~~ --WHY ARE WE ON THIS EARTH? THE BIBLE TELLS US WE ARE HERE TO BRING GLORY TO GOD AND LEAD OTHERS TO JESUS CHRIST.

---BECOMING LIKE JESUS~~

-"For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit."
--(1 Peter Chapter 3: verses 17 thru 18 / NASB).-

--God has a plan for every believer, and salvation is just the first step. He wants His adopted children to develop a close family resemblance, and the Holy Spirit is in charge of transforming each one into the likeness of Jesus.

The moment we trust Christ as our personal Savior, we are born again and become newborn babies, in a spiritual sense. (John 3:5-6)~ One characteristic of a newborn is a craving for milk, and the same is true spiritually. New believers need continuous nourishment from God’s Word for growth in godliness, grace, and the knowledge of Christ.

As we read and meditate on Scripture, the Holy Spirit replaces our former thoughts and desires with a God-centered mindset and new longings for holiness. Instead of living to please ourselves, our desire will be to glorify God through obedience.

Like any growing child, we will stumble now and then by giving into temptation. However, our heavenly Father has given us the privilege of cleansing through confession of sins (1 John 1:9). He also exercises loving discipline by revealing attitudes, behaviors, and practices that are displeasing to Him. His chastisement is always meant to train us and produce in us the “peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Heb. 12:11).

At no point are we abandoned or rejected by our heavenly Father. He watches over every step we take, hears our prayers, comforts us, and encourages us to love and obey His Word. He promises that we’ll become complete in our likeness to Christ on the day we see Him in heaven (1 John 3:1-3).
----IN TOUCH~~

[-- We can only grow closer to our LORD by reading His Word {Holy Bible], and living by His teaching. We talk to Him in prayer, and read His Word for the answers. Yes, sometimes the Lord does still talk to us, His people, as we draw close to Him, in prayer.
God loves us so much that He gave his only begotten Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty of our sins (John 3:16). "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD." -(Romans 3:23). We all are sinners. That is why we must have Jesus Christ in our lives to lead, guide and direct our steps. Have you invited Jesus to come into your life?

--"THE WORD OF FAITH BRINGS SALVATION~~

"If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
"For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." --(Romans 10 verses 9-10-NASB)
--"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved." --/-'NO OTHER NAME'--Hillsong Worship~~
--------------

---DO YOU KNOW JESUS? ~ JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN~

----KNOWING HIM~~

“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” (1 John 5:20)

John uses two words for “know” in this short letter, both of which are used in the final instruction to his readers. The Greek word 'ginosko' is used 25 times throughout this epistle, stressing knowledge that is gained through personal experience.[/b] The other word, ei’do (or oi’da), is used an additional 17 times, emphasizing mental understanding and comprehension.

-- The Intellectual Confidence

We “know [ei’do] that he was manifested to take away our sins” (1 John 3:5). We “know that we have passed from death unto life” (1 John 3:14). We “know that [we] have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). We “know that we are of God” (1 John 5:19). We “know that the Son of God is come” (1 John 5:20). All of this “head knowledge” is, of course, straight from the Word of God. These are the basics of our belief in the work of Christ.

-- The Personal Experience

We “know [ginosko] that we know [ginosko] him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3). “There [are] many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1 John 2:18). “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments” (1 John 5:2).

Thus, our intellectual “knowledge” of God’s Word is “experienced” as we “work out [our] own salvation” (Philippians 2:12). Being “born again” is just the beginning. We should “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

--ICR/HMM III --/-"Take Me Into The Holy of Holies" /<https://youtu.be/3b2qkWnzYhE>
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----DEVOTED TO PRAYER~~
---(Please Read/ Colossians 4:2-4)--

--"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
-Praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the Word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;
that I may make it clear in the way I out to speak."

--No matter where we are in our Christian walk, most of us will admit that our prayer life isn’t what we’d like it to be. Our attempts to make room for prayer in our busy schedules are often short-lived. And when we do manage to spend time with the Lord, we find ourselves easily distracted by random thoughts, our own desires, and the demands of the day.

Instead of giving up in frustration and settling for a sporadic devotional experience, we need to realize that prayer was essential to Christ and should be to us also. The road to a deepening prayer life begins with a commitment to make it a top priority in our day.

We follow through by setting aside a daily time to pray and read from God’s Word. Then we need to find a location that minimizes interruptions. Since we’re already busy, sacrifice may be necessary to make this happen. We might have to wake up earlier, give up a favorite activity, or use our lunch hour.

Scripture is a key factor because it teaches us about our Father’s character, promises, and priorities. The Word of God shifts our thoughts from worldly cares and pleasures to a focus on Him. Through it, we are reminded of His importance to us and our desire to please Him. Then we become ready to ask in accordance with His will and hear what He has to say.

-Developing a habit of prayer may require sacrifice, but it’s worth the cost and effort. Spending time in the Lord’s presence is the best way for us to know Him better and love Him more. ~~
--IN TOUCH~--/ "Nobody Loves Me Like You, Jesus"--/ Chris Tomlin ~<https://youtu.be/eyp_oL4m5k4>
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---A PRAYER TO POINT US HOME~~

-"Yet to all who did
receive Him, to those
who believed in His
name, He gave the right
to become children of
God."~(John 1:12)--

--ONE OF THE FIRST PRAYERS I learned as a little boy was "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep..." It was a prayer I learned from my parents, and I taught it to my son and daughter when they were little. As a child, I found great comfort in placing myself in God's hands with those words before I fell asleep.

There's a similar prayer neatly tucked away in the "Prayer Book" of the Bible, the Psalms. Some biblical scholars suggest that the phrase "Into your hands I commit my spirit" (PSALM 31:5) was a "bedtime" prayer taught to children in Jesus's day.

You may recognize that prayer as Jesus's final cry from the Cross. But Jesus added one more word to it: Father (LUKE 23:46). By praying that word in the moments before His death, Jesus demonstrated His intimate relationship with the Father and pointed believers toward their Home with Him (JOHN 14:3).

Jesus died on the Cross so we could live in the wonder of a relationship with God as our heavenly Father. How comforting it is to know that because of Jesus's sacrificial love for us, we can rest in God's care as His children! We can close our eyes without fear because our Father watches over us and has promised to wake us up to life with Him.
--(1 Thessalonians 4:14).
--"Lord Jesus, I receive the gift of forgiveness You offer me through the Cross. Help me to turn from my sins and follow You, all the way Home, to live with You forever."--amen~~
--ODB/JB~~

--FOLLOWING WHERE HE LEADS~~

-"Then [Elisha] set
out to follow Elijah
and became his
servant." (1 Kings 19:21)

--AS A CHILD, I looked forward to our church's Sunday evening services. They were exciting. Sunday night often meant we got to hear from Missionaries and other guest speakers. Their messages inspired me because of their willingness to leave family and friends--and at times, homes, possessions, and careers--to go off to strange, unfamiliar, and sometimes dangerous places to serve God.

Like those missionaries, Elisha left many things behind to follow God (1 Kings 19:19-21). Before God called him into service through Elijah, we don't know much about Elisha--except that he was a farmer. When the prophet Elijah met him in the field where he was plowing, he threw his cloak over Elisha's shoulders (the symbol of his role as a prophet) and called him to follow. With only a request to kiss his mother and father goodbye, Elisha immediately sacrificed his oxen, burned his plowing equipment, said good-bye to his parents--and followed Elijah.

Though not many of us are called to leave family and friends behind to serve God as fulltime missionaries, God wants all of us to follow Him and to "live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to [us], just as God has called [us]" (1 Corinthians 7:17). As I've often experienced, serving God can be thrilling and challenging no matter where we are--even if we never leave home.~~

"Dear Lord, equip us to be Your missionaries wherever You have placed us--near or far, at home or abroad. Use us for Your glory, Lord Jesus. ~ amen~ "
--[Please click on link below to hear song and lyrics. Let's follow Jesus, and tell others of His saving grace. ]
--ODB/AK---"I Will Follow" / Chris Tomlin ~ --<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dP6xb4Z56Y>
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--COUNT ON JESUS!

--"My Father's house
has many rooms;
...I am going there
to prepare a place
for you." -(John 14:2)--

--IN THE UPPER room, Jesus spoke with His disciples of His coming betrayal and death. The darkest hours of Jesus's earthly life, and that of the disciples as well, lay ahead. He comforted them with the assurance that He would prepare a place for them in Heaven. When the disciples questioned Jesus, He pointed them to their mutual history and the miracles they'd witnessed Him perform. Though they would grieve Jesus's death and absence, He reminded them He could be counted on to do as He's said.

Even in the midst of our own dark hours, we can trust Him to lead us forward to a place of goodness. As we walk with Jesus, we too will learn to trust increasingly in His faithfulness. ~~

-"Help me, Lord, to lean on You when my life feels uncertain and hard. You are trustworthy and good. Thank You, for being our Shepherd through this pilgrimage to Heaven with You.~~amen!"
--Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of many peals of thunder, saying, "HALLELUJAH! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns."--(Revelation 19:6) ~~ --/--Casting Crowns/ Hallelujah! -<https://youtu.be/fORhnYILTSo>

--CONFIDENT HOPE~~

"For to me, to live
is Christ and to die
is gain." (Philippians 1:21) --

--DR. WILLIAM WALLACE was serving as a missionary surgeon in Wuzhou, China, in the 1940s when Japan attacked China. Wallace, who was in charge of Stout Memorial Hospital at the time, ordered the hospital to load his equipment on barges and continue to function as a hospital while floating up and down rivers to avoid infantry attacks.

During dangerous times, Philippians 1:21-one of Wallace's favorite verses--reminded him that if he lived, he had work to do for the Savior; but if he died, he had the promise of eternity with Christ. The verse took on special meaning when he died while falsely imprisoned in 1951.

Paul's writing reflects a deep devotion we can aspire to as followers of Jesus; enabling us to face trials and even danger for His sake. It is devotion enabled by the Holy Spirit and the prayers of those closest to us (v.19). It's also a promise. Even when we surrender ourselves to continued service under difficult circumstances, it is with this reminder: when our life and work end here, we still have the joy of eternity with Jesus ahead of us.

In our hardest moments, with hearts committed to walking with Christ now, and with our eyes firmly fixed on the promise of eternity with Him, may our days and our acts bless others with the love of God. ~~

--"Father G-D, Make of me a willing servant in times of weakness and times of strength. Help me, Lord to stay true to You and Your Word, in Jesus Name. ~ Amen~"

--SACRIFICES OFFERED TO GOD ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO SHOWCASE HIS LOVE.~~--"One More Song For You = Casting Crowns ~<https://youtu.be/vzKRV64TDCk>
~~~~~~~~~