Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

OPPOSITE LIVING

Posted on September 5, 2020 by randscallawayffm

My first graders LOVED playing the opposite game! I would say a word and they would shout the opposite with gusto. Salt, PEPPER! Open, SHUT! Good, BAD! You get the picture. The Pharisees did not. They were blind to all Jesus was trying to teach about the Kingdom of God.

We all know as we join God, by His invitation to help people find and follow Jesus into reconciliation with God, not all will follow. We will never be able to convince or persuade all people to follow the real, abundant living with God as we pointe them to the reconciliation work of Jesus Christ. For some people, no one will tell them what to do. Their only desire is to live for self, even though it is a lonely life.

God did give free will to choose. God wants us to come to Him because of our love for Him, not mere obligation to following rules. Who doesn’t want a relationship that is unconditionally loving, full of grace and mercifully kind? Well, apparently there are quite a few.

Even Jesus, Son of God, could not convince the hard-hearted Pharisees. Jesus gives the religious leaders who left God long ago, one more sermon that clarifies their sin condition. He describes who they are and what they are doing which is the opposite of Kingdom of God living. We read this carefully for we, too can fall into the trap of living life only for ourselves.

Matthew 23

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?

18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN?

We must not read this series of denunciations with the idea that Jesus lost His temper and was bitterly angry. Certainly, He was angry at their sins and what those sins were doing to the people. But His attitude was one of painful sorrow that the Pharisees were blinded to God’s truth and to their own sins. Perhaps the best way to deal with these eight “woes” is to contrast them with the eight beatitudes found in Matthew 5:1–12. In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord described true righteousness; here He described a false righteousness. Opposite Kingdom of God living is dangerous and painful, harmful and leads only to death.

Entering the kingdom—shutting up the kingdom (v. 13; 5:3). The poor in spirit enter the kingdom, but the proud in spirit keep themselves out and even keep others out.
Mourners comforted—destroyers condemned (v. 14; 5:4). While this verse is not in some manuscripts of Matthew, it is found in Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47. Instead of mourning over their own sins, and mourning with needy widows, the Pharisees took advantage of people in order to rob them.
Meek inherit the earth—proud send souls to hell (v. 15; 5:5). A proselyte is a convert to a cause. The Pharisees were out to win others to their legalistic system, yet they could not introduce these people to the living God. Instead of saving souls, the Pharisees were condemning souls!
Hungering for holiness—greedy for gain (vv. 16–22; 5:6). “Blind guides” is a perfect description, one that must have brought a smile to the lips of the listeners. Jesus had used it before (Matt. 15:14). The Pharisees were blind to the true values of life.
Obtaining mercy—rejecting mercy (vv. 23–24; 5:7). The Pharisees majored on minors. They had rules for every minute area of life, while at the same time they forgot about the important things. The principles of Christian giving under grace are given in 2 Corinthians 8—9. We are not content simply to give a tithe (10 percent), but we also want to bring offerings to the Lord out of hearts filled with love.
Pure in heart—defiled in heart (vv. 25–28; 5:8). Jesus used two illustrations: the cup and platter, and the sepulcher. They both stated the same truth: it is possible to be clean on the outside and at the same time defiled on the inside. Imagine using dishes that were defiled! Whatever you put into the dish or cup would also become defiled. The Pharisees were careful to keep the outside very clean, because that was the part that men would see, and they wanted the praise of men. But God sees the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). When God looked within, He saw “greed and self-indulgence” (Matt. 23:25 niv).
Peacemakers and persecuted are God’s children— persecutors are the devil’s children (vv. 29–33; 5:9–12). When Jesus called the Pharisees “serpents generation of vipers,” He was identifying them with Satan, who is the serpent (Gen. 3:1). In His parable of the tares, Jesus made it clear that Satan has a family (Matt. 13:38). Satan is a murderer and a liar (John 8:44), and his children follow his example. The Pharisees were liars (Matt. 23:30) and murderers (Matt. 23:34). It was traditional for the Pharisees to build, improve, and embellish the tombs of the martyrs. But it was “their fathers” who killed the martyrs! Not their biological fathers, of course, but their “spiritual fathers”—the hypocrites of the past ages.

