Hi Brian!

This week I want to share Charles Spurgeon's evening devotional from my PC Study Bible software. 

"Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." — Micah 5:2

The Lord Jesus had goings forth for His people as their representative before the throne, long before they appeared upon the stage of time. It was "from everlasting" that He signed the compact with His Father, that He would pay blood for blood, suffering for suffering, agony for agony, and death for death, in the behalf of His people; it was "from everlasting" that He gave Himself up without a murmuring word. That from the crown of His head to the sole of His foot He might sweat great drops of blood, that He might be spit upon, pierced, mocked, rent asunder, and crushed beneath the pains of death. His goings forth as our Surety were from everlasting. Pause, my soul, and wonder! You have goings forth in the person of Jesus "from everlasting." Not only when you were born into the world did Christ love you, but His delights were with the sons of men before there were any sons of men. Often did He think of them; from everlasting to everlasting He had set His affection upon them. What! my soul, has He been so long about your salvation, and will not He accomplish it? Has he from everlasting been going forth to save me, and will He lose me now? What! has He carried me in His hand, as His precious jewel, and will He now let me slip from between His fingers? Did he choose me before the mountains were brought forth, or the channels of the deep were digged, and will He reject me now? Impossible! I am sure He would not have loved me so long if He had not been a changeless Lover. If He could grow weary of me, He would have been tired of me long before now. If He had not loved me with a love as deep as hell, and as strong as death, He would have turned from me long ago. Oh, joy above all joys, to know that I am His everlasting and inalienable inheritance, given to Him by His Father or ever the earth was! Everlasting love shall be the pillow for my head this night.

I LOVE doing word studies and really digging into the Word deeper, but after reading this I just had to share it with you both! To KNOW beyond doubt that we are LOVED so very much is powerful to me. But to really realize that HE has loved us from before creation, planning to redeem us back to a position even higher than what Adam had in the Garden, should completely obliterate any doubt and unbelief  the enemy would try to trip us up with! Because He didn't just love 'all mankind', but He LOVED, and LOVES ME! And YOU! It is personal and powerful! YOU are loved with the greatest LOVE there is! Always have been and always will be! Now THAT is a TRUTH worth reminding ourselves of every day! And WE get to love HIM with the same LOVE that HE loves us with for HE placed that LOVE in us! Here is a very old song from Hillsong called "Everyday", which is how WE love HIM, too! 

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "home". We'll be looking at one verse this time for the concept that we're looking at.

2 Corinthians 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. KJV

This Greek word is "endemeo". Strong's Concordance says: to be in one's own country, i.e. home. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: to be among one's own people, dwell in one's own country, stay at home. Vine's Expository Dictionary adds: one who is in his own place or land. This is speaking of this life now in the body, but there is a greater Truth that we as born again believers have. Even though in this life we are bound to these human bodies as we await the time when we will exchange these bodies for a new 'resurrection body', we are, in the spiritual realm, seated IN HIM.

Ephesians 2:6 And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: KJV

So we are NOT bound to the limits of these natural bodies when we spend time in His presence! We have access to this secret place of His presence any time that we decide to go there! We are IN this world, but not OF this world! What a tremendous blessing it is to know that He has given us His Word to speak to things, situations and circumstances and change them through faith in His Word! TAYA Gaukrodger mentions this in her song "Sorry To Grieve You God" where she says "I am at home in Your presence". I really love that concept! 

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "testimony". We'll be looking at these verses from the New Testament:

1 Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; 5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  KJV

1 Corinthians 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. KJV

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. KJV

These are all the Greek word "marturion". Strong's Concordance says: something evidential. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: concerning what God has done through Christ for the salvation of mankind. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says: to bear in mind, to be concerned, to remember and be able tell something, to bear witness. I love how 1 Corinthians 2 says that this 'testimony' was not speaking of excellent speech, which would be with words, but was actually the evidence of the presence of God in him that showed those around him that he knew JESUS! Our lives, our characters, our compassion, our empathy and our love walk all speak louder than words ever could! YOUR lives speak of HIM so clearly! More people will be moved by WHO we are than by anything that we could ever say. The Weber family speak loudly of the attributes of the God that lives in them by the joy, the love, the care and the commitment that they show! People KNOW that there is something different about you all! THAT is the TESTIMONY of JESUS! Here is TAYA with another song from her new album called "All About Jesus":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

This week I want to share again from Charles Spurgeon's devotional for today! 

"Pray one for another." — James 5:16

As an encouragement cheerfully to offer intercessory prayer, remember that such prayer is the sweetest God ever hears, for the prayer of Christ is of this character. In all the incense which our Great High Priest now puts into the golden censer, there is not a single grain for Himself. His intercession must be the most acceptable of all supplications—and the more like our prayer is to Christ's, the sweeter it will be; thus while petitions for ourselves will be accepted, our pleadings for others, having in them more of the fruits of the Spirit, more love, more faith, more brotherly kindness, will be, through the precious merits of Jesus, the sweetest oblation that we can offer to God, the very fat of our sacrifice. Remember, again, that intercessory prayer is exceedingly prevalent. What wonders it has wrought! The Word of God teems with its marvellous deeds. Believer, thou hast a mighty engine in thy hand, use it well, use it constantly, use it with faith, and thou shalt surely be a benefactor to thy brethren. When thou hast the King's ear, speak to Him for the suffering members of His body. When thou art favoured to draw very near to His throne, and the King saith to thee, "Ask, and I will give thee what thou wilt," let thy petitions be, not for thyself alone, but for the many who need His aid. If thou hast grace at all, and art not an intercessor, that grace must be small as a grain of mustard seed. Thou hast just enough grace to float thy soul clear from the quicksand, but thou hast no deep floods of grace, or else thou wouldst carry in thy joyous bark a weighty cargo of the wants of others, and thou wouldst bring back from thy Lord, for them, rich blessings which but for thee they might not have obtained:—

"Oh, let my hands forget their skill,
My tongue be silent, cold, and still,
This bounding heart forget to beat,
If I forget the mercy-seat!"

Intercession for the needs of others is the greatest and most selfless thing that we can do, and it is well pleasing to our Father! When we put the needs of others before ourselves, then we can have confidence that our own needs are well met! We cannot ever outgive God! Here is Taya Gaugrodger with "Not Ashamed" :

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!