BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him]" (2 Corinthians 5:17-18, "The Amplified Bible"). Full of God and His Glory Jesus’ love of the Father was revealed in such a powerful way that Paul was inspired to pray that we would be able to comprehend the magnitude of that endless love, in order for us to be filled with the fullness of God Himself. In Ephesians 3:17-19, "New King James Version," Paul prayed: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” What an amazing statement! Just think about that. What would it look like to be filled with the fullness of God—to be full of His love and His glory? We know that glory is defined as “heavy with everything good,” and we find scriptures all through the Bible about God’s glory and God being the King of glory. Remember in the Old Testament, for instance, where there were times when the priests were unable to stand in the Temple because the atmosphere was so heavy with God’s glory and His goodness. As New Testament believers, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit...the Lord Himself, and filled with His glory and goodness. I often read and meditate on the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17, particularly verse 22: “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” ("NKJV"). Jesus’ prayer affirmed that He had finished all the Father had given Him to do, including filling us with His glory! Jesus most definitely fulfilled God’s plan of redemption—for us to be saved, restored and filled with His glory once again, in order to be one with Him. Selah! I am so grateful His redemption plan always included restoring the glory that was lost because of sin. Knowing this, we should all be shouting with the angels saying, “Glory to God in the highest!” As the Christmas season is upon us, my heartfelt desire is for all of us to walk in a much higher degree of God’s love and glory—filled with His peace and great joy! Please pray with me: Heavenly Father, we join together in prayer to express the thankfulness and joy in our hearts throughout this Christmas season! We are in awe of Your great love in giving us Your Son, the Savior of the world, as a means to gather Your family together again. Thank You for the fullness of Your plan of redemption and reconciliation. Thank You so much, Father, that You empower us to demonstrate Your love and giving heart to our family and friends, and continue to show us ways to reconcile others to the abundant and glorious life that we are able to have in Christ. Father, we love You so much, and we celebrate the gift You gave! In Jesus’ mighty Name, Amen! This very moment, choose to be strong, and be encouraged to purposefully celebrate this month with great peace and joy! Let’s make sharing God’s love with others our primary goal as we spend time with family and friends, revealing the goodness of God and His glory. God loves you more than you know! Be blessed and have a very Merry Christmas! V About: Certified by the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas, Marty Copeland is a personal trainer, nutritional counselor, author and minister of the gospel. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ****ADVERTISEMENT**** REACTION TOUR 2016 Uganda “It is an honor to return to Uganda for our fourth camp. When we return to a location, we get to actually see the harvest of seeds that were planted the year before—and water them! Some 500 youths will be with us this year to worship, learn, compete and most importantly, to hear from the Father. Be praying for us as we prepare to depart on December 31!” —Courtney Copeland Reaction Tour exists to empower kids around the world, through the display of God’s love, using the avenues of sports, discipleship, dance and music. See how you can sponsor a child to go to camp. Visit reactiontour.com. ************************************ BVOV : 15

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