7 Life Essentials, 5

 ~ Critical Factor: Rest ~

 

Introduction  ~  In this series we will look at the four most basic physical needs for a human to survive, and how Jesus Christ satisfies the parallel spiritual needs.  Then we will look at three additional critical factors related to both our physical and spiritual needs.

 

Physical Needs  ~  According to basic physiological understanding mankind needs four basic elements in order to survive physically: water, air, food, and light.  Jesus satisfies the parallel spiritual needs.  Jesus is the Living Water (John 4:10-11, 7:38).  Jesus provides the Breath of Life (Genesis 2:7, Colossians 1:16-17).  Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48).  Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12, 9:5).

 

There are three additional critical factors necessary for physical life: rest, healing, and blood.  Once again, we find that Jesus satisfies both the physical and the parallel spiritual needs.  Jesus provides rest (Matthew 11:25-30).  Jesus is the great healer (Matthew 4:23-25).  It is only the blood of Jesus which provides true success in life not only on earth but more importantly in the life to come (Ephesians 2:11-13).

 

Key Scriptures  ~  “At that time Jesus answered and said, ‘I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light’” (Matthew 11:25-30).

 

“Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, ‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves” (Mark 6:30-32 parallel passages in Matthew 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17; and John 6:1-14).

 

Comment  ~  During creation God gave us the example of the need for rest.  After six days of work He rested.  The divine concept of the Sabbath being a change of pace and a day of rest follows this important principle.

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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God Attribute, 164

 

~ God Is Powerful ~

 

This Series ~ This series of posts looks at some of the many attributes of God.  Generally, we move in alphabetical order.

 

Introduction ~ The Bible makes it clear that God is all-powerful or possesses unlimited power. The theological term is omnipotent.

 

Scripture ~ “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1L17 ESV).

 

“For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

 

“Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!” (Jeremiah 32:17). 

 

“But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:26).

 

Comment ~ “During an earthquake that occurred a few years since, that inhabitants of a small village were generally very much alarmed, but they were at the same time surprised by the calmness and apparent joy of an old lady whom they all knew.  At length one of them, addressing the old lady, said, ‘Mother, are you not afraid?’  ‘No,’ said the mother in Israel; ‘I rejoice to know that I have a God that can shake the world.”   Charles H. Spurgeon 

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Bible Version: Quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted. Emphasis is added.

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Facebook page: Robert Lloyd Russell

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April Fool’s Day

~ Which Kind of Fool Are You? ~

 

“There are two ways to be fooled: one is to believe what isn’t true, the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” —Soren Kierkegaard 

 

~ Secular Fool ~

 

I find it interesting to reflect on something Albert Einstein said: “The more I study science the more I believe in God.”

 

Einstein reminds me of a passage in the Bible… “The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse” (Romans 1:19-20 msg). 

 

“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” —Mark Twain

 

~ Spiritual Fool ~

 

“Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of ‘the brightest and the best’ among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these ‘nobodies’ to expose the hollow pretensions of the ‘somebodies’? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have — right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start — comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, ‘If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God’” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31 msg).

 

Note: This was a favorite passage of one of the Queens of England. She remarked that she was so thankful for the “m” as opposed to “any.”

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Bible Version: Quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted. Emphasis is added.

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·         The current TOP 10 reader favorites are listed at the bottom of the page.

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Facebook page: Robert Lloyd Russell

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New Things, 12

~ A New And Living Way ~

 

Introduction ~ This series will aid us in understanding some of the many dimensions of possessing new life through the work of Jesus Christ found in the New Testament (or New Covenant). The theme for this series is from the book of Lamentations where we find a great summary verse about our gracious and faithful God.

 

New Mercies ~ “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’” (Lamentations 3:22-24).

 

Scripture ~ Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:19-25).

 

Comment ~ The essence of this passage is to hold firmly to our Christian beliefs: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

* * * * *

Bible Version: Quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.  Emphasis is added.

FREE Author Newsletter: Subscribe today and receive a FREE welcome gift followed by occasional news and special offers.  https://www.subscribepage.com/rlr  Your email will never be sold, given, or used in any other way and you can easily unsubscribe at any time. 

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·         An INDEX of past topics is accessed by scrolling down the left column.

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Is Christ God? 5of12

~ Jesus Christ Called Himself God! ~

 

Scripture  ~  “But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:17-19).

 

“Jesus answered, ‘If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, “I do not know Him,” I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.’  Then the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’  Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (John 8:54-59).

 

“Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.  I and My Father are one.’  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, ‘Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?’  The Jews answered Him, saying, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God’” (John 10:25-33).

 

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him.  And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.  Even so, Amen.  ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Revelation 1:7-8). 

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Author web page: https://booksrlr .com/ “Books by Robert Lloyd Russell” 

·         Be an insider!  Sign up for his Author Newsletter and receive occasional news and special offers.  His books have won national and international literary awards.  Subscribe today and receive a welcome gift.  Your email will never be sold, given, or used in any other way.  You can easily unsubscribe at any time.  https://www.subscribepage.com/rlr 

Daily blog page: http://robertlloydrussell.blogspot.com/ “Abundant Life Now”

·         The INDEX of topics is accessed by scrolling down the left column.

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~~~~~~~~~~

Promise of God, 64

 

~ You No Longer Need to Fear ~

 

This Series ~ God has made many promises to His people. This series of posts looks at some (100+) of the many promises of God.  It is not an exhaustive list.

 

Key Factor ~ God not only makes promises to His people but He also keeps all of His promises.

 

Scripture ~ “You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

* * * * *

Bible Version: Quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted. Emphasis is added.

FREE Author Newsletter: Subscribe today and receive a FREE welcome gift followed by occasional news and special offers: booksrlr .com/connect - Your email will never be sold, given, or used in any other way and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.

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Daily blog page: “Abundant Life Now” robertlloydrussell.blogspot .com – An INDEX of past topics is accessed by scrolling down the left column.

·         The current TOP 10 reader favorites are listed at the bottom of the page.

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Facebook page: Robert Lloyd Russell

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Benefits For God’s People, 15

 ~ God Is My Hiding Place ~

 

Series Information ~ The Bible is full of promises to those who have trusted in God as their only true source of salvation. Most of the 100+ posts in this series are exclusively for God’s family. These postings are far from an exhaustive list! It is important to realize you are not a member of God’s family unless you have made a specific intentional decision to trust Jesus Christ as your savior. If you have not done that or are not sure if you have then I suggest you settle it today. Here is a good website which will help you: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/what-must-i-do-to-be-saved/

 

Series Theme Scripture ~ “For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ].  For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians1:20 amp).

 

This Post Scripture ~ “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7).

 

Comment ~ Everyone at times needs a place of rest and relaxation. God provides that spot – whether you are a Christian or not.

 

The Christian ~ “And He [Jesus] said to them, ‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves” (Mark 6:31-32).

 

The Pre-Christian ~ “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

* * * * *

Bible Version: Quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.  Emphasis is added.

FREE Author Newsletter: Subscribe today and receive a FREE welcome gift followed by occasional news and special offers.  https://www.subscribepage.com/rlr  Your email will never be sold, given, or used in any other way and you can easily unsubscribe at any time. 

Author web page: “Books by Robert Lloyd Russell” https://booksrlr .com/ – 11 national and international book awards.

Daily blog page: “Abundant Life Now” http://robertlloydrussell.blogspot.com/

·         An INDEX of past topics is accessed by scrolling down the left column.

·         The current TOP 10 reader favorites are listed at the bottom of the page.

·         His personal TOP 10 favorites are listed in the right-hand column of the blog. 

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