When Jesus spoke these words, his sheep (his followers) were primarily the Jews who had believed in him to be their Lord and Savior. So, the “other sheep” he was speaking of were the Gentiles who were soon to be included in the family of God, by faith in Jesus Christ, because of Jesus’ sacrifice on that cross for the sins of the world. And Jew and Gentile, by faith in Jesus Christ, were to become one people of God, no longer divided by Jew and Gentile, but now all one family, with Jesus Christ as their only shepherd.

For Jesus Christ made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall that stood between them, and he made the two (Jew and Gentile) into “one new man,” that he might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross. For through Christ we both (Jew and Gentile) have access in one Spirit to the Father so that non-Jews who believe in Jesus Christ are now fellow citizens with the Jewish saints of God who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be their Lord, both of whom are now of God’s household.

For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all who are physical descendants of Abraham are the children of Abraham. For it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as offspring. So, if you belong to God, by biblical faith in Jesus Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise, because Jesus Christ is the seed of Abraham, and God’s promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed (Galatians 3:16).

So, there is no more division between Jew and Gentile. We are all one people, one holy nation, by genuine faith in Jesus Christ. And all who deny that Jesus is the Christ are not of God, but they are antichrist, denying both the Father and the Son (Jesus Christ). So physical Jerusalem is no longer God’s holy city because she is of Hagar, the slave woman, and not of Sarah, the free woman. But spiritual Jerusalem, which is not a physical place, is the family of God by faith in Jesus Christ. We are God’s holy city, his people.

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Matthew 5:13-16; John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:1-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10,24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]

But we are not included in God’s family merely by verbal professions of faith in Jesus Christ. So here is what it means to be of faith in Jesus Christ:

Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Seek the Lord

Based off Isaiah 55
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”

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One Flock with One Shepherd
An Original Work / December 7, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

An obvious Sabbath reference, I was reminded of this as I, yet again, got the feeling that I can now die in peace, having experienced what I had to experience, and learned what I came here to learn, and what follows hereafter is just a bonus.

You ever get this feeling?

Australian influencer Sam Weidenhofer tracked down Ed Bambas at Michigan supermarket​

More than $1.7 million has been raised to help an Army veteran retire after his story went viral online and a GoFundMe drew thousands of donations from strangers.

Australian social media influencer Sam Weidenhofer first learned about Edmund Bambas, 88, from a comment on one of his videos. Weidenhofer then worked with influencer Mike McKinstry to track the veteran down at the Meijer supermarket in Brighton, Michigan, where he works, WXYZ Detroit reported.

"May I ask how old you are?" Weidenhofer asks in the video.

"I'm 88 years old," Bambas responded.

“Why do you have to keep working?" Weidenhofer asks.

Bambas, who served in the U.S. Army in 1966, explained that he retired from General Motors in 1999, but everything changed when the automaker filed for bankruptcy years later.

“ I retired from General Motors in [1999]," Bambas says. "In 2012, they went bankrupt, and they took my pension away from me."

The veteran said his financial situation worsened when his wife became seriously ill.

"The thing that hurt me the most was my wife was real sick, and when they took the pension, they also took the health care coverage and all but $10,000 of my life insurance," Bambas said, "So, I sold the house, sold the property I had and we made it through."

Continued below.

A Canadian pastor expressed outrage to The Christian Post regarding a fellow pastor who was arrested this week for not apologizing for protesting drag queen story hours with children at a public library two years ago.

"These people are sick in the head. They're demon-possessed. They're wicked, evil minions of Satan," Pastor Artur Pawlowski told CP on Friday from a court in Calgary, Alberta, where he was showing support for his friend, Pastor Derek Reimer, as he faced a bail hearing.

Reimer was arrested in Calgary on Wednesday after he refused a court order to write and sign an apology to the library manager of Calgary Public Library regarding his 2023 protest at a "Reading with Royalty" event, which featured male drag queens reading to children, according to the Western Standard. Reimer told the Canadian outlet that he felt he had nothing to apologize for.

Continued below.

Please pray for her peace and strength of mind. She is getting where she is not sleeping and is in the midst of trying to adjust to some new meds. She keeps thinking in loops and is obsessively worried about everything. Usually when she gets like this she ends up in the hospital. Please pray for her peace and strength of mind where she can get through this without the hospital stay.

Thank you!

Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven? Can he or she be in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, one of those who is a genuine believer?

A Christian educator once said that the faith of a child — up to age 12 — could be called a “borrowed faith”; this faith could be borrowed from his parents or a Sunday school teacher. Then, in his early teens, the child would develop their “chosen faith,” ultimately moving on to their “owned faith.”

Now, when we think of a borrowed faith, do we also think of it as a saving faith? Not exactly, and not something you’d want to count on when you’re not totally confident.

Let’s see what Jesus had to say about children’s salvation. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven’” (Matthew 18:1-4).

Okay, so the disciples have a different question than I originally posed; they want to know who’s the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus calls a little child. In case you question whether this really is a young child, the Greek word is paidión, which means “little” or “young.” So, he didn’t just call a child, he called a little child. Now remember, in that culture, a 13-year-old boy enters manhood. Young people were married at 16. So, if they are calling a child little, they mean little.

Continued below.

I have a lot of unresolved anger in me. A lot of thoughts of revenge on people who have hurt me. I have also struggled with addiction to pornography for many years. I have used it as a stress relief. I want these sins gone from my life forever. Please pray for me. Thank you.

Pastor Kamran Michael was brutally killed yesterday in Pakistan in front of his daughter. The attacker shot him multiple times to make sure he died, simply to stop him from proclaiming the Good News of Jesus. I just spoke with his mother-in-law on the phone to offer condolences, and it was heartbreaking to hear more details.

Pastor Kamran was the father of two daughters and one son. These young children all love the Lord. A few months ago, he was shot in the leg in Islamabad, where he served his church and congregation. Extremists had been pursuing him and threatening him everywhere he went. He moved from Islamabad to Gujranwala, but they were still not satisfied. They wanted to stop his passion for preaching the Gospel.

This is heartbreaking. The man of God, Pastor Kamran Michael, has given his life for his faith in Jesus. This martyr for Christ has finished his race. Please keep his children, his wife, and all the grieving family in your prayers.

Pastor Waris

Most of us hate being wrong. We associate it with failure, embarrassment, and weakness. But the Bible treats being wrong very differently — not as a sign of defeat, but as the starting point of wisdom.

Proverbs reminds us that “the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15). The greatest obstacle to growth is not ignorance; it’s arrogance. The wise person isn’t the one who never errs, but the one humble enough to admit when they do.

That’s what repentance really is — not shame, but reorientation. It’s the courage to turn around when you’ve been sprinting in the wrong direction.

Why admitting wrong feels so hard

It’s uncomfortable to confess error, especially in a culture that prizes certainty and self-assurance. Social media rewards the bold declarer, not the humble learner. We’d rather double down than backtrack, even when we know we’ve missed the mark.

But every time we resist correction, we cut ourselves off from the very wisdom that could save us. Solomon says, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). Strong words — but necessary ones. Correction, though painful, is one of God’s greatest tools for shaping our hearts.

In spiritual life, humility is not optional. God designed truth to be discovered through community — through counsel, Scripture, prayer, and yes, even rebuke. That’s why repentance, not self-defense, is at the center of the Gospel.

Jesus began His ministry not by saying, “Believe harder,” but “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). Repentance is not a punishment for being wrong; it’s the gift of being invited back on course.

The blessing hidden in correction

Continued below.

I thought someone might be blessed by this.

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I was wondering if any other Christians are having trouble with making friends. Friendships you're actually happy with and are good for you. It can be with other Christians or non-believers.

I feel like I have trouble. I don't really know where to find other Christians that are like me.

At work I'm around people I do not trust. They lie, they gossip, they're out to get others, etc. So I have to watch what I say and do, and protect myself.

I also haven't been to church in 6 years. I know that's bad. But I'm not impressed with the churches in my area.

We as the United States of America can do better. We need to do better.

Kirkolliskokous 2025: Viidennessä täysistunnossa yksi pöydällepano, viiden asian käsittely päätökseen - Suomen ortodoksinen kirkko (Item 24)

Ok, wow... what are the thoughts of EO folks on here? Is this nothing of any real consequence and the Church is just trying not to get into trouble with the government, or is this coming closer to formal approval?

I can see how these statements could be taken either way; as stating compassion without affirmation or stating a possible approval, depending on how one wanted to view them.

~ ~ ~

Item 24 (General Synod initiative on recognizing and safeguarding the rights of sexual and gender minorities and other minorities in the Church)​

The General Synod decided to approve the initiative.

Rationale:

The General Synod's initiative on recognising and safeguarding the rights of sexual and gender minorities and other minorities in the Church states: "The Church is the body of Christ. The exclusion of certain parts of the body – the denial of their identity – not only hurts these individuals, but cripples the community itself, wounds the church and makes it less of a church, weaker. In the church, everyone – absolutely everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, skin colour, health challenges, social status, etc. you have to feel safe and genuinely be heard and encountered."

The General Synod considers that the objectives of the initiative – to strengthen the security, dignity and equal encounter of church membership – are in harmony with the pastoral tradition and educational mission of the Orthodox Church.

The General Synod considers it necessary for the Church to develop training, guidance and communication that support the comprehensive encounter and inclusion of all members belonging to minorities.

The General Synod does not take a stand on doctrinal issues, but emphasizes that the Church's policies must be in harmony with Finnish legislation and that the Church's educational and pastoral work requires clear practices that support equality. The Church must walk alongside every person and support them in all situations of life until the end.

Democrats are having existential meltdowns over RFK's department issuing revised recommendations for Hepatitis B vaccines in children. Instead of the current recommendations that have Hospitals as a matter of course inject all infants with Hepatitis B vaccines on the day of their birth, the new recommendations are that infants whose mothers have Hepatitis B be given the vaccine for protection at birth, but the others who have no risk getting the disease, instead delay until 2-3 months after birth before getting the vaccine. Apparently this will cause all sorts of death and destruction according to dems. The reality is there's nothing wrong with the recommendations at all, and there's no reason we should be injecting newborn infants who are not at risk, with something that they don't need, on the day they're born.



https://ground.news/article/us-vaccine-advisers-say-not-all-babies-need-a-hepatitis-b-shot-at-birth_014461

I'm considering using Amazon Renewed to find a good quality cheap refurbished iPad. I am wondering how reliable a refurbished device would be, because one time a friend bought a refurbished Samsung Galaxy phone from Walmart and it had severe charging problems. So I have a distrust of buying refurbished, and wonder if I want to go with a brand new device. I have a brother who has autism and lives at a care center, and I can FaceTime him if I have an Apple device, and the care center is overly restrictive on not allowing any cross platform apps (not allowing Zoom or WhatsApp for Windows or Android).

New research reveals that most self-identified Christians think doing “good things” for others is enough to secure them a spot in Heaven, in what one leading researcher laments as the latest example of a widespread embrace of “unbiblical beliefs” among American Christians.

A recent report released by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University examining Americans’ views on the afterlife constitutes the latest installment of the American Worldview Inventory 2025, a survey of 2,000 American adults conducted in March.

Overall, majorities of all Christian subgroups believe that every person will be judged personally by God, with 95% of theologically identified born-again Christians, 86% of Pentecostals, 84% of Evangelicals, 84% of independent and non-denominational Christians, 83% of Protestants, 82% of Mainline Protestants, 78% of self-identified Christians and 74% of Catholics embracing this belief.

Continued below.

"Questioned about a growing trepidation among western Christians about the growth of Islam outside of the Middle East, especially in predominantly Christian nations in the West, the pope said this was something touched on in his discussions with interfaith leaders in Turkey and Lebanon.

However, he cautioned that oftentimes these fears are “generated by people who are against immigration and trying to keep out people who may be from another country, another religion, another race.”

Pope inflight says fears over Islam often a political maneuver against migrants | Crux https://share.google/S89I3mLpZGSSx9eTv

The Department of the Interior (DOI) recently announced its "resident-only patriotic fee-free days" for 2026, and missing from the list were MLK Day, which has been a National Park fee-free day since 2018, and Juneteenth, which was introduced as a fee-free day in 2024.

In place of these days commemorating American history, civil rights and equality, the Trump administration has instead opted to celebrate additional former presidents' birthdays and Flag Day, which is also President Donald Trump's birthday.

The removal of these days as fee-free National Park days follows the Trump administration's pause on certain days of remembrance, including MLK Day and Juneteenth, earlier this year, as part of the president's ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

For next year, the days chosen seem to fall in line with the Trump administration's "America-first" policies.

The department also announced the launch of new digital "America the Beautiful" passes, which will allow Americans to buy and use their passes on mobile devices ... The new passes also feature Trump's face, according to People

There is a thread in the Christian-only section, consisting of lots of misinformed opinions. Apparently when you don't read the assignment, you can just cite the Bible and then complain when you fail! Here's the Fox News version:

United States senators are speaking out after a student at the University of Oklahoma said she was given a zero on an assignment for her "Christian kind of worldview" questioning gender norms. Word of the failed assignment has now reached the halls of Congress, raising eyebrows from top senators, including former presidential candidate and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who represents the university in Congress. "That’s insane," Mullin told Fox News Digital. "Especially in Oklahoma. There should be zero tolerance for woke activists disguised as ‘educators’ who punish students for no reason and put their toxic political agendas ahead of our kids’ education."

Aaaaand here's what really happened:

[From Rachel Hurley as quoted on FB]:]

The conservative media machine has been running this story for days now, painting her as a persecuted Christian hero standing up against radical transgender ideology in academia. Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s disgraced former schools chief, called her “an absolute American hero.” Fox News gave her the full sympathetic treatment. Turning Point USA blasted it out to 38 million views.


The assignment was to write a 650-word reaction paper to a 2014 study called “Relations Among Gender Typicality, Peer Relations, and Mental Health During Early Adolescence.” The study looked at 84 middle schoolers and examined whether kids who don’t fit gender stereotypes - tomboys, boys who aren’t stereotypically masculine - get bullied more. It found that gender-atypical boys especially faced more teasing, and that this teasing was associated with worse mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety.

That’s the whole thing. The study was asking whether kids who don’t fit neatly into “boys play sports, girls play with dolls” boxes get picked on, and whether getting picked on makes them depressed. The answer was yes. Not exactly radical territory.

But Fulnecky apparently skimmed the abstract and saw the word “gender” and decided the whole thing was actually about transgender people trying to turn kids demonic. Her essay argued that gender teasing in schools is not a problem because God made men and women different on purpose. She wrote that society pushing “the lie that there are multiple genders and everyone should be whatever they want to be is demonic and severely harms American youth.” She prayed that children would “not believe the lies being spread from Satan.” Not a single engagement with the study’s methodology. Not a single mention of its actual findings about depression and anxiety in bullied kids. Not a single counter-argument to the researchers’ data. Just vibes about how Satan wants kids to be different genders and God’s plan involves letting gender-nonconforming eleven-year-olds get teased.

The grading rubric was straightforward: 10 points for demonstrating a “clear tie-in to the assigned article,” 10 points for a “thoughtful reaction or response to the article, rather than a summary,” and 5 points for clear writing. She met none of these criteria.

