OH, TO BE WITH JESUS! NOT YET… When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. —John 14:3 I want to be with Jesus! Is that the cry of your heart? It won’t be long and all who love Him will be with Him… forever! Rejoice! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo9ZWX1lEKI (at 17:00) “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and…

But Rehoboam spoke harshly to them, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors and followed the counsel of his younger advisers. He told the people, “My father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!” —II Chronicles 10:13-14 Want to alienate people? Then speak “harshly to them.” Reject “the advice of the older counselors and” follow “the counsel of… younger advisers.” · “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers” (Proverbs 11:14). · “Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won…

Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean. —John 13:8-10 Dear fellow follower of Jesus, do you know that you are clean in Jesus? “And you disciples are clean.” It is truly amazing as we consider what we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. How could we not love Him more and more the more we know of how much He loves us? May…

“He is good! His faithful love endures forever!” —II Chronicles 5:13 “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled…

MY EVIDENCED VALUE OF JESUS That perfume was worth a year’s wages. —John 12:4 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). “Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said” (Luke 10:39). Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with an ointment that was worth a year’s wages. In today’s economy the average U.S. household income is $53,657. She surely treasured Jesus not only with her finances, but also with her time. She loved to sit at Jesus’ feet to listen to Him. How about you and I? How are we using our income and time to honor the Lord Jesus Christ and to…

For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. I Chronicles 28:9 Nothing escapes His notice— no thought, word or deed. He knows it all. This is so far beyond us. We really know very little that is happening in all of creation at any time. Yet, the Lord God Almighty knows it all. This is a challenge and a comfort to me. On the one hand I desire to think, speak and act according to His will. Unfortunately I do not always do so and he knows… On the other hand He knows all the injustices and evil that is taking place and one day He…

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. —I Chronicles 17:7 What has the Lord taken you from and what has He selected you for? Well, we know He took us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of His dear Son (Colossians 1:12-14). We also know that He saved us from sin to a relationship with Him. He wants us to continually be in communication with Him through prayer (Luke 18:1-8) and through His Word (II Timothy 3:16-17). It is clear He also selected…

Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens! O nations of the world, recognize the Lord, recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise, for the Lord is coming…

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” Then he spit on the ground, made mud…

The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple. —John 8:57-59 Again the Jews wanted to kill Jesus because of what He claimed. He had just said He existed before Abraham. The Jews understood what He was saying and wanted to kill Him for it. Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of all life. “His is before all things.” (John 1:1; Colossians 1:17). Jesus existed before Abraham.…