She Loves the Word!!!

God’s Word: It’s not about rules and what I do. It is about Him and what He is doing. The people in the Bible are not perfect. They are all flawed, just like you and me. So, it is instructive to have a fuller, richer, blessed life. Listen to Sara and experience the Word yourself.

The Fellowship of Believers

The Fellowship of the Believers Acts 2:42 – 47

42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Here we have an early picture of what fellowship was like for the first Christians. This passage resonates much more to me than it ever has in the past. I love the picture of continual communion with the Father through corporate prayer.

Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens

How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens connects the sixty-six books of the Bible to the person and work of Jesus Christ. By explaining each book’s theme and raising pertinent questions about the contemporary importance of that message, author Michael Williams sets readers on a path toward purposeful, independent reading and application of the entire Bible.

We Have a Sympathizer

Are you willing to face your pain and the masks you wear as cover up? That’s a probing question, I know. But, we have a Master, a Savior who is willing to enter in, to be with us, to catch us when we fall, and to carry us through facing the reality of the pain we experience in this life. Hebrews 4: 14-16.

14 Since then we have

a great high priest

who has passed through the heavens,

Jesus, the Son of God,

let us hold fast our confession.

15 For we do not have a high priest

who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,

but one who in every respect has been

tempted as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace,

that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

— ESV

Now that we know what we have—Jesus,

this Great High Priest with ready access to God

—let’s not let it slip through our fingers.

We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality.

He’s been through weakness and testing,

experienced it all—all but the sin.

So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give.

Take the mercy, accept the help.

–The Message

We have a Great High Priest, greater than any other known earthly, humanly, priestly type. He is our Comforter and Deliverer. He knows us and is sympathetic to our sinfulness and weakness. He is our model, was tempted, but endured without sin.

We may look to Him today and take all our pain and remorse to Him. He receives us warmly, in gentleness and open arms. Reach out to this One, who knows you intimately. Reach out and sense His love and forgiveness. You can trust Him with what is in your heart today. His calling is simply to release, let go, allow Him to receive all that is you and minister His love, His grace, His truth, and His power to your heart.

The Eyes of Love

Here is a story from Corrie ten Boom captured in Love Walked Among Us (p 36). It reflects something we all desire as we love Jesus.

A person who influenced my life in my late teens was a man from India. As a boy he had come to hate Jesus. He knew about God, but the Bible of the Christians was a book which he believed was a gigantic lie. Once he took a Bible and burned it, feeling that with this act, he could publicly declare his scorn of what he believed were the untruths it contained. When missionaries passed him he threw mud on them.

Redeemed–what does that mean?

Redeemed

Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me “son
Stop fighting a fight it’s already been won”I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I’m not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I’m redeemed
All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, “Child lift up your head”
I remember, oh God, You’re not done with me yet

She Loves the Word!

Kari Jobe believes in the Word’s of the Bible and the power of the God behind them. Get to know Him better today through His Word.

One Step to Jesus

Casey turns from drugs to the best life has to offer.

Do you believe like Casey that God still has a plan for you? He wants to fulfill you more than you could ever dream. Believe and receive Him now.

A Challenge (LR)

We are on an adventure here. I’d love to hear from you about how you are affected by what you read here in 2013–either on this blog or other places.

I’d love for you to see significant change, or at least begin a journey where change starts. Real change happens within. Real change begins with truth–seeing truth and then wrestling with truth. We have to come before God and ask Him what He sees, what He wants in us, what His desires are. Because you see, you have desires too, but the beautiful desires within are those placed there by God Himself. That’s right, God places His desires in our innermost parts. Seeking out those desires helps us get in touch with God and what He wants for us.

Go ahead, you can do it!!!

You can do it!! You can change.

Value of Rising Early

In 2011, I began to rise early to focus on my relationship with Jesus and to explore what He has for me in the Scriptures. That has made all the difference in my life.

Realize I have lived most of my life having a spotty or erratic devotional time ( called Quiet Time in some circles ). There have been times when I have had concentrated and consistent times with the Lord and they were always wonderful. It is easy to move away from that and not find the time to continue the devotion and worship consistently.

I am now an advocate of rising early. I believe it is important to have some stake in the ground early in the day that reminds you of who the Lord is to you. I believe that for me because I know there are many days where I raise my head during the day and realize that I’ve lost all that I had at 5 or 6 AM that morning. Some of those times I am able to reclaim my thoughts of the early hours and the faith and wisdom that He gave me then. Those thoughts renew me and send me on my way with greater power and courage.