Friday, 29 March 2024

March 29 Devotion - Good Friday - The Cross

 



The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death.

تتحول الشمس الى ظلمة والقمر الى دم قبل ان يجيء يوم الرب العظيم الشهير.

21 ويكون كل من يدعو باسم الرب يخلص

22 ايها الرجال الاسرائيليون اسمعوا هذه الاقوال. يسوع الناصري رجل قد تبرهن لكم من قبل الله بقوات وعجائب وآيات صنعها الله بيده في وسطكم كما انتم ايضا تعلمون.

23 هذا اخذتموه مسلّما بمشورة الله المحتومة وعلمه السابق وبايدي اثمة صلبتموه وقتلتموه.

Acts 2:20-23

Christ's suffering on the cross was fore-ordained and was the only payment of our debt that God would accept—this is the great sacrifice on which the eternal life of believers depends. If Christ had not gone to the cross and suffered in our place, the just for the unjust, there would not have been a spark of hope for us. There would have been a mighty chasm between us and God, which no man ever could have crossed.

Please listen and watch: https://youtu.be/MPmGcridHQ8


I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You Lord for loving me so much that You let Your Son die on the cross to redeem me, a sinner. As Jesus said: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13 God, I thank You, praise You, glorify You and lift you up on high. Strengthen me Lord through The Holy Spirit, so that that I may walk in such a way that is fully pleasing to You and is fruitful in every good work. Thank You Jesus for dying in my place and that through The Cross I am redeemed, forgiven, justified, reconciled to God, sanctified, and glorified. In Your holy name Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, I pray to The Father.  To Jesus be the glory, the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein


Thursday, 28 March 2024

March 28 Devotion - Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper


 

When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

19 And He took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

 وَلَمَّا حَانَ الوَقْتُ، أخَذَ يَسُوعُ مَكَانَهُ إلَى المَائِدَةِ وَمَعَهُ الرُّسُلُ. 15 وَقَالَ لَهُمْ: «كَمِ اشتَهَيتُ أنْ أتَنَاوَلَ عَشَاءَ الفِصْحِ مَعَكُمْ قَبْلَ أنْ أمُوتَ. 16 لِأنِّي أقُولُ لَكُمْ إنِّي لَنْ أتَنَاوَلَهُ ثَانِيَةً إلَى أنْ يَكْتَمِلَ مَعْنَاهُ فِي مَلَكُوتِ اللهِ.»

17 ثُمَّ تَنَاوَلَ كَأسَ نَبِيذٍ وَشَكَرَ اللهَ، وَقَالَ: «خُذُوا هَذِهِ الكَأسَ وَاشْرَبُوا مِنْهَا كُلُّكُمْ. 18 فَأنَا أقُولُ لَكُمْ لَنْ أشرَبَ هَذَا النَّبِيذَ إلَى أنْ يَأْتِيَ مَلَكُوتُ اللهِ

19 ثُمَّ أخَذَ خُبْزًا وَشَكَرَ اللهَ، وَقَسَّمَهُ وَأعْطَاهُمْ إيَّاهُ وَقَالَ: «هَذَا هُوَ جَسَدِي الَّذِي يُبذَلُ مِنْ أجْلِكُمْ. اعمَلُوا هَذَا تَذكَارًا لِي.» 20 وَعَادَ فَتَنَاوَلَ كَأسَ النَّبِيذِ بَعدَمَا تَعَشَّوْا وَقَالَ: «هَذِهِ الكَأسُ هِيَ كَأسُ العَهْدِ الجَدِيدِ الَّذِي يُقْطَعُ بِدَمِي الَّذِي سَيُسفَكُ مِنْ أجْلِكُمْ.

