Thoughts for Life: WHAT JESUS DID FOR US

WHAT JESUS DID FOR US

Karen Huang- Andres, the owner of an electronics company, was giving employees with outstanding sales records a day trip to a beach resort. Andres was also taking his seven-year-old-son Jimmy.

Before departure, he excitedly held his dad's hand as everyone boarded the van. "You're joining us? How many sales have you had?" one employee jokingly asked Jimmy. "None!" he replied, motioning to his dad. "He's letting me join!"

Jimmy didn't have to work to earn his inclusion on the trip because his dad was paying his way. As believers in Jesus we also don't rely on our good works as the basis of our inclusion in heaven. We're granted access because of Jesus' death and resurrection on our behalf.

"The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), and Jesus' own blood was the "payment," releasing us from our debt to Him. "In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Eph.1:7). He opened the way for whoever believes in Him to "not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Christ's work and our trust in that work allows us to be with Him for eternity.

When we believe in Jesus as Savior, we become God's children. Such is His "glorious grace, which he has freely given us" (Eph. 1:6). Like Jimmie, we can look to our heavenly Father and say with confidence, "He's letting me join!"

Let's pray-

Father, Thank You for opening up the way for us to be saved through Christ's blood, and the forgiveness of our sins, so we don't have to rely on our good works to earn the privilege of going to heaven when we die. He opened the way for whoever believes in Him to not perish but have eternal life. Our trust is in His glorious grace, which He has freely given us! In the name of Jesus we praise and thank You for this amazing provision You've given us! Amen

#121 Testimony- R. A. Torrey

"The Holy Spirit guides the believer in prayer. ". . . Building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost" (Jude 20).

The disciples did not know how to pray as they ought so they came to Jesus, and said: "Lord, teach us to pray " (Luke 11:1). "We know not what we should pray for as we ought" (Rom. 8:26), [But we now have another Helper at hand to help us (John 14:16-17). "The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities" (Rom. 8:26). He teaches us to pray.]

True prayer is prayer "in the Spirit," that is the prayer which the Spirit inspires and directs. When we come into God's presence to pray, we should recognize our infirmity, our ignorance of what we should pray for or how we should pray, and in the consciousness of our utter inability to pray aright, look up to the Spirit of the Lord and cast ourselves utterly upon Him to direct our prayers, to lead in our desires, and to guide our utterance of them. We must wait and surrender ourselves to Him, for the prayer that the Holy Spirit inspires is the prayer that God the Father answers.

(Taken from the Herald of His Coming newspaper, pg. 3 of Jan/Feb 2026)

My weekly advice from the book, "We All Married IDIOTS, by Elaine W. Miller:

(p. 102, 103) "God created your marriage, and He continues to grow it. Your life together today, is not what it will be five or twenty years from now. As God nurtures and prunes, things change. You and your spouse mature, learn from each other, and grow closer as lives' experiences are shared. We all want a deep-rooted relationship now. We don't want to wait and allow God to grow it, but sitting tight can reap beautiful harvests."

1656-1660 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-

1656- Jer. 42:6b "That it may be well with us, when we obey the Voice of the LORD

our God."

1657- Ps. 119:46a,c "I will speak of thy testimonies . . . and will not be ashamed."

1658- Is. 65:18a "Be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create.

1659- Prov. 4:20 "My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear to my sayings."

1660- Lam. 3:24 "The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him."

#121 Hymn- Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed

The information about this song, is taken from the book by Robert J. Morgan, THEN SINGS MY SOUL (pg. 33)

Isaac Watts Joined Mark Lane Independent Chapel and was asked to be a teacher in the church, and in 1698, he was hired as associate pastor. There, on his twenty-fourth birthday, he preached his first sermon. In 1702, his Hymns and Spiritual Songs was published. Included was a hymn ever written in the English language. Originally the first stanza said: When I survey the wondrous cross/Where the young Prince of Glory died . . . In an enlarged 1709 edition, Watts rewrote the lines to say, "When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride."

This hymn later played a major role in the conversion of a great American hymnist. In 1851, Franny Crosby, 31, attended a revival service at John Street Methodist Church in New York."After prayer was offered," she recalled, "they began to sing the grand old consecration hymn, 'Alas and Did by Savior Bleed' and when they reached the third line

of the fifth stanza, 'Here, Lord, I give myself away' my very soul was flooded with celestial light."

How right that Watts should, long after his death, play a part in winning to Christ the author of a new generation of hymns and gospel songs!

Some encouraging words-

"Our embracing what we know is true about God strengthens our heart, gives understanding and peace to our minds, and keeps us focused on God—especially smack dab in the middle of a storm." (Karen Girl Friday).

Church Notes: HEAVENLY DECLARATION

Shepherds attending their flocks, were visited by a host of angles, proclaiming the birth of Jesus! They went into Bethlehem and found the Babe in a simple manger, as there wasn't room in any Inn for them.

After seeing Him, they left, proclaiming the Good News, that the Christ was born: the One who would bring salvation for mankind!

When we have this peace through our personal salvation experience with Jesus, we can now have peace with others and ourselves! Mankind had fallen short of this peace which Adam and Eve had before they sinned, so God sent His Son, Jesus, to provide the way back into His Presence through the Salvation provided through His death on the cross, burial and resurrection to New Life!

We now can have peace with God and experience New Life on a daily basis while we await our deaths, or Christ's appearance some day in the sky with trumpet blasts and surrounded by the angles who had announced His birth! Praise God!

Upcoming posts:

31st- THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING- Brienne Barrett

2/7th- THE SANCTIFYING WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT- Charles Spurgeon

14th- Part 1 of THE CHRISTIAN'S DNA- Richard Sinclair and friends