Episodes
Sunday Jan 07, 2024
Sunday Jan 07, 2024
The Struggle with Time -- Until I Determine How I Want to Use My Time, Others Will Determine How My Time Is Used
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Life will never settle down until we chose to settle down in living our lives. Life is a choice more than we realize. We are given twenty-four hours in a day, and if God had wanted us to have thirty-six hours in our day, He would have given us a thirty-six-hour day. Therefore, if we don’t have enough clock in our day, we are doing some things we should not be doing. We can determine some of the time traps that keep us from serving the Lord and how we can address the traps to better serve ourselves and the Lord. Is the clock our dictator; do we allocate time to serve the Lord, our families, and our work? How do we delegate?
Life will never settle down until we choose to settle down; life is a choice. To manage our time as God would have us manage our lives: 1) Work is important and necessary, but working is not living; 2) Time is life first and then money; 3) More life productivity means more time; 4) How we use our time significantly effects our self-esteem, identity, and our fulfillment; and 5) We cannot control time, but we can control how we use time.
We must get control of the time issues in our lives. The simple formula for managing our time: Pray, Prioritize, and Plan. Managing our time better is a fundamental question as we end a year and begin a new year. We must learn to honor the Lord by "honoring our time".
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12f).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Ecclesiastes 9:11-17; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Romans 8:18. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.).
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Daniel’s Prayer Was “seeking him {God} by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting . . . ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God . . . we have sinned and done wrong’””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORDFROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jul 30, 2023
Our Realities Speak to Our Real Priorities
Sunday Jul 30, 2023
Sunday Jul 30, 2023
Our Realities Speak to Our Real Priorities
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
From the Gospel of Luke (12:32f): Our Realities Speak to Our Real Priorities
In Luke 12:32f, Jesus speaks to His priorities for us by declaring that He has given His followers His kingdom. Living in His Kingdom sets Jesus’ priorities for us. The goal for us is to live to kingdom priorities and not our own priorities. In Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life, Rev. Warren presents five kingdom priorities: 1) worship; 2) fellowship; 3) discipleship; 4) ministry; and 5) evangelism. By being in fellowship with God, we can discern His priorities for our lives.
Luke 12 speaks to two priorities for God’s kingdom: 1) being ready followers, and 2) and being a responsible steward. To be a ready follower of Jesus, we must: 1) be ready to give; 2) is ready to go and serve the Lord; and 3) be ready to greet the Master. For the kingdom priority of being a ready steward, we must answer the question: “After being entrusted with God by much, are we being responsible for His gifts?”. With our trust in God, God, the Creator of the Universe trusts us – is your life worthy of God’s trust? It is a deep privilege to know God’s will for us and His trust for us. God will give us the tools and power to be good stewards of the trust that He has provided us if we are in fellowship with Him – God wants to bless us if we seek and follow His will for us.
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17).
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 12:32-48; Romans 14:17; 1 John 3:1; Psalms 147:1-20.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Should Fear, Respect, and Praise God’s Power, Sovereignty, and Holiness; but in Life’s Trials They Should “fear not for I {Jesus} am with you always””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jul 16, 2023
Sunday Jul 16, 2023
You Are Personally Responsible and Accountable to God for All He Entrusts to You
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Who is going to be responsible? God wants us to take responsibility and accountability for that which He has entrusted us. Some would say: “God has not entrusted me with much.”. This person would be wrong! What about his life? What about Jesus Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to make disciples? What about his children? What about his job? God has entrusted us with much, and God is holding us personally responsible and accountable for these trusts.
In Jesus’ parable from Luke 16 about the rich man’s incompetent manager, Jesus summarizes the meaning of His parable in Luke 16:9: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.". in Luke 16:12-13, Jesus summarizes His position regarding our responsibilities and accountabilities for His trusts given to us as well as the trusts of us given by others here on earth. Also, responsibilities are prioritized: “And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”. Jesus is, also, telling us that, if we cannot be responsible for earthly treasures, how can we be responsible for Spiritual Treasures.
As Christians, it is imperative that we put God first. If we don’t put God first in our lives, then, in a subtle way, we begin to resent God and His Grace. Proverbs tell us, in Proverbs 19:22, that the desire of every human heart is to love: “What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar.". Only Jesus can give us this “steadfast love”, winch is a Spiritual gift or entrustment from God. However, most of us go through our lives trying to find substitutes for God’s love to fill our lives; and we can’t find a substitute outside of God. Only God and Jesus can meet out heart’s need for “steadfast love”.
By the way, our earthly riches will not make it into heaven with us; only our heavenly or Spiritual Riches accompany us. We are responsible and accountable for all with winch God has entrusted us – both earthly and heavenly.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 16:1-15; Proverbs 19:22; Matthew 28:18-20; Psalms 124:1-8.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jul 31, 2022
Our Realities Speak to Our Real Priorities
Sunday Jul 31, 2022
Sunday Jul 31, 2022
Our Realities Speak to Our Real Priorities
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
From the Gospel of Luke (12:32f): Our Realities Speak to Our Real Priorities
In Luke 12:32f, Jesus speaks to His priorities for us by declaring that He has given His followers His kingdom. Living in His Kingdom sets Jesus’ priorities for us. The goal for us is to live to kingdom priorities and not our own priorities. In Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life, Rev. Warren presents five kingdom priorities: 1) worship; 2) fellowship; 3) discipleship; 4) ministry; and 5) evangelism. By being in fellowship with God, we can discern His priorities for our lives.
Luke 12 speaks to two priorities for God’s kingdom: 1) being ready followers, and 2) and being a responsible steward. To be a ready follower of Jesus, we must: 1) be ready to give; 2) is ready to go and serve the Lord; and 3) be ready to greet the Master. For the kingdom priority of being a ready steward, we must answer the question: “After being entrusted with God by much, are we being responsible for His gifts?”. With our trust in God, God, the Creator of the Universe trusts us – is your life worthy of God’s trust? It is a deep privilege to know God’s will for us and His trust for us. God will give us the tools and power to be good stewards of the trust that He has provided us if we are in fellowship with Him – God wants to bless us if we seek and follow His will for us.
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17).
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 12:32-48; Romans 14:17; 1 John 3:1; Psalms 147:1-20.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “As a Jesus Follower, the Greatest Witness for the Gospel that You Can Give Is for Others to See Jesus IN You”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
You Are Personally Responsible and Accountable, to God, for All He Entrusts to You
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Who is going to be responsible? God wants us to take responsibility and accountability for that which He has entrusted us. Some would say: “God has not entrusted me with much.”. This person would be wrong! What about his life? What about Jesus Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to make disciples? What about his children? What about his job? God has entrusted us with much, and God is holding us personally responsible and accountable for these trusts.
In Jesus’ parable from Luke 16 about the rich man’s incompetent manager, Jesus summarizes the meaning of His parable in Luke 16:9: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.". in Luke 16:12-13, Jesus summarizes His position regarding our responsibilities and accountabilities for His trusts given to us as well as the trusts of us given by others here on earth. Also, responsibilities are prioritized: “And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”. Jesus is, also, telling us that, if we cannot be responsible for earthly treasures, how can we be responsible for Spiritual Treasures.
As Christians, it is imperative that we put God first. If we don’t put God first in our lives, then, in a subtle way, we begin to resent God and His Grace. Proverbs tell us, in Proverbs 19:22, that the desire of every human heart is to love: “What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar.". Only Jesus can give us this “steadfast love”, winch is a Spiritual gift or entrustment from God. However, most of us go through our lives trying to find substitutes for God’s love to fill our lives; and we can’t find a substitute outside of God. Only God and Jesus can meet out heart’s need for “steadfast love”.
By the way, our earthly riches will not make it into heaven with us; only our heavenly or Spiritual Riches accompany us. We are responsible and accountable for all with winch God has entrusted us – both earthly and heavenly.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 16:1-15; Proverbs 19:22; Matthew 28:18-20; Psalms 124:1-8.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “God, the Father, Is Spirit; Jesus Followers Must Worship the Father in Spirit and Truth with Reality and Honesty and Not a Façade”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jan 09, 2022
What Is God’s Will for Me in This New Year?