Luke 22: 14-20

 

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

 

فَقَالَ لَهُمْ يَسُوعُ: «أقُولُ الحَقَّ لَكُمْ: يَنْبَغِي أنْ تَأْكُلُوا جَسَدَ ابْنِ الإنْسَانِ وَتَشْرَبُوا دَمَهُ، وَإلَّا فَلَنْ تَكُونَ لَكُمْ حَيَاةٌ فِي دَاخِلِكُمْ. 54 مَنْ يَأْكُلُ جَسَدِي وَيَشْرَبُ دَمِي لَهُ حَيَاةٌ أبَدِيَّةٌ، وَأنَا سَأُقِيمُهُ فِي اليَوْمِ الأخِيرِ. 55 جَسَدِي طَعَامٌ حَقِيقِيٌّ، وَدَمِي شَرَابٌ حَقِيقِيٌّ. 56 مَنْ يَأْكُلُ جَسَدِي وَيَشْرَبُ دَمِي يَسْكُنُ فِيَّ، وَأنَا أسْكُنُ فِيهِ.

 

57 «الآبُ الحَيُّ أرْسَلَنِي، وَأنَا أحيَا بِالآبِ. هَكَذَا أيْضًا، مَنْ يَأْكُلُنِي فَسَيَحْيَا بِي. 58 هَذَا هُوَ الخُبْزُ الَّذِي نَزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ. وَهُوَ يَخْتَلِفُ عَنِ المَنِّ الَّذِي أكَلَهُ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ مَاتُوا، فَمَنْ يَأْكُلُ هَذَا الخُبْزَ سَيَحْيَا إلَى الأبَدِ

 

John 6:53-58

 

 

The flesh and blood of the Son of man, denote the Redeemer in the nature of man; Christ and Him crucified, and the redemption created by Him, with all the precious benefits of redemption; pardon of sin, acceptance with God, the way to the throne of grace, the promises of the covenant, and eternal life. These are called the flesh and blood of Christ because they are purchased by the breaking of His body, and the shedding of His blood. Also, because they are food and drink to our souls.

 

Eating this flesh and drinking this blood means believing in Christ. We partake of Christ and His benefits by faith. The soul that rightly knows its state and wants, finds whatever can calm the conscience, and promote true holiness, in The Redeemer, God manifest in the flesh. Meditating upon the Cross of Christ gives life to our repentance, love, and gratitude. We live by Him, as our bodies live by our food. We live by Him, as the members by the head, the branches by the root: because He lives (resurrected) we shall live also. (Adapted from Mathew Henry’s explanation of the Bible).


I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for the riches of Your grace upon my life which allows me to be forgiven through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on my behalf. Through Your redemption Jesus I also receive the precious benefits of redemption, pardon of sin, acceptance with God, the way to the Throne of Grace, the promises of the covenant, and eternal life. Thank You Jesus for suffering on my behalf, I believe in You and declare You my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for Your body which is given for us and for the new covenant of grace through Your blood which was shed for us. 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. Thank You Father for Your unfailing, inseparable, deep and everlasting love for me, and Your abundant blessings in my life. 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 (AMP) Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

Wednesday, 27 March 2024

March 27 Devotion - God's thoughts toward us

 



How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
         How great is the sum of them!
 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand
         When I awake, I am still with You.

مَا أَثْمَنَ أَفْكَارَكَ يَااللهُ عِنْدِي! مَا أَعْظَمَ جُمْلَتَهَا!

إِنْ أَحْصَيْتُهَا زَادَتْ عَلَى الرَّمْلِ عَدَداً. عِنْدَمَا أَسْتَيْقِظُ أَجِدُنِي مَازِلْتُ مَعَكَ.

Psalm 139:17-18 

 

God cares about us and is constantly thinking of new ways to help us. Our security should lie in Him.

However, if my sense of security lies in my reputation or in the things I have, my life will be in a constant state of threat and jeopardy that these possessions may be lost, stolen, or devalued.  If I’m in the presence of someone of greater net worth or fame or status, I feel inferior. If I’m in the presence of someone of lesser net worth or fame or status, I feel superior.  My sense of self-worth constantly fluctuates. I don’t have any sense of constancy or anchorage or persistent selfhood.

