‎Jim Vining‎ to Understanding the Times SS Class

3 hrs · 

Luke 8:14 "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

Often we try to combine well-being and purpose to our confession of faith without ever understanding the imperative of ‘death to self’ – our relationship with Jesus will never exceed simple emotional attachment unless we submit to the, often difficult, cleansing of our spirit, soul and body. We live in an age where salvation is too often reduced to little more than acknowledgement. We have separated Christ’s Lordship from His reconciliation – holiness is seen as a gift; reducing it to little more than wishful thinking and good intentions rather than our humble obedience to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Many believers place a priority upon changing everything around them while carelessly neglecting the transformation our Lord wants to do within. We have accepted the gift of the Gospel but often ignored the command to passionately apply its truth to our lives. We are shocked by the wickedness all around us and blind to the rebellious nature within us. We see the lack of shame in others and ignore the need for heart rending repentance within. Brokenness is defined in terms of emotional distress when our personal rights or needs are not met. We will carry a sign to defeat injustice and never open God’s Word to challenge our un-holiness. We are so careful and cautious to preserve what we have that we have all-but-lost our passion for what God has purposed. 

Read through the Bible in one year – April 30/ Luke 21:1-19; 1 Kings 8,9

TOZER DEVOTIONAL

TOZER DEVOTIONAL
Sun, April 30, 2017

Our Tragic Waste of Time
One thing taught large in the Holy Scriptures is that while God gives His gifts freely, He will require a strict accounting of them at the end of the road. Each man is personally responsible for his store, be it large or small, and will be required to explain his use of it before the judgment seat of Christ. . .

First, there is time. None of us has much of it. The crow that flaps across the meadow will probably live longer than the oldest one of us. The tree that shades the sleepy cow in the pasture may have looked down on our grandfather when he was a boy, and it may remain to watch the passing of our reason for our making the most of what we have. Yet how many hours have we spent doing nothing or doing the wrong
thing. Our cynical waste of precious time could be a reason for our not having more of it given to us, who knows? Jesus once said, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.”

Time wasted is lost beyond recall. While we sympathize with the emotional content of the old song,
“Backward, turn backward, O time, in your flight,”
it is yet hard to conceive of a more futile appeal. Time does not run backward. The old man does not become young, the young man becomes old. So it has
always been and so it will ever be. The bird of time flies past us and is gone; “the leaves of life keep falling one by one, the wine of life keeps oozing drop by drop.” We must work while it is called today.

Verse
What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. . . .
First Corinthians 7:29a

Thought
Jesus had no more time in His sojourn on earth than most of us. He had less years than most of us have already lived. Knowing full well the brevity of His earthly life and the value of His time, He spent so much of it in discipling the Twelve.

Prayer
Lord, I'm a waster of time. Forgive me. May I treat each day, each hour as a gift from You to invest for You.

Dennis Osullivan

7 hrs · 

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus christ " Romans5:1.) Without Christ we are enemies of God because of our sin. Thankfully, accepting Jesus sacrifice reconciles us t God and ends the hostility that existed between us ( COLOSSIANS 1:19-21). He now sees us as Christ presents us -" Holy and blameless, ) .and above reproach "( ).
Having peace with God does not ensure problem-free living. However, it does steady us through difficult times. Jesus told his followers," in the world you will have tribulation ", but he also said," in Me, ou may have peace " (JOHN 16:33).
Because of Christ, the true peace of God can fill our hearts ( COLOSSIANS 3:15).-----
Peace floods the soul when Christ rules the HEART!

Jim Vining

Just now

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

This life will deliver as much opposition as possible – it is our privilege to face these problems knowing we serve the God of creation. Our Lord is sovereign, knowing the outcome before it begins. There is a vast difference between being overtaken by evil and being faced with its challenge. Some believers tend to think they should be sheltered from hardship rather than immunized from its influence. To overcome the world we cannot expect to be taken out of it – the sacrifice of Christ has separated us from our sin, not the temptation to sin – the Holy Spirit is given to strengthen and guide us into holiness. We must determine to humbly allow our Lord to transform our minds and behavior in the midst of a fallen world. The peace our Lord has promised is not related to a place or circumstances; it is our faith and assurance that He has overcome the world to preserve our hope and secure our promise. 

