Nicholas Vafiades

Loves Jesus, my wife and daughter, theology books (must be over 500 pages!),and the Crimson Tide (not necessarily in that order!). Book reviews and articles

[Coleen Guzman @gypsyOTR]

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
~Revelation 21:4🕊

[The Bible @The__Bible7]

Hebrews 13:5

[Coleen Guzman @gypsyOTR]

“For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of His saints.”
~Proverbs 2:6-8🕊

[Coleen Guzman @gypsyOTR]

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head above all.”
~1 Chronicles 29:11🕊

[Randy Alcorn @randyalcorn]

“When Christ calls me home, I shall go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from his school.” – Adoniram Judson

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

Why does God answer our prayers? Because we say the right words? Because we are good, obedient, faithful, or sincere? Absolutely not.

Then why?

The answer is given to us in Daniel 9:19, one of the chapters we read today in Bible in One Year. In fact, we could attach this verse to every prayer we pray.

Daniel 9 is a long confession. Daniel is confessing the sins and rebellions of his people, sins that led to devastation and exile. And at the very end of that prayer, he says this to God: “We do not present our supplications before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.”

That is the heart of it: “Because of your great mercy.”

We do not come to God because we deserve to be heard. We do not pray because we have earned an answer. We do not present our requests because we are righteous.

We come because he is merciful.

Our prayers rest not on who we are, but on who he is. He is merciful, gracious, and loving toward us in Jesus Christ. Because of that, we pray. And because of that, he hears.

God has an open ear, an open heart, and open hands toward us, not because of our worthiness, but because of his mercy given to us in Christ.

So every prayer we pray stands on this foundation: not our righteousness, but his great mercy.
And for that reason, he hears and answers our prayers.

As I expressed it in one of my hymns:

Jesus, Advocate on high,
Sacrificed on Calv’ry’s altar,
Through Your priestly blood we cry:
Hear our prayers, though they may falter;
Place them on Your Father’s throne
As Your own.

(“Hear Us, Father, When We Pray”)

[Coleen Guzman @gypsyOTR]

“And those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.”
~Daniel 12:3🕊

[Nicholas Vafiades @NicholasVafiad2]

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[Nicholas Vafiades @NicholasVafiad2]

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[Nicholas Vafiades @NicholasVafiad2]

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[Nicholas Vafiades @NicholasVafiad2]

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[Nicholas Vafiades @NicholasVafiad2]

Psalms 42:1 NKJV
[1] As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.

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[Nicholas Vafiades @NicholasVafiad2]

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[Nicholas Vafiades @NicholasVafiad2]

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[Nicholas Vafiades @NicholasVafiad2]

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[Nicholas Vafiades @NicholasVafiad2]

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[Dane Ortlund @daneortlund]

Christ is,

1. A universal friend
2. An almighty friend
3. An omniscient friend
4. An omnipresent friend
5. An indeficient friend
6. An independent friend
7. An unchangeable friend
8. A watchful friend
9. A tender and compassionate friend
10. A close and faithful friend

Brooks

[Coleen Guzman @gypsyOTR]

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I hope.”
~Psalm 130:5🕊

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

If the world has given you up for lost and washed their hands of you; if your friends have written you off and turned their backs on you; if even your family has disowned and discarded you; yes, if every single person in this world regards you as a hopeless, embarrassing failure at life, the Father of all mercies does not.

He will search you out, find you, embrace you, kiss you, and shout to all the earth, “This is my beloved son! This is my beautiful daughter! This is my child, my heir, the apple of my eye! With you I am well-pleased!”

That is why Jesus came. Not to die for the righteous but for those whose lives are full of one failure after another, for his is a love that never fails.

He came to die not for the clean but for the dirty, for his blood washes away even the filthiest of stains embedded in your soul.

He came to search out not those who come running to him, but those who have fled from God, who hide in the darkness of their doubt and unbelief, to find you no matter where you are, to give you hope in place of despair, faith instead of doubt.

In the end, it’s not about how many times you’ve messed up, but how constant, how unwavering, is the Father’s love for you in Jesus Christ.

[The Bible @The__Bible7]

Psalm 71:14