Quiet Corner

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The Power Of Penitence​

There is a church in Columbia called the Church of the Penitents. It was built by people who carried up to the building site two bricks for every sin they committed and confessed. It's been called the church that sin built. But sin doesn't build anything, repentance does. The people in Columbia turned their sins into repentance. That strategy is not just for building churches, but it is a project for our lives. God promises to turn our sins from scarlet to white. He is the God of Redemption. Messiah's work is the work of redemption. Let every sin in your life be turned into repentance. That is the strategy that caused Paul, the first great persecutor of the church, to live a life of devotion helping the believers. The greatest of saints are often those who realize how great a sinner they were. So take your bricks and start building His Kingdom out of a life of true repentance and grace. Repentance has much value for the Lord, for we are all building the church of the penitents.

Matthew 3:8
Today, live a life of repentance, the very opposite of what you once were

 

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Holy Opportunists​

People who get ahead at the expense of others with no regard for what is right are called opportunists, always seeking an opportunity to advance their agenda and take things for themselves. This kind of selfish ambition is wrong. But, you are called to be a holy opportunist. You're to use every opportunity for the will and the glory of God, for the advancement of the Kingdom, and for the purposes of the Great Commission. The problem with opportunists in the world is that they use higher things for lower purposes. But you're called to do the opposite; use everything in your life for the highest purpose - for God. Paul was a holy opportunist. He used every situation for the Gospel - problems, imprisonment, chains, trial, everything for the advancement of God's Kingdom and His glory. You need to be the same way. There are opportunities all around you. Use everything in your life for God - your circumstances, possessions, position, connection, relationships, and even your problems. Become the Lord's Holy Spirit opportunist.

1 Corinthians 9:22
Today, use every circumstance in your life to give God glory

 

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The Sunset Of Messiah​

In Micah 5:2, there is an amazing prophecy of Messiah's coming. It says, "His origins are from ancient days." Ancient days in Hebrew is kedem. Kedem can also mean the east, the dawn, or the sunrise. This is a deep mystery. Messiah's origins are from the dawn of existence and the sunrise of reality. His coming into the world is linked to the sunrise and new beginnings. But if there is a sunrise, there must be a sunset. Messiah's coming is as the sunrise. The sun goes from sunrise to sunset. So it is no accident He was put into the tomb when the sunset came. He was the Light of the World descending to the earth. Messiah is the sunrise, but He is also the sunset, and that is equally important. For it means that your old sins are finished, your guilt, mistakes, and shame are finished - for the sun has set on them. Therefore, celebrate the sunset you have in Messiah because it means the old is gone just as Messiah, the sunrise, has become your sunset

Psalm 65:8
Today, let Messiah be the sunset on all that is old and then rise in Him

 

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The Original​

One day, a group of tourists were viewing the famous painting, "Aurora," on the ceiling of the Casino Rospigliosi in Rome. It is considered to be the artist Guido Reni's greatest masterpiece. Sitting in front of them was a row of artists and students copying the painting. Looking over their shoulders, the tourists started commenting on how different each copy was. Upon hearing their remarks, the tour guide responded, "Don't look at the copies. Look at the original." Those were words of wisdom not just for tourists but for believers in Messiah. It's so easy to dwell on other believers - how they fall short of God, or even how good and holy they may be. But there's one thing they all have in common - believers are, at best, spiritual copies. Some copies are better than others, but the fact remains they're just copies. You, too, are a copy. And you won't become the person you're supposed to be by focusing on other copies. Fix your eyes on Messiah because He is the real thing. He is the author and finisher of your faith from which all copies are to be made.

Matthew 6:33
Today, take your focus off of other people and study the Original