Quote from Forum Archives on April 15, 2002, 10:55 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

What a wondrous day it is today, not necessarily because of the
weather or some wonderful event (though I've had a few of those
recently, too) but because of the hope I have in Jesus Christ! How I
pray that things are that way for you, too.

If you are discouraged about anything at all, I urge you to think
about the love of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, for you,
for me.

I've had a chance this week to reunite with several people that I've
known over the years, and also a chance to begin discussions about
working with a brother in Christ whom I've known, but we haven't taken
the opportunity before to "join forces" in our work and friendship.
It is always a pleasure to encourage others - I sure pray that each of
you knows what I mean when I say that!

As I often do, I share a set of Weekly Verses at the beginning of the
week that come to me from Crosswalk.com. They are useful as a single
devotion, but they can also be used as daily thoughts for those who
are so short on time (aren't we all, at least some, if not most of the
time)?

My prayer is that these scriptures, thoughts, and prayers will ring a
chord of truth in your life today and bring a renewed source of hope
and encouragement!

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

Weekly Verses
from Crosswalk.com
www.crosswalk.com
4/15/02

These verses are taken from TODAY'S VERSE, by Phil Ware
< devotionals.crosswalk.com/TodaysVerse >

~~~~~~~~~
MONDAY

If, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him
through the death of his Son, how much more, having been
reconciled, shall we be saved through his life.

--Romans 5:10
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
Jesus didn't just die for my sins, he lives for me. In
fact, he is at God's right hand claiming me as his own (see 1
John 2:1-2). If he was willing to die to save me, what will he
withhold now that he lives victorious over death?

MY PRAYER...
Holy and Righteous Father, I thank you for Jesus, who is at
your side and knows my heart, struggles, and world. I thank
you for your constant care and protection through all of my
difficulties and triumphs. Please make your presence known
more clearly today than ever before as I try to serve you with
wholehearted devotion. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

TUESDAY

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact
representation of his being, sustaining all things by his
powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he
sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

--Hebrews 1:3
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
Jesus was God with us. No imitation, knock off, or clone.
He was God with us. To this day, he sustains creation with his
word -- so much for "Mother Nature." But now "God with us" has
paid for our sins and is not just God with us, but God for us
at the Father's side.

MY PRAYER...
Precious Lord, as you have so many times in the past, you
take these humble human words and bring them to the Father as
my friend and brother. Thank you for your sacrifice, which
saved me. Thank you for your sustaining presence in our
universe. Thank you for your daily intercession. Thank you
for being God for me at the Father's side. To the glorious,
majestic, and holy God, who sent Jesus as Savior, be glory,
honor, and adoration forever and ever. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

WEDNESDAY

At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ
died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a
righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly
dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

--Romans 5:6-8
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
Jesus died for us,but not because he had some high hopes for
who we are or what we would be. No, he died for us because he
knew exactly who we are and what we would be without him. But
praise be to God, we are now God's righteousness because he
took our sin and gave us God's grace (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

MY PRAYER...
Holy God, thank you for Jesus, my Savior. No words are
adequate to express my love and devotion to you for such an
incredible gift! Through him I give and live my thanks to you.
Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

THURSDAY

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we
might die to sins and live for righteousness, by his wounds you
have been healed.

--1 Peter 2:24
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
He bore our sins. He didn't just carry them, he suffered
the penalty we deserved. His anguish was our healing, his
suffering our righteousness. How can we ever think of going
back to sin after he suffered so much to bear their penalty?

MY PRAYER...
Holy God, how you could stand to see your precious Son under
the weight of my sin, all sin, I will never understand. Thank
you for such a great love and for being so great a God. There
is none who can be compared to you, O God. Your greatness is
beyond imagining and your love beyond my dreams. I will live
this day to your glory through him who bore my sin so I could
be your child. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

FRIDAY

Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he
must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for me will save it.

--Luke 9:23-24
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
"I've just got to find myself." Won't ever happen. We do
not "find ourselves, our life" by pursuing it. We find it by
losing it to something or someone greater than ourselves. We
find our life be losing it to Jesus and the work of his
Kingdom.

MY PRAYER...
Master and Maker of all that lives and breathes, take my
life and every breath and use it for your glory. May my words
and actions this day be pleasing to you. Through Jesus I offer
you this prayer and praise. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

SATURDAY

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came
by Christ Jesus.

--Romans 3:23-24
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
"I blew it!" Come to think of it, we've all blown it! We
don't measure up. We're not divine. We might be decent, but
decent won't do. Only the divine, the truly righteous, make it
past the grave in glory. Thank God that grace is freely given
and the price for our sin was paid by Jesus. While I "blew it"
he renewed it!

MY PRAYER...
Kind and Loving Father, thank you for being so generous with
your grace. May I be as passionate for your righteousness as
you were in redeeming me from my sin. Through Jesus I ask
this. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

SUNDAY

I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you... that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he
was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according
Scriptures.

--1 Corinthians 15:1-4
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
The Gospel story is pretty simple to understand. The grace
of the Gospel is glorious to receive. The sacrifice of the
Gospel is incomprehensible. The victory of the Gospel is life.

MY PRAYER...
Almighty Lord, thank you for the empty tomb and Jesus'
victory over the grave. Just as Jesus' death pardoned my sin,
his resurrection assures my future. Thank you for grace and
glory. May my life today be lived by the power of the
resurrection. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

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____________________________________________________________

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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