Troubles weighing you down? What to do? Matthew 11:28-29

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. WE ARE BLESSED INDEED!

   Often the troubles of our life get us down; we look at the world events and that frustrates us; and we see others that seem to be just happy and without a care in the world.  

  Why me?  Why am I feeling this way?

   So often we forget who is actually in charge.  There is only one who is in charge and it is not me or you.  Yes, it is God.  So often we forget to give everything to God.

   If you are feeling down, feeling alone, feel like you are in this battle by yourself, do not despair.  Take heart in what Jesus said:

   Matthew 11: 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 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.

   Don't forget who is our father in heaven and who really cares for you. Thank you for reading with me today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Is one of your burdens reading the Bible daily? Hmmm Psalm 1:2

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  DELIGHT IN THE LORD IN ALL THY WAYS!!!

   What is your favorite dessert?  I like chocolate and frozen yogurt swirl cones.  Hmmm, good.  It is hard for me to pass Braum's without stopping for yogurt.  It is like a pulling, a magnet, a force that wants me to come in.

   Well, what about your Bible?  Does it pull you in or do you do it out of duty?  Or maybe just a ritual and you don't fully comprehend what you are reading?

   Psalm tells us to "MEDITATE" day and night on God's word.  This does not mean to ''read it through'' as a duty, but to think about what your are reading, maybe talk out-loud to yourself, but read for clarity and to understand.

  Once you get into reading the Bible to absorb and understand it will become the chocolate or yogurt that pulls you.  You will delight in the word of God.

   Just like your favorite treat, the more you engage with the Bible, the more you will like it and yearn for it.  Many people "know" the Bible, but do not resonate or relate to God's word.  It is just a big book of history that the main parts are remembered, but not taken seriously.

   God's word (Bible) helps us in knowing God's will and want for us.  That is the eternal life that is promised by God, who never breaks a promise.  So, are you a casual reader of the Bible, OR, are you totally engaged in God's word and working for the kingdom of the LORD and you are walking with JESUS?

   Start today, reading the word, set a time aside each day to be with God and absorb HIS word.  Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

   If you read daily you will become as is Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.

   Read on, absorb much, share lots, and delight in the word. Thanks for reading today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Do you praise God in all things? Job 1:21 (13-22)

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  WE ARE BLESSED INDEED!!!

   Last time I wrote about do we suffer because of sin.  Today we will look at the faith, trust, obedience and loyalty of a man named Job.

  First what happened to him?  One, the Sabeans came and stole his oxen and donkeys and killed the servants.  Two, fire came and burned up his sheep and servants.  Third, the Chaldeans came down, took the camels and killed the servants. Then a mighty wind came and collapsed the oldest son's house and killed all Job's children.

   Can you imagine. Being the wealthiest man on earth when you woke in the morning and then by days end you have lost everything, wealth, possessions, and offspring.  What a tragedy.

   So what did Job do?   He was definitely upset and then maybe his most famous verse  Job 1:21  Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away may the name of the LORD be praised..

   During all this catastrophic happenings Job refused to stop trusting God.  He did not turn away, ignore, or renounce God in any way.

   Suffering is always a test of faith for the believer.  Will you, or have you trusted God despite your suffering and pain?  We all have suffering, some really big happening, some not so big, but in the end DO YOU TRUST GOD?

   We may want answers and only get them when we get to heaven, but, in the end, we need faith, hope, and trust.  We may not understand now, but one day we will.

  When darkness falls upon you, cling to the living God. Stand on Gods promises in his word.  God is with you every step of the way and we do not understand his ways, but only to trust and obey. Just remember what Job said Job 19:25-26 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.    And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.

   Trust God in the good times and the bad.  Thanks for reading. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Do we suffer because of sin?? Job 1:1

 Good morning everyone.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

HE IS RISEN!

  Have you ever heard of someone telling someone else the reason they are not healed is because of lack of faith?  Why would a Christian say something like this to another?  How hurtful.

  You are where you are because of your sins?  If I drink, get drunk and fall down the stairs, then yes, it is due to my sin.  But this is not always true and why would we want to think this was so?

   Take Job, he was an upright person before the LORD and he lost everything, children, livestock, wealth, everything.

  His friends accused him of past sins and that was why he was in this situation. Job experienced excruciating pain and agony.  We can not imagine what all he went through, yet his "friends" did not come to support, but to accuse.

  Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

  Are you able to look beyond the idea of sin in my past, your past, others past, and support each one through LOVE? 

    If sin is our reason for suffering, what sin did JESUS commit?  He suffered terrible beatings, pain, cursing and taunting. So what sin did he commit?  NONE!

   We live in a fallen world.  This is not heaven.  Bad things happen to good people, and worst things happen to some of the best people.  This is not because of sin.  Living in a fallen world, satan is alive and well and comes to steal and destroy.

   Stand strong on the word of God.  Forsake him not, and be a faithful servant to the one and only living GOD.  God, please bless each person that is reading this and let each one be loving and kind to those around them and accuse them not without cause.  Thank you. Love y'all.

In Christs Love and Grace

Johnny

Courage: doing the right thing in the presence of fear. Ester 4:16

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

   Wow! What would you do at a time when you and your whole family could be eliminated? 

  Most of us know the book of Ester. Haman, an evil man who hated Mordecai and the Jews manipulated the king to pass a decree to annihilate all the Jews.  King Xerxes was okay with this as he trusted Haman.

   When Mordecai heard of the decree he was in despair, tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes and wailed in the hallways and streets.  When Queen Ester heard of this she made contact with Mordacai.

   He asked her to go before the King and ask for mercy.  At first Ester was hesitant because anyone before the king who was not summoned could be put to death.  Mordacai said she would die anyway if the decree remains.  This is when Queen Ester gave the famous "If I perish, I perish".

   Ester's response after communication with Mordacai was said in

 Ester 4: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

    Courage is not the absence of fear; courage is doing the right thing despite the presence of fear.

  Are you in a bad or fearful situation at this time?  Maybe God is calling you to trust him.  Be in obedience to God. Trusting and keeping our eyes focused on God will help us act courageously.  Maybe it is sharing the gospel, talking to family members, being involved in your church, or whatever.

   Just as Ester, will you be willing to say, "If I perish, I perish!".  Thank you for reading today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Who do you cry out to in time of despair? 2 Chronicles 20:12b

 God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!!

   What do we do when we experience tragedy?  Financial problems?  Marriage problems?  Employment problems? Parenting problems?  Health problems? or anything else---

   Usually WE ( you and I) try to FIX it ourselves.  Do we call upon God. Probably not.  We look to ourselves or other "men" to help with the situation.

   What did King Jehoshaphat do?  2 Chronicles 20:12 For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us.  We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

   He is speaking to God and what?????   His eyes are on the LORD!!!

So, where should our eyes be?  What did Jehoshaphat do? He and all the people gathered to fast, pray, and cry out to God.  So why did they do this? Because they were in terrible trouble, desperate need of help.  What did they know?  1- they were powerless against the approaching army; 2- they did not know what to do; and 3- they then focused on God for deliverance.

    When we stop and give it all to God we are showing dependence, humility, trust and obedience to the living God.

   Do you have a problem that is festering in your iife?  Then say a prayer to the LORD.  Maybe like this::  O God, the only power that can solve this is your mighty power, I don't know what to do, but I will keep my eyes focused on you.

    Take time today to thank the LORD, pray, be honest with God, and maybe even fast for your particular situation. 

Humble, pray, & repent 2 Chronicles 7:14

 Good morning fellow Christians.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good. TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

  2 Chronicles 7: 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

   First, this was to the people of Israel, yet it relates to us today as well.  We, his chosen need to do 3 things.  One, call on the LORD and Humble ourselves.  Admit God is God and we are not; let God do His work.

   Second, we must pray and seek the LORD.  This does not mean Oh God help me, but be in fervent prayer and speaking to God. Just you and Him.  We are talking about continual and sincere prayer.

   Third, turn from our wicked ways.  This means to repent, truly repent, not just being sorry for what you did and getting caught, but turn away and don't repeat what you have been doing.  This is in being OBEDIENT to God and what He asks of us.

  If we do these three things then God promises to answer us three ways.  One, He will hear us. Two, He will forgive our sins. Three, God will heal our land and pour our His blessings on us.

   The hardest for us to do is be patient, follow God, and believe He will follow through.  Too often we want to push it ourselves. LET GO, LET GOD!!!

   Thank you for reading today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

p.s. Abraham Lincoln set apart a day of prayer and humiliation 30th of April, 1863. To read his speech click here. 

Giving to God what is His 1 Chronicles 29:14

 Good Saturday to all.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  REJOICE IN THE LORD!!!

   David gives credit to God for all he has and the joy of his people who also rejoice in giving back to God.

   How often do we give out of obligation, commitment, or what we feel is our duty.  Then we take the time to share that "I pay my tithes".  This should be an humble experience between you and God.  

  We want praises from men?  I hope not when giving back to God what is already His and He was gracious enough to share with us.  David was humble in his rejoicing of giving to God as should we.

  We should not see giving to God as a duty, obligation, or commitment, but yet a PRIVILEGE TO GIVE BACK TO GOD.

  Look at 1 Chronicles 29: 14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

  We are not nobly serving God, but have the privilege to serve God.  Thank you God for all you have given us. 

Love y'all, thanks for reading.  

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Where is your focus? On God or worldly things?

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!!

   This morning in one of my devotionals the following came through and it definitely spoke to me.  I want to share this with you and it came from Time of Grace devotional.

Fix your eyes

by Katrina Harrmann

 

My husband is an avid cyclist. As he was teaching our kids to ride their bikes, he offered a piece of wisdom I’ve never forgotten: “If you see something in the road that you want to avoid, don’t look at it or you’ll ride right through it.”

 

I thought he was crazy. But as I learned to navigate a narrow road bike tire down the shoulders of busy roads littered with sticks and rocks—and sometimes big chunks of glass—I was shocked to find that he was quite right!

 

If I saw a big rock in my path, for instance, the more I stared at it, the more my bike seemed to veer directly for it! In fact, my bike would unerringly lean toward whatever hazard had caught my eye. But when I looked through it to the safest path, I sailed through free and clear.

 

Life is like that too sometimes. We tend to follow what we keep our eyes on.

 

Sometimes this is not great stuff. It’s stuff that is bad for us or can cause addictions. There are many things we shouldn’t be looking at or investing our time or efforts in. But when we focus on Christ, we tend to veer in his direction, which is a lovely way to veer! 

 

Remember. In life (and in cycling!) … you tend to follow what you keep your eyes on.

 

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1,2).

Thank you for letting me share with you. Love you all

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Forgiveness - what is forgiveness? Is this your prison?

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. HE HAS RISEN!!  AMEN!  AMEN!!

  I will share with you what is very hard for me and probably for many of you also--- FORGIVENESS!

 What is forgiveness?  By Webster's new world dictionary forgiveness is:to give up resentment toward or the desire to punish, to be inclined to forgive.

   Colossians 3:13

"Bear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."

  Forgiveness is a hard process, a foreign concept to many to be able to really forgive.  I, as a Christian for many years held resentment toward some individuals and really could not say anything good about them.  However, once God took hold of my "sin of unforgiveness" I began to understand much better.

   Recently, today really, is when I actually feel free of this bondage.  I put myself in the prison of unforgiveness and through my passive agressive rebellion refused to take the keys to freedom and forgive.

  This was my prayer today, to ask My Father in Heaven for forgiveness, to love those whom I wanted not to forgive, then I actually felt freedom.  It is so interesting that we can keep ourselves in bondage, knowing full well what to do to be released, yet we become stubborn and want to hang on to those little pieces that are hurting us inside.

  How often are we as Pharaoh with Moses and our hearts become harden, when simple forgiveness would free us?

  If you have struggled as have I, here are some scriptures that may help you.

  Ephesians 4: 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

   1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

   Matthew 6: 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

   Today, my prayer is that you be set free by going to God, confessing, and feel the freedom.  I am preaching more to myself than I am to you.  
May your day be wonderful and blessed. Love you all.

In Christ;s Love and Grace

Johnny 

What is your brand?

 Good morning everyone.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE KING, LORD, LIVING GOD! REJOICE, I SAY REJOICE!!

  If you know anything about cattle men, they identify their animals with a BRAND.  My dad's brand was bar H open box.  So when we saw this brand we knew it was our animal.

   We are branded as well, however, some of us don't show our brand very well.  It is like a tattoo that we got in a place where we could hide it.My brand is open arms J closed arms.  

   Meaning, Jesus opened his arms to me, accepted me, and closed his arms to hold me close.  I am saved by the grace of God.  BUT, do I show it?

   A proud rancher may take you out, show you his prize bull, and note there is his personal brand on that bull.  When you go out, do others know you are a child of the King, of the LORD of Heaven, of the Living God?

   Do your actions, your face, your demeanor show the salvation, the love, the kindness, the cradle of God's grace?

   This came to me this morning in my sleep.  Do you display the love of the father or your own self-righteousness?  My prayer is that others will see Jesus Christ in me, ask why I am this way, and then I can share the good news that Jesus Christ is alive and coming back and all you have to do is accept the GIFT of SALVATION by saying Jesus I believe in you.

   Thank you for reading. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Are you a Spark? Will you be the spark that starts a fire? A Revival?

 Good morning everyone. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  YOU ARE BLESSED, INDEED, I SAY BLESSED!!

  Well, a lot went on in January.  Wildfires in California, President Trump taking office, executive orders signed, and life.

   A fire does not just start.  There has to be something to start that fire and it comes from a spark of some sort.  Welders have a flint spark lighter, cars have spark plugs to cause combustion in the engine, camping we can use flint sticks or magnesium sticks to cause a spark in building a campfire.

  What I am saying is that a spark is important.  With the fires in California, after the spark, wind came up and caused the fire to spread rapidly, aka wildfires.

   So how does that relate to you and me.  We are in a battle, not necessarily a physical one, but a SPIRITUAL BATTLE.  We can sit around and talk about the world, how it is going to hell in a hand basket, OR, we can be a spark in the spiritual world and cause a "wildfire of spirituality" across the land.  A REVIVAL!!!

   If I am one little spark, what can I do?  My spark can cause the potential spark next to me to ignite, One creates two; then we continue to spark and two makes four; and the spark continues on.

    That one little spark just needs a little wind and then it will be doing what Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 28:19 Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

  As Christians, I strongly believe that we should be the wildfire of spirituality, the spark, that either starts or contines to generate the wildfire revival that America and the world needs.

   My friend, be the spark, say a word, give someone a cross, give out a Bible, some type of small spark that will ignite another.  Together we can.  

   Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny