Who Am I?

I Peter 3:8-22

So since last Wednesday I have read I Peter 3 over and over and over again.  The last few scriptures were used in a lesson that I listened to last Wednesday and since then I have read the words of this chapter numerous times.  All the words meant something to me, many of the verses spoke to me and gave me guidance, but none of them compared to verse 18----For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.   A strong reminder of exactly what Jesus did for me---He, the righteous one, died for me, the unrighteous one, just so I could come to God.

So who am I? Who am I to complain about anything? Who am I to get discouraged with life? Who am I to not want to do what I am called to do?  Who am I that I don’t have time to read the Word?  Who am I that I don’t have time to pray?  Who am I?  I am human and I will do all these things, but I have to remind myself of who I am by staying in God’s Word and by seeking Him through prayer.  I am a child of God!  I am the one that was saved by the Righteous One!  I am the one who has hope!  I am the one who is loved, so I will love!  I am blessed!  I am set apart!  I am a daughter of the King of Kings!

This world seems to be spinning further and further out of control and so we have to cling even closer to Jesus.  He is the only way---he is the only thing that will save us from this world and His Word will guide us along the way.  So I beg you to find him, read his word and remind yourself daily of who you are---with Jesus, no matter the circumstances that surround you, you have a hope!

He Is!

Luke 4:31-44

I know I have said this before but even the demons knew him, in fact they proclaimed him by name… ‘Jesus of Nazareth’, ‘the Holy One of God’, and ‘the Son of God’ were how they referred to him.  The people were amazed that the evil spirits obeyed him, they even asked who is this with such authority and power.  He healed Simon’s mother-in-law so powerfully that she immediately got up and started waiting on those at her home.  When people asked him to please stay, he choose to go forth to other places in order to spread the good news, he chooses it out of love for us instead of comfort for himself.  So where am I going with all this, none of this ideas seem to fall into the same categories, but truly they do.  I was reminded after reading this just how unbelievably awesome my Savior, Jesus Christ is.  Think about it, evil spirits not only know him they obey him----so I ask myself--- I know him and love him, do I always obey him?  He truly has all the authority and power in heaven and earth---do I allow him to have authority and power over my life?  His healing power is enough---after he touches me, do I think about myself or do I immediately start serving others (something he has called us to do)?  And then I think does he heal us for us or does he heal us in order for us to serve---to do the work that he has called us to do?  He loves us more than his comfort---do I love him that much or do I love him when I am comfortable?  He is just as powerful today and he is just waiting on us to realize that!

The Truth!

Luke 4:14-30

 Jesus was becoming known to many during this time, he was teaching and people were praising him.  And then it happened….he was denied by his own people.  The people that knew him from birth.  The people who knew his family.  The people that you think would support him the most.  The people who were close to his heart.  The people he knew well too.  I know that Jesus loves everyone, but it had to hurt him that it was these people that were turning on him, it was his people that were driving him out of town.  Isn’t that just how the world works, the minute someone becomes famous, gains some notoriety, or obtains a large sum of money people come out of the woodwork to say something negative about that person.  When reporters want to get some dirt on someone…what do they do?  They go to where they are from, they talk to people that know them, and they fall for it every time. 

So what can we learn from these scriptures?  I think we need to be careful about being blinded to the truth.  We have to remove what we think and ask Jesus to reveal the truth to us.  We have to deny ourselves and depend on Jesus to guide our thoughts and words.  These people depended upon what they thought they knew about Jesus, they did not seek God and ask him to reveal the truth to them.  Now I am not saying this is easy, sometimes when we ask God to reveal the truth---it may be the truth about ourselves and that is not always easy to swallow, but it is necessary.  If we can’t come to grips with the truth about ourselves, then we can never move ahead and we can never deepen our relationship with Christ.  The truth will surely set us free and the truth can only come through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Follow Jesus' Lead

Luke 4:1-13

There are so many lessons to be learned from these few scriptures.  So many lessons straight from Jesus’ experiences with Satan.  First of all, we see that the devil will tempt us, will attack us, no matter who we are.  We see that he will offer us many things; he may even give us many things in order to capture our mind and soul.  But we also see how to stand strong in the face of Satan---we follow Jesus’ lead by fighting the tactics of Satan with the Word of God.  We see Jesus do this with each attack.  So no matter what promises of this world are offered to you, never waiver from the Truth!  Jesus knows Satan’s weak spot; he knows that he cannot withstand the Word of God---why?   Because it is the truth and nothing about Satan is truth, he is the father of lies, and lies only, we can never find any truth in him, and we can never find true satisfaction in him.  Jesus is the only way to the truth, He is the only one that can completely satisfy our soul, our mind, and our heart…and He will.

All this makes me think about the movie Courageous.  My family and I watched it Friday night and we were all blown away by such a powerful message.  Jesus has not called us to be a weak vessel that can’t withstand the trials of this life, no, he has called us to be strong and courageous, but there is a catch.  We cannot be strong and courageous within ourselves; we have to depend upon Jesus to give us that true strength and courage to stand and stand strong.  We may seem weak on the outside, but when we allow Jesus to use us and follow his lead there is nothing impossible for us.  Lately I have been getting so frustrated with how so many people behave, actually disappointed is a better word for how I have been feeling, and I let that take away from my joy, but I realize now that even that is a tactic of Satan.  He knows what causes me stress, he knows what pushes my buttons and you can bet he tries every chance he gets…but I am here to tell you that he will never get me!  I not only know who Jesus is, I know him personally and I love him more than I can ever express in words.  I know that I will stumble, but I also know who will be there to lift me up.

He Loves Us So Much!

Joel

So I read the entire book of Joel---alright, so there is only 3 chapters, but hey, technically I did read a book in the Bible.  Seriously, I read the book last night and have been constantly thinking about the contents of it.  To be perfectly honest, it was not the easiest to follow and understand, but then God once again showed himself and gave me a message based on what I had read.   It had ran through my mind a few times about how much God truly loves us and wants us turn to him, to follow him, to live for him, and sometimes he uses difficult circumstances to do this.  Joel prophesizes about what will happen when people turn away from God, the devastation and destruction that will take place, and as I read about this I continued to not think of the terribleness of the devastation and destruction, but I thought about that is just how much God loves us.  He is willing to do anything it takes to turn us toward him, even if that means we have to suffer.   He knows that no matter how much or how bad the suffering will be for us, it is nothing compared to what will happen if we don’t turn to him, if we don’t follow him.  

I have to tell you that I started writing this Monday and could not get my thoughts down clearly until tonight, but now I can’t even sleep because of the lesson tonight at church from the book of Ezekiel---which goes along with the whole message that God had already given me.  I have so much that I want to write, but I need to study some more first.  So all I can tell you now is that God loves you and I so much more than we can ever comprehend---he wants us, and if we will just return that love by giving him our life he will use us in ways we can only dream of.  Please, please, if you have not given your life to God, stop where you are at and ask him to forgive you and to guide your life from this day forward.  Time is truly running out and I want everyone to know Jesus as their personal Savior, because trust me He is the only one who can and will save us!