Jesus Prayer for Us

Posted on September 16, 2011 by pastorvinceasaro

John Chapter 17  Is the very personal and intimate prayer of Jesus that the Apostle John  recorded in his gospel. For all who are now the disciples of the Lord Jesus this truly reveals the intimacy and love of our Savior and the Father, and their steadfast purpose to unite us together, with them, in the glory of our Creator God and Savior.

If anyone will take these words (read Jesus whole prayer) and meditate on them, considering the depth and meaning of what He is revealing to us, it would be hard to not understand the magnificent and glorious future that we have in our Father through His Son. By His mercy and gracious love, He has united us with Them in the blessed life and kingdom of our God and Savior.

He has given us what we do not deserve and could never earn, the glory which only Christ Himself is worthy of.

John 17: 20 – 26                                                Jesus Prays for All Believers                                      

  “My prayer is not for them alone (the 12 disciples). I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:  I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

  “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

                Blessings and Love in our Lord Jesus…           Be Encourage and Strengthened    Vince

Ephesians 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…


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Who’s Feet Need Washing?

Posted on September 7, 2011 by pastorvinceasaro

 

  At the last supper for Jesus and His disciples He performed a humble ceremony and washed the disciple’s feet.  It might be easy to overlook the implications of this in our own lives if we don’t think deeply about what Jesus meant for each of us to learn.

 John 13: 12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Most of us who are familiar with this event have heard a variety of teaching and elaboration about this humble foot washing, but right now consider the implications of this event along side of the greater humility that our Lord would demonstrate as He gave up His life for us all.  Let His words ring in our ears, “for I have given you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” How many ways can we give our lives in obedient service to our Lord and to one another, by providing comfort, a word of encouragement, shelter, clothing, food, hospitality, friendship, and kindness, day to day what are the many ways can we humbly “wash the feet” of our families, our  brothers and sisters in Christ, our neighbors?   

“If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”…

May the Spirit of God fill you with His self-sacrificial love.     Vince

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God’s Power to Live Godly Lives

Posted on August 31, 2011 by pastorvinceasaro

2 Peter 1: 3 – 4 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

In my Christian associations I have heard many people ask the question; “What is God’s purpose for my life? Or “Why am I here, what is my purpose”?  Here in this passage the Apostle Peter shows us clearly God’s answer! By His divine power, He wants us to embrace His great and precious promises, and begin to partake of the His divine nature!

Are you caught up in the attitudes and behavior of this corrupt and dying world? Do you even consider that you can have God’s divine power to begin to live a godly life in moral purity and godly love.

One of the most wonderful promises and greatest truths is that God is calling us back to that place He first created man to be “in His image”,… to be “partakers of the divine nature” and to escape the corruption (death) that is in the world through lust. This reality should if we are willing, sweep us up and carry us to the highest aspirations for a godly life in which we might reflect His love and grace in the world.

Blessings to All in His Grace and Mercy   Vince

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Sanctified, Saints in Christ

Posted on July 24, 2011 by pastorvinceasaro

Paul the Apostle wrote a very powerful letter to the Christian Church in the city of Corinth. As with all of scripture it is important to know the meaning of the language.

1 Cor. 1:2 – 3 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first thing that is revealed in this letter and also throughout the New Testament is that the Church (the ekklesia gr.) is not a place that people go but the people themselves. As Paul points out it is “all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord”

Secondly he is pointing out that the Church (we believers) are “sanctified (hagiazo gr. =Set aside and consecrated for God’s purposes) in Christ Jesus, called to be saints (hagios gr.) His holy people set aside for his purposes.

What greater purpose, what higher calling, can anyone have than to serve our Creator and to be called aside for His eternal purposes.  We are the Church, Saints of God, in our homes, at our places of business, in our communities, in the world, to serve God’s will. This is the foundation and truth of our lives and the legacy we have to pass on to our loved ones.

