September 9,10 and 11 Devotion - THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

 واما ثمر الروح فهو محبة فرح سلام طول اناة لطف صلاح ايمان

 وداعة تعفف.

Galatians 5:22–23

 

"Fruit of the Spirit" is a Biblical term that sums up the nine visible attributes of a true Christian life. We learn from scripture that these are not individual "fruits" from which we pick and choose. Rather, the fruit of the Spirit is one ninefold "fruit" that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit. Collectively, these are the fruits that all Christians should be producing through The Holy Spirit. The way to the fulfillment of the law is not to live under the law like slaves, but to live by the Spirit as children of God.

 The fruit of the Holy Spirit is first and foremost love. All of the other qualities associated with having the Holy Spirit flow from the presence of God’s love in us.

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:16

 Joy is love enjoying all of the goodness of God. The first result of true love in relationships is the evidence of joy.

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:10

 Peace is love resting on the promises of God.

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Romans 5:1

 

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit"

Romans 15:13

Longsuffering (patience) is love waiting for God to reveal to you and in you what He desires to reveal.

 

We are strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

Colossians 1:11

 

With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

Ephesians 4:2

Kindness is love reacting to those around you. Kindness and goodness are joined with patience to teach that a sweet disposition and doing good toward people is the way to stay with them in love.

 

We should live "in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left"

2 Corinthians 6:6-7

 

Goodness is love choosing to do what is right … in God’s eyes.

"Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power"

2 Thessalonians 1:11

"For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth"

Ephesians 5:9

 

Faithfulness (faith) is love in keeping commitments in relationships. Only The Holy Spirit can produce the quality of loyalty no matter the cost.

O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth

Isaiah 25:1

 

Gentleness (Meekness) is love as an expression of humility, considering the needs and hurts of others before one's personal goals.

 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted"

Galatians 6:1

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love

Ephesians 4:2

Self-control is love to be Spirit led so as not to indulge our sinful nature

                                                                                                                                                                          But But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love

2 Peter 1:5-7

 I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You.

O gracious and merciful God, fill my heart with the fruit of Your Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Fill me Jesus with the moral qualities produced by the Spirit. Teach and strengthen me to love those who hate me; to pray for those who despitefully use me; so that I may be a child of God, my Father, who makes the sun to shine on the evil and on the good and send rain on the just and on the unjust. Fill my heart dear Lord with Your unconditional Agape love.

I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. Ephesians 3:16-17
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think, according to the power that works in me, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 7 Devotion - Que Sera Sera

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

We all 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.

Growing up I remember listening to a song by Doris Day which emphasized ‘what will be, will be, que sera sera’. Let us not be too absorbed by what will happen in the future.

Whatever is happening in our lives 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.

 I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You.

Lord I am holding You to Your promise that When I pass through the waters, You will be with me; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow me. When I walk through the fire, I shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch me. Isaiah 43:2 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

My heavenly Father, In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:19

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

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

 له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

 

 

September 6 Devotion - Noble Thoughts

Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.

الق على الرب اعمالك فتثبت افكارك.

Proverbs 16:3

 [Commit], as a man transfers a burden from his own back to one stronger and better able to bear it.

 [your thoughts] i.e., The plans or counsels out of which the works spring.

(From Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

 

The noblest thoughts we can produce are thoughts about God. We can never fully exhaust our ability to think about the goodness and greatness of God. There is no end of our praise of Him.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You.

My heavenly  Father, I want to transfer my burdens from my own back to You because You are stronger and wiser and by doing this my activities will be based on Your counsel and Your plans. I know that when I commit and trust my works wholly to You; You will cause my thoughts to become agreeable to Your will. Thank You Jesus that You are my salvation and You are preparing a mansion for me in Your Father’s house and that I will live with You forever. I praise You God and glorify You in the name of Your only begotten son Jesus.

O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.
يَارَبُّ ارْحَمْنَا. إِيَّاكَ انْتَظَرْنَا، كُنْ عَضُدَنَا فِي الصَّبَاحِ، وَخَلاَصَنَا فِي أَثْنَاءِ الْمِحْنَةِ.
Isaiah 33:2

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 5 Devotion - Bless The Lord at all times

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psalm 34:1

It would be great to wake up every morning expecting God’s blessings and to follow that with praises for The Almighty all day. Our words have a powerful impact on our lives, for God’s word teaches us that:

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

الموت والحياة في يد اللسان واحباؤه ياكلون ثمره.

Proverbs 18:21

Whatever is happening to us or around us we have the option to choose words that empower us and give us joy; or words that can kill our enthusiasm and our health.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You. Lord, teach me to wake up with enthusiasm regarding each day and fill my mouth with words of praise for Your blessings, love, and power and remind me to keep doing that all day for You have promised: ‘For those who honour Me I will honour’ 1 Samuel 2:30.  Lord, I rejoice in Your promise to pour out Your favour on me and lead my life, and to bless me with health, strength and blessing all the days of my life. God bless me with the gift of always having Your name on my lips. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.

يَارَبُّ ارْحَمْنَا. إِيَّاكَ انْتَظَرْنَا، كُنْ عَضُدَنَا فِي الصَّبَاحِ، وَخَلاَصَنَا فِي أَثْنَاءِ الْمِحْنَةِ.
Isaiah 33:2

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

 

 

August 31 Devotion -HAVE YOU TALKED TO GOD?

Oh, give thanks to the Lord!

Call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

احمدوا الرب ادعوا باسمه. عرفوا بين الامم باعماله.

Psalm 105:1

 

When we face problems or tribulations we frequently try to figure out the solution ourselves or call someone to ask for a solution. We may be also seeking sympathy and support from othersto help us feel better.

How would you react if that someone you called instead of listening and/or offering you a solution said “While I appreciate you calling me, let me ask you: have you talked to God about it? Have you prayed?”

God’s word is telling us:  Call upon His name. God loves to hear His name on our lips, and He promises to respond to the prayer that follows.
 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You. Lord, guide me and strengthen me to seek You first and pray to You first before seeking human intervention. God bless me with the gift of always having Your name on my lips. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you.
Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.

يَارَبُّ ارْحَمْنَا. إِيَّاكَ انْتَظَرْنَا، كُنْ عَضُدَنَا فِي الصَّبَاحِ، وَخَلاَصَنَا فِي أَثْنَاءِ الْمِحْنَةِ.
Isaiah 33:2

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

August 30 Devotion - PEA-SIZED CHRISTIANITY

 

He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

فَهُوَ كَفَّارَةٌ لِخَطَايَانَا، لاَ لِخَطَايَانَا فَقَطْ، بَلْ لِخَطَايَا الْعَالَمِ كُلِّهِ.

1 John 2:2

 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

فَتَقَدَّمَ يَسُوعُ وَكَلَّمَهُمْ قَائِلاً: «دُفِعَ إِليَّ كُلُّ سُلْطَانٍ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَعَلَى الأَرْضِ.

 ¹⁹ فَاذْهَبُوا إِذَنْ، وَتَلْمِذُوا جَمِيعَ الأُمَمِ، وَعَمِّدُوهُمْ بِاسْمِ الآبِ وَالاِبْنِ وَالرُّوحِ الْقُدُسِ؛
 ²⁰ وَعَلِّمُوهُمْ أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا بِكُلِّ مَا أَوْصَيْتُكُمْ بِهِ. وَهَا أَنَا مَعَكُمْ كُلَّ الأَيَّامِ إِلَى انْتِهَاءِ الزَّمَانِ! ».

Matthew 28:18–20

 

In his book “In the Gap”, David Bryant coins a term to identify the Christian’s reluctance for missionary involvement:

Underneath disinterest in world outreach, underneath small missions budgets or limited personnel and the scandal of billions yet unreached, hides a culprit I call “pea–sized Christianity.”

 

There is a pea–sized box called convert Christianity—life in Christ gets no bigger than making it safely inside the kingdom.

 

Or there’s character Christianity—life in Christ gets no bigger than pulling one’s own spiritual act together.

 

When life in Christ is no bigger than the warm, secure fellowship I have each week with my good Christian buddies, I’m in a box of cloister Christianity.

 

Or when life in Christ is no bigger for me than getting nicely settled in a good paying job after graduation, then I’m trapped in career Christianity.

 

Many of us are groping around the box of church Christianity—the Sunday school picnic, the choir’s Christmas pageant.

 

In summary, when my Christian experience expands no further than my salvation or small group or church or future, it’s pea–sized. When my activities don’t link me to the reaching of the earth’s unreached people, I’ve succumbed to pea–sized Christianity.

 I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Dear Lord, deliver me from pea–sized Christianity. Expand my focus, and bring me into harmony with Your divine purpose of reaching the world with the good news of the gospel. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.” Psalm 16:2
قُلْتُ لِلرَّبِّ: «أَنْتَ سَيِّدِي. خَيْرِي لاَ شَيْءَ غَيْرُكَ».

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

 

August 28 Devotion- Moving from failure to success

Wealth and riches are in His house; and His righteousness endures forever.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. Bblessings and prosperity will be yours.

رغد وغنى في بيته وبره قائم الى الابد‏.
واثقا بهذا عينه ان الذي ابتدأ فيكم عملا صالحا يكمل الى يوم يسوع المسيح.

 

طوباك وخير لك.

Psalm 112:3, Philippians 1:6, Psalm 128:2

 

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” That approach is taught all over the world. As Christians, we tend to integrate this attitude into our walk with Christ.

If we fail to conquer certain habits, or disobey key Scripture verses, we keep trying on our own strength. Although perseverance is necessary, determination alone will not cure our problems.

We need to admit our failure and realize that we can do nothing apart from the support and strength of The Holy Spirit. Failure can be a catalyst that converts our methods from trying to trusting.

 I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord forgive me for my weaknesses and strengthen me to make the transition from trying to trusting. Lord I know that Your house is full of riches; and that Your righteousness endures forever.

I am confident that if You set me on a direction or path You will complete it in spite of the trials and snares that are in my way; and that blessings and prosperity will be mine. Lord, I know that without The Holy Spirit acting on my behalf I cannot accomplish Your will. I trust and I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, my redeemer.

 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

هادمين ظنونا وكل علو يرتفع ضد معرفة الله ومستأسرين كل فكر الى طاعة المسيح

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein