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17 December 2011
I exult for joy in the Lord - Extracted from Isaiah 61: 1-2, 10-11
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me (hereinafter referred to “Jesus Christ”), for the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison; to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord.
‘I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God, for He has clothed me in the garment of salvation, He has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity, like a bridegroom wearing his wreath, like a bride adorned in her jewels.
‘For as the earth makes fresh things grow, as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord make both integrity and praise spring up in the sight of nations.’
May you all be kept safe, spirit, soul and body, for the coming of the Lord - Extracted from 1st letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 5:16-24
Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.
Never try to suppress the Spirit or treat the gift of prophesy with contempt; think before you do anything—hold on to what is good and avoid every form of evil.
May the God of peace make you perfect and holy; and may you all be kept safe and blameless, spirit, soul and body, for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God has called you and He will not fail you. 8-)
Our Reflection: We are so much in love with this faithful God. He has always been our powerful Protector & Savior...and He gives us His peace & makes us happy.
Back to Encouragements-106 17 December 2011 |
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24 December 2011
Everyone who loves is begotten by God- Extracted from the first letter of St. John, Chapter 4: 7-16
My dear people, let us love one another since love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Anyone who fails to love can never have known God, because God is love.
God’s love for us was revealed when God sent into the world his only Son so that we could have life through him; this is the love that I mean: not our love for God, but God’s love for us when he sent his Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.
My dear people, since God has loved us so much, we too should love one another. No one has even seen God; but as long as we love one another God will live in us and his love will be complete in us.
We can know that we are living in him and he is living in us because he lets us share his Spirit.
We ourselves saw and we testify that the Father sent his Son as saviour of the world.
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God.
We ourselves have known and put our faith in God’s love towards ourselves.
God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him. 8-)
(Our Reflection: We know that all scripture writings are inspired by God and tells the truth, someone has constructed the “opposite” of the aforesaid last sentence and you can judge whether it is correct: “The devil is hatred and anyone who lives in hatred lives in the devil, and the devil lives in him.” This is tragic …. ) 8-(
I arranged for you to marry Christ so that I might give you away as a chaste virgin to one husband - Extracted from the 2nd letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 10:17 - 11:2
If anyone wants to boast, let him boast of the Lord.
It is not the man who commends himself that can be accepted, but the man who is commended by the Lord.
I only wish you were able to tolerate a little foolishness from me. But of course: you are tolerant towards me.
You see, the jealousy that I feel for you is God’s own jealousy: I arranged for you to marry Christ so that I might give you away as a chaste virgin to this one husband. |
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Virtuous men and the godless at the Judgement – Extracted from the Book of Wisdom, Chapter 5:
1 Then the upright (virtuous men) will stand up boldly to face those who had oppressed him and had thought so little of his sufferings.
2 And, seeing him, they (the godless) will be seized with terrible fear, amazed that he should have been so unexpectedly saved.
3 Stricken with remorse, they will say to one another with groans and labouring breath,
4 'This is the one whom we used to mock, making him the butt of our insults, fools that we were! His life we regarded as madness, his ending as without honour.
5 How has he come to be counted as one of the children of God and to have his lot among the holy ones?
6 Clearly we have strayed from the way of truth; the light of justice has not shone for us, the sun has not risen for us.
7 We have left no path of lawlessness or ruin unexplored, we have crossed deserts where there was no track, but the way of the Lord is one we have never known.
8 What good has arrogance been to us? What has been the purpose of our riches and boastfulness?
9 All those things have passed like a shadow, passed like a fleeting rumour.
10 Like a ship that cuts through heaving waves - leaving no trace to show where it has passed, no wake from its keel in the waves.
11 Or like a bird flying through the air - leaving no proof of its passing; it whips the light air with the stroke of its pinions, tears it apart in its whirring rush, drives its way onward with sweeping wing, and afterwards no sign is seen of its passage.
12 Or like an arrow shot at a mark, the pierced air closing so quickly on itself, there is no knowing which way the arrow has passed.
13 So with us: scarcely born, we disappear; of virtue not a trace have we to show, we have spent ourselves in our own wickedness!'
14 For the hope of the godless is like chaff carried on the wind, like fine spray driven by the storm; it disperses like smoke before the wind, goes away like the memory of a one-day guest.
15 But the upright live for ever, their recompense is with the Lord, and the Most High takes care of them.
16 So they will receive the glorious crown and the diadem of beauty from the Lord's hand; for He will shelter them with His right hand and with His arm He will shield them.
17 For armour He will take His jealous love, He will arm creation to punish His enemies;
18 He will put on justice as a breastplate, and for helmet wear His forthright judgement;
19 He will take up invincible holiness for shield,
20 of His pitiless wrath He will forge a sword, and the universe will march with Him to fight the reckless.
21 Bolts truly aimed, the shafts of lightning will leap, and from the clouds, as from a full-drawn bow, fly to their mark;
22 and the catapult will hurl hailstones charged with fury. The waters of the sea will rage against them, the rivers engulf them without pity,
23 a mighty gale will rise against them and winnow them like a hurricane. Thus wickedness will lay the whole earth waste and evil-doing bring down the thrones of the mighty.
24 December 2011
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