A Bible You Can Understand

[Danny]

Emanna for 08/14/2007

Having Faith in the Midst of Storms (2)

Bible Verses

Heb.12:2 Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God Matt 13:28 Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest.(29)...and you will find rest for your souls

Words of Ministry

[Part 2 of 2] We need to believe in the Lord and not look at our environment or circumstances. Instead of looking at the storm, let us look at the resting Lord. Which will you follow--the storm or the resting Lord? We may even want to say to the Lord, "Lord, since You are resting, I shall rest with you. Let the wind blow. Because You are resting, I can rest with You."

Often in our journey with the Lord we shall encounter a storm or a whirlwind. Then we may become distracted and forget the Lord's word and the fact that He is with us and is at rest. Are you able to say, "Lord, since You are resting, I shall rest also"? Let us all learn to practice this.

According to the portrait in Luke, while we are taking the way ordained by the Lord, the Lord will be at rest, and the enemy will be busy. The evil spirits and the demons will be active to cause storms to frustrate us on our journey. We need to remember that actually this is not our journey; it is the Lord's journey, and we are journeying with Him. We are taking His way, and He is on the way with us. In fact, He is even in the boat with us. Instead of being troubled, we should have peace in the resting Lord.(c) 2007 Living Stream Ministry.

Prayer

Lord Jesus. Remind us today that the journey is not our journey but Your journey and that You are on the way with us. Grant us peace, resting in You. We love You Lord Jesus. Amen.

Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible (RcV) and Words of Ministry, from Witness Lee, Life-study of Luke, pp.161-162. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA.(Repeat 11/30/01)

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[Danny]

A Prisoner and Follower of Christ

Scripture:

Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you, the Gentiles –

Ephesians 4:1 I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called.

2 Timothy 1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor of me His prisoner; but suffer evil with the gospel according to the power of God.

NOTEs: The apostle Paul considered himself a prisoner of Christ. Apparently, he was confined in prison; actually, he was imprisoned in Christ…To be a prisoner in the Lord is deeper than to be a prisoner of the Lord. As such a prisoner, Paul is a pattern for those who would walk worthily of God’s calling.

Prayer:

Lord, grant us mercy today, to walk worthily of Your calling – prisoners in You and prisoners of You. We love You Lord Jesus. Amen.

Scripture and notes are taken from "a bible you can understand."
See: http://biblesforamerica.org

[Danny]

How to Follow the Lord (1)

Bible Verses

Luke 9:57 And as they went along the road, someone said to Him, I will follow You wherever You go.(58) And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have roosts, but the Son of Man does not have a place where He may lay His head.

Words of Ministry

In 9:57-62 the Man-Savior instructs people how to follow Him. The one in verse 57 was one of the scribes (Matt 8:19), who used to live comfortably. He saw crowds being attracted to the Savior (Matt. 8:18) and wanted to follow Him out of curiosity, without counting the cost. This was the reason the Man-Savior answered him in such a way as to cause him to consider the cost. The Savior cautioned him by pointing out that, although crowds were attracted to Him He had nowhere to rest. This indicates that it would cost considerable suffering to the one in verse 57 to follow the Lord.

In 9:58 the Lord pointed out specifically that He had nowhere to lay His head. Here we see that the Savior's human life was a life of suffering. At His birth there was no room in the inn for Him to lie down. In His marvelous ministry there was likewise no place for Him to rest. Suffering, therefore, is a sign of His human life.

In 9:57 and 58 we see that those who want to follow the Lord Jesus out of curiosity do not know the cost of following Him. To be sure, the scribe in verse 57 did not know what it would cost him to follow the Lord. Hence the Savior warned this one that following Him would cost him much suffering.(c) 2007 Living Stream Ministry.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, have mercy on us today and every day to count the cost, to pay the price, to follow You. You alone are worthy Lord. Amen.

Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible (RcV) and Words of Ministry, from Witness Lee, Life-study of Luke, p. 198. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA.(Repeat 12/13/01)

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[Danny]

Emanna for 08/24/2007

How to Follow the Lord (2)

Bible Verses

Luke 9: 59 And He said to another, Follow Me. But he said, Lord, permit me to go first and bury my father.(60) But He said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and announce the kingdom of God everywhere (61) And another also said, I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say farewell to those in my house.(62) But Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand on the plow and looks behind is fit for the kingdom of God.

Words of Ministry

This one [in vs. 59] was called by the Savior to follow Him, but he considered his duty to his dead father and would not follow Him immediately. Hence, the Savior encouraged him to pay the price that he might become a follower in His great commission to publish the kingdom of God (v. 60).

The answer of the one who asked to first go and bury his father indicates that he overly considered the cost of following the Man-Savior. This was the reason the Lord answered him in the way of encouraging him to follow Him and set aside his considerations of the cost and to leave the burial of his father to others.

The third one volunteered to follow the Savior, but he would not do it before bidding farewell to his family. Hence, the Man-Savior warned this one not to let anything hold him back from the kingdom of God. In verse 62 the Lord speaks of not putting one's hand on the plow and looking back. Plowing requires one to concentrate all his attention on the line plowed. Just a little distraction, to say nothing of looking back, may lead the plower off the straight line. To follow the Savior requires us to forget everything else and to press straight forward for the kingdom of God.(c) 2007 Living Stream Ministry.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, cause us to forget everything distracting us from following You and to press straight forward for the kingdom of God. We love You Lord. Amen.

Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible (RcV) and Words of Ministry, from Witness Lee, Life-study of Luke, pp. 198-199. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA.(Repeat 12/14/01)

Please visit us at www.emanna.com

[Danny]

Emanna for 08/07/2007

Cultivating Your Heart to Grow Christ (2)

Bible Verses

Luke 8:6 And other seed fell on the rock, and as it grew, it withered because it had no moisture.(13) And those on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; yet these have no root, who believe only for a while, and in time of trial they draw back.

Words of Ministry

[Part 2 of 3] A second kind of heart is likened to rocky ground (8:6, 13. This kind of ground has soil on the surface, but underneath it is full of rocks. It is not possible for Christ to grow in this kind of heart. A person with such a heart may receive Christ and be saved; however, it will be difficult for him to grow in life. Because of the rocks, it is difficult for Christ to grow in the heart signified by the rocky ground. Matthew 13:5 describes this kind of heart as rocky places, which do not have much earth. This signifies the heart that is shallow in receiving the Lord's word. Such a heart is shallow because deep within are "rocks"--hidden sins, personal desires, self-seeking, and self-pity—which frustrate the seed from gaining root in the depths of the heart.

We also need to deal with all the rocks, the obstacles hidden within us. These hidden things may include hidden sins or hidden desires. As an example of a hidden desire, we may mention the desire common among young people to have a good car. The desire for a certain kind of new car may become a "rock" in our hearts, a rock that makes it difficult for Christ to grow within us.[Continued tomorrow](c) 2007 Living Stream Ministry.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, strengthen us to deal with the obstacles, the hidden sins, within our heart, that You may gain the ground to grow in us. We love You Lord Jesus. Amen.

Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible (RcV) and Words of Ministry, from Witness Lee, Life-study of Luke, pp. 154-155. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA.(Repeat 11/15/01)

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[Danny]

Emanna for 08/09/2007

Cultivating Your Heart to Grow Christ (3)

Bible Verses

Luke 8:7 And other seed fell in the midst of the thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it off. 14 And that which fell into the thorns, these are those who heard and, going away, are utterly choked by anxieties and riches and pleasures of this life, and do not bring any fruit to maturity.

Words of Ministry

[Part 3 of 3] Here we see clearly that the "thorns" signify anxieties riches (in particular, the deceitfulness of riches--Matt. 13:22), and the pleasures of life. These things choke the word and prevent it from growing in the heart and becoming fruitful. If our hearts are filled with anxieties, how can Christ grow in us? In order for Him to grow within us, our hearts need to be free from anxiety, the deceitfulness of riches, and the pleasures of life.

In today's world we face many perils--perils of immorality, perils of anxiety, and perils of pleasure. The more you desire to have pleasure, the more anxiety you will have, and the more you will suffer. But if you are willing to have a simple life, you will not have as many pleasures nor as many anxieties. We should not follow the trend of today's world. This trend includes worldly traffic, pleasure, and anxiety. As the result of following the trend of the world, many are exhausted. They are busy with the worldly traffic and with earning money to have more pleasures. The result is more anxiety, more disease, and more death. We Christians should be delivered from the trend of this age and take another way. If we do not take the way of the world with its traffic. pleasures, and anxiety, our hearts will be released and available for Christ. Then our hearts will be occupied by Christ. A Prayer Lord Jesus, simplify me so that You can grow and occupy my heart. I confess that it is easy for me to be absorbed by the seeking of money and pleasure. So now I have so much anxiety. I am willing to trade all that for Your growing in me. Amen.(c) 2007 Living Stream Ministry.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, simplify me so that You can grow and occupy my heart. I confess that it is easy for me to be absorbed by the seeking of money and pleasure. So now I have so much anxiety. I am willing to trade all that for Your growing in me. Amen.

Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible (RcV) and Words of Ministry, from Witness Lee, Life-study of Luke, p. 155. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA.(Repeat 11/19/01)

Please visit us at www.emanna.com