"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE DEALING WITH ENEMIES AND OPPOSITION"

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE DEALING WITH ENEMIES AND OPPOSITION"

The verses below, are taken from Jesus's ministry in His hometown of Nazareth, as He went into the synagogue and taught from Isaiah 61:1-2b

 Where He was explaining His mission, and that He was the fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy.

The reaction of the people was one of not being receptive, turning into rejection, and then rage, and attempting to kill Him.

Jesus escaped this attempt on his life, and continued to minister.

Please take a moment to read the verses, ( By the way, NLT, means, New Living Testament, and I've included that version just to give you a little further appreciation for what is being said. Right after the verses, there is some explanatory thoughts and a prayer.

Luke 4:24Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.

NLT But the truth is, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.

Luke 4:28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

NLT When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious.

Luke 4:29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.

NLT Jumping up, they mobbed him and took him to the edge of the hill on which the city was built. They intended to push him over the cliff,

Luke 4:30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

NLT but he slipped away through the crowd and left them.

 Luke 4:31Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.

NLT Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day.

Some explanatory thoughts when dealing with enemies and opposition:

1. Don't be surprised if your own family does not put much stock in your Christian witness. It's just the way it is. See Luke 4:24

2. Don't be surprised if people actually get mad at you because you told them the truth about God. See Luke 4:28

3. Jesus escaped this attempt on His life, and God won't take you home either till it's in His will and timing. See Luke 4:29

4. Just keep at the will of God for your life, that's what Jesus did. See Luke 4:31

A prayer:

Lord, we thank You for Your Word, which always sheds light on our lives and circumstances. These passages do indeed help us understand the way people often react to the truth of Your Word. May we remember, that even our Lord Jesus had this assassination attempt on His life, for merely telling people the Word of God, and identifying who He was. Father, these verses do indeed show us the tremendous power of sin, of it's blinding power to the gospel of Christ. It also shows us the need we have to depend on You to be the opener of eyes to those who need to know You.

Lord, help us also to not be put off by opposition and enemies, but to keep to what You have called us to, just as Jesus did.

When it was all said and done, Jesus ascended to heaven, and that is where we are going to wind up one day as well. As for now, Lord, help us to be about Your business, in sharing the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. Gives us today, a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit, that we might serve You and be a good witness of Your love, grace, mercy and power.

In Jesus name, amen

Pastor Bob Grenier.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE"

For those families that have prodigal children

Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Proverbs 8:17   I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Luke 15:17 “But when he came to himself,

Luke 15:18 ‘I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,

Luke 15:24 ‘for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

A thought for those with prodigals.

I hope you might take a moment to read the above Scriptures one more time. That Prodigal is someone God cares about. And, He knows where they are at this moment, and what they are doing at this moment, and what their needs are at this moment.

The prodigal in Luke 15:17, "Came to himself" Or as it reads in the NLT, "When he finally came to his senses"

And, in Luke 15:24, again in the NLT, it reads, "For this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found. So, the party began."

I personally have 3 sons who are prodigals. So, I can identify with you who may have prodigals as well.

A prayer for those with prodigals.

Father, Your love for these prodigals far outweighs our own love and concern. We ourselves, who know You and walk with You, are so, because You have graciously brought us to Yourself.

We recognize that only God can save a soul. Only God can bring about restoration of a lost soul.

We pray in the name of Jesus for each and every prodigal that belongs to anyone reading this today, that You would work by the power of Your Holy Spirit, to bring them to their senses, and bring them back to their families, and let the party begin.

Nothing is impossible with God.

Pastor Bob Grenier

"Sharing Hope through Scripture"

"The Hope of heaven"

John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:2 “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be  also.

A few thoughts, and a prayer.

1. The phrase, "let not your hearts be troubled" is also translated, " do not let your hearts be distressed, and agitated" And, "You must not let yourselves be distressed.
2. Jesus said, "You believe in God, believe also in Me." Also, translated "You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me." And, also, You must hold on to your faith in God and to your faith in me."
3. Jesus refers to heaven, as His father's house. ( I'm not actually sure what He means by mansions. Perhaps new bodies, or actual dwelling places, i.e homes so to speak. But, whatever it means, Jesus says it is so, and if it were not, He would have to us.
4. Jesus is currently preparing a place for us.
5. Jesus is not only preparing a place for us, but, has promised to come again, and to receive us to Himself.
6. Eventually, where Jesus is, "Heaven" we will also be. Another translation says, "When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am"

Father, these are such precious and comforting words to us. Thank You for giving them to us. Thank You Lord Jesus for coming to earth the first time, and thank You for what You are doing right at this very moment for us, and thank You, that You are coming to get us someday. Thank You, that we will one day always be with you in Your Father's house, heaven.

While we wait for you, living down here on the earth, we pray that we would be so "heavenly minded" that we are of some earthly good. May our hearts and minds be consistently focused on the eternal hope we have of being with you one day. There is not greater hope, then what we have in You.

We love You.

Pastor Bob Grenier

"Hope through Scripture, for those facing temptation"

Four positives about temptation.  

1. Because Jesus was a human being ( as well as God ) He is able to understand what you are going through when it comes to temptation. 
2. Ultimately, You will be blessed as you go through the temptation. 
3. We are promised that you can endure temptation. 
4. One day, You will be rewarded because of the temptations that you have gone through while down here on earth. 

A prayer for those going through a time of temptation

Father, we would first of all like to thank You, that You not only sent Jesus to die for our sins and thereby provide forgiveness of our sins, and salvation for anyone who will turn to Him, and believe in Him, and receive Him, but, You have also provided a Savior, who understands what it is to be tempted, and can help us when we are being tempted. Thank You for that Lord.

Also, as with everything You allow in our lives, You wind up bringing a blessing into our lives as we abide in You. So, even through temptation, there comes blessing. And, not only that, but we thank You, for the promise that we can endure temptation. You are greater then we are, You are greater then sin, and You have given us faith in the greatest of all persons, Yourself. You are able to cause us to endure. Thank You Lord.

Finally, Lord, this world and life, which is so full of temptations, is not all there is. There is a hereafter. And in the hereafter, we thank You for the sure promise of rewards. We are not sure what the crown of life is, but we know it will be good, and eternally a blessing from You. We love You, and we look forward to being with you when we leave this world, and we thank You in advance for the "Crown of Life" which you have promised to us. 

In Jesus name. 

Pastor Bob Grenier.

“HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR HURTING MARRIAGES"

“HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR HURTING MARRIAGES"

Genesis 2:18 "And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Proverbs 18:22 "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD."

Matt 7:24* “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:

Matt 7: 25 “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

Matt7:26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:

Matt 7: 27 “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

A thought:

We all have storms that come into our lives, there is no question about that. You may have a storm that is blown into your marriage at this time. Jesus taught about how we survive storms. It's by being wise, and taking His Word to heart, and acting upon it. If we do, then, our house, i.e our life, our marriage will stand, because it is built on the rock of Jesus Christ, and His Word. Lord, it's our prayer today, that we are thankful for the spouse You have given to us, and that we are not alone. As men, we would say thank You for giving us our wives, You have given us favor. And, as couples, we would say,

A prayer:

Father, we humble ourselves today, before You, and acknowledge that we cannot live any part of this life alone, and apart from You, we need You. We especially need You in our marriages. Give us grace today, as we humbly admit our need for You, and take control of our lives, and let us walk in obedience to You this day. Help us to show love to our mates, and to serve them in sincere love. In Jesus Name. Amen.

"For those suffering according to the will of God"

"So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1st Peter 4:19 NIV

There are two things that Peter says to those who are suffering according to the will of God. First of all, they are to commit their souls to Him. The fact is that God does allow suffering, and we are to place our souls in God's charge during that time of need. The word "commit" means just that. Let God be in charge of you, let Him have full control of your life, surrender to Him. And, just like you would deposit something in the bank for safekeeping, so you can deposit your soul to Him.

Second, we are to do good in the midst of our suffering. It's very easy to want to fight back, especially when someone is treating you unfairly or bringing trouble into your life when you don't deserve it. But remember that God wants us to keep doing what is right and what is good even when we are mistreated.

Last, notice what's said about God in this verse. He is a faithful Creator. That means He is dependable and trustworthy. You can count on Him today in the midst of your suffering.

May God make His face shine upon you, especially if you are suffering and in need of His loving grace. He has as much as You need. And, He loves You more then You know.

"HOPE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES"

Sharing Hope through Scripture 

Job 1:21 He said, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD" NLT

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you says " says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope" NLT

Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever" NLT