*It Will Not Pass From Us...*

"He went away a second time and prayed, 'My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done'" (Matthew 26:42).

Even though Jesus knew He was born to die, He prayed earnestly to the Father before His betrayal. The Scripture says, "Surely, in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird" (Proverbs 1:17). Yet, Jesus knew well the day of His death. He knew exactly how He would suffer and die. Nevertheless, He fully surrendered Himself to the Father's will.

Knowing He had to taste the cup of death placed in His hands by the Father, Jesus prayed, "If this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, let Your will be done."

At times, we must walk through the suffering that lies before us. When we face such tribulations, we should remember the event of Jesus's death. For the Scripture says, "...we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God..." (Acts 14:22).

Just as Jesus endured suffering and received glory from God, if we too learn to walk through our own sufferings, we can attain eternal glory.

*Tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope...* (Romans 5:3)

Amen.

Daily Meditation:

August 19
“WHO GOD IS TO ME”
MY SHEPHERD
Psalm 23:1 (LLV) —
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Perhaps
no picture
of God
is more familiar
than this one.
A shepherd.
And perhaps
because it is
so familiar,
we can read
the words
without stopping
to consider
what David
was actually saying.
“The LORD
is my shepherd.”
David knew
what being
a shepherd
required.
A shepherd
did not simply
point the sheep
toward a pasture
and walk away.
He stayed
with them.
He knew
where water
could be found.
He searched
for safe pasture.
He watched
for danger.
He tended
the injured.
He searched
for the wandering.
And when darkness
came,
the shepherd
was still there.
So when David
called the LORD
his Shepherd,
he was saying
something deeply
personal.
God
knows me.
God
leads me.
God
watches over me.
God
provides
what I need.
And God
stays
with me.
Then David adds:
“I shall
not want.”
That does not mean
we will receive
everything
we desire.
The sheep
does not choose
the pasture.
The shepherd
does.
The sheep
does not know
where tomorrow's water
will come from.
The shepherd
does.
“I shall not want”
is therefore
not a promise
that life
will contain
everything
we wish for.
It is
a declaration
of trust.
My Shepherd
knows
what I need.
There will be
green pastures.
There will also be
dark valleys.
There will be
still waters.
There may also be
enemies.
David will tell us
all of that
before the psalm
is finished.
But through
every changing scene,
one thing
does not change.
The Shepherd.
Perhaps
that is why
David begins
there.
Before the pasture.
Before the water.
Before the valley.
Before the table.
Before the overflowing cup.
The LORD
is my shepherd.
Everything else
in Psalm 23
rests upon
that truth.
A new beginning does not need to know everything about the road ahead:
I only need to know that my Shepherd knows the way.
Reflection: Am I trusting my Shepherd to know what I truly need, even when His path or His provision looks different from what I expected?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for being my Shepherd. Thank You for knowing me personally, providing for me faithfully, watching over me carefully, and never abandoning me along the way. When I cannot see what lies ahead, help me trust that You can. Teach me to follow Your leading and rest in the assurance that my Shepherd knows exactly what I need. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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God's mercy is a gift of His sovereign grace.

Share this with someone who needs a reminder of God's amazing mercy.

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THE HARD TRUTH ABOUT DISCIPLESHIP

“So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” —Luke 14:33

It has been said, “There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”

This statement reminds me of the account in Matthew 19 of the rich young man who came to Jesus seeking answers. Here was a man who, of all men, should have been content and fulfilled. He had great influence and affluence. Yet despite all his accomplishments, there was something missing in his life. He asked, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (verse 16 NLT).

“‘Why ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments’” (verse 17 NLT). Jesus was not implying that by keeping the Ten Commandments, a person would be saved. Rather, Jesus held the Ten Commandments up as a mirror to show this man his sin.

“‘I’ve obeyed all these commandments,’ the young man replied. ‘What else must I do?’” (verse 20 NLT).

I think Jesus probably smiled at this. He saw what this man was really all about. So, He took it up a notch and said, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (verse 21 NLT).

Verse 22 says, “But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions” (NLT).

Jesus knew the problem with this young man was that possessions had possessed his soul. But Jesus just as easily could have said something completely different to someone else. What is really holding someone back from Christ and from further spiritual progress can vary from person to person.

Jesus revealed the hard truth about discipleship in Luke 14:33: “So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own” (NLT). Nothing should be more valuable, more precious, or more important to us than our relationship with Christ.

Jesus drives this point home further in Luke 14:26–27. “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple” (NLT). Nothing should ever be more important to us than our walk with Christ.

That’s why it’s a good idea to regularly come before Jesus and ask, “Lord, is there anything in my life that is getting in the way of my relationship with You?” We must be willing to do what the rich young man would not and sacrifice anything that gets in the way of our spiritual growth.

God bless you!

Love is not feeling some emotional force its deliberate choice


Truth is, love is not a feeling over which we have no control, that is driven without thought by waves of emotion. (I think that might be a definition of infatuation.)

Real love is deliberate and thoughtful.
The essence of love is the deliberate choose to be love.
Our emotions are impacted by stress, whether or not we are sick, under pressure, distracted or just plain tired. Therefore, how we feel emotionally is often a very poor guide for how we should show love.
In contrast, consider how God loves us. John declares that God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is the foundation, the essence and the best descriptor of His character, as well as the motivation for everything He does.

With great care God so loved the world that He was willing to allow His Son to come to earth and die so that our sins could be forgiven (John 3:16).

IT'S A DELIBERATE CHOICE AND SACRIFICE YOU MAKE EVERYDAY...CHRIST LOVE THE BRIDE(CHURCH)
THAT HE GAVE HIMSELF TO DIE FOR HER
EVERYDAY YOU GIVEN A CHOICE TO LOVE...that CHOICE IS SACRIFICE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SELF DENIAL FOR OTHERS

Amen

HEBREWS 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

God gave me this song in my dream and such an honour to release it. Hallelujah He Reigns by Bredjo