The Daily Readings for THURSDAY, October 11, 2018

Paul before Felix at Caesarea
Acts 24:1-23

The Daily Readings

THURSDAY, October 11, 2018

Old Testament

Micah 3:1-8
Wicked Rulers and Prophets
3:1 And I said:
Listen, you heads of Jacob
    and rulers of the house of Israel!
Should you not know justice?—
2     you who hate the good and love the evil,
who tear the skin off my people,
    and the flesh off their bones;
3 who eat the flesh of my people,
    flay their skin off them,
break their bones in pieces,
    and chop them up like meat in a kettle,
    like flesh in a caldron.

4 Then they will cry to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them;
he will hide his face from them at that time,
    because they have acted wickedly.

5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
    who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
    when they have something to eat,
but declare war against those
    who put nothing into their mouths.
6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
    and darkness to you, without revelation.
The sun shall go down upon the prophets,
    and the day shall be black over them;
7 the seers shall be disgraced,
    and the diviners put to shame;
they shall all cover their lips,
    for there is no answer from God.
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
    with the spirit of the Lord,
    and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression
    and to Israel his sin.

The Epistle

Acts 24:1-23
Paul before Felix at Caesarea
24:1 Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney, a certain Tertullus, and they reported their case against Paul to the governor. 2 When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:

“Your Excellency, because of you we have long enjoyed peace, and reforms have been made for this people because of your foresight. 3 We welcome this in every way and everywhere with utmost gratitude. 4 But, to detain you no further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness. 5 We have, in fact, found this man a pestilent fellow, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to profane the temple, and so we seized him. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn from him concerning everything of which we accuse him.”

9 The Jews also joined in the charge by asserting that all this was true.

Paul’s Defense before Felix
10 When the governor motioned to him to speak, Paul replied:

“I cheerfully make my defense, knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation. 11 As you can find out, it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem. 12 They did not find me disputing with anyone in the temple or stirring up a crowd either in the synagogues or throughout the city. 13 Neither can they prove to you the charge that they now bring against me. 14 But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors, believing everything laid down according to the law or written in the prophets. 15 I have a hope in God—a hope that they themselves also accept—that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience toward God and all people. 17 Now after some years I came to bring alms to my nation and to offer sacrifices. 18 While I was doing this, they found me in the temple, completing the rite of purification, without any crowd or disturbance. 19 But there were some Jews from Asia—they ought to be here before you to make an accusation, if they have anything against me. 20 Or let these men here tell what crime they had found when I stood before the council, 21 unless it was this one sentence that I called out while standing before them, ‘It is about the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”

22 But Felix, who was rather well informed about the Way, adjourned the hearing with the comment, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he ordered the centurion to keep him in custody, but to let him have some liberty and not to prevent any of his friends from taking care of his needs.

The Gospel

Luke 7:36-50
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
7:36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. 37 And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. 38 She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “speak.” 41 “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: ...

The Morning Prayer for THURSDAY, October 11, 2018

Thursday morning prayer

Lord on this day I remember that You go before me, so I pause to meditate on Your promises. Thank You Lord that You go with me, You lay a pathway, You watch over me like a shepherd. So I give You my fears, worries and anxieties. I lay all tension and stress at the foot of the cross. Thank You that You arose from the death, and that You bring life, freedom, hope and the promise of Heaven! Praise You that I am safe in Your presence.

May Thursday be a hope filled day, that floods my fears with light, a day that quiets all anxious thoughts as I encounter Christ. Let Thursday always prompt my heart to stop and find Your peace, and live upon the truth You give my eyes to You I lift.

Amen

Verse of the Day for THURSDAY, October 11, 2018

Proverbs 19:20-21 (NIV) Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Read all of Proverbs 19

Listen to Proverbs 19

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Un dia a la Vez - La infidelidad… enemiga del amor

La infidelidad… enemiga del amor

Mis ojos pondré en los fieles de la tierra, para que estén conmigo; el que ande en el camino de la perfección, este me servirá.

~ Salmo 101:6 (RV-60)

La infidelidad es enemiga del amor y un cuchillo que corta el alma. Por eso, Dios quiere que enderecemos nuestros caminos.

Es triste que haya personas que tenga ese tipo de experiencia, ya sea por su traición o porque las traicionen.

