​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!

If I asked a question to those of you who are reading this article how would you answer?  The question is:    

                                How many of you would like to worry more? 

How many would raise your hands?  I am quite sure nobody would want to worry more.  Most of us worry unnecessarily about too many things already.  It is almost as though we search for problems to make ourselves stressed.  The amazing news is that much of what we worry about- does not matter at all.
 
For those of us who call ourselves Christians or Believers you know what?  We also tend to worry and are anxious at times.  What defines us as Christians?  Well, we truly believe that God can redeem us.  We truly believe that God can break the shackles of Satan.  We truly believe that God can take us from hell to heaven.  We truly believe that God can put us into His Kingdom.  We truly believe that God can give us eternal life.  We truly believe that God has control over our lives.  We truly believe that God can make a way when there seems to be no way.  BUT we just don’t think that God can get us through the next couple of days.
 
Now isn’t that pretty ridiculous?  We can believe God for the greater gifts but then we stumble and do not believe Him for the lesser things.  Do you know what that tells me and reveals to me….an embarrassing lack of faith.  Jesus addresses this topic of worry in Matthew 6:25-34.
25 “Therefore I say to you, Take no thought for your life (DO NOT WORRY), what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than meat and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Jesus is telling us that if we are worrying and have anxiety we are showing little faith.  It shows that we are not trusting our Heavenly Father and how He has supplied the needs of His people in the past.  In 1 Peter 5:7 we are told to cast all your care upon Him For He cares for you.  You are His concern.
 
When we worry and are anxious it can become a way of life.  It also gives us a false sense of importance; it is as if we are telling God that by worrying we are somehow making a difference.  Jesus tells us in Matthew- Not To Worry.
 
Another question.  Has all of the worry that you have done throughout your life, changed any situation?  Do you know that the English word “worry” comes from an old German word “wurgen” and it means to strangle or to choke.  The Greek word for worry is “merizo” and it means to divide, to rip or tear apart.  That is exactly what worry does to us it strangles us, it chokes us it can divide us and tear us apart.
 
When we look to Jesus as our Savior and His work on the cross it reconciles us with the peace our hearts long for in the middle of the trials and challenges of this life.  We need to put our trust in the Lord.
 
Let God worry about you, because after all He does care for you.  If you and I know that God is watching out for us we have nothing left to worry about and we can get on with the business of living by the will of God.
 
Choose wisely.

Recently, I was cleaning out a desk drawer and I came across something I had saved from many. many years ago.  This is a great allegory for our times.  An allegory is a story with two levels of meaning.  First, there's the external layer of the story; the characters and plot and all the obvious things that are instantly visible.  Secondly, there's the symbolic level, or the deeper meaning that represents all the things on the surface and what they represent symbolically.  This is a parable of faith and hope.
 
I tried to find out who wrote the article originally and I found out that this article has been circulating the internet for years.  Some claim it as an old French story, others credit it to the great inspirational write J.W.Nouwen,  still others list several other possibilities.  But I believe it is too good to let it not be printed for the times we are living in.  It not only represents birth but it also represents death all in the same article.  So to who ever wrote it, “Thank You.”
 
The title of the article is In A Mother’s Womb

In a mother’s womb were two babies.  One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?”

The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”

“Nonsense,” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths.  Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

The first replied, “That is absurd! Walking is impossible! And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need.   But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.“

The second one insisted, “Well, I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here.  Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense.  And moreover if there is life, then why has no one ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion.  It takes us nowhere.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet mother and she will take care of us.”
The first replied “Mother?!” You actually believe in mother?  That is laughable. If mother exists where is she now?”

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her.  We are of her. It is in her that we live. Without her this world would not and could not exist.”

Said the first, “Well I don’t see her, so it’s only logical that she doesn’t exist.”

To which the second replied, “Right, but sometimes, when we are silent you can hear her singing or feel her caressing our world.  You know, I think there’s a real life waiting for us and now we are only preparing for that.”

And so the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear and finally the moment of birth arrived.  When the twins had passed from their world, they opened their eyes and cried, but what they saw exceeded their fondest dreams.  What they saw was the beautiful eyes of their mother, as they were cradled lovingly in her arms.  They saw the biggest smile of their father.  They were home!!!!

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We hardly understand the birth process and we hardly understand about life after death. But they are very similar.  Our modern snobbishness, condescension and attitudes of self-importance have infiltrated our churches, our country and the world.  We now worship our own intelligence,  the “we know it all” attitude is now permeating all cultures.  We have been caught in the “snare of the fowler.”  Never have our egos been so big.  Satan has penetrated the church to change it, to change its message, to change its purpose, to distort the gospel and to wear down the saints.   There is nothing new under the sun.  When the first church began Satan put all of these same obstacles in the way; BUT GOD had the church grow.

When you are out and friends begin to speak listen to what they say about birth and life after death.  It will really amaze you.  If we would truly read the Bible and stop fighting God’s will for our lives; if we could just have the faith and humility to break free of our own self-importance we’d see quite plainly that we were made for so much more.

In 1 Corinthians 2:9, scripture says:  But as it is written:  “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Do you really believe in the power of prayer?   I know there are many Believers, many Christians who go out of their way to go to church.  They go out of their way to worship; but they have just a little relationship with the LORD throughout the week. 
 
We all go through difficulties day after day but only when we come to the end of our rope and our strength then we ask for God’s help.  However, we have the power of God at our disposal all the time; twenty-four/seven.  Yet, we attempt to get by on our own strength everyday.
 
Many people believe that it doesn’t really matter whether they pray or not.  They  believe that God’s going to do, what God’s going to do –so why bother?

Today, people regard prayer as a last resort after all of their other efforts have failed; sort of like a “Hail Mary” pass in football.  They throw it up in the air and hope it reaches the desired destination.  Yes, we pray a little but in our heart of hearts we don’t view prayer as making that big an impact on the decisions we make daily.  We do not include our LORD into our lives.  We need to include His presence into our lives so that we can experience His power.
 
Are you aware that through prayer we can impact the world?  We can secure destinies, and effect eternity because there is power in prayer.  I have been in church my entire life.  My dad was a pastor and then I was the pastor of my home church.  I have seen and heard people pray with tears and brokenness and the LORD answered. I have witnessed evil spirits come out of people.  I have seen marriages healed, emotional and spiritual problems resolved; drug addicts and alcoholics lives changed around.  I have seen and heard people pray over our nation and the LORD answered.
 
I Thessalonians 5:17 says Pray without ceasing.  We Christians need to plug into our power source.  We need to plead, to pray to God for this country for this world.  Look at this world, man has tried every which way to solve the problems we face, but the word of God says we must plead for the souls of this world. 
 
Some of you may be saying I can’t go on a mission trip --that’s OK.  Can you get down on your knees and pray?  Someone may tell me they can’t get down on their knees because of pain or age, but you can still pray. You can pray on your knees, you can pray standing up, you can pray flat on your back, you can pray with your face to the ground, you can pray sitting in your favorite chair, you can pray walking around, you can pray lying in bed.   No limitations to the positions for prayer.
 
Either we are going to plead to our Lord or we are going to perish.  It is either Pentecost or it is going to be holocaust.  It is either going to be revival or the wrath of God.  We are to pray to God fervently to pour our whole hearts and our total beings out to God to share with God, both thanksgivings and petitions.
 
Our best example is always JESUS.  Let me remind you when Jesus was on this earth
He was totally dependent upon God not upon the crowds. The crowds could give Jesus nothing,  But God could give Jesus everything. That is why He depended on His Father.   We need to depend on our LORD also.
 
Let me give you an illustration that might help you understand the power of prayer.  Five ministerial students were visiting in London on a hot Sunday in July.  While they were waiting for the doors of the church to open, a man approached and asked them “Gentlemen, would you like to see the heating apparatus of the church?”  They thought, “How weird that this man wants to show us the heating system of the church on a hot day in July.”
 
But, they were curious so they all followed him.  They came to a door.  He quietly opened it and whispered: “There sirs, is our heating apparatus!”  Some seven hundred intercessors were kneeling in prayer, seeking an outpouring of God’s Spirit upon the service which was soon to begin in the Tabernacle.  That unknown guide was Charles Spurgeon the great pastor of the pulpit himself.
 
What is fueling the fire in our churches today in the life of those of us who call ourselves Christians?   Our churches are filled with powerless programs when they should be filled with praying people!