Posts Tagged ‘Love’

15 Apr

THE LOVE OF JESUS

Posted by AgapeFocus in Love, THE LOVE OF JESUS. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

The love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 2 Corinthians 5:14 Christ as our substitute and representative died in our stead. When Christ was flogged at the whipping post, he took my punishment; and my diseases and weaknesses were laid upon him. He took our sins and guilt and broke the grip and power of sin over us. He destroyed the power of sin. He destroyed the power of Satan and death over us. He stood in our stead as substitute.

When Jesus died on the cross, I died! So did all true believers in Christ. We died to sin and all its woes. We died to the works of the flesh. Sin shall have no more grip or hold upon me and you. He hung on the cross carrying the sin of all mankind, right from Adam and Eve, including that of Mary his mother, till the last baby ever to be born in human history. What a great feat! Thanks be to God.

We have been set free. Sin has no more dominion over us. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is relatively quite easy for a person to suffer or even to die for a well behaved and kind person in the community. It is difficult to do so for a wicked and hardened criminal. But God demonstrated his love to us all in that while we were yet sinners; in the most despeakable and repulsive state, he sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for us.

(Romans 5: 6-8).

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16).

God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved. (John 3:17).

Truly, Jesus Christ died over two thousand years ago for the sin of mankind. It was very necessary and inevitable that the anger of the Holy and just God be pacified. His eyes are too holy to behold sin. Therefore God took the bold initiative to effect reconciliation between himself, who was offended, and mankind, who are the offenders!

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that anyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

(John 3:14-15).

Jesus Christ offered himself as the sacrifice. He was arrested and he went through series of unjust trials before the religious leaders of his days, king Herod and Pilate, the governor. He was assaulted, slapped, flogged and spat upon.

That was to fulfil the prophecy: Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6).

Jesus was crucified on a rugged cross, where his blood was shed by piercings through his hands, feet and ribcage. Earlier on, his brow was severely bruised with a crown of thorns! His entire look was marred beyond recognition! Such was the treatment meted out to the Saviour of the world. Despite all the cruel treatment, Jesus did not complain, neither did he resist the maltreatment. “As a sheep is dumb before her shearers, he did not open his mouth.”

So did Jesus go all the way to die on the cross for my sins and those of the rest of mankind. Thanks be to God.

The conclusion of the message is that: Jesus died on the cross. His shed blood washes us clean from sin. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. The third day he arose from the grave and remains alive for evermore. “The taste of the pudding is in the eating.” Jesus Christ, who never sinned, became sin; died for you and me in our stead.

If you shall confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth, and shall believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.

For with your heart you believe and are made righteous. And with your mouth you confess and you are saved.

The LORD makes good his promises to all those who come to him, even those who call upon him. Whether young or old, whether Jew or gentile, whether rich or poor. There is no discrimination. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:8-13).

Come to Jesus today. Call upon him now.

