Jesus is The Way

It is not the Christian religion we follow,
but Jesus Christ Himself.

It is not the way to God
but the way of God
that is our salvation.

It is called Grace
It is called Love
and it brings Hope.

(c) July 28, 2011 

To see a need and ...

To see a need
to strive to fill it
The Lord's will be done

What -- When -- Where?

To the least of these
is I says the Lord.

To see a need
but fail to act
you believe you say
you trust you say
but why
oh why
is foot not taken
the task not given
not begun
not carried out
not fulfilled.

To see a need
God has called you to
but rules
and regulations
requirements
of the world
all detriments
toward accomplishing
His will, His purpose
for you.

He tells us
in His word
to go forth
not in fear
and trepidation
but in faith
looking to Him
only to Him

Seeking answers
to our many questions
without questioning
His answers.

He knows the way
He created the way
He is the way.

He sees the needs of mankind
He sees my needs
and yours too
And all is fulfilled
And we are witnesses ...
but do we understand,
do we comprehend?

He has given us
eyes to see,
ears to hear,
a mind to discern
a heart to share
a love to give.

To see a need
to strive to fill it
to pray, meditate
and petition
believing without questioning
proceeding without faltering,
without stumbling,
not wondering if you are doing it right.

For what does it matter?
Who are you serving?
The Risen Lord
or the family next door?!

To see a need
to strive to fill it.
Just Go.
Just Do.
And the Lord be with you.

(c) August 1, 2011

Give me strength

Give me strength
for this day
Bring me peace
Bring me rest
Cover me, enclose me
within Your hand

I ask so much
and You continually give

You said our lives would be
filled with turmoil
and pain
and it is
but still you give
and give
and I will find comfort
only You can provide.

Only You can heal
Only You.

Bring me out of the dismay
Bring me peace
Help me to trust
Be my support
for my pain,
my personal physical anguish
and my emotional and mental trauma
Bring me relief

Show me how to proceed
Give me strength
Be with me
Be with Jimmy
Show us the way
We are one.
One in the spirit
One in You.

Thank you Lord Jesus
Bring me strength
and peace for this day
I pray.
Only in You
am I.

(c) August 3, 2011 

In Him, am I

Who

are you?

Who am I?

Have we forgotten

from where we came

from what we came

who brought us,

brings us still

face to face

with our sin

reminds us

we are far from

the perfectness

of the

Lord Jesus

yet He Loves Us

continually

never ceasing

There is an ever increasing

reason for condemnation

yet

He doesn't

condemn us

The Holy Spirit

the same

in Christ

in me

We,

"Those of us who are

in Christ Jesus,

who do not walk

according to the flesh,

but according to the Spirit,

there is therefore

now

no condemnation." (Romans 8:1)

We have been set free

Jesus has proclaimed us

Not Guilty

Who are we?

We,

You are a man in Christ

I am a woman in Christ

The enemy

cannot touch me

or you

I must remember

You must remember

know who you are

Stay focused on

The One

to whom you belong

Who said it was easy

Easy is looking down

being swallowed up

by fear of the unknown

Hard is seeking out God

at every turn

Hard is soaring

like an eagle

wings outstretched

when fear and anxiety

take precedence

Easy is burying

our heads in the sand

or under the bed blankets.

So fearful,

we forget

the Lord above

can do anything

and everything.

We must trust.

Must trust.

We are in Christ

Christ is in us

Struggles do not

disappear

Struggles remain

Sin remains

yet God

does not condemn us.

We are His

Only in Him

am I

Only in Him

are you

Abide in Him

Listen

to His Word

to the sounds of nature

Watch

the glorious splendor

of a sunrise

and a sunset

Remember

He is with us

always

He is but a breath away,

a step away

a hand reaching out

toward you.

His gaze is upon us

we must meet His gaze

and remain constant

Do not look away

He will bring us through

it all.

He is our guardian,

our protector,

our healer.

He is

the Great I Am

and in Him

am I.

(c) August 3-4, 2011

To be there for another

To get out of the doom and gloom
everyday
not just one day
Yesterday came
All day
Today is here
All different

Reach out to another
Why haven’t you written
I’d like to hear from you
I hear

But me too

Wherever You desire us to go
I will go
Send me
Sometimes where you are
is stagnant
Need to move on
get going
Not just physically
but
mentally
emotionally
Must get past the hurts
Hurts come at every turn
and angle …
from siblings, parents,
personal sphere of friends,
even our church family …
who would think?!
The image of Christ
bears no resemblance in us
it seems.
Although we try,
our image of Him
is perceived
far differently
than the image
portrayed in His word.
Sometimes we are just like
the Jewish Pharisees,
seeing ourselves above another

Who is better
None of us can truthfully lay claim
to such reasoning
Jesus is who we follow
If we aren’t following Him,
we cannot be one with Him.
We must therefore
be one with ourselves,
which only leads to
selfishness and
self-centeredness.

We have a new life.
We buried our old life
with Christ
and is reborn
in His image -
not His physical image.
The image of
Who He Is.
We are to be like Him.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer says,
“We must learn to look less
at what people do or don’t do
and more at what they suffer.”

To be there for another
You be there for me
I for another.
Jesus shows us
the way -
fellowship of love.

To be there for another
to show mercy ….
with cheerfulness.

To be there,
however it may be
God must give us the will
to do so,
to be so.

To get past the pain
past the “what if”
past the “how”
even past the moodiness
Just go
and do.

We cannot say
it doesn’t depend on me
to reach out to another
It is up to the church
But the church
is made up of many me’s
and many you’s.

The church –
the Body of Christ
and Jesus is its head,
not the pope,
not anyone other than Jesus.

There are not multiple foundations.
The church’s one foundation …
Jesus Christ.

There are not multiple platforms
in which we can follow and arrive
at the same place.

There is only one – JESUS!

No Allah

No Buddha

No Rabbi

No Pope

Only one Truth --
Jesus is the Son of God

Only one Savior --
Jesus is the way to salvation.

Jesus is available to all.
Believe in Him, accept Him
as your personal savior,
and eternity will be spent with Him
in the glories of heaven.

Only one basic problem with Humanity – SIN

All of us are sinners.

Some of us have been
forgiven.

Sin – what we feel
in our heart
is demonstrated
in our life.

Only one solution for Sin –
JESUS!

He died for us.
He went to the cross,
burdened with the sins
of ALL of MANKIND,
past, present, future.

He became the sacrifice
fulfilling Old Testament
laws and requirements
of animal sacrifices
for human sin.

A new life,
a new covenant,
buried in death
with Christ
Born again, alive,
renewed.

Be there with Him
for others
Our lives are not about us
But about our Lord
His will
Not ours
His steps for me
Not my steps for me

He took it all
my pain, my burdens
ALL upon himself
He took my SIN away

Who am I
to forget all that He has done
continues to do
and think only of me ….
poor me.

I need to be there
for you and you
through Christ
For with Christ
blessings will be.

Remember.

“for in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28a)

(c) August 15, 2011