“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” ~Jesus

Tags

Hell, Holy Saturday, Holy Week, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Luke 23

There is a break from the horror of Good Friday! Jesus is carrying out the plan of His Father. His disciples are huddled up trying to figure it all out. No matter how many times Jesus had told them, they didn’t get it. I don’t either many days. Jesus is talking to me. Jesus has things He wants me to do. I am scared and I am hiding. Yikes!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Holy Saturday is the name given to the day between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Some theories exist about what is going on from the time of the death of Jesus to His resurrection on Sunday morning. Some have a good case for Jesus visiting Hell or Sheol (the place of the dead). Here is one.

From the scriptures, it is clear Jesus did visit Sheol. After His crucifixion, Jesus was laid in a nearby tomb, and His body remained there the entirety of Holy Saturday (Matthew 27:59-60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53-54; John 19:39-42). Saturday turned into Sunday!“‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46)

Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. (Mark 15:46)

Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. (Acts 2:29-31)

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His Greatest Fear Came True : The Government Stole Him

Tags

Isaiah 61, Jesus, Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a horrible problem. Please pray for a miracle and a breakthrough.

Jesus quoted Isaiah 61. May Jesus bring good news to the afflicted.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,

The Way Online

“Why did you do this? Now they are going to kill me” Those were my sons last words as he was escorted from his Grandma & Grandpas by the Port St. Lucie Police Force in the early morning hours of December 6th, 2017. Every fear he had imagined over the past few weeks had just came true, the government stole him.

The following week he whispered into the phone “If I disappear mom, I didn’t kill myself” still convinced that the hospital staff was trying to poison him and that any minute the government was coming to kill him. His worst nightmare happened yet again, as police officers barged into the mental health facility he had be remanded too for trying to kill himself in jail, and ripped him out of a suicide observation room.

Now he sits in Port St. Lucie Jail in a Behavioral Unit on 23-24 hour…

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“You’re way off base, and here’s why: One, you don’t know your Bibles; two, you don’t know how God works.” ~Jesus

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Bible, God is God, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Mark 12, Scripture

Am I clever? I like to think I am some days. So did the Sadducess (Religious Leaders). They thought they had Jesus in a conundrum. Of course they didn’t. I don’t either although some days I try. I like to infer some great logic or theology from the Bible that just isn’t true. Jesus didn’t come to earth to establish a theology. Jesus came to usher in the new covenant and the Kingdom (aka country) of God. His death, resurrection and ascension accomplished what God’s goal was for Jesus.

Do I know the Bible (Scripture)? Not as well as I should or want to that is clear. Also, the more I immerse myself in what Jesus said, the more spiritual relativism I see. Is it okay to like what the Bible says until it says something I don’t like? Can I then manipulate what it says to my own satisfaction? Or worse, perhaps I should just disagree and move on with what I want it to do regardless. Yikes! This is dangerous.

What is more important, Theology or what Jesus says? In this case, the Sadducees were focused on the theology of the resurrection, which they didn’t believe in. Jesus knows the truth because he is the truth and he knows what it is like in heaven. Jesus also knew the Old Testament. So when you are the Son of God and you know the scripture, that is known as the trump card.

Do I know how God works? Not well enough. Several things have become clearer about how God works. I am focusing more and more on:

• God is God – God is in control. I am not.
• God is Good – God is in a good mood. God sent Jesus because he loves me.
• God is Great – Nothing is impossible with God.
• God has a goal for me – I need to focus, exclusively, on what God wants me to do.

Some Sadducees, the party that denies any possibility of resurrection, came up and asked, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother is obligated to marry the widow and have children. Well, there once were seven brothers. The first took a wife. He died childless. The second married her. He died, and still no child. The same with the third. All seven took their turn, but no child. Finally the wife died. When they are raised at the resurrection, whose wife is she? All seven were her husband.”

Jesus said, “You’re way off base, and here’s why: One, you don’t know your Bibles; two, you don’t know how God works. After the dead are raised up, we’re past the marriage business. As it is with angels now, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. And regarding the dead, whether or not they are raised, don’t you ever read the Bible? How God at the bush said to Moses, ‘I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? The living God is God of the living, not the dead. You’re way, way off base.”

Source: Mark 12:18-27 (The Message)

Bible – The Holy Scripture

“I’m not trying to get my way in the world’s way. I’m trying to get your way, your Word’s way.” ~King David

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God is God, God is Great, Jesus, King David, Persistence, Psalm 17, Wise Sayings

Who’s way should I seek? King David knows it is God’s way and not his way. Jesus challenges me to put Jesus in charge. God has made Jesus the ruler of God’s country (aka Kingdom). My goal is to do what Jesus wants me to. Some days I just don’t want to. Some days that isn’t my priority. God is gracious and kind to me. Jesus has sent the Power of the Holy Spirit to help me. Now that is some good news.

What is wrong with my way? God is God. God is the only one who knows the plan from start to finish. God is Great. Nothing is impossible with God. Out of nothing God created the universe. I am in no position to questions God’s plan.

What about failure? I must stay on God’s trail. I must not give up. God is in a good mood and His plan will all come together. There is a plan. God is the planner. My job is to stay on the trail and not wander off.

I’m not trying to get my way
    in the world’s way.
I’m trying to get your way,
    your Word’s way.
I’m staying on your trail;
    I’m putting one foot
In front of the other.
    I’m not giving up.

Source: Psalm 17:4-5 (The Message)

“There is no need to dismiss them.” ~Jesus

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God is Good, God is Great, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 14, Miracle

Jesus knows that nothing is impossible with God. It is in his heart, he believes it, he thinks about it all the time and he acts on it. God is great.

Jesus challenges me to know God’s greatness. I need to get it in my core. I don’t get to take a pass on this part of God’s country (aka Kingdom). God is great. When Jesus challenges me to produce a miracle, how do I react? Am I up to the challenges of Jesus?

In God’s country, there is always more than enough and food is left over. God is in a good mood and provides more than I need. I can count on Jesus.

When Jesus got the news, he slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place by himself. But unsuccessfully—someone saw him and the word got around. Soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was. When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick.

Toward evening the disciples approached him. “We’re out in the country and it’s getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper.”

But Jesus said, “There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper.”

“All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish,” they said.

Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed.

Source: Matthew 14:13-21

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” ~King David

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Jesus, King David, Psalm 14, Wise Sayings

It may not be said out loud but a mark of a foolish person is that in their heart, they feel like there is no God. There are very few people who say out loud there is no God. There are a lot of us who in our heart of hearts doubts that God is and our ruin comes from that core belief.

God is God. God is. God exists. Knowing that makes all the difference in that I have established the core of faith that leads me forward. It is the start and in this case it is a binary decision we need to make in our heart. God is and God is God OR “There is no God”. Which is it?

Once I know that God is and God is God, I now know God (and his son Jesus) is in charge. God is AND God is in charge. I am not.

From those foundations of faith, I can now believe that God is Great and nothing is impossible with God.

Much more comes but the main thing is the main thing and knowing in my heart that God is the start of everything.

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
    there is none who does good.

Source: Psalm 14:1

God is God

“Am I so decrepit that I can’t deliver?” ~God

Tags

God is God, God is Great, Isaiah 50, Jesus, Power

God is not decrepit. That may not be obvious but it is the BIG reality. He has not forgotten how to help. He is always powerful. Nothing is impossible with Him at all. God is great.

God is actively looking for us. He is at the door and He is knocking. He is calling us and we don’t even hear the phone.

God is in a good mood. Sometimes it feels like He has forgotten me. That is my reality but it is not His reality.

