Easter 2020 - Loving the Haters (Walk Like Jesus)

Easter brings the reminder of our own crucifixion.  True conversion to Christ looks like death to self and life in Jesus.  May we imitate Jesus’ walk to the cross in how we love everyone around us, even those who hate us.  (Luke 9:23) “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Treat your haters differently than you would’ve before you became a Christian.  (Romans 6:4) “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Let the world smell Jesus in you, but realize Jesus reminds people of the reality of Heaven and Hell.  (2 Corinthians 2:15–16) “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, [16] to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”

Anticipate opposition. (1 John 3:13–15) “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.”

Prepare to receive hate when you speak and share the unadulterated Gospel.  (John 15:18–20) “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. [19] If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. [20] Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”

Count persecution as a blessing. (Luke 6:22–23) “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”

Choose loving action, words, and prayer towards those who hate you. (Luke 6:27–29) “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.”

Live for your eternal reward, not for earthly blessings. (Luke 6:35) “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”

Avoid temptations towards arguments and silence. Proverbs 26:4–5 “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.”

Speak counter-cultural truth. (Isaiah 5:20) “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness”

Obey God, not men. (Acts 5:29) “We must obey God rather than men.”

Share the hope of salvation with passion and urgency. (Acts 2:40) “And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’”

Remember who you are in battle with. (Ephesians 6:12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood”

Pray for word of boldness, courage, and love. Ephesians 6:19 “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gosp

After suffering, keep going. Acts 5:40–42 "they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”

Remain faithful until the moment of death. (Revelation 2:10) "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Hate is real, but Jesus’ love is greater. Easter is coming.  Eternity is coming.  May we be ready to meet our Lord and Creator!

p.s. If you enjoyed these, I think you would really love John Piper’s Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die (free here: www.desiringgod.org/books/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die )

Do You Hear Or Do You Listen? By Machelle McDowell

Can You Hear Me?

Why is it that God gave us two ears and one mouth? 

Not only do we not listen, but evidently we are blind as well! LOL. It is like, God said, “Here’s your sign!” LOL. 

Let’s ponder on that just a moment. 

The older I get the more I see the importance of being a good listener. People just want to be listened to, not just heard. 

James 1:19 warns us to be swift to hear, slow to speak. It takes some training to become an active listener. Whether we are listening to God or to another person:

• It reflects a love and a respect. 

• It says, “I care about what you have to say.” 

• It shows humility and it strengthens relationships.  

Wow, something so easy to do and yet so hard to master.

Do you remember or have heard about a columnist named, Erma Bombeck? She was popular about 40 years ago! She made a profound comment then that I think is so very prevalent in our society today.

She said, (quote), “that in a society of super sophisticated communication, we often suffer from a shortage of listeners,” (end of quote). Wowzers! 

If she felt that way back then, I would be interested to hear her perspective today.

We are hearing, we are speaking, but are we listening? Are we under a communication overload? So much that we have stopped listening? I wonder? 

I think God is asking the same question. Are you really listening to me?

 We must be ready to listen to God. We must be in a position to listen to him and to others.

We cannot hear God or another person for that matter if we do all the talking or if our minds are distracted by other things. We live in a world full of distractions. There is a sense of focus that comes in to play. It takes an effort on our part. 

I believe, we live in a state of busyness that has trained us to not be good listeners. We don’t make time to practice being a good listener. We are ingrained to be in a hurry. 

Some of my favorite memories are those in which my family sat on my grandparents’s front porch and listened to them tell stories about my mother and her siblings when they were young or how my grandfather worked hard to make a living to care for the family. I could listen for hours! I wanted to hear what they had to say. We have to want to hear what is being said. 

Listening is an action word. In this verse God bends down to listen. How beautiful!………

Psalm 116:2-4 (NLT) Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!

I can envision God looking me in the eye and waiting patiently for me to share my thoughts with him. He intently hears my pain. Yes, when we listen intently, we can hear pain in a person.

