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?

​The author of the Book of Hebrews is unknown.  Hebrews has been attributed to Paul even though many question his authorship.   However, there is an abundance of evidence in his favor.  This Book describes Christ’s ministry in heaven at God’s right hand.  The word “better” appears many times in the Book of Hebrews.  That should be our goal as Christians to know Him better for it appears 13 times in the King James Version of Hebrews.
 
When we get to chapter 13 it is an exhortation. That word exhortation means to incite, and it often implies the  urging or admonishing of an orator or preacher.  Well, some would say that we should use a better word such as to encourage but there is a difference between those two verbs.  To exhort is to urge or to advise earnestly while encourage is to mentally support, to motivate, to give courage, hope or spirit.
 
The main object of the letter to the Hebrews is to put the excellence of Jesus in prominence.  He is telling them that Jesus is superior to everything and everyone.  The author focuses in on this precious, scriptural diamond that many have memorized over the years.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.   Does that mean that we have no choices?  No!  We always have choices and decisions that must be made in this life.  However, Jesus as our foundation is our refuge and strength in a world that is changing rapidly.  He is our anchor when we face many changes that can affect us deeply.  Things in this life do not remain the same.  Changes occur in our homes, in our jobs, in relationships, in nature, in our finances, in our health, in our culture, in our laws, in our government, etc. and changes can happen suddenly and traumatically.  We need to remember that at those times when everything seems to go upside down we must rely on the unchanging GOD, who is our sure foundation.  HE is as the Scriptures say, our Faithful Friend and HE will be there for us when things change and even when things are uncertain.  He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.  We may ask "why did this happen or that happen if HE has promised to never leave us?".  When Jesus was on the cross everyone ,except for a few, forsook Him.  He knew that would happen but He had the blessed assurance that His Heavenly Father would be with Him even in that time of loneliness.  Remember even when everyone else has forsaken us we can trust the Lord to be with us.
 
The question we have to ask ourselves is what are the supreme marks of the Christian’s conduct?  As you read through chapter 13 take a look at each of the verses.  The author speaks of brotherly love, hospitality, helping the prisoners and the mistreated, purity in marriage, contentment, remembering your leaders and remembering your Source of life and our power - which is Jesus Christ.  Since we are just looking at verse 8 it looks as if the author wants to give a greater emphasis to all that he has said so far.  It appears to be a focus as a lasting remembrance for his entire life.  The author reminds us that many leaders come and go and eventually they all die.  However, the Source of our lives and power of this life will never leave and never passes away.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He is forever present with us; and He never changes.  For example, notice that His definition of sin is the same as it has been since Genesis 3 - it remains the same.  We see the result of sin ever since Genesis 3 is that there would be sorrow and sadness and death and thousands of years later, we see that every day in this life.
 
The author is also showing us that Jesus Christ is superior to time.  You see the strength and depth of His doctrine do not go out of style.  We have people who base their careers on trends but Jesus Christ is not a trend or a fad.  The important people of one age are forgotten by the next generation.  Talk to some of the younger generation and when you mention someone you thought was a great person they look at you like who are they and what are you talking about????
 
Yes, Jesus Christ is consistent over the ages.  If you had lived in Bible times, in the Middle ages or if you live in this modern era of the 21st century Jesus is the same.  He is not a puppet master that forces you to be and do what He wants.  Every generation finds interest in Him.  He is the same today and points out to us ways not yet discovered.  We sometimes forget that Jesus is always a friend and the longer we know Him time renders Him more intimate and admired.
 
Jesus Christ is the same with every generation. To Christ sin is sin and that is what the Bible speaks of when it speaks of the “sin nature”. 

In contrast, this verse reminds us that man is not always the same.  People do not treat everyone from the same point of view and with the same equality and love; but Jesus Christ does. We are moved by sympathy because we do not see the wickedness of some and then we exaggerate a small defect in another.  It is different with Jesus; we all enjoy equal rights before Him.
 
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday-in times past- Jesus Christ sacrificed everything for us, even to the point of dying for us.  He even suffered and took our sins upon Him.  All the heinous things that we see and classify as sins: murder, adultery, pornography, bestiality, sexual sins, drug addictions, alcoholism, you name the most despicable things that you can think of rape, molestation, sex trafficking terror, etc.  He took it all upon Him.  That is why the Father could not look at Him on the Cross.
 
Jesus Christ is the same forever, eternally. He lives eternally throughout all the ages of eternity.  He lives eternally to meet our need forever and ever.  He met all the needs yesterday,   He meets all the needs today and He shall meet all the needs eternally.  Yes, He met the needs of all believers who lived yesterday, in whatever culture they were in.   He meets the needs of all believers today.  He shall meet the needs of all believers forever, and ever and ever
 
What a blessed assurance we have.  As Believers we often lose courage.  We are often tempted to turn back from our Christian walk.  But we have the reassuring and sure voice of the Master reminding us that Jesus Christ passed through similar pains and tiredness and discouragement.  This verse should encourage us to continue our pilgrim walk with Jesus; walking hand in hand with the Master who walked this life . 

Lord, help us to have courage and be strengthened by this verse today!  It does not matter where you live, what is the color your skin, the generation which you are in.  It does not even matter where or what part of the world you live in -  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever and He will take care of you.   HE has ALWAYS been and ALWAYS will be!

As a Pastor for many years I would often receive "repeat" questions.  One of those questions is: Why is there so much wickedness, immorality, lawlessness and violence in the world?  IF there is a God and you say that He is sovereign and IF He rules over and controls all the events in the universe the why does HE allow evil on earth? 
 
Have you ever noticed: It is always God’s fault?
 
We say well, God could compensate for people’s evil actions through supernatural intervention 100 percent of the time.  People say: “Can’t God stop a drunk driver from causing an automobile accident?".  Others have said and believe that God could stop a lazy construction worker from doing a substandard job on a home that he is building that could later on cause grief to the homeowners.  Still other state, "can’t God stop a father or mother who are addicted to drugs or alcohol from doing any harm to their mates and children or extended family?".  If God is in control can’t He stop a gunman from robbing convenience stores, or killing people in a church or synagogue or in school, in a mall?  Isn’t God able to stop high school bullies?  Can’t God stop terrorists from flying airplanes into buildings?
 
Now if God did that everyone would probably say “Yea God, Way to Go!!!” Now the solution sounds attractive but let’s see if it works.  Let me tell you that you do know that God’s intervention would lose its attractiveness as soon as God’s intervention infringed on something we wanted to do.  We want God to prevent horribly evil actions, but we are willing to let “lesser-evil” actions slide.  We need to realize that those “lesser-evil” actions are what usually lead to the “greater-evil” actions.
 
Should God only stop actual sexual affairs or should He also block our access to pornography and end any inappropriate, but not yet sexual relationships?  How about all the sex chats on the internet? 

Should God stop “true“ thieves or should He also stop us from cheating on our taxes? 

Should God only stop murderers, or should He also stop the “lesser-evil” actions done to people that lead them to commit murder? 

Should God only stop acts of terrorism, or should He also stop the indoctrination that transformed a person into a terrorist. 

Then there are those who say why doesn’t God just remove all those people who choose to commit evil acts.  The problem with this possibility is that there would be no one left, for God would have to remove all of us.  You see we forget that we all sin and we all commit evil acts.  Romans 3:23 reminds us "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God".   Yes, I will grant you that some people seem to be more evil than others, yet ALL have sinned…so where would you want God to draw the line?
 
In John 11:32, Mary, the sister of Lazarus (the friend of Jesus who had just died) confronts Jesus with, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Isn’t this the same way we react whenever a tragedy or disaster happens to us or our loved ones? We complain to Him and say that if ‘he had been present then’ this thing would not have happened.   Even when the Lord waits to be glorified in an event, we give the devil a priority since we become the first in pointing our fingers at the Lord. Accusation is a devil’s weapon for he is the accuser of brethren (Revelation 12:10). He accused Job before God and many other men of God. You are therefore not an exception. He will continue pointing his crooked finger at you as long as you are doing the will of God.
 
Next time you face a calamity, as a Believer, do not start accusing your neighbor, pastor, someone in church or even God. He may be wholly involved in the molding of your life than any of those you have in mind. Remember that even Jesus’ disciples fell into such a weakness when they saw Jesus walking on water (Mark 6:47-51) they thought that Jesus was a ghost in the midst of the troubled sea. Stormy seas may not be welcome in our lives, but sometimes they are needed so that our carnal lives are worked out to the fullest. Remember, when the stormy seas arise in your life, it just might be an indicator that Jesus Christ is about to appear, walking on the sea to come to your rescue!   

When the seas get rough, don't blame GOD, don't think it's all GOD's fault...get excited, because GOD may just be using the storm to do something incredible in your life!

Have you ever noticed that some of the saddest words in the English language begin with the letter "D"?  Words like disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, despair and death.  Human hope is a fragile thing and when it withers away it is difficult to revive.  Hopelessness is a disease of the human spirit and it is very difficult to cure. We find signs of it everywhere.
 
Even many Christians today have lost their hope.  We see what is going in the world.  We see what is happening to our families. We see what is happening in our churches and even in our country.  We become hopeless and we give in to that feeling of hopelessness.  

The last thing that someone needs who is feeling hopeless is a brisk cheering- up talk and they do not need to be told to “snap out of it”.  Let us love them by listening to them and we can pray with them and we can pray for them and perhaps even cry with them.
 
The events unfolding around the world today are another significant step closer to the conclusion of history as described in the scriptures. I am not seeking to sensationalize the political and military actions being taken but to share with you my conviction that we must not overlook their significance to the spiritual climate of the world.  Many non-Christian people are sensing for the first time a genuine hopelessness. An anxiety as to how this escalating conflict will radically change life on this planet. A fear of increasing terrorist attacks, political fanaticism, global pandemic and social unrest.  What hope can there possibly be for a better world for our children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren?  Where can we find hope for the present, let alone our future?  Where can our friends, family, neighbors. co-workers and people turn to for hope?
 
The Bible fully understands that hope is vital to all living people.  In Proverbs 13:12 scripture tells us that Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
 
There are so many ways that HOPE is shattered in this day and age.  Through broken bodies: sickness, disease, and disasters.  Broken homes through divorces, violence, debt, and death.  Through broken lives:  drugs, alcohol, crime, desertion.  Broken dreams: ambition, failure, defeats, disappointments.  These all seem to be symptoms of our modern society and today they are affecting millions of people, depriving them of peace, happiness and ultimately hope.
 
Science tells us that “we can live forty days without food, eight days without water, four minutes without air, but only a few seconds without hope”    But what do we really mean by HOPE?

In the Bible the word used in the Greek is Elpis and means ‘a favorable and confident expectation’. It has to do with a positive vision of the unseen and the future.  Hope is not wishful thinking, or a vague ambition. Hope is not wanting things to turn out well, while remaining uncertain that they actually will.  Hope is the absolute certainty we have that God is good and that His promises are true and amen. Hope is actually personalized in Jesus himself, He is our hope!
 
Colossians 1:27 27 tell us To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:…….Christ in you, the hope of glory.
 
If you read the New Testament,  you will be challenged by those historical figures who are prominent in the New Testament.  You see that their hope, even in the midst of gloom and doom, is unbelievable!   They had more reasons to be hopeless than we do in this generation.  When the Church first began the social, political and economic conditions were unbearable.  Half of the people were slaves.  Most of the people were hungry.  They were paying more than half of whatever income they made to Imperial Rome.  There were continuous rebellions, uprisings, protests of all kinds.  History tells us that during the reign of Emperor Nero, Christians were executed by the thousands.  Nero is reported to have smeared the bodies of Christians with pitch and set them on fire as torches for his garden parties.  This is documented in history but the Christians did not let that stop them from maintaining.  They radiated HOPE even in the midst of adversity!  They talked about their hope in Jesus and they sang of their hope in Jesus.  They experienced the love of God through His Son Jesus Christ.  They had experienced His resurrection Power which was always transforming despair into hope, and death into life.  They counted themselves fortunate to have suffered for the cause of Christ.
 
This world needs people with a confident hope. Not a misplaced, weak and fragile hope but a secure hope. The words of Jesus himself teach us that things are going to get worse before they get better, especially for the Christian.
 
Matthew 24:6 - 8 says And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.   All these are the beginning of sorrows.
 
Our Lord is trying to warn us so that we may be prepared.  HE is saying -- see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must and will happen.  (All the prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled).  You see the reasons the world around us has for hopelessness are our very reasons for HOPE!  We see these happenings as distressing as everybody else, yet we see a reason to them and what they are pointing towards.  To convince others that there is hope we need ourselves to be convinced. God’s people are not expected to live dictated by world circumstances but by the principles and promises of God’s kingdom.  We have the greatest hope of all … and HIS NAME IS JESUS!!!!
 
