November 5 Devotion - Do not put God in a box

 

     

   Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth…  

Jesus spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. ⁷ And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”.  So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

 

وَفِيمَا كَانَ يَسُوعُ مَارّاً، رَأَى رَجُلاً أَعْمَى مُنْذُ وِلادَتِهِ

تَفَلَ فِي التُّرَابِ، وَجَبَلَ مِنَ التُّفْلِ طِيناً، ثُمَّ وَضَعَهُ عَلَى عَيْنَيِ الأَعْمَى، 7 وَقَالَ لَهُ: «اذْهَبِ اغْتَسِلْ فِي بِرْكَةِ سِلْوَامَ»، أَيِ الْمُرسَلِ. فَذَهَبَ وَاغْتَسَلَ وَعَادَ بَصِيراً.

John 9:1 - 9

Jesus had healed people before by just touching them. So why did Jesus choose a new method? Why did Jesus spit and heal this blind man in this way? The reason is this man had no eyes. 

Spit and dirt (clay) mixed and put on the eyes, does not sound very nice. Do you agree?  The blind man could have reacted by saying something like ‘How dare you spit on me and make my eyes full of mud, I thought you were going to heal me, not make me worse’. But he didn’t, he totally trusted Jesus and went to wash.  I have learnt that Archeologists say that Siloam; where the blind man had to go and wash; is very big with wide steps on 3 sides, where you need more courage and braveness to go into it. 

 

But the blind man went and washed and was healed and could see for the first time.                                                                                                                                        Some of my lessons learnt: I should never put Jesus in a box, for His ways are totally different than our ways. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. Isaiah 55

I need to Trust in the LORD with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding Proverbs 3:5

 What I want and pray for may not be what is best for me, or it may not be delivered in the fashion I am thinking about.

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 in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Help me to ‘see’ Your ways and understand Your thoughts. Lord, give me wisdom to not lean on my own understanding and strengthen me to trust You and follow You with all my heart and all my mind, soul, and strength. 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 Jesus, I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein                                       

November 4 Devotion - Lasting Happiness

 

    

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

طُوبَى لِلْمَسَاكِينِ بِالرُّوحِ، لأَنَّ لَهُمْ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ

 

Matthew 5:3

 

Since the original language of the Gospel of Matthew was written in Greek (although Jesus spoke Aramaic), the word used for blessed is ‘Makarios’ which means deep contentment and lasting happiness.

Real happiness is found when we realize that happiness is in the spiritual realm that is interior to ourselves. In our spiritual realm we are designed to know, experience and enjoy God.

In the same way that man designed a car to run on gasoline (or electricity); I believe God designed us to run on Himself. He is the fuel our spirits were designed to run on.

I had always pondered on why being ‘poor in spirit’ is a good thing, until I learnt that it means: it is when I realize my spiritual bankruptcy and depend on God who is the real food and fuel to my spirit and He comes to live within me that I can have Makarios. When I accept God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, I receive The Holy Spirit and I can have The Kingdom of God within me and be guaranteed eternity with God.

For me it is straight forward, if  anyone wants everlasting happiness, Makarios, it is only found in Jesus.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I realize that I am poor in spirit and You are the fuel and food for my spirit. Thank You that You sent Jesus to redeem me and grant me salvation and life eternal as a pure act of grace which I do not deserve. Thank You, Father, for Your abundant blessings and deep inseparable love. God, I praise You and glorify You. Help me Father to sink the message that lasting happiness is not found in worldly things, deep in my heart. Thank You for revealing to me that You are the source of my ‘Makarios’. I declare Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and I pray in His mighty name. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

November 3 Devotion- Ordered Steps

 

    

 The steps of a good man/woman are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his/her way.

من قبل الرب تتثبت خطوات الانسان وفي طريقه يسرّ.

Psalm 37:23 

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

اعلّمك وارشدك الطريق التي تسلكها. انصحك. عيني عليك.

Psalm 32:8

 

We all need God’s support; even the most powerful must be supported by the Lord, without His support our strength and courage will be of no avail.

When we seek God and surrender to Jesus as our Lord and Saviour; our steps are established by The LORD, and we will delight in His choice for our lives. God will teach us and guide us with His eye upon us.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:                                                                                                                                                             

Abba Father, by Your grace and The Holy Spirit, establish and guide my steps. Help me to stay in faith and put You first in my life. I trust that You are at work in my life even during times when I don't feel it. I am confident that Your guidance has placed me where I am supposed to be right now. Give me the strength and courage to do what is right in Your sight, to Your delight. Thank You that through Your grace and mercy You care so much about every detail of my life. Thank You, Father God, for Your deep and everlasting love for me, Your abundant blessings, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Father God, I praise You, glorify You and lift You up on high. I declare Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and I pray to You Father in His mighty name. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein