January 14 Devotion - How do I get to see The Kingdom of God?

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:1-17

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Thank You God that by accepting Jesus as my Lord and Saviour I am now born again of the Spirit. I declare that I want Jesus to live in me, and that I want to become Christ-like. Thank You Lord for Your grace and mercy. Lord, please strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can always be aware that I am saved through Your grace and that I can never be worthy on my own of being Your child except through the atoning blood of Jesus. Thank You Jesus that through You I can see The Kingdom of God and live within it. In Your  Holy Name 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

January 13 Devotion - The New Covenant

For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

فَإِنَّ هَذَا هُوَ دَمِي الَّذِي لِلْعَهْدِ الْجَدِيدِ وَالَّذِي يُسْفَكُ مِنْ أَجْلِ كَثِيرِينَ لِمَغْفِرَةِ الْخَطَايَا.

Mathew 26:28

 

 

According to Bible professor Charles Ryrie, “The word covenant meant an arrangement made by one party which the other party involved could accept or reject but not alter.”

It is an arrangement made by God which we can accept or reject, but we cannot alter the arrangement that we are only saved through the shed blood of Jesus. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour we are born again, a spiritual birth, and we are filled with the Holy Spirit and sealed forever as children of God.

 

The word testament—as used in the biblical Old and New Testaments—originates from the Greek word for covenant.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, thank You for loving me so much that You sent Jesus to die for my sins. I accept Your Son as Lord and Saviour. I accept Your new covenant joyously and thank You for Your grace and mercy. Lord, please strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can always be aware that I am saved through Your grace and that I can never be worthy on my own of being Your child except through the atoning blood of Jesus. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the power and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. ‘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

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

January 9 Devotion - Our Sufficiency is from God

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.

ليس اننا كفاة من انفسنا ان نفتكر شيئا كانه من انفسنا بل كفايتنا من الله

2 Corinthians 3:5

All that we are is a gift from God. Our intelligence, success, abilities, health, etc. are a gift from God lest anyone should boast or become arrogant. We are not perfect yet and need God to constantly help us grow. We need God to do what He alone can do for us, in us,and through us.

When we feel less than adequate; our chant should never be ‘I cannot’ but our chant should be ‘With God’s grace and support, I can”

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life. Lord, my sufficiency is in You.

Lord, help me to always say in confidence and strong faith: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ Philippians 4:13 In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the power and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus Loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein
 إِنِّي أَسْتَطِيعُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ، فِي الْمَسِيحِ الَّذِي يُقَوِّينِي

January 8 Devotion - Wisdom

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

لِذَلِكَ لاَ تَكُونُوا أَغْبِيَاءَ، بَلِ افْهَمُوا مَا هِيَ مَشِيئَةُ الرَّبِّ.

5. وَإِنَّمَا إِنْ كَانَ أَحَدُكُمْ تُعْوِزُهُ حِكْمَةٌ فَلْيَطْلُبْ مِنَ اللَّهِ الَّذِي يُعْطِي الْجَمِيعَ بِسَخَاءٍ وَلاَ يُعَيِّرُ، فَسَيُعْطَى لَهُ.

Ephesians 5:17, James 1:5

Wisdom means to me:

v     That I seek God’s will for my life and follow His plan

v     That I always act according to the spirit of the Biblical Commandments 

v     That I understand the consequences of my actions and words before I act or speak

v     To have the knowledge and understanding to recognize the right course of action and to have the will and courage                                 to follow it.

I find that many times I fail to act with wisdom. I realize that I need the guidance and conviction of The Holy Spirit to act wisely.

 

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, help me to clearly see Your plan and will for my life. Holy Spirit, I need Your wisdom to guide all my actions. Lord, help me to listen to the direction of The Holy Spirit within me. Strengthen my faith to clearly realize that You are my rock in whom I take refuge. You are my salvation and my stronghold. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the power and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. ‘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

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

January 7 Devotion - Transformation

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;

وَلِي ثِقَةٌ فِي هَذَا الأَمْرِ بِالذَّاتِ: أَنَّ الَّذِي بَدَأَ فِيكُمْ عَمَلاً صَالِحاً سَوْفَ يُتَمِّمُهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْمَسِيحِ يَسُوعَ.

Philippians 1:6 

When we were born again by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit came to live within us. 

When we try to live the Christian life depending on our own strength, we fail.

 When we come to the conclusion that we cannot succeed on our own and surrender to The Holy Spirit, that is when we move from trying to trusting; and that trans-form-ation helps us to start flourishing in our Christian faith journey as we change internal spiritual form. Transformation as defined in the dictionary is the act of changing form. The Holy Spirit will continue to transform us to help us become more and more Christ-like till the day we meet Jesus in person.

 I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for your abundant blessings. Lord, I trust that The Holy Spirit within me is the only force that will make me able to live according to Your commandments. I acknowledge that I can do nothing apart from Christ. I trust that Jesus, who has started this Christian growth journey in my life, will continue to work in me to make me more like Him every day. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the power and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

January 3 Devotion - Your Name is Inscribed on God's Palm

“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;

 15 هَلْ تَنْسَى الْمَرْأَةُ رَضِيعَهَا وَلاَ تَرْحَمُ ابْنَ أَحْشَائِهَا؟ حَتَّى هَؤُلاَءِ يَنْسَيْنَ، أَمَّا أَنَا فَلاَ أَنْسَاكُمْ.  16 انْظُرُوا هَا أَنَا قَدْ نَقَشْتُكِ ُ عَلَى كَفِّي.

Isaiah 49:15-16

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.

God will never forget us; the 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, thank You for Your abundant blessings. 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; that I am so precious to You, that my name is written on the palms of Your hands. Thank You Lord for loving me so much that You consider that whoever touches me touches the apple of Your eye. I thank You, praise You and glorify You, in the name of Jesus my Lord and Saviour, to whom be honour, glory and power forever and ever . Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

January 2 Devotion - The Abundant Life - A prayer for 2014

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

Jesus came into this world in human nature, to give his soul and body, for the life of these persons, who would declare Him as their Lord and Saviour so that they may live spiritually in this world, and eternally hereafter.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

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

God of my yesterdays, today, and my tomorrows; God of new beginnings and wonderful surprises, thank You for the gift of this New Year, 2014.

God please crown 2014 with Your goodness. Lord make 2014 to be a year of grace and blessing for me, a time to grow in faith and love, a time to renew my commitment to following Your Son, Jesus. 

Lord, please walk with me in 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, in spite of my weaknesses and failings.

My heavenly Father, please help me to bring all my thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ and to continue my journey to become Christ-like. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

December 4 Devotion - Jesus Christ keeps no record of wrongs

God is love.

^{1 John 4:8}

 

I and my Father are one.

^{John 10:30}

 

Therefore….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 dishonor others not,

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

New International Version (NIV)

 

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
¹² As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:11-12

لانه مثل ارتفاع السموات فوق الارض قويت رحمته على خائفيه.

12 كبعد المشرق من المغرب ابعد عنا معاصينا

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Colossians 2:13-15

واذ كنتم امواتا في الخطايا وغلف جسدكم احياكم معه مسامحا لكم بجميع الخطايا.

14 اذ محا الصك الذي علينا في الفرائض الذي كان ضدا لنا وقد رفعه من الوسط مسمرا اياه بالصليب.

15 اذ جرد الرياسات والسلاطين اشهرهم جهارا ظافرا بهم فيه

As far as the east is from the west - As the east and the west can never meet in one point, but be for ever at the same distance from each other, so our sins and are removed totally from us through Jesus’ redeeming sacrifice for us on The Cross. Jesus therefore keeps no records of our sins once we repent and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour. Likewise love is not supposed to keep record of the wrongs of the loved ones.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. Thank You Jesus that You have taken my sins and nailed them to the Cross, and remember them no more. Lord, please strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can erase the record of wrongs of others that I keep in the files in my mind. Help me to renew my mind and to bring all my thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

December 3 Devotion - Jesus Christ is not easily angered

God is love.

^{1 John 4:8}

 

I and my Father are one.

^{John 10:30}

 Therefore….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 dishonor others not,

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

New International Version (NIV)

 

When He was reviled and insulted, He did not revile or offer insult in return; [when] He was abused and suffered, He made no threats [of vengeance]; but he trusted [Himself and everything] to Him Who judges fairly.

1 Peter 2:23 Amplified Bible (AMP)

الذي اذ شتم لم يكن يشتم عوضا واذ تألم لم يكن يهدد بل كان يسلم لمن يقضي بعدل.

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. ¹³ And He said to them,

“It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

وَدَخَلَ يَسُوعُ إِلَى هَيْكَلِ اللَّهِ وَأَخْرَجَ جَمِيعَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَبِيعُونَ وَيَشْتَرُونَ فِي الْهَيْكَلِ وَقَلَبَ مَوَائِدَ الصَّيَارِفَةِ وَكَرَاسِيَّ بَاعَةِ الْحَمَامِ

13. وَقَالَ لَهُمْ: «مَكْتُوبٌ: بَيْتِي بَيْتَ الصَّلاَةِ يُدْعَى. وَأَنْتُمْ جَعَلْتُمُوهُ مَغَارَةَ لُصُوصٍ!»

Matthew 21:12-13

Should we eradicate anger totally from our lives? Note that the scripture says (love) Jesus is not easily angered.

Ephesians 4:26 instructs us “in your anger do not sin” and not to let the sun go down on our anger. I believe the command is not to “avoid anger” (or suppress it or ignore it) but to deal with it properly, in a timely manner.

When Jesus cleared the temple of the moneychangers and animal-sellers, He showed great emotion and anger. Jesus’ emotion has been described as “zeal” for God’s house (John 2:17). His anger was pure and completely justified because at its root was concern for God’s holiness and worship. Because these were at stake, Jesus took quick and decisive action.

Another time Jesus showed anger was in the synagogue of Capernaum. When the Pharisees refused to answer Jesus’ questions,

“He looked around at them in anger, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts”

Mark 3:5

 Jesus’ anger had the proper motivation, He was angry for the right reasons. His anger had the proper control and duration. Jesus’ response was always to accomplish God’s will.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. Thank You Lord that You are gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. Psalm 145:8

Jesus strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being not to be quarrelsome and contending, let me be slow to anger and be mild-tempered preserving the bond of peace. Teach me Lord to be a skilled and suitable teacher, patient and forbearing and willing to suffer wrong. Strengthen me so that when I am angry I do not sin and am able to deal with the situation promptly so that I do not let the sun go down on my anger. Strengthen me Lord to be merciful and able to empathize with others and build them up. Help me God to trust myself and everything to You because You judge fairly. Help me to bring all my thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ and to become Christ-like.In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

December 2 Devotion - Jesus Christ (Love) is not self-seeking

God is love.

^{1 John 4:8}

 I and my Father are one.

^{John 10:30}

 Therefore….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 dishonor others not,

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

New International Version (NIV)

 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Mark 10:45, Mark 8:34

لان ابن الانسان ايضا لم يأت ليخدم بل ليخدم وليبذل نفسه فدية عن كثيرين

ودعا الجمع من تلاميذه وقال لهم من اراد ان يأتي ورائي فلينكر نفسه ويحمل صليبه ويتبعني .

The definition of self-seeking is:  Pursuing only one's own ends or interests and with a determined mind to do so.

Jesus led a simple life. He chose to be born in a manger, not a castle. He was clothed in swaddling clothes not silk. He did not reside in palaces. He even disclosed to a would-be follower saying,

“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Matthew 8:20

فقال له يسوع 'للثعالب اوجرة ولطيور السماء اوكار .واما ابن الانسان فليس له اين يسند راسه'

When Jesus entered Jerusalem as The Messiah who could save all the people, He entered riding on a donkey.

Jesus accepted to die for us by the most degrading way, crucifixion. His simplicity and humility become even more impressive when we remember that He is the one who created the universe. By all rights, everything belongs to Him.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. Thank You Jesus that while You did not have a place to lay Your head, You have given me a wonderful place to live in. Jesus, help me to be humble, help me to accept rebuke and welcome advice, help me to admit my mistakes and praise others. Strengthen me Lord to empathize with others and build them up. Jesus strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can deny myself, and take up my cross, and follow You. Help me God to bring all my thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ and to become Christ-like.In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory, the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

November 29 Devotion - Jesus Christ (Love) Does Not Dishonour Others

God is love.

^{1 John 4:8}

 I and my Father are one.

^{John 10:30}

Therefore….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

New International Version (NIV)

 

Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

 طوبى للودعاء .لانهم يرثون الارض

Jesus was meek. A meek person would never dishonour another. The meek are among those so favoured that they will share in Jesus' inheritance of the earth.

There are so many words that I think I understand, but a deeper look reveals that I do not, because I am looking at what the world has taught me, not what Jesus meant and how He relates them to the Kingdom of God and in the depth and breadth of what He meant.

Meekness is considered one of the most difficult New Testament words to fully understand. This is so because Jesus elevated the word's common usage far beyond its normal application.
I find that I grew up resenting being meek because of the connotation given to being meek as being weak, needy lowly.  I grew up learning how the world worded Mathew 5:5: "Blessed are the strong, who can hold their own." The world favours the so-called heroic virtues. Those who are competitive, aggressive and assertive are the ones who receive recognition, admiration and reward. Do they not seem to end up on top of the pile, possessing the most and best despite flaws in their character?

I am learning that I need (and who knows maybe you too) to unlearn what the world has taught me, before I can learn what Jesus is teaching me and respect and accept being meek. I have a lot to gain when I do.   

Not to dishonour a person means to honour that person. According to the thesaurus, honour has these synonyms: "esteem, respect, pay homage to, assigning value to." In order to honour others we first need to start with an attitude of meekness.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. Jesus, help me to unlearn the worldly beatitudes and teach me Your Beatitudes. Teach me to be meek and to honour You and my fellow man. Help me God to bring all my thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ and to become Christ-like.In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein