Words of Hope in the Hard Times

Let's face it. So many of us go through hard things everyday. 

Maybe you feel that trouble is always just at your door. Or maybe you have invited it in. Maybe unwittingly you have sat yourself up for a life time of pain. 
Or maybe its not that, but there are other reasons that it follows you. Your health isn't good. 
Those relationships that you had tried to hard to have, just up and walked out the door.
There are many reasons for it. 
But knowing that, isn't much help, is it.
The only help comes through Jesus. And when I 
found In Times of Trial, 
I had to use it for today.
Because Jesus is the only way to get through the times that we find ourselves going during those hard times.
Maybe they just happen now and then.
Or maybe they are constant presence is our lives.
Our hope is in Jesus
and there will come a time when He
will wipe the tears from our eyes and welcome us home
Praise God!
Thanks for coming by, Friends

God bless!

. 

 

"Love Your Enemies" Really?

We sometimes hear someone say, "He/she got what they deserve." Or, "What goes around, comes around." Or even, "They will get their karma."

That is what some may be saying at work, or even in family. It is happening in my own family due to people that are going through some difficult times with people that are causing them problems. 

And when they tell me about them, I want to give them my support. Agree that they are being mistreated. Right?

 I might say that what goes around, comes around. And yep, I admit, I have done that.

But is that right to do? To encourage someone with words from karma, instead of what the bible says:

Jesus said:   Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Mathew 5:43-44

Love your enemies, bless them, do good to them, pray for them? Really? Does Jesus really expect us to do those things for our enemies?

It's easier to go the other route, for sure. We want to lash out at them. Or at least say mean things about them.

And yet, Jesus said to do just the opposite. Hard as that is. 

We are reminded that Jesus does not expect us to do what he hasn't done himself.

On the cross, high above the crowd that had put him there, he said "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

None of us deserve his forgiveness. No not one of us. And yet because of his blood we have it if we have asked him for it.

Our enemies here on earth may not deserve our forgiveness either. 

But it doesn't matter. Because we are still called to love, bless, do good and pray for them. We can't do those things if we don't also forgive them.

And that is a huge step up from wishing their bad karma on them, or hating them. 

One that God expects of us. We would do well if we remember the following:

Thanks for coming by today friends. God bless!

Grapes, Diamonds and Olives

 I ran across the following in Pinterest today and wanted to share a quick word with you about it

We are all crushed at times. Sometimes under so much pressure we feel we are just going to blow a gasket if we don't get some relief.

And it is true as this little poem says about grapes diamonds, and olives.

It says to "trust the process." Which is also true. But it misses one important point that I want to respectfully share about it.

And that is, while we are going through those crushing times, yes, it is an opportunity to be transformed, but the only real transformation that we want is through Jesus Christ.

Anything less, is not the best that he has for us. And sometimes may not even be good at all for us.

It is through him that we can trust the process. Because it can get us through to the other side and work a miracle in our lives.

“Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5

Have a blessed evening, Friends. Thanks for coming by. 

Jesus Is Calling

As you probably know, when I use these graphics in my blog, I most often use them from Pinterest. Today, in my email I got one (not the above one) that was titled 'Jesus Calling.' I thought that would be a good subject for today. and so on Pinterest, I saw these devotionals that are a series done by Sarah Young. I knew they existed and that they are popular among Christian women Bible studies. However, I myself have never used them.

And so getting to the page of them today to find a graphic, I find that there are warnings along with some of the graphics calling into question some of the things that she has written about.

Well, what is new about that? Nothing actually. Because the world has always put down Christianity to turn people away from the truth. 

But, I cannot say either way if what is being said about her devotionals is true or not. Because I have only just found this information out and have not looked into it at this point.

And so until I do, I will refrain from that and just say what truth about the title is.

Jesus is calling.

You, me and the whole world

And he is waiting.

Patiently waiting.

For you, me and the world

He is waiting for us to call and even cry out to Him. To ask forgiveness of our sin. To ask Him to come into our hearts and clean up our messes, and help us be the people that He wants us to be.

And so, that is the truth of what Jesus is calling us to. And that doesn't have to come in a book of devotions that may or may not be the truth. (Although I do not put down the kind of devotionals that are filled with truth) We already have one book that transcends all others, and that is God's Word. Its all we need to know the difference between fact and fiction. Truth and non-truth.

                                          God's Word. 

Thanks for coming today, Friends. God bless

A House Divided

 

It's funny cartoon day. Right? 

Wrong.

The truth is, that cartoon is meant to convey a truth to us.

And that is this:

A house divided against itself, will not stand. Mark 3:25

Sadly, we have watched this happen all too many times. Perhaps from our own homes to our neighbors' homes, to the government and even the world.

Satan our enemy has a lot of power in this world. And that is because he is the god of this world.

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2 Corinthians 4:4

He has blinded many even in Christain marriages which I believe is the saddest of all. 

We can sometimes only be assured of one thing in this life. And that is that Jesus is our only hope.

Completely.

If we look to anything or anyone else, we will fall.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends!

God bless!

 

The Brilliance of God's Glory

 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Psalm 19:1-3

What a beautiful passage in Psalms, written by the Psalmist David. We gaze up into the skies, especailly at night and see the handiwork of a Holy God. The moon and a zillion or more stars hang there, giving glory to God in their own brilliance. How awesome!

And yet, when I went to Yahoo or Google news yesterday, some of the headlines read:

-Kremlin hails Russian troops in Ukraine as hero's

-Russian troops seize site of nuclear plant fire

-Ukraine border miliary build-up continues as diplomatic tensions grow

Many lives hang in the balance in the war between good and evil. 

How did it ever get to this point? Or for any other, for that matter?

Actually, it's simple.

Jesus said that there will be wars and rumors of wars. That all of these things have to come to pass. That nations shall rise up against nation.... (Mathew 24)

It has been going on from the very first earthly war between two brothers in the Garden of Edon. 

It is scary to think about it and wondering if our own country will once again be thrown into a bloody battlefield of death and destruction at some point.

But there is good news as we gaze up into the heavens and contemplate God's glory. 

He has promised to never leave us. He is with us at all times. Even to the end of the age. (Mathew 28:20)

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day!

A Chosen Generation

 

 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 

There are so many wonderful passages of the bible that we can call our own. I Peter 2:9 is certainly no exception. It is one of my favorites.

I come from a middle-class family with no ties to royalty that I am aware of. But because of what Jesus did for me on the cross, I am privy to being a part of His chosen generation and royal priesthood. 

But what does that mean? Biblically speaking, of course.

I like the way this site puts it. (see: What does 1 Peter 2:9 mean? | BibleRef.com  )

What does 1 Peter 2:9 mean? [⇑ See verse text ⇑] b

In contrast with those who reject Christ and are destined to "stumble," Peter now describes the chosen people of God.

Peter uses language that had been used to describe God's special relationship with Israel. As Israel was, we—believers, the church—are also a chosen race. Unlike Israel, though, we are not a race in the sense of our family, ethnicity, skin color, or country of origin. We are a spiritual race, in the sense that, in Christ, we share a single spiritual Father. In that same meaning, we are a "holy nation," a specific group of people called out and set apart from all other nations.

Christians, together, are a royal priesthood. In Israel, under the Law, one tribe was given the task of serving as priests, performing the duties of mediators between God and the rest of the nation. Very few held the honor and responsibility of actually coming into God's presence. But in and through Christ, the King, all believers are priests with direct access to our Father. We need no other mediator.

Finally, God has formed this nation, this race, this priesthood to take possession of us. We are His people in a very real way. It's not just that we pledge our allegiance to Him; it's that He has taken ownership of us. We belong to Him.

Why? For one, He has made us to declare His praises. That's more than just a natural response to our Father's mercy or something we should do to be polite. Declaring God's greatness is one reason for our very existence. When we praise Him, we fulfill our purpose. He has called us out of the darkness of a meaningless life, and an eternity apart from Him,

 and into His wonderful, marvelous light. Because we belong to Him, we belong in His light

💖💖💖

I happened to watch a program on tv this week about a woman who had been in a cult at one time and had gotten so indoctrinated by them that she allowed them to starve her baby son to death. 

Who does that? Who allows it to happen? Why?

She has since been able to get out of that cult and now goes around telling her story and with deep sorrow about what had happened her life. 

We are not her judge as she lives with the consequences of it and tries to warn others. 

But Friends, it makes me think about my own life. Never had I ever thought it would be ok to do that to my child because at an early age I gave my heart to Jesus. And at my worst, would I have ever considered something so terrible. 

God called me out of darkness, and into His marvelous light. And even though her sin was seemingly greater than mine, in reality it is not. For sin is sin, no matter what it is. And the difference is what verse 10 says:

 Which in time past were not a people but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:10

We have obtained mercy. Those of us that have asked God. He has given it to us.

No matter what we have done, or how big or small we may think our sin is, we can obtain God's mercy because we are a part of his chosen generation. 

How thankful we are that he loves us that much!

Thanks for coming by, Friends.

God bless!