From the Heart by B.Demaere

“I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.  God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy.  As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  May God give you more and more grace and peace.” (1 Peter 1:1-2) “A peaceful heart. leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones” (Proverbs 14:30) After the Apostle Peter introduces himself, he reminds these believers that they are foreigners where they live.   He does not necessarily remind them of this as a put-down, but as a state to be proud of.   You are foreigners suggest that you belong to someone else.   You have obtained the priceless position of “chosen people” belonging to God, being holy by his Holy Spirit. This valuable position has placed us as subject of obedience by our own volition and even better we have Jesus Christ...

  “The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world.  I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.  Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’  Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you.  If they had listened to me, they would listen to you.  They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.  They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them.  But now they have no excuse for their sin.” (John 15:19-22) If the Christians and Christianity were part of the world system, the world would obey our teachings from Jesus.   In its own way, the world system shows us its dislike and, in many ways, does not respect Jesus Christ as they use him as a swear word. Overall, we must be more careful of what we do with the name of Jesus Christ and respect him by the way we live and talk. Wh...

“Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body And vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world And taken to heaven in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16)   One might ask: What the great mystery and why is it so extraordinary? This is a question that has come to my mind lately.   1)       Christ was revealed in a human body: This distinguishes the Christian faith from all the other faiths that proclaim their leaders to be spirits or dead.   Christianity makes itself unique as the leader has a physical body.   Even more the body had to come from a virgin to be created unto perfection by God. 2)       Vindicated by the Spirit: This word means to clear of suspicion or guilt.   In this sense he was proven to be true where we receive this assurance of faith as a witness from the Spirit...