WeakEnd Assignment – Faith vs. Grace?

 

Click the image or the link or

Copy and paste the link into your browser

https://youtu.be/aqCgDp6loYs

or search YouTube for ‘Debunked/ Christians Aren’t Better

than Unbelievers, They Just Made a Better Choice

by Right Response Ministries

(Stop at 2 min 52 sec)

 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works; so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10

 

“for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure,” Philippians 2:12

 

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the men of old gained approval.  By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:1-3

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13

 

Charles Spurgeon taught:

·      “Faith is chosen by God to be the receiver of salvation, because it does not pretend to create salvation, nor to help in it, but it is content humbly to receive it.

·      “Faith is the tongue that begs pardon, the hand which receives it, and the eye which sees it; but it is not the price which buys it.

·      “Faith never makes herself her own plea, she rests all her argument upon the blood of Christ. She becomes a good servant to bring the riches of the Lord Jesus to the soul, because she acknowledges whence she drew them, and owns that grace alone entrusted her with them.”

 

Assignment

1.    Set aside an hour (or a little more) and find a place where you will not be interrupted.

2.    Bring your Bible, notebook, something to write with and a refreshment.

3.    Settle in and quiet your heart.  Pray the Lord will give you a new understanding of these two powerful terms.

4.    Find a fresh page in your notebook and date it.  Watch the video and take notes along the way of what you learn from it (you can stop the video when the speaker reaches 2 min 52 sec, as the rest concerns a conference).

5.    Read the statements by Charles Spurgeon and write in your own words how each of these statements about faith eliminate the necessity of works from our coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

6.    Consider how faith and grace work together to bring someone to the Lord and how the world constantly fights this truth by stressing the need to ‘do something or bring something’ in exchange for their salvation.

7.    Pray and thank the Lord for your new insights and ask Him to give you an opportunity to share these insights with someone you care about within the month of April 2023.

 

Take care with love, especially His, Darlene (who still prays for you daily)

 

PS:  Find my statement of faith:  https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com  (where you will also find a series of beginner Bible studies to share). You can easily find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a Google search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’.  (Also, there is an android ‘Google Blogger’ app you can download to read them on your phone.  Not sure about Apple.).  For the books, go to Amazon books.  

 

NEW PRAYER REQUESTS (any updates?)

•                 Heidi – has just lost her Dad and needs your prayers for strength and comfort, as she deals with the practical issues and heartache of mourning her loss.

•                 Denny is having his surgery on 3 April.  Please pray for peace for him as he goes through the surgery and for his health carers to have wisdom and pray the Lord encircles Marci, his wife and my life-long friend, as she supports him.

•                 Peter and Jill – Peter has his exam and will require a procedure when he returns.  Today, they fly to Perth for a family wedding. Please continue to pray for travelling mercies.

•                 Christine – give her strength as she journeys to heart-healing and pray her husband gives his heart to the Lord.

•                 Jake – A friend of my brother, living with COPD (emphysema) and heart problems.  Please pray for his daughter, Tiffany and for other friends and health carers to help him through his health journey.

•                 Annette and Lyle – travelling mercies as they are overseas.

•                 Wayne B – please pray for compassion for him as he deals with the slow and sad ‘loss’ of his beloved wife, Lyn, (diagnosed with FTD (frontal temporal dementia) three and a half years ago).  She has been in care since May of 2020 but recently has had a succession of falls and is now in a psycho-geriatric facility. She still knows who he is but is no longer able to talk and screams when she gets agitated.

•                 Jen – lost her only sister and still needs your prayers to get through this difficult time and maintain her health. 

•                 Demi and John – one evening he went out his backdoor to run an errand and was attacked by someone with a knife who stabbed him several times (one pierced his heart).  He is recovering, but please pray for him and his wife as they pull their lives together – that they might find the Lord in all the chaos left behind.

•                 Callilah- a lost child.  Pray the Lord captures her heart.

•                 Megan (for emotional healing) and Scott, her husband (for patience and wisdom) and wisdom for his sister, Clare, as she seeks to support them through troubled times.

•                 Sarah and Andrew – he has left his job and she has gone to work in a new and exciting position.  Pray for this precious Christian couple that they focus on family balance to the glory of the Lord.

•                 Sue and Rob need prayers for wisdom and resolute spirits as they deal with their adult nephew, Luke.  They invited him to stay with them during a difficult time in his life, but he refuses to leave now and is ungrateful and disruptive.  Pray for salvation for Luke and that he accepts their request.

•                 Bettina – continue to pray for her as she grows into a new phase of her life in the Lord.  Pray each of her five married daughters, their spouses and 17 grandchildren grow to love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

•                 Robin – lost her beloved mother (was 93 years old), please pray for strength and healing for her as she navigates through this time of mourning and for her daughter who is comforting her during this time.

•                 Family of Eric – Eric died suddenly at 52 leaving his 47-year-old wife and three girls (ages 16, 19 and 23).  Pray the Lord brings strength to them as they regroup into a new life.  Pray for trustworthy, honourable, Bible-based friends to continue to support them. 

•                 Peyton and Carter- Grandchildren of Jeff and Rachael.  Payton is their eldest granddaughter and is now in her third year at college.  Carter is a senior in high school.  Both are exceptional students and love the Lord.  Pray they are not distracted by worldly things, that they continue to do well in their studies and that their love of the Lord increases daily.

 

Pray for those in full-time service

Pray the Lord uphold our Christian leaders – that they never compromise God’s Word and remain bold and courageous in the face of evil.  Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.

Pray for those with ongoing health concerns

Many of us have family, friends and loved ones with fragile health.  Pray God takes special care with them and protects them in practical ways and that the Lord will have mercy on them during this challenging time

Pray for the World

Ruth’s Promise

 

Click the image or the link or

Copy and paste the link into your browser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWjRdjFdiR4

or search YouTube for Ruth in 5 minutes

by Pastor Landon (4 min 52 sec)

 

“But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge.  Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.  Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. 

 

“’Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.  When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.” Ruth 1:15-18

 

Ruth was resolute in her devotion to Naomi and made her own promise/ vow to Naomi.  She stuck to her promise, even though it meant that her life changed forever and all that was familiar to her for her daily life would also change. 

 

Yet, from her persistence to keep her promise, God blessed Ruth by giving her a part in the genealogy leading to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

Take care with love, especially His, Darlene (who still prays for you daily)

 

PS:  Find my statement of faith:  https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com  (where you will also find a series of beginner Bible studies to share). You can easily find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a Google search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’.  (Also, there is an android ‘Google Blogger’ app you can download to read them on your phone.  Not sure about Apple.).  For the books, go to Amazon books.  

 

NEW PRAYER REQUESTS (any updates?)

Pray for those who have lost loved ones and for those searching for them and those supporting them during this challenging time:

o   Mississippi hurricanes, (over 26 dead so far)

o   Pennsylvania chocolate factory explosion (7 dead, 9 missing),

•                 Heidi – has just lost her Dad and needs your prayers for strength and comfort, as she deals with the practical issues and heartache of mourning her loss.

•                 Denny is having his surgery on 3 April.  Please pray for peace for him as he goes through the surgery and for his health carers to have wisdom and pray the Lord encircles Marci, his wife and my life-long friend, as she supports him.

•                 Peter and Jill – Peter has his exam and will require a procedure when he returns.  Today, they fly to Perth for a family wedding. Please continue to pray for travelling mercies.

•                 Christine – give her strength as she journeys to heart-healing and pray her husband gives his heart to the Lord.

•                 Jake – A friend of my brother, living with COPD (emphysema) and heart problems.  Please pray for his daughter, Tiffany and for other friends and health carers to help him through his health journey.

•                 Annette and Lyle – travelling mercies as they are overseas.

•                 Wayne B – please pray for compassion for him as he deals with the slow and sad ‘loss’ of his beloved wife, Lyn, (diagnosed with FTD (frontal temporal dementia) three and a half years ago).  She has been in care since May of 2020 but recently has had a succession of falls and is now in a psycho-geriatric facility. She still knows who he is but is no longer able to talk and screams when she gets agitated.

•                 Jen – lost her only sister and still needs your prayers to get through this difficult time and maintain her health. 

•                 Demi and John – one evening he went out his backdoor to run an errand and was attacked by someone with a knife who stabbed him several times (one pierced his heart).  He is recovering, but please pray for him and his wife as they pull their lives together – that they might find the Lord in all the chaos left behind.

•                 Callilah- a lost child.  Pray the Lord captures her heart.

•                 Megan (for emotional healing) and Scott, her husband (for patience and wisdom) and wisdom for his sister, Clare, as she seeks to support them through troubled times.

•                 Sarah and Andrew – he has left his job and she has gone to work in a new and exciting position.  Pray for this precious Christian couple that they focus on family balance to the glory of the Lord.

•                 Sue and Rob need prayers for wisdom and resolute spirits as they deal with their adult nephew, Luke.  They invited him to stay with them during a difficult time in his life, but he refuses to leave now and is ungrateful and disruptive.  Pray for salvation for Luke and that he accepts their request.

•                 Bettina – continue to pray for her as she grows into a new phase of her life in the Lord.  Pray each of her five married daughters, their spouses and 17 grandchildren grow to love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

•                 Robin – lost her beloved mother (was 93 years old), please pray for strength and healing for her as she navigates through this time of mourning and for her daughter who is comforting her during this time.

•                 Family of Eric – Eric died suddenly at 52 leaving his 47-year-old wife and three girls (ages 16, 19 and 23).  Pray the Lord brings strength to them as they regroup into a new life.  Pray for trustworthy, honourable, Bible-based friends to continue to support them. 

•                 Peyton and Carter- Grandchildren of Jeff and Rachael.  Payton is their eldest granddaughter and is now in her third year at college.  Carter is a senior in high school.  Both are exceptional students and love the Lord.  Pray they are not distracted by worldly things, that they continue to do well in their studies and that their love of the Lord increases daily.

 

Pray for those in full-time service

Pray the Lord uphold our Christian leaders – that they never compromise God’s Word and remain bold and courageous in the face of evil.  Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.

Pray for those with ongoing health concerns

Many of us have family, friends and loved ones with fragile health.  Pray God takes special care with them and protects them in practical ways and that the Lord will have mercy on them during this challenging time.

Pray for the World

The Least of Us

 

Click the image or the link or

Copy and paste the link into your browser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySNMwahi1vI

Or search YouTube for Gideon/ Judges 6/ Gideon Bible Story/

Gideon in the Bible/ Book of Judges

By Gideon Films

 

“Now it came about when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord on account of Midian, that the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out from the house of slavery.

 

“’’I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land, and I said to you, I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live.  But you have not obeyed Me.’

 

Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son, Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites.

 

“The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.’  Then Gideon said to him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?  And where are His miracles with our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’  But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.’

 

“The Lord looked at him and said, ‘Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian.  Have I not sent you?’

 

“He said to Him, ‘O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel?  Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.’  But the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.’

 

Can you imagine being Gideon?  He was faced with a world gone mad around him because his people (the Israelites) had compromised the conditions of the promises God had given them.  They were reaping the consequences, but they knew enough to call out to God for help. 

 

Gideon was busily labouring to secure some wheat before the enemy took it all and this angel comes to have a chat with him.  He tells this youth that he will be the one to deliver Israel from the enemy!  And although we are all familiar with the arguments that followed, in the end God did deliver Israel through Gideon’s obedience.

 

It is a good reminder that when the world is going mad around us, it is time to fall to our knees and ask for His guidance and then wait upon His wisdom before acting, no matter how insignificant we may believe we are.

 

Take care with love, especially His, Darlene (who still prays for you daily)

 

PS:  Find my statement of faith:  https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com  (where you will also find a series of beginner Bible studies to share). You can easily find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a Google search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’.  (Also, there is an android ‘Google Blogger’ app you can download to read them on your phone.  Not sure about Apple.).  For the books, go to Amazon books.  

 

NEW PRAYER REQUESTS (any updates?)

Pray for those who have lost loved ones and for those searching for them and those supporting them during this challenging time:

o   Mississippi hurricanes, (over 26 dead so far)

o   Pennsylvania chocolate factory explosion (7 dead, 9 missing),

•                 Heidi – has just lost her Dad and needs your prayers for strength and comfort, as she deals with the practical issues and heartache of mourning her loss.

•                 Denny is having his surgery on 3 April.  Please pray for peace for him as he goes through the surgery and for his health carers to have wisdom and pray the Lord encircles Marci, his wife and my life-long friend, as she supports him.

•                 Peter and Jill – Peter has his exam and will require a procedure when he returns.  Today, they fly to Perth for a family wedding. Please continue to pray for travelling mercies.

•                 Christine – give her strength as she journeys to heart-healing and pray her husband gives his heart to the Lord.

•                 Jake – A friend of my brother, living with COPD (emphysema) and heart problems.  Please pray for his daughter, Tiffany and for other friends and health carers to help him through his health journey.

•                 Annette and Lyle – travelling mercies as they are overseas.

•                 Wayne B – please pray for compassion for him as he deals with the slow and sad ‘loss’ of his beloved wife, Lyn, (diagnosed with FTD (frontal temporal dementia) three and a half years ago).  She has been in care since May of 2020 but recently has had a succession of falls and is now in a psycho-geriatric facility. She still knows who he is but is no longer able to talk and screams when she gets agitated.

•                 Jen – lost her only sister and still needs your prayers to get through this difficult time and maintain her health. 

•                 Demi and John – one evening he went out his backdoor to run an errand and was attacked by someone with a knife who stabbed him several times (one pierced his heart).  He is recovering, but please pray for him and his wife as they pull their lives together – that they might find the Lord in all the chaos left behind.

•                 Callilah- a lost child.  Pray the Lord captures her heart.

•                 Megan (for emotional healing) and Scott, her husband (for patience and wisdom) and wisdom for his sister, Clare, as she seeks to support them through troubled times.

•                 Sarah and Andrew – he has left his job and she has gone to work in a new and exciting position.  Pray for this precious Christian couple that they focus on family balance to the glory of the Lord.

•                 Sue and Rob need prayers for wisdom and resolute spirits as they deal with their adult nephew, Luke.  They invited him to stay with them during a difficult time in his life, but he refuses to leave now and is ungrateful and disruptive.  Pray for salvation for Luke and that he accepts their request.

•                 Bettina – continue to pray for her as she grows into a new phase of her life in the Lord.  Pray each of her five married daughters, their spouses and 17 grandchildren grow to love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

•                 Robin – lost her beloved mother (was 93 years old), please pray for strength and healing for her as she navigates through this time of mourning and for her daughter who is comforting her during this time.

•                 Family of Eric – Eric died suddenly at 52 leaving his 47-year-old wife and three girls (ages 16, 19 and 23).  Pray the Lord brings strength to them as they regroup into a new life.  Pray for trustworthy, honourable, Bible-based friends to continue to support them. 

•                 Peyton and Carter- Grandchildren of Jeff and Rachael.  Payton is their eldest granddaughter and is now in her third year at college.  Carter is a senior in high school.  Both are exceptional students and love the Lord.  Pray they are not distracted by worldly things, that they continue to do well in their studies and that their love of the Lord increases daily.

 

Pray for those in full-time service

Pray the Lord uphold our Christian leaders – that they never compromise God’s Word and remain bold and courageous in the face of evil.  Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.

Pray for those with ongoing health concerns

Many of us have family, friends and loved ones with fragile health.  Pray God takes special care with them and protects them in practical ways and that the Lord will have mercy on them during this challenging time.

Pray for the World

Other Side-Thorns

 

Click the image or the link or

Copy and paste the link into your browser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_P8cMpAd8Y

Or search YouTube for ‘Judges in 7 Minutes’

By Pastor Landon (6 min 52 sec)

 

“Now the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim.  And he said, ‘I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’  But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? 

 

“’Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.’’  When the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept.”  Judges 2:1-4

 

Judges would be one of my favourite books because it is much like most of our lives.  We mean well in our relationship with the Lord, but we also choose to ‘do what is right in our own eyes’ far too often, never realising the damage it does to our own lives and to those around us (especially pre-Christians, who are watching our lives to see if what we believe is how we act). 

 

Here, God confirms His promise, but abandons the Israelites to their folly, knowing His commands are there to protect them.  In choosing to ‘flirt with danger’ the Israelites would not have peace in the Promised Land.

 

Take care with love, especially His, Darlene (who still prays for you daily)

 

PS:  Find my statement of faith:  https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com  (where you will also find a series of beginner Bible studies to share). You can easily find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a Google search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’.  (Also, there is an android ‘Google Blogger’ app you can download to read them on your phone.  Not sure about Apple.).  For the books, go to Amazon books.  

 

NEW PRAYER REQUESTS (any updates?)

People affected by several disasters and those searching for them and those supporting them during this challenging time:

o   Mississippi hurricanes, (over 26 dead so far)

o   Pennsylvania chocolate factory explosion (5 dead, 9 missing),

•                 Peter and Jill – planning to fly across country to attend a family wedding.  However, he has been scheduled for an angiogram Tuesday and will spend the night in hospital.  Please pray the Lord gives his health carers gentleness and wisdom and that He will hold Peter’s and Jill’s hands through the procedure and that they will be able to fly the next day.

•                 Wayne B – please pray for compassion for him as he deals with the heart of his beloved wife, Lyn, who was diagnosed with FTD (frontal temporal dementia) three and a half years ago.  She has been in care since May of 2020 but recently has had a succession of falls and is now in a psycho geriatric facility. She knows who he is but is no longer able to talk and screams when she gets agitated.

•                 Denny is having additional health challenges and has been in and out of the hospital as he awaits some important surgery.  Please pray for his health carers to have wisdom and support for his wonderful wife, my friend, Marci as she supports him.

•                 Jen – lost her only sister and needs your prayers to get through this difficult time and maintain her health. 

•                 Demi and John – one evening he went out his backdoor to run an errand and was attacked by someone with a knife who stabbed him several times (one pierced his heart).  He is recovering, but please pray for him and his wife as they pull their lives together.

•                 Jake – A friend of my brother who is living with COPD (emphysema) and heart problems.  Please pray for his daughter, Tiffany and for other friends to help him through his health journey.

•                 Annette and Lyle – travelling mercies as they are overseas.

•                 Megan (for emotional healing) and Scott, her husband (for patience and wisdom) and wisdom for his sister, Clare, as she seeks to support them through troubled times.

•                 Sarah and Andrew – he has left his job and she has gone to work in a new and exciting position.  Pray for this precious Christian couple that they focus on family balance to the glory of the Lord.

•                 Sue and Rob need prayers for wisdom and resolute spirits as they deal with their adult nephew, Luke.  He is becoming increasingly disruptive and irresponsible.  They invited him to stay with them as he was struggling, but he has more than overstayed his welcome.  Pray for healing for Luke and that he accepts their request.

•                 Bettina – continue to pray for her as she grows into a new phase of her life in the Lord.  Pray each of her five married daughters, their spouses and 17 grandchildren grow to love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

•                 Robin – lost her beloved mother (was 93 years old), please pray for strength and healing for her as she navigates through this time of mourning and for her daughter who comforts her during this time.

•                 Christine – give her strength as she journeys to heart-healing and pray her husband gives his heart to the Lord.

•                 Family of Eric – Eric died suddenly at 52 leaving his 47-year-old wife and three girls (ages 16, 19 and 23).  Pray the Lord brings strength to them as they regroup into a new life.  Pray for trustworthy, honourable, Bible-based friends to continue to support them. 

•                 Peyton and Carter- Grandchildren of Jeff and Rachael.  Payton is their eldest granddaughter and is now in her third year at college.  Carter is a senior in high school.  Both are exceptional students and love the Lord.  Pray they are not distracted by worldly things, that they continue to do well in their studies and that their love of the Lord increases daily.

•                 Callilah- a lost child.  Pray the Lord captures her heart.

 

Pray for those in full-time service

Pray to uphold our Christian leaders – that they never compromise God’s Word and remain bold and courageous in the face of evil.  Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.

 

Pray for those with ongoing health concerns

Many of us have family, friends and loved ones with fragile health.  Pray God takes special care with them and protects them in practical ways and that the Lord will have mercy on them during this challenging time.

Pray for the World