“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived”. -2 Timothy 3:13
What are some of the more carefully crafted deceptions plaguing our society today?

Peace & Blessings,
-James

Just a quick thought:

To Know Christ.
To Love Christ.
To be like Christ.

Can we ever know him without loving him?
Can we ever love him without the deepest desire to be more like him?
Can we ever improve and strive to follow him without knowing him better and loving him more?

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” -John 17:3

Peace & Blessings,
-James

Sept.17-18, 2010

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year (according to the Jewish faith)–the day on which we are closest to G‑d and to the quintessence of our own souls. It is the Day of Atonement — “For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G‑d” (Leviticus 16:30).

Peace & Blessings.

The festival of Rosh Hashanah–the name means “Head of the Year”–is observed for two days beginning on Tishrei 1 (Sept. 8-10, 2010), the first day of the Jewish year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of mankind’s role in G-d’s world.

Rosh Hashanah thus emphasizes the special relationship between G-d and humanity…read entire article.

Peace & Blessings,

James

The date of Shavuot is directly linked to that of Passover. The Torah mandates the seven-week Counting of the Omer, beginning on the second day of Passover and immediately followed by Shavuot. This counting of days and weeks is understood to express anticipation and desire for the Giving of the Torah. On Passover, the Jewish people were freed from their enslavement to Pharaoh; on Shavuot they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.

In the Bible, Shavuot is called the Festival of Weeks (Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10); Festival of Reaping (Exodus 23:16), and Day of the First Fruits (Numbers 28:26). The Mishnah and Talmud refer to Shavuot as Atzeret (a solemn assembly), as it provides closure for the festival activities during and following the holiday of Passover. Since Shavuot occurs 50 days after Passover, Hellenistic Greeks gave it the name Pentecost (fiftieth day).

Meditation: Shavuot is considered a betrothal between God and Israel. Imagine that! The God and creator of the universe had just delivered Israel from bondage and then condescends to commune with man. Let us celebrate Shavuot by communing with Him and deepening our understanding of our spiritual betrothal.

Peace & Blessings,

-James

“Therefore they said to Him, ‘What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?’” -John 6:30

Do you ever wonder if anyone even reads all the signs around us?

You know what I mean, you just pass a sign that says “no passing” and then somebody with too much car and too little sense comes flying around you.

You go to Wal-Mart to pick up a couple things and get in the “express line” where the sign says “20 items or less,” and there is someone with enough groceries to feed a good sized army.

Well, it may surprise you to find this is not a new phenomenon. In Christ’s day, He did many wondrous things and people kept asking Him to do more – without ever paying attention to the fact His purpose was not to perform for them, but to save them.

The verse quoted above is an example of that unbelief. Do you know when they asked that? Right after He fed the 5000 with 5 little cakes of bread and 2 fish!

Sadly, many times we are just as bad. We fail to see and appreciate all the things God has already done in our lives, and we ask Him to prove Himself by doing more. He has already (many times over) shown He is the Almighty and that He loves and cares for us.

We should just “read the signs” and trust Him and be grateful for all He has already done.

Written By: Bob G

Meditation: How can I be completely in tune with the Spirit in order to recognize all the signs & blessings the Lord has placed in my life?

Peace & Blessings.

National Day of Prayer calls on all people of different faiths in the United States to pray for the nation and its leaders. It is held on the first Thursday of May each year. There is a torrent of debate surrounding this day, yet, there is no one and nothing that can stop a believer from bowing the head and bending the knee in prayer and devotion to God, this day and every day!

Peace & Blessings,

-James

]]> http://stronginchrist.com/national-day-of-prayer/feed 0 http://stronginchrist.com/testimony http://stronginchrist.com/testimony#comments Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:37:45 +0000 Strong In Christ http://stronginchrist.com/?p=848

“For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain.”

Philippians 1:21 NIV

Hello, my name is Jimmy Peters, I live in Iowa. I am a reborn recently baptized Christian. My life until now has been a life pleasing to me. I would give my whole testimony but it would take awhile to type. I just found this site on facebook thanks to my little brother Jacob! But this verse when I read it seemed to shout at me! To live is Christ- A Christians main purpose! To spread the gospel, and make disciples of all nations UNDER GOD! Our soul purpose is to be ministers and teachers of the Gospel, to give people hope in Christ. To let people know the amazing gift of salvation is only a conversation away. They don’t realize where they are going. To die is gain- I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t wait for the day Christ comes and takes us into his presence. To know that when we leave this place we will no longer have to deal with the pains of this life, but will be forever free of it all!

But its like Paul says:

“I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” Philippians 1:23

All of us as Christians long to be with Jesus Christ, but it is better that we stay and finish the work God put us here to do. Now I am by no means an expert on biblical teaching, but I do long for the knowledge that only God can give, and hope and pray that God leads me in the direction of ministry and teaching.

Thank You and GOD Bless,

Jimmy Peters

Oh by the way, LOVE the site, very inspirational!

Peace & Blessings.

]]> http://stronginchrist.com/testimony/feed 0 http://stronginchrist.com/roots-of-our-faith-pesach-sheini http://stronginchrist.com/roots-of-our-faith-pesach-sheini#comments Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:13:56 +0000 Strong In Christ http://stronginchrist.com/?p=830

Today is Pesach Sheini, the Second Passover.

Underlying theme: It is never too late, it is always possible to put things right with God!

“…he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.” Num. 9:10-11

The theme of Pesach Sheini (literally, “the second Passover”, which takes place on the fifteenth of Iyar, exactly one month after Passover) is that it is never too late. It is always possible to put things right. Even if one was spiritually impure or spiritually distant from his proper destination, G-d still gives him an opportunity to change the past and correct the wrongs.


Sources: Chabad.org Copyright 2001 Chabad of California

Sources: Jewish Holidays © 2001-2010 Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center


Peace & Blessings,

-James

I find myself feeling so lonely. I pray that the Lord may help me with the desires of my heart, a husband & healthy children.
I don’t want to go through this life alone.

Requested by: Sister Mbali.

Submit your devotional, testimony or prayer request by clicking link:
admin@stronginchrist.com

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