Sunday Jan 09, 2022
Sunday Jan 09, 2022
What Is God’s Will for Me in This New Year?
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
In 2019, have you accomplished God’s will for your life? The will of God to us humans is both “active” and “passive” at the same time. God’s will to us is “passive” because God is going to accomplish His will on earth – God’s Sovereignty is universal. However, God’s will to us can be very “active”. We can know God’s will for us, but knowing His will requires our willingness and participation. The will of God is a choice for us. In John 7:17, the Apostille John quotes Jesus regarding God’s will: “If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.". Therefore, we can choose whether we will do God’s will. Too many of us make and execute our own plans from our own will and then we ask God to bless our actions.
What is God’s will for your life in 2020? God has several things that “He wills” for our lives, but we must cooperate: 1) to have a growing personal relationship with Him; 2) to be a disciple of Jesus the Christ; 3) to be an ambassador and vessel of God’s love; 4) to have minds that are constantly renewed so that we are transformed – we renew our minds by the Word of God, “we are what we think”; 5) not to be controlled by anything other than the Spirit of God; and 6) to become Sanctified – becoming God-centered in our lives.
Why “specific things in our lives” constitute God’s will for us? To answer this question regarding the specifics of God’s will in our lives, we: 1) should ask if we even should know the answer to this question regarding our knowing the specifics of God’s will in our lives – based on Romans 13, the answer is “yes”, we should ask; 2) can discern God’s will for us through praying, meditating, and fasting on the Word of God; 3) seek and obtain the Lord’s will as He speaks His will to us through our dreams, visions, and words of knowledge and wisdom; 4) can discern His will as God speaks His will to us by putting “desires” in our hearts; and 5) can know His will for us as God makes His will known to us by our personal reflections.
Questions we should ask and reflect upon in discerning God’s will for our lives include: 1) What have been my prevailing feelings in the past and what are these feelings now -- have my feelings been mostly of sadness or of joy? 2) What have been the blessings of God in my life – can I express praise and appreciation for these blessings? 3) Have things happened for which I need to accept responsibility and why did they happen? 4) Is there a possibility that I am living in denial of certain realities? 5) Is there ill will or resentments that remain unaddressed or unforgiven? 6) In the company of others, am I a pleasant person? 7) What is God trying to say into my life today? 8) What can I do or say in my life that will make others feel more loved and appreciated? 9) Am I mindful of the socially awkward, poor, and suffering – how do I respond to current events through a Biblical world view? 10) How am I spending my time and money – do I see them as God’s time and money that has been loaned to me? 11) How is my prayer life? 12) Am I growing and maturing as a follower of Jesus? and 13) Am I prepared to meet Jesus face-to-face today?
In the words of the Psalmist in Psalms 143:10: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 7:21; Matthew 6:7-15; John 7:17; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; Matthew 28:19; John 13:31; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Matthew 2:13-15; 1 Corinthians 12:7-8; Psalms 37:4; Psalms 139:23-24; Psalms 143:10-11.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “At Jesus’ Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Vail” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Oct 03, 2021
Put God First and All Else Will Follow
Sunday Oct 03, 2021
Sunday Oct 03, 2021
Put God First and All Else Will Follow
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Who is going to be responsible? God wants us to take responsibility and accountability for that which He has entrusted us. Some would say: “God has not entrusted me with much.”. This person would be wrong! What about his or her life? What about Jesus Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to make disciples? What about the lives of his or her children? What about his or her job? God has entrusted us with much, and God is holding us personally responsible and accountable for these trusts.
In Jesus’ parable from Luke 16 about the rich man’s incompetent manager, Jesus summarizes the meaning of His parable in Luke 16:9: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.". in Luke 16:12-13, Jesus summarizes His position regarding our responsibilities and accountabilities, along with the prioritization of our responsibilities, for His trusts given to us as well as the trusts given by others in us here on earth: “And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”. Jesus is, also, telling us that if we cannot be responsible for earthly treasures how can we be responsible for Spiritual Treasures.
As Christians, it is imperative that we put God first. If we don’t put God first in our lives, then, in a subtle way, we begin to resent God and His Grace. Proverbs tell us, in Proverbs 19:22, that the desire of every human heart is to love: “What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar.". Only Jesus can give us this “steadfast love”, which is a Spiritual gift or entrustment from God. However, most of us go through our lives trying to find substitutes for God’s love to fill our lives; and we can’t find a substitute outside of God. Only God and Jesus can meet out heart’s need for “steadfast love”.
By the way, our earthly riches don’t make it into heaven with us; only our heavenly or Spiritual riches accompany us. We are responsible and accountable for all with winch God has entrusted us – both earthly and heavenly.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 16:1-15; Proverbs 19:22; Matthew 28:18-20.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Daniel’s Prayer Was “seeking him {God} by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting . . . ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God . . . we have sinned and done wrong’”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Saturday Oct 02, 2021
Put God First and All Else Will Follow
Saturday Oct 02, 2021
Saturday Oct 02, 2021
Put God First and All Else Will Follow
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Who is going to be responsible? God wants us to take responsibility and accountability for that which He has entrusted us. Some would say: “God has not entrusted me with much.”. This person would be wrong! What about his or her life? What about Jesus Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to make disciples? What about the lives of his or her children? What about his or her job? God has entrusted us with much, and God is holding us personally responsible and accountable for these trusts.
In Jesus’ parable from Luke 16 about the rich man’s incompetent manager, Jesus summarizes the meaning of His parable in Luke 16:9: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.". in Luke 16:12-13, Jesus summarizes His position regarding our responsibilities and accountabilities, along with the prioritization of our responsibilities, for His trusts given to us as well as the trusts given by others in us here on earth: “And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”. Jesus is, also, telling us that if we cannot be responsible for earthly treasures how can we be responsible for Spiritual Treasures.
As Christians, it is imperative that we put God first. If we don’t put God first in our lives, then, in a subtle way, we begin to resent God and His Grace. Proverbs tell us, in Proverbs 19:22, that the desire of every human heart is to love: “What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar.". Only Jesus can give us this “steadfast love”, which is a Spiritual gift or entrustment from God. However, most of us go through our lives trying to find substitutes for God’s love to fill our lives; and we can’t find a substitute outside of God. Only God and Jesus can meet out heart’s need for “steadfast love”.
By the way, our earthly riches don’t make it into heaven with us; only our heavenly or Spiritual riches accompany us. We are responsible and accountable for all with winch God has entrusted us – both earthly and heavenly.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 16:1-15; Proverbs 19:22; Matthew 28:18-20.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Have Eternal Life, Even Before their Earthly Death, Because Whoever ‘believes him {God} who sent me {Jesus}’”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Sep 27, 2020
Sunday Sep 27, 2020
Irrespective of Your Personal Wealth and Status, God Has Entrusted You with Much; and You Are Accountable
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Who is going to be responsible? God wants us to take responsibility and accountability for that which He has entrusted us. Some would say: “God has not entrusted me with much.”. This person would be wrong! What about his or her life? What about Jesus Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to make disciples? What about the lives of his or her children? What about his or her job? God has entrusted us with much, and God is holding us personally responsible and accountable for these trusts.
In Jesus’ parable from Luke 16 about the rich man’s incompetent manager, Jesus summarizes the meaning of His parable in Luke 16:9: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.". in Luke 16:12-13, Jesus summarizes His position regarding our responsibilities and accountabilities, Also, Jesus provides the prioritization of our responsibilities for His trusts given to us as well as the trusts given by others in us here on earth: “And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”. Jesus is, also, telling us that if we cannot be responsible for earthly treasures how can we be responsible for Spiritual Treasures.