Remember, "We wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13)
 
Keep looking up!

I remember the first time I saw that quote I said to myself what a great concept!  We usually gripe and complain when things happen to us that we did not expect but sometimes it is good to look at things differently.  I believe that quote is attributed to Dale Carnegie who used it in his 1948 book entitled: How To Stop Worrying and Start Living.  Lemons suggest sourness/tartness or difficulties in life; making lemonade is turning them into something sweeter, positive or desirable.

When things do not turn out as we expected, especially for Christians or Believers we feel as though God has abandoned us; but sometimes we need a different perspective. There is a hymn we used to sing in our churches many years ago it was titled: No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus.  The writer of that song spent most of his life as an itinerant evangelist and gospel songwriter.  The composer says that after returning home from an evangelistic crusade he found a note left by his wife of many years.  The note said she had enough of the evangelistic life and she left him.  The composer said that he became very despondent during the next several years. There were even times when he contemplated suicide.  Yes, there was the terrible despair he experienced because he believed that no one really cared for him any more.  But he said that gradually his spiritual faith was restored and he once again became active in Christian ministry.  Soon he felt compelled to write a song that became a summary of his past tragic experience.  From his broken heart came the words to the hymn:
                               No on ever cared for me like Jesus.
                               There’s no other friend so kind and true. 
                               No one else could take the sin and darkness from me. 
                               O  how much He Cared for me
 
Even in our darkest moments, much like the times we are seeing around us today, God has promised to care for us!
 
In Psalm 22 we see the words spoken by Jesus when HE was on the cross, those same words which many of us have said over the years:
                        "My God, my God…why have You forsaken Me?"
It was the most gut-wrenching cry of loneliness in history, and it came not from a prisoner or a widow or a patient. It came from a hill, from a cross, from the Messiah: "My God, my God," he cried out , "why did you abandon me!"
 
Never have words carried such hurt and anguish. Never has one BEING been so lonely. The despair is darker than the sky. The two who had been one are now two.  Jesus knows your pain and your isolations and He is there with you which means you are not as alone as you might think or feel you are! Keep your focus on Jesus and pray to feel His embrace in your life.
 
Perhaps this story will help you.  After an accident in which she lost her arm, a girl named Jamie refused to go to school or church for an entire year. Finally the young teen thought she could face her peers. In preparation, her mother called her Sunday school teacher and asked that he not call attention to Jamie. The teacher promised, but when he got sick on Sunday morning and had to call a substitute, he forgot to tell the second teacher.  At the conclusion of the lesson that day, which was about inviting friends to church, the substitute led the class in doing the hand motions to the familiar children’s poem:
 
Here’s the church,  Here are the people, Open the door, See all the people.
Jamie’s eyes filled with tears she only had one arm. However, a young boy realized how she might be feeling. He knelt beside her. With one hand apiece, they supported each other, making the church, steeple, and people. Together they illustrated what the real church is all about.

The devil wants you isolated and in despair, But Jesus wants you connected to Him and to His people. You may not see Him, you may not feel Him, but standing right beside you at every moment is your loving Heavenly Father.  He is there He will always be there, Jesus said I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU! I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU!

Jesus is given many titles in the Bible. Perhaps none is as endearing as Emmanuel (God with us). It speaks of his constant, continual presence in our lives. May you be encouraged as you think upon that title.  You may be worn out. You may be beat down. You may be discouraged. You may feel like nothing is going right in your life. You may feel like a failure. But I am here to tell you today: Whether you are on the mountain top or in the valley…you can trust God…He is faithful.

When we look back at the Crucifixion of Jesus. I believe that the betrayal of Judas was worse than the beatings for Jesus.  Yes, there was the desertion of the disciples, the humiliation of the crucifixion, being spit upon, the crown of thorns, the nails in His hands, the mocking, the emotional torment, and even the mental torment. None of these compared to what He was facing at that moment on the Cross.  This was the worst moment of the Crucifixion. Jesus is all alone at this moment in His life. Not even the Father is with Him.  He cries out to God.  That is what we need to do when life is handing us lemons, we need to take it to the Lord in prayer because He knows what that is like.  He loves and cares for us.  Do you believe it?  Trust HIM.  JESUS can turn things around!

