Remember Me~

Greetings,

Luke 23 in the Bible details the crucifixion of Jesus, and we learn in verse 32 that two other men, convicted criminals, were also crucified – one on each side of Christ. Verse 39 says one of them "hurled insults at Jesus." Verses 42, however, paints a different picture of the other criminal: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

How did Jesus respond?

“Today you will be with me in paradise.”

No harsh words about a crime-filled life. No judgment, no condemnation, no criticism. The criminal wanted forgiveness, and Jesus gave it.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, today we unite our voice with the forgiven criminal who realized his need for Jesus and say, "Remember us!"  We look forward to being with You in Paradise. In the meantime, thank You that You are with us each step of the way on planet earth. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

A POWERFUL FAITH BUILDER

Greetings, 

I love the entire ninth chapter in the book of Matthew in the Holy Bible, and I encourage you to read it today.  Christ heals a paralyzed man, forgives sin, calls a man to be one of His beloved disciples, heeds a desperate father's request to resuscitate a child who has died,  restores the sight of two blind men, casts the demon out of a possessed man, and literally "traveled through all the towns and villages...announcing the Good News about the Kingdom, healing every kind of disease and illness...having compassion on the crowds..."

Jesus brings health and wholeness to the soul, the body, and the mind. He defines a life's purpose for Matthew when He called him to be a disciple, and He rewards faith. And Christ did all these blessed things with compassion and unparalleled power and authority.

There is not one area of your life, nor one aspect of your being that is beyond the reach or the might of Jesus to bring health and wholeness. 

Remember the paralyzed man Christ healed? "Some men brought him to Jesus."

Remember the girl who Jesus raised from the dead? He did so in response to a father who pleaded, "Come and put Your hand on her, and she will live."

Remember the two bind men whose sight was restored? First they, "followed Him, calling out, 'Have mercy on us,  Messiah!'"

Remember the demon-possessed man? He was "brought to Jesus."

Let us bring others to the Lord in prayer, and let us plead for ourselves while we are at it. Let us follow after the One Who has infinite compassion, power, and authority.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for Matthew chapter nine. This is a faith-building chapter because Your unlimited power is on display. We praise You for Your willingness to use it in response to prayer! You know what is best, and we need You in every area of our lives  -  soul, body, and mind.  Have mercy on us, Messiah! In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Worthy of Those Words...

TGIF greetings,

Yesterday I attended a funeral for someone who was buried with Military Honors.  I had never been to one, and it really touched my heart to see the 21-gun salute and the playing of Taps on the bugle.  What impacted me the most, however, was when the Honor Guard lifted the flag off the coffin, folded it with fierce precision, and lovingly placed it in the widow’s arms saying, “This flag is presented on behalf of the President of the United States and a grateful nation as a token of appreciation for your loved one’s honorable and faithful service.  God bless you and this family, and God bless the United States of America.”

I got the chills when I witnessed the ceremony first hand, and I got the chills again just re-writing it.  

And the person who passed was worthy of those words. Mario Felipe Seijo spent a lifetime expressing his great love for our country and humbly showing everyone who asked to see it, the Purple Heart he was awarded in Vietnam.  One time he allowed my then nine-year-old Rayray to actually take the Purple Heart to school for a presentation she was doing.  Rachel in her innocence asked for permission, and he, in his magnanimity said yes without giving it a second thought!

Most of us will not be buried with Military Honors, and I can’t even imagine what so many veterans, Mr. Seijo included, had to endure to be honored this way. However, we can all still be at the receiving end of some amazing words:

Matthew 25: 34-40 “The King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began.  I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me.  I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me… I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was Me—you did it to Me.’”

Do we want to receive good things from God? Do want to inherit the kingdom? Be a blessing to others, and God will say the words in the verses above directly to you!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We take a moment to thank You for Mario Seijo and the veterans of this great nation who did so much for us.  We know that beyond the heartfelt words we could ever speak of them here, You have great rewards for them in Heaven.  In Your goodness, You also have rewards for those of us who choose to be a blessing to others.  Strengthen us in Jesus’ name to always be a shining light. We also pray for your peace for the Seijo family. In Christ’s name, AMEN~

The Keys are Right There~

Matthew 16:19 “You have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”

One of my favorite TV shows is the 1960's sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.  It’s such a funny show, and it seems like almost every episode someone winds up in jail.  One time a character named Otis was locked up for the night and was waiting to be let out when all along the keys were right in the middle of the two cells hanging on a peg.  That’s one of the running jokes of the show.  The keys are always hanging on that peg within easy reach of anyone who is inside.

So many of us are like Otis: The keys are right there, but we don’t realize it or just plain don’t use them.  We stayed locked up in fear, loneliness, stress, hopelessness, sickness, and need because we don’t use the keys. 

Which keys?  The keys to the kingdom.  And how do we receive them?  By prayer.  We always come back to prayer.

Prayer is the means by which heavens doors open up and bless us here on earth.  Prayers eliminate barriers. Prayers give us complete and free access to everything God has to offer.  Please refer to Psalm 103 for a tiny glimpse of everything that is ours. 

Prayer is never about a free pass to ask for whatever we want and to do whatever we want to do; God will never do anything contrary to His Word.

But prayer is the means by which God decided to make a bridge between heaven and earth.  Christ gave us His life to build that bridge and like Otis, all we have to do is reach through the bars and grab those keys.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for so freely giving us the keys to the kingdom.  Some days, we forget to use the keys, or we forget they are right there.  But thank You that they are the easiest things to access; all it takes is a little talk with Jesus.  We say “YES!” to Jesus and the health, protection, peace, love, and hope that He offers right here where we are on earth.  And we say “No!” to anxiety, disease, worry, fear, loneliness, and hatred.  Heaven agrees with us, and we receive it! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!