November 30 Devotion - You are the apple of God's eye

 

For thus says the LORD of hosts:… “For he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.”

فَإِنَّ الرَّبَّ الْقَدِيرَ يَقُولُ ...'لأَنَّ مَنْ يَمَسُّكُمْ يَمَسُّ حَدَقَةَ عَيْنِهِ.'

Zechariah 2:8

 

God loves us so very much.

 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

 And now the eyes of the Father are forever focused on us because of Christ’s atoning death on The Cross for us.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

   هَلْ تَنْسَى الْمَرْأَةُ رَضِيعَهَا وَلاَ تَرْحَمُ ابْنَ أَحْشَائِهَا؟ حَتَّى هَؤُلاَءِ يَنْسَيْنَ، أَمَّا أَنَا فَلاَ أَنْسَاكُمْ.  16 انْظُرُوا هَا أَنَا قَدْ نَقَشْتُكِ ُ عَلَى كَفِّي.

 Isaiah 49:15-16

 God will never forget us; the followers of Christ; for He has inscribed our names on the palms of His Hands. Neither will He forget the church, the body of believers.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and deep inseparable love. Lord, forgive me if at times I feel that You have forgotten me. Increase my faith so as to know, believe, and trust that You never forget me. I am privileged and thankful that as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ; Your only begotten Son; that I am so precious to You, that my name is written on the palms of Your hands. Thank You Lord for loving me so much that You consider that whoever touches me touches the apple of Your eye. I thank You, praise You and glorify You, in the name of Jesus my Lord and Saviour, to whom be honour, glory and power forever and ever . Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

November 29 Devotion - Amen (so be it)

 

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter1:5-8

ولهذا عينه وانتم باذلون كل اجتهاد قدموا في ايمانكم فضيلة وفي الفضيلة معرفة

6 وفي المعرفة تعففا وفي التعفف صبرا وفي الصبر تقوى

7 وفي التقوى مودة اخوية وفي المودة الاخوية محبة.

8 لان هذه اذا كانت فيكم وكثرت تصيّركم لا متكاسلين ولا غير مثمرين لمعرفة ربنا يسوع المسيح.

 

I read the above scripture as a roadmap to be fruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter outlines that we should make every effort to complement our faith with several dimensions, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. We start with complementing our faith with good character and moral excellence; and in exercising moral excellence we should develop our spiritual knowledge and intelligence. As we apply our spiritual knowledge, we should develop alert discipline and self-control. By applying our self-control we develop patience and endurance and thus develop reverence and piety. As we exercise reverence, we develop warm friendliness and brotherly affection toward others. In exercising brotherly affection and friendliness toward others we develop Christian 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 and glorify You. LORD, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I am fruitful unto the knowledge of my Lord, Jesus Christ. Please Lord give me moral excellence so that my character is seen as good in Your eyes; sharpen my spiritual and emotional intelligence; help me to master my self-control and grant me an acute ability for discipline. Help me to be patiently impatient to develop piety and reverence for You. Lord, I long to develop warm friendliness and brotherly affection and Christian love toward others. Jesus, in Your Holy name I pray. To Jesus be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen (so be it).

Jesus loves you

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

November 26 Devotion - WALKING WISELY

 

What one thing would you ask of God if you knew absolutely that it would not be refused? King Solomon had such a choice. After his father King David died he became King over Israel and while he was at a place called Gibeon the Lord appeared to him in a dream during the night.

"God said; 'Ask! What shall I give you?”

في جبعون تراءى الرب لسليمان في حلم ليلا . وقال الله اسأل ماذا اعطيك

I Kings 3:5

Solomon prayed for:

"Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"  

فاعط عبدك قلبا فهيما لاحكم على شعبك واميّز بين الخير والشر لانه من يقدر ان يحكم على شعبك العظيم هذا

I Kings 3:9

Solomon was asking for wisdom to be a good King. The Bible says:

The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

فحسن الكلام في عيني الرب لان سليمان سأل هذا الأمر

I Kings 3:10

The Lord was so pleased with Solomon's request that he said:

"See, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you."

هوذا قد فعلت حسب كلامك . هوذا اعطيتك قلبا حكيما ومميزا حتى انه لم يكن مثلك قبلك ولا يقوم بعدك نظيرك

I Kings 3:12

Solomon became the wisest man that ever lived. But that isn't all. God told him that because he had asked for wisdom instead of long life, riches or the life of his enemies:

"I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days."

وقد اعطيتك ايضا ما لم تسأله غنى وكرامة حتى انه لا يكون رجل مثلك في الملوك كل ايامك .

I Kings 3:13

 

 

 

It may surprise you in the end that God gives you what you ask for - and maybe even all that you did not ask. Just like Solomon! Solomon's prayer was a great one because his heart was right when he prayed it. Listen to God's promise for those who have such hearts:

"I dwell in the high and holy place; With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

لانه هكذا قال العلي المرتفع ساكن الابد القدوس اسمه. في الموضع المرتفع المقدس اسكن ومع المنسحق والمتواضع الروح لأحيي روح المتواضعين ولأحيي قلب المنسحقين.

Isaiah 57:15

I invite you to receive The Apostle Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom for you and to pray it for others:

 ¹⁵ Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, ¹⁶ I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, ¹⁷ asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. ¹⁸ I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. ¹⁹ I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power ²⁰ that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. ²¹ Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. ²² God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. ²³ And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. Ephesians 1:15-23

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.

وانما ان كان احد تعوزه حكمة فليطلب من الله الذي يعطي الجميع بسخاء ولا يعيّر فسيعطى له.

James 1:5

 

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein