WE ARE HURTING OUR CHILDREN

“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

We sing songs about being good so Santa will give us gifts.  However, we are hurting our children because they grow up believing if they are not good, they won’t get any gifts.  I submit to you on the authority of the Word of God that our salvation is a free gift and it comes from the heart of God.

We need to explain to our children that it makes God happy when they are good but He still loves them even when they do things to hurt Him.  It is very important that we set the example of how to live so our children can see Jesus in us by the things we do and the words we say.

When I was young my Mother used to say to me “Don’t do what I do.  Do what I say”.  It doesn’t work that way.  Our children are going to do what they see us do.  What kind of example are we setting for our children?  Do they know we love Jesus by our loving words and our actions?

We can’t be good enough to deserve our salvation.  We can’t work our way into Heaven and giving our money to charity will not get us to Heaven.  It is only when the cleansing blood of Jesus is applied to our heart for the forgiveness of our sins that we are saved and it is a free gift from our Heavenly Father.

I read about a lady who died and someone said “She never hurt anyone and she never said anything bad about anyone”.  When I read that it brought tears to my eyes because I have hurt people but God still loves me and has given me the gift of salvation.

Joanne Lowe

June 7, 2016

HAVE WE ENCOURAGED JESUS

“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 KJV

Jesus has feelings and He gets discouraged when people reject Him.  He has been knocking at the door of some people’s heart for years and they have refused to let Him come into their heart.  Have we encouraged Jesus?  If we have encouraged one another, then we have encouraged our precious Saviour.

How do we encourage one another?  We encourage them by doing kind and loving things for them and by saying loving words to them.  If we know people who are discouraged, we need to reach out to them with comfort and encouragement before they ask us.

Isn’t that what Jesus does for us?  Jesus sees into our heart and He knows the dark valleys and crises we go through and He is faithful to pick us up in His loving arms and carry us until the pain goes away.  Not only does He carry us until the pain goes away, He sets us once again on the mountain top of happiness.

When is the last time you hugged someone and told him or her how much Jesus loves him or her?  If you’re not comfortable hugging them physically, hug them with loving words and actions.  Remember when we hug one another, we are hugging Jesus.  Have you hugged Jesus today with words and actions?

It’s important that we study our Bible and learn about people, places and things but it is much more important to learn about the heart of Jesus.  If ever someone deserves to be happy, it is Jesus, the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!

Joanne Lowe

June 6, 2016

ONLY GOD KNOWS

“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”

Mark 13:32 KJV

I heard someone say on television that Jesus was coming back on this date.  I forget what date he said.  However, that is not true.  Thank God that one day Jesus is coming back for us but we don’t know when He is coming for us.  Jesus doesn’t know, only God knows.  How I long for that day.

The date isn’t that important.  What is important is that we are ready to meet Jesus when He comes back for us.  Are we ready to meet Him if He comes today?  Are you ready to meet Him if He comes while you are reading this devotion?  I think we forget that He can come any minute and we need to be ready.

When we go on vacation, we plan for it.  We buy the things we need and save money for the trip but when Jesus comes back we won’t have the time to do anything because we don’t know when He is coming back (1 Corinthians 15:52).  We should plan for our future but we need to be ready to meet Jesus.

When Jesus comes back for us will we be able to look Him in the eye or will we have to hang our head in shame because of the things we did and said?  None of us are perfect and that includes me.  There is only one perfect person who ever lived or ever will live and His Name is Jesus.

However when we do sin and hurt God, Jesus pleads our case with the Father (1 John 2:1).  Thank God for His unconditional love, His compassion and His forgiveness.  O how our Heavenly Father loves us.  He loves us so much He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross for our sins.  You are loved unconditionally.   

Joanne Lowe

June 5, 2016

GOD’S EMBRACE

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

1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV

A pastor friend sent me an email and prayed that I would feel God’s embrace.  I am so thankful that God does embrace us just as parents embrace their children.  How sad it would be if God never embraced us, but He does.  It breaks my heart to know there are some children who are never hugged by their parents.

Thank You, loving Heavenly Father, for hugging us and rocking us when our hearts are breaking.  You are a tender loving and compassionate Father and I love You and appreciate You.  I pray for every person who is hurting and needs comfort.  Please encourage and comfort them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

June 4, 2016

HE WEPT

“When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him?  They said unto him, Lord, come and see.  Jesus wept.  Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!”

John 11:33-35 KJV

The heart of Jesus is filled with compassion.  He loves us very much and when we are hurting, He hurts.  When we cry, He weeps with us and when we are happy He rejoices with us.  When Jesus was here on His mission He experienced the same emotions we feel so He understands.

He knows how it feels to have someone say things about Him that are not true.  He has been cursed, rejected, spat on, beaten beyond recognition and nailed to the cross for our sins.  Many years ago, someone said “If God really loved me, He wouldn’t have let my granddaughter die.”

If we will listen with our heart, we will hear our Heavenly Father say “If you really loved Me, you would not have killed my Son”.  If ever someone has a right to be angry, it is God.  Parents, you know how you feel when someone says or does something that hurts your children.  Think how God feels when His Son is hurt.

Heavenly Father, we know that we have hurt You at times even though we didn’t do it on purpose.  Please forgive us and help us to be children that make You happy instead of children that hurt You and break Your heart.  Thank You for Jesus and for loving us.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

June 3, 2016

THERE ARE CONDITIONS

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

John 15:7 KJV

Just as there are conditions to asking for something, there are also conditions to being saved.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).  We must believe in Jesus and trust Him for our salvation.

People try to buy their way into heaven.  They also try to get into Heaven by doing good works but it is only when the blood of Jesus is applied to our heart that our sins are forgiven.  We need to be sure we are in right standing with God.  It is more important than anything in the world.

If Jesus comes back for us while you are reading this devotion, is your heart right before God?  It is a full time job to be sure there is nothing in my heart that hurts God.  As one of my pastors said in a sermon, “If you will make sure your heart is right before God, you won’t have time to judge others”.

Heavenly Father, please search my heart and if there is anything that hurts You, reveal it to me so I can repent and stop hurting You.  Dear Father, I pray for every pastor.  Please encourage and comfort them.  Let them know how much You love and appreciate them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

June 2, 2016

HE FEELS OUR PAIN

“And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I?  and another said, Is it I?  And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.  The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if had never been born.”

Mark 14:18-21 KJV

Jesus not only understands how we feel when we have been betrayed, He also feels our pain.  He was betrayed and He understands that it feels like someone plunged a knife deep into our heart.  However, unlike us Jesus had never hurt anyone or did anything wrong and He did not deserve to be betrayed.

Yes, Jesus understands when we feel like we can’t give another smile or take another step and we want to go to bed and stay there.  There is good news.  Not only does Jesus understand how we feel, He will comfort us, encourage us and help us take the next step and give another smile.  He loves us very much.

Several years ago I received an email from a pastor who was so discouraged that He felt like leaving His church.  Instead of the congregation encouraging the pastor and his family, they criticized them.  It is very important that we pray for our pastor and our pastor’s family and also encourage them.

The next time you are hurting allow Jesus to pick you up and carry you through the dark valley.  Not only will He carry you through the dark valley, He will be faithful to set you on the mountain top of happiness once again.  Not only is He our Saviour, He is also the best Friend we will ever have.

Joanne Lowe

June 1, 2016