Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. John 6:54, 55.
Eternal life is the receiving of the living elements in the Scriptures, the doing of the will of God. This is what is meant by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God. It is the privilege of all to partake of the bread of heaven by studying the Word, and thus gain spiritual sinew and muscle.
Each one must appropriate the blessing to his own soul, or he will not be fed…. You know you would not be nourished by seeing a well-spread table, and by others eating. We would starve if we did not partake of physical nourishment, and we shall lose our spiritual strength and vitality if we do not feed on spiritual bread….
The table has been spread, and Christ invites you to the feast. Shall we stand back, refusing bounties, and declaring, “He does not mean this for me?” We used to sing a hymn that described a feast where a happy household gathered to partake of the bounties of the board at a kind father’s invitation. While the happy children gathered at the table, there stood a hungry beggar child at the threshold. She was invited to come in; but sadly she turned away, exclaiming, “I have no father there.” Will you take this position as Jesus invites you in? Oh! if you have a Father in the courts above, I entreat you to reveal the fact. He wants to make you a partaker of His rich bounties and blessings. All who come with the confiding love of a little child will find a Father there.
Come to the water of life, and drink. Do not stay away and complain of thirst. The water of life is free to all.
Those who eat and digest this Word, making it a part of every action and of every attribute of character, grow strong in the strength of God. It gives immortal vigor to the soul, perfecting the experience, and bringing joys that will abide forever.
The Faith I Live By p. 22
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for Carolyn and Eileen who both need healing. Rose
—–My Neighbor called last night. her great niece was in a head on collision last night, her boyfriend an his brother are in the hospital and doing OK. she has many broken bones. they were doing a cat scan on her head at the time I got the phone call. her name is Elizabeth she is 20 her mother flew in from ____. the accident happened in ______. please pray for her thank you M
—–Please pray for my grandson whom I just found out is in foster care in another state. Please pray that God will allow me to be able to bring him safely here so we can care for him while his mom and dad are getting their lives back in order. Please pray for doors to be open to make the process easier and to give us peace of mind to know that he’s being well taken care of. He’s only 4 years old. Cora
—–Please pray for my health, I have a cyst on my right ovary and I have problem on my colon as well. Jenny
—–Please pray for my friend Delores she is very sick and needs our prayers. Carolyn
—–I have a prayer request. As you probably know, things became harder after I
had preached on gender roles. Some pastors no longer wanted
me to preach in their congregations. I am now however invited to preach on
this subject 3 times in a row in one of the influential churches in the
area. The union leaders are expected to come as well. I really need prayer
support, because I am just a lay person and going to defend something
important against many official leaders. On the other hand, if God gives us
wisdom and His Spirit, then it might work towards ceasing the rebellion of
our union against GC. I would really love to see this happening. So please
pray for me and the situation. RA
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Dear Friends,
Over the years, Ron has worked as an avionics technician. There have been times when some piece of equipment comes in that no matter how hard he tries, he just cannot seem to fix. Years ago, he developed the habit of praying for wisdom to know what to do. Normally he prays silently, but the other day, he felt impressed to pray with the other two men who were with him and working on the problem. Because he does that, he is able to fix problems no one else can. Just as Ron prays for wisdom in his work, so we must “pray without ceasing” for power from On High to overcome sin. 1 Thes 5:17 Just as he continues working on the equipment until it begins working again, so we are to “give diligence to make our calling and election sure.” I Peter 1:10
Yet, how many times we become discouraged and feel like laying aside the armor and giving up fighting the fight of faith. Our Dear Saviour promises, “He that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matt 24:13 Paul advises, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity (agape love).” 1 Cor 16:13,14 John adds, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:3-5
In our own strength, we cannot overcome. In our own strength, we cannot truly keep God’s Commandments. We might be vigilant for a time and appear to do so, but eventually we will tire and let down our guard and crash just as surely as do the various pieces of equipment Ron repairs. In our own strength we cannot endure unto the end “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Eph 6:12 The enemy, like a virus enters into any opening we do not have well guarded. Therefore, we must be continuously on the alert, continuously on guard. “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.” vs 13-18
May we “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Heb 12:1,2 May we “follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, [fighting] the good fight of faith, [laying] hold on eternal life, that we may gain the victory over every sin. 1 Tim 6:11, 12 May we declare as did Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Tim 4:7, 8
Rose