Are you burdened?

Are you troubled about life?

Are you so much in discomfort that you contemplate taking your own life?

Hold it.

Here is good news for everyone. Jesus cares. Cast your burden upon Him and watch as He takes the burden away.

Jesus is our rock and salvation. He is the good news that will nurture and sustain our being.

Accept Jesus. Be steadfast in your trust and obedience. The good news that Jesus brings will not cease from our lives in Jesus mighty name.

A nation that is so divided can achieve little in development. Unity devoid of justice can achieve minimal, but a union nurtured with bitterness is worse.

We must eschew bitterness and rancour. Let's look up to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

God will help

At the end of the tunnel is a light. Don't give up on Jesus.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. To be happy in Jesus, you must trust and obey.

Look up to Jesus. Remain steadfast. He is the author and finisher of our faith.

The common view of Jesus is someone kind, patient, meek and mild. Jesus is beyond this. In the book of John 8, Jesus tells the pharisees what is in their hearts. He tells them sin enslaves them but that believing in Him will set them free. The lesson in this is that Jesus sets one free from the bondage of sin. Accept Jesus today.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus states "I am the good shepherd" in two verses, John 10:11 and 10:14.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn't own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them. The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn't care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I'm known by my own; even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.

— John 10:11–18

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around, and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

— Matthew 20:1–16, New Revised Standard Version

WHAT IS BONDAGE? Bondage is anything that hinders somebody or something from moving or functioning normally. No matter the storm you are going through, Jesus can take you out of bondage. Put your trust in Him and He will deliver you.

We must keep our hope alive. In the book of Philippian 2:9, God has given Jesus a name that is above every name - that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow. Now, in the name of Jesus, all our distress shall bow to happiness. Amen.

JESUS is our helper. In this life, one thing is certain: the flesh is weak and will always fail. Jesus will strenghten us. He will not fail. Call on Jesus today.

The parable of the prodigal son is very instructive. A sinner is like the prodigal son. Come to Jesus today. He will welcome you.

Jesus is regarded as Prince of Peace because he is our peace offering. He chose to go to the cross and offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, so that we could have peace with God. He mended our broken relationship with God and surpassed any good work we could ever do, including giving a peace offering.

Hallelujah!

.

Now, I believe that indeed there is power in the blood of Jesus. Jesus is Lord.

The gospel of Jesus is good news to those who accept the message. May good news not depart from our lives in Jesus name.

AMEN.

Life is not a bed of roses. Sometimes, things look so awry. Never give up. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.

The quest for peace of mind is a universal thing. Little wonder we have a lot of multinational peace keepers and missions. However the peace these multinational peace mission brokers offer are temporary and bound to fade away with time. In Rom. 5:1, the Bible says "Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus christ." Perfect peace comes not by acquiring enormous wealth, fame or power but by being justified by faith knowing fully well that your sins have been washed away by the cleansing blood of the Lamb - Jesus.

Perfect peace is available to you now, only acknowledge that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23), confess your sins (Psalms 51:1-3) and ask to be washed by the sin-cleansing blood of the Lamb (1 John 1:6-7). After this, invite Jesus, the Prince of Peace into your life as your Lord and Saviour (Revealation 3:20. Take these steps and the emptiness that you once experienced will be replaced by peace.

Today marks the last day in June, 2023. The good news is the days and the weeks ahead are better in Jesus name - for those that believe this.

The love of God for us


John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.


When Adam sinned, he lost the direct access he initially had with God. (Genesis 3) God decided to send his only begotten son (Jesus) to pay the price for our sins on the cross of calvary because of his love for us. When Christ resurrected, he restored all privileges that we once had and brought redemption to us all. All we need is to believe that he died for our sin and has once again granted us direct access with God. No longer through an intermediary! (Mathew 27:50-53).

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

If our earthly parents care so much for us, how much more our father in heaven! (Luke 11:11-13). God’s love for us is infinite. He has promised to supply all our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philipians 4:19).


Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I accept and acknowledge you as my personal lord and savior. I sincerely ask that you forgive my sins. Come into my life and pour out your spirit on me. By faith, I receive the promise of the father, which is the holy spirit. (John 14:16) I thank you for the price that you paid for me on the cross of calvary. Thank you for my redemption. I pray that your power, grace and favor will abide with me now and forever more. Amen.

The common view of Jesus is someone kind, patient, meek and mild. Jesus is beyond this. In the book of John 8, Jesus tells the pharisees what is in their hearts. He tells them sin enslaves them but that believing in Him will set them free. The lesson in this is that Jesus sets one free from the bondage of sin. Accept Jesus today.

WHAT IS BONDAGE? Bondage is anything that hinders somebody or something from moving or functioning normally. No matter the storm you are going through, Jesus can take you out of bondage. Put your trust in Him and He will deliver you.

Are you burdened?

Are you troubled about life?

Are you so much in discomfort that you contemplate taking your own life?

Hold it.

Here is good news for everyone. Jesus cares. Cast your burden upon Him and watch as He takes the burden away.

Jesus is our rock and salvation. He is the good news that will nurture and sustain our being.

Accept Jesus. Be steadfast in your trust and obedience. The good news that Jesus brings will not cease from our lives in Jesus mighty name.

Charles Eliot was the president and then, in retirement, the president emeritus of Harvard University. During the summer of his 90th year, he made his way slowly down the road from his cottage in Northeast Harbor, Maine, to the cottage of his neighbors, the Peabodys. Mrs. Peabody greeted him warmly and invited him into the living room. After a brief conversation, Eliot asked if he might hold her new baby.

Mystified, she lifted her infant son from his crib and laid him in the arms of Harvard’s venerable president emeritus. Eliot held the baby quietly for a few minutes. Then, with a little gesture of thanks, he returned him to his mother, explaining, “I have been looking at the end of life for so long that I wanted to look for a few moments at its beginning.” (In Reader’s Digest [8/83].)

We all need hope. Especially in old age, but also at all other points in life, we need hope. One of the blessings that comes along with the little ones God entrusts to us is hope.

And yet, the hope that comes with children is an uncertain hope at best. There is always the uncertainty of disease or death. What parent of a newborn has not gone in by the crib in the middle of the night and put his or her ear down close enough to make sure that the little one is breathing? If the child survives disease or an early death, there is the uncertainty of this evil world. Crime, child molesters, drunk drivers, the threat of terrorism or war, and economic instability make every parent worry about the kind of world our children and grandchildren will grow up in.

Given these uncertainties, when we meet an elderly person who is filled with hope, we need to sit up and take notice. Here is someone who could be pessimistic, cynical, filled with fears and anxieties. But he is brimming over with firm hope. We had better listen. We might learn some things.

Simeon was such a man. When he held the infant Jesus in his arms in the temple courtyard, we see more than just an old man taking hope in any newborn. Rather, we see an old man who has put his hope in the promises of God. This was no ordinary newborn! He was the fulfillment of God’s promises to His people. As we observe this elderly saint with this child in his arms, we learn some valuable lessons about the hope we all so desperately need:

Those who hope in God’s promises in Christ will be rewarded.

Let’s look first at the hope that Simeon had and how it was rewarded. Then we will look at the object of his hope.

1. To hope in Christ means to live righteously and expectantly in the power of the Holy Spirit.
A. TO HOPE IN CHRIST MEANS TO LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY.
Simeon is described as “righteous and devout” (2:25). “Righteous” means that his behavior in the sight of God and towards his fellow man was in accordance with God’s standards. He wasn’t a phony, practicing his good deeds to be seen by others. He quietly and consistently obeyed God, even when people weren’t looking.

“Devout” has the connotation of reverent. It sometimes means careful. It means that Simeon wasn’t careless about the spiritual life. While you can skim over these two words in a flash, they reflect a lifetime of cultivation. No one accidentally becomes righteous and devout. Simeon cultivated his walk with God.

The key to Simeon’s righteous life can be seen in his view of himself in relation to God. In verse 29, the word “Lord” is an unusual one, used only five times in reference to God. We get our word “despot” from it. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says that it means “absolute ownership and uncontrolled power.” Simeon saw God as the Sovereign Lord who had prepared His salvation (2:30, 31) and had graciously allowed Simeon to see it. And Simeon saw himself as the slave of this Sovereign Lord. Slaves have no rights. They belong to their owner and their only obligation is to obey. Simeon had a high view of God and a humble view of himself.

Keep in mind the times in which Simeon lived. The Jewish religious leaders were largely political and not deeply spiritual. There had been no prophet in Israel for 400 years. Israel had been oppressed by one foreign power after another during those long centuries, and even now they were ruled by the corrupt Herod under the dominion of Rome. It would have been easy for Simeon to get caught up in the political fervor of the times and to wonder skeptically, “Where are these great promises of God for His people?” But instead, he was righteous and devout.

If we hope in Christ, we must take care to live righteously. We will view God as the Sovereign Lord, our Master, and ourselves as His slaves. We will comb His Word to determine how He wants us to live, and we will walk with Him every day. To hope in Jesus Christ means to live righteously.

B. TO HOPE IN CHRIST MEANS TO LIVE EXPECTANTLY.
He was “looking for the consolation of Israel” (2:25). This refers to the time prophesied by Isaiah (40:1-2) when God would comfort His people and remove their sins by sending His Anointed One, the Messiah. How long had Simeon been looking? Probably all his life! It would have been easy for him to think, “Generations have come and gone and these promises have never been fulfilled. Why expect that it will happen in my lifetime? Just settle in for the long haul, and give up this notion that Messiah will come.”

Do you live expectantly? Do you expect God to answer your prayers, or are you surprised when one gets answered? Must have been a coincidence! Do you expect the Lord to return soon? Maybe you’re thinking, “Come on, people have been expecting that for 1,900 years, and it hasn’t happened.” But those people were the better for living each day expecting Him to come in their lifetimes. In our day, the signs of His coming are all around us. Will the Son of Man find faith in us when He comes (Luke 18:? People of hope live expectantly, waiting on God to fulfill His promises.