Adoni Messiah: A COMPILATION OF POSTS PERTINENT FOR THIS ADVENT SEASON!

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Read Isaiah 9:6
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;

And the government will rest on his shoulders;

and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty Hero, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Thoughts

Wonderful Counselor

Indubiously, every Advent Devotional book you will ever purchase or any Christmas sermon series you will hear preached across America, will mention Isaiah 9:6. They do not use it, however, to teach us how Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah will be called Wonderful Counselor, referring to how this Messiah will be anointed with the Spirit of Yahweh ~ with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength and the spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh resting upon him (Isaiah 11). This special anointing of God upon this King, who will sit upon the throne of David to reign over this everlasting Kingdom, will provide more wisdom and counsel to this man, than anyone else would normally receive. Although the Scriptures tell us that the kings of Israel were regularly anointed by God to lead His people ~ such as King Saul and King David ~ this anointing of God's Spirit will be even greater upon this child who will be [was] born to us. The Hebrew word translated to be "wonderful" is 'pele' which is a noun meaning "a wonder, a miracle, a marvel, used to represent something unusual or extraordinary" or used here as an adverb to describe how this Messiah will be able to miraculously counsel his people. So Isaiah's prophecy teaches us that this Messiah will have an extraordinary anointing to counsel his people with the wisdom God provides.

Mighty Hero

The popular books will not teach you that the Hebrew word "gibbor" translated as 'mighty' is an adjective that means brave, strongly, manly, vigorous and it refers regularly to warriors, heroes, and champions in battle. This adjective has been used to describe angels, God, and in Psalm 45:3,
the Messiah - 'o warrior one' or as 'o mighty one' in other translations.

The problem with translating the Hebrew Scriptures into English, is that we are often at the mercy of the translators' opinion of which English word to choose that best fits the context of the verse. Sometimes, they choose erroneously, based on their bias, as they attempt to prove the divinity or deity of the Messiah. That is why it is so important to go back to the original word to determine what Yahweh is communicating to us, still today. Is Yahweh telling us in this Scripture that the Messiah would be the second person of the Godhead, "God the Son," ... incarnated in the flesh of this child to be born? Or was He telling us that this Messiah, anointed King, would be "el" meaning: mighty one, hero. Yes, this word 'el' can also be translated for God or god, but it is a word that has been translated in other verses as well, to designate men of power or high rank, (Eze. 31:11); mighty men (Job 41:25), or mighty warriors (Eze. 32:21).

"And I saw heaven opened; and behold a white horse, and he who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness, he judges and wages war. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following him on white horses. And from his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it, he may smite the nations; and he will rule them with a rod of iron; and he treads the wine press of fierce wrath of God, the Almighty." Revelation 19:11, 14-15.

The problem with using this verse (Isaiah 9:6) as a proof text for the Trinity, to attempt to prove that Jesus is Yahweh or deity, is that we lose the significance of what Isaiah is communicating to us - that this Messiah will be a brave champion in battle for his people and he will bring about God's wrath on those who reject Him. It changes the entire meaning and message significantly!

Everlasting Father

This name is often translated as 'Eternal Father,' but I think this, too, should be examined more closely. The Hebrew is 'aviad ab.' The Hebrew 'aviad' is from the noun, 'ad' which can refer to the continuance of a king on the throne, such as in Psalm 132:11-12:

"Yahweh has sworn to David, a truth from which He will not turn back;
"Of the fruit of your body, I will set upon your throne.
If your sons will keep My covenant, and My testimony which I will teach them,
their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever [ad]."

This term can be translated 'everlasting, forever, eternity,' referring to a future age without end. Many want to teach that this means that Jesus was 'eternal' and thus had no beginning; therefore he is able to have pre-existed as 'God the Son' before he was born. But this text teaches no such concept. It's not just not there.

Father:
I've read commentaries on this Scripture, and most writers spend their time trying to convince people that this does not teach that Jesus is the Heavenly Father, the 1st person of the godhead, but only the 2nd person of the godhead. If you begin to believe Jesus is the Father, then you will believe a Oneness doctrine, not a Trinitarian creed, and they definitely don't want you to be confused there! So, that causes them to look a little deeper to explain how the name "Everlasting Father" does not mean the Messiah will be "God the Father incarnated as the Son."

