Jesus the shepherd

Constantly Abiding In Jesus – Words From A Master

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Today we have some profound words about abiding in Jesus from Francis De Sales (b. 1567 – d. 1622), from Chapter 13 of his book Introduction to the Devout Life. His words complement a post that appeared here a couple of weeks ago about abiding in Jesus . De Sales inspires us to keep in constant contact with God throughout the day. “You can express spiritual desires to God by short, ardent movements of your heart. Marvel at his beauty, implore his help, cast yourself in spirit at the foot of the cross, adore his goodness, converse often with him about your salvation, present your soul to him a thousand times during the day, fix your interior eyes upon his sweet countenance, stretch out your hand to him like a little child to his father so that he may lead you on, place him in your bosom like a fragrant bouquet, plant him Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

Our Future Blessings In Christ – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“God raised us up with Christ…in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Eph. 2:6-7 (NIV) It is hard to think of greater words of encouragement than these. God has already raised us up spiritually with Christ and the reason he did this is so that in the next age (after Jesus returns) he could give us incredible blessings. Our future blessings are “incomparable”; in other words, they surpass, exceed, transcend other riches. Nothing on earth can compare to our future blessings. They are beyond any other blessings we can imagine. This verse reminds us of 1 Peter 1:13, “Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (ESV). This grace, and all our future blessings that go with it, is God’s intention Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

The Gift Of The Spirit Is God’s Guarantee – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” Eph 1:13-14 (NIV) The gift of the Spirit is a mark, a seal, a deposit, and a guarantee! God stamped a mark on us and sees us with his mark that seals us as belonging to him, like a brand on a cow; we are part of his herd, which is the best herd possible. The Holy Spirit is also a down payment from God on all the good he is giving us, which is his kingdom and all the blessings that go with it. We gave our lives to him and showered us with blessings, and he lets us have a down payment now so we can taste our future. And the gift of the Spirit is a guarantee that nothing can stop God from bringing us Continue Reading →

eye

Transformation Through Abiding in Jesus

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Do you want your daily words and actions to be more Christlike, but you find that you can’t seem to get the right attitude throughout the day? You may want to consider learning to briefly focus your heart on Jesus several times a day. We call this “contemplating Jesus” because it is not meditation (i.e., mulling over, reflecting, gaining understanding), which is important for devotional times, but rather we are gazing on, beholding, giving attention to or abiding in Jesus. Contemplation is just a fancy word for these simple activities. In John 15:5 Jesus says, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (NIV). Abiding in Jesus is a continuous practice, which is very similar to contemplation. The most profound passage on contemplating Jesus is II Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

Suffering Will Bless You – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” Romans 8:35 (ESV) It is interesting that in the same sentence about Christ’s love we have a list of terrible things that our loving God allows in our lives. Why is this? Because God’s first priority is your Christformation, not comfortable circumstances. In vv. 28-29 we learn that all things work to conform you to the image of Christ. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:28-29, NIV). Thus, suffering will bless you! And the truth we always know is that Christ loves us no matter what terrible thing is happening to Continue Reading →