He Has Risen!

 

Jeff Jacobs

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I usually don't post on Sundays. However, I felt the need to share something with all of you!

God has been good to us and I want to thank Him for all He has done for our family. 

Blessed Easter to all!

Forgiven Sins; Greater Love

 

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“Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Luke 7:47 (ESV)

A Pharisee invited Jesus to share a meal with him in his home. While He reclined at the table a sinful woman entered the home.

She brought a very expensive ointment with her. She she wept and wet his feet with her tears and wiped his feet with her hair. She then poured the ointment on his feet.

Jesus’ host wondered whether Jesus knew her background. Jesus spoke to His host telling him a parable about two men who owed debts to a moneylender. The lender forgave both of the men their debt. The message Jesus gave was that the man with the biggest debt would love the lender more because he was forgiven more.

Jesus told his host that this woman, thought to be sinful by the townspeople, was forgiven because she showed Jesus love by doing things the host should have done but didn’t do. Jesus forgave her for her sins.

Sometimes, we find ourselves confronted with evidence that we either sinned by commission or by omission. When we find ourselves faced with our sins, of either type, we must search our hearts and seek His forgiveness.

I have committed some large-sized sins in my life, but when God or the person I wronged forgave me, I truly felt loved.

Joy in His Presence

 

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You have made known to me the ways of life.

You will make me full of joy in Your presence.

Acts 2:28 (NKJV)

Words from Psalm 16:11, spoken by the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost.

God sent His Holy Spirit to the believers. They felt His presence and became empowered to spread the Gospel message to all.

As followers of Jesus, we may often have times when we wonder if God truly knows what we go through as we traverse this world.

Yes, He does. Because we have his presence in our homes, our places of work, our places of worship, and in our places of recreation.

As our society has become “more advanced”, we seem to have pushed God away from our day today lives. In my life, I have had two relatives tell me that they were “no longer Christian.” I honestly did not know how to respond. Now, I know what I would say to them.

“God does not give up on His children, even when they give up on Him. God sometimes sees qualites in us that we don’t see, attributes He can use for His kingdom.

While initially typing this, God led me to make a phone call to a church friend who has ‘issues’ with anxiety. I had been missing her at church; usually, when I remembered I needed to call her,I felt it was too late at night.

As believers in Christ, we should find ways to bring glory to God. We can do this through prayer and fasting, through obeying His Word and direction, and through treating others as we would like to be treated.

                                                

God Gives Us Hope

 

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Now hope does not disappoint,

 because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by

the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:5 (NKJV)

Words of Paul written to the believers in Rome.

Paul has just told the Roman believers that hope is the by-product of character. We receive this thing called hope because God envelops us with His love. This out-pouring of His love comes to His people during difficult times. Paul calls these times tribulation.

Today, we have tribulation going on everywhere we look. Senseless killings, unexplained accidents, earthquake upon earthquake, we might wonder why these things are becoming so prevalent. Mark 13:8 tells us “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles These are the beginnings of sorrows.” (NKJV)

One would wonder “Where is our hope?” Our hope is in the LORD. We know certain events are out of our control, and yet, we know in our hearts that God is in control and loves us through his Holy Spirit.

God’s Love, Poured Out

 

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Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5 (NKJV)

Words of Paul written to the believers in Rome.

Paul has just told the Roman believers that hope is the by-product of character. We receive this thing called hope because God envelops us with His love. This out-pouring of His love comes to His people during difficult times. Paul calls these times tribulation.

Today, we have tribulation going on everywhere we look. Senseless killings, unexplained accidents, earthquake upon earthquake, we might wonder why these things are becoming so prevalent.

Mark 13:8 tells us “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles These are the beginnings of sorrows.” (NKJV)

One would wonder “Where is our hope?” Our hope is in the LORD. We know certain events are out of our control, and yet, we know in our hearts that God is in control and loves us through his Holy Spirit.

We Became His

 

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When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was a time of love; so I spread my wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord God.    Ezekiel 16:8 (NKJV)

God speaks to Jerusalem about His love for the city.

God speaks of covering Jerusalem’s nakedness. The city had nothing to cause God to be attracted to it. However, during the eras of David and Solomon, God made this city one of beauty. Every one knew of it.

God chose to make a covenant with the city, in doing this, the city of Jerusalem became His.

As I initially typed this post, the thought came to me that when we ask Jesus into our hearts, do we not make a covenant with Him that we belong to Him and that He is in control of our lives?

Do we understand what surrendering our hearts to Jesus truly means? God loves us and wants us to follow Him in ALL we do.

Someone was delivering an appliance to our home. He insulted me. Then, as he walked past me he took the Lord’s Name in vain. My response was, “He’s listening.” That man and his partner chose not to complete the tasks they were to do. I had to call the company where we purchased the product and register a complaint. I did not like to have to do this but Hubby felt it needed to be done. As I see it the delivery men did not honor a contract between us and the appliance store. Only God knows for sure.

How Long?

 

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How long, O you sons of men,

Will you turn my glory into shame?

How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood

Selah

But know that the LORD has set you apart

for Himself him who is godly;

The LORD will hear when I call to Him.

Psalm 4:2-3 (NKJV)

A Psalm of David.

David asks some very deep questions here. How can we answer them?

How long, O you sons of men,

David sounds a bit impatient with mankind. He seems to want to know a timeline for something to happen.

Will you turn my glory into shame?

David must have seen good things be viewed as far less than beneficial to those around him.

How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood?

People may have been doing things to waste time and resources and running after things that were not truth.

Selah

Reflect on this. Spend time thinking about these things.

But know that the LORD has set you apart for Himself him who is godly.

Realize that God had set apart for His use those who worship Him and obey His word.

God’s love for His children is real. We can see it every day. We must thank Him for that love every time we pray to Him.

Rest in the LORD

 

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Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

                                                        Psalm 37:7 (NKJV)

A Psalm of David

David advises his readers to rest in the LORD. What does this mean to those of us reading this in 2023 A. D.? Can we do this, given our society’s ways of living?

I believe we can. However, I know we have to try in order to achieve rest in Him. People may have to give up certain practices and attitudes in order to be able to fully rest in the LORD.

Sometimes, we run ahead of the Lord. In order to rest in Him we must learn to wait patiently for Him. In order to do this we must commit (give) ourselves to Him and to follow Him and His instructions as best we can.

David also tells us, Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way. We are not to envy anyone who seems to get ahead in this world. We may be happy for them but we are not to wish any thing bad on them.

I recently read that we must not fret about what we don’t have but give thanks for the things God has provided for us. I, personally, find this helps me as I sometimes deal with depression.

HE IS WITH US (and Blog Break)

 

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Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.” Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14 (NRSV)

Do we understand the significance of the angel’s message? This message refers to a prophecy of Isaiah some 4oo years earlier. God is with us!

Even today, we see evidence of God’s presence in our world. The end of November 2017, I received a prayer request from my best friend. Her husband’s nephew had called and asked her to pray for his new-born granddaughter. The baby was born with three heart abnormalities.

The medical team waited for almost a week before performing surgery. In the meantime, several of us were praying. I requested prayer from one of my social media friends and from an online social media prayer group. This family needed to see God’s working in this circumstance. On the day I prepared this. My friend texted me a picture of the baby being held by her 3-year-old sister. She seems to have no tubes for breathing or feeding or heart monitor leads. We believed that this baby will go home very soon. God was with them throughout this past year.

UPDATE: In the fall of 2022, my friend and her husband along with their younger daughter journeyed out west and visited this nephew and his family. The little girl told my friend’s husband that she has a zipper on her chest. He told her that he has a zipper as well. The child is doing very well.

In the early part of our nation, there were people who believed that God created the world and chose to stand back and see what we would do. However, this is not the way the modern theologians teach. Those of us who have witnessed His workings know that God chooses to stand beside us in the good times and in the not-so-good times and guides us through those less than good times.

As we continue in our walk with God, let us learn to seek God in our lives and let Him lead us through the difficult times of our lives.

May this thought continue as we approach the upcoming New Year.

I am going to take a blog break until Tuesday, January 3, 2023. There are some things I need to get done here at home and also finish a bit of Christmas shopping,

A Gift of God’s Grace

 

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, and godly lives in this present age.

Titus 2:11-12 (NIV)

When we turn over our hearts and lives to Jesus, He gives us His Father’s grace to guide us through our lives. We receive salvation and so much more.

We receive the strength to stand against the worldly ungodliness that, from time to time, we have to face. Yes, as I read this scripture believers can say “No” to the worldly things.

The grace of God teaches us that we can manage in this world when we trust in the Holy Spirit to utilize self-control through Him and live lives pleasing to God before our neighbors and those we see where we do business.

I believe it is important that each follower of Jesus must strive to get closer to God and model our beliefs to those around us. However, I do not say this is easy to do. We have to rely on the Holy
Spirit to guide us through the roadblocks that life throws in our way.

A God-Given Spirit

 

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for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

Words of Paul to his spiritual son Timothy.

Paul encourages Timothy to not be ashamed of speaking about God or about his (Paul’s) imprisonment.