Dios ve la infidelidad como un pecado y se cataloga por igual tanto en el hombre como en la mujer. Por tradición, el hombre siempre ha sido más infiel, pero la verdad es que hoy en día las mujeres también tienen altos índices en este aspecto. Además, es tan fuerte que hasta son capaces de dejar a un lado a sus hijos y vivir una aventura.

La infidelidad es la peor decisión que podemos tomar. Tiene consecuencias muy dolorosas y te deja un vacío que solo puede llenar Dios con su perdón. No vale la pena arriesgar lo que tienes por unos momentos de placer, pues después la soledad y la culpabilidad serán tus compañeros.

Dios quiere hoy enderezar tu camino y quiere que valores el hombre que te ha dado. Y si no tienes pareja, tampoco tienes derecho al hombre ajeno. En mi caso, el Señor me llevó por un proceso de restauración tan doloroso que aprendí la lección, pero no me salvé de vivir las consecuencias.

Por eso te invito a que rompas hoy con esa relación. Pídele a Dios que te perdone y te dé la oportunidad de una nueva vida.

No siembres en la vida de los demás lo que no quisieras vivir en ti o en tus hijos. La infidelidad te lleva a la muerte espiritual.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
La infidelidad es enemiga del amor y un cuchillo que corta el alma.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE US

GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE US

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

~ Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

“When I was pregnant with our sixth child,” says Bahar from Central Asia, “my husband Bahtiyar fell ill and was diagnosed with stomach cancer. We often prayed for his healing and together with the few other believers in our village we looked to God for His help. Bahtiyar was also seeing a doctor, but not much could be done for him.

“Shortly before Bahtiyar’s death several men from the village mosque came to our house and talked to him. They knew he had been a Muslim before and had become a Christian. Now, when he was so ill, they started debating with him and urged him to return to Islam, promising that they would give him a decent burial. Bahtiyar did not have to think about it at all; he refused to deny Jesus and sent the men away.

“He was with us for three more days; then he passed away and went to be with the Lord. It is our custom to bury our dead on the same day, so when my son went to the other believers in the village and told them that his dad had died they arrived immediately to arrange his funeral. They and other Christians from a nearby town did everything that needed to be done and really took good care of us as a family. According to our tradition Bahtiyar’s body was put in a yurt so people could pay their respects.

“As we lived in a small village the news that Bahtiyar had died was out in no time and it did not take long before the Mullah and many men from the village came to the yurt and started to shout at the believers. “You can’t bury him here in our cemetery, we don’t want him here! This man has left our religion, he has betrayed us, and we don’t want him to defile our cemetery. Find another place!” They were really angry and even threatened to burn our house and the yurt with Bahtiyar’s body. The believers called the police but it took a while before they arrived. Meantime they moved his body to Kisul, another village nearby.

“For a while I was completely confused and did not know what to do. Was God still in control? Was He watching over us as a family, over me? Here I was, pregnant with my sixth child, my husband had just died, we had so many problems burying him and the whole village, including my own mother in law, was against us. Where and how were we going to live?

“God has promised in His Word that He will never leave us, nor forsake us, and He never does. For a brief period I thought that God had left me, but fortunately that did not last long. Soon God reassured me of His presence, I rediscovered my joy in God and I trust that He is in control, even though things in our family have been very difficult this last year.

RESPONSE: Today I will rejoice in God’s reassurance of His presence and control of all things in my life.

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, that You are concerned about the smallest details of my life regardless of the circumstances.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

Men's Devotional Bible - Job’s Performance Review

Job’s Performance Review

Job 22:1–30
Recommended Reading: Numbers 16:3; Proverbs 6:16–19; 2 Corinthians 8:20–21

Former hockey goalie Jacques Plante once quipped, “How would you like a job where, if you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and eighteen thousand people boo?”

Job didn’t face eighteen thousand booing people. Just a few so-called friends who made false accusations about his performance as a righteous man. Eliphaz started his attack on Job by criticizing his supposed lack of holiness. He accused Job of withholding water from the thirsty, keeping food from the hungry and turning away widows. Eliphaz claimed that Job’s problems stemmed from his wicked heart.

However, Eliphaz’s criticism was unfounded. God wouldn’t have made Job the poster child of righteousness if he’d really committed such horrible acts.

We all deal with criticism. But how we respond to it often determines how we feel about ourselves. Most of us respond in one of three ways: (1) We deny the accusation; (2) we become defensive and feel victimized; or (3) we look for what might be true about the criticism and weed out what’s not true.

