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Sunday, October 11, 2020

Jesus Died For Our Sin

“Good morning, Olivia” Father God said as Olivia, a beautiful angel in heaven walked into the throne room. “What is your question for Me today?”

“Good morning, Father God. I have been thinking about when Jesus was about to go to the cross and He was praying in the garden of Gethsemane. He asked You to take this cup from Him if it was possible. Then He asked for Your will to be done. It sounded like He was afraid, but I can’t believe that would be true. What did He mean?”

“Well, Olivia, as you know, when Jesus went to earth He became fully man as well as being fully God. As a man He felt pain just like everyone else. He knew how much pain was ahead of Him. However, that is what He went to earth for. He wasn’t looking forward to the pain, but He was not deterred by that at all. We love people so much that they are worth whatever We had to do to redeem them.”

“What was causing Him anguish was the fact that He knew He would be taking sin into Himself. Because We have no sin, sin is very painful to Us. It separates humans from Us and that was not Our plan when We created humans.”

“Jesus knew that when He took sin into Himself, not only would it be extremely painful, but it would also separate Him from Me. We had never been separated before and never will be again. Because I am perfect, I cannot even look at sin. That meant I actually had to turn My back on Jesus while He was carrying the sin, and that was devastating to Him as well as to Me. He knew there was no other way, so He was submissive to it.”

“The reason there was no other way was because the wages of sin is death, and could only be paid by the shedding of perfect blood. When Adam and Eve sinned they took sin into their blood and it has been passed on to every human being since. There is nothing people could ever do to cleanse themselves of sin. Only God can do that. Human beings, since they all have sin in them, can die because of their sin, but it does not redeem them from their sin. When Jesus died He went to hell with all that sin and fought against death. He did not fight against physical death because since sin came into the world it is appointed unto man once to die. The death that is referring to is the death of the relationship between man and God. When a person goes to hell they are completely cut off from God forever, and that is true death.”

“When Jesus died for sin, it was not just for the sin of the people who were on earth at that time, but for each sin that had ever been committed, and each sin that ever would be committed by anyone. Jesus died for each and every sin that each person will do in their entire life, and consequently any person can be forgiven for every sin in their life. However, to receive that forgiveness, they must understand that there is nothing they can do to save themselves. They must accept Jesus’s death on the cross as their redemption from sin, accept His salvation, and give Him their heart for the rest of their life.”

“When people decide they will be saved and go to heaven just because they live a good life, it shows they do not understand salvation at all. How can they be so foolish as to think that God is intelligent enough to create the entire universe, including the earth and everything on it, and yet not realize that man can save himself just by being a good person? If that was true, how could an intelligent God have been so foolish as to not realize that He didn’t need to come to earth and suffer such agony if men could save themselves? To try to bypass Jesus’s sacrifice for their sin is a total slap in the face to God.”

“For any soul to lost is a horrible thing, and does not need to happen. We wish all people would accept the salvation We have provided for them. It is their decision and theirs alone. We will not force anyone to serve us. They all have free will. What many people do not realize is that everyone serves someone. If they do not choose to serve Us, then they are choosing, by default, to serve Satan. When their life is over, they will spend eternity with the one they served.”

Olivia sat quietly, thinking about all God had just told her. “Why would anyone not choose to serve You, Father God? The reward of spending eternity with You is amazing beyond anything they could possibly imagine.”

“Yes, Olivia. It is the most important decision, by far, that each one of them will make in their entire life. We hope they choose Us.”  

Monday, September 7, 2020

Wash My Feet

         Olivia, a beautiful angel in heaven, walked to the throne room to talk to Father God as she did every day. There was something she didn’t understand. She often had questions about things she saw and heard, and God always had the answers.

As she approached the throne, Father God greeted her with the love and attention He always shows.

“Good morning, Olivia, My beautiful angel. How are you this morning?”

“Oh, Father God, I am wonderful. Every day with You is amazing.”

“Well, Father God,” she began, “I was watching the disciples eating a meal with Jesus. He was telling them what was about to happen. He would die and rise again. Try as they would, they could not fully comprehend what He was saying. Then Jesus wrapped a towel around His waist, took a basin of water, and started washing their feet. Why would He do that?”

“Olivia, everything Jesus does is about caring for the people He loves. His disciples are the ones He is the closest to on earth. One of His main goals is to teach His followers how to love and serve each other, and their fellow human beings. Even though Jesus has a monumental task ahead of Him that will be extremely difficult to bear, His main concern is still for them, rather than for Himself. Jesus went to earth, not to be served, but to serve. Washing their feet is a very loving and caring thing to do. As people walk from town to town their feet get very dirty. When someone washes another’s feet it shows that they care about their guest or loved one’s comfort.”

“But, why then,” asked Olivia, “would Peter tell Jesus not to wash his feet?”

“Well, Olivia,” Father God explained, “as I am sure you have noticed, although Peter has a kind heart, and a desire to please Jesus, he is very excitable and impetuous. He over-reacts to situations he doesn’t fully understand. The reason he didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet was because he didn’t feel worthy. What he didn’t understand was that Jesus washing his feet was not about Peter being worthy, but it was symbolic of Jesus making him worthy. People cannot make themselves spiritually clean. It takes Jesus.”

“So,” said Olivia, beginning to understand, “that is why Peter then asked Jesus to not only wash his feet, but his whole body. Then why did Jesus not do that?”

“You see, Olivia, when a person comes to Jesus and asks Him to forgive their sins and accepts our salvation, We wash their whole spiritual body of all sin. That does not need to be done over and over. However, as they walk through life, they are constantly making mistakes and slipping up, committing little sins on a daily basis. They can’t help doing that because they, as humans, are unable to be perfect. They are born with sin, and are cannot rid themselves of that sin. However, they can give it to Us on a daily basis and We are constantly washing that sin away. The dirt on their feet is symbolic of the sins they pick up as they walk through life. Jesus washing their feet is symbolic of Us washing away those daily sins.”

“That is what Peter was having a hard time understanding. When Peter went overboard and wanted his whole body washed Jesus had to help him to see the difference.”

“I see now, Father God. People can make salvation so complicated and difficult, when all it really is, is giving their heart and soul to You, asking for Your forgiveness of their sins and trusting You to constantly be forgiving them for the sins they are committing each day, because they are imperfect. That doesn’t give them an excuse to purposely sin though, does it?”

“No, Olivia. If they truly love Us, they will be trying not to sin, and being in daily communion with Us. Reading the Bible We have given them and praying will grow them spiritually. As they walk through life we will be washing their feet constantly. ”

“Thank you, Father God, for helping me to understand.”

Friday, June 26, 2020

An Easter Poem

In stead of having a conversation with God like I usually do, I decided to share a poem with you that I found. I really love this. It is patterned after Dr. Seuss's poem How The Grinch Stole Christmas. This person did a wonderful job. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

How the Virus Stole Easter

By Kristi Bothur

With a nod to Dr. Seuss

😊

Twas late in ‘19 when the virus began

Bringing chaos and fear to all people, each land.

People were sick, hospitals full,

Doctors overwhelmed, no one in school.

As winter gave way to the promise of spring,

The virus raged on, touching peasant and king.

People hid in their homes from the enemy unseen.

They YouTubed and Zoomed, social-distanced, and cleaned.

April approached and churches were closed.

“There won’t be an Easter,” the world supposed.

“There won’t be church services, and egg hunts are out.

No reason for new dresses when we can’t go about.”

Holy Week started, as bleak as the rest.

The world was focused on masks and on tests.

“Easter can’t happen this year,” it proclaimed.

“Online and at home, it just won’t be the same.”

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the days came and went.

The virus pressed on; it just would not relent.

The world woke Sunday and nothing had changed.

The virus still menaced, the people, estranged.

“Pooh pooh to the saints,” the world was grumbling.

“They’re finding out now that no Easter is coming.

“They’re just waking up! We know just what they’ll do!

Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,

And then all the saints will all cry boo-hoo.

“That noise,” said the world, “will be something to hear.”

So it paused and the world put a hand to its ear.

And it did hear a sound coming through all the skies.

It started down low, then it started to rise.

But the sound wasn’t depressed.

Why, this sound was triumphant!

It couldn’t be so!

But it grew with abundance!

The world stared around, popping its eyes.

Then it shook! What it saw was a shocking surprise!

Every saint in every nation, the tall and the small,

Was celebrating Jesus in spite of it all!

It hadn’t stopped Easter from coming! It came!

Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the world with its life quite stuck in quarantine

Stood puzzling and puzzling.

“Just how can it be?”

“It came without bonnets, it came without bunnies,

It came without egg hunts, cantatas, or money.”

Then the world thought of something it hadn’t before.

“Maybe Easter,” it thought, “doesn’t come from a store.

Maybe Easter, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

And what happened then?

Well....the story’s not done.

What will YOU do?

Will you share with that one

Or two or more people needing hope in this night?

Will you share the source of your life in this fight?

The churches are empty - but so is the tomb,

And Jesus is victor over death, doom, and gloom.

So this year at Easter, let this be our prayer,

As the virus still rages all around, everywhere.

May the world see hope when it looks at God’s people.

May the world see the church is not a building or steeple.

May the world find Faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection,

May the world find Joy in a time of dejection.

May 2020 be known as the year of survival,

But not only that -

Let it start a revival.