Jesus is The Wind Beneath Our wings

Verses: Romans 6 : 15 - 23

My thoughts about the verses:

I love the song "The Wind Beneath My Wings."  If you think about it Jesus is the person that is in our shadow getting us through the dark moments of our life.  We are free because the gift that he gave us.  We do not have to die an everlasting life, because he died for our sins.  We are free to have Everlasting Abundant Life because of what Jesus did for us.

Before you allow Jesus in your life you are caught in the snare of sin.  You do things because of how good it feels to you.  You do things that are against not only the law of God but also of man. There is no hero with you during those days.  You are in a dark shadow that keeps you from seeing the light.

Once you accept Jesus into your life you are lifted out of the darkness.  You are elevated into the light.  You will soon find that you regret the things of your past.  Yet, God does not even see those things.  The only thing that God sees is the blood that cleansed our sins.  Jesus's sacrifice allows us to have everlasting life.  No longer are we alone.  We always have someone with us that helps us through our life.

This is my favorite part of the song "It might have appeared to go unnoticed, But I've got it all here in my heart.  I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.  I would be nothing without you." How true this statement is when you think about what Jesus has done for us.  He is in everything we do.  Once you have the Holy Spirit living within you the things of the old are forever changed.  You know when you are doing what is right.  You also know when you do things that are not the will of God.  Jesus is the only thing that gets you through life because he lives deep within your heart.  You are not blessed because what you have done.  Rather you are blessed because of what Jesus did.  Amazing how a song can mean so much.

Jesus is not only there for you but for everyone.  You can hide Jesus from others for as long as you want.  Yet, when you share the love that Jesus has given you the light gets brighter.  People that you may not even know may come to understand the need to have Jesus living deep within their heart.  There is only one hero in our life and that should be God.  There are so many people that help us through life, yet if you look at those that truly love you and do things for you do they not have the Holy One living with them also.  Jesus is not only there for you but for everyone.

So take off the shackles of sin.  Take on the peace of God.  Live within the law because that is the will of God.  Does that mean you will never fall and commit sin.  No Jesus knew that there would be times because of our human nature that we would do things that were against his will even though we have found the peace.  Yet, we need to strive every day to do right things because, that shows other the love that they need and gives them the protector and hero that they need to make it through their life struggles.


Prayer:

Dear Savior we thank you for freeing us from our shackles of sin.  We thank you for carrying us through our struggles.  We thank you for always being there even when we go astray.  May you help us understand how much we truly need to live in your love.  Help us dear God be the light that the world needs.  Let us Forget the things of the past so that we may live in the new covenant that you have established for us.  In the name of the Risen Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you been freed from the slavery of sin?  Have you allowed God to live freely in your life?  Do you understand that the only way to be totally free is to allow God into your heart?  Are you allowing God to be the strength that carries you throughout the day?  Have you shared the message of God with all those that need to find comfort and peace?

Wind Beneath My Wings lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Difference between Adam and Jesus

Verses: Romans 5 : 12 - 21

My thoughts about the verses:

Let's think about this a second.  There is one of two things that came to your mind when you saw this picture.  One look at that terrible bug why take a picture when you can smash it so no one will get stung.  The second is how beautiful this bee is spreading pollen so that next year’s flowers will bloom.

See this is what happens when you compare Adam with Jesus.  Adam had a relationship with God but chose to sin which damaged the relationship.  He doomed himself for death because he did not obey God.  Jesus on the other hand brought everlasting life by dying.  Adam could have flourished with life in the garden in a perfect relationship with the Creator.  Jesus had to come to Earth so that humankind could gain back through his death the relationship that Adam had by being alive.

Adam had the perfect situation he was created in God's image.  He walked in the very presence of God every day.  That is until he chooses to disobey God.  This built the wall in his heart that separated him from God.  He no longer was a perfect creation.  He had brought his own death on by choosing to disobey.

Jesus on the other hand had a perfect walk with God from the beginning to the cross and even now.  Jesus had only one mission in his life and that was to restore the relationship that had been broken because of Adam's choice to disobey.  God could have said that we were not worth it and we could have gone without the relationship that had been created.  Yet, God desired the relationship with us so Jesus came to Earth to restore it.

Two men both had given an opportunity to walk with God throughout all eternity.  One chose to disobey God while the other chose to go to the Cross.  Both had choices because of their human nature.  Yet, one who started perfect brought upon him an everlasting death.  While the other chose to follow God through his death into everlasting life.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for loving us so much.  We thank you for sending Jesus so that we can have everlasting life.  We ask that you forgive us for the transgressions that we have done.  We ask that you listen to our pleas and forgive us so that we may have everlasting life.  Thank you for listening to our pleas and allowing us to have everlasting life by the simple act of having faith in Jesus.  In your name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you asked God to take away your sins?  Have you worked on building your relationship with God?  Are you willing to share your testimony with others?  What do you need to do today to help others find everlasting life?  Are you living your walk of faith?

Jesus did not die for the Righteous...Jesus died so that we may become Righteous

Verses: Romans 5 : 1 - 11

My thoughts about the verses:

People are a combination of many characters and behaviors.  There are days that we are very happy other times we are sad.  Sometimes we walk a straight and narrow line while other times we get wild and go outside the boundaries.  One thing is for certain none of us are righteous.  Not even the person that we think of as the most Christ like is without sin.  We are all on the same level when it comes for our need for Jesus.

The first thing that we must do is put our trust in God.  We need to understand that we have sinned. Because of that sin we do not deserve to go to Heaven.  Yet, Jesus came and died for us while we were sinners so that we may have eternal life.  This is where faith comes into play.  You must trust and have the faith that Jesus loves you enough to die even if you were the only person that was to be saved.  Jesus did not die for people that were already righteous.  He humbled himself and died for those of us that were outside the will of God.

When you have placed your faith in Christ you will be blessed with hope.  Hope is the substance that keeps you looking forward for the future.  You have to have hoped to be happy in life.  Those that do not grasp the hope that is given through Christ will always be looking for something else. Yet, once you have hope you will even be able to handle the roughest situations in your life.  You will know that God will protect you through your struggles.  You will have the hope that will lead to further building your trust in Jesus.  Because you will receive the blessing that God has for you.

The next gift that is given to us is our relationship with Christ.  See once you have faith and hope in God you begin building the friendship that Jesus wants for us all.  Jesus died so that we may have everlasting life living within him and through him.  Yet, what people don't understand is that the sin in our life blocks us from that relationship.  Yet, if we put our faith in Christ the walls are torn down.  We immediately become friends with God.  We are no longer strangers instead we are friends.  The sins that we have committed that separated us from God are gone.  All God sees from that moment forward is a righteous person.  The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all the things that we have and will do in the future that are not right.

So our mind should change when we have accepted God into our heart.  Our times of struggle should be a time to grow our faith.  Our times of sadness should be a time when we put our trust in God.  Our times of joy are those moments when we are walking hand in hand with Jesus our friend.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for dying for our sins.  We know that we didn't deserve your sacrifice.  We understand that you died so that we may have everlasting life.  We ask you to be with us as we go through life's struggles.  May we understand that we can be friends with you because that is your desire.  Help us put our faith in your promises.  Dear God we ask that you help us share the love that you have shown us with others.  In the name of the Most High we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you put your faith in God?  Do you feel God's presence during your struggles?  Are you spending time with the best friend anyone can have?  Are you sharing the love of God to those around you?  What do you need to turn over to Jesus right now to help build your friendship?

Promise of Eternal Life is a free gift

Verses: Romans 4 : 13 - 25

My thoughts about the verses:

We all have a reason to celebrate life.  Jesus died on the cross so that we may have everlasting life.  It is a free gift that we do not earn.  We do not have to live within a strict code of laws.  We do not have to do tons of outward signs.  We do not have to do great works.  The gift of Eternal Life comes through our faith.

Faith even though is not earned by the works we do it is expressed through those works.  Once you have accepted Christ into your life the Holy Spirit comes to reside within you.  The Holy Spirit will lead you to do things that you never thought possible.  You begin walking in faith because you realize that there is no other answer for what is happening in your life.

We all go through struggles and trials.  Those that have Jesus in the center of their life will be able to walk in strong faith.  People think that they have to do it on their own struggle and fall short of meeting their goals.  We all know people that are going through rough trials.  Yet, they seem to have a calm spirit.  Those individuals understand that it is their belief system that keeps them going. Though they are going through hard times they do not blame God.  Instead they put their faith in the power of God and trust that they will get through their struggle because God is with them.

