A Heart For Jesus

  “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile, and your faith is in vain. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17)   So, I pondered the question: what if Jesus had not been resurrected? What would that have entailed?  Consider this: Sunday morning would have been just like any other day. The stone would have remained covering the tomb’s opening. Sure, the disciples would have discussed the events for a while, but Jesus would have faded into obscurity. The Jews would have continued offering sacrifices for the sins of the people. We would still be waiting for the promised Messiah. Paul would have never encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. We wouldn’t have the New Testament writings or the hope and encouragement they bring. Life would feel hopeless because this would be all there is—no promise of eternal life, no forgiveness of sins, and we would simply live day to day by our own ru...

  “Life is not as idle ore, But iron dug from central gloom, And battered by the shocks of doom To shape and use”. Oswald Chambers  When I first read this from Oswald Chambers I thought, what the heck does that mean??😂 So you know I had to research! Ore, such as gold, copper, and iron have to be extracted; dug up, there’s work to be done in order to produce a usable product. Life, like ore, is not meant to be idle or wasted. We are not meant to be inactive or lazy, just letting life pass us by. But if we are to produce the fruit that God desires it takes work. As Oswald puts it, life is “iron dug from central gloom”. Again I needed an understanding of what is this “central gloom”.  I like this definition, “the difficult, unglamorous, and often painful "valley" experiences of life where a God-given vision must be worked out into reality” Reminds me of Philippians 2:12(ESV) where Paul reminds us to…“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” ‭‭Notice it says “wo...

  There are two passages from John Chapter 6 I would like to reflect upon today.   The first from ‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭27‬ ‭(ESV‬‬), which says, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”” What is it that you work for?  We work to earn a living, to provide for our family. We work to hopefully save for our future, and there's a song, I think, that says, "everybody's working for the weekend":)  But all these    “things" we work for, do they truly last? Do they truly satisfy? I suppose for awhile, but everything fades away, things break down, nothing, it seems lasts forever.  But what about working for food that endures to eternal life?  In John 6:68 Peter says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life".  In Deuteronomy 8:3, it says... "Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that co...

  “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him, my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song, I give thanks to Him.”  Psalm‬ ‭28‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬  “The Lord is my strength,” it doesn’t say my possessions, money, or a specific person. It simply states that the Lord is my strength. But what does that mean? What does it look like in my daily life? In Isaiah 40:29-31, it says, “He gives power to the faint and to him who has no might He increases strength…but they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” Is His strength the courage to keep pushing forward when I feel like giving up? Is it the ability to keep my mouth shut when I want to defend myself against hurtful words? Is His strength found in the ability to keep getting back up no matter how many times I get knocked down? Perhaps it’s in each of these ways and more in some small way. This verse also says, “The Lord is my shield,” and Psalm 3:3 declares, “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,...

    “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.”  Proverbs‬ ‭23‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ “Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭23‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.” Proverbs‬ ‭23‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬ I believe I’ve been interpreting this verse incorrectly. If I only consider it from the NKJV and focus solely on the first part, “for as he thinks in his heart so is he,” I believe it’s about self-perception. The way we view ourselves determines our reality. However, when I read it in different versions and ...

  “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭ESV ‬‬  “God is in your midst.” I love that word “in.” One dictionary definition is “enclosed or surrounded by something else.” When you’re at home, you’re surrounded by walls, and the roof overhead provides shelter. It’s your place of refuge. God is “in” your midst. He shelters you, surrounds you, and is your place of refuge. There’s no place you can go where He isn’t. Psalm‬ ‭139:7-10‬ ESV‬‬ says, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” ‭‭ He is as close as your next heartbeat and the breath you breathe. He is th...