Tag Archives: Jesus Saves!

Smiles Help! Are You Smiling? A Word from THE WORD!!! #162

06 Wednesday Dec 2023

Posted by in A Call To Look Unto Jesus!, A heart of faith, Abundant Life In Jesus, Changed Lives, Check Your Knees???, Joy, Joy Is Contagious!, Joy of The Lord!, Joy To The World?, Smile if you love Jesus!, SMILE!!! Jesus loves YOU!!, Smiling is contagious, Spread a smile, Spread the GOOD news!

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Smiles Help!!  Are You Smiling? A Word from THE WORD!!! #162

Just a few words this morning to hopefully brighten your day.  Joy and laughter are good for the soul, and many are weary and tired, rushed and stressed with work, home, shopping, spending money—or trying to come up with the money to spend!  These are perilous times and scripture told us they would come, but don’t lose heart—our God reigns and Jesus is coming soon!

“And a voice came out of the throne, saying,

Praise our God,

all ye his servants,

and ye that fear him,

both small and great.

6 And I heard

as it were the voice of a great multitude,

and as the voice of many waters,

and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,

Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”   Revelation 19:5-6

Oh, Hallelujah sings my soul—as I sit here listening to Handel’s Messiah singing the Hallelujah Chorus, one of my favorite pieces of music—and I am smiling.  How about you.

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:

but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”  Proverbs 17:22

I pray that you will find the “joy of the Lord” and smile, through your tears if necessary.  I was trying to encourage a friend recently who is carrying a heavy load of caring for an aging parent in the throes of dementia and heart problems; now not to give away any personal secrets but part of our conversation may help you see that sometimes, lightening the spirit with laughter and light-hearted banter can help.  Our texting conversation was something like this:

       “me:  take one step at a time….

         My friend: can I crawl?

        Me:  not unless you’re wearing knee pads…

My friend:  sending a meme of a woman on the floor rolling up into a carpet…

Me: rolling is fine, but you better watch those corners, they’ll get you….”

No great words of wisdom, or spiritual depth, just a friend trying to make another friend smile in the midst of her tears.  Smiling is ok!  Smiling is good for the soul, the spirit, and the face—especially for those looking at it, and it’s often contagious!

“A merry heart

maketh a cheerful countenance:

but by sorrow of the heart

the spirit is broken.”  Proverbs 15:13

“All the days of the afflicted

are evil:

but he that is of a merry heart

hath a continual feast.

16 Better is little with the fear of the LORD

than great treasure

and trouble therewith.”  Proverbs 15:15-16

Money is nice to have, and friends (real friends) are a delight to the soul, and an encouragement to the downhearted, but I’ve learned that you can’t buy love or friendship, but you can nurture and cultivate both, or you can give up and go without—but that is a most dreary way to live.  I’ve known people like that, and I just smile and say, “Have a blessed day!”—and while it sometimes evokes a smile—and sometimes not so much—but either way, I know I’ve spread a little love, cheer, and kindness.  You never know what that little clerk may be facing, or that teller, or that service person on the phone may be worried about; so spread a little cheer with a smile on your face, in your voice and everywhere you go.  It costs little and can do so much good.

Nehemiah was one who stepped up to help his people rebuild out of chaos, and that under circumstances of great stress and fear, but as they gathered to hear The Word of The Lord, their hearts were sad, yet Nehemiah encouraged them to rejoice in what they had heard from God; rather than sorrow, he called them to rejoice, share what they had with those who had none and to, in my paraphrase, “put on a smile, rejoice in the Lord and spread it around”!  Won’t you do the same, especially as we celebrate the gift of our Redeemer’s birth—HE who came to die in our place, so that we could live!

“The thief cometh not,

but for to steal,

and to kill,

and to destroy:

I am come

that they might have life,

and that they might have it more abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd:

the good shepherd

giveth his life for the sheep.”  John 10:10-11

And that my friends, is something to smile about.  Spread the love of Jesus, smile at the world and don’t be ashamed to wish others a “Merry CHRISTmas”!  Blessings on your day!

With a great big smile!

Amen and Amen!!!

A Call To Look Unto Jesus??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #159

29 Wednesday Nov 2023

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Call To Look Unto Jesus!, A heart of faith, Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, Choose you this day?, Choosing Jesus or The World?, Christ IN YOU, Christmas, Christmas IS Jesus, Christmas IS?, Christmas Ponderings, Jesus call, Jesus IN You!, Jesus IS The Gift!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Jesus Is Truth, Jesus Saves!, Jesus SinLESS Son of God, Jesus' Sacrifice, Jesus--our all in all, Light In The Dark

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A Call To Look Unto Jesus???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #159

“But while he thought on these things,

behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared unto him

in a dream, saying,

Joseph, thou son of David,

fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:

for that which is conceived in her

is of the Holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a son,

and thou shalt call his name JESUS:

for he shall save his people

from their sins.

22 Now all this was done,

that it might be fulfilled

which was spoken of the Lord

by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child,

and shall bring forth a son,

and they shall call his name Emmanuel,

which being interpreted is,

God with us.”  Matthew 1:20-23

One of my sister’s favorite Bible phrases is, “and it came to pass”, and it always does!  Come—to pass—that is; for God is a faithful God, and HE sent Jesus to fulfill His promises of a Messiah who would call His people to salvation, redemption, and eternal life; to restore us to relationship, hope and the life with God that we lost in Eden!  Sin had separated us from God, and Jesus came to save us from that sin and the penalty of it—death!  He came to bring life to those who would come to Him in repentance and faith in HIS substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for our sin!  The babe placed in a manger instead of on a throne, came to be the sacrifice for your sin and mine, and HE is waiting for you to respond to the call to come to HIM today, for today is all that we have, tomorrow may or may not be ours, yet Praise God, HE keeps HIS own and is conforming us into the image of HIS SON!

“Being confident of this very thing,

that he which hath begun a good work in you

will perform it

until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6 

“In hope of eternal life,

which God,

that cannot lie,

promised before the world began;” Titus 1:2

For our hope of eternal life is IN JESUS and no other.

“Jesus saith unto him,

I am

the way,

the truth,

and the life:

no man cometh unto the Father,

but by me.”  John 14:6

John also introduced Jesus, not from a manger bed, but from HIS existence before the foundation of the world!

“In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him;

and without him was not any thing made

that was made.

4 In him was life;

and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness;

and the darkness comprehended it not.”  John 1:1-5

To me one of the saddest of all commentary in scripture is, “the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not”!  Jesus came to save us, and we wouldn’t recognize who HE was; yet HE was, is and always has been the only way to God, but the question is a personal one, ‘What will YOU do with Jesus?’

You can receive and believe Jesus’ witness of who HE IS, or you can go your own way, and pay for your own sin, it’s your call!  But remember there is a test, and a soon coming one, I truly believe!  Are you ready.  Jesus’ own words say it better than I can.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him

should not perish,

but have eternal life.

16 For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world

to condemn the world;

but that the world through him

might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him

is not condemned:

but he that believeth not

is condemned already,

because he hath not believed

in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation,

that light is come into the world,

and men loved darkness rather than light,

because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil

hateth the light,

neither cometh to the light,

lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth

cometh to the light,

that his deeds may be made manifest,

that they are wrought in God.”  John 3:14-21

It’s not just the baby in the manger that we celebrate at this time of year, but it IS the work that HE was born to do—to die for your sin and mine, that we might have eternal life with HIM through that faith in HIS ‘substitutionary, atoning sacrifice’! He paid the price, but it can only be received through repentance and faith in HIS payment for our sin!

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:

but this one thing I do,

forgetting those things

which are behind,

and reaching forth unto those things

which are before,

14 I press toward the mark

for the prize of the high calling of God

in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:13-14

All this because God loves you and me, but there is a debt due; I owed a debt I couldn’t pay except in death and hell, yet Jesus paid a debt HE didn’t owe so that we could have life and escape hell!  What will you do with HIS gift this Christmas?  Accept it?  Celebrate it?  Rejoice in God’s goodness, love, and peace?  Or reject it and suffer the consequences, for we are free to choose or reject Jesus, but the consequence has already been set.  It’s your choice, but choose wisely, there is a test (See Revelation 20:11-15)!

“For all have sinned,

and come short

of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace

through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth

to be a propitiation

through faith in his blood,

to declare his righteousness

for the remission of sins that are past,

through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time

his righteousness:

that he might be just,

and the justifier

of him which believeth in Jesus.”  Romans 3:23-26

“But now being made free from sin,

and become servants to God,

ye have your fruit unto holiness,

and the end everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death;

but the gift of God is eternal life

through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Romans 6:22-23

So friends, my challenge to you is simply to invite you to answer HIS call to your heart.  If you haven’t been born again by the blood of Jesus, you can be today if you will but call on Jesus to save you in repentance of your sin, and faith in HIS payment for them!  If you are HIS, won’t you reevaluate your walk with HIM and commit anew and afresh to live Jesus before a lost and dying world, as well as those around you at home—they all need to see JESUS IN Christmas IN you and me!

“And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold,

I bring you good tidings of great joy,

which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day

in the city of David

a Saviour,

which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you;

Ye shall find the babe

wrapped in swaddling clothes,

lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude

of the heavenly host praising God,

and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace,

good will toward men.”  Luke 2:10-14

Amen and Amen!!!

Gratitude Spills Over??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #154

13 Monday Nov 2023

Posted by in A Father's Love, A Form of godliness?, Blessed by God, By His Grace, Confidence, Don't Wait, Faithful Follower, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, Giving and Sharing, Giving or Getting, Giving Or Taking?, God's love, God's measure isn't ours, Good Neighbor, Good Stewards, Gratitude, Gratitude Is Timeless, Great is Thy Faithfulness, Greater is HE that is IN US!, Jesus IN You!, Jesus' Sacrifice, Living Right, Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

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Gratitude Spills Over??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #154

For the rest of this month (unless I change my mind!!) I want us to focus on God’s goodness and our attitudes; for sometimes we just take God’s goodness for granted and forget to thank HIM or share HIS goodness with others, Paul says it better than I could.

“Let him that stole

steal no more:

 but rather let him labour,

working with his hands

the thing which is good,

that he may have to give

to him that needeth.

29 Let no corrupt communication    

proceed out of your mouth,

but that which is good

to the use of edifying,

that it may minister grace

unto the hearers.”  Ephesians 4:28-29

 Paul calls believers to live and behave like believers—those who “were” thieves were called to (in Blanche’s paraphrase) “get a job and work diligently to provide for one’s self and have to give to those in need”!  Our actions and our words have an effect on those around us—especially those ‘little people’ who follow us around and learn from our behavior and actions way more than they learn from just our words!  Are we teaching our children and grandchildren about gratitude—about sharing what we have—about looking to Jesus instead of the world—about giving more than receiving?  The truth is that we are teaching them every day, whether we are paying attention or not!  Paul’s admonition to live holy, faithfully, and generously is a call to each of us!  It compels us to hear and obey the call of Jesus to “do unto others” as we desire to be treated.  Small words but a giant obligation to reject the “ME” mentality of the world and share the “others first” love of Jesus!

“Jesus said unto him,

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God

with all thy heart,

and with all thy soul,

and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it,

Thou shalt love thy neighbour

as thyself.”  Matthew 22:37-39

When the “love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost…” (See Romans 5:1-11) it ought to spill over on all around us!  An outflowing of the gratitude that we feel for the “gift of God” (Romans 6:23) which is eternal life in JESUS!  Are you shining for Jesus or hoarding everything to yourself?

Paul shares more in his letter to the Colossian believers; may we willingly and gladly heed God’s Word to our hearts?

“Put on therefore,

as the elect of God,

holy and beloved,

bowels of mercies,

kindness,

humbleness of mind,

meekness,

longsuffering;

13 Forbearing one another,

and forgiving one another,

if any man have a quarrel against any:

even as Christ forgave you,

so also do ye.

14 And above all these things

put on charity,

which is the bond of perfectness.

15 And let the peace of God

rule in your hearts,

to the which also ye are called in one body;

and be ye thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

in all wisdom;

teaching

and admonishing one another

in psalms

and hymns

and spiritual songs,

singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed,

do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”   Colossians 3:12-17

May we truly be fountains of blessing to those around us, taking every opportunity to share not only Jesus, but the material resources that HE has blessed us with to those around us in need, as God leads?  We are to be wise and generous stewards of God’s blessings, not greedy, selfish Scrooges!  How will God assess our gratitude quotient?  Let’s be one of the ‘overly generous’ ones, not the selfish ones!  It’s your choice but choose wisely there is a test!

“But this I say,

He which soweth sparingly

shall reap also sparingly;

and he which soweth bountifully

shall reap also bountifully.

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart,

so let him give;

not grudgingly,

or of necessity:

for God loveth a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able

to make all grace abound toward you;

that ye,

always having all sufficiency in all things,

may abound to every good work:

9 (As it is written,

He hath dispersed abroad;

he hath given to the poor:

his righteousness remaineth for ever.”                              2 Corinthians 9:6-9

May we be known for our gracious, grateful, and generous spirit.

Amen and Amen!!!

A Blessing From Psalms??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #148

27 Friday Oct 2023

Posted by in A Father's Love, A heart of faith, Abiding In Jesus, Blessed by God, Blessings from the Psalms, Encouragement, The Word, The Word Or The World?, There IS (Still) A Fountain, Worship?, YOU Can do ALL things through Jesus

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A Blessing From Psalms???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #148

Just a brief blessing for us today from the Psalms, always a treasure no matter what we may be facing.  I pray that you will find a special word in this varied passages!

“Blessed is the man

that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,

nor standeth in the way of sinners,

nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD;

and in his law doth he meditate

day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree

planted by the rivers of water,

that bringeth forth his fruit

in his season;

his leaf also shall not wither;

and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”  Psalm 1:1-3

Oh, that we could get our focus off of “prosperity” in this world and long for and pursue God’s blessings to “prosper” in what we do for Him, for others and to be found faithful before Him!  The only way we can do that is to heed the words of the Psalmist here and walk in the right way—the right places—and in right standing before The Lord Jesus Christ, and Father God by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit!

“But he knoweth the way that I take:

when he hath tried me,

I shall come forth as gold.

11 My foot hath held his steps,

his way have I kept, and not declined.

12 Neither have I gone back

from the commandment of his lips;

I have esteemed the words of his mouth

more than my necessary food.”  Job 23:10-12

I love the book of Job, and I remember the first time I saw this verse—I asked God to help me truly desire “the words of his mouth more than my necessary food”—and for me that’s quite an accomplishment to pursue, for I love food—how about you?  To pursue God’s Words as much as I do food would be an awesome goal, it’s one of mine; and while I don’t always succeed, I do try continually.  And to walk in God’s way is also my heart’s desire.

“Order my steps in thy word:

and let not any iniquity

have dominion over me.”  Psalm 119:133

One of my continual prayers is to be found of God in HIS ways rather than my own!  Remember Jesus said there was “none righteous/good”, the only righteousness that we can have must be imparted to us by the Redeemer’s blood bought salvation!

“The steps of a good man

are ordered by the LORD:

and he delighteth in his way.

24 Though he fall,

he shall not be utterly cast down:

for the LORD upholdeth him

with his hand.”  Psalm 37:23-24

May you find encouragement and hope in The Word of God—He’s ever at work in His own, and you can trust to HIS care.  He has promised it to HIS own:

“… for he hath said,

I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

6 So that we may boldly say,

The Lord is my helper,

and I will not fear what man shall do

unto me.”  Hebrews 13:5b-6.

Amen & Amen!!!

Tipping Over Or Standing??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #138

01 Sunday Oct 2023

Posted by in A Form of godliness?, Abiding In Jesus, Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, Walking With Jesus, Water of Life

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Tipping Over Or Standing??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #138

I have two large flower pots out in front of our home, they are large pots, the smaller one of the two is the heavier and usually stands up to our Oklahoma winds, but not always, the other is a light pot, and even though it’s the largest of the two, it is so light that it blows over regularly unless I keep them watered.  As I was watering the pots last evening, I couldn’t help but think of the parallel to our spiritual life, when we don’t stay “full of the ‘water of life’, we also will tip over regularly”!

“In the last day, that great day of the feast,

Jesus stood and cried, saying,

If any man thirst,

let him come unto me,

and drink.

38 He that believeth on me,

as the scripture hath said,

out of his belly shall flow

rivers of living water.

39 (But this spake he of the Spirit,

which they that believe on him

should receive:

for the Holy Ghost was not yet given;

because that Jesus

was not yet glorified.)”. John 7:37-39

In John 6 Jesus spoke mostly with the people in/near Jerusalem, yet in chapter 7 Jesus had moved into the area of Galilee to avoid conflict with the religious leaders, for as the scripture often says in the gospels, “His time had not yet come”, but it was coming!  Yet even before Jesus was found in Jerusalem, He shared this very truth with, of all people, a Samaritan woman of ill repute!   In fact it’s the first recorded time that He revealed Himself as the Messiah, and that not only to a woman, but a Samaritan woman, to whom He made the same reference to this water of life—Jesus IS The water of life for all who will come to HIM in repentance and faith in HIS substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for sin—your sin and mine!  We need this water of life to stand, to keep from ‘tipping over’ in the winds of life.

“Jesus answered and said unto her,

Whosoever drinketh of this water

shall thirst again:

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water

that I shall give him

shall never thirst;

but the water that I shall give him

shall be in him a well of water

springing up into everlasting life.

15 The woman saith unto him,

Sir, give me this water,

that I thirst not,

neither come hither to draw.”  John 4:13-15

As Jesus encountered this woman and started a conversation with her (which was a cultural no-no), He led her to examine her life, her beliefs, and then brought her to the truth of Who HE was.

“Ye worship ye know not what:

we know what we worship:

for salvation is of the Jews.

23 But the hour cometh,

and now is,

when the true worshippers

shall worship the Father

in spirit

and in truth:

for the Father seeketh such

to worship him.

24 God is a Spirit:

and they that worship him

must worship him

in spirit

and in truth.

25 The woman saith unto him,

I know that Messias cometh,

which is called Christ:

when he is come,

he will tell us all things.

26 Jesus saith unto her,

I that speak unto thee am he.”  John 4:22-26

Jesus IS The Water of Life, and only in HIM can we find the strength, grace, and power to “withstand in the evil day”!  Just like my pots full of plants, without water they just fall over; in the same way we can’t stand when we don’t stay at the fountain of living water and quench our souls IN JESUS!  I find it interesting that John 7:39 reminds us that The Holy Spirit who indwells each born-again believer in Jesus, is our constant source of this water, and empowers us to live successful, holy, pleasing lives before our God, and avoid the pitfalls that the enemy is ever trying to trip us up with!

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh…

….25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”  Galatians 5:16 & 25

So my question is relatively simple, will we stay at Jesus’ ever-springing well of the ‘water of life’, or will we settle for the water from the well like the woman of Samaria, the water that keeps requiring refill after refill; while like my pots, we lay on the ground from the winds of the world, to dry to stand upright.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10 (sometimes the part of the armor that we forget!) that we must remember to keep our eyes on the prize—Jesus, Father God, and The Holy Spirit.

“Finally, my brethren,

be strong in the Lord,

and in the power of his might.”  Ephesians 6:10

Amen and Amen!!!