From the Heart by B.Demaere

  Not just nice words (John 15:22 – 16:1) Chapter 15:4 Abide in Jesus like a branch abide in the Vine.    He is the Vine Chapter 15:9 Abide in my Love, in my commandments. You are my friends. Abide and you will bear fruit. Chapter 15:18-21 As a result of the fruit in your life persecution will come. As it is for Jesus it will be for you.  The Love that perspires out of your life is too much for them to take. To make a long story shorter, I feel that our call is to abide in Christ who is the Vine and that out of this abiding Love will blossom in our lives and affect others.  When it Love comes to you don’t stop it and when it goes out of you, that Love don’t stop it.  This wind of love will affect in turn the world who will see Jesus and like they did to him, they will persecute you.  But here is the part I am excited about (Chapter 15:26). During these changes, the Holy Spirit who is a person not a thing will be with you and as you keep doing his commandments.  He, the Holy Spirit who

  Gather together and pray, you shameless nation.  Gather while there is still time, before judgment begins and your opportunity is blown away like chaff.  Act now, before the fierce fury of the Lord falls and the terrible day of the Lord's anger begins.  Beg the Lord to save you---all you who are humble, all you who uphold justice.  Walk humbly and do what is right.  Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.     (Zephaniah 2:1-3) Are we not just a bit shameless? And if so assume that it is still alright before a holy God to think that when this passage addresses a 'shameless nation' it does not include us?  Are we so filled with pride that when the call to repent does not concern us since, after all, we have the grace? Yes this shameless nation is still called to a gathering of prayer.  A pastor can easily be ignored for quite sometime.  But now God comes on the scene and calls by what we really are, 'shameless', having c

Ever since I heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for Christians everywhere, I have never stopped thanking God for you.  I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.  I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called.  I want you to realize what rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him.  This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.  Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in the world or in the world to come.  And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this aut