What do we think of when we let the words of 'Easter' gently roll off our lips?
Decorating eggs? Family reunions? The Easter bunny? Perhaps it's just another over-commercialized holiday like so many others.
What should it be?
A day to remember. The day Jesus rose from death after 3 days of a journey like no other man has ever or will ever experience.
A time to reflect. Jesus chose to take upon Himself your sin, my sin, and our children's sin's of the past, the present and the future.
A time to be so thankful. Had Jesus Christ, (the Son of almighty God and Creator of everything) decided not to be punished and whipped for our sins, wearing a crown of thorns and carrying our burdens amongst His entire body, being nailed to the cross and scorned, ridiculed and beaten, what hope would there would have been no hope for you, me, our children or our future generations to receive eternal life.
So what does this mean to you?
I don't know, but it means the world to me.
Today, take a moment to remember...to reflect...the be so thankful for the blood Jesus shed for YOU, to know that God loves YOU so much He gave up His one and only Son Jesus for YOU so that if you believe on Jesus Christ died for YOUR sins, you can be saved and have eternal life.
If you realize you are a sinful being in need of a Savior, pray these words from your heart.
"Lord Jesus, I confess my sins to you and ask for Your forgiveness. I repent, turn away from desiring the things in my life not pleasing to You. I believe You sent Your Son Jesus to die for me. I accept Your forgiveness and free gift of salvation. Come into my life and make me new. Give me the strength to let go of past sins, the wisdom to walk in Your path now, hope for a better future and change my heart as I grow closer to You each day. Thank You for saving me. I am now Yours and surrender my life to Your will. Guide me in Your ways and truth, from this day forward.In Jesus name, Amen."
Congratulations! You've just made the most decision of your life!
Wait! It doesn't doesn't stop there!
To help you learn about your new life in Jesus you need to begin reading the Bible. If you don't already have one, email me at created2blessothers@yahoo.com and I will send you one, FREE of charge.
To help you grow as a new believer, begin attending a church that supports your belief in Jesus Christ ans Lord and Savior. If you need help finding a church family in your area, email me and I can help get you connected with those on the same journey as you.
To get prayer, receive words of wisdom from those going through similar events as you perhaps, and to deepen your relationship with others in the faith look into home groups that may be offered through your church.
Most of all, enjoy your new found journey of purpose, hope and peace!
Some of my favorite scriptures in the Bible - John 3:16, Philippians 4:13, John 1:9, Jeremiah 29:11-13, Philippians 4:4, Psalms 150:6, Romans 8:28.
Showing posts with label sins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sins. Show all posts
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Running the Great Race in 2010
Wow! Where in the world did 2009 go? It seemed to have whizzed right by with its twists and its turns. I feel I have been riding on the autobahn for the past 365 or so days, how about you?
Looking back at the various events that have happened in my life and in that of my family, I am thankful to have lived this past year in the richness of God's glory, growing ever closer to Him and making new friendships, nurturing relationships I have had for years and letting some go that aren't yielding fruit in my life. Life is like a race, one in which we are continually training for. Having God on my side, friends and family to cheer me on and sacrificing much to obtain the reward God has set before me humbly makes me wonder what's in store for 2010?
Hebrews 12:1-3 tells us to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him Who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. God has put us in a race and He is giving us a much needed tip in running the race with success. We are to throw off, take off, remove, toss aside everything, not some things, but everything that hinders and entangles us in life. First of all think about this. God wants the best for us. His plans for us are for God and not for harm to give us a hope and a future as He has said in Jeremiah 29:11, right? With that in mind, we must realize because He is God He knows what He is talking about when He tells us to get rid of or avoid those things that weigh us down. In a race, runners wear shoes lighter than air, their clothing is feather light and they don't try and run with suitcases attached to their ankles dragging them down. They don't carry backpacks, sacks of clothing or equipment, cell phones or laptops along with them. They run as freely as possible with nothing to hold them back. That is how God wants us to run the race of life. Freely dashing from day to day taking what comes our way in stride knowing we are never without God by our side, Hebrews 13:5. God wants us to run the race with perseverance. Training alone for a race takes alot of willpower, patience and endurance. We aren't born fit to run any race but are equipped as we go along the journey of life, sacrificing for the greater good during the course. Training involved suffering and agony sometimes as we push ourselves to greater heights yet we know great joy is ours for the taking along the way. Just as Jesus suffered greatly at the hands of ill-willed men, so it is with us. If we believe we can sprint through life avoiding pain and sorrow, rejection and ridicule when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ could not, you might want to reconsider these notions.
But do not despair, we have hope. Isaiah 40:21 says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." What greater hope can we have while running the race of life? As we wait upon the Lord around every turn, as we face new obstacles, when we grow weary and want to just give up, our strength is renewed by the One Who gave us life. God Himself gives us strength we can find nowhere else; enough strength to mount up as eagles flying high in the sky above all the cares of this world. We can run and not grow weary when we grab hold of His hand and run the race together. When all is said and done, we will walk and not faint once we have finished the race and our reward lies ahead of us.
With this encouragement, let me challenge you in the year 2010 to remember you do not have to run the race of life alone. At any time, you can grab the hand of God through Jesus His Son, (John 14:6 says "No one comes to the Father {God} except through Me {Jesus Christ}, and be filled with His strength to endure whatever trials and hardships you are facing. God will give you patience as you need it and help you endure whatever it is that you are tackling. He will not leave, abandon or ignore you. He wants good things to happen in your life, things that offer you a great future and one that is hopeful.
You don't have to run this race alone, unless you choose to. God did give us a freewill to believe in Him or not, to have eternal life with Him or to spend eternity in hell with satan. John 3:16 reminds us, "For God loved the world so much, He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Jesus, will not perish (spirit ad soul)but have everlasting life."When the race is over, and rewards are handed out for the way we ran the race, there will be only one of two places we spend the rest of eternity. Either in heaven or in hell and that is completely our choice. God is a gentlemen and He will not force Himself on anyone. It is His desire that no one spends eternity in hell, II Peter 3:9 and in Hosea 4:6 God tells us we perish for lack of knowledge. Well, now you have the knowledge you need to spend eternity in with God instead of in hell with satan, what will you do with it?
Looking back at the various events that have happened in my life and in that of my family, I am thankful to have lived this past year in the richness of God's glory, growing ever closer to Him and making new friendships, nurturing relationships I have had for years and letting some go that aren't yielding fruit in my life. Life is like a race, one in which we are continually training for. Having God on my side, friends and family to cheer me on and sacrificing much to obtain the reward God has set before me humbly makes me wonder what's in store for 2010?
Hebrews 12:1-3 tells us to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him Who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. God has put us in a race and He is giving us a much needed tip in running the race with success. We are to throw off, take off, remove, toss aside everything, not some things, but everything that hinders and entangles us in life. First of all think about this. God wants the best for us. His plans for us are for God and not for harm to give us a hope and a future as He has said in Jeremiah 29:11, right? With that in mind, we must realize because He is God He knows what He is talking about when He tells us to get rid of or avoid those things that weigh us down. In a race, runners wear shoes lighter than air, their clothing is feather light and they don't try and run with suitcases attached to their ankles dragging them down. They don't carry backpacks, sacks of clothing or equipment, cell phones or laptops along with them. They run as freely as possible with nothing to hold them back. That is how God wants us to run the race of life. Freely dashing from day to day taking what comes our way in stride knowing we are never without God by our side, Hebrews 13:5. God wants us to run the race with perseverance. Training alone for a race takes alot of willpower, patience and endurance. We aren't born fit to run any race but are equipped as we go along the journey of life, sacrificing for the greater good during the course. Training involved suffering and agony sometimes as we push ourselves to greater heights yet we know great joy is ours for the taking along the way. Just as Jesus suffered greatly at the hands of ill-willed men, so it is with us. If we believe we can sprint through life avoiding pain and sorrow, rejection and ridicule when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ could not, you might want to reconsider these notions.
But do not despair, we have hope. Isaiah 40:21 says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." What greater hope can we have while running the race of life? As we wait upon the Lord around every turn, as we face new obstacles, when we grow weary and want to just give up, our strength is renewed by the One Who gave us life. God Himself gives us strength we can find nowhere else; enough strength to mount up as eagles flying high in the sky above all the cares of this world. We can run and not grow weary when we grab hold of His hand and run the race together. When all is said and done, we will walk and not faint once we have finished the race and our reward lies ahead of us.
With this encouragement, let me challenge you in the year 2010 to remember you do not have to run the race of life alone. At any time, you can grab the hand of God through Jesus His Son, (John 14:6 says "No one comes to the Father {God} except through Me {Jesus Christ}, and be filled with His strength to endure whatever trials and hardships you are facing. God will give you patience as you need it and help you endure whatever it is that you are tackling. He will not leave, abandon or ignore you. He wants good things to happen in your life, things that offer you a great future and one that is hopeful.
You don't have to run this race alone, unless you choose to. God did give us a freewill to believe in Him or not, to have eternal life with Him or to spend eternity in hell with satan. John 3:16 reminds us, "For God loved the world so much, He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Jesus, will not perish (spirit ad soul)but have everlasting life."When the race is over, and rewards are handed out for the way we ran the race, there will be only one of two places we spend the rest of eternity. Either in heaven or in hell and that is completely our choice. God is a gentlemen and He will not force Himself on anyone. It is His desire that no one spends eternity in hell, II Peter 3:9 and in Hosea 4:6 God tells us we perish for lack of knowledge. Well, now you have the knowledge you need to spend eternity in with God instead of in hell with satan, what will you do with it?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saving us from Ourselves
Sitting in church this morning I was listening to my pastor share one of the most amazing facts with the congregation I had ever heard. Mark spoke of how we all needed to be saved from ourselves as in Matthew 1:21, "And she (Mary) will bring forth a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Saved from sins, yep, I totally agree with this, but save me from myself? I needed saved from me? Wow! I had not thought of this before but as I did, I realized how true this statement really was.
Allow me to shed some light on this revelation. Think about it, we are mere, fragile humans, born incapable of helping ourselves and we leave normally in this same manner. Yet, as we develop into toddlers we think the world is all about us and we can do as we please. The word 'share' is more like a cuss word to us that must be avoided at all costs and when we move into adolescence we don't think the world is all about us, we know it is and wonder why everyone else does not agree with us. The tweens hit and we still are firm believer's that the world revolves around us, but now we can't understand why grown ups don't gravel at our feet begging to do favors for us. As teenagers, we're sure parents want to make our lives miserable and frustrating right along with our teachers, except we are convinced they all know absolutely nothing and we are self sufficient so have no need for either one of them. We celebrate our magical 18th birthday and run off waving hastily to mom and dad knowing full well we can take care of ourselves and our parents will apologize for their ignorance of our abilities to sustain ourselves without their help. As young adults, life is all about work and play. YA's don't need anyone for the most part and have no trouble making decisions for themselves without a second thought about the after effects of their actions ...but by the time we humans reach 30 years of age, enough natural and self-inflicted consequences have occurred to prove we need the help from others at one point or another. We really do need a Savior as well; a Savior to save us from ourselves. In Romans 3:10, we are told "there is none righteous, no, not one." "We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" is written in Romans 3:23 to remind us we are not the perfect human beings we had always thought we were.
The God of this universe set up a plan for humanity to be saved so we would not destroy ourselves through lack of knowledge, Hosea 4:6. That plan of salvation came to us and still does this very day, through a tiny baby born in a manger over 2,000 years ago, Luke 2:8-20. Jesus saves us from ourselves. John 3:16-17 confirms our eternal destiny aside from receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior.Won't you acknowledge you are a sinner in need of a Savior today?
Allow me to shed some light on this revelation. Think about it, we are mere, fragile humans, born incapable of helping ourselves and we leave normally in this same manner. Yet, as we develop into toddlers we think the world is all about us and we can do as we please. The word 'share' is more like a cuss word to us that must be avoided at all costs and when we move into adolescence we don't think the world is all about us, we know it is and wonder why everyone else does not agree with us. The tweens hit and we still are firm believer's that the world revolves around us, but now we can't understand why grown ups don't gravel at our feet begging to do favors for us. As teenagers, we're sure parents want to make our lives miserable and frustrating right along with our teachers, except we are convinced they all know absolutely nothing and we are self sufficient so have no need for either one of them. We celebrate our magical 18th birthday and run off waving hastily to mom and dad knowing full well we can take care of ourselves and our parents will apologize for their ignorance of our abilities to sustain ourselves without their help. As young adults, life is all about work and play. YA's don't need anyone for the most part and have no trouble making decisions for themselves without a second thought about the after effects of their actions ...but by the time we humans reach 30 years of age, enough natural and self-inflicted consequences have occurred to prove we need the help from others at one point or another. We really do need a Savior as well; a Savior to save us from ourselves. In Romans 3:10, we are told "there is none righteous, no, not one." "We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" is written in Romans 3:23 to remind us we are not the perfect human beings we had always thought we were.
The God of this universe set up a plan for humanity to be saved so we would not destroy ourselves through lack of knowledge, Hosea 4:6. That plan of salvation came to us and still does this very day, through a tiny baby born in a manger over 2,000 years ago, Luke 2:8-20. Jesus saves us from ourselves. John 3:16-17 confirms our eternal destiny aside from receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior.Won't you acknowledge you are a sinner in need of a Savior today?
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