Read through the Bible in one year – April 29/ Luke 20:27-47; 1 Kings 6,7

TOZER DEVOTIONAL

TOZER DEVOTIONAL
Sat, April 29, 2017
On Being Trustworthy Investors
To each of us God has issued a certain store as it has pleased Him: to one more, to another less. And since God owes us nothing, anything He gives us may be put down to His unearned generosity. The man with a smaller store dare not complain against God for having given him less than his neighbor received.

God’s gifts are not debts which He pays us, but gratuities bestowed out of pure mercy.

One thing taught large in the Holy Scriptures is that while God gives His gifts freely, He will require a strict accounting of them at the end of the road. Each man is personally responsible for his store, be it large or small, and will be required to explain his use of it before the judgment seat of Christ.

The “store” is nothing new, just the old familiar list of human possessions: time, talents, earthly goods, opportunities. Though they are as common as the grass beside the path, the waste of them constitutes one of life’s most appalling tragedies.

Verse
'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'
Luke 19:17

Thought
Deeply impressive among overseas Christians are those with such limited resources and yet who have invested them so wisely and faithfully. This, while we have wasted so much.

Prayer
You have given me so much, Lord. O help me to use it all wisely.

Dennis Osullivan

6 hrs · 

We need to be drawn to God listen to His call "!
while this world is unsettled by tragic events and all the evil acts we see, we long for the day, when it will finally be destroyed and our God will bring history to a close and fully establish His Kingdom. Until that time, however , the Lord gives us the grace to live purposeful lives as we await His coming. In HEBREWS 10 we are urged to drawn near to God with sincere hearts (v22); hold fast to the hope we profess (v23); spur each other on to Love and Good Works (v24), and continue meeting together for encouragement " and so much more as you see the day approaching "(v25).
Until the time God extinguishes the fires of evil Forever. He gives us His Grace and strength to endure the trials of life as we look FORWARD TO HIS RETURN!"
We praise, and adore you Lord and give you thanks, for the Grace You Give to us to live each day for Your GLORY '. We look Forward to the day when You Return, All evil will be extinguished and we live With You In Perfect Harmony Forever! Thank you, Father ' in Jesus Holy name I pray for All near and Far AMEN ------Love and Adore Ya

‎Jim Vining‎ to Understanding the Times SS Class

36 mins · 

Revelation 22:20-21 ¶ He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

The final verses of God’s holy Word encourages the passionate desire of every believer – the glorious return of our Lord to right the wrong, heal the broken and glorify His children. The fullness of our Lord’s promise is held in the sovereign majestic care of our heavenly Father. It is our faith, hope and unwavering trust in His Word that provides the patience to endure and will to humbly obey. We do not long for another prophet, patriarch or priest to alleviate, repair or challenge – we would see, Jesus! Living with this as our passionate desire should inspire and possess us to live lives that are pleasing to Him alone. All the anxious moments and heart rending circumstances will vanish in the glorious presence of our Lord and Savior – it is our ability to remain focused upon the indisputable promise that keeps us under His wings. The non-believer does not truly fear or acknowledge the coming of our Lord – God’s ultimate justice is only understood by those who have no desire to experience it. It is not the threat of God’s justice that provides our perseverance; it is the knowledge of experiencing His glorious presence for all of eternity. 

Read through the Bible in one year – April 28/ Luke 20:1-26; 1 Kings 3-5

TOZER DEVOTIONAL

TOZER DEVOTIONAL
Fri, April 28, 2017
Chiildren and Heirs of God
No doubt we grieve our Lord by thinking of ourselves as less than we are in the plan of God. In ourselves we are nothing, and the vast gulf of forgetfulness toward which we were heading was the proper place for us. We had earned no share in God’s interest, no place in His affection; our sins had forfeited any claim we might have had upon God as Creator. But the blood of the everlasting covenant has changed all that. Our claim now is that of a child upon his Father. We have a right in the Father’s household, and we can sit down at His table without fear or embarrassment. In the kingdom of God we signify.

Verse
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
Romans 8:15-16

Thought
That intimate Aramaic term abba is perhaps best translated "daddy." God is our daddy. We are His sons and daughters!

Prayer
Father, it blows my mind that I may come to You as a child to his or her daddy.

The Most Serious And Severe Departure From The Faith In Our Day - HelloChristian

The Most Serious And Severe Departure From The Faith In Our Day - HelloChristian

The Most Serious And Severe Departure From The Faith In Our Day

Apr 27, 2017 by Sam Storms

Sam Storms

Sam Storms became the Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 2008. He is on the Board of Directors of both Desiring God and Bethlehem College & Seminary, and also serves as a member of the Council of The Gospel Coalition.  Sam was recently elected to be Vice-President of the Evangelical Theological Society.

Heresy abounds. It always has and always will, until such time as Jesus returns and exposes the misguided theological fabrications of men and women and vindicates the truth of his Word. In our day, there are many heretical and deviant notions circulating within the professing evangelical church. But I am persuaded that the most serious and severe departure from biblical faith in our day is the repudiation of the truth of penal substitutionary atonement (together with the wicked, childish, inexcusable, or as J. I. Packer has put it, “the smarty-pants” caricature of penal substitution as “cosmic child abuse”).

There is much that could be said about this, but today I restrict my comments to the declaration of Revelation 1:5b where John predicates of Jesus Christ “glory and dominion forever and ever.” And what is the ground for this doxology? Why is Jesus deserving of such praise? It is because, among other things, he “loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood” (Rev. 1:5b).

This the only place in the NT where Christ’s love for us is in the present tense. John wants you to know that no matter what you endure, no matter how sorely you may be persecuted, no matter how badly circumstances may turn out for you and me, Jesus always has, does now, and always will love us. No matter what we face, he always has our best interests in view. His heart beats with passion for his people at all times.

And how do we know he loves us? What has he done to demonstrate that love? The last phrase in v. 5 tells us. The love of Christ for his people is demonstrated by his willingness to endure the judgment and wrath our sins deserved that we might be set free from the single most ominous threat to the eternal welfare of our souls: judgment in hell.

Here in v. 5 we see two motifs joined together: the love (motive) of Jesus for people and his voluntary expression of that love by freeing (action) us from our sins. This is an echo of what Paul said in Galatians 2:20 – “And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Again we read in Ephesians 5:2 – “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Perhaps your life is a shambles. Perhaps nothing has turned out as you hoped it would. Perhaps you are alone and financially destitute and your body suffers from chronic pain or a terminal disease, and all this stirs in your heart the question: “Does he really love me?” Hear the declaration of John: Yes! He loves you, and you can know this by turning your heart to the concrete, historical, tangible reality of Jesus on a cross for you, shedding his blood for you, and setting you free from death and condemnation.

To say that he has “freed us from our sins by his blood” means that the guilt of our sin that exposes us to divine justice and righteous wrath has been finally and forever removed. We are free from that guilt that puts our souls in eternal jeopardy. And please take note of how this happened. It isn’t because we are physically impressive or because of our good intentions or because of our eloquence, intelligence, or the many promises we have kept. And it certainly isn’t because we are sincere in our religious faith. We are liberated from guilt and divine judgment because our guilt was imputed to Jesus, our judgment fell upon him. His “blood” shed on the cross is what cleanses us from the stain of sin.

The shocking tragedy in our day is that professing evangelicals are attempting to speak meaningfully of God’s love, the death of Christ, and the forgiveness of our sins without reference to the righteous wrath of God which Jesus suffered and exhausted in himself on the cross. It was there that he died in our place, as our substitute, where we should have died. The reason why his death has delivered or set us free from the well-deserved consequences of our sins is that he shed “his blood” as a penal, sacrificial offering for sinners like you and me.

It was our “blood” that should have been shed. The punishment due unto our sin was eternal judgment and separation from the glorious presence of God. But Jesus made atonement for our transgressions by enduring in himself on the cross the penal consequences of our rebellion and idolatry.

Kathryn Tanner is not an evangelical. She is Professor of Theology at Yale University Divinity School. Many who claim to be evangelical Christians are embracing a view similar to hers. In Jesus, Humanity, and the Trinity, Tanner declares that “the sacrifice on the cross has nothing essentially to do with a blood sacrifice for the expiation of sin; Jesus’s death is the simple consequence of the life he led on behalf of others – his soteriological mission – in a sinful world” (29-30). Elsewhere she argues that “God’s forgiveness is a statement of fiat rather than a consequence of Christ’s passion.”

In other words, Jesus didn’t have to die in your place, suffering the judgment you deserved by shedding his blood on a Roman cross, in order that you might be forgiven. No, says Tanner, God forgave you by “fiat,” that is, by a simple, sovereign declaration that you are forgiven. “Christ’s passion” was not the necessary precondition for forgiveness. His blood need not have been shed at all for you and me to be “freed from our sins.”

If Jesus did not in fact voluntarily, lovingly, and freely take upon himself the guilt and condemnation that our sin deserved, thereby setting us free from the well-deserved consequences of our moral and spiritual rebellion against God, we have no hope. More than that, we have no “good news” (no “gospel”) to proclaim to a lost and dying world. To lose this is to lose Christianity. This denial of the penal substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ is, in my opinion, the most serious and severe departure from the faith in our day.

This article was written by Sam Storms and originally appeared at his blog. Find it here.

‎Jim Vining‎ to Understanding the Times SS Class

4 hrs · 

Romans 7:6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (NLT)

The power of the law is not what it requires – its power is the authority we willingly give to its ability to produce righteousness. The law may well define righteousness in our behavior but it has no power to produce it in our hearts. The power of the law demands the submission of our will regardless of our motive. Fear of consequences will inspire obedience to the law but it will not challenge our constant struggle to remain submissive. We do not die to the obligation to heed the moral, social and civil requirements of the law; but our new-birth changes our motive from struggling compliance to avoid consequences toward willing submission to enjoy intimate fellowship. The Holy Spirit guides us from demanding obligation toward willing obedience. The law no longer defines my righteousness – my righteousness is provided by the gracious merciful sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The law defines the chasm between my sin-nature and an infinitely holy God – Jesus Christ has not eliminated my compliance with what the Law commands; but He has provided the pure motive for my willingness to obey. The reverent fear of God allows the law to transform my thinking rather than simply control my behavior. The old way demanded precise obedience to every detail to avoid punishment and reveal the struggle of man’s rebellion – the new way uses humble devotion to transform my rebellion into willing compliance to experience intimate fellowship. 

Read through the Bible in one year – April 27/ Luke 19:28-48; 1 Kings 1,2

TOZER DEVOTIONAL

TOZER DEVOTIONAL
Thu, April 27, 2017
Our Infinite Worth in Christ
No matter how insignificant he may have been before, a man becomes significant the moment he has had an encounter with the Son of God. When the Lord lays His hand upon a man, that man ceases at once to be ordinary. He immediately becomes extraordinary, and his life takes on cosmic significance. The angels in heaven take notice of him and go forth to become his ministers (Hebrews 1:14). Though the man had before been only one of the faceless multitude, a mere cipher in the universe, an invisible dust grain blown across endless wastes--now he gets a face and a name and a place in the scheme of meaningful things. Christ knows His own sheep “by name.”

A young preacher introduced himself to the pastor of a great metropolitan church with the words, “I am just the pastor of a small church upcountry.” “Son,” replied the wise minister, “there are no small churches.” And there are no unknown Christians, no insignificant sons of God. Each one signifies, each is a “sign” drawing the attention of

the Triune God day and night upon him. The faceless man has a face, the nameless man a name, when Jesus picks him out of the multitude and calls him to Himself.

Verse
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
Colossians 2:9-10

Thought
As de Molinos put it: "he that hath God, hath everything; and he what hath Him not, hath nothing." In Christ we have God. We have everything worthwhile!

Prayer
O Lord, I am Yours and You are mine. What infinite worth!

William Warrington

1 min · 

True repentance is always accompanied by sorrow.
Repentance is a deep, radical, fundamental, lasting change;
and you will find that, whenever you meet with it in Scripture,
it is always accompanied with sorrow for past sin. And rest assured of this fact - that the repentance which has no tear in its eye, and no mourning for sin in its heart, is a repentance which needs to be repented of.
I say again that we have need to stand in doubt of that repentance which is not accompanied with mourning for sin; and even when Christ is clearly seen by faith, and sin is pardoned, and the man knows that it is forgiven, he does not cease to mourn for sin.
Nay, brethren, his mourning becomes deeper as his knowledge of his guilt becomes greater; and his hatred of sin grows in proportion as he understands that love of Christ by which his sin is put away.
In true believers, mourning for sin is chastened and sweetened, and, in one sense, the fang of bitterness is taken out; but, in another sense, the more we realize our indebtedness to God’s grace, and the more we see of the sufferings of Christ in order to our redemption, the more do we hate sin and the more do we lament that we ever fell into it. I am sure it is so, and that every Christian’s experience will confirm what I say.
Charles Spurgeon

William Warrington

1 min · 

In Need of a New Heart
Would you know the reason why so many hear the Gospel year after year, and yet remain unmoved by it? Their minds seem like Bunyan’s “slough of despond.”
Cartloads of good instruction are poured into them without producing any good effect. Their reason is convinced. Their head assents to the truth. Their conscience is sometimes pricked. Their feelings are sometimes roused. Why then do they stick fast? Why do they tarry? It is their hearts which are in fault! Some secret idol chains them down to the earth, and keeps them tied hand and foot, so that they cannot move. They need a new heart. Their picture is drawn faithfully by Ezekiel, “They sit before you as my people, and they hear your words—but they will not do them—for with their mouth they show much love—but their heart goes after their covetousness.” (Ezek. 33:31.) ~ J.C. Ryle

Dennis Osullivan

1 min · 

The great healer ---For a reason known only to God. He appointed humans to be His partners in the work of caring for creation ( Genesis 2:15 ), and doctored are amongst them. Doctors study medical science and learned how Got designed the body. They used this knowledge to help restore to a healthy condition. But the only reason doctors can do anything to make us better is that God created us with. the ability to heal. Surgeons would be useless if incisions didn't heal.
Scientists can learn how God created our bodies to function, and they devise therapies to help restore or cure us .but they are not healers God is ( EXODUS 15:26 ).Doctors simply cooperate with God's original intent and design.
So I am grateful for science and doctors and so our much much more, and our thanksgiving goes to God, who designed an orderly universe and us with minds that can discover how it works. I believe, and so should All, therefore, that all healing is Devine because no healing takes place apart from God!
We should say to God, you are the healer the great doctor above all doctors, and I ask for healing, whether mind, body, spirit or in all of these. I believe You give what is best for us. Thank You for Your goodness, kindness, and Love In All Things. In all things that are of Good We give praise and Give you thanks, O Father, in Jesus Precious Holy Loving Name Amen!
Be healed my family, friends, and sister and brothers around the earth, AMEN

Dennis Osullivan

18 mins · 

God is. And we can focus on Him .often we need to remind Ourselves. We focus on the difficulties of life and how to get through each day.And where is the Love? But if we pause and consider all that God has done for us, we remember how much we are loved by God, who is Love (1 JOHN:4:8-10).
Have the List in our minds the benefits GOD showers on us In Love | He Forgives our Sins (v3).He satisfies us with good things (v5)and executes righteousness and Justice (v6).He is slow to anger and abounds in mercy (v8). He does not deal with us our sins Deserve (v10). And has removed our sins as far as the east is from the West(v12).He has not forgotten us! God is love, that's what He is Love, and He's pouring out that Love on you and me! ( Our God is God - He's Love remains each day the Same - He's faithful to His matchless name - For God is God - He does not change - let us Stay tight with Him and do not change. The death of Christ is the full measure of Gods Love for All!
Power in Praise, whether we're facing a battle of any kind or feeling trapped, we can glorify our God in our hearts and song. Truly - " The Lord is great and greatly to be praised " Past 96:40 ")
Dear God you are Holy and Good. I worship you each day, like many other brothers and sisters do, despite that cloud which clouds some our visions of you. Let our souls tell of your Glory Forever! Thank you, Father fo our numerous blessings, in Jesus name Amen! Love you and Love all Dennis 

Jim Vining

28 mins

Matthew 4:19-20 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

If our primary motive of faith is personal ambition or gain through our devotion or service we waste the resources and reject the true purpose of His sacrifice. The Word clearly declares that Jesus Christ is the source of our promise and process. Jesus makes us effective ‘fishers of men’ by using circumstances and others to refine and mature our faith. How easy it is to blame the church or our leadership for our failure to grow spiritually – we resists the hand of God that disciplines and matures us through disagreement and disappointment of our expectations. The problem of speck vs. beam often inhibits spiritual maturity in our own lives. If we look to others for the character of Christ we will often be disappointed – even more, we may find ourselves doubting the hand of God within ourselves. ‘Follow Me’ has more to do with emulating Christ’s character and faith than duplicating His works. Discipline is not defined by what I see needs to be done – it is the willingness to accept what needs to be done in me. To follow Christ is to abandon all personal ambition and desire His will alone, in our lives. To passionately desire the guidance and humbly accept the discipline of the Holy Spirit.

Read through the Bible in one year – April 26/ Luke 19:1-27; 2 Samuel 23,24

TOZER DEVOTIONAL

TOZER DEVOTIONAL
Wed, April 26, 2017
Ennobled in Christ
One of the heaviest thoughts that can visit the human heart is the insignificance of the average man. Seen against the long procession of the ages and the countless multitudes of people who have inhabited the earth, we are each one no more than a grain of sand on the wide seashore.

It takes some reflection to make this appear to our minds as it really is. The human ego may be counted upon to accent our individual worth and to give a false permanence to what is anything but permanent. A man in his pride may feel himself to be so important that it is hard for him to visualize the world as continuing to endure after he is removed from the scene; but all we need to do is to wait. Time will grind him to dust and toss him to the winds; his friends will disappear one by one from their old familiar haunts, and there will be no one left to remember him. The passing generations will sift over him layer upon layer of forgetfulness, and he will no longer have any earthly meaning. He will cease to be a name and will become merely a statistic.

This consideration, if no other, should dispose us to embrace the message of Christ. That message is so full and so comprehensive that it is never possible to state in one paragraph or one page or one volume all that it is. It is doubtful, in fact, whether all the world could contain the books if the whole wonder of the gospel were to be written. But not the least among the benefits of the Cross is its dignification of the individual.

Verse
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but a son; aand since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Galatians 4::6-7

Thought
In ourselves we are a nothing. In Christ we have worth--eternal worth. Through faith in Him we become children of God.

Prayer
In myself I am a nothing. But in You I have eternal worth. Thank You, in Jesus' name.

Dennis Osullivan

9 hrs · 

Taking Root-----Jesus talked about seed and soils. In a parable in MATHEW 13, about what happens when the seeds of the Gospel is sown on various kinds of ground. He said that seeds that land on stones and "not much earth, grow quickly but then die in the sun ( vv5-6). He is speaking of a person who has heard and received the Gospel, but in whose life the message does not take root. When trouble comes, this person- who is not a genuine believer falls away!
How grateful we can be for JESUS ' words that conclude this parable ." He who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears Fruit "(v23).What a reminder of both the privilege and the responsibility that accompanies our Salvation.
Praise GOD for the seed of the Gospel and the soil of spiritual growth, Lord I will be the soil, in which you plant your Word with its promise of fruit, I want to be open hearted to You each and every day, so what you have planted in me will take Root!
[ A heart open to God is Soil in which,
You can plant your Word, with its
Promise of Fruit "; I want to be open,
To You every day, so what you have
Planted takes root!
A heart open to God is soil in which, the seed of His Word can flourish: Thank you, Father, put people in my life today, seed, who have seed, and I give you thanks , and I pray for All in Jesus Holy Name !
Lead me guide me steer me! Love You and Love All DENNIS ". AMEN "!

‎Jim Vining‎ to Understanding the Times SS Class

42 mins · 

Matthew 11:1 ¶ Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.

Waiting upon God with expectant hope is to place our lives under the sovereign care of our Lord – God is not looking for creative energy; He is looking for those who will listen, learn, obey and serve His purpose and plan. The commands of Christ have been delivered to all believers – our only reason for disregard is our neglect of Bible study. Christ left us with clear instruction based upon our faith in His redemption – we have been purchased by His precious blood to serve the eternal plan of the Father and we are obligated to be salt and light to a world facing His justice. Christ exhibited one passion during His brief earthly ministry; to share the Father’s eternal plan and purpose with mankind – the torch has been passed. We are not redeemed to simply exist in our churches until he returns to claim His own – our churches must be a place of instruction, correction, growth and resource for spiritual maturity and service, not a refuge to escape our duties of stewardship. Individually, we have been gifted by His Spirit to declare the gospel to the world. Some are called to give up everything to serve our Lord, but everyone is called to give up something to accept His call to service. We are stewards of our time, talents and resources to simply use them to expand His kingdom. 

Read through the Bible in one year – April 25/ Luke 18:24-43; 2 Samuel 21,22