Proclamation227

Humble Yourself

Grace for Grace 2

Certainly, let's break down John 1:16 for a clearer understanding.  This verse from the Holy Bible reads: "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. "Breaking it down:"And of his fullness": This phrase refers to the abundance of blessings, grace, and goodness that come from Jesus Christ ."have all we received": It emphasizes that all believers have received from this abundance. It's a statement of inclusivity, highlighting that this grace is available to everyone who believes."and grace for grace": This part suggests a continuous flow of grace. In other words, as we receive grace from Christ, more grace continues to be poured out upon us. Overall, John 1:16 speaks to the abundant and continuous grace that believers receive from Jesus Christ. It's a reminder of the overflowing blessings available to those who have faith in Him.

Pray for a “sympathy breakthrough” “Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Col 3:12 NLT   The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” In his documentary on twentieth-century wars, Jonathan Glover refers to what he calls “sympathy breakthroughs.” Even in the situation of war, acts of compassion supersede the conflict. Most sympathy breakthroughs, according to Glover, are triggered by eye-to-eye contact, and that eye-to-eye contact displaces hand-to-hand combat. Have you ever had a sympathy breakthrough? If not, pray for one. It’s a moment when your tendency to hate is overcome by your will to love. A moment when proactive compassion overrules negative anger. A moment when you’re concerned more about someone else’s pain than your own. Those are the moments when you discover what it really means ...

What makes you glad, sad, or mad? “To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown.” Job 6:14 NKJV   A pastor writes: “What makes you glad or sad or mad? What puts a holy smile on your face? What causes your spirit to sob uncontrollably? What makes you pound your fist on the table out of righteous indignation? Somewhere in the mixture of that gladness, sadness, and madness is your God-ordained passion. Or maybe we should say compassion, because you are feeling what God feels. And once you identify it, doing something about it isn’t optional. You can’t not do something about it.” In 2006, Blake Mycoskie was touring Argentina when he noticed that many of the children didn’t have shoes. He could have returned to the United States and gone about his business. Instead, he started TOMS shoes, a business with a mission of putting shoes on the feet of children in third-world countries. It works like this: When you buy a pair of TOMS shoes, you’re giving a pair of shoes to a barefoot chi...

You are a wonder “I praise you because I am…wonderfully made.” Ps 139:14 NIV   Despite your aches and pains, you are a living, breathing, walking, talking wonder. The psalmist said, “You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (vv. 13-14 NIV). One author explains: “Most of us take our eyesight for granted, but even the simplest of processes is divinely complex. The retina, for example, conducts close to ten billion calculations every second, and that is before an image even travels through the optic nerve to the visual cortex. The human nose can detect one-millionth of one milligram of garlic floating in the air and distinguish among ten thousand distinct odors. The hairs blanketing your body magnify the sensation of touch so that you can discern a thousandth of an ounce of pressure on the tip of a half-inch hair. Amazing, isn’t it?” Trillions of chemical reactions are taking place in every cell of...

The art of being a sheep (2) “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” Ps 23:1 NIV   We need to know two things: (1) Our shepherd’s character. Jesus distinguished good shepherds from bad ones (See Jn 10:11-16). Bad shepherds look out for their own interests, not the welfare of the sheep. They’re unreliable; when a threat arises, they abandon the flock. But Jesus claimed, “I am the good shepherd” (Jn 10:11). What makes Him good? “The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (v. 11 NKJV). Their needs and their security come before his own, and if necessary, he will die for them. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (v. 14 NIV). Jesus knows each of His sheep individually and desires an intimate relationship with them. He calls each one by name; they trust Him and follow where He leads (See Jn 10:3). You can rely on your shepherd to protect and guide you! (2) The sheep’s condition is the shepherd’s business. He can’t be a good shepherd if his sheep’s needs...