GOD’S RETIREMENT PLAN

“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 14:2, 3 KJV

People start preparing for retirement when they start work but there is a better plan than Social Security and a retirement plan here on earth and it is God’s retirement plan.  When God calls us home and we retire from God’s service, we have a mansion that Jesus has already prepared for us.

We read in the Bible.  “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:” (Matthew 6:19, 20).

It is important that we prepare for our retirement here on earth, but it is much more important that we have God’s retirement plan in our heart.  If you have never invited Jesus into your heart to be your personal Saviour, I urge you, I plead with you to give your heart to Jesus before it is too late.

Heavenly Father, I pray for every person who has never said yes to Jesus.  May today be the day they humble themselves and invite Jesus into their heart.  Jesus, thank You for loving me, for never leaving me and for preparing a place for me.  I love You and long to see You face to face.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 31, 2017

THE PILLOW OF LOVE

“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.”

Psalm 4:8 KJV

The greatest thing we can do for people who are hurting is to place them on the pillow of love and His name is Jesus. It is very important that we bring our loved ones to Jesus at night because it is at night that satan lies to us and gives us doubts.

If we will keep our hearts and eyes focused on Jesus, we will have a sweet and peaceful sleep.  There are times when we have days that are frustrating, challenging and stressful. Then there are days that are filled with productivity, joy and happiness.

No matter what kind of day we have when we go to bed and lay our head on our pillows, we are laying in the tender arms of Jesus and close to His heart.  He is right there with us all night long to protect us and rock us to sleep.

While it is wonderful that He loves us enough to rock us to sleep and be our pillow of love we also need to be His pillow of love. He didn’t have a place to lay His precious head when He was born so He was born in a lowly manger. Is He comfortable in our homes?

Does He have to listen to arguments and fighting, or does He hear soft gentle words spoken to one another? Do we talk to each other, or do we keep our eyes glued to the television and ignore one another?  Have you made a pillow of love for Jesus in your heart?

It is important that we keep our homes clean but it is far more important that we allow Jesus to sweep all the bitterness, unforgiveness, sarcasm and criticism from our hearts as often as necessary.

Joanne Lowe

May 30, 2017

THE GREATEST COMMANDER OF ALL

“Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.”

Deuteronomy 4:1 KJV

Today, as we remember the brave men and women who gave their lives for their country, let us not forget to remember and honor the greatest Commander of all, Jesus.  He didn’t just die for some people; He died for every person in the world.  He paid the debt that we could never have paid.

Pastor Elijah Taylor Cassel wrote a beautiful hymn about our great Commander “Loyalty to Christ”.  “On to victory! On to victory!” Cries our great Commander, “On!” We’ll move at His command, We’ll soon possess the land, Through loyalty, loyalty, Yes, loyalty to Christ.”  We must remain loyal to Jesus.

I thought when I asked Jesus into my heart to be my Saviour that everything would be wonderful, that I would never have any problems.  I was wrong because until we ask Jesus into our heart, satan doesn’t have to attack us. However, when we are serving Jesus, satan will lie to us, attack us and deceive us.

Our great Commander has warned us to be alert for the sneaky, poisonous and vicious attacks of satan.  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (I Peter 5:8).  There are times when we let our guard down and satan tries to defeat us.

We must keep following Jesus because He will never fail us.  He will lead us on to victory.  One glorious happy day, we will see our great Commander face to face.  How I long for that day!

Joanne Lowe

May 29, 2017

HE STILL LOVES US

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

1 John 2:1 KJV

If we have accepted Jesus into our heart as our personal Saviour, we should try to do things and say things that make Jesus happy.  However, we need to remember that we are still in the flesh and there are times when we hurt Jesus and break His heart.  What a healing balm it is to us to know He still loves us.

Sometimes I get angry at myself because I can’t do everything I want to do.  Then I remember that Jesus loves us so when I am angry, I have to forgive myself because when I’m angry I can’t share His love with others.  I think we sometimes forget that none of us are perfect, only Jesus is perfect.