And the whole conservative persecution narrative falls apart even faster when you look at who’s running this show. Her mother is Kristi Fulnecky, a Missouri attorney who defended January 6 rioters, filed lawsuits against mask mandates, and had such a contentious tenure on the Springfield City Council that the city spent nearly $100,000 on legal fees dealing with her eligibility fight after she operated a business without a license for seven years. One city attorney accused her of “grandstanding.” Kristi posted on Facebook that her daughter was “a warrior for Christ” and helped her daughter decide who to take her complaints to.

This is a manufactured controversy.
The formula is simple: find a culture war angle, refuse to do the actual assignment, cry discrimination when the grade reflects the work quality, and then watch the right-wing media ecosystem do the rest. Fulnecky gets to do the Fox News circuit. Ryan Walters gets to rail against “Marxist professors.”
The university, spooked by political pressure, put the graduate teaching assistant on administrative leave and assured Fulnecky the zero won’t affect her grade.

But sure, religious persecution.


Years ago a teacher handed out Christian materials in class with the Declaration of independence stapled to the back. When the administration banned the assignment, the right started screaming that "Radical left bans the Declaration from classroom!"

It's a simple formula.

Do you have videos of water baptism in your language?

Here is one video in finnish language ( it has english subtitles). It is important to say "...in the name of Jesus Christ" as it is instructed in Acts 2:38.


“…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ…” (Acts 2:38).


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The Lord has convicted me strongly about me being arrogant.

We know that he hates arrogance. We see over and over in the Bible that sin can be connected to illness. And I have been having some health concerns.

I have been praying not to be arrogant and to be healed. But I confess to a feeling of hardness in my heart that keeps me from getting free of arrogance.

Even though in my mind, I see clearly how stupid it is. We are but dust and every good and perfect thing comes from the Lord.

Please pray that the Lord will do for me what I cannot do for myself, so that I am free from arrogance for life, and that I’m healthy in every way so that I may better glorify him for life as he deserves. Thank you.

Pastor Stuart Knechtle recently claimed that President Donald Trump's 19-year-old son, Barron, is interested in claims of supernatural dreams about Jesus Christ in the Muslim world and is "very close" to becoming a Christian.

Knechtle, who has 2.4 million followerson TikTok and serves as assistant pastor at Grace Community Church in New Canaan, Connecticut, shared Thursday on "The George Janko Show" that he recently witnessed to Barron on the phone at 12:30 a.m. about Christianity.

“I thought I was hitting him with everything but the kitchen sink when it came to all the evidence for God and Christianity," Knechtle said.

"I thought I was really on, I was pumped," he said. "And at the very end, I came up pretty much totally open-handed with nothing. But I brought up dreams and revelations."

Knechtle claimed Barron was fascinated when he brought up reports that have circulated in recent years of many Muslims experiencing striking encounters with Jesus Christ in their dreams. Mission Frontiers magazine reported that a quarter of Muslim conversions to Christianity are because of such experiences.

Continued below.

Interesting article:


One of the more compelling threads in Viking history and Norse mythology is the winter role played by Odin, the Norse god known for his wisdom, magic, and sky-riding abilities.

Scholars like Margaret Baker have noted that the long-bearded, cloaked, and sky-faring Santa Claus shares striking similarities with Odin, particularly in his Yule manifestations.

In her work, Baker describes Santa Claus as a “blue-hooded, cloaked, white-bearded Giftbringer of the north,” which she links to Odin’s own depiction as a gift-bearing rider in the midwinter sky (Baker, 2007, p. 62).

This resemblance is not just cosmetic. Odin, known to lead the Wild Hunt during the Twelve Nights of Yule, often rode his magical eight-legged horse Sleipnir through the night sky, a detail echoed in Santa’s reindeer-pulled sleigh.

Such traditions reveal the persistence of pre-Christian beliefs within Christmas customs and may explain how Santa is Odin, at least in part, in European folk memory.

The Wild Hunt is a spectral, airborne procession led by Odin who was central to Germanic and Norse Yule traditions.

This myth was not only widely feared but also deeply ingrained in old Norse winter rites.

George H. McKnight identifies this imagery as formative in the evolution of the Christmas tradition, with Saint Nicholas eventually assuming traits of Odin such as gift-giving, nocturnal rides, and of course with a long beard (McKnight, 1917, pp. 138–139).

Children once left hay or oats for Odin’s steed, much like the later custom of placing out stockings or shoes, ultimately evolving into a hallmark of modern gift-giving.

This is a powerful demonstration of how ancient Yule traditions stuck around, reemerging in forms like Father Christmas and Santa Claus.

In Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Clement A. Miles explores how pagan and Norse customs informed Christian celebrations.

He notes that Saints Martin and Nicholas may have served as Christianized stand-ins for Woden (Miles, 1912, p. 219).

The timing of Yule, falling close to December 6, the feast of St. Nicholas, plays a crucial role. During the Yule festival, figures like Odin were believed to ride the skies, rewarding the good and punishing the bad, basically echoing the now familiar “naughty or nice” list.

Though Miles presents other interpretations (including Roman influences and seasonal personifications), he acknowledges that the connection between Odin and Santa Claus cannot be dismissed outright.
Even Santa’s occasional mischief, generosity, and supernatural qualities align with Odin’s character in Norse mythology..............

Canada saw a record number of citizens end their lives by assisted suicide, with an official report documenting that over 5% of all deaths in the country were as a result of the controversial procedure.

According to a Canadian government report released on Nov. 28, titled “Sixth Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada,” 16,499 people ended their lives in 2024 by medically-assisted suicide, officially known as “Medical Assistance in Dying.”

The 16,499 assisted suicides were among the 22,535 requests for premature death sent to Health Canada. Of the requests that did not result in assisted suicide, 4,017 individuals died of another cause, 1,327 individuals were deemed ineligible for the procedure, and 692 individuals withdrew their requests.

Continued below.

If we are Jesus’ sheep, we are his followers (his disciples). By faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, but which is gifted to us by God, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and as servants of his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands. Our old lives of living in sin and for self are put behind us so that we can now live holy lives pleasing to God, in the power of God, by His Spirit.

And although that is what the Scriptures teach, studied in their appropriate context, not many people seem to be believing that today. Even if they have heard the truth of the gospel taught to them at some time, many are rejecting the truth of the gospel in favor of the lies which tickle itching ears and which appease human flesh. So, for many, it isn’t that they don’t know the truth, but they don’t want to believe the truth, for then they would have to give up their sinful practices and now live for God and for his perfect will.

Therefore, there are a lot of people today who are teaching only verses 28-30 here while leaving out verse 27 which tells us who these promises are for. But that is a lot like receiving a letter in the mail, but we don’t know who the letter is for, for it is not addressed to anyone specific, but since we read it we go ahead and apply it to our lives even though we don’t even know if it was intended for us or not. We cannot just randomly apply verses 28-30 to our lives if we are not the ones addressed in verse 27, can we? Of course not!

So, if we are to be Christ’s true sheep who have salvation from sin and eternal life with God that no one can take away from us, then we need to be his sheep who are listening (adhering) to his teachings, not just with our ears, but with our hearts and minds and attitudes, and who are following him in surrender to his will, in obedience to his commands, in holy living. And this does not make us perfect. But we need to know that if sin continues to be our practice, and not obedience to God, we do not have life in Christ.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Follow Him

Based off Luke 9:22-25
An Original Work / February 21, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Jesus, Son of God,
Died for us on a cross.

Anyone who would come to Him
Must deny himself and follow.
He must take up his cross daily;
Die to sin and self each day.

Father, God above,
Loved us so: gave His Son.

If you want to save your old life;
Keep on sinning, follow your ways,
You will lose your life forever;
Hope of heaven gone away.

Spirit of our God
Gives us life in God’s Son.

Nonetheless, if you die to self;
Forsake your sin; follow Jesus,
You will live with God in heaven,
And forever praise His name!

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Listen to and Follow Jesus
An Original Work / December 5, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love