Finding Courage In The Lord Jesus

When we look back over the past year we remember the joys, the laughter, and the sorrow that we endured.  Time has seemed to fly by at a rapid rate.  We look forward to the start of a new year.  Soon it will be the year 2018.  When we think of the year ahead of us we know there will be times of great joy, there will be times of laughter and fun, but there maybe times of difficulty and sorrow.

We live in a fallen world where things can seem rather dark and bleak at times.  Thankfully we believers have our hope firmly established upon Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  We know that no matter what the upcoming year has in store for us the Lord will see us through if we are trusting in Him.  It may not be easy or quick, but we know that the Lord Jesus will never leave us nor we He ever forsake us.

Sometimes the trials and difficulties in life can weigh us down.  We may feel tired and weary.  We may even need courage to face the trials ahead of us.  We all could use more courage.  I know I sure could at times.  The Lord will give us the courage that we need through the Holy Spirit who indwells everyone that has placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

I remember from reading in Joshua 1:1-9 that Joshua himself needed to be reminded to take courage and trust that wherever he went the Lord would be with him.

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide:

2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.

3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.

4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.

5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”    

The Lord reminded Joshua that Moses was dead and it was now up to Joshua to take the Israelites across the Jordan and enter into the land that was promised to them by the Lord.  Joshua needed some courage.  He had seen over the past forty years how the Israelites rebelled against God and Moses.  Joshua remembered their moaning and complaining and now God was telling him that he was their leader.  What thoughts and fears must have entered Joshua's mind. 

Joshua had some mighty big sandals to fill, but he also knew that with God all things are possible.  The Lord knew Joshua needed words of encouragement and we can see in these 9 verses the Lord tells Joshua to be strong and courageous three different times.  We all need that reminder at times and some of us need that reminder several times a day.

In order for us to find courage we must have our focus on the right place.  If our focus is on the world and all that is going on we won't find courage.  We will find fear and anxiety, but if our focus is on God the Maker and Creator of all things then we will find our courage in Him.  The Lord loves us with a deep and unconditional love.  He doesn't want us to be anxious and afraid about the future.  He wants us to trust Him each step of the way.  

We must draw near to the Lord and walk in the Spirit.  We must come to the Lord by faith and trust in His grace.  We need to read and listen to His Holy Word, the Bible, and apply the Word to our lives.   We can have courage in facing this new year because we know that the Lord will be with us each step of the way wherever we find ourselves during the new year.

God demonstrated His great love for us by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, into this world.  Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life.  Jesus died on the Cross, shedding His blood for our sins.  We know that we have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's high standards.  We are all deserving of being placed into a literal hell for all eternity, but the good news is that we don't have to go there.  God made a way for us to have our sins forgiven and we can have an eternal home in Heaven.  We must be reconciled back to God and that is only possible by placing our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and making Him our Lord and Savior.

We are saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  There is no other name under Heaven in which people must be saved by.  There is only one way to have our sins forgiven and there is only one way into Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ.  

God raised Jesus to life on the third day and He is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven.  One day the Lord Jesus Christ will return and bring the Kingdom of God to the earth in full completion where He will rule as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  

Everyone that has placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross have the Holy Spirit indwelling them.  We believers are truly never alone.  God will be with us throughout the year ahead and that should give us some courage.  If we need more courage we can know that the Lord will provide us with more through His Holy Spirit.

The Lord is good and he loves us.  We can trust Him each step of the way.  We can be strong and courageous in Him.

Lord,

Sometimes life is hard and we feel afraid.

Help us to be strong and courageous.

Holy Spirit empower us with courage to do what it is You would have us to do.

Lead us and guide us according to Your will O Lord.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen.

                 

Remembering Jesus When Our Hearts Are Troubled

The world can seem like a rather dark and scary place to live at times.  There seems to be trouble everywhere we look.  Sometimes things can seem bleak and even hopeless.  We believers in Jesus Christ must remind ourselves that no matter how bad things may seem that we have great hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Things may not always go the way we would like to see them go and sometimes bad things happen in our lives.  Sometimes our hearts feel troubled and we get overwhelmed by fear and worry.  There will be times when our faith is tested to the very core, but we must press onward toward the goal that has been set before us.  We must continue to run the race that we are in with our focus on the Lord Jesus.  We also know that our enemy, the devil ,will fight against us, but we must resist him and cling to the Lord Jesus each step of the way.

I like what Jesus tells His disciples in John 14:1-6 which says,

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^a; believe also in me.
                                                                                                       

2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 

                                                                                                       

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except

through me.                              

When our hearts feel troubled by our circumstances and by things that are happening in our world these days we must remember who Jesus is and we also need to remember His wonderful promises.  Jesus is our Lord and Savior and we can trust Him.  Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.  If everyone we know abandons us we know that Jesus will always be with us if we have placed our faith and trust in Him for salvation.

Jesus also tells us in the passage above that one day He will come and take us home to Heaven where He is preparing a place for us.  What a great hope that we have in Jesus Christ.  The Lord Jesus died on the Cross for our sins and He rose to life on the third day and one day He will return.  One great day all of us who are trusting in the finished work that Jesus accomplished on the Cross on our behalf will be in Heaven to live with the Lord for all eternity.

What a great day that will be!  Our hearts will no longer feel troubled or anxious.  He will wipe away every tear for our eyes.  There will be no more trouble there in Heaven.  We have a great hope in Jesus Christ.  Sometimes we get busy and sidetracked that we forget all that Jesus has accomplished for us and that He is preparing for us.

There is only one way to the Father and there is only one way to obtain forgiveness of our sins and that is through Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and He is the only Way to the Father.  There is no other way that we can get forgiveness of our sins and a place in Heaven.

There is only one name under Heaven in which we must be saved by and that is the name of Jesus Christ.  When troubles come to us may we remember that Jesus paid it all for us on the Cross and He is preparing a place for us in Heaven and one day He will take us there where will be with Him forever.

 Lord, Heavenly Father,

Thank You for all that You do for us and all that You have done for us.

Help us to trust You more with our troubled hearts and minds.

We praise Your Holy Name.

I pray for those who feel troubled this very moment and I ask You in the Name of Jesus to touch them with Your comforting touch and help them feel Your peace and joy.

Come Quickly Lord Jesus.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen.        

God's Ways Are Greater

Sometimes life can seem totally unfair to us.  There are times when we have a hard time understanding what exactly God is up to in our lives and the lives of those around us.  We live in a fallen and sinfully dark world.  We know that God is still at work in our world today and that He is still touching people's hearts with the love of Jesus Christ.

There are times when we look at all the trouble that is going on in our world today and we wonder what exactly is God up to.  This is where we must realize that God is God and we are not.  God knows what He is doing and He will accomplish His will in His timing.  We don't always understand what God is up to in our lives, but we know that we can trust Him no matter where we find ourselves in life.

The Lord will equip us to accomplish whatever task that He has asked us to do.  The Lord does have a plan and a purpose for our lives.  We must surrender ourselves to His will and allow Him to work in our lives through His Holy Spirit.

I am reminded of Isaiah 55:8-9 which says,

"8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 
                                                                                                       

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."    

The Lord's thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are greater than our ways.  The Lord knows the beginning to the very end and He knows exactly how everything will turn out.  We can only see only a small piece of the puzzle, but God can see everything and how everything connects together the way God intends.  We must be obedient to His call and His direction even if what He tells us to do doesn't exactly make sense to us at the moment.

We can be thankful that God knows what He is doing and that He is trustworthy.  We can trust Him with our lives each and everyday all the way until He calls us Home.  God is good and He loves us so very much.  

Lord,

We praise Your Name.

Thank You that You are in control.

Help us to trust You more.

Lead us and guide us closer to You through Your Word and the Holy Spirit.

May Your will be done in our lives.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen.

                        

God's Greatest Gift

When we think of Christmas we often think about gifts, family, eating, parties, and decorations.  We may also think of all the busyness that the season brings.  We also remember the stress and anxiety.  Some people may even experience sadness this time of the year because they are missing loved ones that are no longer with them.

Sometimes in the midst of all the preparations and decorating we forget what Christmas is truly about.  Most of the Christmas music on the radio station where I live makes no mention of the true meaning of Christmas.  Many people have no idea of the greatness of Christmas and that it is for all people.

God the Creator of everything that is seen and unseen sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to this world to demonstrate His great love for human kind.  God sent Jesus on a rescue mission to save us from our sins.  We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of His high standards.  The wages of our sins is death.  There is not one of us that is good enough to earn our salvation and there is none of us that is good enough to gain entrance into Heaven on our own.  There is not one of us that is good enough on our own.  We are all deserving of being eternally separated from God and placed into a literal hell forever.

The good news is that we don't have to go to hell and be separated from God forever because He made a way for us to be reconciled back to Himself through His one and only Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8, John 3:16).  God sent Jesus into this world to be born of a virgin to be our Immanuel, which means "God with us."

Matthew 1:18-25 tells us all about the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ who was born of a virgin a that He came to be, "God with us" our long awaited Immanuel.  The Lord sent the greatest gift that has ever been given.

I rejoice at the birth of Jesus Christ at His first coming to the earth.  I am thankful and grateful that the story doesn't stop there.  Jesus would grow up and live a perfect and sinless life.  The story would eventually end up at the top of a hill called Calvary where Jesus was nailed to an old rugged Cross to die for the sins of the entire world.  

Thankfully the story didn't stop there either, but on the third day Jesus rose from the dead to show us that He is indeed God and He is now at the right hand of the Father.  One Day Jesus will come back to this earth and reign as the King of kings and Lord of lords when He brings the Kingdom of God to the earth in full completion.

We are all invited to receive God's gift to us and that is forgiveness of our sins and eternal life in Heaven, but just like any gift we must receive it.  We must receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior in order to have our sins forgiven.  We must come humbly to the Lord in prayer and confess our sinfulness to Him.  We must also repent of our sins and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

God is ready to forgive us through the shed blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  Have we received God's greatest gift?

I thank you for taking the time out of your busyness and reading my blog.  I really do appreciate it.  I just want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and may God bless you abundantly in the year ahead.

Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Thank You O God for sending Jesus to save us sinners by dying on the Cross.
Thank You for You love for us.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

Rejoice In The Lord

Sometimes it is so very easy for us to lose focus and take our eyes off of the Lord and all that He has done in our lives.  We all get busy and sometimes we get distracted with life that we forget the One that created everything.  God is Awesome and all Powerful.  He knows the beginning all the way to the very end.  He sees the entire picture.  We only see a little piece of what is going on.  We might not always know what lies just around the corner, but our God does.

There is nothing that surprises the Lord our God.  The Lord puts things into motion and He is working out all things for our good even though sometimes we tend to wonder about that.  He never said that everything that happens to us will be good because sometimes bad things happen to us, however God can take the bad things and turn them around for our good.

God has a plan for each of us and there is a purpose for our lives as well.  He wants us to love Him with all of our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.  He wants us also to love our neighbor as ourselves and hopefully draw them into a relationship with Jesus Christ.  God can use us to reach others with the Gospel through the Holy Spirit that indwells everyone that has placed his or her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross.

The Lord loves us so very much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to save us from our sins.  In a few days it will be Christmas Day when we celebrate the first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Our hearts should rejoice at all the Lord has done for us and more importantly we should rejoice in who the Lord is for He is God and our Maker.

We should have a song of praise in our very hearts when we think how Wonderful our Lord is.  God is so very good and we can trust Him no matter what comes our way.  We can rejoice in the Lord for all that He has done in the past, all that He is doing now, and all that He will do in the future.

When the troubles of life drag us down we need to remind ourselves to rejoice in the Lord for who He is and we also need to remember that He will be by our side each step of the way throughout our lives.

Lord,
We praise Your Name.
You are Holy and Just in Your Judgments.
Help us not to be discouraged with the way things seem to be going in our world.
Help us to rejoice in who You are and all that You have done.
Lead us by Your holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Jesus Knows All About Our Troubles

Sometimes it seems very hard to find good news in our world these days.  Everyday we hear of something bad happening somewhere in our world.  We are living in troubling times.  Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden there has been trouble brewing and it will continue to grow worse until the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth at His Second Coming.  Jesus warned His disciples and us that in this world we will have trouble, but He also tells us to take heart because He has overcome the world.

The Christmas season is a busy time of the year and many people get stressed out over everything going on.  This time of the year can also make us feel lonely and maybe a little depressed because we are missing a loved one or maybe we are just alone for one reason or another.  Our hearts may feel troubled during this season, but we must remember that our Lord Jesus came into our troubled world as a baby who was placed in a manger.

God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, into our often chaotic world on a rescue mission.  We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's high standards.  We have all missed the mark.  God out of His great love demonstrated just how much He loves us by sending Jesus Christ to the earth.  Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life and He went obediently to the Cross where He bled and died for my sins, your sins, and the sins of the whole wide world.

On the third day Jesus rose again and now He is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven and one day Jesus will return to this earth as the King of kings and Lord of lords.  He didn't leave us as orphans, but He gives the Holy Spirit to indwell everyone that has placed their faith and trust in Him as Lord and Savior.

Yes, we are living in troubling times and the Lord knows all about it.  He knows what we are going through and He cares for us more than we can even begin to comprehend.  The Lord Jesus wants us to come to Him by faith and trust in His Grace.  He wants us to continue to trust Him throughout our lives all the way to the day He calls us Heavenward.

There is still hope for each one of us in Jesus Christ.  God may seem silent in our troubles and our trials, but we can rest assured that the Lord is with those who love Him and have placed their faith in Him.  God promises to go with us wherever we go and He promises never to leave us and He will never forsake us.

This Christmas season may we remember all that the Lord Jesus has done for us by coming into our troubled world to save sinners such as us.  God is so very good and He is faithful and we can trust Him.

Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Thank You for caring for us when we feel troubled by all that is going on.
Help us to live for You each and everyday.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

Rejoicing In The Lord Jesus

Sometimes the cold winter days can seem so very long and dark.  The world around us can seem rather cold and dark as well.  Our world is dying and there is a lot of evil things going on.  Even though things may seem bleak we believers in the Lord Jesus Christ can rejoice in who He is and we can we rejoice that we know Him and are known by Him.

Our hearts my feel troubled with all the things going on in our world today and all of the troubles we see going on.  Sometimes our lives are filled with trouble and sometimes are minds can be filled with troubling and anxious thoughts.  It is all too easy for us to get discouraged and filled with fear at all that is going on in our world these days.

We must remember that God is still God.  He hasn't left us to fend for ourselves.  Our God is a present help in our time of need.  It is our God that works out all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  The Lord is aware of all that is going on in our world today and He knows what is going on in our lives as well.  The Lord cares for us and He will take care of us.

When times get tough and things happen that don't seem to make sense we need to continue to trust in the Lord and know that He is at work in ways we can't see or even understand.  His thoughts are greater than our thoughts and His ways are better than our ways.

We can rejoice in the Lord for His goodness and His peace that guards our hearts and minds.  We can rejoice this Christmas season as we remember all that God has done in the past by sending us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to save us.   We can rejoice that our sins are forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  We can rejoice that our names are written in the Lambs Book of Life.  We can rejoice in the Lord for giving everyone that opportunity to have their sins forgiven by repenting of their sins and placing their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Let us rejoice in the Lord for all the good things He has done for us and all that He continues to do.

Lord,
We rejoice in You.
We praise You!
Help us to be led by Your Holy Spirit.
Shine Your light through us into this dark world.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

Our Hope In Jesus

Sometimes anxiety and worries flood our minds and fear clouds our thinking.  Let's face it there are a lot of things in life that we could worry about.  There are a lot of things going on in our world everyday that could trigger worry and fear within us.  We must try not to be dismayed by all the wrong things going on in this world all around us and we must remember that this world is not our home if we are believers in Jesus Christ.  We believers in Jesus Christ are just passing through this world and one day we will be taken to our true home which is in Heaven where we will be with the Lord Jesus for all eternity.

The world in which we now life is a dying sinful place.  There is much turmoil and heartache.  There is sadness and despair.  This world is full of trouble and it will continue to get worse until the day the Lord returns to the earth at His Second Coming.

Heaven will be a great place.  There will be no more dying there.  There will be joy, love, peace, and it will be great.  Most importantly we will be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever.  I look forward to that great day.  There will be no more tears, no more fears,  no more anxiety attacks, no more complaining (won't that be nice!), no more taxes, and no more pain.

Our imaginations can't even began to grasp how amazing Heaven will be, but I know that it will be amazing because our God is amazing and He loves us so much.  We must continue to run the race that He has set out before us and our eyes must be fixed upon the Lord Jesus Christ.  We must remember where we are going and that we are trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ to get us there.

We believers in Jesus Christ have a great hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and we have the promise of Heaven one great day where we will worship our Savior for ever and ever.  Our best days are ahead of us.  God is good and we can trust Him.

If you find yourself struggling in this world just remember that Jesus loves you and He is preparing a place in Heaven for you and for all of those who place their faith and trust in Him for Salvation.  

Lord,
We thank You for Your love for us.
Thank You for all that You do for us and all that You provide us with.
Help us to have our eyes fixed firmly upon Jesus.
Help us to remember that Heaven is our Home.
Lead us and guide us by the Holy Spirit.
May Your will be done.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

Remembering The True Meaning Of Christmas

Our world can seem rather dark and bleak at times.  There seems to be a lot of darkness in our world and we can see bad things happening all around us.  We are living in troubling times.   There is a lot of anger and anxiety.   There are looks of hopelessness written on people's faces.

This time of the year should bring us joy and peace, but there seems to be a lack of joy and peace in our world today.  People are busy shopping and decorating.  Many are gathering food for family suppers.  There are a lot of stressed out people in a hurry trying to get everything accomplished before Christmas, but I am afraid that there is someone missing from most people's Christmas celebration and that is Jesus.

Many people give no thought of Jesus Christ during Christmas, how sad is that?  People are in such a rush to get the perfect gift and yet they fail to receive the most awesome gift that has ever been given and that is the opportunity to be reconciled back to God by having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of the glory of God.  We are all deserving of being separated from God and placed in a literal hell for all eternity.  God doesn't want anyone to perish and be sent to hell so He made a way for us to enter into His presence by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to this world to save us sinners.

The Lord loves us and He wants everyone to come to repentance and trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  God made a way when there seemed to be absolutely no way.  We know that all things are possible with our God.  Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life and He laid down His life on the Cross for our sins.  It is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ that we obtain forgiveness of our sins and entrance in Heaven.  We must acknowledge that we are sinners and can't save ourselves because none of us are good enough.  We must confess our sin problem to the Lord and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  We come to the Lord Jesus by placing our faith in Him and His finished work on the Cross.

When I think about Christmas I think about that very first Christmas when Jesus came to the earth a baby and was placed in a manger.  What a great day that was when the Savior of the world was born into this world.  We can read of that account in Luke 2:1-20 which says,

"1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

2 (This was the first census that took place while^a Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,

18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. "

It is time for us to stop what we are doing and remember the true meaning of Christmas.  It is a noisy time of the year and sometimes we get so used to the activities and the programs that we forget the significance of what Christmas truly means.  

God, the Creator of all things seen and unseen sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth on a rescue mission to save us from our sins because of His great everlasting love for us.  Sometimes we fail to see how much God loves us.  There are times when we get distracted by everything that is going on that we forget about Jesus and remember all that He has done for us and all that He continues to do for us.

Knowing Jesus should be our top priority and telling others about Him should be the next thing on our to do list.  Our world is dying and it needs a Savior.  They won't find one in a world leader.  They won't find one in any person on the earth.  There is only one Savior and that is Christ Jesus the Lord.

This Christmas may we remember all that Jesus has done for us.  May we praise Him and give Him all the glory and worship.  

Lord,

We praise Your Name.

Thank You for sending Jesus Christ into this world to save us from our sins.

We praise Your Name.

Help us to feed on Your Holy Word and walk in the Spirit each and everyday.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen.

The Path That Leads To Jesus

                                                       (Photograph by Michael Rairdon)

I took the above photo on December 4 and as I looked at this path it reminded me of my walk with the Lord.  Sometimes the path ahead may seem rather hard and even tedious.  We don't know what lies directly around the next corner.  There could be difficult seasons ahead.  There could be suffering.  There could be many things that could alter our lives in one way or another.

Sometimes we if we are not careful we can become full of worry and fear when we start wondering what is right around the corner.  What we need to focus on is the One who is right around the final corner and HE isn't just around the last corner, but He also resides in our hearts.

We have an awesome God that made a way for us all to be reconciled back into a relationship with Himself by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world.  Jesus came to the earth by being born of a virgin.  We will be celebrating His coming in the flesh later this month at Christmas.  Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life.  He went obediently to the Cross where He shed His blood for my sins, your sins, and the whole entire world's sins.  God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day and He is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven right now.  One Day Jesus will return to the earth as the King of kings and Lord of lords.  

We must come to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith and trust in His grace.  We must repent of our sins and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior He sends the Holy Spirit to indwell us.  The Holy Spirit helps us on life's journey and He continually works in us to make us more like Jesus and that is a life long project that won't be completed until we are taken to Heaven to be with the Lord for all eternity.

The path of life is tough and not for the faint of heart.  Thankfully, we don't have to go it alone.  We have the Lord with us each step of the way and we have our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us and pray for us.  We must trust that the Lord will take care of us no matter what happens in our lives.  We can trust Him because we know He is faithful and He always keeps His promises.

Sometimes we lose sight of the Lord in our journey and we get scared and even depressed.  Sometimes we neglect spending time with the Lord and we pay too much attention to what is happening to the world around us.  We must remember that our God is a Mighty God and all things are possible with Him.  I sometimes get distracted and lose sight of the Lord's work in my life.  I feel bad saying that, but it is true.  Thankfully, the Lord is always one step away and He always welcomes us with opened arms.

When the path that you are on seems dark and lonely just remember that Jesus loves you and He is waiting for you around that last corner to take you Home to Heaven to be with Him for all eternity.  We can all have that hope if we place our faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ that He accomplished in the Cross for each one of us.

Don't lose heart.  Don't give into despair.  Keep walking with the Lord and trust Him to lead and direct your steps.

Lord,
Thank You for all that You provide.
We praise Your Name.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Refocsing On The Lord Jesus

Sometimes we can be our own worse enemy.  We get so busy with the things we do.  Our schedules are jammed packed with activities.  Our minds are constantly racing from one thought to the next.  Sometimes we feel like a car that is parked with it's engine running with the accelerator pushed to the floor and the engine is revving at full tilt, but it is still in park.  That is what happens to our bodies when we are stressed to the max with all of our activities, work, and other things that we try to do on our own without paying any attention to the Lord Jesus.

Sometimes we forget to make room for Jesus Christ in our lives.  We try to do things in our own strength and power, but we end up failing miserably.  Sometimes we get so stressed out that we run on our worries and fears and that never ends well (trust me I know).  God doesn't want us to be over stressed and worried.  God doesn't want us to lose our peace.  Being led into something in fear is not the right answer.  When we must no make out decisions based upon fear.  That never works out very well for anybody.

We must instead make our choices focused on the Lord and it must be in accordance to His Word, the Bible.  God is good and He is the Creator of all things.  The Lord promises us that He will never leave us and He will never forsake us.  Our Lord is trust worthy.  We need not be afraid.  The Lord loves us with a deep and everlasting love.

Our enemy goes around like a roaring lion trying to find someone to devour and one of his weapons is fear.  We are told many times through out the Bible that we should not fear, fret, or worry.  God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

We need to examine our lives and our motives for doing the things that we are doing.  We must make sure what we are doing is park of God's will for us.  Sometimes we get side tracked and lose sight of what the Lord would have us to do.  Sometimes we have a habit of saying yes to everyone's request for one reason or another, but we must stop and ask ourselves if the things that we are doing are for the Lord.

If the Lord is calling us to do something other than what we are doing we can trust Him to provide for us and enable us to do whatever it is that He has called us to do.  We need not be afraid for the Lord Jesus will empower us and strengthen us through His Spirit.

We must refocus on the Lord Jesus Christ and surrender our lives to Him.  We need to lay down our fears and anxieties at His feet and trust Him above all else.

Lord,
Forgive us for those times when we take our eyes off of you and are led by our fears.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
Give us a peace in our hearts and minds that surpass all human understanding.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

Trusting Jesus In Times Of Difficulty

Sometimes things come into our lives that challenge our faith.  We all go through things.  Some things are small and easy to handle, but somethings are really hard.   Whatever challenge comes our way we can we absolute certainty that the Lord will be with us each step of the way.  Sometimes we may not sense His nearness right away, but we know from the Scriptures that He will never leave us nor we will ever forsake us.

Sometimes God uses these challenges that come against us to get our attention and to teach us that we can trust Him even in the most difficult of circumstances.  I don't particularly like challenging times and don't like difficult trials, but I know that trials and troubles come against all of us for a season.  Some people have to undergo a long season of trouble and some may only have to endure for a short season.

I am kind of wimpy when it comes to difficulties and things that bring stress.  I sometimes have trouble feeling anxious and depression sometimes clouds my mind.  I know that the Lord will be with me each step of the way throughout life.  I also know that God is good and He will provide us with all of our genuine needs.

I haven't written for a few days for a reason.  The other night my pulse rate seemed to go up rather high for me.  It was 140 and I wasn't exercising.  I have been feeling anxious and stressed lately.  I got a little scared and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.  So, I called an ambulance and they took me to the Hospital.  The ER staff was great and they ran some test.  They didn't find anything wrong with my heart and my blood test came back fine as well.  My heart was still beating fast at about 100 beats per minute for about the next 24 hours.  They recommended that I wear a heart monitor for a few days to see what that turns up.  After I ate supper tonight I noticed my heart rate is up to 115 beats/min.  which kind of makes me a little nervous,  but I am trying not to worry about it.
It does concern me since my resting heart beat usually stays around 67 beats/minute.

I would like to ask everyone to please pray for me.  I thank you for the prayers.  I am trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is my Lord and Savior.  I am saved by His shed blood on the Cross.  I place my faith and trust in Jesus Christ and I hope you have too.

Lord,
I praise Your Name.
You are Holy and Just in Your Judgments.
Lead us and guide us closer to You.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

The World Needs Jesus

There is a lot of anger and hatred in our world these days.  It is so very easy for anyone of us to get caught up in it and have our hearts hardened because of all the wickedness that is going on all around us.  Sometimes it is so easy for us to cast blame on a certain people group or a country rather than taking responsibility for our own faults and misdeeds.

We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's standards.  We are all in dire need of a Savior.  Thankfully, God has provided a Savior and His name is Jesus Christ.  There is hope for each one of us no matter where we live on the planet and no matter what people group we associate ourselves with.  Jesus came to earth to die for all of our sins.  God invites everyone of us to come to Him by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.  We are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus.

We must realize that we are sinners and we can't save ourselves.  God demonstrated His great love for you and I and for the whole world by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross for all of our sins.  What an awesome God that we have.  What great love He has for us and we are all invited to come to the true living God and be reconciled back to Him, but we must come to Him placing our faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

There is only one name under Heaven in which people must be saved by and that is the name that is above all names, Jesus Christ.  The people of this world need hope and there is hope in Jesus Christ.  There is only one way into Heaven and there is only one way to have our sins forgiven and that is though the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

When I think about all the people all around the world I start to wonder how can I help them to know Jesus.  I can pray and you can too.  We can pray that God would send believers in Jesus Christ to them and proclaim that Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit.  We can also support mission projects with our financial support.  We can do many other things to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well.

We believers in Jesus Christ need to show more compassion to those all around the world and realize that everyone needs a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  We must step out of our comfort zones and step out in the power of the Holy Spirit and tell the world about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and hopefully they too will receive His Amazing Grace by faith.

Lord,
Thank You for You love and goodness.
Thank You that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for all people all around the world.
I pray that You will send more workers into Your Harvest Field and make me a worker for Your Glory.
Empower through Your Holy Spirit to live and honor You.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

The Light In The Darkness

The world is a very dark place and it seems the darkness is growing.  There is evil and wickedness all around us.  We see the news reports of all the bad things happening and people getting caught in scandals of all kinds.  There is a brokenness in our world.  Many people have a sense that there is something wrong, but no one can seem to get together and figure out just what is wrong.

The first thing that we all need to realize is that the problem lies within each of our hearts.  We are all sinners.  We were all born into this world with a sin nature.  Our hearts were bent away from God when we came into this world.  We were all born spiritually dead.  It is our sin that separates us from a Holy and loving God.  Our relationship with God is broken and our relationship with each other is broken as well.  We need to be reconciled back to God before we can be reconciled to each other.

The world keeps pushing God away and trying to throw Him out of our of society.  The world has tried to throw God out of schools, government, and every other area that we can think of and now we are seeing the results in our world today.  People have turned away from God.  People love the darkness and they don't want to come to the light and have their evil deeds exposed.

There needs to be a reconciliation to take place between human beings and God.  God made a way for us to be born again and be reconciled back to Himself.  God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world of darkness on a rescue mission to save sinners from eternal damnation.   God doesn't want to see anyone perish or be placed in a literal hell for all eternity.  God's desire is that everyone come to repentance of their sins and place their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross.

This past Sunday started the Advent season where we prepare our hearts for the celebration of the first coming of Jesus Christ when He was born into this world in which He created.  Sometimes we get so used to hearing the Christmas story year after year that we fail to realize the awesomeness of all that transpired and the great eternal impact it has for each one of us.  God came down to dwell with His creation in the person of Jesus Christ.  God the Son, Jesus, came to the earth to live a perfect and sinless life.

I am reminded of what the Apostle John wrote in his Gospel in John 1:1-14 which says,

"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
                                                                                                       

2 He was with God in the beginning.

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^a it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.

8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."    

People sometimes think that Jesus got His start when He was born into this world, but that is not true.  Jesus has always existed.  He is the second person of the Holy Trinity.  There is the Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.  There is only One Living God and He exists in three persons.  Jesus is the light of the world and He stepped into this world of darkness to save us all from our sin problem.  There is not one of us that is good enough on our own to earn forgiveness of our sins and there is not one of us good enough to earn our way into Heaven.  That is why God sent Jesus Christ into this world.  

When we think of the first coming of Jesus we should also remember why He came.  Our minds shouldn't stop at the manger scene and the shepherds.  Our thoughts should also go to Golgotha where Jesus Christ died on a cruel old rugged Cross for my sins, your sins, and for the sins of the whole world.  What God has done for us is wonderful because Jesus is Wonderful and worthy of all of our praise and worship.

Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and He is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven and one day Jesus will return to this earth as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  The Lord gives each one of us a chance to be reconciled back to God by placing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work that He accomplished for us on the Cross.

God gave us the right to become children of God by placing our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  We must repent of our sins and confess our need for a Savior to the Lord.  We need to receive this gift of salvation by placing out faith in Jesus Christ.  

When we start preparing our hearts during this Advent season let our focus be on the Lord Jesus Christ and all that He has accomplished for us and all that He is still doing for us each and everyday.  The Lord Jesus loves you and He does care for you.  The Lord promises to never leave us nor will He ever forsake us.  We need to Adore Him as Christ our Lord.  

The Word became flesh and dwelt among human beings and the world didn't seem to give much notice.  Unfortunately the world still doesn't seem to give much notice to who the Lord Jesus is.  Many are distracted with all the shopping,  the planning for parties, and the tree decorated to even give God even a thought.  There are people in Churches all over our world that don't give the Lord  a single thought except maybe on Sunday mornings.  

You and I are on His thoughts because He loves us so very deeply that He made a way for you and I to obtain forgiveness of our sins and entrance into Heaven through the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ.  What an Awesome God to do all of this for us.  We should be humbled and bow down before our God and Lord and serve Him.  

There is great darkness all around out world these days and I am afraid it will indeed get worse.  Many things will change and not necessarily for the better.  The world is in trouble.  The world needs a Savior and there is One in Christ the Lord.  Times are hard and things will get really tough.  When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus our problems don't just go away, but we can know that He will be with us through the rough times if we just come to believe on Him as our Lord and Savior.

The devil is running around like crazy and he is stirring us trouble trying to find people to devour.  Satan is attacking to Church and it's leaders.  We must place upon ourselves the full armor of God and be filled with the Holy Spirit.  We must stand firmly upon the Word of God and not move from it.  We must cling to the hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ and flee anything that is not pleasing to Him.  

May our hearts be focused on the Lord Jesus Christ during this season and beyond.  May our hearts be filled with His joy that He brings into our hearts just by knowing Him and being known by Him.  

Lord, Heavenly Father,

Thank You for sending the Lord Jesus Christ into this world on a rescue mission to save us from our sins.

We praise Your Name.

Pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us and have Your way in our lives.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen.        

Eduring Through The Difficult Seasons Of Life

This time of the year seems rather hard here in Northern Maine where I live.  It is dark when I awake to get ready for work and when my work day has ended and it is time for me to go home it is dark once again.  Throw in some really cold weather and snow into that formula and it makes for a long winter.  It is very easy to feel a little down in our mood and even a little depressed during these cold winter months.  I really don't like the cold that much and I really don't exactly like darkness all that much either.

I would prefer nice warm sunny days with nice bright blue skies and big white puffy clouds, but I know for the time being I have to endure the winter.  Thankfully, I know that one day spring and summer will once again return to Northern Maine and it will be warm once again.

Sometimes we have to endure the things in life that we don't necessarily like.  There are things that we go through that we don't like such as a job loss, saying goodbye to a friend, or grieving the loss of a loved one.  Sometimes life gets hard and highly uncomfortable.  We don't like it when life changes in such a way that it upsets our routine.  It is always hard to adapt to change, but if we ever learn anything in life it is that things do change.  Sometimes we can see the change gradually occurring around us and we expect it to happen such as the change of one season to the next.  We can see the and feel that change in the weather and we know that winter is approaching without ever looking at a weather forecast.

There are other changes that come into our lives that catch us off guard and we are surprised by them.  We are surprised when our employer tells us that we no longer have a job.  We are surprised when the doctor tells us that our health is not as good as we thought.  We are surprised when a friend or loved one moves away or dies.  I don't like when things change in that way, but I know that is to be expected in this world and I need to endure during those difficult times of change.

We are never alone in this world that is constantly changing.  The Lord promises us that He will always be with us during every season of life.  We can trust Him for He always keeps His Word.  When we come to trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior the Holy Spirit come to indwell within us.   We are truly never alone in our struggles that we encounter in life.

Sometimes things change, but our God never changes.  The Lord Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.  We can trust Him to guide us and lead us through the darkest of times.  We must persevere through the difficult valleys of life and remember that even though everything seems bleak and dark one day the Lord will take us home to be with Him in Heaven for all eternity.  What a great hope that we each have if we have placed our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Lord,
We praise Your Holy Name.
Thank You for helping us through the hard times of life.
Thank You for the hope that we have in You.
Help our focus to be on You each and everyday.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

A Fresh Start

There is a car dealership that had a commercial on the local radio station that was advertising a program that they have to offer a, "Fresh Start", to those who had have credit problems in the past.  The program is designed to help people to buy a vehicle that previously couldn't because of bad credit.  I got to thinking about the term, "Fresh Start".

We all could use a fresh start, couldn't we?  Thankfully, God offers us a fresh start though Jesus Christ.  We have all sinned against a Holy and Just God.  We have all been born with a sin nature.  Our hearts are bent away from God from birth.  We are all deserving of being eternally separated from God.  God made a way for us to be reconciled back to Himself by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to this world on a great rescue mission to save each one of us from our sins.

We are getting closer to the time of the year when we celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was born of a virgin in the small town of Bethlehem.  Jesus didn't start existing when we was born into this world.  Jesus has always existed.  He has no beginning and no end.

Each one of us can have a fresh start by placing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.  The Lord may even give us fresh starts throughout our walk of faith with Him.  He may have us leave our family and friends and send us out into the mission field.  He may call us to serve Him as a Pastor in another area of the country or the world.  No matter what the Lord calls us to do and no matter where He sends us we can know that He will equip us with everything that we need to accomplish His will in His timing.  We can also know that He will take care of those family members and friends that we end up leaving behind.  There is nothing too difficult for our God.

Serving the Lord is not always an easy task.  Sometimes there are hard choices to make.  Sometimes other people may not understand what the Lord wants us to do, but we must not allow what other people think to deter us from serving the Lord wherever He calls us.  We must be obedient to the Lord even if what He is calling us to do doesn't make sense to us or others.

There will be times when we stumble and fall in our walk with the Lord as believers.  We must confess our sins to Him and repent of them and continue in our walk with our focus on Jesus.  God is good and He is faithful.  The Lord will lead us and direct our steps.  The Lord wants us to be obedient to Him and His call on our lives.  We can trust Him to take care of us and we can trust Him to provide for us.

Maybe you feel the Lord is calling you to step out of your comfort zone in some way and you are a little afraid.  We all get afraid especially when the Lord is calling us to do something that seems hard and difficult and beyond our abilities.  We are weak in our own strength, but God can use anyone of us for His Glory.  He only asks that we be obedient to His call and trust Him.

Lord, Heavenly Father,
Thank You for giving us a chance of a fresh start by receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
We praise Your Holy Name.
Lead us and guide us to where it is You would have us to go and serve You.
Open a door of opportunity for us to serve You.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.