Good morning and praise the Lord for another day and another chance to move closer in our relationship with Him. What a friend we have in Jesus. It’s so very good to know that He calls me friend. This is a message I have shared many times over the years and it never gets old.
Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, I come to you on behalf of my brothers and sisters in the gospel to say thanks. How can we share all that it means to us to have You as the center of our lives? How can we explain the joy and the peace that has come into our lives since we have known You? God drew us to You, and we accepted You as our Lord and Savior, but it can all be summed up in seven words — You love us, and we love You! What a really “forever” meaning these words can have! The only way to experience the depth of their significance is to step out in faith, and to live a life of commitment, honesty, trust and forgiveness; a life of sharing and caring, a life that brings an inner peace and joy! When we decided to commit ourselves to seeking Your will for our lives, and then, with Your help, living in obedience to it, then we found that counting our blessings daily was better than counting the things we don’t have and that You are indeed adequate to satisfy all of our needs. Thank You, Lord, for Your presence in our lives; help our daily living to reflect You, as we seek to share You with others. In Your holy name I pray, Amen.
Let’s eat.
Adam and Christ Contrasted
Romans 5:12-21
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. And though there was no law to break, since it had not yet been given, 14 they all died anyway–even though they did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. What a contrast between Adam and Christ, who was yet to come! 15 And what a difference between our sin and God’s generous gift of forgiveness. For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin. But this other man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God’s bountiful gift. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but we have the free gift of being accepted by God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive God’s wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brought condemnation upon everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness makes all people right in God’s sight and gives them life. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many people became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many people will be made right in God’s sight. 20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful kindness became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Quote of the Day
This one thing we can give, and this is what He asks, hearts that shall never cease from this day forward, till we reach the grave, to strive to be more like Him; to come nearer to Him; to root out from within us the sin that keeps us from Him. To such a battle, brethren, I call you in His name.
Frederick Temple
WITH HOPE AND FAITH
REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
FOUNDER
GCKRS HELPING HAND FOUNDATION – THE RELATIONSHIP FACTORY