26 Dec

CHRISTMAS AND THE LOVE OF GOD

Posted by AgapeFocus in Christmas And The Love Of God. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Christmas is a very unique and special seasonal celebration all over the world. It is the remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. It is time to remember God’s initiative of love, in making the first move in reconciliation with disobedient, fallen mankind. We remember the offended God, deciding to stretch out his hands with all readiness, willingness and eagerness to forgive all of mankind. God’s first response is to express his displeasure and judgement. Immediately after, God ‘took the bull by the horn,’ by deciding to send Jesus on the ultimate rescue mission to redeem mankind, right at the occasion and location of man’s fall into sin. Christmas therefore is a remembrance of God’s love, for choosing to rescue disobedient man. We remember God’s humility in standing up to take the place of the offender and bear the punishment for the offender’s sins. Thus peace was made at the initiative of God and at his own expense. Jesus was born to die for our sins and to rise up from the dead; and eventually become King; the King of ALL kings and the Lord of ALL lords. Love, humility, giving, service, selflessness, justice, holiness, repentance, forgiveness, peace, goodwill to all men are hallmarks of Christmas. It is when Jesus Christ comes back that he would reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. God Almighty set the pace. We as human beings need to follow.
As a young boy, I heard an adult asking; “Why do you sing resurrection songs in December? Another adult replied him; “It does not matter when you sing each category of songs.” It is the depth and faith in God which count. As I grew up, I liked many hymns and songs, especially those which expressed the whole gospel in a nutshell. An example is the hymn ’Seeking For Me.’ themed on the Love of God; Composed by E. E. Hasty.[Author A. N.]
Jesus my Saviour to Bethlehem came,
Born in a manger to sorrow and shame;
Oh it was wonderful – blest be His name!
Seeking for me! For me!
Then in the following stanzas, the hymn writer says:
How Jesus went to the cross to die; how he paid the great debt and set my soul free. Dying for me! For me!
How Jesus called me while I wandered astray from the fold [like a lost sheep]; he pled gently and long with my soul, Calling for me! For me!
Finally, he speaks about the second coming of Christ thus:
Jesus my Saviour shall come from on high-
Sweet is the promise as weary years fly;
Oh, I shall see Him descend from the sky,
Coming for me, for me!
Coming for me! For me! –
Coming for me! For me! –
Oh, I shall see Him descend from the sky,
Coming for me! For me!
Many other carols highlight the glory of the new born King, Jesus.
His incarnation, priesthood, his righteousness, his life-giving power, his healing virtue, are all expressed.
The global impact of Christmas, as historically documented, is seen also in the carols highlighting the visit of the three wise men; kings from the East, who came to visit Jesus in a house, giving him gifts, in Bethlehem. That was after leaving the manger.
The impact of God’s redemption for mankind stems from his absolute love, which would not discard or abandon us. Imagine being asked to die for a condemned armed robber, a terrorist, or a morally corrupt person in your community; would you oblige or voluntarily rush out to do so? Certainly not; judging by general human standards. For a good man or woman in society, some people may agree reluctantly or hardly opt to die in their places or stead.
However, that unpopular and unlikely line of action was what God took. Read how the Holy Bible tells us:
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God demonstrated his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans 5:6-10.
Our first parents sinned by deliberate disobedience to God. Being our foundational and therefore representative parents, Adam and Eve. ushered sin into the world with the deception by Satan. The choice was theirs to obey God or Satan. Their choice had severe spiritual and physical implications. As forewarned by God, death was the result. Man died spiritually by being cut off and out of fellowship with God. This effect passed on to all mankind. Genesis 2: 16-17 God instructed Adam not to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As we found out later, Adam disobeyed God. Adam was not deceived by the devil, but Eve was. Genesis 3:1-19, 21. Adam chose to join his wife in disobeying God. God pronounced curse upon them and consequently upon the whole human race.
God prophetically declared the ultimate redemption of mankind thus:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman; and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3: 15.

