January 16 Devotion - The Foundation of Peace

 

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.

لذلك ايها الاحباء اذ انتم منتظرون هذه اجتهدوا لتوجدوا عنده بلا دنس ولا عيب في سلام.

2 Peter 3:14

 

Did you ever find yourself not at peace with God? Although many may frown at this question, I admit there have been times when I have not been at peace with God. There are some Biblical questions to which I do not know the answers to, at the present time, and sometimes keeps me from being at peace with God. I need to realize that He may or may not reveal His answers to me, and even if He does, I may not understand because:

 

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine”.

لأَنَّ أَفْكَارِي لَيْسَتْ مُمَاثِلَةً لأَفْكَارِكُمْ، وَلاَ طُرُقَكُمْ مِثْلُ طُرُقِي، يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ.

 Isaiah 55:8

 

Lasting peace cannot be attained through our own efforts, but rather through Christ in us. The peace that comes from Him is eternal. Our bond with Him is the foundation upon which real peace is built. I believe that in order to experience the peace of God we need first to be at peace with God.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I want to experience Your true peace. God, please expose anything within me that may be preventing me from being at peace with You and heal it so that I can receive the true and everlasting peace that only You can give. Thank You Lord that through the atoning blood of Jesus I am without spot and blameless in Your eyes. Father, I rejoice in Your grace and faithfulness. Thank You Father for Your abundant blessings and Your deep, everlasting, and inseparable love for me. Father God, I praise You, revere You, bless You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, I lift You up on high, and glorify Your holy name. I pray in the name of The Prince of Peace Jesus Christ, to Jesus be the glory, the power, the dominion, the majesty and the blessings since the beginning of time, now, and forevermore. Amen.

 

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 15 Devotion - My Ways are higher than your ways

 

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 ‘higher way’ for our lives. We do not realize that our choice is preventing us from having God’s Higher way. 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 Your higher way knowing that Your way is 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 right timing. 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 14 Devotion - Transformation

 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

 

أَنَا الْكَرْمَةُ وَأَنْتُمُ الأَغْصَانُ. مَنْ يَثْبُتُ فِيَّ وَأَنَا فِيهِ، فَذَاكَ يُنْتِجُ ثَمَراً كَثِيراً. فَإِنَّكُمْ بِمَعْزِلٍ عَنِّي لَا تَقْدِرُونَ أَنْ تَفْعَلُوا شَيْئاً.

 

John 15:5

 

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

وَلِي ثِقَةٌ فِي هَذَا الأَمْرِ بِالذَّاتِ: أَنَّ الَّذِي بَدَأَ فِيكُمْ عَمَلاً صَالِحاً سَوْفَ يُتَمِّمُهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْمَسِيحِ يَسُوعَ.

 

Philippians 1:6 

 

 

 

Transformation as defined in the dictionary is the act of changing form.

 

When we try to live the Christian life depending on our own strength, we fail. When we are born again by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. 

 

When we come to the conclusion that we cannot succeed on our own and surrender to The Holy Spirit, that is when we move from trying to trusting; and that trans-form-ation helps us to start flourishing in our Christian faith journey as we change spiritual form.

 

The Holy Spirit will continue to transform us to increase our faith and help us become more and more Christ-like till the day we meet Jesus in person. 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I acknowledge that I can do nothing apart from Christ. Lord, I trust that The Holy Spirit within me is the only force that will make me able to live according to Your commandments. Father God, I thank You for your abundant blessings and Your deep, everlasting, and inseparable love. I trust that Jesus, who has started this Christian growth journey in my life, will continue to work in me to make me more like Him every day. In the holy name of Jesus, I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the power, and the dominion since the beginning of time, now, and forevermore. Amen. 

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 13 Devotion - The Life of God

 

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

السارق لا يأتي الا ليسرق ويذبح ويهلك .واما انا فقد أتيت لتكون لهم حياة وليكون لهم افضل .

 

John 10:10

 

Think about your best friend for a moment. Try to remember your very first meeting. What if your best friend had handed you a long list of do’s and don’ts, telling you any violation would lessen his care for you? Obviously, your relationship would never have progressed. Who would want such a friend? 

Yet many Christians act as if this is their view of Jesus. But He did not hand you a list of conditions when you accepted Him. What He gave you was His life. 

In the New Testament, there are several Greek words for life. Bios (origin of biology), generally translated, means “lifestyle.” Another Greek word for life is Zoe, which means “life as God has it.”

In John 10:10, Jesus said, “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” أَمَّا أَنَا فَقَدْ أَتَيْتُ لِتَكُونَ لَهُمْ حَيَاةٌ، بَلْ مِلْءُ الْحَيَاةِ

In John 11:25, He stated, “I am the resurrection and the life.” أَنَا هُوَ الْقِيَامَةُ وَالْحَيَاةُ

In both cases, Jesus used the word Zoe. How awesome to hear from our Lord Himself that the “life as God has it” is within us, the followers of and believers in Jesus Christ. It is a magnificent gift of His unconditional love. 

