Our Daily Bread Devotional 23 June 2018 – Belonging

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Our Daily Bread Devotional 23 June 2018 – Belonging

Topic: Belonging [Our Daily Bread 23 Saturday June, 2018]

Read: Isaiah 44:1–5, Bible in a Year: Esther 9–10; Acts 7:1–21

The Lord who made you and helps you says: “Do not be afraid . . . my chosen one.” Isaiah 44:2 nlt

I’d been out late the night before, just as I was every Saturday night. Just twenty years old, I was running from God as fast as I could. But suddenly, strangely, I felt compelled to attend the church my dad pastored. I put on my faded jeans, well-worn T-shirt, and unlaced high-tops and drove across town.

I don’t recall the sermon Dad preached that day, but I can’t forget how delighted he was to see me. With his arm over my shoulder, he introduced me to everyone he saw. “This is my son!” he proudly declared. His joy became a picture of God’s love that has stuck with me all these decades.

The imagery of God as loving Father occurs throughout the Bible. In Isaiah 44, the prophet interrupts a series of warnings to proclaim God’s message of family love. “Dear Israel, my chosen one,” he said. “I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children” (vv. 2–3 nlt). Isaiah noted how the response of those descendants would demonstrate family pride. “Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord,’” he wrote. “Some will write the Lord’s name on their hands” (v. 5 nlt).

Wayward Israel belonged to God, just as I belonged to my adoptive father. Nothing I could do would ever make him lose his love for me. He gave me a glimpse of our heavenly Father’s love for us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we all come from families that are broken in one way or another. Thank You for loving us in that brokenness and for showing us what real love looks like.

God’s love for us offers us the sense of belonging and identity we all crave.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Our Daily Bread Devotionals HERE”

This message was written By Tim Gustafson [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

The post Our Daily Bread Devotional 23 June 2018 – Belonging appeared first on Flatimes.

Andrew Wommack’s Devotional 23 June 2018 – Love Conquers Fear

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Andrew Wommack’s Devotional 23 June 2018 – Love Conquers Fear

Topic: Love Conquers Fear [Andrew Wommack Saturday June 23, 2018]

John 9:27 “He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?”

Text: John 9:6-27

This man showed great courage in confronting these religious leaders. Even Peter later backed down for fear of this same group of men (Lk. 22:54-62). Certainly one thing that gave him this boldness was that he knew what Jesus had done for him. And even beyond the physical healing, he knew that Jesus had healed him because He loved him. It’s our security in the Lord’s love for us that gives us the strength to face rejection from others. As Proverbs 28:1 puts it, “the righteous are bold as a lion.” The antidote for fear of men is a large dose of the love of God.

One of the greatest truths of the Bible and one of the hardest to comprehend, is that we are the objects of God’s love. God didn’t just pity us or feel some sense of moral obligation to save us. He saved us because of His infinite love for us (Jn. 3:16). An experiential understanding of God’s love is the key to being filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19).

Paul prays in Ephesians 3:19, that we would experience the love of God which passes mere knowledge about it. How can we know the love of God if it passes knowledge? This sounds like a contradiction. It’s not. The knowing is experiencing it. The end result of having understanding and experiential knowledge of God’s love is that we will be filled with all the fullness of God. God’s love is the key that opens the door to everything that God is. God is love (1 Jn. 4:8).

It’s not just a casual acquaintance with God’s love that we need, but an intimate understanding and experiential knowledge of the depths of God’s love. Just as a tree’s roots provide stability and nourishment for the tree, so our revelation of God’s love is the foundation upon which everything else we receive from God is built.

“If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Andrew Wommack’s Daily Devotional HERE

This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).

The post Andrew Wommack’s Devotional 23 June 2018 – Love Conquers Fear appeared first on Flatimes.

Billy Graham Devotional 23 June 2018 – Our Greatest Need

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Billy Graham Devotional 23 June 2018 – Our Greatest Need

Topic: Our Greatest Need [Billy Graham’s Devotional Saturday June 23, 2018]

God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. — John 3:17 (TLB)

You can put a public school and university in the middle of every block of every city in America—but you will never keep America from rotting morally by mere intellectual education. Education cannot be properly called education which neglects the most important parts of man’s nature. Partial education throughout the world is far worse than none at all if we educate the mind but not the soul. To think of civilizing men without converting them to Christ is about as wise as to think about transforming wolves into lambs merely by washing them and putting on them a fleece of wool. “Happy are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.” The mercy the world needs is the grace, love, and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is His transforming and regenerating power that the world needs more than anything else.

Prayer for the day: Merciful Lord, may my life be filled with Your outflowing love for others.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Billy Graham’s Daily Devotional HERE

Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.

The post Billy Graham Devotional 23 June 2018 – Our Greatest Need appeared first on Flatimes.

European Union Imposes Tariffs Friday on American Imports – Urban Christian News

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European Union Imposes Tariffs Friday on American Imports – Urban Christian News

The European Union started enforcing tariffs Friday on American imports like bourbon, peanut butter and orange juice, part of a growing global trade rift that’s likely to intensify over the next few weeks.

The EU tariffs on $3.4 billion worth of U.S. products are in retaliation for duties the Trump administration has imposed on European steel and aluminum.

The EU trade commissioner has acknowledged that the EU targeted some iconic American items to put political pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump and senior U.S. politicians. European Commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein said the EU’s response is proportionate and reasonable.

Daniel Gros, director for Economy and Finance at the Center for European Policy Studies, said that in a trade war everyone stands to lose, but the U.S. has put itself in a worse position.

“I think the United States is losing more because it has put tariffs on a very important input which very often it doesn’t produce itself,” he said. “The EU perhaps will find a few disgruntled consumers who have to pay more for their Harley Davidsons, but that is not a big loss for us.”

Trump imposed tariffs of 25 percent on EU steel and 10 percent on aluminum on June 1. Europeans claim that breaks global trade rules.

The spat is part of a wider tussle over global trade. In two weeks, the United States will start taxing $34 billion in Chinese goods. Beijing has vowed to immediately retaliate with its own tariffs on U.S. soybeans and other farm products.

Source: Associated Press

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News

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After Canadian Court Ruling, Christian Law School Re-evaluates Community Covenant

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After Canadian Court Ruling, Christian Law School Re-evaluates Community Covenant


After Canadian Court Ruling, Christian Law School Re-evaluates Community Covenant


Days after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against the accreditation of a Christian university’s proposed law school, school leaders said they are considering making its controversial community covenant optional. Doing so, they hope, would satisfy those who believe the covenant discriminates against LGBTQ applicants and allow the law school to open.


Earl Phillips, executive director of the School of Law at Trinity Western University, told Religion News Service that the 7-2 ruling by Canada’s highest court on June 15 suggested a workaround for the evangelical school based in Langley, British Columbia. In twin cases, the law societies of Ontario and British Columbia argued that TWU’s community covenant, which prohibits sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage, discriminates against LGBTQ applicants for admission. The court majority agreed with the law societies.


The majority wrote, “The (Law Society of British Columbia’s) decision prevents the risk of significant harm to LGBTQ people who feel they have no choice but to attend TWU’s proposed law school. These individuals would have to deny who they are for three years to receive a legal education.”


Allowing students to decide whether or not to sign the covenant would potentially allow the law school to gain accreditation. If it were to open, it would be Canada’s first private law school…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Rick Warren Warns Hundreds of Priests About Moral Integrity at Sexual Abuse Prevention Conference

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Rick Warren Warns Hundreds of Priests About Moral Integrity at Sexual Abuse Prevention Conference

(Photo: Reuters/Chip East)Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren participates in a panel discussion during the Clinton Global Initiative in New York September 26, 2008.

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, recently spoke to nearly 800 priests at a sexual abuse prevention conference in New York where he urged them to protect themselves from temptation in order to maintain their moral integrity.

Warren’s advice came earlier this month at the Archdiocese of New York’s biennial Safe Environment Convocation at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers.

The Archdiocese’s “Safe Environment Program” is designed to prevent and respond to any incidents of child sexual abuse from children entrusted in the care of Catholic institutions.

“Brothers, what we do matters more than what anybody else does in the world,” Warren said, according to Catholic New York. “That’s because the only thing that’s going to last on the planet is the Church of Jesus Christ.”

Citing 1 John 2:15–17, Warren told the priests that Satan recycles old temptations which the Bible groups into three categories: passions, possessions and positions.

“Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world,…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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Backlash Over Jerusalem Recognition Threatens City’s Hopes of Hosting 2019 Eurovision Contest – Urban Christian News

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Backlash Over Jerusalem Recognition Threatens City’s Hopes of Hosting 2019 Eurovision Contest – Urban Christian News

When the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Israelis hoped other countries would follow suit. Instead, the move has created a backlash. The latest setback threatens the contested city’s hopes of hosting the 2019 Eurovision song contest — an affair that has become something of a national obsession.

The Jerusalem recognition, warmly welcomed by Israel, appears to have triggered a series of unexpected diplomatic fiascos.

Earlier this month, Argentina pulled out of a highly anticipated exhibition soccer match with Israel after the government moved the game to Jerusalem. Britain’s Prince William, set to visit next week, has listed Jerusalem’s Old City as part of the “Occupied Palestinian Territories” on his schedule.

And now, the city’s hopes for the beloved Eurovision finale are fading.

“There is a greater concern this year than any other year I can remember about the political backdrop surrounding Eurovision,” said William Lee Adams, who runs a popular Eurovision blog. “Many Eurovision fans build their whole year around a trip to Eurovision, and just given the nature of what’s going on their ideal has been tarnished.”

Israel won Eurovision last month with a flashy pop tune called “Toy” by the charismatic, previously unknown singer Netta Barzilai, who dazzled viewers with her feminist lyrics, unconventional appearance and signature chicken dance. Her May 12 victory won Israel the right to host next year’s Eurovision contest.

But the celebrations were tempered by continued bloodshed along the Gaza border, as well as the controversial…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News

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Christian Cakeshop Owner Begins Creating Wedding Cakes again after Court Victory

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Christian Cakeshop Owner Begins Creating Wedding Cakes again after Court Victory


Christian Cakeshop Owner Begins Creating Wedding Cakes again after Court Victory


Christian bakery owner Jack Phillips, who recently won his case before the Supreme Court in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, says his business has been busier than ever after his court victory.


Phillips, who owns speciality bakery Masterpiece Cakeshop, drew national attention when he refused to make a cake for a gay couple’s wedding, citing his religious beliefs. Although losing his case in the lower courts, Phillips appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court which ruled in his favor earlier this month.


Phillips said he has received an outpouring of support as the case went before the Supreme Court and that his business has increased, although he initially lost 40 percent of his business.


“We have had so many people coming by to support us as the case has gone on, and there has been an outpouring of love and support since the decision came down. The state’s targeting of my beliefs cost me 40 percent of my business and forced me from 10 employees down to four. But we’re so happy to be busy doing what we do best at our shop,” Phillips told The Christian Post in an email.


“We’re also eager to start designing custom wedding cakes again,” he added. “A cake is a canvas, and I’m really looking forward to creating beautiful art that celebrates such a special day.”


Nearly 400 supporters gathered outside Masterpiece Cakeshop…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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‘I Can Only Imagine’ Soars to No. 1 on DVD Sales Chart

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‘I Can Only Imagine’ Soars to No. 1 on DVD Sales Chart


‘I Can Only Imagine’ Soars to No. 1 on DVD Sales Chart


The faith-based film I Can Only Imagine shocked Hollywood at the box office in March and it’s doing the same in the DVD market this month, soaring to No. 1 in sales and rentals in data released Thursday.


I Can Only Imagine(PG) debuted at No. 1 in sales in its first week on DVD, according to the NPD VideoScan First Alert chart for the week ending June 16. Tomb Raider was No. 2, Black Panther No. 3, Sherlock Gnomes No. 4, and A Wrinkle In Time No. 5. MediaPlayNews.comwas the first to report the sales chart.


I Can Only Imagine also was No. 1 in rentalsfor the week ending June 17, according to Media Play News Market Research and Redbox. On the rental list, Death Wish was No. 2, Sherlock Gnomes No. 3, A Wrinkle In Time No. 4, and Game Night No. 5.


The movie tells the story behind the famous MercyMe song, detailing how singer Bart Millard’s abusive father came to Christ late in life. It finished in the Top 4 at the box office in its first three weekends and has grossed $83 million.


 


Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.   


Publication date: June 22, 2018

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Church of England review of sex abuse was ‘botched’

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Church of England review of sex abuse was ‘botched’

Sir Roger Singleton said the Church’s Past Cases Review in 2010 did not give a comprehensive picture of the problem and that those conducting it refused to speak to some survivors who wanted to tell their stories.

In public statements, the Church “downplayed negative aspects” of the PCR’s findings in order to avoid damaging the reputation of the institution and the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said the former Barnado’s boss.

 

But Sir Roger, whose report will be published soon, said he found “no evidence whatsoever of a deliberate attempt to mislead” and no evidence that anyone broke the law.

The PCR looked at more than 40,000 case files relating to allegations of abuse dating as far back as the 1950s and concluded that just 13 cases of alleged child sexual abuse needed formal action.

After survivors complained that the report was inadequate, Sir Roger was commissioned to carry out an independent review of how it was conducted.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that it was “botched in three ways”.

“The survey wasn’t completely comprehensive,” he said. “It didn’t include some cathedrals, it didn’t include employees working with children in some parishes.

“The attempts really to make the survey absolutely complete were flawed.

“In the public statement that it issued reporting on the review, (the Church) rather failed to give a comprehensive picture…

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