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Showing posts from February, 2017

Devotional Sermon #76: IT IS BECAUSE OF CHRIST - Short devotions to begin a meeting

I am who I am because of Christ. I am where I am because of Christ. I have what I have because of Christ. It is because of Christ from the beginning to the end. There is no ‘me’ or ‘I’ in the middle. That’s my attitude; that’s what I believe. Christ came into the world for a purpose.  He suffered for a purpose.  He hung on the cross for a purpose.  The moment we set aside this purpose and begin to focus on our own sufficiency, we begin to drift away from the path of grace. Sadly, there are attempts by some Christians to exalt the ‘me’ over the ‘Him’. “It was because of me that the Lord blessed me,” they say. “It is because I am this and that and have done this and that before the Lord that I now have this and that,” they say. The question then becomes, “If you are self-sufficient, why did Christ have to go through all the suffering for you?” Salvation is a mixed bag. Every good thing that one may require is already in the bag. The moment

Devotional Sermon #75: LIVING A LIFE OF SERVICE TO GOD - 5 minute sermons and devotions

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” – Galatians 1  Verse  10 (NIV) I love this. The position is neatly spelled out. “ If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ,” Paul declared. A servant is a person who works for somebody. A servant is a person who does the will of their Master. If they turn away from the will of their Master, then they cease to be a servant. Disobedience is not service. Rebellion is not service. In fact, disobedience and rebellion fight against the will of the Master! Paul said, “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Paul was a bondservant of Christ. He once referred to himself as a person who was 'set apart'  for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul knew exactly who he was and what he was expected to do. He also knew exactly who he

Devotional Sermon #74: CONTENTMENT, JOY AND HAPPINESS - 10 minute sermons and devotions

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” – Philippians 4  Verses  11-12 (NIV) This is a powerful statement, a Spiritual position – contentment . Paul says, “I am not in need. I can make do with whatever is available, whether it is much or little.” Imagine this. May this word minister to you today! How could Paul say this? What was the driving force toward such an attitude? The simple answer is - focus . Paul did not focus on the things of the world. His focus was on the things above; that is what he was passionate about. Paul was driven by eternity , not by his surroundings. As Christians, we live in the world, but we are not of it – that’s what Jesus taught us. We are, as it were, spiri