November 29 Devotion - Jesus Christ (Love) Does Not Dishonour Others

God is love.

^{1 John 4:8}

 I and my Father are one.

^{John 10:30}

Therefore….Jesus Christ is the embodiment of love.

Jesus Christ (Love) is patient,

Jesus Christ is kind,

Jesus Christ does not boast,

Jesus Christ is not proud.

Jesus Christ does not dishonor others,

Jesus Christ is not self-seeking,

Jesus Christ is not easily angered,

Jesus Christ keeps no record of wrongs,

Jesus Christ does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth,

Jesus Christ always protects,

Jesus Christ always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres,

Jesus Christ never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

New International Version (NIV)

 

Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

 طوبى للودعاء .لانهم يرثون الارض

Jesus was meek. A meek person would never dishonour another. The meek are among those so favoured that they will share in Jesus' inheritance of the earth.

There are so many words that I think I understand, but a deeper look reveals that I do not, because I am looking at what the world has taught me, not what Jesus meant and how He relates them to the Kingdom of God and in the depth and breadth of what He meant.

Meekness is considered one of the most difficult New Testament words to fully understand. This is so because Jesus elevated the word's common usage far beyond its normal application.
I find that I grew up resenting being meek because of the connotation given to being meek as being weak, needy lowly.  I grew up learning how the world worded Mathew 5:5: "Blessed are the strong, who can hold their own." The world favours the so-called heroic virtues. Those who are competitive, aggressive and assertive are the ones who receive recognition, admiration and reward. Do they not seem to end up on top of the pile, possessing the most and best despite flaws in their character?

I am learning that I need (and who knows maybe you too) to unlearn what the world has taught me, before I can learn what Jesus is teaching me and respect and accept being meek. I have a lot to gain when I do.   

Not to dishonour a person means to honour that person. According to the thesaurus, honour has these synonyms: "esteem, respect, pay homage to, assigning value to." In order to honour others we first need to start with an attitude of meekness.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. Jesus, help me to unlearn the worldly beatitudes and teach me Your Beatitudes. Teach me to be meek and to honour You and my fellow man. Help me God to bring all my thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ and to become Christ-like.In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

November 28 Devotion - Jesus Christ Does Not Boast

God is love.

^{1 John 4:8}

 I and my Father are one.

^{John 10:30}

 Therefore….Jesus Christ is the embodiment of love.

Jesus Christ (Love) is patient,

Jesus Christ is kind,

Jesus Christ does not boast,

Jesus Christ is not proud.

Jesus Christ does not dishonor others,

Jesus Christ is not self-seeking,

Jesus Christ is not easily angered,

Jesus Christ keeps no record of wrongs,

Jesus Christ does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth,

Jesus Christ always protects,

Jesus Christ always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres,

Jesus Christ never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

New International Version (NIV)

By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8–9

َإِنَّكُمْ بِالنِّعْمَةِ مُخَلَّصُونَ، بِالإِيمَانِ، وَهَذَا لَيْسَ مِنْكُمْ. إِنَّهُ هِبَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ،
 ⁹ لاَ عَلَى أَسَاسِ الأَعْمَالِ، حَتَّى لاَ يَفْتَخِرَ أَحَدٌ.

---

We have been “saved” through God’s grace when we accept, through faith, Jesus’ redeeming sacrifice for us at The Cross. No amount of good works can get anyone “saved”, lest anyone should boast.

The definition of boasting according to Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology:
The concept of boasting is found frequently in both the Old and the New Testaments. The object of boasting determines its nature. If it is God or the commendable qualities of others, then boasting can be described as proper; if it is wrongly applied to oneself, then it is improper. To boast about oneself is to brag, or to speak with laudable pride.

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Jeremiah 9:23, Proverbs 27:1, James 4:16

هكذا قال الرب. لا يفتخرنّ الحكيم بحكمته ولا يفتخر الجبار بجبروته ولا يفتخر الغني بغناه

لا تفتخر بالغد لانك لا تعلم ماذا يلده يوم.

