Jean Oathout: Do you understand what happened at Christ's grave?
Imagine Mary Magdalene's surprise when she found Jesus'
body was missing! She'd come to care for His dead body, but
found that He was no longer in the grave and that the huge stone blocking the entrance, was rolled to one side.
Neither she nor Christ's disciples had understood His warnings that this would take place, so she was not prepared for this.
When she spoke with who she felt was the gardener, can you imagine the joy that filled her when she heard Jesus speak her name?
It's no wonder she grabbed His feet! She wasn't about to let Him leave. What were the thoughts and emotions that she had?
When she tried to process all of this, her joy was too much to handle, but no doubt she felt peace and rest in her soul knowing He was there.
In her excitement, and with Christ's direction to return to the disciples and tell them that He was alive, she headed back to where they were gathered.
Jesus had told her to tell them that He would soon see them in Galilee. We can imagine her great joy as she ran to tell her friends that He was alive!
The power of Christ's resurrection needs to dawn on us today too. We have the assurance that this Jesus is not only alive, but well, and desires our participation in what all He did accomplish at the Cross.
He raised others from their deathbeds, and they all died later on. His own resurrection from the dead was what makes the difference in His ministry.
The amazing truth is that we can know Him today in His glorified position as our God and Savior! We are to believe that Christ is God the Father's answer to eradicate our sins and make us fit for heaven, and that Jesus is the way, the truth and Life for us today!
To recognize our sins, admit we need Jesus as our Savior as the way back to the Almighty God, is our first step in the right direction.
Repenting of our sins comes next, as we unload our guilt and shame on Jesus' shoulders on the cruel cross, where He suffered and died for us all.
Asking for His forgiving-cleansing blood to become our covering, we can then release our past, present and future into His capable hands.
Releasing our past will bring the peace and release from guilt, and give us freedom to look to God for help with our present situations, and for our future. We can then trust His enabling us to accomplish what we were created for.
Will Jesus become your peace and rest? I hope so. Ask the Holy Spirit, Christ's very Presence within us as believers, to guide you to a Bible-honoring church somewhere near you for instruction in your walk with Him.
You and I can expect the evil one to try his best to discourage, and even attempt to stop our pursuit to get to know Christ intimately.
We're to learn to follow Jesus, to grow in our faith and become a good influence for His Kingdom, so there must be a determination to pray for His help every day.
Will you take advantage of the resurrection power available to you? I do hope so.
Let's pray-
(Prayer by Pastor Kevin Berry, to experience the hope found in Jesus)
(Prayer by Pastor Kevin Berry, to experience the hope found in Jesus)
"Dear God, I thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to
earth to live, to die, and to be raised from the dead for
me. He gave His life for me, so today, I give my life to
You! All that I am, all that I hope to be, I belong to You
now.
Forgive me for every wrong thing that I have ever
done. Please take away all the guilt and shame as I
receive the gift of forgiveness through the blood of
Jesus Christ.
I invite Your Holy Spirit to fill me and lead me
forward in a life that will put a smile on Your face.
Thank You for adopting me into Your family and
giving me a brand new start in life, beginning right
now! Amen. (Taken from p. 81 of Experience Hope, by
Kevin Berry)
(Also by Kevin Berry) "I want to encourage you today. God is not through with you! The game isn't over... it's only halfway over. What you are experiencing today is just a paragraph in the story of your life, not the conclusion.
If you've ever dropped the ball, if you've ever found yourself running in the wrong direction, or if you've ever made a mistake that you wish you could take back, I've got some great news for you!
One moment in God's grace can reverse a lifetime of disgrace. One moment in His extravagant favor can achieve what you could never achieve on your one." (p. 34 of his book mentioned above).
~
{As I, (Jean), have read that Trump has asked us to pray for him, I encourage everyone to support him with their prayers, that God will change his heart, and help him be the effective leader we'll need... if he is elected.
We can find fault with both candidates, but remember, we've been forgiven for our sins through Christ, so God can forgive them the same way, if they'll confess their need of His forgiving them.
God is our only help, and as we are desperate for leadership with integrity... We must pray for His help, or we'll not see any good changes in the people who're running for this office, or any of the others.
We can find fault with both candidates, but remember, we've been forgiven for our sins through Christ, so God can forgive them the same way, if they'll confess their need of His forgiving them.
God is our only help, and as we are desperate for leadership with integrity... We must pray for His help, or we'll not see any good changes in the people who're running for this office, or any of the others.
If you don't vote, you're actually voting, but for the one that won't be good for us. There are times we have to make a decision. May you realize your responsibility to get out and vote!}
Testimony time!
Christian Lesperance
Today's Bible verse-
(Eph. 2:4-5 NIV) "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved."
Today's Spotlight sermons- By three great preachers, in different locations on the same subject, on the same day! Day 1 of the CFC churches on the 40 Days Under Pressure Series. I plan on posting each set of the upcoming weekly messages.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2016
SEPTEMBER 25, 2016
Week 1: Triumph of Faith (Potsdam)
Speaker: Daniel Paladin Series: Grace Under Pressure
Location: CFC Potsdam
Passage: 1 Peter 1:1–1:12
Speaker: Daniel Paladin Series: Grace Under Pressure
Location: CFC Potsdam
Passage: 1 Peter 1:1–1:12
Week 1: Triumph of Faith (Madrid)
Week 1: Triumph of Faith (Canton)
CFC sermons You can check out many sermons, and select the ones of interest to you. Maybe you missed one...
Upcoming posts-
#59 7 Steps to Greater Faith
4th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#60 The Prayer of Faith (Part 1)
6th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
The Art of Meditating
9th- Saturday's post by James H. Cagle
#61 The Prayer of Faith (Part 2)
11th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
4th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#60 The Prayer of Faith (Part 1)
6th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
The Art of Meditating
9th- Saturday's post by James H. Cagle
#61 The Prayer of Faith (Part 2)
11th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
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| Yep, they're showing us their glory! |
31-day Devotional + my personal story
Sample verse from p. 29-
But how we do react.
With God's help may you give your best
And sense it as a fact..."
A great gift for someone who may need help to
prepare for marriage, and for those in a
marriage, wanting some helpful advice.
Awesome word.
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring!
ReplyDelete