Since we have this life, His life, we already have the very best. He dwells within us to encourage and empower us. As long as we are within God’s will, sustaining energy will flow through us from His eternal wellspring. Within His will, we will never tire of living for Jesus.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for loving me with a deep and everlasting love, thank You for Your abundant blessings and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Lord, through Your Word and the guidance of The Holy Spirit help me to learn from Jesus and to take the Yoke Jesus offers. Father God, I pray that You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I believe and can help others know that You Jesus are the resurrection and the life, and that life as God has it is within us. Father God, I pray to You in the name of Your precious 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

January 10 Devotion - Make the most of your Time

 

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of your time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

 فَانْتَبِهُوا تَمَاماً إِذَنْ كَيْفَ تَسْلُكُونَ بِتَدْقِيقٍ، لاَ سُلُوكَ الْجُهَلاَءِ بَلْ سُلُوكَ الْعُقَلاَءِ،

 ¹⁶ مُسْتَغِلِّينَ الْوَقْتَ أَحْسَنَ اسْتِغْلاَلٍ، لأَنَّ الأَيَّامَ شِرِّيرَةٌ.

 ¹⁷ لِذَلِكَ لاَ تَكُونُوا أَغْبِيَاءَ، بَلِ افْهَمُوا مَا هِيَ مَشِيئَةُ الرَّبِّ.

Ephesians 5:15-17

As the new year starts let us examine how we utilize the most valuable and perishable resource we have: Time. During the day we do many things that may be considered ‘good’, but they are not the ‘best’ use of our time. When something is bad or ‘not good’ we tend to avoid it. However if it is ‘good’ we may do it.  Doing the ‘good’ may keep us from doing ‘the best’. It would be helpful to realize that the enemy of the ‘best’ may be the ‘good’.

The seconds and minutes pass. An hour. A day. A week. A year. A lifetime. Here today, gone tomorrow. I believe we need to focus on what Jesus promises: Everlasting life.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, teach me and help me to properly invest my most perishable resource, time. Help me to use it toward learning to be more Christ-like and to use it with wisdom in a way that pleases You, carrying out Your plan for my life. Strengthen me O’Lord to concentrate on eternal life with You. In Jesus’ name I pray. To Jesus be the majesty, the power, and the authority forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 9 Devotion - He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world

 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
⁴ You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. ⁶ We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

 

1 ايها الاحباء لا تصدقوا كل روح بل امتحنوا الارواح هل هي من الله لان انبياء كذبة كثيرين قد خرجوا الى العالم.

2 بهذا تعرفون روح الله.كل روح يعترف بيسوع المسيح انه قد جاء في الجسد فهو من الله.

3 وكل روح لا يعترف بيسوع المسيح انه قد جاء في الجسد فليس من الله.وهذا هو روح ضد المسيح الذي سمعتم انه يأتي والآن هو في العالم.

4 لان الذي فيكم اعظم من الذي في العالم.

5

هم من العالم.من اجل ذلكانتم من الله ايها الاولاد وقد غلبتموهم  يتكلمون من العالم والعالم يسمع لهم.

6 نحن من الله فمن يعرف الله يسمع لنا ومن ليس من الله لا يسمع لنا.من هذا نعرف روح الحق وروح الضلال.

 

1 John 4:1-7

 

Christians seek God’s peace. When we have God’s peace we are not removed from having challenges or feeling pain. God’s peace is an extremely solid foundation that gives us a lasting assurance that God is with us and in us even if we are experiencing tribulations, feeling sorrow, and the tears are flowing.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, we trust that You are in control. We also trust that Your joy Lord will emerge and be far greater than any depth of suffering and agony we may be experiencing now. Help us God to overcome through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in us who are greater than he who is in the world. Jesus our faith rests in Your words;   “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

قد كلمتكم بهذا ليكون لكم فيّ سلام .في العالم سيكون لكم ضيق .ولكن ثقوا .انا قد غلبت العالم

John 16:33

 

Jesus loves you,     

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

 

December 27 Devotion - Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord

 

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 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 love. Thank You Lord that Jesus bought me with His precious blood and through Jesus’ redemptive work at The Cross I am granted access to You God; my Heavenly Father and I rejoice that I will spend eternity with You. Thank You Lord that nothing can separate me from Your love for me, indeed 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.  Father God, I pray that You strengthen me to behave in a such a way that pleases Your spirit within me. 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

December 24 Devotion - Gloria in Excelsis Deo

 

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“ Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men”

¹⁵ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven,  that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Maryam and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Maryam kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying, and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. 

فَقَدْ وُلِدَ لَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ فِي مَدِينَةِ دَاوُدَ مُخَلِّصٌ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ الرَّبُّ.

 12 وَهَذِهِ هِيَ الْعَلاَمَةُ لَكُمْ. تَجِدُونَ طِفْلاً مَلْفُوفاً بِقِمَاطٍ وَنَائِماً فِي مِذْوَدٍ».

 13 وَفَجْأَةً ظَهَرَ مَعَ الْمَلاَكِ جُمْهُورٌ مِنَ الْجُنْدِ السَّمَاوِيِّ، يُسَبِّحُونَ اللهَ قَائِلِينَ:

 14 «الْمَجْدُ لِلهِ فِي الأَعَالِي، وَعَلَى الأَرْضِ السَّلامُ؛ وَبِالنَّاسِ الْمَسَرَّةُ! »

 15 وَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ عَنِ الرُّعَاةِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ، قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ: «لِنَذْهَبْ إِذَنْ إِلَى بَيْتِ لَحْمٍ، وَنَنْظُرْ هَذَا الأَمْرَ الَّذِي حَدَثَ وَقَدْ أَعْلَمَنَا بِهِ الرَّبُّ!»

 16 وَجَاءُوا مُسْرِعِينَ، فَوَجَدُوا مَرْيَمَ وَيُوسُفَ، وَالطِّفْلَ نَائِماً فِي الْمِذْوَدِ.

 17 فَلَمَّا رَأَوْا ذلِكَ، أَخَذُوا يُخْبِرُونَ بِمَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ بِخُصُوصِ هَذَا الطِّفْلِ.

 18 وَجَمِيعُ الَّذِينَ سَمِعُوا بِذلِكَ دُهِشُوا مِمَّا قَالَهُ لَهُمُ الرُّعَاةُ.

 19 وَأَمَّا مَرْيَمُ، فَكَانَتْ تَحْفَظُ هَذِهِ الأُمُورَ جَمِيعاً، وَتَتَأَمَّلُهَا فِي قَلْبِهَا.

 20 ثُمَّ رَجَعَ الرُّعَاةُ يُمَجِّدُونَ اللهَ وَيُسَبِّحُونَهُ عَلَى كُلِّ مَا سَمِعُوهُ وَرَأَوْهُ كَمَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ.

Luke 2:11-20

 

“Glory to God in the highest” is only found once in the Bible in Luke 2:14.
That verse is so extraordinary; it’s been given a special name.  It’s called the Gloria in Excelsis Deo.  That’s from the Latin translation for “Glory to God in the highest.”

You might recognize it from the popular Christmas hymn “Angels We Have Heard on High.” 

Listen to it sung by Bocelli: https://youtu.be/MLS6qZt9WLQ

 

There are other divine encounters in the Bible, but this is the only time the Bible says the heavenly host ('army' of good angels in Heaven) appeared to men, and this is the one sentence they left for us: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men”.

The Bible doesn’t say anything about the heavenly host singing, but what they said was understood by the shepherds, so either it was spoken in their own language, or the shepherds were given a supernatural ability to understand the heavenly language. 

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and inseparable love. Lord, I join the shepherds in glorifying You. I thank You and praise You for all the blessings You have bestowed upon me. Help me to be like Maryam, mother of our Saviour Jesus, in constantly pondering in my mind Your love, mercy and grace. I rejoice in Your birth Jesus. Father God let the birth of Jesus this year bring healing and peace on earth and goodwill toward us and amongst us. Heavenly Father, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. In the Holy Name of Jesus, I pray. ‘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

December 20 Devotion - Immanuel: God with us

 

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Maryam was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Maryam your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel which is translated, “God with us.”
²⁴ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, ²⁵ and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

Words in oblique type in the New Testament are quoted from the Old Testament. At that time Jesus spoke Aramaic. In Aramaic His mother’s name is Maryam.

 

اما ولادة يسوع المسيح فكانت هكذا .لما كانت مريم امه مخطوبة ليوسف قبل ان يجتمعا وجدت حبلى من الروح القدس .

19 فيوسف رجلها اذ كان بارا ولم يشأ ان يشهرها اراد تخليتها سرّا .

20 ولكن فيما هو متفكر في هذه الامور اذا ملاك الرب قد ظهر له في حلم قائلا يا يوسف ابن داود لا تخف ان تأخذ مريم امرأتك . لان الذي حبل به فيها هو من الروح القدس .

21 فستلد ابنا وتدعو اسمه يسوع لانه يخلّص شعبه من خطاياهم .

22 وهذا كله كان لكي يتم ما قيل من الرب بالنبي القائل .

23 هوذا العذراء تحبل وتلد ابنا ويدعون اسمه عمانوئيل الذي تفسيره الله معنا

24 فلما استيقظ يوسف من النوم فعل كما امره ملاك الرب واخذ امرأته .

25 ولم يعرفها حتى ولدت ابنها البكر .ودعا اسمه يسوع

 

Matthew 1:18-25

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and made God's plan clear, Joseph was obedient. He didn’t request to understand how all of this was going to unfold.

Many times, I find myself in a situation where I don't know what to do. I should pray and ask guidance from the Lord. Although I don’t expect God to speak to me through an angel; like He did with Joseph; I believe that through prayer and meditation and being open to hear God’s guidance, He will speak to me through His Holy Word, The Holy Spirit, or through Godly people He may use. My responsibility is to listen and obey.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself, your friends and family:

Abba Father, thank You for loving us so much that You gave Your only begotten Son JESUS, to be our ‘Immanuel’. Heavenly Father fill me with joy through the many lessons I have learned from the story of the birth of our Saviour. Help me to read Your Word and listen as You give me the answers to life's difficult questions. In this festive season of celebrating the birth of our Saviour, give me a faith equal to that of Maryam and Joseph and direct me to trust You and follow Your will. Lord may Jesus be born into my heart and the hearts of all my friends and family and may everyone be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth because that is Your desire, Lord.  1 Timothy 2:4 Thank You Father God for Your deep and everlasting love, thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Abba Father, I worship You, praise You, I glorify You, I lift You up on high and I rejoice in Your grace. 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

December 19 Devotion - My soul magnifies The Lord

 

“My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷ And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
⁴⁸ For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. ⁴⁹ For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. ⁵⁰ And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
⁵² He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. ⁵⁴ He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, ⁵ As He spoke to our fathers,  To Abraham and to his seed forever.

 Luke 1: 46-55

 

  ⁴⁶ فَقَالَتْ مَرْيَمُ: «تُعَظِّمُ نَفْسِي الرَّبَّ،

 ⁴⁷ وَتَبْتَهِجُ رُوحِي بِاللهِ مُخَلِّصِي.

 ⁴⁸ فَإِنَّهُ نَظَرَ إِلَى تَوَاضُعِ أَمَتِهِ، وَهَا إِنَّ جَمِيعَ الأَجْيَالِ مِنَ الآنَ فَصَاعِداً سَوْفَ تُطَوِّبُنِي.

 ⁴⁹ فَإِنَّ الْقَدِيرَ قَدْ فَعَلَ بِي أُمُوراً عَظِيمَةً، قُدُّوسٌ اسْمُهُ،

 ⁵⁰ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَهُ جِيلاً بَعْدَ جِيلٍ.

 ⁵¹ عَمِلَ بِذِرَاعِهِ قُوَّةً؛ شَتَّتَ الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ فِي نِيَّاتِ قُلُوبِهِمْ.

 ⁵² أَنْزَلَ الْمُقْتَدِريِنَ عَنْ عُرُوشِهِمْ، وَرَفَعَ الْمُتَوَاضِعِينَ.

 ⁵³ أَشْبَعَ الْجِيَاعَ خَيْرَاتٍ، وَصَرَفَ الأَغْنِيَاءَ فَارِغِينَ.

 ⁵⁴ أَعَانَ إِسْرَائِيلَ فَتَاهُ، مُتَذَكِّراً الرَّحْمَةَ،

⁵⁵ كَمَا تَكَلَّمَ إِلَى آبَائِنَا، لإِبْرَاهِيمَ وَنَسْلِهِ إِلَى الأَبَدِ».

* Jesus spoke Aramaic. In Aramaic, His mother’s name is Maryam.

Maryam’s psalm of praise reveals a repeated use of the terminology and theology of the Old Testament. It is obvious that Maryam was very well versed in the Old Testament and accordingly her hymn demonstrates that.

Maryam’s praise begins with her grateful response to the grace God has shown to her, a humble servant of the Lord. Maryam does not in any way view herself as better or holier than anyone else. She views herself as the Lord’s servant, whose humble estate is the occasion for His mercy and grace. There is no hint that she thinks God has chosen her to be the mother of the Messiah due to her blessedness, but that her blessedness is the result of God’s sovereign and gracious choice to use her as His instrument.

Maryam saw her blessing as but an illustration, one instance of God’s grace, which leads her to praise God for His grace to all those who fear Him, from one generation to generation. Maryam’s praise focuses on the faithfulness of God to His promises.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, please use me as one of Your instruments so that I may be blessed by Your sovereign and gracious choice. Help me Lord to learn from Maryam, the mother of Jesus, to see myself as Your servant and help me to feel joy in my spirit in my God my saviour.  Holy is Your name LORD. Thank You God for Your faithfulness to Your promises. Thank You Father God for Your abundant blessings and inseparable love. Lord, I join all the generations to call Maryam, mother of Jesus, as ‘blessed’. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. In the holy name of Jesus, Your only begotten Son, my Saviour, and Lord over my life, I pray to You Father. ‘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