A Heart For Jesus

  “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”  1 John 4:16 ESV   Have I come to know and to believe the love God has for me?   Why is it so difficult for me to believe I am loved? Is it enough for me to believe that Jesus gave Himself for me? That He took the punishment I deserved for my sins? That He says I am completely forgiven?  What keeps me from grasping this promise and believing? Is it fear? Is it because I have a low opinion of myself? I messed up too badly? How could He love someone like me after all I’ve done?  But the Bible says,  ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John   3 : 16   ESV Am I not part of “the world”; am I not “whoever”?  Then why the underlying fear of rejection? An overwhelming need, at times, for approval from other...

  I read this book by Charles Spurgeon called, “Faithful To Christ”, the first chapter was on Pride and gave me quite a lot to think about!  Especially this statement, “Pride is something that should be unnatural to us, for we have nothing to be proud of”. It kind of took me back. What? I’m not supposed to be proud of myself? Or my accomplishments? Or how far I’ve come? But as I thought about it, I noticed something. “My accomplishments”, “I’ve come”, “Myself”? Where’s God? Reminded me of the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-19. What struck me about this one,    was how the farmer never gives any gratitude to God for all he's been given. It's all about what he's done. Don’t I or we do the same thing? But if you think about it, it’s God who gives us our abilities. God who helps us accomplish all that we’ve done. God who has brought us this far. In Exodus 4:11, God reminds Moses, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it n...

“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...