IT REALLY IS AMAZING

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 KJV

We sing the hymn “Amazing Grace” but I wonder if we realize that it really is amazing grace that God loves us so much.  He gave His beloved Son to die for our sins.  I believe there are times when we sing hymns without thinking about the words.  Think about it!  God loved us when we were yet sinners.

Even when we fail Him and hurt Him, He still loves us.  We have a tender compassionate loving Heavenly Father.  Let’s make a special effort to do things to make Him happy.  One of the greatest ways to make Him happy is to be kind to Jesus and serve Him.  Are you serving Jesus?

Joanne Lowe

November 30, 2016

FROM HIS HEART

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:11 KJV

Many people go into debt buying gifts at Christmas.  While it is nice to buy gifts to give at Christmas and all of us appreciate getting them, it is much more important to give gifts from our heart just as our Heavenly Father gave us His Son from His heart as a Gift of unconditional love.

One of the greatest gifts we can give is our time.  Joyce Landorf Heatherley, a Christian speaker and author, said on one of her teaching tapes that we should talk to our children.  She said “How can we expect our children to share what is in their heart with us if we don’t share what is in our heart with them”.

Let’s make a special effort this Christmas to not only give gifts we buy but also give of our time to our children and family.  What about Jesus?  The greatest gift we can give Him is our heart.  If you have never invited Jesus into your heart to be your personal Saviour, I urge you to do it today.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving Jesus to us as a Gift from Your heart to not only be our Saviour but also to be the best Friend we will ever have.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  I love You, Jesus, and one day I will see You face to face.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

November 29, 2016

HE WANTS 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

Have you ever felt like nobody loves you or wants you?  I felt that way for many years.  One day, God spoke to my heart and told me He loves me and He wants me.  Yes, when we feel all alone and feel like nobody cares about us, He wants us.  He loves us and wants us so much He gave His Son to die for us.

There are many children who are afraid of their parents and feel that their parents don’t love them or want them.  God loves these precious children and He wants them.  Several years ago, a little boy came to my home and said he was afraid to go home because his parents were drinking, screaming and cursing.

The little boy said that his parents hit him for no reason at all and that he runs and hides from them when they are screaming and drinking.  How that must hurt and break the heart of our Heavenly Father.  One day, parents will stand before a Holy God and give an account of how they raised their children.

However, it’s not just parents who need to love children and set an example for them.  Every one of us who comes in contact with children need to not only love them and want them but also set a good example for them.  Are we doing it?  Do children want to be around us or do they run and hide when they see us?

May God help us to be kind and loving to children because when we are kind and loving to them, not only do we make the children happy, we also make our Heavenly Father happy.  Let’s make a special effort to love children. 

Joanne Lowe

November 28, 2016

ARE WE TELLING IT

“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 KJV

We sing the beautiful hymn “Go Tell It On The Mountain” but are we doing it?  Are we telling the good news of Jesus to our family to our friends and to everyone we see?  What about you?  Have you ever said to Jesus “Here am I, send me”?  May we be willing to get out of our comfort zones and serve our risen Saviour.

Joanne Lowe

November 27, 2016

DON’T BELIEVE IT

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

John 8:44 KJV  

No matter what satan tells you, don’t believe it because he is a liar and the father of it.  Jesus has warned us to be on the alert for the sneaky attacks and vicious lies of satan (1 Peter 5:8).  Thursday afternoon I was very discouraged to the point of giving up until I realized it was just another attack of satan.

We need to remember that it makes satan very angry when we are serving Jesus and he will do all he can do to discourage us so much that we will stop serving Jesus.  We must not let that happen.  We must stay on the battlefield for Jesus.  Our precious Saviour stayed on the cross for us.

If ever someone had a right to give up and quit, it was Jesus.  He had been ridiculed, tortured, spat on, cursed and rejected yet our loving Saviour kept loving and spreading His love.  After all that Jesus has done for us, the least we can do for Him is get out of our comfort zones and tell people Jesus loves them.

Are we willing to stay on the battlefield for Jesus no matter how many lies and attacks satan hurls at us?  If we really love Jesus and appreciate all He has done for us, we will ask Him to help us when satan attacks us and stay on the battlefield for Jesus.  O how I love Jesus!  One joyous day we will see Him face to face.

Joanne Lowe

November 26, 2016

HIS COMPASSION

“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22, 23 KJV

We sing the beautiful and inspiring hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”.  I believe Rev. Thomas Chisholm wrote this hymn from the depths of his heart.  Rev. Chisholm had to retire from the ministry after one year because of poor health but he found God to be faithful through all his pain and suffering.

Indeed, we have a compassionate tenderhearted and loving Heavenly Father and He is faithful to us.  He is faithful to comfort and encourage us.  He supplies our every need and He even gives us things we don’t need just because He loves us.  Thank God for His unconditional love and compassion for us.

Heavenly Father, we give You thanks for Your tenderness, Your unconditional love and Your compassion for us.  Indeed, You are a tender loving compassionate Heavenly Father.  We love You and appreciate all You have done for us and all that You do for us every day.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

November 25, 2016

BECAUSE OF CALVARY

“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.”

Luke 23:33 KJV

One of the things we can thank God for on Thanksgiving Day is because of Calvary and Jesus willingly dying on the cross for our sins, we have the privilege of being saved and living in Heaven for eternity.  Nobody loves us like God and Jesus love us and nobody ever will.

Pastor Wendell Phillips Loveless wrote the beautiful hymn “All Because of Calvary”.  Yes, it is because of Calvary and the unconditional love that our Heavenly Father and Jesus have for us that we don’t have to be in bondage to satan any longer because Jesus set us free when He died on the cross for us.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and thank You for Jesus.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family and for the privilege of serving Your Son.  Jesus, I love You with all my heart and one happy day I will see You face to face.  I love You so much, precious Saviour.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

November 24, 2016

ARE THEY ACCEPTABLE

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

Psalms 19:14 KJV

This verse should be the prayer of every Christian.  Are the words of our mouth and the mediation of our heart acceptable in His sight?  May God have mercy on us and forgive us if what we say and what we think hurts Him.  God gave His Son for us and we should give our tongue and our heart to Him.

Joanne Lowe

November 23, 2016

TELEVISION

“And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

Exodus 20:1-3 KJV

I saw on the news that a church had put a big screen television up so they could watch a football game.  How that must have hurt God and broke His heart.  He has made it very clear that we are to have no other gods before Him.  Anything or anyone we put before God has become a god to us.

Television has become a god in some families.  The television is turned on as soon as they get up and is not turned off until they go to bed.  Instead of the parents spending time with their children, they let the television be the babysitter while they pursue their own interests.

It is no wonder at all that we have so many problems and heartaches when we allow television or anyone or anything else to come before God.  Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross for our sins and it breaks His heart when His Son is ignored.

Someone said “I am too busy to spend time with Jesus”.  If we are too busy to spend time with Jesus, we are too busy and we need to rearrange our schedule so Jesus comes first.  Does Jesus come first in your heart and life?  If we have time to read the paper in the morning, we have time to talk to Jesus.

Heavenly Father, we confess that there are times when we allow our schedules, our activities and other people to come before You.  Please forgive us.  Thank You for Jesus.  We love You and we appreciate You.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Joanne Lowe

November 22, 2016

HE NEVER LEAVES US

“Let your conversation be without coveteousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Hebrews 13:5 KJV

When I got up to go the bathroom early in the morning a couple days ago, I fell.  I don’t know if I passed out or how long I was on the floor but when I realized I had fallen this hymn came to my mind and I started singing it out loud, “Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One”.

Even though I was lying on the floor and in pain, I knew I wasn’t alone, that Jesus was with me and He would help me get up.  I managed to scoot along the floor and pull myself up by holding onto my bed.  Praise God, nothing is broken but I hurt all over.  It is so wonderful to know that we are not alone.

When our family and friends visit us, they leave and go home but Jesus never leaves us.  What a comfort and healing balm it is to our weary battle scarred heart to know that Jesus never leaves us, not even for one minute.  He is with us when we are sad and hurting and He is with us when we are happy.

There are times when we get discouraged and feel like giving up.  Jesus understands because I’m sure He also got discouraged and felt like giving up.  When we are going through dark valleys, He picks us up and carries us until the pain goes away and sets us once again on the mountain top of happiness.

What a Saviour!  What a Friend, this Jesus of Nazareth!  All hail, King Jesus!  Worthy is the Lamb of God!  He is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS and one happy day we will see Him face to face.  Are you shouting with happiness yet?

Joanne Lowe

November 21, 2016

IT IS A GIFT

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 6:23 KJV

Have you ever given someone a gift and the person acted like he or she didn’t appreciate the gift?  It hurt, didn’t it?  That is exactly what people do to God.  He gave us a gift, eternal life through His Son.  Yet, there are many people who try to work for the gift or buy it instead of receiving it.  How it must hurt God.

Think how you would feel if you spent a lot of money on a big expensive gift for someone you love and the person said he or she didn’t want it.  It would hurt.  I wonder how many times we hurt our Heavenly Father and break His heart because we don’t accept the free gift of salvation He has given us.

We are to share this precious free gift with everyone we see.  It is very important that people see the difference Jesus has made in our heart and life so they too will want Jesus in their heart.  What a privilege it is to be loved by our Heavenly Father and by our precious Saviour.  O how I love Them.

Heavenly Father, You have given us Your beloved Son and yet there are times when we act like we don’t appreciate Your gift to us.  We’re sorry.  Please forgive us.  You are a tender loving and compassionate Father and we appreciate You and all You do for us every day.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

November 20, 2016

OUR THANKFUL HEART

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

Ephesians 5:20 KJV

Next week is Thanksgiving and we are looking forward to being with family and friends and having a big delicious meal.  If we will meditate on the Scripture verse for this devotion, we will understand that we are to give thanks always for all things.  We should thank God every day for all He does for us.

Two friends were talking and one of them said “I’ll be so glad when Christmas is over and we can put away all the decorations and start living like we usually do”.  Just as we put away the spirit of loving when Christmas is over, we sometimes forget to thank God for what He does for us when Thanksgiving is over.

How we must hurt God and break His heart when we forget to thank Him every day for all He does for us.  Do we thank Him every day for our homes that He has provided for us and for the clothes we wear and for our family?  We take things for granted.  We also forget to thank Him for Jesus and for our salvation.

Do you have a thankful heart?  Do you thank God every day for Jesus and for the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin?  May God have mercy on us and forgive us for neglecting to praise and thank Him every day for all that He has done for us and for all that He does for us.

Joanne Lowe

November 19, 2016

IT REALLY HAPPENS

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Ephesians 6:4 KJV

I was watching a family movie but I had to shut it off because the dad got very angry and he started to beat his son because his son had broke the two bottles of whiskey he had in the house.  I couldn’t watch that little boy get beat yet it really happens.  There are children who run in terror to hide from their parents.

It’s not just dads who get angry and beat their children, there are moms who also get so angry they beat their children.  We, as parents, are to discipline our children when they are disobedient but we are not to beat them.  Not only does it hurt the children, it also hurts Jesus when we are mean to them.

We read in Matthew 25:40 that when we are kind and loving to people we are kind and loving to Jesus but when we are mean and hateful to people, we are also mean and hateful to Jesus.  After all that Jesus has done for us, He deserves to be treated with respect, kindness and love.

Joanne Lowe

November 18, 2016

GIVE OURSELVES

“Every man according as he puurposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:7 KJV

I watched a Christmas movie about a family who didn’t have money to give each other Christmas gifts.  They decided to make gifts for one another and one of the children sold something she really loved to get money to buy gifts for the family.  It broke her heart but she loves her mom and dad. 

If you are like me, you don’t have money to buy gifts for your loved ones.  We may not have money to buy gifts but we can give ourselves to our family and our friends.  We can shut off the television set and spend time with our children.  The television has become an obstacle to spending time with each other.

May God help us to give ourselves to our loved ones this Christmas even if we have the money to buy big expensive gifts.  All the money in the world can’t buy love and that is why God gave His Son to die on the cross for us because He loves us so much.  Are you willing to give yourself to your family? 

Joanne Lowe

November 17, 2016

DO YOU KNOW HIM

“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

One of my favorite hymns is “Do You Know My Jesus”.  That is a question every Christian should ask himself or herself.  I don’t know all the geographical places in the Bible but I do know Jesus.  I have majored in the heart of Jesus for the last eleven years in God’s University.  Again, do you know Him?

You may be saved and have been a Christian for many years but do you really know Jesus?  To know someone, we have to spend time with the person.  How much time do we spend with Jesus during the day?  If we spend more time watching television than we do with Jesus, we are breaking His heart.

Jesus has done so much for us.  He allowed them to beat Him beyond recognition, spit on Him, curse Him and mock Him and crucify Him on a cross of horror and agony.  No one has ever been beaten or endured anguish and suffering like our precious Saviour.  He deserves to have first place in our heart.

Nobody loves us like God and Jesus love us and no one ever will.  Their love for us is a compassionate and unconditional love and will last for all eternity.  Have you allowed it to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge that They love you?  Without Their love for us we would be hurting and alone.

Joanne Lowe

November 16, 2016

HE STAYED ON THE CROSS

“Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.”

John 19:18 KJV

Al Harking wrote the inspiring hymn “He Didn’t Come Down” about Jesus staying on the cross.  Many times we get discouraged and feel like giving up.  Think where you and I would be if Jesus hadn’t stayed on the cross and paid the penalty for our sins.  We would be on our way to hell.

Thank God for the compassionate and unconditional love of Jesus for us that kept Him on the cross.  John W. Peterson wrote the beautiful cantata “No Greater Love”.  Indeed there is no greater love than the love that Jesus has for you and for me.  O how Jesus loves you!

Even Jesus grew weary and got discouraged when He was here on His mission.  If Jesus could keep going when He was ridiculed, rejected and cursed, you and I should also keep going even in the midst of criticisms, sarcasm, hatred and heartache.  Jesus understands how we feel and He loves us.

We read in Mark 8:34 that we are to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus.  Mary Brown wrote the beautiful hymn “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go”.  When we sing the words are we singing them from our heart?  Do we really mean we will go where Jesus wants us to go?

Are you willing to stay on the cross of criticism, ridicule and hatred for Jesus?  He stayed on the cross for you and endured pain and agony that you and I will never know.  What a Saviour!

Joanne Lowe

November 15, 2016

SHOUT WITH JOY

“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 happy day Jesus is coming back for us.  Knowing that the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS is coming back for us should make us shout with joy!  Think about it.  We will see Jesus face to face and we will be with Him for all eternity.  There will be no more crying, no more wars and no more death.

No shout we will ever give for our favorite sports team will match the joyous shout that Jesus is going to give when He comes back for us.  As excited as we will be, Jesus will be even more excited because He is going to take His bride home to Heaven to live with Him.  O how Jesus loves us.

Heavenly Father, how I love You!  Thank You for adopting me into Your family.  Thank You for the privilege of serving Your beloved Son.  Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for my sins and for not only being my Saviour, but also for being my best Friend.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

November 14, 2016

HEARTBROKEN AND IN PAIN

“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 23:33,34 KJV

What kind of love would cause Jesus to ask God to forgive us while He was still hanging on the cross heartbroken and in pain?  It is a tender compassionate and unconditional love that can only come from the heart of Jesus.  O how Jesus loves you.  He had been beaten beyond recognition but He still loves us.

I believe with all my heart that every time they pounded a nail into His hands that He felt that pain in His heart.  Marvin P. Dalton wrote the beautiful hymn “O What A Savior”.  These words touch my heart “His heart was broken on Calvary, His hands were nail scarred, His side was riven”.

Yes, Jesus endured that excruciating pain for you and for me.  Have you allowed it to enter your heart that Jesus, the Saviour of the world, loves you?  What a compassionate and loving Saviour we are privileged to know and have and one happy day we will see Him face to face and be with Him for all eternity.   

Joanne Lowe

November 13, 2016

PROOF OF HIS LOVE

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 KJV

If you ever think God doesn’t love you, never forget that He has given us proof of His love for us when He gave His Son to die on the cross for us.  Do you understand that God loves you?  We read in the Bible “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

That is exactly what Jesus did for us.  He laid down His life for us.  He is not only our Saviour; He is the best Friend we will ever have.  He will never leave us, not even for a minute.  When we are hurting and we can’t sleep, Jesus sits beside our bed, holds our hand and dries our tears with tender kisses.

What are we doing to prove to God how much we love Him?  One of the greatest ways to prove our love for Him is to serve Jesus.  We need to understand that to serve Jesus we must shut off the television set, get out of our comfort zone and tell people that Jesus loves them so much He died for them.

Are you willing to serve Jesus?  Our precious Saviour left His Father, His home and all that He had to come to earth to die on the cross for our sins so we can be saved and go to heaven.  Jesus never sinned yet He was beaten beyond recognition and endured pain and agony that you and I will never know.

Heavenly Father, You are a tender compassionate loving and loyal Father.  You have been so good to me through the years.  Thank You for the many countless times You have comforted and encouraged me.  I love You and appreciate all You have done for me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

November 12, 2016

NECESSARY AND TRUE AND HELP

“Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”

James 3:10 KJV

Has someone ever said something to you that made you angry and you wanted to say something to hurt the person?  I have felt that way and then I remembered two things.  First, my Mother used to say to me, “If you don’t have anything good to say, keep your big mouth shut”.  That hurt me but Mom was right.

Second, one of my pastors said in a sermon about being angry and tempted to say something to the person.  “Is it necessary to say it?  Is it true and will it help the situation?”  The pastor said if we can’t say yes to all these questions, we shouldn’t say anything because it will only add fuel to the fire.

Heavenly Father, I confess there are times when I still say things I shouldn’t say and I’m sorry.  Please forgive me and the next time I’m tempted to say something that will hurt someone, don’t let me say anything.  I want to make You happy and not make You sad and hurt You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

November 11, 2016

ANOTHER ATTACK

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

1 Peter 5:8 KJV

Did you have a bad day yesterday?  Perhaps you are on a diet and ate something that wasn’t on your diet.  Maybe you lost your temper and said something you shouldn’t have said.  Don’t dwell on yesterday because if you had a bad day it was another attack from satan.  Keep your eyes on Jesus and Him alone.

Rev. Bruce Ballinger wrote the beautiful inspiring hymn “We Have Come Into His House”.  These words touch my heart.  “Let’s forget about ourselves and magnify His name and worship Him”.  We must stay on the battlefield for Jesus and not let satan discourage and defeat us.

When satan attacks us and he will attack us, we need to cry out to Jesus and ask Him to help us.  Jesus knows how it feels to be tempted because satan tempted Jesus “Matthew 4:1-11”.  Jesus will pick us up in His loving arms and carry us through the dark valley and set us once again on the mountain top of happiness.

Heavenly Father, we praise and thank You for Jesus.  Thank You for loving me, dear Father and for the many times You have comforted and encouraged me.  I love You, Father.  I love You, Jesus and one day I will see You face to face.  How I long for that day.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

November 10, 2016

HAVE YOU DECIDED

“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 a choice to make when we vote for our next president.  However, even more important than choosing who we are going to vote for when we vote is who we will choose to serve, Jesus or satan.  There are only two choices, Jesus or satan.  We are either serving Jesus or we are serving satan.

Have you decided the one you are going to serve?  Jesus can come back for us before we vote for the next president.  It is urgent that we choose Jesus right now.  We can’t straddle the fence.  We are either serving satan or we are serving Jesus.  What have you decided?

How sad it will be if Jesus comes back for us and we haven’t been serving Him.  He will still love us but it will break His heart if we haven’t served Him.  We can be saved but not serving Him.  Serving Jesus is more important than campaigning for the next president.  We must decide to serve Jesus now.

Heavenly Father, help us to realize the urgency and importance of serving Jesus instead of serving satan.  Thank You for giving Your beloved Son to die for our sins on the cross so we do have a choice.  Jesus, I choose You.  You have my heart and I love You with all my heart.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.   

Joanne Lowe

November 9, 2016

AND JESUS CRIES

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Ephesians 4:32 KJV

While Jesus was still hanging on the cross, beaten beyond recognition with His precious blood flowing down His body He asked His Father to forgive us.  “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.  And they parted his raiment and cast lots” (Luke 23:34).

No, we don’t know what we are doing when we say and do cruel things to one another.  “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).  Are we hurting Jesus by hurting others?

Jesus loves every one of us and it hurts Him and breaks His heart when we are unkind to one another and Jesus cries.  It is time that we stop hurting Jesus.  If ever someone deserves to be happy, it is Jesus, our precious Saviour.  May God help us to stop hurting Jesus and forgive us when we do hurt Jesus.

Joanne Lowe

November 8, 2016

BE THANKFUL EVERY DAY

“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 heard someone say “It’s never too early to start preparing for Thanksgiving Day”.  We should be thankful every day because every day God takes care of us and gives us everything we need and sometimes He even gives us things we don’t need just because He loves us and wants to make us happy.

I think if we are honest with ourselves we will have to admit that there are times when we complain about things more than we praise God.  If we can’t find something to be thankful for, we can thank Him for protecting us and for loving us so much He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross for our sins.

Heavenly Father, we thank You and praise You for loving us so much You gave Jesus to die for our sins.  Please forgive us for neglecting to thank and praise You as often as we should thank and praise You.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family.  I love You, dear Father.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

November 7, 2016

HOLD GOD’S HAND

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Isaiah 41:10

King James Version

Jennie Bain Wilson wrote one of my favorite hymns “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand”.  We can trust God because He will protect us and guide us.  Are we holding God’s hand?  Our Heavenly Father will protect us from all harm and danger.  We need to hold God’s hand and He will strengthen us.

Many times we try to do things without God and then we wonder why we fail.  We need God because He will keep us from failing.  We don’t know our future but God knows and He will lead us and if we will trust Him, we will have a more peaceful life.  God will never fail us.  We can trust Him for everything. 

There was a television show “Father Knows Best”.  I loved that show but only our Heavenly Father knows best.  Are we trusting Him and letting Him lead us down the path He wants us to go or do we insist on having our own way?  We don’t know the future but God knows and He will protect us if we will only trust Him.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your guidance and protection.  What a healing balm it is to our weary battle scarred heart to know that we can trust You because You will never fail us.  You are a compassionate and loving Father and we appreciate all You do for us.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

November 6, 2016

IN OUR HEAVENLY FATHER’S ARMS

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

James 1:17 KJV

When I go to bed at night, I feel our Heavenly Father put His arms of love around me as He hugs me and tells me that He loves me.  What happiness it brings to my heart when He hugs me, to know that He loves me even when I fail Him and hurt Him.  He is a tender loving and compassionate Father.

The next time you go to bed, feel His loving arms around you as He tenderly whispers I love you.  He loves you unconditionally.  There is nothing you could do that would make God stop loving you.  He loves you so much He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross for your sins.

I write a lot about God and Jesus loving us.  It is because without Their unconditional love for us, we could never make it through this life.  Our world is filled with violence, hatred, wars, drugs, rapes and murders.  How it must break the heart of our Heavenly Father to see the things that are happening. 

Joanne Lowe

November 5, 2016

OUR PASTOR

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

Isaiah 52:7 KJV

We need to thank God for our pastor and pray for our pastor every day.  Pastors are on call twenty four hours a day.  There are times when they have to get up in the middle of the night and go to the hospital.  They also sacrifice personal time with their families to minister to us.  They get discouraged just like we do.

It is very important that we encourage our pastors.  Several years ago, a pastor emailed me and wrote “I am so discouraged that I am thinking of not only leaving this church but also to stop being a pastor.  Instead of the congregation encouraging my family and me, they have criticized us.”

I’m reminded of a teenage boy who said to his parents “You go to church, sing in the choir, and teach Sunday school but when you come home you criticize the pastor and the sermon.  If this is what being a Christian means, I don’t want any part of it”.  How that must have hurt Jesus and broke His heart.

Not only did these parents criticize the pastor and the sermon and discouraged their son, they also hurt Jesus.  If ever someone deserves to be happy, it is Jesus, the Saviour of the world!  He has done so much for us.  The least we can do is make Him happy.  Are we making Him happy or hurting Him?

Heavenly Father, I pray for every pastor.  Please encourage them and let them feel Your love for them as they have never felt it before.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.          

Joanne Lowe

November 4, 2016

HIS BROKEN HEART

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

Psalm 34:18 KJV

Marvin P. Dalton wrote the beautiful inspiring hymn “O What A Savior” about the heart of our precious Saviour being broken.  Yes, Jesus understands when our heart is breaking and He knows how it hurts.  Think about it!  The KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS loves us so much that He died for our sins.

Jesus could have come down from the cross.  All the nails in the world couldn’t have kept Him on the cross had He chosen to come down but He stayed on the cross and suffered anguish and an excruciating pain that you and I will never know because He loves us so much.

What a Saviour!  What a Friend, this Jesus of Nazareth!  Nobody loves us like Jesus loves us and nobody ever will.  All hail King Jesus!  Worthy is the Lamb of God!  Do you understand how much Jesus loves you?  Have you allowed it to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge that He loves you?

One joyous happy day our precious Saviour is coming back for us.  We will see Him face to face and will be with Him for all eternity.  Esther Kerr Rusthoi wrote the beautiful hymn “It Will Be Worth It All”.  I love these words in this hymn “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus”.  It really will be worth it all.    

Joanne Lowe

November 3, 2016

THANK YOU HEAVENLY FATHER

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

1 Peter 5:7 KJV

We have a compassionate loving Heavenly Father Who really cares about us.  He cares about us so much that He gave His Son to die for our sins on the cross.  John 3:16 tells us that our Heavenly Father doesn’t just love us, He so loves us.  He loves you and His heart is moved with compassion for you. 

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for loving us and for opening Your heart of compassion and sending Jesus to die for us.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  What a privilege it is to be in Your family.  Thank You for adopting me and thank You for the privilege of serving Jesus.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

November 2, 2016

PEACE AND LOVE

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Luke 2:14 KJV

A lady talking to a friend said “My brother-in-law has managed to ruin every Christmas and he’ll probably do it again this year”.  We may have relatives that are not as loving as we would like but God wants us to have peace on earth.  Remember, we’re human too and we sometimes hurt people.

Christmas will be here in two months and we should give peace and love to one another instead of complaining.  We can go into debt buying large and expensive gifts but if we don’t give love, unconditional love, those large and expensive gifts don’t mean anything.  They certainly don’t impress God.

We read in 1 Samuel 16:7 that He looks on our heart and not our outward appearance.  God is interested in the condition of our heart, not what we look like on the outside.  What does God see when He looks in our heart?  Does He see things that make Him happy or does He see things that hurt Him and break His heart?

Another thing we can give one another for Christmas is our time.  Giving presents is wonderful but we also need to give our time.  When is the last time you turned off the television and spent time talking to your children?  If we want our children to talk to us, we had better talk to them.

Heavenly Father, I pray that the peace and love we feel at Christmas will be in our heart all year long.  May we give the gift that You gave us, unconditional love.  If you have never given your heart and life to Jesus, give them to Him for His birthday.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

November 1, 2016