Category Archive

Remembering days gone by can be welcome or not welcome. Depending upon certain memories of people, places, and experiences, mental visits to times gone by are an emotional balm or an emotional challenge. God knows this. He knows all the thoughts and memories housed in your heart and in mine. He was with us when every memory was created. He will be with us when we opt to recall those memories—and resist them.

Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:10) assures us that He is the One who is defining our walk of faith. He is the One who is present throughout each creation of a memory, and is the One who can redeem it if need be. A good memory speaks for itself. A difficult memory requires the holiness of Jesus to make a memory refined by His grace. Only Jesus can do this. Only Jesus has the capacity of love to do this. Give Jesus your memories.

Lord, for those who call You Saviour and Lord, You grant the precious covering of Your Spirit that stores memories in accordance with Your value of us. Out of sheer love, You link yesterdays with today and tomorrow to make them spiritually profitable. Lord Jesus, You make all life worthwhile and promising, and for this praise and thanksgiving belong to You, Amen.

When the prodigal son returned home, it was after a stint of wayward living, squandering resources, and living against the truths his father taught him. He expected to be relegated to clean the pig pen. Instead, his father noticed him from far off and ran to greet him. He was so thrilled that his son had come home. All was forgiven. A fine robe and ring were placed on him and the father called for a great banquet to be prepared in his honor. Quite a homecoming. Quite an acceptance, one this son knew he did not deserve.

God forgives that way. Fully. Intentionally. Lovingly. He forgives through His Son, Jesus Christ, the only One endowed with the holiness to forgive and cleanse sin—completely and forever. Whatever you are experiencing today that is painful due to sin, it is time for a trade. Trade your pain and shame for yesterday’s disappointments and give them to Jesus. In exchange, He will give to you a new heart and a new hope. That is what a loving Father does. This is what God wants to do for every one of his sons and daughters on earth.

Lord Jesus, You gave yourself fully on the cross so that Your shed blood would cover the sins of all persons for all time. Lord, we have no way of being covered by sin except for Your blood. Thank you, Jesus, for all you did at Calvary, and for all You continue to do by Your Spirit so persons will come to believe in You and receive Your gift of cleansing. Father God, thank You for making a way for all people to be accepted by You—no matter what. In Christ’s Name, Amen.

Did you ever want the opportunity to relive a moment? Specifically, a regrettable moment? Each of us can recall times in our lives when we said or did something we regret and as a result how a moment was recorded in our memory. That memory can haunt and rob peace, motivation, and joy. Thoughts of Jesus change that.

In order to know relief from regret, one must give that moment, that matter, over to the Lord Jesus. He wants to make it better. He wants to restore peace. This is done by a deliberate surrender of a matter, a memory. This can be difficult to do because holding on to regret can be its own form of comfort and punishment. Comfort because of connection to someone/something meaningful even if it produced a negative outcome; punishment because the guilt and shame associated with regret can seem deserving. Jesus Christ does not want you to live with guilt or shame. Not for one moment. At Calvary, Jesus took all that away from you and from me. Complete surrender to Jesus means that times of regret are in His hands—His nail-scarred hands. He will blanket you and your memory with peace if you give to Him the memory. This is what Calvary was for—your peace and your future.

Lord Jesus, You have the power to cloak memories with Thy grace so they do not overpower hearts and minds. Thank You, Lord, for taking what we give to you that we regret. Help us by Thy touch to relinquish memories into Thy loving care. In Thee, Amen.

Goodbyes are to be expected in life. They will come. Sometimes they are planned. Other times they are not. When there is ample time for preparation, a goodbye may be emotional yet not overwhelming. When a goodbye is abrupt, it can be devastating. Life can seem hopeless.

Seem is the key word.

When one lets Jesus into a goodbye, hope has presence. Life may not feel as though hope still abides; only the power and presence of Jesus allows for continued hope. Do not wait for feelings to be in balance. Feelings ebb and flow like the tides when goodbyes come into our lives. Jesus overrides feelings so that the certainty of His presence is all that is required to keep taking steps of hope.

Lord Jesus, You are our very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46). Thank You, Lord, for being our hope when goodbyes come. Thank You for being our strength in our time of weakness. Oh, how we love You, Lord Jesus, Amen.

It has been said that suicide is a permanent answer to a temporary problem.  Anyone who has known the loss of someone due to suicidal death knows how arduous such grief is.  Moreover, anyone who has considered this “answer” to life’s challenges knows how hopeless life can sometimes seem.

Jesus changes that.  He brought hope into the world.  A speck of hope is all that is necessary for someone to continue to hold on to life—even with all of its woes and trials.  Jesus also comforts those who grieve the loss of a loved one and wonder how and where they will find strength to go on.  Jesus is the answer.  Suicide may have touched your life in one way or another.  Let Jesus touch you so that He can lead you in steps beyond what has been painful.  May He fill You with His love and His hope.

Lord Jesus, You know it is excruciating for those who survive the deaths of family and friends due to suicide.  Jesus, You are the answer to all the challenges we face in life.  Jesus, soften spirits and strengthen wills for those who suffer in grief.  Lord Jesus, be present to those who think they are without hope or purpose in life.  Everyone faces valley seasons.  May Your Spirit of Life keep people holding on to You and to Your promises.  In Thee, Lord Christ, Amen.

Purpose.  Each one of us has purpose, in everything we do.  Purposes can be positive or negative, full of progress or destructive.  If life is lived in Christ, then the purpose in choices is to be conformed more into the image of the Saviour. 

Grief has purpose.  It is a means to conform.  Grief by its very nature forces one into a heightened emotional state.  That state of being sensitizes us to the pains of loss and suffering; suffering that does help us to better understand Jesus’ heart.  Because grief is a part of life, and all life in Christ has purpose, grief serves a purpose for you and for me.  Unwanted as a season grief is, given time, it has the potential to reveal a side of Jesus we have not known before, and concurrently produce in you and in me more of a likeness to Himself.

Lord Jesus, You know how deeply grief can hurt.  Thank You, Lord, for staying with us every moment of our sorrows.  Thank You, Jesus, for letting us see Your heart through our tears; tears You know so well.  In Thee, Amen.

Where is your heart?  Is it with Jesus? If it is with Jesus, your heart is in a safe place.  It is in a certain and trustworthy place.  Even if life hurts right now and you are in a puzzling or unwanted set of circumstances, if your heart is with Jesus, you are exactly where you need to be.

Jesus knows that we will have challenges in this life.  But He also gives the choice for people to place their trust in Him so that He can walk through challenges with us. Life has its joys and its trials.  If your heart is with Jesus, He will accompany you in every experience in your life.  Where is your heart?  I pray it is with Jesus.  Surely, His heart is with you.

Lord Jesus, Your heart is with us and for us.  Thank You, Lord Jesus, for gentle reminders of Your promise to never leave us nor forsake us.   In Your love,  Amen.

Those days of unexpected remembrances in our lives can be gifts and can be burdens.  This week begins with a celebration of Mother’s Day.  For some, it will be a day a jubilation and sharing.  For others, it will be a day of sadness, regret, and estrangement.  Whatever kind of a day it is for you, Jesus is there.

Jesus is with His people every step of the way.  A belief in Jesus means a life with Jesus.  Togetherness—forever.  Eternally.  When memories are made, Jesus stays.  He joins in that which is joyous and He joins in that which is sad.  However you spend this particular Sunday and the coming week, know this—as a believer in Jesus Christ you are certain to spend it with Him.  He would have it no other way.  He loves you so.

Lord Jesus, may Your heart be blessed as You make Yourself present to others who need and want Your companionship.  You bless more than words can say.  Thank You, Jesus, for staying close.  In Thee, Amen.

Beloved people.  We know them.  We cherish them.  Maybe they are here with us.  Perhaps they are beyond life in this world.  Yet, their memory lingers.  Whether we have known beloved persons for a brief or long duration, the memories we make together linger on, too.  These memories define us; they continue to make us who we are.

When you ponder the person/s in your life who are beloved, ponder Jesus.  Only Jesus in the center of a relationship can retain the beauty and bounty of a relationship.  Only Jesus has the power to keep breathing life into relationships that are physically known or spiritually thriving.  Jesus—The Beloved.  Because of Him, we can hold dear the persons who become beloved.  All because of Jesus.

Lord Jesus, You are before all things and in You all things hold together (Col. 1:17).  Thank You, Beloved Saviour and Friend, for all we share with You, and that because of You in the center of life, all other meaningful connections are supported and lasting.  In Thee, Amen.

An open view.  There is nothing quite like it.  A picturesque meadow, a vista of the seashore, a mountain range on a winter morning.  Certain sights can captivate the spirit and overwhelm human capacities.  Certain views are just too great to describe.  The open tomb—the empty tomb—is a view too great to describe.  This is why it remains THE VIEW that inspires, compels, and encourages.

The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the act of all time and place.  It ended in an empty tomb that representated a whole new beginning for people.  It is the historic and inimitable sacrificial act of love that revealed to the world the lengths to which God and Christ would go to bring people into right standing with God.  If you have trusted Christ as your Lord and Saviour, to God be the Glory.  If you have not, may the light of Easter dawn on you as never before.  May the Holy Spirit touch you so that you may receive Christ’s ultimate gift of encouragement.  May you look out into your future with a promising open view.

Lord Jesus, You have done everything to prove Your love.  Gratitude for Your gift has no words.  Humility speaks thanksgiving.  To be loved by You is all.  Amen.