A Heart For Jesus

  "And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins".(1Corinthians 15:14,17)  A simple Easter message  What if Jesus had not been raised? What would that look like? Think about it. Sunday morning would have been just like the day before. The stone would have still covered the opening of the tomb. Sure, the disciples would have talked about the events for awhile, but Jesus would have faded into memory. The Jews would have continued offering sacrifices for the sins of the people. We'd 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, we would just live day to day by our own rules. But thank

  Today’s topic is approaching God with    freedom, confidence, and boldness.  Have you ever been afraid to approach God? I mean, maybe you think there are some things you can’t talk to Him about. Maybe He wouldn’t be interested? Or you think your concern is too small and insignificant, and you can figure it out on your own? I know I have, but I am learning that that isn’t the case! God cares about everything that concerns you! No matter the topic!  Hebrews 4:16 says, “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.”(NIV) I also like Ephesians 3:12 (NIV), which says we can approach Him with freedom! ‭‭I love the word “freedom”. Freedom, for me, means I can be myself with God. I don’t have to get my act together first. I don’t have to fear that He will push me away or make me feel the things that concern me are of no interest to Him. I can simply be myself trusting that He sees, He hears, He cares. 

Scripture for today. An example to pray and not lose heart! “Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.”‭‭ Matthew‬ ‭15:21-28‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I love this story in Scripture! So thought I’d share a few thoughts. Tyre and Sidon, are two port cities on the Mediterranean Sea.

 How Much Longer Must I Endure? As some of you may or may not be aware, I have been dealing with trying to get new glasses since January of 2023! I am extremely near sighted with double vision. I recently, in December, went through eye muscle surgery to help correct the double vision, which lasted initially, but now, once again I need my prescription updated to correct the issue by putting a prism in my lens. So, as I sit here, once again without glasses, living with life as a blur, I can’t help but wonder why?  The other day, I found myself bemoaning my situation once again! But this time my negative emotions got the better of me. Why God? Haven’t I gone through enough? Why must I endure this again? Am I condemned to a life of blurry vision. Needing someone to take me everywhere I need to go? Will I ever see clearly again? Will my lenses ever be right?  In the midst of my pity party, I came across two different Bible stories. Look at Job 30:16, “And now my soul is poured out within me

 Why is it important to persevere? What does the Bible say? In Revelations, Jesus speaks to the Seven churches. To each one He gives a promise of various crowns if they “conquer”. Conquer what? Each church had its own set of trials and challenges. Jesus’ desire, I believe, was that they would persevere in their faith and trust in Him.  In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul shares with Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.“ Who better to understand trials and difficulties than Paul! And yet he persevered. And shares, in the following verse, he will receive the “crown of righteousness”, not him only, but all those who “conquer”, who “finish the race”; keep the faith”. James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him". Trials are meant, I believe, to produce steadfastness through testing our faith; our love for

”From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”“ Numbers‬ ‭21‬:‭4‬-‭5‬  “And the people became impatient along the way”. This really stood out for me today. They were heading towards the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, why? In Numbers 20:14-21, Moses had asked permission of the Edomites if they would allow them to pass through their land, on the way to the “promised land”, but they refused and came out to fight against the Israelites, so instead, Moses had the Israelites turn back and go around the land of the Edomites. So they became impatient and, of course, started complaining! They didn’t like this journey, they didn’t like the change in plans, and they definitely didn’t like the food! They started complai