When we do sin, Jesus intercedes for us with the Father.  We need to be sure that our heart is in right standing with God because Jesus could come back for us even while I am typing this devotion or while you are reading it.  What about your heart?  Is God pleased with the things in your heart?

Joanne Lowe

May 28, 2017

BLOOD AND TEARS

“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

I believe with all my heart when Jesus was crucified and His precious blood ran down His body, I believe that the tears also ran down His heart.  When they pounded the nails into our Saviour’s hands, I believe that every time they put a nail in His hands, He also felt that excruciating pain in His heart.

Some of the definitions I found in the dictionary for excruciating are “extremely painful; causing intense suffering; unbearably distressing; torturing:”.  They tortured our precious Saviour and He endured an agony and pain that you and I will never know.  Not only was His body broken, His heart was also broken.

Marvin P. Dalton wrote my favorite hymn which I believe should be the Christian National Hymn “O What a Savior”.  “O what a Savior, O hallelujah! His heart was broken on Calvary, His hands were nail scarred, His side was riven, He gave His life-blood for even me.”  O how our Saviour loves you and me.

Think about it.  Jesus willingly left His Father, His home and all that He had to come to earth and die on the cross for our sins.  Do you understand that Jesus loves you so much He died for you?  Your family and friends love you but nobody loves you like Jesus loves you and nobody ever will.

O how I love Jesus.  He is the reason I get out of bed and the Joy of my heart.  One glorious happy day, I will see Him face to face!

Joanne Lowe

May 27, 2017

HE REALLY CARES AND LOVES 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

Every time I think about God loving us so much that He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross for our sins, I get tears in my eyes.  One day, God opened His heart to us and sent His Son to die for us so we may be saved.  He really cares and loves us.  We have a loving compassionate Heavenly Father.

Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for loving us and for caring what happens to us.  Thank You for Jesus.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  Please comfort and encourage all who are hurting and brokenhearted.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 26, 2017

OUR REDEEMING SAVIOUR

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

John 8:36 KJV

Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote an inspiring heart touching hymn about our redeeming Saviour “I’m Free”.  I love these words in this beautiful hymn.  “I'm free from the guilt that I carried, From that dull empty life I'm set free; For when I met Jesus, He made me complete, He forgot the foolish child I used to be”.

One of the most vicious attacks of satan is when he reminds us of our past before we accepted Jesus as our personal Saviour and tries to convince us that we haven’t changed and that Jesus doesn’t love us.  That is a lie straight from the pits of hell.  When Jesus makes us free, we are free and He does love us!

I submit to you on the authority of the Word of God that Jesus loves you and He loves you unconditionally.  I used to wonder why Jesus loves us so much and it is because not only does Jesus give us unconditional love, He is Love!  Another hymn that I love by  Robert Harkness is “Why Should He Love Me So”.

Jesus loves you so much He died for you.  There is nothing you could ever do that would make Him stop loving you.  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”!  Join me in praising our Saviour.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that You gave Jesus to die for our sins.  You are a loving and compassionate Father and I love You.  Thank You for the many times You have comforted and encouraged me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

May 25, 2017

NO MONEY NEEDED OR ACCEPTED

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV

One of the things that really irritates me is when I hear someone say or I read “It’s free to you for a gift of so much money”.  If we have to give money, it is not free.  One of the definitions I found in the dictionary for gift is “something given voluntarily without payment in return”.  Our salvation is a gift of God to us.

Our salvation is free to us but it cost Jesus everything, His life.  Many people try to work their way into Heaven or buy their way into Heaven but it is only when the shed blood of Jesus is applied to our heart for the forgiveness of our sins that we have the forgiveness of our sins.

If you have been trying to buy your way into Heaven or work your way into Heaven, stop trying.  Someone sat in my living room several years ago and said to me “I try to be nice to everyone and do kind things for people”.  We can’t be nice enough to go to Heaven.  We are sinners and we need Jesus.

