Do You Understand What I Have Done For You?

This week is Passion Week, when we reflect on the events that happened to Jesus from the time He entered Jerusalem on a donkey, heralded by people worshipping Him with palms, to His horrific suffering on the cross, where He died, and was buried in another man's tomb. Three days later, as He promised, He rose from the grave, bringing death and Satan to defeat. He ascended into heaven, and He promises to return for good as the King of kings and Lord of lords!

 

This morning as I was reading in the book of John, chapter 13, verse 12, this shouted at me:

 

Do you understand what I have done for you?

 

Jesus was modeling servant hood by washing His disciples' feet. He wanted them to do the same for others, so He asked them this question. But this morning, His statement had a different meaning for me. A bigger meaning. That I sense He wants me to share with all of you.

 

For some of us, we have heard this Easter story most of our lives. Jesus is God's Son who came down from heaven to demonstrate the Heavenly Father's love for us. We are all sinners, which separates us from being in the presence of God. He is holy and will not tolerate sin. The only way He could have His beloved children whom He loves passionately, to be with Him forever after we die, was for Him to provide that perfect, spotless Lamb who would bear our sins for us. Which was Jesus, His Son. He suffered on the cross for us, though He was sinless. He died for us, and rose again, defeating sin and Satan. He ascended into heaven, and soon will return to gather His saints, who are those of us who have truly accepted Him as our Lord and Savior.

 

Does this story touch you? Or have you become numb to it? There is a movie called Passion Of The Christ, which clearly reveals the suffering Jesus went through for us. Some of us can't bear to watch it, because it's so gory. Makes us feel uncomfortable. But it should!! We need to remember what He did for us. We need to remember the sacrifice He made for us, so we can spend eternity with Him.

 

To me, remembering what He did for us, magnifies the love He has for us all the more. I can never save myself from hell. And neither can you. Nothing I can do can wipe out the sinful nature that I was born with. It is only through Jesus Christ that I am saved. It is only through a personal, love relationship with Him that I can know without a doubt that my destiny is heaven after I die.

 

How about you? Do you understand what Jesus has done for you? Really? Place your name below in the blanks to help you remember.

 



For God so loved ____________

that He gave His one and only Son,

that if __________________ believe in Him

I will not perish but have eternal life.

 

- John 3:16

 

 





Terror In The Sky

This week we learned that a copilot who had mental issues locked the pilot out of the cockpit and proceeded to crash the jetliner, killing over a hundred passengers and crew. Despite his doctor writing an order for him not to fly, he ignored that warning. The families and loved ones of these people are now mourning and grieving. No one who boarded that plane knew of their fate.

 

Which brings me to this: what role did God play in all of this?

 

The Bible tells us many things about life and death.

 

O Lord, You have searched me and You know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

You perceive my thoughts from afar.

For You created my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother's womb.

All the days ordained for me

were written in Your book

before one of them came to be.

~Psalm 139:1-2,13,16

 

God is all-knowing and in control of all that happens. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:30 that the very hairs of our head are numbered. He knows when we are going to be born... and when we are going to die.

 

For some of these people on this plane, their souls went on to be with Jesus in heaven. For others, they didn't. Which makes hell their eternal destiny. They don't have another chance. It depended on the decision they made beforehand whether they were going to make Jesus their Lord and Savior.

 

How about you? Have you made that most important decision to accept Christ and make Him your Lord? If you haven't, why not? Some of you may have been putting it off, feeling you have some time. You want to "sow your oats" first and aren't ready to give up your earthly pleasures. You think you have time. But do you really?

 

God already knows what your last day of life will be like. You may be alone. Or you may be with other people. He also knows when your last day will be.

 

Do you?

Devotionals VS Time With God

Happy New Year! 2015 has arrived, and if you're like me, there are some things on your list you would like to do to improve your life. As a Christian, I am referring here to getting closer to God. And what would those things be?

One thing is reading and hearing more of the Word of God; the things of God. In my email inbox I receive at least five (yes, five!) different devotionals everyday. They are all from very reliable sources, and each one shares different things. It takes me quite a while to go through them all, and sometimes, especially if it's early in the day and I am rushed, I quickly read them, and then they are deleted. And most of the time, my mind has deleted them also. Sounds like they didn't do me any good. Yet, those sources put a lot of time, prayer (hopefully) and thought into preparing them. Now maybe, there are some readers whose hearts were touched by the Holy Spirit as they read them. And I can admit that I have had many of them speak to me personally, and I ended up printing them for future reference, and storing them in a folder, which is getting larger and larger. This makes me wonder. Especially as we enter a new year.

What does God think about all of this?

Quality is much more important than quantity, for sure. We can sign up for all the religious articles about God. We can listen to countless sermons and lectures about living for God. I'm sure that many theologians and pastors are deep into Scripture to prepare themselves for their ministries. But I wonder...

God wants us to know Him. God wants us to spend time with Him. God wants us to slow down and be still, for after all, He is God. We can fill our minds with all they can possibly hold of the things of God, while at the same time having empty souls. Hungry and thirsty souls for God. Because of our busy lives, we tend to give God a predetermined amount of time, and then end it, implying, 'God, I can only give you ten minutes this morning. Sorry, but I can meet with You again tomorrow.'

How can we expect to have a deep, vibrant relationship with God who we claim to love and follow when we do these things? We really need to look at this and make a conscious effort to make the time we have with Him a quality time. Take some time, everyday, and reserve it for God. God alone. Only God. Just you and God. Start with a half hour, take your Bible, maybe a notebook and pen, and go to a quiet room with no distractions. Begin by praying, asking Him to reveal Himself. Praise and thank Him. Be still and allow His Holy Spirit to breathe into you. Open the Bible and read. A Psalm and a passage in the New Testament, for example. Then pray. Let there be a quiet meditation, as you allow yourself to sense His presence with you. You will not be disappointed. And the more you do this; as the weeks go by with your daily time with God, you will find yourself looking forward to it, as it takes a higher priority in your daily schedule.

You will seek Me and find Me,

when you seek Me with all your heart.

~ Jeremiah 29:13

If you make every effort to work on your time with God, making it a quality time on a regular basis, you will find that everything else in your life will fall in line. Because you will be closer to God, you will be able to endure whatever happens in 2015, and beyond. He will equip you to handle anything that comes your way. Now, this sounds like a successful way to improve my life! How about you?

Can't See Where You're Going?

We recently were on a road trip and came across some thick fog. We could only see a little ahead of us, but nothing more. The scenery around us became invisible. Fortunately for us, it was daytime, the roads were marked well, and there was no traffic on the road. If it had been nighttime, we would have been in trouble and the chances would have been high for an accident. We would have felt fearful, especially if traffic was heavy and the roads weren't clearly marked. An hour or two later, the fog lifted and we were happily on our way.

 

Life can be like that, can't it? We have the strong desire to map out our plans. We want to see what's ahead of us, as we want to control our destiny. But every now and then, something happens and our plans are interrupted. We have no idea what's up ahead. And sometimes fear creeps in. A job loss, severe sickness and hospitalization, a divorce, whatever. Life isn't always a smooth, well marked road where the sunshine lights our way ahead. Sometimes, and I think we have all experienced this, we run into some really debilitating situations and we just want to stop. And for some of us, it is only then that we cry out to God.

 

If you are a Christian, then you know who really controls the atmosphere around you. Remember the time when Jesus was sleeping in the boat during the storm, and His disciples were scared? They woke Him up, and He rebuked the storm. They saw with their own eyes who was really in control. (Luke 8:22-25) I feel that God allows these seasons of fog to come across our path to force us to slow down. To stop and think. To stop and look up to Him. Too many times we get so focused on what WE want that we neglect our time with HIM. We want to be in control of OUR destinies. We want OUR plans to succeed. And we can find ourselves going down the wrong road because we get so distracted and lured by the beautiful scenery off the road. Off the path we're supposed to be on.

 

God loves you, and He is in control of the storms around you. When you can't see where you are headed, when the fog seems to be lasting forever, and when you feel like stopping, remember that He is with you. There is a purpose in this, and He has given you His Word that He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6) You have His manual, the Bible, to direct you on your road in life. He knows how long the fog will last, for He can see ahead.

 

Do not fear, for I am with you.

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

....... Isaiah 41:10

 

Yes, it is hard when you can't see ahead of you. This is where your faith is tested. Trust in Him. He will take care of You.

 





How Is Your Love Life?

I was thinking about love. We know there are many types of love: God's love, romantic love, kindred love and more. The love that I was chewing on was the love that people have for each other, and looking at today's cultural climate, it is looking like it is dysfunctional, to say the least! But the Bible did warn us about that, didn't it? In the last days, Jesus said the love of many will grow cold. (Matthew 24:12) People will be lovers of their own selves, becoming the motivation for everything they do! If things (and people) don't benefit themselves, then out the door they go!

 

I believe we all know the Bible has so much to say about love. From the very beginning, He gave us His love. For He demonstrated His own love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) And He tells us to love one another as He has loved us. So... why is this hard for some of us to do?

 

As a born-again Christian, I know that the love I am to give to others is not the love I can manufacture myself. I can not make myself love someone, especially if that person has hurt me. I may think I can, and I can try. But it still falls short of the deep love God calls me to have for others. Let's face it: some people are just difficult to love! But...

 

Jesus told us to abide in Him, and He will abide in us. Maintaining an intimate, close relationship with Him is vital for our love life. It is only through being filled with the Holy Spirit can we exhibit its fruit: love. We cannot imitate His love without Him loving through us. It is only through Jesus that we can love others the way we are called to do.

 

So... stop trying to love others on your own strength. And start relying on the Holy Spirit to allow that love to flow out. It will be a much purer, sweeter love that will change the world! 

The Wings Of God's Love

I love to watch eagles fly, and this past winter was fortunate enough to be one of thousands of viewers to watch a pair of eagles from the Hayes, near Pittsburgh area, raise their three eaglets. The cam was installed on a tree about thirty feet away from the massive nest, allowing us to observe all that went on. I will always remember the night when an icy blizzard came, and the Dad eagle flew into the nest to cuddle with the Mom eagle and their small eaglets. What love! What an inspiration for us humans on how to be loving, responsible parents to our children. God had instilled that in them. Through all the storms they all survived. And now, they are preparing for another brood.

 

I have read somewhere that when eagles fly, they like to fly very high where the wind currents are strong. This way, they can just ride the wind, hardly needing to flap their wings. They just soar effortlessly. A storm may be brewing below, but by flying above it, they aren't affected. There is calmness above a storm.

 

Years ago, I wrote a song about this, relating it to the storms we have to face in our lives.

 

The Wings of Your Love

 

Feel the wind blow, I can feel the wind blow.

Changing the landscape of my soul.

I will not fear, though the mountains be moved.

You are my refuge and I trust in You.

 

I will rise like an eagle on the wings of Your love.

With power You'll take me to places above.

I will soar through the tempest and pass through the storms.

I will rise like an eagle... on the wings of Your love.

 

The stronger the wind, the higher I'll fly.

You are the Master of the wide open sky.

You'll guide me and take me through life's many turns.

With peace I will follow on the wings of Your love.

 

I will rise like an eagle on the wings of Your love.

With power You'll take me to places above.

I will soar through the tempest and pass through the storms.

I will rise like an eagle... on the wings of Your love. 

 

God is truly the Master of it all, and when we place our trust in Him, He will help us to maneuver through all that we face, both good and bad. When we desire to be in His will, when we seek Him and when we truly believe that "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28) then we need not fear where life will take us. He provides the wings of His love for us to soar in the wind of  the Holy Spirit. Fly high above the storms!

 



Living The Impossible

Today I was thinking about the story in the Bible of Jesus asking Peter to walk on the water. Remember this? Peter and the disciples were in a boat on the sea, when they spotted Jesus a ways off, standing on top of the water. Peter, being the personality he was, got excited and asked Jesus if he could go to Him. Jesus told him to come. As Peter stepped out of the boat and placed his foot on the water, he realized his foot didn't sink. So, he put his other foot on the water, let go of the boat, and proceeded to Jesus. After a little bit, he looked around and down, realizing he was doing the impossible, and started to sink. As he cried out to Jesus for help, Jesus reached down and pulled him up, asking him why he doubted. Quite a story, isn't it?

 

Sometimes God asks us to do the impossible too. Sometimes we find ourselves in circumstances that defy the odds, that no one else has ever done. Maybe He has called you to do something that you don't feel equipped to do. Perhaps, your family, friends, etc. have already sized you up and told you that you wouldn't be good at something. Remember when Jesus first started out in His ministry, that his brothers didn't even believe in Him. But He did what His Father told Him to do anyway.

 

I hear of so many people who were told "No" to a dream they had. Not once, not twice, but more... way more. No one believed in them, but they felt a passion and true conviction that what they believed in was important and the right thing to do.

God is a god of impossibles, and He can very well call you to do what seems the impossible. Why? Because, knowing that what we accomplish wouldn't be possible without God's intervention and help, it gives Him glory. We are limited in what we can do, but God can do anything. He is our strength in the midst of weakness.

Remember that it was only when Peter took his eyes off Jesus and placed them on his surroundings and circumstances, that he began to sink. Likewise, when we try to over analyze our abilities, perhaps giving ourselves too much credit, resulting from pride, that we too can fall. If you are feeling that God has called you to do the impossible, keep your focus on Him. Remember, He can make the impossibles possible!