*The Greatest Commandment*

In *Matthew 22:37,* Jesus said: *"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."*

This verse is a powerful reminder of the greatest commandment, calling us to a wholehearted devotion to God. It challenges us to examine the depth and sincerity of our love for Him, urging us to go beyond following the rules of religious traditions and to cultivate an intimate, all-encompassing relationship with our Creator.

Loving God with all our heart means that our emotions and desires are aligned with His will. It means that we prioritize Him above all else, allowing His love to shape our affections and guide our decisions. When we love God with all our soul, we are committing our very being to Him. Our identity, purpose, and existence are rooted in His love, and we find our true fulfillment in living for His glory.

To love God with all our mind is to engage our intellect in the pursuit of knowing Him more deeply. It involves meditating on His Word, seeking His wisdom, and allowing His Truth to transform our thoughts and perspectives. This holistic love for God is not a one-time event but a daily, intentional choice to surrender every aspect of our lives to Him.

Reflecting on this commandment, we are reminded that our love for God should be evident in every area of our lives. It should influence how we interact with others, how we spend our time, and how we use our resources. As we grow in our love for God, we become more attuned to His presence and more responsive to His leading.

Today, let’s surrender our hearts, souls, and minds to God. Let us seek to deepen our relationships with Him, knowing that as we do, we will experience the fullness of His love and the abundant life He promises. Amen.
*A Prayer To Love God Fully*
Father God, You are worthy of all our love and devotion. You invite us to love You with everything we are- mind, will, and emotions. It’s so easy to become distracted or discouraged, but we want to be completely committed and surrendered to You. Help us to love You fully. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Social Media Plagiarism

What do y'all think about these content creators who are sitting at a desk with a microphone (and sometimes headphone) at the bottom of the video (with someone else's original video above them, who do nothing but point upward and say, "You gotta watch this!"? You can find them by Googling their name. But do they ever produce any original content? I can't figure out how our culture evolved to create systems which reward plagiarism. Now, do you wanna know why it bothers me? Because I'm a true content creator who's trying to make a difference with what God has given me - music, insights, etc. I guess since I've ranted again (several times lately) I guess I deserve whatever negative feedback I might get. Nevertheless, I'd really like to know if this bothers anyone else….

What Is Sin?

Sin is the transgression of the Word of God.

But what does it mean to transgress the Word of God? It means doing the opposite of what God has established.

The Word of God is a statute, a rule established by the Creator, and all human beings are meant to live according to these statutes. When someone stops living according to what God has established, they are transgressing His commandments. And the transgression of the commandments is sin.

And everyone who commits sin becomes imprisoned.

Do you understand where I’m going with this? There are chains on Earth.

You are physical matter, but you are also a spirit. God gave human beings rules to live by, to believe by, and to deal with spiritual matters through His Word, by faith in His Word, and also by obeying His commandments.

When a person does the opposite of what God has established, they enter into chains.

Just as there are prisons in the physical world, there are also spiritual prisons.

In the physical world, for example, there is pretrial detention. A person may not have been convicted yet, but depending on the crime committed and the circumstances, they may be imprisoned to prevent the risk of escape, obstruction of the investigation, or even the possibility of committing the same crime again.

So, that person remains imprisoned while awaiting trial.

In the same way, there are prisons here on Earth that function as a kind of pretrial detention. But afterward, the judgment comes.

And when the judgment comes, what can the sentence be? Hell.

That is why death also represents a judgment. And hell is the condemnation.

Do you understand?

Everyone who does not do the will of God, everyone who transgresses His commandments, becomes a prisoner. Everyone.

Even those who imprison other people can also be prisoners themselves.

Now, look at what happens when human beings choose not to live according to the rules that the Creator established for humanity.

When Earthly Differences End

Bible Text: Ecclesiastes 9:2

“All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked.”

When you refuse to be equal with your fellow man, brethren, friends, colleagues, or relations in status, wealth, achievements, position, and accomplishments, remember this: you will certainly be equal with them in the grave.

The grave does not recognize wealth or poverty, status or obscurity, position or power, achievement or failure. In death, every earthly distinction is stripped away. The rich and the poor, the influential and the insignificant, the celebrated and the unknown all pass through the same doorway of death.

There, we are reminded that everything we possessed, attained, and accomplished on earth was temporary. The body returns to the dust, and the soul stands before its Creator.

The grave may make us equal, but eternity reveals where our true destiny lies—before God, either in eternal separation from Him or in His eternal presence.

Therefore, while we live, let us not allow pride, competition, wealth, status, or earthly accomplishments to make us despise or consider ourselves superior to others.