Grace and Peace to All in Christ Jesus   Blessings Vince

 

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Looking at How We Live

Posted on July 20, 2011 by pastorvinceasaro
1 Peter 2: 9 – 12 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Living Before the World
Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

How do we live our lives? .. just like everyone else or as a separated and special people with a whole new set of values and responsibilities and purposes than those in the world …. Are we Jesus people, as identifiable, as different, and separate, from the cultures of man (pagans) who do not believe and follow the one true God of creation?  or… Are we so submersed in the cultures around us we are hardly identifiable as His people?

May our Lord help us to be faithful to the calling on our lives.

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Abide in Jesus (a Life or Death Relationship)

Posted on January 12, 2011 by pastorvinceasaro

Marriage and Family Meditations for Life

Psalm 104:34    May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD.

Cornerstone Ministries Napa Valley

Christian Relationships

Jesus teaches about His relationship with His disciples then and now:

Gospel of John Chapter 15:

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5  “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

In this passage the apostle John shares Jesus teaching in which He uses the metaphor of the grape vine and the branches to demonstrate the vital relationship that we as believers have with Him. There is much to learn from this illustration and Jesus points out what the main issues are with this powerful example.

Vs 1 God sent His son and planted Him in the world to be the source of life for a dying world. And non less that God the Father who is in control of Jesus life on earth and ours.

Vs 2 The branches that who seem to be followers/ believers but who are not really abiding (living ) in Jesus because they are not showing the fruit of godly / obedient living. It does not seem here to be a concern for the amount of fruit or the quality of fruit but the absence of fruit. God prunes and nurtures those who are abiding and He causes us to produce “more fruit”  Ephesians 2: 10

Vs 3 Those who abide in Jesus through faith in His gospel, have been sanctified through His word and stand “cleansed” in the righteousness of Christ Jesus.  John 17: 19

Vs 4 – 5  Jesus is the very source of all life and apart from Him we have no life. Just as the branch apart from the vine dies so we apart from Jesus will also die and our lives will produce no “good” godly fruit to eternal life.

Vs 6 The consequences of not believing and following Jesus, of not abiding in Him are that we will wither and die and will be cast out as a fruitless and dead branch to be burned up.

VS 7 – 8 If we abide (believe, and follow) in Jesus and we allow His words to “live” abide in us (we are committed to , learning and obeying His commands) we can confidently ask Him for what we desire and it will be done because it will be in accord with His purpose and plans.  Thus our heavenly Father is glorified and we show ourselves to be true disciples.

 

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Jesus our Creator II

Posted on December 14, 2010 by pastorvinceasaro

Marriage and Family Meditations for Life

Psalm 104:34    May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD.

Cornerstone Ministries Napa Valley

Christian Relationships

Jesus our Creator II

The apostle John in introducing his gospel by proclaiming the Deity of Jesus exalted Jesus Christ as our God ,our Creator and our Savior, who came and offered us the “right” (power and privilege) to receive Him and to become “children of God“.

John 1: 9 – 18 That was the true Light (Jesus)  which gives light to every man coming into the world.   He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.    He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.    But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:    who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Those of us who are believers who are “born of God”  because we have “received” Jesus,we should realize during this Christmas season, that the only gift of true value that we have is that which we have received from Him. The precious gift that He offered us when He came to His own (creation) to extend to us the “right” to become children of God. May God grant that as His children we will shine with the “light” of our Creators glory, grace and truth during this time and always.

Love and Blessings in Jesus Creator and Savior

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Jesus Our Creator

Posted on December 9, 2010 by pastorvinceasaro

Marriage and Family Meditations for Life

Psalm 104:34    May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD.

Cornerstone Ministries Napa Valley

Christian Relationships

The Apostle John knew and followed Jesus as one of His disciples and friends. He saw Jesus perform miraculous healings, casting out demons, healing the sick and raising the dead. He heard God speak and proclaim that Jesus was His son. John watched Jesus be crucified and die and also saw Him, heard Him, touched Him, and ate with Him, after He rose from the dead and showed himself to the believers for 40 days before watching Jesus ascend into heaven. This is why John began his gospel account of Jesus life with the startling and powerful assertion that Jesus is God our Creator, who came into the world and revealed Himself as a man.

John 1:1- 5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

9 – 18 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.   He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.    He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.    But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:    who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Think about the depth of truth in this verse… In the beginning (the time and space of human reality) there was Jesus (the word) He (Jesus) was with God and was God!! He was there at the beginning of all human experience. He created our universe, and He created our environment, and He created us, with all other life.

In Him (Jesus) was life … Jesus is the source of our life, without Him we have no life; this life is the light of men . His life is the light (revelation) that the darkness (sinful man) needs so desperately to understand.

Jesus as (God) was and is our Creator.

Think about the significance of this to all men and women in our world our families, our friends, our children.

There are no religions, no philosophies, no “scientific discoveries” no life styles, no political or social viewpoints that reveal the mystery and reality of life, apart from the one true source of all life which is Jesus Christ our Creator and Savior the one true living God. There are no paths to God   apart from Jesus. There is no meaning to life apart from Jesus. What a precious gift we have in in Him!

In this Holy Christmas Season may we remember the reality of who Jesus is!

Blessings and Love to you all… Vince

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The Nature and Character of Our Relationship with God

Posted on July 20, 2010 by pastorvinceasaro

Marriage and Family Meditations

Psalm 104:34    May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD.

Cornerstone Ministries Napa Valley

Christian Relationships

Marriage–Christ and the Church

The Nature and Character of

Our Relationship with God

Colossians 3: 12 – 25  Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

In an earlier meditation we thought about our calling into a relationship of love with our Father God through the Lord Jesus.

Passages like this one written by the Apostle Paul, demonstrate the very heart and soul of the character of our Lord Jesus and the God who has chosen us. We are His elect, and we are holy (set aside for His purposes) given the power to put on His very nature, His divine character. We can and should show this divine character by “putting on” (assuming the same attitudes of heart as our Lord Jesus), “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;” willingness to bear with one another, and to forgive one another, even when we have a legitimate complaint against another so as Christ forgave us we also must do.

Notice that these qualities of character that are manifested in real life behavior are secondary to the heart issue of love, loving God and loving one another as Jesus has taught us and given us His commandment to love as He has loved us. This then is the “bond of perfection” the force, the glue that holds everything together.

The “peace of God” comes through our oneness in and with the body of Christ. In Him we are no longer enemies, condemned and facing judgment because; “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…”  Romans 6:1-2   We may now simply let His peace rule in our hearts!  We don’t have to wish for it or work for it, we just accept it and let it rule (guide) our hearts and certainly we should be so thankful!!

Then these realities are a part of our lives then the rest of this verse manifests itself as we, “let the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. And when whatever we do in word or deed, we do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, and give thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Let’s picture in our minds and hearts the intimacy and love that can be manifested in the reality of living in the manner described here as an expression of unity and oneness and reverence to the Lord Jesus Christ our God and Savior.

Love and Blessings in Christ Jesus    Vince

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2 Peter 3:17 – 18 Day 42

Posted on July 19, 2010 by pastorvinceasaro

Day 42

2 Peter 3: 17 -18  You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter knew that he was loved because  he saw Jesus on the cross, he knew that Jesus rose again and offered us eternal life with Him because God loved us so much He sent His son to die for us that we might have life. Any time we begin to doubt, or fear, or turn away to the world and it’s deceptions… all we have to do is remember “we are beloved” and hold steadfastly to the grace and knowledge we have of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   Do you have this confidence and joy in Christ?

Note: to all who have joined me on this Vs. by Vs. devotional through 1st and 2nd Peter – Let me know if you would like to go through another epistle and which one would you like? It will take me another week to get started.   Blessings and Love in Jesus   Vince

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