​One of the basic claims made by Christians is that God is alive and HE wants to have a relationship with us.  We all know that we cannot have a relationship with someone without communication.  We need to communicate with our Lord just the way a tennis player plays tennis.  One hits the ball over the net then waits for the other one to respond.  It cannot be a one-sided discussion.  What do our prayers sound like?  Lord I want this, Lord I want that. bless me Lord,  bless my family.  No, that is not a two-way communication.  We need to learn to listen. 
 
Years ago I heard a story about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.   When he was president he said he got tired of saying the usual things at all the White House receptions.  So one evening he decided to find out if anybody was paying attention to what he was saying.  As each person came up to him and shook his hand he would smile and say, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” 
 
Person after person greeted him and would respond with, “How lovely,” or “That’s nice.”  It was confirmed what FDR believed, no one was listening to him.  Finally, a foreign diplomat shook his hand and once again FDR said, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.”  The foreign diplomat looked a little shocked but leaned in to the president and said softly, “I’m sure she had it coming to her.”  Finally someone did listen to what the president was saying.
 
Some of you may be saying; How can I know when God is telling me to do something?  We have several venues available to us.  The first and most important is prayer.  Prayer is especially critical when you are unsure of God’s will for your life.
 
Another way is through God’s Word.  The Bible from Genesis to Revelation are all examples for us to follow and understand what God wants from us.  Remember God never contradicts himself.  He will never ask us to do something contradictory to His Word.  He will never ask us to sin.  He will never ask us to do something Jesus Christ would not do. 
 
We have the passage of Gideon in the Bible who was not sure that God REALLY wanted him to do something he asked him to do.   So, in order to be sure he asked God for a sign to confirm for him.  Yes, you can ask God for a sign but be specific.  That is referred to as Putting out a Fleece (Judges 6).
 
As Christians we also have the Holy Spirit to help us discern what is and what is not God’s will for our lives.  John 16:13 says that the Spirit of truth…will guide you into all truth.  That means that sometimes we Christians get agitated when we are trying to make a decision but the agitation in our spirit letting us know, warning us,  that we are on the wrong track.  Or perhaps when we are trying to make a decision the Holy Spirit will encourage us and we feel at peace when we are leaning toward the right decision.
 
Sometimes God will change a situation without us even realizing He has acted. Isaiah 58:11 says the Lord will guide you always.  The Lord always prepares us.  He never does things half-way.  As Christians there is only one voice that matters.  It is not my voice, it is not your voice, it is not the voice of the past or the voice of the future.  The only voice that matters is the voice of God.  May we begin to see things from God’s perspective.  If we call Jesus our Lord then it is our responsibility to obey His commands, to do what He wants us to do.  Jesus always prayed to His Father; Not my will but His will.
 
Sometimes God may speak to us in an audible voice.  My father was in WWII and was stationed in Italy.  My father did not speak much about his years in the war.  I have heard this from many others because the war was difficult for them to process.  But one thing I remembered him talking about was one night his unit was preparing for the coming of the Germans into the hills.  They were told to take cover wherever they could.  So, my father and his friend went into a barn thinking it was safe.  While he was in the barn, my father said he was praying, and then all of a sudden he heard his name and the words:  get out of the barn now!  He told his friend, we have to get out of the barn and into the house NOW.  He told his friend but his friend would not move, he said I am staying here in the barn where it is safer.  My father said I am going into the house.  And within 5 minutes a bomb fell in the area and destroyed the barn and his friend.  He never told that story without crying and thanking God for His protection.

The relationship that God wants to have with us is rooted in love. John 3:16 is the perfect example of God’s perfect love for you: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. No other verse in the Bible summarizes God’s relationship with humanity and His ultimate love for us. It tells us that the love God has for us and the extent of that love is so great that He sacrificed His only Son on our behalf. God’s love for us inspires our love for God.

Many of us have heard someone say “I want to be close to God” or “I feel far from Jesus” or have even said some of these things ourselves.  We say these things because we have been led to believe our relationship with Jesus is based on proximity – a sliding scale of near and far based on faithfulness of our spiritual devotion. But a relationship with Jesus requires more than just being close with Him. Jesus longs to become perfectly one with you. God takes residence in us, invites us to die to ourselves and become a new creation in Him. He invites us into an intimate relationship with Him: union with Christ. Union with Christ refers to relationship between the believer and Jesus Christ. There are countless passages throughout the Bible that reveal that believers are joined in Christ: We are the branches and Jesus is the vine (John 15:5); Jesus is the head and we are His body (1 Corinthians 6:15-19); Christ is the foundation and we are living stones in the foundation (1 Peter 2:4-5). Nothing is more basic or central to knowing and enjoying God than union with Christ. It’s at the heart of our Christian faith. Jesus Christ is dwelling in us and because of this, Jesus is available to us anytime and in anyplace because we believe.