WRAPPING IT UP…

As we review these tragic woes from the lips of our Lord, we can see why the Pharisees were His enemies. He emphasized the inner man; they were concerned with externals. He taught a spiritual life based on principles, while the Pharisees majored on rules and regulations. Jesus measured spirituality in terms of character, while the Pharisees measured it in terms of religious activities and conformity to external laws. Jesus taught humility and sacrificial service, but the Pharisees were proud and used people to accomplish their own purposes. The holy life of Jesus exposed their artificial piety and shallow religion. Instead of coming out of the darkness, the Pharisees tried to put out the Light, and they failed.

HOLY PAUSE

D. L. Moody used to say, “If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.” The Pharisees lived for reputation, not character.

What or who do I live for?

What is most important to me?

Abba Father,

I chose you. You chose me. You loved me first then I loved you. I love you with all my heart, mind and soul. The more I learn about You, the more I learn I need to know. But one thing is for certain, and like Paul I have “not arrived” , but will continue to allow you to transform me into all you created me to be…your servant child. I believe. I want no part of fake, unclean living that only hurts me and those around me. I want to live for you!

In Jesus Name, Amen.

IT’S ALL AN ACT!

Posted on September 4, 2020 by randscallawayffm

Many comedians who make us laugh the most come from souls of high insecurity and emotional sadness. “It’s all an act” to entertain us. In real life, many comics are depressed and struggle to grasp reality in their popularity. They use comedy as avoidance of dealing with reality.

Actors who become someone else other than themselves speak their lines boldly and confidently because they have great memories. They, too, avoid reality to play a part bigger than themselves and different than their dire circumstances. Great actors put all their being into the role they play to the point that sometimes they believe who they are acting to be. We believe it, too. As a child, I really thought my hero, Superman, was real and could fly! Who didn’t wear a towel for a cape and ride your bikes to simulate flying through the air like he did? Oh, did I reveal a secret? We learn that many of these actors are shy and withdrawn off the stage and need a script to relate to people. They only play a role given to them for money and fame.

“All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players…”, Shakespeare writes as a commentary on life. There are those who fantasize so much about being someone else these days that they don’t know who they are anymore. They want to be rich so they follow rich people around trying to be like them, do what they do, wear what they wear only to learn that rich people don’t always have it together either and quickly lose all that was gained in this world by a mere market turn or crash.

There are those who act good and right so they can get the attention of the world around them. They spew hate and sarcasm towards mankind but put on smiles for a photo op as they give a backpack full of supplies to a needy student or write a check to a non-profit.

There are those who will volunteer at God’s house only for reasons of satisfying their own need to be needed or to gain recognition for doing good. It’s all about them and not about helping others for God’s glory. According to Jesus, they are serving only themselves which is not serving at all, at least, not by the standards He demonstrated while on earth. “I came to serve, not to be served”, says Jesus to all who heard and understood. If we serve to serve self, then it is MEnistry, not ministry.

Jesus was not an actor. Jesus was Who He said He was, is and always will be. Jesus, who knew hearts before and during ACTions, reveals the play actors in this passage. God as not part of the religious leaders’ “act” any longer. They acted on their own power, by their own means, for their own glory.

Matthew 23

A Warning Against Hypocrisy

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ²“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

⁵“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

⁸“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

WHAT DO WE LEARN?

The phrase “practice what you preach” is said in many places all over the world. I wonder how many know this phrase, along with “everything you do is for people to see”, comes from Jesus admonition to the Teachers of the God’s Law?

How many servant leaders today work alongside their team to get the work accomplished or just assign the work to be accomplished without lifting a finger to help? We don’t like to follow leaders like that do we? We like to follow those who are “with us” in the work, doing their part.

Attention getters spout the Word without living the Word. What IS a phylactery? It is a small leather box containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law. They wore (and wear) it on their head! The more tassels they wore signified greater importance, or so they thought. Jesus called them out on both traditions.

Jesus taught his disciples, (and those who will follow) “But you…” will not ACT like this. There is only ONE Teacher, ONE Father, ONE Instructor, the Messiah. HE is God and we are not.

Then Jesus clarifies what a true leader must be before doing anything of significance in His Kingdom: “Humble yourselves”.

We have learned a lot today about what servant leadership looks like and how to begin living as a contributing member of God’s Kingdom which is opposite of worldview thinking and acting. Believers serve in humility. Believers serve for God’s glory. Believers serve because we love Him. True, honest believers serve because “to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” (2 Samuel 15:22).

HOLY PAUSE

Stop the play acting and get back to basics. We are not fooling Jesus with our “act”.

Repent of mere acting to get by and pray to be who God created us to be. Do not perform, only obey. Give all the glory to God. Reward comes later in heaven when Jesus says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

So…How is my serve?

Evaluate the conditions in which you serve.

What is my true identity in Christ?

Why do I serve?

What is my attitude when I serve?

For clarification, what does the Lord God require?

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Abba Father,

YOU are GOD and I am not. I come to you with honest evaluation. Cleanse my heart, my thinking and behaving of anything that has been offensive to you and stunts my spiritual growth. Keep me focused on your will and direction even when the world around me goes a different path. Keep me from doing harm to anyone but use me to encourage, to act justly and love mercy. I am humbled by Your Word today. My desire is walk so closely with you that I hear the mere whisper of your voice. I am your servant. Thank you, Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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WHEN TRUTH STOPS DISCUSSIONS

Posted on September 3, 2020 by randscallawayffm

I can see it now in my mind of memories. I stood inside the screen door listening to our three young children arguing outside about something that none of them knew much about. The discussion continued with ridiculous half-truths and assumptions based on what they thought they knew. There were retorts that always began with “Yea, but…”. I let it go on because this is how I knew what they were thinking. But when it got heated, I would step in before it got physical in proving their points.

“Here’s what is going on”, I would begin, “This is what is true about what you are discussing.” All three would listen because of my inborn, “teacher-mom look”, but only for seconds. So, Truth had to be told quickly and efficiently. The response was never, “Oh mom, thank you for much for your words of truth and wisdom.” It was usually, “Huh.” And then they ran off to play until the next debate over life’s trivia.

Matthew 22

Whose Son Is the Messiah?

⁴¹While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ⁴²“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

“The son of David,” they replied.

⁴³He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,

⁴⁴“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’

⁴⁵If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” ⁴⁶No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

TRUTH STOPS THE DISCUSSION

“What do you think about the Messiah?”

Jesus’ questions stumped his accusers who judged and ridiculed, assumed and mocked. These religious and political elite knew only self-made power. They knew enough about God’s Law to be dangerous. They manipulated God’s words so much that Truth was now hidden from their minds, hearts and souls.

Here is Truth, the “long awaited Messiah”, standing right in front of them and they do not recognize Him. They do not WANT to recognize them. We can almost hear them mumble, “Huh”, like young children. They do not accept Jesus nor do they accept defeat. They then stole away from Truth and gathered as leaders to see how they could kill their own Messiah.

HOLY PAUSE

When have you thought one way about an issue until you were told the truth? Did it affect your whole life, change your thinking, and transform your behavior?

Was Jesus the One who saved you from the lies of previous thought?

Was it Jesus who brought you to Truth?

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”, in that order for a reason. Even today, His Holy Spirit leads us to the Way to Truth which gives us real, abundant, no turning back, Life forever when we believe Truth as the Person of Jesus Christ.

What do you think about the Messiah?

It’s not what I think, it’s Who I know. Our Messiah is Jesus Christ, Son of God, born of a Virgin, lived to die for our sins and rose again to prove He is King forever! That’s the Truth!

“I was blind, but now I see”. Jesus saved me. Truth IS…whether we choose to believe or not. I believe. I pray you do, too.

Abba Father,

Thank you for opening my eyes to the Truth who is Your Son. Thank you for saving my soul. Thank you for changing my mind and behavior daily. Thank you for life, real life. Thank you for helping others see you, too and live for you with all their hearts, minds and souls. Thank you for your work of salvation that grows your character in us which is transforming. Continue to do what you must we can love like you love us.

In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.

And I’m singing worship to Truth…

Above all powers
Above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms
Above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There’s no way to measure what you’re worth

Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone

Like a rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all…

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REVOLUTIONARY LOVE

Posted on September 2, 2020 by randscallawayffm

Matthew 22 heart like Jesus In all my years of following Jesus, falling and getting up again by His hand of mercy, failing to love like He loves when someone betrays me, I have finally learned a very important lesson: Love God. Love Others. Always go back to the basics.

Love God no matter what is going on in our lives because He NEVER stops loving us! Love Others like Jesus loves us. His love looks like this: Love all who are in your life and all around your life, all who work with you in your vocation, all who are in your immediate family and those in extended family, all who are imperfectly finding Jesus and being perfectly forgiven, those who are striving to follow Jesus in every part of their lives, those who fail and fall but get back up again, all who come to His church building to get a glimpse of Him and worship Him, and finally all who hurt, despise and malign you. Love God first with all that is in you. Then, with His love in you, Love Others.

There is an even more important lesson I have learned about the extreme, relentless love of Jesus. The more I realize the depth of His love for me, the greater and deeper my love for others grows. It all begins with the One who is Love.

Matthew 22

The Greatest Commandment

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[c] ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d] ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

THINK ABOUT IT…

Matthew 22 love God love others If all the world who God loved so much that He sent His Son to lay down His live to save us, so that we could have a complete relationship with God, Abba Father, and become one of his children, heirs with Jesus, could realize the extent, depth and height of His love for us and love Him and each other like He loves us…it would be revolutionary! This revelation of Jesus’ love in the hearts of mankind would result in a revolution of real love, perfect love, forgiving love, patient love. We would stop holding grudges, betraying each other, trying to get the upper hand, win arguments, fight to the death on worldly views, make lists of grievances, harbor hate which drives fear and mistrust. We would no longer be divided but united…in Jesus’ love.

What kind of love is this?

Matthew 22 love God tennis shoes Self-less love. Self comes last. God comes first, others second in the two commandments Jesus is telling the religious elite (and us) that are the most important to live for God. And they didn’t “get it”. They refused to get it because God was not in their lives. They divorced God from all of life. They did not like this revolutionary thinking and behaving that Jesus was telling and showing in the lives of all people.

Matthew 22 love pure We will see later in our study of Matthew that in just a few hours, the religious leaders will continue making their lists of false grievances so they can nail Perfect Love to a cross. We will also see Jesus wash the feet of a the one who will betray him, a friend and follower.

People still moan…“But Jesus, you don’t know what I’ve been through and still enduring in my life!” To say that Jesus doesn’t know what criticism, betrayal, ridicule, bullying, mocking along with the final torture of being nailed to a thick beam, then hoisted up on a crude cross publicly for all to jeer as His blood flowed, is a lie. Jesus went to and through hell and came back again to defeat death, paying for all our sins…all because of His love for us. It was Jesus mission on earth to reconcile us to God.

Some of His final words on the cross were, “Forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” Can we loving forgive like that?

What kind of love is this? Perfect, sacrificial, self-less, Jesus more, love. Love God. Love Your Neighbor. Love the world. Love like Jesus.

Matthew 22 like Jesus Paul explained the love of Jesus to the church like this:

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶Who, being in very nature^] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2, NIV

Read the whole chapter for the story of complete love lived for God.

Do you really believe what you believe is really real? If yes, then continue to love God and love others like Jesus loves us. If no, then ask God to help you in your unbelief. He will. God wants to have a relationship with you now and for eternity. God wants His best for you.

Abba Father,

You are God and we are not. You loved us first. You taught us how to love in Jesus. Your love was demonstrated by Your Son. Thank you, dear Jesus, for all you did so that I can be free to love unconditionally like you. Help me daily to go deeper in realizing your love for me so I can love others like you love me. Thank you for being Love.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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HONEST TRUTH

Posted on September 1, 2020 by randscallawayffm

Matthew 22 seven

Matthew 22

Marriage at the Resurrection

²³That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. ²⁴“Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. ²⁵Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. ²⁶The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. ²⁷Finally, the woman died. ²⁸Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”

²⁹Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. ³⁰At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. ³¹But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ³²‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

³³When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

THINK ABOUT IT

Matthew 22 God How many times are believers led to traps in worldly conversations just to bring us down or cause us to doubt and look foolish. This story reminds me that it is imperative that I know God’s Word and study the teaching of Jesus, not so I can do battle or defend the gospel, for Jesus needs no defense, but so I will not be like the Sadducees or be in doubt of what I know to be the Truth. Here is the place to begin: Truth is the person of Jesus Christ who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

It is “sad-u-see” that this group of Godless religious fanatics left truth, left God with one purpose…to trap Jesus with a question that they didn’t even believe in themselves for they did not believe in the resurrection! What a story they used in their example! That poor woman! This had to cause Jesus to smile and wonder how godless are you? But He knew. He knew their hearts and their motivation.

Matthew 22 heart like Jesus It is sad you see to listen to those today who use God’s Word as a battering post to move people to follow them and not God and His Word. This is not truth. Truth is believing in Jesus Christ as Savior AND Lord, accepting and obeying His Teaching, and allowing Him complete control of our thought life and subsequent behavior. As a believer in Jesus, I am “married” in commitment to Jesus as the bride of Christ along with my husband and all others who believe. At the time of His coming back, and He will, this “bride” wants to be ready.

How about you?

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17

“He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” Revelation 22:20-21

Abba Father,

Thank you for Your Word, Jesus Your Son who saved us, and for Your Holy Spirit who guides, convicts, comforts and leads us to your best, your plan, your purposes for living this life in preparation for eternity with you. Continue to transform me to be all you created me to be…and then do in your Name.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD IS NOT THE SAME AS…

Posted on August 31, 2020 by randscallawayffm

I ran across an article posted by a friend who wrote what I have been thinking for a while as I watch and wonder from the sidelines politically. For Randy and I “and our house”, we have always striven to put God first in our lives. God is not a compartment of our lives. God IS our life, all of it. God created us, sent His Son, Jesus, to save us, and loves us unconditionally.

God wants a relationship with us that is focused on Him because of His love for us. When we are one with Him, evil cannot hurt us. When we abide in Him, evil cannot not snatch us from God hands. This is not to say that evil will not try hard to separate us from God in various ways with very limited power.

God reveals Himself to us in ways that are indescribable and nothing short of miraculous. God has a plan for us that He reveals to us in small bites, at each stage of life, in ways we can swallow, as we walk in His Presence and grow in His character. We know we have not “arrived” until we meet Him face to face! We believe God always wants the best for us. Even in bad times, God works out good for bad for those who believe He can. That’s why we can praise Him through tears and rejoice in Him with smiles. HE is God and we are not. We are not perfect but we know, without a doubt, we are perfectly forgiven. There is NO ONE like our God!

Therefore, it is troubling to see and hear some believers lump the current political ideology with what we believe about God. God is God alone. Jesus is our only Savior and Lord. No one can take the place of our God! We worship and praise God alone.

The following article, written by Nick Newman, says it well. So, I am including it with our passage today because it seems to fit what Jesus is saying to these religious leaders who have not only lost God but don’t want Him in their hearts or guiding their minds any longer. They only live for themselves.

The Article…

“I have seen a lot of people talk about the damage of the prosperity gospel over the last few years but not many are talking about this new breed of “patriotic gospel” that is appearing in the local church.

The patriotic gospel reads John 3:16 as “for God so loved American” not “for God so loved the WORLD”.

The patriotic gospel holds the cross and the flag up as equal sacred images.

The patriotic gospel puts my earthly citizenship and my heavenly citizenship in equal standing.

The patriotic gospel has me sing songs about how great America is in a church service designed to exalt the God.

The patriotic gospel allows me to treat those who vote differently than me poorly and justify it by defending my “religious freedoms”.

The patriotic gospel looks to a president as if a man other than Jesus can save our world.

I love the country that I live in but I think it’s time somebody starts calling out the golden calf. If the constitution and the Bible hold the same authoritative weight in a believer’s life, we are in trouble.”

The article makes sense and I see it becoming prevalent among believers who are struggling to make sense of what is not our job to explain. Jesus says, “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” To God we give our lives. To our government, we simply obey the man-made rules that prevent anarchy, (based on “The Ten”), vote with God-given wisdom, and pay the taxes due.

But, all our worship, with all our being, belongs to God alone.

Matthew 22

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar

15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So, they left him and went away.

THINK ABOUT IT…

The answer Jesus gives was and IS amazing when you really think about it. There is no one like Jesus. God is not the same as the government. God is God alone.

HOLY PAUSE

Do we really believe that what we believe is really real? Take all the time you need.

Abba Father,

The political climate of that day was even more oppressive than we live with now. You had the right answer then, you have the right answer now. Help us to love like you love. Help us to think beyond ourselves to others’ interest like you, dear Jesus. Help us to live for you with all that is in us, holding nothing back. YOU are God alone…and we are not. There is no one like You. No. One.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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IT’S LIKE THIS…

Posted on August 30, 2020 by randscallawayffm

God, the Father, invited those He had chosen as His beloved people centuries before this moment in time, to come to the big celebration of knowing, loving and following His Son, Jesus. Jesus, His Son, was the means to a renewed relationship with God, the Father. But they refused to come. Not only did they refuse to come, they murdered the guest of honor. Little did they know that the guest of honor, Jesus Christ, Messiah, laid down His life for all sin, their sin and ours.

The religious elite had no relationship with God and was not interest in his offer to unite. God offered a “comeback” through Jesus His Son. But they refused to accept God’s precious gift of His Son.

God invites His people, “Come to the table and celebrate with Me! Come sit at the feet of Jesus, my Son! But they refused to leave what they were involved in and worked hard to sustain on their own to come. They clung to what was not theirs to possess, power to rule over an oppressed people. God wanted to set them free for God so loved the world. But they refused to come.

So, what does the Great Inviter do? He opens the doors to ALL who will come and dine with Him and honor His Son.

Jesus, God Son, tells us what happens in His next parable that explains God’s plan of salvation for all who will come and believe, repent and be saved, and celebrate at the Great Feast in honor of our King, our Savior and Lord of all, Jesus.

Matthew 22

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN?

Again we meet the Father and the Son, and the Son is alive (in spite of what the husbandmen did) and has a bride. The suggestion is that the Lord Jesus and His church are depicted (Eph. 5:22–33). The period described in this parable must be after His resurrection and ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The Father is still inviting the people of Israel to come, in spite of what they did to His Son. When we study the first seven chapters of Acts, we discover that the message is going out to none but Jews (Acts 2:5, 10). “To the Jew first” was God’s plan. How did the nation’s leaders respond to the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the apostles? They rejected the Word and persecuted the church. The same rulers who permitted John to be killed, and who asked for Jesus to be killed, themselves killed Stephen! Later, Herod killed James (Acts 12:1)

How did the king in the parable respond to the way the people treated his servants? He became angry and sent his armies to destroy them and their city. He then turned to other people and invited them to come to the feast. This is a picture of God’s dealing with Israel. They rejected the Father when they refused to obey John the Baptist’s preaching. Israel rejected the Son when they arrested Him and crucified Him. In His grace and patience, God sent other witnesses. The Holy Spirit came on the early believers and they witnessed with great power that Jesus was alive and the nation could be saved (Acts 2:32–36; 3:19–26). The miracles they did were proof that God was at work in and through them.

But Israel also rejected the Holy Spirit! This was Stephen’s indictment against the nation: “You do always resist the Holy Ghost” (Acts 7:51). With the stoning of Stephen, God’s patience with Israel began to end, though He delayed the judgment for almost forty years. In Acts 8 we read that the message went to the Samaritans, and in Acts 10 we read that it went to the Gentiles. This final rejection is the awful “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 12:22–32. This was a national sin, committed by Israel.

The Spirit came on the church at Pentecost, and the apostles performed great signs and wonders (Acts 2:43; Heb. 2:1–4). The rulers rejected the witness of the Spirit, and this brought final judgment. They had rejected the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and there were no more opportunities left.

The Spirit of God is bearing witness through the Word to the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is the Spirit who convinces the world of sin (John 16:7–11). The Spirit can be resisted by unbelievers (Acts 7:51), but nobody knows that crisis hour (if there is one) when the Spirit stops dealing with a lost sinner.

Matthew 22:11–14 seems like an appendix to the parable, but it is vitally important. The wedding garment was provided by the host so that everybody was properly attired and the poor did not feel conspicuous.

Salvation is personal and individual. We must accept what God gives to us—the righteousness of Christ—and not try to make it on our own. Since these parables had a definite national emphasis, this personal emphasis at the end was most important.

The nation’s leaders were guilty of spiritual blindness, hypocrisy, and deliberate disobedience to the Word. Instead of accepting this indictment from Jesus, and repenting, they decided to attack Him and argue with Him. The result: judgment. We should be careful not to follow their example of disobedience.

Come to the Table!

Come to Jesus!

Believe, repent and be saved so that we may live with Him forever.

In Jesus Name, Amen

And I’m singing…”Come to the Table”, Sidewalk Prophets

We all start on the outside
The outside looking in
This is where grace begins
We were hungry, we were thirsty

With nothing left to give
Oh the shape that we were in
Just when all hope seemed lost
Love opened the door for us

He said come to the table
Come join the sinners who have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior now
Sit down and be set free

Come to the table

Come meet this motley crew of misfits
These liars and these thieves
There’s no one unwelcome here, no
So that sin and shame that you brought with you
You can leave it at the door
And let mercy draw you near

Just come to the table
Come join the sinners, you have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior now
Sit down and be set free
Come to the table

Just come to the table

To the thief, to the doubter
To the hero and the coward
To the prisoner and the soldier
To the young, to the older
All who hunger, all who thirst
All the last, all the first
All the paupers and the princes
All who fail you’ve been forgiven
All who dream, all who suffer
All who loved and lost another
All the chained, all the free
All who follow, all who lead
Anyone who’s been let down
All the lost you have been found
All who’ve been labeled right or wrong
Everyone who hears this song

Just Come, come to the table
Oh eh, come join the sinners you have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior
Just sit down and be set free
Oh come on
Just sit down and be set free
Come to the table
Come on now
Come to the table
You’re welcome here

Songwriters: Dave Frey / Ben Glover / Ben Mcdonald

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HE SENT HIS SON

Posted on August 27, 2020 by randscallawayffm

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3;16

Jesus, God’s Son, told this story to emphasize and specifically point out the religious elite’s evil disregard of God and the corruption of using His Law to oppress His people.

The religious leaders’ rejection of John was actually a rejection of the Father who had sent him. But God is gracious, and instead of sending judgment, He sent His Son. This leads to the next parable.

Matthew 21

The Parable of the Tenants

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

the Lord has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

WHAT DO WE LEARN?

The chief priests and the Pharisees who carried the power over God’s people now rejected His Son. We are still at the vineyard. This parable is based on Isaiah 5:1–7, and in it Jesus reminded the Jews of God’s goodness to them as a nation. God delivered them from Egypt and planted them in a rich land of milk and honey. He gave them material and spiritual blessings and asked only that they bear fruit for His glory.

From time to time, God sent His servants (the prophets) to the people to receive the fruit. But the people mistreated the servants, and even killed some of them. What should the householder do? He could have sent his armies to destroy these wicked men. But instead he sent his own son to them. The reference, of course, is to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the “heir” (Heb. 1:2).

What was given in love will be taken away because of the rejection of God’s Son and the willful disobedience of His Law.

(Acts 3:26; Rom. 1:16). What a gracious, patient, compassion, loving Father we have.

GOD’S COMPASSION EXPRESSED BY HIS SON

As Jesus was later crucified days later, while on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.” Luke 23:34)

It is not God’s will that anyone should perish…“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

“Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

2 Peter 3:17-18

Believe and be saved. Then live what we say we believe.

Abba Father,

Thank you for your long suffering patience with us until we come to you with all our hearts, minds and souls for forgiveness through repentance. There is NO ONE like you in our world who would go to such lengths to love us. Help us to love like you love us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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CHANGED MINDS

Posted on August 26, 2020 by randscallawayffm

CHANGED MINDS

They say women are the ones who are always changing their minds. Okay, in my case, guilty. But I know a lot of men who change their minds, too. Maybe it was because a woman told them to change their mind. I don’t know, but I do know God created our minds with free will to make choices. For women, this seems to be a superpower.

Believers in Jesus are mind changers. Believers in Jesus have made a choice to love and follow Him. Believers change our minds from what we want to asking what God wants for us. We change our attitudes from lazy selfishness to productive spiritual fruit bearers. (See past passages in Matthew about the fig tree.)

We change our ways of doing life from “all for me” to all for God and for His glory and praise. We have changed our minds to put our interests aside for serving others so they will know Him, too. We love to serve with our changed minds because we are more like Jesus when we serve. Our changed minds help us realize the depth of God’s love for us therefore making our love for others go deeper as well.

Changing our minds is key to growing as we journey with Jesus.

Matthew 21

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

WHAT DO WE LEARN?

When we change our minds from living that leads to death to new life in Christ, we will enter the Kingdom of God.

Jesus told this parable to show the stubborn hearts of the religious leaders who no longer knew God. The two sons represent the two classes of people in that nation: the self-righteous religious people, and the publicans and sinners.

When John came ministering, the religious crowd showed great interest in his work, but they would not repent and humble themselves and be baptized (Matt. 3:7–12; John 1:19–28). The nonreligious crowd, however, confessed their sins and obeyed John’s words and were baptized.

The leaders committed two sins: They would not believe John’s message and they would not repent of their sins. Of course, the leaders felt that they had no need to repent (Luke 18:9–14).

Their rejection of John was actually a rejection of the Father who had sent him. But God is gracious, and instead of sending judgment, He sent His Son.

HOLY PAUSE

Have I really changed my mind?

Or has my mind been made up and will not budge?

We are reminded by Paul how a changed mind operates. It is a daily task to change and renew our minds, hearts and souls to God to be directed by His Holy Spirit.

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2, NLT

Jesus is the key to change and transformation.

Let’s change our minds!