As Christians, it is imperative that we put God first. If we do not put God first in our lives, then, in a subtle way, we begin to resent God and His Grace. Proverbs tell us, in Proverbs 19:22, that the desire of every human heart is to love: “What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar.". Only Jesus can give us this “steadfast love”, which is a Spiritual gift or entrustment from God. However, most of us go through our lives trying to find substitutes for God’s love to fill our lives; and we cannot find a substitute outside of God. Only God and Jesus can meet out heart’s need for “steadfast love”.
By the way, our earthly riches do not make it into heaven with us; only our heavenly or Spiritual riches accompany us. We are responsible and accountable for all with winch God has entrusted us – both earthly and heavenly.
Today’s Affirmation: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13).
Scripture Reference (ESV): Luke 16:1-15; Proverbs 19:22; Matthew 28:18-20.
WEBSITE LINK: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “As a Christian, You Are Equipped for God’s Purpose; Be Courageous and Let Others See Jesus In You for God Is With You”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jun 14, 2020
Sunday Jun 14, 2020
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Marriage – A Current Assessment (Christ the King Anglican Church; Birmingham, AL)
Marriage and the family, in current decades, have been under attack to the degree that marriage is now losing its value in our culture.
In Mark 10:6-9, Jesus speaks to God’s plan for marriage: “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’”
In our culture’s attacks on marriage and the family, we see ten ways in which marriage and the family have been and are being perverted: 1) US Supreme Court’s decision on same sex marriage – as followers of Jesus, we don’t believe the courts have the right to define/redefine marriage as established by God; 2) sex before marriage is becoming the norm; 3) sex outside of marriage has become acceptable; 4) the prevalence of divorce; 5) acceptance of cohabitation; 6) birth of children out of wedlock; 7) multi-spouse marriage; 8) escalation and the acceptance of pornography; 9) the acceptance and practice of abortion on demand; and 10) the acceptable “choosing” one’s own gender by some people. These perversions of marriage and the family are chipping away at the value and importance of marriage and the family in the US – even among Christians. Too many of our Christian young people do not know why they should get married -- this diminution of marriage’s value is a failure, mostly, of the Christian Church.
Many Christians, today, are being deceived and led away from God’s Word by the Evil One (e.g., John 10:10). Therefore, we need to read and understand God’s Word, especially as it relates to His plan for marriage that Jesus posits in His quote from Genesis in Mark 10:6. Throughout history, humans have corrupted God’s beautiful plan for His Creation. In Mark 10:7, we see God’s pattern for marriage. In Mark 10:8, we are provided with God’s purpose for marriage; and the product of this “one flesh” is children. By becoming “one flesh” in marriage, the man and women become a “new trinity” – husband, wife, and the Lord. In this “marriage trinitarian relationship”, each child is brought into this family relationship in the same way that we, as followers of Jesus, are brought into our personal relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit through the Gospel. In Mark 10:9 we see God’s expressed permeance of marriage.
God’s design and plan for marriage, as presented by Jesus in Mark 10, is ideal for us as humans, our nation, and our culture; but His plan is being increasingly perverted. Therefore, what should we do, as followers of Jesus, about these “attacks on marriage”? We can: 1) stand up, speak up and speak God’s truth – Christians need to stop be trampled upon by this divergent culture; 2) model good and Godly marriage and family life to the culture; 3) you teach your children, you not the church/school/government, about God and His plan for marriage and the family; and 4) pray and ask God to intervene in these attacks and to support our seeking to achieve His plan for our own marriage and the family – prayer does change things, and it brings the power of God.
We are blessed to live in an incredible time in history, but the plan and fabric that God designed to keep us together and thriving – marriage and the family – is being perverted. However, we, as followers of Jesus, hold the key to stopping this perversion though getting our own family and marriage in line with God’s plan and then witnessing and voting to stop this perversion – the time is now.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 (Corinthians 5:21).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mark 10:6-9; John 10:10; Genesis 2:21-25.
WEBSITE LINK: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Marriage and Family Have Been Under Attack to the Degree that They Are Losing Value in Our Culture”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
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