Tag: Jesus Loves You

Because He Lives

So many things go through my mind about Easter.  But I wonder if everyone that reads my devotions knows the full story.  From the beginning of the Bible all the way to Jesus’s death and resurrection.  The “why” behind why Jesus had to come to earth as a human, die and rise again.  So here are the cliff notes:

  • Man sinned and was put out of the garden – removed from the presence of God. 
  • Man became so wicked that God destroyed the earth – except for one family and one set of each animal.  We know this as Noah’s ark.
  • After much time, God chose one family to be his chosen people – his sons and daughters – the Israelite’s.
  • To keep his chosen people mindful of God, He gave them rules to follow.  Animal sacrifices and grain offerings were required for atonement when they sinned, but they had to keep doing the sacrifices because they kept sinning.
  • Over time, His chosen people would forget about God and fall into wicked ways. Bad things would begin to happen because of their sin and then they would call out to God.  God would always take them back.  Grace, such amazing grace God has.
  • Eventually God sent his son, Jesus, to earth as a human so that he could teach His chose people, free them from their sin, and lead them to everlasting life through God.
  • His chosen people rejected Jesus.  They did not believe he was God’s son.  They were scared of his teachings because it was different from the law that they had been following and so they conspired to have him killed.
  • They rushed him through an unlawful trial overnight and demanded the Romans to execute him, to crucify him on a cross.  After He died, he was quickly buried in a tomb, without all the traditional customs because it was the sabbath day and they could not do any work after sundown. This day is called Good Friday.
  • On Sunday, after the sabbath was over, a few of Jesus’s followers went back to the tomb to perform the traditional customs on Jesus’s body but Jesus was not there. Only an angel that told him Jesus was no longer dead.  This is called Easter.
  • Jesus became the FINAL sacrifice that was needed to give us forgiveness of our sins and everlasting life.

Because Jesus lives, I am free to have a relationship with God.  Because of God’s grace, I am set free of my sin.  Because the Holy Spirit resides in my heart, I am encouraged to tell others what God has done. 

Because He Lives!

Dear Lord, thank you for dying on the cross for me.  Thank you for rising again.  Thank you for saving me from my sins. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to guide me through this life and to help me lead others to your amazing grace.  Amen.

A Spirit of Fear

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

A spirit of fear has taken over our world because of COVID-19.  I have watched from the sidelines as neighbors and friends have panicked and ran to the store to buy up every last roll of toilet paper, can of Lysol and bottle of hand sanitizer.  But the Bible says that fear is not from God.  So, if it is not from God, who is it from?  Fear is from the enemy. 

Fear often brings on sleepless nights, short tempers and bad decisions.  You end up feeling helpless, overwhelmed and completely alone.  Fear is one of the enemy’s most popular weapons that he uses against us. The most common lie that the enemy uses to instill fear into us is that God is far away or absent from our presence.  God has given us the power to break away from fear.  In Joshua 1:9 it says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discourage, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

God has proven time and time again, both in the Bible and in our lives, that He loves us and is always with us.  In Romans 8:38-39 it says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  In a time like this, God’s love should overflow from you to the people around you.  You can show love by helping your neighbors, family and friends.  Check on people that may be vulnerable to illness.  Offer to pick up something from the store if you are going anyway. 

Fear is not a physical enemy; it is a spiritual enemy and a spiritual battle requires spiritual weapons.  So, what weapons do you bring to a spiritual battle?  The most powerful weapons of all.  Prayer and worship!  It is easy to forget to pray and worship in a time like this. You find yourself glued to the media to hear the latest news.  Don’t get me wrong, it is good to be informed, but God has given you self-discipline too.  Self-discipline to stay in prayer.  Self-discipline to stay in worship.  Self-discipline to follow the guidelines given to us by the authorities.  A sound mind in a time like this is a gift from God.  Slow down, pray and worship. God will bring you comfort.

Dear God, thank you for the power you give us to defeat the enemy. Thank you for your never-ending love.  Help us to linger in prayer and worship so that fear is whipped out.  Amen

Such a Time as This

Esther 4:14 “…Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

Have you heard the story of Queen Esther?   It is full of drama, power, romance and intrigue.  Esther was a stunningly beautiful Jewish woman who became the queen of Persia around 480 years before Jesus walked on this earth.  If you don’t know much about Persia, don’t worry.  Neither did I.  All you need to know is that it was huge, and many Jews ended up there after they were exiled from Jerusalem more than 100 years before.

So, the story in a nutshell goes like this.  The king of Persia was named King Xerxes and when his first queen (not Esther) refused to make an appearance at a party he was throwing, he basically kicked her out.  Then he went on the hunt for a new queen.  This is when he met Esther.  She was beautiful and when presented to King Xerxes, he took a liking to her, so she became the next queen. 

How crazy was it that a simple Jewish woman would suddenly find herself the queen of the biggest empire in the world?  Why would God bless her like that?  Has this ever happened to you?  Do you ever wonder why God has blessed you with an amazing job, a beautiful home, spare time or creativity?  He didn’t place you where you are so you could lounge around all day with wine and cheese or post pictures on your social media pages.  He placed you there for a reason. 

While Queen Esther was living her best life in the palace, a scoundrel name Haman convinced the King to send out a decree that basically said all Jews should be killed on the 13th day of the 12th month.  Well Queen Esther was a Jew, but she hadn’t told the King about her heritage because her Uncle Mordecai had told her not to.  But now Mordecai sent her a message that said she needed to save her people by speaking to the King about the decree.  She needed to tell King Xerxes that she was Jewish.  Esther was scared.  She had a pretty comfy life and she didn’t even know if the King would speak to her.  But then Mordecai said the famous words from our Bible passage above, “Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

It is God who has given you your job, your home, your time and your strengths.  God is giving you the opportunity to use these resources for his kingdom where he has placed you. So, speak up at work.  Tell your colleagues about the really cool story you heard during the sermon at church.  Invite your neighbors to your home and get to know them.  Use your spare time to volunteer at your child’s school so you can show them what a loving Christ centered parent looks like.  Don’t miss your kingdom assignment because you are too caught up in your comfy life.  Perhaps you were put in this place for just such a time as this.

Dear Jesus, open my eyes so I can see the people around me that need your kingdom. I know you have placed me here for a reason. I am ready to help. Amen.

Take My Yoke

Matthew 11:29-30 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The only way this Bible verse makes sense is if you know what a yoke is.  I have not worked with livestock, even though I have lived in Texas my entire life, so naturally I had to do a little research to figure out exactly what it is. 

Essentially, a yoke is a harness used by a pair of oxen to ease the work of hauling a load.  The wood is hand carved to fit over the neck and shoulders of both oxen so that it would prevent pain.  The oxen need to be about the same size so that the yoke sits comfortably on both animals.

Typically, the pair of oxen includes an older seasoned ox that has been well trained from years of routine and a new young ox that has potential but is inexperienced.  By sharing the same yoke with a veteran ox, the younger ox does not have to wonder what to do. Plus, the experienced one pulls harder and bears most of the load until the younger ox is trained up. 

How awesome is that?  In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus is saying that he wants me to be harnessed to him.  He wants to take me under his wing and learn the ropes from him.  He is not a fierce and cruel teacher but gentle and humble in heart.  He is stronger and more experienced than I am so he will be pulling harder and bearing most of the load.

I don’t know what your burden is.  It might be an addiction to shopping, alcohol or sex.  It might be a spirit of lying and gossiping.  Or perhaps you have a desire for something that is not yours.  Whatever it is, if you harness yourself to Jesus, he will carry most of the load for you.  That is His promise to you. 

Jesus, thank you for bearing the load of the sins in my life. When I forget to give my worries to you, remind me that I can find rest in you. Amen.