Paul had just finished writing about the mercies of God to the Gentiles when he said, “Therefore I urge you..” He had just finished rebuking some of them for their pride in thinking that they were above being cut off from God as had been done to the unbelieving Jews. For if they did not continue in his kindness (his grace), they could be cut off, too. If they, too, chose disobedience to God over obedience to the Lord, and if they chose to walk in sin, rather than by the grace of God, they could be cut off from God, too.

For what is God’s grace to us? His grace is what sent Jesus Christ to the cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in him, we might die with him to sin and now live for God in walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands, empowered by God. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is instructing us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives, in the power of God, while we wait for our Lord’s return.

God’s grace is not a free ride to heaven based off lip service only. Romans 10:8-9, by itself, is NOT the gospel message. It must be read in the context of all the teachings in the book of Romans, and in all the rest of the New Testament books. The Scriptures do not teach, as a whole, that we can just say that we believe in Jesus and now all our sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed us when we die. Biblical faith in Jesus, which comes from God, requires that we die to sin and that we walk in obedience to our Lord.

So, when Paul wrote to the Christians here in Romans 12, it was to the same Christians he was speaking to in Romans 11 to whom God said that if they did not continue in his kindness (grace) that they could be cut out of the kingdom of God just as were the unbelieving Jews cut out. And this is taught us all throughout the New Testament writings. By faith in Jesus we must die with Christ to sin, sin must no longer be our practice, and we must obey our Lord and his commands, in practice, by the grace and power of God.

For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to the Lord, in practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God. And many professing “Christians” will stand before the Lord on the day of judgment professing him as their Lord and claiming all the things they believed they did in his name. And he will say to them, “I never knew you! Depart from me you workers of lawlessness.” Why? Because they did not obey God and his commands, but they obeyed their sins, instead, which results in death, not in eternal life.

When Paul said, “I urge you..” this was not light and fluffy stuff like some that is being handed out today in the name of Jesus. This word “urge” is a strong encouragement and exhortation and admonishment. And it’s purpose is to warn, to rebuke, to correct, and to inspire and to persuade. And it has a sense of urgency, necessity, need, and a matter of importance requiring swift action, i.e. it is something that should have top priority, that it is something that needs to be done quickly, and not delayed for another time.

So, if we present our bodies to God as living and holy sacrifices to him, what should that look like? What does God require of us? He requires that we deny self, die to sin daily, and that we walk in obedience to his commands – all as a matter of practice done in the power of God and not of our own flesh. And this doesn’t make us perfect, or mean that we will never sin (1 John 2:1-2), but this does have to do with what we practice, i.e. with our lifestyles. For if sin is our practice, and not walks of obedience to God, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess.

And to be holy is to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, if indeed that is what is taking place in our lives. And if we sacrifice our lives and our bodies to Jesus Christ, we are dying with him to sin and to self and our lives are now surrendered to the Lord to be his to be used by him for his will and purpose for our lives. Our bodies, our lives are no longer our own to be lived however we choose, but are to be surrendered to God’s will.

And this is our spiritual worship of God. And please hear me out on this! I see so many videos on the internet of people supposedly worshiping the Lord, and this is happening in the gatherings of the church (or what are falsely being called churches), too, where they are listening to and singing along with songs and they are moving their bodies and arms back and forth to the music. But that, by itself, is not worship of God. Worship of God involves our lives surrendered to the Lord, obeying him, and doing his will.

And we are no longer to be conformed to the ways of this sinful world. We are not to be living worldly lives pleasing to the flesh and to other humans. We are not to be those who blend in with our culture and who don’t “make waves” in order to be accepted by other humans. We are to be different because we are not like the world because we are becoming more and more like Jesus in how we think and are and do, in practice. Our lives are now to be dedicated to the Lord and to doing his will in surrender to his will.

For faith in Jesus Christ, which comes from God, which is not of our own doing, not of our human flesh, results in us being crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So, if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips have professed. It is what the Scriptures teach, as a whole, in full context.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

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A Living and Holy Sacrifice
An Original Work / April 16, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday rebuked mainstream media “outrage” over the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant sent to his home country’s Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) prison over an admitted “administrative error.”

Leavitt pushed back against descriptions of Garcia as “a Maryland father,” and contrasted the attention he has received with Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother who was killed in 2023 by an illegal immigrant in an unrelated case.

“It is despicable that many in the fake news media and the Democrat Party are more outraged over the deportation of an MS-13 illegal alien criminal than they are over the rape and murder of American women and children by illegal aliens who should have never been in our country in the first place,” Leavitt said during a press briefing.

Continued below.

By Sue Love
Saturday, October 13, 2007

I spent the day today in VA/WV. My husband Rick’s employer, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, sponsors regular mission trips to Bradshaw, WV. This was their big annual mission trip and it was my first mission trip ever, I think. So, I had no expectations. I just wanted to serve the Lord.

We arrived last night and enjoyed dinner and fellowship with a group of about 50 volunteers who came here just because they love Jesus. The Lord worked it out that we invited a married couple from NC to ride to dinner with us – a couple we had not met previously, and we ended up eating dinner with them and fellowshipping with them and with a man from Ohio. Their excitement for the Lord was very apparent.

We all met for devotions this morning before traveling to the mission site. The options for ministry were listed. There was one that was planned evangelism - where I would have the opportunity to share the gospel with people one on one. There was only one catch – I had to wash people’s feet. It just so happened that this is the ministry group that this couple was a part of.

Now, I am not a foot person. I don’t generally touch people with my feet, I don’t like to have anyone touch my feet and I don’t touch other people’s feet, except for maybe my grandchildren’s. So, this was going to stretch me, but I figured I could use the dose of humility – can’t we all?

This ministry group, who was washing people’s feet was also supplying them with new socks and shoes, so the first thing we did was to unbox the shoes, remove papers from inside them, etc. so they were ready to be placed on people’s feet. They asked for the first four volunteers to wash people’s feet, but since I had never done anything like that before, I wanted to watch first. So, I went and observed. I listened to see what kinds of things they said, how they approached the gospel, and just in general how they did the service of foot washing.

The man in charge walked in and asked me if I was ready to begin washing feet yet but I told him I would just serve as prayer support for right now. I just wasn’t ready to get my feet wet. Then, I talked with the Lord about it. I said, “Lord, you talk with me all the time. Let me know what you want me to do.”

The Lord immediately gave me this verse:


Immediately the Lord plugged into my mind that washing people’s feet and giving them new shoes to wear symbolized the truth of this passage of scripture. Then, I knew I was ready.

So, I sat down on the stool to wash the first person’s feet. It was a man. I imagined that this was going to be difficult for me, but the Lord just took over and it was amazing because when I was talking about Jesus to people and washing their feet, it really felt how I had imagined many times over in my mind that I was Mary washing Jesus’ feet with my tears and my hair. Now, I was his hands and his feet and his voice, too, to these people who came to get a new pair of shoes. And I really did not even think twice about washing their feet. It was as though I had always done it, like the Lord just took over my hands.

I found this a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with people. First off, I don’t do something just because everyone else is doing it or because it is the thing to do. So, I asked myself, “Why are we doing this? What is its purpose? What does it mean?” Since I wondered that myself, I figured other people might have the same question, so I began by asking them if they knew why we were doing this.

Some people knew it was an act of humility and servanthood and that Jesus had set an example for us when he washed the feet of his disciples. I knew that, too. Others didn’t know and still others saw it as a religious ritual that they did at communion but really didn’t know why they did it. But, the Lord gave me a picture, not only of servanthood and humility, but of the gospel message.

He helped me to see that just as people came in there with dirty feet and needed to have their feet cleansed, many of them also came in there with dirty hearts. We are all born with dirty hearts (born into sin) and we need to have our hearts cleansed just like we were washing their feet. Also, just as they removed their old shoes (or we removed them for them) and we put new shoes on them after we washed their feet, the Lord has provided the way that we can have our old dirty hearts removed and we can leave there not only with new shoes, but with new hearts.

I saw the symbolism of new shoes to be really interesting from another viewpoint, too, and that is that shoes are made for walking, so when the Lord cleanses our hearts and gives us new hearts, they are like new shoes – they are made for walking. In other words, He gives us a new walk. He doesn’t save us just so we can go to heaven one day, though that is certainly a wonderful promise, but he saves us to give us a new walk, i.e. a new direction in life; a new life period.