Our trust and self-worth should come from Jesus. He has redeemed us and by Grace accepted to die for us, so that we may be forgiven. We only have to accept His gift and to know that our self-worth is based on being children of God. May we never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ

  

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I thank you for Your abundant blessings. Thank You for thinking of me today and every day. Thank You for loving me and for doing and planning great things in my life. Help to connect and understand Your thoughts for my life. I receive Your love which drives out all fear. Make me new as I meditate on You. Help me realize that my security comes from being a child of God which I inherited through Your grace. Jesus’ atoning death for me on the Cross reconciled me to You . In Jesus' name I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the power, the dominion, the majesty, and the blessings forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus Loves you

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

 

 

Tuesday, 26 March 2024

March 26 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.

 

فَمَنْ يَقْدِرُ أنْ يَفْصِلَنَا عَنْ مَحَبَّةِ المَسِيحِ؟ أتَقْدِرُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ الضِّيقَاتُ، أمِ المَشَقَّاتُ، أمْ الاضطِهَادَاتُ، أمِ الجُوعُ، أمِ العُريُ، أمِ الأخطَارُ، أمِ المَوْتُ بِالسَّيفِ؟ 36 فَكَمَا يَقُولُ الكِتَابُ:

                            «إنَّنَا مِنْ أجْلِكَ نُواجِهُ خَطَرَ المَوْتِ

طَوَالَ النَّهَارِ.

وَنَحْنُ مَحسُوبُونَ كَغَنَمٍ لِلذَّبحِ.»[a]

37 غَيْرَ أنَّنَا فِي كُلِّ هَذِهِ الشَّدَائِدِ، مُنتَصِرُونَ انتِصَارًا مَجِيدًا جِدًّا مِنْ خِلَالِ ذَاكَ الَّذِي أحَبَّنَا. 38 فَأنَا مُقتَنِعٌ بِأنَّهُ مَا مِنْ شَيءٍ يَقْدِرُ أنْ يَفْصِلَنَا عَنْ مَحَبَّةِ اللهِ الَّتِي فِي المَسِيحِ يَسُوعَ رَبِّنَا. فَلَا مَوْتَ وَلَا حَيَاةَ، وَلَا مَلَائِكَةَ وَلَا أروَاحَ مُتَسَلِّطَةً، وَلَا شَيءَ فِي الحَاضِرِ، وَلَا شَيءَ فِي المُسْتَقْبَلِ، وَلَا قُوَىً رُوحِيَّةً، 39 وَلَا شَيءَ مِمَّا فَوقَنَا، وَلَا شَيءَ مِمَّا تَحْتَنَا، وَلَا أيَّ شَيءٍ آخَرَ مَخْلُوقٍ يُمْكِنُ أنْ يَفْصِلَنَا عَنْ مَحَبَّةِ اللهِ الَّتِي لَنَا فِي المَسِيحِ يَسُوعَ رَبِّنَا.

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

God’s love for His children, the ones who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour and 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.

 

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. Thank You Lord that nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate me from Your love for me that is revealed in Christ Jesus my Lord.  I pray that I, being rooted and established in love, may have power to grasp how wide, long, high, and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. In Your holy name Jesus, I pray. To You be the glory, the power , the dominion, and the majesty forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

Monday, 25 March 2024

March 25 Devotion - Becoming Christ-like

 


…since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus… For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power

 

من اجل ذلك نحن ايضا منذ يوم سمعنا لم نزل مصلّين وطالبين لاجلكم ان تمتلئوا من معرفة مشيئته في كل حكمة وفهم روحي

10 لتسلكوا كما يحق للرب في كل رضى مثمرين في كل عمل صالح ونامين في معرفة الله

11 متقوين بكل قوة بحسب قدرة مجده

 

Colossians 1:9-11

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your unfailing, inseparable, deep and everlasting love for me and Your abundant blessings in my life.

Abba, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can discern Your will for my life and be filled with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Strengthen me through Your Holy Spirit Lord, so that that I may walk in such a way that is fully pleasing to You and is fruitful in every good work. Lord, I desire and need to increase in Your knowledge. Help me Father to pray for others and to be Christ-like, fully pleasing You and being fruitful toward others through Your glorious strength. 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


Tuesday, 19 March 2024

March 19 Devotion - God's Glory is upon you

 

Arise, shine; For your light has come!
      And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.

