Our ComprtehensiveEquipment

OUR COMPREHENSIVE EQUIPMENT

 

This rather different expression showed up in the devotional article in ODB today Jan 1, 2015, and caught my attention. It was listed as a quote from

J. B.Phillips who wrote a version of the NT. The author David McCasland was quoting from (2 Tim 3:1-5, 10-17), apparently from this translation. This is a very interesting passage of scripture, that we should all be aware of, especially verses 16-17, "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work". NLT This is part of Paul's instructions to his young assistant Timothy, and certainly contains important information for all of us today who are followers of Jesus. Many people want to know at the start of a new year, what we will hold to? Will it be better or worse than last year? Only God knows what the future holds, but He has given some things to look for in His Word. And this passage gives us some insight as to what lies ahead of us this year.

 

Take time to read this whole chapter carefully and see what Paul told Timothy to expect. Paul warns of the things we can expect to happen in these last days, but we can know what he tells in (1 Cor 10:13) which is encouraging "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful; He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure". NLT This truth applies to any and all situations that may come your way in the future. Our author states "as the spiritual darkness of our world grows deeper, the light of Christ shines more brightly through all those who know and love Him. Jesus is our joy and hope—today, tomorrow, and forever". This is certainly a true scriptural truth that we can depend on, and share freely with others. Our author then includes this prayer "Heavenly Father, the trouble in this world can divert our eyes from You. Thank You for Your Word that helps us stay focused. May we find our delight in Your love and share it with others today". Then he ends his article with these words "The powers of evil around you are no match for the power of Jesus within you". To this I add my AMEN!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                                                                             01/01/15

Remember The Wrapping

REMEMBER THE WRAPPING

 

I was impressed by the devotional message from Joe Stowell in the ODB today Dec 22, 2014. He called it "Remember The Wrapping", he was referring to what Jesus chose as His divine wrapping when He came to earth to be "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world", (John 1:29). He and Father could have chosen a completely different introduction of God the Son to our world. They could have made it a celestial show of glory, but instead made it a humble birth in a lowly animal trough in a stable outside an inn in the village of Bethlehem. See (Phil 2:6-7) NLT for the details of the wrapping that was chosen for Jesus, when He took upon Himself the "likeness of a human being". Remember what God said in (Gen 1:26) "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us". And we know that Adam and Eve were the first specimens of the new species created in the image of God, as perfect human beings. And of course they were deceived by our enemy Satan into disobeying God and allowing sin and death to enter creation, and it became a "fallen world". (Rom 5:12-21).

 

Why is this "wrapping" that Jesus chose to come to earth in so important to us? Because Jesus humbled Himself and became a human like us He knows every sort of emotion that we might experience. He was unjustly accused, and abandoned and betrayed by friends, scripture tells us that "He was tempted in everyway like us, and yet without sin". Because He was the one and only "God/Man" who was 100% God yet was also 100% man, so His death on the cross was the only adequate payment to settle the debt we all owed because of the inherited sin of our original parents, plus all the other sins we have committed in our lifetime (Rom 6:23). As Paul states so clearly in (Rom 3:9-26), Jesus who knew no sin became sin for us humans, so we could take on His righteousness. (2 Cor  5:17-21). This is the main point of the "good news" of the gospel of the Kingdom of God. This is why it is so important to understand the miracle of Christmas that Jesus became one of us, in order that He could give His life as a sacrifice on the cross on Mount Calvary some 2000 years ago, (no one killed Jesus). He freely gave up His Spirit, so that we who are sinners can be saved by placing our faith and trust in the finished work of the cross. What a wonderful Savior is Jesus Christ our Lord, Praise His wonderful Name!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                                                                                  22/12/14

FOR SALE "AS IS"

FOR SALE—"AS IS"

 

We often see an article for sale with this sign attached, whether it is a used car or an old house. It usually means the present owner does not want to spend the necessary cost of repairing the item. What it really means is for "the buyer beware", it will probably cost more to repair it than it's worth.

Aren't you glad our Creator doesn't feel that way about us when He calls us to come to Himself through His Son Jesus? He receives us "As Is" in our sin and darkness, knowing that His Holy Spirit has the power to clean us up from whatever condition we may be in. All He needs from us is a decision to believe by faith what Jesus did for us on the cross, and accept Him as Lord and Savior. Then Father does the rest by adopting us into His family and gives us the gift of His Holy Spirit to abide with us forever. This is the "Good News" of the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and is available to anyone who chooses to receive it.

 

As believers in Jesus, and committed followers of Him as members of the "Body of Christ" we have the privilege of sharing this good news with everyone we meet. All we need is to know Jesus as Savior through the "New Birth" experience, and a desire to share Him with others. Jesus tells us clearly in (John 14:6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me". And the Apostle Paul explains in

(2 Cor 5:17) "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old is gone, a new life has begun". NLT Then if we read verse 18-21 we are told that "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors. God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, come

back to God! For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Him". NLT

 

This is certainly good news, that God can take us "As Is", and make us into a completely new person by His marvelous grace. All by a simple choice on our part have you done that yet? And if not why not? God always leaves the choice up to us, so I would suggest you take Him at His Word!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                                                                                     01/12/14

 

 

 

 

 

True Love

TRUE LOVE

 

In the daily devotional in ODB today Oct. 31, 2014, the author Bill Crowder called it "What Love Is", and he used a line that caught my attention "Real love has a lot to do with sacrifice". This word "love" in our English language can be used in a number of different ways with completely different meanings. For example we might say "I love pizza", or "I love my dog or cat", or "I love my new car", or we can say "I love God". This one little word can be used for all these different examples, but we are limited to this one word. The Greek language that most of our NT scriptures were written in had several different words for "love", for example [Agape] and [Eros]. These two words in Greek were both translated into English as love, although their meaning is quite different. Agape is used in (1 John 4:7-8) where we read "God is Agape". Every time John uses love in these verses the Greek word was always Agape.

 

The best example of "Self sacrificing" love is what we see in (John 3:16-17) or in (Rom 5:8) where our Creator God loved us so much that He allowed His own Son Jesus to become "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world"  (John 1:29). This is the type of love that we as followers of Jesus should be continually showing towards the other members of the "Body of Christ". If the world around us saw more of this type of "self sacrificing love" operating in our churches, I'm sure they would be more interested in knowing more about the Good News of the "Gospel of The Kingdom of God" that we are to represent! As part of the true Church that Jesus said He would build (Matt 16:18), we who are followers of Jesus and part of this true Church, often referred to as the "Body of Christ" have our work cut out for us.

 

How do you suppose we could improve our witness to the world around us, to show them more clearly the change of heart that happens to us when we are "born again" and become a child of our Father? I think we need to give this some serious thought, and do as Peter commands us in (1 Peter 3:15) in the NLT version "Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it". That doesn't sound too difficult does it? The main thing is to be showing sacrificial love to others in the Body of Christ that will cause others to notice, and ask you the question "why are you doing that"? Then tell them!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                                                                                   31.10/14