Timeless monument of Christ - Take this bread and wine

 

Timeless monument of Christ

Monuments are usually a part of history. To remember a great person, a great battle, a great deed. We see these monuments of remembrance everywhere in every country, city or town. Some are religious and some are not. Some are clean and some are covered by debris.

Thinking of these great monuments and statues, I marvel at the monument of Christ. The way he chose to be remembered - not by a statue or monument or a physical building - but by the breaking of bread

His words to those following him were:'do this to remember me.

For centuries this is what the church has been doing. They remembered him by breaking bread and drinking wine. An unusual statue that transcends time and space. One that survived wars and destruction. One that can be remembered and celebrated anytime, anywhere.

A monument not made by the hands of man. A monument made by the simple daily needs of man, eating and drinking - so easy, so simple and so cheap, anyone can do it.

The Lord Jesus Christ, Lord of Life is remembered by bread and wine. 

Hope

 

My friend went for a therapy session with Hope - her name is really Hope. The wonderful thing is, she brings hope to people by just doing her Job. Giving people glimpses of hope for the days to come. 

I keep thinking there must be a greater hope. One that will lift our Souls so that we can prosper as our souls prosper. 

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:11

He restores my soul... Psalm 23

Why is it that we know these verses, but the reality is in stark contrast with what we read?

What is our way out? 

Surrender

Trust

Trust that cultivate hope and hope will not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 

Without hope our faith is dead and our love only nostalgia. Hope is the catalyst of life. 

May God restore your soul so that you will always have hope. He is a good Father. 

A Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles 2 Cor 1:3, 4

God is a redeemer, Saviour, Helper, comforter. If you need him - ask and keep on asking. 

Prayer:Lord help me. Let my soul prosper so that I can prosper. 

Seed of God's word

Seed of God’s Word

Have you ever tried to grow a plant from it’s seed? It takes a lot of care, attention, dedication and patience… ask my wife!

I was reading the parable of the sower that sow seeds in Luke 8 today, and what struck me, was the fact that wherever the seed fell, it grew. 

Some seed fell on the rocks - IT SPROUTED and then withered away because there was no moisture.

Some seed fell among the thorns - IT GREW and then it was choked out by the thorns.

Some seed that fell beside the road was trampled underfoot, IT FED the birds of the sky. 

And then some seed fell on good soil, and PRODUCED a crop a hundred times as great.

The seed in this passage is personified as the Word of God (Luk 8:11). It made me think of Heb 4:12 in the Passion Translation that states the following:

12 For we have the living Word of God, which is full of energy, like a two-mouthed sword. It will even penetrate to the very core of our being where soul and spirit, bone and marrow meet! It interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts.   Heb 4:12 (TPT)

Friends, never underestimate the inherent power that is in Word of God!

Read the Word of God

Hear the Word of God

Speak the Word of God

Declare the Word of God

Jesus himself said: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ (Luk 4:4 NKJV)

The Word of God is full of energy, why not use it?

God of more than enough

 

The God of more than enough

Jesus fed the crowds on two occasions where He multiplied the bread. One time Jesus fed 5000 men, add to them woman and children. The other time Jesus fed 4000 with 7 loaves of bread.

Both times there were left overs. On the first occasion 12 baskets of bread pieces were left over and the other time 7 baskets of broken pieces.

On another occasion they only had 1 loaf of bread with them in the boat. While on the boat, Jesus started teaching them to be careful about leaven,  “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Mark 8:15

Jesus wanted to teach them to be on the watch out for the Roman governmental system and the Pharisaic religious system where God was not welcomed. 

The disciples thoughts and discussions went directly to the one bread on the boat… 

“And they began discussing with one another the fact that they don't have enough bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?” Mark 8:17-18

Then Jesus reminded and asked them about the left overs of the two bread-miracles. By this he reminded them that if He could multiply 5 loaves and 7 loaves to feed thousands of people, most assuredly He could multiply one bread to feed a small boat crew!

Let us build memorials of God’s provision in our lives, so that when we find ourselves in a season with one bread in the boat, we can remind ourselves of past miracles and that God will do it again with this one bread!

Friends, today I prophesy over you that God is your provider and will come through! Let’s ponder on these words of Paul “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19

He is the God of left overs - more than enough. 

Remember God - by Maryna Jovner

Throughout the Bible scriptures reminds us to remember God and what he has done in our lives. 

Take time to reflect and set up a stone of remembrance, whether a physical or spiritual stone, thanking God for big and small things in your life. 

This can be as simple as a thought in your journal or a real stone that you picked up as a reminder of what God has done.

Joshua 4:5 says: The stones will be a reminder to you. When your children ask someday, ‘Why are these stones important to you?’tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing before the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

 We need these "stones" of remembrance, because we think we will remember and if we don't make an effort we wont.

Do not limit God

 

Recently, in our men's Bible study group, we discussed the Scripture in Acts 19 where people were healed and delivered under Paul's ministry, that "even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them."Acts 19:11‭-‬12 NIV 

In this same week, as I was busy reading the portion of my reading plan, to read through the New Testament, I read the following of Jesus as he went around and minister: "And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed." Mark 6:56 NIV 

I was also reminded about the woman with the issue of blood that touched Jesus' cloak and got healed, "She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped." Luke 8:44 NIV 

So what do we make of these events that happened in the Bible? 

Do we formalise a doctrine, gather cloths, pray over them and send it away as in Paul's day?

Do we steer away from anything that remotely may border on superstition?

Or do we embrace the fact that this could be a way that the supernatural power of God is transferred into our world? 

For me, the timeless truth that God wants to heal us, is important to note and believe. 

Furthermore, Jesus healed people by laying hands on them, he spoke a word to the centurion and his servant was healed without him even being near the child (Matt 8:13) And yes, when people touch his cloak, they were healed! 

My challenge for us today would be not to limit God in the ways He wants to heal us, and even be open to other ways that He wants to heal! 

I believe the following Scripture with all my heart and will always contend in prayer and faith for healing. 

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 NIV

The Spiritual realm knows

 

*The spiritual realm knows* 

The book of Mark opens up with two accounts where Jesus drove out demons / impure spirits from people.

The first account happened in a synagogue, when an impure spirit cried out: 

“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!” “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. Mark 1:23‭-‬26 NIV 

The second account is described where

"Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was." Mark 1:34 NIV 

What is noteworthy is the fact that Mark tells us that the demons knew who Jesus was: 

"I know who you are...” Mark 1:24

"they knew who he was" Mark 1:34 

What the people in Jesus' day didn't know about Jesus, the spiritual realm did... 

For us today, as born again believers in Jesus Christ, we can know what is happening in the spiritual realm. 

Why? Because we have the Spirit of God living inside of us, and He knows all things and can reveal things in the spiritual realm to us. 

Eph 6:12 says "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." 

Sometimes times we trust God for a breakthrough in our lives, and without looking for a demon behind every bush, there might sometimes be a blockage in the spiritual world that we need to know of, so that we can pray specific to God and ask Him to help us! 

Yet even sometimes spiritual breakthrough comes with a simple act of obedience, or in adhering to Biblical principles, for example to love one another and to forgive one another. Physical obedience will cause spiritual spiritual release in our lives. 

In all of these instances, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us, because our lives here on earth are more spiritual than we would like to think...

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18