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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp5X2zKoxY4
Or search YouTube for ‘J.B. Phillips LP Side A -
The True Greatness of God’
By nikolai boyadjief (16 mins 48 sec)
“When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His
disciples, ‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of
Man is to be handed over for crucifixion.’
“Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were
gathering together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; and they
plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. But they were saying, ‘Not during the
festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people.’” Matthew 26:1-5
This was not the first time Jesus told His disciples of His fate
but it would be the last time He warned them.
It made me think about how easy to let our humanness cloud what we understand
of who Jesus is and what He wants from us.
There is a brilliant book I once read called Your God is
too Small, written in 1964, by the brilliant Christian thinker, J. B.
Phillips (you can still find it on Amazon.com).
It set the scene by sharing a series of ‘images’ we all can fall into of
who God is before (and frequently after) we accept His grace and salvation, for
instance some think of God as:
·
a sweet grandpa, floating around on a cloud
somewhere up there who just watches over us, smiling.
·
as a strict disciplinarian who will not tolerate
stepping over a line.
·
as a sort of fairy godmother with a wand we
contact when we need something
Just like the disciples who missed the critical nature of
Jesus actual, unfathomable character and might, they could not imagine they
were worthy enough for what God had in store for them.
The God-man came to give His live as a sacrifice so that
each one of us can be saved from the ultimate consequences of our own wilful sins. Who would have ever imagined such a thing! Not me, not you and not the disciples who
walked daily with Him.
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 true, Christ-centered revival in America.
•
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.
•
Thanksgiving: Denny’s surgery went well and he
was kept in hospital overnight to recover.
Please pray for his patience and healing. Pray the Lord encircles Marci, his wife, and my life-long friend, as
she supports him.
•
Peter and Jill – Please
pray for travelling mercies while they are away in Perth. When they return, he will need to complete
the surgical procedure.
•
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 – have returned home and need prayer to settle in
and begin a new adventure. Thank you for
praying for Lyle, his wrist/ arm injury is slowly heaing.
•
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 pray her health
remains good.
•
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 has recovered physically, 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.
•
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.
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