March 26 Devotion - The Fruit of The Spirit - Part 1

 

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

 وَأَمَّا ثَمَرُ الرُّوحِ فَهُوَ: الْمَحَبَّةُ وَالْفَرَحُ وَالسَّلامُ، وَطُولُ الْبَالِ وَاللُّطْفُ وَالصَّلاحُ، وَالأَمَانَةُ  وَالْوَدَاعَةُ وَضَبْطُ النَّفْسِ

  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 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.

 

وَنَحْنُ أَنْفُسُنَا اخْتَبَرْنَا الْمَحَبَّةَ الَّتِي خَصَّنَا اللهُ بِها، وَوَضَعْنَا ثِقَتَنَا فِيهَا. إِنَّ اللهَ مَحَبَّةٌ. وَمَنْ يَثْبُتْ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ، فَإِنَّهُ يَثْبُتُ فِي اللهِ، وَاللهُ يَثْبُتُ فِيهِ.

 

1 John 4:16

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, O gracious and merciful God, fill my heart with the fruit of Your Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and 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 Thank You God for Your abundant blessings and deep, unfailing, everlasting, and inseparable love. Father God, I praise You, revere You, worship You, glorify You and I stand in awe of You. I declare to the world that Jesus Christ is 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 before all time, now, and forevermore. Amen. 

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

March 21 Devotion - Jesus is our Friend

 

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

 

  لا اعود اسميكم عبيدا لان العبد لا يعلم ما يعمل سيده .لكني قد سميتكم احباء لاني أعلمتكم بكل ما سمعته من ابي .

 

John 15:15

What distinguishes a friend from a slave? A slave does not know the plans of his/her master or owner. He receives the commands of his master without knowing the reasons why they are ordered. Friendship on the other hand allows one to be made acquainted with the plans, wishes, and wants of the other friend. This instance of friendship Jesus had shared with His disciples the reasons why he was about to leave them, and with His secret wishes regarding them. As He had given them this proof of friendship, it was proper that He should not withhold from them the title of friends.

The reason why He calls us friends is that He treats us as friends. He has opened to us His mind; made known to us His plans; acquainted us with the design of His coming, His death, His resurrection, ascension, and second coming; and, having thus given us the clearest proof of friendship, it is therefore proper that He gives us this name.

We should always look at Jesus as our friend, even though He is also our Lord and master.

After your prayer listen to “ What a friend we have in Jesus” : https://youtu.be/YTpUQO0aryw

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Jesus You laid Your life for me and said: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13 Thank You Jesus for loving me and treating me like Your friend. 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 continue to declare to the world that Christ is my Lord, Saviour, and Friend. In the holy name of Jesus, I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

ليس لاحد حب اعظم من هذا ان يضع احد نفسه لاجل احبائه .

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

March 19 Devotion - Do NOT put God in a box

 

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth…  

Jesus spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. ⁷ And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”.  So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

 وَفِيمَا هُوَ مُجْتَازٌ رَأَى إِنْسَانًا أَعْمَى مُنْذُ وِلاَدَتِه⁶قَالَ هذَا وَتَفَلَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ وَصَنَعَ مِنَ التُّفْلِ طِينًا وَطَلَى بِالطِّينِ عَيْنَيِ الأَعْمَى. ⁷وَقَالَ لَهُ: «اذْهَبِ اغْتَسِلْ فِي بِرْكَةِ سِلْوَامَ» الَّذِي تَفْسِيرُهُ: مُرْسَلٌ، فَمَضَى وَاغْتَسَلَ وَأَتَى بَصِيرًا.

 

John 9:1, 6, 7

 

Jesus had healed people before by just touching them. So why did Jesus choose a new method? Why did Jesus spit and heal this blind man in this way? The reason is: this man had no eyes, not blind eyes. 

Spit and dirt (clay) mixed and put on the face does not sound very nice. Do you agree?  The blind man could have reacted by saying something like ‘How dare you spit on me and make my eyes full of mud, I thought you were going to heal me, not make me worse’. But he didn’t, he totally trusted Jesus and went to wash.  I have learnt that Archeologists say that Siloam; where the blind man had to go and wash; is very big with wide steps on 3 sides, and is very difficult to get into. One needs to be courageous and brave to go in and it is extremely difficult to go into when you cannot see. 

 

The blind man however went and washed and was healed and could see for the first time.

 

Some of my lessons learned:

 

• I should never put Jesus in a box, for His ways are totally different than our ways. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. Isaiah 55
• I need to Trust in the LORD with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding Proverbs 3:5
• What I want and pray for may not be delivered in the fashion I am thinking about.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for loving me with a deep and everlasting love. Help me to ‘see’ Your ways and understand Your thoughts. Lord, give me wisdom to not lean on my own understanding and strengthen me to trust You and follow You with all my heart and all my mind, soul and strength. Thank You Father for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. 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. 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

March 17 Devotion - Be of Good Cheer

 

“…In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

فَإِنَّكُمْ فِي الْعَالَمِ سَتُقَاسُونَ الضِّيقَ. وَلكِنْ تَشَجَّعُوا، فَأَنَا قَدِ انْتَصَرْتُ عَلَى الْعَالَمِ!»

^{John 16:33}

Tribulations cause anxiety and sorrow and can lead to depression. When we experience tribulation in our lives we  need to turn to the one who has overcome the world. This sounds easier said than done. However practice makes perfect, and as we learn to turn to Jesus in the face of anxiety and sorrow in the little things we begin to develop our dependence muscles.

