Today holds a very special place in this Mother’s heart. Thirty one years ago today, I became a MOM! My precious baby girl, Christina Nicole was born, and life changed as I knew it!

I never imagined I could love anyone, like I loved this baby! I never pictured myself content to hold her and stare at her for hours on end. I never realized how selfish I was until I could only think of her and her needs, never considering mine. I never believed a heart could hold this much love and not burst!
I actually considered not having any more children because I thought it would not be fair. I didn’t see how I could love her so much, and share that love with another child. After my son was born two and a half years later, I realized that God in His amazing plan, allowed my heart to expand and love both equally with the same capacity and passion!

I am so blessed to be their Mother, and thank God for the privilege daily!

When my daughter was born, I would have done anything to protect her and make sure she was safe and taken care of. I remember, like it was yesterday, taking her home from the hospital. I wrapped her securely in a blanket and held her close to me in my arms as they pushed us out to the front of the hospital in a wheel chair. My husband pulled the car around and suddenly, without warning, I felt a surge of panic race through my body. My defenseless, tiny baby was going to be put inside that huge piece of metal, and driven out onto the open highway! I have never felt a sense of protection and responsibility like I did that day! I got into the backseat, placed her as gently as I could, into that car seat, that suddenly felt incredibly insufficient, and buckled her up. I remained in the backseat with her all the way home, and never took my eyes off of her. I felt a sense of relief when we pulled into the driveway, took her out of the car and into the house.

Another mother in the Bible also had a baby, but this baby was a boy. Her boy was born in a time when Egypt ruled over the Israelites, God’s chosen people. This mother was from the tribe of Levi. She saw from the beginning that this boy was a special baby. This mother was living under the oppression of the King of Egypt who had made a decree that each Hebrew baby boy born was to be killed.

Having a true mother’s heart that cared more for her baby than herself, this mother hid her baby for three months. She protected her baby from death, at the cost of putting herself in jeopardy of being put to death. When she realized she could no longer keep him hidden, she took a big risk to continue protecting her child.

“She got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch.”  Exodus 2:3a

She was the original “DIYer!”

“She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River.” Exodus 2:3b

The rest of the story is the original “from rags to riches” story, or “from the hut to the palace” story.

Baby Moses is plucked up out of the Nile River by the Pharaoh’s daughter herself. She realizes the baby needs nursed as he is crying, and she feels sorry for him. She sends for a “wet nurse”, and his very own mother comes to offer her services.

The same Mother’s heart that risked her very own life to protect the life of her baby, nurses her son for several years, and keeps him safe and close.

This however, is not the end of this mother’s story. Because she desired to protect her son, regardless of the cost to herself, she brings her child back to Pharaoh’s daughter when he is weaned.

“Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son.”                 Exodus 2:10

This faithful, selfless mother, protected her son ultimately by giving him to another woman to raise!

I don’t know about you, but that brings tears to my eyes, and causes this mother’s heart to melt. This picture of a Mother’s sacrifice to provide protection for her child is a beautiful picture of selfless love.

TRUTH BOMB

A MOTHER’S HEART PROTECTS, NO MATTER THE COST!

Today I wish my beautiful daughter the happiest of birthdays! I want to thank her for starting out as my daughter, and becoming my best friend. If you do not know her, I wish that you did. All who know her are blessed. She has a strong heart that loves Jesus faithfully and consistently, and loves others with the same passion. She is the most intelligent person I know, (she gets that from her father!), yet she has a true sense of humility that considers all people equal. She is kind, caring, and giving. She is confident, strong and trustworthy! She is an incredible wife and an amazing Mommy. She is my treasure and my gift from God. I love her with my whole heart!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL! YOU ARE LOVED!!!

Speak Truth Love

 

What do you most TREASURE?

Is it time away, a vacation perhaps? Is it time alone, taking a long bath or reading a good book in silence? Is it a relationship, and spending time with that person? Or maybe it is a material possession: a car, a home, a piece of jewelry?

When we treasure something we hold it close, we value it above other possessions, we contemplate it, and have warm feelings inside when we think about it.

I’m not sure where the rest of you find yourselves in your stage of life, but I am what is fondly referred to as an ‘Empty Nester.’ That’s right, my chicks have flown the coop. The feathers that now fill my “nest” are memories and treasures of time well spent.

I miss my children, AKA “chicks,” that have flown each and every day. I am not unhappy and I am not depressed or sad. I hold the memories we have made and shared close in my heart. I treasure each and every one of them, and look forward to each moment we spend together creating more memories.

My children are growing in wisdom and grace as they are spreading their own wings. I would not want it any other way! I thank God for them and am proud of the choices they have made and are making with their lives. But I do continue to treasure them, think about them(ponder them), and hold them close in my heart daily. This “treasuring”, pondering if you will, brings me to my Father daily in prayer for them. Holding them close in my heart keeps them forever with me!

Understanding and knowing that they belong to God, and He has a will and purpose for them at this stage of their lives, apart from me. I am ever thankful to God that they are forever in my heart!

The mother of Jesus knew this discipline well. She was listed by God and told she would be the mother of the Son of God. She embraced this with confident faith and trust in her heavenly Father saying to Him;

“I am The Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
Luke 1:38

As Jesus grows, Mary continues to grow and learn her role as his mother…

Even though she did not always fully understand Him and His purposes, she faithfully held Him in her heart.

In Luke 2:50, Jesus parents did not understand what he was saying,

“But they didn’t understand what He meant.”

Have you ever been there? I sure have! As close as I may be to my children, I do not always understand them or their choices. And I am quite sure they do not always understand mine!
Still, we see the faithful heart of a mother, “TREASURING” her child in her heart.

“His mother treasured all of these things in her heart.” Luke 2:51

TRUTH BOMB

A MOTHER TREAUSRES HER CHILDREN IN HER HEART ALWAYS.

In the good times of compliance, and in the difficult times of rebellion. In the fun times of recreation, and in the dutiful times of following through on commitments. In the joyous times of being together, and in the painful times of separation, in season and out of season, A MOTHER TREASURES AND KEEPS HER CHILDREN IN HER HEART.

Holding those we love closely in our hearts, is a gift from God. They are never more than a prayer or a heartbeat away!

Treasure those you love!
I treasure you!

Blessings,
Speak Truth Love

 

A Mother’s Heart Believes!
When no one else thinks you can do it, a Mother’s Heart believes that you can!

I remember being scared and afraid to try out for cheerleading in Jr. High School. My mom had been a cheerleader, and it seemed like the “normal” course for me to take. I had previously had no formal dance experience of any kind, but I was after all an athlete. I had played sports with my dad since I could walk, talk or throw a ball. None of this proved to help me in any way.

I failed at my first attempt in 7th grade, and went on to repeat the failure in 8th grade, 9th grade and 10th grade. What kept me trying? What put my disappointed and broken heart back together again? What gave me the confidence to feel that I could make it, even after four failed attempts?
The belief my mother had in me.

She encouraged me, supported me and truly believed I was good enough to make it! She assured me that it was the lack of wisdom of the judges, and not my lack of talent.
So, I kept trying, and in my 11th year of High School I made the dance/drill team. I was a proud “Raiderette” for both my Junior and Senior year.
The belief my mother had in me, made me believe that I could do it!

Elizabeth believed that God could give her a son, even in her old age and inability to conceive earlier in her life. Even though her husband, Zechariah took some greater convincing and laughed at the thought, Elizabeth believed!

God allowed Elizabeth to conceive and she became pregnant with John the Baptist.

“Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.”
Luke 1:24

Elizabeth shows even greater belief when her cousin Mary, visits her and she sees that she is also pregnant.

“Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.”         Luke 1:42

Elizabeth had the heart of a Mother, and spoke belief into the heart of another Mother.

“When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed the Lord would do what He said.” Luke 1:44-45

A Mother’s heart BELIEVES and pours that belief into the heart of others.
My mom poured her belief into my heart and I was able to BELIEVE!
Elizabeth poured her belief into Mary’s heart and she BELIEVED!

If you are a Mom, who are you pouring your heart of belief into? Maybe you have stopped “BELIEVING” yourself, and you need to have your heart of believe encouraged by the heart of God?

“There is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13

God believes in you and loves you SO much that He layed down His life for you! Now, that’s believing in you to the greatest degree!

Are you sharing that same belief with someone you love?

To believe in someone is to have confidence in the truth that they are as important to God as you are. That God also layed down His life for them. Believing and knowing that Truth, gives us the ability to believe in them regardless of the surrounding circumstances.

No amount of failures, no age limits, and no obstacles, can stand in the way of true belief.

TRUTH BOMB

A Mother’s Heart Believes that God can and will accomplish His purpose in her loved ones.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day this coming weekend, let’s be sure to thank all those special Moms who have believed in us!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY MOM’S!

Speak Truth Love

 

What kind of HEART mourns and weeps because it longs for what it cannot produce?
What kind of HEART tolerates the taunting and ridicule of another woman who has children?
What kind of HEART desires nothing more on this earth than to bear a child, hold that child, love that child, and then out of thankfulness and gratitude, gives that child back to God, knowing she will never raise that child into adulthood?

ONLY THE HEART OF A MOTHER!

Hannah longed for nothing more than a child. She had the love of her husband, yet her “mother’s heart” broke inside her. She pleaded with God to give her the desire of her heart.
Year after year she waited, year after year she pleaded with God, year after year she carried a heart with a missing piece.

The bible tells us that Hannah was in such deep anguish that she cried bitterly as she lifted her prayers for a child up to God.

And then it happened! After all those years, the anguish, the crying, the bitterness, and the loneliness, God gave Hannah a son.

“The Lord remembered her plea, and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”
I Samuel ‪1:19-20‬

Hannah’s heart is filled to overflowing! Her heart has more joy than she thinks she can contain. She holds her baby boy, cuddling him and whispering sweet sounds into his ear. She kissed his soft cheek, and pats his little back. She sings sweet songs to him as she rocks him gently back and fourth. She nurses him and cares for his every need. And then Hannah does what only a ‘Mother’s Heart’ could do, she puts her son’s needs above her own, and knowing it was the right thing for her son, she gives him back to God.

“When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. – I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and He has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.”
I Samuel 1:24,27-28

Did you catch that last phrase?
Hannah gave God her son FOR HIS WHOLE LIFE!

There was no “take backs!” There was no second guessing or changing her mind! Hannah gave her son to God with her whole HEART! Hannah allowed God to mold her heart into a self-sacrificing, unconditional, giving, “with no thought of herself” HEART!

We see Hannah’s pureness of heart as she cries out in Praise to God, after she has given Him her son.

“My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong.”       I Samuel 2:1

Hannah is a perfect picture of giving your heart completely to God, allowing Him to heal it, bless it, and create in it A HEART LIKE HIS!

If you were raised by a mother who had a heart like God and put you first, than you are blessed. Ask God to create that same heart in you!

If you did not have a mother who demonstrated a heart like God’s to you, then ask God to allow you to break that legacy, and give you a heart like His!

“Create in me a clean heart Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10

When a Mother’s heart is filled with God’s love and power, there is a strength that enables her to rise above her human limitations and do whatever it takes to meet the needs of her children!

TRUTH BOMB

THE LOVE OF GOD IS REFLECTED IN THE SELFLESS NATURE OF A MOTHER’S HEART.

Have a blessed week friends!

Speak Truth Love

 

 

As we end this series on “LIVING”, I’m going to make this last message “GOLDEN!”

 

Maybe you thought that the “GOLDEN RULE” was something your mother made up to get you to act appropriately. Or maybe you thought it was something your mother’s mother said to her, and so it eventually became a way of living. Neither is true!

The “Golden Rule,” is more than a kind gesture toward another, or an appropriate action or display of behavior. It’s actually a way of living that was modeled for us and taught to us by Jesus Himself.

After calling His disciples to follow Him, Jesus spent time teaching them how to live.

He taught them how to be salt and light. He taught them about the law. He taught them about anger. He taught them about adultery. He taught them about divorce, vows, and revenge. He taught them about the importance of loving their enemies. He taught them about giving to the needy. He taught them about the important practice of prayer and fasting. He taught them about money and possessions, and how not to judge one another. And He took all this teaching, with all of its details and particulars, and summed it up with the GOLDEN RULE…

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.” Matthew 7:12

That the New Living Translation. I also like it in the Message…

“Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.” Matthew 7:12

But my very favorite translation of this Golden Rule is in the New American Standard Version…

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you!” Matthew 7:12

If you and I are followers of Jesus today, then we are His ‘modern day disciples.’ Do you think He wants us to live any differently then His first disciples? The answer is NO!  We are to imitate Christ so that others are attracted to Him by the way we live!

Jesus’ words here aren’t hard to understand, but boy are they challenging to live out each day!

Truth Bomb

When we treat others the way Jesus treats us our relationships are golden.

Someone at church this past week challenged us to look at this ‘Golden Rule Verse’ through the eyes of Jesus.

Instead of saying, “Do onto others as you would have others do unto you.” Say, “Treat other people the way Jesus treats you.”
Now friends, that’s raising the bar quite high! But can you even begin to imagine how our lives would look if we stopped grumbling and complaining about every little thing someone did or didn’t do to us, and started treating them like Jesus would treat them regardless of how they were treating us?

I think it would be GOLDEN!

I think we may develop a piece of heaven on earth if we were to live our lives by this very GOLDEN RULE!

Speak Truth Love

Today is a very special day on the calendar for me! April 17th is my grandfather’s birthday! Grandpa has been in heaven with Jesus for almost 30 years.
In fact, our grandparents were so influential in our lives, that my sister Lynne got married on my grandpa’s birthday, and my sister Krissy got married on my grandparents anniversary!
My Grandpa stands tall there among men twice his height is stature. He was not a large physical man here on earth, but he was a giant spiritually.
Oh, he didn’t write any best selling books or speak on large stages to hundreds of listeners. He didn’t start any overseas missions or run any successful para-church organizations. He was a quiet man who loved his Lord well and put his family first! His example in my life of how to live out the Christian life was priceless and unmatchable. As far as I am concerned, He walked among the giants of The Faith.

Gilbert Peter Switter was raised Catholic by a German immigrant family. He grew up with little financial stability and less than a High School degree. However, intelligent he was, and he quickly made enough money to buy a model T Ford and impress Lela May Welty. His desire to marry her caused conflict when their faiths collided. Through pain, sorrow and many arguments Gilbert chose to marry my grandmother and reject his catholic faith.

They were married for over 10 years when their one and only daughter, Linda Kay Switter was born. They were both 30 years old at the time, and overjoyed with this precious baby girl. They adored her! The adoration only grew stronger as they were unable to have any more children.

For 12 plus years Gilbert continued to live a lifestyle driven by goals to attain wealth and enjoyment. The marriage suffered because of it and Lela clung tighter to her Christian Faith. Finally, Lela told him something must change. Angry, Gilbert walked out!

Time passed and Lela was heartbroken, but clinging to The Truth that she knew would sustain her. She and her daughter went to church as usual, but this day at church would be like non other. The pastor finished the sermon and gave the alter call. Lela and Linda saw Gilbert walk past them, where he had risen from a seat in the back of the church, and go forward and accept Jesus Christ into his life.

From that point on, Gilbert embodied the life of a Christian man. He began by putting God first. He led the deacons, and was the church treasurer. He served faithfully on many committees at church and tithed faithfully. How do I know that? I saw him fill out his church offering envelope every ‪Saturday night‬ I stayed with them. He took it to church every ‪Sunday morning‬ in his suit coat pocket!
He followed that first command with the second, as He loved his family and neighbors well.
He played with his grandchildren and took us to church. He took us on vacations every summer and sent us to church camp. He visited every Christmas with loads of presents and went to church every single week.
Gilbert Peter Switter led by example. A quiet, committed man of God who loved God first and loved his family well.

I never questioned my grandfather’s faith in Christ because he lived his life by the greatest commandment…

“Love the Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all of your mind and with all of your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than this.” Mark 12:30-31

Friends, let’s be honest here, loving God is not the hard part, loving others is! You may be the sweetest, kindest, loving person on this planet, but you are still human, and so am I!
People are not always easy to love, but our God commands us to love them anyway!
He does not say love them when they are nice. Or, love them when they love you back. He just says “LOVE THEM!”

How in the world do we do this! How is this “LIVING?”

We can only “Love our neighbor as ourself,” when we are fueled with a power greater than our own strength.

C.S. Lewis put it this way:
“God made us, invented us asa man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol,(you can tell he was British!:)), and it would not run properly anything else.Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn.”

TRUTH BOMB

WHEN GOD HIMSELF IS THE FUEL WE BURN, WE CAN LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS AS OURSELVES!

I am blessed and thankful to have had a human example of loving others the way God intends them to be loved. But, with or without that example, I am unable to love others properly without the filling of God’s Holy Spirit!

My prayer for all of us through this series is that we would realize our INABILITY, and God’s great ABILITY!

“Greater is He who is in you, than He who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4b

When God lives in us we have all the ability we need to love God and love others!

Let’s Do it!

Speak Truth Love

 

 

 

BEST DAY EVER!
Six years ago today marks my BEST DAY EVER! My precious granddaughter Camdyn Kaylyn was born! She has brought pure joy into my life each and every day since! God has used her in a powerful way to demonstrate the importance of relationship to me.

The day this beautiful girl came into the world, I was with her for a short time before they asked her other grandparents and I to leave the room so that the new family could bond. Mommy, daddy and baby needed priceless time together to help foster the purpose God created us for…RELATIONSHIP!

“We long to Belong!”

Medical specialists who have done extensive research on infants, and tell us that from birth, we are hardwired for emotional connection. That is why even at a hospital, not a church meeting, the doctors and nurses know that the newborn infant will best thrive when bonding between mother, father and infant occur.

How much more does our heavenly Father know our need for emotional connection and relationship? He created it. That is why He tells us, that the greatest commandment of all is for relationship with the Father and with others.

TRUTH BOMB

The first step in having good relationships is in having a right relationship with God!

“Love The Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than this.” Mark 12:30-31

Our first, and most important relationship is with God. We must work hard to foster this relationship. We must put Him first above the other details, commitments and stresses that quickly absorb the minutes of our day! Without the strength we receive from this vital relationship, we are not able to fulfill the last part of the commandment…

“Love our neighbor as ourselves.”

This is tough. There are many who do not, on their own merit, deserve our love, but friends, through the precious eyes and sacrifice of Jesus, they have as much right to it as we do.

So, let’s LOVE as hard as we can, because in the end, it is truly all that matters!

Speak Truth Love

 

 

Jesus died for us and took our place, and  because of that, we now live!

Have you ever faced Easter with such a personal perspective?

Have you ever picked out and bought your new Easter outfit with the thought process… “I want to look my best going to church this Easter weekend because I want to look my best knowing what Jesus did for me.”
Or, have you ever prepared your Easter dinner feast thinking…”I want to make sure the table is full of good food in honor of the One who gave His life for me.”
Or, have you ever gone shopping to purchase all of the yummy items to fill your Easter baskets thinking… “These gifts must be the best in order to reflect my heart of gratitude toward my Lord and Savior.”

If your answer is YES to any of these questions, you are way ahead of my mental position.

I LOVE Easter Sunday! I love worshipping my Lord and Savior side by side with other fellow believers! I love singing “Up From The Grave He Arose…,” and I especially love hearing the story of the empty tomb!
It is our victory! It is our Hope! It is our sure salvation! But does it change the way we live?

It should! If it doesn’t, I’m afraid nothing will!

The greatest event in History caused Jesus to take our cross upon Himself, and give us life!

What are we going to do with it?

We do not know how much time we have to live, but we know that we live for a Risen Savior!
We should live every day like it is our last!

“He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”
II Corinthians 5:15

TRUTH BOMB

JESUS DIED FOR US TO REWRITE OUR LIFE STORY!

If Jesus died for us so that we could live for Him, then that means that our lives should be governed by an eternal perspective. Major decisions should be made based upon the influence that decision would produce for God and His kingdom.

Influence is a powerful word. It is a word that we take for granted much of the time. We sell our selves short when it comes to the power and ability we have to influence others by our actions, words and lifestyles.

Influence is the capacity or power a person has to be a compelling force on another that produce actions, behaviors and opinions.

And you thought your life didn’t matter!  IT DOES!

God desires that each and every one of us uses our lives to influence the world to love like He loves, to give like He gives and to sacrifice for others, as He sacrifices for others.

What are you doing with your life Friend? Are you influencing others to love, act, behave and form opinions that make Jesus known? That is exactly what Jesus asks us to do in the verse above when He tells us to stop living selfish lives for ourselves, and start living a life of influence for Him.

Are your life decisions reflecting that kind of life? If not it is never too early or too late to start.

I love this quote by C.S. Lewis; “You are never too old, (or young,) to set another goal or dream a new dream.”

Let’s take these next few weeks and set some new goals together. Goals that reflect the kind of INFLUENCE we want to have in this world for Jesus. The kind of INFLUENCE that produces such Christ-like actions, behaviors and opinions that others are compelled to join in!

Powerful lives that influence others for Christ. I cannot think of a better way to live!

HOW WILL OUR LIFE STORY READ?

Xoxo, Love you!

Speak Truth Love

 

 

 

 

 

This is it! It has come down to one more day! There is no second guessing. There is no “What If’s?” All of the should of’s, could of’s, would of’s are a thing of the past.
There is no time for regrets, no more time for “to do lists” or plans, the dreams you had wished have either one true, or they never will. It is only TODAY! You have 24 hours left to live! How will you live it?

This sobering thought has had me wrestling with a myriad of possibilities. Would I be noble and use my time to bless others? Would I be frantic and run from person to person making sure I had my final encounter with my loved ones? Or would I be so distraught that I would find myself begging my God for more time?

This question may remain unanswered for me at this time in my lif, but not in the life of my Savior a bit more than 2000 years ago.

What did Jesus do when faced with His final 24 hours here on earth?

He bowed His knees!
Jesus sought refuge, a quiet place to pray and seek His Father’s face.

After washing His disciples feet and eating the last supper with them, Jesus left the upstairs room where they were eating and went to pray.

Luke puts it this way…

“Then accompanied by His disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went AS USUAL to the Mount of Olives.” Luke 22:39

The first thought that grabs my attention is that Jesus had one day left to live and He went to pray.
The second thought is that “He went as usual!” Wow! Did you catch that? It was His normal routine. Not just when He was, in trouble, panicked, or sad, but “as usual,” something He was used to doing!

That challenges me to make prayer my normal routine and not just my “genie in a bottle” when I need something.

After He bowed His knees He prayed and asked His Father to take away His suffering, only if it was The Father’s will.

He did not ask selfishly for His pain and trial to be taken away. He willingly submitted His will to the Father’s Will.

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”  Luke 22:42

Jesus willingly accepted the Father’s will for His life, even though He knew it meant that this day was indeed His last.

In case you have the thought or tendency to dismiss the reality and difficulty of His decision compared to yours or mine faced with the same set of circumstances, read this next verse with me…

“….He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” Luke 22:44

Medial doctors tell us that under horrific amounts of stress our bodies actually produce drops of blood in our sweat. Jesus was feeling intense stress and suffering as He lived out His final day of life here on earth.

But faced with His final 24 hours of life He bowed His knees, prayed to His Father for strength and guidance, and He walked toward the cross on my behalf and yours.

Jesus was found innocent by the Roman Governor Pontus Pilate. Even though He had been falsely accused, NO SIN WAS FOUND IN HIM! Jesus was perfect. Jesus never sinned, but He willingly took my cross and yours.

I had the privilege of sharing this story, the greatest story in all of history, at my church this past weekend…

TRUTH BOMB

YOU AND I HAVE MISSED OUR CROSS BECAUSE JESUS TOOK IT FOR US.

The powerful Truth of the last day of Jesus’ life here on earth, is that He did what no one else could do for us. HE TOOK MY CROSS FOR ME AND HE TOOK YOUR CROSS FOR YOU!

I have not lived a sinless life, have you? I sin every day, even when I am trying to do the right thing. I think or say something mean or thoughtless, and chose my way over blessing or helping someone else.

I deserved that cross, Jesus did not. But He willingly suffered and died and took that cross in my place.

The conclusion of this series on ‘If We Had One Week Left To Live,’ is that we live on!
Jesus took our place. Jesus took our sins upon Himself and went to the cross on our behalf so that we do not have to.

We have missed our cross Friends. Jesus died in our place. Through Him we LIVE!!!

The question is, ‘How will we live the life Jesus has given us?’

Now that’s the topic for another series!

See you back here next week as we begin a new series on, How to Live!

Happy Easter!!!
Happy Resurrection Sunday!!!
The best news of the whole story is that the story did not end at the cross, Jesus lives, and so do we if we know Him!

Speak Truth Love

 

 

MODEL IT!

‘America’s Next Top Model’ aired for many seasons and attracted a global audience.

If you google “runway models”, the greatest of all times will pop up and you can view them.

If you look up “how to model” you will be given tip after tip of how to walk, pose and stand.

The one thing they all have in common is, “look straight ahead with a blank stare and expressionless look on your face.”

We have one week left to live and I’m talking about modeling!

Yes, as a matter of fact I am, but not the kind of modeling described up above. Not the kind of modeling that probably pops into our head the minute we hear the word, “MODEL.”

I am referring to the kind of modeling Jesus Himself did for us.

As the days of Jesus’s life here on earth were quickly drawing to a close, He loved others!

He spent precious final moments of His last week on earth, teaching any and all who would listen, how we should live.
He summed up the basis of all the lessons He taught in two powerful verses that leave us with what is most important in our lives here on earth:

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important, Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.”  Mark 12:30-31

Jesus uses bold, direct language here to clearly state that loving God and loving others is the most important purpose of our lives.

…and then He models it!
Not down a “runway” at a fashion  show, but on the stage of life!

As His final week of life on earth draws to a close, He gathers together with His disciples for the Passover Supper.  There He models the scripture to
“…love your neighbor as yourself…”
in it’s truest, most humble sense.  Being sent from God and having been given all authority from God over everything, (John 13:3), He assumed the lowest position of all, and washed His disciples feet.

“So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around him.”                                        John 13:4-5

Jesus did not simply “tell” His disciples what to do, He modeled it! He modeled it for them and He modeled it for us!

To model something, is to set an example.

It is defined as “taken to show the character of the whole.”
I love that definition. It brings such depth to it’s meaning. When you model the action and do not simply state it, you are demonstrating character and making it whole!

When we model the behavior of loving others, we set a pattern to be imitated!

TRUTH BOMB

WHEN WE MODEL THE BEHAVIOR OF LOVING OTHERS, WE SET A PATTERN TO BE IMITATED.

That is what Jesus was doing!

It was not until 8 verses later, after He spoke about loving others in greater detail, that He instructed His followers to “model the same behavior.”

“And since I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to was each other’s feet.”                                                                          John 13:14

Jesus was exemplifying His message through His actions. He clearly lead by example and illustrated His message through action.

We should do the same. With one week left to live, I pray I would model the greatest commandment to love my God and to love others in action.

JESUS IS GETTING AWFULLY CLOSE TO THE CROSS. MEET ME BACK HERE NEXT WEEK AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT HE DOES BEFORE HIS GREATEST CHALLENGE YET!

Much love my friends,

Speak Truth Love