January 31 Devotion - All things work together for good

 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

 ونحن نعلم ان كل الاشياء تعمل معا للخير للذين يحبون الله الذين هم مدعوون حسب قصده.

The persons in whose behalf all things work for good are those that love God, have accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord over their lives, and consequently, who live in the spirit of obedience.

All tribulations, or afflictions, or persecutions that may arise, God uses them and converts them to contribute to the general good of the person who loves God, and who is led by faith under the direction and guidance of The Holy Spirit.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You that You make all things, including tribulations and afflictions, to work together for my good. Lord, in my weakest moments, assure me that the power of Christ will rest upon me. Father God, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can always declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour and Jesus may continue to dwell in my heart through faith. Thank You Lord for loving me with an unfailing, deep, and everlasting love. Thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Lord, I trust You, praise You, glorify You, lift You up on high and submit to Your wisdom in all things. In the name of The King of kings and Lord of lords, in the holy name of Jesus I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 30 Devotion - We are God's co-workers and God's masterpiece

 

For we are both God’s workers and you are God’s field. You are God’s building. As God’s partners we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

1 Corinthians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 6:1, Ephesians 2:10   

فَإِنَّنَا نَحْنُ جَمِيعاً عَامِلُونَ مَعاً عِنْدَ اللهِ، وَأَنْتُمْ حَقْلُ اللهِ وَبِنَاءُ اللهِ.

وَبِما أنَّنا نَعمَلُ مَعاً مَعَ اللهِ، نَحُثُّكُمْ عَلَى أنْ لا تُبَدِّدُوا نِعمَةَ اللهِ الَّتِي نِلتُمُوها.

 فَنَحنُ عَمَلُ يَدَيّ اللهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَنا فِي المَسِيحِ يَسُوعَ لِلسُّلوكِ في أعمالٍ صالِحَةٍ أعَدَّها لَنا مُقَدَّ 

 

We are to work together with God, in promoting the purposes of His glory, and the salvation of precious souls; and God will make sure that we do not labour in vain. We the believers; who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Saviour and made Jesus Lord over our lives; are employed by God and He will carefully look over us. We are his workmanship; He has saved us through His grace by letting His own son die in our place so that we may show forth the virtues of Him who has called us from darkness into His marvelous light. Although we definitely cannot be saved by our good works, yet we are saved that we may perform good works, to the glory of God.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You God that I am Your co-worker and Your workmanship. Thank You God for saving me and creating me anew in Christ Jesus. LORD, I pray that You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can work together with You in promoting the purposes of Your glory, and the salvation of precious souls. Help me God to continue to declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour, and Jesus may continue to dwell in my heart through faith, and I may perform good works, to Your glory God and the benefit of mankind. Thank You God for loving me with a deep, inseparable, and everlasting love and for considering me a masterpiece. Thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life Lord, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. In the Holy Name of Jesus, I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the majesty, power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

 In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 27 Devotion - How can we approach God?

 

Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

فَقالَ لَهُ يَسُوعُ: 

أنا هُوَ الطَّرِيِقُ وَالحَقُّ وَالحَياةُ. لا أحَدَ يَأْتِي إلَى الآبِ

 إلّا بِي.

John 14:6 Amplified Bible

 

 ^….is in accordance with [the terms of] the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him [that is, our faith gives us sufficient courage to freely and openly approach God through Christ].

وَفْقاً لِقَصدِهِ الأزَلِيِّ الَّذِي حَقَّقَهُ فِي المَسِيحِ يَسُوعَ رَبِّنا. 12 فَفِي المَسِيحِ، وَبِالإيمانِ بِهِ، لَنا امتِيازُ الدُّخُولِ إلَى حَضرَةِ اللهِ بِجُرأةٍ وَثِقَةٍ.

 

 

Ephesians 3: 11-12 Amplified Bible

 

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

إذاً فَلْنَتَقَدَّمْ بِجُرأةٍ إلَى عَرشِ نِعمَةِ اللهِ، لِكَي نَنالَ رَحمَةً وَنَجِدَ نِعمَةً تُعِينُنا وَقتَ الحاجَةِ.

Hebrews 4:16 NKJV

 

Jesus said:

                                                     

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

فَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ تَطْلُبُونَهُ بِاسْمِي أَفْعَلُهُ لَكُمْ، لِيَتَمَجَّدَ الآبُ فِي الاِبْنِ. 14 إِنْ طَلَبْتُمْ شَيْئاً بِاسْمِي، فَإِنِّي أَفْعَلُهُ.

 

John 14:13-14

 

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

حَتَّى الآنَ لَمْ تَطْلُبُوا بِاسْمِي شَيْئاً. اطْلُبُوا تَنَالُوا، فَيَكُونَ فَرَحُكُمْ كَامِلاً.

John 16:2

 

Christ is the only way of access to God. Through Jesus’ mediation we, who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour; can approach and have audience with God. We can come to The Throne of God with boldness, meaning we have been given liberty of speech to The Father, such as children use in addressing a generous father. We can ask of God directly through Jesus our mediator with confidence and boldness. It is on the basis of such scriptures as these that it becomes obvious that we need to conclude all our prayers in the name, and for the sake of, Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

We are to follow the commandments and words of Christ and apply Jesus’ way and method of praying by praying to God our Father in the name of Jesus.

 

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You God that I am Your child because I was purchased with the precious blood of Christ. Thank You God that I may approach You with freedom and confidence through Jesus Christ. Thank You my gracious God that I can come boldly to Your throne and receive Your mercy and I will find grace to help me when I need it most. Abba Father, please strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can continue to declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour and Friend. Thank You Father God for loving me with a deep and everlasting love, thank You 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 You Father. To Jesus be the glory, the authority, the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.        

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 25 Devotion - LET GOD HANDLE IT

 

Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him].

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

فَمَادَامَ لَنَا رَئِيسَ كَهَنَتِنَا الْعَظِيمُ الَّذِي ارْتَفَعَ مُجْتَازاً السَّمَاوَاتِ، وَهُوَ يَسُوعُ ابْنُ اللهِ، فَلْنَتَمَسَّكْ دَائِماً بِالاعْتِرَافِ بِهِ.

 فَلْنَتَقَدَّمْ بِثِقَةٍ إِلَى عَرْشِ النِّعْمَةِ، لِنَنَالَ الرَّحْمَةَ وَنَجِدَ نِعْمَةً تُعِينُنَا عِنْدَ الْحَاجَةِ.

  Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 4:16

 

Adversity can be handled in one of two ways. Either we can deal with it on our own, or we can allow God to carry our burden for us.

The wiser course of action is to allow God to handle our adversities. His ability to provide goes beyond our greatest imagination. He is The God who has the ability to calm every storm.

^{I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:}

^{Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Thank You God that in Your divine love, wisdom, grace and mercy You have allowed me to come directly to You through our High Priest Jesus Christ; my Lord and Saviour. Thank You that I do not need anyone else to intercede for me. Thank You that You instruct me to come boldly to Your throne of grace and find help when I need it the most. Jesus in Your name I pray, help me to hold fast to my faith in You and to leave my troubles at the foot of Your cross for You to handle for me. Amen.}

 

 Jesus loves you,

 In Him,

Wagdi Henein

 

 

January 23 Devotion - We cannot be separated from God’s love for us

 

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35-39 New Living Translation (NLT)

35 من سيفصلنا عن محبة المسيح. أشدّة ام ضيق ام اضطهاد ام جوع ام عري ام خطر ام سيف.

37 ولكننا في هذه جميعها يعظم انتصارنا بالذي احبنا.

38 فاني متيقن انه لا موت ولا حياة ولا ملائكة ولا رؤساء ولا قوات ولا امور حاضرة ولا مستقبلة

39 ولا علو ولا عمق ولا خليقة اخرى تقدر ان تفصلنا عن محبة الله التي في المسيح يسوع ربنا

 

God’s love for His children, the ones who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour and made Him Lord over their lives, can never change or be altered by whatever means or circumstances. Nothing we can do can make God love us any more or any less —indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God for us that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Do you feel His love? Do you sometimes think He doesn’t love you because of your behaviour and actions? He loves us not because we deserve it but because of His grace, mercy, and Jesus’ redemptive work at the cross.

