Tune and Prepare!

Prayer, Fasting, lent and other devoted events before Gd Almighty I would like to be short & pointed, clearly separating the recent {popular} practice from the biblical teaching about prayer and fasting. We can see various religious special days, pilgrimage, festivals and special events around us and I think this little study will surprise you. The 3rd century saw many changes in the then "Catholic" Church, which was in her new power in the Earthly domain. And new power means : carnal, political power-circles. In this way the "church" & the leaders significantly rethought (or over thought?) then "adjusted" and eventually replaced the original apostolic practice, which was based on Christ's teachings. The more religious pious people earned acceptance and benefit in the pagan Roman world the more spectacular and pompous ceremony took place around the church. Jesus Christ is crystal clear on this: "Do not lay up fo...

With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3) Ephesians 4 begins a whole new part of Paul’s letter. The first three chapters explain in glorious detail all that God has done for believers, freely by His grace. Starting with chapter 4, he tells believers how to live rightly, but only after having explained what God did for His people in Jesus Christ. Having considered and received all that God has done for us, we are to live with all lowliness and gentleness , not a pushy desire to defend our own rights and advance our own agenda. Before Christianity, the word lowliness always had a bad association to it. In the minds of many it still does; but it is a glorious Christian virtue (Philippians 2:1-10). It means that we can be happy and content when we are not in control or steering things our way. Having considered and received all that God has done fo...

"Put These Glasses On" Reading the Bible - to see what God sees "The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." Psalm 19:8 ...by nature we don’t see well. We don’t see ourselves as others see us, let alone as God sees us. Reading the Bible is like putting on a pair of glasses. You begin to see what God sees. You get to know what grieves and offends him. Reading the Bible will open your eyes to the sins that lurk in your life. How does reading the Bible open your eyes to see the sins you must avoid? Look, for example, at 1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1Cor 13:4-6). These two verses draw attention to at least seven sins that grieve the Spirit of God: (1) Impatience – love is patient (2) Envy ...

by todaydevotional.com Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy. Hebrews 12:14 For many years ReFrame's Russian-language ministry has been producing a talk show called The Dificult Questions . In this live radio broadcast we answer listeners' questions about the Bible and Christianity. But sometimes we hear from people who have a complaint rather than an inquiry. One caller recently shared that her family left the church because the congregation had many bitter divisions and fights. The woman said that these conflicts weakened her faith. In our Bible reading for today the author of Hebrews urges readers to "make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy." This is not an optional short-term activity but a necessity that requires our lifelong commitment. People who are at peace with God are responsible to pursue peace in their relationships with others. You see, when we seek peace with others, we somehow m...

by todaydevotional.com Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. Genesis 21:33 Abimelek, a local ruler, wanted to make a treaty with Abraham because, as he said, “God is with you in everything you do.” Abimelek played it safe and became an ally of Abraham rather than an enemy. At first glance, this may seem a minor incident in Abraham’s life, but at Beersheba we see that Abraham calls on the LORD as El Olam, “the Everlasting God” or “Eternal God.” The Hebrew word olam means “for a long time, always, forever.” El Olam thus reveals God as “the Everlasting God,” without beginning or end. Why would Abraham use the name El Olam here? Note that before encountering Abimelek, Sarah had given birth to Isaac, the son God had promised. Abraham saw that God was faithful to his promises from many years earlier. As a reminder that “the Everlasting God” keeps his promises, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree, a...