Easter Story

 

 

Twelve men left all and followed Him

Miracles they had seen

They watched Him heal all who were sick

Those with unclean spirits were made clean

But one follower named Judas Iscariot

Betrayed Him with a kiss

Handed Him over to the chief priests

To be scourged and put to death

He was mocked by those that held Him

Asking Him, “So, are You the Christ?”

“You wouldn’t believe Me if I told you,” He said

For they accused Him of speaking lies

“Are you the Son of God?” they stammered

He responded, “Yes, I am He”

Accusations of blasphemy filled the land

An act deserving the death penalty

They all condemned Him to be put to death

As they struck Him and spit in His face

Even one of His disciples whom He loved very much

Denied ever seeing His face

Carrying Him away; they delivered Him to Pilate

“Are you the King of the Jews?” Pilate sneered

“You say rightly that I am a King,” Jesus said

“But My kingdom is not from here.”

Jesus, the Christ, and Barabbas, a murderer

Stood before the multitude

By custom one prisoner could be released

The one whom the people choose

“Away with this Man; release to us Barabbas,”

Insistently the people cried

“Then what shall I do with Jesus, the Christ?”

They shouted, “Let Him be crucified.”

A purple robe they placed on His body

A crown of thorns twisted on His head

“Hail, King of the Jews,” they mocked

As blood streamed from His head

His back took brutal beatings

His head they struck with a rod

Spitting into His face they scorned

“Save Yourself if You’re the Son of God!”

He didn’t fight back to prove who He was

For He knew His hour had arrived

To fulfill the very purpose for why He had come

For a lost people He would have to die

As they drove the cold nails in His hands and feet

His body exposed for all to view

Jesus cried, “Father, forgive them”

“For they know not what they do.”

Blasphemous words echoed throughout

Gross darkness encamped the land

And with His last breath He shouted aloud

“Father, I commit My spirit into Your hands.”

On the third day since His burial

An angel descended from Heaven

The earth quaked; the stone rolled away

The tomb was empty, for Jesus had risen

Two women mourned nearby the tomb

For they thought His body had been stole

The angel approached them and declared

“Rejoice, for He has arose!”

Quickly they fled to tell the disciples

Their hearts filled with great joy and fear

Some of them rejoiced while others doubted

And then in their midst Jesus appeared

They fell at His feet and worshipped

As He blessed them with His hands

“Go into all the world and tell them of Me,

I won’t be back ‘til it’s reached every land.”

“Remember you're not of this world

If you've received Me as your Lord

Be not like the world; keep from all evil

So that you may receive the final reward.”

“It’s time for Me to leave now,

You must carry out My ministry

I give you the authority to be My hands and feet

With My name you’ll set many free.”

“For it won’t be long before I return

For those who live for Me

They are who I will take as My bride

To Heaven for eternity.”

“Keep watch for the hour is so near

Be prepared to meet Me again

For in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye

As I am now, I will appear again.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOY0mjjmx8Y

"But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5:8

Secret Place

 

 

Pour upon me

Your anointing

Fill me up

to overflowing

Flood my soul

with Your presence

A healing touch

straight from Heaven

Your presence

is so amazing

Your love, oh Lord

is unchanging

You put life within me

once again

Your faithfulness

never ends

The veil’s been torn

I can enter in

to that secret

and holy place

 

I want to be

where Your presence dwells

Where I can see You

face to face

Satisfied Life

Temptations are an appeal to meet righteous needs in an unrighteous way." ~ Bill Thrasher

This is so true, isn't it? For peace, we turn to substance. For acceptance, we compromise our convictions. For love, we turn to ungodly relationships. For contentment, we lust after riches.  Our needs are real and God given, but He is the only One who can provide that which will truly satisfy. It pays to seek Him for every area of our lives.

 

Father, we don't want to be hasty in our decisions or careless in our actions. We don't want to give ourselves over to temptation for a temporary fix, but want to walk in wisdom and do things Your way - the only way that will bring true satisfaction. Help us to slow down, evaluate our life through Your eyes, and soften our ears to hear Your voice...

(Psalm 16:11, Ecclesiastes 5:10, Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 2:12-13, Matthew 6:33, 1 Timothy 6:6, Proverbs 28:20, Psalm 37:11, Proverbs 20:1)

Kindness

 

Many people are inclined to react negatively due to undealt with, unhealed issues in their own lives. Every person is fighting a battle of some sort. That is why it is important to lay aside your natural response to take offense, and love the "unlovely."

We haven't been called to give people what they deserve. God has commanded us to treat others as we wish to be treated. We are also shown in Scripture that whatever it is we do to another (negative or positive)we are doing to Jesus Himself.

So before you lash out and choose harshness over kindness, pause and picture Jesus standing before you. All hurt inflicted on another is grieving the very heart of God.

"Rudeness, yelling, anger, and swearing are a weak man’s imitation of strength." (Author Unknown)

Let's be kind to one another. Kindness makes you more attractive :)

Ephesians 4:31-32, Matthew 7:12, Luke 10:27, Proverbs 20:3, Proverbs 29:20, James 1:19, Matthew 25:45)

Seeds to the World

 

We are seeds to the world...

God desires to plant us in the very center of certain individual's lives to represent who He is. We are called to demonstrate His heart and His ways.

A seed that is properly fed and watered will produce a harvest. This makes it imperitive that we stay in close fellowship with Him through studying of the Word and intimate prayer - so that His power can flow through us effectively for a harvest of souls.

For the sake of others, for the sake of a lost world, we owe it to Him to represent Him correctly.

Lord, help us stay focused on what our ultimate purpose is in the earth... Adjust our sight to not see just mere men in the earth, but living souls that Your life was laid down for. May their experiencing a walking example of You, through us, lead them straight to You...

 

I yield myself to Your use

I submit my will to Your ways

Jesus, glorify Your name through my life

I want to honor You all of my days

I commit myself to proclaim Your truth

Draw men’s hearts to You through me

It’s not Your will that any would perish

I want to be used to set men free

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzJxkqGiRbc

What is Love?

Most of us are familiar with the "love chapter" found in the Bible - 1 Corinthians 13. We've heard it recited at weddings or may have glanced through the verses ourselves. But have we ever slowed down and really dug into the passage to see exactly what it says? Did we let it penetrate us to the point where we are making a conscience effort to love others as we are commanded to do?

Let's break down what the Word says about true love, the God kind of love, the love that is placed within every person who comes to Christ. (Romans 5:5)

Love is patient (Suffers long, capable of waiting, able to endure delay without becoming annoyed or upset)
Love is kind (Refers to divesting your life. When you divest, you expect nothing in return)
Love is not jealous (Does not stew with envy)
Love does not brag (Bringing attention to oneself, pride on ourselves and our accomplishments)
Love is not arrogant (Making pretensions and claims to importance, excessive pride in onseslf)
Love does not behave rudely (Does not dishonor others, does not act unbecomingly)
Love does not seek its own (Doesn't pursue selfish advantage, not self seeking, lets God "run the show")
Love is not provoked (Not easily angered, irritable, touchy or resentful)
Love thinks no evil (Keeps no record of wrongs, takes no account to evil done to it)
Love rejoices in the truth (Shares the joys of those who live by Truth)
Love bears all things (Knows no limits to its endurance, bears up under anything)
Love believes all things (No end to its trust, ever ready to believe the best in every person)
Love hopes all things (No fading of its hope)
Love endures all things (Endures everything without weakening)
Love never fails (Does not drop away, goes on forever, wins out in the end)

Lord, we want to love like You. We want to develop true, lasting relationships that are grounded in the love that only comes from You. You tell us that even if we abound in spiritual gifts, possess all knowledge, give graciously to the poor, sacrifice our lives - but we do not sincerely love others - we have gained nothing. May Your Word penetrate our spirits so that we can come to a better understanding of what the God kind of love really is. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Open Our Eyes

After hearing of the recent suicide of a 14 year old local boy, my heart is heavy.  I believe we have become too accustomed to thinking "what you see is what you get." We take things for face value. We see a smile, we assume someone is happy.  We hear someone laugh and we assume they have joy.  This young boy was known for being friendly, helpful, and always having a smile on his face. Behind that uncracked smile was a heart that was broken.  People say that there were no signs... they judged the book by its cover and now all that is left are questions with no answers.

Tragic.

As Christians, we have been given spiritual vision. Discernment.  It is an ability to distinguish between truth and error; good and evil. It's the ability to see "behind the scenes." It's seeing through God's eyes. 

"God would surely have known it, for He knows the secrets of every heart." Psalm 44:21

You may read this Scripture and think Of course God knows all things because He is God.  When we became Christ followers, we were given the mind of Christ. As we fervently study the Word and press into prayer - we will come to know the heart of God at a whole new level.  We too can see like Him.

"For, "Who can know the Lord's thoughts? ...But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:16

We are the body of Christ in the earth. Because we are called to be His hands, His feet, His voice - He equipped us with exactly what we need in order to do so: the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is our Guide. He will show us things. He will deposit things within us that are the very words to unlock a hardened heart. He will give us the key to exposing the pain of a "what seems to be" happy person. He will show us things to come in order to protect us and protect others.  He will give us different strategies to reach the unsaved.  He will keep us well informed if we will just listen.

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." John 16:13 

We just need to be yielded people. A people who are hungry to hear. A people who want to bring the will of Heaven to earth.  A people ready and willing at all times to be used to touch lives that Jesus said were worth dying for. Let's not drop the ball...

Lord, we pray that You would open our eyes into the unseen realms, open our eyes to see past the natural into the spiritual.  We pray for discernment. We pray that we wouldn't see as man sees, but that our vision would be through Your eyes. We want to touch lives. We want to save lives.  We don't ever want to miss an opportunity, a life that You want to touch through us.  We yield ourselves for Your use, Father...

Help us be a people of compassion, a people sold out to the cause of reaching others with the hope of Your Good News!  Be the words on our lips, Lord. We pray You would give us words of knowledge and words of wisdom so that we can have a word in due season for those, who like this young boy, are on the brink of giving up.

We also lift up the family and friends of Shane and all others who have lost someone to  suicide... We pray for comfort and we pray for true peace that only comes through You.  We pray laborers would rise up during this time to reach out to the family and friends who are grieving.  May good come out of this tragedy by the lives that will be won for You.

In Jesus' Name. Amen.