August 30 Devotion - You are the salt of the earth - Part 1

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people

 أَنْتُمْ مِلْحُ الأَرْضِ، وَلكِنْ إِنْ فَسَدَ الْمِلْحُ فَبِمَاذَا يُمَلَّحُ؟ لاَ يَصْلُحُ بَعْدُ لِشَيْءٍ، إِلاَّ لأَنْ يُطْرَحَ خَارِجًا وَيُدَاسَ مِنَ النَّاسِ.

Matthew 5:13 (AMP)

At the time of Jesus salt had the following purposes:

1. Salt was used to preserve food, especially meat which would quickly spoil in the absence of refrigeration

2. Salt was used for cleansing and healing wounds

3. Salt was used then, as now, as a flavour enhancer

4. Salt was very valuable. Roman soldiers were paid in gold and salt

5. Salt was a symbol of friendship

6.  Salt was used to bind a covenant.

7. Salt was used to line kilns as an insulator

Jesus is calling me and you to be SALT in the lives of others. Our faith in Christ must be lived so others can see that our faith is real. The world continues to rot and putrefy due to sin. Christian believers are Jesus’ church on earth and we are to preserve what Jesus brought to the world and to help ‘save’ those who do not know Jesus. We are also called to be cleansing and to help people thirst for the truth.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I pray that out of Your  glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can fulfill the responsibility of being the salt to everyone I contact in my everyday life. Give me wisdom O’Lord to say words and do deeds that help in cleansing the wounds of others. Help me enhance the flavour of their life by telling them about the saving grace of Jesus and to thirst for Your word. I declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour and I pray in His Holy Name. To Jesus be the glory, the authority, the power and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

August 29 Devotion - The New Covenant

For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

فَإِنَّ هَذَا هُوَ دَمِي الَّذِي لِلْعَهْدِ الْجَدِيدِ وَالَّذِي يُسْفَكُ مِنْ أَجْلِ كَثِيرِينَ لِمَغْفِرَةِ الْخَطَايَا.

Mathew 26:28

“The word covenant means an arrangement made by one party which the other party involved could accept or reject but not alter.” (Bible professor Charles Ryrie)

                                                                                         

The New Covenant is an arrangement made by God which we can accept or reject, but we cannot alter the arrangement. The arrangement is that we are only saved through the shed blood of Jesus. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour we are born again, a spiritual birth, and we are filled with the Holy Spirit and sealed forever as children of God.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

الْحَقَّ الْحَقَّ أَقُولُ لَكَ: لَا أَحَدَ يُمْكِنُهُ أَنْ يَرَى مَلَكُوتَ اللهِ إِلاَّ إِذَا وُلِدَ مِنْ جَدِيدٍ

John 3:3

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

¹²وَأَمَّا كُلُّ الَّذِينَ قَبِلُوهُ فَأَعْطَاهُمْ سُلْطَانًا أَنْ يَصِيرُوا أَوْلاَدَ اللهِ، أَيِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِاسْمِهِ. ¹³اَلَّذِينَ وُلِدُوا لَيْسَ مِنْ دَمٍ، وَلاَ مِنْ مَشِيئَةِ جَسَدٍ، وَلاَ مِنْ مَشِيئَةِ رَجُل، بَلْ مِنَ اللهِ.

John 1:12-13

The word testament as used in the Biblical Old and New Testaments originates from the Greek word for covenant.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for loving me so much that You sent Jesus to die for my sins. Heavenly Father I accept Your Son Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I accept Your New Covenant joyously and thank You for Your grace and mercy. Lord, I declare that I am saved through Your grace through the atoning blood of Jesus and that I can never be worthy on my own of being Your child. Father God I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, I lift You up on high, and glorify Your Holy Name. Abba Father, thank You that Your deep steadfast love for me endures forever. Thank You Father for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the power, the majesty and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

August 28 Devotion - Trusting God

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. ⁴ In God I have put my trust; I will not fear.

في يوم خوفي انا عليك اتكل.

على الله توكلت فلا اخاف.

Psalm 56:3

There are many reasons why we can trust God:

•     He is the one, true God (2 Samuel 7:21–22)

•     He is the essence of truth (Hebrews 6:17–18)

•     He is absolutely faithful (Lamentations 3:23)

•        He has all power (Matthew 28:18)

•        He loves you unconditionally (John 15:9)

•       He never changes (Hebrews 13:8).

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, great is Thy faithfulness. LORD, You have told me that I should be strong and courageous and not to be frightened, and not to be dismayed, for You my God are with me wherever I go. Joshua 1:9  I pray that out of Your  glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Spirit in my inner being, so that I can trust You with an unconditional trust that allows me to have the patience to wait for Your deliverance. Jesus teach me to repose all my cares and my load onto Your shoulders. Lord I have trusted in Your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. Psalm 13:5 In Jesus’ name I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

August 27 Devotion - The Lord is Good

The Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

فَإِنَّ الرَّبَّ صَالِحٌ، إِلَى الأَبَدِ رَحْمَتُهُ وَأَمَانَتُهُ دَائِمَةٌ مِنْ جِيلٍ إِلَى جِيلٍ.

Psalm 100:5

Because God is good, He only gives me what is best for me. Sometimes He says no and sometimes He gives me beyond my request and imagination, sometimes different than what I asked for, sometimes at a different timing but always what is best for me. I realized that God loves me with affection beyond imagination, and He knows me best because He fashioned every intricate fiber of my being.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

لأَنَّكَ أَنْتَ قَدْ كَوَّنْتَ كُلْيَتَيَّ. نَسَجْتَنِي دَاخِلَ بَطْنِ أُمِّي.

 ¹⁴ أَحْمَدُكَ لأَنَّكَ صَنَعْتَنِي بِإِعْجَازِكَ الْمُدْهِشِ. مَا أَعْجَبَ أَعْمَالَكَ وَنَفْسِي تَعْلَمُ ذَلِكَ يَقِيناً.

Psalm 139:13–14

It makes total sense, then, that He knows exactly what I need and what blessings would benefit me the most.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and Your deep, everlasting and inseparable love. God I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, and glorify Your Holy Name. I will give thanks to You because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this. Lord, thank You that Your mercies are everlasting in my life. Lord, teach me to surrender totally to You and to realize that You are always looking out after me and doing what is best for me. I declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour. In the name of the King of kings and Lord of lords, in the Holy Name of Your only begotten Son Jesus, I pray. To Him be the power, the glory, the majesty and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.  

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein