Category: Love

Posted on

Source

My Word for 2021

It’s that time of year again—time to choose a word and verse for the new year! Unlike last year, this word came to me rather quickly…and directly. In fact, it all started before I even went to church on the first Sunday of 2021. The devotional I used that morning talked about God as my SOURCE. I remember making a mental note of that word before I headed off to church. When my pastor announced his word and verse for the new year during the service, he encouraged us to choose ours too. At that time, I put the word SOURCE in my message notes as a definite possibility for 2021.

The Confirmation

Several years ago, I read a book written by Lysa TerKeurst titled, “What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.” In this book, Lysa devoted a chapter to how we can determine if God is speaking to us by asking ourselves five questions. One of those questions is to ask yourself if you are hearing the same thing from different sources. The very next day, the word SOURCE came up again in the daily story in YouVersion. By this time, I was feeling pretty confident that my word for the year was to be SOURCE. The kicker is what happened next though. After my quiet time with God, I went upstairs to get a shower. When I stepped in, there was a freshly unwrapped cake of soap waiting for me with the word SOURCE written on it. If you aren’t an Aldi shopper, that is the brand name of their soap. That was confirmation enough for me! I literally laughed out loud and said, “Ok, God, I get the message!”

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5 NIV

Selecting My Verse

The verse for 2021 was not quite as obvious, as many could serve as a reminder that God is my SOURCE. I had it narrowed down to three and finally settled on the verse above, John 15:5, just over a week ago. This happened to be the same day that my dad was admitted to the hospital and I was 1000 miles away from him. What a helpless feeling! With my mind racing and my emotions all over the map, I certainly needed the reminder that God is my SOURCE. He is the SOURCE of everything I need. The list is extensive, but peace was my greatest need that day. As always, the Prince of Peace provided. What I want you to take away from this post is not my word and verse for the year, but rather that He is the SOURCE of everything you need too.

Our Part and His Part

The Bible is packed with promises from God. Many of those promises come with a condition though. We are not just passive observers; we have a role to play. In John 15:5, our assignment is to stay connected to God. If a branch is separated from the vine, it’s dead wood. And that makes it powerless to bear fruit. Apart from Jesus, we are also powerless. He is our power SOURCE! The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that others will see this fruit on display in the lives of His children. That is assuming we do our part. To bear fruit, we must remain connected to the SOURCE of our power.

Bear It and Eat It

All this talk of fruit is making me hungry for a different kind. I’m dreaming of my next trip to the strawberry farm. I find this fruit especially delicious this time of year in Florida, especially when shortcake and ice cream are connected to those strawberries!

Can you taste it?
Posted on

Not As Expected

Image result for disrupted images

The sermon series for this Advent season at my church is aptly titled, “A Disrupted Christmas.” If you can’t relate to that this year, then you’ve missed a good chance! It seems this global pandemic has turned everyone’s life upside down in one way or another. Nothing is as expected in 2020.

Disrupted Plans

It seems we may have something in common with Mary & Joseph. It wasn’t a pandemic, but rather a couple of angels who disrupted their plans, hopes, and dreams. After Mary and Joseph were engaged, they were busy making wedding plans and dreaming of their future as husband and wife when God sent the angel Gabriel to give Mary a message:

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”  

Luke 1:31-33 NLT

When Mary questioned how that was possible for a virgin,

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Luke 1:35 NIV

Gabriel left Mary with one final message:

“For no word from God will ever fail.”

Luke 1:37 NIV

As you can imagine, the news of Mary’s pregnancy didn’t sit well with Joseph. He had decided to break their engagement quietly when he, too, had an encounter with an angel.

“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20-21 NLT

Upon waking from his dream, Joseph did as the angel directed and married Mary.

Not As Expected

I have a feeling that this wasn’t quite how Mary & Joseph drew it up when they got engaged. But God had far bigger plans for them than they could have ever imagined. These angelic disruptions, coupled with Mary and Joseph’s obedience, changed not only the course of Mary & Joseph’s life, but also the course of eternity for all who have placed their faith in the Son of God. From the womb to the tomb, Jesus fulfilled His Father’s purpose and saved his people from their sins. Furthermore, His resurrection conquers death. Believers everywhere can look forward to everlasting life.

“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.”

John 3:16 NIV

Because of love, He came for us;

Because of grace, He died;

Because of hope, He gave us life—a living sacrifice.

Jesus truly is the Ultimate Gift—believe and receive.

Image result for religious Merry Christmas images
Posted on

The Rest of the Story

“After Jesus drank he said, “It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and died.”

John 19:30 NIRV

Finished. Dead. The End.

Think of the disappointment Jesus’ followers felt at that moment. The man who once stood among them performing countless miracles and wonders, often leaving them speechless, was dead. Jesus’ body was removed from the cross, wrapped in linen, and placed in a tomb. All hope was lost. Or was it? Read on for the rest of the story.

The Tomb Was Empty

On the third day, once the Sabbath had ended, three women from Galilee headed to the tomb where Jesus was buried to anoint His body. This took place early on Sunday morning. When they arrived at the tomb, they saw that the stone had been rolled away from its entrance. My daughter would say they were shook!

“but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.”

Mark 16:6 NLT

Double-Takes Abound

In the days to come, Jesus would appear to His disciples and select others. They were shook too! They thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. Before His death, Jesus had given the disciples advance notice of His death and resurrection, but it was beyond their comprehension. They heard the rest of the story, but couldn’t grasp it.

“because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.””

Mark 9:31 NIV

Death Has Been Defeated

Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin, but the story of our redemption wasn’t yet complete. Death did not have the last word. God raised Jesus from the dead and He is now seated at the right hand of His Father in Heaven. He lives! And because He lives, we, too, can look forward to spending eternity with our Heavenly Father. The redemption story is penned in a love that knows no bounds.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:16-17 NLT

Victory is ours, if we choose to believe.

“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 15:57 NLT

That, in a nutshell, is the rest of the story.

Right now, I can just hear my father-in-law singing his favorite hymn. Care to sing along? Let these words speak to your heart.

Victory in Jesus

1. I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from Glory

How He gave His life on Calvary, to save a wretch like me.

I heard about his groaning, of his precious blood’s atoning,

Then I repented of my sins, and won the Victory.

CHORUS

Oh, Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever

He sought me and he bought me with His redeeming blood

He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him

He plunged me to Victory, beneath the cleansing flood.

2. I heard about His healing, of His cleansing power revealing.

How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see;

And then I cried, “Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit.”,

And some how Jesus came and brought to me the Victory.

CHORUS

3. I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory,

And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea;

About the angels singing, and the old redemption story,

And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of Victory!

CHORUS

Sports may have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus, but Easter certainly hasn’t been. If you haven’t already, taste the victory that comes with a personal relationship with Jesus. It’ll be the sweetest one you’ve ever experienced!

Posted on

Alone

As America is locked down to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus, it has become apparent that Easter will look much different this year. Consequently, churches have been worshiping online for several weeks now as we practice social distancing. Though I have enjoyed attending the worship service in my jammies, I sure do miss the face-to-face interaction with my church family…and the hugs! How about you? Are you feeling isolated these days? Lonely? Afraid? If so, I have good news if you continue reading.

The Cost of Sin

Today is Good Friday, a remembrance of the day Jesus died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin. Just the other day when I was talking with my cousin about celebrating Easter alone this year, she reminded me that Jesus was alone on the cross.

Separation At Its Worst

Unlike us, it wasn’t the separation from people that broke Jesus’ heart. But rather, it was being separated from His Heavenly Father. God cannot be in the presence of sin for He is holy. When the sins of the whole world—past, present and future, were heaped upon Jesus, God turned His back on His Son and allowed Him to die a criminal’s death on a cross. Jesus, who was without sin, went through all that for you and for me. Why? Because He came to do His Father’s will.

“He appeared as a man. He was humble and obeyed God completely. He did this even though it led to his death. Even worse, he died on a cross!”

Philippians 2:8 NIRV

God’s Redeeming Power at Work

Jesus’ death was part of God’s redemption plan for His people, for Jesus was the final and perfect sacrifice for sin. His blood was shed for you and for me. God loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son to redeem us. And Jesus loves us so much that He gave His very own life for us. He was separated from His Father momentarily so we would never have to be.

Ever Present

As isolated and fearful as you may be right now in the midst of this pandemic, please know that you are NEVER alone. He said so! Fear not, for God is bigger than COVID-19 and He is with you.

“Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.”

Isaiah 41:10 CEV

Stay tuned for the rest of the story…