Advent Thought

“Wickedness was undoing the work of God in us, therefore, The Word, yes, Jesus Himself, became flesh to reverse the curse.” -kww

Grateful.

Pastor Kerry Willis 

My Prayer as a shepherd of the Shepherd

Lord Jesus, i pray that i will prove faithful in allowing You, the Good Shepherd, to prove faithful through me. The glorious burden is often daunting, nevertheless, always blessed. You first loved me. i now love You. Amen.

i am a grateful debtor. 

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“Live Holiness” — 1 Peter 1

This passage has been my place of soul saturation for a few weeks now: 

“So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Amen. 

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Isaiah 57:1 — When the Godly Pass Away Seemingly Early

Ever read or considered the words of this Old Testament verse? Read it and consider its meaning. 

“Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.”Isaiah‬ ‭57‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G

T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G

This T-h-a-n-k-s-g-i-v-i-n-g, let's not just focus on the first six letters of the holy day. Sure, we need to give thanks, but let's remember that only as we focus on all twelve letters will we truly experience a whole Thanksgiving Day. We must give THANKS and also be found GIVING.

In the New Testament we see our Lord giving T-h-a-n-k-s to His Father and then g-i-v-i-n-g to His disciples the bread representing His body that was about to be broken and the cup representing His blood that would soon be shed for the whole world. Talk about a real T-h-a-n-k-s... G-i-v-i-n-g... meal. Surely, the whole world is in a deep debt of gratitude because of the life our Lord lived and that same life that He willingly laid down as a gift for us all. 

The Scriptures speak so tenderly into the T-h-a-n-k-s-g-i-v-i-n-g theme: 

1 Corinthians 11:23b-25 (NLT) -- (23b) On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took a loaf of bread, (24) and when He had given T-h-a-n-k-s, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is g-i-v-e-n for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." (25) In the same way, He took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and you, sealed by the shedding of My blood. Do this in remembrance of Me as often as you drink it."

Finally, this sacred Scripture is actually my most favorite foundational verse between Thanksgiving Day and the first Sunday of Advent. (i have recently been saturating in the sacred words for a few days.) Hear it now:

“Now thanks be to God for His indescribable gift [which is precious beyond words]!” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭15‬ ‭AMP‬‬

i am a grateful debtor.

Pastor Kerry Willis

“They Had Been With Jesus”

“Now when the men of the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Court) saw the confidence and boldness of Peter and John, and grasped the fact that they were uneducated and untrained [ordinary] men, they were astounded, and began to recognize that they had been with Jesus.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭AMP

So be it in my life, my Dearest Lord Jesus. Amen. 

Pastor Kerry Willis 

My Latest Life-Verse Philippians 2:13 [AMPC]

“[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭13

So be it, Dearest Lord.

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Polycarp of Smyrna

Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna in the 2nd Century AD, who knew the Apostle John, was about to be martyred. He was asked by those who arrested him to recant his faith in Jesus and he could go free. This was his response shortly before being put to death…

"Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?"

Jesus is Worthy.

Pastor Kerry Willis 

"i Am Not My Own" -- Song

We have some really Christlike people -- clergy and laity -- who serve the Lord through our local congregations on the Philadelphia District Church of the Nazarene. One lay servant recently sent me this YouTube song link just to encourage me. She knows Jesus wondrously and she knows me pretty well, too, i’d say. i am a grateful debtor. Have a listen.

https://youtu.be/yxCb6l3jkis?si=CMSOx-d9koYTC0QD

Amen. 

Pastor Kerry Willis

The Invitation to Transformation

“Yes, we are invited to come to Jesus just as we are, but that does not mean we stay just as we are. The invitation leads to transformation, even from death to life.” -kww 

Welcome.

Pastor Kerry Willis 

"i Am Not My Own…" / My Praise Song

Lyrics from a praise song i wrote years ago, around the year 2000, are strong on my mind right now and it is still my testimony…  

"i am not my own.

i belong to Christ. 

And i am not alone. 

With Him i‘m crucified. 

He gave all for Me,

Because He loved me so. 

Now, i give Him myself. 

i give Him all my love."

-kww

Believe in God

“So many people believe in their beliefs, have faith in their faith, and are confident in their confidence. All of this is of no avail. It is our confidence in God that abides, faith in God that remains, and belief in God that lasts.” Oswald Chambers 

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.”Psalms‬ ‭118‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Believe in God.

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Suffering Redeemed / Doubled-Down Desperate

Sent this to a friend, today, in the afterglow of a surgery i had Monday…

"God longs to redeem whatever suffering comes our way. i see all suffering as mainly His suffering yet we get to enter it with Him. So humbling. He’s been shaping my soul in this present fire. About 7 months of questions physically. i have doubled-down in this season on the reality that i am as desperate for Him now as i have ever been. Yes, my little bit of suffering has made it more clear than ever. It’s a good thing."

Deo Volente.

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Mercy Song

This song touched me very deeply, today. Sharing link now, as a result…

https://youtu.be/eOagHp9vnA4?si=qL9Bf2Eli-ULpBZk

His mercy matters so much!

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“And the Holy Spirit Helps Us…” / Lady Melba

One great blessing in my life is my mom, Lady Melba. Often she calls on the phone from the homeplace along the shores of North Carolina to encourage me as i gypsy for Jesus from state to state. 

This morning, she called. It was so very tender. i am in recovery following a medical procedure a couple of days ago and when she began to read the Scriptures aloud over the phone i just wept with pure gratitude. 

This is the passage she shared:

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬-‭28‬ ‭NLT

i am a grateful debtor. 

Pastor Kerry Willis 

"i’ve Gotta FRIEND!"

This morning i have a procedure at the hospital. It’s kidney stone related. Anyway, as i entered the medical surgical area, a Carol King song was playing on the stereo softly in the background. The song? "You’ve Gotta Friend!" 

As i await my turn in the OR, i am comforted by this truth: "i‘ve Gotta FRIEND!" Yes, JESUS is His Name and He HIMSELF is Here! Hallelujah! 

"I have called you ‘friends!’" Words of Jesus recorded in John 15:15 

Grateful debtor, 

Pastor Kerry Willis