God empowers His people to stand for Him and His Word. He still empowers us, His followers, to stand firm in the face of what the world throws at us.

A church I was a part of had a guiding document that included the guiding thought that the church’s calling is to approach the world and change it. Instead, we see the world entering the church and changing it. My present church’s denomination historically has been counter-cultural in its beliefs. Slowly, the world has seen to have crept in and tried to destroy the beliefs and practices we have held dear. Author Charles Colson wrote in some of his books that the colleges of the east coast we founded by churches and originally taught Christian values. Even at the time of his writing, the values, once held dear to the institutions were becoming blurred.

There was a gospel song I heard several years ago that summed up what we must do, it’s title-” The Basics of life”. One line said it all, “Let’s get back to the Basics of life. "We need to do just that!

   

Thanksgiving

 

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Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)

This verse is from a chapter in Psalms we had to memorize when I was in the fifth grade. I always think on this chapter during the month of November.

Each of God’s children must be thankful for no other reason than they belong to God. God blesses, (inward joy is theirs), us because He chooses to.

Each week at the beginning of that week’s journal thoughts, I list things I am thankful for, I call these pages, “Praise More.” This exercise helps me keep in mind who He is and what He does for me.

Do we ever take the time to thank God for bringing us through to another day? We must because each day we have is a gift from Him.

Do we remember to give thanks to Him for His watch care over us? Have we ever barely missed being involved in a car wreck because of something that kept us from being where we could have been severely injured?

Do we realize that God is our protector at all times during our life? He knew us in our unformed state (Psalm 139:16) and watched over us even before we knew Him.

All we can do in return is give thanks and praise Him for who He is.

Through His Guidance

 

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In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined to the

purpose of Him who works all things to the counsel of His will.

Ephesians 1:11 (NKJV)

In Jesus, we have received a gift from God, a gift determined by the LORD’s aim for us. God works all things in accordance to His will.

Our heavenly Father knows what He plans for each of His children. We learn His purpose for our lives through the experiences we have as we grow in Him, the spiritual gifts He gives us and through His guidance through our days.

Over the years, I have taken at least three Spiritual Gifts surveys. The results have guided me as I walk with Jesus. Some people find that those gifts change over time. Some of mine went from strong gifts that I could use and to waiting gifts that I could use if I could develop them.

Have you done a Spiritual Gifts survey?

Purpose in Season

 

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To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose on earth.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

God creates our live and gives us many epochs in each life He creates. As a person goes through life, he or she might go through certain stages.

As young adults, we study, we work, date, maybe marry.

As young marrieds, we work, provide for our families and care for our homes.

As parents, we care for, provide for and rear children.

As Empty Nesters, we rediscover favorite pastimes. and even learn new skills.

As Caregivers, we spend time caring for or helping older family members.

As Senior Citizens, we may volunteer for church or civic positions.

Each of these seasons have a purpose. God gives His children duties and tasks to perform. Each ‘season’ has a beginning and an end.

Since two weeks before the COVID lock down, I have had several health issues. It seems like one after another. I sincerely need to pray about finding God’s purpose about how He wants me to spend my days in this season I find myself.

Sometimes, all we can do is seek the LORD’s guidance and follow His leading.

Are any of you going through times like this?

Pledges

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 I gave this message at church this past Sunday.  I didn't realize that some of this information was new to some of the adults. 

Children’s Moments Message

September 25, 2022

I have been thinking about promises lately, sometimes we call them pledges. A pledge is a sincere promise we make. We make one to our nation’s flag, another one to the Bible, and one to the Christian flag.

In all three pledges, we promise to be loyal to each of these.

Pledge to the American flag

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which is stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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Pledge to the Bible

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word. A lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. It’s words I will hide in my heart, that I might not sin against God. ⁽¹⁾

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Pledge to the Christian flag

I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands, one Savior, crucified, risen again, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe. ⁽²⁾

We have those items in our sanctuary here at Cross Roads. I discovered something I did not know about the Christian flag. I knew there is a cross in a blue section, and the rest of the flag is white. Here’s what I learned:

#The shade of red in the Cross reminds us of Jesus’ blood that He shed because He took our sins away.

#The blue reminds us of the water of baptism. It also reminds us of Jesus’ loyalty to God.

#The white reminds us of Jesus’ purity. He was without sin until He went to the Cross for us. ⁽³⁾

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^1.http://www.ccabrazil.org/uploads /4/3/5/9/4359809/christian_flag__bible_pledges.pdf

2. IBID.

3. http://en.wikiepedia.org/Christian _Flag#:-text=The Christian Flag was first to arrive for the event/

Patience and Gentleness

 

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By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded, and a gentle tongue breaks a bone.

