Daily Devotional By Archbishop Foley Beach

: Jesus' Resurrection Is Your Means, Through God’s Grace, for the Forgiveness From Your Sins

MESSAGE SUMMARY: If Jesus had not been raised from dead, our faith would be misplaced. The Resurrection is your means, through God’s Grace, for the forgiveness from your sins. In Luke 24:25-26, Jesus reveals Himself, after His Resurrection, to Cleopas on the road to Emmaus and summarizes the criticality of the Resurrection to God’s plan for His Kingdom: “He {Jesus} said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’”. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer posits in its A Prayer of General Thanksgiving: ".:. but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory . . .". The Resurrection Critical to our Christian Faith.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Inconsistencies. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Faithfulness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 Corinthians 15:14; Luke 24:25-26; Psalms 86:1-17

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “In Terms of Exercising Your Mind, Where Is Your Interior Life Leading You?", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO: https://awordfromthelord.org/video-archives/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Reversed Old Testament Law of “an eye for an eye” To a “Great Commandment” of “Love”

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus turned the prior teachings of the Law on their heels by commanding that personal relationships be based on “Love” not “Law and Justice”. Prior to the New Covenant of Jesus the Christ, the Jewish Law included "an eye for an eye . . .". Jesus, in Matthew 5:38-39, provides the cornerstone of His Greatest Commandment – “love thy neighbor as thy self” when He tells us: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”. The Old Testament Law was for the Judges to help the courts punish people in an appropriate and consistent way. God’s Grace provided us with the means, if we so choose, for our forgiveness of our sins and our Eternal Life and Salvation when our eternal death was the “Law and Justice” outcome of our sins; and His Grace sets the model for us to live a life of “Love” – “Love” God’s way.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13).

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 5:38-42; Hebrews 9:15; 1 John 4:19; Psalms 77b:11-20.

 

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Turkeys and Eagles – Part 6: We Don’t Need to Be Wimpy Christians", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Today, the World Needs to be Renewed With an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit - a Global Spiritual Awakening”: www.AWFTL.org/watch

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Tells Us: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends”

MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we can’t help but be reminded of Jesus’ Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God’s Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God’s model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Today, let us all remember those with God’s Agape Love that sacrificed so much for us by giving up their lives for us.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Past Lust. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Perfect Provision. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 53:1-6.

 

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “As a Follower of Jesus, You Should “Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name” Every Day - Do You?", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Today, the World Needs to be Renewed With an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit - a Global Spiritual Awakening”: www.AWFTL.org/watch

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

If You “Acting as an Enemy of Jesus” By a Life-Focus On Earthly Things, Your Life May Lead to Destruction

MESSAGE SUMMARY: God has told us that we are His children and citizens of Heaven. To this end, God has given you the Holy Spirit as a pledge of your inheritance as His child. Also, God gave you the Holy Spirit to provide you with the power to live a Spiritual life. However, far too many continue to live and to act as “enemies of the Cross of Christ” by having minds focused on earthly things as the lords of life. If this picture of life actions and focus describes you, then you very well may be on the road to eternal death and destruction. Therefore, then you must return to Jesus and His way of doing things – Jesus’ pattern of discipleship, servanthood, and submission is a path to your Salvation. Paul, in Philippians 3:18-20, defines an “enemy of the Cross of Christ: “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.". Have your life focus driven by the realization that you are His child and a citizen of Heaven; therefore, you and your life are all precious to God since He sacrificed so much to adopt you as His child.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Past Resentment. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Compassion. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 7:19-23; Romans 8:13-17; Revelation 8:9-24; Psalms 49a:1-10.

 

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Some Christians Easily Walk Away from God, But God Rejoices When They Return", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Are You Committed to Spending Personal Relationship Time with God Through Prayer?”: www.AWFTL.org/watch

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Your Personal Relationship With God Is Based on “Love” – His and Yours

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Prior to the New Covenant of Jesus the Christ, the Jewish Law included "an eye for an eye . . .". Jesus, in Matthew 5:38-39, provides the cornerstone of His Greatest Commandment – “love thy neighbor as thy self” when He tells us: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”. The Law was for the Judges to help the courts punish people in an appropriate and consistent way. However, Jesus turned the prior teachings of the Law on their heels by commanding that personal relationships be based on love not Law and Justice.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, Nothing compares with knowing Jesus. (Philippians 3:7f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14).

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 5:38-42; Hebrews 9:15; 1 John 4:19; Psalms 126:1=6.

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/

 

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “On This 4^th of July, Will You "Stand in the Gap" to Lead a Great American Spiritual Awakening?", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Be Strong & Courageous”:  https://awordfromthelord.org/video-archives/

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

If You Have Turned Away From God, He Will Return to You If You Return to Him

MESSAGE SUMMARY: The Lord wants to bring His grace and His peace into your life. Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and God’s "New Covenant" with us, He can make us whole again. Jesus can bring His peace and His joy into our lives. Why will some, who have separated themselves from the Lord, not seek Him? God tells you that, if some life event led you to turn away from Him, He will return to you when you return to  Him, no matter where you are, as God promises us in Joel 2:13b: “Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”. Also, the God tells us in Isaiah 44:22: “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.".

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Lust. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Perfect Provision. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Joel 2:12-13; Psalms 51:12-15; 1 Thessalonians 3:7-10; Psalms 108:1-13.

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/

 

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “The Resurrection -- Part 3: Jesus Gives Us His Great Commission Just Before His Ascension", at our Website: www.AWFTL.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Where Is Your Interior Life Leading You? {Nurturing The Interior Life – Exercising the Mind – Part 2] (Camp House; Chattanooga, TN)”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

 

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Do You Stop, in Your Busy Life, to Give God Thanks for His Grace and Blessings Given You?

TODAYS MESSAGE SUMMARY: Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His Name. Our government has set aside an annual national holiday of Thanksgiving for all Americans to offer prayers for our country; our many blessings; and our special blessings for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, thanksgiving to God, for Christians, should be a lifestyle; and followers of Jesus should not need a special day to give thanks to the Lord. As Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.”. Do you, as a Christian, need a special day to give thanks God because you get so immersed in your life outside of your relationship with God? Do you stop to give God thanks for His grace for you and His blessings to you in your prayer life’s personal relationship with God? Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His Name.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Self-centeredness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Love. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 Chronicles 16:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4; Psalms 107b:15-28.

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/

 

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “The Resurrection -- Part 3: Jesus Gives Us His Great Commission Just Before His Ascension", at our Website: www.AWFTL.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Where Is Your Interior Life Leading You? {Nurturing The Interior Life – Exercising the Mind – Part 2] (Camp House; Chattanooga, TN)”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Your Faith in Jesus Makes You, from God’s Perspective, “In Christ” When God Sees You

MESSAGE SUMMARY: As Followers of Jesus, we are "In Christ" -- God looks at us and sees Jesus in us. Throughout the Epistles we find: "In Christ" or "In Him". In Galatians 3:14, Paul tells us that our faith in Jesus makes us “In Christ” and recipients of God’s Covenant with Abraham: “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.". Also, Paul goes even further, in Galatians 3:25-28, to tell us that, through our faith in Jesus, we no longer need any kind of intermediary because we are “In Christ” and we have a personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe: “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”. The benefit our position "In Christ", as Christians, is that when God looks at us, He sees Jesus, the Son; therefore, He then sees us as His sons and daughters.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Fear. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Faithfulness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

 

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “The Upper Room Part 3: The Promise of Belief (St. Thomas Anglican Church, Athens GA)", at our Website: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S RECENT VIDEOS:  https://awftlvser.podbean.com/.

 

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans 3:21-26; Romans 6:5-11; Romans 6:22-23; Psalms 77a:1-10.

Only God Can Satisfy the Meaning and Purpose of Your Life; Have You Asked Him?

MESSAGE SUMMARY: God became flesh, and He dwelt among us. God became human in order to draw you into a personal relationship with Him. In John 1:14, the Apostle John identifies Jesus as the “Son of the Father”: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.". God alone can satisfy the meaning and purpose of your life. God alone can satisfy our hunger to know your life’s meaning. Most importantly, God alone can give you forgiveness of your sins as Paul tells us in Colossians 2:13-14: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.". Jesus life, miracles, death, and His resurrection are invitations to a life-long personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe. Our personal relationship with God is through His gift, to followers of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Hatred. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Love. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

 

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Praying with Perseverance (Fowery Parish; Cornwall, UK)", at our Website: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S RECENT VIDEOS:  https://awftlvser.podbean.com/.

 

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 1:10-13; Colossians 2:10-15; Psalms 49a:1-10.

God is Love -- Self-Sacrificing Love

MESSAGE SUMMARY: We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17 (The New Testament book of 1 John is believed to have been written by the Apostle John, author of the “Gospel of John”.), John tells us about God’s Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God’s model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.".

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I can do what He asks of me (Philippians 4:13). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14).

 

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Crumbs From The Table", at our Website: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S VIDEO: “The Interior Life – The Power of the Will (Red Bank Chapel; Chattanooga, TN),  https://www.lightsource.com/ministry/a-word-from-the-lord/`

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV):): Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 74a:1-12.