Does God provide the light in your life?

July 9, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Light When we say the word light, many things come to mind- glowing illumination, brightness, no more darkness, hope, direction, guidance….. In Psalm 27 David speaks about the ultimate light of the world, God.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—   With God as his light- whom shall I fear? he knew salvation & no fear
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—   With God as his light-
    of whom shall I be afraid? he knew strength & no fear

²When the wicked advance against me   With God as his light- he knew his enemies
    to devour me, would crumble.
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
³Though an army besiege me,    With God as his light- he knew he would not
    my heart will not fear; break under pressure but live with confidence though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

⁴One thing I ask from the Lord, With God as his light- God would always be this only do I seek: with him, making life beautiful
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.

How about you? Is God your light? Jesus tells us in John 8:12 ““I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Having Jesus in your life dispels the darkness of sin, keeps you from living in fear, gives you salvation and strength and makes all things around you to be illuminated by God’s light. Just like David, we can see God’s light and we can know Him personally through His Son.

David ends this Psalm with a reminder to wait patiently for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.”

Knowing God is light and will provide direction so we can see how to proceed, David admonishes us to wait for the Lord. I know, easier said than done, but it is a good reminder that our timetable for things is not the Lord’s. In His light we can walk with confidence and trust His leading as we wait for His perfect timing.

Will you walk seeking God’s light in your life today? Will you grow in trust for Him as you wait His perfect timing? If you are struggling with God’s timing, pray and ask for patience and guidance as you wait upon Him.

Linda

Freedom isn’t free, there is always a cost

July 4, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Freedom-Days I want to wish each of you a Happy 4th. The 4th of July is a favorite holiday filled with BBQ’s, games, swimming, picnicking, corn on the cob, apple pie and fireworks. But as you know, the 4th is more than that to each of us. The freedom we enjoy in America was bought with a price. The cost to those that came before us was filled with sacrifice, hope and struggle. It continues to cost those who labor daily in the military to ensure our freedom. Our struggle over the centuries has been to secure, defend and maintain freedom of religion, peace, prosperity and hope for us and our children. We desire to live in an unbiased, loving and accepting society. Is this possible? Actually, I believe it is NOT possible without Christ. He is the one who can make all things right and gives us the power to love and live in harmony with others.

Today’s thoughts of freedom bring me to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and Galatians 5:1. Paul was teaching the Corinthians how to live together in harmony and purity. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own: you have been bought at price. Therefore honor God with your body.” Paul was reminding the Galatians what they had in Christ and that it should be their desire and ours to honor God in all we say and do. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves by burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Christ died for us so that we might be free from sin and its bondage and have the ability to live lives that honor Him. The cross was the ultimate sacrifice for us. Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” He bought us with a price, his life. He redeemed us from sin’s ultimate consequence-death. My freedom in Christ was bought with the price of His life on the cross.

I have FREEDOM in Christ- freedom from my sins, freedom to live for Him, freedom from eternal death and freedom to live with Him for eternity. Just as we are thankful for those who died to secure the freedom we have in America, we need to be thankful for the freedom we have in Christ alone. He is the one who secures it all and brings us to the place where we can enjoy freedom.

freedom Today as you are thankful for America, think also of the greater freedom you have though Christ and say a prayer of Thanks to Jesus.

Thankful today,

Linda

What does June 6th mean to you? Sacrifice, freedom, honor….

June 6, 2019 nofearlinda2 Comments

Today is the 75th Anniversary of the “D-Day” invasion of Europe in 1944. Known as Operation Overload it was cloaked in secrecy and

Today the Allied flag still fly in memory.

various rumors were spread to mislead the enemy as to when the attack would take place. General Eisenhower had originally chosen June 5 for the invasion but bad weather made that impossible, so they moved forward as weather cleared on June 6. It was the largest amphibious attack in history and some 156,000 plus troops from Great Britain, Canada and the United States landed on various beaches. When I visited Normandy, I realized how great the coordination had to have been to attack simultaneously the different beaches. The British and Canadians captured beaches code named Gold, Juno and Sword. The Americans captured Utah Beach but faced heavy resistance on Omaha Beach where over 2,000 Americans died. Some historians estimate that more than 4,000 Allied troops lost their lives in the D-Day invasion, with thousands more wounded or missing.

Beautiful and serene today, but then were covered with barbed wire and obstacles to stop the troops from landing.

By the day’s end, some 156,000 troops had landed successfully and led what is thought to be ‘the beginning of the end for Germany’. By the end of August, northern France had been liberated and by the Spring of 1945 the Germans were defeated. The coordinated efforts of all the commanders were lead by General Dwight D Eisenhower. They successfully adapted and overcame to defeat the enemy.

The Rangers attacked under heavy fire from the Germany guns in these bunkers on top of the cliff.

This beautiful beach cliff was the setting of the American Rangers’ attack that morning.

As we ponder this day in history, let us give thanks to those who gave their lives and those who fought bravely in the face of grave danger and survived. Thank you to those who came home and lived lives of honor and courage after having experienced the horrors of war and to those who did not return.

Normandy, a place of remembrance. Let us remember their sacrifice for our freedom and not take it lightly as the cost was great.

Proverbs 10:7 “The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
May the memories bring you blessings today.

Linda

Are you in the crowd? Why did Jesus come to you?

June 4, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

There is one other post-resurrection appearance I want to think about as we wait for Pentecost. Paul recounts to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 the appearances between Christ’s purposeful death and resurrection and His ascension back into heaven. “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,(Christ died and rose again with purpose foretold in scripture)⁵and that he appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve. ⁶Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.⁷Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (Paul is referring to his encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus that happened sometime later.)

Have you ever wondered about the large gathering of 500 that saw Jesus? What was His purpose? In each post-resurrection appearance, Jesus purposefully met with those who needed to see Him most- the grieving Mary, the doubting Thomas, the guilt ridden Peter and the unbelieving disciples. What could have been His reason for appearing to 500? Perhaps He wanted those who did not know Him as intimately as the disciples to experience His love and power first hand? Perhaps He wanted to make known the reality that He was alive and they could carry on. Perhaps He wanted to comfort, ignite, give hope, …. Seeing Him again, knowing the reality of His death on the cross, knowing He had been buried and was alive for them to see must have been eyeopening, challenging, fearsome, awesome, unbelievable….. One can only imagine what it must have been like to see Jesus.

Today as you think about this, try to picture yourself as one of the 500. We have an advantage as we have His indwelling Holy Spirit within us to convict us and bear witness to our faith. We do not need to see Him to believe. Jesus addressed this issue in John 20:29 as He spoke to Thomas. “Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Faith is a blessing from God. Thank Him today for your ability to believe even though you were not there with the 500. You can know that He loves, cares for you and is with you always.

Linda

Ascension Day- up He goes!

May 30, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

40 days after the resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven. His ascension is recorded in Mark, Luke and the book of Acts. It took place on a mountain top in the vicinity of Bethany according to Luke 24:50-51 “And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ⁵¹While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” Mark also adds in Jesus’ destination after His ascension, Mark 16:19 “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” In the book of Acts, Luke, the author, gives us a more complete picture of this event. Acts 1:9-11 “And after He said these things, He was caught up as they looked on, and a cloud took Him up out of their sight. ¹⁰While they were looking intently into the sky as He was going, two men in white clothing suddenly stood beside them, ¹¹who said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This [same] Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

The disciples who were focused on where Jesus went and the angels assured them that Jesus will return in the same way He left. Jesus had lovingly told them that He would send a helper to guide and empower them in His absence. Acts 1:7-8 “He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority. ⁸But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” Jesus wanted His followers to be about telling others of the kingdom and the good news of the salvation and forgiveness available to each one though Jesus. The promised Holy Spirit would come upon them in just 10 days at Pentecost and then the truth of Christ and His work would revolutionize the world!

Are you anticipating the return of Christ? Be encouraged with these words from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Are you telling others about your Savior as you wait? Be encouraged by Peter’s words: 1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” Be ready to tell others of your HOPE in Jesus!

Have a blessed Ascension Day, and may our prayer be, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus”.

Linda

Are you ready? Jesus calls us to be part of His Plan “A”.

May 28, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Today’s meeting with Jesus took place on a mountainside in Galilee. I had always associated this scene with the ascension, but it is a separate incident. Jesus did give the ‘Great Commission’ at His ascension but he also gave it here sometime before the ascension.

