EVERYTHING

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Matthew 28:18-20

King James Version

Mary D. James wrote one of my favorite hymns “All for Jesus”.  I love these words.  “All for Jesus, all for Jesus! All my being’s ransomed powers: All my thoughts and words and doings, All my days and all my hours.”  Yes, every thing that we do or say should be for Jesus.  The heart’s desire of every Christian should be to make Jesus happy.  Are you making Jesus happy? 

Evangelist Judson W. Van DeVenter wrote the beautiful hymn “I Surrender All”  “All to Jesus, I surrender; All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live.”  Have we surrendered all to Jesus or are we still allowing resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, hatred, jealousy and envy to remain in our heart?

If we would only realize that when we have resentment, unforgiveness, jealousy, hatred and envy in our heart, it hurts Jesus and breaks His heart, I believe we would forgive those who have hurt us.  The ones we are so angry with and don’t forgive are ones who Jesus died for just as He died for us.  May God help us to be like Jesus and forgive as He forgives us.

Someone said “She doesn’t deserve to be forgiven for what she did”.  I submit to you on the authority of the Word of God that none of us deserve to be forgiven.  We read in the Bible.  “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  It is only because Jesus died for our sins on the cross that any of us can be forgiven.  How dare we ask God to forgive us if we refuse to forgive the ones who have hurt us.

Heavenly Father, I pray You will speak to those who refuse to forgive and melt their hardened heart.  Help us to remember that without the blood of Jesus applied to our heart for the forgiveness of our sins, all of us would be on our way to hell.  Thank You for loving us so much You gave Your beloved Son to die for our sins.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

August 10, 2019