CAN I DO THAT NOW?

John 10:28 (NKJV) 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 
    Jesus gives to us what He is, Eternal Life! This Life is the supernatural work of the presence of God in the believer, who has by faith asked forgivness of all sin, confessed Jesus as the Christ and then received Him into their being. So what is the problem with the unsaved soul, I am so glad you asked.
    I received a call from someone recently, disturbed by the message of the gospel, "will you meet with me, and answer my questions," they asked? We met, and over the next hour we talked about the work of Jesus in the human heart, verse after verse was read with little results, then the person said, "just tell me plainly." I was stunned, we had discussed how to get to Christ 10 different times. Three things came to mind, first, recognize you are sinning against God, by running your own life, ask forgiveness of God for all your sin. Second, Jesus is the Son of God, there is no other way or name under heaven, He is the only way, tell The Father you know Jesus is the only way. Then, knowing that Jesus is who He declares He is, Holy and completely Righteous, ask Him to now come into your life and rule your life, that you will no longer be in control of your life!
    My friend breathed a sigh of relief, and spoke in a voice everyone could hear,"CAN I DO THAT NOW?"
Heavenly Father thank You for Your precious Son Jesus, thank You for making a way for us to have eternal life. Thank you Lord for this privledge and that it cost You so much to offer eternity for my sin. Thank You for loving me. Amen

DO WE REALLY SEE?

John 9:41 (NKJV) 

41 ...; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains. 

   Man has looked through the eyes of religion at Jesus for over 5000 years, He still is a mystery to the soul that does not know Him personally. For the soul that has walked in deep dark places and searched for some light, some meaning, some glimmer of hope, struggled for understanding, sought some type of rest, it is only the soul that will acknowledge Him as Redeemer and Savior, that soul, will find peace and rest. How can I make this happen, I am so glad you asked.

    Jesus uses a 

man born 

blind, to prove our need for God, He puts clay on the blind mans eyes and commands Him to go by faith and wash his face and the obedient man returns with his sight. To the doubter this is impossible, to the believer it is truly a miracle, for the person blind in their relationship to God it is frustrating, to the one who can clearly see righteousness it is, the Power of God. Jesus says to the doubter and to the religiously ignorant, "you say, We see." Therefore your sin remains," we are guilty and deserve judgment because we make no room for God in our conclusions. 

   To know Jesus, we must trust Him with every thing in our lives, thoughts, trials, trouble, disaster, doom, everyhthing we experience, must come under the cover of the blood of Jesus and His cleansing power. We are guilty of sin, until we trust Him with ALL our lives and He comes into our lives. Do you SEE, I pray you see Him who saves all who truly come to Him!

Heavenly Father help the unbelief and blindness of those who have not heard about Your Son, let Your Light show another Your Love through me. Keep me from hindering anyone that wants to see You, let me not be blind to the soul that is seeking You. Amen

ALIVE FROM THE DEAD

Romans 6:13 (NKJV) 13 ..., but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, ... 
     Jesus was more alive than any other person, every soul He encountered was both troubled about their sin and excited to be in His presence. He lived as the image of God, clothed in righteouness, while walking in God's Presence, He came to set sinful man right with God again. How do we embrace this, I am so glad you asked.
    The writer to the church in Rome says, we are to come before God as those who are alive, no longer living as dead people. Look around you in church today, where is the excitement about Jesus, what are people really living for? We must cast of those dead alliances and embrace the new life in Jesus Christ, He alone lifts us out of the extraordinary decay in living and puts in us a New Life. God never intended for man to be bogged down in sin, we choose that for ourselves. The Lord Jesus Christ wants you present with Him, living in and through you, so that others see His Glory. When you trust your life to Jesus Christ, He will make you a living example of His mercy, how are you representing Him today? Let's present ourselves today before The Son, as those who are "alive from the dead," so others will be drawn to Him!
Heavenly Father here I am for You to use as You see fit, let the Joy of Jesus live in me, may others see my determination to live for You. Amen

PLANTED WHERE NEEDED

Psalm 1:3 (NKJV) 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, ... 
    Every thing has a purpose, we may not know what that purpose is, but its existence proves God's hand and His amazing Love. Here the righteous are compared to trees that have been planted by streams of water where they can thrive. What is the reason, I am glad you asked!
    First, planted, indicates (purpose) meaning a plan or intentional, God deliberately plants His children where they will do the most good from His perspcetive not ours. Second there is water, (His Word) an abundance of what is needed to do the work He has called us to, if we embrace the Source we will grow. Third His strenghth, is embeded in us, as a trees natural fibers support it to endure trials so we will withstand the tests of time. Fourth the fruit, or the produce of the tree is evidence of God's fore sight in planting to get the most of the servant and offer a pleasant taste to all who will eat from His tree. Fifth, the leaves are always green, there will always be shelter and beauty for the soul searching for protection and help in God. Sixth, there is the obvious, God expects what He plants to succeed, that means "God's work done God's way for God's purpose," will bring Godly results.
     Be encouraged today, God has a plan for you, and His plan will not fail, trust Him right now, with everything and you too will find His hand in your life! You have been planted where you are!
Heavenly Father help me to thrive where you have planted me, use me to meet the needs of others, let the water of Your Word encourage those around me, may Your Strength be mine and let Your Spirit teach us Your ways. Thank You for those who have paved the way with their lives and thank You for working through them to encourage us. Amen

THROWING STONES

John 8:7 (NKJV) 7 ..., "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."
    There is a curious nature in people to attack another for sinful living, even when they know there is obvious sin in their own lives. The christian is called to a higher standard by the very presence of Jesus Christ, however we will not escape judgment if we condem others, knowing sin in our own lives goes un checked. You may be thinking, God will forgive me through Jesus and you are correct, however we are accountable for what we do after we have received Jesus forgivness. Jesus says, Matthew 22:39, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," if, we can over look sinfulness in our own lives, then shouldn't the same be true for our neighbor?
    What are we really in love with today, is getting my way as important as showing some one Jesus, your facial expressions as well as your physical out reach tell the tale. When I react to another unfavorably, I am out of character with my Lord, He wants me to love all not some.
    Let God have every are of your life and you will begin to see His love reaching out to others even those of your own household. Wouldn't it be nice to have peace in your house today?
Heavenly Father we are flesh and of the dust, help us to see You loving those around us let us see from Your heart how to meet the needs of others, let me incourage another, Father let me help my brother, may I bless and not hurt those around me, let me Love with Your Love. Amen

HOW SHOULD I REACT?

James 1:19 (NKJV) 19 ..., let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 
     Emotions are difficult at best to control, the authors tone suggests, this is understood by the christian, they must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. The individual that can control their emotions will experience God's righteousness. What does that mean, I am glad you asked.
    When the believer under conviction of the Holy Spirit asked Jesus Christ to be the center of their lives, they willingly submitted to the Creators plan for every human being to be set right with God again. Jesus says, "My peace, I give to you," why does He offer peace, because the soul is tormented without the presence of God, daily the cares of life, like weeds in a new garden choke out the sun, moisture and nutrients. Our heavenly Father wants to nuture us with the water of the word, however that will only take place if we first, listen, carefully consider and then slowly respond as we have insight. Too many react like a dropped glass and shatter all around, leaving sharp jagged areas for others to get hurt on. We must be careful as christians to hear all that is being presented or we will cause others to stumble and God gives sever warning to our reactions. See Matthew 18:6, as you trust God to day with your circumstances know He has designed the best for you, He has considered you and He is preparing the way before you.
Heavenly Father thank you for loving me and for making plans to use me, let today be the day I trust you with every problem and let me walk carfully in this life so that others see You. Amen

GOD PUTS US IN THE FIRE

Psalm 66:10 (NKJV) 10 For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. 
   The process of refining silver is tedious, once the proper amount of heat is applied the impurities in the metal rise to the surface and must be carefull skimmed off to get pure silver. When silver has reached its maxium potential, it must continually be polished and cherished. The psalmist says, "You ave refined us," what is that to me, I am so glad you asked.
    God loves His creation so much He is willing to put any effort into making a finished product that is pleasing to Him. You and I are created beings and as His special people we are created for "good works." Titus 2:14 Our Father loves us so much He has designed into us the ability to meet anothers need, just as God meets every need we have. However, the blessings that are shared with others cannot be truly enjoyed until we have been through the fires of trials. This purifying work is often uncomfortable and undesirable, yet God's promise is to go through the process with us. Are you struggling today, take heart Jesus has been there, is life hurting, He has made a way, is life too much to bear, He is the way, won't you trust Him today?
Heavenly Father may we embrace the trial that You may be exhalted in our lives, refine me Lord that others may see You. Amen