Quite often critics just want to help solve problems—they’re not out to get the person they’re evaluating. If someone’s criticism carries a seed of truth, we need to acknowledge our mistakes and make corrections in that area of life. By doing this, we honor the critic’s judgment. And we show a willingness to take responsibility without feeling victimized.

However, some critics use words to degrade and control others. We don’t have to let them make our lives miserable. Job allowed Eliphaz to vent, but Job didn’t let the criticism define him. He was secure in the integrity of his actions, and that allowed him to deflect unfounded criticism.

Poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Criticism should not be querulous and wasting, all knife and root-puller, but guiding, instructive, inspiring.” False criticism never needs to define your self-worth. If someone throws an unjust accusation your way, don’t let it get under your skin. Look past it and move on. But if a critic’s words ring true, use them to make yourself a better person.

To Take Away

• How do you handle criticism?
• How does pride affect the way you respond to criticism?
• Would you describe your words of criticism toward others as cutting and destructive or as guiding, instructive and inspiring?

How would you like a job where, if you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and eighteen thousand people boo?

Girlfriends in God - When You’re Struggling with Strongholds and Strangleholds

When You’re Struggling with Strongholds and Strangleholds

Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

~ 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)

Friend to Friend

A stronghold is one of those churchy Christianese words that is hard to wrap our minds around. It’s not a word we use everyday. So what exactly is a stronghold? Let’s take a look.

A stronghold is a thought pattern that forms a fortress around the mind, holding it prisoner to faulty thinking. It is formed brick-by-brick by repetitive faulty thinking or all at once by a onetime traumatic event such as a rape, molestation, or abuse.

In the Old Testament, a stronghold was a fortified dwelling used for protection from an enemy. David hid in wilderness strongholds when he was hiding from King Saul, who was trying to kill him (1 Samuel 22:4; 23:14). These were usually caves high on a mountainside or some other structure that was hard to attack. In the Old Testament, God is called our stronghold: “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble” (Psalm 9:9).

The New Testament writers took this same imagery of a fortress to describe the spiritual tower of bondage, not protection, that we put ourselves in by developing thought patterns and ideas that hold us captive. Beth Moore calls a stronghold, “Anything that we hold onto that ends up holding onto us.” It is anything that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. A stronghold does not protect us, it protects the enemy who is manipulating our thoughts and suggesting our actions.

A stronghold might be a thought such as:
I’m no good.
I’m damaged goods.
Nobody loves me.
Nobody cares about me.
I can’t do anything right.

A stronghold might be an addiction such as:
Shopping.
Alcohol.
Sexual promiscuity.
Over-eating.
Feeling sorry for yourself.

The enemy locks you up in hopes you’ll never reach for the key that is certainly within your reach. But you can.

The only way to expose the enemy and defeat him is to tear down the stronghold, the fortress where he is hiding.

An ungodly habit becomes his habitation, his stronghold in our lives.

Once you recognize a lie in your life—perhaps something that has even taken hold of your imagination and stirred ungodly feelings such as jealousy, worry, fear, or anger—you reject the lie and replace it with truth.

Each time you reject the devil’s lie, you knock one more brick from his fortress, and pretty soon, he’s exposed for the liar and deceiver he is.

I do not want to give the impression that this is an easy process. Some of us are so comfortable with our strongholds we don’t even realize they are there. That was the case with me.

I had been walking around saved but enslaved for so many years. I dragged the ball and chain of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy around with me everywhere I went, and I grew so used to my limp, I didn’t even notice it.

I was comfortable with my weakness and served Satan a cup of tea every day I sat hidden away behind the wall he had helped me build. But praise God, Jesus opened my eyes to the truth and called me out of the fortress that had become my prison cell.

Destroying strongholds is not easy, but it is simple. Paul used words such as struggle, resist, tear down, and fight. The good news is that we’re not a one-woman demolition crew. The Holy Spirit gives us the power, Jesus gives us the light, and God is overseeing the entire project. We simply agree to participate through obedience.

When we talk about strongholds, we’re not talking about random thoughts or occasional sins. A stronghold is a thought pattern or habitual sin. It is a fortress built with the bricks of thoughts and held together by the mortar of emotions. Strongholds become our perception of reality.