He hears my burdens.  Sometimes, people just want to be able to share their emotions and all is needed is an ear. We don’t necessarily have to have an answer for them. People just want to be listened too.

And, we in return should listen patiently for God to respond to our prayer so that we might know his perfect will for us. Listening takes time and patience. We must make an effort to become a good listener. 

I tell my children in Sunday School that it is impossible to listen and speak at the same time. Sometimes, I will catch them off guard and call on someone who is talking while I am teaching, just to keep us all humble and to prove my point. (Ofcourse, they will not be able to answer the question I ask). It will buy me a few minutes of uninterrupted teaching time. LOL 

Jesus himself begins to teach a crowd the meaning of what defiles a person in Mark 7:14 by beginning with, “Listen to me, everyone and understand this.” Listening is imperative to understanding people, situations, and relationships. We must be tuned into the speaker in order to fully understand what is being spoken. 

Jesus says in this passage, that what comes out of a person can defile him. I don’t want to be found guilty of causing a person to feel belittled or less by my inability to be a good listener when they needed me to be one.    

That would not be a good testament of who we are in Christ…..He is the greatest listener of All!

If we are to model our Father, Jesus Christ, Listening is one of his greatest gifts! Help us Oh Lord, that we might be the sounding board for a lost world. 

The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said-Peter Drucker

Easter 2020 - Loving the Haters (Watch Jesus)

What is the definition of hate? To feel intense or passionate dislike for someone.  (Romans 1:25) "they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!” (ESV)

What does true hate look like? Loving the Creation (yourself and the world) more than the Creator. (John 3:20) “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

Who has hated God?  All of us.  (Romans 3:10-12) “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’”

Who is God’s wrath against? Those who continue to hate Him. (Romans 1:18) “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness”

Who did Jesus come to save?  Those who hated Him. (John 3:16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Who did Jesus die for?  Those who hated Him. (Romans 5:8) "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Who did Jesus speak tough truths to? Those who hated Him. (John 6:60) “When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’”

Who did Jesus resurrect Himself for? Those who hated Him. (Romans 5:10) “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

Who does Jesus want forgiveness for? Those who hated Him. (Luke 23:34) “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’”

Who does Jesus want to be saved by knowing the truth?  Those who hate Him. (1 Timothy 2:4) “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”

Who is Jesus patient with? Those who hate Him. (2 Peter 3:9) “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Who does Jesus give eternal life to?  Those who love His Words. John 6:66–68 “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”

Hate is real, but Jesus’ love is greater. Easter is coming.  Eternity is coming.  May we be ready to meet our Lord and Creator!

p.s. If you enjoyed these, I think you would really love John Piper’s Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die (free here: www.desiringgod.org/books/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die )

Carousels of the Minds

Carousels of the Mind

By Machelle McDowell

Isaiah 26: 3-4 Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—because they trust in you. 

1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Most of us spend a lot of time riding on carousels of worry in our minds, going round and round and not getting anywhere but more and more frustrated, anxious, and depressed. 

There is nothing amusing about the carousels that carry negative thoughts of worry in the amusement parks of our minds. 

Most of us spend a lot of time inside our own mind — worrying about the future, replaying the past, and honestly, focusing on things that we can’t change anyway!

Look at what Isaiah has to say about having a mind focused on God!

Isaiah 26:3- “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Here are a few interesting facts I found in regards to carousels:

Fun fact- Did you know that traditionally horses were mounted from the left side? 

In history-This was because most soldiers were right handed and back in the day when wars were fought on horses, soldiers wanted their hand to be kept on their sword. So they would have quick access!! 

If only we would heed this tradition? What is our sword Christians? The Word of God! 

Each horse on the “carousel of worry”  in our minds represents anxiety, fear,depression and the list goes on. 

Up and down, round and round, do all of these emotions/conditions take us for a ride that is not enjoyable, to say the least, Amusing!

If we arm ourselves with the sword, (the word), we are ready to protect our minds against the attack of the enemy and choose not to hop on a(mental) horse that takes us on a ride to disaster. 

The Carousels of our mind may begin to spin, but it doesn’t mean we have to choose to stay on the ride!

Let us pull our swords and defend our hearts and minds by jumping off the carousels that are not good for us!

When we sense a thought that is going in the wrong direction, call out, “Whoa horse!”

Draw your sword and speak aloud every scripture you can find that brings you peace! That horse will hault! That carousel of negative thinking will stop!

Another interesting fact that I learned! 

They have named the different stances that a horse may be standing in on a carousel! Go figure!

The stance in which a horse is standing firm with all four feet on the ground is called “Standing figures.”

The horses in which their two front feet are in the air and the two back feet are on the ground are called, “Prancers.”

For the sake of our discussion, I want to encourage you to choose the horse that is standing firm on all four legs, if you choose to take a ride!

 It is dangerous to hop on a carousel of worry, but if your mind goes as far as to take a seat, choose a horse that is standing firm and automatically draw your sword to engage in battle with the enemy. Stop it in its tracks!

Use scripture to transform your thinking as Paul instructs us to do in Romans 12:2. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, but by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, and acceptable and perfect.

In place of worry find a more suitable carousel! One in which encompasses faith! 

Not all carousels of our minds are bad! Jump onto a carousel that is powered by (8) horses that represents Love, Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

These fruits of the spirit circulating in our thoughts will bring spiritual health to our bodies. 

Supposedly, some people in the 19th century recommended riding on carousels and stated that by doing so it helped circulation of our blood? 

With that thinking in mind, how therapeutic for us to address the carousels of our minds in a more positive way? So, that we might be vessels that are washed in the blood of Jesus!

Let’s infiltrate our thoughts with things that bring Him glory and prove to Him that we trust in his promises! 

May the carousels of our minds bring glory unto Him!

Have A Glass of "O"

Have A Glass of “O”

Is your glass half full or half empty?

By: Machelle McDowell

2 Timothy 1:16

May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.

Are you a Onesiphorus? Or do you have a Onesiphorus? A What???

Onesiphorus is not a what, but a who! 

Paul had a friend that the Bible doesn’t say much about, but what is said spoke volumes about him! His name was Onesiphorus. 

I picture him as one of those friends you could depend on that  didn’t ask if you needed a hug, he just knew. 

A friend that breathed life into Paul’s spirit when he felt depleted, anxious, and weary. A friend that refreshed Pau’s very soul and did it often! That was Onesiphorus!

Is your glass half full or half empty? You might ask, “What do you mean by that?” 

I think Onesiphorus was a person with a glass half full!  Let’s call it, the glass of “O”.  He looked for ways to refresh others! He was positive, joyful, encouraging, and consistent. 2 Timothy 1:16 says that, “O” often refreshed Paul! 

We could all use a tall drink of “refreshment.” The definition of refresh is: to give strength or energy; to reinvigorate. 

We don’t want to partake of a of cup half empty. Woe is me, always seeing the downside. The negative Nancy sinks to the bottom of the glass and drowns in her own dismay, taking others alongside her.  

The COVID-19 is running havoc in our world. We can look at it with our glasses half empty or half full! 

Not to make the situation any less serious, but to accept what we cannot change and have the wisdom to change the things we can. 

We can certainly decide what glass we are going to drink from . I choose the glass of “O.” The glass half full!

I would like to challenge all of us to become a Onesiphorus!

Let’s refresh one another often! Use this down time to spend quality time with your God and your family. 

Call or text (10) random people each day and pray for each one! Share your favorite scripture with them or just tell them how much they mean to you! Be a Onesiphorus! 

I hear this often, “Busyness is my worst enemy.”

We have been placed in a time of stillness! Utilize it. Listen for God’s still voice in the midst of the chaos.

If each of us look out for the other! “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves, let each of (us) look not only to his own interest but also to the interests of others.” Phil 2: 3-4.

Be a glass of refreshment today for someone! Be a Onesiphorus!  

