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7
March 2010
In Acts 4:7-13 we have a clear declaration of the
source of our salvation and of our continued activities
as believers. Peter and John have been arrested and
brought before the Sanhedrin, the group who condemned
Jesus to die. They are given a chance to account for
themselves. Peter gives the powerful statement on the
source of our authority, Jesus Christ! He is the only
reason we are saved and He is the one who guides and
empowers our actions. If you are trying to serve Jesus
in your own strength, stop. You can offer Him nothing.
If He commands you to do something that is impossible,
do it. He will never command you to do anything that He
is not prepared to empower you to do! We are saved
forever through Him and His sacrifice. We are able to
do anything He commands by the power He places about
us. Remember He said "All power is given unto Me, go ye
therefore..." Pray about it. God bless you all.
Bro. Russell
28
February 2010
In Isaiah 53 we have a unique picture of the
mission of our Lord Jesus Christ from 700 plus years
before His advent. We learn that we are all guilty but
He is the one who carries our sins. Jesus died to save
us and He lives forever. It is a passage that troubles
the Jewish leaders and theologians. It presents them
with questions they cannot answer. We find in it a
great comfort and a source of hope not only for
ourselves but for everyone. Today we will go over the
implications of God providing a remedy for our sins and
what that means for our daily lives. God bless you all.
Bro. Russell
21
February 2010
The testimony of the
righteous is always about the deliverance of the
Lord. Can you testify with the psalmist about
His faithfulness? In Psalm 34:4-9
the testimony of the writer is that the Lord can
be depended upon. We have heard the Lord answer
when we have called on Him. He has taken our
hand and led us slowly and carefully past the
most distressing of circumstances. He will not
disapoint us or leave us helpless. He is good
and His mercy endures forever. He is by our
side and He will bring us through all our
distress. Depend on Him! God bless you all.
Bro. Russell
14
February 2010
Not being Roman Catholics, we don't consider Valentine
any more of a saint than any other believer, but that
doesn't prevent us from considering LOVE. In
Ephesians 5:25-29 Paul gives a very unique
admonition to us about love. We are to love our wives
as Christ loved the church! That means that we are
not to be overlords of our wives (to do that we
would have to die and rise again on the third day) but
to sacrifice ourselves for our wives. Men the best
thing you can do for your wife and for your family
is to become more like Christ. You need to study
your Bible so that you know more than your wife does
about what God says. You need to pray more than your
wife does so you can be closer to God than she is (not
for any petty reason or any ego trip but to be the
leader). You need to alter your behavior so that you
act and speak more like Christ does. You need to take
the spiritual leadership in your family. That doesn't
mean the spiritual dictatorship; it means to be the
front runner in the race to Christ in your family. That
would be the greatest Valentine's gift you could give
your wife. Your wife and family can't follow where you
lead if you are behind them. Pray about it. God bless
you all!
Bro. Russell
7
February 2010
The Lord struck me with a passage
of scripture this week that I just had to share with
you. Exodus 16:4-10 deals with Moses and the Lord
facing the murmuring of the Israelites before the
giving of the ten commandments. Read it for
yourself. God has a message for His people about
trusting Him that rings true today. It is so easy
to blame the messenger for the message that we get
caught up in human foibles and miss what God is
saying to us. Trust God! That is the message He
has for us. Never count God out until He tells you
that it is not He who has spoken. No matter what
things look like to the human eye or mind, they are
actually like God says they are. He does not lie.
All we are called to do is trust. Pray about it.
God bless you all.
Bro. Russell
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