When We Remember The Savior's Resurrection

                                            When The Door Slams

Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days"                                                       John 2:19 NIV

            How would knowing the outcome of a difficult situation change your outlook while going through it? Jesus knew He was going to die in Jerusalem, but He also knew He was going to be raised from the dead. He believed the Messianic Psalms applied to Him: "For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption" (Psalm 16:10).  

            Jesus told His detractors who had asked Him for a miraculous sign that they would see only one sign--the sign of Jonah, who spent three days in the belly of a great fish before being rescued from death. On the third day after Jesus' own death, He came out of the grave to give the world a sign it cannot deny. For a man to predict His own death and resurrection was something only God could do.

            Did that lessen the anguish of the moments before His death? No, He was human, and He grieved the pain and suffering He was about to endure (Luke 22:44). But His faith in His Father's plan and protection was greater than His anticipation of suffering. He was wholly submitted to the Father's will (Luke 22:42). Jesus knew nothing could separate Him from God's Love, and we have also been given the same promise of resurrection Jesus was given (1 Corinthians 15:12-19 ; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). And we are to comfort one another with these promises (1 Thessalonians 4:18). 

            Think about this: The Gospel writers give us many proofs of Jesus resurrection: sightings by witnesses, nail-scarred hands, a stone rolled away, and more. Truly, Jesus was--is --alive! As you prepare to celebrate Easter, give thanks to God that your faith is not in vain--that Christ was raised for you and me (1 Corinthians 15:14). Easter is the time when we remember the Savior's resurrection, which makes our own resurrection sure.

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                    Never Rest Ministries            

When We Mess Up, We Should Not Give Up

                                                    When The Door Slams    

Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place; for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.                                         Proverbs 24:15-16 NIV

            The Bible is filled with heroes, but only one man was perfect--the Lord Jesus. All the other saints in the biblical record made mistakes, took detours, lost their way, faltered, wandered, and sinned. Abraham lied about Sarah. Noah got drunk. Moses lost his temper. Naomi traveled to Moab. David created scandals. Elijah fell into depression. Jonah ran away. Peter denied Christ. James and John squabbled about who was greatest. Even Paul admitted, "For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do" (Romans 7:15). 

            We must not tolerate spiritual failure in our lives. We should not sin so that grace may abound (see Romans 6:1). But on the other hand, when we mess up. we should not give up. Even when we wander, God is there. We have a merciful God. He knows how to draw us back, and the Lord God helps us to repent and grow from the experience. 

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God (2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV). 

            Think about this: When people talk about politicians, especially during heated races before elections, a frequently heard complaint is that politicians make promises they can't keep. Politicians can promise change, but only Congress can legislate change. Not keeping a promise one can keep is bad; making a promise one can't keep may be even worse. But that is true for all of us, not just politicians. "Better not to vow than to vow and not pay," Solomon wrote (Ecclesiastes 5:5).

           Affirmation: "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself"            (2 Timothy 2:13). When God says something or makes a promise--about forgiveness, eternal life, grace and mercy, His provision for our needs--His words are trustworthy. This is why the proverb says to trust in the Lord with all your heart. In times of trouble, trust in the promises of God--He will keep every promise He has ever made.   

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness 

                                                     Never Rest Ministries                                                                                                                                     

When Our Lives Are Lived In Obedience To God's Will

                                     When The Door Slams

"If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes."  Mark 9:23

              There is a part of the body of Christ that has adopted a slogan from the secular self-help movement: "If you can conceive it and believe it!" If you can imagine yourself as an astronaut or a star player in the NBA, and believe it with all your heart, are you likely to achieve such a goal? The answer for most adults is no. 

             What's good about the "name it and claim it" school that encourages us not to limit ourselves or God. What's wrong with this approach is that it misunderstands the word of Jesus. For example, a corollary of Jesus words in Mark 9:23 is that "all things are possible for [God]"-words Jesus spoke on the night of His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:16). Jesus believed it was possible for Him not to go to the cross, and He also believed it was possible for God to keep Him from that suffering. Yet He went to the cross anyway.  

            Think about this: Our beliefs and possibilities have to be in line with the will of God. That's how Jesus lived His life and how He taught His disciples to live (John 5:30). When our lives are lived  in obedience to God's will, nothing is impossible. Dream big--but dream biblically!

            Affirmation: The righteous will live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4). I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17). Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous will live by faith" (Galatians 3:11). Before faith in Christ came, we were guarded by the law, confined for the faith which was later to be revealed. So the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (Galatians 3:23-25).                                                            

 As the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.   

                                        Never Rest Ministries

        

Who Am I?

                                                     When The Door Slams

What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.                                                                     Psalm 8:4-5  NKJV

            There are only two ways we humans can posture ourselves. It depends on our view of God. Our lives only have meaning within the context of a Creator. His life, love, holiness, and ultimate ends-these are the things that give us hope and purpose. Reject God, and the answer to "Who am I?" doesn't even require a single word. A simple question mark will do. Without God, we feel we are nothing but momentary sparks that flicker in meaninglessness and die into nothingness. There are no answers,  only question marks. 

            When our view of God is true and biblical, we are as upright as an exclamation point. We are made in God's image for His purposes, recipients of His peace and perpetual life through Jesus Christ, who loved us and died for us. We stand firm with hope and purpose. 

            We are only able to understand who we are when we understand the Creator. The secularized culture yields despair, but our faith produces joy as we exclaim with Psalm 8:"O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!" (verse 9).

            Think about this: Scientists are learning more and more about the lives of animals. Primates have been found to use tools, fish have demonstrated memory, and dogs have been trained to detect and point out human cancers. But there is no record of any members of the animal kingdom thinking about their origin or expressing appreciation for their existence and the blessings of nature. 

            Self-awareness and understanding separates man from the animal kingdoms. Even the psalmist, when contemplating the wonders of man's place in God's creation, noted that God created "the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea"-but makes no mention of those animal's understand that fact (Psalm 8:7-8). Only humans are created in the image of God, with the intellectual capacity designed by God (Genesis 1:26-27). And our intellectual thought processes allow us to know that Someone beyond ourselves is responsible for our creation and sustenance.

            Renewal: You shall observe My Judgments and keep My ordinance, to walk in them: I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the LORD (Leviticus 18:4-5 NKJV ). If you fear the LORD and serve HIM and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God (1 Samuel 12:14 NKJV). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                               

                                                                Never Rest Ministries

The Scripture Passage Contradicts This Philosophy

                                                   When The Door Slams

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and See." Jesus wept.                         John 11:33-35 NKJV 

            One of the tragedies of our Western culture is an idea that has been passed down particularly to men. It is this: if you cry, you are a sissy and you are weak. Instead be strong; be a man; be courageous and "suck up" your feelings. The Scripture passage contradicts this philosophy. In fact it shows Jesus, the most courageous man who ever lived, showing His feelings. The passage succinctly say, "Jesus wept."  

            He was real. He was free to feel. He was not ashamed of letting His feelings out, and apparently did so publicly. Jesus showed us that courage does not mean hiding our feelings or not grieving when we experience loss. 

            Grieving is normal, following a loss of any kind. It could be the loss of a family member or friend, a financial loss, the loss of a job. Whatever the loss, allow the feelings to come, and have the courage to grieve and let the tears come. It will take some time, but grieving allows us to face reality and in time, move on in spite of the loss. 

            Think about this: May God grant me the serenity to be real, and the courage to let my true feelings out.

            Thanksgiving: This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them (Psalm 34:6-7 NKJV).; I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth-Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD (Psalm 40:1-3 NKJV).         

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.          

                                                        Never Rest Ministries              

Jesus's Life Was Well Documented

                                                             When The Door Slams 

Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.                                           John 14: 9-11 NKJV 

            Jesus was a man, just like any other man. He was born, grew up, learned how to make a living, and worked for a number of years. He got hungry and ate, got thirsty and drank, got tired and slept. He traveled around, made friends, and eventually made his mark on the world. When he died, he was buried like any other man. 

            But this ordinary guy made a very important claim: that he was God in person, that anyone who observed him would know what God is like. He backed up this claim as well, performing miracles with the power of God, teaching with the wisdom of God, reaching out to outcasts with the compassion of God, and forgiving people's wrongs with the authority of God. 

            Jesus was a man, and yet when he commanded a storm to cease, the wind and the waves complied. He was a human being, and yet when he spoke to the mob who came to arrest him, the entire throng fell to the ground. Jesus was made of flesh and blood, and yet on the third day after they laid his body in a tomb, he walked right back out. Jesus can completely relate to you, because he is every bit a man. Jesus can also teach you a lot about God, as he is every bit God himself. Simply watch what he does and listen to what he says. 

            Think about this: Jesus's life was well documented; the New Testament in the Bible chronicles his words and his actions. make a commitment to learn all you can about him, so you will begin to understand God. 

            Renewal: Now therefore, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes"                            (2 Chronicles 19: 7 NKJV). I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word. Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law (Psalm 119:15-18 NKJV). 

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                            Never Rest Ministries       

                                                                                                                                                                

A Teamwork Relationship, A Partnership.

                                                           When The Door Slams

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abides in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.                                                                                                 John 15:4-5 NKJV           

           True wisdom is found in establishing a balance in teamwork with God. It seem so often there is a tendency to go to one extreme or the other. We can adopt the philosophy of "Let go and God" and just sit back and expect God to do everything. However, if I am lazy, God won't do it for me. On the other hand, there have been times when I have gone to the other extreme of trying to do it all on my own and proceeding almost as if God was not around. That too, has usually ended in failure.

        Philippian 4:13  brings these two contrasting extremes into balance: "I can do all things through Crist who strengthens me." The verse is not saying I can do it all, period. Nor is it saying Christ does it all. It is a joint project, a teamwork relationship, a partnership. 

        Today's passage uses an example from nature to illustrate the same point. The branch without the vine or trunk soon withers and dies and produces no fruit. The trunk provides nourishment to the branches, which produce the fruit. Teamwork is God's mode of operation.  

            Think about this: Be wise and team up with God. Watch excitedly for the results of your partnership in your daily accomplishments. 

            Affirmation: Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God; unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. The wind blows wherever it pleases, and we hear its sound, but we cannot tell where it comes from, or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit (John 3:3, 5-6,8 NKJV).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                                    Never Rest Ministries