EVERYTHING

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Romans 12:1, 2

King James Version

Pastor Elisha A. Hoffman wrote a hymn that should make every one of us search our heart “Is Your All on the Altar?”  “You have longed for sweet peace, And for faith to increase, And have earnestly, fervently prayed; But you cannot have rest, Or be perfectly blest, Until all on the altar is laid.”

God used this hymn to make me realize that I had not forgiven everyone who had hurt me.  I had forgiven the man who raped me and the kids at school who called me fat, ugly and stupid and told me I didn’t have a right to live but I hadn’t forgiven everyone.

One day when I was praying and asking God to forgive me for anything I had done that had hurt Him.   He spoke to my heart and said “You haven’t forgiven everyone.”  I thought about it and I really believed that I had forgiven everyone but He said “You haven’t forgiven yourself”.

That’s when I realized how much He loves me.  What about you?  Have you forgiven yourself for things you did in the past?  God loves all of us equally.  He doesn’t play favorites like some parents do.  If your heart is breaking and you feel like giving up, remember God loves you so much He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross for you so you can be saved and live in Heaven for eternity.

We have a tender loving and compassionate Heavenly Father Who will never yell at us, curse us, hit us or kick us out.  We will never have to run and hide from Him like some children have to run and hide from their dad.  If you are reading this devotion, thank God for His unconditional love for you.

Joanne Lowe

April 30, 2019

STAY ON THE BATTLEFIELD

“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

Matthew 26:36-39

King James Version

When satan hurls his vicious arrows of discouragement, doubts, lies and disappointments at us, we need to stay on the battlefield for Jesus just as He stayed on the cross for us.  We can’t do it in our own strength.  We need to cry out to Jesus and ask Him to help us.

I have been going through a valley of disappointments and discouragement for a week but through it all, Jesus has been with me and He picked me up and carried me when I was tempted to give up and stop serving Him.  We can depend on Jesus because He will never fail us.

Pastor Andrae Crouch  wrote one of my favorite hymns “Through It All”.  “I've been to lots of places, I've seen a lot of faces, there's been times I felt so all alone. But in my lonely hours, yes, those precious lonely hours, Jesus lets me know that I was His own.”

Thank God for our faithful loving compassionate Saviour Who never leaves us, not even for one minute.  O how I love Jesus.  He is the reason I get out of bed and the Joy of my heart and one happy day I will have the privilege of seeing Him face to face.

Joanne Lowe

April 29, 2019

IMPOSSIBLE TO COUNT

“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

King James Version

When someone we love is sick or dies, our heart breaks and we cry.  I believe it is impossible to count all the tears that God has shed.  He cried when His Son was crucified because He had to turn away from Him and He cries when He sees the way Jesus is treated.

May God have mercy on us if we are breaking His heart by the way we treat His beloved Son.  Jesus deserves to have first place in our heart.  If you want to make Jesus happy, let others see and hear the love that Jesus has for them in your words and in your actions.

Joanne Lowe

April 28, 2019

BE PATIENT

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31

King James Version

There are times when I get very frustrated if I can’t do what I want to do when I want to do it.  However, I’m a lot more patient than I used to be.  I am learning to wait for Jesus to help me.  How about you?  Are you waiting or are you trying to do everything by yourself?

Joanne Lowe

April 27, 2019

WASTED YEARS

“Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways. Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.”

Psalm 95:10, 11

King James Version

I watched a family program on television. It was about two sisters who were trying to become friends. They had never been close and had always been jealous of each other. One of the sisters said “What do we talk about? We’ve never had a real conversation”. Her sister replied “Then it’s time that we start talking and get to know each other”. How sad that we waste so many years fighting with our families.

Jesus said He was grieved for forty years because the people erred in their heart and did not know His ways. I think that He is saying the same thing to us today because we don’t take the time to get to know Him. There are people who don’t know what His favorite color is and what makes Him happy or sad. I believe that the heart of our precious Saviour is broken daily because we ignore Him completely, or we put other things and people ahead of Him.

Joanne Lowe

April 26, 2019

IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM

“He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.”

Psalm 91: 15

King James Version

There are times in our lives when we are in the midst of storms. We have storms of criticism, sarcasm, hatred, ridicule, and dishonesty.  When all hell comes against us and we feel like we have lost even our best friend on earth, Jesus promises us that He will be with us.

All we have to do is call upon Him and He will be faithful to kiss our tears away and heal the hurt in our heart. Jesus is the best Friend you will ever have. He will never leave you or hurt you.  Jesus told us that not only will He be with us, He will deliver us.

He will deliver us from a broken heart if we will only ask Him. He sees into our heart and feels the pain and anguish as nobody else can feel it.  Jesus also has pain from storms. He feels our rejection, our unbelief, and our doubts.

It hurts Him when we ignore Him most of the day. We need to stop hurting Jesus and stop causingHim pain. If you’re hurting today, reach out to Jesus. He is a Friend Who will never leave you, and will always understand.

Joanne Lowe

April 25, 2019

MEMORIZE

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

James 4:17

King James Version

I heard a sermon on memorizing the Bible. It is very important that we memorize the Bible but that isn’t enough.  We must put into practice what we learn.  It would be like someone going to medical school but never being a doctor.

A pastor used this illustration in a sermon.  “A man memorized the entire Bible, taught Sunday school, sang in the choir and everyone thought he was wonderful but this same man went home and beat his wife.”

Are you doing what the Bible tells you to do?  If not, you are hurting God and breaking His heart.  May God help us to lead others to Jesus by our loving words and actions.  Someone we see may be hurting and need a kind word from us.

Joanne Lowe

April 24, 2019

FORGIVE

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Matthew 6:14, 15

King James Version

A lady went to a pastor and said she was having trouble forgiving her dad.  The pastor said “We can’t forgive.  Only God can forgive”.  I submit to you on the authority of the Word of God that is a lie straight from the pits of hell.

The Bible makes it very clear that if we don’t forgive others, God won’t forgive us.  How dare you and I ask God to forgive us if we aren’t willing to forgive those who hurt us?  We need to remember there was only one perfect person and His Name is Jesus.

May God help us to forgive and love one another unconditionally as Jesus has commanded us to love others.  If you have unforgiveness in your heart, ask God to forgive you.  Remember, He forgives you when you hurt Him.

Joanne Lowe

April 23, 2019

ARE WE DOING IT

“And of some have compassion, making a difference:”

Jude 1:22/

King James Version

Fanny Crosby wrote one of my favorite hymns “Rescue the Perishing”.  “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen, Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.”  Are we doing it?

Joanne Lowe

April 22, 2019

FROM HIS HEART OF LOVE

“And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.”

Mark 16:6

King James Version

Rev. Robert Lowry wrote one of my favorite hymns “Christ Arose”.  “Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior, waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord! Up from the grave he arose; with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;he arose a victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever, with his saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!”

As we celebrate the resurrection of our Saviour on Easter Sunday let us remember that God gave Jesus to be our Saviour from His heart of love.  Just as God gave Jesus to us from His heart of love, He also gives other things to us from His heart of love.  We have a loving compassionate Heavenly Father.

One of the things that God has given to me is a tape of a beloved friend playing the piano.  God has used this tape many times to encourage and inspire me and also remind me that He loves me.  If God has given you a talent and you are not using it, you are hurting Him and breaking His heart.

Thank God for Judye, my beloved friend and sister, who gave me this tape.  I am listening to it as I type this devotion and I thank God for Judye every time I listen to it.  Are you using the talents that God has given you to encourage others?  If not, I urge you to start using them today.

Joanne Lowe

April 21,2019

WHAT IF

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

Hebrews 9:27

King James Version

What if we knew we were going to die today?  I wonder if we would watch television or would we use the day to tell our loved ones how much we love them?  Most important of all, is our heart right with God?  Are we ready to meet Him?

What does God see when He looks in our heart?  Does He see bitterness, resentment, jealousy, hatred and unforgiveness in our heart?  If He does, we are not ready to meet God.  Not only are we not ready to meet Him, we are hurting Him and breaking His heart.

May God help us to love one another unconditionally as Jesus has commanded us to love each other.  We need to remember that God still loves us when we hurt Him and He is faithful to forgive us if we will ask Him.  Don’t let the things that hurt God remain in your heart.

Joanne Lowe

April 20, 2019

THE LIGHT OF OUR HEART

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

1 Corinthians 13: 12

King James Version

Have you ever looked out the window at night and couldn’t see anything?  Perhaps the street lights were off and the moon and stars weren’t giving off enough light for you to see anything.  I have good news for you.  