Heavenly Father, I pray for everyone who reads this devotion.  Please let them know how much You love them.  I pray for every pastor who is preaching the good news of our Saviour.  Please encourage them and let them know how much You love them and appreciate their service.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 24, 2017

OUR FRIEND

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

John 15:13 KJV

Eliza Edmunds Hewitt wrote a beautiful hymn about our precious Saviour “The Very Friend I Need”.  “When I drink the cup of sorrow, When I tread the path of grief, Jesus is the very Friend I need; In His Word is consolation, In His presence sweet relief, Jesus is the very Friend I need.”

Have you ever felt like nobody cared about you or understood what dark valley you were going through?  Jesus cares about you and He understands.  Jesus is not only our Saviour, He is our beat Friend.  Our family and friends have to go home but Jesus stays with us.  He never leaves us, not even for a minute.

When the night seems like it will never be over and the tears start to fall, Jesus sits beside our bed and holds our hand as He tenderly whispers in our ear “I understand.  I love you and I won’t leave you”.  Do you realize what a privilege it is to be loved by the Saviour of the world?  O how I love Jesus!

We know Jesus is our Friend.  He proves He is our Friend every day.  The question we need to ask ourselves is am I His friend?  Jesus said “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14).  Are we doing what He commands us to do or are we doing what we want to do? 

Joanne Lowe

May 23, 2017

HE NEVER GIVES UP

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; 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

Has anyone ever said to you “I give up?  I wash my hands of you and the whole situation”?  Have you ever said that to someone?  Jesus has promised us that He will never leave us or forsake us.  He never gives up on us.  I am so glad that our Saviour never gives up on us and that we can depend on Him.

It is a healing balm to us to know that we can depend on Jesus but can He depend on us?  Jesus has done so much for us.  He allowed them to spit on Him, curse Him, mock Him and crucify Him on the cross for our sins and He had never done anything wrong.  We should be willing and eager to serve Jesus.

When we serve Jesus it makes satan angry and he will do all he can do to discourage us so much that we will give up and stop serving Jesus.  We must not let that happen!  We must stay on the battlefield for Jesus.  Our precious Saviour didn’t give up when He was here on His mission so we shouldn’t give up.

Heavenly Father, I love You so much.  Thank You for loving me and for adopting me into Your family.  What a privilege You have given me to serve Your beloved Son.  Please help us to stay on the battlefield for Jesus and keep serving Him no matter how many lies satan tells us.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.    

Joanne Lowe

May 22, 2017

OUR SAVIOUR

“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”

Psalms 17:15 KJV

Frances Jane Crosby wrote one of my favorite hymns “My Savior First of All”.  “Oh, the soul thrilling rapture when I view His blessèd face, And the luster of His kindly beaming eye; How my full heart will praise Him for the mercy, love and grace, That prepare for me a mansion in the sky.”

We are going to see Jesus face to face.  Are you shouting with joy and happiness?  We are going to have the privilege of seeing our precious Saviour face to face.  Carrie Elizabeth Ellis Breck wrote another one of my favorite hymns “Face to Face with Christ, My Savior”.  I love the words in this beautiful hymn.

I believe she wrote this beautiful hymn from her heart.  “Face to face—oh, blissful moment! Face to face—to see and know; Face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ Who loves me so.”  How I long to see my Saviour.  O how I love Jesus.  He is the joy of my heart, the reason I’m living and the reason I get out of bed.

Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for giving Your beloved Son to die on the cross for our sins so we may have the privilege of being saved and living in Heaven.  Thank You, dear Father, for being a Father Who never curses us or hits us.  I love You, dear Father.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 21, 2017

HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE GARDEN

“And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.”

Mark 14:32 KJV

Eleanor Allen Schroll wrote a beautiful heart touching and inspiring hymn “The Beautiful Garden of Prayer”.  I love these words.  “There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting, And I go with my burden and care, Just to learn from His lips words of comfort In the beautiful garden of prayer.”

One of the most heart breaking things to me about having arthritis is not being able to kneel and pray.  I used to kneel beside my bed and have my devotions.  I would read the Bible out loud and sing and pray out loud.  What a precious time I had with my beautiful Saviour.  How I miss those times.

I have a wonderful family and many good friends but though I have a good time with them and love being with them, nothing compares to the joy of being in the presence of Jesus.  “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).

