May 30, 2022
ABIDE Devotionals
Good Morning
STABILITY in an UNSTABLE WORLD
(Click the link below to listen to the audio)
https://abide.co/prayer/xnc17u
“For we have become fellows with Christ (the Messiah) and share in all He has for us, if only we hold our first newborn confidence and original assured expectation [in virtue of which we are believers] firm and unshaken to the end.”
Hebrews 3:14 AMPC
https://bible.com/bible/8/heb.3.14.AMPC
Faith is a journey. Believers must be faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed. As time goes by, we must not let doubts or fears draw us away. The writer was concerned that the faith of some of these Hebrew Christians was faltering. He urged them to hold on so that they would, in the end, share in all that belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ. Jewish readers of Hebrews would understand this picture of faith because it was the actual experience of the generation that had fled Egypt in the Exodus. Through unfaithfulness and rebellion, the Israelites had lost God’s blessings. The writer turns to this theme in the following verse.
Verse 15 says – Remember what it says: “Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.”
By repeating a quote used in Hebrews 3:7, the writer continues to remind the people not to harden their hearts. The Israelites, when they rebelled in the wilderness, did not trust God, nor were they faithful to the end. Christians must be. The repeated (from Hebrews 3:13) word today shows the urgency of this message. Today we can act; we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Amen!
You may stop, wait, and read the ABIDE – Good Night, until one (1) hour before you go to bed to have a restful and peaceful sleep.
Abide – Good Night
TOUCHED by an ANGEL
(Click the link below to listen to the audio)
https://abide.co/prayer/r88dac
“Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”
Luke 1:34-35 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.1.34-35.NLT
Unlike Zechariah who desired a sign as proof of the angel’s words (Luke 1:18), Mary’s question displayed her faith. She merely asked how this miraculous event could occur because she was a virgin. She was engaged to be married and probably planned on having children. Engagements usually occurred when girls were in their early teens. Mary may have been as young as thirteen when this event took place. Her question reveals spiritual perceptiveness; she understood that Gabriel was referring to a miracle child to be born while she was still a virgin, prior to her marriage to Joseph. She naturally wondered how this was going to occur.
The birth of our Lord Jesus to a virgin is a miracle that many people find difficult to believe. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s miracles, transfiguration, and resurrection were all actual, historical events that defy explanation. They were acts of God in a human world. Christians’ faith, however, rests not on the virgin birth—indeed two of the four Gospels don’t even mention it. Faith rests on the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, not on His virgin birth. However, the virgin birth reveals two important facts: (1) In Jesus, God began a “new creation,” for through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, sin’s power would be broken. In Jesus, people can come to God for a personal relationship and be freed from the power of sin. (2) Jesus was God’s Son before he was even conceived in Mary’s womb. He did not become God’s Son at a later time. He was not accepted as God’s Son because of good behavior or obedience. He was not a man promoted to that position. God’s Son was born God’s Son. In the birth of Jesus, God Himself became human and entered the world—for fallen human beings! Therein lies the miracle! People are not meant to explain it, prove it, or ignore it—they are meant to believe it and worship God who made it happen. Amen!
Verse 35 described that Gabriel explained how Mary would become pregnant and yet remain a virgin. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you—these words picture the powerful presence of God coming upon Mary (see Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:34). This would indeed be a special baby, for He will be holy. Our Lord Jesus Christ was born without the sin that had entered the world through Adam. He was born holy, just as Adam had been created sinless. Believers must be careful not to explain that Jesus was sinless simply because He did not have a human father. To do so would mean that Mary would have been sinless, which she was not.
Our Lord Jesus’ sinlessness rests not on His miraculous birth to a virgin girl, but on the basis of His position with God. Through the birth of Jesus, God Himself entered the world in human form.
The title, Son of God, shows that our Lord Jesus Christ has a special role in God’s purpose, and that He is the expected Messiah. The mention of the Holy Spirit gives the name greater significance for it shows that God, through the Spirit, has a special role in creating this child. The connection of “Son of God” to “Son of the Most High” states our Lord Jesus’ divinity. In contrast to Adam, who disobeyed God, our Lord Jesus Christ would completely obey His Father, enabling Him to absolve the sins of the world (Romans 5:14-19).
Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
This concludes our Daily Devotional Good Morning & Good Night as of May 30, 2022.
Our local home church is BRIDGE CHURCH > https://bridge.church.
Please continue if you want to experience of being Born-Again Christian.
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:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7354863381?pwd=aFJXV0g4S0NZcUNVeGtZZ0NsTHVZUT09
Meeting ID: 735 486 3381
Passcode: 718522
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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