Focus of His Love!

But I will sing about

your strength, my God,

and I will celebrate

because of your love.

You are my fortress,

my place of protection

in times of trouble.

I will sing your praises!

You are my mighty fortress,

and you love me.

Psalm 59:16-17

Two little boys may be caught in a heated argument about whose father is stronger and which one is the better father.  Although he may not argue about it any more it is natural for a grown man to believe that his father was the "best father in the world."  It is good and right to believe that about your father because the REAL FATHER  of every man is God and deserves praise far beyond our ability to give it.

When you love someone the focus of your life is never far from that person.  When you love God, you are constantly seeking to please Him more than anything else.  But here is the shocking and mind bending truth.  God loves you!  You heard me right.  The Creator of all that there is, including you, loves you!

The focus of God's existence is never far from you.  Jesus desires to be with you forever and has done everything needed to make that possible.  

"Lord, I am stunned by the fact that You love me.  Your love is better than anything else in this world, or in the next.  To be loved by You is awesome and amazing and the beginning of a journey through Eternity that I cannot begin to fathom.  Thank You Jesus!  Amen."

The Next Divine Appointment!

The LORD All-Powerful

will destroy the power of death

and wipe away all tears.

No longer will his people

be insulted everywhere.

The LORD has spoken!

At that time, people will say,

“The LORD has saved us!

Let's celebrate.

We waited and hoped—

now our God is here.”

Isaiah 25:8-9

When that Day finally comes and the saved stand before the Throne of God will you have any regrets about how you lived this life? How could you be saved and still regret something you did here on earth? Doesn't the blood of Jesus cover all my sins? Yes of course it does, but consider this: I wonder about the opportunities that God arranged for me to share the love of Christ and the message of His Good News that I simply ignored. Certainly God can send someone else if I don't respond to the Spirit's leading, but what glorious things did I miss seeing because I was too tired, or too busy with this life?

Don't be satisfied with the assurance that when you die you will go to Heaven. Live this life looking each moment for the next divine appointment. Be ready to be God's instrument and messenger and look for His power and purpose in every situation of your day!

Nothing is more exciting than clearly seeing the Hand of God working in an otherwise ordinary encounter. Be ready and be willing to be used in God's plan for the day.

"Lord, send me today into the Battle for the Eternal destiny of men and women here on earth. Give me the courage and willingness to engage the Enemy as a true Soldier of Christ! Thank you Jesus. Amen."

Come Quickly!

I have a lot of enemies, LORD.

Many fight against me and say,

“God won't rescue you!”

But you are my shield,

and you give me victory

and great honor.

I pray to you, and you answer

from your sacred hill.

I sleep and wake up refreshed

because you, LORD,

protect me.

Ten thousand enemies attack

from every side,

but I am not afraid.

Come and save me, LORD God!

Break my enemies' jaws

and shatter their teeth,

because you protect

and bless your people.

Psalm 3:1-8

Do you need to be rescued from your enemies? Do you even have enemies?

Many Christians believe that we should live our lives so that no one would consider themselves an enemy. They think we should lure men and women to Jesus with the promise of wonderful and pleasant things and avoid any reference to the difficulties of a Christian life and especially the inevitable suffering!

The truth is this: Jesus told every follower of His to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all men. Some when they hear will also become His followers and others will become His enemies and yours!

But when you are faithful to Jesus the end of the story is this: Jesus will come and rescue you from your enemies.

I think the worst part of being stranded on a desert island would be the uncertainty of knowing whether or not anyone would ever come and rescue you. You could wish and hope, but you would never know for sure that help would someday arrive. Christians know that Jesus will come and rescue them from this desert island called "life on earth." No matter how bad it gets here all followers of Jesus can rest assured that the turmoil of this life will end and they will be ushered in to a glorious eternity with Jesus Christ.

"Lord Jesus, I thank you for the promise you made to come back and take Your followers to be with You forever. Come quickly, Lord! Amen."

The Same Breath!

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But don't be fooled! People will rebel against God. Then before the Lord returns, the wicked one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear. He will brag and oppose everything holy or sacred. He will even sit in God's temple and claim to be God. Don't you remember I told you this while I was still with you?

You already know what is holding this wicked one back until it is time for him to come. His mysterious power is already at work, but someone is holding him back. And the wicked one won't appear until this someone is out of the way.  Then he will appear, but the Lord Jesus will kill him simply by breathing on him. He will be completely destroyed by the Lord's glorious return.

II Thessalonians 2:3-8

God breathed on a lump of clay that had been formed into a body and Adam came to life. When Jesus returns He will breathe on the "wicked one" and he will die. The same breath can bring life or death.

When you inhale your body takes in the air that is rich in life sustaining oxygen. When you exhale the air that comes out is rich in carbon dioxide which cannot sustain life.

If you are the object of God's love, His breath brings life. If you are an enemy of God, His breath will destroy you.

Don't forget that believing in Jesus is not the same as trusting Him. Satan believes that Jesus exists and he knows for sure who Jesus is. That kind of belief will save no one. It is only those who trust, obey and depend on Jesus who will live with Him forever.

Do you believe in Jesus? If you said "yes" that is good, but it is of no value unless you also trust, obey and depend on Him for everything. Jesus must be more than the Lord of all. He must be the Lord of your life! Only then will His breath bring you life and not destruction!

"Lord, I declare today that I trust You! Help me to depend on You for everything and to obey Your voice in everything I do. Amen!"

Why Jesus Came!

When Christ came into the world, he said to God, “Sacrifices and offerings are not what you want, but you have given me my body.

No, you are not pleased with animal sacrifices and offerings for sin.”

Then Christ said, “And so, my God, I have come to do what you want, as the Scriptures say.”

Hebrews 10:5-7

God's plan for Jesus on this earth was carefully crafted by God Himself and predicted by the Old Testament prophets. Every day and in every situation of that day Jesus made choices that were consistent with the Will of God!

Jesus came to earth to do what God wanted done! He had no other purpose.

When you come to God and pray do you ask that He bend His Will so it will fit snugly into your own plans? Is your prayer focused on gathering and experiencing as many blessings as possible? Do you occasionally stumble across the Will of God for your life and find it inconvenient and even troublesome? If you answer yes to those questions you are simply being more honest than most.

The truly liberated Christian is the one who comes to Jesus and makes no claim on his own life, peace and security, and pleasure. You see, you were created to do what God wants. That is your purpose in life and that is the only thing that will truly make you happy.

"Lord, I confess that I am clinging to my own blessings and comfort instead of trusting You completely for everything. Take my heart today and help me to do only what You want done in Jesus Name. Amen."

Shore of Eternity!

In the right hand of the one sitting on the throne I saw a scroll that had writing on the inside and on the outside. And it was sealed in seven places. I saw a mighty angel ask with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it.

I cried hard because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop crying and look! The one who is called both the ‘Lion from the Tribe of Judah’ and ‘King David's Great Descendant’ has won the victory. He will open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Revelation 5:1-5

Jesus is the only one who is able to open the scroll and release the Word in the lives of men and women. When you try to be a Christian without an active, living, personal, and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ all you have is a rule book and a life of frustrating attempts to follow those rules.

But if you try to have a relationship with Jesus without the Word of God you will find yourself deceived at almost every turn. False teachers will fill your ears with new and exciting doctrines that sound wonderful to the human spirit.

The powerful and victorious Christian life happens when Jesus unseals the Word of God in your life. You read a verse of Scripture and suddenly it becomes alive and the power of God floods your soul. You find yourself standing on the shore of Eternity with Jesus beginning to explain it all!

Then you are distracted by the cares of this life and the lure of pleasures here on earth. You remember that moment with Jesus but begin to believe that it was just for that moment and not for every day. And you are lulled back to sleep while Jesus calls you back to Him.

"Lord, wake me up again to the reality of walking with You and experiencing the power of Your Word today in my life. And may tomorrow be the same, and forever, Amen!"

The First Cup!

When the time came for Jesus and the apostles to eat, he said to them, “I have very much wanted to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer. I tell you I will not eat another Passover meal until it is finally eaten in God's kingdom.”

Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he told the apostles, “Take this wine and share it with each other. I tell you that I will not drink any more wine until God's kingdom comes.”

Jesus took some bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He broke the bread and handed it to his apostles. Then he said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this as a way of remembering me!”

After the meal he took another cup of wine in his hands. Then he said, “This is my blood. It is poured out for you, and with it God makes his new agreement.

Luke 22:14-20

Have you noticed that in this account of the night before Jesus died on the Cross there are two cups of wine mentioned, not just one. The first cup mentioned is to be shared while the second cup is His blood!

The symbolism of the Lord's Supper is amazing. Read about the Passover meal itself and you will learn even more about what happened that night before the crucifixion.

Followers of Jesus share a cup that touches every part of our lives. We share in the blessing of knowing Jesus and hearing His voice as we walk through life. We share a cup of suffering as we feel the push back of the world. We share a cup of pain as we are crucified with Christ.

The next time you approach "The Lord's Table" to participate in Communion also remember the first cup of Luke 22.

"Lord Jesus, I say "Yes" to Your proposal that I become part of Your Bride. May my heart be totally focused on You, Jesus, now and forever. Amen!"