I want to share something with you that are very hard to talk about.  I call it the trial of my faith that led me to a closer understanding of the power of God.  There is nothing like having someone whom you love is struggling between life and death.  Knowing that they are getting ready to go under a surgery that may kill them instead of cure them.  Know you have to turn it over to God because there is nothing that you can do to fix the problem.

Imagine the physicians giving you nothing but negative outcomes.  Being told that your lover if she makes it through the surgery might not wake up.  Even more that if she does it might take weeks to months to get out of the ICU.  This to me was a reality.  I have to admit I was scared and so was she.  Yet, our church family united around us.

I can remember being called into the family room in about half the time that we were told the surgery would last.  I knew in my gut that this was either the dreaded news or maybe just maybe we were getting ready to be hit with awesome news.  The physician came in the room and smiled.  Instantly I knew everything was okay.  The surgery was more successful and less complicated than he expected.  Right then and there we thanked God because we knew that it wasn't only the surgeons in the room that day but the great Healer was also present.

Your faith grows when you realize that everything that a person warned you about was turned upside down.  The surgery wasn't as complicated.  The ICU was less than a few days and most importantly someone who didn't know if they would make it 5 days to turn 60 is up and about.  There are still times you question it all but you know that it all happened because of Faith and nothing else.  That is time for a celebration of Life.  Not only for 60 years on the earth but for the knowledge of Eternal Life in the future.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for fulfilling your promises.  Dear God we thank you for loving all of your people.  We praise you for being with us during our struggles.  We ask that you help us depend on you when we are struggling.  Help us understand that you are all we need.  Help us put our trust in you.  In the name of God we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you ever had a struggle that you thought you could not overcome?  Have you ever truly given your life over to God?  Are you willing to put your trust in God?  What do you need to do to strengthen your faith?  Are you helping others understand the power of God?

The Lesson we can Learn from Abraham

Verses: Romans 4 : 1 - 12

My thoughts about the verses:

Abraham is known as the father of many Religions.  People of multiple traditions think that their lineage goes back to Abraham.  There are many things that we can learn from Abraham.  The most important thing is that Faith is the only thing that saves us from our past deeds.

People were questioning the fact was Abraham forgiven before or after his circumcision.  The truth is that Abraham's Faith is what led to his salvation.  Not the  actual act of Circumcision.  The circumcision was an outward sign of his commitment to God.  He did this to show that he had put his trust in God.

Look at what Abraham did to show that he had faith in God.  The first thing that Abraham did was leave where he was to go to where God called him to go.  Here is the older man taking everything that he owned and his family and going out in the desert.  How many of us today would just walk away from everything because we feel led by God to go somewhere else?

Then God tells Abraham that he will be a father.  He and his wife Sarah are very old by this time. Well beyond the years in which they should be able to have children.  Look what happens he not only has one son but two.  Imagine how you would feel if God told you that you would have children when you knew deep in your heart it was too late.

Imagine having the son that God had promised you. You are asked to take him to the mount and offer him as a sacrifice.  You love your son, but you boldly go up the mount to offer up the sacrifice of the one you love.  Then what happens God stops you just as you are getting ready to offer the sacrifice.  God then provides a Ram to be sacrificed.  How would you feel?  We often say we would do anything even die for our family.  Imagine putting your child on the line.

See all these things were done by faith.  God was testing Abraham's faith.  It would take a strong person to be the leader of the greatest nation to come.  Think about it the very lineage of Jesus comes from this man.  Abraham therefor proved that his Faith was strong enough for an entire nation to be built upon his shoulders.

Abraham is a great example for us to follow.  He did not have Jesus right before him.  He only had the promises from God.  He had to depend on faith.  You have faith that goes beyond seeing but went straight to trusting.  When you trust God with all of your heart you are living like Abraham.  The things that you do like good deeds, and baptism are only outward signs of the faith that you have inside.  This is the hardest thing that we have to learn.  Even Abraham did not gain his salvation because what he did.  Rather he gained his salvation because he totally trusted God.

Prayer:

Thank you for loving us.  Thank you for the times that you test our faith.  We ask that we can learn from Abraham how to put faith before our own needs.  May we truly come to the understanding that you love us and that we do not need to do outward signs to gain our salvation. Dear God we thank you for being the ultimate Healer and Comforter.  May we learn to trust in you through all our trials.  In the Name of the Holiest of Holy we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Has your faith been tested?  Have you given over everything to God?  Are you following the example of Abraham?  Are you afraid that you have to do something to win God's grace?  Are you willing to accept that the only thing need to have a relationship with God is faith?

Salvation is through Faith alone

Verses: Romans 3 : 21 - 31

My thoughts about the verses:

People for centuries have tried to undo the wrong they have committed.  There is this philosophy that I can do something to get back to where I was before I committed sin.  We even want to see people pay for their crimes as a way of undoing the wrong that has happened.  The issue is that people have no way of rebuilding their relationship with God on their own.

The truth is that the only way to rebuild the relationship with God is to live by Faith.  Faith believes that God loved you so much that Jesus wasn't sent for you to live.  See it wouldn't have mattered if you were the only person that needed the cleansing Jesus would have died to take away your sins.  God is love and Faith is the return of Love to God.

It is very hard for us to admit that we cannot do anything to erase our sins.  We believe that we can do all sort of things and they are forgotten.  People fast, pray and so many other things in attempt to cleanse themselves.  Yet, it isn't their action that will clean their deeds.  The death of Christ provided the blood that was needed for us to go to Heaven.  So the only thing that you can do to rebuild your relationship with God is to depend on God.  Your must accept Jesus and the saving grace that comes from the power of the ultimate sacrifice.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for giving us an opportunity to be with you.  Dear Savior we thank you for the sacrifice that you gave on the cross.  Thank you for loving us enough that you perished for our sins.  We know that you would have undergone the sacrifice if it were only for us.  For that we thank you God.  We ask that you help us put our trust in you.  We ask that you help us build our Faith in you.  Help us Dear Risen Savior put ourselves behind us so that we may focus on you.  In the name of the Holy One we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you allowed God to come into your heart?  Are you walking the walk of faith?  Are there things that you have put between your relationships with God?  Are you willing to help others find faith? Are you being the witness that God desires?

All Have Sinned...and...Fallen Short of the Ways of God

Verses: Romans 3 : 9 - 20

My thoughts about the verses:

Amazingly people feel that they can do enough so that they can get to Heaven.  They compare their lives with others and decide that they are doing better than those around them.  The assumption is that I do not do the real bad sins therefor I am good enough.  Yet, God's stance is much different from ours.  God says that no one has gone without sin.

God does not compare one sin to be worse than another.  Lying and murder are equal in God's eyes.  Judging others and stealing from others are sins.  There is no grade in what sin is worse so if you have committed any sin then you have gone against God. Sins are the act of going against the will of God no matter what the sin is.

The law is set up for us to follow.  The very first commandment is to love your God and not put anything before God.  So if you put anything before God you have sinned.  There is no one that can justify what they do when it comes to going against God.  the fact is the law lays down the ground work that leads to the need for Jesus in your hearts.

I really am amazed how often people think that this sin or that sin is so bad that you must be punished. Yet, what happens is that they forget that sin is just sin.  It doesn't matter what sin you commit the punishment is the same.  The sin you commit is the separation of yourself from God.  There is no punishment that can be worse than damaging your relationship with God.

Yet, there is a way to rebuild that relationship.  God gave us the law so that we could see that we went against the will of God.  The action of rebuilding is very easy.  We need to accept that Jesus died to remove your sins.  We have to understand that the cleansing that comes from the sacrifice of God washes away anything that you have ever done.  God does not see the blemishes and flaws any longer instead what God sees is a pure heart.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for building a relationship with us.  Thank you for sending Jesus to cleanse us of our sins.  We praise you for loving us even when we do not deserve it.  We ask you to come into our hearts.  We offer our life to you and ask that you help us grow in our relationship with you.  Help us to always remember that we need you in our lives.  That without the Sacrifice of Jesus we would have never been able to have the relationship you desired because of the sin in our life.  In the name of the Risen Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you truly asked God to come in to your life?  Have you realized that without Jesus you would not be able to have a relationship with our Creator?  Are you willing to turn over all the things both small and large that you have done over to the Savior?  Are you willing to share the good news with the world?