The porch light is on!

“No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days.
Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.” Exodus 10:23

Pharaoh’s heart was hardened by anger toward God when he didn’t get his way.  Moses’ pleading, plagues, nothing mattered – he was blinded in the darkness of hardened hatred - blaming God, refusing light.  We’re can act very similar when God try’s to get our attention. 

 

We may never have a prophet like Moses show God’s power, who simply “stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days,” … now that should get our attention. Nonetheless, we tend to enter a hardship in life and want to fix it - our way or no way.  No matter what God’s Word says or Godly advice we receive, we reject it – but, complain that God won’t help – we harden against God.  If God left you in darkness for three days … would His Word and love come to mind?  Or would you get mad at God because added to your life problem, you are now left in the dark – hardened more.

 

 

God loves you, and will never leave you in darkness.  We place ourselves there.  God didn’t leave Jesus in darkness, Jesus went into deaths darkness for us (He bore our sin); then He overcame the darkness of the grave after three days. 

This is Jesus’ promise to you:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

In Christ’s love, know that God’s children will have “light in the places where they live.”

Owen <><

Thankful for You!

“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”

~ Ephesians 1:16

 

The Apostle Paul thanked God for those to whom he sent a letter (epistle) to.  At least nine times Paul mentions his prayers of thanksgiving for the recipients of an epistle.  This is rooted in the love we are to have for one another (John 13:34), and that I have for you as well.   

 

Why did Paul give thanks to God for the Ephesians (or anyone)? 

He said that his thanksgiving was “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints” (v 15). 

 

Most assuredly, we are thankful for people in our life, but heart-lifting joy and thanksgiving is because God poured His grace of salvation on them.  As Paul tells the Corinthians, “I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.” (1 Corinthians 1:4-6)

 

 I’m thankful for you being in Christ,  

Owen <><

Having Everything You Need … A Dream or Reality?

“For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life:  he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us!”  ~2 Peter 1:3 TLB

Take the time to stop know Jesus better!  Then, He will adorn you by “His great power with everything you need”…!
Jesus “shares His own glory and His own goodness” with all who trust and love the Lord. 

Get to know—deepen your relationship with—Christ, and the glitches of this world’s life are overcome by what Jesus pours out to you.  To know Him better is to accept and receive all that He is willing—wanting—to give you! 

All of that you need is just for starters, because, “we are looking forward to God's promise of new heavens and a new earth afterwards, where there will be only goodness” (2 Peter 3:13 TLB).  Know Jesus and His goodness, today and into eternity!

Know Him better!   

Owen <><

P.S. – You may ask:  How do you get to know Jesus better?  A good start is by going to Christ in prayer, thanksgiving, praise, and by reading the Gospels …

“… train yourself to be godly.” 

                                                1 Timothy 4:7

Time with God in prayer, Bible reading, daily journaling, worship and the things that deepen your relationship with God and influence your life have been called “Spiritual Disciplines.”

The disciplines “are central to experiential Christianity,” a life style of experiencing God, a life influenced by the Counselor to influence you to actually live ...the Gospel. Daily practice of spiritual disciplines allows you to receive “liberation from the stifling slavery to self-interest and fear” (Richard Foster).

As you need daily nourishment, food, ... ...

so do you need a daily practice of disciplined presence with God.

 

Fasting: A Place Setting Filled With The Word of God

 

Spiritual Disciplines include daily and routine practice of:

• Prayer, Meditation, Fasting, Study
• Simplicity, Solitude, Submission, Service
• Confession, Worship, Guidance, Celebration

 

Spiritual Disciplines are what “teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,” Titus 2:12.

 

 

Blessings,

Owen

Just the GOOD Stuff

Believing the Bible is difficult for people, to include those who say they are Christians or believers.  It seems that our belief struggles getting past:  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” - yep, Genesis 1:1, the very first sentence of the Bible.

Believing God created all things from nothing, just the GOOD stuff, is important. 
The Bible’s first words make us stop cold, we stop and begin to pick and choose the words we want. 

We have an emptiness, so, we hunger to know the source of life, and our reason for being, our purpose, and even our origins – we even express this hunger by having interest in our genealogy, our family name is more important than the

“Name that is above every name … Jesus” (Phil 2:9-10).

Every day of creation closed with God blessing it and it was just the GOOD stuff.  The GOOD stuff included God having created and formed genealogy, you, “in his own image” (Genesis 1:27, 2: 2:7). 
We just skip that part and rationalize that our origins, and everything, NOT just the GOOD stuff, was begotten by a random Big Bang about 13.798 billion years ago. But, a big bang did occur over six days as God created just the GOOD stuff!

But, we nonetheless seek salvation. We believe that part.  

We read, listen, and accept the Bible’s words on security in heaven, prosperity and God's love for us: just the GOOD stuff.  The Bible’s words on creation, miracles, or that following Jesus requires absolute surrender, well, not so much. 

We forget that it is God who spoke our origin and eternity in life into being – that is just the GOOD stuff!

There is a truth:
Genesis 1 and Revelation 22 unite our origins and eternity – they’re just the GOOD stuff.  If Genesis 1:1 isn’t GOOD stuff, then John 3:16 isn’t the Good stuff either.  Faith is never a half truth, it is an all or none walk, what road are you walking?.  

We are created in love, redeemed in love, and glorified in love … just the GOOD stuff!  

 Just the GOOD stuff for me, 
Owen <><

Because You Say So

Jesus said, to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

Simon answered, “Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 

 

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 

~ Luke 5:4-6

 

Luke 5:8
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees...

 

In our earthly life we may never experience Jesus speaking to us face to face. 

 

Yet, Christ’s Spirit whispers to our soul, spoke into the Scriptures, and sent anointed people into our life. 

 

If we listen, and say, “Yes Lord, because you say so, I will do it,” we won’t be able to contain all that God pours into us. 

 

~ Owen

Simple Thought: 
In youth baseball parents often cheer, “Good eye!”  Jesus needs a “Good spiritual ear!”  

You can find me at:

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Twitter @Owen_Mannin