Galatians 4:4-7 "No Longer a Slave." on this week's Word of Grace Devotion with Pastor Joe Marquez.9/20/2017  The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of September 18, 2017
No Longer A Slave Galatians 4:4-7, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” Beloved, religion has clouded the minds of many into believing that they can somehow earn their way into heaven. They do good works and they try to obey the Law of the OT only to find out that they always end up short. God knew this and thus He sent His Son into the world at the right time in order that we would become sons and daughters and not remain slaves. Jesus was sent, “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:5) To redeem means to buy at a price. Thus, Jesus bought us with His own life, “7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:7) Beloved, once we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He set us free form the bondage of self-righteousness. Therefore beloved, no longer are we to walk around as a slave bound to the law but as a son/daughter free to worship and love our Lord and Savior. To put it simply: I do not have to but I get to love and serve and worship Jesus in freedom as an heir! This week may you meditate on the fact that you are no longer a slave but a son/daughter of the living God! I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you! In Jesus Name’ Pastor Joe
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Beloved, Mark 13:5-8 says, “And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Beloved as we consider the state of current events, we cannot help but think that this may be, “the beginning of birth pains.” So please pray for the following: · For those affected by the destruction Hurricane Harvey left behind. From Corpus Christi to Beaumont, South Texas has lost lives, possessions, and thousands are without a home today. · Pray for those in the path of Hurricane Irma and the upcoming Hurricane Jose. Florida is in for a direct hit of Irma and the loss could be catastrophic. · Pray for those affected by the wildfires in Montana, Oregon, Washington and California. The west is on fire. · Pray for those who experienced the recent 8.1 earthquake, which hit off the southern coast of Mexico. · Pray for the tension between North Korea and the US- that it does not escalate into war! · Pray that the Lord would use the current events to draw many back to Himself! James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Pastor Joe Marquez "Adversity."Ecclesiastes 7:14 on this week's Word of Grace Devotion with Pastor Joe Marquez.9/4/2017  The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of September 4, 2017
Adversity Ecclesiastes 7:14, “Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.” NLT Ecclesiastes 7:14, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” ESV Beloved, I have included both the NLT and ESV versions of Ecclesiastes 7:14 to give us some clarity concerning this verse. Truth be told, South Texas has suffered great loss. From Corpus Christi to Beaumont and Southwest Louisiana, many people have lost homes, jobs, possessions and some even their lives. To exacerbate this is the fact that some people were not doing well in the first place. Some were enduring the pain of cancer and others of depression and now life has added Hurricane Harvey on top of all of this. This will be a long-term care commitment from many to see that South Texas is restored and most importantly, that lives are restored. Imagine this: It has been twelve years since Hurricane Katrina and there remain areas of New Orleans that have not been rebuilt. There are areas that remain in ruins twelve years after the fact! I pray that South Texas will be different and that we will rebuild the entirety of all that has been destroyed. So where and how do we start? We start simply, one brick at a time. We will begin next week going to Katy, Texas and helping out mucking out homes in that area. The reasons are many. Few people are helping in this area. Samaritan’s Purse is not there yet and neither are many others. Also, the mayor has not asked people to stop bringing stuff because more stuff is needed! Now, while our focus will be on Katy, this does not preclude us from going elsewhere to help out a family member. This in fact may happen but our focus for the next year will be Katy, Texas. So why did Hurricane Harvey happen? Scripture says in Ecclesiastes 7:14, “When hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.” God allowed, if not, brought this hurricane to us. But, why would God do this? I could speculate but that is all that it would be. Truly, only God knows why. The important thing is our response. So how can you help? (1) Pray! Pray that those in despair would not despair of life. Satan would love for people to lose hope and begin killing themselves. Pray that this does not happen but that God brings hope to the lost and hurting. Remember, this Wednesday we have our first Wednesday of the month where we have potluck, praise and prayer. Come and join us! (2) Give! I realize that you have already been asked to give by many others, both individuals and organizations, but much is needed. You can give of your time, talent and treasure (money). All is needed to help restore Texas. If you choose to give to us be do indicate this on your offering envelope or through PayPal. (3) Join us in Katy, Texas and anywhere else we may go. Specific information will soon be available so that you can sign up and commit to helping. (4) Do not give up. This will be a long process and what is needed is a long obedience in the same direction! Beloved, God will be glorified and Texas will be restored in Jesus Name! I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you! In Jesus’ Name, Pastor Joe |
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