UNSPOKEN PRAYERS
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 I want to encourage all of you that God's love is real, he hears our prayers, and he cares for us. Sometimes we forget God's unconditional love and we run hard after him, which is good, but we forget that it's actually him running after us. Allow the grace of God to change your heart and put faith in your souls. God's ear is near to his children, and I want to remind of that kind of love that has always been available to you, his church and bride.

Persistent prayer - ask him again

6/23/2020

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Ask Him again to stir up and settle, make and remake, pour out His peace that passes all understanding, because frankly; you could use a hefty dose about now.
Yes and Amen.
Ask Him again for all that seems lost and all that seems nowhere even near the city of possible…and ask Him believing He can.
Yes. Ask Him again.
Not because you don’t think He heard you the first million times, but because you are realizing the longer you {truly} live, that persistence is a pretty strong faith-builder; not to mention how close it keeps you to Him for whom all things are possible and nothing is too hard, and because faith-based strength to persevere and closeness with your Creator is what you REALLY need.
Whew. Yes. Absolutely. Ask Him again.
With fresh eyes and a renewed spirit and a passionate resolve that He can, and if it’s His Will…He will.
And if it’s not, you will keep on asking. You will keep on seeking. You will keep on believing.
Because persistent faith is where it’s at.
It fastens it’s gaze on hope.
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Ignore the boise, Listen to the Signal

6/23/2020

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Dear reader,
The protests all across America are obvious, but what's most obvious about them is not what's most important... The message is more fundamental than the mess.
The vandalism and the looting are unnatural catastrophes, and they don't convey much more meaning than catastrophes of the natural kind.
Destructive people are always among us. They are the friends of chaos, and when their friend is unleashed, they rush to embrace him.
Thieves are always among us, too. Protection of property and law go hand in hand. When law is chased away, property is too. Under the circumstances, property can't be expected to stick around and hang out with its rightful owners.
Even the violence is less meaningful than it seems. Despite some brutal attacks – from and on the protestors – this isn't a rebellion. A rebellion requires a clear objective. Although the protestors are quite clear about what they object to, they are less clear about what they want to achieve in an ultimate sense.
The protesters' demands – justice, ending racism, and eliminating violent, bigoted, and incompetent behavior by the authorities – are so inarguable they almost cause a consensus headache. People of goodwill have been trying to achieve these goals for hundreds of years. In the case of the first demand – justice – people of goodwill have been trying to achieve it for thousands of years.
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THE MESSAGE OF HEAVEN

6/22/2020

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The entire Bible centers on a single, surprisingly simple theme: God loves you so much that He made a way to be forgiven for every sin, so you can spend eternity with Him. That’s the essence of the gospel, and the central subject of the Scriptures. The written Word of God is intended to help us understand this “good news.” By studying the Bible, we learn that each person needs to be saved (Romans 3:23), each person can be saved (Romans 1:16), and God wants each person to be saved (2 Peter 3:9).

What separates us from God is sin. No matter how good we think we are, every person is guilty of sin (1 John 1:10). Since God is absolutely perfect, no one deserves to spend eternity in heaven. Instead, we deserve to be separated from Him forever (Romans 5:16). No amount of effort, no good deeds, no money, no talent, no achievements are enough to take away this guilt (Isaiah 64:6). Fortunately, God doesn’t want us to be separated from Him, so He made a way to fix what’s broken (John 3:16-17).

That one and only way is through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6). God Himself came to earth, as a human, living a perfect and sinless life (Hebrews 4:15). He willingly died as a sacrifice to pay the debt for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). According to the Scriptures, anyone can be “saved”—forgiven by God and guaranteed heaven—through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:13). This isn’t a call for blind, ignorant belief (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1). It’s an invitation from the Holy Spirit to submission and trust (James 4:7). It’s a choice to let go of everything else in order to rely entirely on God.

There is nothing anyone can “do” in order to be saved. The only way a person can find salvation is by accepting Jesus Christ as their savior. This simply means believing that…

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THE GOSPEL

6/22/2020

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The entire Bible centers on a single, surprisingly simple theme: God loves you so much that He made a way to be forgiven for every sin, so you can spend eternity with Him. That’s the essence of the gospel, and the central subject of the Scriptures. The written Word of God is intended to help us understand this “good news.” By studying the Bible, we learn that each person needs to be saved (Romans 3:23), each person can be saved (Romans 1:16), and God wants each person to be saved (2 Peter 3:9).