No matter how dark the tunnels of despair, heartaches, trials, crises and criticism are in our lives if we will look beneath all the hurt and pain in our heart, we will see the light of hope, encouragement, laughter, peace and joy.  Jesus is the light of our heart.

Joanne Lowe

April 19, 2019

HIS ARMS OF LOVE

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

Jeremiah 31:3

King James Version

Have you ever been so discouraged that you felt like going to bed and staying there?  I have many times.  I am writing this devotion on Wednesday but I am sending it tomorrow.  When I woke up this morning, I was discouraged because I can’t do the things I want to do so I went back to bed. 

Jesus is so faithful to help us and encourage us.  When I put my head on my pillow, I felt His arms of love go around me as He told me He loves me.  O how I love Jesus!  He is the Joy of my heart and the reason I get out of bed.  Do you know how much He loves you?  He loves you so much He died for you.

Joanne Lowe

April 18, 2019

DO WE DO IT

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

1Thessalonians 5:18

King James Version

Our scripture verse tells us to give thanks for everything.  Do we do it?  If we aren’t doing it, we are hurting our Heavenly Father and breaking His heart.  If we can’t find anything to be thankful for, we can always thank Him for loving us and for giving His beloved Son to die on the cross for our sins.

Joanne Lowe

April 17, 2019

THE HORRIFYING NOISE

“Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

Matthew 27: 38 – 40

King James Version

I have a new fan that squeaks when it turns side to side. I have put WD 40 on it twice and it still makes the noise. It is beginning to bother me. I thought about Jesus hanging on the cross and the horrifying noise He heard while He was dying for us. People were mocking Him, reviling Him, and treating Him like He was a hardened criminal.

What a tragic passage of Scripture! The heart of our dear Saviour was broken on Calvary as He heard all those cutting remarks and sarcasm. Yes, Jesus shed His blood for us so that we may be saved, but more than that, I believe He died of a broken heart. He couldn’t put WD 40 on their mouths to stop that horrible noise of rejection, criticism, sarcasm, and ridicule.

I believe if we ever grasp in our hearts just a fingernail full of the amazing love that Jesus extended to us that day on Calvary, we will stop treating people like we do. We will treat them with the love that Jesus has commanded us to show. How it must break the heart of our dear Saviour even now as He sees the way we treat each other!

How can we keep hurting Jesus after all He has done for us? He died for us! What do we do for Him? We may give Him a few hours a day, but He gave His life for us. O’ that we would fall in love with Jesus and give Him our life in full time service!

Joanne Lowe

June 14, 2006

NO  MORE CRYING

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

King James Version

One happy day God is going to wipe away all tears from our eyes and I believe He is going to do it with kisses of love and compassion.  We have a tender loving Heavenly Father Who loves us so much He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross for us.

Joanne Lowe

April 15, 2019

HE STILL 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

King James Version

The  love that God had for us when He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross for us is still here.  He still loves us. There is nothing we could do that would make Him stop loving us. What a precious loving Heavenly Father we are privileged to know and have.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us even when we fail You have hurt You.  I pray for all who are discouraged, lonely and hurting. Please comfort and encourage them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Joanne Lowe

April 14, 2019

WRONG ADDRESS

“O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.”

Psalm 139: 1 -12

King James Version

Someone sent me a package last week. I never received it because it was delivered to the wrong address. When I traced the package, the agent told me that the driver couldn’t read the address. The company that sent me the package has sent my order to me again without charging me for it, this time making sure that the address is written clearly so the driver can understand it.

This could never have happened with a package sent from Jesus because He knows our addresses. If we moved out of the country and wanted to hide from Him, it would be impossible to hide from Him because no matter where we go, He sees us. There are people who plan to commit a crime and they wait until night comes and it is dark. They think that nobody will see them.

It can be completely dark with no moon or stars or light any place but Jesus will still see them. We cannot hide from Jesus no matter where we go or what we do. A pastor friend of mine said in his sermon “We were in a cave and it was completely dark. We could not see our hands”. No, we can’t hide from Jesus. Not only does He know everything; He sees everything.

For those of you who are trying to run away from serving Jesus, He knows where you are and His heart is broken because you don’t love Him enough to keep serving Him no matter what obstacles that satan and the world place in your path. If ever anyone had the right to give up, it is our precious Saviour.

He endured horrors, pain, anguish, heartaches, trials and rejections that nobody has ever had to endure or ever will have to endure. If Jesus could be faithful in the light of all His suffering, how much more you and I should be faithful no matter what comes our way.

Since God gave me this devotional ministry two years ago, I have received several heartbreaking emails from pastors, missionaries and evangelists who told me that they had been hurt too badly and had resigned their positions. I’m sure that this makes Jesus very sad. We need to realize that when God calls us to a position, He never changes His mind or dismisses us from that call (Romans 11:29, 1 Corinthians 7:20). We are the ones who take it upon ourselves to resign.

Are you trying to hide from Jesus because of something you have done or have not done? He sees you and He knows your heart. He is waiting for you to step up to the plate once again and swing the bat of unconditional love to the world for Him. It is time that all of us commit our entire lives and all of our time to Him because it all belongs to Him.

Joanne Lowe
September 14, 2007

ONLY JESUS

"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

King James Version

I heard a pastor on the radio say "Going to church will not save you and doing good works will not save you.  Only the blood of Jesus Christ saves us".  Thank God for the blood of Jesus.

Joanne Lowe

April 10, 2019 

GOD’S APPROVAL

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2: 15

King James Version

When I was a child, I wanted my Mother’s approval when I did something. I remember going to her one time and asking her what she thought of what I wanted to do. She said, “What you say sounds fine, but you never finish what you start”. It broke my heart and completely destroyed what little self-confidence I had.

Parents, don’t do this to your children! Your children desperately need to know that you support their efforts. Yes, they may fail, but encourage them to try again. Thank God, I have a Father Who approves of me and always encourages me.

There were many years, however, when He didn’t approve of the way I was living my life and He certainly did not approve of the things I watched on television. There were some people I was associating with that He definitely did not want me around. How about you? Are you able to say that God approves of you right now?

Joanne Lowe

August 21, 2005

CUSTODY OF JESUS

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Galatians 5: 22 - 25

King James Version

A couple of days ago as I watched a custody battle on television involving a man and woman who were recently divorced to be granted permanent custody of their son, I thought to myself “How wonderful it would be if we were to have custody battles over who gets Jesus”. However, it is just the opposite with our precious Saviour. Instead of people fighting to get Him; they are fighting to get Him out of the school and every place they can. How this must break the heart of Jesus. O that we would love Him so much that we would fight over who gets Him!

Not only do we need to take custody of Jesus in our lives, we also need to take custody of His peace, kindness, compassion, unconditional love and forgiveness in our hearts. We don’t have the kind of love that Jesus wants us to have for one another. It is only by allowing Him to take away all the resentment, criticism, jealousy, anger and hatred from our hearts and allowing Him to replace them with His goodness, unconditional love and forgiveness for others that we are able to serve Him effectively, the way He wants us to serve Him.

It is extremely important that we take custody of His smiles, His hugs and His compassion. It is only as we hug others for Jesus and have a smile on our faces instead of a frown that we will be able to lead them to our precious and loving Saviour. If they don’t see the peace, joy and happiness that Jesus can give to someone who has committed their hearts to Him in our own lives, they will have no desire to be saved. How can we expect to lead our children to Jesus if they don’t see the difference He makes in our own lives? Our children will have no desire to go to church with us or accept Him as their personal Saviour because they can spot a phony a mile away.

We have an urgent responsibility to crucify our flesh by resisting the temptations that satan and the world puts in front of us. We can’t do this on our own. It takes the power of our risen Saviour working in our hearts to help us resist going to places that we used to go and to keep us from doing and saying things that we used to do and say before we were saved. It is very important that we do not hang around with the same crowd that we did before Jesus gloriously saved us because it only takes one person to lead us astray.

When people look at you, do they see the fruits of the Spirit? Do they see smiles and joy on your face or do they see a frown? Is your speech seasoned with gentleness and forgiveness? Are you hugging others to Jesus? Most important of all, are you hugging Jesus? Are you spending time with Him? Is He the most important person in your life and does He have the first priority in everything that you do? Are you walking in the Spirit or are you walking in the flesh?

Joanne Lowe
September 4, 2007

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GOD MISSED HIM

"And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Mark 1: 9 – 11

King James Version

I watched a family program on television. They were looking at a home video they had made of the family. The mother had died and they were very sad because all of them missed her so much. When Jesus left His home to come to earth, God missed Him. O’ how He missed Jesus! I believe that God had tears in His eyes and in His heart while His Son was away from home. I know that God told His Son that He loved Him every day just as Jesus told His Father that He loved Him every day.

