Tag: Love

The Lord is giving me a good rest today, and I am just keeping it light with the blog.  I wanted to bless you all and say rest in His grace and peace today.  May the Lord strengthen you and encourage you wherever you may be on your journey in life.  Let your heart be comforted in the truth that God loves you and He has forgiven all of your sins through Jesus!

God bless you all!  Grace and peace to you all!

 

 

 

 

These are photos I took on 9-27-18 during the trip to the mountains that became my “Fall Time in the Rockies” post.  These are two of my favorite photos from that day!  May God’s creation and God’s Word inspire you today!  I’m having fun making these Scripture quotes!  Enjoy!

Grace and peace to you all!

 

Hello everyone!  Blessings to you all in the Name of the Lord Jesus!  I hope this fine Saturday finds you well and at peace.  I am praying for all of you and your countries daily!  I’ve been having some fun with my photos today!  I made these Scripture pins on PictureQuotes.com with photos I took with my Canon PowerShot SX50 HS camera right here in Colorado.  I am still playing around with it and I’m not quite sure if I want to put my website on them or what.  Please feel free to use them on your blogs!  I made different variations of them.  Let me know what you think!  If you have a better way to make these types of pins, please let me know that too!  I love to learn new things, especially when it comes to making cool Bible verse picture pins!  Enjoy!  God bless you all!

I am praying that all of you have a blessed weekend!  Jesus is Lord and He loves you!

Grace and peace to you all!

Man I love that verse!  Through Jesus every single person on earth can be forgiven of every sin and justified completely before God!  Please take that in for a moment.  That is a whole lot of sin folks, and the Blood of Jesus paid for it all!

The Bible talks a lot about forgiveness.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:32

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Colossians 3:13

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

Matthew 6:14

I have found that one of the biggest goals of our enemy, the devil, is to steal our joy.  I have also found that his sharpest weapon in accomplishing this goal is with reminding us of our past sins.  The devil loves to beat us over the head with everything we have done wrong, and he will bring it to our attention, so that it paralyzes us from accomplishing our work for the Lord.  That kind of regret is from the devil and he uses it to steal your joy that you have in the Lord!

Do you know how to beat that attack?  You rebuke his lies by proclaiming your forgiveness and freedom in Jesus Christ!

I want to ask you something important.  We talk a lot about forgiving each other.  I want you to ask yourself something, have you forgiven yourself?  Have you proclaimed your freedom in Christ over yourself?

For years I suffered under the weight of shame and regret that I could not seem to shake off.  I had asked for forgiveness from God and from everyone I had hurt, but I was still suffering from the onslaught of bad memories.  The enemy loves to accuse us and it hurts enough to drive you insane if you let it.

The Lord showed me that I had asked for forgiveness from everyone, but I had not forgiven myself.  Not only was the evil one beating me up about it, but I was beating myself up about it.  The Lord had to show me and remind me that I was forgiven and clean in His sight through Jesus and there were no chains on me!

Don’t ever let the evil one chain you up in a dark corner of past sins and regrets!  Rebuke his lies in the Name of Jesus and proclaim your freedom and forgiveness in Christ!  Please, in the Name of Jesus who loves you, forgive yourself!  You are forgiven and those chains are broken!  Amen!

Rest in His love and forgiveness and give Him praise!

Grace and peace to you all!

Check it out!  I just made a picture quote with one of my photos from the trip to the mountains yesterday!  I have been praying and trying to learn how to do this.  God answered!  PictureQuotes.com is cool!  Feel free to use this pin on your blog!  Praise God!

 

Proverbs is the Book of God’s wisdom.  God gave His wisdom to Solomon who was King David’s son.  Solomon wrote Proverbs by the power of God and by God’s wisdom that he was given.  I highly recommend that you read the entire book!  I read Scripture from it every day and pray that the Lord will give me such wisdom as I pray through the verses!

There is an exciting promise from God regarding wisdom too!

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

James 1:5

God wants us to have His wisdom, so we can live wisely, which will result in praise, honor, and glory to God!  He does not want us to suffer under any kind of foolishness.  Ask God to give you His wisdom, and He will give it to you generously without finding fault!

I can’t tell you how many times the above Proverb has blessed my life!  When I was a younger man starting out in the work world, there were many times I had to speak my mind bravely, and that Proverb was always right there with me!  I never backed down from speaking the truth because God is with me and I don’t fear man.  I even had to speak up in truth and rebuke a couple of my managers at my old job, but I never once got fired.  Fear of man is a snare, and I won’t get caught up in it!  The Lord keeps me safe.  It was intense at times preaching on campus in college, but the Lord was always with me!  I still don’t back down!  If I was afraid of man, I would not have ever published my book or done this blog either!  Thank you Jesus for your courage and strength!

That Proverb is just one of many amazing pieces of wise advice for living a righteous life!  I encourage you to read Proverbs today.  Ask God for His wisdom, and it will be given to you!

Here are the first 7 verses in chapter 1 to get you started.  This is what you will attain and acquire by reading Proverbs!  May God bless you with His wisdom!  Pay attention to verse 7 about the “fear of the Lord.”  Remember, Jesus is Lord!  Your eternal relationship with God is through Him!  He is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega, and He loves you so much He died for you!

“The proverbs of Solomon

son of David, king of Israel:

for attaining wisdom and

discipline;

for understanding words

of insight;

for acquiring a disciplined

and prudent life,

doing what is right and

just and fair;

for giving prudence to the

simple,

knowledge and discretion

to the young–

let the wise listen and add

to their learning,

and let the discerning get

guidance–

for understanding proverbs

and parables,

the sayings and riddles of

the wise.

The fear of the Lord is the

beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom

and discipline.”

Proverbs 1:1-7

Grace and peace to you all!

Did you know the Bible tells you how to fulfill everything written in it?  Yeah, God is cool like that!  The entire Bible is summed up in one mighty word: Love.  Let’s take a look!

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.  The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no harm to its neighbor.  Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Romans 13:8-10

That is awesome!  We learn in 1 John that God is love.  We learn in 1 Corinthians what love really is and that God’s character is 100% love!

“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”

1 John 4:15-16

“Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails..”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is so much more than what the world says it is!  We would not even have love if it wasn’t for God!  He is love and He is the one that made it exist!  In order to truly love each other like 1 Corinthians 13 says to love, we must have God and His love inside of us.  He empowers us to love like He does through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit!

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

1 John 4:9-10

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

“This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.”

1 John 3:11

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

1 John 3:16

So, through Jesus Christ, we can have God and His love inside of us and love like God loves, and through His love the entire Bible is fulfilled!  Praise God!  Here is how you get that victory and live life victoriously in love!

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.  This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.  This is love for God: to obey his commands.  And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world?  Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

1 John 5:1-5

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

1 John 5:11-12

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it the full.”

Jesus speaking in John 10:10

That’s it folks!  If you believe in Jesus Christ, you will have God’s love inside of you and be empowered to love like He does, which fulfills the Bible!  You will be born of God, you will overcome the world, and you will have life and have it to the full!  Hallelujah!  What a powerful grip of promises that is!

Thank you Lord for your love!  May we all love each other just like God loves us as He makes us perfect as we see the day draw near!  In the Name of Jesus, Amen!

Grace and peace to you all!

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:36-40

 

 

I have had a very cool day!  The Lord surprised me today by leading me beside quiet waters…in the mountains…at my favorite fishing spot!  I wasn’t expecting to drive up there today!  I had to dump a bunch of old wood and pallets at the Sedalia landfill today, but afterwards the Lord gave me the nudge to go up into the mountains.  I had my good Canon camera with me, so I did, and it ended up being a great trip!  I got some of the best pictures I have ever taken up there!  I’ve been praising the Lord all day!

First, let me show you what I did this morning, then I will take you up into the Rockies.  This post will be mostly pictures, enjoy!

Now let’s head up into the Rockies shall we?  Okay, let’s go!

Welcome to the very small town of Sedalia, Colorado!

You should turn on one of your favorite songs and enjoy the ride!  I have the windows down and it is a beautiful Colorado day!

I hope you enjoyed your trip to the Rockies in September!  I am planning on going up much higher towards Winter Park in October to take pictures of the changing Aspen trees!  I pray I get the chance to go!  Today was awesome!

I hope and pray those quiet waters of the Rocky Mountains were a blessing to you!

Grace and peace to you all!

“…he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”

Psalm 23:2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is a big promise!  That is exciting too!  Our Creator listens to us and we can talk with Him!  That’s cool!  I would like to offer a prayer today that comes from the Bible.  It is most definitely in God’s will to answer this prayer, and it is an awesome prayer to pray!

First, here is that section of Scripture from 1 John that talks about God hearing us:

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.”

1 John 5:13-15

 

So, believers in Jesus Christ can ask God anything according to His Will and He will hear us and we will have what we asked for!  Awesome!  Remember, that part about His will is very important.  God is not a genie to make wishes to.  It might not be in His will to give you a million bucks.  He is the Almighty I AM, He loves us, and He hears and answers our prayers in accordance with His will.  He is always working for our good!

I was reading Philippians this morning and in the very first chapter the Apostle Paul pens a beautiful prayer that is definitely something we can pray in accordance with God’s will!  And if we pray this, then we know that He hears us and that we will have what we asked of him!  Amen!

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.”

Philippians 1:9-11

In the Name of Jesus, Amen!  May the Lord answer that for all of us and empower us in the Holy Spirit to be filled with the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ!

Praise God!

Grace and peace to you all!

 

 

The Disciple/Apostle Peter is an interesting case study in human behavior.  He was the first to be called by Jesus along with his brother Andrew.  His name was also changed by Jesus to Peter, which in the Greek is “Petra,” which means rock.  He was a tough Galilean fisherman and he came from a tough fishing family.  He was a fighter and he was not afraid to speak his mind, and that would often get him into trouble.  However, Jesus chose this man and used his tough gritty nature to build His church on!

Peter and his family had their own fishing business.  They had their own boat and nets and I’m sure all of that was expensive and very important to them.  Peter had fished his whole life and that is what he expected he would do for the rest of his life.  Peter was a man’s man and he worked hard for a living.

This is what Peter did when he and his brother were the first to be called by Jesus to follow Him.

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  “Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”  At once they left their nets and followed him.”

Matthew 4:18-20

That is incredible!  Do you know many people that would just drop everything and walk away from a family business like that?  I don’t!  That is incredible faith!

Peter had a child like faith from God and it showed!  He also would question Jesus and later we even see him try and rebuke the Lord several times!  Like I said, Peter would “stick his foot in his mouth” sometimes because of his manly gusto.  However, he always responded to his mistakes with a humble heart of repentance.

“One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by fishermen, who were washing their nets.  He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore.  The he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.  But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

Luke 5:1-5

Peter is so bold and you can almost see Peter rolling his eyes as he tries to explain the business of fishing to Jesus.  I love that even though he doesn’t understand what Jesus wants him to do, he submits to His authority and he lets down the nets.  Good thing he did!  P.S. The “Lake of Gennesaret” is the Sea of Galilee.  They also call it simply “the lake” in the Bible.

“When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.  So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

Luke 5:6-8

Peter had a true repentant heart!  He felt so bad that he had questioned the Lord in his brash fisherman way that he fell at the Lord’s knees in full repentance!  He was a brash tough guy, but he had a humble heart and he wanted to please God.

“…Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”

Luke 5:10

Of course Jesus responds in love and forgiveness to Peter and that is how He responds to everyone who comes to Him!  He tells us many times throughout the Bible to not be afraid.

In Matthew chapter 10 Peter is among the twelve disciples who are given authority by Jesus to become his twelve apostles.

“He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.”

Matthew 10:1-4

Peter was also the first disciple to confess that Jesus is the Christ!  It was also at that time when Jesus gave him the name Peter and commissioned him for a very special purpose!

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked.  “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 16:13-19

What was Peter’s response to such a statement from Jesus?!  Well, in the very next verses, he goes right back and puts his foot in his mouth again.  He tries to rebuke Jesus regarding what He must suffer, and the Lord has to rebuke Peter hard.

“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  “Never, Lord!” he said.  “This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Matthew 16:21-23

Whoa, I bet that hurt!  Peter did not understand what he was saying and the Lord had to set him straight.  Jesus was explaining why He came and what He was going to do for the world, and Peter is over there rebuking Him about it.  That was Peter, but the Lord disciplined him firmly because He loved him and He had a great purpose for him.

Only six days later after this amazing conversation, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain and He reveals His divine glory to them!  It is called “The Transfiguration” and it is an incredible eye witness account of Jesus’ glory!  See my post titled “The Transfiguration” for more details!

“After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  There he was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.  If you wish, I will put up three shelters–one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.  Listen to him!”

When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground terrified.  But Jesus came and touched them.  “Get up,” he said.  “Don’t be afraid.”  When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.”

Matthew 17:1-7

I love how Peter wants to build three shelters for them!  He is the ultimate laborer!  He can fish and build houses and he is gruff and tough!  Of course it is Peter who speaks up first too and God Himself interrupts him from the cloud!  Again, we see Jesus respond with the familiar phrase “don’t be afraid.”  He strengthened and blessed Peter through that amazing miracle on the mountain!

Peter was also with the Lord at the Last Supper on Passover before Jesus was crucified.  Jesus tells His disciples that His blood will be poured out for the forgiveness of sins and that they will all fall away that night.  Peter stands up boldly again and proclaims that he will never abandon the Lord.  Jesus’ reply to Peter’s rebuke is not what he expected though.

“Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

” ‘I will strike the

shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock

will be scattered.’

But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”  And all the other disciples said the same.”

Matthew 26:31-35

Peter had a bad habit of rebuking Jesus.  He did not understand yet what Jesus was doing for them and for the whole world.  This is evident when the men come to arrest Jesus.  Peter’s reaction is to protect Jesus through violence!

“While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived.  With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.  Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.”  Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.”

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.  With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached out for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.”

Matthew 26:47-51

Yeah, brother Peter carried a sword and he wasn’t afraid to use it!  Like I said, he was a fighter and a tough guy!  He wanted to protect Jesus and fight for Him, but He didn’t understand that the Lord had to die and that was His purpose.  Jesus has to rebuke Peter yet again.  Keep in mind, even after all of Peter’s faults, this man is still Jesus’ “rock” upon which He will build his church.

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.  Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?  But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

Matthew 26:52-54

Right after Jesus is arrested, Peter follows the group all the way to the courtyard of the high priest to listen to their accusations against Jesus.  While he is there, he is confronted three times about being a disciple of Jesus and three times Peter denies Him.

“…Immediately a rooster crowed.  Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”  And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

Matthew 26:74-75

For all of Peter’s tough talk, he ended up disowning Jesus three times just like Jesus had told him.  Peter’s reaction is again one of a broken heart and repentance.

After Jesus is crucified, dead and buried, and rises from the dead on the third day He begins to appear to His disciples.  In John chapter 21:15-19, Jesus reinstates Peter and tells Him again to follow Him.  He asks Peter three times if he loves Him and three times Peter answers yes.  Jesus gave Peter a powerful ministry, and you can read about Peter’s adventures for Christ in the Book of Acts.  Jesus also tells Peter how he will die for God.

“I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.  Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

John 21:18-19

Peter did end up glorifying God all the way to his death around 67 A.D. when he was crucified by the Romans.  History records that he requested to be crucified upside down because he didn’t feel worthy to be crucified in the same way as the Lord.  That was Peter.  Tough and humble, brash and repentant, and he served the Lord with all his heart!

Peter’s life is a story of God’s grace and constant forgiveness.  It is a story of God’s faithfulness even when we are not.  We are just like Peter in so many ways!  How many times have we messed up and God has forgiven us?  Too many to count!  Peter’s testimony is a shining example of God’s love to us all, and a testimony that Jesus can use even the roughest of us for His glory!

Grace and peace to you all!

 

It’s time for an old school Christian jam!  This song was on my heart when I woke up this morning around 5 a.m.–Hallelujah!  Many years ago Toby Mac was a part of this group called DC Talk.  They were a very popular Christian band for a long time and their music is still awesome today!

Listen to the words in this song because they are so true!  We all wanna be loved!  We all want just a little respect!  Amen to that!  Women want to be cherished, men want to be respected, and we all wanna be loved!  I pray we all treat each other with love and respect!  All these years later, God is still using this song and the funky beats are still cool!  May your heart soar today in the love of Jesus!

Grace and peace to you all!