Jesus Washed the Feet of Judas!

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But when he came to Simon Peter, this disciple asked, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”  Jesus answered, “You don't really know what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “You will never wash my feet!” Peter replied. “If I don't wash you,” Jesus told him, “you don't really belong to me.”

Peter said, “Lord, don't wash just my feet. Wash my hands and my head.”

Jesus answered, “People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet. And you, my disciples, are clean, except for one of you.”  Jesus knew who would betray him. That is why he said, “except for one of you.”

After Jesus had washed his disciples' feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again. Then he said:  Do you understand what I have done?

John 13:6-12

Judas needed to be washed all over, but Jesus only washed the feet of Judas!  Judas is a prime example of how God uses the wickedness of evil men to accomplish His righteous purposes in the world!  Satan’s attempts to defeat God are like an international Chess champion playing the game against a five year old child who just learned some of the moves!  The Devil knows nothing in comparison to God!

It is truly amazing how seemingly intelligent men and women proclaim that they know more than does God who created them!  They even declare that they were not created at all, but were the accidental outcome of a huge explosion sometime in the distant past!  

As a person of faith, what does all this mean?  Well simply put, Satan may boast and shout and threaten to destroy all that is Holy and Righteous, but he is no more powerful than a mouse trying to stop an elephant!  God will win, in fact He already has won the victory when Jesus died on the Cross and was raised from Death on the third day!  

As a follower of Jesus Christ, remember that the worst thing Satan can do to you here on earth is to usher you in to Heaven where you will have a front row seat to the Glory of God!  Satan cannot send you to Hell!  

“Lord Jesus, wash me today wherever I am not clean!  Make me ready for the Day when I go to be with You or You come to take me Home!  Praise Your Name forever.  Amen.”

When God Goes Viral!

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Jesus answered:

Don't let anyone fool you. Many will come and claim to be me. They will say they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end.  Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes.  But this is just the beginning of troubles.

You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations.  Many will give up and will betray and hate each other.  Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people.  Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others.  But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved.  When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.

Matthew 24:4-14

Today, men and women of faith are looking for signs of the End!  Turmoil and trouble all over the world tell, even those who don’t believe in Jesus that there are difficult times ahead!  

The “final sign” of the End is simple and often overlooked.  This “billboard from Heaven” is when God goes V iral and the message of Jesus spreads all over the world!  In our day of YouTube videos and social media we all know what it means for a message to go Viral.  

When the Gospel goes Viral it will heard by far more people than anyone ever expected and in the wake of that spread there will be countless people turning to Christ!  The best definition of a revival today might be a time when God goes Viral!  

The last thing to happen before the end will come, according to these verses in Matthew 24 is for the Good News about the Kingdom of God to be proclaimed all over the world!  

“Lord Jesus, give me an opportunity today to tell someone about You so that I may take part in ‘God going Viral.’  And Jesus, may Your Name be praised now and forever.  Amen.”  

A Clear Conscience!

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Christ died once for our sins. An innocent person died for those who are guilty. Christ did this to bring you to God, when his body was put to death and his spirit was made alive.

Christ then preached to the spirits that were being kept in prison.  They had disobeyed God while Noah was building the boat, but God had been patient with them. Eight people went into that boat and were brought safely through the flood.

Those flood waters were like baptism that now saves you. But baptism is more than just washing your body. It means turning to God with a clear conscience, because Jesus Christ was raised from death.  Christ is now in heaven, where he sits at the right side of God. All angels, authorities, and powers are under his control.

1 Peter 3:18-22

When a man says “I have a clear conscience” it usually means that he doesn’t believe he has done anything wrong.  But that is not what is meant  when a man turns to Jesus with a “clear conscience.” 

As a follower of Jesus, you can have a clear conscience because Jesus was resurrected from the dead, not because you haven’t done anything that is wrong.  

In another place the Bible clearly says that “all have sinned.”  So if you try to take care of your “sin problem” without the Blood of Jesus, you will fail and you will fail utterly!

Even today we are saved like Noah and his family were saved from the Flood!  The Grace of God saved mankind from extinction by providing a way for Noah’s family to escape death that was brought by the Flood.   And God’s Grace also sent Jesus to die on the Cross so that we might escape the fires of Hell!

Instead of spending all your time trying to be perfect and never sin, use every moment you have holding on to and loving Jesus with your whole heart!  The best way to avoid temptation when it comes, and it will is to cling to Jesus and never let go!

“Lord Jesus, my conscience can never be clear because of what I have done.  But I can always be totally at peace and am not guilty because of what You did for me on the Cross!  Praise Your Holy Name forever!  Amen.”

  

A Tsunami of Life!

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“Honesty will keep you safe, but everyone who is crooked will suddenly fall.

When crooks are in control, everyone tries to hide, but when they lose power, good people are everywhere.”

Proverbs 28:18 & 28

The Presidential election in the United States in 2016 is very unique.  One major candidate has never been elected to any political office and the other one is the wife of a former President.  One side claims the other candidate is “unfit” in almost every way to be the President and the other side says that his opponent is a “crook” and should be in prison.  Now there is rumor that a major foreign country is releasing stolen emails to influence the campaign.

Does it matter who the person is, who is the head of a country? Of course it does!  Are the people better off if their leader, as well as being competent and courageous is moral and God fearing?  Of course they are!

In countries where leaders are elected by the people those who lead are a direct reflection of the people who put them in office.  Godless, ignorant and immoral people, who might accurately be called “crooks” will vote for people like themselves.

It is not the leaders who change a nation, it is rather the nation who changes it leaders!  

So, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ and are concerned about the state of your nation, then pray that God will send a mighty wave of revival and conviction of sin across your land!  When that happens righteousness will win and evil will be turned away!  It will be a tsunami that brings life and peace instead of death and destruction!

“Lord Jesus, help me to change the world around me by telling everyone I meet about Your life-giving love.  May You, Jesus be praised forever.  Amen.” 

Beyond Belief and Into Faith!

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"Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets tell how we become acceptable, and it isn't by obeying the Law of Moses.  God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ.  All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.  But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life's blood, so by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus."

Romans 3:21-26

Men and women are able to stand clean before God because they have faith in Jesus Christ.  What does it mean to have “faith” in Jesus?  When I was a child I thought that “faith” in Jesus meant that you believed that He was the Son of God and that He came to this earth and died on the Cross.  But you see, you can be a “believer” without having any faith in Jesus.  

I believe in parachutes.  I believe that they exist and that many people jump out of airplanes with a parachute folded into a pack on their back and safely reach the ground.  I have no doubt that parachutes work, but I do not have any faith in parachutes!  I am not willing to trust my life to a piece of silk!

Many people believe in Jesus and their doctrines are absolutely correct, but they refuse to trust Him with their lives!  There is a huge difference in believing in parachutes and in jumping out of an airplane while wearing one.  There is that same kind of difference between those who believe in Jesus and those who trust Him with their lives every day.  

If you are a believer, that is good, but belief alone will not save you.  It is only when you have faith in Jesus Christ that He has promised to save you!  So then, ask yourself and answer honestly, “Do I have faith or just believe?”  When someone tells you that they believe in Jesus, remember that is only step one of a right relationship with Jesus!

“Lord Jesus, help me today to step beyond belief into the realm of Faith. I know that You desire more than belief.   May I trust Your Holy Name forever.  Amen.”

TURN OR BURN!

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The fourth angel emptied his bowl on the sun, and it began to scorch people like fire. Everyone was scorched by its great heat, and all of them cursed the name of God who had power over these terrible troubles. But no one turned to God and praised him.

Revelation 16:8-9

There will be Global Warming that is not caused by man.  The real, and horrifying Global Warming will be caused by God who will make it so hot on earth that people will be “scorched like fire!”

The idea that human beings have the ultimate power to control the temperature of the earth is foolish and arrogant to say the least!  Perhaps we can influence how hot or cold it is by a few degrees, but nothing like God Himself will do in response to man’s rebellion.  

If you believe that God Almighty can and will do only kind, sweet, and gentle things on this earth, you are greatly mistaken.  God will judge and punish those who oppose Him and refuse to believe in Jesus!  His judgement is more than frightening!

Many people believe that God made Heaven and Satan made Hell!  That is not true!  Hell was prepared by God for the Devil and his angels!  To fear God is not just to stand in awe of Him.  Those who reject Jesus have a perfect right to be “scared to death” of what will happen to them when they die!  It is not a pretty picture and it will last forever.  There will be no coming back to God after the judgement!

If you are one of those who says, God is really kind and so some day I will repent and turn to Him, just before I die, then wake up!  That time may be today and this may be your very last opportunity to accept Jesus before it is too late!

I saw a bumper sticker once that, even though it may be considered “rude and crude” said, TURN OR BURN!  So let your “What to do today” list have as it’s first entry today: REPENT  AND TURN YOUR HEART TO JESUS!  If you do, you will never regret it, but if you don’t you will regret it forever in Hell!

“Lord Jesus, help me today to realize how urgent it is that I turn my heart to You.  May I bow down before You now and forever.  Amen.” 

Searching for Someone to be Your Lord?

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The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work.   As God says in the Scriptures,

“I will destroy the wisdom of all who claim to be wise. I will confuse those who think they know so much.”

What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn't God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish?  God was wise and decided not to let the people of this world use their wisdom to learn about him.  Instead, God chose to save only those who believe the foolish message we preach.  Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise.  But we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross. Most Jews have problems with this, and most Gentiles think it is foolish.

1 Corinthians 1:18-23

When a lost man or woman hears about the Cross of Jesus Christ, their response is not “Well that makes sense!”  From the viewpoint of a man or woman who is controlled by Satan and sold out to the “wisdom” of this world the Cross is the pinnacle of foolishness!  

So what makes a man ready to hear the Gospel  and respond with a totally life changing AMEN?

There is only room for one Throne in your life. Someone, or something will be the Lord of your life, and for most people who have not turned their hearts to Jesus that “someone” is themselves!  Conviction of sin, pulls you off the throne of your life and leaves you searching for Someone to be your Lord!  That is when the message of the Cross of Christ becomes the Living Hope of Heaven and the only answer to your desperate situation!  Only when you come to know how bad you are, can you come to see how Good He is!

When you tell the smug and self assured about the Gospel of Christ, they may respond with interest, but not with the desperation of a drowning man looking for something or someone to hold on to!  But when you preach the message of Jesus to those who have no hope you will be bringing them just what they need, and they will see it!

“Lord Jesus, help me to see again today that You are all that I need in my life.  What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the Blood of Jesus!  Praise Your Name forever.  Amen.”