Believe – Heb. 10:21-24 – Laboring for God

 

This is Namma for Christ with the two hundred thirty-ninth inspirational message dated Monday, November 21st, 2022. The title of this message is “Believe – Heb. 10:21-24 – Laboring for God”.

The first word of this message’s title is also the name of the below inspirational song/video, “Believe” (with lyrics) as performed by Blessing Offor. The below passage of scripture (that accompanies this message) is from the New Testament book of Hebrews – the twenty-first through the twenty-fourth verses of the tenth chapter:

Hebrews 10:21-24

New Living Translation (NLT)

²¹ And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, ²² let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

 

²³ Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.

²⁴ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

 

 

The title of this message includes the words “Laboring for God” – which is the “title” of the Charles Stanley “In Touch” Daily Devotional for (11/19/22) – which I have included below:

 

Laboring for God

  John 12:20-26

By Charles Stanley

 

 

John 12:26

New Life Version (NLV)

 

²⁶ If anyone wants to serve Me, he must follow Me. So where I am, the one who wants to serve Me will be there also. If anyone serves Me, My Father will honor him.

 

AS JESUS’ FOLLOWERS, we are to carry out His work. And we’re to be living extensions of His Life as we do so.

Following His example, believers must:

 

-      LIVE AS GOD’S SERVANTS. We need to release control over our time, talent, and treasure and accept our commission to work in His kingdom. Like our Savior, we’re not to act independently (John 5:19 - see verse below). Our assignment is to do whatever God asks of us.

John 5:19

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁹ Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

-      ANSWER HIS CALL TO AID OTHERS.  We tend to limit our circle to people like ourselves, but we must fight against this inclination. We should be willing to respond to the needs of strangers and friends alike. And the Lord can help us recognize those opportunities.

-      MOTIVATE ONE ANOTHER TO GOOD DEEDS (Hebrews 10:24 - see verse below). We’re to spur each other toward godliness and service rather than worldly pleasure and self-centeredness. Believers should foster in each other gratefulness for what He has done and confidence about what He will do.

Good works don’t earn salvation, but they do affect eternal rewards. Believers’ deeds will one day be evaluated: Works done without direction from God will be burned up, while those accomplished in obedience to the Spirit will be remembered and acknowledged (1^st Corinthians 3:10-15 - see verses below). Let your love for God stimulate you to labor in His kingdom.

 

Hebrews 10:24

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁴And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works

 1^st Corinthians 3:10-15

New Life Version (NLV)

¹⁰ Through God’s loving-favor to me, I laid the stones on which the building was to be built. I did it like one who knew what he was doing. Now another person is building on it. Each person who builds must be careful how he builds on it. ¹¹ Jesus Christ is the Stone on which other stones for the building must be laid. It can be only Christ. ¹² Now if a man builds on the Stone with gold or silver or beautiful stones, or if he builds with wood or grass or straw, ¹³ each man’s work will become known. There will be a day when it will be tested by fire. The fire will show what kind of work it is. ¹⁴ If a man builds on work that lasts, he will receive his reward. ¹⁵ If his work is burned up, he will lose it. Yet he himself will be saved as if he were going through a fire.

Please enjoy the below inspirational song/video, “Believe” (with lyrics) as performed by Blessing Offor sung with power and anointing.

 

(I do not own the rights to this song).

 

(If you can't see the below video: Please scroll down to the end - Under the rectangular box labeled "Home" - please click "View web version". You will automatically be taken to the top of the message - please scroll down to the "end" of the message to view the video. Please press play to enjoy the song/video.)

 BE BLESSED!

I Really Love the Lord – John 1:12

 

This is Namma for Christ with the two hundred thirty-eighth inspirational message dated Saturday, November 12th, 2022. The title of this message is “I Really Love the Lord – John 1:12”.

The first five words of this message’s title are also the words in the name of the below inspirational song/video, “I Really Love The Lord” (with lyrics) as performed by soloist Shirley Jacobs with the Fellowship Chorale (of the First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Maryland). The below passage of scripture (that accompanies this message) is from the New Testament book of John – the twelfth verse of the first chapter:

John 1:12

New Life Version (NLV)

 

¹² He gave the right and the power to become children of God to those who received Him. He gave this to those who put their trust in His name.

 

 

The title of this message includes the subject concerning “love”. The “title” of the Charles Stanley “In Touch” Daily Devotional for (10/31/22) is “Does God Love Me?” – which I have included below:

 

Does God Love Me?

In moments of doubt, choose to believe the truth of God’s Word.

