Today’s GOOD NEWS DAILY – December 24, 2019

I am super seeking the Lord and praying these days about technology because I’m in enormous need of help concerning telling the world about my ministry via the Internet to ensure people are aware of it and feel very welcome through my heart and ministry to learn about Jesus and to be loved and encouraged in believing in and forever following Him!

If you or anyone you know is really good and experienced with Google Ad Grants, Facebook, You Tube, search engine submission, SEO for websites, digital marketing, etc., please would you consider reaching out to me if the Lord so leads you to lend a helping hand and heart?

Prayers appreciated!

My memory leaves much to be desired, and I’ve reached the age and stage in which I randomly remember things from long ago yet can’t always remember what I wrote or ate an hour earlier! One night the word “backtalk” came to my remembrance. My Dad when my brother and I were kids told us not to “backtalk”. Sadly, in my pride and rebellion, I often did. He would say something, and I would snottily, sneeringly verbally rebel.

But this isn’t about the wrong I did as a kid. It’s about the Lord Jesus Christ. Sad to say I spent a bunch of years “back-talking” the Lord when as an adult I came to believe in Him. Instead of listening and obeying, I railed against Him about how I shouldn’t have to obey Him, how unfair I thought He was, how wrong He was, how I didn’t want to do things His way, etc. And I constantly debated and argued with Him not to mention resisted Him and rebelled against Him. Sickeningly sinful, yes. The Lord took a sledgehammer to my pride and other sins and set me straight.

Friend, Jesus Christ is Lord. I heard a pastor preach recently on the submissive heart of Jesus’ mother Mary who humbly submitted to the call by God she was given to bear His only begotten Son, Savior of the world.

Let us all strive to humble ourselves before Jesus and to put an end to any backtalk. Let us be loving, humble, submissive, and obedient. For Christ’s sake. For the glory of the Lord, yes!

“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.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.” Acts 3:6-8

What is the first thing a man paralyzed since birth did when he was miraculously healed by the Lord through the apostles Peter and John? He joyously celebrated and ran to his friends and family to hold a party and live a life of luxury enjoying his now fully working body, right? No!

Look at the verses above. HE PRAISED AND WORSHIPED THE LORD AND GAVE HIM GLORY IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!

When the Lord blesses us with the miraculous and/or with wonderful gifts and incredible news and with life and with beautiful sunsets and awesome blessings of one variety or another or simply with another day of life and health and daily provision, LET US PRAISE AND WORSHIP THE LORD AND GIVE HIM GLORY! AND LET US BE SURE TO TELL THE WORLD HOW WONDERFUL AND AWESOME THE LORD IS!

365 BLESSINGS is a devotional book I wrote that is available in print by contacting me at 843-338-2219 or via lara@GoodNews.love.  

Blessing 237

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life..” Romans 6:15-22

When we are born again spiritually and receive Christ as Lord, we are no longer slaves of sin but are now slaves of righteousness and of the Lord! We are no longer on the highway to hell! We are on the holiness highway! The highway to heaven forever with Jesus! The highway of living for Jesus! The highway of being with Jesus! Now! Forever! We are HIS children! His servants! His slaves! We belong to the Lord Jesus! To everlasting King Jesus!

And, over time, we begin to produce fruit! Holy fruit! “Fruit to holiness”! Good fruit! The fruit of Jesus’ Spirit living inside us! God’s grace isn’t given to us for the purpose of pressing on in a lifestyle of sin! His grace sets us free to live the way He intended all along! In joyful fellowship with Him forevermore! AMEN!

The Lord makes abundantly clear in these two verses that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior prophesied by all the prophets in the Old Testament and that we need to repent and turn to Him as Lord. Jesus loves us so much He died on the cross to pay our sin penalty and was raised from the dead. Jesus loves us so much He sent the prophets to foretell of His coming. Jesus loves us so much He is the fulfillment to all their prophesies. He loves us so much He uses this fulfillment to help us see and believe He is Lord. He loves us so much He tells us to repent and turn to Him so we can have a forever relationship with Him.

Have you believed in and received Jesus Christ as Lord for the promise of His forgiveness and of abiding in His unfathomable loving presence FOREVER?

“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

If we’re serving the Lord without loving the Lord, and if we’re serving others in His name without loving others with His love, we’re missing it.

The verses above concerning the first believers in the Lord Jesus Christ give us a model of the love and care and giving and unity to which we are called as disciples of Christ.

But are we as Christ’s Body today loving and serving one another or hating and hurting one another and hoarding what we have and holding grievances and bitterness and seeking vengeance and withholding love and trampling all over one another as we stampede to accumulate more and more material stuff to satisfy ourselves all the while saying, yes, yes, we are Christians?

We are commanded to love the Lord with all our hearts and to love one another, but are we? These are the Lord’s greatest commands. Let us humble ourselves, repent if we need to, and obey Him!

And, in Christ’s love, let us love and serve Him and love and serve one another! AMEN!