Also, another thing stood out to me. No one could have clean feet or new shoes just by standing there and believing that they had clean feet or new shoes. They had to humble themselves, sit down, remove their old shoes (or we removed them), put their feet in the water and allow us to put new shoes on their feet. So, this was faith in action. It showed them that faith is action, not just words or a state of mind, but we have to come to the Lord and we have to humble ourselves and bow before him and allow him to remove our old hearts, to cleanse us and to give us new hearts. That, to me, is awesome!! But it all begins with the Father drawing them first. They also could not have clean feet and new shoes if we had not showed up and we had not invited them to come in and to receive this cleansing and these new shoes.

I could see in the looks of some of the people that the Holy Spirit was drawing them to himself, but at least three of the ones I spoke with have said they are not ready. One young lady said she knows God is calling her and is drawing her to himself and I could see it in her eyes, yet she still would not give her heart to Jesus. It broke my heart. Jesus is calling so many to himself, but they just aren’t ready, like I wasn’t ready to wash their feet until the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “the old has gone and the new has come,” and then I knew I was ready. But, I still had to say “yes.” I pray that the people whose feet we washed today will say “yes” to Jesus because they got to see Jesus in action today through the lives of these ministers of HIS.

Sunday, October 14, 2007 – Rick and I were on our way home from WV/VA and we were listening to my Avalon CD when the song New Day played. Rick said, “That sounds like your foot washing,” and I agreed. Here is the chorus:

It's a new day
Oh, it's a new time
And there's a new way
I'm gonna live my life
All the old has, passed away
And the new has come
Thank God, It's a brand new day

The Lord gave me one more illustration from my foot washing experience which is based upon this statement that I made above:

They asked for the first four volunteers to wash people’s feet, but since I had never done anything like that before, I wanted to watch first. So, I went and observed. I listened to see what kinds of things they said, how they approached the gospel, and just in general how they did the service of foot washing.

Just as I observed the washers to make sure they were the real thing, that they were presenting the real gospel of Jesus Christ, and that they weren’t just going through a religious ritual before I would join them, unbelievers are also watching our lives to see if we are the real thing or if we are just going through the motions before they will make that decision to say “yes” to Jesus. So, it is really important that they see that Jesus is everything to us (Everything to Me / Avalon):

We're living in uncertain times
And more and more I find that I'm aware
Of just how fragile life can be
I want to tell the world I found
A love that turned my life around
They need to know that they can taste and see
Now everyday I'm praying
Just to give my heart away
I want live for Jesus
So that someone else might see that he is...

Everything to me
He's more than a story
more than words on a page of history
He's the air that I breathe
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
He's everything, everything to me

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Foot Washing
An Original Work / October 13, 2007
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

It should be quite easy to determine the validity of some of the accusations, such as Letitia allegedly stating her father was her husband. I look forward to seeing the documents.

Hey I just picked up a new flat screen TV for my apartment, this is slick! My TV came with WiFi, I was able to get it connected to my internet router wirelessly and now I can watch YouTube videos on my TV using the internet, I can watch anything on YouTube, any video or any music on YouTube! I go to 2 churches, Grace Chapel and Life Center, both live-stream their services on YouTube so if I ever miss church for any reason I can watch the service on my TV! Many churches live stream on YouTube, I now have access to any church's live stream in the entire world!

I was reading my Open Doors prayer diary during this morning's devotions and was reminded of something about holy week.

Maundy Thursday is tommorow and there will be many church services over the coming week for us to attend!

But Open Doors reminded me and it should remind us- to pray for the safety of our brothers and sisters in Christ across the world as they are especially in danger during this time!

So please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Countries where it is not safe to be a Christian.

Know that this time there will be many services happening across the world- some in official churches like here in the UK, others in secret house gatherings!

Meaning, if I am female in this life (I am) and I die and am resurrected into a new glorified body in the New Heavens and the New Earth, will that body be female?

At one point, I was quite convinced that the answer was yes, but perhaps I am wrong?

Matthew 22:30 said:

For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

Click to expand...

Luke 20:35-37 said:

35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 for they cannot even die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Click to expand...

Revelation 19:7-8 said:

7 Let’s rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Click to expand...

Later on the "bride of Christ" is described as the new Jerusalem. This makes me wonder if, in the resurrection, individual female/male gender status does not persist the way we are accustomed to here on the earth. Thoughts?

Stopping at Aldi this morning, I saw one of my water aerobics buddies with a fully laden cart. She said her husband, who has MS, had just gotten out of the hospital. She had parked the van quite far from the store so her husband could wait in a shady spot.

So I told her, "I'll stay with your cart here so that you can get the van without dragging all this stuff around, and then when you come back we can load your van up."

While I was waiting for her to return, a stranger pulled up. "I saw that lady with the really full cart," he said. "She has three heavy bags of top soil there. Can I help you?"

By then my friend was returning, and she was so touched to have two people helping her load her car. Her husband had a big smile, and we chatted a few minutes. It was only when we were done I noticed our helper's "Trump: Make America Great Again" hat.

God bless him. His hat embodied who he was, because the real way we "make America great" is helping our neighbors and those in need.

Boeing shares dip; Airbus holds strong position in China.

Confusion over changing tariffs could leave aircraft deliveries in limbo, with some airline CEOs saying they would defer delivery of planes rather than pay duties.

KRNV Video: Karoline Leavitt comments on Arbrego Garcia and victims of MS-13:
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So well said.

Two priests could be seen waiting for congregants to lower their hands before distributing Holy Communion on the tongue at the Vatican’s Palm Sunday Mass.

VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Livestream footage from Palm Sunday Mass on St. Peter’s Square shows two priests refusing to distribute the Holy Eucharist in the hands of two congregants.

During the distribution of Holy Communion (viewable in the video below from 1:43:47-1:44:00), two priests can be seen distributing Communion to multiple Mass attendees on the tongue before another two faithful, almost simultaneously, approached with their hands outstretched. Each priest paused and waited for the congregants to lower their hands, then proceeded to distribute the hosts on their tongues.

Continued below.

Warning:

Oh yay! A new one! Lol!

**************​

Blue Origin designed the patch with key symbols representing each of the crew members, but conspiracy theories claimed the design is the figure of a demonic figure.

Baphomet, often depicted as a goat-headed figure with a human body, is frequently associated with the Church of Satan and other occult and pagan traditions.

Did you notice the logo on Katy Perry and her fellow Blue Origin Space travelers' patch is the satanic goat with an upside-down cross if you flip it over?' a user shared on X.

Others slammed Blue Origin for 'mocking God,' saying 'this isn't science, it's a ritual.'

'Goat horns. Celebs. Fake space,' another user shared.

They ended the post with the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 11:14 that states: 'Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.'

Continued below.

I've really been battling with myself mentally and spiritually. I just don't think I should call myself a Christian.

I don't read or pray anymore. I don't care about spiritual warfare. I have no desire for God. I feel very much betrayed by him. I belive in God but I feel im not better than the demons lol

But I'm just at a very rough space in my life. I'm filled with rage and bitterness. I don't trust God and never will.

I just don't care. Like at all. I just respect God is God but I have no desire to pursue him. I don't think I can call myself a Christian but I do belive in him. I just don't want to do mental gymnastics to put faith in someone I feel let me down.

I just wonder what category do I belong. I'm definitely not Atheist or agnostic. I just idk.

I just don't love God or feel anything for him. Nothing. I don't want to read,pray or anything. I just feel apathetic towards God.

California voters ‘indifferent’ over potential Kamala Harris run for governor: ‘Surprising lack of enthusiasm’​

President Donald Trump has called for Harvard University to lose a valuable tax break, hours after his administration announced it is freezing more than $2bn (£1.5bn) in federal funds for the elite institution.

The White House has demanded the oldest university in the US make changes to hiring, admissions and teaching practices which it says will help fight antisemitism on campus. [Harvard said 'No thanks.']

In a Tuesday morning post on social media, Trump threatened to go beyond withholding the federal funds and targeted Harvard tax-exempt status.

Later on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump wanted the university to apologise for what his administration says is continuing tolerance of antisemitism.

"[Trump] wants to see Harvard apologize, and Harvard should apologize," Leavitt said.

ICE grabbed the wrong person but instead of releasing him or allowing him to be treated as a normal illegal immigrant knowingly and deliberately shopped him of to the El Salvador Concentration camp.

No tattoos, no criminal records, they was are acting as the Gestapo.

"The media narrative says that there is a 'migrant crisis,' and that migration is a problem and an issue to be solved … and that migrants are different from 'us,'" said Kuczewski. "In reality, they are a blessing. Is education and formation on this our highest duty? Can we use this as a teachable moment? Can we change hearts and minds?"

God used Bhumika's niece to introduce Bhumika to the saving knowledge of Christ- she went to church and gave her life to Christ in June 2022.

This story is not usual in the sense that it was Bhumika's children that rejected her for her faith- not her parents, older extended relatives, etc.

When she was back living with her sons they made her move out and disowned her for her faith in Christ. I'm so glad that faith in Christ is love and not a cult- I would never do that to my mum who is a new ager- fortune telling, reincartion, readings, etc but guess what- she is my mum!

Bhumika moved to a house and lives by herself- unheard of in such a culture and she struggles with day to day activities like food shopping because of her poor health.

Thankfully she has recieved help from her church family and Open Doors have helped her start a business she can run even with her poor health- praise God!

Her business is succesful- and she even now helps others!

Her favourite verse? One of mine when I became a new Christian- Matthew 28:20 "and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

She also has a prayer request which is unusual as they usually ask for our prayers- she prays for all you readers!

What an inspiration Bhumika is and a great example of Christian family helping out- we cannot do the Christian walk alone, God made us to fellowship IN PERSON with other Christians!

Source:

Open Doors Prayer Diary March/April 2025

The progressive approach to crime just doesn't work. In the progressive city where I grew up, which has a light rail system deemed the most dangerous in the nation, they openly let homeless and drug users camp out at a major intersection and light rail stop. I know the area, it is just blocks away from where I lived. The all-woman City Council can have all of the "Crime Prevention Coordinators" and new safety groups they want yet they won't clear that area out.

"As we watch the immigration tug-of-war play out between the Trump Administration and sanctuary jurisdictions, it’s important to remember that illegal immigration was a top issue in the 2024 election. Americans support Trump’s policies.
Somewhere, a victim of crime committed by an illegal alien is crying: a child who didn’t ask to be raped, a parent who didn’t ask for their child to murdered. They didn’t choose life-altering crime victimization.
Perhaps somewhere else a family is crying because a member is being deported. The difference is, that person had a choice: to enter the U.S. through legal means, to not commit crime, or to stay home and try to make their home country better.
U.S. taxpayers have been overly generous. Illegal aliens deserve no sympathy for being sent home after breaking more laws. Shame on elected officials who protect them."

So well said.

Here's what I found:

1. Continued to defy the Supreme Court, refusing to return Kilmar Abrego García, whom the Trump administration "accidentally" deported.
2. Tells El Salvador's President he need more prisons because he wants to send "home grown" criminals to El Salvador.
3. Again claims that Ukraine was responsible for the Russia-Ukraine war.
4. Defends Putin's attacks where civilians were celebrating Palm Sunday, which included attacking a hospital.
5. Calls for the FCC to revoke CBS's license because 60 Minutes was critical of Trump's Greenland policies and interviews Zelensky.
6. Bannon goes on Bill Maher and claims "teams of people" are looking how Trump can get a 3rd term, that Trump is "not joking" about a third term.

I'm just curious if people support Trump on all, or any, of these things and what thoughts posters have. And let me know if I forgot anything.

hello, I been here years ago, in active, (if I'm not mistaking, getting old). anyway, glad to be back. (I did this already, but when I clicked post, it brought me here. this is so different from the last time I was here!

Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident who has held a green card since 2015, was detained at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Colchester by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, his lawyers said.

[His lawyers don't know where he is.]

Reuters —
The Trump administration is kicking off investigations into imports of pharmaceuticals and semiconductors as part of a bid to impose tariffs on both sectors on national security grounds, notices posted to the Federal Register on Monday showed.


With all of the bickering about various tariffs, I do feel these two sectors, in particular, make sense to encourage domestic production.

There could be legitimate concerns about being beholden to other countries in terms of our supply for medicine and semiconductors.

Here's the video of the full meeting. The section on Russia starts at 11:48. The question where he says Zelensky started it starts at 14:04:

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One could take a charitable interpretation of this and chalk it up to poor phrasing, considering that he earlier stated that Putin started it. But throughout his comments, he clearly puts at least an equal share of the blame on Zelensky, saying things like "everybody's to blame" and criticizing the competence of Biden and Zelensky.