Got To Give It Up

They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings-and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.  Revelation 17:14

Ask yourself this very difficult question...is Jesus the Lord of everything in your life or only a few things?  If I am completely honest, my answer would be along the lines of: “He is the Lord over some of my marriage, some of my parenting, some of my finances, some of my career, some of my relationships; etc.”  The problem with my answer is that Jesus wants to be the Lord over ALL things in my life, and He wants the same for you as well.  

The titles "Lord of Lords" and "King of Kings" are not just some empty Holy-roller words used to describe Jesus, but they are appropriate for the One who is the Lord over all things in this universe, time, each and every circumstance and situation.  If you have accepted Him as your personal Lord and Savior, then there is never a single moment the rest of your life that He will not be in complete control making sure that all things come together for your good, in accordance to His perfect will and timing.

We must learn to let go of the control we so desperately try to manage in every area of our lives and turn it over to the One who really is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings!  

May Your Glass Be Filled

The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me.  He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives, and the freeing of prisoners.  Isaiah 61:1

As is normal, I always seem to feel energized after participating in worship at church.  A few days into this week and this weekend's message is a distant memory in my mind and life has returned back to its normal and hectic pace.  In an effort to continue focusing on our Savior’s resurrection and what it means to all believers, I began pondering why God chose to come in the form of His Son in human flesh to this earth… 

I am convinced that in addition to showing us His love for us, it was also God's divine way of proving that He is truly concerned about our human needs.  Jesus walked and lived among us, God in flesh form, and experienced the same temptations, struggles, and triumphs we did.  He never once sinned, but during His time on this earth, came to a much greater understanding of the human condition.

No other 'god' offers the same love, understanding, and sacrifice that our loving Father freely gives to each one of us through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God!

Good Thing

The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

We all have someone in our lives-a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, that seems to be down and out and full of negativity.  The truth is that God never intended for His children to act this way.  You see, the communication of our faith is made effectual by acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus, not by rambling on about everything that is wrong with you.

The enemy wants us to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering how awful we are.  He will stop at nothing to direct our focus from who we are in Christ to all of our many shortcomings.  His intentions are for us to believe that because of our faults, we are worthless.

There is a saying that we should “count our blessings.”  We should count our blessings and we also need to remember that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and an ongoing work in progress.  Start acknowledging the good things that are inside of you because of Jesus Christ.

Stop-Go

All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.  We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.  Colossians 1: 10-11

It seems like my patience has been tested lately for a various number of reasons.   Most of everything I seem to be waiting on/praying for is out of my control, so I have had no other choice but to rely on God in faith and clinging to hope.

The truth is that we all have the fuel we need to persevere in this life through the never-ending power of God that is working in each of us.  As we become more obedient and more in tune with our loving Father, His power will strengthen us and ignite our abilities to persevere.

The best news is that we don’t just endure with God’s help, but we persevere with joy!  Thanks be to God!!!

Anything Is Possible

With God's help we will do mighty things.  Psalm 60:12

When I look back on problems that I have faced or trials that were extremely difficult, I have never felt like there was a single moment that God was not with me every step of the way.  If I am totally honest, losing my mother has been the most difficult and heart-wrenching event of my entire life.  While I am blessed that she was in my life for 40 years, I miss her every single day and would give anything to just be able to pick up the phone and hear her voice again.  I have come to the realization that I cannot make it on my own and have leaned on my faith more than ever the past several months...

Despite some insurmountable odds, the problems we face may seem too large for us to handle on our own.  The good news is that there is no problem, circumstance, crisis or situation larger than our Loving Father.

While impossible situations make you understand how limited your resources truly are and exhaust your strength, they set the stage for God to do the unimaginable-all by using His supernatural power to work miracles,  show His love, offer forgiveness, meet needs, and change lives.

Some situations seem impossible, but with God, anything is possible.

Can't No Grave Hold My Body Down

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here: He has risen!  Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again."  Luke 24:5-8

Jesus repeatedly revealed His fate, God's master plan to the disciples, but during all of the chaos that surrounded His crucifixion, many of the followers were left doubting if He really was the Messiah.  Imagine the sheer joy and excitement that they must have felt when they rolled away the stone from the tomb and His body was not there.  All they found were burial linens and an empty grave!

Jesus appeared to two believers traveling and still downcast and not grasping that their Savior was in there presence, Jesus subtly reminded them of all of the Messianic prophesies and then disappeared.

Is Jesus who He said He was?  Do you believe that He conquered the grave? Where does He fit into your life?   If you have opened your heart to receive His love sacrifice and have accepted Him as your Lord over your life, there is no greater day than Easter...the day that our Savior conquered death and defeated the grave.

We may not feel like it every day, but we know with Christ in our lives how our story will end, we will be victorious!!  Rejoice, and praise His holy name!!!!

Hope Falls Down

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And after He said this He breathed His last.  Luke 23: 46

Can you recall a time where you were disappointed and felt let down?  You could probably name a few times over the past week or possibly even today.  Put yourselves into the shoes of the disciples and followers that witnessed Jesus' death first hand.  This group had given up everything to follow Christ and now He was dead?  All of the miracles they witnessed, the lives that had been changed; this was how it all ended?

If He really was the Christ, why didn't He send an army of angels to rescue Him from such a cruel and gruesome death?  How did His mother Mary feel? The baby she had loved and raised was now dead and hanging from a cross? Talk about disappointment....

I am certain in the days between Jesus' crucifixion and His resurrection, the confusion, the hurt, the doubt, and disappointment must have been overwhelming for Jesus' followers.  They must have felt like they had bet the farm and lost it all.  When Jesus took His last breath, His followers must have lost the hope they once had, despite Jesus telling them over and over again that He was 'going away to prepare a place for them'. (John 14:2)

We sometimes overlook the fact that Jesus is always with us when we face disappointment or struggles of our own.  Don't ever let your hope in Him fade away, no matter what it is you are facing.  God will never let you down and He always makes good on His promises.