For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15 KJV)
Some spiritual truths have to sink in before I accept them. My mind tends to get in the way, and God must set my thinking straight. Such was the case when I heard a sermon declaring that Jesus was 100 percent human and 100 percent divine. This profound truth left me awestruck. My heart was eager to know the truth, but my head was putting up a good fight. After praying and giving the matter to God, my mind and heart agree that Jesus Christ was both fully human and fully divine.
Jesus did not become a man in part, but was fully human with a body, mind, will, and emotions. Jesus got hungry and thirsty and became tired and weary. Above all, He was mortal and died. A beautiful expression of love, Jesus laid down His life so you can have everlasting life.
Having walked on this earth, Jesus understands the trials and temptations you face. Because He is fully divine, you can be confident that He has the power to change circumstances and lives, and heal sicknesses and sorrows. If you are grief-stricken, remember that Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. If you are falsely accused, if your friends betray you, if you are rejected and ridiculed, remember that Jesus knew no sin, and He died for you. —Susan Ferguson
“I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NAS)
Just at dusk one evening, I found myself sitting quietly outdoors on the patio. It didn’t seem like an ordinary evening…the already dingy gray skies were quickly filling with black clouds. Seemed ominous. My mind was filled with questions and my spirit was seeking assurance from the Lord about a major challenge in my life.
Gazing into the dark sky, I prayed for a sign that God was indeed with me and that the outcome of my challenge would bring Him glory. Suddenly the dazzling light from a single star burst through the black clouds. Tears of wonder and gratitude fell. The God of the universe had orchestrated nature to calm my anxious heart! His light pierced the darkness and entered my life, bringing peace and hope, and illuminating my path ahead.
Jesus’ proclamation in John 8:12 is a promise … we shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life. That promise also has a condition…to follow Him. The first step is always ours and it is very clear in James 4:8: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Draw near. Follow Jesus. He will illuminate your path, dispel the darkness surrounding you, and bring to you peace and hope as you step forward in the light of life! —Karen Pourbabaee
In our tumultuous and chaotic world, there are more refugees than ever before. Very few would become a refugee by choice, but sometimes war and famine, persecution and poverty force their hand. In Australia, a large amount of money has been spent trying to protect our borders from those who want to come here uninvited. Hopefully, we can find a way to separate the opportunists from the genuine cases without losing our compassion. Refugees are people like us. They just want a safe and secure place to live – something we so easily take for granted.
Did you realize that Jesus spent much of the first five years of His life on earth as a refugee in Egypt. At the time of His birth, King Herod was a despot ruler, who was determined to crush any threats to his throne. When the wise men from the east turned up at his Jerusalem palace looking for a new born king, Herod became very troubled. Determined to nip this threat in the bud, Herod encouraged the wise men to go and find the child – under the guise that he too wanted to worship Him. After being warned in a dream, Joseph took the baby Jesus and His mother and escaped to Egypt. The family lived as refugees for a few years until news of Herod’s death meant it was safe to return. In Jesus, we have someone who knows first hand just how tough life can be. His words of hope, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”, have the authority of someone who understands.
Give a thought for the refugees and other displaced people around the world; for those amongst us who’ve been displace by unemployment, sickness, abuse and life’s hard knocks – it’s not always their fault. Look for opportunities to lend a hand, spread some hope, and make a difference. Make room in your budget to support one of the many charities that are struggling to make a difference in these tough economic times. —Mark Trodd
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. (John 11:32-34 NIV)
Beautiful One, No matter what you are facing today, no matter what it looks like or how long you have struggled, know this; “IT’S NOT OVER!”
There are times in our lives that we will come face to face with pain. I’m talking about real pain, the kind of pain that you don’t ever think you will recover from, pain that grips your heart and confuses your mind, the kind of pain that makes you question everyone and everything, including yourself and God.
Pain comes in many forms; it doesn’t favor any one person, gender, race, or social group. The truth is; if there is air in your lungs and you are on this earth, you will be confronted by pain. Some of us have known more pain than others, some of us have more to overcome than others but in the end, does it really matter? Pain is pain and when it grips your very soul, it can be the most paralyzing, overwhelming, hopeless feeling one could experience.
I may not know your name, I may not know exactly what you’ve been through, but the Father told me to tell you—“It’s Not Over!”
You might be in the place where the odds are against you, the battle may have worn you out, the enemy might be doing a victory dance, but—“It’s Not Over!”
Beautiful One, the above verse gives us more than we realize about the heart of God and about pain.
The Bible says that when Mary reached the place where Jesus was she fell down and cried out “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Here is what she was really saying; “Lord, where were you, why didn’t you do anything, how come you let this happen?” Mary was immobilized by her pain and her disappointment was obvious; where was God when she needed him?
Have you ever asked God that question? Have you ever been in so much pain, hoping the Lord would show up and save the day only to be disappointed and the outcome you feared came upon you?
Beautiful One, no one likes to admit their doubt and disappointment with the Lord, no one, but in order to grasp the full measure of God, we need to be real for a moment, pain and confusing times do come as we walk with the Lord, they just do, for His ways are not our ways and every way to a mans heart seems right, but it is the purpose of the Lord that prevails.
The conflict is part of the plan, God is not upset that we question Him, God understands our struggles, and through the pain and tears, He always shows us things we knew not of and He always comes through, in the end, when we look back, we find, He was right there.
Pain blinds the eye and pierces the heart and if we are not honest with where we’re at, we will unknowingly view life through the lens of pain and it will effect what we believe God to be.
When Jesus saw Mary’s tears, when He heard her subtle disbelief and disappointment, He didn’t scold her, or walk away from her, He became deeply troubled in His own Spirit and He asked her “where have you laid him?”
What Christ was saying to her was; “ take me to the place you stopped believing in ME”, Christ told Mary then and is beckoning YOU now, " show ME the tomb you buried your hopes and dreams of something better in, take me to that place in your life that destroyed you and you silently gave up, take me to the place that you accepted as dead and allow me to breathe life into it again.”
Beautiful One, tough times never last BUT TOUGH PEOPLE DO!
God sees your tears and hears your cry, when YOU hurt, HE hurts, HE weeps when YOU weep, but HE remembers what we tend to forget, and that is; the situation you are facing, the pain you are in will not end up for your destruction, BUT for the Glory of God.
Beautiful One, Mary was just like us, she was a believer, she loved the Lord but adversity and pain came knocking on her door and when she cried out for help and when it didn’t come the way she wanted it to, her pain magnified, she questioned everything she knew and she voiced it to her Lord, she was real, she didn’t hide and act like she was ok, she questioned God and God met her right where she was at, in her pain and HE did exceedingly, abundantly, more than she had asked, thought or imagined He would do.
At the end of her story—Christ came through!
And He will do the same for YOU …
Pain is hard, it hurts, it wounds us in ways we never imagined possible but in the end, God will work it together for our good and for His Glory.
Beautiful One Hold On, Just Believe because He is never early, He is never late, HE is always right on time ...
And ... It’s Not Over! —Shannon Heiden