Here is a great and quite simple explanation provided by the Christian Monotheism's website:

"Because the Messiah will be the one to establish the age to come, raise the dead into it, and rule over it, he is called “the father of the coming age.”

Prince of Peace

The Messiah will be called Prince of Peace. Acts 5:30-31 states:

"The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as
a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins."

The Most High God wanted to bring His people the knowledge of salvation and the forgiveness of their sins, made possible when He miraculously begat a baby in a virgin, named Mary. Through Jesus, we can be reconciled to Yahweh, thus gaining the greatest gift of peace afforded to mankind. Redemption through belief in the Son of God, gives us peace with our Almighty God. We are no longer at odds with Him, but are completely forgiven by the blood of His Lamb.

"I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David, there has been born for you a Savior,
who is Messiah the Lord." Luke 2:10-11.

Good news, indeed, that we joyously celebrate this Advent Season!

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Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven,

Today, we thank You, Yahweh. We thank You for the descriptions you have provided through Isaiah, that gives us a better glimpse of who our Messiah is and what he is truly like. Please forgive us of making up our own ideas and placing them upon him, true or false! May we instead, study your Scriptures to get a more accurate view of who our Lord and our Messiah truly is, and give You the glory and praise for providing us salvation through him! Jesus is our Lord and Savior, the Son whom You have given to us, to bring us eternal life in that kingdom one day! Let us be ready and watching and take great comfort and peace, knowing we are right with You.

In Jesus' Name we pray - Wonderful Counselor, Mighty Hero, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,

Amen.

For further study

Check out this great article - Isaiah 9:6 - and especially note this point:

Furthermore, “he will reign on David’s throne (v. 7), which could never be said of God. God could never sit on David’s throne.
But God’s Messiah, “the Son of David,” could (Matt. 9:27, et al). Thus, a study of the verse in its context reveals that it does not refer to the Trinity at all, but to the Messiah, the son of David and the Son of God.

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During this Season of Advent, we continue to pour through the passages found in the Old Testament that prophesied the birth of the Messiah and how the New Testament Scriptures prove that this man, Jesus, truly was, and is, our Lord Messiah. One such fact is the prophecy of where this Messiah would be born and the tribe from which he would descend.

Read Micah 5:2-5a.

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you one will go forth for Me [YHWH] to be ruler in Israel.

His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of old.

Therefore he will give them up until the time,

when she who is in labor has borne a child.

Then the remainder of his brethren will return to the sons of Israel.

And he will arise and shepherd his flock in the strength of YHWH,

in the majesty of the name of YHWH his God.

And they will remain, because at that time he will be great to the ends of the earth.

And this one will be our peace.”

Micah 5:2-5a.

Thoughts
1) The prophet Micah records that the ruler of Israel, sent by Yahweh, would be from Bethlehem, from the tribe of Judah. Here are the Scriptures, Old and New Testament, that show this:

Matthew 2:1: "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem."
Luke 2:4: "And Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David."
Matthew 2:6: "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel."
John 7:42: "Does not the Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?"
Hebrews 7:14 "For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests."
I Chronicles 28:4 "Yet YAHWEH, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah he chose my family, and from my father's sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel."
Matthew 1:1-17 "The book of origin of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham... Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar.... and Matthan fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Messiah...."
Luke 3:23-38: "....son of Simeon, son of Judah...."

2) ...  One MEGA HUGE part of the Messiah's role is to shepherd his flock in the strength of YHWH, in the majesty of the name of YHWH, his God. Our Messiah will be great to the ends of the earth and will be our peace.

Gabriel tells Mary, "He will be great," in Luke 1:32. The word "great" is from the Greek transliteration "megas" from which we get our word, 'mega' meaning: very great; big; mighty; large! In Micah 5:4, "he will be great" is translated from the Hebrew word, "gadal" meaning: to grow up; to become great; to be large; to be highly valued.

When you learn that this Messiah will rule and reign to the ends of the earth, over all people and all governments, tribes, and nations, you can quickly surmise just how 'great' or mega this ruler will be! He will shepherd his people on behalf of his God, in the strength and majesty of Yahweh. He will be ruling from the throne of David, as a world leader, like no one has yet to see before. There have been various 'world empires' and 'world leaders' in our history (read Daniel chapter 2), but we have yet to see someone like the Messiah, who will literally rule the world, and his saints, with him.

3) He will be our peace.
This theme of Jesus' peace keeps coming back throughout these Advent devotionals. Jesus told his disciples, appearing to them after God raised him from the dead:
"Peace to you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you." After saying this, he breathed on them and said, "Receive the holy spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." John 20:21-23.

Jesus gives us sweet, sweet peace, by the forgiveness of our sins. God gave Jesus the authority to forgive us our sins, as Jesus grants us this same authority over men. We carry the message to men of reconciliation to our one LORD God, through our Lord Jesus. It is a heavy responsibility to share this message of peace with others, and it must not stop with ourselves! What a shame it would be that we rest in this blessed peace of forgiveness, and it goes no further. Instead, we are challenged and commanded by our Messiah to spread this peace with others. Many people are in torment, depressed, and struggling with such deep wounds, guilt and shame. We hold the precious gift of peace to share with them ... that can alleviate their burden and bring them peace and joy in Jesus.  ... it is the one thing that will bring them the one thing that they lack: peace, knowing they will inherit everlasting life in the coming Kingdom of God. You may be the only one in their life, who knows of this and can share this with them. What will happen to them, if you remain silent?

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Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven,
As we see the details of the Old Testament prophecies of Jesus' birth unfold, we come to see how Your hand was in each minute detail, of even where his birth would take place! We also realize just how great Jesus is and why! He will rule and reign in Your strength and majesty one day, upon this earth, and we look forward to it with great anticipation! How our hearts yearn for a leader who will bring about a righteous government and shepherd us with Your love.

We thank You, Yahweh, for the gift of Your son, who brings peace to our hearts and souls at this time of year. There is no better place to be than basking in the warmth of Your love and forgiveness, knowing we are right with You. Knowing Christ and being baptized in the forgiveness of his name, gives us confidence to approach Your throne to ask You anything, to praise You, to lift Your Name on High! Let us not keep this good news to ourselves, but give us boldness and confidence to share it with others, who may be hurting, broken, and fighting despair.

In Jesus' Name we pray,
Amen.

Further Study:
Please take the time to read my blog entitled, "Celebrating the Coming Christ" for a more in depth look at our Scripture passage, Micah 5:2-5.

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Today's Scripture passage will probably not be one of the Messianic prophecies you will typically find in your Advent Devotional book, but it should be! It is the main reason Jesus was sent by God ~ to restore God's people and save them.

Read Psalm 80: 14-15, 17-19

"Return, God of Hosts. Look down from heaven and see;

take care of this vine, the root Your right hand has planted,

the shoot that You made strong for Yourself.

Let Your hand be with the man at Your right hand,

with the Son of Man You have made strong for Yourself.

Then we will not turn away from You; revive us, and we will call on Your name;

look on us with favor, and we will be saved."

Thoughts
Let's unpack this Scripture and see what we find in its rich, fertile ground for us, today!

1) The word 'root' that "Your right hand has planted" is literally 'shoot' [from the Hebrew word kannah]. The NASB translates this verse much more accurately based on the original Hebrew:

"Even the shoot which Your right hand has planted, And on the Son whom You have strengthened for Yourself."

Here is a paraphrase of this passage: "and for the King Messiah, whom You have strengthened for Yourself; that is, for the sake of Christ, whom You have appointed to work out the salvation of Your people by his great strength, and who was to come from this vine, or descend from Israel; for the sake of him destroy it not, nor suffer it to be destroyed; and is the same with the Son of Man."

Jesus, the King Messiah, is that offspring from the tribe of Judah and the seed (or blood relative or descendant) of David, ... who Yahweh, the one true living God, has planted. Yahweh has planted, [begotten, created, originated] this offspring of David to be His agent; to be in this esteemed position of great power, and He has therefore given His authority and rulership to this Son of Man. (see Daniel 7)

"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the shoot [from the Greek word rhiza] and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

2) Jesus - God's right hand man!

"Let Your hand be with the man at Your right hand, with the Son of Man You have made strong for Yourself."

Many people shy away from calling Jesus a literal 'man,' but that is what Scripture teaches us that he was and is still, today! This is what is so absolutely astounding about Jesus ~ the fact that God would exalt a human being to sit at His right hand, ascended into the heavens! Isn't it incredible?

How worthy is the Lamb who sits at the right hand of our God!!!!!

"Therefore, let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!" Acts 2:36.
"Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know." Acts 2:22.
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself - a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time." 2 Timothy 2:5.

3) God's right hand equates to a position of power and authority over the heavens and the earth.

I Peter 3:22: "who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to him."
Acts 2:33: "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this which you both see and hear."
Mark 16:19: "So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God."

The phrase 'let your hand be' "denotes a request from a subordinate to a superior", my Bible commentary notes tell me.
"The transfer of divine power flows through God's hand and into His agent."

"The man at Your right hand" is usually a king who received his appointment and approval by Yahweh. To be sitting at the right hand of God is the most esteemed, powerful position of the universe! Jesus' position as firstborn of the dead, due to his complete and utter obedience to his God, gained him the right, the privilege and honor, to sit there, until the time of restoration, when he will come down from heaven to the earth, to begin to establish his Father's kingdom. (Acts 3:21).

4) The last phrase we will look at today is: "look on us with favor, and we will be saved."

It makes me think of the angels proclamation to the shepherds announcing the birth of the Messiah:
"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors." Luke 2:14.

... We too, give glory and praise to our Most High God, because He has looked upon us with His favor, to bring us salvation, through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

I Thessalonians 5:9 tells us, "For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."
2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."

We have a loving God, who has supplied us a sacrificial Lamb to atone for our sins. He is waiting patiently for each one of us to come to repentance. To acknowledge and confess our sins and our need of a Savior. God is that Savior, through His provision of Jesus, our Lord Messiah, if we believe in him. We not only are required to believe, but we need to act on that belief. By faith, we need to make the choice to be baptized and then begin to live, day by day, in submission to our Lord and Master, thus becoming a follower of Christ Jesus. It's not an easy path, but a well rewarded one, my friend!

If you've never made the decision before, to become a follower of Jesus Christ, Romans 10:9 tells us "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Don't wait! Do this today, and then contact someone; find a Bible-believing church, so you can begin your walk as a believer, and know with certainty, that the hope of eternal life in the coming Kingdom will be yours to inherit, at the day of our Lord's return.

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Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven,
I pray today: revive Your people. Breathe new life back into us and let us return to our first love - Jesus Christ! Renew our minds with Your word and transform us into a people who are bold, confident and on fire for Your promise of salvation to us, through Your Son. Forgive us for our complacency, our lukewarmness, and our selfish motives to look inward, rather than outward and Upward! Stir us up Father, and fan into flame the gifts You have given us that we will use them to bring You glory and honor today!

We praise You for the gift of Your Son, through whom You have miraculously brought us favor and salvation, so that on the day of his return, we will be ready, alert and watching. Forgive us of our sins, Father, and let us be found pure, blameless, holy and righteous, by Jesus's cleansing blood. Because of his obedience, to the point of death, we, too, might be saved from Your wrath and be resurrected one day, to receive our gift of immortality ~ eternal life in the age that is to come. What a glorious day that will be!

May those who are reading this, have hearts that will be stirred, softened, and made willing to hear Your word of the Kingdom and Messiah Jesus; turn from their sins; repent; be baptized; and be saved. That is my prayer this day. Help them to gain a sense of urgency...that tomorrow may never come. Today is the day to make that choice.

In our Lord Messiah's Name ~ JESUS ~ we pray,

Amen.

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{During this Advent season} you often hear people state that because Jesus is called "Immanuel" by Matthew, that it tells us that Jesus is therefore God or "Deity."
Today, we will look into this name of Immanuel to determine what it meant to God's people and what it means to us, today.

Read Matthew 1:20-23

But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived [lit. begotten] in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him "Immanuel," which is translated "God is with us."

(HCSB translation)

Thoughts

In this text we just read, Matthew applies Isaiah 7:14 to Jesus ~ "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14.

Let's begin, by examining the phrase "the Lord Himself." There are many 'lords' in Scripture, but this particular "Lord", found in Isaiah 7:14 is from the Hebrew "Adonai" which the Hebrew scribes were very careful to designate to Yahweh, the only true God, only. Other men, angels and even the messiah are called 'lord' but those lords are from the Hebrew word, "adoni." So knowing this Lord is "Adonai", tells us that Yahweh, Himself, is providing a sign. I believe it's important to know just who is behind the orchestration of a sign to His people!

