January 23 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.

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 made Him 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. Do you feel His love? Do you sometimes think He doesn’t love you because of your behaviour and actions? He loves us not because we deserve it but because of His grace, mercy, and Jesus’ redemptive work at the cross.

Rejoice in God’s love for you.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You Lord that 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.  Thank You Father God that Jesus bought me with His precious blood, through His redemptive work at The Cross. Thank You Father for Your abundant blessings and Your unfailing, inseparable, deep, and everlasting love for me. In the Holy Name of Jesus, I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 20 Devotion - May the power of Christ rest upon me

 

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 ⁹ فَقَالَ لِي: «نِعْمَتِي تَكْفِيكَ، لأَنَّ قُدْرَتِي تُكَمَّلُ فِي الضَّعْفِ!» فَأَنَا أَرْضَى بِأَنْ أَفْتَخِرَ مَسْرُوراً بِالضَّعَفَاتِ الَّتِي فِيَّ، لِكَيْ تُخَيِّمَ عَلَيَّ قُدْرَةُ الْمَسِيحِ.

2 Corinthians 12:9

 

When we are weak, we need the energizing work of the Holy Spirit to sustain us. We are encouraged through The Prophet Isaiah’s enlightenment that God:

“Gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases strength.”

 يَهِبُ الْمَنْهُوكَ قُوَّةً وَيَمْنَحُ الضَّعِيفَ قُدْرَةً عَظِيمَةً.

Isaiah 40:29

We need to rely fully on God and praise Him all the time, especially during these difficult times that the entire world is going through. We need to thank Him for His past and current support, in expectation and total trust in His future support.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, please assure me that the power of Christ will rest upon me especially in my weakest moments. I believe that when Your grace abounds my weakness will be transformed into strength, and I will soar like an eagle and I shall run and not be weary. Heavenly Father let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. 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. 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

January 18 Devotion - We are ambassadors for Christ

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ¹⁸ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

 

17 اذا ان كان احد في المسيح فهو خليقة جديدة.الاشياء العتيقة قد مضت.هوذا الكل قد صار جديدا.

18 ولكن الكل من الله الذي صالحنا لنفسه بيسوع المسيح واعطانا خدمة المصالحة

19 اي ان الله كان في المسيح مصالحا العالم لنفسه غير حاسب لهم خطاياهم وواضعا فينا كلمة المصالحة.

20 اذا نسعى كسفراء عن المسيح كأن الله يعظ بنا.نطلب عن المسيح تصالحوا مع الله.

21 لانه جعل الذي لم يعرف خطية خطية لاجلنا لنصير نحن بر الله فيه .

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

To reconcile is to exchange enmity for friendship, and it usually requires that the cause of enmity or hostility be removed. The cause of hostility between God and man was removed by Jesus taking on the sins of the world. It is now possible for us to have a personal relationship with God. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, Jesus’ blood makes it possible for God to change our status from being an enemy of God back into a right relationship with Him. Christ’s blood is the bridge, the peace offering that reconciles us to God. We are to be ambassadors for Christ bringing His message and good news to all.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You Lord that as a follower of Your Son Jesus I am reconciled to You God through the atoning death of Jesus on The Cross on my behalf.  Thank You God that through Jesus, I can have a personal relationship with You God. My heavenly Father please strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can become an ambassador for Christ and bring the message of reconciliation to all, for it is Your desire that all people be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2: 4 

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

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 17 Devotion - You are the salt & light of the earth

 

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

Matthew 5:13-14

انتم ملح الارض .ولكن ان فسد الملح فبماذا يملح .لا يصلح بعد لشيء الا لان يطرح خارجا ويداس من الناس .

14 انتم نور العالم .لا يمكن ان تخفى مدينة موضوعة على جبل .

Please note that Jesus never challenges us (the believers) to become salt or light. He simply says that we are - and we are either fulfilling or failing that responsibility. Salt is needed because the world is rotting and decaying and if our Christianity is also rotting and decaying, it won't be any good. Light is needed because the world is in darkness, and if our Christianity imitates the darkness, we have nothing to show the world.  To be effective we must seek to be Christlike in everything we say and do all the time.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I pray that You make me more and more like Your Son so that I can fulfill the responsibility of being the salt and the light to everyone I contact in my everyday life. Thank You God 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. Father God 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

January 16 Devotion - Choosing the 'Good' hinders us from receiving the 'Best'

 

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 ‘Best’ for our lives. We do not realize that the ‘Good’ is preventing us from having the ‘Best’. 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 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 ‘Best’. 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 13 Devotion - Joy and Grace

This is the day the LORD has made;
         We will rejoice and be glad in it.

 

Psalm 118:24

 

Today is a gift. That is why they call it the ‘present’. Let us rejoice in it.

The Greek word in the Bible for ‘joy’ is ‘chara’ and the verb is ‘charein’ which is often translated to ‘rejoice’. Closely related is the word ‘charis’ which is translated to be ‘grace’.

I believe it is ‘Charis’ that produces ‘Chara’ or in English, it is ‘Grace’ that produces ‘Joy’. Understanding the word of God increases our appreciation of His Grace, and our feeling of Joy.

 

The Apostle Paul was feeling joy while being held prisoner in a dungy Roman prison cell and from there he told us to:

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!

افْرَحُوا فِي الرَّبِّ دَائِماً، وَأَقُولُ أَيْضاً: افْرَحُوا.

Philippians 4:4

My belief is that The Apostle Paul probably felt God’s grace so powerfully that it overshadowed all the negative feelings of being chained in a Roman prison to the point that he actually felt joy.

Jesus said:

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

كلمتكم بهذا لكي يثبت فرحي فيكم ويكمل فرحكم

John 15:11

All through the Bible we see evidence of God wanting us to be joyful, irrespective of the situation. Let’s concentrate on God’s grace and the magnitude of His love for us expressed through His grace. That on its own is reason enough for quantum joy.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You that You gave me today as a present for me to rejoice in. Fill me God totally and envelop me with Your Grace, so that I can feel an inner joy independent of circumstances. Jesus I long for and pray that Your Joy remains in me and that my joy be full. Thank You Father for loving me with a deep, unfailing, inseparable, and everlasting love. Thank You Lord for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Lord, I praise You, revere You, worship You, I lift You up on high, and glorify Your holy name. In the holy name of Jesus my Lord and Saviour I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the authority, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

January 11 Devotion - Your Name is Inscribed on God's Palms

 

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.

  هَلْ تَنْسَى الْمَرْأَةُ رَضِيعَهَا وَلاَ تَرْحَمُ ابْنَ أَحْشَائِهَا؟ حَتَّى هَؤُلاَءِ يَنْسَيْنَ، أَمَّا أَنَا فَلاَ أَنْسَاكُمْ.  

انْظُرُوا هَا أَنَا قَدْ نَقَشْتُكِ ُ عَلَى كَفِّي

Isaiah 49:15-16

 

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.

God will never forget us; the believers in and followers of Christ; for He has inscribed our names on the palms of His Hands. Neither will He forget the church, the body of believers.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, increase my faith Lord so as to know, believe, and trust that You have never forgotten me and will never forget me. I am privileged and thankful that as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ; Your only begotten Son; that I am so precious to You, that my name is written on the palms of Your hands. Thank You Father for loving me with a deep, unfailing, inseparable, and everlasting love. Thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. I thank You, praise You, glorify You, and lift You up on high. Father, I pray to You in the name of The King of kings and The Lord of lords, in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour, to whom be honour, glory, majesty, and power forever and ever. Amen.

 

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

 

January 7 is Christmas Day for many Orthodox Christians. Why? Because in A.D. 325, the church fathers set all holy days by the Julian calendar. But Pope Gregory XIII and his astronomers decided to adjust the calendar to accommodate leap years by dropping 10 days. And so, in 1582, the 365.24-day Gregorian calendar that we use today was created. Presbyterian Christians in Egypt also celebrate on the 7^th, to be in unity with the Orthodox majority of Christians in Egypt. I wish all Christians in the whole world celebrated on the same day. In the meantime, we can celebrate twice the birth of Christ. We should celebrate His birth every day. I wish you a Merry Christmas.

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.

 Luke 2:11-18

 

It seems to me that the first evangelists were not the disciples but the shepherds. True they did not have the story of salvation through The Cross, but they spread the news about the birth of The Saviour.

What can we learn from Maryam’s actions?

 

But Maryam kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.                         

Luke 2:19

 

The learning is that we need to be still and ponder things asking God for guidance and clarity.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can see the star I should follow to fulfill Your call for my life. Help me to communicate about the salvation Jesus offers. Help me to be still in front of You and listen to Your voice and ponder like Maryam, The Mother of Jesus, on Your words and to internalize them totally and fully. In this celebration of Your birth Jesus let every night be a holy night where You are reborn in our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits. 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

January 4 Devotion - God's plans for us

 

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done…, For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

 

مخبر منذ البدء بالاخير ومنذ القديم بما لم يفعل

لاني عرفت الافكار التي انا مفتكر بها عنكم يقول الرب افكار سلام لا شر لاعطيكم آخرة ورجاء.

Isaiah 46:10

Jeremiah 29:11

 

Everyone has challenges of one sort or another. Our challenges are augmented these days as we live through an unprecedented period in our lives due to the global pandemic Covid-19. As we start the New Year 2023, let us not worry about the future and wish we could see it. God sees the end from the beginning, and He already knows the outcome, God never ends in defeat.

 

Whatever is happening in our lives now, let us remember that God’s promises never fade and…

 

‘We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.’

 

Romans 8:28

ونحن نعلم ان كل الاشياء تعمل معا للخير للذين يحبون الله الذين هم مدعوون حسب قصده.

 

Let us respond to Jesus’ invitation to ‘come’ to Him and depend totally on Him and receive our rest in Him:

Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.

تَعَالَوْا إِلَيَّ يَا جَمِيعَ الْمُتْعَبِينَ وَالثَّقِيلِي الأَحْمَالِ، وَأَنَا أُرِيحُكُمْ

 

Matthew 11:28

Please note that Jesus asks us to come to Him directly, nowhere in The Bible does it say that we need a mediator between us and Jesus. Jesus is the only mediator between us and The Father.

For there is [only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus,

فَإِنَّ اللهَ وَاحِدٌ، وَالْوَسِيطُ بَيْنَ اللهِ وَالنَّاسِ وَاحِدٌ، وَهُوَ الإِنْسَانُ الْمَسِيحُ يَسُوعُ،

 1 Timothy 2:5

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, You declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done. Thank You Lord that the thoughts and plans You have for me in 2023 and beyond are thoughts and plans for welfare and peace to give me hope in Your final outcome. Thank You Lord that You have called me according to Your purpose for my life. Father God please strengthen my faith to know beyond a doubt that all things will work for good for me in 2023 because I love You Lord. Lord I am holding You to Your promises. Jesus, please teach me to ‘come’ to You and leave all my troubles at the foot of Your Cross and receive Your rest. Teach me to wait upon You LORD because You said that ‘they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 Thank You Jesus that You have asked The Father and He has sent me Holy Spirit (The Comforter ) to live in my heart. My Heavenly Father, In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:19 In Jesus’ name 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

Happy New Year- God Has Prepared Good Things for You in 2023 -January 3 Devotion

 

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 
            

وَفْقاً لِمَا كُتِبَ: «إِنَّ مَا لَمْ تَرَهُ عَيْنٌ، وَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ بِهِ أُذُنٌ، وَلَمْ يَخْطُرْ عَلَى بَالِ بَشَرٍ قَدْ أَعَدَّهُ اللهُ لِمُحِبِّيهِ!»

1 Corinthians 2:9

“Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the mighty waters, “ Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

هكذا يقول الرب الجاعل في البحر طريقا وفي المياه القوية مسلكا 18 لا تذكروا الاوليات. والقديمات لا تتأملوا بها. 19 هانذا صانع أمرا جديدا. الآن ينبت. ألا تعرفونه. اجعل في البرية طريقا في القفر انهارا.

Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

أَمَّا أَنَا فَقَدْ أَتَيْتُ لِتَكُونَ لَهُمْ حَيَاةٌ، بَلْ مِلْءُ الْحَيَاةِ!

John 10:10

 

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him.

اسْكُنْ أَمَامَ الرَّبِّ وَانْتَظِرْهُ بِصَبْر

Psalm 37:7

 

For many of us 2022 was a wilderness. Was it dry like a desert for you? Even if it was so, God is telling you to forget any former things and to behold His new roads in the wilderness and His rivers in the desert, His mercy and His grace, His healing and His comfort through His Holy Spirit.

Let us rejoice, always rejoice, for God is preparing beautiful things for us. He tells us that they are beyond our imagination, and we have not seen anything like them before.

Let us expect God’s blessings, trust His promises, and believe that in 2023 we will be able to repeat what King David said:

You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.

Psalm 65:11

كللت السنة بجودك وآثارك تقطر دسما.

God came into this world in human form Jesus The Christ, to give His soul and body, as an offering for the life of those persons, who would accept and declare Jesus as their Lord and Saviour so that they may live in abundance spiritually in this world, and eternally hereafter.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, God of my yesterdays, today, and my tomorrows; God of new beginnings and wonderful surprises, thank You for the gift of this New Year, 2023. I know, when love came to the manger in Bethlehem, He came for me, so that I would be saved and have a more abundant life. Lord, I praise You and glorify You for Your unequaled greatness. Thank You God for crowning 2023 with Your goodness. Lord please make 2023 to be a year of grace and blessing for me. 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 grow in faith and love in 2023 and renew my commitment to following Your Son, Jesus. God, please teach me to rest in You Lord and wait patiently for Your goodness and abundance. Lord, please walk with me every day and every hour of this New Year; make me hear your voice directing my path that the light of Christ would shine through me, despite my weaknesses and failings. I leave the irreparable past in Your hands and step out into 2023 depending on Your guidance to help me walk in Your paths that are dripping with abundance. I rejoice in Your gift of a new year and rejoice in what's ahead, depending on Your Holy Spirit to guide me and help me to do exactly what You want. Lord, please help me to bring all my thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ and to continue my journey to become Christ-like. Thank You Father God 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. I thank You for what I have and for what I do not have. I thank You for Your Mercy and for Your Grace. I put my future in Your hands, and I declare that I love You. I know that You always keep Your promises, and that You have prepared wonderful things for me and that they shall spring forth in 2023. 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