Come Lord Jesus

 

     Life moves through cycles of weakness and strength, of chaos and peace, of sadness and joy, of comfort and unrest. After we come to know Jesus, He sticks with us through it all and as we deepen our relationship with Him, we look more and more forward to seeing Him face-to-face and we yearn for our eternal homes.

     My grandma, Pella, made a huge impact on my life. I was lucky to have her until my late twenties. As she aged and moved into her nineties, she would often say, “I just want to go home to Jesus.” With her strong Swedish accent, she said, “Yesus,” and called me “Yudy.”  I still miss her, but the older I get the more I understand the longing that faith brings and the eternal perspective in life. I treasure her Swedish Bible that is so worn from her years of lovingly reading its contents.

     My one remaining aunt is in her mid-nineties now. Along with my grandparents, she and her husband, Paul, taught by example what it means to live a life of faith. My uncle, Paul, was larger than life to me with his outgoing personality filled with laughter and love, with his ability to speak passionately and pray beautifully, never afraid to share His love of Christ.

     Each time I spoke with him, even as he lay dying, he added the words, “Come, Lord Jesus!”  And to me, “Keep shining the light.” My aunt is close to going home now and each day she prays Jesus will take her to heaven.

     Did you know that the disciples expected Jesus to return at any moment? The apostle Paul wrote often about being ready for the soon return of Christ. Each generation believed He could return at any moment, any day, any season. We, along with generations past, should be ready as well.

     His return is imminent. About to happen at any moment. Are you ready and longing for His appearance?

So, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Matthew 24:44

Therefore, keep watch because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24;42

     Keep watch. Be alert. Watch the signs and the seasons. As we witness Scripture coming true prophetically, we can be confident in our faith and in the soon return of our Lord.

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Luke 21:28

     We have nothing to fear. Live with confidence in Jesus. Wait patiently and with great expectation. Each day is a blessing and our eternity is secure.

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come Lord, Jesus. Revelation 22:20

Father,

We say, “Come, Lord Jesus.” What a day it will be when we meet Him face-to-face and move into our glorious eternal home. In the meantime, keep us ready and alert, doing what You ask us to do through our lifetimes here as we await that glorious day.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Enjoy the weekend and keep shining!

 

Come and See

 

     Come and see what the Lord has done! As we live our lives with Jesus, we begin to witness the miraculous all around us. His creation is more magnificent and unbelievably beautiful than we appreciated before knowing Him. The love we share with family and friends becomes more precious because of Him.

     Our eyes open to what is important to Him, the deep and the lovely world that Jesus offers. Deep speaks to deep.

These are the things God has revealed to us through His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10

Deep calls to deep in the roar of the waterfalls, all Your waves and breakers have swept over me. Psalm 42:7

     Jesus opens our spiritual eyes with the help of His Holy Spirit. After meeting Jesus and following Him for a while, the deep blessings overwhelm us. His voice reverberates in our souls and we begin to see through His eyes, hear with His ears, serve with His hands, walk in His steps.

     We remain human and fraught with weakness, slipping again and again, but His love remains strong and faithful as He continually welcomes us back to Him and to come and see what He will do next.

Come and see what God has done, His awesome deeds for mankind! Psalm 66:5

     Our testimonies will become filled with His stories, with His ability to walk us through anything, with the blessings of His love. John and Peter had been arrested while sharing the Gospel and were told not to speak in public anymore. After their release, they went right back out. Why? Here is the answer.

“As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20

     Come and see what Jesus has in store for your life, and you, too, will not be able to stop speaking of everything you see and hear.

Lord,

Your ways are much deeper than our ways. Open our spiritual eyes to see what You have to share with us. The glories You offer are beyong this world, sent from heaven for our pleasure. We love You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Come Follow Me

 

     After coming to Jesus with our hearts, He asks us to follow Him throughout the rest of our earthly lives, trusting Him through each day, with every step, through the tough times and the smooth times.

“Come follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Mark 1;17

Then He said to them all, “Whoever wants to be My disciple, must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

“My sheep listen to My voice. I know them and they follow Me.” John 10?27    

     Following Jesus does not mean our lives will be perfect and easy. On the contrary, He often works best through our times of suffering and sadness. We become closer to Him. Our testimonies become rich with wisdom and trust. His blessings are much deeper than the blessings the world sees as most vital. His love and hope grow in us when we are most vulnerable.

     Follow Him and listen to His voice. He has the answers to the questions you are asking right now. Feel the warmth of His love and comfort. Follow His lead. He will use your stories to shine with His love.

Lord,

Even when life is not easy, we come to You. We follow You. We listen to You. Teach us to trust You and count on You every minute of every day.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Come To Me

 

     Have you met Jesus? Accepted him as Savior? Love Him more than anything? If not, He is right there, knocking at your heart. Jesus beckons, welcomes, waits patiently for us to turn our heads His way. Jesus will continue to watch over us, waiting for the opportunity to arise. Often, when we do come to Him, it is during a time of suffering, a time of asking the deep questions in life. Are you seeking answers? Wondering about life and what it’s all about?

“Ask and it will be given to you,, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7;7

“You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

     Jesus is ready to open the door. You will find Him. Feeling weary and burdened with life? Seeking comfort and hope? Jesus is speaking to your heart.

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

          Rest from our worries, rest from our stress, rest from our grief, answers to eternal questions, peace and joy from now until heaven. He offers us a changed life, one built on the foundation of faith. If you haven’t met Jesus, come to Him today with an open heart, ready to listen, to discover His love, to accept Him as Savior, and He will meet you right where you are.

May Your unfailing love come to me, Lord, Your salvation according to Your promise. Psalm 119:41

Jesus,

Open hearts today. We come to You with our lives. Open Your loving arms to us and to those who do not yet know You. You are waiting for us to come home.

Amen

Spirit Power

 

     Following in the footsteps of Jesus is impossible on our own. Instead, we often choose a few more minutes of sleep, time on our devices or scheduling too many activities. We want to stay in our comfort zones with our own friends and family. We don’t venture too far. It’s scary out there.

     Even the idea of bringing up the subject of faith in Christ causes a tingling of fear and anxiety. Luckily for us, Jesus rose again and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He said it would be better for His followers when He went away. The reason? The power of the Holy Spirit could be unleashed to all believers.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues-as the Spirit enabled them.  Acts: 2:1-4

     Today we may not hear a violent wind or see flames shooting above our heads, but that same Holy Spirit is within us. We have the power of the Spirit of Christ and when we rely on that Spirit, we will find time to spend with God, time to speak of Jesus, time to hang out with those that need Him most. The power and the Spirit of Christ. Can you imagine?

Dear Jesus,

Following Your example takes the guiding and teaching of Your Spirit. We thank You for the power You give each one of us, each in our own way, to be Your hands and feet, Your eyes and ears, to bring Your presence to others.

Amen

The World Needs Jesus

 

     We love our sisters and brothers in the faith. Studying the word together, counting on one another for prayer build us up in the faith, encourage us and give us strength to live as Christians in a secular world. But we are not meant to close ourselves off from that world. Jesus gave His followers what is called, “the great commission.”

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Matthew 28:19

     The Pharisees did not like the fact that Jesus hung out with the “wrong” crowd. He spoke with prostitutes, dined with tax collectors and (gasp!) even spoke to a Samaritan woman in the light of day. Those lawmakers liked to turn their noses up at the “sinners” congratulating themselves on being nothing like them.

   While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”  Matthew 9:10-12 

     The world needs Jesus.  Be a light to a hurting world. Light overcomes darkness. Be a witness for Him.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

Dear Lord,

The church is meant to open doors and look out to encourage others. Keep us from hiding ourselves away in our safe places. Move us into the world around us. We have Your joy and Your love. Let it be contagious.

Amen

Faith in Jesus

 

     The house was full. The crowds were huge. The word had spread about Jesus. His teaching was different from anything they had ever heard. Demons fled. Sight was restored. Some were healed just by touching His gown. And there they came; the four faithful friends of the paralytic. They carried their friend through the streets on a mat, determined to find Him. The One.

     It seemed an impossible task when they came upon the crowd. There was no way to get into the house. Or was there?

     Read along with me.

Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lynng on. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, “Son your sins are forgiven.”  Mark 2:4-5

     What would you do to lead your friends to Jesus? They wanted their friend to walk. Here’s the interesting part. Jesus sees their faith. Does He heal the paralyzed man? Eventually He does. But what is most important? “Son your sins are forgiven.”

     God uses our suffering to bring us to Him. His priority is to save us for eternity, to forgive us through Jesus. That comes first. He wants our hearts. He wants us to hear the message and take it in and then we become the messengers, bringing our friends to see Him.

Dear Jesus,

See our faith. Let us in among the crowds with our friends. Give us the message You want us to share and help us to bring our hurting friends to You. Many are paralyzed with hurt and fear and doubt and grief. We can carry their burdens and leave them with You for forgiveness and healing.

Amen