God is not decrepit. He can do anything.

There it is and that is all there is to that.

So why didn’t anyone come when I knocked? Why didn’t anyone answer when I called? Do you think I’ve forgotten how to help? Am I so decrepit that I can’t deliver? I’m as powerful as ever, and can reverse what I once did: I can dry up the sea with a word, turn river water into desert sand, And leave the fish stinking in the sun, stranded on dry land . . . Turn all the lights out in the sky and pull down the curtain. 

Source: Isaiah 50

Here are the key ideas:

• God is seeking us
• God is all powerful
• God wants us to answer and come to Him

“Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” ~Jesus

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God is God, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Mark 10, Wealth

We know the story of the rich man who came to Jesus. Eventually, as the story unfolded, Jesus challenged him to “Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.”  

Some very important points:

• Jesus challenges me to understand that because I “have it all” (which I do) that it will be difficult for me to enter God’s Country (aka the Kingdom of God). I am hard wired to work hard so I can make more money. Jesus is not focused on earthly wealth. His only concern is “heavenly wealth”.
• Like the disciples, I find that difficult to believe. I know lots of rich people who are Christians. Is this an indictment of us all? Others will have to answer for themselves.
• Jesus is clear and doesn’t drop it with me or with others. Jesus challenges me to understand how very difficult it is.
• This stuns the disciples. It stuns me too. Perhaps I should just give up then. What is the point? Seriously!
• Jesus gives me the secret and provides good news. I can’t do it myself. God, through Jesus, is the only one who can do it. I must embrace Jesus and persevere. God can do it. Nothing is impossible with God. God is God and God is great.

Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”

That set the disciples back on their heels. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked.

Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”

Source: Mark 10:23-27

Money

“Do you still not get it?” ~Jesus

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God is God, God is Great, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Mark 8, Miracles

There is something Jesus knows about me and I am thinking he knows it about you as well. The disciples were all in the same boat in thinking they were in trouble. No dissenters to be found.

• The conclusion is that despite all the miracles, I just don’t get it some days. It isn’t easy to face, but it is true. Jesus knows it. I must face it as well. I can fool myself but I can’t fool Jesus.
• I can grow by learning. I can change my mind (aka as repenting) about Jesus and what he does, all the time.
• Jesus is in charge. He is always in charge. Is there something that Jesus can’t do? Nothing is impossible with Jesus. God is God and God is great.
• I need to focus on what Jesus is doing right now. Of course, Jesus is clear with me. Jesus wants me to learn and grow.

He then left them, got back in the boat, and headed for the other side. But the disciples forgot to pack a lunch. Except for a single loaf of bread, there wasn’t a crumb in the boat. Jesus warned, “Be very careful. Keep a sharp eye out for the contaminating yeast of Pharisees and the followers of Herod.”

Meanwhile, the disciples were finding fault with each other because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus overheard and said, “Why are you fussing because you forgot bread? Don’t you see the point of all this? Don’t you get it at all? Remember the five loaves I broke for the five thousand? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”

They said, “Twelve.”

 “And the seven loaves for the four thousand—how many bags full of leftovers did you get?”

“Seven.”

He said, “Do you still not get it?”

Source: Mark 8:13-21

“It is abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible.” ~Bill Johnson

Tags

Bill Johnson, Jesus, Normal, Power

“For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” ~Apostle Paul

1 Corinthians 4:20 NKJV

• In God’s country (Kingdom), Jesus power is all that it is all about.
• It is not so much about what is said but it is all about what is done.
• God is great and He has a goal for us.
• It is all about that we live in His power.

“It is abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into our spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around us to bow at the name of Jesus.

The lack of miracles isn’t because it is not in God’s will for us. The problem exists between our ears. As a result, a transformation, a renewing of the mind, is needed, and it’s only possible through a work of the Holy Spirit that typically comes upon desperate people.

Stories of the impossible are becoming the norm, and the company of people who have joined this quest for an authentic gospel, the gospel of the Kingdom, is increasing. Loving God and His people is an honor. We will no longer make up excuses for powerlessness because powerlessness is inexcusable. Our mandate is simple: raise up a generation that can openly display the raw power of God.”

Excerpts from When Heaven Invades Earth chapter 1 by Bill Johnson

Bill Johnson Ministries – Ministry of Bill Johnson, Senior Leader of Bethel Church, Redding, California

“Am I so decrepit that I can’t deliver?” ~God

Tags

God is Great, God Thoughts, Isaiah 50, Jesus, Power

Lately I have been thinking about what our Father is not. I don’t know why that helps but it frames what He is better.

• Is God decrepit? I think all the time about how powerful He is. But He is not decrepit. That frames His power better. He is never weak. He is never overwhelmed. He is more powerful than ever!!!
• How powerful is God? His power is absolute and complete. He has the power to do something and the power to reverse it. Think about that. Sometimes we can get something done but can’t undo it after.
• What about God’s power? God can undo what he has done. His power is complete. He is not decrepit.

May I see and understand His absolute complete power!!

So why didn’t anyone come when I knocked? Why didn’t anyone answer when I called? Do you think I’ve forgotten how to help? Am I so decrepit that I can’t deliver? I’m as powerful as ever, and can reverse what I once did: I can dry up the sea with a word, turn river water into desert sand, and leave the fish stinking in the sun, stranded on dry land . . . Turn all the lights out in the sky and pull down the curtain.

Source: Isaiah 50

 

“Leave your impoverished confusion and live! Walk up the street to a life with meaning.” ~King Solomon

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Confusion, King Solomon, Meaning, Proverbs 9, Wisdom, Wise Sayings

What does Lady Wisdom say to me?

• I’m living in confusion and impoverished by it. I should leave the land of confusion and begin to live. I have a choice. What will i decide?
• I have meaning in life. Jesus has given it to me. The gift is available to me.
• I should act like I have a life of meaning. Does what I do reflect the wisdom I have in my life? Can others see the meaning and feel it?

“Leave your impoverished confusion and live!
    Walk up the street to a life with meaning.” ~King Solomon

Source: Proverbs 9:6

“God is strong, and he wants you strong.” ~Apostle Paul

Tags

Apostle Paul Sayings, Ephesians 6, God is Great, Jesus, Strong

Some things are amazingly simple with God. Here are a few of them.

• God is strong. Nothing weak about him at all. Like the energizer bunny he just keeps going and going. He is always strong. He never sleeps. He doesn’t grow tired. He has always been strong and always will be. 
• God’s desire for me. God’s goal is that I will always be strong as well. He sent Jesus to die for me and so I can share in the power of His resurrection. That God has desires for me is very powerful.
• Jesus gave His mighty Spirit so I can be strong. Jesus has given us all the weapons I need to be victorious. God is great.

So there!!!

“God is strong, and he wants you strong.” ~Apostle Paul

Source: Ephesians 6:10

May we always be strong, just as He is. God is great. His power and strength is astounding.

“Real help comes from God.” ~King David

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Blessing, Help, Jesus, King David, Psalm 3, Wise Sayings

There is help and then there is real help. Real help comes from God.

I don’t know about others, but I don’t like to ask for help. I don’t like to feel like I am putting others out of the way.

I like to “be in control.”

I am reflecting on whether this carries over into my relationship with God. He loves to helps like a father loves helping his children.

Real help comes from Jesus. I need to seek His solutions, not mine.

His blessing is all I need. It clothes me in His eternal glory. He is good all the time.

May I look for the help that comes from God.