What separates us from God is sin. No matter how good we think we are, every person is guilty of sin (1 John 1:10). Since God is absolutely perfect, no one deserves to spend eternity in heaven. Instead, we deserve to be separated from Him forever (Romans 5:16). No amount of effort, no good deeds, no money, no talent, no achievements are enough to take away this guilt (Isaiah 64:6). Fortunately, God doesn’t want us to be separated from Him, so He made a way to fix what’s broken (John 3:16-17).

That one and only way is through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6). God Himself came to earth, as a human, living a perfect and sinless life (Hebrews 4:15). He willingly died as a sacrifice to pay the debt for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). According to the Scriptures, anyone can be “saved”—forgiven by God and guaranteed heaven—through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:13). This isn’t a call for blind, ignorant belief (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1). It’s an invitation from the Holy Spirit to submission and trust (James 4:7). It’s a choice to let go of everything else in order to rely entirely on God.

There is nothing anyone can “do” in order to be saved. The only way a person can find salvation is by accepting Jesus Christ as their savior. This simply means believing that…

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how do I stay consistent in my Bible reading?

6/22/2020

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Let God Finish his work

6/20/2020

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Suppose I invited you to experience the day of your dreams. Twenty-four hours on an island paradise with your favorite people, food, and activities.  The only stipulation?  You’ll need to begin the day with one millisecond of distress.  Would you accept my offer?  I think you would. A moment is nothing compared to twenty-four hours.  Compared to eternity, what is seventy, eighty, ninety years?  A finger snap compared to heaven.
We point to our sick child, crutches, or famine.  “This makes no sense!”  Yet of all of his creation, how much have we seen?  Of all his work, how much do we understand?  A doorway peephole. What if God’s answer to the question of suffering requires more megabytes than our puny minds have been given?  Let God finish his work.  The forecast is simple.  We have some good days, we have some bad days, but God is in all days.
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WE HAVE BEEN ADOPTED

6/20/2020

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As followers of Christ, we are predestined for adoption (Eph. 1:5). We are redeemed as sons and daughters  (Gal. 4:5). We have received “the Spirit of adoption” (Romans 8:15) which leads us to cry “Abba! Father!” The Bible is FILLED with examples of adoption from Moses to Jesus.
Adoption is near and dear to the Father’s heart. It should be near and dear to ours as well. Adoption is nothing to be ashamed of and, instead, should be celebrated. Yet – it is humanly possible to forget. Because when a child becomes yours – when you are the one that wipes the tears and runny noses, when you are the one that gives hugs and kisses, when you are the one that child calls “mama” or “daddy” – the child has not just been given the right to be called your child but that is who that child is.
1 John 3:1-2 says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
This verse reminds me of some of the most beautiful words I have ever heard. As the judge declared that now taller than average little girl our daughter, he said these words “It is so ordered.” Our great high priest and judge of the universe declares us His Children. I don’t believe God dwells on our adoption status, but, instead, He dwells on us as His beloved children. It was so ordered long before our births, and is more precious than an earthly adoption could ever be. And as the mama of a perfect princess, that is saying a lot.
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The Prodigal Son

6/20/2020

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The story of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15: 11-32 is one of the most iconic parables in all of Scripture. There is arguably more artwork (sculptures, paintings, literature, stained glass) focused on the Prodigal Son than any of the other 30 parables in the Bible. It’s an epic story, praised for its beauty, extravagant grace, surprising narrative and simplicity.
But do you know the story as well as you think you do?
***
Here are a few insights from the Prodigal that could surprise you, but even if they don’t, it’s a powerful reminder about God’s extravagant grace toward us—his sons and daughters.
1. The word “Prodigal” doesn’t mean rebellious or lost—it means “wasteful” and “extravagant.” The word origin refers to a person who’s reckless and squanders their wealth.
2. The parable is fictional. The events in the story didn’t happen, but they’re meant to unpack a powerful truth through storytelling.
3. The story wasn’t told to encourage Christian parents with rebellious kids—it was told by Jesus to Pharisees and scribes to unpack the lavish love of God for sinners.
4. The parable of the Prodigal is the last of three parables Jesus shares about loss and redemption--The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Lost Son--and it’s best read in that context to understand the full force of Jesus’ narrative.
5. When the prodigal son asked for his inheritance, it was like saying to his father, “I wish you were dead.” It was a huge insult, weighted with shame and guilt.
But God never wants us to feel shame and guilt, and goes above and beyond to prove his lavish love and extravagant grace toward us. 

