His Voice

     Remaining in the peace and joy that Jesus offers is not easy, is it? Satan wants to destroy our destiny, to sap our strength, to fill our heads with fear, to make us doubt ourselves and God’s love. Maybe a conscious effort needs to be made daily to listen to God’s voice above the roars of Satan, above the emotions and feelings that guide us. Remember, God's voice never condemns.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1

     We belong to Him. Listen for His voice above all others. We will recognize His love, His peace, His joy beyond it all.

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

     We are His forever. Still those inner voices of doubt, fear, worry, and guilt. Nothing will ever, ever separate us from the eternal love of Jesus.

I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one will snatch them out of My hand. John 10:28

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

     No longer condemned. No longer in chains. Never to be separated from Jesus, not ever. We will never perish, but will have eternal life. Listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd as He brings you to safe pasture. Let Him comfort your soul today with His forgiveness and love.

Amen

See you back here on Tuesday! Enjoy the weekend.

Once For All

     Many of us grew up with a picture of a judgmental God, a guilt-provoking God, a punishing God, where we felt the need to constantly ask for forgiveness, never feeling good enough. I know many churches still teach that we have to go back to the cross again and again, never quite free.

     Remember, Jesus died once and for all. When we trust Him as our Lord and Savior, we have His Holy Spirit to guide us. Our sins are forgiven, once and for all, past, present and future. The Spirit will guide us into more and more truth, into more and more freedom, into living a life led by Him, rather than being led by our own feelings, emotions and temptations.

     What a gift. Let the chains that bind you fall away, once and for all.

He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Psalm 107:14

And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all. Hebrews 10:10

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8;36

     Shake off your chains, once and for all. You are forgiven! You are free! You are free indeed!

Jesus,

It is hard to accept Your gift of sacrifice. You took it all, once and for all, for us. We praise You. We are free indeed. Let Your Spirit lead us into more and more truth as we are filled with the joy of total forgiveness.

Amen

A Plan For All

     We have talked about children and grandchildren this week. There are many out there living a single life by choice, by circumstances, by separation and by death. God is a loving companion for all. He is a Father, a friend, and He has a plan for each one of us. We can do all things through Him who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13)

     Hang onto His hand when you are lonely. Listen to His voice when you have lost your way. Feel His love as it surrounds you. His plans are always good, always.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

     Hope and a future. He has a plan for you and for me. Satan would love nothing more than to discourage us, to disarm us, to destroy God’s plan for us. God is mightier. He is good. All the time. As His children, we know He will work the good, the bad and the ugly into something beautiful. He leads us before, during and after. He leads us through. He leads us up. He leads us out. Trust Him today.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

Father,

Help us to feel Your overpowering love for us, knowing that You are working all things out for good, for Your own purposes, with a unique plan for each of us. Let us, married or single, be overwhelmed and transformed by Your amazing love.

In Jesus name,

Amen

No Greater Love

     Our daughter is back to teaching this week and we are back to caring for our 7-mnth-old precious bundle of grandson joy! We pray the transition will be a smooth one for all of us. It is tough going back to work after being a full-time mommy all summer. She knows that this child has our hearts and we will watch over him, nourish him, protect him, snuggle him, delight in him and love him the best that we can.

     As much as we love our children and our grandchildren, our Father in heaven loves them even more. He watches over us, nourishes our souls, protects us and delights over us. God loves us so much He sent His only Son to die for us, to give us hope and freedom. He gave us a way back to Him and we can enjoy a full relationship with a loving Father.

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you. In His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

     God will be with our daughter, with us and with our precious grandson. He delights over us and rejoices over us with singing. Can you imagine? Rest in that promise today.

Lord,

We praise You for Your great love for us. There is no greater love than Yours. Give our daughter great peace in knowing that her son is in good hands, as we all delight in him.

In Jesus name,

Amen

She's 30!

     How is it possible for our first-born to be turning 30 today? The two of us were quite out of sorts for the first few weeks of her precious life. Luckily, my husband, (one of the unending list of reasons I am still madly in love) took good care of us. And, just as luckily, we both turned the corner from the crying, not-to-be soothed mom and baby, into a happy mommy-daughter duo that exists to this day.

     In addition to the impossibility of passing time, another real impossibility exists in trying to put into words how much this child means to me. From the quiet, kind and gentle spirit emanating from her even as a young child, from her earnest and careful first steps and her overly-neat eating patterns, she has emerged into the most beautiful, hard-working, organized, generous, funny and fashionable young women to grace our lives.

     Tears flow down my face freely as I ponder this young woman gifted to us by God. She is about to embark on marrying the love of her life and I see how deep she can love, including loving his two children with her whole heart. How lucky they are to have her and how lucky we are to have her as our daughter.

     Her faith is strong. I made numerous mistakes as a mom over the last 30 years, but introducing our children to Jesus is the most precious gift we had to offer and both daughters accepted Him whole-heartedly. What peace that brings.

     Happy birthday Angela. You truly are an angel to many, including your dad and me. We love you!

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

All your children will be taught by the Lord and great will be their peace. Isaiah 54:13

Start children off in the way they should go and even when they are old, they will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Father,

Thankfulness and gratitude pour from my heart as I praise You for our children. May they continue to walk in the ways of our Lord, Jesus. Bless our daughter, Angela, today on her 30^th birthday and bless her footsteps throughout this happy year ahead.

Amen

The Christian Life

     Many of our churches in America have become complacent over the years. We used to understand the battle between good and evil, to stand for our faith even to the point of death, to willingly speak of Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven. So many have died in His name.

     If there were other ways to heaven, why would our Lord have come to earth to pay such an awful price, to die such an agonizing death, to carry our sins? There is simply no other way, no other explanation.

Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

     The Bible makes it clear. It breaks my heart to think of anyone missing out on heaven. Jesus loves everyone and He does not want to lose even one.

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

     Unfortunately, the Bible also makes it clear. As the return of Jesus draws ever closer, evil will increase. There will be a great falling away of the church of Christ. A complacent church. A world-loving church. A compromising church. Let it not be said of us.

Let no one deceive you by any means, for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. 2 Thessalonians 2:3

For know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people, run away! 2 Timothy 3:1-5

     The list above is disheartening. Each and every one on the list needs Crist! A world that needs Jesus. We bring His hope.

Lord,

We want to keep passing along the Gospel of salvation. You died for everyone and You love us all. Keep us Spirit-filled and Jesus centered, never compromising on the truth of salvation.

In Jesus name,

Amen

The Christian Life

     A Christ-centered life is a life empowered by the Holy Spirit. The very Spirit of God, the Father Himself, comes to live within us, the moment we believe and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. What type of Spirit is this and what type of power is available to us each and every day?

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

     Remember, this power is available to us! We can be disciplined, filled with love and filled with God’s power! And what does this power include?

And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies, because of His Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:11

     Imagine that!!  The Spirit of God, the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, is living within us!  Now, that is power!! This power will support us, comfort us, teach us, pray for us, give us the right words, and love us throughout our lives. And at our death, this Spirit will remain alive through eternity, and our mortal bodies will one day become immortal!  Take this in today. Feel the power of the Spirit. Do not be timid. You are filled with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ Himself!

Lord,

We can’t fill in enough exclamation points to communicate the Holy Spirit's power You offer us now and forevermore. Help us to understand and to walk out into the world with the humble confidence of our Lord and Savior.

In Jesus name,

Amen