قومي استنيري لانه قد جاء نورك ومجد الرب اشرق عليك.

Isaiah 60:1

 

God has wonderful things planned for us. He will give us blessings that seem impossible to us. Even the dreams we have given up on, God has not given up on, as long as they are aligned with His will and plan for our lives.

 

We must listen to God with our hearts and not let discouragement hold us back. It is time for each one of us to receive every blessing God has prepared for us individually and move forward in the destiny He has planned for each one of us.


I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Thank You Lord for choosing me to be Your child and for preparing a bright future for me. Help me; through the Holy Spirit; to accept Your blessings with a humble heart and to always honour You and praise Your Holy Name. Thank You for letting Your glory shine upon me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein


Monday, 18 March 2024

March 18 Devotion - Involve God in every decision

 


Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

لاَ تَقْلَقُوا مِنْ جِهَةِ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ، بَلْ فِي كُلِّ أَمْرٍ لِتَكُنْ طَلِبَاتُكُمْ مَعْرُوفَةً لَدَى اللهِ، بِالصَّلاَةِ وَالدُّعَاءِ، مَعَ الشُّكْرِ.


Philippians 4:6

 

Do you think we should pray about every single detail in our lives? God did not exclude anything. What would a child pray about? Jesus said in Mark10:15 “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” In Psalm 37:23(NLT): The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.                                                                                                       

There are some commandments and guidelines that God has given us, so we should not pray to God asking Him obvious things like: God should I love my neighbour? Because He told us we should, however we can pray to God to help us love them. Other than God’s commandments and guidelines, I believe we should pray for every detail in our lives.

                                                                                                                            

We seem to keep prayers only for big demands or crisis. Praying for and about everything keeps us in constant communication and connection with God and that pleases His heart and is very useful for us.

 

 I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You that You love me so much that You want to fellowship with me all day and You desire that I involve You in all my thoughts and actions. I appreciate that You are omnipresent(available everywhere) omniscient (all knowing), and You are interested in every detail in my life. Help me Lord to develop the habit to pray to You about every detail of my life. Thank You Father God 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 dominion, the majesty, and the blessings forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,                                                                        

In Him,

Wagdi Henein


Friday, 15 March 2024

March 15 Devotion - Sing to The LORD a new song

 


Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.

رَنِّمُوا للهِ تَرنِيمَةً جَدِيدَةً.
غَنُّوا للهِ يا كُلَّ أهلِ الأرْضِ.
غَنُّوا للهِ، بارِكُوا اسْمَهُ.
حَدِّثُوا بِخَلاصِهِ يَوماً بَعدَ يَومٍ.
أخبِرُوا بِمَجدِهِ بَينَ الشُّعُوبِ.
أخبِرُوا كُلَّ النّاسِ بِعَجائِبِهِ.
لأنَّ اللهَ عَظِيمٌ وَمُستَحِقٌّ لِلتَّسبِيحِ!

Psalm 96:1-4

 

It was a custom that poets/psalmists wrote a new song whenever God had a large new blessing for the people. We see in this song/hymn that we are called to praise and bless (affectionately praise) God and give Him glory. Three times we are here called to sing unto the Lord; sing to the Father, to the Son, to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning. This new song is a new New-Testament song, a song of praise for the new covenant and the precious privileges of that covenant.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I sing a new song, a song of Your New Covenant, a song of my salvation through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Lord whenever I feel low or focus on anything other than Jesus help me to refocus on Christ by singing this new song, to sing to You LORD, to proclaim Your glory and Your wonderful news of The Gospel of Jesus Christ and my redemption, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation, sanctification, and glorification. Never let me forget that I am a loved and adored child of God. I declare Your glory Lord among the nations, and Your marvelous deeds among all peoples for You are great and worthy of all praise. In the holy name of Jesus my Lord and Saviour, I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the power, the dominion, the majesty, and the blessings forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein


March 14 Devotion - Self - Esteem


So He said to them, “You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts [your thoughts, your desires, your secrets]; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: 

«إِنَّكُمْ تُبَرِّرُونَ أَنْفُسَكُمْ أَمَامَ النَّاسِ، وَلكِنَّ اللهَ يَعْرِفُ قُلُوبَكُمْ. فَمَا يَعْتَبِرُهُ النَّاسُ رَفِيعَ الْقَدْرِ، هُوَ رِجْسٌ عِنْدَ اللهِ.

Luke 16:15

 

Self-esteem is defined as confidence in one's own worth or abilities, self-respect.

 

While believers should have high self- esteem, the source of their self-esteem is crucial. I find myself conforming to the world by drawing my self-worth based on how the world and people measure me.

 

What is the source of your self-esteem? Is it your social setting? Your professional setting? Your culture setting? Your financial setting? Or do you get your self-esteem from pleasing God?

 

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

 

فَقَالَ الرَّبُّ لِصَمُوئِيلَ: «لاَ تُلْقِ بَالاً إِلَى وَسَامَتِهِ وَطُولِ قَامَتِهِ إِذ لَيْسَ هَذَا مَنِ اخْتَرْتُهُ، فَنَظْرَةُ الرَّبِّ تَخْتَلِفُ عَنْ نَظْرَةِ الإِنْسَانِ، لأَنَّ الإِنْسَانَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى الْمَظْهَرِ الْخَارِجِيِّ وَأَمَّا الرَّبُّ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى الْقَلْبِ».

 

1 Samuel 16:7

 

When I get my self-esteem from pleasing God, I get my confidence by trusting God.      

                   

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

LORD, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can surrender to You and let You transform me into a new person by changing the way I think and make me stop copying the behaviour and customs of this world. Romans 12:2. Lord increase my self-esteem in proportion to the extent that I please You and increase my trust in You. Abba Father, thank You that You love me and that Your love is unfailing, steadfast, deep, and everlasting. Thank You Father for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Father God, I pray to You iin the name of Your only begotten Son, my Redeemer and Saviour, the Lord of my life, Jesus Christ. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion before all time and now and forevermore. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein


Monday, 11 March 2024

March 11 Devotion - Charge your spirit

 

Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

اُثْبُتُوا فِيَّ وَأَنَا فِيكُمْ. كَمَا أَنَّ الْغُصْنَ لاَ يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ بِثَمَرٍ مِنْ ذَاتِهِ إِنْ لَمْ يَثْبُتْ فِي الْكَرْمَةِ، كَذلِكَ أَنْتُمْ أَيْضًا إِنْ لَمْ تَثْبُتُوا فِيَّ. 5أَنَا الْكَرْمَةُ وَأَنْتُمُ الأَغْصَانُ. الَّذِي يَثْبُتُ فِيَّ وَأَنَا فِيهِ هذَا يَأْتِي بِثَمَرٍ كَثِيرٍ، لأَنَّكُمْ بِدُونِي لاَ تَقْدِرُونَ أَنْ تَفْعَلُوا شَيْئًا.

 

John 15:4-5

 

We all have mobile phones that need to be recharged on a daily basis. We make sure we charge our phones because if we don’t, they will turn off due to a ‘dead’ battery. What about our spirits? They need to be charged too. The electricity that charges our spirits is the Word of God, and spending time with God praying, meditating, and listening to the direction of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that He is the vine, we are the branches. We need to be nourished through the sap that runs from the vine to the branch so that we can continue to be charged. Just as we make sure that our phones are charged, we need to make sure we charge our spirits.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, please help me to develop the habit of spending time with You daily so that I may be nurtured and sanctified. Let Your God-breathed scriptures convict me of my sin and correct my errors and restore me to obedience. Train me in righteousness Lord so that I may live in conformity to Your will, both publicly and privately behaving honourably with personal integrity and moral courage. Lord Jesus please strengthen me to remain in You so that You remain in me. Jesus, I need to bear fruit and I know that I cannot bear fruit by myself without remaining in You Jesus because You are the vine, and I am the branch and without You I can do nothing. Father God, charge me daily. thank You for loving me with a deep and everlasting love, Thank You God for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Lord 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. In the mighty name of Your only begotten Son Jesus; my Lord and Saviour; I pray to You Father. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein 


Thursday, 7 March 2024

March 7 Devotion - God is Spirit

 




Jesus said:

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

 الله روح. والذين يسجدون له فبالروح والحق ينبغي ان يسجدوا.

John 4:24

 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 فَأَجَابَهُ يَسُوعُ: «أَنَا هُوَ الطَّرِيقُ وَالْحَقُّ وَالْحَيَاةُ. لَا يَأْتِي أَحَدٌ إِلَى الآبِ إِلّا بِي.

 John 14:6

 

God The Father is Spirit and is omnipresent, meaning He is present everywhere. The nature of God is an eternal, immense and infinite Spirit. God is the creator of all spirits. Only The Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is omnipresent, we can pray to The Trinity from anywhere across the globe.


Jesus is the only mediator between us and God.


For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus

 اللهُ وَاحِدٌ، وَالوَسِيطُ بَيْنَ اللهِ وَالنَّاسِ وَاحِدٌ هُوَ الإنْسَانُ يَسُوعُ المَسِيحُ.

 1 Timothy 2:5

 

Jesus tells us that we should pray in His name to The Father.

Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.


الْحَقَّ الْحَقَّ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ: إِنَّ الآبَ سَيُعْطِيكُمْ كُلَّ مَا تَطْلُبُونَ مِنْهُ بِاسْمِي. 24 حَتَّى الآنَ لَمْ تَطْلُبُوا بِاسْمِي شَيْئاً. اطْلُبُوا تَنَالُوا، فَيَكُونَ فَرَحُكُمْ كَامِلاً.

 

John 16:23-24

 

We should pray to the Father in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Many people are praying to so called “saints” that some churches canonized or declared as “saints”. They may pray to them or ask for their mediation. No where does the Bible say that any of these many “saints” that the churches have proclaimed are omnipresent. If they are not omnipresent, they cannot hear prayers across the globe. I believe these so called “saints” advanced God’s Kingdom while they were alive and helped other people, but they are now dead people and cannot hear prayers at all. We are asked by Jesus to pray in His name. He is the only mediator between us and God. We are asked to pray to Him and nowhere does Jesus say we need a mediator between us and Jesus.

 

A. Worshipping in Spirit

 

I believe we would be considered worshipping God in spirit, when we are guided by The Holy Spirit, and we present our requests to the throne of God through our mediator Jesus Christ. Worshipping God must spring from the heart, through the influence of the Holy Spirit.

 

This 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]

Ephesians 3:11-12 AMP

 

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

 

B. Worshipping in Truth


We would be considered worshipping God in truth when our worship is guided and regulated by The Word of God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

 

فِي الْبَدْءِ كَانَ الْكَلِمَةُ، وَالْكَلِمَةُ كَانَ عِنْدَ اللهِ. وَكَانَ الْكَلِمَةُ اللهُ. 2 هَذَا كَانَ فِي الْبَدْءِ عِنْدَ اللهِ. 3 بِهِ تَكَوَّنَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ، وَبِغَيْرِهِ لَمْ يَتَكَوَّنْ أَيُّ شَيْءٍ مِمَّا تَكَوَّنَ. 4 فِيهِ كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ. وَالْحَيَاةُ كَانَتِ نُورَ النَّاسِ.

John 1:1-4

 

 I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for the riches of Your grace upon my life. LORD, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I may worship You in spirit and in truth. Let all my prayers Lord be guided by The Holy Spirit and by Your Word. Thank You God that I can present my prayers to Your throne of grace with boldness and confidence through faith in Your only begotten Son, my Lord, and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion before all time and now and forevermore. Amen. 

 

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein