Posted on Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 8:09 a.m. (EST) & 05:38 p.m. (IST), JULY-AUG 2013 Edition
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“Christ Is Truly In Zion Encouraging Newness, Saving Hearts In People!" (C.I.T.I.Z.E.N.S.H.I.P)”
Ramesh C. Reddy
SCRIPTURE:
OBSERVATION/INTERPRETATIONS:
INTERPRETATION:
IMPLICATIONS:
HOW GOSPEL
GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING C.I.T.I.Z.E.N.S.H.I.P:
To attain citizenship, I
believe in Jesus Christ and acknowledge Jesus Christ as my Lord and Personal Savior by confessing, repenting of my sins and turning to Him completely. At that moment, I become a
citizen of Heaven. There is no criteria that I have to wait so and so time
before I could attain citizenship. He saves me by His grace through faith and
gives me citizenship! Praise the Lord!
"Praise be to the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly
realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before
the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he
predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance
with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has
freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:3-8, NIV)
"In him we were also chosen,
having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in
conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to
hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included
in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having
believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a
deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's
possession—to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:11-14, NIV)
As a citizen of Heaven I can enjoy all the blessings the Lord Jesus has in store
for me. Once I am a citizen of Heaven, Jesus
will take care of me and even when Satan tries to use opportunities to entice me
to renounce my citizenship, attacks
me, and tries to terrorize me, I can be confident my
Lord and Savior will rescue me as I seek His help.
"But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and
protect you from the evil one." (2 Thess 3:3, NIV)
Since my citizenship is in heaven, it means I am an alien here on earth and just
passing through. I should not give my allegiance to any earthly things. It is so
awesome to know that our citizenship can be in heaven.
The apostle Peter too reminds followers of Christ not
to let their earthly desires control them.
"Once
you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not
received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as
aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war
against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they
accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the
day he visits us." (1 Peter 2:10-12, NLT)
Though the apostle Paul is in jail and no matter what
is happening on earth, I see him reminding the Philippians not to let earthly
desires control them but to remember Jesus Christ will come and rescue them.
This is evidenced by the previous devotional and the conclusion:
“And we eagerly await a
Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…”
"I want you to trust in me in your times of trouble,
says the Lord, so that I can rescue you and you can give me the glory!" (Psalm
50:15)
"Since the Lord is directing our steps, why try to
understand everything that happens along the way!" (Proverbs 20:24)
I ask you now dear friend, what C.I.T.I.Z.E.N.S.H.I.P
should you desire the most?
Never think that you cannot because all of us on our
own cannot but while we were yet sinners Jesus died
for us. You can come to Jesus as you are and allow
Him to transform your life. Oh yes, He will my friend. His love will reach you
where you are. When we mess up and turn to Him, He will take care of us.
The amnesty program that Jesus Christ offers is the best program we can take
part in. It is by grace through faith that we are saved and not through works so
that no man can boast. It is not anything we have done to attain His favor but
because He loves us and wants to bestow His favor upon us through His grace so that we can attain
this citizenship. We only need the permission of the One who loved us enough to pay for
our citizenship with His precious blood.
"With his own
blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for
all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of
goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from
ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify
our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by
the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect
sacrifice for our sins." (Hebrews 9:12-14, NLT)
Only citizens of Heaven will be allowed into Heaven. If you are not a citizen
of Heaven then there is no entrance. Heaven does not allow any immigrants to get
in unless they have accepted the gift of citizenship Christ offers.
This means
if a person does not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Personal Savior, then
they cannot be citizens of Heaven according to Scripture.
For Jesus Himself who
grants us citizenship says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and
the Life, no man comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6, NIV)
Friend, won't you accept the citizenship Christ offers you while you live
here on earth?
You can do it right now! Now is the time of Salvation! There is no need to
wait. You may not have all the answers. No one does but Christ will reveal all
the answers to you in His timing and now offers
Himself to you to give you a new beginning and hope! It is an everlasting hope!
For only Christ can save others through His pardon,
purpose, power, and promises giving others peace.
May you know Christ is truly in Zion encouraging
newness, saving hearts in people!
Make the prayer below your prayer to become a citizen of Heaven!
"Christ Is Truly In Zion Encouraging Newness, Saving
Hearts In People!" (C.I.T.I.Z.E.N.S.H.I.P)/”What C.I.T.I.Z.E.N.S.H.I.P
should you desire the most?”
You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace,
Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a
life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I
need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround
me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your
presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you
love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek
your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for
your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case.
Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN!
(Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All” May the Lord Jesus guide you in His love leading you! Amen! No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help by His grace alone! Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426 "This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB) |
2013 DEVOTIONALS: Philippians 3:18-19: "Why shed your T.E.A.R.S for others in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Aug 21, 13, 08:26 a.m.) Philippians 3:15-17: "Who are what are you willing to P.A.T.T.E.R.N your life after?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Aug 19, 13, 10:08 a.m.) Philippians 3:12-14:"How can you deal with the P.A.S.T in your life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Aug 15, 13, 04:21 a.m.) Philippians 3:1-11: "Why for R.E.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N you need the transaction of the cross?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Aug 14, 13, 05:55 p.m.) Philippians 2:25-30:"When will your H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G begin?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, Aug 13, 13, 10:39 a.m.) Philiippians 2:20-24: "How can you Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y well in other people's lives?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, Aug 09, 13, 08:38 a.m.) Philippians 2:17-19: "When do you live out your F.A.I.T.H in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, Aug 08, 13, 03:19 a.m.) Philippians 2:14-16: "What does your B.E.H.A.V.I.O.R do for others in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, Aug 07, 13, 12:03 p.m.) Philippians 2:13: "How do you W.O.R.K out your Salvation?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Aug 05, 13, 01:33 p.m.) Philippians 2:13: "What path have you taken for S.A.L.V.A.T.I.O.N in your life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, Aug 05, 13, 01:33 p.m.) Philippians 2:12-13: "What is the point of O.B.E.D.I.E.N.C.E in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, Aug 03, 13, 01:28 p.m.) Philippians 2:9-11: "How do you handle the N.A.M.E of Jesus in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, Aug 02, 13, 07:58 a.m.) Philippians 2:8: "What can the C.R.O.S.S do for you in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, Aug 01, 13, 08:03 a.m.) Philippians 2:5-7:"How do you match Jesus' A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 31, 13, 10:50 a.m.) Mark 10:6-9: "What does Jesus want for your M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, July 30, 13, 11:24 a.m.) Philippians 2:3-4: "How do you respond to God's C.O.M.M.A.N.D.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, July 29, 13, 09:53 a.m.) Philiippians 2:1-2: "What C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N are you in?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, July 27, 13, 11:42 a.m.) Philippians 1:29-30: "How do you handle S.U.F.F.E.R.I.N.G in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, July 26, 13, 10:02 a.m.) Philippians 1:27-28: "How do you C.O.N.D.U.C.T yourself in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, July 25, 13, 11:17 a.m.) Philippians 1:22-26: "What are your C.H.O.I.C.E.S based on?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 24, 13, 09:50 a.m.) Philippians 1:21: "Why D.I.E for Christ?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, July 22, 13, 3:33 p.m.) Philippians 1:21: "Why L.I.V.E your life to be appreciated by others?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, July 19, 13, 10:20 a.m.) Philippians 1:20: "Where do you need to have C.O.U.R.A.G.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, July 18, 13, 05:17 a.m.) Philippians 1:19: "Who should you C.A.L.L often in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 17, 13, 09:41 a.m.) Philippians 1:19: "What reason do you have to R.E.J.O.I.C.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, July 16, 10:23 a.m.) Philippians 1:15-18: "How are your M.O.T.I.V.E.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, July 15, 04:57 a.m.) Philippians 1:12-14:"What have your C.H.A.I.N.S done to others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, July 11, 10:40 a.m.) Philippians 1:12: How can you A.D.V.A.N.C.E the Gospel?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, July 10, 11:46 a.m.) Philippians 1:9-11: "What is your L.O.V.I.N.G response based on?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, July 07, 03:24 a.m.) Philippians 1:7-8: "How can your A.F.F.E.C.T.I.O.N grow towards others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, June 27, 10:21 a.m.) Philippians 1:7-8: "Why can you only be saved by G.R.A.C.E alone?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, June 26, 10:42 a.m.) Philippians 1:3-6: "Where are you C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.T in?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, June 25, 12:42 p.m.) Philippians 1:3-6: "How can you attain a P.A.R.T.N.E.R.S.H.I.P in the Gospel?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Mon, June 24, 11:22 a.m.) Philippians 1:1-3: "How will others R.E.A.C.T towards God when they remember you?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Sat, June 22, 11:34 a.m.) Philippians 1:1-2: "Why bother to let others T.R.A.I.N you when you are already a leader?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 21, 10:58 a.m.) Philippians 1:1-2: "When do you B.L.E.S.S others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 20, 08:33 a.m.) Philippians 1:1-2: "Who will you be a S.L.A.V.E to in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 19, 1:26 p.m.) Philippians 1:1: "Why should you believe you are H.O.L.Y instead of a sinner?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 17, 11:38 p.m.) Psalm 46:1: "Where do you need R.E.F.U.G.E from?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 14, 08:30 a.m.) Proverbs 14:12: "Why seek God's R.I.G.H.T over our right?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 14, 08:30 a.m.) Psalm 42:5: "Why H.O.P.E and praise the Lord in your distress?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 13, 01:36 p.m.) Psalm 40:1-5: "Where do you need to be L.I.F.T.E.D up in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 13, 01:34 p.m.) Mark 9:28-29: "What can P.R.A.Y.E.R to Jesus do in your friends lives?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 11, 07:53 a.m.) Mark 2:2-5: "What kind of F.R.I.E.N.D will you be thought of as?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 10, 07:03 a.m.) Mark 3:14-15: "Why S.P.E.N.D time with Jesus daily?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 08, 11:07 a.m.) Psalm 34:4: "What can you do with your F.E.A.R.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 07, 2013, 8:43 a.m.) Psalm 33:4: "What will you do with F.A.I.T.H in your classes?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 05, 2013, 9:31 a.m.) Mark 1:43-44: "What does your disobedience C.A.U.S.E for others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (June 03, 2013, 2:57 a.m.) Mark 1:41-42: "What past do you need to be C.L.E.A.N from?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 31, 2013, 10:54 a.m) Proverbs 29:25: "Where will you take a S.T.A.N.D without wavering?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 30, 2013, 07:43 a.m) Matthew 18:21-22:"Why F.O.R.G.I.V.E when it will happen again?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 29 2013, 09:35 a.m) Psalm 27:14:"How do you C.O.P.E with your hurt?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 27, 2013, 11:13 a.m) John 12:24:"Who do you remember physically and spiritually on this M.E.M.O.R.I.A.L day?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 27, 2013, 11:13 a.m) "What has the law P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D you to do but it goes against the Lord?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 09, 2013, 6:57 a.m) "Who do you become an A.T.T.R.A.C.T.I.O.N to and why?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 08, 2013, 6:58 a.m) "What has A.N.G.E.R done to your relationships?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 29, 13, 1:28 p.m.) "How can the L.I.G.H.T impact your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 06, 13, 11:48 a.m.)
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