We all have favorite verses in the Bible and one of mine is Proverbs 3:5 - 6.
          [5] Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.
          [6] In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.  (KJV)
 
In the King James Version of the Bible trust is mentioned 134 times!  Did you know that the verses above were written by King Solomon.  However, Solomon wrote more wisely than he lived.  Even though he was blessed with great wisdom, he did not follow God’s plans for marriage.  He had 700 wives and 300 concubines.  You see on the subject of women, Solomon followed what I like to call the Frank Sinatra School of Theology - “I did it my way.”  Unfortunately, we are no different.  We read the Bible.  We pray.  We hear messages preached when we attend church; but we still want to do things our own way.
 
Solomon was a great king.  He wrote 3,000 proverbs.  He wrote 1,005 songs (1 Kings 4:31-32).  Yes, Solomon had been given great wisdom and very great insight and he had a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand of the seashore.  Solomon was a philosopher, a scientist,  he was the one who built the temple under God’s direction.  In fact, that temple was one of the wonders of the world.  He far surpassed the Egyptians who were considered at that time to be the greatest scholars.   Remember, not only was Israel blessed, but so did every nation that took advantage of Solomon’s wisdom.
 
What does it mean to TRUST?  It is basically to have confidence, to believe in the steadfastness of our Lord.  If we really trust the Lord we should not find it difficult to surrender to Him.  I get the picture in my mind of something my children did when they were young.  Have you ever seen a young child jump into their father or grandfather’s arms?  Yes, my children would do that.  They would go up a few steps and yell, “Dad or Pop catch me!”  There would be such joy on their faces.  They trusted.
 
But over the years I have heard people say: I can’t trust God, I can’t trust Jesus.   I don’t see them.  I need something tangible.  That is when I would tell them; you trust that the alarm clock is going to wake you up for work.  You trust that the mechanic properly fixed your brakes on the car when you take it out of the shop. You trust that the workers at your favorite fast food chain washed their hands after their last bathroom break.  What about those of you who have been sick recently; you trusted the Doctor whose name you could not pronounce.  Yes, you saw degrees on the wall but you never actually checked them out.  That Doctor wrote you a prescription you couldn’t read.  Then you took it to a pharmacist you have never met and she/or he gives you a chemical compound and you go home and take those pills according to the instructions on the bottle.  All of this encompasses TRUST.
 
In a world of distrust whom can we trust? 
Solomon tells us about the one and only person we can always trust - He is the Lord, Jesus Christ.  We do not put trust in ourselves, or our abilities, not in our education, not in our money, the only one worth trusting is the Lord.   

Have we given the Lord our entire heart? 
You see, living the Christian life is fairly easy if everything is going our way; but if we add a little stress, a little hardship, a little despair we quickly find ourselves at a fork in the road.  Are we going to rest and trust the Lord or are we going to go our own way?  We must accept that God’s promises are true even when He seems to be so far away.
 
The Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation while on the barren island of Patmos; it was not Paradise Island.  John Bunyan completed the classic book, Pilgrims Progress while in jail.  Beethoven composed his immortal 9th symphony while totally deaf and Fanny Crosby once remarked that if she had not lost her sight she would never have written all the hymns God gave her; the thousands of hymns in most of our hymn books.
 
We need to recognize, to concede, to confess, to acknowledge who Jesus really is to us.    We need to acknowledge His presence, His power, His purpose and His promises at all times.  Most of the time we don’t want to give up control concerning our spiritual lives.    Let me give you an example.  I lived in New Jersey for most of my life.  Land is so tight that valet parking is provided for hospitals, restaurants, theaters, museums, etc. in the New York and New Jersey areas. To park your car you must hand over your keys to the parking valet and he brings your car to a large parking area or a parking garage which has many levels.  Then he puts the keys to your car on a pegboard and if you look at that pegboard there are hundreds of others keys there also and they all look the same.   And if you watch them drive your car –NASCAR has nothing on them!  You see, we have no trouble handing over our car keys to a valet but we hesitate to hand over our lives to the Lord, the One who died for us, the One who loves us unconditionally. Yes, we fight the Lord but we are the fools for He has the best in mind for us.  But we need to simply place our Faith exclusively in Christ Jesus and what He has done for us at the Cross, which then gives the Holy Spirit room to work in our lives. (Romans 8:1-2 and 11).
 
There’s a song that we sing in church and it is titled: I’m Trusting You, Lord.
                        I’m trusting You, Lord , I’m trusting You
                       You’ve been so faithful, You’ve been so true
                       You never failed me like I failed you
                        I’m trusting You, Lord. I’m trusting You
 
 
Well. are you going to Trust Him or are you going to go it alone?      Choose wisely!

There has never been a time when you were unloved by God.  I know many, many people do not believe that statement, but it is true.  God’s love is perfect, faithful, unconditional, forgiving, all-encompassing, pure, lasting, sacrificial, strong, enduring, refreshing, redeeming, everlasting, lavish, full, inspiring, hope-filled, gracious, and so much more. It’s never based on us, our abilities, or striving to ever be good enough. It’s found in Him, His character, and a huge capacity to give. It knows no boundaries and has no limits. There’s no place too deep that His love can’t reach us still. As the old hymn says:  “He can reach way down to pick us up.”
 
Over the years, He has cared for us, thought about us on a moment-by-moment basis, and never resisted the idea of loving us.  He has been willing to laugh with us, cry with us, and listen to us describe every detail of our lives.  When the world rejects you, God is your constant Friend who accepts you just as you are.   I know many times people see and think of God as an ogre with a heavy hand ready to knock us down but that is not the God of the Bible.
 
The problem we face is not God loving us, but how we love Him.  Do we truly know how to experience the love He has for us?  Can we accept the fact that He loves us unconditionally, and that the plans He has for our lives are ones that overflow with goodness and mercy and grace?  Think about this:  God does not withhold anything in loving us.  He gave everything He had to give when He extended His love to us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  His love is a free gift of grace.  All that we need to do in order to have this love is to accept it, claim it and cling to it.

So how do you perceive God?  Several years ago, a student in seminary class stood to his feet and announced to the professor, "I don't believe in God!" The professor, unraveled, replied, "Describe this God you don't believe in?" After the student had described an unlovely and vengeful God, the professor confessed, "I don't believe in that God either. My God is a God of love."

It is so difficult to describe God’s love. How do you describe a rose to a blind person? How do you describe Handle's Hallelujah Chorus to a deaf person? How do you describe the thrill of down hill skiing to one who has never walked? How do you describe the impeccable, infinite love of God to impure, finite human beings?
One of the most vivid characteristics of God is that He is a God of love. The Psalmist was descriptive in recording the love-nature of God. He stated that he was "abounding in love" (Psalm 103:8 NIV), "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His  love for those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:11 NIV), "As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:13 NIV),  "But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’S love is with those who fear Him (Psalm 103:17).  (The word fear as used here means to respect, to honor and to worship Him!)

The point is not simply that God "loves," but that He is love itself. Love is not merely one of His attributes, but His very nature. The Scripture says, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. (1 John 4:16 NIV). To say that God is love is not to imply that love is God. God is love means that God wants the very best for you. God has your best interest in mind. He wants to give you good gifts and provide you with "all His benefits" (Psalm 103:2, NIV).

God's love touches every part of our life. Nothing - no calling or circumstance, no adversity or advancement, no pain or promotion, no status or station - escapes the brush strokes of God's love. God's love bleeds into every fabric and fiber of our lives.  The number of times the three-lettered word "all" is used in Psalm 103 reminds us that God's love is all consuming. His love touches every area of our lives. There is nowhere we can go to escape His love. There is no problem that we will encounter that is not touched by His love. There is no advancement that we will make where God is not already there. Even when our world falls apart, we can say, "God, I don't know why this is happening. I don't understand it, but I'm sure glad to know you love me."

The Bible cuts through all the philosophical ideas and declares that God is a Person. As a personal being God is capable of loving and being loved. And as a personal being he loves each one of us intensely and personally. God's love is not simply for mankind as a mass. It is not a sentimental, vague, diffused feeling - something like Charlie Brown's attitude when he says, "I love mankind; it's people I can't stand." God really likes individual people.

When Karl Barth, the famed German theologian, visited the United States, a reporter at a dedication service asked: "Dr. Barth, what is the single most important truth you have learned as a theologian?"  Barth replied, "The most important thing I have learned is this: 'Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.'"

"Jesus loves me" is the central pronouncement of the Christian faith and the cornerstone of the nature of God.  When God says I love you, He is saying that you matter to Him!

You are a person of worth. 

You are valuable to Him.

Regardless of what others think, in His eyes you are wonderful.

Have a Great Day and Remember...God Has Always Loved You!