It’s Not That Difficult!

Some people have the idea that becoming a Christian is difficult.

What does it mean to be a Christian?

It means following Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. It means that you have made a decision to live your life with God’s will in mind. You accept in your heart that Jesus died a terrible death for you out of love. And that He arose from death after three days as a conqueror over our sins, and over all evil! To be a Christian, you must confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord of your life and accept His love for you and His path for your life.

It is a life changing experience! All of the worldy things that weigh you down, addictions, hatred, bitterness, etc. Such sins that are heartbreaking to the heart of God are washed away. With Jesus, all things are become new. You will be a new creation in God’s kingdom!

Jesus said it: to enter into the kingdom of heaven you must have faith like a little child. Trust only Him. (Matthew 18).

The apostle Paul wrote that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and declare that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, (Romans 10:9).

Why Jesus? Most everyone on the earth can see that we live in a broken world. God was moved with compassion and sent His only Son Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice to pay the cost for our sins.

Jesus‘ time spent here on earth, being fully human and fully Divine, was a historical and ground breaking event. The world has not been the same since! He not only died a terrible death: the worst form of capitol punishment ever inflicted on an innocent person. He regained territory in Hell by taking back the keys to death, Hell and the grave away from Satan. And on the third day, after His seeming defeat He arose from the grave victorious so that he might sit at the right hand of God the Father.

Now we may boldly approach the Throne of God the Father with Jesus as our mediator! Such grace and mercy poured out onto a broken world!

Over 500 people witnessed Jesus walking about the earth after he was supposed to be dead! It is written down in history. No one can say that Jesus never existed!

He is historical, He is a prophet, He is a teacher, He is mission-minded, He inspired the writer’s of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark Luke and John), He fulfilled prophecy (Isaiah 53), He is the Messiah! But most importantly He is the Son of the Living God and He did it all in love for you, for me, for all of us.

It’s not all that difficult to understand that a God who loves so deeply the people that He has created wants so terribly to have a relationship even to the extreme of sacrificing His only Son, Jesus.

The problem with the world today is that people do not understand such pure unconditional love from a living God through His only Son. Most feel inadequate for receiving such love. The love and forgiveness of Jesus is free. In child-like faith will you accept the love of Jesus today?

Thought
Accepting Jesus is only difficult if you have already chosen to reject Him.

Prayer
Dear Lord, Jesus I declare you as Lord of my life! Please forgive me of all my sins today. I believe that you are the Son of God and that He raised you from the dead. Thank you for saving me, please make me whole in you and show me the way of truth, life, righteousness, peace and joy! In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Read
The Gospel of St. John

Song in my Head
‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And all these things shall be added unto you, Allelu-Alleluia!’ -children’s Bible song

Lord, I Want to Say "Thank You!"

In Pixar’s hit movie The Incredible’s there is a scene with Elastigirl jumping from a plane with two of her children. They had been under attack from the enemy and had no choice but to jump. Elastigirl's first instinct is to protect her children. She has a gift for being extremely flexible so she spreads herself like a sheet and becomes a human parachute. She and her children safely land in the water below and swim to shore.

This is an odd movie scene to remember, but it speaks volumes about a Mother’s love and instincts. How much more does God love us and instictively know how to protect us? He is all-knowing, all-powerful! Think about it. How many quick prayers do you breathe every day? Imagine all the prayers going up to God right now:

Lord, please help me to get to work on time… Dear God, please don’t let there be traffic today. Please let me get an “A” on my test… Oh my God! Help me through this meeting! Dear God, please let my daughter be standing in front of the school when I pick her up today… God? I know I don’t talk to you much, but could you please let the team win tonight? …And God if you’re not too busy, let us win that trophy? Please let it be sunny today, God! Dear God please let it be windy enough today so that I can go out in my boat…. Dear God, I hate the heat! Please let it be cold tomorrow! Dear God, we come before you today asking that you would bless the food that we are about to partake…. God please let me have green lights all the way home! Please let there be hot water for me to wash with… Please take care of my dog while I am gone today… Dear Lord Jesus, please help me when I speak at the convention tonight. Give me the words to say… God please help the gas in my car to last longer this time! …Oh God, help me to find my keys!…Please let me be the first in line for the movie tonight, God...Please let there be money in my account today...

It may seem that many of these are silly prayers. However, God cares enough to answer them all. He is very interested and attentive to us. (Matthew 6).How many prayers have you whispered to God today? The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. (I Thessalonians 5).

But when He answers, do you remember to go back and say “thank you for answering my prayers, Lord!”? We’ve all done it. I sure have forgotten to go back and say thank you, but then I get my feathers all in a bunch when someone doesn’t thank me! LOL! Like when you’re driving and you give someone a break in traffic and they just take it without giving you the thank you wave or mouthing the words “thanks!”

How much more important is it for us to remember to go back and thank God for saving us, protecting us, healing us, watching over us as we sleep, waking us up in good health, and so much more? How you pray reflects how much you know about God. But one cannot know God without spending time and praying to Him and worshiping Him!

Questions
When was the last time you took time to just thank and praise God for all that He has done and is doing in your life? Are you grateful to Him?


Prayer
Dear God, help us to be more aware of all the things that you are doing for us and through us in our lives! But most of all help us to never take You for granted. Thank you so much, Lord God for Your love and for lavishing love on us when we least deserve it! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Read
Psalm 9:1-2, Psalm 51:15, Psalm 103:1-2, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, I Thessalonians 5

Song in my Head
‘Thank you for the cross, Lord! Thank you for the price you paid! Bearing all my sin and shame in love you came and gave amazing grace! Thank you for this life, Lord, that you for the nail pierced hands! Wash me in your cleansing flow. Now, all I know is your forgiveness and embrace! Worthy is the Lamb seated on the throne!’ -Darlene Zschech

Are You Getting Ready?

Have you ever tried to do something important that took time to achieve? It is human nature to desire success. For example, if you are a student in school you know how hard it is to get the “A+” in every class. It takes hard work, preparation, time in the library, time in study groups, money, prioritizing your time, buying books, reading the books, taking notes, going to class, going to class on time, and a ton of effort.

Not sure if this blog will make sense to anyone, but it’s on my heart: Time to get ready for work in God's kingdom. Think of all the people in the Bible who had to get ready: Moses (Exodus 2-40), Elisha (1 Kings 19-2 Kings 13), Joseph (Genesis 37-45), just to name a few who had to wait a long time in preparation for their callings.

Getting ready takes time. Sometimes you have to go back and fix something so that the big picture can function as a unified whole. Sometimes you have to be tested and tried for endurance before the race. If you are ill prepared, it may not show right now, but it sure will come out later. for example, you might be able to slide by in school by “bluffing” or “cheating”, but the truth is that one day it will matter. It matters to God. What will you say to God about the "A+" you received because you cheated?

I often think about Joseph in the Bible and how he was in prison for a long time for something he did not do. But it was during that time that God blessed him. He became a man of God while down in that prison. However, Joseph remained faithful to God. He probably had a lot of time to fast and pray which made him ready mentally and spiritually for the next level in his walk with God. Is it possible that Joseph would have made a good advisor to the Pharaoh if he had not first gone through all those struggles in Prison and the many setbacks that life threw at him? I doubt it. God rewarded Joseph for his faithfulness and steadfast devotion to the one true and Living God.

Are you getting ready for something that God has for you to do in His kingdom? And when the time comes for you to run that race, or take that test. You will be able to say that you did everything possible to be prepared.

As a young musician, I took private music lessons. A very wise music teacher once told me: “Don’t just practice the first bassoon part! Practice the second bassoon part and the third bassoon part and the contrabassoon part! Be ready!” You never know how being over-prepared can lead to promotion. And how being underprepared can lead to shame, even demotion.

The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:15:
‘Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.’ (AMP)

Being ready means that you can be used by God in any capacity whenever and however He so chooses. Are you ready to get ready? God is always ready for you.

Questions
What are you needing to get ready for today? Are you getting impatient?

Prayer
Dear Lord, help us to be ready to do your will at any time whenever and however You might need us. Let us prepare ourselves in patience and grace before You for work in Your kingdom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Read about Joseph in Genesis Chapters 37-45 (NIV)
Also check out 2 Timothy 4:1-2, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)

Song in my Head
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see You. To see You high and lifted up shining in the light of Your glory! Pour out You power and love…’ -M.W. Smith

Wait On the Lord

I’ve been thinking about this particular blog idea for several weeks. The idea of waiting for something can be overwhelming for a lot of people. It’s like when you’re at the DMV waiting, and waiting, and waiting playing that weird Bingo game wishing your number was up. Do you pack a lunch and take a book with you to the DMV? I certainly do, LOL! Or when you go to the doctor and the whole office is behind schedule because one person was late and now everyone in the waiting room has to wait. But this is how life is sometimes. You grow up, you learn to wait. And if you never learn how to wait, you end up looking childish over and over again.

Gotta pass this test otherwise, I’ll have to take it again. Gotta learn how to wait on the Lord.

I saw a t-shirt advertising the movie Forrest Gump one time and it said: “Gump happens.” Sometimes, life happens, but it is in these moments of waiting that our character is truly seen. Like gold in the fire, once purified, it stops jumping and popping and all of the impurities are burned away.

The thing about being a child of God’s kingdom is that you must learn certain things in order to grow. One of those difficult lessons is learning how to wait properly on the Lord.

Wait quietly, seek God’s face, study His Word, memorize His Word, sing worship songs to encourage yourself, encourage others to wait for the things of God right alongside you. Talk to people who’ve waited on the Lord and have seen His promises fulfilled in their lives. But most of all, while you wait put your hands to good use in the Lord’s work.

Learn to wait well and the Lord will honor your waiting. Wait, wait well, warrior!

Questions For Reflection
How well do you wait? Are you waiting on the fulfillment of God’s promise today?

Prayer
Dear Lord, Help us to wait on You and to be strengthened as we wait. Make us ready so that when the time is right for the fulfillment of Your promises in Your Holy Word, we will be fully immersed in Your will. Let us not look to the right or to the left, but always to You, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Read
Some of God’s promises to those who wait: Isaiah 40: 28-31, Psalm 37:9, Psalm 27:14

Song in My Head
‘Wait, wait, wait on the Lord and you’ll see that He will always keep His Word! You must just trust in Him don’t be dismayed…’ D. McClurkin and Karen Clark Sheard

Where's Jesus?

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. Remember that one? LOL, an odd warning written on the side mirrors of every car. An odd warning to reflect upon.

Did you know that Jesus is closer than He sometimes appears?

The colorful children’s books entitled “Where’s Waldo?” by Martin Hanford, are always fun to read. Finding the elusive Waldo in a sea of people and distractions for some reason was so rewarding. I felt as if I had accomplished something. But it was followed by a sense of awe because Waldo was right there the whole time wearing a bright red and white stripped shirt a funny hat and blue jeans! Right there in the most obvious place!

I am using Waldo as a simple illustration to help my point here. Sometimes, it may seem this way when we look for Jesus in all the wrong places. The difference between Jesus and Waldo are obvious. It is ridiculous to compare Jesus the Son of the Living God with little Waldo, but let's get down to the basics anyway:

1. Jesus will not wait for you to find Him. If you take one step towards finding Jesus, Jesus will take two steps, three steps, or even five steps towards you for your every one step of faith towards Him!

2. Once You find Jesus you will need to continue to follow Him. Those who follow Jesus and declare Him Lord of their life will be saved. If you look for Jesus the way you might look for Waldo, the reward is far greater with Jesus!

3. Jesus is the Son of God fully human and fully Divine. Waldo’s…well, totally none of that just a character in a children‘s book!
But once we find Jesus, and read His words in the Bible, we can thank Him for a greater vision of hope and faith and of a life filled with purpose.

Don’t be fooled by imposters! There is only one Jesus! There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God!

Can’t find Him yet? Pray a simple prayer to Him and ask Him to help you to at least see His footsteps. If you go where Jesus has gone you will find Jesus. Start with His Words in the Gospel of St. John chapter 1, find a place of worship/a church to visit, seek out some of His followers who will pray with you and encourage you.

Questions for Reflection
Are you asking “where’s Jesus” in the middle of a cruel world? Are you looking for Jesus with all of your heart? Do you really want to find Him?

Prayer of Faith
Dear Lord, thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I acknowledge that I am a sinner and that I need your forgiveness. I want to declare You as Lord of my life today! Please, help me to follow in your footsteps from now on and to be all that You are calling me to be! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Read
John 1:1-50, John 3:16-17 NIV

Song in my Head
‘Jesus we enthrone You. We proclaim You our King. Standing here in the midst of us, we raise You up with our praise. And as we worship, build a throne. Come Lord Jesus and take Your place!’ -Don Moen

Love From A Living God

Have you ever considered how much God loves you? Do you live like God loves you? Have you studied God’s Word and realized how much God loves and cares for you? How do I know that God loves you? Because he sent His Son Jesus to die a painful and undeserving death on the cross for us. His blood was shed to cover all of our sins. And Jesus, after He died, arose from the dead in victory over the enemy, satan. Now, because of Jesus we can boldly approach the throne of grace and make our petitions known before God. God’s love is so deep and never ending!

I have had the best summer ever in terms of realizing how much God really loves me! Amazing. It is absolutely amazing that after more than 30 years, I still had little if any fathomable idea! In fact, I’m just learning. I hope this blog inspires you to live more like God loves you too!

The truth is, life happens. Yes, bad things happen to good people, but bad things happen to bad people too. If you really understand the love of God, all those things you are going through become possible through the Christ of Calvary who strengthens me/us. (Philippians 4:13). In the end, God will have the final say. Those who live by His Word, love Him and do His will, will be rewarded. And those who choose to live their lives for personal gain will not go unnoticed in God’s eyes.

If you really believe that God loves you, wouldn’t you want to experience God’s love to the fullest? And wouldn’t you want to share it with someone else? Wouldn’t you smile more? Laugh more? Perhaps even you wouldn’t take yourself so seriously all the time? If you had even the smallest idea of how much God loves you, you would live a life of faith and child-like trust in the Living God.

Knowing that God loves you does not mean that you test God’s favor upon your life. Respect the power of the Lord. Living like God loves you means that you live with a purpose in God’s kingdom! Don’t know your purpose yet? Ask God to show you beyond any and all shadow of doubt what His purpose for your life is in His kingdom. Live responsibly, pay your bills, be at work on time, do your work well, be nice to people even when it hurts, pay your tithes, take care of your health, spend lots of quality time with your family. Go to church, invite someone to church with you, laugh often, make someone laugh on purpose, live a godly life of praise and worship, learn to forgive and let go. Help the poor and needy. Do some random act of kindness for someone, and when it comes back to you, pay it forward, as they say.

Psalm 37:4 says that for those who take delight in the Lord, He will give them the desires of their hearts. Jesus said to love the Lord your God with all of your heart. (Matthew 22:37).

I am not going to pretend that I know it all, but this much I have learned in over 30 years. Now, if I may borrow a tag line...as Dr. Laura might say, (whom I’ve already forgiven, btw):
“Now, go do the right thing!"

But most of all, accept God's love for you and live a life of victory!

Questions
When was the last time you really felt or believed that God loved you? How do you perceive God’s love for you?

Personal Prayer
Dear God, help me to realize how much you love us and care for me. To know in faith that your love for me is so grat that it cannot be measured! Teach me to trust in You with child-like faith, and please help my unbelief. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Read
Psalm 37, Matthew 22

Song in My Head
‘Who is this King of Glory? That pursues me with His love?…My conscience are reminded of forgiveness given me…Who is this King of angels? O, blessed Prince of Peace!’- Third Day

A Real Simple Prayer

'Real simple prayer: all I need is a touch from You. No one else Lord, can do the things You do. Take the wrong in my life and make it right...' -Brian Courtney Wilson

"Lord, teach me how to pray." This is a real simple prayer that everyone should desire to pray. I pray this prayer often. I am not claiming to be an expert on prayer, but I have learned the hard way that in every situation it is so very important to seek God’s will. It is absolutely amazing at how much God cares for each of us. I am always intrigued by how much God wants to be involved in my life, how much interest He has in every little detail!

The word “immersed” seems to be the word of the season for me right now. To be immersed in the power of God. To be immersed in the Spirit of God. To be immersed in His perfect and holy will and way. To be immersed in His thoughts and the things on His heart. To be immersed in His Word.

If you would not ask the Lord God for His will concerning a penny, then chances are you might not seek His will concerning a thousand dollars. How often do you pray? What do you pray about? Do you think of God as a magical genie who will pop out upon your every command mysteriously granting your every wish, perhaps even up to three a day? Does God seem too complicated for meager humankind? Is He to you a God who is no longer interested in His creations? Or maybe you see God as this big guy with a long gray beard who is too grumpy to care about you. Are you dodging lighting bolts? Running from dark clouds overhead? Do you pray out of superstition? Do you feel too sinful to pray?

Prayer is designed to keep us connected with our maker and Creator: God the Father. Prayer enables us to have a relationship with Him. Of course, God knows what we need before we ask. God longs for a relationship with each of us, one on one. Jesus said that we should ask/pray anyway. (Matthew 7:7) The worst you can do is not pray since, Jesus has already paid the price making it easier for us to approach God’s throne. And believe me, His throne is filled with grace and mercy!

A great prayer to pray and the best model for learning how to pray is the Lord’s Prayer. The disciples asked Jesus: Lord, teach us how to pray. Jesus gave them the Lord’s prayer: (Matthew 6, NLT)

“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

King David in the Bible, was not only a king over all of Israel, but he was known for being a man after God’s own heart. He was quite the prayer warrior! Many of his prayers can be found in the book of Psalms. David prayed all the time, he even fasted and prayed throughout his reign over Israel. When he became aware of his sins, he repented from his heart and worked hard to live a life pleasing in God‘s eyes. Some of my favorite prayers by King David are found in Psalms 8, 27, 37, 51, 136 and 139. Some of my favorite prayers found in the book of Psalms that are not written by King David include: Psalm 42, 46, 73, 77, 90 and 91.

Some people may think it unnecessary to pray since God already knows everything about us. The truth is that prayer brings us closer to God, gives us nourishment for our souls and strengthens us for the day. Sometimes, it is the praying that increases our faith not the type of prayer. A real simple prayer can oftentimes be the best prayer you will ever pray.

Questions
Are you struggling with what to say to God? Does the thought of praying overwhelm you?

A Real Simple Prayer
Lord, as we learn to pray, teach us to pray with all of our hearts. Give us your heart, your vision, your wisdom in all things. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Read
Matthew 6, Psalm 51

Song in my Head
‘what if His people prayed? And those who bear his name would humbly seek His face and turn from their own ways?’ -casting crowns