Dear Abba Father,

I want what you want for me. Your best will always be more than enough for me. Transform this changed mind to be all that is pleasing to you. I repent. I am listening. I am yielded to you. Change the way I think for the way you think, dear Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Creation, demons, Discipleship, Embrace, Emotional Health, Encouragement, Faith, First, God, Following Jesus, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, relationship with God, repent, Revelation of Jesus, Romans, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, temptations, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged Christian, Christian Living, Church, Comfort, Conversation, encouragement, Faith, Family, Focus, Freedom, Friendship, future, Give life, Go, Gratitude, Happy, Heart, inspiration, joy, Justice, Kindness, LIfe, LIfe Lessons, Love, management, Marriage, Ministry, Motivation, Parenting, Peace, ponder, Power, Praise, prayer, Purpose, reconciliation, Relationship, Relationships, Spiritual, Teaching, Theology, Thinking, Training, Truth, Understanding, Virtues, vision, Waiting, work | Leave a comment

“WE DON’T KNOW”

Posted on August 25, 2020 by randscallawayffm

Most people who are put in charge of a meeting, a task, an office staff, or anything that requires decision making think they must have an answer for every question put before them.

As leaders, we don’t want to appear unknowable about what we have been put in charge of leading. So, even when there is no real answer because not enough information has been gathered, we have a tendency to answer anyway. Most times, this created from pressure answer does not help solve the issue, no matter how good it sounds coming from the lips of the leader.

If you don’t know, the honest and best answer and always the most helpful is, “I don’t know.” It is at that point that more information is gathered from the group so you can make better decisions in problem solving.

I know this line of thinking might sound weird as we look at our passage for today. But bear with me, the chief priests and elders, the teachers and leaders of the day, really don’t know who Jesus is. They only know enough to be afraid of losing their power over the people they are enslaving to their way of thinking. They walked away from God and became their own gods. God is not in them and hasn’t been for generations. That’s why they do not recognize the Messiah “who is coming to save us”, as written in the scriptures they read and teach, standing right in front of them.

When they finally face Jesus, after many months of watching Him with eyes of hate, criticizing Him, fearful of the popularity He is gaining among the oppressed people they ask, “By what authority are you doing these things?”

One thing that annoys me in life’s tasks on earth is for someone to tell me I can’t do something because it can’t be done, WHILE I’m doing it. And while I’m doing it with a team, these same people stand on the sidelines to jeer and criticize.

Is this how Jesus felt at this moment when faced by His critics? I don’t know, I admit it. But we do know no one can think like Jesus. No one has power greater than our risen Lord. No one has more wisdom, insight and understanding along with compassion like Jesus, The Messiah, and our Savior!

Matthew 21

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

THE

BEST ANSWER

Here we see the best, most honest answer, we will hear from the lips of Jesus’ enemies who, without God in their hearts, driven by evil, say, “We don’t know.”

They didn’t know. They were blind and could not see Jesus for Who He was, is and always will be. They were deaf to Jesus’ teaching about the full intent of The Law and what it meant to love God and love each other, to serve, not to be served. The religious elite taught what they did not know.

Do we know?

“Believe in Jesus and be saved”, Paul later writes to the Romans. Paul believed and knew Jesus well. “Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.” Romans 10, NLT

THIS IS WHAT WE KNOW…

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved”. Romans 10:9-10, NLT

WHAT DO WE LEARN?

Know whom you believe. Know Jesus. Know yourself and your relationship with God through Jesus. Know your enemy who tries to keep you from knowing and growing in Jesus. Teach only what you know. If you don’t know, admit it. Let the Holy Spirit take over! The Holy Spirit will pray for us, give us the answers for life’s decisions, and guide us into all Truth. This is a promise from God, given by Jesus.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

TRUST HIS HOLY SPIRIT WHO LIVES IN US WHO BELIEVE!

Romans 8 teaches us about God’s Holy Spirit…

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba,Father'”.

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

Lean into what we do know! God is with us. Always.

And we’re singing,

“By your Spirit I will rise

From the ashes of defeat

The resurrected Lord, has resurrected me!”

Abba Father,

Thank you.

In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.

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Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

OPPOSITE LIVING

IT’S ALL AN ACT!

WHEN TRUTH STOPS DISCUSSIONS

REVOLUTIONARY LOVE

HONEST TRUTH

GOD IS NOT THE SAME AS…

IT’S LIKE THIS…

HE SENT HIS SON

CHANGED MINDS

“WE DON’T KNOW”

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