puricare chronicles: Reconciliation with God

Showing posts with label Reconciliation with God. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

JESUS IS THE PRINCE OF PEACE - Jesus possesses sovereignty, and in giving Him the title of Prince, God the Father confers upon Him all the dignity that comes with it. But the word “prince” also designates the son of the king. Thus, God reminds us that He is the sovereign King who reigns upon the Earth. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the only One who is capable of bringing you true peace. It’s in Him alone that you can find real peace… First and foremost peace, with God - His sacrifice reconciles you to God - also peace in your heart, a peace you could never find anywhere else - “‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’” In the Bible, Jesus is also called the “Prince of Peace.” The word “prince,” according to the dictionary, is “a name marking the dignity of one who possesses sovereignty in title; the ruler of a principality or state.” Jesus possesses sovereignty, and in giving Him the title of Prince, God the Father confers upon Him all the dignity that comes with it. But the word “prince” also designates the son of the king. Thus, God reminds us that He is the sovereign King who reigns upon the Earth. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the only One who is capable of bringing you true peace. It’s in Him alone that you can find real peace… First and foremost, peace with God. Jesus is the Prince of Peace because His sacrifice reconciles you to God. But also peace in your heart, a peace you could never find anywhere else. Jesus said, “‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’”

Jesus is the Prince of Peace!

Jesus possesses sovereignty, and in giving Him the title of Prince, God the Father confers upon Him all the dignity that comes with it. But the word “prince” also designates the son of the king. Thus, God reminds us that He is the sovereign King who reigns upon the Earth. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the only One who is capable of bringing you true peace. It’s in Him alone that you can find real peace… First and foremost peace, with God - His sacrifice reconciles you to God - also peace in your heart, a peace you could never find anywhere else

Jesus.net

“‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’” (John 14:27)

In the Bible, Jesus is also called the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)

The word “prince,” according to the dictionary, is “a name marking the dignity of one who possesses sovereignty in title; the ruler of a principality or state.”

Jesus possesses sovereignty, and in giving Him the title of Prince, God the Father confers upon Him all the dignity that comes with it.

But the word “prince” also designates the son of the king.

Thus, God reminds us that He is the sovereign King who reigns upon the Earth.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the only One who is capable of bringing you true peace.

It’s in Him alone that you can find real peace…

First and foremost, peace with God.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace because His sacrifice reconciles you to God.

But also peace in your heart, a peace you could never find anywhere else.

Jesus said, “‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’” (according to John 14:27)

As this song by Hillsong United says, may the Prince of Peace meet you and reign in your heart again today.

https://youtu.be/kc0DKzPdv44

Jesus.net is a global international network of more than 85 Christian organizations and ministries who are engaged in online evangelism and discipleship. We see the impact in the lives of people. Every few seconds someone in the world decides that he or she wants to know more about Jesus.

Jesus.net has a huge dream, which we believe God gave us:

Imagine a world with every single person having free access to the Gospel, knowing God, growing in Jesus and sharing faith easily.

We believe this dream can become a reality. Worldwide, about 5 billion people have Internet access in 2020. This will only grow in coming years. Just imagine that all these people can find and share the Gospel online.

https://jesus.net/miracle/jesus-is-the-prince-of-peace-2/

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My Peace

Maranatha

CLICK HERE . . . to view complete playlist . . .

https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2018/07/my-peace-maranatha-my-peace-i-give-unto.html

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https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00GHkfnk8s0hUrpqfcW3Nod1_zb6Q:1608625053503&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=John+14:27+images&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjg44-nk-HtAhUaPnAKHVsbBjkQjJkEegQIAhAB

https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk03lfh-0Pzk6I_8nX1kDXdlSYLLwBA:1608625113488&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=Jesus+is+the+Prince+of+Peace+images&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjB79zDk-HtAhULQd4KHWnaBrgQjJkEegQIAxAB&biw=1517&bih=724

Sunday, December 20, 2020

A GIFT TOO WONDERFUL FOR WORDS - Just as one man (Adam) led all of humanity into rebellion, another man (Jesus) must reconcile us to God. Two millennia ago in a small, rugged Bethlehem barn, God the Son became Immanuel, "God with us" — God incarnate. He lived as we live, suffered as we suffer, died as we die, yet without sin. And He, being the God-Man, overcame the power of death in order to give us eternal life. No one, living or dead, has transformed the human heart and mind or changed the course of history as Jesus has - through the miracle of the incarnation, our God became like us so that we could become like Him - "Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!" - Long ago in a quiet, crude place where animals sleep, Mary gave birth and felt the soft, human skin of her firstborn. The humanity of this scene appropriately pulls us in for a closer look. We can identify with Joseph's confusion, with Mary's wonder, and with the shepherds' amazement about the Son of God's quiet arrival in such an inhospitable world. All of those thoughts are magnificent to ponder. But we cannot stop there. These are only an introduction to wonders far deeper, far more significant. Just beneath the soft, newborn skin of this beautiful story is the flesh and bone of a theological truth that is older than creation: God planned to send a Savior long before time began. At its heart, Christmas is the celebration of a promise God had made to provide a Savior and King.

A Gift Too Wonderful for Words

Just as one man (Adam) led all of humanity into rebellion, another man (Jesus) must reconcile us to God. Two millennia ago in a small, rugged Bethlehem barn, God the Son became Immanuel, "God with us" — God incarnate. He lived as we live, suffered as we suffer, died as we die, yet without sin. And He, being the God-Man, overcame the power of death in order to give us eternal life. No one, living or dead, has transformed the human heart and mind or changed the course of history as Jesus has - through the miracle of the incarnation, our God became like us so that we could become like Him

by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

"Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!" (2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT).

Long ago in a quiet, crude place where animals sleep, Mary gave birth and felt the soft, human skin of her firstborn.

The humanity of this scene appropriately pulls us in for a closer look.

We can identify with Joseph's confusion, with Mary's wonder, and with the shepherds' amazement about the Son of God's quiet arrival in such an inhospitable world.

All of those thoughts are magnificent to ponder. But we cannot stop there. These are only an introduction to wonders far deeper, far more significant.

Just beneath the soft, newborn skin of this beautiful story is the flesh and bone of a theological truth that is older than creation: God planned to send a Savior long before time began.

At its heart, Christmas is the celebration of a promise God had made to provide a Savior and King.

That Person is His Son, Jesus — God-Man, conceived miraculously, taking on human flesh, living among us in order to die in our place.

The incarnation — God becoming flesh — is a doctrine that remains foundational to everything we believe as Christians.

In telling the story of God the Son's incarnation, the disciple, Matthew, expresses it this way:

“An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet: ‘Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.'" (Matthew 1:20–23 NLT)

God's promise to send a Savior reminds us of the reason we need a Savior in the first place.

When the original man, Adam, plunged all of humanity into sin because of his disobedience in the garden of Eden, evil entered the bloodstream of humanity, polluting all who live in it. And each of us has endorsed Adam's tragic choice by adding our sin to his.

The result is a world subject to pain of every conceivable kind: hunger, thirst, sorrow, weariness, temptation, disease, prejudice, grief . . . the list would be endless if it didn't end with the ultimate evil: death.

That's the world we live in.

In light of such bleak conditions in the world — and especially in our lives — it's not hard to wonder: How can a good God allow evil to continue?

The surprising answer: because He loves us.

He could have ended all evil before the fruit of the forbidden tree digested in Adam's stomach.

Let's not forget that the evil we would have God put an end to includes you and me.

We brought, and we continue to bring, evil upon ourselves and the world, and He would be entirely justified to condemn us to suffer the twisted and tangled mess we made of His creation.

But . . . He loves us. He is patient with us. Why?

The apostle Peter tells us: "He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent" (2 Peter 3:9 NLT).

Just as one man (Adam) led all of humanity into rebellion, another man (Jesus) must reconcile us to God.

Who among us does not deserve the penalty of death because of sin?

And if one sinless person could be found, what mere mortal would have the power to die the death you and I deserve yet be resurrected from the dead so that He could continue to represent us?

The answer is clear: only a human who is also God could do that!