Have you been to the garden of prayer?  Jesus is waiting for you to fellowship with Him.  I think we sometimes forget that Jesus has feelings too.  Just as we want Him to love us and fellowship with us so He wants us to love Him and fellowship with Him.  When is the last time you told Jesus you love Him?

The best way to prove to Jesus we love Him is to serve Him.  Serving Him means that we have to shut off the television, get out of our comfort zone and tell everyone we see that Jesus loves them so much He died for them.  Are you willing to shut off the television and serve the One Who died for you?

Joanne Lowe

May 20, 2017

GOD’S WASHING MACHINE

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”

Colossians 1:14 KJV

My washing machine broke and I had to buy a new one.  However, all the new washing machines in the world can’t cleanse our heart from sin.  It is only through the cleansing blood of Jesus that He shed for us on the cross that we can have the forgiveness of our sins.

Pastor Robert Lowry wrote one of my favorite hymns “Nothing but the Blood”.  “What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus;  What can make me whole again?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”  Thank God for the cleansing redeeming blood of our Saviour that He shed for us on the cross.

If you ever think nobody loves you or cares about you, remember the cross and the pain and anguish that Jesus suffered for you.  Your family and your friends love you but nobody loves you like Jesus loves you and nobody ever will.  Join me in praising Jesus for His unconditional love for us.

What a Saviour!  What a Friend, this Jesus of Nazareth!  Worthy is the Lamb of God!  Do you know this beautiful Saviour?  Give Jesus a hug today.  We hug Jesus when we hug others.  If you don’t feel comfortable hugging people, hug them with kind and loving words and actions.

Joanne Lowe

May 19, 2017

ONLY HIS 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 is only His love for us, His unconditional love for us that caused God to give His beloved Son to die for our sins on the cross.  It was only Jesus and His compassionate tender and understanding love that lifted me up from under a bed in the mental hospital years ago.

James Rowe wrote “Love Lifted Me”.  The words in this hymn describe what Jesus did for me.  “Love lifted me! Love lifted me! When nothing else could help Love lifted me!”  I hated everyone and was afraid of everyone and everything and only the love of Jesus could have made me come out from under that bed.

I’ve been asked if it is embarrassing for me to write about my personal life and the crippling devastating depression I went through for over forty years.  Sometimes it is hard to write about it but if it helps just one person by my sharing my heart and telling about my personal life, then it is worth it.

Jesus shared His heart in the Garden of Gethsemane.  “And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch” (Mark 14:34).  If Jesus shared His heart, then you and I should also be willing to share what is in our heart so others can pray for us.

Precious Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us.  Jesus, thank You for loving us and for dying for us.  Thank You for never leaving me.  I love You with all my heart and I long for the day when I will see You face to face.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 18, 2017

HURRICANES OF THE HEART

“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

Hurricane season starts next month where I live but there are other kinds of hurricanes and they are hurricanes of the heart.  Many times we receive warnings when a hurricane is going to make land where we live.  Jesus has warned us that there will be hurricanes of the heart and we need to be ready for them.

If we would be on the alert for hurricanes of the heart as much as we are for hurricanes that make landfall where we live, we wouldn’t have so many problems.  There are many people who are lonely, hurting, discouraged and who really believe nobody loves them or cares about them.

We must tell them that Jesus loves them unconditionally and we should also be a blessing to them.  Ira Bishop Wilson wrote one of my favorite hymns “Make Me a Blessing”.  Are we a blessing not only to our loved ones but also to everyone we meet?  Remember, when we are kind to others, we are kind to Jesus.

May God help us to be encouragers to one another and also to tell the good news of our risen Saviour.  Jesus gave His life for us.  How can we do less for Him than give Him first place in our heart?  It should be the desire of every Christian to make Jesus happy.  If ever someone deserves to be happy, it is Jesus.

Joanne Lowe

May 17, 2017

O THE 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

I have had the privilege of serving Jesus since January 24, 2005 and there are no words to describe the joy that I have known by being in His presence.  I have a wonderful family and a lot of good friends who I love but nothing compares to the happiness, the excitement and the joy I feel when I am in His presence.

Pastor Ira Forest Stanphill wrote a beautiful inspiring hymn.  “Happiness Is The Lord”.  I love these words.  “Real joy is mine, no matter if teardrops start; I've found the secret- it's Jesus in my heart!”  If you want to have real joy, a joy that is overflowing, stay in the presence of Jesus.

If there has never been a time in your life when you humbled yourself and admitted you are a sinner, repented of your sins, asked God to forgive you and invited Jesus into your heart to be your personal Saviour, I urge you, I plead with you to say yes to Jesus today before it is too late.  One day it will be too late.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of serving Your beloved Son.  Thank You for loving me and for adopting me into Your family.  Jesus, thank You for the joy You give me and for never leaving me.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 16, 2017

THE LAMP OF LOVE

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Psalms 119:105 KJV

God loves us so much that He gave us His Word as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.  He also gave Jesus to us Who is our lamp of love.  When we become discouraged because of going through dark valleys, Jesus shines His lamp of love a little brighter in our heart.  O how our Saviour loves us.

If we have invited Jesus into our heart to be our personal Saviour, we need to let His lamp of love shine through us in everything we say and in everything we do.  There are many people who are lonely, discouraged and hurting and they need to know somebody cares about them and loves them.

Joyce Landorf Heatherley, a Christian speaker and author, said on one of her teaching tapes “The people we sit next to in church look fine and they look darling, but inside they are hurting”.  Let’s love others with the love of the Lord, the unconditional love that Jesus gives us every day.

May God help us to pray for each other and to be encouragers to one another.  We especially need to encourage our pastors.  A pastor said “Please pray for my wife because she is the one who encourages me when I am hurting”.  Have you prayed for your pastor and family today?  If not, please pray for them. 

Joanne Lowe

May 15, 2017

HIS MOTHER

“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!   Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”

John 19:25-27 KJV

O how Jesus loved His mother.  Even in the midst of all His pain, Jesus made sure His disciple would take care of His mother.  O that you and I would follow the example of our Saviour and make sure that someone takes care of our mother if we aren’t able to do so.  Not only does Jesus give us love, He is Love!

If our mother is no longer living, we need to find a mother who needs encouragement and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day.  There are many women who can’t have children or have lost children and they need us to adopt them in our heart.  We need to call them, email them and pray for them.

We want someone to take care of our mother if we aren’t able to take care of her.  We should be willing to take care of a mother who is lonely and hurting.  If we would follow the example Jesus has set for us, not only by taking care of our mothers, but in everything that we do, we would make our Saviour happy.

Heavenly Father, I pray for every mother.  I ask that You will please encourage them, comfort them and let them know how much You love them.  May we be an encouragement to our mothers, not only on Mother’s Day, but on every day of the year.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 14, 2017

  

HE TOOK OUR PLACE

“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

Philip Paul Bliss wrote “HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR”.  Every time I sing this or hear this beautiful hymn, I am reminded of how much our Saviour loves us. “Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood; Sealed my pardon with His blood. “Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

Do you realize how much Jesus loves you?  He allowed them to spit on Him, curse Him, mock Him, beat Him beyond recognition and crucify Him on the cross because He loves you.  What kind of love is this?  This is an unconditional love that can only come from the heart of our Saviour.  O how Jesus loves you.

Think about it.  Jesus left His Father, His home and all that He had to come to earth to die on the cross for you so you can be saved and go to Heaven.  God did not make Jesus come to earth to die for us.  Jesus came because He loves us.  Jesus, the Saviour of the world, loves you and He will always love you.

No matter how many times we hurt Him, He still loves us.  He loved us yesterday.  He loves us today and He will love us forever.  What a Saviour!  What a Friend, this Jesus of Nazareth!  All hail, King Jesus!  Worthy is the Lamb of God!  Please join me in praising the “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”!