When Jesus went on His mission trip, He had no doubt that His Father loved Him. It was that love that carried Him through all the rejection, criticism, sarcasm, hatred, ridicule, horror and abuse that He suffered while He was here on earth. It was knowing that one day He would be reunited with His Father that kept Him going day after day.

O that parents would tell their children every day and children would tell their parents every day that they love them. The only way our children will make it through all the temptations and heartaches in this sinful world is by love. They must know that Jesus Loves them and that we love them no matter what they do. They may hurt us terribly and do things that bring shame on us but don’t we do the same thing to our Heavenly Father. There are times when we hurt Him and say and do things that bring shame on Him but He still loves us. Hug your children today!

Joanne Lowe

April 5, 2019

A PARADE FOR JESUS

“Even as the Son of man came not be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.”

Matthew 20: 28 - 34

King James Version

During the holidays, there are a lot of parades on television. Some of the floats in the parades are very nice and pretty. The Rose Parade is beautiful because there are so many roses. As I was thinking about the Rose Parade and how it reminded me of Jesus because He is the beautiful Rose of Sharon, I realized that the roses were the only thing in all the parades I have ever seen that reminded me of Jesus. Oh dear people, we need to have a parade for Jesus.

He has done so much for us and we need to honor Him. I believe that it would make our precious Saviour very happy and also our dear Heavenly Father if we were to have a parade that honored the things that Jesus has done for us. He restores our broken homes and marriages. He brings our wandering children back to Him and to us. It would honor and bring joy to our Heavenly Father and to Jesus if we were to have floats depicting these scenes of mercy and restoration.

We could have floats depicting His protection as Pharaoh and his men were drowned in the Red Sea. There could be floats of families reading the Bible, singing and laughing together. These would represent families that have been restored through the compassion, understanding, mercy, grace, unconditional love and forgiveness of Jesus. We read all the time in the newspapers and hear on the radio and television of parents killing their children and of children killing their parents. It is time that we take a stand for Jesus and display to the world the saving healing power of Jesus and show them how He restores our broken families.

When the two blind men heard that Jesus passed by, they cried out to Him for mercy. Jesus healed their eyes because He has a heart of compassion. Have you cried out to Jesus as He passed by and asked Him to save and heal your hardened heart? He has been knocking at your heart’s door for many years but you have ignored Him and rejected Him. Are you going to be a participant in the parade for Jesus or will you be in the parade for satan?

Joanne Lowe

April 3, 2019

CAREGIVERS

“So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.”

Isaiah 41:7

King James Version

It is very important that we encourage caregivers, especially our pastors, our deacons and their families.  However, it is not enough to just encourage them we also need to pray for them.  Pastors are on call twenty four hours a day.  They sacrifice time with their family to minister to us.  Let’s become prayer warriors for our pastors.

Joanne Lowe

April 2, 2019

NO ONE HELD HIM

“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Isaiah 40:1, 66:13

King James Version

God gave me the title for this devotional but I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to write. This morning, not only did He give me the verses, the meaning of the title hit me like someone had plunged a long sharp knife deep into my heart. No one held Jesus as He was dying! No one comforted Him as He was taking His last breath! I believe with all of my heart that Jesus died of a broken heart.

O’ friends, we need to comfort one another. We need to be there for each other, not only in the good times, but also in the bad times. Isn’t that what Jesus does for us? He laughs with us, but He also weeps with us. There are times when the pain and anguish is so overwhelming that we are unable to go to Jesus. It is then that we need someone to pick us up, take us to Jesus and hold us until the pain goes away.

No one held Mary, the mother of Jesus, on that dark tragic day when her Son, the Saviour of the world, was crucified. How alone she must have felt! How her heart must have broken into little pieces because she was powerless to help her Son! If you are a mother and have ever lost a child, then you know a little of the agony that she felt that day. When is the last time you held someone in your heart and wept for him or her?

Are you holding Jesus in your heart today? Are you kissing Him tenderly with your words and actions? Have you told Him that you love Him? Are you helping take the pain from His heart by your service to Him? Does He know that you love Him?

Joanne Lowe

April 1, 2019