A Heart For Jesus

“And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”” Mark‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬ I love this story of how Jesus heals the man who had a demon. But I’ve often wondered why the people of the area begged Jesus to leave their region. I would think they would want Him to stay after witnessing how the demon possessed man was healed.  So I decided to get a little background on this country of the Gerasenes. The people of this area were Gentiles. So most likely they were pagans. Being pagans, they probably had many gods, so who knows what their gods required of them. No wonder they were afraid! Perhaps that is why they asked    Jesus to leave? Maybe they were afraid of what else He would do? Maybe they were afraid...

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬ ‭ “I will give thanks to the Lord with my Whole heart”! Not half heartedly. Not because I have to; not in order to check it off my to do list. But because I truly want to thank Him for all He’s done for me; for all He’s seen me through. My whole heart. All that I am. My strengths and weaknesses; my ups and downs; good and bad. ‭ Then, tell of ALL His wonderful deeds. It is good to remember God’s faithfulness. To reflect on how I have seen Him work in my life, both past and present! I pray that one day God may give me the opportunity to share with others the reason for my hope, that they may have hope and give glory to God.  Next, “I will be glad    and exult in you”. This can be challenging at times, the Bible teaches that we are to give thanks in all circumstances. (1 The...

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm‬ ‭16‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV God will make known to me the ‭path of life.  Have you ever questioned whether you’re on the right road? The right path? Did you read the “signs” in the right way? For instance, when my husband and I are traveling, I like to notice different signs, it keeps me entertained and sometimes awake:) Like this one, "Obey signs". How many times has the Lord given us signs and we choose not to obey because we think we know better? Or this one, usually in a construction zone, "stay in your lane". Well, what if I like someone else's lane better? What if I think the path they're on is better than the one God has designed for me? Maybe I think they're on the "fast track" and my  lane is way too slow, things just aren't going  according to "my plan", God is holding out on me. But if I take thing...

“The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”” Genesis‬ ‭41‬:‭52‬ ‭ESV‬‬ “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction”. How many times have I read that verse and never really thought about it? We all know the story of Joseph, and how God used him even in the midst of his struggles and difficult circumstances and brought about good. Can He do the same for us? For me? Can God make me fruitful in the “land of my affliction“? And what is the “land of affliction” we are in? This “land” will be different for everyone. We may not like the circumstances we’re currently experiencing. We may not like the trials that daily come our way. We may ask God how long we must endure? But what if, like Esther, we were “made for such a time as this”?(See Esther 4:14). What if I chose to believe the lesson Chuck Swindoll presented in a devotional reading I had, “I am here by God’s appointment”; I am in His keeping”; I am under His train...

  “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Proverbs‬ ‭29‬:‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬ There is so much truth in this proverb! For the “fear of man” will most definitely “prove to be a snare”! When you fear what others think; or fear what they may say of you, that is a trap. When you live your life as a “people pleaser”, such as myself, you will never measure up; never be quite good enough. When you allow your fear of someone else’s opinion to determine how you act or respond to a given situation, you set yourself up for being controlled by them. You place yourself under their thumb so to speak.  ‭‭‬‬But where does this fear come from? What is at its roots? For me, it is a fear of rejection. The fear of being disapproved of; of disappointing someone or of being told I’m wrong or just being selfish. This “fear of man” is straight from the pits of hell. Living in fear of others, or with a fear of rejection and need for approval is not the life Jesus ca...

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ This one is difficult for me to think about. Who can be against us? Really? I can think of a few who could be against me! As I was reflecting on this question a few things came to mind. What if we lived in an area where being a Christian could get us killed? What if we weren’t allowed to meet together for Bible study? What if we had to hide the fact that we were followers of Jesus because of the risk of persecution or even imprisonment? Yet there are people in this world who suffer these things, and they still practice their faith! They still worship God and study His Word! Oh to have such a strong faith, that doesn’t cower at the least bit of opposition! But then... Consider Jesus. He definitely understands what it is to be persecuted. I wonder if he ever felt like giving up? Did the Devil tempt him at every turn? Luke 4:13 says, after He was tempted in the desert, that the devi...

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬ “We are the aroma of Christ to God”, I just want to reflect on this thought for a moment.  An aroma, per a dictionary definition is, “a distinctive, pervasive, and usually pleasant or savory smell”, or “a distinctive quality or atmosphere.” What is a pleasing aroma for you? For me, I love the smell of freshly mown grass (my allergies tell something different 🙂), the smell of coffee in the morning or bacon! When Danny and I were in Glacier National Park, I couldn’t get enough of the sweet smelling perfume in the air from all the wild flowers! And then there’s Gardenias, is there anything more wonderful than the smell of Gardenias? The dictionary definition also says, a “usually pleasant” smell, so what about those things that don’t smell so nice? For instance, the Corpse Flower, I’ve never smelled one, but I read where it smells like rotting fl...