It is the seed of the woman and not the seed of the man. God, the Maker, is Omniscient. Jesus Christ was born with conception between the seed of the woman and the HOLY SPIRIT; not involving the seed of man.
The prophecy was fulfilled thus: Thousands of years later, God sent an angel called Gabriel to a Jewish virgin called Mary. The angel said to Mary:
Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great; and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the LORD God shall give unto him the throne of his father, David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Luke 1: 30-33.
As for Mary, that was too hard to take and difficult to comprehend. She was humble, but bold enough to ask the angel:
How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? Luke 1: 34.
The angel replied, to allay her fears: The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you. Therefore, also, that holy thing that shall be born by you shall be called the Son of God.
To give her double assurance, the angel told her that her old cousin called Elizabeth had conceived in her old age. A woman considered by many to be hopeless as far as giving birth to a child; barren indeed, was an expectant mother; six months pregnant! Nothing is impossible to God. Luke 1: 35-37.
Thus, an overwhelmed, excited and humble Mary surrendered herself to God: Behold, I am the handmaiden of the LORD. Let it be done unto me as you have said. Luke 1: 38.
In the Garden of Eden, after their failure, God made coats of skin for Adam and Eve and clothed them. Genesis 3: 21. God must have killed an animal in the process. The blood of the animal was shed. GOD IS ABLE THOUGH TO MAKE COATS OF SKIN WITHOUT KILLING AN ANIMAL, BUT KNOWING THE SUBSEQUENT ORDER OF SACRIFICE, BLOOD HAVE BEEN SHED TO COVER THE GUILTY SHAME OF ADAM AND EVE. ADAM AND EVE WERE COVERED; LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SHED BLOOD OF THE SECOND ADAM THAT WAS TO COME; JESUS! Abel did not merely imagine a sacrifice of choice animal from his flock of sheep; he must have learnt it from his parents and from God.
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering. Genesis 4:4. Please read Genesis 4: 1-4. [What do you have to contribute on this?].
However, in the fullness of time, the reconciliatory initiative made by God through the death of his Son Jesus Christ removed the curse and judgment of death from us all. We have been reconciled to God by the death of Jesus Christ. We are saved by his life because he died, was buried but arose from the grave on the third day according to prophecies of the Scriptures. We can rejoice in victorious celebration. The Bible states:
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so, death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Romans 5:11-12.
The whole of mankind was hopelessly under the grip of sin and death. Before the law came by way of the Ten Commandments given to Moses, no man could be legally accused of sin, even though all sinned through Adam and Eve. The partaking in the failure of Adam and Eve was the inheritance of death which passed on to all mankind. That death was pronounced upon us conditionally by God. We entered into it by the choice of our fore-parents. We therefore inherited the death as well.
Jesus Christ came as the second Adam. He was perfect all the way. He obeyed God all the way. Greater still, Jesus Christ died for our sins instead of us all. He became sin for us, took our sin away. He died our death. Arose from the grave and freely offers and gives his life to all who would receive him! That is Love that is indescribable! It is such a great and wondrous love.
At this time of Christmas celebration, we remember that God sent his own begotten Son, Jesus, into the world. He was born in a manger, in the little town of Bethlehem, in Judea. Jesus Christ came on a rescue mission. He came to rescue mankind from sin and death. That rescue mission has been completed. Jesus came, born as a baby. He grew up and became a carpenter in Nazareth. He ministered across Jerusalem, towns and villages in Judea and Samaria in Palestine. He surrendered himself to be crucified after a torturing flogging with whips at the whipping post by fierce, cruel Roman soldiers. He died on the cross. He was buried and the tomb securely sealed. On the third day he arose from the grave and came out alive after a powerful earthquake broke through the sealed entrance to the tomb! By his life, Jesus Christ offers and gives new life to anyone who would listen, trust and obey him. Dear friend, you can be one of that great company as you read this message and respond with gratitude.
Come to God through Jesus Christ today, as you read this message. If you shall confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord. And believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, you shall be saved. With your heart you believe and you are made righteous. With your mouth you confess and you are saved. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10: 9-13.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16.
Jesus said:

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17.
To reject Jesus is to reject peace and everlasting life. That in essence, is self-condemnation. It is worse than suicide!
Indeed, Jesus Christ came into this world with the joint plan of his Father, the Almighty God. His mission was to rescue the whole of mankind. The rescue mission was accomplished. By his substitutionary death for every human being, Jesus Christ effected peace and reconciliation between God and mankind through his death on the cross. That was why he was born at Christmas. He was born as an obedient servant of God; born as willing spotless sacrificial lamb; born as a high priest; born as a king; born as the final judge of all the earth. Jesus Christ brings you and me peace from God. He enhances peace with God. Come to Jesus now. The other part of the angel’s message to Mary shall be fulfilled soon, when Jesus shall return to the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus Christ is coming again, very soon. Embrace him, so that you may have everlasting life and peace.
Jesus Christ Is The Reason Behind This Season Of Celebration Of Christmas. Come To Him Without Any Delay. Have you been to Jesus? Do you know his love and guidance? Keep yourself pure and holy; growing in the love of God. Keep looking for the blessed hope; the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Have A Blessed Jesus-centred Christmas And A Happy New Year, 2019. Shalom.

