2023
The Invisible Steps of the Lord (Isaiah 41:10, Deuteronomy 31 خطوات الرب الغير مرئيه
You think that those who are always with you and around you are faithful but when you need them, they ignore you and walk away. This is the way of this world and its boss Satan. Our Lord does not make dramatic shows. When we need Him, He is always present, with mercy and compassion. He lifts us above every tribulation, every fire and all hardships. We can see the fruits and results of His work in the life of every believer. “And behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (Genesis 28:15).
Growth and maturity with the Lord in faith and life (Ephesians 4:14) النمو والنضوج مع الرب في الإيمان والحياة
If a person is ignorant and he is lacking knowledge of some things around him in society, the opinions and thoughts of the people will lead him to places that may bring him to losses. Some are small, some are large, painful and sometimes devastating.
In our Christian faith we must open the eyes of our hearts and thoughts. Let us read, study, deepen and understand the words of grace and life in the Bible. Let us be filled with peace, knowledge and be certain of what we believe, so that we are not shaken. In front of the doubts and accusations of others we can have peace and joy.
Promised Land ارض الميعاد
After the release from slavery, the hearts of the people of Israel longed to enter the Promised Land, which the Lord had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Indeed, the Lord helped the people to enter in the promised land with His strong and victorious arm, but after entering they thought they didn’t need God.
When he was amid his people, they asked for a king and chose Saul. After him was David and Solomon, and then the kingdom was divided and captivated. They thought the blessing was on the land itself. The Promised Land is worthless if the Lord is not amid his people. Let us rejoice that the Lord is amid our lives and hold fast to Him and not look to any king who passes away and perishes.
God does not impose himself (Psalm 145:18) الله لا يفرض نفسه
The Lord does not impose Himself and His love on men, though he has great love for all. He loves us but he does not invade us to accept him. He knocks on the door of every individual’s heart, and he does not break the door of any heart: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and dine with him while he is with me.” (Revelation 3:20).
Let us open our hearts to the one who died for us. He respects our freedom and our choice, unlike the world that does not wait for approval but breaks and invades our privacy without permission. Let us reflect the light of the presence of Christ to all those around us.
Why do our hearts rejoice? (Psalm 33:1, 20-21) لماذا تفرح قلوبنا
“Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous. It is fitting for the upright to praise him.” (Ps. 33:1) Do we feel constant joy, or are they flashes of joy that pass quickly in our days? How can my heart be hilarious? If we just look around and see all the pain and fractures of the world. There is a lot of insecurity, anxiety, confusion, fear and even sadness in our hearts. How can we rejoice in Him? When our souls wait for the Lord the helper, our hearts rejoice and in his holy name we trust, our lives will be filled with true joy even amid the storms of the world, because we are on the lifeboat, Jesus Christ. When He is with us, He is stronger than all things against us.
Warn others انذار الآخرين
How happy a human can be on his ways that might seem to him the pinnacle of things, but it can be a trap to torment and death, if another person comes to warn and enlighten his thoughts, warn him, reveal the truth and help him get away from his destructive ways.
God sent His prophets to guide and warn us, and finally the Lord Jesus Christ came to bring light, guidance and salvation. He gave us His teachings and the words of the Bible, to warn us from death and bring us life. Each of us can be a warning instrument to our loved ones and help them turn away from the path of destruction and guide them to the path of light to the presence of Christ.
The important thing is not victory, but how we win (Romans 8:37) ليس المهم الانتصار بل كيف ننتص
In difficult, painful and sad circumstances, we raise our hearts to the Lord Jesus, who hears our prayer. He can intervene and grant his peace. In the battles and wars of the world, each party declares its victory and talks about its achievements and his rights. In conflicts all parties suffer and bleed the blood of their sons and daughters. The only winner of these wars is Satan, who is the ruler of this fallen world. He rejoices the death of God’s creation.
We reject the victory of the world. We want the victory of Christ by His death on the cross. His war against the prince of evil didn’t bring death, suffering and pain, but joy and peace.
Victory and defeat begin in the heart (1 Samuel 17:45) النصرة والهزيمة تبدأ في القلب
Many people around us show that they are strong and well managed, but it can be only the outward appearance. From inside they are defeated, afraid, anxious and stress fills their heart. They can be confused and terrified when they face the smallest challenge or loss. Victory and defeat begin from within the heart.
The victorious heart follows Jesus who has overcome the world. Just like David’s victory over Goliath. David said to Goliath: “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a shield, and I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts…”
Christ was born for you (John 3:16) وُلد المسيح لأجلك
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” We celebrated Christmas and started a new year. The birth of Christ separated the history before and after His birth. But with all the greatness of this event, Christ did not incarnate to show His authority and omnipotence. But he came to give salvation to all who repent and believe in Him. We are so precious to his heart that he died for us, as an atonement for the sins of the world.
Changing your life (Gal. 6:7). تغيير حياتك
“If I could change what happened yesterday” Every person wants to change the painful things that led to a break, but it is impossible to change the past, so we do not regret. But we can change today, and the change we make today will affect tomorrow, because: “For what man sows he will harvest.”
Despite the pain and disappointment, let us start today to change and plant blessed things in our lives, so we will reap blessings tomorrow. How can we do it? Only by repentance and living with the Lord Jesus Christ.
What are the intentions of the heart (1 Corinthians 4:5, Matt 7:12). ما هي نوايا القلب (متى 7: 12) (١ كورنثوس ٤: ٥)
“The Lord will illuminate the mysteries of darkness and reveal the opinions of hearts.” Not all that glitters is gold. Not all good work stems from good intentions in the heart. What are the intentions for every good deed you do? Are you doing good for the sake of good, or do you want to gain something that no one else knows about? Maybe no one knows the intentions of our hearts, but we are like naked exposed before God.
His name shows who he is. (Proverbs 22:1, Ecclesiastes 7:1) اسمه يظهر من هو (امثال ٢٢: ١) (الجامعة ٧: ١)
The names given to Jesus explain and reveal us who he is, what his attributes are, what his essence really is, and how the people saw him. The Bible says, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches.” And “A good name is better than precious ointment.” What kind of reputation we have in our society? How does the people see us? How do you describe your life and the fruits of your life?
Why did Jesus ascend to heaven? (Acts 1:8-9) لماذا صعد المسيح الى السماء
We celebrate Good Friday, the day when Christ was crucified. He paid for the redemption of our sin and was the atonement for our sins, and we celebrate Easter because Christ rose from the dead. All who believe in Him and repent from their sins and live with Christ will rise with Him for newness of life. There is also a day of Ascension, commemorating Jesus’ ascension into heaven.
Why did Jesus have to ascend to heaven? Why didn’t he stay with his disciples and with us here on earth? What is the significance of Jesus’ ascension to heaven?
Avoid silly conversations (2 Timothy 2:23) المباحثات السخيفة تجنبها (2 تيموثاوس 2: 23)
Paul wrote to Timothy, “Avoid stupid and ridiculous discussions, knowing that they generate rivalries.” A lot of discussions take place around us every day. Some are important, some are silly and stupid. Let us be careful not to waste our time in silly discussions. As a result of them, we can lose our dignity, our good name, our loved ones and being a good example to others. Let us be careful, that there is a spirit of love and gentleness in our discussions so that we don’t break and insult people with our truth.
Full (Matt 4:4, John 6:63, Revelation 3:1) الشبع (متى 4: 4، يوحنا 6: 63، رؤيا 3: 1)
“Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” The world wants us to be concentrated in the bread that nourishes the body. We should not neglect food and nourishment of the flesh, but also not forget spiritual food: the words of God, the teachings of the Lord Jesus, communion with believers and prayers.
Jesus said: “The words I speak to you are spirit and life”. Let us be careful not to neglect our souls and starve them. If spiritual hunger is prolonged, we look like alive but inside we are dead. “You have a name, that you are alive, and you are dead.”
The Bible prophesies about Jesus. (Philippians 2:7) تنبأ عنه الكتاب (فيلبي 2:7)
We did not choose Jesus to be the Messiah. He was not the Messiah by chance because he admired us and was better than others, but he chose to come to the earth, die as an atonement for the sins of the world and give eternal life to all who believe in Him. The prophets spoke about Him: when, where and from which family line he will be born, how he will be born, how he will die, and rise from the dead. The Messiah Jesus the Savior was revealed before His coming. In Him the prophecies were fulfilled. His birth we celebrate in Christmas. Let’s prepare our heart, mind and soul to welcome Christ as our King and Shepherd!
New Year and New Beginning (2 Corinthians 5:17.) سنة جديدة وبداية جديدة (2 كورنثوس 5:17 )
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old things are gone, behold, all things are new.” We pray that the new year and a new beginning will be crowned with victory, unity, love and peace. We also pray that earthly losses and victories will remain in the past and we will not be stuck in them. Let us hold the hand of the Good Shepherd and experience with him a year full of consolation and blessings. We want to live with him this year and allways with joy, calmness and peace.
Pay attention to your life and examine your relationships (1 Cor. 15:33) انتبه لحياتك وافحص علاقاتك
Do not be deceived: “Bad cohabitation corrupts good morals”. How much a person cares about everything he has, like he cares of his car to be in the best shape. The more he should take care of himself and his life… One of the things that needs attention is the relationships we have with others. With whom we have relationships and with whom do we spend our time? We should not be ashamed to cut relationships that steal our time and drain our powers and ideas…
Appointed counterpart (Genesis 2:18) معينا نظيره
And the Lord God said: “It is not good for Adam to be alone, so I will do for him a
helper of his counterpart.” The order and structure that is according to the heart of the Lord is the best system for the family building, that gives comfort, order and peace. In it, each party knows his/her responsibility, duties and rights. It does not marginalize women versus men but rather complete equality before the Lord. They are equal, but each one has a different work and function. They complement each other to achieve success and blessing in the challenges of the world.
War on the family الحرب على العائلة
Because Satan loses all his battles with God, he directs all his weapons against the sons and daughters of the Lord, especially against building the healthy Christian family. Let’s be careful and avoid bargaining to please the world. Let us focus our hearts and consciousness on the path of a better life with Jesus… Let us not be deceived by Satan’s tricks, which seems to give “wonderful” things, but in the end gives pain and death.