ARE YOU THERE

“Why standest thou afar off, O LORD?  why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?”

Psalm 10:1 KJV

Every time I read this verse, it reminds me of the story I read about a husband and wife who were driving down the highway.  The wife said to her husband who was driving the car.  “We don’t sit next to each other any more”.  The husband replied and said to his wife.  “I haven’t moved”. 

Have you ever felt like Jesus has left you or have you ever asked Him “are You there”?  Jesus hasn’t moved.  He is still with us.  We are the ones who sometimes move away from Him.  I invited Jesus into my heart on August 14, 1980 and He has never left me, not even for one minute.  He is so faithful.

I don’t know what is going on in your life.  I don’t know all of the heartaches and trials you are going through but Jesus knows and He cares about you.  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  Jesus is waiting with open arms for you to come to Him.

May we always stay close to Jesus.  He loves us so much that He died for us and He wants to help us.  He already knows what we are going through but He wants us to share our heart with Him.  Allow Jesus to help you and carry you through all the dark valleys in your life.  

Joanne Lowe

February 28, 2015

REBUILDER OF OUR BROKEN HEART

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 KJV

We are living in a world that is filled with violence, murders, wars and heartaches.  People say and do things that hurt us and discourage us.  However, if we have accepted Jesus into our heart as our personal Saviour, He will heal our broken heart because He loves us and is the rebuilder of our broken heart.

If you are going through a crisis and your heart is breaking and you don’t think you can give another smile or take another step, tell Jesus.  He will help you take the next step and give the next smile.  Jesus understands how it feels to be discouraged and hurt because He was ridiculed, mocked, beaten and crucified.

He loves you very much and He will pick you up in His loving arms and carry you through all the dark valleys in your life.  Jesus wants us to be happy.  “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Heavenly Father, You are the God of all comfort.  Thank You for comforting us and for sending Jesus to die for our sins and also to be the rebuilder of our broken heart.  Jesus, You have been so faithful to me.  You have never left me, not even for a minute.  Thank You.  I love You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 27, 2015

HE KNOWS AND STILL LOVES US

“O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.”

Psalm 69:5 KJV

I wonder if we really appreciate our Heavenly Father and His unconditional love for us like we should.  God knows everything about us.  He sees every place we go.  He hears every word we say and sees everything we do.  He knows our thoughts.  He knows what we are going to say and do before we say and do it.

Think about it!  Our precious Heavenly Father loves us even when we hurt Him and fail Him.  His love is not like our love.  There are times we turn our love off and on like a water faucet.  God’s love for us is unconditional and He will never stop loving us no matter what we do or say.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us even when we hurt You.  Comfort and encourage all those who are discouraged just as You have comforted and encouraged me so many times when I was hurting.  I love You and appreciate You.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 26, 2015

GOD WANTS US

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

Genesis 1:1 KJV

God doesn’t need anything or anybody so why did God create the heaven and earth?  It is because He desires fellowship.  God wants us to fellowship with Him.  I heard a sermon on the radio yesterday that really touched my heart.  The pastor said “God wants us”.  It is true God doesn’t need us but God wants us.

Have you ever heard someone say “I wish you had never been born”?  Has someone ever said it to you?  There are parents that do say that to their children.  They might as well take a knife and plunge it as deep as they can into their children’s heart.  I have good news for you.  God loves you and He wants you.

God, the Father of our precious and beautiful Saviour, not only loves us, He also wants us.  He wants us to share our heart with Him, our joys and our sorrows.  God, the Maker of Heaven and earth wants you!  God wants you, pastors.  God wants you, parents, God wants every one of us.  You are precious to God.

When I was in high school someone said to me “You are stupid, ugly and fat.  You will never amount to anything.  You don’t have a right to live.  You should commit suicide because you’re just taking up space in this world.”  Not only did those words hurt me and cripple me emotionally, they also hurt Jesus.

