Author: Bill

Matt 5:43-48 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor & hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil & on the good, & sends rain on the just & on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? & if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.— Our Father wants us to do everything we can to become more like Him. He has even asked us to love our enemies, & to pray for our persecutors. —Q Matthew Henry’s Commentary, “The Lord Jesus teaches that we must do all the real kindness we can to all, especially to their souls. We must pray for them. While many will render good for good, we must render good for evil; and this will speak a nobler principle than most men act by.” — No one said that it would be easy, but the rewards are out of this world! It is certainly worth trying! Love Mel

The Blood of Jesus! Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Eph1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. 1 John1:7 If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, & the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1Peter2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin & live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. — We are saved by His blood. We have redemption in His blood. We are cleansed from ALL sin by His Blood.  By His wounds we have been healed! This is some really good news! Love Mel

Psalm 46:10 (ESV)“Be still, & know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, & he will flee from you. Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good & acceptable & perfect. Matt 16:24-27 (NIV)Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves & take up their cross & follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, & then he will reward each person according to what they have done. — It is said that the true test of faith is our willingness to surrender all to Jesus. Are you willing? Love Mel

From Pastor Clay Runnels

God chose the ones with whom He cut covenant because they were foolish and weak so that He could show His wisdom and strength to them and through them until He could cut a covenant with a man just like Himself Who would become the firstborn among many brethren.
He cut covenant with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
God’s covenant with Jesus:
• fulfilled His promise to Adam and Eve and restored what Adam lost.
• fulfilled His promise to Noah not to destroy the earth and everything in it again in order to judge sin.
• fulfilled His promise to Abraham to bless all the nations in the earth through his seed (and much more).
• fulfilled and completed the final part of the law – the curse and judgement of sin.
• fulfilled God’s promise to David to put his descendant on the throne forever.
• extended covenant mercy to all who put their faith in Him.
And through faith in Christ Jesus and the infilling of Holy Spirit, God gives us the authority and power to overcome foolishness and weakness and live as sons of God.

2 Cor3:18 We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Cor4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 1 Cor 13:12 Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. — God works to move us from glory to glory. Sometimes in order to move to the next level we have things or unbelievers that we cling to & it is critical to let go to get to that next level. It’s called moving up higher. Love Mel