POWER TO RAISE

 

POWER TO RAISE The LORD opens the eyes of the blind, the LORD lifts those who are weighed down, the LORD loves the righteous. Psalm 146:8 If I am bowed down with sorrow or burden, I should remember this promise from the Lord: It is His way, His custom, and His delight to lift up those who are bowed down. Whether it’s a sense of sin or a heavy heart that weighs me down, Jesus is ready to raise me up and give me rest. O Lord, lift me up for Your mercy’s sake! Whether it’s grief, loss, or a fall in circumstances, the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, is there to console us. What a mercy that one person of the Trinity has taken on the role of Comforter! With such a glorious One caring for us, we can trust that He will do His work well. Some burdens are so heavy that only Jesus can lift them: but He can, and He will. He can restore us to health, hope, and happiness. He has done so in the past, and He remains the same Savior today. Those of us who are bowed down and sorrowful will one day be lifted up, and those who mock us now will be ashamed. What an honor it is to be lifted up by the Lord! By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

COFFEE THOUGHTS

 

COFFEE THOUGHTS  Sip... Happy Tuesday!! This amazing GREAT salvation isn't great because I have a great faith. It isn't great because of any abilities I have at all. It is great because He is a GREAT Saviour. When I wander, He gently reproves. When I'm the sheep lost in the storm He comes looking. What He authors, He finishes. Looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of His faith authored in me. Hebrews 12:2 Not of works lest any one should boast. Ephesians 2:9 The journey home continues. What a Saviour! Gerald D Hochstetler Jr. #coffeethoughts on Facebook Used with Permission

 

THE GOD OF ALL TIME

 

THE GOD OF ALL TIME I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten. Joel 2:25 I've been thinking about regrets, bad memories etc. and wondering what kind of inspiration there is to help us with that? People struggle so much with tormenting thoughts… all the foolish, stupid, insensitive, selfish, clueless things we've done: they seem to pile up over the years and they don't let us forget it.  But I also thought of the verse in Joel where God told the Jews he would restore what the locust had eaten. And that's exactly what the bad memories feel like: constant pestering, gnawing and chewing on our minds and spirit. I focus on this one thing: forget the past and instead, look forward to what lies ahead. Philippians 3:13 In this verse, the Apostle Paul tells us "Don't look back."  He had good reason for saying that; the Bible tells us how Paul persecuted Christians until Jesus literally stopped Paul in his tracks and changed his direction. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 And here we have this wonderful revelation in Hebrews: Jesus is the LORD of all TIME; past, present and future! God is not restrained by time: He can work in our past, present and future to give us healing and restoration and forgiveness. Jesus has the same glorious power no matter where or when you need Him. Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You! Jeremiah 32:17 So, what does Jesus say about my past? What is He doing about it? There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 When we are overwhelmed by our regrets, let's look to Jesus instead and see the incredible power that He has! The God of all time doesn't want you struggling with your past. He promises to restore what was destroyed. It's well within His power to pull the plug on all condemnation. Jesus promises freedom from that poison. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Romans 12:2 Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Ephesians 4:23 Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth. Colossians 3:2 God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

 

QUOTES FROM J.C. RYLE

 

QUOTES FROM J.C. RYLE John Charles Ryle (1816-1900) was an English Anglican bishop, preacher, and writer. The only way to be really happy in such a world as this, is to be ever casting all our cares on God. Beware of manufacturing a God of your own: A God who is all mercy, but not just; A God who is all love, but not holy; A God who has a heaven for everybody, but a hell for none; A God who can allow good and bad to be side by side in time, but will make no distinction between good and bad in eternity. Such a God is an idol of your own, as truly an idol as any snake or crocodile in an Egyptian temple. The hands of your own fancy and sentimentality have made him. He is not the God of the Bible, and beside the God of the Bible there is no God at all. Our prayers may be weak, stammering, and poor in our eyes. But if they come from a right heart, God understands them. Such prayers are His delight. Let us seek friends that will stir up our prayers, our Bible reading, our use of time, and our salvation. No one ever said at the end of his days; “I have read my Bible too much, I have thought of God too much, I have prayed too much, I have been too careful with my soul.” If you love Christ, never be ashamed to let others see it and know it. Speak for Him. Witness for Him. Live for Him.

 

THE SEVENTH TRUMPET

 

THE SEVENTH TRUMPET I was reading news headlines recently and decided the book of Revelation is not as scary as today's news! Our news media only predicts doom and gloom, but the book of Revelation takes time (again and again) to give us hope for the future. In fact, heaven is rejoicing as the hour of Christ's return draws nearer! REVELATION 11.15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!” 11.16 The twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God’s throne, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 11.17 saying: “We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who was; because you have taken your great power, and reigned. 11.18 The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints, and those who fear your name, to the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” 11.19 God’s temple that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant was seen in his temple. Lightnings, sounds, thunders, an earthquake, and great hail followed. -WEB Bible In this passage, angels announce that the seventh trumpet is the signal we've been waiting for: Jesus Christ will establish his righteous kingdom, and Jesus will destroy the destroyers! Are you sick of perversion, corruption and violence? Do you long to see righteousness on the earth? It is comforting to know that everyone in heaven is looking forward to it as well. Once again, we see a celebration as all those in heaven anticipate the joy of Christ's victory. This study of Revelation will continue next Thursday. IMAGE CREDIT: Jesus Christ in Glory, generated by SeaArt.ai and edited by C.A. Stevens.