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Jesus.  Not only was His heart broken when He died on the cross, Your heart was also broken when He died.  I love You, precious Heavenly Father.  Thank You for adopting me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 13, 2017

JESUS FIRST

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

James 4:17 KJV

Someone asked if it is okay to watch movies or football games on television.  No matter what we do, we need to be sure to put Jesus first ahead of everything and everyone.  Jesus deserves to have first place in our heart and in our life after all He has done for us.  He shed His precious blood for you and for me.

If we take the time to exercise in the morning or read the sports page in the newspaper but don’t take the time to talk to Jesus, the Bible makes it very clear that we are sinning.  If we don’t have the time to talk to Jesus and spend time with Him, we need to rearrange our schedules so He comes first.

The most precious times I have had with Jesus are when I was physically able to kneel beside my bed.  I would read my Bible out loud and pray out loud and spend time with Jesus.  O how I miss those times.  However, it is not enough to just bow our knees, we must also bow our heart to our precious Saviour.

What about you?  Does Jesus have first place in your heart, in your life, in your time and in everything you do?  We should never go anywhere unless we can take Jesus with us.  We should never watch anything on television that we wouldn’t watch if Jesus was sitting beside us. 

It is time that we put Jesus first.  After all He has done for us, we should want to do everything we can do to make Him happy.  Jesus deserves to be happy.  O how I love Jesus.  He is the joy of my heart, the reason I’m living and the reason I get out of bed in the morning.  One day I will see Him face to face.    

Joanne Lowe

May 12, 2017

THAT PRECIOUS NAME

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:9-11 KJV

There is no other name that brings tears of joy to my eyes like that precious Name of Jesus.  We only have a fingernail’s grasp of how wonderful Jesus is and how much He loves us.  Jesus, the “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” loves us and He loves us unconditionally.

If you ever think nobody loves you, remember the cross and the pain and anguish Jesus felt as He hung there on the cross with His precious blood flowing down His body as He allowed them to crucify Him for our sins.  He could have come down from the cross but He stayed on the cross because He loves us.

I’ve said this before and I will keep saying it until Jesus comes back for us or God calls me home.  Nobody loves you like Jesus loves you and nobody ever will.  Allow it to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge that the Saviour of the world loves you.  Yes, I mean you.  Jesus loves you.

Heavenly Father, what a privilege it is to be loved by Your precious Son.  Thank You for loving us so much You gave Jesus to die for our sins.  You are a tender compassionate Father and I love You and appreciate You.  Thank You for the privilege of serving Your beloved Son.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

May 11, 2017

OUR FAITHFUL SAVIOUR

“And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”

Psalms 9:10 KJV

Jesus, our faithful and loving Saviour is with us all the time.  He is with us when we are on the mountain top of happiness and He is also with us when we are in the valley of despair.  We only have a fingernails grasp of how much Jesus loves us.  He never leaves us, not even for a minute. 

Have you allowed it to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge that Jesus loves you and that He loves you unconditionally?  He loved you yesterday.  He loves you today and He will love you forever.  When you are happy, He rejoices with you and when you cry, He weeps with you.

Do you realize what a privilege it is to be loved by the Saviour of the world?  Jesus, the “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” loves you.  Think about it, He left His Father, His home and all that He had to come to earth to die for our sins.  Why did He die for us?  It is because not only does Jesus give love, He is love.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sharing Jesus with us.  I pray for all those who are discouraged, lonely and heartbroken.  Please comfort and encourage them as You have done for me countless times.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  I love You, precious Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

May 10, 2017

HE ALWAYS UNDERSTANDS

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 4:15,16 KJV

Have you ever thought that nobody understood the pain and heartache you were feeling?  Jesus understands how you feel.  He always understands how we feel.  John W. Peterson wrote a beautiful hymn about our Saviour “No One Understands Like Jesus”.  Nobody does understand like Jesus understands.

I love these words in this heart touching and inspiring hymn.  “No one understands like Jesus, Every woe He sees and feels; Tenderly He whispers comfort, And the broken heart He heals.”  It is very hard for me to share what is in my heart with others because I think they won’t understand or care.

It’s easy to share what is in my heart with Jesus because I know that He really understands how I feel.  Many times we tell people we understand and we may understand a little of how they feel but only Jesus can see into our heart and only Jesus really knows and feels the hurt and pain we experience.

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”.  Please join me in praising the One Who loves us so much He died for us.  O how I love Jesus.  I long to see Him face to face and one day I will see Him.

Joanne Lowe

May 9, 2017

HE REALLY CARES ABOUT 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 thought that nobody cares about you?  I thought that for many years.  I really believed that nobody cared if I lived or died until the day Jesus told me He loves me and that He would protect me and never leave me.  He really cares about us.  What a precious Saviour we are privileged to have.

Rev. Frank Ellsworth Graeff wrote a beautiful hymn about Jesus “Does Jesus Care”.  I love these words.  “Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief; When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares.”  Jesus loves us unconditionally and He cares about us.

Jesus not only cares, He is also with us through the long lonely nights when we can’t sleep.  Have you allowed it to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge that Jesus, the Saviour of the world, loves you?  Yes, I mean you.  If you are reading this devotion, Jesus loves you and will always love you.

We know Jesus loves us.  He proved His love for us when He died for our sins.  Does Jesus know we love Him?  What are we doing to prove to Him that we love Him?  The best way to prove to Him that we love Him is to serve Him.  We will have to shut off the television and get out of our comfort zone to serve Him.

Are you willing to shut off the television and get out of your comfort zone and serve Jesus?  Our Saviour left Heaven, His Father and everything He had to die on the cross for you.

Joanne Lowe

May 8, 2017

THE VALLEY OF DISCOURAGEMENT

“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 KJV

I think if we are honest, all of us will say that there have been times when we were in the valley of discouragement.  The good news is that God is with us and He will strengthen us and help us.  When we serve Jesus, it makes satan very angry and he will do all that he can do to discourage us from serving Jesus.

We must not let that happen.  We must keep serving Jesus.  No one has ever been as discouraged and been as lonely and ridiculed as Jesus was when He was here on His mission.  It may seem that nobody understands how we feel when we are discouraged, but Jesus understands and He cares about us.

Rev. Johnson Oatman, Jr. wrote a heart touching and inspiring hymn. “Count Your Blessings”.  “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”

The next time satan attacks us with discouragement and he will attack us, we need to immediately ask God to help us.  Many times we stay in the valley of discouragement because we don’t pray and ask God to help us.  I am so glad we have a Heavenly Father Who loves us unconditionally and really cares about us.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and for caring about us.  You are a tenderhearted caring and compassionate Father and I love You.  Please comfort and encourage all those who are hurting and discouraged.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 7, 2017

IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE

“And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

Mark 10:27 KJV

Have you ever thought that it was impossible to do something?  Jesus said “with God all things are possible”.  When God helps us do something, it is not impossible to do it.  However, it might not be in God’s will for us to do it so we need to ask Him before we do anything.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for not always asking You if You want us to do something.  Father, there are many people who are lonely, discouraged and heartbroken.  I pray that You will encourage and comfort them and let them know how much You love them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 6, 2017

JESUS OUR FRIEND

“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

John 15:15 KJV

Eliza Edmunds Hewitt wrote a beautiful hymn about Jesus our Friend “The Precious Friend”.  I love these words.  “Never will this Friend forsake me, I would in His love confide, Then whatever ills o’ertake me, Peace shall in my soul abide; O, how great is His salvation, O, what mercy He’ll extend!”

It doesn’t matter how many times satan attacks us with arrows of doubt, discouragement and lies; Jesus will always be with us.  There are times when we hurt and fail one another but Jesus will never hurt us or fail us.  He loved us yesterday.  He loves us today and He will love us tomorrow.  What a precious Friend!

If you don’t know our loving Saviour, I urge you to take the time to know Him.  You can be saved and not know Him.  To know someone, you have to spend time with that person.  I have not had the privilege of going to Bible College but I have attended God’s University every day since January 24, 2005.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sharing Jesus with us.  Thank You for the privilege of serving Your beloved Son and thank You for adopting me into Your family.  I pray for all those who are discouraged.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 5, 2017

NO DISAPPOINTMENTS WITH JESUS

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Hebrews 13:8 KJV

Have you ever been disappointed by something someone said or did?  Maybe people said they would do something for you but never did it.  There are no disappointments with Jesus.  What He says, He will do.  If He tells us He is going to do something, He does it and He has promised us He will never leave us.