The next thing we need to understand is the context of Isaiah chapter 7. It was first spoken to King Ahaz, about 700 years before Christ. At this time, Ahaz is King of Judah and he is about to go into war against two kings - King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel. Ahaz is worried, so God sends His prophet, Isaiah, with a word from Him, to assure Ahaz that these kings will not attack him. To provide confidence that God's word is trustworthy, God provides a sign - a virgin will become pregnant, give birth to a son, and name him "Immanuel," which means in Hebrew literally: "with us is God."

In other words, the name "Immanuel" is a sign to the people, that God has not abandoned them; that He has not forsaken them; that He is surely still with His people and will help them.

Now read Isaiah 8:10:

"Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; State a proposal, but it will not stand, for "God is with us." (or "Immanuel").

I think this text puts the meaning of "Immanuel" into the right perspective ~ that "Immanuel" means that God has spoken and His plan will be the one that is accomplished. Not man's plan, but Yahweh of hosts' plan; the One who is holy, who we should fear, who is mighty and powerful. We do not need to fear man, when God is on our side!

Now, as we read the text in Matthew, where he records the angel's proclamation to Joseph that Mary, still a virgin at the point of this miraculous conception by the Spirit of God, will have a son, who will save his people from their sins; He then applies this text in Isaiah 7:14 as prophetic of the Messiah. This time in history, God is again providing a sign to His people that He is still with them. His sign is that this son will be born of a virgin and will be called "Immanuel" which means
"with us is God," or "God is with us."

Matthew accurately applies this Scripture to the Messiah, as a sign that this child will mean that God is still with His people. For in John 3:16-17, Jesus tells us

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him."

God is not abandoning His people. He has provided us our way of salvation, through His son, so that we can inherit eternal life in the coming age.

Jesus said in John 14:6: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me."

The only way to be reconciled to God [to get right with Him] and be found holy, blameless and pure [totally forgiven of our sins] on the day of our Lord's return? Through this man, Jesus, who is the Lamb of God, whom God provided to His people for their salvation.

It does not mean that Jesus is God, nor does it mean that God temporarily came down to dwell among His people as a human or in the flesh of a body.

The name "Immanuel" is giving us the assurance that God has not abandoned us, but instead, has provided us a way to inheriting the Kingdom of God and eternal life in this coming Kingdom! His provision is through the miraculous begetting of this child, the prophesied Messiah, who will someday rule the world.

Praise to Yahweh, the Most High God, for His gift to His people, through Christ Jesus! We are saved! {Throughout this season}, let us rejoice in the knowledge and understanding that God has not forsaken us. Whatever we may be facing - tough economic times; marital problems; rebellious children; a prodigal son or daughter; health issues that may be chronic or life threatening; joblessness; or some heartache or hurt that seems to never quite heal... let us take comfort in knowing that our God is with us.

"Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9.
"I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, and of the son of man who is make like grass?" Isaiah 51:12.

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Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven,

My heart goes out to people who are hurting and struggling at this time of year. Those who may not share their personal, private struggles with anyone, but suffer quietly, feeling isolated, discouraged and alone. I pray that they will learn to seek You and find You, and rest in the assurance that You are with them. Help them to know that they are not alone.

And as You provided Your son, Jesus, as a sign that You have not forsaken us, let us be a sign to those hurting in the world; an real flesh and blood indication that You have not forgotten them, either. Open our eyes to see the world as You do, and let us take time out of our busy lives, to show them Your love, Your kindness, and Your comfort in tangible ways. Remind us today, that it's not about us, but about loving You and loving others. Help us to reach out to them Father and show them Your way to experiencing joy, hope, and peace, through Your only begotten son, Jesus ~ our Lord, our Messiah, our Savior.

Thank You for speaking to us, even today, through Your word. Let us have eyes to see and ears to hear, the magnificent message that You bring to us. Let our hearts be open and receptive, so that we can turn to You, to be healed, to be saved, to be rescued and redeemed.

In Jesus' Name we pray,

Amen.

The above posts are the work of Angela Hays Moore.

Some editing has been done.

They were taken from: