February 8, 2022

ABIDE Devotionals

Abide – Good Morning

Word Warriors: I Am Powerful, Loving, and Self-Controlled!

https://abide.co/prayer/hyjueg

In 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT says, “7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

Timothy experienced constant opposition to his message and to himself as a leader. His youth (see 1 Timothy 4:12), his association with Paul, and his leadership had come under fire from believers and nonbelievers alike. Perhaps Timothy felt intimidated, angered, even helpless in the face of the opposition from the false teachers. Whatever the degree of his difficulties, Paul urged Timothy to boldness by reminding him of his call, his gift, and God’s provision (see 2 Timothy 1:6). God has not given His people a spirit of fear and timidity; rather God provides:

  • Power – We do not need to have naturally powerful personalities. God gives strength of character and confidence that wins us respect when we face opposition as we speak, preach, and live the truth. God supernaturally replaces any timidity on the servant’s part with boldness. Such power is difficult to discredit.
  • Love – Accompanying the power to speak the truth must be love for the listeners, believers and nonbelievers alike. Love separates Born-Again Christians from the heathen world around them. Indeed, love separated the minister of our Lord Jesus Christ from the false teachers. Such love is difficult to dismiss.
  • Self-discipline – This can also be translated “self-control” or “sound mind.” In order to lead others, true ministers must control themselves. To put it another way, a good leader must have a cool head. Such control, such “soundness” is difficult to disclaim.

All of these qualities are gifts of the Holy Spirit, not just natural tendencies. They function best in harmony. Under the pressures of leadership, people tend to gravitate toward a desire for power and boldness as the most effective tools for success. But used alone, these qualities are self-defeating. The inclusion of love and self-control clearly indicates that a leader’s effectiveness comes from God’s Spirit. We may be impressed by a leader who exhibits boldness and power, but without love or self-control, such a leader is little more than a bully.

You may stop, wait, and read the ABIDE – Good Night until before you go to bed to have a restful and peaceful sleep.

Abide – Good Night

King of All Kings

https://abide.co/prayer/5ickyb

In 1 Timothy 6:10-16 NLT says, “10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so, run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. 13 And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 15 For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. 16 He alone can never die, and He lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach Him. No human eye has ever seen Him, nor ever will. All honor and power to Him forever! Amen.

People often misquote this verse, saying, “money is the root of all evil.” But it is the love of money that Paul speaks against. Money itself is not evil; in fact, money can do much good for the furthering of God’s Kingdom. Money supports missionaries around the globe; money helps organizations fight for Christian causes in government; money supports churches and church leaders; money helps feed the hungry and clothe the poor.

Obviously, while God doesn’t need money (in fact, all the money in the world belongs to Him), He can use money given by generous people to help those in need. These people can give because they control their money. The problem happens when money controls people.

People who love money are controlled by a ruthless, insatiable master, for the love of money can never be satisfied. Loving money is at the root of all kinds of evil: marriage problems, illegal acts, blowups in partnerships, envy, immorality, lying, ruthlessness, stealing, and a willingness to even hurt others if it makes money. The worst scenario, of course, is that money would actually lead a person from the faith. It’s tragic when money replaces God in a person’s life. These greedy people found themselves pierced with many sorrows. The picture is that they were being impaled by sharp objects that they continued to push against. Instead of God’s way, they chose a path that was taking them deeper and deeper into a briar patch of trouble. Instead of the happiness they expected, money brought grief.

In contrast to the “some” of Verse 10 who had wandered from the faith in their quest for riches, Paul addressed Timothy as a man of God who should run from all these evil things, and instead to follow what is right and good. This involves wholehearted efforts to grow into the kind of person God has already declared He would be in eternity. To pursue a godly life means doing actions in line with God’s character. These overlap in meaning – the first emphasizes obedience, while the second emphasizes the God-centered motives for obedience.

Faith and love are fundamental to Christianity and basic to Paul’s teaching (see 1 Corinthians 13:13). The qualities of faith and love are constantly under improvement by the work of God’s Spirit. Our capacity to trust must grow and be renewed, and the development of our love for God and for others involves a lifelong construction project.

Born-Again Christian Believers are to pursue these in the sense that we practice what we already understand, while praying that we might understand and practice more.
Perseverance in persecution and trouble are vital for all believers; Timothy would need an extra dose of perseverance as he led a large congregation through difficult days ahead.

Pursuing perseverance would require a willingness to undergo suffering. Gentleness seems an odd quality for Timothy to pursue; after all, he was already timid and Paul had told him to deal firmly with false teaching. However, gentleness can reveal more power than roughness or harshness. Perhaps by mentioning this, Paul was affirming a positive quality that was already a part of Timothy’s character. The false teachers could have no power against a righteous, gentle leader with the truth on his side.

Using the same word, he used in 1 Timothy 1:18 to describe Timothy’s work in Ephesus, Paul described furthering the Gospel as a fight – but it is the good fight for what we believe. The verb tense in Greek implies that this fight is an ongoing, continual process requiring diligence and discipline. Timothy would continue a fight already begun by others. Believers today continue the fight for which Timothy and Paul offered their lives.

Those who fight the good fight of the faith can already hold tightly to their prize. Eternal life had been given to Timothy (as for all believers) at the moment of conversion (see John 5:24; 1 John 3:14; 5:13). When a person confesses faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, eternal life begins. Reflecting the confidence Paul had in the outcome of Timothy’s life, Paul reminded him of what he had confessed so well before many witnesses. The specific incident Paul had in mind has been identified as unknown, but the fact of Paul and Timothy’s long association would have given the elder any number of occasions to observe the younger’s faith in action.

Several times in this letter, Paul has charged, commanded, and urged Timothy toward various actions. Here again, Paul made a command to Timothy (see 1 Timothy 6:14). Just as Timothy made a good confession before many witnesses, our Lord Jesus Christ gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate. The good testimony is understanding and telling who Jesus is. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s trial before Pilate is recorded in the Gospels: Matthew 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 23:2-3; John 18:36-37. No matter how difficult circumstances might become, Timothy always would have the example of our Lord Jesus Christ who remained faithful in the face of death.

Paul urged (1 Timothy 6:13) Timothy to obey the commands with all purity, referring to Paul’s previous instruction to continue in his pursuit of godly character. Then no one would be able to find fault with him. The commands need only be followed until our Lord Jesus Christ returns. At that time, the good fight will be over; the battle will be won.

Our home church is https://bridge.church.

This concludes our Daily Devotional Good Morning & Good Night today as of 02/08/2022.

Being Born-Again Christian Believer

Please continue to scroll down if you have not experience of being Born-Again in Spirit as our Lord Jesus Christ said in these passages of John 3:3-8 NLT, and I quoted below;

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you; no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

Let’s meditate and look for the life application of these passages.

What did Nicodemus know about the Kingdom? From the Bible he knew it would be ruled by God, it would be restored on earth, and it would incorporate God’s people. Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed to this devout Pharisee that the Kingdom would come to the whole world (John 3:16, see The Gospel – The Good News), not just the Jews, and that Nicodemus wouldn’t be a part of it unless he was personally born again (John 3:5). This was a revolutionary concept: The Kingdom is personal, not national or ethnic, and its entrance requirements are repentance and spiritual rebirth. Our Lord Jesus Christ later taught that God’s Kingdom has already begun in the hearts of believers (Luke 17:21). It will be fully realized when our Lord Jesus Christ returns again to judge the world and abolish evil forever (Revelation 21–22).

The Words > “Of water and the Spirit” could refer to (1) the contrast between physical birth (water) and spiritual birth (Spirit), or (2) being regenerated by the Holy Spirit and signifying that rebirth by Christian baptism. The water may also represent the cleansing action of God’s Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Nicodemus undoubtedly would have been familiar with God’s promise in Ezekiel 36:25, 26. Our Lord Jesus Christ was explaining the importance of a spiritual rebirth, saying that people don’t enter the Kingdom by living a better life, but by being spiritually reborn.

Who is the Holy Spirit? God is three persons in one – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God became a man in Jesus Christ so that Jesus Christ could die for our sins. Our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead to offer salvation to all people through spiritual renewal and rebirth. When our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, His physical presence left the earth, but He promised to send the Holy Spirit so that His spiritual presence would still be among humankind (see Luke 24:49). The Holy Spirit first became available to all believers at Pentecost (Acts 2). Whereas in Old Testament days the Holy Spirit empowered specific individuals for specific purposes, now all believers have the power of the Holy Spirit available to them. For more on the Holy Spirit, read John 14:16-28; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; and 2 Corinthians 1:22.

Our Lord Jesus Christ explained that we cannot control the work of the Holy Spirit. He works in ways we cannot predict or understand. Just as you did not control your physical birth, so you cannot control your spiritual birth. It is a gift from God through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12; 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 6).

Let me encourage you to visit this page link An Invitation to Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ | HOME FELLOWSHIP CHURCHES in how you can experience of being Born-Again Christian Believer. Amen!

The Gospel – The Good News

In John 3:16-17 NLT says, “16 “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”

The message of The Good News – The Gospel comes to a focus in these verses. God’s love is not static or self-centered; it reaches out and draws others in. Here God sets the pattern of true love, the basis for all love relationships – when we love someone dearly, we are willing to give freely to the point of self-sacrifice. God paid dearly with the life of His Son, the highest price He could pay. Our Lord Jesus Christ accepted our punishment, paid the price for our sins, and then offered us the new life that He had bought for us. When we share the Good News with others, our love must be like our Lord Jesus Christ’s – willingly giving up our own comfort and security so that others might join us in receiving God’s unconditional love.

In John 14:6-7 NLT says, “6 Jesus told him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had really known Me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!”

This is one of the most basic and important passages in Scripture. How can we know the way to God? Only through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Way because He is both God and man. By uniting our lives with His, we are united with God. Trust our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit to take you to our Father God, and all the benefits of being God’s child will be yours.

Home Fellowship Churches Services

We are glad to invite you all to join us in person at our church, and/or in our Zoom Services; Evangelism, Leadership & Discipleship at 5 pm every Sunday except some holidays and important events of the month, Bible Studies on Tuesday at 7 pm, and Praise & Worship/Karaoke on Friday at 7 pm Central Time (CT). Karaoke location TBA or call/text/email us. Our home church is at https://bridge.church.

To Join our Zoom Meetings, just click the link below:
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If you have any questions and/or concerns, please don’t hesitate to send them to:

Email: trinityblessings@homefellowshipchurches.org

Podcast Messages & Bible Studies Topic: Fruit of the Holy Spirit, God’s Promises for All Our Every Needs, Books of Leviticus, the Gospel Books (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John), Revelation and Romans, Pastor/Chaplain Elias’ books – “From the Words and Thoughts to the Swords and Battlegrounds”, and “From the Battlegrounds and Wars to the Overcoming and Victories” portions (to be published soon).

Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples,

Pastor/Chaplain Elias Aguilar Busuego Jr PhD DTM

Small Group Leader – https://bridge.church > ENCOURAGE > ENLIGHTEN > EMPOWER

Founding Pastor – Home Fellowship Churches – https://homefellowshipchurches.org

Chaplain – American Legion (AL) District 10 – Texas, AL Post 302 Hutto, TX, formerly at AL Post 447 Round Rock, TX

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Published by Elias A Busuego Jr PhD DTM

Elias A. Busuego, Jr., PhD, DTM is self-described as “proud of the only two women in my life – my wife and my daughter (with her husband and one grandson & one granddaughter). I am also proud of my three sons: John and his family (two sons & 1 daughter); Christopher and his family (with his wife and one grandson & one daughter); and Elias Jr. IV and his family (with his wife and one son & one daughter), who are all serving in the U.S. military.” The author states that he read the Bible back-to-back, and learned the history behind it, but did not understand its deeper spiritual perspective until he experienced of being Born-Again, born in spirit. Since he was Born-Again on March 17, 1972, he started understanding the Passage and/or Scripture on John 3:3-7 NLT. These are most of his favorite verses. In John 3:3-7 NLT says, “3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again? "Jesus replied, “I assure you; no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ In John 3:5 – This statement has perplexed and divided commentators for many centuries. Some traditions have taught that the water denotes physical birth (referring to the “water” of amniotic fluid or even semen) and Spirit to spiritual birth – in which case our Lord Jesus Christ would be saying that a person has to have two births: one physical and the second, spiritual. This view builds upon the preceding context when Nicodemus referred to physical birth. It also points to the parallel our Lord Jesus Christ makes in verse 6. According to this position, our Lord Jesus Christ would have been granting the Pharisee’s point in order to highlight the nature of the second birth as spiritual. Two strengths of this interpretation are that it avoids making the physical act of water baptism a necessity and that it avoids bringing almost a “third birth” idea into the discussion. If water doesn’t refer to natural birth, say its defenders, then our Lord Jesus Christ seems to be saying that a person must be born of their parents, born of water, and born of the Spirit. Other traditions have taught that the water refers to baptism and the Spirit to spiritual regeneration – thus, our Lord Jesus Christ would have been saying that a person must both be baptized and receive the Spirit in order to enter the Kingdom of God. This view is at times influenced by the belief that the sacrament of baptism is itself a requirement for salvation. A parallel view makes water refer to baptism but places the emphasis on teaching two steps of baptism; one by water, the other by the Spirit. For support, these views point to the larger context in John where John the Baptist and water baptism are mentioned just preceding the events in Cana and following this encounter with Nicodemus. They also rely on the tendency of previous generations of Christians to equate the mention of water with baptism. But in the first seven chapters of John, water appears in some way (naturally or symbolically) in each chapter. To associate water and baptism too closely makes baptism a higher priority than the Scriptures give it. Here, for instance, if our Lord Jesus Christ was speaking of two completely separate acts, two baptisms, it is odd that the rest of the discussion between our Lord Jesus Christ and Nicodemus never again refers to the subject but revolves entirely around the work of God’s Spirit. Still other traditions have taught that our Lord Jesus’ reference to water is not physical in either the sense of birth or baptism. The term water is simply another description of the Spirit – or the Spirit’s activity of cleansing and giving life (see John 7:37-39). In John 3:6 – Humans can produce only more human beings; this answers Nicodemus’s question in verse 4. Only God the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. At the same time God puts His Spirit into us, we are given a new regenerated human spirit. It is God’s Spirit, not our effort, that makes us children of God (John 1:12). Our Lord Jesus’ description corrects human hopes that we might somehow inherit goodness from parents or earn it by good behavior, church background, or correct associations. At some point we must be able to answer the question: Have I been born of the Spirit? In John 3:7 – Our Lord Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus that evening has been heralded to all the world ever since. Both Jew and Gentile have heard the divine mandate: You must be born again. Without the new birth, one cannot see or enter into the Kingdom of God. In those words, millions have heard our Lord Jesus Christ speaking directly to their hearts and our hearts. Behind our Lord Jesus’ challenge is His invitation to each of us –” You must be born again; allow me to do that for you.” Since he was born again on March 17, 1972, he started also understanding his other favorite Passage on Romans 12:2 NLT. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” When Elias offered his entire self to God, a change happened in his relation to the world. As one of Born-Again Christians, he believes we are called to a different lifestyle than what the world offers with its behavior and customs, which are usually selfish and often corrupting (Galatians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:14). He commented that Born-Again Christians are to live as citizens of a future world. There will be pressure to conform, to continue living according to the script written by the world, but Born-Again Christian believers are forbidden to give in to that pressure. But refusing to conform to this world’s values must go even deeper than the level of behavior and customs – it must go to the transforming of the way we think. In Elias testimonies as a Born-Again Christian believer, he emphasized that born-again is an experience and he experienced a complete transformation from the inside out. And the change must begin in the mind, where all thoughts and actions begin. Much of the work is done by God’s Spirit in us, and the tool most frequently used is God’s Word. As we memorize and meditate upon God’s Word, our way of thinking changes. Our minds become first informed, and then conformed to the pattern of God, the pattern for which we were originally designed. When we as Born-Again Christian believers have had our minds transformed and are becoming more like our Lord Jesus Christ, we will know what God wants and we will want to do it for it is good, pleasing to God, and perfect for us. It is from those gleanings that he was able to write this book.