God desires to welcome you into His eternal family as His glorified child. It’s important that you make it a priority to grow in your relationship with Him. Having a personal relationship with God begins the moment we realize our need for Him, admit that we fall short as sinners, and in faith receive Jesus Christ as Savior. As soon as we become children of God, we receive the Holy Spirit, who will begin to work on our hearts. Include God in your daily life. Pray to Him, read His Word daily and reflect on verses in Scripture in an effort to know Him better. Trusting in God to get us through each day and believing that He is the true sustainer of life is how we can not only begin, but also sustain a personal relationship with Him.

Sometimes it is hard to hear God’s voice because we are listening to public opinion and to many other popular voices.  Some listen to their own feelings, desires, passions and their own choices.  Sometimes people listen to every wind of doctrine that comes along.   Then there are others who listen to only new revelations or some wild experience someone has had.  Some listen to psychics, read horoscopes, Ouija boards and tarot cards and join wiccan groups.   Some listen to those who tickle their ears and tell them only what they want to hear and what is pleasant to consider. 

But God is looking for those who are listening for His call.     Are you one of them?

In the Bible there are many phrases that appear over and over again.  Those words are there to remind us of a truth to which we need to hold on.  Many times we need to be reminded of this, we need the reassurance that the Lord is with us! 
 
For example, in the Book of Genesis chapter 37-39 we read the story of Joseph.  Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery to the Egyptians because they hated him, they called him the dreamer.  They really wanted to kill him. but God had a different plan for Joseph’s life.  As you read through Genesis 39 you will see some eight times in this chapter in one way or the other it is said that the Lord was with Joseph.  The number eight in the Bible refers to Resurrection.  So that phrase tells us that whatever happened to Joseph, no matter how adverse things seemed at the moment, a Resurrection was coming.  
 
There are many examples in the Bible that confirm this for us and I am quite sure many reading this can also confirm the times that the Lord has been with us.  But there is an interesting example that occurred in the early years of the sixteenth century, a young adventurer named Nicolas Herman left his parents' home near Lorraine, France, to join the French army. Wounded in war, he returned home to recuperate and thus began a process of soul searching that led to Christian commitment.

His quest for closeness to God first led him to live his life as a hermit. He found that unfulfilling, so he eventually joined a Carmelite monastery where he was assigned to menial duties in the kitchen. Kneading bread might truly seem an unholy task to an ex-soldier, but Nicolas soon found his home in the labor of the kitchen.

In later years, this "Kitchen Saint," as Brother Lawrence was called, would write about how his soul discovered intimacy with God by prayerfully inviting God into each and every assigned task, every conversation, and every relationship.   He once wrote that he felt nearer to God in the sanctuary of the kitchen than in the liturgy of the chapel.  The experience changed his life and those around him. It was said of him, "He pretended nothing, was compliant with everyone and tended to treat his brothers and friends amicably without being pretentious."   His written reflection, titled The Practice of the Presence of God is today considered a spiritual classic.   It continues to change lives.
 
What does the title "practicing the presence of God" mean?   You see that when times get tough and the journey gets rough we do not avoid community nor break away from others, and we don't walk away from the church; we seek it out, we talk it out, and we work it out. When times get tough and the chaos overwhelms us and caves in around us we do not run from God but look for God's hand at work. We run toward God.  We do not abandon each other but we come together -- to worship.  We sing, we pray, we praise, and we intercede on behalf of each other.

What would our daily lives be like if we, like Brother Lawrence, "practiced the presence of God" in the here and now? If we sought daily to do God's will "on earth as in heaven"? Well, it would be heaven on earth, would it not?

Our best example is always Jesus.  The continual presence of God, the Father and the Holy Spirit was always with Jesus as the Son of Man; and it empowered and enabled Him to accomplish His supernatural ministry with signs, wonders, healings and miracles.  In doing this Jesus brought great deliverance and victory to multitudes who were under the power of the evil one. Jesus did it because God was with Him.  Remember, if you are a believer, the presence of God is with us and in us and it empowers us and we step out in our ministries.  In John 15:5 Jesus said,  “without Me you can do nothing.”   But with His presence in our lives, we can do all things He leads and encourages us to do.
 
When we read in Exodus we see that God placed Moses in leadership over the nation of Israel, to lead them out of Egyptian bondage and to take them to the Promised Land.  Moses was wise enough to know that one thing was absolutely needed, and that was the presence of God with him
 
Moses was so bold to say to God, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here,” to the land of Canaan.  That Presence of God is what enabled Moses to persevere some 40 years with a grumbling, ungrateful, complaining large group of people.
 
What about those of us today who live in the New Testament times, we have been given the same promise in Hebrews 13:5-6 tells us, “Never will I leave you.”  You see, while Jesus was on this earth He lived with the continual awareness of the Father’s and the Holy Spirit’s presence.  That is the same thing we have promised to us.  Hold on to that reassuring promise that the Lord is with us!

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).”

How can we understand mercy?  In our lives, it’s not often that we get a second chance, let alone a third or fourth chance. If I am taking an exam and answer a question wrong, the teacher is not going to give me a second chance!  Thankfully, God is different.  Psalm 23 tells us that the Lord’s mercy endures forever.  That means nothing can stop His mercy.  We all need mercy. I don’t need to tell you that we’re all sinners. It’s a simple, sad fact of life “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” ( Romans 3:23).  

With this in mind, how can a pure, righteous and Holy God allow us anywhere near Him?  The answer: He is merciful!

When we pray and ask God for His mercy and forgiveness; we are acknowledging that He has the power and the authority to give it to us.  This revelation of a gracious, understanding, merciful, forgiving God is to change our attitude toward God and His creation; it is not to change God’s attitude toward us.

God’s mercy is never withdrawn from us.  It is ours to acknowledge and accept whether we are riding high and everything seems to be going well or if you are on a downward spiral.  God’s mercy is always available.  You do not have to plead for or beg for His mercy.  You don’t have to ask Him thousands of time because God’s mercy is always there.  His mercy is always being offered, always present to you. 

Many will say: ”Well you don’t know the things I have done and how deep and how long is my sin.”  The Word tells us that no matter how far we have fallen, how deep we have strayed His mercy goes farther.

In Jeremiah 33:11 we again find the phrase: “His mercy endures forever”.  Jeremiah saw the coming kingdom.  He saw the lion lying down with the lamb; he saw the little child leading a lion down the street.  He saw the kingdom of righteousness and peace.  And Jeremiah said: Praise the Lord!  Look what He has in the future for each of us-His mercy endures forever!

Do you know that God will be merciful to you as long as you live?  No matter how young or old you are, the mercy of the Lord will continue to endure.  You see it does not matter what age you are and how long you have known Jesus Christ as your Savior the mercy of the Lord will be there for you.  The Bible tells us that when we go through the valley of the shadow of death, and when someone sits at your bedside, waiting for you to go home to be with the Lord, His mercy endures forever. That word endure means nothing can stop it. It comes from a Greek word which means ”to conquer”.  It means His mercy conquers forever. 

Mercy is defined as God’s kindness or pity on you and I. It is an aspect of God’s love that causes Him to help the pitiful or the miserable, in other words people like you and I.

It’s the reason we are saved.

It’s the reason God keeps getting us out of the messes we drag ourselves into.

It’s the reason why in our carnal state God keeps on loving us. 

Thank God He gives us mercy instead of justice! He pardons and forgives and keeps on watching us! Thank God for mercy!

Let me tell you something about his mercy: it is the reason you and I aren’t condemned straight to the pits of hell every day. 

His mercy endures forever!

Did you know that God has made A BAG FOR OUR SINS?
Job 14:17 says. “My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and You cover my iniquity.”  In ancient times, when men died at sea, their bodies were placed in a weighted bag which was sewn together and sealed.  Then they were cast into the depths of the sea.  If we ask God to forgive us of our sins that is what God will do with our sins.  They are cast into the depths of the sea. When Christ died, by His one sacrifice for our sins,  He put away all our sins. They are buried in the sea of God's infinite forgiveness, never to be
brought up again.  Our sins can be erased, only by Faith in the shed blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13-28)
 
Did you know that God has written A BOOK FOR OUR NAMES? 
If you have asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins, the Bible tells us that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of life!   You will find that throughout scripture.  (See: Psalm 139:16, Philippians 4:3 and Revelation 13:8 and 17:8)  The fact that our names are written in that Book means that our salvation is a matter of absolute certainty.  When God says "Rejoice because your names are written in heaven,"   He is telling us that we have nothing to fear.  All is well for those whose names are written in heaven.  This tells us that the only way one’s name can be placed in the Book of Life is by the acceptance of Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior, and what He did for us at the Cross.  This is referred to as a Foundational Doctrine and it means that every Doctrine from the Bible must be built on the foundation of the Cross of Jesus Christ otherwise it is false, fake, counterfeit and a hoax.  Are you getting the message?
 
Did you know that God also keeps A BOTTLE FOR OUR TEARS? 
Psalm 56:8-9 states: "You tell all my wanderings: Put You my tears into Your bottle: are they not in Your book?...when I cry  unto You, then shall my enemies turn back: This I know; for God is for me.” It was customary at ancient Egyptian funerals for mourners to have a small cloth or sponge to wipe away their tears.   Then, they were squeezed into a small vial, a tear bottle, and placed in the tomb with the dead,
symbolizing the care the mourners had for one who had died.  Even so, our God, our heavenly Father, our Almighty Savior, our Holy Comforter tenderly cares for us.  In all our afflictions He is afflicted.  We are the very apple of his eye.  In these verses we are being told that despite David’s wanderings and his attempts to escape from King Saul, God knew at all times exactly where he was.  When the Believer sets out to do the will of God for his life, Satan will do all he can to oppose those efforts.  Remember the Lord allows Satan a certain latitude so that we may learn to have Faith and to place our trust exclusively in the Word of God.  We have to be reminded that Satan is a liar, a loser but he is limited by God.
 
There is a saying:
               Oppressors stand above us, adversaries stand against us but comforters stand beside us.  
No matter how old we are, we all want to be comforted.   In the Bible,  God is our ultimate comforter, through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  God takes great care to comfort His people in their trials and sorrows in this world.  Could anything be more comforting in this world of sin, sorrow and death?  Our God has put our sins in a bag and buried them.  Our names are written in the Book of Life so we can rejoice in that.  And our tears He has put into a bottle to show His tender care for us.  For those of us who have been Believers for many years and have read the Word of God; we know that God is absolutely true to His Word.  If He says it is going to happen….it will happen. 
 
Do you know for sure that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? 
Maybe you are asking, "Who is the Lamb"?        
Jesus is the Lamb!  
So I ask, is your name in His Book or not? 
Remember you won’t get to spend eternity in Heaven unless it is recorded there. 
Sometimes, we forget that we are ALL terminal and one day, when death comes knocking at your door you need to know where you will spend eternity.  Will you spend eternity in heaven or hell?  
What is your eternal destiny? 
Remember life comes from Jesus not from what the world has to offer.  This world offers no eternal rewards only heartaches, pain and sorrows. 
Only Jesus offers eternal rewards. 
 
It is your move. 
It is always your choice. 
Choose wisely!

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.       (Matthew 27:54)
 
As of 2020 there were between 800 million and 1 billion Protestants worldwide, among approximately 2.5 billion Christians. It seems we are safe in saying there are at least nearly 200 major Protestant denominations or denominational categories in the United States. It most likely is higher but this number covers all of the major denominations.  That is still a scandal for Christians whom Christ desired would be one, as a reflection of the Triune unity of God (see John 17).  If you read the histories of the various denominations, which call themselves Christian, you will see that there has not always been harmony among them.  We then have to ask ourselves how has Christianity survived coming from so much discord for centuries.  The only answer is that it possesses in its heart a power that humans do not have and this power is Christ, Son of Man and Son of God. 
 
The power that is spoken of in the Bible is that intimate force in events and in the lives of men that assures the triumph of great ideals above and in the face of obstacles that seem to be insurmountable.  Christianity, as detailed in the Bible, was not just a fad nor was it just the latest trend.  People watched Jesus’ followers very closely.  If you are a Christian reading this today, know that people really are watching you, no I am not paranoid, just like they did in scripture.  People are looking to see if this Christianity is real and if it works in this life.  If it can work in your life perhaps it can work in theirs.
 
When we look at the life of Jesus we see that HIS words were simple and HE had a power that made one marvel.  Christianity has handed down a sacred deposit that has always found a group of heroes ready to give their lives as a testimony.  The  main focus of the Bible throughout its entirety, tells us that the Message of the Cross, the Death, and Resurrection of JESUS CHRIST are the important core themes of the Word..  Each and every chapter refers to Jesus in some way.
 
You see, during the death of Jesus on that Cross there were many peoples represented around that Cross.   There were those who stood closest to the Cross-the centurion, the soldiers, the thieves on either side of Jesus. There were the women who loved Jesus and there also was the man who hurried up to offer Christ the drugged vinegar.  And of course, there were the hate mongers who yelled: “If you really are the Christ come down off the Cross.  (As a child in church I often thought what would they have done had Jesus had really come down from the Cross- but then as I got older I realized that He had to remain on that Cross so that I could receive salvation from my lost and sinful state). 
 
Think about it, those people around the Cross represent each of us and our attitude about the Lord, Jesus Christ. 

• Have we become hardened and insulated against feelings by a protective shell just like the tough Roman soldiers in that crowd.  They had been at many crucifixions so it was not new to them.  We become calloused in our souls and spirits when we see certain things over and over again.
  
• Are we trained, educated, competent like the Roman centurion?   
  
• Are we burdened with knowledge of our guilt and the lives we have lead like the one thief on the cross or are we bitter and angry like the other thief who most likely blamed everyone else for his place on the cross.  
  
• Perhaps, we are just curious, laying back and watching and then hurrying up to bring a sponge of vinegar to the dying One on the Cross. 
  
• Do our hearts break ,as did that of Mary, His mother and the other women? 
  
• Do we hide our faith like the Disciples?   JESUS poured HIMSELF into His disciples for 3 ½ years and with the exception of  John,  we do not read that any of the other disciples were there at the Cross.  
  
• Or have we become cynical, jaded elitists like the priests and scribes who believed that they were perfect and had no sin.

Oh, we don’t want to identify with “those people” at the foot of the Cross, but that group at the cross is a microcosm, a community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristic qualities or features of something much larger. Humankind is regarded as the epitome of the universe.  So we are all represented in that group at the foot of the Cross.  Yes, there were those who jeered, mocked and most likely yelled out profanities, just as there are today.  Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ hears your screaming at Him your blasphemies.  However, remember each of us has to stand before the Cross and decide what we will do with Jesus.  We all were in that group at the foot of the Cross.  We can watch Jesus die for each of us and we can accept or reject what He did for us.  That is our choice.

The Centurion heard everything that went on that day at the foot of the cross.  It is believed that the centurion was so near that the splatter of blood may have come upon him.  He heard Jesus say: “Father, forgive them…”  I am quite sure these were new words to the ears of the pagan Centurion.  Then he hears Jesus recommend His mother to His disciple, John.  He watched and listened as Jesus does not answer when insulted by one of thieves.  But to the other thief who believed in Christ Jesus saying:  “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.”   I am quite sure those words were even stranger to the Centurion because he knew that other thief was in a miserable condition. 

You have to remember that while dying on that Cross, Jesus was suffering  painful spasms and convulsions, however He showed an attitude in which there was no bitterness and only dignity.  That Centurion heard Jesus say: “It is finished.” I am quire sure he thought what could be finished?  Then Jesus said His last words;   “Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.”  And He bowed His head and died.

The Centurion who had a front view seat at the crucifixion of Jesus cried out forcefully saying, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”  Truly!   Such was the power of Christ precisely in the moment that Jesus appeared to be the least powerful it was evident that there was such a power. 

I pray that we all can be suddenly filled with awe and reverence as we stand at the Cross of Jesus and realize that whoever we are, or whatever condition we are in and the many ‘things we are going through-Jesus hangs on the Cross for each of us.  And by His stripes and His suffering we can be healed!
 
The old hymn written by Isaac Watts in 1707 is still true today and it reminds us:
          At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
          And the burden of my heart rolled away,
          It was there by faith I received my sight,
          And now I am happy all the day!
 

For the Christian, Easter is an exciting time!  It is not about the bunnies and eggs; it is
a time of rejoicing because JESUS our SAVIOR died on the Cross for our sins.   He not
only died but was resurrected on the 3rd day after the crucifixion as the bible tells us in John 19 and 20.

​Why do you think there is so much hatred of Jesus today?  The answer is simple, it's because HE lives! 
No one argues or protests over someone who is dead.  Muhammed is dead, Buddha is dead,
Joseph Smith is dead.   But JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!    HE went to the cross for all of our sins!
 
Now sin isn't something a lot of people like to talk about.  Sin is something that in our
society we have pretty well avoided or talked away or rationalized out of existence;
 but it has not been eradicated in God's Word. 
 
Every human that has ever been born has been born as a slave to their own desires,
as a slave to sin. We want to have what we want to have, and we want it now. The
only problem is that we care about our own desires more than we do about anything
or anyone else. We make our own desires out to be more important than what God
desires for us. Because God's desires do not fit with our desires, we forsake God
 and we rebel against him.
 
But GOD's glorious solution to man's greatest problem happened on Easter!

We received GD’s supreme blessing when we really deserved GOD’s wrath.  GOD
became man in Jesus Christ and He did so not to be served, but to serve HIS creation!
The King of eternity, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who reigns in power over all creation
 from eternity past to eternity future, who crushes nations before Him as a rod
 of iron smashes pots of clay, this very King humbled Himself and "took the form
 of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" and lived among us as our servant!
Doesn’t that take your breath away?
 
And if that does not amazing enough,  there is a passage in Micah 7:19 that
 states that not only have our sins been forgiven but they are cast into the depths
 of the sea.  This is sometimes referred to as God’s waste removal system.  The
complete removal of sin, complete forgiveness.  When JESUS cleansed us, HE took
care of all our sins – past, present and future.  They were all forever washed away!
 
I know some of you are going to say "I am unworthy of God’s forgiveness because
I have done so many bad things".   That is actually a true statement.   We are all unworthy.
That’s why forgiveness is so amazing! God delights to show mercy.  HE has compassion on us
and if we ask, HE will hurl all our sin into the depths of the sea.   Experience God’s
mercy and pardon today.
 
The Cross of Jesus Christ is the ultimate sign of the incredible Good News of God’s
 love for us.  The Cross is the ultimate sign of God’s faithfulness and our assurance
 that He will never leave us or forsake us. 

Because of the ONE who died for us on that Cross we have the ability to be at peace with GOD,
the Father.   Yes, we lost that peace in the Garden as recorded in Genesis 3, but we regained
that peace once again through Jesus Christ.   As if that was not amazing enough, know that if
we chose Jesus as our Lord and Savior we will spend all eternity with HIM in heaven.
 
Then why do so many of us Christians live like we’re the boss and Jesus is the one
 who’s supposed to live for our convenience?  It’s not supposed to be that way. He is
 the King. He is owed our allegiance and obedience.  Not because He’s some weird
supernatural dictator, but because HIS love drove HIM to come to earth and die for us on an
old-rugged cross!  JESUS took the punishment that we deserved when HE died on the cross.  But it didn't end on the cross and it didn't end in the tomb because JESUS didn't stay dead, HE ROSE FROM THE GRAVE ON THE THIRD DAY!   HE IS RISEN!    THAT is what Easter is all about and why it is soooo exciting!! 

Accept HIM today as your LORD and Savior....HE IS THE RISEN LORD!


   

                  Ephesians 3:17-19 New King James Version (NKJV)
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.


The book of Ephesians is named after the City of Ephesus.  At it's height, Ephesus was the most important city along the coast of Asia Minor.  Remember 230 cities dotted the coastline of Asia Minor.  Ephesus was the queen among those coastal communities. But then the harbor began filling up with sludge and sediment and they no longer could boast of their beautiful harbor.  However, they had one claim to fame and that was the magnificent temple of Diana.  People came from all over to visit this splendid shrine that also served as a bank in which cities and kings deposited and withdrew funds.

The Church of Ephesus had a small beginning.  When Paul visited there were only twelve believers in that city and they had been won to the Lord by Apollos.   But Apollos was not aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit.  So, Paul began teaching about the Holy Spirit.  For three months Paul taught on the Holy Spirit but the Jews hardened their hearts and refused to believe the gospel.  You will read of spectacular miracles happening in Ephesus because that was needed in order to get through to the people to get their attention.  This Book speaks of: the eternal plan of God for the Christian believer, the life of the Christian believer, the walk of the Christian believer, the warfare of the Christian believer and the verses at the top of the page refer to the eternal purpose of God for the Christian believer. 

Paul is saying in this letter, to the Ephesians and to us, that we are not just human beings -  we carry in us Christ himself.   It is time to see ourselves as vessels of honor that God, through His Son, chose to live in.  Christ is to rule and reign in our hearts by faith.  That word dwell means a permanent place not a temporary place.  Christ is to take up permanent residence, to enter, to settle down and be at home in our hearts.  Our bodies are the temple of God and we are to respect God in us by allowing Him to live in us and through us. We are so blessed that God is in us and not in animals or wood or in the air. His love for us could not live anywhere else but in His children and that is a privilege and must be appreciated as such.

God loves us so much that He gave His only Son to save us. God loved us even before we loved Him. We must understand the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of God.  The love of God is so broad and wide that He wants everyone to be saved. He will never drive away anyone who comes to Him. His love is so wide that He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. The Lord has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He wants everyone to repent of their sins and come to Him. There is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than ninety-nine righteous persons who think they do not need to repent.

The Bible teaches that when we are saved through faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior we become children of God. The Bible says that we are part of the family of God because God has adopted us.   The love of God is so long that it lasts forever. It is an eternal love. The Lord Jesus loved His disciples till the very end. The love of man may change and turn into hatred but the love of God stays the same and lasts for all eternity.
 
Some things for you to think about today:

• Do you speak about how God the Father loves you? 
• Do you share the Love of Jesus with others? 
• Do you allow the Holy Spirit to use the gifts and talents that God has given you? 
• Are you teaching others what it is to be a follower of Christ? 
• What kind of picture does your life paint for the people you should be trying to lead to Jesus?
• Do your friends and family look at your life and ask, what’s so great about following Jesus? 
• Are you proclaiming by the way you live, the way you speak, the way you act that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior? 
• When was the last time you told somebody about Jesus? 
• When was the last time you told someone they needed to know Jesus as their Savior?
• When was the last time you invited someone to a church service? 
• When was the last time you realized, that you have a God given responsibility to tell others about who is supposed to be the most important person in your life?

 
Remember, this life is short, things can change in the blink of an eye so don’t waste it even one minute. One day when you stand before God, He’s not going to be impressed or pleased if He asks what you did to tell others about Him and you say Lord, sometimes I went to church on a Sunday morning, I thought that was enough.  Do everything you can for the Lord, take advantage of every opportunity that comes to proclaim the truth of the Gospel.  May each of us be enabled by the Holy Spirit to share the truth of the Gospel with others.
 
We should not defile our bodies because God dwells in us.  And not only that, we are one with the Lord in our spirit. Did you catch that? Our Spirit and the Lord's Spirit are one. It's not possible to separate our Spirit from the Lord's once we become a child of God by accepting the gift of salvation.   The Lord paid a high price for us, when He laid down His life for us. This is why the WORD of God says that we have been bought at a price.  We are to honor God with our bodies and flee from anything that will make us fall into sin.
 
When Jesus Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to believers, He promised that the trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, would all three come and indwell believers.
 
Can I get an AMEN?

What do we know about Joshua - the Old Testament hero?   

One thing we know for sure is that Joshua knew Moses from the time of his youth.  It is believed that Joshua was about 40 years old at the time of the Exodus.  The Bible describes him as a  “Servant of the Lord”.  When Moses sent Joshua and Caleb into Canaan to check out the territory with the others, Joshua returned and made a statement that Canaan was “an exceeding good land.”  Even though the others saw problems Joshua believed that real victory in any battle is not built on the soldiers courage, but on the fearlessness based on faith in God. 

In the book Joshua, chapter 24, Joshua asks each of us a critical question: Whom Shall You Serve?

Have you ever realized that the Christians of the olden days were able to serve the Lord despite the lack of the technological innovations that we enjoy today?  These people of God were still able to communicate the gospel and share information about the love of God. Sometimes we find it so hard to travel to a church or to a place God wants us to serve Him despite easy transportation systems that will make our journey easier. In the Bible Romans 12:11 encourages us not to be lazy but to be fully devoted in serving the Lord.

Sometimes serving the Lord can just be as simple as sharing the word of God over the phone, or on WhatsApp messages, Facebook, Instagram or even Tweet, or even an e-mail or a text encouraging someone. It can be as simple as sharing the word of God with your colleagues, friends and family that haven’t met Christ before or those that need to come back to God.

In Joshua 24:15, Joshua said “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.  This shows an act of commitment and a heart fully devoted to serve the Lord, not just himself but his entire family. Joshua has demonstrated his love for God and he had also acted according to what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 6:5-7: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

We can apply the above scripture to our lives as Christians by asking what we can do for God and not what He can do for us. Our God can do all things, but we also need to serve Him. It does not mean if we don’t serve God, He will not do what we ask, but serving God is an act of commitment and ways of showing our love for him because of who He is.

I would like to encourage each of us to ask God what we can do for Him. It is possible that some are not sure of what area we can best serve God. We can serve God in the church, at work, as street evangelists, in our family or as a missionary. You don’t have to be an expert in that area, but whichever area God is leading you to serve please commit to it and God will equip you to do His work (Hebrews 13:21).

In the New Testament the word Disciple is used to describe the people who are committed to following Jesus Christ. To be a true disciple of Jesus requires real commitment.  We have to let His life  infuse our own so that we become more like Him.   Following Christ is meant to be the central focus of our lives.  Discipleship is about Christ being formed in you and you being formed in Christ.  Jesus is our Redeemer and He is also our Example, God’s image of perfect human holiness.  To become like Him we must be willing to follow His teachings.  To follow Him we must be willing to submit ourselves to the truth of God’s Word, from beginning to end.  Discipleship is an ongoing process that will last the whole of our lifetime and should touch every part of our lives.
 
Maybe you have been a Christian for many years, maybe you have already accepted Jesus as your Savior, but have you made Jesus Lord of your life?  Being a disciple of Jesus requires more from us than just turning up for a church service, God is meant to have the central place in our daily lives. Being a disciple of Jesus is more than just reading your Bible once in a while or praying when you need something, it requires a real relationship with the God who loves you.  Discipleship is the way we show that we take Jesus - His Incarnation, His works, His words, His person, His exemplary life,  His commands and His commissions – seriously.  A Christian who takes discipleship seriously is a Christian who takes Jesus and the Gospel seriously.  Our ongoing walk with Jesus must be a priority in our lives.
 
Joshua had a pretty busy life, he had a life with God which was the main focus of everything that he did.

When Joshua was about 110 years old; he gave one of the most important speeches of his life.  Joshua gathered the people around him and he spoke to them and gave them a challenge before he died.  He told the people God had been good to them.  He reminded them how God had delivered them from slavery and wandering.  Then Joshua tells them that they need to worship the right God in the right way, not some kind of substitute God or idol.  Joshua told the people it was time to make a choice - Joshua 24:15:
 
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
 
In this life we will face many choices.  But of all the choices we face in life, the choice to know God or ignore God, has eternal consequences.  Proverbs 28:26 says: Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in God’s wisdom are kept safe.

You have a purpose, you have a destiny, to discover God’s purpose for your life.  You need to be willing to allow God to lead you and guide you.  You have the ability to choose to obey God or ignore God.  Will you choose this day to serve and worship God?

I believe that there are a lot of reasons to serve God, not just because of what HE has done for us, but because of who HE IS!   There are also a lot of distractions in this world, but the choice to serve is up to us.  Our God deserves outstanding service from each of us because HE is the one who was and is and is to come!   The ONE who gave HIS best for us, so why shouldn't we do the same?

Who will you choose to serve today?

Acts 26:19 
For that reason, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision
 
These are the words that the Apostle Paul addressed to King Agrippa.  Paul's words shed an immense ray of light on the character and activity of the great apostle.  In this portion of scripture, Paul gives his testimony to King Agrippa and Governor Festus.  In this, Paul gives a very accurate picture of what he was like before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.  By his own admission, he was truly a prosecutor. 

Can you imagine the splendor, the ceremony, the showy display as Governor Festus, King Agrippa, Bernice and their ranking officials all entered the palace room?  You can almost hear trumpets blaring.   You can see them in their finery.  Here they come parading in: proud, wealthy, and powerful.  Each one wearing their fine, colorful garments as they take their seats.  Of course their seats are raised, as they looked down on the poor folks who would come into their court to be heard and helped.  Then here comes Paul, a small man, weighted down with chains.  He shuffles into the room, stood for a moment, and when the investigation was formally handed over to King Agrippa by Festus, Paul begins his defense.
 
Paul speaks of his own vanity and pride.  He wanted to make a name for himself by cleaning up the earth of “those” saints.  Paul tells them of all the people he had killed.  How he had accused Christians.  How even when the Christians were dying he insulted them.  He became more and more intoxicated with power because he had letters of authority.  But then he gets to the critical turning point!    It was mid-day and everyone was taking a rest, but Paul was not taking a rest, he was on a mission, rushing to kill people.  However, he was stopped by a bright light from heaven.  They had all fallen on the ground and Paul heard the words: I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.  Rise up.  He then continues to tell his audience that since that day he has not been disobedient to that heavenly vision - the heavenly call that he had received from the LORD.  Paul informs his hearers that he witnessed to all men-everywhere.  He preached repentance and the need to turn to God and to do the works of repentance.  He preached only the Scripture.  He preached Christ’s death and resurrection.  He told Agrippa and Festus that he was obedient to the heavenly vision, to the call of Jesus.
 
He lets them know that his call was from Jesus and he lets them know that he was the most unlikely person in the world to receive a call from God, but it came any way.  The Lord Jesus appeared to him and called him and the call was a command, a demand, a charge, a mandate, a decree, an ultimatum, a stipulation, a claim and a dictate.  Are you getting the message?   The Lord’s call was not up for discussion or debate.  There was no need to confer with family or friends, no need to seek out other people’s opinions concerning the call.  The Lord called Paul and the Lord expected Paul to fulfill his call.  Paul states emphatically that he had not disobeyed the heavenly call.  The charges brought against Paul, who was now before King Agrippa, were unjust.  He wanted them to know that he was not disobedient to God.  He had been faithful to the Lord, doing exactly what the Lord wanted done.  Yes, he was a sinner: but the Lord in His mercy saved and called him, and he was now obeying the Lord. 
 
He tells them that the Lord commissioned him to preach to the Gentiles and the Lord promised to deliver him from them.  Wow what courage!!   Here is Paul speaking before two powerful Gentiles - a King and  Governor, neither of whom can touch him because he has appealed to speak to Caesar, the Emperor, and yet he is able to preach the gospel to both of them.  The Lord means business when HE calls a person.  The call is from heaven; therefore it supersedes all other calls and interests.  It is not up for discussion nor is it to be subjected to any other desire.  God knows the need of the world for the gospel, and he knows whom HE wants to fill that need.  So, the best thing to do when we hear the call from the Lord is to surrender to it...immediately!
 
Paul gave his resume in a few words.  We get the impression that Paul said these words emphatically, and not as a weak, old man.  He said them because he was filled with sorrow and full of affliction for his past but that the Lord saved a wretched like him and like us.  Oh, that each of us Christians could say the same thing that we have not been disobedient to the call that  we have received from the Lord.
 
I want to point something out, in this scenario.   Who had the real power?  Was it those who were dressed in their finery, or was it the crowd that was listening, or was it the one man who was in chains?  The answer is the man in chains.  Yes, Paul had the power.  He spoke of a suffering Christ, of His resurrection from the dead - this is reality.  This is the truth of the gospel.  The swords and spears of the guards, the chain mail worn by the officers standing beside the governor and king, these are as delicate as fabric and just like fine cobwebs and temporary as butterfly wings.  You see in this one instance that the power of this world is a fraud.  The man in chains was the one who was really free.  And those who proclaimed their freedom by their splendor and pageantry were really bound.  That means that they were bound for all eternity in hell.
 
Paul was not only obedient in the good times when he was surrounded by victories and successes, but always even when others would feel their hearts freeze up and their throats get dry. Paul was obedient in spite of the ingratitude of those he loved most and by whom he was loved the least in every condition of his agitated existence: in poverty as also in abundance.  Paul never wavered not even a single time.  For Paul even death was considered gain.  It would bring him to an encounter with Jesus, the object of his vision and the hope of his heart.  He never allowed his heavenly vision to vanish. We all get tired, we all get hurt, we forget that heavenly vision that was given to us by our Lord.  We have to be reminded that we need to draw from the fountain of life: Jesus Christ.  We need to live in community with Christ.
 
In the history of King Xerses you can read that in order to maintain and keep his hatred against the Greeks alive, he gave orders to a slave to whisper in his ear every day at dinner time the words that said: “Remember the Greeks,” “Remember the Greeks.”    As Christians we must always keep the infinite love of our Lord in our minds,  “Remember the love of Jesus.”   “Remember the love of Jesus.”

What is it that GOD has called you to in this New Year?  Let's follow this lesson from the Apostle Paul and live out our calling!   Do not be disobedient to your heavenly vision.