I Corinthians 15:3 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures: And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” That, my friend, is the Gospel of Christ! Have you heard the Gospel? Are you ashamed of it?

When I was five-years-old, I knew I ‘d sinned and asked Jesus to be my Savior. I remember looking at the picture in my Bible Story Book of Jesus on the Cross. I realized that He did that for me! He also did it for you!

I am so thankful that Jesus came to Earth as a human being. He was completely God and completely man. You and I were born knowing how to sin. My mama didn’t have to teach me how to tell a lie or take something that didn’t belong to me. I just knew how. I know you did too. Because we are sinners, we were separated from God the Father. He is Holy and cannot look on sin. There was no way for us to get to God on our own!

But God loved us and wanted a relationship with us. John 3:16 says, “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.” Luke 1:27-35 tells us that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, through Mary, His earthly mother. He did not receive the sin passed down through Adam to every other person who has ever lived. Even though He was tempted to sin like we are, He never sinned, so He could pay the penalty for our sins when He died on the Cross.

That’s the first part of the Gospel, but the best is yet to come. He didn’t stay dead!! He was buried and on the third day, He arose from the grave. He was fully God. That sets Him apart from every other god that the world claims. He is alive and is our mediator with God our Father. His shed blood covers our sins.

Have you accepted Him as your Savior? I’m not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the Power of God unto Salvation, to everyone who believes!! You can have that assurance too if you just call on Him, confess your sins and accept His free gift.

Our Bible study yesterday evening at church was taken from this portion of scripture. We have so many things to be thankful for.  (1)We need to Bless the Lord. That refers to bowing down before Him in humble adoration. (2) Remember all the wonderful things He has given us. 

(3) He forgives our sins and heals our diseases.                  (4) He redeems our lives from destruction and crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies.                                            (5) He satisfies our mouths with good things so our youth is renewed like the eagles.  

(12) He has removed our transgressions, or sins, from us as far as the east is from the west. Aren’t you glad of that?      

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and his righteousness unto children’s children. Psalms 103:17  I am so grateful for these verses. We claim them for our children and grandchildren.

Don’t forget to take the time to praise God for His wonderful goodness and care of us.

Have you been touched by the Lord? Rest assured He has your life in His hands. Psalms 37:23-24 declares that He has ordered your steps and He delights in your way if you are a good man. None of us are good in our own strength so this has to be referring to God’s righteousness which we receive when we accept Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin.

To have this incredible protection from the Lord a person must acknowledge that he or she is a sinner and needs forgiveness. I John 1:9 says: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You can receive salvation and be covered by God’s righteousness. Pray and ask Him for forgiveness.

That being said, it’s a wonderful thing to know that the Lord has ordered our steps and that He delights in our way. Even when we fall, or mess our life up by trying to work things out on our own, we won’t be cast down because He is there to uphold us with his hand. Don’t you just love God’s Word and the promises of His provision? 

It’s been a blessing to see God’s hand in the lives of our daughter and her family as they’ve moved closer to us here in the Ozarks. His leading has been undeniable. It hasn’t been easy, and sometimes it’s taken a lot of faith to wait for the next step, but God has worked out every detail, providing them housing and jobs as well as good schools for their girls. I’m so thankful He has our lives in His capable hands.

There have been several times in my life when I’ve felt God’s touch; in times of need, I’ve felt His presence or when I’ve experienced His direct leading as circumstances fall into place in a supernatural way. It’s also wonderful to witness God’s hand in the lives of family and friends. These times aren’t necessarily frequent, but that makes them extra special when they do occur.

Have there been times in your life when you’ve felt God’s touch? Please share in the comments.

God’s Love is immeasurable!

Thankfulness for God’s Love

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. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through Him might be saved.      John 3:16-17

But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.       Romans 5:8

I can never be thankful enough for God’s amazing Love!! He loved us so much, He sent His Son, Jesus, to be born, to live a sinless life among us, and to die in our place. He paid the penalty for our sins!  To show our gratitude for His great sacrifice on our account, we must ask Him to forgive our sins and receive His free gift of salvation.

But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.      John 1:12

The Spirit itself bears witness with our Spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.             Romans 8:16-17

 He gives us the marvelous gift of becoming His child with all the rights and privileges. To show our gratefulness for His amazing gift of Salvation, He asks that we love Him in return.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.      Matthew 22:37-38

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.      I Corinthians 13:13

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation (substitute) for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. We love Him because He first love us.               I John 4:10,11,19

If you have never received God’s wonderful love by asking Him to forgive your sins and receiving Him as your Savior, today would be a great day to do that!

Trust and acknowledge. They are not always easy acts to accomplish. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Trust is an attribute we have to practice. It is much easier to lean on our own understanding. We usually think we have a better plan. If God would only get busy and do things our way. Not so much!! God’s plan and His timing are always right. He says we are not to lean on our own understanding! We are to acknowledge Him. There’s that big word. We have to realize that He is in control. He has promised that He will direct our paths. What a neat promise!   

God used this verse in my life in a very real way when I was dating Bob. I had surrendered my life to be a missionary and Bob did not feel that call. I decided I’d have to break up with him, because how could that work out. Right? God brought me to this verse, and the phrase, “Lean not unto thine own understanding”, jumped off the page at me. I realized I was trying to work things out. I trusted and acknowledged God. Guess what! God used us as missionaries in the small town of Coldwater, KS. We lived there for 21 years while our kids were growing up. We have had many testimonies from friends and acquaintances who were touched by God just by our living our lives and sharing His love. Only Heaven will show the results. I’m sure glad I learned to trust and acknowledge the Lord!

Just this last week, I experienced a sudden onslaught of abdominal pain like I’d never had before. Terrible cramping pains in the night. By morning I felt better so thought it was just a passing bout with the flu. We had planned to go to Kansas over the Memorial Day Weekend to visit family and decorate the gravesites of our loved ones. As our trip progressed I continued to feel worse. By the time we got there all I wanted to do was go to bed. By the next morning, I realized that something was seriously wrong and that I needed medical attention. I didn’t want to go to Urgent Care in Kansas, away from home, so we headed back to Springfield. Bob drove the five-hour trip with a purpose, utilizing every shortcut he knew, some which were rather bumpy. (I felt every bump.) We arrived safely back home and went to Urgent Care.

This Month my precious treasure is Blakeney! Blakeney just turned 5 years old. She finished her Pre-K school and is proudly going into Kindergarten next year.