What God Has Put His Hand To, What God Has Ordained, These Things Cannot Be Overthrown by Human Effort or Interference

Today's Focus Scripture: Acts 5:30-42 

Acts 5:30-42

(The time of the arraignment of the apostles before the Sanhedrin)

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross.
31 He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
33 But when they [the Sanhedrin] heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them.
34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time.
35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men.
36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.
38 So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown;
39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”
40 They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them.
41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.
42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

What We All Have In Common Is the Need For the Remission Of Our Sins

Today's Focus Scripture: Acts 2:38-47

Acts 2:38-47
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness [remission] of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 
39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 
40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 
41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 
44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 
45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 
46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.


LAGNIAPPE:

verse 38 - FORGIVENESS

απηεσισ Strong's G859

Pronunciation: af'-es-is
Definition: 
1) release from bondage or imprisonment
2) forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty

from 863; freedom; (figuratively) pardon:-deliverance, forgiveness, liberty, remission. see GREEK for 863

Being Sons of Light, Darkness Cannot Overtake Us Completely By Surprise as a Thief In the Night; Live Together In Peace

Today's Focus Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-13

1 Thessalonians 5:1-13
1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.
2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;
5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;
6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.
7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.
8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.
11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,
13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.


J.B. Phillips (PHILLIPS)
1 Thessalonians 5:1-13
But as far as times and seasons go, my brothers, you don’t need written instructions. You are well aware that the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a burglary to a householder. When men are saying “Peace and security” catastrophe will sweep down upon them as suddenly and inescapably as birth-pangs to a pregnant woman. But because you, my brothers, are not living in darkness the day cannot take you completely by surprise. After all, burglary only takes place at night! You are all sons of light, sons of the day, and none of us belongs to darkness or the night. Let us then never fall into the sleep that stupefies the rest of the world: let us keep awake, with our wits about us. Night is the time for sleep and the time when men get drunk, but we men of the daylight should be alert, with faith and love as our breastplate and the hope of our salvation as our helmet. For God did not choose us to condemn us, but that we might secure his salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. He died for us, so that whether we are “awake” or “asleep” we share his life. So go on cheering and strengthening each other with thoughts like these, as I have no doubt you have been doing. We ask you too, my brothers, to get to know those who work so hard among you. They are your spiritual leaders to keep you on the right path. Because of this high task of theirs, hold them in highest honour. Live together in peace.

Do You Think That the Scripture Speaks To No Purpose?

Today's Focus Scripture:  James 4:1-10

James 4:1-10

1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 

2 You lust and do not have;so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 

4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 

5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “The spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy?" 

6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 

8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.

10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.


LANGIAPPE:
The writer of this blog today has come across the word "ENVY" quite a bit in the past weeks. The understanding of envy has always been equal to jealousy as far as I could tell. However, these 2 words, envy and jealousy are not at all similar words in definition and meaning. On the one hand, jealously desires something for self, whereas envy desires to deprive others of what they have.

Envy is distinctly evil, compared to Admiration.  Envy is the supposed sin of Cain, and lead to murder.

Job 5:2
For wrath kills a foolish man,
And envy slays a simple one. 

(Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words)
ENVY: 
The distinction lies in this, that "envy" desires to deprive another of what he has, "jealousy" desires to have the same or the same sort of thing for itself. 


Psalm 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

(NOAH WEBSTER'S 1828 DICTONARY of AMERICAN ENGLISH)

ENVY:
v.t. [L. invideo, in and video, to see against, that is, to look with enmity.]

1. To feel uneasiness, mortification or discontent, at the sight of superior excellence, reputation or happiness enjoyed by another; to repine at another's prosperity; to fret or 
grieve one's self at the real or supposed superiority of another, and to hate him on that account.

2. To grudge; to withhold maliciously.

ENVY:
n. 
Pain, uneasiness, mortification or discontent excited by the sight of another's superiority or success, accompanied with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often or usually with a desire or an effort to depreciate the person, and with pleasure in seeing him depressed. 
Envy springs from pride, ambition or love, mortified that another has obtained what one has a strong desire to possess. 

(Emulation differs from envy, in not being accompanied with hatred and a desire to depress a more fortunate person.)

Though We Were Slaves (To Sin) and May Have Been Useless, Onesimus Is An Example of Being Restored To Freedom In Christ

Today's Focus Scripture: Philemon 1:1-12

Philemon 1:1-12

New King James Version (NKJV)

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, 2 to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers,5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.8 Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ — 10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, 11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.12 I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart... 

A Correct Response: Forgive and Give Grace To Others, Then You Will Receive More Love and More Grace

Today's Focus Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:10

2 Corinthians 10:10 (From today's "Cross the Bridge" Daily Evoltional with Pastor David McGee)


A Right Response 

2 Corinthians 10:10

"For his letters," they say, "are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible."
NKJV

It's hard to imagine that there were ever people who spoke evil of the apostle Paul, but that's exactly what was happening. Obviously, someone should have been shutting these people down, but I don't think people were. People that were rebellious and had bad intentions were being critical of Paul. People were critical of Jesus, and Jesus was perfect. Paul was a great leader, one of the greatest, but still people talked bad about him. People will be critical of me or of you. I've often wondered how those who gossiped, criticized and tried to convince others that Paul was fake felt when they got to heaven and Paul was recognized and rewarded for being who he was called to be?

Yes, there are going to be times where people disappoint us or even hurt us, but the Bible does not give us license to respond with gossip or hatred. The world lives that way, but the church should not. Instead, we should respond in love, forgiveness and grace. We should think the best of others, including our leaders. The more we do this the more God will begin bringing more love, joy and grace into our own lives. So if you desire to experience more love and grace from others, begin showing more love and grace towards other today!

Life Lesson: Sow good things into the lives of others. Love others. Encourage others. Forgive and give grace to others, then you will receive more love, more grace, and more encouragement from others.

Dear God,
I know there have been times that I have withheld love or grace because of my attitude towards someone else. Help me to overcome that bitterness so that I can be like Christ and show love even when someone has hurt me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Cross the Bridge
crossthebridge.com

The Perfect Law of Liberty Has Been Engrafted Into Our Hearts; So Be Not Forgetful Hearers, But Doers

Today's Focus Scripture: James 1:17-25

James 1:17-25

(NKJV)

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 
¹⁸ Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
¹⁹ So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 
²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 
²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 
²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 
²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:17-25

J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

^17-18 But every good endowment that we possess and every complete gift that we have received must come from above, from the Father of all lights, with whom there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency. By his own wish he made us his own sons through the Word of truth that we might be, so to speak, the first specimens of his new creation.

^19-20 In view of what he has made us then, dear brothers, let every man be quick to listen but slow to use his tongue, and slow to lose his temper. For man’s temper is never the means of achieving God’s true goodness.

^21-25 Have done, then, with impurity and every other evil which touches the lives of others, and humbly accept the message that God has sown in your hearts, and which can save your souls. Don’t I beg you, only hear the message, but put it into practice; otherwise you are merely deluding yourselves. The man who simply hears and does nothing about it is like a man catching the reflection of his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, it is true, but he goes on with whatever he was doing without the slightest recollection of what sort of person he saw in the mirror. But the man who looks into the perfect mirror of God’s law, the law of liberty (or freedom), and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who sees and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness.

LAGNIAPPE:

Verse 21: Implanted – Engrafted – Sown

Strong's G1721 – emphytos (a derivative of Strong’s G5453)

1) inborn, implanted by nature, implanted by others instruction

Strong's G5453 - phyō

1) to beget, bring forth, produce

2) to be born, to spring up, to grow

3) to shoot forth, spring up

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

James 1:21 Implanted, Engrafted, Sown

(KJV) Engrafted:

Note: This is the AV rendering of emphutos, Jam 1:21, an adjective derived from emphuo, "to implant;" the RV has "implanted." The metaphor is that of a seed rooting itself in the heart; cp. Mat 13:21; 15:13; 1Cr 3:6, and the kindred word sumphutos, Rom 6:5, "planted together" (sun, "with"). The AV "engrafted" would translate the word emphuteuton (from emphuteuo, "to graft"), which is not found in the NT; it uses enkentrizo in Rom. 11. Cp. ekphuo, "to cause to grow out, put forth" (leaves), Mat 24:32; Mar 13:28.