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!”

Linda

SALVATION- Thank you Jesus!

April 19, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have salvation. This is a wonderful message filled with hope on this Good Friday. Jesus’ sacrifice on my behalf accomplished what nothing else could. He was the perfect sacrifice that was wholly accepted by God the Father. Jesus told us that He was the way to salvation. Here are a few verses to ponder in your heart as you consider your own faith in Jesus.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The way to salvation is clearly through faith in Jesus.

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Salvation can only come through Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” God’s plan to redeem us from the punishment of sin was through Jesus.

Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,” God’s grace, undeserved favor, was fully shown in sending Jesus. It is His plan for salvation for everyone who believes and He desires that none should perish but all come to repentance.

Jesus is our salvation, our only hope in this sin-filled world. He alone can SAVE us!

Linda

Suggestion: This Good Friday spend time in prayer thanking Jesus for His sacrifice on your behalf.

Looking for your keys? See Jesus, He found them.

April 17, 2019March 23, 2020 nofearlinda1 Comment

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have an eternal home. Jesus’ work on the cross reconciled us, as sinners, and brought us into relationship with Holy God. Jesus knew that future believers would then dwell with Him in heaven. He reassured the disciples of this joyful fact even though they did not understand it at the time. It was only later they would grasp more fully the greatness of the price He paid to redeem all mankind. John 14:1-2 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?“ Jesus wanted his disciples, and us too, to understand that He was leaving them, but He was going ahead to prepare a place, a home for them. He assured them there would be room enough for all. This scripture is often used at funerals to comfort the grieving. The idea that we have a prepared place to go, a home in heaven is of great comfort and gives us great hope.

In our heavenly home, we will have a heavenly body that is eternal, immortal and imperishable. 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 in the Amplified version makes it very clear. “For we know that if the earthly tent [our physical body] which is our house is torn down [through death], we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ²For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our [immortal, eternal] celestial dwelling,” and 1 Corinthians 15:42 “So it is with the resurrection of the dead. The [human] body that is sown is perishable and mortal, it is raised imperishable and immortal.”

Be encouraged today as the suffering of this life will end and we will someday be with Jesus in a new body in a new home. Praise God!

Linda

Suggestion: Find someone to share your eternal hope and destination with and tell them how that gives you hope for today. You live with assurance as you know you have a home in heaven and Jesus is waiting for you there.

6th Sunday of Lent, Resplendent with Palms!

April 14, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week before Passover and His death on the cross is a wild an joyous event. I have walked the Palm Sunday Road and it is a very steep hill leading down from the Mt. of Olives that leads to the eastern gate. As I walked that road, I could see this scene in my mind that is included in all four gospels.

Matthew 21:1-11 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ²saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” ⁴This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

⁵“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

⁶The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. ⁸Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” ¹⁰And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Blessings today as we usher in the final week of Jesus’ life on earth with Palms, Shouts of Hosanna and Praises to Messiah, the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.

Linda

Jesus entered into the city through the eastern gate that is now closed. In later times the gate was blocked to keep Messiah from entering, not realizing that Jesus had already come that Palm Sunday so long ago.

Suggestion: As you praise God today in worship, choose an attribute of God that you are most thankful for and let God know what it means to you. Consider- Savior, His Grace and Mercy, Sovereignty, Faithfulness, His Hope, His Assurance of Salvation in Jesus, His granting Freedom from Sin or His Provision for you. Praise His Holy Name!

Are you sure God is listening?

April 12, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have access to God in prayer. The Bible is filled with believers’ prayers to God. David, Job, Solomon, Daniel and the list goes on and on as they called upon God and were assured that He heard their prayers. Jesus prayed and was heard by the Father and, he often sought a solitary place to spend time with His Father to gain strength and commune with Him. Since Jesus died on the cross, believers have an internal connection through the Holy Spirit with Him. Here are a few scripture for you to meditate upon today as you consider your prayer life and connection to Him.

Ephesians 2:13, 17-18 ” But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” “He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.¹⁸For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” His Holy Spirit brings us near to Him, thank you Jesus!

Ephesian 3:12 “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” We can seek Him boldly with confidence because of Jesus, thank you Jesus!

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” We can come before Him knowing He will treat us with grace and mercy, thank you Jesus!

Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore he is able to save completely, those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” I can know that I am whole in Him and I am humbled by the truth that Jesus prays for me, thank you Jesus!

James 4:8a “Come near to God and he will come near to you. ” Access to God is made possible by Jesus as His Holy Spirit helps draw us closer to Him, thank you Jesus!

I pray these verses assure you that as a believer you have access to God in prayer, can approach Him with confidence, know that Jesus will intercede for you before the Father and that He desires that we come and draw near to Him. Pray boldly with confidence, Jesus is with you.

Linda

Suggestion: pray today with confidence, assurance and hope that God will hear your prayers and draw near to you! Then, live like you believe it!

Property of Jesus, that’s me!

April 11, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have been bought with a price and belong to God. The concept that we belong to God gives me hope, assurance and confidence for living. Someone, the greatest someone in the Universe, God, cares about me and loves me. He loved me enough to sacrifice greatly on my behalf, by sending Jesus to redeem me. 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 ” Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” When we accept Jesus as our Savior, His Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. Jesus died so that this transformation within us would be possible through faith in Him. Paul is saying we owe a debt of gratitude for the amazing grace God bestowed upon us. We need to treat our bodies- mind, soul and spirit with the upmost care as that saved body and spirit came at a high price. What makes this so amazing is that Jesus did it freely with no obligation on our part. We cannot earn it nor did we deserve it! Humility and obedience are the way to honor God with our bodies in return for His grace to us. He has a purpose and a plan for us that will bring peace, joy and hope to us and honor to Him.

Linda

Suggestion: take time today to focus on a way to honor God in your mind (in prayer or holding thoughts captive to Christ), in your speech (words you say to others) and in action (with your body as you look to helping others). Seek to glorify Him today!

5th Sunday of Lent

April 7, 2019April 7, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Today as we go to worship let us think about Solomon’s words to the people of Israel. He knew who God is and what he has done!

“Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”

1 Kings 8:56-61

Be bold in living for a God this week knowing you can rely upon Him as He keeps all His promises. Not one of His promises will fail!

Linda

Suggestion: Claim one of God’s promises this week, review it daily and let the hope of a God’s Word work in your life. Here are a couple of suggestions: Lamentations 3:21-23, Philippians 4:19, James 4:7-8a, Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 37:5 or John 14:27

Living with Confidence, Thank you Jesus

April 6, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have a life with a godly plan and purpose. This thought brings me great comfort as it means my existence has meaning and I am here for a reason. It also means God has intentions for my life and knowing that God is good means His intentions are always good for me, my life and my growth. Jeremiah 29:11 is a verse I claim frequently for reassurance when things seem bleak or unsettling in my life. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, ” plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I can rest in knowing Sovereign God has a plan and purpose for me and it is all good!

Knowing God’s plan is good, we can cling to that promise in hard times as well as the promise in Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Many say “life just happens” but this verse assures us that is not true. We can rest assured that God’s purpose and design is greater than anything Satan can throw at us. This verse promises God can use all things for our good. Many times we don’t see how at the moment, but God is faithful and eventually we may see how He uses even the very hard things in our lives to teach and grow us for His good.

One last verse for today: 2 Timothy 1:8b-9a “But join me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy life -not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” Paul knew that God had a purpose for him, a work that was divinely commissioned just for him and that God would empower him through Christ to do all He had set out for Paul to do. We can know that is true for us as believers, too.

When things are hard- claim any of these three verses in your life. Cling to them and know God is faithful and keeps all His promises.

Linda

Suggestion: Take time to reflect on a hard time or difficult relationship and see how God worked in the circumstances to bring you to a better place or to grow you. Claim one of the above verses over something you are facing and believe God for the results.

Rescued and Redeemed for Eternity Thank you Jesus!

April 4, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have been rescued from Satan’s domain and transferred into the kingdom of Christ. These truths are stated by Paul in his letter to the Colossians. He opens the letter with thanksgiving and prayer for the state that all believers find themselves in because of Christ. Colossians 1:13 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin.” Our state of being before knowing Christ is one of eternal darkness and sin. Romans 3:23 tells us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Our sin separates us from God and Jesus tell us that He is the light 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.” Without Jesus we are dead in our sins and trapped in darkness. Following Him bring us into the light, truth and knowledge of God. Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, a man who was seeking to know if Jesus was the Messiah. In John 3:5 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Jesus went on to explain we have 2 births. The first is our physical birth given by our mothers and then our spiritual birth that is given by God’s Spirit when we accept Jesus as our Savior. In John 3:16 Jesus tells Nicodemus why God sent him, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Eternal life in His kingdom is ours when we believe in Jesus. He further explains the difference between His light and darkness of the world. John 3:19 “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” Jesus wanted Nicodemus and you and me, to know and understand that being apart from Him is darkness, sin and condemnation. With Jesus there is light, love, hope and eternal life. He has indeed rescued us from the domain of darkness ruled over by Satan and brought us into His light and His kingdom to be with Him forever. His death on the cross and resurrection made this possible. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice on my behalf to rescue me from the fate of death and condemnation.

Linda

Suggestion: Spend some time in prayer thanking Jesus for your salvation and eternal home with Him. Remember in prayer someone you know who does not know Jesus and pray that they will come to know Him.We can be assured that Jesus wants everyone to know and come to Him. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”