While it hurts when we are disappointed by people, we must always remember that we also disappoint people at times.  None of us are perfect.  There was only one perfect person who ever lived or ever will live and His Name is Jesus.  We can trust Him because He proved how much He loves us when He died for us.

Pastor Arthur Abner Luther wrote the beautiful inspiring hymn “Jesus Never Fails”.  It is one of my favorite hymns and it is so true because Jesus never fails.  I love these words.  “Earthly friends may prove untrue, doubts and fears assail; One still loves and cares for you, one who will not fail. Jesus never fails,”

How I long for the day when I will see my beloved Saviour face to face.  I am going to hug Him for all eternity and try to tell Him how much I love Him and appreciate Him.  Since I gave my heart to Him on August 14, 1980, He has never left me, not even for a minute.  O how I love my precious Saviour.

What a privilege it has been to be in full time service to Him since October 4, 1998.  He has never left me or disappointed me one time.  Pastor Byron said in a sermon, “If you want to fly higher than a kite, start bragging on Jesus”.  I have been flying higher than a kite even when satan tries to discourage me.

Joanne Lowe

May 4, 2017

OUR MOTIVE

“Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”

Psalms 100:2 KJV

What is our motive in serving Jesus?  It should be to lead others to accept Him as their personal Saviour.  Before we can expect them to ask Jesus into their heart, we must not only tell them about His unconditional love; we must also prove that He loves them by our actions.

Someone said “I am serving Jesus so that makes me a good person”.  That is not a true statement.  It is a privilege to serve our precious Saviour and we should do it with joy because God has allowed us to serve His beloved Son.  I have been so happy since I started serving Jesus.  O how I love Jesus.

Joanne Lowe

May 3, 2017

HEART EXERCISES

“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 is not enough to just do physical exercises, we must also do heart exercises and we should do our heart exercises before we do our physical exercises.  The first heart exercise we should do every morning is tell Jesus we love Him.  If we don’t have time to tell Jesus we love Him, we need to rearrange our schedule.

We should tell Jesus we love Him before we tell our spouse and our loved ones we love them.  Jesus has earned the right to have first place in our heart and in our life.  As soon as I wake up in the morning and before I get out of bed, I say “I love You, Heavenly Father.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.”

When I go to bed at night, I say “I love You, Heavenly Father.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit”.  I thank God for all He has done for me and I thank Him for loving me and for adopting me into His family.  There are many people who are lonely and discouraged and we need to adopt them in our heart.

When is the last time you told someone that Jesus loves him or her?  It is not enough to tell people Jesus loves them; we must also show them Jesus loves them by our kind and loving actions and words.  My physical therapist does that for me.  She shows me the love of Jesus by her words and also by her actions.

Heavenly Father, I know how it feels to be discouraged, lonely, heartbroken and afraid of everyone and everything.  I pray for all who need Your comforting touch and encouragement.  Please comfort and encourage them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

May 2, 2017

THE MOST EXPENSIVE WEDDING

“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV

Someone said “My wedding cost me over one thousand dollars”.  It doesn’t matter how much we spend on our wedding because the most expensive wedding there has ever been or ever will be was when Jesus died for us on the cross and shed His own blood for our sins and redeemed us to be His bride.

Jesus had never sinned, had never done anything wrong yet He willingly walked that long lonely road to Calvary and allowed them to crucify Him.  What kind of love is this?  It is an amazing and unconditional love for you and for me.  Nobody loves you like Jesus loves you and nobody ever will.  What a Saviour!

Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for Jesus.  I pray if there is anyone reading this devotion who has not given their heart and life to Jesus that today will be the day.  Jesus, I love You and I long for the day when I will see You face to face.  Thank You for loving me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

May 1, 2017