is the Good News in which we rejoice when we hear the great words of our Saviour: "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28).
These are the wonderful words through which we receive the new wine of the Spirit.

What A Wonderful Privilege It Is To Bring God's Word Of Life To So Many People!

In ourselves, we are never anything more than "unworthy servants" (Luke 17:10).We have "received this ministry through God's mercy" - "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us". Our ministry is simply this: "We not preach ourselves , but Jesus Christ as Lord." Let us pray that God's grace will be "reaching more and more people" and that the sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ will "cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:1, 7, 5, 15).

Charles Cameron At Just Give Me Truth

Thank you for being a part of all that God is doing through the network of In His Glorious Name Ministries Online. Your love for God, dedication, and desire to bless others around the world is not only a blessing to the overall network, but also to all that visit the various blogs and sites that you post on.

Blessings in Christ
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

In Christ, We Are Found.

Sometimes, we hear people saying, "I've really found myself." This is not, however, the testimony of the Christian. The believer does not say, "I've found myself." Our testimony is this: "I've found the Lord."
There is a sense in which we've found ourselves. We've found the meaning and purpose of our lives. Nevertheless, it must be emphasized that the meaning and purpose of our life is found in Christ.
When we think more deeply about our experience of finding the Lord, it is not so much that we have found Him. He has found us.
This is how it is with salvation. This is new life in the Spirit. We do not turn ourselves into Christians. It is the Lord who performs a miracle in our hearts - the miracle of the new birth.