Rejoice in God’s love for you.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You Lord that nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate me from Your love for me God, that is revealed in Christ Jesus my Lord.  Thank You Father God that Jesus bought me with His precious blood, through His redemptive work at The Cross. Thank You Father for Your abundant blessings and Your unfailing, inseparable, deep, and everlasting love for me. In the Holy Name of Jesus, 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

January 20 Devotion - May the power of Christ rest upon me

 

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. We are encouraged through The Prophet Isaiah’s enlightenment 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 all the time, especially during these difficult times that the entire world is going through. We need to thank Him for His past and current support, in expectation and total trust in His future support.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, please assure me that the power of Christ will rest upon me especially in my weakest moments. 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. 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. I declare Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and I pray in His holy name. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 18 Devotion - We are ambassadors for Christ

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ¹⁸ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

 

17 اذا ان كان احد في المسيح فهو خليقة جديدة.الاشياء العتيقة قد مضت.هوذا الكل قد صار جديدا.

18 ولكن الكل من الله الذي صالحنا لنفسه بيسوع المسيح واعطانا خدمة المصالحة

19 اي ان الله كان في المسيح مصالحا العالم لنفسه غير حاسب لهم خطاياهم وواضعا فينا كلمة المصالحة.

20 اذا نسعى كسفراء عن المسيح كأن الله يعظ بنا.نطلب عن المسيح تصالحوا مع الله.

21 لانه جعل الذي لم يعرف خطية خطية لاجلنا لنصير نحن بر الله فيه .

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

To reconcile is to exchange enmity for friendship, and it usually requires that the cause of enmity or hostility be removed. The cause of hostility between God and man was removed by Jesus taking on the sins of the world. It is now possible for us to have a personal relationship with God. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, Jesus’ blood makes it possible for God to change our status from being an enemy of God back into a right relationship with Him. Christ’s blood is the bridge, the peace offering that reconciles us to God. We are to be ambassadors for Christ bringing His message and good news to all.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You Lord that as a follower of Your Son Jesus I am reconciled to You God through the atoning death of Jesus on The Cross on my behalf.  Thank You God that through Jesus, I can have a personal relationship with You God. My heavenly Father please strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can become an ambassador for Christ and bring the message of reconciliation to all, for it is Your desire that all people be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2: 4 

Now to Him who is able to carry out His purpose and do infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Ephesians 3:20-21

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 17 Devotion - You are the salt & light of the earth

 

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

Matthew 5:13-14

انتم ملح الارض .ولكن ان فسد الملح فبماذا يملح .لا يصلح بعد لشيء الا لان يطرح خارجا ويداس من الناس .

14 انتم نور العالم .لا يمكن ان تخفى مدينة موضوعة على جبل .

Please note that Jesus never challenges us (the believers) to become salt or light. He simply says that we are - and we are either fulfilling or failing that responsibility. Salt is needed because the world is rotting and decaying and if our Christianity is also rotting and decaying, it won't be any good. Light is needed because the world is in darkness, and if our Christianity imitates the darkness, we have nothing to show the world.  To be effective we must seek to be Christlike in everything we say and do all the time.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I pray that You make me more and more like Your Son so that I can fulfill the responsibility of being the salt and the light to everyone I contact in my everyday life. Thank You God for loving me with a deep and everlasting love. Thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Father God in the holy name of Jesus I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 16 Devotion - Choosing the 'Good' hinders us from receiving the 'Best'

 

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways.

  9 فَكَمَا ارْتَفَعَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ عَنِ الأَرْضِ، كَذَلِكَ ارْتَفَعَتْ طُرُقِي عَنْ طُرُقِكُمْ، وَأَفْكَارِي عَنْ أَفْكَارِكُمْ.

Isaiah 55:9

We often pray for things that we believe are ‘Good’ for us and/or our loved ones. In His wisdom God has a much broader perspective and gives us only the things that are truly beneficial for our growth as His children; and that are beneficial for the advancement of His kingdom on this earth, and ‘Best’ for us through all eternity.

 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; ² so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”  

 وَأَمَّا سَارَايُ زَوْجَةُ أَبْرَامَ فَقَدْ كَانَتْ عَاقِراً، وَكَانَتْ لَهَا جَارِيَةٌ مِصْرِيَّةٌ تُدْعَى هَاجَرَ. 2 فَقَالَتْ سَارَايُ لأَبْرَامَ: «هُوَذَا الرَّبُّ قَدْ حَرَمَنِي مِنَ الْوِلادَةِ، فَادْخُلْ عَلَيْهَا لَعَلَّنِي أُرْزَقُ مِنْهَا بَنِينَ». فَسَمِعَ أَبْرَامُ لِكَلامِ زَوْجَتِهِ.

 

Genesis 16:1-2

Even though God had promised Abram that he would have a son from Sarai, she decided to help God and not wait. Disaster followed.  

Many times, unfortunately, we choose to go ahead without involving God and do what we believe is ‘Good’ for us and we miss out on God’s ‘Best’ for our lives. We do not realize that the ‘Good’ is preventing us from having the ‘Best’. We need to involve God and trust God’s direction/action in all what we do and follow His direction knowing that He will always give us what is ‘Best’ for us at the perfect time. God does not need our help.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, please help me to pray for what is ‘Best’ from Your perspective for me and those impacted by what I am praying for. Help me to have the discernment and wisdom to know what to pray for. Help me to pray for those attributes that will help me grow in the likeness of Your Son Jesus Christ, and for the advancement of Your kingdom. I trust that you will only give me what is ‘Best’ for me, and that Your timing is always the ‘Best’. Lord, give me the patience and the wisdom to wait upon Your timing. Thank You for Your abundant blessings and Your deep and inseparable love for me. God, I pray to You in the name of my Saviour and Lord, Your only begotten Son Jesus Christ. To Jesus be the glory, the majesty, the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 13 Devotion - Joy and Grace

This is the day the LORD has made;
         We will rejoice and be glad in it.

 

Psalm 118:24

 

Today is a gift. That is why they call it the ‘present’. Let us rejoice in it.

The Greek word in the Bible for ‘joy’ is ‘chara’ and the verb is ‘charein’ which is often translated to ‘rejoice’. Closely related is the word ‘charis’ which is translated to be ‘grace’.

I believe it is ‘Charis’ that produces ‘Chara’ or in English, it is ‘Grace’ that produces ‘Joy’. Understanding the word of God increases our appreciation of His Grace, and our feeling of Joy.

 

The Apostle Paul was feeling joy while being held prisoner in a dungy Roman prison cell and from there he told us to:

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!

افْرَحُوا فِي الرَّبِّ دَائِماً، وَأَقُولُ أَيْضاً: افْرَحُوا.

Philippians 4:4

My belief is that The Apostle Paul probably felt God’s grace so powerfully that it overshadowed all the negative feelings of being chained in a Roman prison to the point that he actually felt joy.

Jesus said:

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

كلمتكم بهذا لكي يثبت فرحي فيكم ويكمل فرحكم

John 15:11

All through the Bible we see evidence of God wanting us to be joyful, irrespective of the situation. Let’s concentrate on God’s grace and the magnitude of His love for us expressed through His grace. That on its own is reason enough for quantum joy.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You that You gave me today as a present for me to rejoice in. Fill me God totally and envelop me with Your Grace, so that I can feel an inner joy independent of circumstances. Jesus I long for and pray that Your Joy remains in me and that my joy be full. Thank You Father for loving me with a deep, unfailing, inseparable, and everlasting love. Thank You Lord for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Lord, I praise You, revere You, worship You, I lift You up on high, and glorify Your holy name. In the holy name of Jesus my Lord and Saviour I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the authority, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein