EMERGENCY ROOM TREATMENT

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3, 4 KJV

I had to go to the emergency room Saturday.  Everyone was very nice to me and treated me with kindness but when we go to God’s emergency room, we are not only treated with kindness we are also treated with love.  It doesn’t matter if we’re hurting physically or emotionally, God comforts us.

He sets us on His lap of love and dries our tears with tender compassionate kisses.  It doesn’t matter how many people are in His emergency room because His lap is big enough for every person in the world.  Our Heavenly Father takes good care of us and comforts us when we need to be comforted.

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the many times You have comforted and encouraged me.  I love You so much and appreciate all You have done for me.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family and for giving me the privilege of serving Jesus.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe
January 31, 2017

KEEP STANDING

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;).”

Hebrews 10:23 KJV

Rev. Russell Kelso Carter wrote one of my favorite hymns “Standing On The Promises Of God”.  I love these beautiful words.  “Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Through eternal ages let His praises ring, Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.”

Are we standing on His promises?  If not, we need to keep standing because He will never let us down.  What He says, He will do.  We should be shouting and singing praises to Him.  If ever someone deserves to be praised and adored, it is Jesus.  He loves us so much He died for us.

What a Saviour!  What a Friend, this Jesus of Nazareth!  Please join me in praising the “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”.  All hail, King Jesus!  Worthy is the Lamb of God!  One joyous day He is coming back for us and we will see Him face to face.  What a day of rejoicing that will be.  O how I love Jesus.

Joanne Lowe

January 30, 2017

A CROSS OF COMPASSION AND LOVE

“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

John W. Peterson wrote the beautiful inspiring cantata “Night of Miracles”.   Indeed, it was a night of miracles when Jesus was born.  However, this precious Baby grew up and went to the cross to die for your sins and for my sins.  The cross Jesus died on was a cross of compassion and love.

Kurt Kaiser wrote the beautiful hymn “Oh How He Loves You and Me”.  There are no words to describe how much Jesus loves you and me.  We only have a fingernail’s grasp of His amazing unconditional and unending love for us.  What a Saviour, this Jesus of Nazareth!  O how I love Jesus.

Joanne Lowe

January 29, 2017

HE IS WITH US

“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 28:20 KJV

No matter how many trials, heartaches and valleys we have, Jesus is with us.  He told us that He is with us.  There are times when we get discouraged and think we can’t go on.  Jesus understands how we feel because He got discouraged and being human, I’m sure there were times when He felt like giving up.

What a healing balm it is to our weary battle scarred heart to know that Jesus not only loves us, He also understands and cares when we are hurting.  If we will listen with our heart, we will hear Him say to us “I love you so much I died for you”.  We can trust Jesus to never leave us, not even for a minute.

We should do all we can do to make Jesus happy after all He has done for us.  What makes Jesus happy?  We make Jesus happy by loving one another unconditionally, by being kind and also forgiving those who hurt us.  Jesus forgives us when we hurt Him so we should forgive those who hurt us.

Heavenly Father, please help us to be kind and loving to one another.  I pray for every pastor who is preaching the love of Jesus.  Please comfort and encourage them and let them know how much You love them and appreciate their service to You.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 28, 2017

IT HURTS

“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

I have had physical pain but I can tell you from personal experience that emotional pain hurts worse than physical pain when you believe that nobody loves you or cares about you.  There is good news.  Jesus said “I have loved thee with an everlasting love”.  That means that Jesus loved us yesterday, He loves us today and He will love us forever.

Not only was Jesus beaten beyond recognition, He also suffered a lot of emotional pain for us.  Think about it.  Jesus, Who had never done anything wrong, never sinned one time allowed them to crucify Him on the cross for our sins.  Yes, Jesus knows how it feels to hurt emotionally and He hurts when we hurt.

Jesus was alone when He hung on the cross.  Even His Father had to turn away from Him because Jesus had taken our sins on Him and God is a Holy God and He can’t look at sin.  I believe with all my heart that Jesus died of a broken heart.  If you ever think nobody loves you, remember Jesus loves you.

Joanne Lowe

January 27, 2017

JESUS DOESN’T CONDEMN

“When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

John 8:10,11 KJV

Jesus doesn’t condemn us, He forgives us.  Jesus said to the woman “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more”.  O that you and I would follow the example He set for us and instead of us staying angry we need to forgive.  If ever someone has a right to condemn us, it is Jesus but He forgives us.

Since Jesus is so loving and kind to us, we should do all we can do to make Him happy.  If ever someone deserves to be happy, it is Jesus, the Saviour of the world.  He is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.  We make Jesus happy by being kind and loving to one another (Matthew 25:40).  Are we doing it?

Heavenly Father, You are a tender loving merciful Father.  Thank You for loving us and for sharing Your beloved Son with us.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family and for the privilege of serving Jesus.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 26, 2017

LET HIM LOVE YOU

“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

I used to think that Jesus couldn’t love me because I had hurt so many people before I was saved.  However, it finally went from head knowledge to heart knowledge that Jesus loves me just because He is love.  I could never be good enough to earn His love.  He gives His love freely and for all eternity.

If you ever doubt Jesus loves you, remember the cross and all the agony and pain that He suffered for you.  Nobody loves you like Jesus loves you and nobody ever will.  If you are going through a dark valley and feel like you can’t take another step or give another smile, tell Jesus.

He will pick you up and carry you through all the dark valleys in your life until the pain goes away and will set you once again on the mountain top of happiness.  You can’t earn His love.  He gives it to you freely and He will always love you.  Yes, He loves you!  You are precious to Him.  Let Him love you.

Joanne Lowe

January 25, 2017

THANK HIM AND PRAISE HIM

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

James 1:17 KJV

God is so faithful and we need to thank Him and praise Him every day for al He does for us.  One of my favorite hymns that Rev. Thomas Obediah Chisholm wrote is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”.  God has been so faithful to me.  He has never failed me and He takes care of me.

Have you thanked Him and praised Him today?  You might think that He hasn’t done anything for you today but if you have food, a place to live and clothes to wear, He has provided you with all you need.  Not only does He give us all we need, He also gives us things we don’t need just because He loves us.

Heavenly Father, thank You for adopting me into Your family and thank You for the privilege of serving Jesus.  I pray for every person who is hurting and sad and lonely.  Please comfort and encourage them as You have done for me so many times.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen. 

Joanne Lowe

January 24, 2017

SHOW THEM YOU LOVE THEM

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

John 15:13 KJV

We can tell people we love them but we need to show them we love them by our actions.  Many people hide their emotions because they are afraid of being laughed at or even rejected.  Jesus understands how it feels to be laughed at and rejected so He is with us to comfort and help us.

How do we show them we love them?  We show them by laying down our life.  That doesn’t mean we will have to die for them but it does mean that we need to die to our own wants and desires.  Instead of insisting on going to eat at our favorite restaurant all the time, let’s ask them where they want to go eat.

We don’t know what is going on in their life.  All we know is what we see and what they tell us.  One thing is for certain all of us need to be encouraged and comforted.  God has told us to comfort His people.  “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God” (Isaiah 40:1).  Are we doing it?

We also need to show our family we love them by our kind and loving actions.  It is very important that our family see the difference Jesus has made in our heart and life.  Let’s start comforting one another as God has told us to do.  If Jesus needed to be comforted, we also need to be comforted.

Joanne Lowe

January 23, 2017

FINALLY OVER

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Luke 2:10-14 KJV

I heard someone say “The holidays are finally over”.  How sad that people are glad when Christmas is over.  It is true that holidays are sad for some people because they have lost loved ones but we can still rejoice and celebrate the birthday of Jesus.  The joy as we celebrate His birth should last all year.

I know how sad it is to lose a loved one during the holidays.  Many years ago, my beloved Mother died on Christmas day.  It was very difficult to smile and be happy on Christmas after she died and then I realized what better gift could I give Jesus for His birthday than my Mother.

One Christmas I said to Jesus “Happy birthday, Jesus.  I am giving my Mother to You for a birthday gift.”  I still miss Mom and sometimes even cry because I miss her so much but I am also happy because I know she will never hurt again.  If you have lost loved ones, give them to Jesus.

Jesus loves our loved ones and He can take better care of them than we ever could.  However, Jesus also understands that we miss them and how much it hurts and His heart is filled with compassion for us.  He will lift us up in His loving arms and carry us through the dark valley until the pain goes away.

Joanne Lowe

January 22, 2017

WILL WE EVER LEARN

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2 KJV

When I was growing up my Mother used to get upset with me because I didn’t always listen to her and do what she told me to do.  She said “It doesn’t matter what I say, you’re going to do what you want to do”.  I think if we will listen with our heart, we will hear Jesus saying the same thing to us.

Jesus has proved to us over and over how much He loves us and that He will never leave us.  O that you and I would keep our eyes on Jesus and on Him alone and allow Him to lead and guide us.  He will never fail us and He will never leave us, not even for a minute.  O how I love Jesus.

I have a pinball game on my computer that I play to keep my fingers from getting stiff.  I know that I need to keep my eyes on the ball but I allow my mind to wander and I lose the ball.  Jesus has warned us to be on the alert for the sneaky attacks of satan (1 Peter 5:8) yet we don’t always do it.

Will we ever learn to keep our eyes on Jesus and allow Him to lead and guide us?  We don’t know the future but He does.  We hurt Him when we don’t keep our eyes on Him and do what He tells us to do.  He loves us so much He died for us so He will guide and protect us if we will let Him.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sharing Jesus with us and for being a compassionate tender loving Father.  Help us to trust Jesus and to keep our eyes on Him.  Thank You, Jesus for loving us and for helping us.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 21, 2017

NOT OUR STRIPES

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 KJV

It is not because of us.  It is not our stripes that heal us.  It is the stripes of our precious Saviour.  It is because Jesus was wounded for us and bruised for us that we have the privilege of being saved and going to Heaven.  What unconditional love flowed from the heart of Jesus for us as He hung on the cross.

Think about it.  Jesus, the Son of God, willingly left His home, His Father and all that He had to come to earth to die for our sins.  If you ever doubt someone loves you and cares about you, remember the cross and all the agony and pain that Jesus endured for you.  No one loves you like Jesus loves you.

Heavenly Father, we praise You and give You thanks for being a Father Who not only loves us but also protects us.  Dear Father, there are many people who are lonely, hurting and in pain.  Please comfort and encourage them.  May they feel in their heart the love You have for them.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 20, 2017

WAITING

“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 KJV

I’m not very good at waiting but I’m getting better.  I have arthritis and there are times when I am unable to take a bath and have to wash at the sink and satan uses that to discourage me.  However, I am learning when I can’t take a bath to pray and ask God to encourage me and He does.  He is so faithful.

If there is something you can’t do, pray and ask God to help you do it.  Our Heavenly Father loves us and He will help us when we get discouraged and feel like giving up.  We need to wait for Him to help us and not try and do things by ourselves.  If we will wait for His help, our strength will be renewed.

Heavenly Father, there are times when I get frustrated but I am learning to wait for Your help.  Thank You for the many times You have comforted and encouraged me.  I pray for every person who is discouraged.  Please comfort and encourage them as You have done for me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 19, 2017

LITTLE CHILDREN

“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

Mark 10:13,14 KJV

I watched a family Christmas program which touched my heart.  When they gave their gifts to one another, you could tell they really loved one another.  Then the little child said “Open my gift, Papa”.  He asked her who the gift was for and she said it was for the Baby Jesus.  She said “Happy Birthday, Jesus”.

The little child was the only one who said “Happy Birthday, Jesus”.  How that must have made Jesus happy when that precious little girl said that to Him.  O that you and I would follow the example of the little girl and tell Jesus we love Him not only by our words but also by our actions.

Heavenly Father, help us be like this precious little girl and prove to Jesus that we love Him by our words and by our actions.  Thank You for Jesus.  I pray for every person who is hurting.  Please comfort and encourage them as You have comforted and encouraged me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 18, 2017

HE STILL CARES

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

Jeremiah 31:3 KJV

There are times when we hurt Jesus but He still loves us.  His love for us is unconditional and He will love us forever.  He still cares about us when we do things and say things that hurt others.  It breaks His heart but He still cares and loves us.  What a Saviour, this Jesus of Nazareth!

Let’s make a special effort to make Jesus happy.  If ever someone deserves to be happy, it is Jesus.  What makes Him happy?  It makes Him happy when we are kind and loving to one another.  In this world of hatred and violence we need to love one another and be encouragers to each other.

When is the last time you told Jesus you love Him?  He wants us to tell Him we love Him just as we want Him to tell us He loves us.  It would break my heart if He didn’t tell me every day that He loves me.  I need Jesus every minute of the day.  Life is too hard.  We can’t make it without Jesus.  O how we need Jesus! 

Joanne Lowe

January 17, 2017

CHRISTIANS

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

1 Timothy 4:12 KJV

I watched one of the most beautiful Christmas movies I had ever seen.  Most of the movie was about loving one another and forgiving one another.  I was so touched by the acting that I read about one of the actors and it broke my heart because the person was only acting a part and didn’t love at all in real life.

Christians are not actors and actresses.  We are to be an example and point others to Jesus by our words and our actions twenty four hours a day.  A pastor said in a sermon “There was a man who sang in the choir, taught Sunday school and was a deacon but when he went home he beat his wife”.

How it must hurt Jesus and break His heart when you and I are not good examples of what a believer should be.  We should prove to people how much Jesus loves them not only by our words but also by our actions.  Do others know Jesus loves them by the things we say to them and the things we do?

Heavenly Father, forgive us for the times when we are not good examples for Jesus and hurt others by the things we say and the things we do.  Help us to love one another unconditionally as Jesus has commanded us to love each other.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 16, 2017

OUR INTERIOR DECORATOR

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

Ezekiel 36:26 KJV

I have beautiful things in my home because my sister gave them to me.  She has decorated my home with not only beautiful things but also with love.  However, the greatest interior decorator is Jesus, our Interior Decorator.  He decorates our heart with love and compassion for others.

Before I gave my heart and life to Jesus, I wasn’t a very nice person.  I thought only of myself and even felt sorry for myself.  The more I learn about Jesus, the more I am ashamed that I didn’t put others before me.  If ever someone puts others first, it is Jesus, the Saviour of the world.

Jesus put us first when He left His home, His Father and all that He had to come to earth and die on the cross for our sins.  God didn’t make Jesus come to earth and die for us.  It is because Jesus loves us so much that He died for us.  Jesus loves us with an amazing unconditional and compassionate love.

Jesus loved us yesterday.  He loves us today and He will love us tomorrow.  There is nothing we could ever do that would make Him stop loving us.  Think about it!  Jesus, the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, willingly walked that long lonely road to Calvary and allowed them to crucify Him for our sins.

If you ever doubt you are loved, remember Jesus and all that He sacrificed for you.  Jesus is not only our Saviour, He is also the best Friend we will ever have.  He never leaves us, not even for a minute!  What a Saviour, what a Friend, this Jesus of Nazareth!

Joanne Lowe

January 15, 2017

NO MORE PAIN

“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 KJV

For those of us who have endured pain and suffering, whether it was physical or emotional pain, this verse is a healing balm to our weary worn and battle scarred heart.  God Himself is going to wipe the tears from our eyes.  I believe He is going to wipe the tears from our eyes with tender loving compassionate kisses.

Jesus understands how we feel when we have pain, whether it is physical or emotional pain.  He was rejected, scorned, cursed, spat on, beaten beyond recognition and He endured a pain and anguish that you and I will never know and He went through all of that pain because He loves us so much.

Heavenly Father, I love You and appreciate all You have done for me.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family and for the privilege You have given me to serve Jesus.  You are a tender compassionate Father.  Thank You for the many times You have comforted and encouraged me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 14, 2017

IS HE OUR KING

“And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

John 19:19 KJV

Jennie Evelyn Hussey wrote the hymn “Lead Me to Calvary”.  When we sing the words “King of my life, I crown Thee now, Thine shall the glory be;”, are we singing the words from our heart or are we just singing the words?  Is He our King?  Have we made Jesus the King of our heart and our life?         

Joanne Lowe

January 13, 2017

A HOME OF LOVE

“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.”

John 14:1-3 KJV

There are many children who are afraid of their parents because the parents get drunk and beat their children.  It breaks my heart to know that children have to run and hide from their parents.  These children do not have a home, they live in a house because without love, it is not a home, it is only a house.

Years ago, a little boy came to my door and asked me if he could come in because he was afraid his parents were going to beat him again because they were drunk.  It broke my heart to know this precious little boy was afraid of his parents.  We have a loving Heavenly Father and we don’t have to be afraid of Him.

Jesus is preparing a home of love for us.  There will be peace there and we don’t have to be afraid because we will be with Jesus for all eternity.  Think about it!  We will be with Jesus Who loves us so much He died for our sins.  What a privilege it is to be loved by the Saviour of the world.  O how I love Jesus.

Heavenly Father, I pray for every child and for every person who lives in fear of being beaten, yelled at or cursed.  Please comfort and encourage them as You have comforted and encouraged me so many times.  I love You so much and I appreciate all You have done for me.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 12, 2017

NO REPAIRS WILL BE NEEDED

“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.”

John 14:2,3 KJV

My heater stopped working and it was very cold which made my arthritis hurt even more.  The repairman came and fixed it and now I am warm again.  We know that everything Jesus does is perfect because He is perfect so there will be no repairs needed on the mansions that Jesus is preparing for us. 

Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for loving us so much that You gave Your beloved Son to die for our sins on the cross.  Jesus, thank You for dying for us and for all You do for us every day.  I love You so much and I long for the day when I will see You face to face.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 11, 2017

HE DIED FOR US

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 KJV

Jesus, what a compassionate tender hearted Saviour!  He died for us.  He had never sinned, had never done anything wrong yet He allowed them to beat Him beyond recognition, curse Him, spit on Him, mock Him and treat Him worse than anyone has ever been treated or ever will be treated.

Every time I think about Jesus suffering all that anguish and heartache for me, I am overwhelmed with love for Him that He should love me so much He died for me.  Not only was He beaten physically, His heart was also broken as He hung on the cross wounded and bleeding for you and for me.

Marvin P. Dalton wrote the beautiful inspiring hymn “Oh What A Savior”.  It is my favorite hymn.  There is no one like Jesus. Nobody loves you like Jesus loves you and nobody ever will.  Think about it!  He stayed on the cross when He could have come down.  What a Saviour, this Jesus of Nazareth!

Precious Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that You gave Your beloved Son to die for our sins.  Thank You for giving me the privilege of serving Jesus and thank You for adopting me into Your family.  I love You, Father.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 10, 2017

THE YOKE OF LOVE

“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

One of the definitions I found in Webster’s Dictionary for yoke is “something that causes people to be treated cruelly and unfairly especially by taking away their freedom”.  That is exactly the yoke that satan has on us until we go to Jesus and allow Him to put His yoke of love on us.

There are times when we cause our own problems because we don’t always go to Him and allow Him to help us.  We need to remember that without Jesus we can’t do anything (John 15:5).  We have a tender loving Saviour Who loves us so much He died for our sins.  O how Jesus loves you!

Jesus wants us to live a happy and abundant life (John 10:10).  Have you allowed Jesus to put His yoke of love on you?  We don’t have to live under the tyranny of satan any longer.  When Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for our sins, He broke the power that satan has over us.

We know how much Jesus loves us because He proved to us how much He loves us when He died on the cross for us.  Does He know we love Him?  What are we doing to prove to Him that we love Him?  Jesus has feelings too and He wants us to tell Him that we love Him just as we want Him to tell us He loves us.

I love Jesus with all of my heart.  I long for the day when Jesus comes back for us and I will have the privilege of seeing Him face to face.  What a happy and joyful day that is going to be! 

Joanne Lowe

January 9, 2017

THE WARMTH OF HIS LOVE

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Isaiah 41:10 KJV

There are times when the cold arrows of criticism and sarcasm are hurled into our heart and it is then that we feel the warmth of His love.  God tells us that He is with us and will strengthen and help us.  Our Heavenly Father loves us so much He gave His beloved Son to die for our sins on the cross.

The next time you are hurting and feel like you can’t give another smile or take another step, pray and tell God how you are feeling.  He really loves you and He will be faithful to comfort and encourage you.  Kurt Frederick Kaiser wrote the beautiful hymn “Pass It On”.  It is one of my favorite hymns.

I love the words in this hymn “It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing.  That’s how it is with God’s love once you’ve experienced it; you spread his love to everyone; you want to pass it on”.  Sometimes I feel like shouting to everyone “God loves you”.

If you know people who are lonely and hurting and who believe that nobody loves them, remind them of the unconditional unending love of God.  Let’s pray for those who are hurting and also prove to them God loves them by our loving words and actions.  We have a loving compassionate Heavenly Father.

Joanne Lowe

January 8, 2017

HIS SPECIAL TOUCH

“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

We sing the beautiful hymn “He Touched Me”.  It is a hymn that describes the touch of Jesus.  It was His special touch that lifted me up from under a bed in a mental hospital where I lay years ago because I was afraid of everyone and everything.  It was His special touch that gave me a reason to live.

It is His special touch that keeps us going when our hearts are breaking because people have hurt us by saying cruel and sarcastic words to us and have done things on purpose to hurt us.  It is also His special touch that heals the broken hearts of people we have hurt by word or by deed.

If we would remember that when we hurt others, we also hurt Jesus, I don’t think we would say and do things that hurt others.  Our precious Saviour deserves to be happy.  We should do everything we can do to make Him happy.  We need to search our heart and see if we are hurting Jesus or making Him happy.

Joanne Lowe

January 7, 2017

THE HEART OF OUR SAVIOUR

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 KJV

Jesus, the Saviour of the world, Who never sinned and never did anything wrong willingly walked that long lonely road to Calvary and allowed them to crucify Him on the cross for our sins.  If someone asks you how to describe the heart of our Saviour, tell him or her that Jesus’ heart is filled with love for us.

I have heard sermons on the physical pain that Jesus endured for us but I have never heard a sermon on the emotional pain Jesus suffered for us.  I believe that every time they pounded a nail into the hands of our Saviour, that He felt that pain in His heart.  O how Jesus loves you and me!

Marvin P. Dalton wrote the beautiful inspiring hymn “Oh What A Savior”.  It is my favorite hymn and every time I hear it or sing it, I get tears in my eyes to think that Jesus loves me so much that not only did He endure pain and anguish that you and I will never know,  His heart was also broken because of my sins.

The next time you think that nobody loves you or cares about you, remember Jesus and the pain and heartbreak He endured because He loves you so much.  Nobody loves us like Jesus loves us and nobody ever will.  His love for us is unconditional and unending.  What a Saviour, this Jesus of Nazareth!

Joanne Lowe

January 6, 2017

NOTHING OR NOBODY

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38,39 KJV

Have you allowed it to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge that nothing or nobody can separate you from the love of God and the love of Jesus?  There are times when we go through dark valleys and the tears fall and we feel like giving up and going to bed and staying there but They still love us.

Heavenly Father, I pray for every person who is hurting, lonely, depressed and suicidal.  Please comfort and encourage them as You have done for me so many times.  I love You, dear Father.  Thank You for adopting me into Your family.  I love You, Jesus.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 5, 2017

GOD LOVES 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

When people say things that hurt us or do things that hurt us, we get upset and angry.  We need to remember that God loves them even when they hurt us just as He loves us when we hurt others and make them angry.  God does not play favorites.  He loves us all with the same unconditional love.

May God help us to love one another unconditionally as Jesus has commanded us to love each other.  If we would be encouragers to one another and pray for one another and do kind and loving things for one another, we would be a lot happier and we would make Jesus happy.

Making Jesus happy should be the heart’s desire of every Christian.  Our precious Saviour has done so much for us and He not only loves us unconditionally, He is also our constant Companion.  He never leaves us, not even for a minute.  When we can’t sleep, He sits beside our bed and holds our hand.

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 is ours to be loved by the Saviour of the world and one happy day He is coming back for us and we will see Him face to face.

Heavenly Father, we praise You and give You thanks for Jesus.  You are a tender compassionate Father and I love You.  I love You, Jesus.  Thank You for dying for my sins.  I love You, Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 4, 2017

OUR WONDERFUL SAVIOUR

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

Luke 2:11 KJV

Jesus, our wonderful Saviour, not only loves us unconditionally, He also loves us so much that He died for our sins on the cross and paid the price for our sins that we could never have paid.  Rusty Goodman wrote the beautiful hymn “Who Am I”.  It is one of my favorite hymns.

Why did Jesus die for us?  Have you ever asked yourself the question “Who am I that a King would bleed and die for”?  I asked God why He gave His Son to die on the cross for my sins when I was so unworthy.  God told me it is because He loves us unconditionally and He wants us to go to Heaven.

If you are reading this devotion, allow it to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge that Jesus, the Saviour of the world loves you so much He died for you.  You are precious to Him.  If you are going through a dark valley, He will pick you up in His loving arms and carry you until the pain goes away.

Joanne Lowe

January 3, 2017

ARE WE CONDEMNING AND CASTING STONES

“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

John 8:7 KJV

Are we condemning people and casting stones at them?  Jesus said “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”.  We are not perfect.  All of us sin and hurt people and Jesus at times.  There was only one perfect person who ever lived or ever will live and His Name is Jesus.

As we begin this New Year, let’s ask God to help us become encouragers to one another instead of discouraging each other.  All of us need encouragement.  The one who says he or she doesn’t need anyone or encouragement is not being honest.  Even Jesus needed encouragement when He was here.

We read in Isaiah 41:6 “They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage”  Are we helping one another?  Remember, when we’re kind to others, we are kind to Jesus and when we are unkind to people, we are also hurting Jesus and breaking His heart (Matthew 25:40).

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us another year to serve You.  Place in our heart the desire to be an encouragement to one another and especially to our pastor.  Please forgive us for the times we have hurt people and also hurt Jesus.  We’re sorry.  I love You, Heavenly Father.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen.

Joanne Lowe

January 2, 2017

DO WE REALLY BELIEVE

"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

We say we believe but do we really believe?  Do we believe how much God and Jesus love us?  If we do believe it, we need to thank Them and do everything we can do to make Them happy in this new year.  Let’s make a special effort this year to make Them happy.  They deserve to be happy.   

Joanne Lowe

January 1, 2017