For one day, the same grave awaits us all.

“For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” — Genesis 3:19

What matters most is not how highly we are regarded among men, but how we stand before God when this earthly journey ends.

God's Loving Heart.

Sunday 24 August 2026
Portland Metro Church Assembly of God
Church Services Notes: God gave them over to their desires
By Pastor Jon H.
(Bible verses King James version)

Romans 1:24-32- Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

1. The problem of the free will.

2. God abandoned them…

3. Three stages of God's abandonment to spiritual
and moral impurity.

4. When people trade truth for a lie.
Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

5. God's plan for sexual relationships.
Romans 1:26,27 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

6. The homosexual sins and desires
Romans 1:28-32- And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

7. How do we know that sin deserves punishment?
Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

“Christians have a mandate to promote a society characterized by justice. They recognize that God as Creator has moral authority over every creature and area of life; His will, reflecting His holiness, is an objective standard of right and wrong for all men in all ages. Accordingly, Christians will want to repudiate a dichotomy between a sacred realm of grace (or religion) where God’s revelation is followed and a secular realm of nature where autonomous standards of thought and behavior govern. All of life is religious.”

Greg L. Bahnsen

Fear is a clever adversary.

When we think of fear, the first things that come to mind are old, decrepit Victorian mansions or abandoned houses fueled by stories of stories of swinging chandeliers or doors that creak open on their own.

Or we might think of less dramatic fears: heights or flying or small spaces.

Unless you’re suffering from one of these or other phobias—or ghosts—it is rather easy to simply discard fear as something other people experience.

But fear is not so simple.

Most often, it sneaks into mind and festers and builds like a bacteria that, if untreated, to infection, sepsis, and even death.

You can try preventative measures to keep it at bay, but bacteria can still get in. And you never know until you’re infected until the symptoms appear.

This is the primary modus operandi of fear.
It sneaks in, debilitates, and even paralyzes.
Ultimately, it renders its victim completely helpless.

This came to light during an unrelated discussion with my wife.

We have been trying to put the finishing touches on my next manuscript, which frankly has been simmering on the backburner over the last several due to life distractions. Currently, it is coming down to fact-checking and formatting endnotes.
It is especially nerve-racking because, unlike my previous book, we chose to self-publish this one. We have to get it right. It is all on us.

It’s been difficult to release the manuscript. We’re haunted by the questions: is there more that can be done? Is the subject even all that relevant anymore? What am I missing?

We check and recheck every detail.

We don’t want to let go and send it into a very cruel world.

We both recognized this paralysis after hearing ourselves begin everything with the phrase: “I’m afraid…”

This realization suddenly made this year make sense.

I have felt a bit off most of the year. I have become more subdued, resigned, troubled. I thought I was hiding it okay until a former (and very discerning) student came up to me recently and asked, “Mr. H., are you sad?”

That simple, innocent question shook me into an awareness. I don’t necessarily think I am depressed, but something is not right.

Since then, between that question and this recent epiphany with my wife, I realized that fear has crept into my life and is now controlling my psyche.

The first part of 2026 has been difficult. Now, I won’t pretend that it was somehow more difficult than others. But it has been tough. The remainder of 2026 has been trying to recover from it.

Last March, within days of the door slamming shut on my wife’s 25-year career, I lost my mom. In a way, I lost her over the last several years as she sank into dementia, but last March her battle ended.

Add this to standard stresses associated with a second semester in a high school, which in and of itself is enough to deplete my tanks. Now I have to tap into mental and emotional resources that don’t exist.

Fast forward to the present and I can see how God was with us in the storm. He gave me mental and emotionally resources, I never knew existed. He took care of us despite a huge income drop and being uninsured for a couple of month. Further, I know that my mom is now thinking more clearly than I could ever dream.

God gets the glory.

However, the enemy used a different tactic to paralyze me. Out of these hardship, fear crept in. And now I realize I am infected with it.
Watching my mom sink into the darkness of dementia, I have become afraid that one day I might suffer from that myself. I am afraid of losing my mind.

Unfortunately, once fear has a foothold, it doesn’t stop there. Fear escalated from fearing dementia to fearing getting old in general.

I am only a few months away from leaving behind my fifties forever. I began to fear getting old.
I fear my body slowing down. Simple things become a little harder. My back, my knees, and feet start to hurt a little more. I have a little more trouble hearing someone in a noisy room. I am doing that weird thing with my glasses when transitioning between reading close up and at a distance. It takes longer to get over a cold. Last July, I turned an ankle in Colorado that still aches today. The thought of not driving because driving in the winter or at night just isn’t worth the risk. I don’t want to give up the things that require the energy I had when I was young. How many summer road trips do I have left? What happens when I can no longer match the energy of a classroom of high school students?

Fear takes that into a whole new direction. I really don’t want to stop teaching. I love the classroom. I love the cycle of the school calendar. But what happens when my body can’t keep up? Can my filters remain strong enough to keep me from saying something mean or stupid? Will I become tiresome, or in the way? Can I keep my teaching style and not turn into a grumpy old stooge? Worse yet, what happens when I become irrelevant?

I have found myself somewhat paralyzed by this fear.

And it has dragged me down.

It has made me “look sad.”

All of this came together with the recent discussion with my wife.

Fear has overtaken me. It has taken control of me.

But is it too late?

Thankfully, no.

The most used phrase in the entirety of scripture is: “do not be afraid.”

However, one important observation that seems to be overlooked is that that phrase is almost always spoken from the supernatural point of view: God to human, Jesus to human, heavenly messenger to human.

From a broader, heavenly perspective to a limited, natural one.

“Do not be afraid.”

I have thought about this constantly since that epiphany I had with my wife.

I should not—must not—live in fear. Not as a child of the King.

But how do you switch fear off? It is not as simple as a light switch.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

The enemy’s game plan is to always whisper thoughts into our head that will trigger fear.

We have to be on guard always. When we get the sense of fear, we must be deliberate and take that thought captive and replace it with truth: “My God is bigger”; “He is my protector and comforter”; “This thought is not coming from him”.

Fear does not sit on the throne, God does. Fear, by definition, is limited, God is infinite. Fear is merely a tool, God is the creator of everything, including us who are made in gis image. Only God can break through the paralysis fear brings and can heal us.

Does that mean those things I fear will never happen? No. They likely will. But however the upcoming years pan out, he is with you, with me.

And whatever the future brings, God is God. And he is good.

23-08-2026

A Heart That Reverences God

Revelation 15:4 (AMP)
“Who will not fear and glorify Your name, O Lord, and bring worship to You, for You alone are holy? For all the nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts [Your judgments and decrees] have been revealed and displayed.”

There is something powerful about recognizing who God truly is.
Revelation 15:4 gives us a glimpse of heaven and reminds us that God alone is holy, worthy of reverence, and deserving of worship. One day, every nation will recognize His greatness. Every human achievement, title, possession, and earthly accomplishment will fade in comparison to the glory of our Creator.

But we don't have to wait until that day to worship Him.
We can choose today to live with a heart that says, “Lord, You alone are worthy.”
Sometimes life becomes so busy that our attention shifts toward our problems instead of God's greatness. We can become consumed by what we need, what we fear, or what we cannot control. Yet worship redirects our hearts. It reminds us that God is still holy, still sovereign, and still worthy—even when we don't understand what He is doing.

The verse also says that the nations will worship because God's righteous acts have been revealed. His character is trustworthy. His ways are righteous. His judgments are just.
You may not understand everything God is doing in your life right now, but you can trust who He is.
Today, don't only worship God for what He has done. Worship Him for who He is.

He is holy.
He is righteous.
He is faithful.
He is worthy.
And He alone deserves your worship.

Prayer
Father, I worship You today because You alone are holy and worthy. Forgive me for the times I have allowed my circumstances to become bigger than my view of You. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on Your greatness and to trust Your righteous ways, even when I don't understand them. May my life become an offering of worship to You. Let my heart continually declare, “You alone are worthy.” In Jesus' name, Amen.

Today’s Reflection
What is one thing you can surrender to God today and replace with an attitude of worship and trust?

Declaration:
“Lord, You alone are holy and worthy of my worship. I will trust You, honor You, and praise You regardless of my circumstances.”

Creation points us to the greatness of our Creator.

Share this with someone who needs a reminder of God's greatness today.

#Psalm191 #GloryOfGod #GodsCreation #HisHandiwork #PraiseTheLord #CreatorGod #FaithInChrist #ChristianLiving #WalkByFaith #Lordsbook

Good evening, brethren.
1. Evening devotion for today.

ED.i. *DAILY WALK WITH CHRIST*
(COCIN DEVOTIONAL)

*DATE:*
SATURDAY 22ND AUGUST, 2026.

*SUB-THEME:*
YOUTHS: VESSELS OF GOD’S GRACE.

*TOPIC:*
REQUIRES OBEDIENCE.

