Tag: Acts 17:11

Chosen of God

On November 8, 2024

The “Chosen of God” is a blessing to me because the salvation of the world was not left to man’s devices. Antichrists have existed for years and the agenda they push is nothing new. They follow after the father of lies, the devil. Our Saviour, the second person of the Trinity, new from the foundations of the earth that man could not stop sinning. Nor could man’s sacrifices forgive their sins. Only the shed blood of Jesus Christ could be the propitiation for mankind’s sins. Noah Webster defines the word “propitiation” as:

The atonement or atoning sacrifice offered to God to assuage his wrath and render him propitious to sinners. Christ is the propitiation for the sins of men.

Jesus, the Chosen One, took OUR sins upon Himself. This could not have been left to any human being because a human being would not be able to handle it. The pain and suffering Christ went through in order to be the perfect sacrificial Lamb is more than a mere mortal could withstand. If you want to see just what the Lord was subjected to when He was sacrificed for your sins, you can read about it here. If that doesn’t convinced you why sins’ payment had to be paid by the Chosen One, I don’t know what will!

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

God, the only One who is righteous, chose Himself to be the atonement for mankind’s sins. He became the perfect sacrifice by shedding His own blood. Today’s verse explains that Jesus is the Chosen One but the next two verses explain it further:

1 Peter 2:5-6 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (6) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

The Chosen of God, Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone of our faith, did not leave me confounded when I accepted His perfect work on the cross for my sins! The word confounded is a beautiful word here. Noah Webster defines it as:

Mixed or blended in disorder; perplexed; abashed; dismayed; put to shame and silence; astonished.

My friend, the bible says that when we are born again, we are no longer mixed or blended in the disorder of religion. We are no longer confounded, perplexed and dismayed on the life of Christian living. Jesus, the Word of God, (Revelation 19:13) has provided His very words through the Bible so we can know all we need to know.

1 John 2:26-27 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. (27) But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

It is important for us to search the scriptures when we hear someone preaching. This anointing that was given to us at the time of salvation, the Holy Spirit, will alert us to preaching that is not according to the scriptures.

Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Don’t be deceived by the spirit of the antichrist, which is alive and well today. There are many televangelists who are making tons of money on the backs of the poor and those seeking. They mislead many and have no shame. But the Chosen One of God promises peace and rest. He does not lay on us any “rules and regulations” that are burdensome.

Mat 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The Chosen of God has promised rest to our souls. We no longer have to wonder IF we will make it to heaven or HOPE we will make it there. Rest means REST and peace. Our burdens are lifted at the cross of Calvary where the Chosen of God shed His blood for our sins. The Chosen of God took on our punishment and paid the penalty. Praise the Lord for Jesus, the Chosen of God!

If you’re remotely interested in learning more about the Christ, please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Is Time With God a Chore?

By Kate Plourde

On October 21, 2024

In Devotionals

Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving | Fall thanksgiving ...

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4

What is meant by this verse? Have you ever entered into an argument with your spouse having a defensive attitude? How did it go? Proverbs 15:1 tells us “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” Oh how true this is! What do you think would have happened if you entered into that same argument having prayed and asked the Lord to give you a compassionate and unselfish eyes and heart?

With that in mind, have you entered into the Lord’s gates today? I recall a preacher’s message on our covenant with God. It got me thinking how blessed we are that Christ’s death and resurrection created a covenant for us with the Father – for all born again believers! What a joy to meditate on that today. So today, I want to encourage each of you toward righteousness.

We do not need to be defeated Christians. We do not need to give in to temptation. We just need to be hard workers at our faith in our precious Saviour. I’m sure many gives it his/her “all” when it comes to caring for the family, the home, etc. We can’t stop there … we need to care for our spiritual lives with just as much zeal and effort. Yes, working to provide for the family, cleaning the bathroom, and doing laundry is a chore. Speaking as a woman, I just don’t get that same effervescent feeling the lady in the commercial gets about my scrubbing bubbles cleaning my toilet, ya know? It’s WORK to get these chores done – but the feeling of satisfaction afterwards is priceless!

Making sure that we cover all the areas of our spiritual lives is work also. But this “work” has eternal results. The work for our family and in our homes is temporary – there will always be another bill to pay – the dust will always come back and there will always be dishes and laundry to do. But the work we do for the Lord is forever. I think of Christ’s account of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. This was not one of His parables but Jesus referred to actual women. The Lord placed this account in the Bible as a lesson! Mary spent her time at Jesus’ feet while Martha busied herself with the chores. Mary gleaned from the Master while Martha missed out on His blessings from the Bible.

Working at our spiritual lives is just that – WORK! Here is a little something that helps me strive in this area of devotional time and I want to share it with you.

W – Wake up with the Lord with song! Sing your favorite hymn – you know the one – it just speaks to your heart and gets you in the right mood – Mine is “Amazing Grace.” (See Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16)

O – Open my heart to Him in prayer. I believe in making my heart right with God before praying for others. I confess my sins, I love on Him real good and then I pray for others. I have a prayer list – in fact, I’m making a prayer journal to start using – and I keep this list with my Bible – the list is so long but I’ve broken it down by days so each day has a different grouping of people (i.e. Sunday = church family; Monday = missionaries; etc. I record specific details for each of these people so I’m praying for specific needs, not generalities. (see James 5:16)

R – Read His Word! Reading God’s Word is a learned trait. Don’t be so stringent that you don’t enjoy His Word. I have three separate times for reading.

The first is my sweet time with Him. Let’s say today is the 11th of the month. I read my Proverb of the day (there are conveniently 31 Proverbs, one each for the 31 days in the month). I then read my Psalms for the day (I read Psalm 11 (then add 30), Psalm 41, Psalm 71, Psalm 101, and Psalm 131. I then read the 11th division or section of Psalm 119. This method for reading Psalms enables me to read the entire Book of Psalms every month.
I then go to my next goal and that is to read through the Bible. Sometimes we set goals that we just can’t keep and then we feel defeated and give up totally. I would rather keep at it and be blessed then to give up. So read through your Bible using a plan that works best for you.
My third reading comes with studying God’s Word. We’re commanded to study to show ourselves approved UNTO GOD Not to show off our knowledge to others, not to puff ourselves up thinking we’re better than others – but approved UNTO GOD. This is where we dive into meaty things and learn – not learning from someone else’s studying but learning for ourselves. I’m currently studying Daniel. If you are blessed enough to be in a church where the messages are archived, search for a book that you’ve been wanting to study and follow along. I have a notebook and use e-Sword so I can look up verses quickly. Jot down what the Lord teaches you. Be a good Berean and search out whether the preaching is on point with Scriptures. (Acts 17:11)

K – Keep Him in the forefront of my mind all day. When we have sung, prayed and read, it’s pretty hard to forget the God you started your day with. Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

I use to have my time with Him at night because my children were early risers and I ran from the time they woke up till it was time for their bedtime. However, I found that I did not get the fuel and spiritual energizing I so needed to make it through the day. It took hard work to get up in the wee hours to have my time with the Lord. I was not always faithful but I kept at it.

Of course, we all have different routines and whatever works best for you is what you should be faithful to. If you have little ones at home, don’t despair. Your time will come where you will have all the time you need in the mornings. Maybe your time is nap time or after their bed time. If you don’t have a special time, resolve to yourself to make one. If you want to succeed at this, hold yourself accountable to someone. Ask a good friend to hold you accountable daily in this area. One who won’t take excuses but will lovingly tell you that your excuse is not a good one! Pro 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Dear God…
Help me to be like Mary
As I start this day, oh Lord
Mindful of the things I’ve gleaned
From Your Holy Word!

Peace Through Troubled Times – Lovers of Pleasures More Than Lovers of God

By Kate Plourde

On November 29, 2023

In Devotionals, Peace Through Troubled Times

2 Timothy 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Lovers of pleasures – is that not the type of person that the mainstream media wishes to capture? They try to attract your various senses in order to achieve the devil’s goals. What they are selling must “look” better, “sound” better, “smell” better, “handle” (touch) better, and “taste” better. The latest iPhone is $1,600! The sad thing is that Americans will stop at nothing in order to have the greatest and best.

A Google search revealed that low-income people spent their money on smartphones despite their lack of money. It is sad to think that the latest smartphone will take precedence over much-needed items for the home.

	Cellphone	Smartphone
College graduate	98%	93%
Less than $30,000	97%	76%
$30,000-$49,999	97%	83%
$50,000-$74,999	97%	85%

It isn’t wrong to want a smartphone. But, does it take priority over your love of God? To love things more than God is the issue in today’s Bible verses. It encompasses many areas. Do you love food more than God? Do you love nice clothes more than God? Whatever your heart is set on having, do you desire it more than you desire God? We see this prove out in church attendance.

In 2006, Gallup reported that the lowest rates of church attendance among the 48 contiguous states were in Nevada and the New England states of Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine.

How very sad to see my home State of Maine in this report, although it does not surprise me. Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God are quite prevalent in our world today.

Even “religion” is guilty in this area. It almost seems like an oxymoron, but is it? People will cling to their religious upbringing over God’s Word! The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were guilty of this. But before you get too harsh with them, look at the church you attend. Are you obeying teachings from the pulpit only because the preacher said to? Did you compare what he said with what the Bible says on the issue?

Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Popular social platforms, such as abortion, should not even be considered in religious circles! What born-again Christian can support abortion? That’s truly a lover of pleasure over a lover of God. What pleasure, you may ask? It’s the pleasure of convenience. Killing an unborn child is convenient if it is not “a good time” to have a child.

You must ultimately decide your own “platform.” Will your platform be built on the pleasures of this world or on the pleasures of God? If you are born again, your ultimate guide is your Bible. If God speaks against something, you must be against it; and vice versa. It’s the Scriptures that will open your eyes to God’s desires for your life. His Word should be your platform! God’s Word is the measuring stick for everything. (Acts 17:11)

Psalm 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

If you are not truly born-again, there is coming a time when it will be too late for you to repent and be saved. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab You Can Be Born Again and Know It!