If we will allow it to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge that when we say or do something mean and cruel to someone we are also doing it to Jesus, I don’t think we would say so many words that hurt people or do things on purpose to hurt one another.  May God help us to love others as He loves us.

Joanne Lowe

February 25, 2015

THANK YOU FOR LOVING US

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16 KJV

When we pray and ask God for something, let’s remember to thank Him for loving us and for giving Jesus to die for our sins so we can go to Heaven when we die.  We have a tender compassionate and loving Heavenly Father.  O how He loves us.  What a privilege it is to belong to the family of God.

We have a Father Who will never yell at us, never curse us, never hit us and He will never disown us.  When the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin, we are a child of God forever!  God also will never tell us that He wishes we’d never been born.  O how I love my Heavenly Father.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that You gave Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so we can be saved.  We love You so much and we appreciate all You have done for us and all You do for us every day.  Please help us to love one another unconditionally.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 24, 2015

HE WILL ALWAYS LOVE US

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.  I and my Father are one.”

John 10:27-30 KJV

I write a lot about Jesus loving us.  However, it is very important and even urgent that we allow it to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge that the Saviour of the world loves us so much He died on the cross and paid the penalty for our sins so we can have the privilege of being saved and going to Heaven.

I believe with all my heart that if people would allow it to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge that Jesus loves them and that He loves them unconditionally, there wouldn’t be as much hatred, crime and violence in the world.  So many people are hurting and lonely and they need to know Jesus loves them.

May God help us to not only tell people how much Jesus loves them but also to prove to them how much He loves them by our kind words and our kind actions.  O how we need to love one another unconditionally just as Jesus loves us.  I am so thankful for the privilege of serving Jesus, the One Who died for me. 

Joanne Lowe

February 23, 2015

OUR HEAVENLY FATHER REALLY LOVES US

“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.  And he arose, and came to his father.  But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

Luke 15:18-20 KJV

Our Heavenly Father really loves us because when we go to Him and ask Him to forgive us for something we have done that hurt Him, if we will look with the eyes of our heart we will see Him running to meet us and kiss us as He says to us “Welcome Home”.  What a tender and precious Heavenly Father we have.

We know that our Heavenly Father loves us.  He has proved how much He loves us when He gave Jesus to us to be our personal Saviour.  The question every Christian needs to ask himself or herself is “How much do I love my Heavenly Father and what am I doing for Him”?

Heavenly Father, we give You praise and we thank You for being a tender loving Father.  Thank You for being a compassionate forgiving Father.  I’m sorry for the times when I have failed You and hurt You.  Help us to love unconditionally as Jesus has commanded us to love.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 22, 2015

WHAT WILL GOD SAY

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:16,17 KJV

What will God say to us when we get to Heaven?  What is He saying to us right now?  Is He pleased with the words we say and the things we do?  I wonder if we will be able to look Him in the eye or will we have to hang our head in shame because of the way we live.  We should do all we can do to make Him happy.

If God has given us a mission, we need to ask Him to help us if we get discouraged and feel like giving up.  Jesus fulfilled the mission His Father had given Him when He allowed them to crucify Him on the cross for your sins and for my sins.  What a precious loving Saviour we are privileged to know and have.

Years ago, I read an article about a lady in the newspaper.  The article reported that the lady was over eighty years old.  I don’t remember how old she was.  What touched my heart was several people who were giving tributes about the lady said “I never heard her say one unkind word to anybody.”

That tribute not only touched my heart it also convicted me and made me ashamed because before I was saved and walking with Jesus I said some things that were not very nice to people when I lost my temper.  I had a terrible temper before I was saved but Jesus gave me a new heart and I don’t lose my temper now.

Heavenly Father, I pray that You will help us to be kind and loving to one another.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 21, 2015

THE WARMTH OF GOD’S LOVE

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

Jeremiah 31:3 KJV

It is very cold outside as I am typing this but my heart is warm because it has the warmth of God’s love in it.  All of us need to be loved, comforted and encouraged.  God is our Cheerleader because if we will listen with our heart, we will hear Him saying to us “I believe in you and I love you.  I will help you do it”.