Learning that ‘Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow…but empties today of its strength’ (Charles Spurgeon) helps us realize that anxiety distracts the mind from communion with God. The Apostle Paul teaches us to:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.

 

لا تهتموا بشيء بل في كل شيء بالصلاة والدعاء مع الشكر لتعلم طلباتكم لدى الله.

وسلام الله الذي يفوق كل عقل يحفظ قلوبكم وافكاركم في المسيح يسوع

فَلْيَملأكُمُ اللهُ، مَصدَرُ كُلِّ رَجاءٍ، بِكُلِّ الفَرَحِ وَالسَّلامِ بَينَما تَتَّكِلُونَ عَلَيهِ، حَتَّى تَفِيضُوا بِالرَّجاءِ بِقُوَّةِ الرُّوحِ القُدُسِ.

Philippians 4:6-7, Romans 15:13

The word ‘nothing’ means it excludes any reason. No reason is exempt and we are not allowed to worry about anything. This means that we are to pray about ‘everything’. Through thankful prayer we can declare to God our anxious thoughts and have faith that He will fill our hearts and mind with His peace when we leave our anxieties at The Cross.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, You know exactly where I am emotionally and mentally and I know as per Jesus’ promise that You will comfort me and give me good cheer. Father, I believe that sometimes You do allow the pressures of life to build so that I can learn to deal with them from a position of faith and not from a position of fear. Thank You for not condemning me for my fear, and for providing wisdom for all I face. Abba, God of hope fill me with all joy and peace in believing that by the power of the Holy Spirit I will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in Your promises and never feel anxious and always thankful. I pray that Your peace which surpasses all comprehension, will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. 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, now, and forevermore. Amen.

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

March 14 Devotion - Claim God's blessings

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ

 مبارك الله ابو ربنا يسوع المسيح الذي باركنا بكل بركة روحية في السماويات في المسيح

Ephesians 1:3

Please notice that this verse is in the past tense. The Apostle Paul wrote that Jesus Christ already has made all of these blessings available to those who believe in Him. He did not say that God is going to bless us with spiritual blessings once we are in heaven, or even once we fulfill certain duties, roles, or commands.

I invite you to repeat the following Prayer for yourself

Abba Father, thank You for Your unfailing, inseparable, deep and everlasting love for me, Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Lord, You have already provided for all my needs and made them available to me through Christ Jesus. Teach me to claim them, and receive them, through faith, prayer, and total belief that I will receive them. My Heavenly Father, give me the inner vision of having already received them and the patience to wait for Your right timing. Father 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

March 13 Devotion - The Humble Christ

 

but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

 بَلْ أَخْلَى نَفْسَهُ، مُتَّخِذاً صُورَةَ عَبْدٍ، صَائِراً شَبِيهاً بِالْبَشَرِ؛

⁸ وَإِذْ ظَهَرَ بِهَيْئَةِ إِنْسَانٍ، أَمْعَنَ فِي الاِتِّضَاعِ، وَكَانَ طَائِعاً حَتَّى الْمَوْتِ، مَوْتِ الصَّلِيبِ.

Philippians 2:7-8

Being made in the likeness of man, Jesus laid himself as low as possible laying aside the brilliance of His glory. He took upon Himself human form assuming the lowest character, that of being the servant of all. He accepted to die for us, and He accepted to die the lowest and most disgraceful kind of death, the death of the cross, the punishment of the meanest of criminals.

‘What must sin have been in the sight of God, when it required such humiliation in Jesus Christ to make atonement for it and undo its influence and malignity!’ (Adapted from Clarke's Commentary on the Bible.)

We learn from the above scriptures that Jesus was obedient, humble, and loving. He loved us and died on the cross in our place, to offer us the opportunity to be forgiven, redeemed, and declared righteous in the eyes of God.

Humility frees us to love and serve others selflessly, for their sake, rather than our own. 

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Lord Jesus, thank You that You humbled yourself to die in my place and to grant me the forgiveness of my sins. Jesus, You became a servant for my sake to set me free from the bondage of sin, selfishness, and conceit. Jesus, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can be humble and love others freely and graciously. Abba Father please teach me Lord to be ‘kind and compassionate to others, forgiving them, just as Christ God forgave me.’ Ephesians 4:32 Abba Father, thank You for Your deep and everlasting love, Your abundant blessings, and for the riches of Your grace in my life. 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.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

March 11 Devotion - I will give you rest

 

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

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will give you rest.

الق على الرب اعمالك فتثبت افكارك. 

تَعالُوا إلَيَّ أيُّها المُتعَبِينَ وَيا مَنْ تَحمِلُونَ أحمالاً ثَقِيلَةً، وَأنا سَأُعطِيكُمُ الرّاحَةَ

Proverbs 16:3, Matthew 11:28

 

 

When we commit our works to The Lord and we ‘Come’ to Jesus, we transfer our burdens from our backs to one who is much stronger and much more capable to bear them. The noblest thoughts we can produce are thoughts about God. Our thoughts are the source out of which our actions and works spring. We can never fully exhaust our ability to think about the goodness and greatness of God. There should be no end of our praise of Him.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You that You love me and that Your love is unfailing, steadfast, deep, and everlasting. Jesus, I want to transfer my burdens from my own back to Yours 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 actions wholly to You; You will cause my thoughts to become agreeable to Your will. Lord, You know that I struggle with that and try to resolve my problems on my own and the result is that I am overburdened. Help me Jesus to ‘Come’ to You. Thank You Father for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Thank You Jesus that You are my salvation. In Your holy name Jesus, I pray. To Jesus be the glory, the power, the dominion, the majesty, and the blessings forever and ever. Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein