Monday, October 31, 2016

ONE JOYOUS AND HAPPY DAY

“Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.”
Isaiah 51:11 KJV

One joyous and happy day Jesus is going to come back for us and we will be with Him forever.  How I long for the day when I will see my precious Saviour face to face.  If you have been going through crises and dark valleys and are discouraged and brokenhearted, remember that one day all sorrow will be gone.

It is very important that we comfort one another and are an encouragement to each other.  We read in the Bible.  “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God” (Isaiah 40:1).  The people who say they don’t need anyone are not being truthful.  Even Jesus needed friends when He was here.

If Jesus needed friends, how much more you and I need friends.  All of us are human and all of us get discouraged at times.  “They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage” (Isaiah 41:6).  Are we being a comfort and encouragement to each other? 

Joanne Lowe
October 31, 2016

Sunday, October 30, 2016

IN HIS ARMS 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

A little boy who was dying asked a teenage boy what it is like to die.  The teenage boy said “I think it’s like when we are little and sick.  We wake up and know that we’re not in our bed and we’re scared for a minute and then we realize we’re in our parent’s bed.  I think it’s like that with dying.”

What a beautiful explanation he gave to the little boy about our Heavenly Father.  We may be scared for a minute when we die and then we realize that we’re in His arms of love.  Dottie Rambo wrote the beautiful inspiring hymn “Sheltered in the Arms of God”.  It is one of my favorite hymns.  I love the words.

“Soon I shall hear the call from heaven’s portals “Come home my child, It’s the last mile you must trod” I’ll fall asleep and wake in God’s sweet heaven For I’m sheltered in the arms of God.”  What a promise and healing balm it is to our weary battle scarred heart to know that we are sheltered in the arms of God.

Precious Heavenly Father, You are such a loving Father.  You really care about us.  Thank You for the promise and assurance that You are sheltering us in Your arms of love.  I pray that we will always do things and say words that will make You happy.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe
October 30, 2016

 



Saturday, October 29, 2016

OUR TOWER OF LOVE

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”
Proverbs 18:10 KJV

Jesus is not only a Tower, He is our Tower of love.  One of the definitions I found in a dictionary for tower is “a place of defense, a protection”.  Jesus is our Tower of love and also our Rock of protection.  Pastor Vernon John Charlesworth wrote the beautiful and inspiring hymn “A Shelter in the Time of Storm”.

When satan attacks us and when people say cruel and sarcastic words to us, Jesus is our shelter.  We can depend on our precious Saviour to protect us from satan and from people.  We have a compassionate and loving Saviour.  Thank God for our Tower of love.

Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for Jesus, our Tower of love.  Jesus, You are so precious.  I love You with all my heart and I appreciate all You have done for me, for dying on the cross for my sins and for never leaving me not even for a minute.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe
October 29, 2016

Friday, October 28, 2016

FROM DEPRESSION TO HAPPINESS

“And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
Psalms 40:3 KJV

I went through a crippling devastating depression for over forty years.  I honestly believed no one loved me or cared if I lived or died.  Nobody ever told me Jesus loves me.  If someone had told me Jesus loves me, I wouldn’t have gone through that depression for so long.

I was told by some of my classmates at school that I was fat, ugly and stupid.  They said it so many times I believed it.  It is so important that we speak kind and encouraging words to one another instead of saying cruel sarcastic words.  Not only do we hurt them, we also hurt Jesus when we are mean to people.

Jesus said “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew:25:40).  We need to grasp in our heart that when we’re kind to people, we’re also kind to Jesus.

One glorious happy day Jesus spoke to my heart and told me He loves me.  There are no words to describe the happiness I felt to know that the Saviour of the world loves me.  He held me close in His loving arms and dried my tears with tender kisses.  There is no one like Jesus.  Nobody loves you like Jesus loves you.

May God help us to be an encouragement to one another instead of a discouragement.  All of us need to know we are loved and that someone cares about us.  If you feel nobody loves you, remember Jesus died on the cross for your sins and endured a pain that we will never know.  He loves you so much!

Joanne Lowe
October 28, 2016

Thursday, October 27, 2016

JESUS OR satan

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your father served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Joshua 24:15 KJV

Just as we have to make a choice between political candidates, so we have to make a choice between Jesus or satan.  I never capitalize satan so it is not a spelling error.  If we don’t choose Jesus, we are choosing satan.  May God help us to choose Jesus instead of satan.

The only thing satan has done is cause trouble for us when he lied and because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world.  God does not say one sin is worse than another sin, to Him sin is sin but I think if He did, He would say disobedience is the worse sin.

Jesus gave His life for us on the cross when He died for our sins.  Have you made your choice?  Are you serving satan or are you serving Jesus, the Saviour of the world?  One day we will stand before a Holy God and give an account of how we treated Jesus.  May God help us to serve Jesus and make Him happy. 

Joanne Lowe
October 27, 2016

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

NONE OF IT MATTERS

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 20:15 KJV

I visit a lot of websites that have their degrees posted.  While it is important to go to college and Bible school, if our name is not written in the book of life, nothing else matters.  I have not had the privilege of going to Bible school but I have been attending the University of God every day for the last eleven years.

Unless we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us, we won’t be able to fully understand what God wants us to learn.  I don’t know all the geographical places in the Bible or all the historical events but I do know the heart of Jesus.  I have been majoring in the heart of Jesus for eleven years and I still don’t know it all.

Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to teach us about the heart of Jesus.  Knowing the heart of Jesus is very important so that we can not only tell lost and hurting people about Jesus but also prove the unconditional love of Jesus for them by our actions and by our words.

Heavenly Father, I pray for every person who is hurting.  Please encourage and comfort them as You have done for me so many times.  Jesus, thank You for loving us unconditionally and for dying for our sins on the cross.  I love You, dear Jesus, and one day I will see You face to face.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.    

Joanne Lowe
October 26, 2016

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

CAMPAIGNING FOR JESUS

“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

There have been a lot of people giving speeches for their favorite candidate during this presidential election but I wonder how many of us have given speeches campaigning for Jesus.  Have we elected Jesus to be the King and Master of our heart?  We need to be campaigning for Jesus every day.

When is the last time we urged people to make Jesus King of their heart and life?  Do we give Jesus more time than we give to political candidates?  It’s important to vote for our favorite candidate but we need to ask God who He wants us to vote for when we go to the polls to vote.

If you haven’t been cheering for Jesus and telling everyone how wonderful and great He is, it’s time to start cheering for Jesus.  If ever someone deserves to be praised and adored, it is Jesus.  He is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.  All hail, King Jesus!  Worthy is the Lamb of God!

When we are weary and discouraged and feel that we can’t give another smile or take another step, Jesus cheers us on and helps us to give another smile and take another step.  Jesus knows how it feels to be lonely and discouraged and He really cares about us.  He loves you so much He died for you.

Heavenly Father, I pray that every one of us will elect Jesus the King of our heart and life.  Jesus, thank You for being our best Friend and for never leaving us.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe
October 25, 2016

Monday, October 24, 2016

OUR BEST

“Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.”
Numbers 18:29 KJV

Jesus gave us His best.  Are we giving our best to Him?  We may not be able to sing in the choir but we can sing praises to Jesus when we’re alone.  We can give Him all of our time, all of our love and all of our praise.  If ever someone deserves to be praised and adored, it is Jesus, the Saviour of the world!

There are people who can sing, write and teach yet they aren’t doing it.  There are so many people who are hurting, lonely, discouraged and who feel all alone and really believe nobody loves them and they need us to tell them that Jesus loves them.  All of us can tell someone that Jesus loves him or her.

Joanne Lowe
October 24, 2016


Sunday, October 23, 2016

AN INTERCESSION OF LOVE

“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
Hebrews 7:25 KJV

When Jesus intercedes for us with our Heavenly Father, it is an intercession of love.  Jesus was tempted when He was here on His mission so He knows how it feels to be tempted by satan.  Jesus has warned us to be on the alert because He knows that satan will tempt us “1 Peter 5:8”.

It is so important that we keep our heart in right standing with God because we don’t know when Jesus is coming back for us and we need to be ready to go.  Years ago, when I worked in nursing homes they had inspections and instead of keeping the homes always clean, they sometimes failed the inspections.

If we will keep our heart in right standing with God, we will be ready to go when Jesus comes back for us.  If God were to search our heart today, would He find things that hurt Him and break His heart or would He find things that make Him happy?  May God help us to keep our heart in right standing with God.

Joanne Lowe
October 23, 2016

Saturday, October 22, 2016

A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
Romans 8:14-16 KJV

Someone said “I always wanted to have a close relationship with my Dad but we didn’t have one”.  We might not have a close relationship with our Dad but we can have a close relationship with our Heavenly Father.  It is hard for some people to express love to their children because they never felt loved.

If you didn’t have a close relationship with your dad, you can have one with our Heavenly Father.  He is waiting for you with His arms open wide for you to run into them.  He longs to comfort you and encourage you.  He loves you so much He gave His Son to die on the cross for you.

Dads, it is so important that you are kind and loving to your children.  It’s hard for people to believe that our Heavenly Father loves them and wants them if their own dad didn’t love them or want them.  May God help all of us to have a close relationship with our family and with our Heavenly Father. 

Joanne Lowe
October 22, 2016

Friday, October 21, 2016

UNCONDITIONAL GIVING 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

It was an unconditional giving love flowing from the heart of our Heavenly Father that caused Him to give His only Son to die on the cross for our sins.  It was an unconditional giving love in the heart of Jesus for us that made Him suffer anguish and pain that you and I will never know.  O how They love us!

God doesn’t just love us; He so loves us.  He loves us so much that He was willing to be parted from His Son while Jesus came to earth on His mission.  Never forget that you are loved by God and you are loved by Jesus.  Have you allowed it to enter your heart that They love you unconditionally?

Rusty Goodman wrote the beautiful hymn “Who Am I?”.  I have tears in my eyes to know that Jesus loves me so much He bled and died for me.  What kind of love is this?  It is a giving unconditional love from the heart of Jesus for you and for me that caused Him to leave His Father and die on the cross for us.

After all that Jesus has done for us, we should be willing to serve Him with all of our heart and all or our time and He should have first place in our heart, in our life, in our relationships and in everything we do.  Does Jesus have first place in your heart and life?  Are you serving Him?  If not, why aren’t you?

Joanne Lowe
October 21, 2016




Thursday, October 20, 2016

DECISIONS

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Joshua 24:15 KJV

We have to make a lot of decisions but the most important decision we will ever make is giving our heart and life to Jesus and serving Him.  It doesn’t matter where we decide to work or live or who we decide to marry, if we haven’t invited Jesus into our heart and we aren’t serving Him, we are hurting Him.

When we sing the hymn “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” are we singing it from our heart or are we just singing the words?  We can fool others but we can’t fool Jesus.  He can see into our heart and He knows if we are just singing the words.  May God help us to follow the One Who gave His life for us.

Heavenly Father, I pray for every person who has not given his or her heart to Jesus.  May today be the day of salvation for them.  What a privilege You have given me to serve Jesus.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family.  I love You and appreciate You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe
October 20, 2016

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

LOVE AND LIKE

“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

We know that Jesus loves us.  He not only has told us that He loves us many times, He has also proved how much He loves us when He died on the cross for our sins.  I am so glad to know that He loves me but I also want Him to like me.  Yet, there are times when I know He doesn’t like the things I say, think or do.

A dad talking to someone said “I love my son, but I don’t like him.”  I wonder if our Heavenly Father thinks that at times because of the things we say or think or do.  Does He like the things we have allowed to remain in our heart?  It is very important that we keep our heart in right standing with God.

Heavenly Father, I love You so much and I never want to hurt You.  However, I know that there are times when I do hurt You.  Please forgive me.  I’m sorry.  I not only want You to love me, I also want You to like me.  I want to make You happy.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe
October 19, 2016

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

NOT JUST AT CHRISTMAS

“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold and frankincense, and myrrh.”
Matthew 2:11 KJV

John Francis Wade wrote the beautiful hymn “O Come, All Ye Faithful”.  It is one of my favorite hymns.  I love the words in this inspiring hymn “O come, let us adore Him”.  We sing praises to Him and adore Him at Christmas.  However, we should love and adore Jesus not just at Christmas but every day of the year.

If ever someone deserves to be praised, loved and adored, it is Jesus, the Saviour of the world.  What a happy and joyous day it was when Jesus was born.  However, this precious Baby grew up and died on the cross for our sins.  He paid the price that you and I could never have paid.  O how He loves you and me.

Joanne Lowe
October 18, 2016

Monday, October 17, 2016

WHAT THEY SEE AND HEAR

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6 KJV

A little girl saw her mother clapping so she clapped too.  She didn’t know why her mother was clapping.  She was following her example.  Our children are going to do and say what they see us do and hear us say.  My Mother used to say to me “Don’t do what I do, do what I tell you to do”.  It doesn’t work that way.

A teenage boy said to his parents “You go to church, teach Sunday school and sing in the choir but when you come home you criticize the pastor and the sermon.  If this is what being a Christian is, I don’t want any part of it.”  What about us?  Are we just telling our children what to do but not setting the example?

Jesus not only tells us what to do, He also has set the example for us to follow.  He has commanded us to love one another as He loves us.  Are we doing it?  How does He love us?  He loves us unconditionally and He also forgives us no matter how many times we hurt Him and break His heart.

Jesus is very protective of children and it upsets Him when children are mistreated.  “But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14).  Jesus really loves our children.

One day we will stand before a Holy God and give an account of the way we treated our children.  May God have mercy on us if we are hurting our children by not setting a good example for them.  We get angry when someone mistreats our children.  God also gets angry when we mistreat His children.    

Joanne Lowe
October 17, 2016

Sunday, October 16, 2016

KEEP WORKING FOR JESUS

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Galatians 6:9 KJV

There are times when we get weary and feel like giving up especially when satan attacks us with poisonous lies and discouragement.  We must stay on the battlefield and keep working for Jesus.  Our precious Saviour stayed on the battlefield for us and He didn’t give up.

Rev. Otis Leon McCoy wrote the beautiful hymn “Keep on the Firing Line”.  Yes, we must keep on the firing line when we are attacked by satan and by people.  Jesus was ridiculed, scorned, cursed, spat on and beaten beyond recognition for us when He was crucified on the cross.  O how He loves you and me.

Jesus didn’t have to stay on the cross.  All the nails in the world couldn’t have kept Him on the cross had He chosen to come down.  He stayed on the cross to fulfill the mission His Father had given Him and He stayed on the cross for you and for me.  What a precious and loving Saviour, this Jesus of Nazareth!

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much You gave Your beloved Son to die for our sins on the cross.  Jesus, thank You for all the sacrifices You made for us and for dying on the cross for us and paying the penalty for our sins that we could never have paid.  We love You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe
October 16, 2016

Saturday, October 15, 2016

JESUS WAS BEATEN FOR US

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5 KJV

The Bible tells us that Jesus was beaten for us.  He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.  He had never sinned, had never done anything wrong yet He willingly walked that long lonely road to Calvary to die on the cross and suffer pain and anguish that we can’t even imagine.

If ever someone understands how it feels to be all alone, it is Jesus.  When He was hanging on the cross, even God couldn’t look at Him because Jesus had taken our sins on Him and God is a Holy God and He can’t look at sin.  Jesus was all alone so He understands the hurt we feel when we feel all alone.

Avis B. Christiansen wrote a beautiful hymn about our precious Saviour “Blessed Redeemer”.  “Blessed Redeemer!  Precious Redeemer!  Seems now I see Him on Calvary’s tree; Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading, Blind and unheeding-dying for me.” Yes, Jesus was beaten for you and for me.

What kind of love is this that would make Jesus allow them to beat Him beyond recognition for us?  It is an amazing, tender, forgiving and unconditional love that flows from His heart for you and for me.  I’ve said this before and I’ll say it until God calls me home.  Nobody loves you like Jesus loves you.

If you ever feel all alone and believe that nobody loves you, remember the cross that Jesus died on because of His love for you.  If you are lonely and hurting, tell Jesus.  He will pick you up and carry you until the pain goes away.  O how He loves you.

Joanne Lowe
October 15, 2016

Friday, October 14, 2016

MORE THAN ONE WAY

“Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
Matthew 7:1,2 KJV

There has been a lot of shootings and violence lately.  These shootings should never have happened but none of us can point the finger at the ones who killed because none of us are perfect.  Someone said, “I would never kill someone no matter how angry I was at the person”.  There is more than one way to kill.

We kill people with the cruel hateful words we say to them.  Before I gave my heart to Jesus, I hated everyone and was very rude and sarcastic to everybody.  To think that Jesus loved me when I was so unlovable fills my heart with gratitude for Him.  I’m so glad when Jesus saved me that He gave me a new heart.

We read in the Bible “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8).  No, we can’t tame our tongue.  We need to allow Jesus to not only give us a new heart but also tame our tongue so we won’t say things that hurt people.  Remember, when we hurt people, we hurt Jesus.

No, we may never have shot or stabbed someone but if we have said cruel, hateful and sarcastic words, we might as well have stabbed them in their heart.  It hurts just as much and it kills their spirit.  May God have mercy on us and forgive us for hurting people.  I’m so glad that God forgives us.    

Joanne Lowe
October 14, 2016


  

Thursday, October 13, 2016

HE CARES AND HE LOVES YOU

“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

I use this verse a lot because the love and care that God and Jesus have for us comes from Their heart.  They not only love us, They love us unconditionally.  Think about it.  God gave His beloved Son to die for us.  Jesus died for us.  What kind of love is this?  It is an unconditional, tender and amazing love.

Have you allowed it to enter your heart that one day Jesus is coming back for us and we will see Him face to face?  That is enough to make us shout with joy!  Are you shouting yet?  Jesus, the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS is coming back for us and we will be with Him for all eternity.

Are you ready to meet Him when He comes for us?  Have you forgiven the ones who have hurt you and have you asked the ones you have hurt to forgive you?  Is your heart right with God or is your heart filled with anger, resentment, unforgiveness, jealousy and hatred?  If so, repent and ask God to forgive you.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your tender loving care and for giving Jesus to die for our sins.  Jesus, You are so precious. Thank You for loving us so much that You died on the cross for our sins.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe
October 13, 2016






Wednesday, October 12, 2016

REJECTION

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Isaiah 53:3 KJV

Have you ever been rejected?  I have and it hurts.  Nobody likes to be rejected.  Jesus was rejected many times and He knows how it hurts to be rejected.  He was rejected when He was here on His mission and what breaks my heart is that He is still being rejected today by many people.

John W. Peterson wrote the inspiring hymn “No Room”.  These words break my heart.  “No room, only a manger of hay.  No room, He is a stranger today.”  Yes, even today our precious Saviour is being rejected.  He gave His life for us and yet people are still hurting Him and breaking His heart.

If you are a parent, you know how it hurts you and upsets you when someone says something or does something to hurt your children.  Think how our Heavenly Father must feel to see the way His beloved Son is treated.  One day we will stand before God and give an account of how we treated His Son.

Will we have to hang our head in shame?  It is time that we give Jesus the respect that He so richly deserves.  Let’s open the door to our heart wider and let Jesus have first place in our heart, in our life, in our activities and in everything we do and say.  If ever someone deserves to be praised, it is Jesus!

All hail, King Jesus!  Worthy is the Lamb of God!  He is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!  O how I love Jesus.  He is the reason I get out of bed in the morning and He is my joy and happiness.  Praise God, one day I will see Him face to face.

Joanne Lowe
October 12, 2016

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

NOW

“(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”
2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV

A student went to his professor and asked him “When shall I be saved?”  The professor replied “The day before your death.”  The student said “I don’t know the day I am going to die”.  The professor said “Be saved today”.  Not only should we be saved today, we should be saved now!

Jesus Himself said we should be saved now.  We read in the Bible “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36).  Inviting Jesus into our heart to be our personal Saviour is more important than any other decision we will ever make.

Not only should we accept Jesus as our personal Saviour, we should also follow Him.  We sing the hymn “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”.  When we sing it, are we singing the words from our heart?  Are we following Jesus?  Ernest W, Blandy wrote the hymn “Where He Leads Me”.

Not only should we follow Jesus, we should also go where He leads us.  Are we going where He leads us or are we going where we want to go?  Jesus knows what is best for us and He loves us unconditionally so we should go where He leads us.  May God help us to follow Jesus instead of going our own way.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for going where we want to go instead of following Jesus.  Help us to realize that Jesus should have first place in our heart, in our life, in our time and in every place we go.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe
October 11, 2016

Monday, October 10, 2016

NO MORE HEARTACHES

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Revelation 21:4 KJV

One day God Himself will wipe all tears from our eyes and there will be no more death, sorrow, crying or pain.  What a wonderful happy day that will be when our Heavenly Father wipes away our tears.  Just think there will be no more death, sorrow, crying or pain.  O how our Heavenly Father loves us.

Rev. Frederick Martin Lehman wrote the beautiful hymn “The Love of God”.  I love these words.  “To write the love of God above, Would drain the ocean dry.  Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky”.  It is impossible to express in words how much God loves you and me.

If you are going through a dark valley and your heart is breaking, remember that God loves you so much He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross for your sins.  Joyce Landorf Heatherley, a Christian speaker and author, said, a lady said “I can’t see the end of the tunnel.  I don’t think there is an end”.

Yes, there is an end to the darkness, hurt, pain and agony when God Himself will wipe away our tears.  If you are hurting today and feel like going to bed and staying there, remember God loves you so much He gave His Son to die on the cross for you.  You are loved by God and by our precious Saviour.

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

Joanne Lowe
October 10, 2016

Sunday, October 9, 2016

THE COLOR OF LOVE

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.  And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:14 KJV

The color of love is the blood of the Lamb that He shed for our sins on the cross.  God didn’t make Jesus die on the cross for us.  Jesus willingly left His Father, His home and all that He had to die for us.  This is how much He loves us.  What kind of love is this?  It is an amazing unconditional love for us.

Robert Harkness wrote the beautiful hymn “Why Should He Love Me So”.  Have you ever wondered why Jesus loves you so much?  It is because not only does Jesus give us love, He is love, unconditional love.  Nobody loves you like Jesus loves you and nobody ever will.  He will never leave you.

Heavenly Father, when I think about Jesus suffering all that pain and anguish for my sins on the cross, it breaks my heart but it also fills my heart with joy to know He loves me so much.  Jesus, thank You for caring about me and for dying on the cross for me.  I love You so much.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.   

Joanne Lowe
October 9, 2016

Saturday, October 8, 2016

DISOBEDIENCE

“And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”
Genesis 3:17 KJV

It’s easy to blame Adam for all the problems we have because He disobeyed God.  However, you and I are not always obedient because none of us perfect.  There was only one perfect person who ever lived or ever will live and His name is Jesus.  He never sinned or did anything wrong.

My Mother used to say to me when I was young “It doesn’t matter what I say, you’re going to do what you want to do”.  I think God feels the same way about us.  If we will listen with our heart, we might hear Him say to us “It doesn’t matter what I say, you’re going to do what you want to do.”

We are the ones who say that one sin is worse than another sin.  However to God, sin is sin.  I believe if He were to say that one sin is worse than all other sins, He would say that disobedience is the worse sin.  We must always remember that what we do and say either hurts or it encourages people.

Are we an encourager to one another?  All of us need to be encouraged and all of us need to know that we are loved.  May God help us to spread the unconditional love of Jesus to everyone and to be encouragers instead of discouraging people.  When is the last time you hugged someone for Jesus?

Joanne Lowe
October 8, 2016

Friday, October 7, 2016

A SHOUT OF VICTORY

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 KJV

One joyous day Jesus is coming back for us with a shout of victory.  It will be the loudest shout that has ever been heard.  People shout at football games for their favorite team but the loudest shout we hear now will not equal the shout that Jesus is going to give when He comes back for us.

Jesus is going to give a shout of happiness and victory.  As much as we want to see Him, I believe He wants to see us more because we are His bride and He loves us so much He died for us.  He not only died for our sins on the cross, He also defeated satan so we don’t have to live in bondage to satan anymore.

When Jesus shed His precious blood for us on the cross, He set us free from the shackles and bondage of satan.  If we have confessed and repented of our sins and invited the Christ of Calvary into our heart, satan can’t keep us in bondage to him any longer.  Thank God for the blood of Jesus.

Have you forgiven the people who have hurt you and have you asked the people you hurt to forgive you?  One of the greatest sermons I ever heard was the sermon I heard on judging and forgiveness when the pastor said if you will keep your own heart clean, you won’t have the time to judge and condemn others.

Jesus died on the cross and shed His precious blood for the forgiveness of your sins.  This is how much He loves you.

Joanne Lowe
October 7, 2016

Thursday, October 6, 2016

THE GIFT OF UNCONDITIONAL 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

A mother with tears rolling down her cheeks said “I don’t have money to buy my children Christmas gifts”.  We can give Christmas gifts to our children but if we don’t give them unconditional love every day of the year, we really haven’t given them anything.  God gives us unconditional love every day.

There are parents who never talk to their children except to yell at them and tell them what to do.  Think what would happen if we shut off a movie or game we were watching on television and used that time to talk to our children.  Giving our time to our children is a gift of unconditional love.

What do we do on Christmas morning?  The first thing we should do before opening gifts is to read the story of the birth of Jesus.  It doesn’t matter if have a family or live by ourselves.  I live by myself but every Christmas morning as soon as I wake up I open my Bible and read aloud the birth of Jesus.

Let’s make this coming Christmas the best one we’ve ever had for our children starting with reading the birth of Jesus to them.  We can go into debt with credit cards buying big and expensive gifts for our children but if we don’t read the birth of Jesus to them, we haven’t given them anything that will last.

Precious Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the gift of unconditional love by giving Jesus to us.  We love You so much and we appreciate all You have done for us.  Thank You for the privilege of serving Jesus.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe
October 6, 2016

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

A COMMANDMENT FROM JESUS

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
John 15:12 KJV

When I was a teenager, my Mother used to say to me “It doesn’t matter what I say, you’re going to do what you want to do”.  I think that Jesus might say the same thing to us.  He has told us to love one another like He loves us yet many times we don’t do it.  He didn’t give us an option, He gave us a commandment.

Can we honestly say that we love one another as Jesus has commanded us to love?  Jesus loves us even when we hurt Him.  Our Saviour’s love for us is an unconditional love.  His love for us does not depend on what we do or don’t do because not only does Jesus give us love, He is love, unconditional love.

There would be less violence if we would start loving one another unconditionally.  It is no wonder at all that there is so much violence and hatred.  It is because people feel unloved and unwanted.  It is time that we who claim to be Christians make a special effort to spread the love of Jesus by our actions.

We also need to speak encouraging and loving words to one another.  When we criticize people and say hateful and sarcastic words to them we might as well take a knife and plunge it deep into their heart because it hurts just as much as if we had stabbed them with a knife.  Let’s start loving instead of hating. 

May God help us to love one another unconditionally as Jesus has commanded us to love each other.  What about Jesus?  Do we love Him unconditionally or just when He does something we ask Him to do?  Jesus is not a puppet and we can’t pull His strings.  He does things for us because He loves us.

Joanne Lowe
October 5, 2016

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

JESUS NEVER SINNED

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” 
Isaiah 53:3-6 KJV

Jesus never sinned and yet He willingly left His Father, His home and all that He had to come to earth and die on the cross for our sins.  Think about it.  Jesus didn’t have to die on the cross.  His Father didn’t make Him. Our precious Saviour chose to fulfill the mission His Father had given Him.

If you ever think that nobody loves you or cares about you, remember the cross and the agony and pain that Jesus suffered for you and for me.  He was beaten beyond recognition, cursed, spat on, mocked and rejected.  I believe every time they pounded a nail into His hands, He felt the pain in His heart.

I believe that Jesus died of a broken heart.  He was totally alone while hanging on the cross.  God couldn’t look at Jesus because our Saviour had taken our sins on Him.  God is a Holy God and He can’t look at sin.  God cried when they crucified His beloved Son.  He died for you and He died for me.  O how He loves us!

Jesus, when I think about all the pain You suffered because of my sins, it brings tears to my eyes.  O how I love You!   


Joanne Lowe

October 4, 2016

Monday, October 3, 2016

FULNESS OF JOY

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
Psalms 16:11 KJV

Family reunions and parties with our family and friends are nice.  Hopefully, we have a wonderful time laughing and enjoying one another but nothing compares to the fulness of joy we have when we are in the presence of Jesus.  Stay in the presence of Jesus if you want to have joy flood your heart. 

I dearly love my family but I can’t explain the joy I feel when I am in the presence of Jesus.  Jack P. Scholfield wrote the beautiful hymn “Saved, Saved”.  It is one of my favorite hymns.  “Saved by His power divine, Saved to new life sublime!  Life now is sweet and my joy is complete, For I’m saved, saved, saved!”

There is nothing to compare with the joy that floods our heart when Jesus saves us.  When I think about Jesus, the Saviour of the world loving me so much He died for my sins, I am overwhelmed with love and gratitude for Him.  What a Saviour!  What a Friend, this Jesus of Nazareth!

It brings tears of happiness to my eyes to know that one day I will see my precious Saviour face to face and will be with Him for all eternity.  Are you shouting with happiness yet?  Think about it, we will be with Jesus for all eternity and we will be reunited with our loved ones who have gone to Heaven.

Precious Heavenly Father, I pray for every person who is lonely, hurting, sad and depressed.  Please comfort them as only You can.  Reassure them that You love them.  I pray for every pastor.  Please encourage them and may they see many people’s hearts and lives changed.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe
October 3, 2016

Sunday, October 2, 2016

ALL THE TIME

“For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks and water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;”
Deuteronomy 8:7 KJV

Lynda Randle wrote the beautiful hymn “God of the Mountain”.  Yes, God is God of the mountains but He is also God of the valleys.  Our Heavenly Father is God all the time.  It doesn’t matter if we are on the mountain top of happiness or in the valley of despair, God is still God and He hasn’t left us.

It doesn’t matter how many heartaches and valleys you have in your life, God cares about you and He will never leave you.  When your heart is breaking. cry out to Him and He will comfort and encourage you as only He can.  He loves you so much He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross for your sins.

I have lost track of the many times God has picked me up and held me close to His loving compassionate heart as He tenderly dried my tears with kisses.  I saw a little girl who was hurting lift her arms up so her daddy would pick her up and comfort her.  That’s what you and I need to do to our Heavenly Father.

Not only do we need to lift our heart up to God, we also need to lift our arms up to Him.  If you have invited Jesus into your heart to be your personal Saviour, God has adopted you into His family and you are part of the family of God.  There is no greater family to be a member of than the family of God.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You’re not only the God of the mountain; You’re also God of the valleys when our heart is breaking.  We love You and we appreciate You.  Thank You for loving us even when we fail You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe
October 2, 2016

Saturday, October 1, 2016

TAKE HIS PEACE

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27 KJV

Jesus has given us His peace but we have to take it.  He tells us to not let our heart be troubled but many times instead of taking His peace and trusting Him to take care of the situation, we worry.  We need to understand that Jesus is not only our Saviour; He is also our Protecter and great Physician.

This is difficult for me to write but God laid it on my heart to share it with you.  Many years ago I was raped and had a baby girl as a result of that rape.  I kept her for five months but didn’t have the money to buy her food and clothes and other things she needed so I placed her for adoption and it broke my heart.

Every year on her birthday I cried and cried and had to give her back to Jesus again.  Finally, one year I told Him I trusted Him to take care of my daughter.  Jesus can take care of our children better than we can because He loves them with an everlasting and unconditional love.

When I told Jesus I trusted Him to take of my daughter, I had peace in my heart.  I still miss my daughter but I know that Jesus loves her and will protect her.  I pray that someone has told her about Jesus and told her that He loves her.  If you are hurting today, give it to Jesus and take His peace.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus.  Precious Saviour, thank You for loving me, for dying for me and for taking care of my daughter.  I love You so much.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe
October 1, 2016