واما الآن فانكم تفتخرون في تعظمكم.كل افتخار مثل هذا رديء.

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

1 Peter 5:5-6

الله يقاوم المستكبرين واما المتواضعون فيعطيهم نعمة

فتواضعوا تحت يد الله القوية لكي يرفعكم في حينه

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant kindness, love and mercy. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. Lord, help me to only boast about what You have done in my life 2 Corinthians 10:17. I pray that out of Your glorious riches You teach me, help me and strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can eliminate all pride within me and be humble knowing that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from You Father James 1:17. Help me God to bring all my thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ and to become Christ-like.In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

November 27 Devotion - Jesus Christ is kind

God is love.

^{1 John 4:8}

I and my Father are one.

^{John 10:30}

 Therefore….Jesus Christ is the embodiment of love.

Jesus Christ (Love) is patient,

Jesus Christ is kind,
Jesus Christ does not boast,
Jesus Christ is not proud.
Jesus Christ does not dishonor others,
Jesus Christ is not self-seeking,
Jesus Christ is not easily angered,
Jesus Christ keeps no record of wrongs,
Jesus Christ does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth,
Jesus Christ always protects,
Jesus Christ always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres,
Jesus Christ never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

New International Version (NIV)

 Love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Luke 6:35

Romans 2:4

Ephesians 4:32

بل احبوا اعداءكم واحسنوا واقرضوا وانتم لا ترجون شيئا فيكون اجركم عظيما وتكونوا بني العلي فانه منعم على غير الشاكرين والاشرار

ام تستهين بغنى لطفه وامهاله وطول اناته غير عالم ان لطف الله انما يقتادك الى التوبة.
وكونوا لطفاء بعضكم نحو بعض شفوقين متسامحين كما سامحكم الله ايضا في المسيح.

What is kindness? Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology defines kindness as: ‘An attribute of God and quality desirable but not consistently found in humans.’ In The Bible we see many examples of Jesus’ kindness and He leaves us with many lessons regarding how we should act in kindness following His example, in our quest to become Disciples of Christ.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant kindness, love and mercy. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. Lord, help me to be always kind to myself and others. Jesus I need the help of the Holy Spirit to be able to carry out Your teaching and example of being kind to my enemies and I pray that out of Your glorious riches You teach me, help me and strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can be kind to my enemies. Help me God to bring all my thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ and to become Christ-like, a son of The Most High. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.’ Ephesians 3:20-21

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

November 26 Devotion - Jesus Christ is Patient

God is love.

^{1 John 4:8}

I and my Father are one.

^{John 10:30}

Therefore….Jesus Christ is the embodiment of love.

But I obtained mercy for the reason that in me, as the foremost of sinners, Jesus Christ might show forth and display all His perfect long-suffering and patience for an example to encourage those who would thereafter believe on Him for the gaining of eternal life.

 1 Timothy 1:16

Amplified Bible (AMP)

لكنني لهذا رحمت ليظهر يسوع المسيح فيّ انا اولا كل اناة مثالا للعتيدين ان يؤمنوا به للحياة الابدية.

 

I understand the meaning of patience as described in the Bible to mean persevering towards a goal, enduring trials, and expectantly waiting for God’s will and His promises to be fulfilled in His time. Patience reveals our faith in God’s timing, omnipotence (unlimited power), and love.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in You. Thank You Jesus for being patient with me and allowing me to follow You in spite of my sins and shortfalls. LORD, bless me with the ability to be patient with myself, others and circumstances. Invigorate and strengthen me with all power according to the might of Your glory; so as to exercise every kind of endurance and patience with joy. I rejoice because Your peace God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus; in whose Holy Name I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of ages.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

November 25 Devotion - Jesus Christ is...

God is love.

^{1 John 4:8}

 I and my Father are one.

^{John 10:30}

 

Therefore….Jesus Christ is the embodiment of love.

Jesus Christ (Love) is patient,

Jesus Christ is kind,
Jesus Christ does not boast,
Jesus Christ is not proud.
Jesus Christ does not dishonor others,
Jesus Christ is not self-seeking,
Jesus Christ is not easily angered,
Jesus Christ keeps no record of wrongs,
Jesus Christ does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth,
Jesus Christ always protects,
Jesus Christ always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres,
Jesus Christ never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

New International Version (NIV)

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in You. LORD, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You teach me, help me and strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and become Christ-like. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.’ Ephesians 3:20-21

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

November 12 Devotion - May the glory of the Lord endure forever

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works—

Psalm 104:31

يكون مجد الرب الى الدهر. يفرح الرب باعماله.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You and glorify You. Lord, may Your glory endure forever in my heart and on my lips, in my soul, mind, actions, feeling and spirit. Help me God to follow Jesus and become Christ- Like so that Your heart will rejoice in what You have done in me. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:12  Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.’ Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فيناله المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

 

Jesus loves you

,In Him

Wagdi Henein

 

November 11 Devotion - When we just do not feel good

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction.

تَبَارَكَ اللهُ ، أَبُو رَبِّنَا يَسُوعَ الْمَسِيحِ، أَبُو الْمَرَاحِمِ وَإِلهُ كُلِّ تَعْزِيَةٍ،

2 Corinthians 1: 3

Sometimes we may feel unloved, unworthy, or insignificant. But these are only feelings—not facts. When we just do not feel good we need to ask The Father to show us the purpose of what we are facing, what we can learn from it and to pray that He covers us with His divine grace, wisdom and strength, to handle the situation according to His will in our lives, and to remember His promises. We need to choose to believe God’s truth not our emotions.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, convert my ‘not good’ feelings to joy by helping me to concentrate on Your promises, for You have said: 

Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength Nehemiah 8:1

The righteous cry and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles, weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. Psalms 34:17, Psalms 30:5

The ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 51:11

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. Isaiah 43:2

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

 

I pray to You Father in Jesus’ name, to whom be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen. 

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

November 8 Devotion - Keep my focus on You, Jesus

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

ونحو نصف الليل كان بولس وسيلا يصلّيان ويسبحان الله والمسجونون يسمعونهما.

 امّا قریب به نصف شب، پولُس و سیلاس دعا کرده، خدا را تسبیح می‌خواندند و زندانیان ایشان را می‌شنیدند.

Acts 16:25

 

I am continuing to learn that if I am not extremely careful I can allow emotions to govern my life.

God instructs us to keep our focus on Jesus in order to grow spiritually. When I succeed on doing that, the emotional ups and downs of this life will not shake or change my world.

In Telling Yourself the Truth, William Backus writes about joy:

“Joy comes from your relationship to God and His unchanging faithfulness. You don’t need to live in perfect circumstances to be happy. It’s pleasant to be loved and appreciated, but not vital to your happiness.

The Bible tells how two men of God, Paul and Silas, were brought before Roman authorities at Philippi and beaten with rods and then thrown into jail … But did Paul and Silas moan and complain, “If it weren’t for the cruelty of the unbelievers, we wouldn’t be wounded and bleeding. We’d be happy!” No.

Paul and Silas had a strong belief that transcended circumstances, events, people, feelings; it even transcended pain. That belief was in the person, power, and presence of Jesus Christ. They believed their suffering wasn’t as important as the message they carried …

They sang so loudly their voices were heard throughout the prison! And not only that, God … opened the prison doors for them. Their happiness came from the belief in Jesus Christ within them and not from circumstances around them.”

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. Lord, help me to keep my focus on the person, power, and presence of Jesus Christ in my life instead of the circumstances of my life. I thank You Jesus that You promised that You will never leave me or forsake me. Thank you LORD that I have absolutely no doubt that You are in control of every second of my future and that through this assurance I can have an inner sense of peace that transcends all our human understanding. Thank You Father that You delight in showing me again and again that You are the source of my strength, my provision, my protection, and my ultimate joy in life. In the name of Your precious Son Jesus, I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

November 5 Devotion - My Grace is sufficient for you

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 ⁹ فَقَالَ لِي: «نِعْمَتِي تَكْفِيكَ، لأَنَّ قُدْرَتِي تُكَمَّلُ فِي الضَّعْفِ!» فَأَنَا أَرْضَى بِأَنْ أَفْتَخِرَ مَسْرُوراً بِالضَّعَفَاتِ الَّتِي فِيَّ، لِكَيْ تُخَيِّمَ عَلَيَّ قُدْرَةُ الْمَسِيحِ.

2 Corinthians 12:9

 

When we are weak, we need the energizing work of the Holy Spirit to sustain us. Isaiah encourages us that God “Gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases strength”

 

يَهِبُ الْمَنْهُوكَ قُوَّةً وَيَمْنَحُ الضَّعِيفَ قُدْرَةً عَظِيمَةً.

Isaiah 40:29

 

We need to rely fully on God and praise Him ahead of and in expectation of His support.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. Lord, in my weakest moments, assure me that the power of Christ will rest upon me. Your grace is sufficient for me. I believe that when your grace abounds my weakness will be transformed into strength and I will soar like an eagle and I shall run and not be weary.Heavenly Father, let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

November 4 Devotion - GOD is all you need

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

توكل على الرب بكل قلبك وعلى فهمك لا تعتمد.

فيملأ الهي كل احتياجكم بحسب غناه في المجد في المسيح يسوع.

Proverbs 3:5

Philippians 4:19

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You and glorify You. Lord, help me to stop leaning on my own understanding and abilities and to depend totally on Your wisdom and power, and Your divine will and plan for my life. I believe that You will supply all my needs according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus. I pray to You Father in Jesus’ name, to whom be honour and glory forever and ever. ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.’ Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

Jesus loves you

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

 

November 2 Devotion - For in Him we live and move and have our being

For in Him we live and move and have our being

Acts 17:28

لاننا به نحيا ونتحرك ونوجد

We have a constant and absolute dependence on God and He is continually sustaining us.
Our absolute dependence in God is such that we owe to Him the ability to perform even the slightest motion. We owe to Him our continued and prolonged existence.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You and glorify You. Lord, thank You for Your gifts from the lowest pulsation of life to the highest powers of action and of continued existence. God, I acknowledge my constant and absolute dependence on You for in You Lord I live and move and have my being. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

November 1 Devotion - The Peace of God

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

لا تهتموا بشيء بل في كل شيء بالصلاة والدعاء مع الشكر لتعلم طلباتكم لدى الله.
وسلام الله الذي يفوق كل عقل يحفظ قلوبكم وافكاركم في المسيح يسوع

Philippians 4:6-7

It is good to be concerned and excited but wrong to be worried and anxious. Anxiety makes our concerns to become all-consuming and debilitating.

Adam Clarke in his commentary on Philippians writes,

This peace passes all understanding; it is of a very different nature from all that can arise from human occurrences; it is a peace which Christ has purchased, and which God dispenses; it is felt by all the truly godly, but can be explained by none; it is communion with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ, by the power and influence of the Holy Ghost.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord I praise You and glorify You. Lord, I dwell on Your goodness knowing that You never fail me. God, You know exactly where I am emotionally and mentally. Teach me to bring my troubles to You and help me to practice growing still before You Lord. Father, I know that You sometimes allow the pressures of life to build so that I can learn how to deal with them from a position of faith and not fear. Thank You for Your mercy and for providing me wisdom for all I face. Strengthen me Lord so that in everything and in all circumstances I am always thankful and I do not feel anxious instead I feel that Your peace which surpasses all comprehension, is guarding my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein