Jesus Rose From the Dead for You

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”  Matthew 28:6 (NIV)

I never want to get over how Jesus rose from the dead for me.

And He rose from the dead for you.

You see, it’s all about Jesus…every Easter, every Sabbath, and every day—life itself.

Because Jesus came to earth with “go big” plans from the Father.

Christ came to live among the people, teach God’s truths, love unconditionally, and heal others physically and spiritually.

Sentenced as an innocent man, Jesus was crucified at the hands of influential men.

And here’s the best go big part, He came to die for the sins of all mankind.

The Lamb, impeccable and without blemish, was torn and tattered for us.`

Eternal life purchased for us…the first Easter gift. God desires to call each of us one of His children. There are no boundaries or limitations, not age or gender or bloodline. We each meet the same eligibility requirements because Jesus became our bloodline on the cross.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.’” John 11:25 (ESV)

Good Friday, The Darkest Day in History

Good Friday was the darkest day in the history of the world. When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, breathed His last breath.

Jesus Died on the Cross for You

If you were the only person on earth, Jesus would have come and died on the cross for you. 

Because your life is worth the cross. 

Still, it’s easy to believe things that are not true. 

Like God loves others but not me. 

Or it’s hard to make the cross and empty tomb personal—Jesus suffered, died, and rose from the dead all for me. 

Say this quietly in your heart or out loud:  My life is worth the cross. 

This is how much God loves you and me. 

Yes, Christ came for the whole world, but He also came for you. 

Think about that, meditate on it in your heart. 

Let’s look at supporting scriptures.

(1.)  Jesus loved you so much, He died on the cross for you.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) 

Read John 3:16 again, inserting your name in place of “world” to make it personal. 

1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us” (ESV).

God created love and demonstrated love on Calvary’s cross through His Son—a show-and-tell affection.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving me and Your provision of grace through Your Son. Help me to believe and know it was for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(2.)  Jesus took on your sin and spilled His blood to redeem you.

10 Wonderful Ways God’s My Father

I first met God at sixteen. Since that amazing-grace day, the Lord Almighty is my Father. 

And the Bible confirms this happens when we accept Christ as Savior, God’s gift of salvation.

“…God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba Father!’” Galatians 4:6b (NIV)

This meant everything to me then and now.

Because my earthly-father story includes chapters of abandonment, a longing to know my biological father, and dreams to be loved by a father.

And a redemptive ending that still amazes me.

God as our heavenly Father, rises above any father definitions we write into our stories. No matter our earthly-father experiences, God is Abba Father.

God Loves Me

(1) He adopted me.

Just as my stepfather helped raise me as his own daughter, God adopted me into His family.

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)

(2) He loves me.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” 1 John 3:1a (ESV)

My biological father came back into my life and I finally realized that he did indeed love me.

God My Father Forgives

How Do We Love Others Like Jesus?

How did Jesus love others?

God calls us to imitate His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ set the example of how to love others in the most godly and practical ways. 

And we are called to love. Because the Bible never commands us to like others. But God’s Word commands us to love people.

So we look to the Scriptures to see how Jesus loved well in the midst of His biggest critics, the religious leaders. 

These religious men falsely believed a holy life meant keeping every letter of the law and adding to the law their own interpretations and rules, instead of showing compassion to others.

Even today, ministry may focus on programs over people, rules over compassion and love. 

Since Jesus led the way of loving unconditionally and practically, He is our example.

Jesus loved with kindness.

I like the adage, “Kindness goes a long way.” And this definition for a person who’s kind: Sympathetic, friendly, gentle, tenderhearted, generous. (YourDictionary)

When people see a kind smile, kindness in word or action, or they notice generosity and compassion in us, they see kindness in us. They see Jesus in us. 

Jesus exemplified kindness when He desired the children to come to Him, when He stopped to comfort and heal people with great needs, and when He looked at people with a compassionate heart. 

It’s love with kindness. Here’s how the Bible describes it.

“Love is patient and kind….” 1 Corinthians 13:4a (ESV)

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (ESV)

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14 (ESV)

We love with kindness. 

Jesus loved people with truth.

15 Prayers to Transform My Heart and Life

My daughter and I used to enjoy watching shows with the purpose to transform someone’s appearance—hair, makeup, and wardrobe.

Likewise, prayer has the power to transform us from the inside out.

So I gathered prayers I prayed and jotted down in my prayer journal or shared here on my blog.

And prayers I posted on social media to encourage other believers.

Transform My Heart

(1.)  Lord, empower me to live godly in an ungodly culture. And strengthen me to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (ESV)

(2.)  God, I surrender all to You. Give me clean hands and a pure heart as I seek Your kingdom above all. I need Your strength to be a living sacrifice, not conforming to the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (See Psalm 24; Romans 12:1)

(3.)  Father, grow me as a student of the grace and knowledge of Jesus—a faithful student of Your Word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(4.)  Heavenly Father, let my face glow with the beauty of Jesus, my heart beat with His passion, and my soul bloom with His glory and holiness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(5.)  Lord, give me the strength to set my mind on things above, hide your Word in my heart, daily put on the full armor of God, walk in the light, love you with all my heart, soul and mind, and praise your holy name above all names. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Life is Good vs. God is Good

Life is good. We hear it spoken. We see it on clothing, bags, hats, and as a framed quote. 

The phrase rolls off our tongues and scatters across our devices. 

It takes the spotlight when our online friend has a new pet, a new car or a new “something.”

Perhaps the words are in order when we land the ideal job, get a promotion, win a contest or an award, receive good news on medical tests, or anything that makes us feel on top of the world.

But what about when life’s not good? What then?

Life is Good vs. God is Good

Because if we put our hope in the ever-changing nature of real life, at the first hint of things going south, we won’t be on top of the world. No, we find ourselves in life’s pit of despair.

You see, I’ve never been a fan of the phrase. And here’s why; look at Merriam-Webster’s definition of good. “The pleasant things that happen to people.”

Oh, I want pleasant things to happen to me. I’m betting so do you.

Sure, some days the pleasant things come. And I’m on cloud nine. But on other days, life’s pleasant things stay far away. Maybe they go on vacation or visit my neighbor.

Or, the good things in life happen to all those friends on social media. You know, the friends sharing the wonderful news and picture to prove that it really happened. And the friends type the words in all caps and add an exclamation point, LIFE IS GOOD!

Yet as Christians, our hope lies in God, not in life. He’s a good, good Father with a never-changing nature. The Lord overflows with love, goodness, mercy, hope, peace, joy, compassion, patience, and kindness. The things that matter. And no matter what happens, God’s still good.

3 Ways to Remember God is Good

(1.) Change our perspective. Bad days don’t mean there won’t be good days. Life’s a mix of good days and bad days. The Bible never promises, “Life is good.” Not even after we become Christ-followers. But God has promised good to us.

Did You Know Kindness is Contagious?

I love how kindness is contagious and it’s one of the great ways we show others the love and light of Jesus in us.

There are many things to love about kindness.

First, how kindness is contagious. 

Think about a time someone acted kind toward you.

Did you want to be kind to that person or pay it forward? 

Also, contrary to what people may say or think, kindness never goes out of style. 

Even when society’s pendulum swings toward a me-focused culture, kind acts will always make a difference. 

And that’s why God’s people play an important role in dispensing kindness without discrimination or qualification. 

Our example in this is Jesus and His earthly ministry. 

Because from a spiritual standpoint, kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. Kindness grows in us as we sow and practice it. (Galatians 5:22-23)

So what is the current state of my fruit of kindness? Have I cultivated it in my daily life and in my family, community, and relationships? Maybe I haven’t planted enough seeds for it to grow. Or worse, it’s unused and decaying.

Kindness From God

You see, one of the epic reasons kindness makes a difference is how we never earn it. Consider God’s loving kindness toward us. 

It leads us to repentance. “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Romans 2:4 ESV

His lovingkindness saves us. “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:4-5 ESV

Win Spiritual Battles in the Name of Jesus

We claim victory over our battles and overcome our strongholds in the name of Jesus.

Because at the name of Jesus:

Evil must flee.

Demons tremble.

Hell loses souls.

And miracles happen in the name of Jesus.

(1.)  We overcome Satan, our enemy, in the name of Jesus.

In James 4, the Bible cautions us against worldliness that makes us God’s enemy.

Rather, in humility we are to:

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”  James 4:7-8 (ESV)

When we stay near to God, the enemy has no choice but to hightail it out of our life.

But until we submit our entire being to God, we can’t resist the devil—not in our own strength.

So when we submit to God and draw near to Him, we send Satan running!

(2.)  We win over Spiritual forces of darkness.

The spirit world is a very real thing, both the spirits of light and darkness.

Say Goodbye to Yesterday With Jesus

At the end of every YouTube video, my husband and I say, Until next time, we’re Friday’s…Forever. Then we wave and say goodbye, and even put up Winston the pug’s front paw so he can bid everyone bye, too. 

Because our viewers really enjoy Winston waving his paw to the camera to say goodbye.

But some goodbyes make us sad. Like when a loved one or beloved pet passes away. Or a friend or family member moves across the country or to another country. 

Yet, when we say hello to Jesus, meet Him as Lord and Savior, we get to say goodbye to yesterday.

And yesterday’s goodbyes are good and indeed necessary for our spiritual journey. You see, looking forward and walking with Jesus each day grows our faith. Still further, it makes us more and more like Christ. 

Now let’s look at how we bid goodbye to yesterday.

Say Goodbye to Our Old Self

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) 

How Real Love Looks: 20 Amazing Quotes

Ah, love is in the air. Yes, it’s love month. And a time we celebrate love. But it’s important to learn how real love looks.

Because God never intended love to fall flat or feel thin. 

Maybe we desire to boost our love for a spouse. 

Perhaps, love seems rushed or less-than in some of our closest relationships. 

The One who calls us Beloved loves us in truth and wants us to do the same in our relationships.

Love supercharged. And love supersized.

Therefore, I complied this list of memorable and amazing love-quotes.

Words reminding our heart: how real love looks, what true love does, and why authentic love matters. 

Words to Remind us How Real Love Looks