When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). How did John recognize Jesus? After all, he confessed that he didn’t know him before—or at least that he didn’t know that Jesus was the chosen Messiah. What happened?
John saw Jesus with the eyes of his heart. He could see who Jesus really was because the Holy Spirit revealed it to him. We might say that the Holy Spirit invited John to see and that John accepted the invitation.
Day after day, the Holy Spirit invites us to see Jesus as well. When we accept his invitation in prayer, we give the Spirit the freedom to open our eyes and our hearts. Our yes tells the Spirit, “Please show Jesus more clearly to me because I want to know him more. I want his presence, his power, and his mercy in my life.”
Isn’t it amazing how we can read so much into what we see with our physical eyes? This happens when an accountant reads a company’s balance sheet, when a doctor reads the results of a blood test, or when a father sees a confused look on his teenager’s face. Just as a doctor has been trained to know what to look for, so our minds can be formed to recognize spiritual realities. John was able to recognize Jesus in large part because he was committed to God and eager to do his will. His heart was soft, and his mind was alert.
Today, let’s be alert to God. Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus each morning. Let’s pray as often as we can, persevere as much as we can, and stay as peaceful as we can all day long.St. Catherine of Siena learned to stay close to God by simply repeating: “God all, I nothing.” This was how she came into God’s presence and recognized him. May this be our disposition as well!
“Lord, open my eyes so that I can see you.”
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-10; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in your weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
You can overcome whatever you’re going through — not by your strength, or your wisdom, or your prayers, or your experience — but through God’s grace.
His free, His matchless grace, independent of all works and efforts, independent of everything in us, flowing wholly and solely, fully and freely, out from Jesus to the needy, the guilty, the destitute, the undone.
You who are tried in worldly circumstances, remember what the Lord has said…
“My grace is sufficient for you.”
His grace is sufficient for you who are tempted.
“God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Cor 10:13)
“My grace is sufficient for you.”
His grace is sufficient for you who are burdened with family troubles, afflictions, and worry.
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.” (Ps 34:18-19)
“My grace is sufficient for you.”
Our weakness, helplessness, and inability are the very things which draw forth the power, the strength, and the grace of Jesus!
“My power is made perfect in your weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)
Believer, never forget the words:
“My grace is sufficient for you!”
The free, the matchless, sovereign grace of God, is sufficient for all His people whatever state, or stage, or trouble, or difficulty they may be in!
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in your weakness.”
Getting our children to look good for church was always a challenge. Ten minutes after arriving at church all spruced up, our little Matthew would look like he didn’t have parents. I’d see him running down the hall with his shirt half untucked, glasses cockeyed, shoes scuffed up, and cookie crumbs decorating his clothes. Left to himself, he was a mess.
I wonder if that is how we look sometimes. After Christ has clothed us in His righteousness, we tend to wander off and live in ways that make us look like we don’t belong to God. That’s why Jude’s promise that Jesus is “able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless” gives me hope (Jude 1:24).
How can we keep from looking like we don’t have a heavenly Father? As we become more yielded to His Spirit and His ways, He will keep us from stumbling. Think of how increasingly righteous our lives would become if we would take time in His Word to be cleansed with “the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:26).
What a blessing that Jesus promises to take our stumbling, disheveled lives and present us faultless to the Father! May we increasingly look like children of the King as we reflect His loving care and attention.
Ebuka with figurine/phoneswap script writer...kemi Adesoye
On set...
By Chinwe of Hair and Health
Tight coils, little to no curl pattern, and major shrinkage make type 4 natural hair an environment conducive to knots and tangles. Imagine tossing several tightly coiled wires into a bag haphazardly. Now imagine removing these wires one by one from the bag. You will get knots and tangles galore, right? A similar event can occur in our natural hair when left loose, wild, and shrunken.
Refrain from wearing wash-n-gos once your hair reaches 6-8 inches in length. Protective style frequently. Detangle thoroughly AND regularly. Keep your hair moisturized.
Washing your hair while it is loose is highly discouraged. (Think back to the bag full of tightly coiled wires.) Instead, wash your hair in braided sections to minimize tangling. About washing in twists: Twists, unless done small or medium, tend to unravel during a wash. Thus, braids may be a better option for some naturals.
If you want to wear your hair out, stretched styles (i.e., twist outs, braid outs) are by far the best method to minimize knots and tangles. However, allowing such styles to age beyond their limit leaves room for shrinkage and defeats the purpose. Keep the style duration to a minimum. Note: The higher the humidity, the shorter the wear. Also, the longer your hair, the shorter the wear.
During your regular detangling sessions, use a cholesterol-based or other thick, heavy conditioner to ease the process. The conditioner will add weight to the hair thus stretching the coils temporarily. Alternative: Some naturals prefer detangling on dry, stretched, lubricated hair since wet strands can lead to shrinkage.
In the event that you do get a knot, the worst thing you can do is apply water. Why? Because the strands will shrink and the knot will become harder to unravel. Instead, apply an oil or butter and gradually pull out each strand from the knot one by one. Alternative: Some naturals have success applying a conditioner to the knot while others do not. Do what works for you. Depending on how serious the knot is, a thin tool – such as the end of a rattail comb – may be used to help with unraveling. Refrain from using sharp tools, like needles or safety pins, which may damage the cuticle.
