Week Ten, 2019
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
THE COMPASS FLIPS
By Florida Senator John Grant, Retired
Pilots tell me about how the compass does a 180° flip when they fly over the North Pole. I wanted to see for myself, so on a recent flight over the top from Chicago to Tokyo I brought my compass along. Sure enough for the first few hours we were heading north, but all of a sudden we were heading south.
I thought about how our faith is like that. We are born to sin by nature, but then we are saved by grace and our internal compass flips from sin to savior.
Jesus calls us to repent. Repentance called for throughout the Bible is a summons to a personal, absolute and ultimate unconditional surrender to God as Sovereign. Though it includes sorrow and regret, it is more than that. The words “repent,” “repentance,” and “repented” are mentioned over 100 times in the Bible.
The biblical definition of repentance means, “to change one’s mind.” Will-power to stop and turn from sin just isn’t enough. To truly repent, God needs to change our mind about that sin. To hate sin, like God hates it. When we do, the action of turning from sin, to Jesus, is easy.
Repentance causes us to turn into the opposite direction, turning away from sin than running to it. Jesus died in our place so we could have a relationship with God and be with Him forever. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
But it didn’t end with His death on the cross. He rose again and still lives! “Christ died for our sins. … He was buried. … He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Jesus is the only way to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6).
Have you turned from sin to the Savior? If not, do it today and your life will never be the same again.
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
When asked about significant aspects of God’s character and activity, the contrast between those who believe in the God of Scripture vs. those who believe only in a “higher power” is dramatic:
▪ God “loves all people, regardless of their faults”: 97 percent vs. 69 percent
▪ He “has protected them”: 97 percent vs. 68 percent
▪ He “knows everything”: 94 percent vs. 53 percent
▪ He “has rewarded them”: 87 percent vs. 53 percent
▪ He “has power to direct/change everything”: 86 percent vs. 39 percent
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Alphanumeric credit card numbers?
Me: Welcome to Card Solutions, this is Demi Zenith, how can I help you today?
Customer: Yeah, hi. I’m trying to buy something online with my credit card, but it won’t accept my credit card number as it has letters in it.
Me: Wait what, your credit card number has letters in it? That’s not possible.
Customer: Yeah, I’ve never seen a card like this before. I thought it was just how new credit cards were done these days.
Me: Could I get you to read that number out to me please?
Customer: (reads off a combination of numbers and letters that ends with “LLLE”)
I’m confused as to what could be happening here when suddenly it comes to me. One of the credit cards we issue has a number that starts with “3777”.
Me: Sir… are you holding your card upside-down?
Customer: What? Oh wow, I can’t believe I’ve done that! Yes, that’s it. It’s all numbers now when I turn it around! Thanks!
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
But in the chaos of our times, there’s a path to the unchanging truth we need today. Jim Denison
If Planned Parenthood was killing as many puppies as they are babies, they would have been shut down long ago.
Your value doesn’t decrease just because someone fails to recognize your worth.
People won’t become the person they want to be because they are too attached to the person they are.
Abortion is Racism and Takes Away the Civil Rights of Unborn Babies. Martin Luther King Jr’s Niece Alveda King