Today's Devotions

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Showcase: Assorted Treats

  • Introduction to The Death of Death..by JI Packer +

    INTRODUCTORY ESSAY ___ to John Owen's The Death Of Death in the Death of Christ ___ By J.I. Packer _________ Read More
  • An Interview with Os Guiness on the 25th Anniversary of Francis Schaeffer's Death-Justin Taylor, 2009 +

    Next week (May 15) will be the 25th anniversary of the death of Francis Schaeffer, who died in his home Read More
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     Sylvia As we celebrate the Reason for the season, think of the shepherds and the kings at that holy birth. They didn't come just to see Jesus; they came to worship. They came to encounter their King Jesus, Messiah, Holy God, Light of the World in awe and wonder. It was a holy moment. I love the name of Jesus, Holy Child, in some translations in Acts 4:27 and 30, when the believers are gathered together to pray. They capture the full fruition of the Christmas story as they pray for God to stretch forth his hand to heal and do signs and wonders by the name of his Holy Child Jesus. Some translations use the word servant rather than child, but in the Greek the relationship of child is the first meaning, followed by servant. Both relationships portray the beauty of the gospel in just one word. At Christmas we celebrate the Holy Child who came as a Servant to become the sacrifice for us all.

 

      Listen to God's Word in Leviticus 20:8. "I am the Lord, who makes you holy." And Isaiah 41:16 "You will rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel." And Isaiah 12:6 "Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

     God's holiness is not what he does. Holy is who he is, the Holy One. He is without spot or blemish. His eyes are too pure to look on sin. Yet his plan of redemption called for Jesus to take our sins on himself and die to make us holy in him. We cannot make ourselves holy, no matter how hard we try or how perfectly we live. Our perfection is not holiness. Jesus was the only perfect one. The Hebrew word qadhash implies being pure, devoted to God, set apart for a special task or the worship of God. 

       Beloved one, be blessed with knowing your holy Father. Be blessed with knowing how the holiness of Jesus is counted to your credit in his death on the cross. Nothing you ever do can make him love you less or love you more. Be free from your perfectionism and the perfectionism of others, because through your Father's eyes he sees you as perfect in his perfect and beloved Son. Be blessed with joy in God's holiness and your own. Our culture does not associate joy with holiness, but God says that joyful shouting and singing are part of celebration of who he is. Celebrate the beauty of his holiness and the glory of your Holy One who accepts you completely and calls forth the best in you.   

                 Listen to Isaiah 43:1-3. "This is what the Lord says... 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.' " 

 

      Beloved one, your Father treats you with special care because you are set apart to him for his purposes, for his pleasure, and to his glory. Know deeply in your spirit that you are clean, you are dedicated, you are consecrated to God. Be blessed with freedom from anything that would make you unusable for your Father's glory. Reserve your heart's devotion and life's affection exclusively for your holy Father. Be blessed with appreciation that your Father knows you by name and will change the course of rivers and the nature of flames, if necessary, to keep his holy promises to you to be with you. Be blessed with freedom from fear because of his guarantee that nothing can destroy you. Be blessed with the power and authority of his names by which he identifies himself as your God, your Holy One, and your Savior.

     

Reflections to Consider

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Publications

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Music

  • Jesus be the centre

    Center is a song that speaks of the essence of our life in Christ, and echoes the words the Christ Read More
  • I Lift My Hands

    A powerful hymn of adoration and praise Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir. This succinctly captures the joy of knowing our savior. Read More
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Audio & Video

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Favorites

  • Transforming this World: The Hope of Glory by NT Wright +

    Wright confronts the perspective that this world doesn’t matter, and that we live only to be in heaven. He shows Read More
  • What is Good in a World that Defies Hope: a talk by NT Wright +

    This is the second part of three talks by NT Wright at Harvard University in November, 2008 on the topic Read More
  • The Stream, the Lake and the River: NT Wright +

      Acts 2.1-21; John 7.37-39; a sermon at the Eucharist on the Feast of Pentecost, 11 May 2008, by the Read More
  • Jesus in the Perfect Storm by NT Wright +

    Zechariah 9.9-17; Luke 19.28-48; A sermon for Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011, In the University Chapel of St Salvator, St Read More
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Hidden Blessings

  • Christ is a Great Savior: a review of the movie Amazing Grace +

    Amazing Grace is a historical drama about William Wilberforce who was elected to British Parliament at the age of 21 Read More
  • Wilberforce, Hollywood's Amazing Grace, Charlotte Allen +

    William Wilberforce's relentless campaign eventually led the British Parliament to ban the slave trade, in 1807, and to pass a Read More
  • Making Beauty out of Ugly Things: Grace by U2 +

    Grace, she takes the blame She covers the shame Removes the stain It could be her name Grace, she carries Read More
  • The True Nature of Grace and Love: a movie review of the Soloist +

    The 2009 movie The Soloist is based on a book by the same name, written by Los Angeles Times columnist Read More
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