*TEXT:*
GENESIS 22:2, 16-18.
2 God said, “Please take your son, your unique son whom you love—Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him as a burnt offering there on one of the mountains that I will point out to you.” Heb 11:17.
16 and said, “I have taken an oath to swear by Myself,” declares the LORD, “that since you have carried this out and have not withheld your only unique son,
Luk 1:73 Heb 6:13 [Eze 16:8] [Heb 6:14]
17 I will certainly bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in heaven and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the gates of their enemies. Gen 24:60 [Gen 46:3] [Neh 9:23] [Heb 11:12]
18 Furthermore, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my command.”
Gen 12:3 Gen 18:18 Gen 26:4 Act 3:25 Gal 3:8 [Gen 28:14] [Jer 4:2] [Luk 1:55] [Luk 24:27] [Joh 1:45] [Joh 4:22] [Joh 5:46] [Act 10:43] [Act 13:32] [Act 26:6] [Act 28:23] [Rom 1:2].

*TOPIC:*
REQUIRES OBEDIENCE.

*THE MESSAGE:*
In Christianity, being obedient means listening attentively to divine instruction and responding positively out of reverence for our Creator. When anything else occupies your heart, obeying God becomes difficult. Faithful obedience, as seen in Abraham's prompt response to God's command, requires trust and surrender, not rationalisation. Abraham obeyed God and was willing to sacrifice his only Son, the promised child. Like Jesus, our ultimate example, we must obey even when it is complex and costly. You must give up something of worth. Are you obeying God's instructions, or hesitating? Can you let go of a relationship that you hold so dearly to safeguard your faith? If you struggle, ask God for a heart that responds promptly and faithfully.

*REFLECTION:*
Obedience comes with blessings.

*PRAYER:*
Father, give me the grace to obey You promptly. Amen.

*MEMORY VERSE FOR THE MONTH:*
2 TIMOTHY 2:21.
"If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be instruments for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master, and prepared to do any good work."

*TODAY'S BIBLE READING PLAN:*
EZEKIEL 24-28.

ED.ii. WHEN WE COME TOGETHER

"What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up." - 1 Corinthians 14:26

When we come together, we call it a church meeting or service. In a meeting there should be room for the ministry of God's servant, so the church is educated and grows. But it is also important that the entire congregation participates. If you are a member of a church, then you are not a visitor nor a guest, but a member of the Body of Christ. The intention is that every member participates in the meeting. As the congregation consists of several people, it could become hyperactive. When everyone participates at the same time, it then becomes chaotic.

Order in church

Paul gives us insights about these things in his letters to the Corinthian church. Corinth was a young church with many activities. That is why they needed help with the order during the church service. They had to learn how such a meeting should be because they had recently been born again. There were gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church, but they did not know which gift to give priority to.

They also did not have much experience in dealing with new church members. They did not know how to resolve certain disagreements, etc. Paul wanted to help them. We have gained knowledge about these matters because Paul wrote and explained how everything should work. Paul says that 'the church may be built up' (1 Corinthians 14:26) and in 1 Corinthians 14:40 he says: 'but everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.'

Nobody is to have a hidden agenda. Let us live like the first church did. 'They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer' (Acts 2:42).


https://www.theblessingdevotional.com

2. Evening Prayer for today.

EP.i. Evening Prayer

And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; ⏤ Colossians 3:23

God does nothing except in response to believing prayer. ⏤ John Wesley

O God, by the teaching and example of Your dear Son, You have warned us to work Your works while it is day, before the night comes. Give us the spirit of earnestness and diligence so that we may faithfully do the work You’ve given us. Save us from laziness and sloth. Help us to understand the true meaning of life. Enable us by Your grace to do everything with all our might, whatever tasks come our way.

We ask Your forgiveness tonight for where we’ve failed to fulfill our duties. Give us grace and wisdom to use every talent You’ve entrusted to us, so that it may bring blessings and good into the world, and honor and glory to Your name. May we be faithful in every relationship in life. In our home, help us to fulfill our duties so that no part of our home life suffers. Help us to be faithful in all our business, social, church, state, and worldly responsibilities.

We also ask that You teach us how to make all our work Christian work—business for Jesus. Teach us how to do everything for Your glory. Let not our worldly activities steal our hearts away from our heavenly Master. Don’t let us become worldly while we are busy with the things we must do to provide for our bodies. Make all our work a means of grace to us. May we learn to do everything for Jesus. Then we will find a blessing in every task and duty. Grant that in all things we may honor and glorify You, forgetting ourselves. We ask this in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

https://www.youdevotion.com/daily-prayer/miller/48/evening

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