Tag: deceive

Jesus can’t stand the thought of any one of going to hell. So he came to earth to serve us by being our ransom. As He ministered to others throughout His life and then paid the price for our sins, He became the greatest example of being a servant leader.

A pastor was preaching to his congregation concerning heaven and hell. To emphasize the difference between the two, he asked that all who wanted to go to heaven stand up with him. All the congregation rose. He then asked that all who wanted to to go hell stand up with him. No one rose. For the full dramatic impact he waited for several seconds before continuing. The silence was broken by a small boy who slowly rose to his feet. The astonished priest spoke to the boy, “Surely son, a fine young man like yourself does not want to go to hell.”

The boy answered, “Maybe not sir, but I just couldn’t stand the sight of you standing there all alone.”

The foundation of servanthood

The foundation and basis of servanthood is giving – and Jesus gave His life as a ransom for all who believe in Him. No one “took” His life – He willingly gave it up. Jesus, with all of His power and might did not come to be served as He deserves, but by His love and grace, came down to serve us.  He served us by giving us a way to spend eternal life with Him even though we do not deserve it, nor can we earn it on our own merit.  He gave His life freely so that we might have eternal life.  And He served us by being the payment for our sins. Romans tells us that the wages of sin is death, but Jesus paid the price for us. He was our “ransom.”

What it means to serve Jesus

The word “ransom” refers to the price one paid in Jesus’ day to release a slave. We are slaves to sin, but Jesus’ life became our ransom that set us free from the bonds of sin. To be a servant of Jesus, means we must be willing to give up all rights to our life and to do anything God wants us to do.

Examples of how Jesus served others

When we look at Jesus’ ministry, we can see how Jesus served others, just as the disciples had seen Him do: they saw Him touch those that were unclean. They saw him heal the sick, deaf, blind, and mute. As he raised people from the dead, they watched. They saw him feed thousands with just a small amount of bread and fish. They saw Him wash their feet. When He was beaten and nailed to a cross, they were there. They saw Him die – for them.

Christ’s greatest sacrifice to serve us

Over and over again Jesus – the only Son of God – placed Himself in humble service to others. Jesus. He had ten thousand angels at His disposal. He was the creator of the world. And He shared in the glory of the Father and the Holy Spirit. Yet He gave up all of Heaven to come to earth, born to a poor virgin girl in a stable with only an animal feeding trough for a bed. He gave up his own majesty for the humility of needing his diaper changed.  And He willingly accepted the humiliation and torture of the cross.

Why would He do that for you and me? His only reason for doing so, was to minister and serve all of humanity throughout all the ages through His willing sacrificial death in our place so that we could one day spend eternity in Heaven with Him. The greatest servant of all gave us the greatest gift of all because of His love for us.

Jesus still wants to serve us today

We often talk today about our desire to “serve” God. And certainly we should be obedient to do what He asks us to do. But we also need to remember that Jesus did not come to earth to be ministered to. He came so that he could minister to us. He still wants to minister to us today. We don’t have to do life on our own. He is ready to help us.

When we are exhausted or anxious or fearful, He tells us to cast all our care on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). When we need wisdom, He tells us to ask Him for it and He will give it to us generously (James 1:5). Or when life gets busy and overwhelming, Jesus says, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). Whatever it is we face in life, Jesus stands ready to minister to us. If He loves us enough to die for us, you can bet He stands ready to help us through every moment of life. How humbling it is to think that the Son of God longs to serve one like me.

Jesus, thank you for you dying in my place so that my sins could be forgiven. Help me to live my life so that it bring honor and glory to you. May I learn from your example of servanthood to serve others that you have placed in my life so that your love shines through every act of service and every spoken word. Help me to remember that you stand ready to serve and minister to me in every situation I face in life. 

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Now you can enhance your Bible Reading with the Verse Mapping Template

Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.

[Download not found]

Download our Free 2021 Bible Memory Verse Plan

We’ve put together 52 memory verses for you to hide God’s Word in your heart! You can download the full document for free and then print a new verse each week and as many copies as you’d like. Each verse prints four times on a page so that you can then cut them into index size cards and place them in prominent places where you will see them frequently throughout the day to help you remember to memorize them. Just because you visited our site, they’re yours for free! Download today.

[Download not found]

Download our Free 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan

With just 30-40 minutes per day, you can read the entire Bible in one year. The One-Year Bible Reading Plan consists of both Old Testament and New Testament readings for each day of the year. The Bible is God’s personal Word to you. What is He saying to you today? Open your Bible and find out!

One Year Bible Reading Plan

Download our Free Self-Care Wheel

The Self-Care Wheel provides ideas for practicing self-care in six dimensions of yourself: Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Sensory, and Social. NOTE: You will need 11X14 paper to print the wheel.

Want to know more about self-care? Our Self-Care blog series targets people who serve in any ministry position and takes a Biblical approach to self-care.

[Download not found]

This week’s new Christian Tees design:

Micah 5:5

The prophet Micah, foretold about the birth of Jesus in Micah chapter 5, including that he would be born in Bethlehem. He also prophesied that Jesus would be our peace. In a chaotic world, it’s good to remember that Jesus is our peace. He has reconciled and redeemed us as he paid the penalty for our sin. Because he did, we have peace with God. But we can also have peace no matter what happens in the world around us. Jesus said in John 14:27, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Rest in the peace that Jesus offers to you.

Here are some of our favorite designs

New in the Teespring Store: The Prayer of Blessing

We’ve added a new canvas print to the Teespring Store.

God instructed the Israelite priests to pray the prayer of blessing every day over the people. The prayer is found in Numbers 6:24-26. Hang the canvass in your home or carry the mug, tote bag, or water bottle and let the prayer of blessing impact all those who you meet throughout the day.

We’ve also put this design on a poster, coffee mug, a stainless steel water bottle, phone cases, and a few other products.

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Need some music to get you through the day? Check out one of our Playlists on YouTube

---

You can also watch our animated devotionals on the YouTube Channel

---

God, Love and Marshmallow Wars by Julia M. Bruce

What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?

God, Love and Marshmallow Wars is a book that includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:

• Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
• Conversation Starters.
• Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
• Romance Builders.
• Relationship Builders.
• Personal reflections.
• Date ideas.
• Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.

Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.

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Bible Studies, Bibles, Books & More

Looking for a Bible Study, Bible, book or Christian gift? We are an affiliate with Christianbook Distributors and receive an 8% commission on any item purchased through one of our links. However, the commission never increases your cost of any item. View some of our favorite items by clicking on the logo and thank you for supporting our ministry.

Christianbook Distributors Search: Title Author/Artist ISBN CBD Stock # Keywords Publisher

Wellspring Christian Ministries receives an 8% commission on any purchased made from Christian Book Distributors through any affiliate link on this site. Your price for any item is the same as purchasing from CBD directly.

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One day a school principal received a phone call. The voice said, “Thomas won’t be in school today.” The principal was a bit suspicious of the voice. He asked, “Who is speaking?” The voice came back,  “My father.” I can just imagine that principal had a conversation with the boy’s father and his sin of deceit had been discovered.

Sir Walter Scott penned the lines in his poem entitled Marmion, “Oh! What A Tangled Web We Weave When First We Practice To Deceive.” No matter what our sin is, we can be sure that at some time or another it will “find us out.” As a result we live constantly looking over our shoulder or worrying about who is going to find out about our secret sin.

The web of sin

Sin often becomes a web that we get caught in. Each sin lays down another sticky string of web until the web becomes so tangled we become entrapped in the web that we created. Then we are left with the guilt that sticks and clings to us and weighs us down until we experience depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or feel like failures. Whether the sin is a lie or any other sin, we can be sure we will be found out…one way or another. Even if we were to get away with it here on earth, God is an omnipotent God. He sees everything and He knows everything – even the thoughts that are never expressed through word or action.

God’s Perfect Knowledge of Mankind

King David tells us in Psalm 139:1-12, that there is nothing God doesn’t know and there is no place we can hid from God. Read the verses:

¹O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
² You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
³ You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
⁵ You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.

⁷ Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸ If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me;
¹² Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Sin will always come home to roost

An Eastern proverb says: “Curses, like chickens, always come home to roost.” Sin also will “come home to roost.” It might mean that we got caught in the sin. Or maybe we didn’t get caught, but we still live with guilt, regret, and the consequences of our actions. It might mean that relationships are hurt or destroyed. It might mean getting fired from a job. Or it might mean the end of a marriage. Even if the sin brought no consequences now, God always knows. Psalm 139:7 says, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” The answer is – nowhere.

Consider the following examples from the Bible:

• Adam and Eve tried to hide from God when they committed the first sin. God asked Eve, “What have you done?”
• When Cain killed his brother, God asks, “Where is your brother?” Cain denies any knowledge of his whereabouts. God’s reply: “What have you done?”
• Moses killed an Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew slave. He thought now one saw him. The Bible tells us that Moses looked around before killing the Egyptian. Then he buried the body in the sand. But then the next day, he attempts to break up and argument between two of the Hebrews and they said “Will you now kill us like the Egyptian?” Moses learned the hard way that our sins will find us out. Moses’ sin sent him fleeing from Pharaoh to another country.

Over and over again throughout the Bible we can find where someone thought they had gotten away with sin, only to realize that they could not hide it from God.

Achan’s “Hidden” Sin

In Joshua 7, Achan took “accursed” things from among the spoils of battle that God had given instructions not to take. He didn’t even get to enjoy those things because he had to bury it so no one knew. But God knew and the result was the nation losing the next battle. Achan’s sin found him out and came home to roost.

David’s “Hidden” Sin

David thought his sin of sleeping with Bathsheba was not known, but his sin results in the conception of a child. Now he has to cover that up so he brings Bathsheba’s husband home from the battle (where David should have been!) so that everyone will think the baby is her husband’s child instead of his. However, the husband is too noble for this plan to work and so David then sends him to the front lines knowing it will result in the husband’s death. Bathsheba then becomes part of David Harem. But God knew exactly all the sins that was tangled up in this web and the son conceived in sin became ill and died. David’s sin found him out and came home to roost.

Ananias and Sapphira’s “Hidden” Sin

In Acts 5, people were selling their possessions and giving to those who had need. Ananias and Sapphira sold some land and told the apostles they had sold for a certain amount but in fact they had sold it for more and kept the rest for themselves. Their sin was not keeping some of the profit from the sell, but that they were deceitful in telling the apostles they sold it for less than they had. Peter asks Ananias, “Why have you lied, not to men – but to God?” Ananias and Sapphira’s sin found them out and came home to roost.

The “Hidden” Sin of Joseph’s brothers

Joseph’s brothers were filled with jealousy – so much so that they sold Joseph off to slave traders. They then had to cover up that sin with another and they took his coat of many colors and dipped it in the blood of an animal, ripped it up and brought it to their father who assumed Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. But seventeen years later when a famine is in the land, the brothers go to Egypt to buy grain only to learn that the second in command of all of Egypt was the brother they had sold into slavery. Their sin found them out and came home to roost.

God always knows our secret sins

In Psalm 90:8, the psalmist wrote, “You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.” No matter how much we think we get away with something, God always knows. If it is not revealed in this life, you can bet it will be revealed when you stand before the judgement seat of Christ.

Hebrews 4:13 tells us, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things [are] naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

Psalm 44:21 tells us that God knows the secrets of the heart.

Luke 12:2-3 tells us that nothing is covered up but all things are revealed, nothing is hid that shall not be made known, that what is spoken in darkness will be heard in the light and proclaimed upon the housetops.  

