LIVING OR EXISTING

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

John 10:9-11 KJV

Are we living or existing?  If we haven’t invited Jesus into our heart to be our personal Saviour, we are just existing.  I experienced a devastating and crippling depression for over forty years.  I checked myself into mental hospitals several times because I was suicidal and I didn’t want to kill myself.

There were times when I had so much emotional pain that I did want to kill myself but one day when I was lying under a bed in a mental hospital, Jesus came to me and said “Joanne, I love you and I care.  It’s safe to come out from under this bed.  I won’t let anyone hurt you”.

That was the first time anyone had ever said to me “I love you, Joanne”.  I can’t put into words the happiness, the joy and the peace that filled my heart that day when Jesus told me that He loves me.  I am so glad that Jesus loves us unconditionally and will always love us unconditionally. 

A man said when he was talking to a friend “I don’t have to tell my wife I love her.  She should know I love her because I married her”.  Jesus tells us every day that He loves us.  Jesus has feelings too and He wants us to tell Him that we love Him.  Have you told Jesus today how much you love Him?

Joanne Lowe

April 30, 2015

WHAT IS GOD SAYING

“While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”

Matthew 17:5 KJV

God said that He is well pleased with His beloved Son but what is God saying about us?  Is He saying that He is pleased with us or is He disappointed because of our actions and our words?  When God looks into our heart does He see things that make Him happy or does He see things that hurt Him?

We need to keep our heart in right standing with God so that we don’t hurt Him and break His heart.  If we have unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness, jealousy, hatred or any other thing in our heart that hurts Him, we need to tell Him that we’re sorry we hurt Him and ask Him to forgive us.

If we have repented of our sins, asked God to forgive us and invited Jesus into our heart to be our personal Saviour, God has adopted us into His family.  What a privilege it is to be adopted by God and to be a part of His family.  I love my Heavenly Father so much and I am so glad that He adopted me.

Heavenly Father, please search my heart and if there is anything in my heart that hurts You and breaks Your heart, I’m sorry.  I pray that we will do things and say words that make You happy instead of doing things and saying words that hurt You and break Your heart.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

April 29, 2015

JESUS CARES AND LOVES YOU

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

1 Peter 5:7 KJV

Pastor Frank Ellsworth Graeff wrote a beautiful and inspiring hymn “Does Jesus Care”.  The words tell you how much Jesus cares and loves you.  “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.”

If you ever think that nobody cares about you and loves you, remember the cross.  Jesus walked that long lonely road to Calvary and allowed them to crucify Him on the cross for your sins so you can be saved and go to Heaven.  No one loves you like Jesus loves you and no one ever will.

Not only does Jesus care about us and love us, He will never leave us.  I repented of my sins, asked God to forgive me and invited Jesus into my heart to be my personal Saviour on August 14, 1980 and He has never left me, not even for a minute.  We know that Jesus loves us but does He know we love Him?

The best way to prove to Jesus how much we love Him is to be kind and loving to Him and to one another.  Do we love one another unconditionally as He has commanded us to love?  If not, we are hurting Him and breaking His heart.  Jesus loves us no matter how many times we fail Him and hurt Him.

May God help us to love one another unconditionally.  What a privilege it is to be loved by the Saviour of the world.  If you’re hurting and discouraged, tell Jesus.  He will pick you up and carry you through all the dark valleys in your life and will set you once again on the mountain top of happiness.

Joanne Lowe

April 28, 2015

WE CAN’T HIDE FROM GOD

"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 139:11, 12 KJV

There is no place that we can go without God seeing us.  There is also nothing we do that God doesn’t see.  We can’t hide from God.  Someone said “What I do in my own home behind closed doors is nobody’s business but mine”.  That is a lie straight from the pits of hell.  Everything we do is God’s business.

God sees when someone hits their spouse or their children.  He also hears when someone says cruel and hateful words to people and it hurts God and breaks His heart.  No, we can’t hide from God.  No matter what we say or what we do God sees us and He hears us.  Are we hurting Him by what we do and say?

We read in the Bible.  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  Are the works we are doing making God happy or are they hurting Him and breaking His heart?  We are either making Him happy or we are making Him sad.

Heavenly Father, may we always do things and say words that make You happy instead of hurting You and making You sad.  Please forgive us for the times we hurt You.  We’re sorry we hurt You.  Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me and for allowing me to serve Your Son.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

April 27, 2015

WHAT IS JESUS SAYING

“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Matthew 11:11 KJV

Jesus said some wonderful things about John the Baptist.  What is Jesus saying about us?  Are we making Him happy by the kind and loving words we say to one another and by our kind and loving actions to each other or are we hurting Him and breaking His heart because of our words and actions?

The desire of my heart is to make Jesus happy.  He has done so much for us that He deserves to be happy.  How do we make Him happy?  Jesus told us that when we are kind and loving to each other, we are being kind and loving to Him.  Are we being kind and loving to Him by loving each other?

“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).  May God help us to be kind and loving to one another so we will make our precious Saviour happy and not hurt Him.

Joanne Lowe

April 26, 2015

COMPASSIONATE LOVE

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”

John 15:9-14 KJV

One of the definitions I found for compassion in Webster’s Dictionary is “a feeling of wanting to help someone who is sick, hungry, in trouble, etc.”  This definition describes our precious Saviour.  Not only does Jesus love us unconditionally, He is also a caring tender and compassionate Saviour.

When we are sick or can’t sleep at night and the night seems so long, Jesus sits by our bed and holds our hand.  If we will listen with our heart we will hear Him say, “You are precious to Me.  I love you and I will never leave you.”  O that you and I will follow His example and have a compassionate love for others.

Jesus has told us that we are His friends if we do what He has commanded us to do.  Are we His friends?  Are we doing what He has commanded us to do?  Jesus has commanded us to love one another unconditionally.  Do we love others unconditionally or do we turn our love off and on like a water faucet?

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us unconditionally.  You have comforted me and encouraged me countless times.  I love You so much and I appreciate You.  Jesus, You are so precious to me and I love You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

April 25, 2015

OUR FOUNDATION

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Ephesians 2:19-22 KJV

Jesus is our foundation in this world of wars, violence, sex, drugs and hatred.  No matter what valley we are going through Jesus will pick us up in His loving and compassionate arms and carry us until the pain goes away.  What a comfort it is to our weary battle scarred heart to know we can depend on Jesus.

Are you building your life on Jesus or are you building your life on satan?  If you build your life on satan, you will always have problems and heartaches.  Jesus is the only One Who can keep us from falling.  Jesus has proven Himself to be faithful so we know that we can depend on Him but can Jesus depend on us?

Heavenly Father, I pray that if there is anyone who doesn’t have Jesus as their foundation that they will give their heart and life to Him.  Thank You, dear Father, for loving us so much that You gave Jesus to die for our sins on the cross.  Jesus, You are my foundation and I love You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

April 24, 2015