January 31 Devotion - God's Grace - Part 2

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.

فَإِنَّكُمْ بِالنِّعْمَةِ مُخَلَّصُونَ، بِالإِيمَانِ، وَهَذَا لَيْسَ مِنْكُمْ. إِنَّهُ هِبَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ،

⁹ لاَ عَلَى أَسَاسِ الأَعْمَالِ، حَتَّى لاَ يَفْتَخِرَ أَحَدٌ.

Ephesians 2:8-9

 

To receive God’s saving grace each one of us must sincerely do the following:

1. Admit:

That you have sinned in the sight of God. (we all have)

2. Believe:

That Jesus Christ died on the cross bearing all the guilt and penalty of your sin

3. Accept:

Accept Jesus Christ to be Lord over your life, your Saviour to cleanse you, your friend to guide and be with you.

4. Receive:

The Holy Spirit

 

Jesus said:

"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

«الْحَقَّ الْحَقَّ أَقُولُ لَكَ: لاَ أَحَدَ يُمْكِنُهُ أَنْ يَرَى مَلَكُوتَ اللهِ إِلاَّ إِذَا وُلِدَ مِنْ جَدِيدٍ».

John 3:3

`Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him...

هَأنَذا واقِفٌ عَلَى البابِ وَأقرَعُ. إنْ سَمِعَ أحَدٌ صَوتِي وَفَتَحَ البابَ، سَأدخُلُ إلَى بَيتِهِ، وَأتَعَشَّى مَعَهُ، وَيَتَعَشَّى مَعِي.»

Revelation 3:20

 

Jesus Christ waits outside the door of your life. He will not force His way in. He wants to be asked in. The handle of the door is on the inside; only you can open the door.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, in Your great mercy You have not given me the penalty I deserve. By Your grace You have given me what I do not deserve, repentance and faith in Jesus The Saviour and Lord and a new birth into a living hope. I am born again to a new life as God’s child. Praise be to You. Thank you for making it clear to me that only those who receive Jesus—not merely know about Him— but rely on Him for salvation, submitting to Him as Master, and loving Him as their supreme treasure—become God’s children. For by grace I have been saved through faith, and that not of myself; it is Your gift God, it is not by my good works lest I should boast. In the name of the only begotten Son of God, in the Holy Name of Jesus The Christ, my Lord and Saviour, I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 30 Devotion- God's Grace

 

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

 

2 Peter 1:2, Ephesians 2:8

 

لِيَكُنْ لَكُمُ الْمَزِيدُ مِنَ النِّعْمَةِ وَالسَّلاَمِ بِفَضْلِ مَعْرِفَةِ اللهِ وَيَسُوعَ رَبِّنَا فَإِنَّكُمْ بِالنِّعْمَةِ مُخَلَّصُونَ، بِالإِيمَانِ، وَهَذَا لَيْسَ مِنْكُمْ. إِنَّهُ هِبَةٌ مِنَ الله

Grace in mentioned around 170 times in the Bible. I would like to study God’s Grace. It will take 3 devotions to cover it.

 

God’s Grace is:

 

A favour and an unfathomable gift that we receive from God even though we do not deserve it. It is God's unmerited favour.

Because of God's grace, we receive eternal life and a promise of heaven though we do not deserve them.

 

God’s Grace is different from God’s Mercy.

 

God’s Mercy is:

 

God withholding judgment and punishment that we deserve.

Because of God's mercy, we do not receive God’s judgment against our sins.

 

 

We receive both God’s Mercy and God’s Grace through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your deep, everlasting, and inseparable love for me and for Your abundant blessings. Father God, I praise You, lift You up on high and glorify You. Thank You God for the riches of Your grace. Thank You that You have said that as Your child I can come boldly to Your throne of grace, and obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16. Heavenly Father I come boldly to Your throne of grace and ask You to help me always seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, for Jesus said that when we seek them first, all other things will be added unto us. In the name of the only begotten Son of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, in the Holy Name of Jesus The Christ, my Lord and Saviour, I pray. To Jesus be the glory and the power and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 29 Devotion - The Divinity of Silence

 

He who guards his mouth and his tongue guards himself from troubles.

 مَنْ يَصُونُ فَمَهُ وَلِسَانَهُ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ يَحْفَظُ نَفْسَهُ مِنَ الْمَتَاعِبِ.

Proverbs 21:23

 

Here are 20 situations where the Bible recommends that we be silent:

 

1. Be silent In the heat of anger - (Proverbs 14:17)

 

2. Be silent When you don't have all the facts - (Proverbs 18:13)

 

3. Be silent When you haven't verified the story -(Deuteronomy 17:6)

 

4. Be silent If your words will offend a weaker person - (1 Corinthians 8:11)

 

5. Be silent When it is time to listen - (Proverbs 13:1)

 

6. Be silent When you are tempted to make light of holy things - (Ecclesiastics 5:2)

 

7. Be silent When you are tempted to joke about sin - (Proverbs 14:9)

 

8. Be silent If you would be ashamed of your words later - (Proverbs 8:8)

 

9. Be silent If your words would convey the wrong impression - (Proverbs 17:27)

 

10. Be silent If the issue is none of your business - (Proverbs 14:10)

 

11. Be silent When you are tempted to tell an outright lie - (Proverbs 4:24)

 

12. Be silent If your words will damage someone else's reputation - (Proverbs16:27)

 

13. Be silent If your words will damage a friendship- (Proverbs 16:28)

 

14. Be silent When you are feeling critical - (James 3:9)

 

15. Be silent If you can't say it without screaming it - (Proverbs 25:28)

 

16. Be silent If your words will be a poor reflection of the Lord or your friends and family - (1 Peter 2:21-23)

 

17. Be silent If you may have to eat your words later - (Proverbs 18:21)

 

18. Be silent If you have already said it more than one time - (Proverbs 19:13)

 

19. Be silent When you are tempted to flatter a wicked person - (Proverbs 24:24)

 

20. Be silent When you are supposed to be working instead - (Proverbs 14:23)

 

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, please teach me the divinity of silence and help me to stay silent when silence is the best response. Give me wisdom and discernment Lord to follow Your directions and guidance. Lord help me to seek and depend on The Holy Spirit; which You have placed within me; in all circumstances. Teach me Lord and help me to surrender to the direction of The Holy Spirit. 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. To Him who is able to keep me from stumbling and to present me before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. Amen. Jude 1:24-25

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 28 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 to shine upon me. In Jesus’ name I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory, and the majesty. Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 27 Devotion - No one comes to the Father but through Jesus

 

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

 

Christ is the only way of access to God; through His mediation we; who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour; 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.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You 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. 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. In the holy name of Jesus I pray. To Jesus be the glory and the power and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.        

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein