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The Merging Of Hope and Truth Found In Jesus Christ

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  • The Fragrance of Worship

    Life Talk Devotion 10/27/2023

    During the life of Jesus as recorded in John 12, we’re told the story of one of Jesus’ friends, Mary, who honors Jesus with her affection:

    The Fragrance of Worship – John 12:3

    Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. John 12:3

    The scent of the perfume grew and grew until the whole house was blessed with the pleasing scent.  Then Jesus says something in Mark’s account of the story that he never said of any other act during the gospels: “Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (You can read the entire account here – Mark 14:3-9)

    What I find interesting is that Mary’s worship of Jesus was very personal.  It involved physically touching his feet and personally giving him a precious gift.  And yet that act of worship grew to be quickly noticed by others throughout the house, and Jesus says that her act of worship would also be shared wherever the Gospel is shared throughout the world.  And here we are, several thousand miles and two thousand years removed, still speaking of it.

    While Mary’s was a unique event, I think there’s a general principle here too that’s applicable today.  In blessing the heart of Jesus, she also became a blessing and an encouragement to others near and far.  The world can’t help but notice when they behold extraordinary, sincere, loving worship of God, whether it’s a life of praise and prayer, acts of kindness and generosity, or a steady lifetime of pouring out your life for others.  There’s a certain pleasing aroma about a person like that, something that draws others into worship as well.  Because if the gift given is that great, then the one to whom it’s given must be great indeed.

    My encouragement today is to take this opportunity, this hour, this day, to worship Jesus with abandon, to give of yourself sacrificially because He is worth that and so much more.  May the heart of God be blessed by your gift, and may that worship grow by drawing in the hearts of others who see and are blessed and spurred on to worship as well.

    By Contributing Author: Tim Piette

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  • Hiding From God

    Life Talk Devotion 10/17/2023

    Lately, I have been reminiscing about my youth and all the games played with the other neighborhood kids. It has stirred up some fond memories of the simple and carefree days where worries were few. Hide and Seek is one of those games we enjoyed in the cool of the summer evenings when the sun started to set. It is a classic game that I am sure has been part of the human childhood experience in perpetuity. The adventure of hiding in secret stirs the adventurous nature of our spirits.

    But as we grow into adults, many of us still want to play a form of hide and seek in our relationships; both human and with God. Often we hide our true self in our human relationships out of fear of not being accepted or we pretend to be something we are not to impress others. Sometimes we go the avoidance route, dodging deep relationships with people to shield ourselves from hurts and our insecurities. It is easy to hide behind a “mask” in our human relationships but not so easy with God. Psalm 139 reveals God’s intimate understanding of us down to the very core of our being.

    “Are You Hiding From God?”

    Where Can I Flee – Psalm 139:1-12

    You have searched me, Lord,
        and you know me.
     You know when I sit and when I rise;
        you perceive my thoughts from afar.
    You discern my going out and my lying down;
        you are familiar with all my ways.
    Before a word is on my tongue
        you, Lord, know it completely.
     You hem me in behind and before,
        and you lay your hand upon me.
     Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
        too lofty for me to attain.

    Where can I go from your Spirit?
        Where can I flee from your presence?
     If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
        if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
     If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
        if I settle on the far side of the sea,
     even there your hand will guide me,
        your right hand will hold me fast.
     If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
        and the light become night around me,”
     even the darkness will not be dark to you;
        the night will shine like the day,
        for darkness is as light to you. Psalm 139: 1-12

    But that begs the question: “Can we really hide from God? Oh, we can run from Him and yes we can fool ourselves into believing He does not exist. But, we cannot hide “who we are” from Him. And it is this reality that exposes how overtly vulnerable we are to His knowledge of us. For He see us as we are. He knows the depth of our sin, the shallowness of our love and too ………..our very longing to be something different than that person with the mask.

    A thoughtful reading of these verses reveals only a tender and intimate recognition that God knows us for who we are and that nothing is held in secret from Him. He sees our frailties and our insecurities without condemnation yet still expresses a deep abiding desire that we should come to Him.

    Jesus put it this way: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-29). It is faith in Jesus Christ that frees us to leave the hidden shadows and take the mask off. Christ Jesus bore the weight of our sin on the cross and for those who trust in Him there is no longer any condemnation.

    So instead of hiding from God, He invites each of us to make Him our secret place, our refuge in Christ. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2).

    The call at the end of a game of Hide and Seek is “Come out, come out wherever you are”. The game is over. It is time to go home to God the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.

    If you desire to know how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ – Check out this page.

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  • What’s In A Name?

    A “Life Talk Devotion” – 09/30/2023

    Many of us at our church are working on a Read-Through-the-Bible-in-a-Year plan that walks you through the Bible according to how the events took place.  I enjoy the Old Testament, but it is admittedly a breath of fresh air when you turn that final page from the Old Testament to the New Testament and jump into the story of Jesus.

    However,  just when you thought you’d left all those lists of names behind in the Old Testament, Matthew decides to jump in on just such a list in chapter 1 of his Gospel:

    Who will grow up behind you?

    Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,… Matthew 1:2-3

    While there are some interesting nuggets in there if you know the backstory, I wouldn’t blame you too much if your mind just drifted off to how your fantasy football team is going to do this week.  However, I want you to stop and think about those names one more time.

    In each one of those names is a person who was born, had parents of one kind or another, grew up, skinned their knees, learned things, made mistakes, loved, cried, and ultimately closed their eyes one last time and went to meet the God who formed them.  Each of them did a lot of things I’m sure they believed were important, and some of those things may indeed have been important in their own way.  And yet all we get here on nearly all of these people is their name and the name of the son they had who grew to take their place and start the cycle all over again.

    My point is this:  Your life has value, because your Creator made you.  But regardless of your accomplishments and money, most of the value you will leave to others here will be in the people you invested in – your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews, dear friends, people you met in a single day and left an impression on and people you toiled your whole life to help shape.  These people will continue to grow long after you lay down your own burdens.

    So the question to you is this:  Are you investing your time, talent, and treasure today into things that will fade away from memory not long after the dirt has covered your resting place?  Or are you investing in persons marked by the image of God who will enter eternity?

    By Contributing Author: Tim Piette

    If you desire to have a relationship with Jesus Christ – Check out this page.

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  • All You Need is Love

    “A Life Talk Devotion” – 09/12/2023

    In their 1967 hit song “All You Need Is Love”, the Beatles expressed an instinctive human need that resonated with people worldwide. The basic message catapulted the song to number one riding the charts for 11 straight weeks. Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ manager said of the song: “It was an inspired song and they really wanted to give the world a message. The nice thing about it is that it cannot be misinterpreted. It is a clear message saying that love is everything.”

    The song was wildly popular because each one of us has an innate yearning to be loved and to relish that love. That longing captivates our heart and motivates us, even unwittingly, we seek love like water finds its natural path while many times in ‘all the wrong places’.

    Generally, our understanding of love is shaped by the culture and people around us which tends to be a conditional form of love taking on the persona of the society at large. If you look a certain way, perform according to expectation, or say the ‘right’ things, they will love you. In other words, it is a “tit for tat” qualified love. We mistakenly attribute this same type of love to God believing we have to perform within certain religious boundaries to garner His love.

    Even further, our perception of God’s love for us is often based on how we feel about ourselves. If we get up in the morning and take a look in the mirror, we may not like that person looking back at us. And one of the natural progressions that follows is “if I don’t like who I am, how can others love me”, and of course “how can God love me?”. But God’s love is not subject to the ups and downs of a bad day or hormonal peaks and valleys. His love is constant and consistent because He is love and the author of love.

    It was not until I began to read the Bible that I saw a different picture of love; not just God’s love for me but also how I am to love others. The Gospel of John defines a love and a relationship with God that is not based on religious practice, rituals, traditions or even how I look. It is an unconditional radical love that Jesus invites all of us to accept and receive.

    This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  1 John 4:9-10

    The Beatles hit, however poignant, failed to tell the listener how to find the real love we all need. But God tells us how and has demonstrated His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Jesus Christ died for us (Romans 5:06-10). This is the authentic message of love and what God wants us to know. Each one of us is unique and valuable in His eyes whereby He relentlessly pursues us, calling us to faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. For He is the full expression and power of God’s love in that He bore my sins and yours on the cross taking the full weight of our sin and guilt.

    In writing “All You Need Is Love”, John Lennon recognized not only the universal human need to be loved but was possibly expressing his own heart’s longing. The true satisfaction for the heart is to know the love of God. And God calls all of us to receive His love through Jesus Christ (Yeshua) as Redeemer and Savior. The Redeemer’s love is what we all need.

    Courtesy of Chosen People Ministries / Trevor Rubenstein

    If you desire to know God’s love through a relationship with Jesus Christ – Check out this page.

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  • Jesus From a Different Perspective

    Life Talk Devotion 06/24/2023 –

    Today I am going to challenge your perspective of Jesus Christ. The contemporary view of Jesus that we hear from pulpits, media and the academics is someone who was a meek teacher of beautiful parables and life lessons we should aspire to live by and who unfortunately got nailed to a cross because of the politics of the day. Within this lop-sided cultural consensus, it is only palatable to acknowledge Jesus as the non-threatening Good Shepard who seeks after the one lost sheep. But the book of Revelation provides a different side of Jesus Christ as the risen Son of God.

    Jesus From a Different Perspective:

    Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lamp-stands, and in the midst of the seven lamp-stands One (Jesus) like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.  And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. . Revelation 1:12-18

    Rarely do many in contemporary culture and modern enlightened churches dare to expound on the Jesus Christ as the God Man described in Revelation chapter 1 and throughout the book. The attributes of Jesus detailed there as the Son of Man threatens their hollowed out view of an ambivalent god who politely nods at sin. And even more rare do those sermons breach the subject of the Jesus who will unleash the Tribulation judgements upon the world and return at His Second Coming to claim the title deed of the Earth. It has become culturally insensitive to consider Jesus more than the emasculated human proclaimed from the woke pulpits today. The very thought of the gentle carpenter from Nazareth as an avenger of righteousness rattles their sensibilities.

    The masses laud the Jesus who delivered the Sermon on the Mount but bristle at the thought of that same Savior pronouncing the fury of hell where the worm never dies. However, the Word of God is not describing two different Jesus’. The Bible does not offer us the option to believe in the one Jesus and reject the other. However, it does force each us to wrestle with the objective truth the Bible delivers about Jesus Christ and the salvation plan of God.

    The Bible clearly states that the same Jesus who calls those who are weary to come to Him is also the Risen One, the Warrior King who will vanquish His enemies and rule with a rod of iron in the Millennium. The Day will come when you and I will face this bright and shining One described in Revelation. And on that day every knee will bow and confess Jesus Christ as Lord to the delight of some and shocking revelation of others.

    “The heart of true faith is rooted in and guided by truth; truth established by God through the essence of His nature and His Word. Without His truth as revealed in the Bible, man can only stumble in his effort to know Him and be redeemed by Him.”  

    If you desire to know how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ – Check out this page.

    You can follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/truevinetalk

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  • A Living Hope

    Life Talk Devotion 06/22/2023

    Hope these days seems to be a fragile and scarce commodity for the average person. As we look around our nation and the world, confidence in the institutions and leaders that we have trusted in has been visibly shaken.

    The framework of hope is always built on a foundation of trust. When trust erodes whether in individuals or institutions, hope correspondingly begins to crumble. God never intended for us to look to man or his institutions to be the foundation of our hope. Yet one of our greatest human weaknesses is attributing too much hope in men and their promises.

    A Living Hope – 1 Peter 1:3-5

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

    The value and veracity of hope is only as good as the character of the one in who we place our hope. In 1 Peter 1:3-5, God offers us a hope that is based on the strength of His character and what has already been accomplished through Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ points us to an unshakeable and living hope where sin has been vanquished and death has lost it’s grip because Jesus Christ Himself now lives!

    As Peter reminds us in the above verses, this living hope has a guarantee of an inheritance that no one can steal, it cannot decay or be revoked. God keeps it under His wings reserved by His authority and power for all who trust in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work. It is a hope with a solid foundation because the One who promises is trustworthy; for He magnifies His Word above His Name (Psalm 138:2).

    If you desire to know how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ – Check out this page.

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  • Only A Whisper

    Life Talk Devotion 06/16/2023

    Only a Whisper – 1 Kings 19:09-13

    And there he (Elijah) went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

     Then He (God) said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

    13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:9-13

    In these verses we find the prophet Elijah hiding in a cave having a pity party. Many of us can relate to Elijah sitting alone feeling as though all is lost. But God pursues the commiserating prophet challenging his sudden capitulation to fear and worry.

    The backstory to these verses (See – 1 Kings 18:20-40) tells how Elijah the prophet stood strong in his faith to challenge the 450 prophets of the false god Baal. The Lord used Elijah to humiliate and overcome the delusional prophets while proving His supremacy as the One true God. Elijah didn’t waiver in His trust in the Lord through the dramatic encounter. However, when the spectacle was over, fear overwhelms him as his life is threatened and consequently he flees into the wilderness. It seems an unexpected turn about for the staunch prophet of God unless we remember he was just a mere man vulnerable to the same fragilities that plague you and me.

    But in a beautiful expression of God’s understanding of our weaknesses, He redirects the focus of the forlorn prophet from fear to faith. Elijah had taken his eyes off the Lord as the circumstances around him appeared grim. The Lord reassures Elijah of His love and faithfulness with only a whisper. And with that whisper, Elijah finds strength realizing God has not abandoned him.

    When we are sitting in a corner having our own pity party, we need to remember what God asked Elijah -“What are you doing here?”. Just like Elijah, God is admonishing us – “Today is not the day to shrink back in fear and self-pity.” It is the day to be of faith and good courage knowing that if God is for us who can be against us.

    God has spoken to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-4) in these last days and He (Jesus) has given us the reassuring promise to never leave us or forsake us. The reminder of that promise may not come in a mighty wind, an earthquake or a blazing fire but rather in a still, small voice speaking to our spirit. So, stand fast in faith and courage!

    If you desire to know how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ – Check out this page.

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  • What Shall We Do?

    Life Talk Devotion 05/26/2023 –

    What Shall We Do? –

    “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

    37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

    38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:36-39

    On the Day of Pentecost, Peter addresses the crowd of people who gathered to see what the commotion was all about. Little did they know that the Holy Spirt would move in their lives too. Peter explains that “no, we are not drunk with wine” but God is moving as prophesied by Joel in the Old Testament.

    When God begins to move in our lives and we seek answers, we cannot help but ask “what shall we do?”. Peter then offers the only real and lasting answer to their question. That answer is still good today when we seek answers to life’s big question.

    “The heart of true faith is rooted in and guided by truth; truth established by God through the essence of His nature and His Word. Without His truth as revealed in the Bible, man can only stumble in his effort to know Him and be redeemed by Him.”   M.P. Bramble

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  • The Promise of The Father

    Life Talk Devotion 05/25/2023 –

    The Promise of The Father:

    And being assembled together with them, He (Jesus) commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea andSamaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:4-8

    As we approach Pentecost Sunday this week, let us consider that all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are part of an incredible body known as His Church. We are not a building, religion or denomination but a group of people from every tribe, tongue, nation and people knitted together through the Holy Spirit as the body of Jesus Christ. A day is soon coming when we will stand before our King and Savior to say ” Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!”. Remember to hold fast to the promises you have received by God in His Word. Maranatha!

    “The heart of true faith is rooted in and guided by truth; truth established by God through the essence of His nature and His Word. Without His truth as revealed in the Bible, man can only stumble in his effort to know Him and be redeemed by Him.”   M.P. Bramble

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