From The Heart, A Story Of Love, Loss & The Power Of Forgiveness

Flaherty's Crossing, Author Kaylin McFarren

From Pacific Northwest's award-winning author Kaylin McFarren comes a powerful novel about love, loss, and the power of forgiveness...

For more information about this must read novel, visit Kaylin McFarren at her beautiful author's site, where you will be blessed as you read about the author, the book, the story and Kaylin's cause.

God Is Planning For The Future.

2 Kings 2:14-3:27

‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’(2:14). Elijah was no longer there - but God was still there! Don’t imagine that God goes away when there’s a change of ministry. While Elijah had been serving the Lord, Elisha was being prepared for his time. God is always one step ahead of us. We are living in the present day. He is planning for the future. With each succeeding generation, the question is asked, ‘Where is the Lord?’. In every generation, God is looking for those who will serve Him - ‘testifying of the Gospel of the grace of God, testifying of repentance to God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, declaring the whole counsel of God’(Acts 20:24,21,27). This is ‘the mantle of Elijah’(2:14) - the mantle of prophetic ministry. Will you ‘take up the mantle’ for God and the next generation?

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Blessings in Christ

Christ in all the Scriptures

http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Ask God To Give You A Stronger Faith.

Hebrews 11:17-12:2

We read about many people who trusted the Lord. Their faith was real. It changed their lives. As you read of so many people who lived ‘by faith’, let God’s Word challenge you. Bring your own weak faith to Him and ask Him to give you a stronger faith: ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’(Mark 9:24). We learn from so many different people. We read about their faith. We are inspired by their faith. We do not, however, make too much of them. We must always be ‘looking to Jesus’(2). We must learn the lesson of the transfiguration. We look at Moses. We look at Elijah. We learn from them. There comes a point where they - together with all God’s faithful people - must step aside, leaving us to look up and see ‘Jesus only’(Mark 9:2-8). 

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Blessings in Christ

Christ in all the Scriptures

http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Keep Your Eyes On Jesus. Live In His Strength. Live For His Glory.

Judges 4:1-5:11
Barak is an example of ‘faith’(Hebrews 11:32-34). Faith involves believing God’s promise - ‘I will give...’and obeying His command - ‘Go’(4:6-7). God still says, ‘Go... I am with you always...’(Matthew 28:19-20). Barak needed Deborah’s help (4:8-10). Both needed God’s help - ‘Our sufficiency comes from God’(2 Corinthians 3:5-6). In Deborah’s song, we learn of the importance of giving all the glory to God: ‘Bless the Lord... To the Lord I will sing, I will make melody to the Lord... Bless the Lord’(5:2-3,9). We are to repeat the triumphs of the Lord’. This is our high calling as ‘the people of the Lord’(5:11). ‘Awake, awake, Deborah’... Arise, Barak...’(5:12) - God is still calling His people to wake up, to rise up: ‘Rise up O Church of God, awake!’(Church Hymnary, 477; Mission Praise, 178).

Judges 5:12-6:10
The people of the Lord marched down for Him against the mighty (13) - God is still calling His people to march for Him: ‘March on, my soul, with strength, with strength, but not thine own; The conquest thou shalt gain, through Christ the Lord alone’(Church Hymnary, 614). This is not ‘marching’ for ourselves, for our own cause, trying to get our own way. This is about keeping our eyes on Jesus, living in His strength, living for His glory. Where self reigns, there is sin - ‘The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord’- and shame - ‘Israel was brought very low’(1,6). Where Christ reigns, there is prayer to the Lord and blessing from the Lord. With God’s blessing comes our responsibility - Worship God, listening carefully to His Word and living in obedience to Him (6-10).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Travelling On A Road Full Of Blessing

Acts 18:22-19:22

Apollos ‘taught accurately the things concerning Jesus’. He needed to have ‘the way of God expounded to him more accurately’(24-26). There is always more to learn. We should never adopt a ‘know-it-all’ attitude. In ‘two years’ of ministry, ‘God did’ great things through Paul (10-11). Paul was moving on. His road led to ‘Rome’. It was a road, full of blessing - ‘The Word of the Lord grew and prevailed mightily’(20-21). Paul was on the move. God was on the move. Wherever Paul went, there were opportunities to make Christ known. Wherever he went, people were trusting Christ. Paul was moving from place to place, bringing Christ to so many different people. People were moving ‘from death to life’(John 5:24). This is what drove Paul on - Bringing more and more sinners to his Saviour!

Acts 19:23-20:16

verse 28: ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians’. Remember Exodus 20:3 - ‘You shall have no other gods before Me’. Remove all pretenders from God’s throne. Rededicate yourself to the Lord - ‘King of my life, I crown Thee now, Thine shall the glory be’(Redemption Hymnal, 165). People could not get enough of God’s Word. Be hungry and thirsty for God, for His righteousness, for His Word, for His blessing (7; Matthew 5:6). Paul wanted to be ‘at Jerusalem... on the day of Pentecost’(16). This had been a place and time of blessing (2:1-4,41). Paul was eager for the blessing of God in his own life. He was eager to bring God’s blessing to others. How much does the blessing of God mean to you? Do you want His blessing? Do you want to be a blessing? ‘Lord bless me and make me a blessing’.

Acts 20:17-21:14

From Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders, there are some lessons for all of us. (a) ‘Repentance to God’ and ‘faith in our Lord Jesus Christ’(21) - This is not only a call for conversion. It is for every believer - all the time. (b) ‘Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock of God... Care for the Church of God’(28). Taking our own spiritual growth seriously will always involve caring for others. (c) ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’(35). Jesus Others Yourself - This is JOY. Let it be Thanksgiving (‘I want to’) rather than Duty Giving (‘I ought to’) or Grudge Giving (‘I have to’). For Jesus and Paul, Jerusalem meant suffering. For both, the important thing was doing ‘the Lord’s will’(10-14; Matthew 16:21-23). ‘Let us go forth to Him... and bear the abuse He endured’(Hebrews 13:13).