WE MUST PROVE IT

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another.”

John 13:34,35 KJV

There have been a lot of shootings lately and it is heartbreaking and it also hurts Jesus.  Why do people shoot one another?  I believe it is because they don’t believe that they are loved.  When a baby is born, the baby smiles and laughs and makes people smile.  What happens when the baby gets older?

If the baby grows up in a house that is filled with anger, hatred, sarcasm, cursing and beatings, the baby is not going to feel the love of Jesus.  A pastor said “A child has to be taught to hate.  Children don’t grow up automatically hating people”.  What are we teaching our children by our words and our actions?

It is not enough to just tell people that Jesus loves them.  We must prove it to them by the way we treat them.  Jesus has commanded us to love one another as He loves us.  Are we doing it?  Do they know we are Christians by our actions and our words?’’

Rev. Peter Raymond Scholtes wrote the beautiful hymn “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love”.  Do people know we are Christians by our love?  We can tell people when we see them that we love them and Jesus loves them but that is not enough.  Jesus didn’t just tell us He loves us, He also died for our sins.

May God help us to show the love of Jesus by our actions.  Every person in the world needs to know Jesus loves them and we must prove it to them by our words and by our actions.

Joanne Lowe

September 30, 2016

STOP JUDGING

“Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

Matthew 7:1 KJV

Jesus tells us that we shouldn’t judge so we won’t be judged.  I heard an excellent sermon about judging others.  It is time that we stop judging others and start praying for one another.  One day every one of us will stand before a Holy God and give an account of how we treated Jesus and one another.

I think if we are honest every one of us will have to admit there are times when we either said or thought something that hurt Jesus.  It is time that we remember that none of us are perfect.  All of us hurt Jesus at times and break His heart.  O that you and I would pray for and encourage one another instead of judging.

I have received emails from people who tell me how wonderful I am and how great it is that I write devotions.  While I appreciate those kind and encouraging emails because all of us need encouragement, I am not perfect.  I sometimes say things and think things that hurt Jesus.

Don’t ever look to me or to your pastor or Sunday school teacher.  Look to Jesus because He is perfect and He will never hurt you or lead you astray.  You can depend on Jesus for perfection because Jesus is perfect!  What a Saviour, what a Friend, this Jesus of Nazareth!  All hail, King Jesus!

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for the times when we hurt You by judging and condemning others.  Help us to remember that Jesus is the only perfect One.  If there is anything in my heart that hurts You, I’m sorry.  Please forgive me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 29, 2016

ARE YOU HURTING

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindth up their wounds.”

Psalms 147:3 KJV

When we were children and fell and hurt ourselves, our mothers would tell us it was okay and kiss us and we felt better.  However, when our heart is breaking, only Jesus can heal our broken heart and make us feel better.  He pours His compassion into our broken heart and tenderly kisses our tears away.

We are to comfort and encourage one another but we are also to pray for people and take them to Jesus when they need healing.  Jesus is the great Physician and He not only heals our bodies, He also heals our emotions and broken heart.  We have a tender compassionate and loving Saviour.

Are you hurting because someone has said something cruel to you or did something that hurt you?  Tell Jesus, He loves you so much He died for you.  He will be faithful to pick you up in His tender loving arms and carry you until the hurt goes away and will set you once again on the mountain top of happiness.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus.  Forgive us for sometimes hurting one another.  Jesus, I love You so much.  Thank You for the many times You have carried me through dark valleys and for healing my broken heart.  I long to see You face to face and one day I will see You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

September 28, 2016

DECORATED AND FURNISHED

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  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.  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.”

John 14:1-4 KJV

When we move into a new home, it is usually unfurnished and we have to move our furniture in and decorate it with pictures and other things.  Jesus has already decorated and furnished the mansions He has prepared for us.  He has decorated them with joy, peace, kindness, tenderness and unconditional love.

Our mansions are not only decorated with joy, peace, kindness, tenderness and unconditional love, they are also decorated with the cleansing blood of Jesus that He shed for us on the cross.  We see mansions on television and in magazines but none of those mansions compare to the ones Jesus is preparing for us.

The greatest thing about our mansions is knowing that Jesus Himself will be with us and we will live with Him for all eternity.  Are you shouting with joy yet?  Think about it!  Jesus, the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS who shed His own blood and died for our sins will be with us for all eternity.

What a Saviour!  What a Friend!  All hail, King Jesus!  Worthy is the Lamb of God!  What a privilege it is to be loved by the Saviour of the world.  When I think about seeing Him face to face and being with Him for all eternity, I feel like I’m going to explode with happiness and joy.  O how I love Jesus!

Joanne Lowe

September 27, 2016

COME BACK HOME

“And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called.  And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.”

Mark 10:49 KJV

I had a terrible dream the other night.  In the dream I was on a bus and I didn’t know where I was going.  I didn’t have any luggage and nobody was waiting for me.  I am so glad the telephone rang just then.  It was someone wanting a person who doesn’t live here but it woke me up from that frightening dream.

Jesus is calling us.  Jesus knows our heart and He knows if we have been disobedient to God.  There are times when we allow satan to lead us astray.  Also, the places we go and the words we say hurt our Heavenly Father and break His heart.  We need to ask for forgiveness and come back home to God.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for sometimes doing the things we want to do and for going places where You don’t want us to go and for saying cruel and criticizing words to someone.  Help us to be obedient to Your will for us and to love one another unconditionally.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 26, 2016

HAVE WE THANKED HIM

“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 KJV

We ask Him for many things many times but how often do we thank Him?  Have we thanked Him for what He has done for us?  The most important thing we need to thank Him for is for loving us so much that He willingly died on the cross for our sins and paid the price for our sins that we could never have paid.

There are times when we pray for years for something and when He answers our prayers, we sometimes thank Him only one time.  I find myself thanking Him many times for loving me.  Jesus loved me when nobody else loved me because I was very unlovable and filled with anger and hatred for everybody.

He not only loved me when nobody else loved me, He gave me a new heart, a heart filled with compassion for others.  Does this mean I am perfect and never do anything wrong?  Of course not, all of us hurt Jesus at times but He still loves us.  There was only one perfect person who ever lived and His Name is Jesus!

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us unconditionally and for giving Jesus to die for our sins.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  Thank You, dear Jesus, for loving me when I was so unlovable and for dying for my sins.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 25, 2016

HE HEARS, HE CARES AND HE UNDERSTANDS

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 KJV

There are times when we feel like we can’t go on, that we can’t give another smile or take another step.  When we feel like that Jesus tells us to come unto Him because He not only hears us, He also cares and He understands how we feel.  He doesn’t condemn us when we feel like that, He encourages us.

We are to encourage one another and pray for each other but Jesus is our greatest Encourager and He also prays for us.  Jesus knows how it feels to be discouraged and tempted by satan.  When He was here on the mission His Father had given Him, our Saviour was ridiculed, rejected and beaten.

We read in the Bible “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32).  Think about it, Jesus Who was spat on, mocked ridiculed, beaten beyond recognition and crucified on the cross for our sins prays for you and He prays for me.

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!  What a privilege it is to be loved by the Saviour of the world.  He not only loves us, He also cares and understands when we are hurting.  O how I love Jesus.

Heavenly Father, no words describe how much I love and appreciate Jesus but You know my heart and You know how grateful I am to You.  Thank You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

September 24, 2016

A LEGACY OF 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

Someone said “I don’t have any property to leave you when I die but I do have some money I can leave you as my legacy to you”.  Jesus left us a legacy of love when He died on the cross for our sins.  Not only did He leave us a legacy of love, He also left us a legacy of compassion, tenderness and understanding.

Many people don’t have a lot of money to leave their children but what they can leave their children is to teach them to be kind, to have compassion and tenderness and to love others with an unconditional love as Jesus has commanded us to love one another.  We are to love each other as Jesus loves us.

We can leave our children money and material possessions but if we don’t leave them the lessons on how to love one another unconditionally and to be kind to one another, we won’t have left them what matters to Jesus.  How do we teach our children to love unconditionally?  We teach them by setting the example.

What about you?  Will you leave your children a legacy of love; kindness and compassion as Jesus has taught us or will you leave your children lessons on hating one another and being unkind?  May God have mercy on us if we don’t teach our children the things Jesus wants us to teach them.

Loving one another is not an option.  It is a commandment from Jesus.  “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).  Are we doing what He has commanded us to do? 

Joanne Lowe

September 23, 2016

THE NICEST NAME

“Be it known unto you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand before you whole.  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Acts 4:10-12 KJV

Someone said “Home is the nicest word there is”.  That is not a true statement.  Our precious Saviour, Jesus, is the nicest word there is.  Our Scripture tells us there is no other name whereby we must be saved.  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!  What a privilege to say His Name and to have Him as our Saviour.

Lela B. Long wrote the beautiful hymn “Jesus Is The Sweetest Name I Know”.  Jesus really is the sweetest Name I know.  His Name can calm the storms of life and give us peace in the midst of crises.  What a precious, precious Name, the beautiful Name of Jesus.  O how I love Jesus!

I have a spiritual exercise I do when I am in the middle of a crisis or when I am discouraged and feel like giving up.  As I breathe in, I say “Je”.  As I breathe out, I say “sus”.  When you put the word together, it is Jesus.  It’s important to say “Je” as you breathe in because we must have Him in our heart.

Do you have this loving Saviour in your heart?  If not, I urge you to give your heart and life to Jesus before it is too late.  He loves you so much He died for your sins.  One day, He is coming back for us.  Are you ready to meet Him if He comes while you are reading this?  Say yes to Jesus today!

Joanne Lowe

September 22, 2016

THE GREATEST HOMECOMING OF ALL

“For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:”

Philippians 1:23 KJV

Squire Parsons Jr. wrote one of my favorite hymns “Sweet Beulah Land”.  The words in this heart touching hymn describe how I feel in my heart about seeing Jesus.  “I’m kind of homesick for a country To which I’ve never been before; No sad goodbyes will there be spoken For time won’t matter anymore.”

I watched a family movie about a son returning home and how happy his family was to see him.  One happy joyous day when Jesus comes back for us to take us to Heaven with Him will be the greatest homecoming of all.  What brings tears of joy to my eyes is that we will be with Jesus for all eternity.

When trials and crises come our way and we get discouraged and feel like giving up, we must stay on the battlefield for Jesus.  He stayed on the cross for us.  Jim Hill wrote another one of my favorite hymns “What A Day That Will Be”.  No other day will equal the day when we see Jesus.

Precious Heavenly Father, with my mind it’s hard to believe that You love us so much You gave Your Son to die on the cross for us but with my heart I believe it and accept it.  Thank You for loving us.  Jesus, how I love You.  Thank You for dying for my sins.  You are so precious to me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

September 21, 2016

THE BLOOD OF OUR SAVIOUR

“And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.  And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Revelation 7:14 KJV

The blood that our Saviour shed on the cross for us is not only a cleansing blood; it is also the blood of unconditional love for you and for me.  John W. Peterson wrote one of my favorite cantatas about Jesus “No Greater Love”.  How true it is, there is no greater love than the love Jesus has for us.

When I think about Jesus, the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS loving me so much He died for me and shed His precious blood for my sins, I am filled with love for Him.  Robert Harkness wrote the beautiful hymn “Why Should He Love Me So”.  It is because not only does Jesus give us love, He is love!

Yes, it is the unconditional love and cleansing blood of our Saviour that assures us of a home in Heaven.  Have you invited Jesus into your heart and allowed Him to apply His life giving blood to your heart?  If you have, are you serving Him?  If not, why aren’t you?  He gave His life for you.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus and His blood that cleanses us.  Jesus, how I love You and appreciate You!  Dear Jesus, one day I will see You face to face and I’m going to give You a big hug which will last for all eternity.  Thank You for dying for me and for Your love.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.    

Joanne Lowe

September 20

WHAT JOY

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasure for evermore.”

Psalm 16:11 KJV

I was on my way to bed a couple of nights ago and God spoke to my heart and inspired me to write a devotion.  It was 11:30 at night but I knew if I didn’t write it right away that satan would steal it from me so I wrote it right then.  I wrote it and went to bed and three hours later, God spoke to my heart again.

I got up and wrote the second devotion and then stayed up for three more hours rejoicing in the presence of Jesus.  What joy and happiness filled my heart to be in the presence of my precious Saviour.  I dearly love my family and friends but it is only when I am in the presence of Jesus that I am filled with joy.

It is very important that we be obedient to God and do what He wants us to do when He lays something on our heart to do because satan is doing his best to discourage and defeat us.  Jesus warned us to be on the alert for satan “1Peter 5:8”.  Don’t let satan steal the joy that comes from being with Jesus.

There is nothing that equals the joy and happiness that comes while being in the presence of Jesus.  That doesn’t mean we have to pray constantly or read our Bible constantly but it does mean that Jesus should have first place in our thoughts, in our heart, in our life and in everything we do.

It brings great joy and happiness to me to know that one day I will see my precious Saviour face to face.  How I long for that wonderful joyous day.  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.

Joanne Lowe

September 19, 2016

PRAY FOR MY WIFE

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

Isaiah 52:7 KJV

Several years ago I received an email from a pastor who wrote “Pray for my wife as she is the one who encourages me when I am tired”.  One of the pastors I had years ago used to call his wife up to the pulpit occasionally and he would tell us how much he loved his wife and how happy she made him.

A pastor’s son was valedictorian of his class and one of the things he said was “Many times my parents illuminate the darkness and encourage me”.  Hopefully, we pray for our pastors but I think many times we forget to pray for their families.  It is very important we pray for them.

May God help us to not only pray for our pastor and family but also encourage them.  They are human just like we are and they need prayers and encouragement.  God used a pastor’s wife to give me the courage to write devotions.  I didn’t think I could do anything for Jesus but her testimony helped me.

She gave her testimony about being depressed and it encouraged me.  God had called me to the mission field on October 4, 1998 but I didn’t surrender then.  It was only after hearing my pastor’s wife testimony that I surrendered to the call of God on my life.  Remember to pray for your pastor’s family.

Heavenly Father, I pray for every pastor and their family.  Please encourage them and let them know how much You love and appreciate them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 18, 2016

UNCONDITIONAL 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 KJV

You and I sometimes put conditions on our love.  Someone said “If you do this, I know you love me and if you don’t do it, I’ll know you don’t love me”.  The love that Jesus has for us is not like that love.  The love Jesus has for us is an unconditional love.  He loves us even when we fail Him and hurt Him.

Just as we can’t work our way into Heaven or give enough money to buy our way into Heaven or do enough good works, it is the same with the love Jesus has for us.  There is nothing we can do that would make Jesus love us more than He loves us now.  We need to grasp in our heart His love is unconditional.

Jesus loved us yesterday.  He loves us today.  He will love us tomorrow and He will love us for all eternity.  He loves you.  Yes, I am writing to you.  Jesus loves you and it doesn’t matter what you do or don’t do because He loves you unconditionally.  What a precious loving Saviour we are privileged to know and have.

We know Jesus loves us and how much He loves us because He proved His love for us when He allowed them to crucify Him for our sins.  He paid the debt for our sins we could never have paid.  How much do we love Jesus and what are we doing to prove to Him that we love Him?

We can tell people we love Jesus and give money and do good deeds but Jesus can see what is in our heart and He knows if we love Him or if we are just giving Him lip service.  If ever someone deserves to be loved, praised and adored, it is Jesus.

Joanne Lowe

September 17, 2016

WE TAKE THEM BACK

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

Psalm 55:22 KJV

I wonder how many times we take our burdens to the Lord and instead of leaving them with the Lord, we take them back again.  There are times when we have bad days because we don’t leave our burdens with the Lord.  A mother said to her child “I don’t think you will ever learn to trust me”.                      

If we will listen with our heart, we will hear God saying to us “Will you ever learn to trust Me”?  Rev. Charles Albert Tindley wrote one of my favorite hymns about leaving our burdens with the Lord “Leave It There”.  Instead of taking our burdens back and trying to fix them, we need to leave them with the Lord.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for not always trusting You.  We’re sorry.  Help us to leave our burdens with You because You are a tender loving and compassionate Father and You will help us.  Thank You, dear Father.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

September 16, 2016

DO WE ANSWER HIM

“Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.”

Psalm 27:7 KJV

We want God to answer us as soon as we pray and ask Him for something but do we answer Him when He asks us to do something for Him?  If we do answer our Heavenly Father, do we do what He wants us to do immediately or do we wait until it is convenient for us?  We need to do it when He asks us to do it.

There are times when parents ask their children to do something and their children tell them they will do it later because they are watching television.  I wonder how many times we have told our Heavenly Father by not shutting off the television and spreading the love of Jesus that we don’t care what He wants.

Heavenly Father, thank You for all You have done for us.  Please forgive us for the times we don’t answer You or do what You want us to do.  You are a merciful compassionate Father and I love You and appreciate You.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 15, 2016

ARE WE DOING OUR BEST

“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

God did His best for us  Are we doing our best for Him?  S.C. Kirk wrote one of my favorite hymns “Our Best”.  “Every work for Jesus will be blest, But He asks from everyone his best.  Our talents may be few, these may be small, But unto Him is due our best our all.”  Are we doing our best for Jesus?

May God help us to do our best for Jesus.  We will have to shut off the television, get out of our comfort zones and tell everyone we see that Jesus loves them.  You may not be comfortable hugging someone for Jesus but you can let them see Jesus in your smiles and hear His love for them in your kind words.

One day we will stand before a Holy God and give an account of how we treated His beloved Son.  Will we have to hang our head in shame?  Before I gave my heart to Jesus on August 14,1980, I was a very selfish person.  I never thought about anyone else but me.  I’m so glad Jesus gave me a new heart.

Can we honestly say we are doing our best for Jesus or are we holding something back from Him?  Does Jesus have first place in our heart, in our time and in our life.?  If not, we are hurting Him and breaking His heart.  After all He has done for us, He deserves to have first place.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving Your best to us.  Please help us to do our best for You.  Thank You for adopting me and for the many times You have encouraged me and comforted me and dried my tears.  I love You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 14, 2016

THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:11 KJV

If we would keep the joy of Christmas in our heart and life all year long not only would we have a happier life, we would also make Jesus happy.  Rev. Isaac Watts wrote one of my favorite hymns about Jesus “Joy to the world! the Lord is come!”  Jesus came to save us and give us a new life filled with joy and peace.

It is sad but when we put away the decorations until the next Christmas, we sometimes put away the love.  Someone said to her friend “Christmas is over and we can take the decorations down and put them away until next Christmas”.  How it must hurt Jesus and break His heart when we also put away the love.

The joy of Christmas should be in our heart and in our life every day because Jesus is still alive and He still loves us.  He not only loves us unconditionally, He loved us yesterday.  He loves us today, He will love us tomorrow and He will love us for all eternity.  What joy should fill our heart to know He loves us.

Let’s not put away the love and joy of Christmas.  Let’s keep them in our relationships all year long.  Someone said “The only time I hear from my family is at Christmas”.  We need love all year long not just at Christmas.  May the peace, the joy and the love of Christmas fill our heart and our life every day of the year.

Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for Jesus Who is the Joy of our heart and life.  Jesus, I love You with all my heart.  How I long to see You face to face. You are so precious to me.  When I think about being with You for all eternity, my heart is filled with joy and happiness.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

September 13, 2016

WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED

“Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”

Romans 4:7 KJV

One of the definitions for blessed in Webster’s Dictionary is “enjoying spiritual happiness and the favor of God”.  Jesus died on the cross and shed His precious blood for us.  When we repent of our sins, ask God to forgive us and invite Jesus into our heart to be our Saviour our sins our forgiven and covered.

It brings tears to my eyes every time I think about my precious Saviour being beaten beyond recognition because of my sins.  We read in the Bible “And almost all things are by the law purged by blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).  Thank God for the blood of Jesus.

If you have never invited Jesus into your heart, I urge you to repent of your sins, ask God to forgive you and invite Jesus into your heart to be your personal Saviour.  Your family and friends can’t do it for you as much as they want to because salvation is personal between Jesus and you.

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.  Thank You for loving us so much You gave Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 12, 2016

LET US ALSO REMEMBER

“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfiilled, saith, I thirst.  Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

John 19:28-30 KJV

As we remember the brave men and women who died trying to rescue people on 9/11, let us also remember Jesus Who willingly walked that long lonely road to Calvary and allowed them to crucify Him on the cross for our sins so we can be saved.  Thank God for those who cared enough to try and rescue people.

Precious Heavenly Father, our hearts are heavy as we remember those who died on 9/11.  Our hearts are also heavy and hurting as we remember Jesus, Your Son, willingly dying for us.  Thank You for caring and loving us so much You gave Your Son to die for us.  We love You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 11, 2016

OUR COMFORTERS

“Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, stablish you in every good word and work.”

2 Thessalonians 2:16,17 KJV

We are living in a world that is filled with violence, hatred and all other things that hurt our Comforters.  When God made the earth things were peaceful and everything was just as He wanted it to be.  However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world and we have been in turmoil ever since.

O how God and Jesus love us.  God loves us so much He gave Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.  Jesus loves us so much He allowed them to crucify Him on the cross and He paid the penalty for our sins.  When we are hurting, They comfort us as They tenderly dry our tears with kisses.

Heavenly Father, we love You and appreciate all You have done for us.  You are a tender compassionate and caring Father.  Precious Saviour, how I love You.  It fills my heart with joy and happiness to know that one day I will see You face to face and will be with You forever!   In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 10, 2016

HIS HEALING TOUCH

“The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord.  But he said unto them, except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hands into his side, I will not believe.”

John 20:25 KJV

We sometimes say people are a doubting Thomas.  I’m reminded of one of my pastors who preached a sermon on judging.  He said “Before you judge and condemn other people, you need to search your own heart and be sure you are in right standing with God”.  Are we a doubting Thomas at times?

Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote the beautiful and heart touching hymn “The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference”.  Thank God for the old rugged cross where Jesus died for our sins.  I invited Jesus into my heart on August 14, 1980.  He told me that He loves me and touched me and gave me a new heart.

I went through a devastating and crippling depression for many years.  The day that Jesus touched me, He not only healed me physically, He also healed me spiritually and emotionally.  Doctors can heal our bodies and thank God for doctors who care but only Jesus can heal a broken heart.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus and the old rugged cross.  Jesus, thank You for loving us so much You walked that long lonely road to Calvary and allowed them to crucify You on the cross for our sins.  You paid a debt that we could never have paid.  Thank You.  I love You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 9, 2016

   

A TASTE OF HEAVEN

“Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.  Therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

Jeremiah 31:3 KJV

Not only does Jesus love us, He has also drawn us to Him with lovingkindness.  Jesus has given us a taste of Heaven here on earth because He lives in our heart.  What a day of rejoicing and joy it will be when Jesus comes back to take us to Heaven with Him.  We will see Him face to face and be with Him forever.

Think about it!  We are going to have the privilege of seeing our precious Saviour face to face.  O how I long for the day when He comes back for us.  However, there are still people who are lost without Jesus and it is urgent that we spread the unconditional love of Jesus to everyone we see.

A man gave this testimony “It is because of my mother’s prayers that I am saved.  I saw her kneeling beside her bed and heard her praying for me to be saved.  I am so grateful to my mother”.  There are many mothers who have prayed for years for their children to be saved.  Thank God for Christian mothers.

It is not enough to just pray for our children and for other people, they also need to see the difference and hear the difference Jesus has made in our heart and in our life.  Do our family and our friends see and hear the difference that Jesus has made in our life?  It is a privilege to live for Jesus.  

A young boy said to his parents “You go to church, teach Sunday school and sing in the choir but when you come home you criticize the pastor and the sermon.  If that is what being a Christian is, I don’t want any part of it”.  May God help us to live for Jesus in our actions and in our words.

Joanne Lowe

September 8, 2016

I WANT YOU

“And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called.  And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.”

Mark 10:49 KJV

Someone said to her daughter “I don’t want you.  I never wanted you”.  These are words that nobody wants to hear.  When the mother said that to her daughter, it not only broke her daughter’s heart, it also broke our Saviour’s heart because He loves us.  Jesus wants us and He calls us to come to Him.

Will Lamartine Thompson wrote the heart touching hymn “Softly And Tenderly Jesus Is Calling”.  What a healing balm it is to our weary battle scarred heart to know that not only does Jesus want us; He also calls us to come to Him.  If you ever think nobody loves you or wants you, remember Jesus wants you.

There are many people who are hurting and desperately need to know Jesus 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”.  O how we need to spread the love of Jesus.

It is very important that we as parents tell our children that we love them and want them.  It doesn’t matter how old our children are or how young they are, they need to know they are loved and wanted.  If you will listen with your heart, you will hear our Heavenly Father say “I love you and want you”.

Precious Heavenly Father, I pray for every person who feels unloved and unwanted.  Please comfort and encourage them as You have done for me so many times.  Dry their tears with Your tender compassionate kisses.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 7, 2016

I NEVER WILL

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9 KJV

A man was asked “Do you think God will forgive me for what I’ve done”?  The man replied “You’d better hope He does because I’m not sure I ever will”.  How that statement must have hurt Jesus and broke His heart.  Even while He was hanging on the cross with the blood flowing down His body, He forgave us.

We read in the Bible.  “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.  And they parted his raiment, and cast lots” (Luke 23:34).  If Jesus forgave us while He was still hanging on the cross in pain, how dare you and I go to a Holy God and ask Him to forgive us if we don’t forgive others?

How we must hurt our precious Saviour and break His heart when we aren’t willing to forgive others.  Jesus didn’t have to forgive us.  What if Jesus had said that He would never forgive us?  You and I would be on our way to hell for all eternity.  Thank God for the unconditional love of our Saviour.

I think you and I sometimes forget that we too hurt people at times.  If we refuse to forgive the ones who hurt us, we can’t expect the ones we hurt to forgive us.  May God have mercy on us and forgive us for being judgmental and refusing to forgive the ones who hurt us.  Let’s start forgiving as Jesus forgave us.

Joanne Lowe

September 6, 2016

HOW CAN WE THANK THEM

“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

God loves us so much He gave His Son to die on the cross for us.  Jesus loves us so much He died on the cross for us and paid the penalty for our sins that we could never have paid.  This is how much They love us.  How can we thank Them for all They have done for us?  O how God and Jesus love us!

We can thank Them by serving Jesus and by giving Him first place in our heart, in our time, in our relationships and in everything we do.  We can also thank Them by not doing things we know will hurt Them.  Someone emailed me and asked “Is it okay to watch movies on television”?

It is okay to watch movies as long as we would feel comfortable watching them if Jesus was sitting beside us.  We should never do anything or go anywhere that would hurt Jesus.  A dad said “If my children aren’t welcome, I’m not going to your place”.  This is how we should feel about Jesus.

If Jesus is not welcome we should not go to those places.  I believe it would embarrass Jesus and break His heart if we went to places that we know we shouldn’t go.  If ever someone deserves to be honored and respected, it is Jesus the Saviour of the world!  Let’s do everything we can to make Him happy.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much You gave Your Son to die for our sins.  Jesus, thank You for loving us so much You died for us.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 5, 2016

THE FRAGRANCE OF GOD’S 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

One of the definitions for fragrance in Webster’s Dictionary is “the quality or state of having a sweet odor”.  Everything about Jesus is sweet.  There have been times when I have smelled the fragrance of a rose in my house and I didn’t have any flowers in the house at that time.  It was the fragrance of Jesus.

Jesus tells us that He is a Rose.  “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys” (Song of Solomon 2:1).  Not only is Jesus precious, loving, tender, compassionate and sweet, He is also the Rose in our heart.  Jesus is the fragrance of God’s love to us.  He not only smells good, He smells wonderful.

One glorious day, we will be with Him for all eternity when He comes back for us.  What rejoicing and happiness there will be on that wonderful day.  Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!  On that day, He will get the glory and the respect He deserves.

Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for giving Jesus to us Who is the fragrance of Your love to us.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  Father, I pray for every person who is hurting.  Please comfort and encourage them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

September 4, 2016

HE WANTS YOU

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

John 19:30 KJV

A mother was very abusive to her little girl.  She said terrible and hateful things to her and beat her.  The little girl was scared.  She believed that nobody loved her or wanted her.  I submit to you on the authority of the Word of God that Jesus not only loves you, He also wants you so much that He died for you.

“Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said “Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:13,14).

It upsets Jesus very much and makes Him angry when children are mistreated.  One day every person will stand before a Holy God and give an account of how we treated children.  May God have mercy on us if we are abusive to children and don’t tell them that Jesus loves them so much He died for them.

Jesus not only loves little children, He loves every person in the world and He wants you.  He longs to heal your broken heart and dry your tears with tender loving kisses.  O how He loves you.  Yes, I mean you.  Jesus loves you.  You are very precious to Him, so precious that He died for you.

Heavenly Father, I pray for every child who is abused and beaten by their parents or by anyone else.  Please hold these precious children close to Your heart and hug them.  Let them feel Your love for them and let them know that You will protect them from harm.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.   

Joanne Lowe

September 3, 2016

JESUS IS STILL SHINING

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

John 8:12 KJV

Even when it is storming outside and it’s hard to see because of the rain, Jesus is still shining His light in our heart.  If we will follow Jesus, we will have the light of life.  Thank God for His compassion and unconditional love for us in giving His Son to die on the cross for our sins.

It doesn’t matter how many dark valleys and how many crises we go through because the light of Jesus will still shine brightly in our heart.  The light of Jesus is not like a light bulb that burns out.  His light never goes out.  We can’t depend on light bulbs but we can depend on the light of Jesus.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for Jesus.  Your unconditional love and compassion for us is a healing balm to our heart.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family and thank You for the privilege of serving Jesus.  I pray that people will always see Jesus shining through me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.   

Joanne Lowe

September 2, 2016

WHERE IS OUR MIND

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Isaiah 26:3 KJV

There are times when we make our own problems and turmoil because we get our eyes and our thoughts off of Jesus.  We worry about our finances, our jobs, our relationships and other things.  If we will keep Jesus first in our thoughts, we will have better days with fewer problems.  Where is our mind today?

Heavenly Father, help us to keep our thoughts and our eyes on Jesus.  Thank You for being a tender loving compassionate Father.  We love You and appreciate all You do for us.  I pray for every person who is lonely, hurting and feels unloved.  Please comfort and encourage them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

September 1, 2016