What a comfort it is to our weary battle scarred heart to know that our Heavenly Father not only loves us unconditionally, we can also share our heart with Him anytime and know that He listens to us and cares about us.  He will comfort and encourage us.  Thank God for the warmth of His love.

Have you ever had a day when you were happy and singing when all of a sudden without any warning at all satan attacked you with vicious and poisonous lies?  It makes satan very angry when we are serving Jesus and satan will do all he can do to discourage us so much that we stop serving Jesus.

We must not let that happen!  As soon as satan attacks us, we need to cry out to God and ask Him to help us.  Our Heavenly Father is a loving protective Father and He will not only help us, He will also comfort and encourage us.  What a privilege it is to be loved and protected by our Heavenly Father.

Heavenly Father, I pray for every person who is hurting and discouraged.  Please comfort and encourage them as You have comforted and encouraged me so many times.  I love You, dear Father.  Thank You for Jesus.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 20, 2015

NOW

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.  Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

Matthew 24:42-44 KJV

We don’t have the promise of tomorrow or even another hour.  All we have is right now.  There are many people who are hurting, discouraged and brokenhearted and some are even suicidal.  They desperately need to know that someone loves them.  We can love them and tell them we love them.

However, that is not enough.  They need to know that Jesus loves them and that He loves them unconditionally.  We have a choice to make right now.  We can choose to watch television most of the day or we can use the time to tell others how much Jesus loves them and then prove He loves them by our actions.

I used to watch television most of the day until I gave my heart and life to Jesus.  When it went from head knowledge to heart knowledge how much Jesus loves me and that He died for my sins, I asked God to forgive me for wasting that time and asked Him to please help me tell others about Jesus.

A dear friend of mine gave me a beautiful picture for Christmas which I hung on the wall in my office.  It has flowers and a beautiful verse on it.  “Each day is God’s gift to you, Make it blossom and grow into a thing of beauty.”  There are twenty four hours in a day.  How many hours are we serving Jesus?

Joanne Lowe

February 19, 2015

WE CAN TRUST HIM

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.  Selah.”

Psalm 62:5-8 KJV

Have you ever wanted to share something with someone but you were afraid it would be repeated to somebody else?  Tell God what is in your heart.  We can trust Him because God would never tell anyone what we share with Him.  He already knows what is in our heart but He wants us to share it with Him.

God loves us very much and He wants us to come to Him and share what is in our heart with Him.  We can go to Him any time day or night and we don’t have to take a number and stand in line and we don’t get an answering machine.  God is waiting for us with His arms open wide and a heart full of love.

When someone shares his or her heart with us, we should encourage the person and pray with them.  We can comfort them but only God can take their burdens away and give them peace, a peace that passes all understanding.  God is faithful and He cares when we have burdens and are heartbroken.

Precious Heavenly Father, thank You for the many times You have listened as I poured out my heart to You.  It is so wonderful to know that You won’t repeat what we tell You and that You really do care about us.  I pray for every person who is hurting.  Please comfort them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 18, 2015

WE ARE UNWORTHY

“John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.”

John 1:26,27 KJV

We are unworthy to go to Heaven but because of the redeeming blood of Jesus, Who loves us so much He allowed them to crucify Him on a cross of horror and suffered agony and pain that you and I will never know, we have the privilege of having our sins forgiven and living in Heaven for all eternity.

Thank God for the unconditional love of Jesus and His precious atoning blood that cleanses us from all sin.  What a Saviour!  What a Friend, this Jesus of Nazareth!  All hail, KING JESUS!  Worthy is the Lamb of God.  One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your unconditional love and for being a compassionate forgiving Father.  Jesus, I love You with all my heart.  Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins.  One day I will have the privilege of seeing You face to face.  How I long for that day.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 17, 2015

THE SONG OF LOVE

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16 KJV

If we will listen with our heart, we will hear our Heavenly Father singing the song of love to us “I love you”.  Not only does He tell us He loves us and sings the song of love to us, He proved His love for us when He gave Jesus to die for us.  We have a tender compassionate Heavenly Father Who loves us very much.

When Jesus was hanging on the cross bruised, beaten and bleeding, He was singing the song of love to us.  He not only told us how much He loves us, He showed us how much He loves us.  We have a tender loving and compassionate Saviour.  O how I love Jesus!  He is the Joy of my heart.

Are we singing the song of love to our Heavenly Father by our kind loving words and actions?  What about our family?  Do they know we love them by our actions and our kind words?  May God help us to be kind and loving to our family so they will see the love of Jesus in our actions and hear Him in our words.

Heavenly Father, there are many people who are brokenhearted and feel all alone.  Please encourage them and comfort them as only You can.  May they feel Your peace, the peace that passes all understanding.  Thank You for the many times that You have encouraged and comforted me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 16, 2015

LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”

John 15:12-14 KJV

Are we a friend of Jesus?  If we don’t love one another unconditionally as He loves us, we are not His friend.  Not only are we not His friend, we are hurting Him and breaking His heart.  Jesus has done so much for us and He asks so little from us.  We should be willing and eager to do whatever He asks us to do.

If we want others to forgive us and love us unconditionally when we hurt them, we need to forgive them and love them unconditionally when they hurt us.  What about our Heavenly Father?  Do we love Him unconditionally or do we just love Him when He answers our prayers the way we want them answered?

God sometimes doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want Him to answer them.  However, we need to remember that God knows best.  He knows our future and sometimes He has to say no because what we ask for is not good for us or is not in His perfect plan for our life.  We need to trust Him when He says no.

How do we lay down our life for our friends?  We may never have to die for them physically but we can die to what we want to do.  Do we always insist on going to eat where we want to go or always doing what we want to do?  Instead of going to eat where we want to go eat, let’s go eat where they want to go.

Heavenly Father, please help us to love others as Jesus has commanded us to love them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 15, 2015  

A VALENTINE FOR OUR BRIDEGROOM

“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”

Matthew 25:6 KJV

Today is Valentine’s Day.  We give cards and candy and flowers to our loved ones on Valentine’s Day.  What about Jesus?  What are we going to give to Jesus, our Bridegroom today?  We may have invited Him into our heart but is He first in our heart and life?  If not, we can give Him our love and first place in our heart.

Jesus proved His love for you when He allowed them to crucify Him on a cross of horror.  He suffered and endured a lot of pain for your sins so you can be saved.  He died for you.  Have you given your heart to Him?  If not, I urge you to give your heart to Him today before it is too late.  He is worthy of your love.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so we can be saved.  Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for my sins.  I love You so much and I appreciate all You have done for me and all You do for me every day.  Happy Valentine’s Day, dear Jesus.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 14, 2015

NOBODY AND NOTHING

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38,39 KJV

What a precious promise from our Heavenly Father to us that nobody and nothing can separate us from His love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  When it seems like everything that can go wrong does go wrong, we can hold this promise close to our heart.  God’s love for us will never end.

If your heart is breaking and you feel all alone, remember you are not alone.  Jesus has told us that He will never leave us or forsake us.  Jesus is with us when we’re in the valley just as He is with us when we’re on the mountain top.  What a comfort it is to know that Jesus is always with us and we are never alone.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us even when we fail You.  I pray that we won’t do anything that will hurt You and break Your heart.  Help us to love one another unconditionally just as You love us.  May our words and our actions make You happy.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 13, 2015

DO WE BELIEVE HIM

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

John 14:1-3 KJV

We say that we believe what Jesus tells us but do we really believe Him?  Do we really believe He has prepared a place for us in Heaven?  If we do believe it, why do we worry about living in a big home here on earth when we are going to live in a mansion decorated by Jesus Himself?

There are huge beautiful houses in magazines decorated with beautiful expensive furniture and other things but no house we have ever seen or ever will see can compare to the mansion Jesus is preparing for us.  Our mansion in Heaven is filled with His unconditional love and we will be with Jesus for all eternity.

I live in a two bedroom trailer and I have turned one of the bedrooms into an office that I use when I type the devotions God lays on my heart to write.  The trailer needs painting.  There are ugly stains on the walls and when I first moved here the stains really bothered me.

However, one day as I looked at those stains they reminded me that Jesus loved me even when my heart was ugly and stained with sin.  I like to see those stains now because they remind me that Jesus loves me so much that He died on the cross for me.  My sins have been cleansed by the redeeming blood of Jesus.

Thank God for His Love and for the redeeming blood of Jesus that cleanses the stains of sin and ugliness from our heart.

Joanne Lowe

February 12, 2015    

ALL WE NEED

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV

We sing the beautiful hymn “You’re All I Need” and Jesus really is all we need.  He is enough for every crisis and for every heartache.  When we are brokenhearted and going through dark valleys, He tenderly picks us up in His loving arms and carries us through the dark valleys in our life.

Not only does Jesus pick us up and carry us through the dark valleys in our life, He sets us once again on the mountain top of happiness.  Have you allowed it to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge how much Jesus loves you?  No one loves you like Jesus loves you and no one ever will.

What a compassionate, tender forgiving and loving Saviour we are privileged to know and to have.  If you have invited Jesus into your heart to be your personal Saviour, God has adopted you into His family.  You are a blood bought child of God and Heaven is your home.  You will see Jesus face to face.

Joanne Lowe

February 11, 2015

HE WAS HUMAN

“And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.  And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.  And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”

Luke 23:32-34 KJV

I knew Jesus had been crucified on the cross for my sins but I didn’t think about Him being human when He was crucified because I always thought about Him as my precious Saviour.  The day I realized that He was human when He was crucified, that He suffered and had feelings like we do, I cried like a baby.

Every time I think about Jesus suffering all that excruciating pain and agony because of my sins, I am humbled that He loves me so much that He died for me.  Rusty Goodman wrote a beautiful hymn about Jesus loving us so much He died for us on the cross “Who Am I”.  We are sinners who are saved by grace.

Many years ago, one of the pastors at the church I was a member of volunteered to hang on the cross during the passion play.  I couldn’t watch because when I looked at that cross and saw the pastor hanging there, I realized that Jesus really did suffer all of that agony and pain because of me and my sins.

Has it gone from head knowledge to heart knowledge that Jesus loves you so much that He allowed them to spit on Him, curse Him, mock Him, pluck His beard and beat Him beyond recognition so you can have your sins forgiven and live in Heaven for all eternity?  What a Saviour, this Jesus of Nazareth!

Joanne Lowe

February 10, 2015 

AND THE TEARS FELL

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

John 19:30 KJV

When Jesus was hanging on the cross dying for our sins, God had to turn away from His own Son because Jesus had taken our sins on Him and God can’t look at sin.  God cried and the tears fell.  Also, God cries when He sees some of the things we do and hears some of the things we say to each other.

Jesus will never be crucified again but He is still enduring emotional punishment.  Jesus has told us when we are kind and loving to others, we are being kind and loving to Him.  He has also told us to love one another unconditionally just as He loves us but we don’t always love each other unconditionally.

How we must break the heart of our precious Saviour when we don’t love people unconditionally as He loves us.  If Jesus asked His Father to forgive us while He was still hanging on the cross beaten beyond recognition with the blood flowing down His body, how dare you and I refuse to forgive those who hurt us?

May God have mercy on us if we don’t forgive those who hurt us.  How dare you and I ask our Heavenly Father to forgive us if we’re not willing to forgive those who hurt us?  If we want people we hurt to forgive us, we had better forgive those who hurt us.  It is so true that you get back what you give out.

Heavenly Father, how Your heart must have broken when Jesus was beaten and hung on a cross of torture as He died for our sins.  You couldn’t even look at Your Son because He had taken our sins on Him.  Thank You for loving us so much and thank You for Jesus.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 9, 2015

ANYWHERE

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Joshua 1:8,9 KJV

It doesn’t matter where we live or where we go because God is with us.  There was a time in my life when I had to stay at the Salvation Army.  God was still with me protecting me.  Whether we live in a large beautiful house or a very small house, He is with us.  I’m so glad God is with us anywhere we go.

God has commanded us to be strong and of a good courage but I think if are honest with ourselves, we sometimes are afraid of what might happen to us.  It is always safe to trust God because when God promises us something, He keeps His word.  What a compassionate, protective and loving Heavenly Father we have.

Not only is God with us, Jesus is also with us because Jesus promised us that He will never leave us or forsake us.  Even when our family and friends have to go home after they visit us, Jesus is still with us.  I used to get real lonely when my family went home until I realized that Jesus is with me all the time.

Heavenly Father, thank You for your protection.  I pray that You will reassure those who are in the middle of a crisis that You will be with them and protect them.  Please be with our foreign missionaries and protect them from all harm and let them know how much You appreciate them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 8, 2015

HEAVEN

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.  Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 14:1-6 KJV

The greatest thing about going to Heaven to me is that we will see Jesus face to face and we will be with Him for all eternity.  The second most important thing to me is I will be able to sing.  I read this in a devotional book “If you can sing, sing.  If you can’t carry a tune, let the Spirit carry it for you.”

I’m so glad that God listens to the song coming from our heart and that He doesn’t listen to see if we can carry a tune.  One glorious day, I will sing with the Heavenly Choir forever and I won’t be kicked out of the Heavenly Choir as I was kicked out of a church choir because I was told I couldn’t carry a tune.

What a glorious day it is going to be when Jesus comes back for us.  We will see our loved ones who are already in Heaven and we’ll never have to say goodbye.  We will see Jesus face to face.  Think about it!  We are going to have the privilege of seeing Jesus Who loves us so much He died on the cross for our sins.

How I long for the day when I will see my precious Saviour face to face!  I’m going to give Him a big hug and for all eternity I’m going to tell Him how much I love Him and appreciate Him.  What a precious loving Saviour we are privileged to know and have.

Joanne Lowe

February 7, 2015

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT

“But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.”

Deuteronomy 1:38 KJV

Just as we have to eat every day because we get hungry, so we need daily encouragement because of all the heartaches and stress in our life.  All of us are hungry for love.  If Jesus needed to be encouraged, how much more you and I need to be encouraged.  Every one of us needs to be encouraged.

Evangelist Charles Weigle wrote the beautiful and inspiring hymn “No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus”.  How true this is because no one ever cared for us like Jesus does and no one ever will.  We are very blessed and privileged to be loved by the Saviour of the world.  O how I love Jesus!

Have you encouraged your spouse, your children and your loved ones today?  Have you encouraged your pastor?  What about Jesus?  Have you encouraged Him today?  How do we encourage Jesus?  We encourage Him by being kind and loving to others and by telling everyone how much Jesus loves them.

Joanne Lowe

February 6, 2015

HE GIVES US LIGHT

“For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.”

Psalm 18:28 KJV

A pastor said in one of his sermons “We were in a cave and it was so dark I couldn’t see my hands”.  Sometimes people criticize us and ridicule us and the light in our heart dims.   It is then that we need to ask God to shine His light of love brighter in our heart to take away the darkness of criticism and ridicule.

As heartbreaking as it is for us to be criticized and ridiculed, what is even worse is for you and I to criticize and ridicule someone else.  Christians are supposed to live so others will know that Jesus lives in our heart and has made a difference in our heart.  Do people know you are a Christian?

Heavenly Father, please shine Your light of love brighter in our heart when people say unkind words to us.  Thank You for Your light and thank You for loving us.  I pray for everyone who is hurting.  Please encourage them and comfort them as only You can.  Thank You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 5, 2015

HE IS CALLING US

“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.  And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.  And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked?  Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?  And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.  And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?  And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”

Genesis 3:8-13 KJV

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent.  Isn’t this what we do a lot of times?  Instead of accepting the blame when we do something wrong, we blame others.  It is time that we admit that we sometimes fail God and ask Him to forgive us. 

If we will listen with our heart, we will hear God calling us to serve His Son.  We read in the Bible “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?  Then said I, Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8).  Have you answered the call and told Jesus you will go for Him?

He may not be calling us to go to a different country as a foreign missionary but He is calling us to tell everyone about the good news of our risen Saviour.  Our service to Jesus depends on our love for Him.  How much do you love Him and how much are you willing to do for Him?  O how I love Jesus!

Joanne Lowe

February 4, 2015

FORGIVEN NOT PERFECT

“And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Jeremiah 31:34 KJV

My sister gave me a blouse.  It has a picture of the Bible and the words “I’M NOT PERFECT JUST FORGIVEN”.  Even though I’ve had the blouse for a long time and it has faded because of being washed so much, it is my favorite blouse because it says that I am forgiven.  Thank God for His forgiveness.

I have received a lot of emails telling me how wonderful it is that I write devotions and even though I appreciate the kind words and comments because I get discouraged just like you do, I am not perfect.  Please don’t look to me, keep your eyes on Jesus.  He is the only perfect One and He will never fail you.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).  Don’t look to me or to your pastor or to your Sunday school teacher because we are human, look to Jesus.

Rev. Arthur Luther wrote a hymn I used to sing in Sunday school “Jesus Never Fails”.  I was always happy when we sang it.  I used to put people on pedestals but I don’t do that any more. We are still in the flesh and we will fail one another at times.  Also, it’s not fair to people to put them on a pedestal.

Heavenly Father, thank You for forgiving my sins.  Jesus, thank You for dying for my sins.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 3, 2015

ARE THEY PLEASING TO HIM

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

Colossians 3:17 KJV

When we say words and do things, are they pleasing to Him?  May God help us to be a good example of the believers in the things we do and the words we say.  If the things we want to do make God unhappy, we shouldn’t do them.  If the words we say are breaking God’s heart, we need to stop saying them.

Heavenly Father, I pray that You would put a zipper on my mouth if I start to say something that would hurt You.  Please help me point others to Jesus by the way I live and the words I say.  May others always see the love of Jesus in my smiles, in my words and in the things I do.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

February 2, 2015

DO THEY KNOW

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

John 13:34,35 KJV

Several years ago, I had a wonderful Sunday school teacher but I could never remember her name.  I remembered how loving and kind she was but I couldn’t remember her name.  When I told her I couldn’t remember her name she said “It’s okay because you know I love Jesus and that I love you”.

It is so important and even urgent that people see the love of Jesus in our smiles and hear His love for them in the words we say to them.  There are so many people who are hurting, lonely, heartbroken, going through crises and some of them are even suicidal.  They need to know how much Jesus loves them.

What about our spouse and children?  Do we tell them we love them every day or just on birthdays and holidays?  A man who was talking to a friend said “I don’t have to tell my wife I love her.  My wife should know I love her.  I married her.”  I’m so glad our Bridegroom, Jesus tells us every day that He loves us.

What about Jesus?  Do we tell Him every day how much we love Him and appreciate Him or do we just tell Him on Christmas day?  I believe we hurt Him and break His heart many times because we neglect to talk to Him and tell Him that we love Him.  Jesus has feelings and we need to tell Him that we love Him.

Joanne Lowe

February 1, 2015