Rex Jennings

15 hrs

In Touch Daily Devotional

Intimacy With God
Don't miss the blessing of the deeply personal relationship God offers.
December 21, 2024

John 15:12-15

12 ``This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
13 ``Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
14 ``You are My friends if you do what I command you.
15 ``No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Does God ever seem far away? If so, we might wonder how involved in our life He actually is. At such times, we should rely on the truth of Scripture—and the Gospels are a good place to start.
Jesus’ life testifies to the divine desire for intimacy. He consistently reached out to strangers, inviting them to draw near to Him. He spoke words of encouragement to His followers. At the same time, He taught them the profound truths He’d received from His Father (John 7:16 So Jesus answered them and said, ``My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.) and held them accountable for their actions. And Jesus invited certain people to accompany Him for deeply personal experiences, such as the transfiguration and His last prayer retreat in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 9:2 Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; Matthew 26:36-37 36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, ``Sit here while I go over there and pray."
37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed.)
The Savior’s sacrificial choice—to die in our place—made it possible for us to join Him in God’s family. The Holy Spirit, each believer’s indwelling companion and guide, also witnesses to God’s closeness and detailed knowledge of those who are His.
Yes, God has made intimacy with Him possible. But all too often, we hold back. Distracted by earthly concerns, we put limits on His involvement in our life and set family and friends as higher priorities. Let’s commit to placing the Lord first and pursuing Him with our whole heart (Mark 12:30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'.

15 hrs

Love Worth Finding Daily Devotional

December 21, 2024 – Who is Actually Lord of All Humanity? Acts 10:36-38 Sermon: 2298 Learning to Share Your Faith, Part 2

Pray Over This

“The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:36-38

Ponder This

I was in Moscow over Easter on a trip for a preaching engagement. After the event we decided to visit the tomb of Lenin, the leader of the Soviet people. It was such an experience to see the crystal sarcophagus. They had embalmed his body and kept it in wonderful condition. There inscribed in the tomb, it read: “He was the greatest leader of all peoples, of all countries, of all times. He was the lord of all humanity. He was the savior of the world.” One thing to notice: it’s all past tense. He was the lord. He was the savior. He was the greatest. What a contrast from our faith. Jesus is the greatest. Jesus is the Lord. He is the Savior.
When Peter gave witness to Jesus, he essentially said, “We saw it. We saw His virtuous life. We saw His vicarious death. We saw His victorious resurrection. And this is what we want to share with you.” Peter was totally convinced. Are you totally convinced? Not only are we witnesses; we ought to be part of the evidence. Jesus as Lord should be evident in how we live and submit to Him. Jesus as alive should be evident in our hope, even when all seems like it has gone wrong.
• Why is it important to remember Jesus as our living and continuing hope?
• When have you been hurt or felt like all hope was gone? How has hope in Jesus helped you through these moments?
Practice This
Discuss with another believer how Jesus being our living Lord changes life today.

16 hrs

God’s Horseback Gospel

Dec 21

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of peace." (Isaiah 9:6, NAS) Lord, help us receive You and everything You are, in Jesus' name. Please check out today's poem, "Christmas Time," and the daily "Pass the Reins" devotional at: https://www.godshorsebackgospe....l.com/daily-poem/chr Thanks, and God bless your day. (Please share.)

1 d

In Touch Daily Devotional

A Relationship With God
The Lord wants you to discover the freedom, satisfaction, and joy found through a relationship with Him.
December 20, 2024

1 John 4:7-10

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Intimate relationships are characterized by a close connection with another person and a commitment to his or her well-being. Acquaintances have superficial information about us, but true friends know our deeper emotions, thoughts, and desires—and God wants to have this kind of relationship with us.
However, human sinfulness made that seem impossible. We all were born with an inherited sin nature (Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--) and have rebelled against God’s perfect authority (Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,; Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.) Neither good works nor moral values can overcome the problem. Thankfully, God’s solution is to change our nature so we can be a part of His family. However, divine justice must still be satisfied, and only a perfect sacrifice can pay for our sins (Deuteronomy 17:1 ``You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any defect, for that is a detestable thing to the LORD your God.) Throughout history, only one qualified: Jesus, who gave His life so we could have a relationship with the Father.
The Father has done everything necessary for us to be in His family and experience intimacy with Him. Have you entered into a relationship with Him through the saving work of His Son? If not, make today your spiritual birthday by receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. This Christmas season, discover the gifts of freedom, satisfaction, and joy that are found in Him.

1 d

Love Worth Finding Daily Devotional

December 20, 2024 – Too Small a God to Worship 1 Corinthians 2:7-9 Sermon: 2299 The Christ of the Old Testament, Part 2

Pray Over This

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’” 1 Corinthians 2:7-9

Ponder This

I’m not trying to prove to you that Jesus is the Messiah. True faith is rooted in evidence, but it goes beyond evidence; true faith becomes its own best evidence. We can’t find God based on human reasoning. Nothing will hold anything beyond its own capacity. Do you think you can cram God into your mind? Your mind doesn’t have the capacity to contain God. So, don’t try to eliminate God because you don’t understand Him.
To have a God that I can worship, He must be a God greater than my mentality. If I could understand God, God would be no bigger than my intellect, which is far too small a god for me to worship. If we could understand God, we wouldn’t need God, but we don’t have to understand Him to know Him.
When I was a little boy, my dad used to go off to work. I didn’t know where he went, nor what he did, but I knew he was my dad; I knew him personally; and I loved him. You don’t have to understand how God runs the mighty Universe to put your faith and trust in Him. I’m telling you by faith you can know the Lord Jesus Christ.
• When have you tried to understand God and His ways? What happened?
• How have you seen God at work in some of the ways you couldn’t understand at the time?
Practice This
Go to a place in nature that reminds you that God is bigger than you and bigger than anything you can understand. Sit for a while, praying and praising God.