ABBA!
Today’s Reading: Galatians 3-4
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
Looking up the stairs from the Chapel of Saint Helen in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, you can see hundreds of crosses that have been carved into the stone walls.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verse: Galatians 4:6
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father God, I pray for the Spirit of Your Son to fill me now. I pray in faith believing that You are now keeping Your promise to me. The promise of the Spirit was given to me by Jesus, Himself, when He said, “How much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:11-13). I’m asking, Abba Father, and You are more willing to give of Your Spirit than I am to receive. Therefore, I am receiving the Holy Spirit at this very moment. I praise You! I thank You! I worship You! Hallelujah! Glory to Your Holy Name! Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
As a child and in my early teens, I would go forward to the altar at church from time to time, asking Jesus to come into my heart and to write my name down in His “Book of Life.” I was confident that He did this at the time. However, when I did something that I knew was wrong, that confidence was gone, and I would give up until the next time I came forward to kneel at the front. We called the bench in front of the pulpit “the penitent form.” Sometimes it was called “the mourners’ bench.” Of course, I knew I was to be “penitent” and I was to “mourn” over my sins. It was not until I was 16 that I realized that I truly am a child of God by faith and faith alone. I believed that even as my human father would not ever cease to be my father, even so God, my Father, my Abba, would not ever take an eraser and rub my name out of His Book. The day after I fully believed that, I went down to the creek behind my sister’s house at Shady Nook, just outside of Pembroke, Ontario, and quoted over and over John 6:37. Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out.” I came to Him! He does not lie! Therefore, He does not cast me out. He receives me! What freedom and confidence that fact has given me right up to this day, over 64 years later.
Yours for believing Ephesians 2:8-9 (our next New Testament book after we read 1 & 2 Kings): “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast,”
David
Ever thankful to You, Christ our King, for all You have given us. Oh the glorious day when we see Your face again! His blessings upon you, fellow saints. Amen!
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:6-7 ESV
Glorious Day (Living He loved me) with lyrics ~Casting Crowns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXp6xcY5IqU
Agreeing with you Beverley. It would be good to keep Christian summer camps in prayer. They usually start hiring staff at this time for the summer. The camp I attended (as did my children) was closed last year because of COVID-19 and that was the first closing in 50 some years. It takes time & planning to prepare. I’m so thankful for these camps, especially now when God’s Word is often silenced in education & media. Blessings all.
And, from Anne Graham Lotz’ Daily Light devotional:
“The Lord was my support.
Truly, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains; truly, in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. § The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. § Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. . . . The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. § The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. § So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my
helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” § For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.
By the grace of God I am what I am.”
Ps. 18:18; Jer. 3:23; Ps. 18:2; Isa. 12:6; Ps. 34:7, 17;
Deut. 33:27; Heb. 13:6; Ps. 18:31–32; 1 Cor. 15:10
Thank You, Lord God, for Your grace which sets us free. Please help all Your people this day to live deeply embedded in You, in Jesus’s great name, amen
Amen
Amen to your post from Anne Graham Lotz’
Daily Light Devotional.
The Lord God truly is our support!
Praise Jesus Christ our Saviour in whom we trust.
Hello very precious Saints of Our Lord, Jesus Christ! Swept away by today’s —almost indescribable—witness of powerful leadership we are blessed to see, digitally…. Consequently, my heart, again, became impacted by watching Ronald Mainse’s Father, the astonishingly effective & globally recognized, Pastor David, unabashedly reveal his unequivocal and consummate passion, love, and loyalty to God’s Holy Spirit! And leading by example, wow! Just watched how charmingly he embraced the challenges of learning new things, this time the Vlog…in such a characteristically youthful and persuasive way! (Helps me overcome the sadness of losing him!) Our dear Paster is still helping souls by showing how to joyfully walk along the narrow, but rocky pathway to heaven. (‘Rocky”…helpfully added by a priest recently!) We pray for David’s family, as they must miss him too; although, I suspect that, as what happens to me, feelings of consolation are quickened…because of his continuing influence—such a force for good that ignites us to gratefully thank The Risen Lord and Praise His Holy Name!
Amen
Amen to all the prayers, from David Mainse through all the bloggers.
Thanks Rob for you post from Anne Graham Lotz.
Praying for all to be filled with the Spirit and blessed by the Father.
Praying with Doreen for the summer camps, these are so important to the spiritual health of so many young people.
Thank you prayer warriors. I just heard from my brother, Murray. He is feeling much much better. Rash is gone”. Still a bit of pain. That’s when I told him you all were praying for him. He is feeling well enough to give a friend a ride to doctors this afternoon.
God is good , thank you Father for hearing and answering our prayers.
Amen Nan, that is wonderful news about Murray.
Thank you Lord for answering our prayers.
Just want to you thank everyone who prayed for my husband Edward. He had his bone marrow test this morning and will hear from the oncologist around May 10th.
Great reading and comments today. Blessings to all. Eleanor M.