Matthew 28:16-20 “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

There were 11 disciples because Judas had betrayed Jesus and hanged himself. However, there were probably others along with them as in verse 10 earlier in the chapter Jesus had said to the women at the tomb garden, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Scholars think that the people Matthew is referring to as ‘doubting’ are the other brothers who also accompanied the 11 to the mountainside and does not refer to the disciples. The heart of Jesus’ message is He wants the message of salvation and redemption to go out to all the world. It is their job to spread the ‘good news’ to the world. He promises to go with them (and us) throughout all the ages to come.

Have you ever considered that you are God’s plan A? There is no backup plan for spreading the news of redemption to the world- we are it! God promises that His word will not return empty or without use, Isaiah 55:11 “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” God also promises that His will cannot be thwarted, Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Jesus did His part- He came to earth, lived, died on the cross to redeem us and rose from the grave conquering sin and death. We have our part to do now- tell others about marvelous, amazing, redemptive Jesus! Since you are part of plan A, whom will you tell today? Remember there are many ways to tell others about Jesus. Yes, you need to be able to give a full account of the gospel which according to 1 Peter 3:15, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,“ However, you can witness each day to the power of the risen Christ in your life by what you say, how you respond, who you help, what you do for others, how you treat them, etc. Our lives speak for Jesus along with our mouths. We can give a word of praise to God for little and big things in our lives and others will hear it. We can mention a verse of scripture and how it applies to our circumstances, we can offer to pray for a colleague or neighbor who is in need or lend a helping hand without being asked. There are many ways to show you love Jesus and that He is the driving force behind what you say and do. All of these witness to His power of redemption. At any point you are asked, you need to be willing and able to give words to your faith as 1 Peter 3:15 tells us- the reason for your hope.

Be encouraged today and mindful of the position and commission Jesus gave to me and you. Be bold for the gospel and let the gospel drive you thoughts, actions and words today.

Linda

“The Memory of the Righteous is a blessing”… Semper Fi (forever faithful)

May 27, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

For this holiday- Memorial Day- the greeting, “Happy Memorial Day” just does not express the appropriate sentiment. Memorial Day is a day to remember the sacrifice of soldiers who have died in war. It began after the Civil war and was originally called ‘Decoration Day’. It was later extended to honor all fallen soldiers in any war. Jesus told us in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than his, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Anyone who joins the military knows they might be called to go to war and fight. Believing in life, freedom and the independent pursuit of happiness is declared in our Constitution’s Bill of Rights and gives motivation and heart to their call to defend our nation. It is an honorable calling that is worthy of our acknowledgement and remembrance. Proverbs 10:7 “The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.” Who will you remember today that has answered the call and given their life for their friends? You and I need to consider ourselves their friends and it is our obligation to their sacrifice that we remember them. Scripture teaches that remembering will be and is a blessing to us. Remember both the living and the dead, as both made or are making sacrifices on our behalf.

Will you attend a parade, a breakfast, have a time of prayer, watch a war movie? Any of these things can be a cause to remember those that have fallen and give thanks for their sacrifice for you and for me. Have a blessed Memorial Day! I think that would be the proper greeting and I send it to you!

Linda

Prayer: Thank you Lord, for those brave men and women who have given their all- their lives- so that I can enjoy the freedoms our country provides. Help me to be honoring to their memory and sacrifice knowing they laid their lives down for me, someone they did not even know. Give me an attitude of thankfulness for those Veteran’s that are still living and help me to honor them. Lord, give our leaders wisdom and a sense of unity in working to preserve that for which so many have died. Amen.

P.S. This year we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the “D” day landing at Normandy where so many died, June 6, 1944. Today, remember their great sacrifice for freedom.

Amazing! He was both spirit and flesh.

May 10, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Jesus was busy on Resurrection Sunday. He appeared on the Road to Emmaus, to the women in the garden, to Peter and to a gathering of disciples in a closed room. John records this appearance in John 20:19-22. I like the Amplified translation as it makes what happened clearer. ¹⁹So when it was evening on that same day, the first day of the week, though the disciples were [meeting] behind barred doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” ²⁰After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side.” The fact that Jesus appeared to them without opening the door tells us He was a spirit. Yet, he showed them His hands and side that had been pierced at the cross which tells us He was physically real. Only Jesus could be both in His resurrection body. He begins with the common Hebrew greeting- ‘Peace to you’. This shows Jesus’ love and sensitivity as perhaps they would have expected a harsh word from Jesus for abandoning Him after His arrest. They received peace and warmth from their Savior not rebuke or criticism. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with great joy. ²¹Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you[as My representatives].” ²²And when He said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Their response to Jesus was pure joy! Then He sent greetings of peace to them and gave them orders to tell others. He was sending them with power from His Holy Spirit to go and be His representatives, telling others of His death, resurrection, salvation and forgiveness of sins. Jesus breathed on them power that would sustain them until the coming of the Holy Spirit 50 days later at Pentecost.

romans 10 17 What is your response to the risen Savior? I’m sure the disciples had various reactions like joy that He was alive, curiosity about His wounds, questions about their purpose in life now that He is no longer teaching them day to day? Jesus answered their questions, shared in their joy and gave them purpose. It is the same purpose Jesus has for us- tell others the good news of the gospel. He desires that everyone hear how He saves us from eternal punishment for our sins and forgives us, and Paul reminds us in Romans 10:17 ^“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Jesus sent them, and us too, into the world where we live to tell others the good news of Christ. We have to speak out and speak up for Jesus.

Who will you joyfully tell today?

Linda

Road towards Pentecost begins here!

April 23, 2019April 23, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

One of my favorite post-resurrection appearances is the encounter of the two on the Road to Emmaus. Overcome with grief over Jesus’ death and disbelief over what the women said about seeing Him alive, these two followers of Christ were walking along the Emmaus Road discussing all these things. Jesus joined them on their journey without disclosing his identity. As they walked they were surprised that he did not know about all the events that had just occurred in Jerusalem and told him their hope that Jesus had been the long awaited Messiah. “Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. ²⁶Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” ²⁷Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:25-27

Wouldn’t you have loved to have been there and listened to Jesus explain all about Himself? A little later in the story when they were sitting down to eat, Jesus gave thanks, broke the bread and began to give it to them. Right then, their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus. He then disappeared from their presence. Even though it was late they quickly returned to Jerusalem to tell the disciples about their encounter with the risen Lord Jesus.

Jesus came to these two when they were in grief, despair and confusion, and He cleared up their thinking, encouraged and enlivened them. Can you remember a time when Jesus came to you in prayer or through the actions or words of another believer to give you hope and encouragement? Jesus promises that He will be with us wherever we go. Just like these two, we need to look and recognize His presence with us and the hope that He brings.

I pray that my Lenten Blogs have brought you hope and encouragement these past 6 weeks. I have been mightily blessed by being with you and in the scriptures each day. I am still pondering the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice and all the blessings I HAVE because of Him. I will continue writing on the post-resurrection appearances leading to Pentecost (40 days after the cross). Christ appeared many times before His ascension to many individuals and groups. They are affirming and touching encounters that teach us more about the depth of His love and care for us.

Blessings to you,

Linda

He has Risen, He has risen indeed!

April 21, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can have faith in resurrection too. Paul writes on the importance of believing in the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:12-20. “¹²But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? ¹³For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁴And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.” Paul is making the argument that if we do not believe in resurrection, life after death, then we can’t believe Christ was raised either. “¹⁵And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. ¹⁶And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. ¹⁷And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.” He continues that if we don’t believe in the resurrection then all the people who saw Jesus (like 500 plus) were liars but the most horrific consequence of not believing in Jesus’ resurrection is that we are still in our sins, no forgiveness or redemption has occurred. Jesus has to conquer death and sin to redeem us. “ ¹⁸In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! ¹⁹And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.” If Christ did not conquer the grave, we are to be pitied and we are lost! Paul makes his conclusion in verse 20a, “²⁰But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.” Praise God! Death could not hold him and Jesus rose victorious over death, leaving our sins behind and rising to new life. We too can hold that hope as Christ has won the victory for all who believe!

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday! As the early Christians would greet one another to show they believed saying, “He has Risen.” With the response being, “He has risen indeed!”