6 Jun

AGAPE NUGGETS

Posted by AgapeFocus in AGAPE NUGGETS, Marriage. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

If you say that you love a person and you do not always speak home truths to him or her, your love is fake. Such love is based on fear, falsehood,  discouragement, selfishness, wickedness, or any other form of evil. What if the other person rejects or rebuffs your good intentions? Then you are not liable, but your  association or relationship is on shaky grounds. Such relationship would not last, except there is change of attitude and repentance.
If you are married, please go all out to love and cherish your relationship with your spouse. Do not take him or her for granted. Commit your ways unto the LORD. Trust and obey his words. Respect each other. Communicate freely and openly with each other every day. Do things together- praying, eating, walking, listening, leisure, sleeping, resting, holidaying and sexual intimacy. Planning comes without saying, for these to be achievable. When the children start to come never allow your relationship to become sidelined!
If you are single, never enter into any relationship which would not improve your life morally, spiritually with God, your life skills and ensure continuity of the basic needs of life. Your peace of mind, body and soul are of vital importance. Evil companionship corrupts good manners.
Bear in mind the fact that you cannot improve yourself by resisting the good counsel and supportive efforts of your true friends. One of such friends may desire to spend the rest of his or her life with you as your spouse in the near future! If you spoil your chances you may regret later. Therefore, be steadfast, diligent and watchful. Be prayerful and focused in life also. Keep your body pure and chaste. Pre-marital sex does no good to marital foundation and happiness. Your life needs to be cleansed of such impurity and sin in order to build a solid foundation for Christian Marriage.  Never toy with counselling from trusted Christian persons and your pastor.
Dear friend, let me humbly tell you an important home truth. If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ, you are lost and you probably do not realise this fact yet.
You can rectify this situation before it is too late!
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved.
Sincerely call upon Jesus now. Invite him into your life. Jesus Christ would honour your invitation and come in to change your life for the better. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. Romans 10: 9-13. Please do so quickly anywhere you may be now. Quietly from your heart; or in your room; in the bathroom or even in the toilet! In the plane travelling or on the motorcycle; you can surrender your life to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners. That includes me and you. Nobody is exempted. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16. Please let us know that you have made the decision to follow Jesus Christ. We shall be glad to support you in your walk with Jesus. We send you useful materials of faith in Jesus. We would also link you with the Church nearest to you for good fellowship.
God bless you.

5 Aug

IMPORTANT LIFE CHOICES: WORK AND BIBLICAL MARRIAGE

Posted by AgapeFocus in IMPORTANT LIFE CHOICES, Work and Biblical Marriage. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

You are welcome to Biblical Counselling with Agape Focus. We are considering two of the many important choices we make as human beings, namely work and marriage. Although everyone makes choices on earth; some choices are viewed as being more important than others by the different people who make them. We are focusing on work and Biblical Marriage. Everyone needs food, clothes, shelter or house. Therefore you need money from a regular job to secure these basic needs of life. Anyone who refuses to work should not rightfully expect to eat. God, our Maker, instructed us from day 1 to work and that order has not changed. You must be able to feed, clothe and house yourself before taking care of others. Christian Marriage and Biblical Marriage are one and the same, barring modern-day ignorance, which lead to misconceptions, misinterpretations and confusion.  Marriage is meant for a life time. The present human conflict over marriage does not reduce the life time importance of marriage.

Marriage is meant for companionship, sexual fulfilment and procreation. A man and a woman come into relationship that leads into marriage because they have discovered that there is mutual trust and friendship. Their desires in life are worthwhile and have good prospect. They are in love and are hopeful of spending their future lives together. They are poised to face realities such as finance, accommodation, genetic counselling, family planning and the future. As Christians, their first point of consideration is being sure of God’s leading after much prayerful thought. Good marriage counselling from more matured Christians is very essential. The final choice belongs to the two.

The modern confusion over human sexuality and marriage is not from God, the Maker of marriage. Biologically,there is no inheritable gene for homosexuality! All various claims of human sexuality, other than the traditional and natural orders of male and female do not have scientific proofs! Human beings have only decided to do things their own way. The consequences of human violations of the plan of God for mankind and marriage are destabilising and dangerous! The plan of God is 1MAN+1WOMAN=TRUE MARRIAGE. When you choose to get married, be guided by selfless love, maturity, understanding and great responsibility. Each man and woman coming together should know that it is meant  for life time, till either of them dies. Any disobedience such as in abuses and divorces brings lots of trouble; not only to the disobedient, but to the innocent children produced! Human laws in any nation or internationally which contradict the plan of God are acts of rebellion! God would punish individuals, organizations, and nations who rebel through such dirty and immoral acts, legislations or edicts no matter how highly placed. The Biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah is an historical fact which has been verified by Science and Archaeology. In fact judgment has started in the present age and would be more severe and disastrous at the final day of judgement! True repentance is the only way out. Delayed repentance is also dangerous. Picking on those who uphold the truth and decency of heterosexuality is making the matter worse. Choosing the model of homosexuality is unpopular. Compelling modern society to embrace and endorse the choices of others, against their own beliefs, makes the matter worse. It is wrong, unfair, illegal and constitutes confusion-master piece! The permission of gay couples to produce children through surrogate, third-party volunteers, sends conflicting signals already; and their choice constitutes the peak of self deception and delusion. Who is fooling who? If they truly wanted children; why did they not choose the natural way through a man and a woman? Nobody can mock or deceive God. The roles of the USA and UK governments and governments in the Western world are not only unpopular, but also unfair, since the views of the minority are being imposed upon the majority, through the back doors of legislation and judiciary! We demand a REFERENDUM!
Another problem is that of divorce. Marriage has been turned into a plaything. People enter into marriage, sitting on the edge and watching critically. At the least provocation and manifestation of problems, they opt for separation or divorce. It was not so in the beginning. It is a great responsibility for a father and a mother to bring up children together. How much harder it would be for only one parent to carry the burden alone! Generally, children brought up without responsible male and female adults living under the same roof as parents are not as balanced as those living in normal, married heterosexual relationships. Give God room in your personal and family lives. Reverence for God, selfless love, and consideration for others, especially your spouse, would help to keep your relationship alive. Allowing God to help you would enable you to experience stability, peace of mind and joy.

2 Nov

REMEMBRANCE AND THANKSGIVING

Posted by AgapeFocus in REMEMBRANCE AND THANKSGIVING. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

At this time of the year , November precisely, we often remember and celebrate the lives and commitment or our beloved ones who gave their lives in order that we may have and enjoy relative peace. Our memories of them is a continuing source of encouragement and strength to our lives as individuals, as family members, as friends and as patriots. There have been moments of tears, deep sighs, thoughts, dreams and heartfelt expressions. Different emotions and sentiments are expressed, based on the depth of love or closeness with these dear, departed ones. Life is a mixture of sweet and bitter; pleasant and painful; joyful and sorrowful experiences. Some of these losses both recent and from distant past still feel fresh or are being continually refreshed.
In the midst of our pain, sorrow, loneliness, anxiety and grief, Jesus Christ offers us comfort, companionship, peace, hope and joy. Wars and hostilities, both internally and internationally have raged and are still raging. From the 1st and 2nd World Wars, to regional wars, civil wars and onslaughts of terrorist activities, human lives continue to be undervalued and wasted. Hostilities are still going on in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine and Nigeria. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has not been easily resolved. Abuses of military and economic powers continue to promote and fuel acts of terrorism and vandalism across the globe.Some individuals and nations are guilty in this regard.That is why irresponsible and barbarous groups as IS and Boko Haram are still flexing their muscles. The International Community looks relatively helpless! BUT THE TIME FOR UNITED NEUTRALIZING ACTION IS NOW, BEING ALREADY OVERDUE!
Christopher Foster once said:

“The memories we cherish are enduring, the pains and sorrows we feel do not often pass quickly, and we are conscious of our lives continuing to be changed by the past and the present. Often we are sustained by the love and care of others who support us while, for many, faith nourishes us with the promise that eternal love binds us together in life and death.”

It is only good and worthwhile to look after the families and dependants of the departed fallen heroes and heroines!It shows more how truly appreciative we are. On the same not ex-service men and women should be properly looked after, including those who have become disabled!
Thomas Attig said:

“As we cherish memories we return to freshen and deepen our understanding of those who have died, attend to them again, bring them closer, embrace them in their absence, reconnect with some of the best in life, feel grateful, feel the warmth of our love for them, sense that they are grateful for our remembering and feel the warmth of their love for us.”

Human beings throughout history look confused and helpless in the face of death. Death strikes when he is ready. Death is the common enemy of mankind! We are limited and powerless, but God Almighty knows it all. God has power over life and death! Jesus Christ has defeated death!
Jesus said: “I am the living one! I was dead, but I have authority over death and the world of the dead. ” (Revelations 1:18).
Death came because of sin. Mankind was designed by God to live forever! The corruption and wickedness in the world is the fruit of sin and death is the due reward. At the right time in history, God took the initiative to rescue mankind from sin and death. He did so through Jesus Christ. God then made it possible for us to receive his nature and thus become free from the power of sin and its consequences, which are spiritual and physical deaths. These bring in sicknesses, diseases and all kinds of woes! Jesus Christ delivered us from all of theses woes which come from disobeying God. Jesus set us free.
The Bible states: Being now made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord(Romans 6:22-23).
Jesus Christ died for our sins to pay the wages for us. He arose from the dead to make us assured of pardon and give new life from God[the God-Kind-of Life] to us.
The Bible states: If you shall confess with your mouth, Jesus as Lord and shall believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart a person believes and is made righteous and with the mouth he confesses and is saved. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:9-10, 13.

Jesus is alive. Death is vanquished! Because Jesus lives, all those who believe in him shall live also. For the believer in Christ, death is not final. At resurrection God gives those who believe new bodies; bodies which never die. (2 Corinthians 5:1-10)

Jesus said: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11:25-26a).
Overwhelmed by the problems of life, Jeremiah encouraged himself in the prevailing power of God Almighty: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23). Jesus is the Prince of Peace. A time is coming soon when there shall no longer be wars. When Jesus comes to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. Then people of every nation shall not learn about wars. Swords shall be converted into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. (Isaiah 2:2-4)
Life is full of choices. We make choices daily. The choices we make affect our lives presently and for the future. Each person needs to examine his life and make a U-turn back to God. A good gift offered needs to be received in order to be owned. God offers us his peace. Peace in the heart and mind; peace at home; peace in our communities; peace in our nations and peace in our world.
Prayer: O LORD of peace; Thank You for the offer of your peace. Help us to accept the peace you have given through your Son Jesus Christ, who has made peace between us and You. Forgive us of our failures and trespasses. Help each one of us to repent and be converted to You. At this time of remembrance, we thank you for the lives of millions of our people across nations of the world who fought and served in various wars, so that we may have relative peace. Help each one of us still alive, to humbly examine himself, call upon Jesus and receive your pardon and inward peace. We ask through the same Jesus Christ, who is the coming Prince of Peace; King of kings and Lord of lords. Amen.

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