In my own life, replacing self-defeating lies with God’s truth helped me chip away at the stronghold of inadequacy that led to a negative cycle of discouragement, despair, and defeat. Rejecting the devil’s lies will tear down those strongholds, and after a time, even the ruins are removed.

When we realize the enemy’s true identity, recognize his lies, and replace the lies with God’s truth, we’ll be free.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, show me any strongholds that I have in my life. Show me any areas where I am not totally free from the enemy’s influence. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to set me free. Now help me live free in every area of my life.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

A stronghold in the New Testament imagery is much like a prison.

What is one main difference between a stronghold and a prison?

Go back to today’s truth and break it down. This is one way I study Scripture. Write down your thoughts on each phrase. Then tell me if this was helpful.

• For though we live in the world
• We do not wage war as the world does
• The weapons
• We fight with
• Are not the weapons of the world
• On the contrary
• They have divine power
• To demolish strongholds
• We demolish arguments
• And every pretension
• That sets itself up
• Against the knowledge of God,
• And we take captive every thought
• To make it
• Obedient to Christ.

More from the Girlfriends

Do the voices in your head tell you that you are not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, or just not enough, period? If so, it’s time to stop listening to the lies that sabotage your confidence and start embracing the truth of your true identity in Christ. It’s time to overcome the lies of the enemy with the promises of God.

Join me in the Enough: Silencing the Lies that Steal Your Confidence Bible Study beginning Oct 9-Nov 12. Click here to sign up! Change your thinking; change your life!

Seeking God?

Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God

www.girlfriendsingod.com

A stronghold is one of those churchy Christianese words that is hard to wrap our minds around. It’s not a word we use everyday. So what exactly is a stronghold? Let’s take a look.

LHM Daily Devotions - To Stay or Walk Away

"To Stay or Walk Away"

Oct. 11, 2018

And Jesus, looking at him, loved him ...

~ Mark 10:21 (ESV)

What a painful meeting that must have been! The rich young man is terribly eager to meet Jesus. He runs up to Jesus and asks, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answers him, "You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" And the young man replies, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth" (Mark 10:17-20).

At this point Mark tells us, "And Jesus, looking at him, loved him ..." Here was a young man who was so earnest about following God that he had dedicated his life to keeping the commandments. He had come running to Jesus to ask what else he had to do. He even knelt in the street before Jesus to get His guidance. Surely, this man will do what Jesus says!

And Jesus says it. "Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." It's as if Jesus is saying, "Come, be My thirteenth disciple! Come, spend your days and nights with Me. Hear God's Word from My lips. Give your life to spreading the Gospel." Such an invitation! Who wouldn't jump at it?

Well, this young man, actually. His face falls and he turns to go away, saddened. His money and possessions matter more to him than Jesus. And now he realizes that, with all his Commandment-keeping, he has forgotten the first and greatest Commandment: the one that says, "I am the Lord your God ... You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:2a, 3). No other gods -- not money, not family, not status, not anything. God comes first.

How grieved Jesus must have been! For He loved this young man. He wanted the man with Him as a disciple. It must have hurt to watch him walk away.

But not everyone walked away. Peter and the other disciples were right there at Jesus' elbow, anxiously asking about the situation. What went wrong? they were wondering. Who could be saved, if not a rich man? And what about themselves? Where did they stand with God? And Jesus, faithful as ever, got on with the job of teaching the ones who remained with Him -- the ones He also loved.

Jesus did that because that is who He is: our Savior, our Lord, the One who has chosen to love us, to live and to die and to rise for us. We can walk away. We can stay, with the Holy Spirit enabling us. But Jesus will never walk away. His choice is already made. And His choice is to love and call out to you, the one He wants.

THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help me to walk with You always. In Your Name I pray. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
What a painful meeting this must have been!

Devocional del CPTLN de 11 de Octubre de 2018 - Hablar bien

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Hablar bien

11 de Octubre de 2018

Hermanos, no hablen mal los unos de los otros. El que habla mal del hermano y lo juzga, habla mal de la ley y juzga a la ley. Y si tú juzgas a la ley, te eriges en juez de la ley, y no en alguien que debe cumplirla.

~ Santiago 4:11 (RVC)

Una de las partes más fáciles de memorizar para los confirmandos, es lo que dice el octavo mandamiento: "no darás falso testimonio contra tu prójimo".

Eso es lo que Santiago dijo hace unos cuantos siglos, pues quería que supiéramos que, como cristianos, debemos abstenernos de hablar mal de los demás.

Pero los creadores de un cierto sitio en Internet no piensan igual. En tal sitio está permitido decir lo que uno quiera, de quien quiera.

Si su jefe no le cae bien allí puede descargarse, diciendo todo lo que piensa acerca de él.

Si no está satisfecho con la atención de su médico, dentista o pastor, ese es el lugar donde podrá decir lo que quiera acerca de ellos.

Y no sólo eso. Todo lo que dice, lo puede decir en forma anónima y nadie puede rastrear sus comentarios y descubrir que fue usted. Más aún, usted puede decir todo lo que quiera, porquenadie podrá removerlo.

Ese sitio permite a cada pecador tirar la primera piedra a alguien más; permite a todo el mundo convertirse en policía, acusador, juez y jurado de la reputación de otra persona.

Es verdad que allí también se puede elogiar a alguien, pero no son muchas las personas que escriben elogios. La mayoría de las veces, la gente prefiere diseminar chismes y escuchar lo malo en vez de lo bueno.

Cuando Jesús estuvo en la tierra, y a pesar de ser perfecto, la gente dijo toda clase de mentiras acerca de él: que estaba conectado con el demonio, que era un insurrecto, un blasfemo y un mentiroso.

Los cristianos sabemos que Jesús no era ninguna de esas cosas... él fue el Hijo de Dios enviado con la misión de ofrecerse a sí mismo como rescate por nuestras almas pecadoras. Su obra, cumplida en la cruz del calvario y confirmada con la tumba vacía, es el plan de Dios que nos da perdón y la eternidad en el cielo.

En agradecimiento al Señor, quien se ofreció a sí mismo por nosotros, tratemos de seguir la exhortación de Santiago y abstengámonos de hablar mal de los demás.

ORACIÓN: Señor Jesús, aunque somos pecadores en pensamientos, palabras y obras, nos amaste lo suficiente como para entrar a este mundo y dar tu vida para salvar la nuestra. Permite que, en agradecimiento por el perdón obtenido con tu gran sacrificio, hablemos bien de los demás y demos testimonio de lo que tú has logrado en la cruz y en la tumba vacía. En tu nombre. Amén.

© Copyright 2018 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
Una de las partes más fáciles de memorizar para los confirmandos, es lo que dice el octavo mandamiento: "no darás falso testimonio contra tu prójimo".

Хлеб наш насущный - Рассказы об Иисусе

Рассказы об Иисусе

Читать сейчас: 1 Иоанна 1:1-4; Иоанна 21:24-25 | Библия за год: Исаии 37-38; 2 Коринфянам 12

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Многое и другое сотворил Иисус. — Иоанна 21:25

В детстве я любила ходить в нашу маленькую местную библиотеку. Однажды, глядя на полки с книгами для подростков, я поставила перед собой цель: прочитать их все. В своем энтузиазме я забыла тот факт, что в библиотеку регулярно поступали новые книги. Несмотря на все старания, задача оказалась невыполнимой. Книг было слишком много.

Апостол Иоанн, наверное, был бы поражен количеством и доступностью книг в наше время. Сам он написал всего пять небольших книг Нового Завета: Евангелие от Иоанна, три послания и Откровение. В его время книги переписывались от руки на пергаментных свитках.

Иоанн писал свои труды, потому что Святой Дух побуждал его представить верующим письменное свидетельство о жизни и служении Иисуса Христа (1 Ин. 1:1-4). Но писания Иоанна составляли только малую часть того, что Иисус делал и чему учил во время Своего служения. Апостол говорит, что если бы подробно описать все, что сделал Господь, то «самому миру не вместить бы написанных книг» (Ин. 21:25).

Слова Иоанна остаются правдивыми и в наше время. Сколько бы ни было написано книг об Иисусе, всем библиотекам мира не вместить повести о Его любви и благодати. Мы также можем радоваться, что у нас есть свои рассказы о Спасителе, которыми можно поделиться с другими и которые мы будем помнить вечно (Пс. 88:2).

Когда б в чернила океан, в пергамент небо превратить, А в перья – все былинки трав, и всем живущим поручить Любовь Господню описать – не стало бы чернил, А свиток, равный небесам, всего бы не вместил.

— Ф. Леман

Пусть ваша жизнь станет повестью о любви и благодати Христа.

автор: Лиза Самра

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В детстве я любила ходить в нашу маленькую местную библиотеку.