Real help comes from God. Your blessing clothes your people! Psalm 3:8

"Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself. " ~~Jesus

Tags

Everlasting, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, John 5, Life, Resurrection

Jesus knows that God is all about life. He is our source and it will last forever. Jesus also knows that His Father has given Him the same gift. Jesus gives it to us. All life is ours in our relationship with Jesus.

There is an urgency in understanding that when we know and believe that Jesus is the source of life that he can confer life on us.

Jesus can resurrect us, right now, with the same power that brought Him back to life at the resurrection. Jesus is life!!!

Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself. ” ~~Jesus  (John 5:25-27 The Message)

“I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” ~Joseph

Tags

Dreams, Faith, Genesis 41, Jesus, Joseph, Reward, Risk

Joseph had been in jail a long time. Pharaoh put him there. But now, all of the sudden, Pharaoh needed Joseph.

Joseph had a stunning response. Rather than saying, “You have come to the right man.”, he acknowledged reality. Joseph couldn’t do it. God could.

There was clear risk to this approach. Joseph had faith in God. Joseph took the risk.

God provided the reward. That’s just how God rolls. God has put Jesus in charge. Jesus can do anything. I must trust him.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Genesis 41:15-16

God is great, God and good!

Tags

God is God, God is Good, God is Great, Jesus

God is great – Nothing is impossible for Him. He can and does anything.

Jesus redeems me. Jesus saves me. Jesus heals me. Jesus restores me. I will speak of His great and mighty work.

God is God – He is in control. He has always been and always will be.

This is not a democracy. Democracies are a good form of government but God’s government is not a democracy. God has given all authority to his son Jesus and His way of doing things is what is important. The way He does it in heaven is the way we want it done here on earth.

God is good – He is always good. He is perpetually in a good mood.

Jesus is not upset with me. I am God’s child and He is doing so many good things for me. We are His friends and He will do anything it takes to help us out. We are His bride and His love for us is passionate beyond imagination.

“Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power.” ~Jeremiah

Tags

Creation, Jeremiah 32, Jesus

It is another beautiful day in paradise. Which reminds me that He made all of this.

With His word He commanded it all into existence. He said it, pointed to where He wanted it to exist and it did. How cool is that?

Oh my goodness. Nothing is  impossible for Him. Jeremiah got it. May I learn this as well.

Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You… Jeremiah 32:17

 

 

“I’ve yet to come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel.” ~Jesus

Tags

Faith, Jesus, Jesus Saying, Luke 7, Religious, Trust

Bold Faith

The Roman Centurian was very humble and knew that Jesus could give the command and his servant would be healed. He didn’t need to come to Jesus himself or have Jesus come to him.

Imagine having the kind of faith that shocks Jesus. It is simple trust. If I know that Jesus has the authority, that takes care of it.

Jesus was also shocked because the religious community of his day didn’t have this kind of faith. God is great and God can do anything. I need to know and believe that in my heart and soul.

May I have the kind of faith that shocks Jesus. May I have it now.

Taken aback, Jesus addressed the accompanying crowd: “I’ve yet to come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know about God and how he works.” Luke 7:9 (MSG)

“Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” ~Jesus

Tags

Glory, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, John 11, Miracle

Miracles Happen

When I see miracles, I am seeing the glory of God. It happens when I believe. First the believe, then the glory of God in a miracle.

In this passage, Martha was doubting that Jesus could raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. Of course, we know how the story ended. She didn’t. She was on the front end of the miracle. It was hard to believe that Jesus could / would raise Lazarus from the dead.

There are lots of days that I am standing on the front end of the miracle. My job is to believe Jesus. When I do, I see His glory.

May I believe Jesus. May I see His glory.

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40

 

“God can do anything. Far more than you could ever imagine.” ~Apostle Paul

Tags

Apostle Paul Sayings, Ephesians 3, Holy Spirit, Jesus

I have ideas. I imagine “what if”.

Some of this stuff is pretty cool!!

Do these ideas seem to be far fetched sometimes? Yes, they do.

God can do anything.

Jesus, the Messiah, can go way beyond my ideas, my dreams. And, He does it through His Spirit which is already at work within me. Wow!!!

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Ephesians3:20

May I not limit God to my ideas.

May I lean in to hear what He has in mind.

“Do whatever he tells you.” ~Mother of Jesus (Mary)

Tags

Faith, John 2, Mother Mary, Mother's Day, Obedience

Water to Wine

This is pretty good advise. It came from a woman who knew Jesus very well. His mother knew who Jesus was and what He could do.

And so it was pretty simple. “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now the whatever wasn’t going to make any sense to them. The wedding guests needed wine. Jesus told them to put water into some jars. But, she advised them to do whatever He asked.

And so, the rest of the story is pretty simple as well. They did!! And the water turned into very fine wine.

May I do whatever He tells me.

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, John 2:5-8 TNIV

“She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus (Yehshuah)—’God saves’—because he will save his people from sin.” ~God’s angel

Tags

Christmas, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Matthew 1, Messiah, Savior

Joseph had a lot to deal with. What to name the Son of God wasn’t one of them. God’s angel made that clear to him. His name is Jesus (Yehshuah), “God Saves”.

His bigger problem was what to do about his fiance who was pregnant but claimed the Holy Spirit got her pregnant. He trusted Mary but only up to a point. He was going to call the whole thing off. The angel solved that for him as well.

It is clear to Joseph that this child will be like no other. First, her pregnancy is from a man. Second, it is God, through His Spirit, that has caused the pregnancy. Third, the child will be a boy. Finally, His name will show God’s purpose, to deliver and rescue mankind.

So … the Son of God is named Jesus (Yehshuah). And, most importantly, Jesus rescues and delivers us from sin, that is, missing God’s goal for our lives.

While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus (Yehshuah)—’God saves’—because he will save his people from (sin) missing God’s goal for their lives.” Matthew 1:20-23

I must not magnify my problem. I must magnify Jesus.

Tags

Focus, Jesus

Imagination

Life is about focus. Jesus shows us how important this is.

It is easy to see what God is not doing. That focus prevents me from seeing what God is doing.

I must get the focus right!!! What is God doing?

I must magnify Jesus. It is all about him. My problem is nothing compared to him.

“My strength comes from God.” ~King David

Tags

God is God, Jesus, King David, Psalm 121, Strength, Wise Sayings

There is a lot to know in life. Most of them aren’t critical.

Where does my strength come from? Now that is an important question. When I ignore the answer and pretend I can work it out myself, disaster is right around the corner.

My strength comes from God. Jesus is the source of all power and Jesus will provide me strength.

God is God and God is great. Nothing is ever, ever, ever impossible for God.

I look up to the mountains;
    does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
    who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

Source: Psalm 121:1-2 MSG – A Pilgrim Song I look up to the – Bible Gateway

What matters? There are a lot of things that don’t really matter at the end of the day.

Tags

God is God, God is Good, God is Great, Jesus, Messiah, What Matters

What matters?

There are a lot of things that don’t really matter at the end of the day. Who won the baseball game is interesting but not essential.

There are three things I know. Those haven’t changed and are more important now more than ever.

1. God is God. He is in control, not our government or anyone in our government. We are citizens of His Kingdom. Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one of God. Jesus is in charge.
2. God is great. Nothing is impossible with Him. God has it all planned out. God will make it happen.
3. God is good. He has some really great stuff in store for us.

May I focus on what is important.

“I’m going to keep that celebration going because I know how it’s going to turn out.” ~Apostle Paul

Tags

Apostle Paul Sayings, Death, Good News, Jesus, Life, Messiah, Philippians 1

Eternal Life

I know the end of the story. I know that Jesus is the anointed one of God and is in charge. Victory is his and will be mine as well.

Life vs. Death?

It doesn’t matter. It is not even the question.

It is life vs. more life!

So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, the Messiah is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on!

And I’m going to keep that celebration going because I know how it’s going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus the Messiah, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my course. I don’t expect to be embarrassed in the least. On the contrary, everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make the Messiah more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn’t shut me up; they gave me a pulpit! Alive, I’m the Messiah’s messenger; dead, I’m his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose.

Source: Philippians 1:21 MSG – So how am I to respond? I’ve decided – Bible Gateway

Can Jesus heal my soul?

Tags

Heal, Jeremiah 17, Jesus, Luke 9, Malachi 4, Psalm 147, Psalm 23, Restore

Jesus heals my heart

I am broken and in need of help. I miss God’s goal for my life. What do I do?

Jesus is my healer.

Jesus heals my heart and that is always so important.

Jesus heals my soul and my connection with Him. And He heals my body.

That is it and all there is to it.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. (Psalm 23:1-3).

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)

Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. (Jeremiah 17:14)

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. (Malachi 4:2)

He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. (Luke 9:11)

“You’re asking the wrong question.” ~Jesus

Tags

God's Will, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, John 9, Master, Miracle

God is light

I need to change my mind (repent). I need to ask the right questions. I am clearly not always seeing things the way my Master Jesus wants me to. God has a goal for me. I need to focus on finding out what it is.

The right question is “What can God do right now?” I need to focus on God and what he wants through his son Jesus. God is God and God is great. Everything is an opportunity for God to demonstrate his power.

Jesus illuminates everything. I should focus on Jesus because Jesus knows what God wants. Jesus is the light. With Jesus I can see everything clearly.

Jesus challenges me to look for what God can do. God is in a good mood and wants to show his glory.

Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?”

Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light.”

~Apostle John – Source: John 9:1-2 (The Message Bible)

“There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.” ~Jesus

Tags

Bold, Faith, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Mark 9, Messiah

Bold Faith

What a mighty lesson of faith this story teaches us. Jesus is clear with us. We want to believe but I know many times I don’t really. I say to God, “If you can do something” please do.

And Jesus is clear. There is no ‘ifs’ among believers. Jesus can do anything. God loves us and wants the best for us. God will accomplish what he wants.

Like this boy’s father, I believe and doubt at the same time. I want to believe. I doubt. Jesus understands that.

Jesus is clear. There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. God’s Holy Spirit is in me to build up my faith and give me the power to believe.

When they came back down the mountain to the other disciples, they saw a huge crowd around them, and the religion scholars cross-examining them. As soon as the people in the crowd saw Jesus, admiring excitement stirred them. They ran and greeted him. He asked, “What’s going on? What’s all the commotion?”

A man out of the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my mute son, made speechless by a demon, to you. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and goes stiff as a board. I told your disciples, hoping they could deliver him, but they couldn’t.”

Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here.” They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a seizure, causing him to writhe on the ground and foam at the mouth.

He asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?”

“Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!”

Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”

Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!” Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up. Mark 9:14-27

“I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed.” ~God

Tags

Ezekiel 36, Heart, Spirit

Broken Heart

Now here is good news. God can’t see our old heart. God can’t see that we are dirty and need to be scrubbed clean. We have a new heart to help to live the way God wants us to. We are now very clean.

And even better news. It is a heart that is God-willed not filled with our selfish ways. Wow!!!!!

I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.” ~~God (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide.” ~ God’s Angel

Tags

Angel, Christmas, December 25, Jesus, King of Kings, Luke 2, Mary, Salvation

When it was time to give birth to Jesus, no one had room for Him. So Mary did what she had to do. Humbling circumstances for the King of Kings don’t you think? But that is who Jesus is.

Jesus humbled Himself for our sakes. To redeem us from continually missing God’s goal for our lives, he came to earth as a man, born into circumstances beyond His control.

God wants to know, do we have room for His son? Yes, dear Father, we do.

God let’s us know not to be afraid. God sends angels to let us know. The arrival of Jesus marks a great and joyful event. God brings us good news. We are to celebrate that God’s son, Jesus, arrived as a savior. Jesus is our Messiah and Master.

About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

Luke 2:1-20 (The Message Bible)

“God, God-of-Heaven, the great and awesome God, loyal to his agreement and faithful to those who love him and obey his commands.” ~Nehemiah

Tags

God, Israel, Israelites, Moses, Nehemiah, Nehemiah 1, Prayer

Loyalty

Nehemiah was an amazing man of God. He had a big yes going on in his life. He knew how awesome God is. He understood loyalty. He was humble at the core, seeking to get God’s work done.

Like Nehemiah, we have come back to God. God has put us back in right standing with Himself. God accomplished that through our Master Jesus.  Now we get it.

May we be a mighty prayer warrior like Nehemiah. May we do God’s work and restore His people.

“I said, ‘God, God-of-Heaven, the great and awesome God, loyal to his agreement and faithful to those who love him and obey his commands: Look at me, listen to me. Pay attention to this prayer of your servant that I’m praying day and night in intercession for your servants, the People of Israel, confessing the sins of the People of Israel. And I’m including myself, I and my ancestors, among those who have sinned against you. ‘We’ve treated you like dirt: We haven’t done what you told us, haven’t followed your commands, and haven’t respected the decisions you gave to Moses your servant.

All the same, remember the warning you posted to your servant Moses: ‘If you betray me, I’ll scatter you to the four winds, but if you come back to me and do what I tell you, I’ll gather up all these scattered peoples from wherever they ended up and put them back in the place I chose to mark with my Name.'” Nehemiah 1:5-9 MSG

When will we come to Jesus?

Tags

Jesus, Messiah, Time, Worship

When we will come to Jesus? When will be the right time?

Now is the time. Jesus wants us just as we are.

Now is the time to worship Him.

Now is the time to believe Him.

Now is the time to obey Him.

When will be the right time?

Now!

“Forever God is with us.” ~Michael W. Smith

Tags

Forever, God, God is God, God is Great, Michael W. Smith

Give thanks to the Lord, Our God and King
His love endures forever
For He is good, He is above all things
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise

With a mighty hand and outstretched arm
His love endures forever
For the life that’s been reborn
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise
Sing praise, sing praise

CHORUS:
Forever God is faithful
Forever God is strong
Forever God is with us
Forever and ever, forever (2X)

From the rising to the setting sun
His love endures forever
And by the grace of God we will carry on
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise
Sing praise, sing praise

(CHORUS)

His love endures forever (8X)

Sing praise, sing praise
Sing praise, sing praise

(CHORUS)

What is it that God can’t do?

Tags

God, God is God, Holy Spirit, Jesus

What can’t God do? It is a simple question.

The silence around this one is deafening.

There is nothing God can’t do. Nothing is impossible with Him. Not a single thing. Nada.

May we all have supernatural courage. Let’s give it up for God!! He is so good. He is so great.

God is God.

Nothing is impossible for God.

Everything is possible with God.

“The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” ~Jesus

Tags

God's Word, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, John 14, Messiah

Jesus didn’t say what He wanted to. His words were from our Heavenly Father. The origin of what He said was focused on what He saw His Father doing, what His Father was saying and who His Father is.  This is an amazing way Jesus, the anointed Messiah, lived before His death, resurrection and ascension to power.

How often are my words my own versus words from my Heavenly Father?

May my words reflect what my Heavenly Father who is living in me is doing.

The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. John 14:10

Is God over the hill?

Tags

God is God, God is Great, Jesus, Messiah

God is not over the hill. God is not past His prime. He is God. He is great.

God is the same today as He was yesterday. God will be the same tomorrow. God always has been. God always will be. God is!!

The God who created this universe is our Father. Nothing is impossible with Him. Everything is possible with Him.

“Great and powerful God, determined in purpose and relentless in following through.” ~Jeremiah

Tags

Angels, Follow Through, God is God, God is Great, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 32, Jesus, Purpose

Power of God – God is God

God is God and nothing is impossible for him at all. God is great and powerful. God never runs out of time or energy. God’s purpose will be achieved.

God has an army of angels at his disposal. The number of angels at his command can’t be counted. God is waging war to reclaim our souls and restore us to his glory. God will not stop. God will be undeterred.

The power of God that created the universe is at play here. It is hard to comprehend that power but it is real. God is real.  That power resurrected Jesus from the dead.

“And then, having handed over the legal documents to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to God, ‘Dear God, my Master, you created earth and sky by your great power—by merely stretching out your arm! There is nothing you can’t do. You’re loyal in your steadfast love to thousands upon thousands—but you also make children live with the fallout from their parents’ sins. Great and powerful God, named God-of-the-Angel-Armies, determined in purpose and relentless in following through, you see everything that men and women do and respond appropriately to the way they live, to the things they do. Jeremiah 32:16-19 The Message (MSG)

via Jeremiah 32:17 MSG – “And then, having handed over the – Bible Gateway.

"Get up, take your bedroll, start walking." ~~Jesus

Tags

Healing, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, John 5, Miracle

Jesus has the authority to heal. And He does. When He says something, you can take it to the bank. His first question is “Do you want to get well?”

For this man, who was crippled and couldn’t walk, it was a simple get up and start walking. The man took action on what Jesus said. His belief and action did it. He was healed. He got up, picked up his bedroll and walked off. Stunning!

God is great. Jesus has all authority given to him by God our Father.

Soon another Feast came around and Jesus was back in Jerusalem. Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there was a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, with five alcoves. Hundreds of sick people—blind, crippled, paralyzed—were in these alcoves. One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, “Do you want to get well?”

 The sick man said, “Sir, when the water is stirred, I don’t have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in.”

Jesus said, “Get up, take your bedroll, start walking.” The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off.

(John 5:1-9 The Message)

“After his death, Jesus presented himself alive to them.” ~Luke

Tags

Acts 1, God is Great, Jesus, Kingdom, Resurrection

The Apostles were absolutely convinced of Jesus resurrection from the dead. Luke, the author of Acts, is careful to document it.

Jesus presented Himself. Not as a ghost. Not as a spiritual being. He presented himself alive. He did it over and over. He did it for forty days. He did it many different places. God is great and demonstrated he is God by resurrecting his son from the dead.

Jesus is alive!! Jesus lives. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, in control of God’s World (Kingdom). That is good news.

After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. (Acts 1:4 The Message)

“God doesn’t come and go. God lasts.” ~Isaiah

Tags

Energy, Everlasting, God is God, God is Great, Isaiah 40, Jesus, Tired

Some days I get home and I am really tired. My energy is gone. Not much left. I get tired. We all do. Sometimes it doesn’t even take a whole day. Sometimes we get up tired.

I have to be careful not to project my humanity on God. God is God. He has always been. God created everything. God will never, ever grow tired. I can’t understand that but I know it to be true.

So, when does God get tired? Never!

Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,  or, whine, Israel, saying,

“God has lost track of me.
    He doesn’t care what happens to me”?
Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening?
God doesn’t come and go. God lasts.
    He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.
    And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
    gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
    young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
    They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don’t get tired,
    they walk and don’t lag behind.

Isaiah 40:31 The Message (MSG)

“You are awesome, O God.” ~King David

Tags

Amazing, Awesome, Beautiful, Jesus, King David, Power, Psalm 68, Wise Sayings

You give me power and might. O God, you are so amazing, so awesome. You are terribly beautiful. It just streams forth from your presence. You are such a strong and powerful God.

And you give me your power. You don’t keep it  to yourself. You could, but you don’t. How amazing is that? You are with us. Nothing is impossible for you.

May I praise you at every turn.

You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God! Psalm 68:35

"Up, God! My God, help me! Slap their faces, First this cheek, then the other, Your fist hard in their teeth!" ~~King David

Tags

Devil, Enemy, Jesus, King David, Kingdom, Psalm 3

King David had real enemies and he was a warrior for GOD. He knew GOD was the only one who could win the battle. He had a heart for GOD. He called on GOD to strike down his enemies.

Jesus challenges us to know that we have an enemy. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy us. Jesus has defeated him and we can walk in His victory. We have to know we have an enemy. We have to walk in the “new life” of Jesus and His victory. Our focus has to be on GOD’s world (Kingdom) and not our enemy, the devil in this world.

God is great and He is GOD. GOD is in complete control.

“Up, God! My God, help me! Slap their faces, First this cheek, then the other, Your fist hard in their teeth!” ~~King David (Psalm 3:7 The Message)

“Stand here where we can see you.”~~Jesus

Tags

Healing, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Mark, Mark 3, Miracle

Jesus is in church. He found a man with a crippled hand.

The Deacons (Pharisees) had their eyes on Jesus to see if he would heal him, hoping to catch him in breaking a church rule. Jesus knows this. And so He is deliberate. He says to the man, “Stand here where we can see you.”

Then he spoke to the people: “What kind of action suits Sunday best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?”

No one said a word. Imagine, they were completely silent. This is stunning that they can’t answer this question.

He looked them in the eye, one after another, angry now, furious at their hard-nosed religion. He said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” He held it out—it was as good as new! The Deacons (Pharisees) got out as fast as they could, sputtering about how they would join forces with Herod’s followers and ruin him.

Jesus is deliberate. His challenge to us is clear. He wants everyone to know the rules aren’t helpful if they don’t focus on doing what God wants.

“Stand here where we can see you.”~~Jesus (Mark 3:3 The Message)

"You spoke the truth there, sure enough." ~~Jesus

Tags

Jesus, Jesus Sayings, John 4, Truth

Jesus knows us. Jesus knows us to our core. We can try to evade the truth but Jesus knows the truth. So there is no point in even trying to hide.

The kind of people our Father is out looking for are those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. He wants that kind of relationship with us.

“That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.” ~~Jesus (John 4:18 The Message) 

Don’t put your life in the hands of experts who know nothing of life.

Tags

Eternal Life, Jesus, Salvation, Wisdom

Don’t put your life in the hands of experts who know nothing of life. Witty isn’t as useful as wisdom. What do they know of God’s amazing salvation life? Absolutely nothing. Do they have a “good news” message? Are they rooted in God’s insight?

The wise of this world spew forth stunning stuff focused on this very short life of ours and don’t focus on what Jesus says matters. Conventional wisdom is dead and buried. Jesus defeated it on the cross and through his resurrection. Jesus is in charge now.

A billion years from now, will what they say matter? A good question to ask.

What can’t God do?

Tags

God is Great

If you think about it, the list of things we can’t do is rather long. Whipping out our credit card will only get us so far. Eventually we run out resources and capabilities to make things happen. We come up short.

Good news. With God, there is nothing He can’t do. Not a thing.

God is in a good mood and wants to do great things. We serve the God who created everything from nothing with his word alone.

What can’t God do? Nothing.

The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing.” ~~Jesus

Tags

Heavenly Father, Jesus Sayings, John 5, Son of God, Will of God

Jesus is perfectly aligned with God. He knows He can’t doing anything without God. Jesus is determined to follow God’s plan all the way and everyday for eternity. And that is a very long time.

How does he operate? He looks to see what God is doing and He does it. Jesus has no desire to do his own thing. He doesn’t know what that means.

Jesus only knows that he must do what he sees his Father doing. That is all. That is it. That is the main thing about the main thing.

He challenges us to do the same. We must take on God’s own nature. God’s go for us is that we must do what we see God doing. That is all. That is it.

Here are the key ideas:

1. Jesus sets to pattern for us about doing God’s will. That is the only thing that is important.
2. God’s goal for us is be completely dependent on him.
3. God is completely in charge.

“I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing.” ~~Jesus (John 5:19 The Message)

“With Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid.” ~John Mark

Tags

Afraid, Astonished, Mark 10, Resurrection

Be fearless

Am I astonished or afraid?

Those who simply follow get afraid. Perhaps they were more curious than committed. Jesus wants commitment.

Those who are his disciples and following the new plan are astonished. The were committed to Jesus.

Two groups seeing the same thing have polar opposite reactions. What is our reaction?

His peace drives out fear all together. Jesus is leading us. Jesus knew what was going to happen. He let it be plain to His followers.

Jesus gave them hope. Jesus promised he would rise from the dead. This was good news.

Jesus delivered on his promise. We can count on his word. God is great. Everything is possible with God. He delivered Jesus, his son, from death.

Here are the key ideas:

1. It is more important to be committed and be a disciple than it is to follow.
2. God’s goal for us is be committed to do what God wants.
3. God is great and raises his son from the dead.
4. God loves us and has demonstrated it with the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.

They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise. Mark 10:32-34

Stunning Easter message from Judge Andrew Napolitano

Tags

Easter, Jesus, Judge Andrew Napolitano, Resurrection

A moving Easter message from Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano:

On the first Good Friday, the Romans executed Jesus because they were persuaded that by claiming to be the Son of God, He might foment a revolution against them. The revolution He fomented was in the hearts of men and women. The Romans had not heard of a revolution of the heart; nevertheless they feared a revolution that would disrupt their worldly power, and so they condemned Him to death by crucifixion.

 

What does Easter mean? Easter means that there is hope for the dead. If there’s hope for the dead, there’s hope for the living. But, like the colonists who fought the oppression of the king, we the living can only achieve our hopes if we have freedom. And that requires a government that protects freedom, not one that assaults it.

“Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please!” ~Apostle Paul

Tags

1 Timothy 4, Apostle Paul Sayings, Eternal Life, Future, Godliness, Jesus, Now

God Help

Our God is. He is now. His promise is now. His presence is now. He is!!

The future is going to great. But so is now. His offer to me isn’t the distant future. “Just keep slogging away and I will reward you in heaven” kind of world. It is in this age as well in the age to come. Many times more now that I can expect. It is “both today and forever”. 

First in the physical world. Then in the spiritual world. Many times more in the physical now.

Paul talks about the same thing. The promise is for now and for the future. God’s goal for us is that we will be spiritually fit. This requires a very disciplined life. 

Here are the key ideas:

1. Faith requires discipline in believing that God is good and will see us through to the end.
2. God’s goal is for us to be spiritually fit.
3. God is in control. Faith believes that today. That faith gives us hope. We can take heart.
4. God expects us to throw ourselves totally into his work.
5. God is great because he chooses to save all of us from a life of missing his goal for us.

You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we’ve thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We’re banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers. 1 Timothy 4:8

Jesus perfectly mirrors our heavenly Father

Tags

Jesus, Mirror, Power, Word

Jesus is King

Here is a really amazing thing about our heavenly Father. He spoke to us directly through His Son Jesus. Just reading what He said blows me away some days. He still does it today. Through His HOLY Spirit, the words come alive.

And, it was through Jesus that God created the whole world in the beginning. And because of what Jesus did, the world and all that is in it, will belong to Jesus at the end. He truly is the beginning and the end.

So … this is stunning as well. Jesus perfectly mirrors our heavenly Father. He is stamped with God’s complete nature. He is so powerful that He holds everything in the entire universe together by what He says. How powerful is that?

God is great. Nothing is impossible for God at all. Jesus is King and our Master. God has given all power over to him.

"Please, no more pretending. " ~~Jesus

Tags

Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Legal, Matthew 5, Moral, Pretend

We know we all do it. We “pretend” nothing is wrong. We pretend we are something we are not. We pretend we don’t know Jesus. Peter did that 3 times.

Jesus challenges us to stop. We are God’s children. We shouldn’t pretend we are not. We pretend we don’t know He is in a good mood. We know he is.

God is great. God is in charge. God wants us to be real, in his son Jesus. That is God’s goal for us. Be real in Jesus.

Are we pretending to be righteous just because we are technically legal? Jesus knows that be right with rules and regulations doesn’t make us right with God. Only He can do that. Jesus challenges us to understand the difference between legal and moral.

 “Remember the Scripture that says, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights’? Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are ‘legal.’ Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you’re responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you’re automatically an adulterer yourself. You can’t use legal cover to mask a moral failure. (Matthew 5:31-32 The Message)

"Your daughter is no longer disturbed." ~~Jesus

Tags

Faith, Healing, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Mark 7

Does our faith impress Jesus? Jesus challenges us to have a bold kind of faith.

This woman came to Jesus and her faith was “over the top”. Jesus sent her home with the promise her daughter was well. And she was well. Just as Jesus said.

She didn’t argue with Jesus. She went home and found her daughter relaxed on the bed, the torment gone for good.

We serve an amazing God!!

Jesus was impressed. “You’re right! On your way! Your daughter is no longer disturbed. The demonic affliction is gone.” She went home and found her daughter relaxed on the bed, the torment gone for good.  Mark 7:29

“What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” ~The Disciples of Jesus

Tags

Calm, Faith, Fear, Jesus, Lord, Matthew 8, Wind, Worry

Jesus didn’t cause the storm to arise. The storm wasn’t His doing at all. He didn’t “weather” the storm although he was sleeping and not concerned or afraid one bit.

He did tell it to stop and it did. Completely. It became perfectly calm. No wind. No waves. Just calm.

They were amazed because He is amazing. He did what He saw His Father doing. That is all.

Our God is Great. His son Jesus, the Messiah, does amazing things.

May I see things as He does.

May I do what I see Him doing.

He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew 8:26-27

 

“Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.” ~~Apostle John

Tags

1 John 5, Apostle John Sayings, Jesus, Life, Messiah, Truth

Jesus is the Truth

Not everything is the real thing. There is the real GOD and there are clever facsimiles. It may, in fact, be difficult to see the difference. They look the same. They sound the same.

Jesus brings truth and life. The evil one lies and cheats us of life. GOD holds us firm. When we came to realize we were missing GOD’s goal for our life, we changed our mind and came to trust Jesus as the one who could save us from that type of life.

We know we are children of GOD and we live in His world. We are protected by GOD.

God is great. Jesus, the Messiah, has defeated the evil one. GOD protects us. GOD is in a good mood and we can live in truth.

We know that none of the God-begotten makes a practice of missing God’s goal [sin] —fatally missing God’s goal [sin]. The God-begotten are also the God-protected. The Evil One can’t lay a hand on them. We know that we are held firm by God; it’s only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One. And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles. (1 John 5:18-21 The Message)

"Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions." ~~Jesus

Tags

Initiative, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Provision, Reality

We all have the same amount of time every day. Jesus challenges us to use it to focus on it on a few (three) very important issues.

• God-reality – God is first and most importantly God is God. He has a reality that He gives us when we live in His world (Kingdom). His reality is not the reality of this world. We need to focus on what is the reality in Heaven (God’s world). He wants that reality here on earth. He teaches us to pray “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. What is God’s reality? That should be our focus.
•  God-initiative – Everything starts with God. He has created everything. Nothing exists without Him.  Do I see everything that way? Everything in my life, my world, starts with Him. There is not success without Him.
•  God-provisions – God gives us every good thing. He is in a good mood. In fact, He is in a great mood. He wants us to have every good thing. We need to focus on what He has for us and not what we want. Do we see the good He is doing or do we see what He is not doing?

Jesus challenges us to focus. With the help of His Holy Spirit, we can do it.

“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6:31 The Message)

"Count on this: The wicked won’t get off scot-free, and God’s loyal people will triumph." ~~King Solomon

Tags

Loyalty, Proverbs 11, Solomon, Wise Sayings

Sometimes it seems like doing the right thing is not being rewarded. Solomon reminds us this isn’t true. God is God and there will be a day of judgement. God is the judge. We must trust him. We must be loyal to Him. He will be loyal to us. We will triumph in His power.

We can count on it because we can count on God. End of story. God is great. He will see us through.

“Count on this: The wicked won’t get off scot-free, and God’s loyal people will triumph.” ~~King Solomon (Proverbs 11:21)

“God is strong, and he wants you strong.” ~Apostle Paul

Tags

Ephesians 6, God is Great, Strength

Strong in the Lord

Some things are amazingly simple with God. Here is one of them.

God is strong. Nothing weak about him at all. Like the energizer bunny he just keeps going and going. He is always strong. He never sleeps. He doesn’t grow tired. He has always been strong and always will be.

His desire for us  is that we will always be strong as well. He sent Jesus to die for us and to share in the power of His ressurection. He gave His mighty Spirit so we could be strong. He has given us all the weapons we need to be victorious.

So there!!!

God is strong, and he wants you strong. Ephesians 6:10

May we always be strong, just as He is.

“But God doesn’t lose his temper.” ~Nahum

Tags

God is God, Nahum 1, Patient, Power, Temper

God is God

Sometimes we think of God as we think of ourselves. Big mistake.

God is God but His emotions aren’t like ours are. He is more powerful than we can imagine. God can do anything He wants to. His power, however, is a VERY patient power.

If we think because God is patient, we can “get away with things”, we better think again. God’s patience is shown to us so we will change our minds about missing His goal for our lives and so that we will accept Jesus as the answer.

But God doesn’t lose his temper. He’s powerful, but it’s a patient power. Still, no one gets by with anything. ~~Nahum 1:3

“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” ~Apostle Paul

Tags

Apostle Paul Sayings, Ephesians 3, God is Great, Holy Spirit, Nothing is Impossible

Imagine

I have ideas. I imagine, “what if”. Some of these thoughts seem pretty cool!!

Does it seem to be far fetched sometimes? Yes, it does.

God doesn’t have far fetched thoughts.  God can do anything. God can go way beyond my ideas, my dreams.

And, God does it through His Spirit which is already at work within me. Wow!!!

May I not limit God to my dreams. May I lean in to hear what God has in mind. It is more than I can ever imagine. God is great and He has great things in mind for me.

God’s desire for  me is greater than my desires for myself.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!

He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Ephesians 3:20

 

God is mighty and He will deliver on His promise

Tags

God is Great, Love, New Agreement, Power, Promise

Give me God’s power

Our Father’s promise is not just for me.

It is for my relatives and anyone who God invites to the table. The new agreement is that He has made me accepted in His sight. God has a goal for me.

And, anyone I touch, through His power, has access to the promise too. Starting with my family and to anyone else He invites.

God’s word is true. He is faithful to His promise. He invites me move in closer. Lean in and hear His promise.

The promise starts close to me. Then to those I care most about.

I need the courage to believe.

I need His love to persist. God is mighty and He will deliver on His promise.

Woo Hoo!!! He is so amazing.

"My arms wave like banners of praise to you." ~~King David

Tags

King David Sayings, Praise, Psalm 63, Thanks, Wise Sayings

Wave arms in worship

I must find the place of worship. I must open my eyes. In His generous love, I can really live.

It is about His strength. It is about His glory.

God is great. He is a mighty God. Our response is to worship Him in awe and wonder. The words from our mouth should reflect the praise God deserves from us.

I must praise Him in an excessive way. I must go overboard in my thanks.

So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
My arms wave like banners of praise to you. Psalm 63

“I have been sent on special assignment by the Messiah as part of God’s master plan.” ~Apostle Paul

Tags

Apostle Paul Sayings, Assignment, Colossians 1, God's Goal, Plan

God’s new plan

God has a master plan for us all. I can tap into it and know the special assignment He has in mind for me.

My life today is not just a “get up and see what happens” kind of day. He has a plan for me. I need to find it and do it.

God is God. God is great. God is good. My job is to find out what He wants done today and be obediant.

I don’t have to keep missing God’s goal for my life. His Spirit has been sent to guide me. We are not like people who have no direction. We can know what God wants.. God will show us.

God has a master plan. Now that is some good news.

I, Paul, have been sent on special assignment by the Messiah as part of God’s master plan. Colossians 1:1

“Wait for what the Father promised” ~Jesus

Tags

Acts 1, Holy Spirit, Patience, Power

Patience

Jesus told them they had to wait. He didn’t have to. He could have given them the Spirit of God right then and there. But He wanted them to wait. And so they did. And they received the Spirit of God and the power that goes with Him.

He didn’t leave them hanging though. He promised the Spirit would come soon. And He did.

We live in a world where we want everything, and I mean everything, now. We don’t like to wait. Patience is not seen as a virtue.

Here is a clue. God is in control. In His government, He isn’t in a hurry. Sometimes he wants us to wait. Our job is to obey. The timing is always God’s.

As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but “must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon.” Acts 1:1-5

"Give her something to eat." ~~Jesus

Tags

Food, God is Good, Healing, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Mark 5, Resurrection

Hungry Girl

The events of the day had been stunning. A 12 year old had just been raised from the dead. At Jesus command, she got up from the dead and walked around. Everyone was beside themselves. She was 12. She had died. Now she was alive. God is great. Nothing is impossible with Him.

What is Jesus first concern after He has raised her from the dead? She is hungry. Get her some food.

Jesus knows what is important and when it is important. He never ignores what we need and when we need it.

That is just the way God is. God is good and in a good mood. He knows when we are hungry and will give us something to eat.

 But when he had sent them all out, he took the child’s father and mother, along with his companions, and entered the child’s room. He clasped the girl’s hand and said, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, get up.” At that, she was up and walking around! This girl was twelve years of age. They, of course, were all beside themselves with joy. He gave them strict orders that no one was to know what had taken place in that room. Then he said, “Give her something to eat.” (Mark 5:40-43 The Message)

“He healed them.” ~~Apostle Matthew

Tags

Healing, Hebrews 12, Jesus, Lame, Matthew 21, Miracle

Crutches

Jesus didn’t cause anyone to be lame. It was never about character building. There was no lesson to be learned. No patience needed.

People came to Jesus. All the time. Jesus always healed them.

Jesus didn’t give crutches to the lame. Jesus commanded them to stand. They did at His word. Now that is stunning. His goal for us is that we be whole and complete. He wants us to walk. He doesn’t give us crutches and wheelchairs. 

What an amazing God we serve. He makes us whole again. God is great. 

 …    the lame came to Him in the temple , and He healed them.  Matthew 21:14

God has a plan for us. What is it? Healing and restoration.

Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Hebrews 12:12-13

 

 

 

"Little girl, get up." ~~Jesus to a dead 12 year old girl

Tags

God is Great, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Mark 5, Power, Resurrection

Grief and Horror

She is 12 years old. She got sick. She died.

Everyone is beside themselves in grief and horror. You don’t expect to bury your children. It’s just not right. What kind of God allows that to happen?

Jesus arrives on the scene at the request of the father. The father believed in Jesus.

When he goes in to the room where her dead body is lying, Jesus says very little other than “Little girl, get up”. At that, she was up and walking around! They were all beside themselves with joy. Amazed. Stunned. Ecstatic.

This is stunning. This is the power of God in Jesus. We have the same Holy Spirit in us. May I live my life knowing of this stunning power.

“Little girl, get up.” ~~Jesus to a dead 12 year old girl (Mark 5:40-43 The Message Bible)

"Tell me your name." ~~Jesus to the demons in a man

Tags

Authority, Control, Demons, God is Great, Jesus Sayings, Mark 5

My name is ….

God is great. Nothing is impossible for Him. Jesus shows us how great God is and what a good mood God is in.

Imagine this. One day Jesus arrives in the country of Gerasenes by boat. As Jesus got out of the boat, a madman from the cemetery came up to him. He lived there among the tombs and graves. No one could restrain him—he couldn’t be chained, couldn’t be tied down. He had been tied up many times with chains and ropes, but he always broke the chains, snapped the ropes. No one was strong enough to tame him. Night and day he roamed through the graves and the hills, screaming out and slashing himself with sharp stones. This is one terrifying dude. See him on the street and you are definitely crossing over to the other side.

When he saw Jesus a long way off, he ran and bowed in worship before him—then bellowed in protest, “What business do you have, Jesus, Son of the High God, messing with me? I swear to God, don’t give me a hard time!” (Jesus had just commanded the tormenting evil spirit, “Out! Get out of the man!”)

Jesus asked him to tell Him his name. He replied, “My name is Mob. I’m a rioting mob.” Then he desperately begged Jesus not to banish them from the country. A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs so we can live in them.” Jesus gave the order. But it was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the sea and drowned.  Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. Everyone wanted to see what had happened. They came up to Jesus and saw the madman sitting there wearing decent clothes and making sense, no longer a walking madhouse of a man.

Those who had seen it told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. At first they were in awe—and then they were upset, upset over the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the demon-delivered man begged to go along, but he wouldn’t let him. Jesus said, “Go home to your own people. Tell them your story—what the Master did, how he had mercy on you.” The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.

Jesus is in control, always. There is no nasty demon that He can’t send packing. They obey him and we must know it.

 “Tell me your name.” ~~Jesus to the demons in a man. (Mark 5:9-10)

 

“God’s Spirit and God’s power did it.” ~Apostle Paul

Tags

1 Corinthians 2, God is Great, Holy Spirit, Power

Give me God’s power

Paul wasn’t afraid to admit that he was inadequate. Now that is something. In fact, he was scared to death. Deep down, we all are scared. God’s goal for us is not for us to be afraid and scared. He wants us to confident in Him and His power.

So where did being scared lead Paul? Straight to God. God is able. Nothing is impossible with Him.  The Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead was in Paul and is in me. Faith is a response to God’s power.

God is great. His power has no end. He can do anything. He wants to show us what can be done if we believe in Him and not in ourselves.

I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5

“When I was born again, I received the very life of the risen Lord from Jesus Himself.” ~~Oswald Chambers

Tags

Born Again, Easter, Jesus, Oswald Chambers, Resurrection

Resurrection of Jesus

This says it all. Jesus and His Father are so pleased to give us life. And not just any kind of life. The life and power of the risen Master, Jesus the Messiah.

How great is our God? So great he sent His Son to us so we can live a resurrected life. Now that is amazing.

When I was born again, I received the very life of the risen Lord from Jesus Himself.

via His Resurrection Destiny | My Utmost For His Highest.

"The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice." ~~Jesus

Tags

Easter, God's Voice, Hear, Jesus Sayings, John 5, Now, Resurrection, Time

Jesus lives. He is resurrected. God is a God of resurrection. We live a resurrected life with Him. That is His promise to us.

Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people live! And live we do. He is the resurrection and the life. When we believe in Him, we are buried in Him and resurrected in Him.

He also clues us in there will those who live a resurrected life of judgement. We need to choose Jesus. Jesus give life to anyone He chooses. He chooses us. Jesus doesn’t shut anyone out. Neither does God. They are both in a very good mood. God has handed authority over to Jesus. This is a fact. We can believe it. God is God. He is good. He has a goal for us. We must choose to live it out every day. That is the resurrection life.

We must choose to hear His voice today.

“The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice.” ~~Jesus  John 5:28-29 (The Message Bible)

At the crack of dawn on Sunday …

Tags

Easter, Faith, Resurrection

After Jesus was crucified, he was hastily buried as the clock was ticking moving toward the Sabbath. No work could be done. So they had to wait. And wait. And wait. It must have seemed like an eternity that long Saturday. On Sunday they were up and at it at the crack of dawn. When they got to the tomb, they couldn’t find Jesus body. And they were puzzled. I know I would have been as well. Probably more than puzzled.

But they moved on from being puzzled into belief. The angels explained it all to them. Jesus wasn’t there but raised up from the dead. And they remembered Jesus’ words.

Belief. Faith. Joy.

At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared. They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb, so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn’t find the body of the Master Jesus.They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, “Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?” Then they remembered Jesus’ words.

via Luke 24 MSG | YouVersion.

It is Maundy Thursday

Tags

Crucifixion, Easter, Holy, Holy Week, Jesus, Maundy Thursday

 

Maundy Thursday

It is Holy Thursday. Spending time today reflecting on that day and evening before the Crucifixion of our Master Jesus, the Messiah.

It is all good news. Our Father has a great goal for us. Jesus knew it and carried it out so that we can be in a right relationship with God.

Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, Sheer Thursday and Thursday of Mysteries) is the Christian feast, or holy day, falling on the Thursday before Easter. It commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, and is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday

via Maundy Thursday – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

• Devotions
  • Jesus Sayings  – Extensive set of devotionals on the 4 gospels and what Jesus has to say
  • Jesus Manifesto  – Devotionals on the Matthew 5 – 7
  • Wise Sayings – Devotionals on Proverbs and Psalms
• What others say
  • Quotes with a focus on what they mean in God’s world
  • Leadership Quotes

Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, Υἱέ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐλέησόν με τὸν ἁμαρτωλόν

Translated “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”

"A worker deserves three square meals." ~~Jesus

Tags

God is Great, Good News, Jesus Sayings, Luke 10

Jesus sent the disciples out to spread the good news about how God rules. He recognized that they would need a place to stay and meals to eat. Jesus set it up so that they would not be in need.  The same is true today. Jesus takes care of His workers.

God is great. He takes care of us and our basic needs.

“Stay at one home, taking your meals there, for a worker deserves three square meals. Don’t move from house to house, looking for the best cook in town.” ~~Jesus Luke 10:7 (The Message Bible)

God Thoughts: He is not here

Tags

Angel, Jesus, Mark 16, Resurrection

It is a simple message but the most powerful one I can know. I should not be afraid. Jesus was crucified. He has risen! God so loved me that He sent him to redeem me. The price has been paid and He has risen, defeating death. God is great. Nothing is impossible with Him. 

What an amazing God we have! And how fortunate I am to have Him! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, I’ve been given a brand-new life!

May I fully know the power of the risen Savior.

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. Mark 16