My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger. Anger does not help you live the way God wants. So get rid of everything evil in your livesāevery kind of wrong you do. Be humble and accept Godās teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save you.
Do what Godās teaching says; donāt just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. Hearing Godās teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. But when you look into Godās perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have Godās blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.
For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. Hereās the point. God didnāt send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction.
No one who believes in Him has to fear condemnation, yet condemnation is already the reality for everyone who refuses to believe because they reject the name of the only Son of God. Why does God allow for judgment and condemnation? Because the Light, sent from God, pierced through the worldās darkness to expose ill motives, hatred, gossip, greed, violence, and the like. Still some people preferred the darkness over the light because their actions were dark. Some of humankind hated the light. They scampered hurriedly back into the darkness where vices thrive and wickedness flourishes. Those who abandon deceit and embrace what is true, they will enter into the light where it will be clear that all their deeds come from God.
Jesus makes the point clear: stay connected to Him, and have no reason to fear. Jesus doesnāt mean that at the instant someone has faith, fear simply vanishes or only good things happen in that personās life. In fact, the blessings that come with eternal life often have nothing to do with present or future circumstances, but they have everything to do with the individualās connections to God and others. That is Johnās message to his listeners. God came to earth embodied in flesh, and then He reached His greatest acclaim through a torturous death. If this is all true, then believers will find strength and beauty in places never imagined. Abiding in Jesus the Anointed is the good life, regardless of the external circumstances.
Everybodyās got a blank page
A story theyāre writing today
A wall that theyāre climbing
You canāt carry the past on their shoulders
But you can start over
Regrets, no matter what you goinā through
Jesus, He gave it all to save you
He carried the cross on His shoulders
So you can start over
Donāt let your heart be troubled
Donāt be afraid
To the broken hearted that wished that theyād
Never been born, never been torn, never sinned, never disobeyed
I know you think thereās no hope, but that aināt true
I know you feelinā regret
(Like I) brought this all on myself
(Like I) messed it up big time, and this time I donāt deserve Godās help
(Thinking) how can God forgive me after knowinā what I did (can He?)
After knowinā that I hid from Him, and I stayed away and backslid
Jesus came for the sick (so true)
Jesus came for the weak (amen)
Jesus came to give good news and have set the captives free (amen)
Jesus came for the poor (amen)
Jesus came with the keys
Jesus came to remove the chains so the prisoners are released
Everybodyās got a blank page
A story theyāre writing today
A wall that theyāre climbing
You canāt carry the past on their shoulders
But you can start over
Regrets, no matter what you goinā through
Jesus, He gave it all to save you
He carried the cross on His shoulders
So you can start over
See, His love is deeper than the ocean floor
Run to His arms like an open door
God the Father sent the Son
So men can come and be free and aināt gotta run no more
Come to me, all who are weary; with heavy burdens, Iāll give you rest
Separated you from the sin, as far as the east is from the west
Thrown in the sea of forgetfulness
What sin? What offense?
And when them waves come crashing in, Iāll calm the winds in your defense
So, whatever it is that youāve done
He put that punishment on His Son
Youāll never come under His condemnation⦠Satan and his accusations
So, dry your eyes, lift up your head
Hallelujah! God is not dead!
Plus He gave us His peace, and He took our guilt on the cross instead
Took our place and now we embrace
A clean slate with the eyes of faith
We know unfailing love, unfailing love, itās not too late, start over
Everybodyās got a blank page
A story theyāre writing today
A wall that theyāre climbing
You canāt carry the past on their shoulders
But you can start over
Regrets, no matter what you goinā through
Jesus, He gave it all to save you
He carried the cross on His shoulders
So you can start over
At our church meeting on sunday morning i was moved by Ā Rebecca West and her talk about the A21 Campaign, and how she is running a 10k run to help raise money and more awareness for this great charity. Rebecca started by playing the video above then told us a little about what she was doing to help.
Rebecca’s message:
Hello, me and two other friends are doing a 10 k run on the 18th of May, called We Own The Night, in London Victoria Park!
We wanted to use this opportunity to raise money for an amazing charity called A21. (More details below)
The charities aim is to abolish sex slavery across the globe and provide medical care, life skills and job training so those that have been effected by slavery.
There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with an estimated 27 million in bondage across the globe. Men, women, and children are being exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will.
BUT! we can start with one life and the little amount you can give will release a life of slavery into a life of freedom.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you so much for your support!
Rebecca West
Heres how you can find out more about A21 and donate through Just Giving.
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