Tag: acknowledge

Receive and Accept One Another

Receive and Accept One Another

Do you realize that the Lord Jesus has made every believer ‘accepted in the Beloved’?  That means that you and I are:

  • Acknowledged,
  • Recognized and known,
  • Received,
  • Established, and
  • Understood—in Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer.

Let’s see what else the Bible has to say on this subject.

Those who receive you are also receiving me, and those who receive Me are receiving the one who sent Me.  (Mt 10:40 CEB)

Whoever received and welcomes a believer, receives and welcomes the Lord Jesus as well as God the Father, who sent Jesus to earth.

 I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another.  (Joh 13:34 AMP)

Jesus has commanded all believers to ‘love one another.’  This is not a suggestion.  It is very clear that believers should accept one another, and try to help and bless one another. We should never put any type of stumbling block in front of a brother or sister in Christ.

Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.  (Rom 15:7 NKJV)

Just as our Lord and Savior has received and established each one of us, we should also do the same with one another in order to bring glory to God.

. . . having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.  (Eph 1:5-6 NKJV, emphasis added)

It was the Lord’s good pleasure to make each one of us ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED, who is Jesus Christ our Savior. Hallelujah! 

Now, turn with open arms and be a welcoming committee to others!

Overcomers Acknowledge Jesus

Overcomers Acknowledge Jesus

Overcomers are people who are born of God and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  We acknowledge Christ—both who He is and what He has accomplished on the earth.  Let’s see what the Bible says.

Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.  (1 Joh 5:5 NIV, emphasis added)

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  (1 Joh 4:15 NIV)

So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death.  (Rom 10:9 CEV)

“But I tell you, the Son of Man will acknowledge before God’s angels everyone who acknowledges me before people.”  (Lk 12:8 ISV)

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.  (1 Joh 5:1 NKJV)

Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer has made us overcomers through Him.  We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), and His presence is always with us.

As we continue to live in wholehearted faith and in obedience to the Word of God, we have assurance of eternal salvation.  We are therefore, called, the children of God.  (Joh 1:12; Rom 8:16; 1 Joh 3:1; 4:4; 5:2)  Glory to God!

Angels Among Us

Angels Among Us

The Scriptures tell us in many different ways and in various passage that angels walk among us.  It’s a fact that we need to know and to acknowledge.

And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.  (Ac 7:30)  An angel appeared Moses in a burning bush. 

Acts 7:35 states that God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected when they demanded, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Through the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush, God sent Moses to be their ruler and savior.  Angels can be sent to us by God to give us instructions or information from God.

They passed the first and second guards and came to the Iron Gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself. After leaving the prison, they proceeded the length of one street, when abruptly the angel was gone. (Ac 12:10 CEB)  This angel was sent to Peter to lead him out of prison and to keep Peter safe until he reached freedom.  When the angel completed the mission, he disappeared.  Angels can be sent to us to set us free.

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out . . .  (Ac 5:19)  The angel led the apostles out of prison, and then gave them a message from the Lord (v. 20):  “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

And the apostles obeyed the angel and shared the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.  (Lk 1:11)  An angel appeared to Zacharias while he was serving in the temple.  The angel informed Zacharias that his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son.  The angel told Zacharias to name the boy John.  Zacharias heeded the angel.

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  (Mt 1:20)  An angel told Joseph to fulfill his plan to take Mary as his wife because the baby whom she carried was a holy child.  And Joseph obeyed God’s directions–which came through the angel.

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.  (Heb 13:2) This verse in Hebrews reminds us to be hospitable to strangers, because they may be angels in human disguise!  We may not always know that an angel has spoken to us, but something about the encounter will impress us, remain in our hearts and in our memories, and influence us with heavenly wisdom.  Remember to welcome strangers!  Glory to God!

Glorify the Lord

Glorify the Lord

One of our assignments, as believers in Christ, is to glorify the Lord.  Let’s look at what the Scripture says.

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior . . .  (Lk 1:46-47 NIV)

I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. 12 I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.  (Ps 77:11-12)

I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore.  (Ps 86:12)

Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands.  (Isa 42:12)

Glorifying God means to acknowledge His impressiveness and to give Him respect by praising and worshiping Him.  We do this mainly because He alone deserves to be praised, honored and worshiped.

God’s glory is the core of His nature, and we give glory to Him by recognizing it.  In glorifying God, we exalt Him; we recognize and honor His deity; and we elevate Him above all else in our lives and in our thoughts.

Adoration [devotion, high regard, esteem] is also a component of glorifying God.  When we have this type of respect for God, our reverence is shown in ways that we can’t even perceive.  However, other people do notice it, and hopefully it will lead them to ask us for the reasons that we have for the hope that lies within us!

Give What You Have

Give What You Have

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”  (Ac 3:6) 

We can only give out of what we have received (or experienced) ourselves!

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.  (Eph 4:32) 

Since God has forgiven us of ALL of our sins, shouldn’t we extend that same forgiveness to others? 

Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?  (Mt 18:32) 

This is where the master had forgiven his servant a huge debt.  Then this SAME [released] servant had his fellow servant put in jail, because he owed the released man a small amount of money!  Shouldn’t the released man have shown the same compassion that he himself had received?

Through these concepts, we can learn several things, among which are: 

  1. a) We must acknowledge the good things that we, ourselves, have received from our heavenly Father before we can minister those things to others. When we acknowledge that we have received compassion, we’re able to share compassion. When we agree that we have received forgiveness from God, we’re able to forgive those who have hurt us. 
  2. b) We’re told by the Lord in His Word that we should be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving to others, because we have received those same things from God through Jesus Christ.
  3. c) We can only GIVE out of what we DO HAVE! Are you aware of all that you have in Jesus Christ?

Study what you DO HAVE in Jesus so that you may minister those wonderful blessings and gifts to the hurting and the needy.  The world is waiting . . . yearning for the manifestation of the sons (children) of God.  (Rom 8:19)

Creativity, Part 1

Creativity, Part 1

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  (Gen 1:27)

. . . for in the image of God He made man.  (Gen 9:6b)

God created mankind in His own image.  If we meditate upon this concept, it can be eye-opening for us. 

One point I’d like to discuss here is that our God is a creative Being, and He has created us in His own likeness.  Every single one of us has the capacity to be creative.  What does that mean?  It means that every human being has original talent and ability in unique areas and ways.  Each and EVERY one of us has and does receive:

  • Imagination
  • Inspiration
  • Resourcefulness
  • Inventiveness
  • Productivity
  • Innovation
  • Artistic thoughts/ideas

We’re not all called to be actors or musicians, but we may instead be called to be composers or designers.  We may be a computer whiz whose creative ideas design new programs and software.  Another person may be an interior designer, an engineer, or a gifted organizer with skill and talent in creating workable systems.  There are as many ways to be creative as there are human beings on the face of the earth!

Don’t sell yourself short!  Acknowledge that you have creativity within you.  Think about what you most love to do, and where your talents and abilities lie.  Then release yourself mentally to prosper in the occupation of your choosing!

God has blessed all of the work of our hands, minds, and hearts.

Do you see a man who excels in his work?  He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men.  (Pro 22:29)

There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.  (1 Cor 12:5-6)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  (Jam 1:17)  See our next article for part two of this topic.