Two millennia ago in a small, rugged Bethlehem barn, God the Son became Immanuel, "God with us" — God incarnate.

He lived as we live, suffered as we suffer, died as we die, yet without sin.

And He, being the God-Man, overcame the power of death in order to give us eternal life.

Who but Jesus possesses "the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:9–11 NLT)?

No one, living or dead, has transformed the human heart and mind or changed the course of history as Jesus has.

How could He accomplish what so many before and since have failed to accomplish?

The answer is both simple and profound: through the miracle of the incarnation, our God became like us so that we could become like Him.

As you ponder the humanity of the first Christmas, remember that it is an invitation to walk slower and think deeper.

I invite you to touch the infant skin of the God-Man with your imagination.

I invite you to wonder as the shepherds wondered and to worship as the wise men did.

I urge you to imagine the infinite God in the body of a finite baby — just as Mary and Joseph saw.

You are the reason our God became incarnate — and so am I.

The best gift we have ever received came on that first Christmas — delivered in a Person from God the Father . . . to us.

"Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!" (2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT).

Pastor Chuck Swindoll has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of God’s Word. Since 1998, he has served as the senior pastor-teacher of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, but Chuck’s listening audience extends beyond a local church body. As a leading program in Christian broadcasting since 1979, Insight for Living airs around the world. Chuck’s leadership as president and now chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary has helped prepare and equip a new generation for ministry.

https://insight.org/resources/article-library/individual/a-special-gift-too-wonderful-for-words

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Down From His Glory

Lyrics by : William E. Booth-Clibborn

Composes : Eduardo di Capua - Composer

CLICK HERE . . . to view complete playlist . . .

https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2019/12/down-from-his-glory-william-e-booth.html

Saturday, December 19, 2020

TWO GARDENS - The Garden of Eden saw Adam hide from God. The Garden of Gethsemane saw Jesus embrace God. Adam succumbed to temptation, Jesus resisted temptation. By birth we belong to Adam. By new birth we belong to Jesus. Two representative human beings. Two destinies. Two gardens. Only one way back to God - “Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.” Human destiny has been decided in two gardens. In the Garden of Eden, the first human beings went off the rails and derailed the human race ever since. Their declaration of independence led to estrangement from God and a destiny away from the perfect presence of God. In the Garden of Gethsemane, one human being, Jesus, stayed on track and offered the human race a way to get back on track themselves. Jesus’ decision to obey God meant that estrangement would no longer be the case; that there was the possibility of life forever with God. Adam got it all wrong. Jesus got it all right. Each of us belongs either to Adam or Jesus. We share the destiny of Adam, which is estrangement from God, or the destiny of Jesus, which is friendship with God. The Garden of Gethsemane saw Jesus embrace God.

Two Gardens

Only one way back to God

The Garden of Eden saw Adam hide from God. The Garden of Gethsemane saw Jesus embrace God. Adam succumbed to temptation, Jesus resisted temptation. By birth we belong to Adam. By new birth we belong to Jesus. Two representative human beings. Two destinies. Two gardens. Only one way back to God.

By David Reay

A LifeWords Devotion

“Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.” - Romans 5:18-19 (The Message)

Human destiny has been decided in two gardens.

In the Garden of Eden, the first human beings went off the rails and derailed the human race ever since.

Their declaration of independence led to estrangement from God and a destiny away from the perfect presence of God.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, one human being, Jesus, stayed on track and offered the human race a way to get back on track themselves.

Jesus’ decision to obey God meant that estrangement would no longer be the case; that there was the possibility of life forever with God.

Adam got it all wrong.

Jesus got it all right.

Each of us belongs either to Adam or Jesus.

We share the destiny of Adam, which is estrangement from God, or the destiny of Jesus, which is friendship with God.

The Garden of Eden saw Adam hide from God.

The Garden of Gethsemane saw Jesus embrace God.

Adam succumbed to temptation, Jesus resisted temptation.

By birth we belong to Adam. By new birth we belong to Jesus.

Two representative human beings. Two destinies.

Two gardens. Only one way back to God.

Blessings

David

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