We can have forgiveness of sin rather than living in the guilt of sin

Every word and action of our lives are stored in God’s books and we will have to answer for each and every word and deed. However, through Christ’s shed blood on the cross and his resurrection, we can accept Him by faith as our Savior and receive forgiveness of sin so that the ledge books in heaven are wiped clean! The Bible tells us that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.    

So you can be sure that no matter the sin, our sins will indeed find us out. I would rather have my sins forgiven and washed away then to have to explain them to God.

God, forgive us of our sins and help us live in obedience to your Word. 

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Now you can enhance your Bible Reading with the Verse Mapping Template

Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.

[Download not found]

Download our Free 2021 Bible Memory Verse Plan

We’ve put together 52 memory verses for you to hide God’s Word in your heart! You can download the full document for free and then print a new verse each week and as many copies as you’d like. Each verse prints four times on a page so that you can then cut them into index size cards and place them in prominent places where you will see them frequently throughout the day to help you remember to memorize them. Just because you visited our site, they’re yours for free! Download today.

[Download not found]

Download our Free 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan

With just 30-40 minutes per day, you can read the entire Bible in one year. The One-Year Bible Reading Plan consists of both Old Testament and New Testament readings for each day of the year. The Bible is God’s personal Word to you. What is He saying to you today? Open your Bible and find out!

One Year Bible Reading Plan

Download our Free Self-Care Wheel

The Self-Care Wheel provides ideas for practicing self-care in six dimensions of yourself: Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Sensory, and Social. NOTE: You will need 11X14 paper to print the wheel.

Want to know more about self-care? Our Self-Care blog series targets people who serve in any ministry position and takes a Biblical approach to self-care.

[Download not found]

This week’s new Christian Tees design:

Micah 5:5

The prophet Micah, foretold about the birth of Jesus in Micah chapter 5, including that he would be born in Bethlehem. He also prophesied that Jesus would be our peace. In a chaotic world, it’s good to remember that Jesus is our peace. He has reconciled and redeemed us as he paid the penalty for our sin. Because he did, we have peace with God. But we can also have peace no matter what happens in the world around us. Jesus said in John 14:27, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Rest in the peace that Jesus offers to you.

Here are some of our favorite designs

New in the Teespring Store: The Prayer of Blessing

We’ve added a new canvas print to the Teespring Store.

God instructed the Israelite priests to pray the prayer of blessing every day over the people. The prayer is found in Numbers 6:24-26. Hang the canvass in your home or carry the mug, tote bag, or water bottle and let the prayer of blessing impact all those who you meet throughout the day.

We’ve also put this design on a poster, coffee mug, a stainless steel water bottle, phone cases, and a few other products.

---

Need some music to get you through the day? Check out one of our Playlists on YouTube

---

You can also watch our animated devotionals on the YouTube Channel

---

God, Love and Marshmallow Wars by Julia M. Bruce

What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?

God, Love and Marshmallow Wars is a book that includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:

• Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
• Conversation Starters.
• Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
• Romance Builders.
• Relationship Builders.
• Personal reflections.
• Date ideas.
• Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.

Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.

---

Bible Studies, Bibles, Books & More

Looking for a Bible Study, Bible, book or Christian gift? We are an affiliate with Christianbook Distributors and receive an 8% commission on any item purchased through one of our links. However, the commission never increases your cost of any item. View some of our favorite items by clicking on the logo and thank you for supporting our ministry.

Christianbook Distributors Search: Title Author/Artist ISBN CBD Stock # Keywords Publisher

Wellspring Christian Ministries receives an 8% commission on any purchased made from Christian Book Distributors through any affiliate link on this site. Your price for any item is the same as purchasing from CBD directly.

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Here’s some of our recent posts.

904.239.8937
A non-profit ministry located in Jacksonville, FL 

Follow us on: