Jesus Loves You

We are a hurting world.  We are a sad world. We are a sinful world.

We want peace. We want our politicians to be the hero and make everything ok.

There is only one who can bring peace to our nation.

The One True God.

Do you know Him?

God wants a relationship with each of us.  He wants us to be fully devoted to Him.

He doesn't give us a list of rules and regulations. He wants us to admit our need for Him due to our sinful nature.  He wants us to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He wants us to confess our faith in Him.  He wants us to place Him at the center of our lives and live for Him in each and everything we do.

And yes, that may mean giving up some things.  That may mean a lifestyle change. That may mean the loss of relationships.

But you know what?  God gave His Son for us.  He loves us and He wants us to love Him.

Our world will never know true peace unless every single person on this earth knows and loves and serves Jesus Christ.

Our world will never know true peace until every knee bows and prays to the One True God.

A life lived for Christ is so much more glorious than a life lived for anything else.  We are not promised tomorrow. We are not able to take our possessions with us when we pass from this earth....and we will pass from this earth.  Our bodies are tents for our souls. One day our tents will serve us no more. Our souls will move from our bodies to eternity......either heaven or hell......eternal peace or eternal turmoil.

Jesus loves you so much that He gave his life so that we can spend eternity in heaven, eternity in peace.  Why would we not accept that gift?  If you were starving would you deny the food and water placed before you?  If your house was burning, would you deny the hoses that would extinguish it? Then why would you deny Christ who offers you more than this world ever could?

In June of 2004, 12 years ago, I made a life changing decision. I chose to live my life for Jesus.  I admitted my need for him. I was a sinner. I still am, but now I'm forgiven. I chose to believe that Jesus is God's son, that he died for my sins and rose from the grave so that I would not have to face eternal death in hell.  I confessed my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior in Lord. I told of my salvation, I stood before the church, I followed Jesus in baptism.

Every day I am growing, changing, and learning.  I am not perfect. I am a sinner and won't be perfect until I reach my heavenly home.  But Christ lives within me.  He is my one desire.

Yes, I love my husband. Yes, I love my children.  But I can NOT be the wife and mother they need me to be without putting Christ first in my life.  Jesus loves me and I love Him.

And He loves you too.

Oh, I pray that each of you who read these words would know and love Jesus the way that I do.....

If we all, each of us that walk this earth, if we all knew and loved and shared Jesus......my, what a different world we would live in.

Do you know Jesus? Do you love Him?

Jesus loves you!


If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior,  and you are feeling Him tug on your heart, you've pushed him to the side long enough......don't deny him any longer. Open your heart to Him now!

If you do know Jesus, share Him with others.  God commands us to do so.  We aren't meant to keep Him to ourselves.  When something good happens to us, don't we share it?  Don't we rush to Facebook and Instagram and post away?  Well, why not flood social media with the greatest news of all??? Can you imagine logging on to Facebook and seeing nothing but the love of Jesus instead of the hatred and trickery of Satan????

Y'all, this world scares me.  I think of how it has changed since I was a kid and what my children are witnessing and what they will experience in their lifetime.  But this world will not change unless Christians stand up and share Christ.  We must pray without ceasing instead of praying when disaster strikes. Imagine a world where we are united in Christ.  Right now we've let Satan divide us through gender, race, sexuality, politics, and religion. We need to be united in Christ.  We must be united in Christ.

Jesus loves you. What are you going to do about it?

Where Do We Go From Here?

Easter Sunday is over.  At my house, the baskets are piled high with candy that will never be eaten. Our Sunday church clothes are piled in the clothes basket waiting to be washed.  Our bellies are still full from the Easter ham, sweet potato casserole, and macaroni and cheese. The milk chocolate bunny is staring right at me saying, "Do it! Eat the ears first."

So, now what?

What do I do now with the message of Resurrection Sunday?

First, I can choose to be like the chief priests who tried to cover up the resurrection with lies and bribes, knowing it really happened, but choosing to cover it up due to fear. Yes, it can be a scary thing when Jesus comes in and wants to change your world.  We can deny Him to the end, but we are only hurting ourselves. I almost laugh thinking that these officials seemed to think that if they denied the resurrection then Jesus would be like, "Oh, well I'll just quit now since they are bribing each other to deny me."  Today, people do the same. They seem to think, "If I just deny Him, then it won't matter. God is loving so, well, whatever. It doesn't matter."

Another thing we can choose to do is be like Thomas. Thomas chose to doubt.  I think one reason why was because he wasn't as strong has the other disciples (purely my opinion) for the simple fact he wasn't there when Jesus first appeared to His disciples behind locked doors.  I have no idea where Thomas was.  It doesn't matter.  What matters is that to me, it seems like Thomas wasn't fully following Jesus.  I'd compare him to those Easter and Christmas church  attendees.  Our names may or may not be on any particular church roster.  They know the ins and outs of the Christmas and Easter stories, but are never around to get more out of having a deeper, real,  life changing relationship with Christ. They doubt Christ more than other Christians because they haven't spent time getting to know Him.  Like Thomas, they have to have that physical proof that Jesus is really who He says He is.

Or I can be Paul.  Paul, like me, walked in darkness.  We mocked other Christians.  We chose to deny Christ.  But one day, Christ revealed Himself to us.  We had a choice as to what we were going to do with that.  Well, you know Paul's story.  Paul, whom was originally called Saul, gave up the life he knew and chose to live for Jesus.  He chose to walk in light and help others know the Jesus he knew.  He had his thorn in the flesh, something that he wanted to rid his life of, but he knew that God's grace was sufficient.

When Jesus revealed Himself to me, I admit I was scared.  In fact, I walked away from Him and denied Him that first time.  He kept after me, calling to me, desiring me.  One day, I'd had enough of darkness, and I opened my heart to His light, His love....to Him.  Needless to say, it hasn't been all mountaintop experiences since that day 11 years ago. However, whatever my thorn in the flesh has been, I have learned that God's grace is sufficient for me.  Whether it was sick children, job changes, lack of finances to pay bills, deployment, miscarriage, or anger, God was there for me. He walked beside me when I needed it. He pushed me when I needed it. He held me in His everlasting arms when I needed it.  He has covered me in grace and mercy.  He has given me strength.

I'll be the first to admit that being a Christian is scary.  Sometimes we are fearful, but I do have to remind myself that God hasn't given me a spirit of fear. That comes from Satan.  When God calls me to do something, He will prepare me for it.  So many people choose not to serve Christ because of fear. If that's the case, we will all be pew warmers and there would be no discipleship.

When we hear God calling, whether it is that first time that he is convicting of us of our sin or calling us to teach a class or go on a mission trip, we have to truly believe, and not doubt, that He will prepare us, He will guide us, He will be there with us.

As a Jesus lover, I choose to follow Him.....every single day.  Yes, there will be days I totally blow it. I will embarrass Him. I will not spend time with Him like I should.  But.....Here's where He redeems me.  He will open His arms to me and say, "I know. I am not surprised by your imperfections. I know you better than you know yourself. After all, I did create you.  Regardless of your flaws, I love you and I can and will use you. You need only be still and trust Me."

That's what I choose. I choose to trust Him and live for Him every day, not just Sundays.  I am committed to Him.  And you know???? I owe it to Him.  I owe Him my praise, my worship, my thankfulness, my life.  It's that whole John 3:16 thing....For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

And that is where I go from here....serving Christ. Living for Him. Devoting my life to Him. Where do you go from here?

My Valentine

My Valentine

Does your Valentine give you chocolates and roses?

My Valentine gives me so much more than that.

My Valentine….

Accepts me for who I am.

He gives me unconditional love.

He gives me faith and strength when I need it.

He gives me hope, wisdom, and courage.

He pours His blessings upon me.

With my Valentine, I can share what is deep within my heart and soul.  After all, there is no keeping it from Him because He already knows my innermost thoughts.

My Valentine fills my heart with gladness.

He helps me to see the beauty in my world around me and to cherish every moment as if it were my last.

He has taught me to love.

He has taught me to be patient.

He has taught me to believe.

My Valentine…

I want to give Him all my love and praise because

There is no other like Him.

The most important thing my Valentine has done for me is to give His life for me.

He loves me so much that He paid the ultimate price that I may have everlasting life, and that I may spend all eternity with Him.

That gift is greater than chocolates and roses,

greater than diamonds and pearls.

What did I do to deserve such a Valentine?

Nothing.

The truth is I don’t deserve Him.

But He loves me so much that He is giving me all He has to offer.

What did I do to accept my Valentine?

I admitted that I’m a sinner.

I believed that Jesus is God’s son who came to Earth and died on the cross for me.

I confessed my faith in my Lord, Jesus Christ.

Now, He is mine forever!

I don’t want to keep my Valentine all to myself.

I want to share Him with you.

Allow Jesus to come into your heart so He will be your Valentine every day of your life.

written Feb. 2, 2007

LOVE

For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16


Thank you, Father, for loving me that much.

How I Love Thee

Happy Valentine's Day!

What a wonderful day to honor those we love!! If you are like me, you want those who are special to you to know not just today, but everyday how much you love them. We go out of our way to show them.

Shouldn't we then go out of our way to show God how much we love Him? Afterall, we know from John 3:16 how much He loves us: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Each day, let your Heavenly Father know that you love Him. Pour your heart out to Him in prayer. Thank Him for the many blessings He has given to you. Thank Him for the trials that have made you stronger. Thank Him for Jesus Christ.

Cards, roses, and chocolates don't matter. Cards get lost or thrown away, roses wilt and die, and chocolates melt or get eaten. But the love of God lasts forever!!!! What better gift to receive?!?!?!

Although I am at home with a sick little one today, not able to sing and worship with my church, I will praise God in all I do, thanking Him for his LOVE, GRACE, and MERCY. This will be my gift to Him on this Valentine's Day and everday.