ConneXions - In the shadow of his hand he hid me

In the shadow of his hand he hid me

Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever. – Psalm 125:2

For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain.  My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you. – Isaiah 54:10

The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you; he cries out, ‘Destroy them!’ – Deuteronomy 33:27

Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins. – Isaiah 49:15,16

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, - John 10:28

For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.’ – Isaiah 41:13

Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the Lord, the First and the Last. I alone am he. – Isaiah 41:4

I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. – Psalm 89: 1,2

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. – Lamentations 3:23

Connexions - Faith is.....

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. – Hebrews 11:1

No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. – John 1:18

 For we live by believing and not by seeing. – 2 Corinthians 5:7

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.- 2 Corinthians 4:18

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me. – John 20:29

Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. – John 14:19

The god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. – 2 Corinthians 4:4

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:6

Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. – 2 Kings 6:17

It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. – Hebrews 11:27

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. – 1 Peter 1:8

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. – 1 Corinthians 13:12

ConneXions - The Ransom of His life

The ransom of his life is costly

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? – Matthew 16:26

Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death  by paying a ransom to God. Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough to live forever and never see the grave. – Psalm 49:7-9

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment – Hebrews 9:27

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. – Mark 10:45

For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6

What we do see is Jesus, who was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. – Hebrews 2:9

 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began – 1 Peter 1:18-20

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23

ConneXions - Blessed is he whose sin is covered

Blessed is he whose sin is covered

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.  He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.  He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us  as the east is from the west.The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. – Psalm 103:8-12

Once again you will have compassion on us.  You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! – Micah 7:19

I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again. – Isaiah 43:25

Yes, this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued me from death and forgiven all my sins. – Isaiah 38:17

“Come now, let’s settle this,”  says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” – Isaiah 1:18

ConneXions - Power belongs to God

Power belongs to God

Can you solve the mysteries of God? Can you discover everything about the Almighty?  - Job 11:7

Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. – Romans 1:20

The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. – Psalm 33:6

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. – Hebrews 1:3.

O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies!  Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? You are entirely faithful. You rule the oceans. You subdue their storm-tossed waves. You crushed the great sea monster. You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. – Psalm 89:8-10

Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, invincible in battle. – Psalm 24:8

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. – Romans 1:16

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 1:18-20

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6

He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed. – Daniel 7:14

ConneXions - Ambassadors of Christ

Ambassadors of Christ

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”  - 2 Corinthians 5:20.

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.  And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” – Acts 9: 15-16.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should. – Ephesians 6: 18-20.

My chosen people can be refreshed. I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world. – Isaiah 43: 20-21.

Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!” - Haggai 1:13.

An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble, but a reliable messenger brings healing. - Proverbs 13:17.

The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” – John 4: 28-29.

Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did! – John 4:39.

ConneXions - The Lord our God is one Lord.

The Lord our God is one lord.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” – Genesis 1:26

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” - Mark 1:9-11

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:1-4.

This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. – 1 John 5:6-9

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.  - 1 Timothy 3:16

But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom". – Hebrews 1:8

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known – 1 Corinthians 13:12

ConneXions - No Man Ever Spoke Like This Man

No man ever spoke like this man

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law. – Matthew 7: 28-29.

Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command! – Luke 4:36.

He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?” - Matthew 13: 54-56.

Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. - John 14:24.

So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. - John 7: 16-17.

But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him. - Matthew 17:5.

His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. - Revelation 1:15-16.

The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. – Isaiah 50:4.

After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice. – John 10:4-5.

ConneXions - Jesus said "Before Abraham was, I am."

Jesus Said “Before Abraham was, I am”

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me – John 14:6

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty – John 6:35

Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?  Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.     You will enjoy the finest food. Come to me with your ears wide open.  Listen, and you will find life. – Isaiah 55: 2-3

I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life. – John 8:12

People loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. – John 3:19

I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. – John 11:25

Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life – John 5:40

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep – John 10:11

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.  We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all – Isaiah 53:6

Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. – John 10:9

ConneXions - Full Assurance of Faith

Full Assurance of Faith

You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. – Luke 1:77

When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. – John 19:30

At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart – Matthew 27:51

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. – Hebrews 6:19-20

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. – John 1:12-13

And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” – Galatians 4:6

 And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. – 1 John 3:24

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:6

I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. – John 5:24

For I know the one in whom I trust – 2 Timothy 1:12

ConneXions - The Savior of All Men

The savior of all men

I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! – Luke 2:10-11

Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. – 1 John 4:14

And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. – 2 Timothy 1:10

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all – 1 Timothy 1:15

And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. – John 3:14-17

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. – 1 John 5:12

The Lord is my light and my salvation – Psalm 27:1

The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me.- Psalm 116:6

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28

However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. - John 6:37

He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And so I walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth! – Psalm 116: 8-9

ConneXions - Saved By Grace

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. – Ephesians 2:8

For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. – Colossians 1:13-14

I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. – John 5:24

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. – Philippians 1:6

But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation – 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. – Jude 24

An inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. - 1 Peter 1: 4-5

Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. – Romans 13:11

Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. -  Hebrews 7:25

ConneXions - In The Beginning God

In the beginning God

Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. – Psalm 90:1-2

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. – Romans 1:20

The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, I  the Holy One, says this: I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.  - Isaiah 57:15

Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. – Isaiah 40:28

The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. – Deuteronomy 33:27

All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. – 1 Timothy 1:17

I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,”says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” – Revelation 1:8