Jesus Knows Us

"But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man."  John 2:24-25 ESV

God truly knows all men. Since Jesus is fully man and fully God, He knew the true inward thoughts of the people. He knew His true followers and their true character. He knows who is truly His, the upright, the weak, the meek, the lowly; and He also knows the wayward, the self-righteous, those easily led astray. He knew the "inconstancy" and "fickleness" of the multitude surrounding him. He knew how easily they might be turned against Him by the Jewish leaders, and how His ministry could be cut short too soon. Even though the crowd acted as though they wanted to believe and follow Him, He did not/could not "entrust" or take these people totally under His wings as true believers and commune with them because He "KNEW" them and the true state of their hearts - how sad.

We look at the outward appearance of man to make decisions. Sometimes we can look at the fruit others bear to make character judgements. Christ truly knows all of us. He looks at the inward parts; at the true intentions of the heart. We need to be cautious of being like the Pharisees or others with dead faith. We need to make sure we are aligned with Christ; that our true intentions are Christ-like. We need to bear good fruit. When Christ examines us, as He "knows what is in man" what does He see?

Lord, please help me examine and test my ways as Lamentations tells us to do, and if any are out of alignment, help me to return to You. Convict me of any errors or sins in my life so that when you see me, you will want to call me your own and draw me into your inner circle. Thank You for walking the path you chose so freely during Holy Week for all sinners everywhere. Thank You for your Triumphal Entry, as you looked over that Holy City that would reject You, as we still do today, I can't imagine the heartache, as you knew the hearts of man, but I am eternally grateful that you chose to do so. Thank you for your willing sacrifice as Your Holy and Perfect Father turned His back on You for ME! I love You, Jesus. I plead the blood!

God’s children have been tested and fought on every side

But there is one sure weapon when we face the enemy

It’s still the blood of Jesus that brings our victory

I plead the blood, I plead the blood

That was shed on Calvary, bringing hope for you and me

I plead the blood, I plead the blood

Over all the power of hell, Satan you cannot prevail

I plead the blood

For our lost and dying loved ones, the blood still saves today

And when we cry for healing, the blood is ours to claim

The blood is still the answer for every battle of the mind

There is no greater power, demons tremble when we cry.

I plead the blood

Let Your Light Shine

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

The theme of John’s Gospel is that Jesus is the long-awaited, promised Messiah and the Only Son of God, who gives eternal life to all who choose to believe. As for the verse I chose to write about today, the LIGHT, the TRUE LIGHT, shines and the darkness has not overcome it. The darkness does not comprehend it. Darkness, in the Bible, commonly denotes ignorance, guilt, or misery. When it is said that "the light shines in darkness," it means that the Lord Jesus came to teach an ignorant, wicked, sinful world. This has always been the case. It was so when He sent His prophets; it was so during the time of the Judges, during His own ministry, and in every age since. His efforts to enlighten and save men He has been like light struggling to penetrate a thick, dense, dark rain cloud; and though a few rays may pierce the gloom, the great mass is still impenetrable. 

I really like to watch the sky after a storm when the clouds are dark and the sun is trying to pierce through...I can never get a good photo of the beauty to do it justice, but this is what I envision when I read this part of scripture. Perhaps we have been given over to our reprobate minds. Darkness, sin, cannot comprehended the LIGHT until the Holy Spirt softens the density of the darkness. The darkness did not "receive" or "admit" the rays of light; the shades were so thick that the light could not penetrate them; men were so ignorant, so guilty, so debased, that they did not appreciate the value of His LIGHT, His instructions, His salvation; they despised and rejected Him. And so, it is still. Humanity, sick in sin, to this day, will not receive His teachings, and be enlightened, saved by Him. Sin always blinds the mind to the beauty and warmth of the LIGHT of the Lord Jesus.

We need to realize our LIGHT needs to always shine into the darkness around us. However, we need to be realistic and understand, that just as in the days of old, we may only have "rays of light" that penetrate due to the dense darkness of the world of sin around us. Do not let this discourage us as we let our LIGHT shine. John 16:33 tells us: 

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

LIGHT always outshines darkness! It is so much easier to walk toward light, even if it is a small glimmer or flickering, than to walk toward darkness! Shine on, my friends, shine on! 

Let us pray without ceasing, that our eyes may be opened to behold The TRUE LIGHT, that we may walk in it; and be made more wise in His Word. That through faith in Jesus Christ we may press on toward the mark, letting our LIGHT shine into darkness always, without regret!

Who’s Your Adversary?

Who is your adversary or opponent? With whom are you in conflict, or dispute? Is it a co-worker, spouse, kids, family, others? Don’t be fooled; those listed above are not who you are in opposition with. A true war rages with Satan and his minions. We must be aware and prepared for spiritual battle. Some are oblivious to this war and make themselves easy prey.

Are you an easy target for Satan to take down and attempt to destroy? If so man up! Put on your armor and stand firm!

In God’s Word (Ephesians 6:11-17 and Psalm 91) we are told how to prepare for battle. God gives us offensive and defensive tactics for VICTORY, not just for survival. A war rages...gear up today! Knowing is half the battle!

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:11-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 

 

I Want More

Ariel says it best...

"Look at this stuff, Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the girl who has everything? Look at this trove; Treasures untold; How many wonders can one “home” hold? Lookin' around here you'd think sure, she's got everything...I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty. I've got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I got twenty-But who cares? No big deal, I want more..."

Are you content with what you have or could she have been singing about you? What do you want? 

I want people around the world to learn to have a personal relationship with Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior before they die! I want to make an impact on the people in the community where I live and serve God. I don’t want to just read the Bible, I want to live it out loud—to be the hands and feet of Jesus—to go where He would go, to love how He would love, and to serve others how He would serve. 

We cannot do that by sitting at home or in a church pew “watching” church—WE MUST BE THE CHURCH. We must seek opportunities to serve, to give, to help others at home and abroad. We need to pray for our missionaries all around the world. We need to seek opportunities to help minister to their families and search for ways to partner with their ministries. 

We need to help touch the lives of those in need. One easy way we can make a difference is by demonstrating God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world.  Together with churches worldwide, we can share the Good News of Jesus Christ through a simple Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Gift. It is easy, fun, something the whole family can do together, and a great way to spread God's Love! 

By taking part of the blessings we have been so abundantly given and sharing with others by packing Operation Christmas Child gift-filled shoeboxes over the next few weeks we can give children around the world a gift, for some it is their 1st time to ever receive a gift! These boxes will go to children in over 100 countries around the world. I challenge you to pack a shoebox this year and to help make a difference this holiday season and EVERY DAY wherever God has placed you!! 

Operation Christmas Child

How Christmas in the USA often looks...

1 OCC Shoebox Per Child Per Lifetime...Christmas Around the World...

Creation

God’s creation is inspiring, amazing, incredible! God spoke our universe, the planets, all of creation into existence in 6 days and it was good! God rested on the 7th day - not because He was tired but because creation was complete. He set this day aside to become a holy day for us to rest and reflect on the wonder and majesty of God, of His perfect plan of salvation, of His love for us...a day to reflect and realize all that God does is GOOD, He is a good, good Father! 

What about creation amazes you? Oceans? Birds? Sunsets/Sunrises?  

Take some time to look and appreciate God’s creativity and design this week with your family!

He designed a plan for your life too! Is your family on the narrow path?  

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14

Wow God!

Sit and ponder how amazing God truly is...He spoke the world into creation (Genesis 1) and saw that it was good! It was VERY GOOD! (Gen. 1:31). He formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life! (Gen. 2:7). He gave a life-giving breath...what do we give in return? A life of service, a life of complaining, nothing at all, reverent fear and respect? To fear God doesn't mean we are afraid of Him, it means we honor, respect and are are amazed by Him. When is the last time you sat back and said, "WOW GOD!" because you admired something He has done? Look at creation all around you! The birds, the flowers, the sunrise or sunset, the trees starting to bud, people, the laughter of a child...He created ALL of this! Awe is pleasing to God. When we are awestruck by His awesomeness then we are on our way to gaining reverent fear for our Lord! Look at all God has done for you...sometimes the only response we can say is "WOW GOD!"

Be the Light!

"LIGHT" is used repeatedly in God's Word. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus uses it to illustrate to Christians that our lives are open books and sometimes the only Bible others will see. We are the LIGHT to this dark world...we should not hide our LIGHT, we should let it shine for all to see. Being the LIGHT in this time is a high calling - whether you are being the LIGHT to your family as you are at home, or the LIGHT to others as you are still going to work every day, ---both has challenges at this time. 

In Genesis 1- God said "Let there be light". In 2 Samuel 22 David says "God is his Lamp that lightens his darkness" (vs 29). Psalm 27 says "The Lord is the light of my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?" Jesus said in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." Revelation 22:3-5 tells us the day is coming when things will no longer be acursed and, we will be face to face with our almighty Lord and Savior and there will be no more night, or need for lamps or sun, for God will be our LIGHT." I challenge you to seize the day and let your LIGHT shine for all to see while we are able. Are you still shining brightly, or is your lamp starting to flicker like it's running low on oil?? What are a few things you and your family can do to become a stronger LIGHT for God in these uncertain days? Pray for God to give you strength to shine brighter than ever! Encourage and pray for others, make some phone calls, mail some homemade cards...let your LIGHT SHINE! Sit outside and enjoy the beautiful light for a few minutes today!