Pastor Fari Maghami

What You Love Shapes Who You Are

Those who are of God love what God loves. God loves His children and Apostle John in his letter directs Christians to do the same, to love one another. God is delighted when His children obey and live according to His will as revealed in His commandments. Believers do not see God’s commandments as heavy and vexatious. We are a new creation in Christ and therefore we love to follow our master’s decrees. However, we also recognize that loving others or loving what God loves is not an easy task and it requires our daily surrender and dependence upon God. We need the power of God’s Spirit working within us and our daily intentional meditation and application of His Word.

walk

Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

One day Jesus was teaching and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

Mirror by the ocean

Am I Deceiving Myself?

The letter of James is extremely practical and helpful for believers looking for specific guidance in the Christian life. He did not address the letter to just one single church, but to the twelve tribes of Israel scattered among the nations (1:1). James was Jesus’ half-brother who came to faith in Christ after Jesus’ resurrection. He became an early leader of the Jerusalem Church and died as a martyr in AD 62 or 69. He was known as James “the Just” because of his exceptional virtue.

woman standing in front of sunset

Strength Under Control

When the fruit of gentleness or meekness is on display it is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of bridled strength. Meekness is produced by God living in us, but it requires our conscious choice and cooperation with His Spirit. We can choose to remain gentle or not. It is power and courage under control, linked with kindness.

Woman Breathing

Breath of Life

The Bible says that God breathed the breath of life into man. Every human being
regardless of colour, race and background is created by God and that makes every life
sacred. This passage from Genesis came to my mind as I have been thinking and
praying for the United States, watching as people have been protesting against police
brutality, systemic injustice and racism.

older couple hugging

When I am Afraid

God’s voice is always comforting and soothing to the soul of His followers. It expels fear and brings faith. The Words of Christ are spirit and they are life to all who receive them (John 6:63). When God’s people hear His voice, they will follow Him. He gives them eternal life; they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of His hand (John 10:27-28).

Woman writing prayer request into journal

Ask Anything in My Name

As we pursue Christ and continue His mission in the world by sharing the gospel, letting our light shine before people, loving our neighbours, and extending forgiveness to our enemies, we can ask Jesus for whatever we need and He will give it to us. God has promised His children, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it.” The condition in this text for this promise is “Ask in my Name!”