Under Pressure

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest.  I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.  Matthew 11:28

Many people today are stressed out far beyond anything a human being was ever meant to endure.  Chalk it up to both husbands and wives having to go to work outside of their homes in a an attempt to ‘keep up with the Jones’ in addition to balancing their home lives, families and friends, but many people, including our family, are stressed-out!

We are all created different, uniquely created by God’s design.  What is difficult for me may be simple for someone else, and vice versa.    Unfortunately, if you are like me, it’s hard to resist comparing and contrasting ourselves with other people.

Jesus was not stressed out.  Then again, He was not controlled by His circumstances or the demands of other people, either.  In John 14:6, Jesus simply states, “I am the Way.”  And you know what? He’s right-His way is the way to peace, joy, and righteousness.

The next time you feel like you are under immense pressure, ask yourself how would Jesus have you handle things?  Allow Him to fill your soul and learn to take His approach to life and it’s never-ending challenges!

William, It Was Really Nothing

The Lord is my light and my salvation-so why should I be afraid?  The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from dangers, so why should I tremble?  Psalm 27:1

Just a few nights ago, we decided to watch the family classic, E.T., one of my favorite movies of all-time.  The Transformers movie, Bumblebee, had a similar storyline; an alien E.T. was left behind on earth and a boy named Elliott found him and brought the alien home to live with him.  We live out in the country and I noticed after we watched the movie that our youngest son didn't want to go up to the bonus room alone.  Like his daddy, he is terrified of spiders and I guess a funny looking alien with a glowing finger scared him as well.  (Heck, I can't say anything, I was scared to death during the Super-Bowl when Michael Jackson debuted his classic video for 'Thriller'  back in the 1980’s!)

You see, fear turns our focus away from God and towards the troubles that intimidate us.  We must learn to look at our fears and troubles as opportunities to rely on God for His help, guidance, and all-mighty power.

There is no problem that is too big for our loving Father who promises to save and deliver His people!

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.

Good Friday

One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at Him saying, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"  But the other rebuked him, saying, "Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  And we rightly so, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."  Luke 23:39-43

On Good Friday, we reflect on and ponder Jesus' death on the cross that served as the ultimate sacrifice to bring salvation.  There is nothing more important, no act of love, service, or anything else that even comes close to comparing to what our perfect Savior endured for us in His final hours and His death that freed us from our bondage to sin.

The above passage of Scripture from the gospel of Luke moves my soul as it reveals the saving power and loving forgiveness of our Savior.  The criminals that were also being crucified at the same time as Jesus had been issued a death sentence for their wrong doings.  Jesus was tried and crucified despite being perfect and innocent.  One of the criminals realized that it was indeed the Messiah, hanging on the cross beside him, and right at the moment of his acceptance, Jesus forgave him and assured him of his eternal destination.

It's hard to understand God's grace sometimes.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  Why do good things happen to bad people?  I don't know, but God loves His creation and that includes every human being on this planet.  He doesn't want only a select few, He wants all of us to join Him in 'paradise' when we leave this earth.  He sent His son to live a blameless and perfect life on this earth and then offered Him as a love sacrifice, a Lamb of God, to take our place and die for our sins. He took our place on the cross, and only wants us to give Jesus first place in our lives.

Hold On

"Not as I will, but as You will." –Jesus Christ,  Matthew 26:39

The above statement was Jesus' final submission to God in the garden of Gethsemane before He was taken captive by a large crowd of armed men who ultimately led Him to His death on the cross after He was brutally beaten, publicly humiliated, and tortured.

I have a bad habit of selfishly asking God to answer my prayers in the way that I would like them to be answered.  Even when He gives me clear direction, I still do not always remain obedient and follow His will.  Regardless, I truly believe that the content of our prayers is less important to Him rather than our willingness to actually obey Him.

I can't begin to imagine what Jesus must have felt that night in Gethsemane.  The fear of knowing that His death was close at hand...seeing one of His Twelve disciples betray Him with a kiss and turn Him over to an armed mob.  Despite all of this, He remained faithful and obedient to God's will...even to the point of death.

We may not ever face a life or death decision, but God wants us to come to a place where we trust Him fully and obey Him, with every aspect of our lives.

Slip Sliding Away

I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.  Acts 24:14

Have you ever contemplated just how short our time on this earth really is?  We should make the most of our time here, but all too often, we let time slip away from us and we don't follow the path that God intends us to follow.

To live without regrets, we must choose to live in such a way that we do our very best in every task and with every relationship. We must choose to love and obey God's commands; they weren't written to restrict us, but are there for our protection and to unlock His many blessings.

We must choose to forgive people who have hurt or harmed us freely.  And lastly, we must choose to follow God's will and not our own.