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Complete and Effective Dominion " Death no longer has dominion over Him. . . . the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God . . . —Romans 6:9-11 " Co-Eternal Life. Eternal life is the life which Jesus Christ exhibited on the human level. And it is this same life, not simply a copy of it, which is made evident in our mortal flesh when we are born again. Eternal life is not a gift from God; eternal life is the gift of...

April 13, 2014Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion    At the Procession with Palms - Gospel Mt 21:1-11 When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalemand came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered,and a colt with her.Untie them and bring them here to me.And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’Then he will send them at once.”This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:Say...

Featured Term (selected at random:EPISTEMOLOGY A theory of knowledge. A branch of scholastic philosophy that studies the principles underlying the acquisition of knowledge, the methods of logical reasoning, and the critical evaluation of truth, certitude, and right thinking. (Etym. Greek epist_m_, knowledge + logia, science, knowledge.) All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

April 12, 2014Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent    Reading 1 Ez 37:21-28 Thus says the Lord GOD:I will take the children of Israel from among the nationsto which they have come,and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land.I will make them one nation upon the land,in the mountains of Israel,and there shall be one prince for them all. Never again shall they be two nations,and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols,their abominations, and all their transgressions. I will deliver them...

His Abundance Today's Scripture “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap...” (Luke 6:38, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Our God is a God of abundance! He wants to pour out His abundance on you until you are so full that you are running over! But, notice how today’s verse starts. It says, “Give and it will be given to you.” That’s because your giving sets the blessing of God into motion in your life. When you give, you plant a...

Complete and Effective Divinity " If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection . . . —Romans 6:5 " Co-Resurrection. The proof that I have experienced crucifixion with Jesus is that I have a definite likeness to Him. The Spirit of Jesus entering me rearranges my personal life before God. The resurrection of Jesus has given Him the authority to give the life of God to me, and the experiences of my life must now be built on the foundation of His life. I...

April 11, 2014Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent   Reading 1 Jer 20:10-13 I hear the whisperings of many:“Terror on every side!Denounce! let us denounce him!”All those who were my friendsare on the watch for any misstep of mine.“Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,and take our vengeance on him.”But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.In their failure they will be put to utter shame,to lasting, unforgettable confusion.O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,who probe mind and heart,Let me witness the vengeance you take on...

Now Faith Today's Scripture “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, KJV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Are you hungry for more of God in your life today? The scripture tells us that faith opens the door for Him to move on our behalf. Faith is what pleases Him. It gives substance to the things we hope for and makes them tangible. We’ve all been given a measure of faith, but it’s up to each of us to put it into action. Notice today’s verse starts by saying,...

Complete and Effective Decision About Sin " . . . our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin —Romans 6:6 " Co-Crucifixion. Have you made the following decision about sin—that it must be completely killed in you? It takes a long time to come to the point of making this complete and effective decision about sin. It is, however, the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you-not simply be restrained, suppressed, or counteracted, but...

A controversial document that suggests that Jesus of Nazareth had a wife is most likely ancient and not a modern forgery, according to a paper published today in the Harvard Theological Review. The papyrus fragment, known as the "Gospel of Jesus's Wife," has been the subject of widespread debate since it was discovered in 2012 because it includes the phrase "Jesus said to them, 'My wife...'." It also mentions that "she will be able to be my disciple," which led some to question whether women should be allowed to become Catholic priests. The Vatican has previously said that the document...

April 10, 2014Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent    Reading 1 Gn 17:3-9 When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him:“My covenant with you is this:you are to become the father of a host of nations.No longer shall you be called Abram;your name shall be Abraham,for I am making you the father of a host of nations.I will render you exceedingly fertile;I will make nations of you;kings shall stem from you.I will maintain my covenant with youand your descendants after youthroughout the ages as an everlasting pact,to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.I...

Can God See Your Faith? Today's Scripture “And when he saw their faith...” (Luke 5:20, KJV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Do you know what moves the hand of God? This may surprise you, but God is not moved by complaining and self-pity. He’s not even moved by our needs. Yes, He is concerned about our needs; and yes, He wants to meet our needs, but we have to do our part and invite Him to work in our lives by exercising our faith. When Jesus walked the earth, oftentimes right before He healed someone, the Bible says,...

Have You Seen Jesus? " After that, He appeared in another form to two of them . . . —Mark 16:12 " Being saved and seeing Jesus are not the same thing. Many people who have never seen Jesus have received and share in God’s grace. But once you have seen Him, you can never be the same. Other things will not have the appeal they did before.You should always recognize the difference between what you see Jesus to be and what He has done for you. If you see only what He has done for you, your God...

LAHORE, Pakistan (BP) -- A couple from Pakistan's Christian minority was sentenced to death April 4 for allegedly sending blasphemous text messages, bringing the number of Christians on death row to four. The sentence for Shafqat Emmanuel and Shugufta Emmanuel in Pakistan's Punjab province came eight days after a court in Lahore sentenced Sawan Masih to death for allegedly insulting Islam's prophet Muhammad. The case against Masih, a street sweeper, stemmed from an alleged drunken conversation with a Muslim friend that sparked an outbreak of violence in Lahore's Joseph Colony. The March 2013 flare-up left 180 Christian-owned homes and shops...

When asked to applaud the sinful plans of casual acquaintances, my standard response is: “Wow. Why?” And “Why?” Outward actions are inevitably motivated by an inward condition. Asking “why?” or “I’d love to hear how you came to this decision” gives the other person the benefit of assuming they have done some thinking. “Why?” affirms that every person has a “why”—whether they know it or not. And the answer to “why?” is where a heart-discussion can begin. I am not surprised when sinners sin. I don’t expect people who are apart from Christ to act as if they were united...

April 9, 2014Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent    Reading 1 Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 King Nebuchadnezzar said:“Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,that you will not serve my god,or worship the golden statue that I set up?Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,and all the other musical instruments;otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?”Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,“There is no need for us...

The Greatness of His Favor Today's Scripture “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us...raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4–7, NKJV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Oftentimes, people set their focus on what God has done in the past — how He parted the Red Sea or stopped the sun for Joshua or fed...

His Resurrection Destiny " Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory? —Luke 24:26 " Our Lord’s Cross is the gateway into His life. His resurrection means that He has the power to convey His life to me. When I was born again, I received the very life of the risen Lord from Jesus Himself.Christ’s resurrection destiny— His foreordained purpose— was to bring “many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). The fulfilling of His destiny gives Him the right to make us sons and daughters of God. We never have exactly the same...

PORTLAND, OR, April 8, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A soon-to-be opened natural foods store in Oregon is in danger of never opening its doors after homosexual activists publicized remarks its Mormon owner made online supporting true marriage and organized a boycott targeting not just the store, but its suppliers. Chauncy Childs had planned to open Moreland Farmers Pantry, an organic, locally-sourced grocery store, in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland. But because of comments she made under a pseudonym during a discussion on Facebook last year in which she defended true marriage and said business owners should have the right to refuse...

In yet another confirmation of the Bible’s accuracy, scientists have now confirmed what Scripture refers to as “the fountains of the deep.” In the days of Noah and the Ark, these large pools of water beneath the Earth’s crust burst forth onto the surface providing the massive amounts of water needed for the global flood judgment. What has once been a source of skepticism and mockery for those who doubt the Bible, has now been confirmed by secular scientists, again showing that although written over 3,000 years ago, the Bible’s description of the Earth and its natural properties are...