December 5 Devotion - Jesus is the embodiment of love - A study of Jesus Christ's attributes-Part 2 - Jesus is kind

God is love.

^{1 John 4:8}

I and my Father are one.

^{John 10:30}

Jesus Christ is the embodiment of love.

Love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

 Luke 6:35, Romans 2:4, Ephesians 4:32

بل احبوا اعداءكم واحسنوا واقرضوا وانتم لا ترجون شيئا فيكون اجركم عظيما وتكونوا بني العلي فانه منعم على غير الشاكرين والاشرار

ام تستهين بغنى لطفه وامهاله وطول اناته غير عالم ان لطف الله انما يقتادك الى التوبة.

وكونوا لطفاء بعضكم نحو بعض شفوقين متسامحين كما سامحكم الله ايضا في المسيح.

What is kindness? Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology defines kindness as: ‘An attribute of God and quality desirable but not consistently found in humans.’ In The Bible we see many examples of Jesus’ kindness and He leaves us with many lessons regarding how we should act in kindness following His example, in our quest to become Disciples of Christ.

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared

ولكن حين ظهر لطف مخلّصنا الله واحسانه

Titus 3:4

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, help me to be always kind to myself and others. Jesus I need the help of the Holy Spirit to be able to carry out Your teaching and example of being kind to my enemies and I pray that out of Your glorious riches You teach me, help me and strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can be kind to my enemies. Help me God to bring all my thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ and to become Christ-like, a son of The Most High. Father God, 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. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Jesus be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

December 4 Devotion - Jesus is the embodiment of love - A study of Jesus Christ's attributes-Part 1 - Jesus is Patient

God is love.

^{1 John 4:8}

I and my Father are one.

^{John 10:30}

Jesus Christ is the embodiment of love.

Jesus Christ (Love) is patient,

Jesus Christ is kind,

Jesus Christ does not boast,

Jesus Christ is not proud.

Jesus Christ does not dishonor others,

Jesus Christ is not self-seeking,

Jesus Christ is not easily angered,

Jesus Christ keeps no record of wrongs,

Jesus Christ does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth,

Jesus Christ always protects,

Jesus Christ always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres,

Jesus Christ never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

But I obtained mercy for the reason that in me, as the foremost of sinners, Jesus Christ might show forth and display all His perfect long-suffering and patience for an example to encourage those who would thereafter believe on Him for the gaining of eternal life.

لكِنَّنِي لِهذَا رُحِمْتُ: لِيُظْهِرَ يَسُوعُ الْمَسِيحُ فِىَّ أَنَا أَوَّلاً كُلَّ أَنَاةٍ، مِثَالاً لِلْعَتِيدِينَ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ لِلْحَيَاةِ الأَبَدِيَّةِ

1 Timothy 1:16 (AMP)

I understand the meaning of patience as described in the Bible to mean persevering towards a goal, enduring trials, and expectantly waiting for God’s will and His promises to be fulfilled in His time. Patience reveals our faith in God’s timing, omnipotence (unlimited power), and love.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and for Your deep, everlasting and inseparable love. Thank You Jesus for being patient with me and allowing me to follow You in spite of my sins and shortfalls. LORD, bless me with the ability to be patient with myself, others, circumstances, and invigorate and strengthen me with all power according to the might of Your glory so as to exercise every kind of endurance and patience with joy. I rejoice because Your peace God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus; in whose Holy Name I pray. I declare Jesus as my Redeemer and Saviour; the Lord of my life. 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

December 3 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 and unto ages of ages. Amen.        

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

December 2 Devotion - You are the apple of God's eye

For thus says the LORD of hosts:… “For he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.”

فَإِنَّ الرَّبَّ الْقَدِيرَ يَقُولُ ...'لأَنَّ مَنْ يَمَسُّكُمْ يَمَسُّ حَدَقَةَ عَيْنِهِ.'

Zechariah 2:8

God loves us so very much.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

And now the eyes of the Father are forever focused on us because of Christ’s atoning death on The Cross for us.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You Lord for loving me so much that You consider that whoever touches me touches the apple of Your eye. Lord, forgive me if at times I feel that You have forgotten me. Increase my faith so as to know, believe, and trust that You never forget me. I am privileged and thankful that as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ; Your only begotten Son; I am so precious to You. 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. 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. 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