  Psalm 145:7-9

By Charles Stanley

 

 

Psalm 145:7-9

(New International Version)

⁷ They celebrate Your abundant goodness
    and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

⁸ The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
    slow to anger and rich in love.

⁹ The Lord is good to all;
    He has compassion on all He has made.

 

 

Life can hit us with the most unexpected and undesirable circumstances. When that happens, we might wonder, Does God really care about me? Here are three truths to remember:

1. Scripture tells us, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). This means His very nature is characterized by compassion and concern. Love originated with God, and He is the greatest example of how to express it. Together with the reality that God is holy, this means our Father is perfect in His love — He’ll never make a mistake in the way He cares for us. 

2. God loves us because He calls us His children. “To those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God,” writes John in his gospel (John 1:12 NIV). Sadly, for some who’ve had a difficult upbringing, this may not be encouraging news. But God is the perfect parent, and He loves us perfectly.

3. God gave the supreme demonstration of His love at the cross. God’s Son came to earth as an expression of His Father’s infinite love and sacrificially did for us what no one else could do. 

After considering these three facts about God’s love, how could we not expect Him to take care of even the smallest details of our life? Look for ways He is expressing His love to you and remember Jesus’s own words on the subject: “Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). 

 

Please enjoy the below inspirational song/video, “I Really Love The Lord” (with lyrics) as performed by soloist Shirley Jacobs with the Fellowship Chorale (of the First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Maryland) sung with power and anointing.

 

(I do not own the rights to this song).

 

(If you can't see the below video: Please scroll down to the end - Under the rectangular box labeled "Home" - please click "View web version". You will automatically be taken to the top of the message - please scroll down to the "end" of the message to view the video. Please press play to enjoy the song/video.)

 

 BE BLESSED!

God Is In This Story – 2nd Cor. 4:6-9 – No Quitting

 This is “Namma for Christ” with the two hundred thirty-seventh inspirational message dated Sunday, November 6th, 2022.  The title of this message is, “God Is In This Story – 2^nd Cor. 4:6-9 – No Quitting”.  “God Is In This Story” (with lyrics) by “Katy Nichole (featuring Big Daddy Weave)” is a song that I first heard on my Christian radio station, Star 99.1FM. The below scripture text is what the Apostle Paul wrote in the sixth through the ninth verses of the fourth chapter of Romans:

 

2^nd Corinthians 4:6-9

Living Bible (TLB)

⁶ For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made us understand that it is the brightness of His glory that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But this precious treasure — this light and power that now shine within us — is held in a perishable container, that is, in our weak bodies. Everyone can see that the glorious power within must be from God and is not our own.

⁸ We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. ⁹ We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.

 

 One of the scriptures (verse 8) from above was taken from the “same” scripture text in the message that I read on (November 3rd, 2022) in my daily devotional book entitled: “The Word for You Today – Strength and Guidance for Daily Living”.

 

The inspirational message I read on November 3^rd, 2022 was titled – “DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT QUITTING!” I knew that it was a message that I wanted to share in my next “Namma for Christ” blog. I hope you find (some of the excerpts) as inspirational as I did:

 

DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT QUITTING!

 

⁸ “We don’t give up and quit.”

2^nd Corinthians 4:8

Living Bible (TLB)

 

Here are some reasons why we quit:

1-          We fear failure. Past hurts and mistakes haunt us, and we think it’s better not to try again than risk failing. Don’t spend your life digging up bones! We all have things in our past we would rather forget. Put them behind you. Paul writes, “Forgetting those things which are behind…[reach] forward to those things which are ahead” (Phil. 3:13 NKJV)

2-          We worry what people will say. “Fear of human opinion disables” (Prov. 29:25 MSG). How you respond to criticism is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. There will always be people who won’t like or understand you. Get over it!

3-          We listen to the wrong voices. Satan is the father of lies, and he will do everything he can to discourage you. Paul says, “Demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2nd Cor. 10:5 NIV).  When a thought comes, examine it. If it’s from God, receive it; if it’s from Satan, “demolish it”.

4-          We lose focus. As believers, we’re to walk by faith, not by sight (See 2^nd Cor. 5:7). That means making every decision based on what God says and not what you see with your natural eyes.

5-          We lose touch with other believers. When the apostles got out of jail, they went back to “their own company” (Acts 4:23). To stay strong, you need fellowship with other Christians. Too many people quit on the verge of success; don’t be one of them. There is only one degree of difference between hot water and steam – so keep going and don’t even think of quitting!

 

Please enjoy the below song, “God Is In This Story” (with lyrics) by “Katy Nichole (featuring Big Daddy Weave)” - performed with power and anointing.

 

(I do not own the rights to this song).

 

BE BLESSED