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Why Does God hide himself when we need him most

6/20/2020

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The world today seems to be falling apart. From the corona pandemic, where over 400,000 have died worldwide, to the unjust death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests, riots, and looting. Humanity struggles with questions about God’s seeming indifference.


What is the answer? Does He love us or not?  Is there a reason for His silence? In the Old Testament, Job asked some very similar questions when he experienced great personal tragedy. 
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A few Christian Thoughts on Fathers Day

6/20/2020

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FATHERS ARE CHILDREN ALSO
What Does Fatherhood Mean?
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In his earthly ministry, Jesus used “Father” more than any other name for God.1 And God has been father since before the foundations of the world were laid—in the mystery of the Trinity, he has always been Father to the Son. Yet, too often we forget what being a father is, what fatherhood means.
Some have assumed that by using that term Jesus is helping us understand God, something we do not know, by comparing him to something we do know, namely, human fatherhood. God is not a literal father, of course; rather, he has certain remote similarities to fathers. But actually, the associations are reversed: God is the literal father. Earthly fathers have certain remote similarities to him. The essence of fatherhood is found in God, not in human beings. And an awareness of vocation goes further: God exercises his fatherhood, in part, by means of human fatherhood.
Our Heavenly FatherScripture is clear that all earthly fatherhood finds its origin in our heavenly Father, but it also reveals more than that. When Jesus referred to his Father during his earthly ministry, “father” expressed his particular child-parent relationship, which he then extends to us. The word also captures an important aspect of who God is. Our God is not a distant creator or one who occasionally dabbles in history; he is a father.
Just as Ephesians 5 describes Christ’s connection with marriage, Ephesians 3:14–19 describes our Lord at work as a father:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:14–19)
From this Father “every family in heaven and on earth is named.” The word for “father” in the original Greek is pater; the word in this verse rendered here as “family” is patria. The two words are closely related. Greek scholar Marvin Vincent explains that “family” in our sense would be expressed in Greek as oikos, that is, “house.” (Compare the Reformation vocation of the “household.”) But patria means a set of individual families, all of whom have a common father. “Observe the play of the words,” comments Vincent, “which can scarcely be reproduced in English, pater, patria.” The verse is saying that from God the Father all lineages of fathers are named.2
What does our Lord do as our Father, according to this text? He grants according to his riches, strengthens with power, reaches even into our inner beings, and desires our eternal salvation through Christ. This is not a checklist, neither for him nor for human fathers, but it expresses the essence of loving service to children. When our Lord describes himself as a father, he does more than reward or chide or discipline. He even does more than teach. He who instituted family in the first place now draws us into his own family, where he reveals himself to us in love and generosity.
In the parable of the loving father and his two sons—also known as the prodigal son—Jesus talks about a father who has every right to be disappointed in his younger son (Luke 15:11–32). His son wants to leave his father and spend all his money and time in reckless living. This son valued money and pleasurable living over having a father. While the younger son was still a long way off, his father saw him. Recognizing him in spite of dirty clothing and extreme poverty, he was moved by compassion. Without another thought, he ran to, embraced, and kissed him. The father restored the prodigal to his former status and prestige as his son. In this parable God clearly connects fatherhood with his own abundant and unearned love and forgiveness.
He who instituted family in the first place now draws us into his own family, where he reveals himself to us in love and generosity.


When this same father learned that his older son was not rejoicing, he sought him and found him. He entreated him. He spoke graciously with him. He withheld nothing: “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours” (Luke 15:31). This father loved his two sons, in spite of pain, disrespect, and discontent, a picture of our heavenly Father with his generosity, patience, mercy, and tenderness. Our heavenly Father is constant. He does not leave us. He does not strike us down when we are angry or already defeated. He restores what is lost. This parable is very frank about how our heavenly Father sees and responds to us as our father.
God is not just our Maker—again, what we make is different from ourselves—but “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4–5). God becomes our father and fully incorporates us into his family: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:1–3). That God is our father means that, as his children, we have a special status. Families—patria—are one flesh with the father. This will be manifested fully in eternity. “We shall be like him.
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    My name is Cal, I'm the chief (and only person at this blog...I am a relatively new Christian and currently attend Union Church in Danville VA visit us online at https://www.unionchurch.co/

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