The Blackest Friday = Profit for you and me!

November 29, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

I was thinking this morning about the designation ‘Black Friday’. It seems that since the 1950’s the day after Thanksgiving has been called ‘Black Friday’. It began as a term to describe the crowds, like the street was black with pedestrians. It then became a day to retailers signifying when they began to turn a profit and moved from the ‘red’ into the ‘black’ as the volume of their sales increased. In the Bible the blackest Friday would be the day of the crucifixion. It was the day when the skies turned black and darkness covered the land. “It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, ⁴⁵while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:44-46 The blackness of that Friday is a picture of the sin that Jesus bore on the cross for you and me. His death on that darkest day brought the greatest profit for us. John 12:46 puts it in perspective for us as to why that blackest of Friday’s had to happen. “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

Even on that blackest of Fridays, the people were rushing around preparing for their Sabbath. Since they could do no work on the Sabbath, they hurried to get Jesus down from the cross, buried and settled in a borrowed tomb. Mark 15:42-47 describes these events done in haste. After the Sabbath was over, several women came back to the tomb to anoint Jesus with spices as his burial had been done in such a hurry they felt they had not been able to treat his body properly on that Friday. “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.” Mark 16:1 Their walk to the grave site was done in sadness but their return was joyous as the learned of Jesus’ resurrection and defeat of sin and death. An angel spoke to them when they got there, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” What joyous news they had to share!

That blackest Friday brought death to Jesus and burial brought the greatest profit to you and me. Colossians 1:21-22 explains where we were on the black Friday and where we are now because of it. “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²²he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,” That was the the biggest gain or profit for mankind ever in history. Christ reconciled us to God so that we can be in communion with Him and have our sin’s forgiven. We are free to live a life in Christ that is pleasing to God and that is free from the penalty of death brought on by sin. That Black Friday was the best one in history for you and me.

As you venture out today to do some shopping, think about that blackest of Friday’s and how much you gained through Christ. Praise Him as you do.

Blessings,

Linda

Dipping into the Well of Salvation Brings Joy!

November 10, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Isaiah 12 has 2 short songs of praise that lead us towards thanksgiving. Let these songs of praise create joy and thanks over your salvation.

You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.

²“Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”

³With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. ⁴And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.

⁵“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
⁶Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

This psalm gives us a picture of our salvation. God hates our sin but through the well of salvation in Jesus we are forgiven. Being cleansed by the waters of salvation through faith in Jesus’ work on the cross, God brings us into His comforting arms and His anger over sin is turned away. Having drunk deeply from the well of salvation we are compelled to shout and sing His praises with great joy! Thank you Jesus.

May yours be a day of thanksgiving and praise to God as you meditate on His forgiveness, love and redemption in Christ.

Linda

I AM…the door of the sheep

September 10, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Many translations use the word gate instead of door, but the sheep pen used by shepherds was a rock enclosure with only 1 gate or door into the pen. They would sleep at the door preventing anyone or thing from entering and harming their sheep. This is a wonderful picture of Jesus as our protector or guardian of our safety. One we are in his ‘pen’ no one or nothing can ever take us away from Him.

Jesus adds to this idea of guardian by saying He is the door. John 10:7 -9 “⁷So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” When we accept Jesus into our life we have entered by the door- the only door to salvation. Act 4:12 confirms this truth, “¹²And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Many might say there are many ways to be saved, many doors or gates but Jesus is emphatic that He is the only true door to salvation. He warns that others -thieves and robbers have or will come, but He admonishes us to not listen to their lies and depend upon Him for salvation.

Why choose Jesus? His door leads to love, compassion, freedom from sin, an inheritance sealed with by the Holy Spirit, life eternal, …. the benefits are many for those that choose to enter into a relationship with Jesus. He is the only one who can redeem us from our sin-filled state of being, Romans 5:8-9 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” Meditate upon His goodness and love for you today and His mercy in loving you even when you still in sin- He sent Jesus to redeem you! Praise God!

Linda

Redeemer, I’m so thankful God that You sent Jesus.

July 30, 2019 nofearlinda1 Comment

Do you know God as your Redeemer? In the Old Testament God refers to himself as Redeemer in Isaiah 44:24 “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,” Because God is creator of all things, only He has the power to redeem, buy back or save His creation. If you know God as your Savior and Redeemer you are in the know just like Job, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Zachariah and Paul who referred to God as their Redeemer. Read their powerful words and claim them for yourself today.

Job 19:25-26 “For I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
²⁶And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
    yet in my flesh I shall see God,” Job knew the eternal God as his Redeemer.

Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” David knew God was his Redeemer and desired to be humble before Him.

Isaiah 47:4 “Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name— is the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah knew God as his Redeemer and revered His name.

Luke 1:68 ““Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people.” Zachariah prophesied the coming of Jesus as our Redeemer.

Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” Paul knew that Jesus’ death on the cross redeemed us from the curse of sin.

What about you? Can you say that God is your Redeemer? We like to save money by using coupons as we shop. They help us to redeem more money than we deserve. Jesus did that for us by paying the full price for sin on the cross. We are able to be redeemed as we put our trust and faith in Him knowing He is always faithful to carry out His work within us. This is my prayer for you today from Ephesians 3:17-20 “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. ²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” Amen.

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

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

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.”

True Freedom, only found in Christ

March 22, 2019March 29, 2019 nofearlinda1 Comment

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have freedom in Christ. What kind of freedom does Christ give? First and foremost, we have freedom from the bondage and penalty of sin. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” Romans 8:1-2 We do not have to worry about paying the penalty for our sins as Christ paid with His life to redeem us. We simply need a repentant, thankful, believing heart committed to Jesus.

Another freedom we have in Christ is we will not suffer eternal death but live eternally with Him.^“the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.” Romans 8:21 and John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Heaven will be a place where there will be no more tears, no more death, and we will not suffer the decay caused by sin and death.”

The last freedom I want to mention is found in 2 Corinthians 3:17. “For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” The indwelling Holy Spirit brings within us freedom that is from the Lord. He unleashes our full potential and puts us on a course to do great things for Him. I love the benediction the author of Hebrews gives in Hebrews 13:21 when he reminds us that God is equipping us to do good works for His glory and our good. ^“may he equip you with all you need
for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ,
every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

In Christ we are free from sin’s penalty, free to live eternally with Him and free to do His work. May you feel His freedom today!

Linda

Suggestion: Choose something to do today for the Lord. As you do this task, thank God for the freedom to choose to do this in His power and for the ability to perform this task. He has equipped you so that you can exercise your freedom to choose to work for Him bringing Him glory and yourself contentment.

Happy Valentine’s Day with a Thankful Heart

February 14, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

The cynic might say Valentine’s Day is the day for florists, candy and card makers to earn a great deal of money. I walked into a local supermarket yesterday, and I was overwhelmed by the amount of flowers, cards and candy that were on display. On the love side, Valentine’s Day is a day when we can express our love for one another freely and not be thought of as sentimental or mushy. How about God? How does God express His love for us? Here is a familiar verse that gets right to the heart of God.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that who ever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For He did not sent his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

How much more love could God show towards us than sacrificing His only Son on our behalf? He loved us that much. He sent Him so that through faith in Jesus we could be saved and not condemned. Only sinless Jesus could erase our sin and present us whole and perfectly clean before our Holy God.

When you say ‘thank you’ today for a Valentine gift you receive, a card, note, flowers or someone simply saying ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’, think about thanking God too. Thank Him for sending Jesus. Thank Him for making a way for your salvation and eternal life with Him. That is the best Valentine I can think of that is filled with all of God’s love for now throughout eternity.

Blessings on this Valentine’s Day.

Linda

A Purpose-filled Coming

December 14, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

lamb-of-God-535x360 Part 2 of the Messiah begins with John 1:29. “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” God sent Jesus into the world that Christmas night to save us from our sins. When the angel had appeared to Joseph he said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-22. God’s plan of redemption was to send Jesus to bring us to redemption and reconciliation with God. 1 John 1:5 “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.” Being sinless, he was the perfect sacrifice. It did not have to be repeated again Hebrews 10 10 and again like the Old Testament sacrifices, as His death paid for all sin. Hebrews 10:9-10 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” As Jesus said from the cross ‘it is finished’, His death was the ultimate and complete sacrifice and finished it. His perfect sacrifice paid the price for our sins. He came to earth and gave up His place in glory to establish a way for us to become righteous and reconciled to God. I love Paul’s reasoning in Romans 6:8-10 where he tell us that through Christ’s death and resurrection we are raised to life and that sin has been paid for in full. “Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Praise Jesus today for His coming, His sacrifice on the cross and His victory over death by which we are saved through faith in Him. “for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 This is a Promise we can trust and live by.

Linda

This is a moving presentation of the Chorus with visuals to point you to the meaning of the words.