“Come now, let us reason together,”

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”

says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

they shall be like wool.

If you are willing and obedient,

you will eat the good things of the land;

but if you resist and rebel,

you will be devoured by the sword.”

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 1:18-20

Remember your Creator...

Remember your Creator

in the days of your youth,

before the days of trouble come

and the years approach when you will say,

“I find no pleasure in them”—

Ecclesiastes 12:1

Time and Chance

I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift

or the battle to the strong,

nor does food come to the wise

or wealth to the brilliant

or favor to the learned;

but time and chance happen to them all.

Ecclesiastes 9:11

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To The Person Who Pleases Him...

A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 
To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Ecclesiastes 2:25-26

A Friend Who Sticks Closer

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

The Tongue...

The tongue has the power of life and death,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:21

Blessing of the Lord

The blessing of the Lord brings wealth,

without painful toil for it.

Proverbs 10:22

Keep your mouth free...

Keep your mouth free of perversity;

keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Proverbs 4:24

Guard Your Heart

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23

Listen Closely To My Words...

My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them & health to one’s whole body.
Proverbs 4:20-22

Blessed is the man who...

Blessed is the man who find wisdom,
the man who gain understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver
& yields better returns than gold.
Proverbs 3:13-14

The Lord Disciplines Those He Loves

My son, do not despise the Lord’s
discipline & do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
Proverbs 3:11-12

Be strong & courageous

Have I not commanded you?
Be strong & courageous.
Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Hosea 1:9

Lack of Knowledge

my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
Hosea 4:6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

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

THE GRACE OF GOD

For I am the least of the apostles & do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the
church of God. BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM, & HIS GRACE TO ME WAS NOT WITHOUT EFFECT. No, I worked harder than all of them—YET NOT I, BUT THE GRACE OF GOD THAT WAS WITH ME.
1Corinthians 15:9-10

SIYABONGA JESU (We Thank You Jesus)

Wahamba nathi, oh wahamba nathi
(You walked with us, oh you walked with us)
Oh wahamba nathi, siyabonga
(Oh you walked with us, we thank you)
Wahamba nathi, oh wahamba nathi
(You walked with us, oh you walked with us)
Oh wahamba nathi, siyabonga
(Oh you walked with us, we thank you)
(Repeat)

Siyabonga Jesu, Siyabonga ngonyama yezulu
(We thank you Jesus, we thank you Lion of heaven)
Siyabonga Jesu, Siyabonga
(we thank you Jesus, we thank you)
Siyabonga Jesu, Siyabonga ngonyama yezulu
(We thank you Jesus, we thank you Lion of heaven)
Siyabonga Jesu, Siyabonga
(we thank you Jesus, we thank you)

Instructions for Christian Living

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:25-32

Christian Living

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:17-24

Are You Thirsty?

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 
By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 7:37-39

May your unfailing love be my comfort

Your hands made me and formed me;

give me understanding to learn your commands.

May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,

for I have put my hope in your word.

I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous,

and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

May your unfailing love be my comfort,

according to your promise to your servant.

Let your compassion come to me that I may live,

for your law is my delight.

May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause;

but I will meditate on your precepts.

May those who fear you turn to me,

those who understand your statutes.

May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees,

that I may not be put to shame.

Psalms 119:73-80

Spiritual Wisdom

God Answers Prayers, Not Questions!

MATURITY & FULLNESS IN CHRIST

So Christ himself gave the APOSTLES, the PROPHETS, the EVANGELISTS, the PASTORS & TEACHERS, TO EQUIP HIS PEOPLE FOR WORKS OF SERVICE, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith & in the knowledge of the Son of God & become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

THEN WE WILL NO LONGER BE INFANTS, TOSSED BACK & FORTH BY THE WAVES, & BLOWN HERE & THERE BY EVERY WIND OF TEACHING & BY THE CUNNING & CRAFTINESS OF PEOPLE IN THEIR DECEITFUL SCHEMING. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined & held together by every supporting ligament, grows & builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4:11-16

UNITY & MATURITY in the Body of Christ

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I URGE YOU TO LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF THE CALLING YOU HAVE RECEIVED. Be completely humble & gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body & one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God & Father of all, who is over all and through all & in all.
Ephesians 4:1-6

The Righteous & Upright

Praise the Lord.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord,

who find great delight in his commands.

Their children will be mighty in the land;

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in their houses,

and their righteousness endures forever.

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,

for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.

Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,

who conduct their affairs with justice.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;

they will be remembered forever.

Psalms 112:1-6

Where Faith Comes From...

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Romans 10:17

MORE THAN CONQUERORS

No, in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,k neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39

OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD

When He rolls up His sleeves

He ain't just puttin' on the Ritz

(our God is an Awesome God)

There is thunder in His footsteps

And lightning in His fists

(our God is an Awesome God)

Well the Lord He wasn't jokin'

when He kicked 'em out of Eden

It wasn't for no reason that He shed His blood

His return is very close and so you better be believin'

That our God is an Awesome God

[REFRAIN]

Our God (our god) is an Awesome God

He Reigns (he reigns) from heaven above

With Wisdom (with wisdom) pow'r and love

Our God is an Awesome God

When the sky was starless in the void of the night

(our god is an awesome god)

He spoke into the darkness and created the light

(our god is an awesome god)

Judgement and wrath He poured out the Sodom

Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross

I hope that we have not too quickly forgotten that

Our God is an Awesome God

[REFRAIN x3]

Our God is an awesome God (4x)

Songs of Praise

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Isaiah 12:2-3

I LIFT YOUR NAME ON HIGH

Lord, I lift Your name on high
Lord, I love to sing Your praises
I'm so glad Your in my life
I'm so glad You came to save us
You came from heaven to earth
To show the way...
From the earth to the cross
My debt to pay
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord, I lift Your name on high (x...)

Our Redemption - The How

All have sinned & are separated from God:
for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God
Romans 3:23

God's judgement & penalty for our sins is death:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23...

God's love for humanity propelled Him to do something:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one & only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

For justice to be fulfilled we needed to die but: 
No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—so that they should live on forever & not see decay.
Psalms 49:7-9

It was necessary for Jesus to die for Justice to be fulfilled: 
But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself.
Psalms 49:15

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just & the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:25-26

Be blessed.
Write Amen if you Believe in Jesus.
Share to make this message a blessing to someone else.

The Good Shephered

“I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERED; I know my sheep & my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me & I know the Father—& I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, & there shall be one flock & one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down & authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
John 10:14-18

Praise to God for a Living Hope

Praise be to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, & into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5

Are You Condemned?

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
Everyone who does evil hates the light, & will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be
exposed.
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
John 3:17-21

What is Love?

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
1 John 3:16

Death Could Not Keep Him

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Acts 2:24

Do You Believe In Jesus?

Jesus said to her, 
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26

Easter Message

The Power of the Blood of Jesus Christ.
In Philippians 2:5-11, Appostle Paul affirms that Jesus made an ultimate sacrifice for humanity. 

• He gave up His divine form.
• He sacrificed His divine privileges for the redemption of humankind.
• He left the glories of heaven & the highest position in heaven to identify with human beings & die for our sins.
• He gave up for a time the riches of heaven in order to fulfill his divinely ordained role on earth.
• He became our substitute, atoning for our sins which deserved a death penalty.
• H surely took our place. He took our sin, pain & failures so we could have righteousness, healing & victory.

The blood of Jesus Christ took away our grief, infirmities, insecurities, sins, transgressions, sickness & diseases, mental turmoil & pain. Jesus took our weaknesses & wickedness.

Because of what Jesus did for us, we can now enjoy security, forgiveness from guilt, health & wholeness, peace of mind, God's strength & provisions.

Through the blood of Jesus Christ the devil's legal right over our lives has been broken & we can now walk in freedom.

Philippians 2:5-11

5In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6Who, being in very nature^a 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^b 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.

To Know Christ

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection & participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, & so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Philippians 3:10-12

Dead To Sin, Alive In Christ

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. THE DEATH HE DIED, HE DIED TO SIN ONCE FOR ALL; BUT THE LIFE HE LIVES, HE LIVES TO GOD.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:8-11

The Resurrection & Life

Jesus said to her, “I AM THE RESSURECTION & THE LIFE. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; & whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26

Work Out Your Salvation

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-CONTINUE TO WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION WITH FEAR & TREMBLING, for it is God who works in you to will & to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Philippians 2:12-13

Sons Of God

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. IF YOU BELONG TO CHRIST, THEN YOU ARE ABRAHAM'S SEED, & HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE.
Galatians 3:26-29

Faith Workout

Through him we received grace & apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.
Romans 1:5

Whoever believes Jesus has eternal life.

Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.
John 6:47

No Judgement

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one & only Son.
John 3:18

Made Alive In Christ

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions & sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world & of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh & following its desires & thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. BUT BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE FOR US, GOD, WHO IS RICH IN MERCY, MADE US ALIVE WITH CHRIST EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN TRANSGRESSIONS—IT IS BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED. And God raised us up with Christ & seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. FOR IT IS BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED, THROUGH FAITH—AND THIS IS NOT FROM YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD— NOT BY WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 
Ephesians 2:1-10

Taste & See The Lord

Taste & see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak & hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Psalms 34:8-10

Garments Of Salvation

I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isaiah 61:10