Proverbs 25:15 (NKJV)

Moses listened to the Lord and patiently awaited the day that Pharaoh would finally let the Israelite people depart Egypt and head to the land God had promised them.

Hannah exercised patience and faith as she awaited receiving her first-born son, Samuel. Hannah also practiced gentleness, although it was difficult, as she endured the taunts from Peninnah.

When we have stress-causing circumstances in our lives, we have to practice patience and, yes, gentleness in our daily lives. We may have to spend more time with God, as he gently whispers words of comfort, healing and love into our ears as we face overwhelming circumstances in our lives.

When we hear things from others that upset us, we need to apply the rule that our mothers said, “If you can’t say anything nice, say nothing at all.” This was a rule that a lot of us senior citizens heard from early on in our growing-up years. It is a pity that this rule seemed to fall by the wayside during the last half-century

Can we begin teaching this “rule” to children of these times?

Show Humility to All Men

 

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Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. Titus 3:1-2 (NKJV)

Paul’s words to Titus whom he describes as a “true son in our common faith.”

Paul lays groundwork here for believers to follow.

* To submit to rulers and authorities.

* To not speak badly about anyone.

* To live peaceful lives.

* To show humility to all we know.

Paul makes some very strong points, getting to the core of human relationships. He writes these words to a pastor who is young. Titus faces a huge task, that of establishing churches.

As we go through our days, we must follow these words of guidance from Paul. We are tasked to helping enlarge the kingdom of God, however, we must learn to daily practice gentleness.

This is a very difficult thing to do. Recently, I received a phone call from a friend who lives in my neighborhood. She wanted my advise on something. She told me her feelings on an issue and I told her that if she felt uncomfortable doing what she was asked, then maybe she should not do it. She had some good reasons about why she felt the way she did. I could have been more gentle about certain related issues she spoke of. I intend to be more careful in the future.

Do we always find ways to show humility to those around us?

God Keeps Promises

 

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                                         Therefore know that the LORD your God, 

                                               He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant 

                                               and mercy for a thousand generations with those who 

                                               love Him and keep His commandments. 

                                                                                        Deuteronomy 7:9 (NKJV)

Words of Moses to those Israelites who did not know of God’s attributes and goodness. (These pilgrims were 60 years old and younger.)^[1] Deuteronomy means “retelling”

In this passage, Moses tells them that God is faithful not to just them and their parents but to those who love Him and keep His commandments for a thousand generations.

Moses states that God will keep His promises (covenants) and mercies for a very long time. (When I was a teenager, a youth group advisor said a generation was usually, on average, 26 years.)

There is a condition in this thought. The people must love God and keep His commandments. I once heard that if we break one of the Ten Commandments, we have broken them all. While this statement sounds harsh, I understand it. I believe it may have a domino effect.

It is the duty of God’s children to model Christlike behavior, to exemplify how He wants us to live our lives before others, and to speak loving words on His behalf.

Yes, we all fall short of these goals. When we fail, we need to seek His forgiveness and start over again. His grace and mercy allow us to do this.

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[1] Jeremiah Study Bible, David Jeremiah, Worthy, Hatchette Book Group, Study Note page 238.

We Must be Faithful

 

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This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,

We shall also live with Him.

If we endure,

We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him,

He will deny us.

If we are faithless,

He remains faithful;

He cannot deny Himself.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 (NKJV)

Paul wrote these words to Timothy. This was his last letter he would write. Paul knew he would die.

Paul gives words of encouragement to Timothy to stay close to God. These words are especially important to followers of Christ today. We see people who followed Christ in their youth go their own ways and get tripped up by the enemy. We have at least two generations that seem to have denied Christ. We must endure for His sake. We must not deny Him. God is faithful; we must be faithful to Him.

Each of us must re-dedicate our lives to live for Jesus, to stand for what He has taught us.

He Rewards Faithfulness

 

But, without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

When we go before the LORD, we must believe He is who He says He is. The writer of Hebrews tell us without our believing in Him we cannot please Him. When we go before His throne, there are certain things we must believe:

* He will listen to our pleas.

       If our hearts are in tune with Him.

* He will answer our requests.

      In the way that is best for us and His plan.

* He will reward us for our efforts.

      His rewards may be a lightness of heart.

      He may give us new insight into a concern or a problem.

However, we must concentrate on Him while we seek His guidance.

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.“ Matthew 6:6 (NKJV)

Sometimes, we can follow Matthew 6:6 when we are in a crowd. Other times we can do obey this scripture by physically removing ourselves from the circumstance that needs our prayer.