Easter 2020 - Dying Well

Have you ever watched someone die?  It can be disturbing and troubling.  But in some situations death can be peaceful and beautiful.  Some die well through their peace with God.  Some demonstrate unwavering trust in Jesus’ divine plan and timing.  Some overflow loving words overflowing even through their final breaths.

Watch Jesus.  Hear the prophecies from Isaiah, written over 700 years ahead of Easter.  Listen in to and watch Jesus as He fulfills these prophecies, walking with intentional courage to His own death out of love.  May Jesus’ death guide us in each day, but also into our final days.

May we learn the wisdom of silence.  Let’s be slow to speak and quick to listen, that our words may be few but powerful.

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth” (ESV)

Matthew 27:14 “But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.”

May we live in holiness and righteousness. Let’s speak, act, think, and feel in ways that the presence of God within us is undeniable.

Isaiah 53:9 “And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”

Matthew 27:23 “And he (Pilate) said, ‘Why? What evil has he done?' But they shouted all the more, ‘Let him be crucified!’”

May we trust in God’s plan and timing for our suffering and death.  Let’s find God’s grace and power sufficient to sustain us in the trials of life and death.

Isaiah 53:10 “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt”

Matthew 27:50 “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.”

May we live and die out of a love for God and the salvation of others.  Let’s humbly consider the needs of others as more important than our own.

Isaiah 53:11 “the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

May we petition the Lord for His forgiveness to fall on our family, friends, coworkers, and community.  Let’s aim for our lives and our deaths to point everyone around us to the amazing Good News of Easter Sunday: we find hope and life through the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus!

Isaiah 53:12 “he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’”

1 Timothy 2:5 “there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (ESV)

Easter is coming.  Eternity is coming.  May we be ready to meet our Lord and Creator!

p.s. If you enjoyed these, I think you would really love John Piper’s Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die (free here: www.desiringgod.org/books/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die )

Worrier or Warrior?

Psalm 91:4 “God will protect you with his pinions; you’ll find refuge under his wings. His faithfulness is a protective shield.”

Worrier or Warrior?

By Machelle McDowell

Are you a Worrier or a Warrior? 

Does your worry list outweigh your prayer list? Do you choose worry over trusting God? 

You may be a worrier if: 

1. You are quick to try and fix the situation before you go to the God who can. 

2. You move ahead of God instead of waiting on His timing. 

3. You lay awake at night tossing and turning because your mind will not stop. 

4. You doubt Biblical principles and question God’s promises.

5. You turn to others for advice instead of going to your knees. 

6. You may be a worrier if you maneuver situations before allowing God to move. 

7. You may be a worrier is you step in and take charge without being led by the spirit. 

8. Your thoughts are consumed with trouble instead of scripture.

9. You choose to wallow in issues instead of laying them at the foot of the cross.

10. You cannot give it all to God without picking it backup.

How to become a Warrior over a Worrier? 

It starts with trusting God. My favorite verse of all time is Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your path.” 

Worry is part of our flesh. The only way to overcome it is with God’s help. If we are worrying, we are not trusting. If we are worrying, we are acknowledging our own power. If we are worrying, we are directing our own path.

I love the Serenity Prayer! There is so much wisdom in it: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference. Such wisdom in these words! 

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 

The good news is to not let worries about the future overwhelm us; turn to the Lord for help in the now. We don’t know what tomorrow holds. Why waste time worrying about something that might happen?

A prayer warrior cries out to God, “In my distress I called upon the Lord to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” Psalm 18:6. 

A warrior for the Lord knows where his/her strength comes from. Isaiah 41:10- “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. We are not alone in this battle we call life. We have a comforter! 

Be a Warrior not a Worrier!

Easter 2020 - The Best Death Ever

By: Jonathan Carl

Too weird of a title?  Too predictable of a topic?  Too early to talk about Easter?

Jesus’ death and resurrection are the most amazing events in human history.  It is easy for us to remember the facts of Easter but, in our familiarity, lose the awe we should have of His majestic love.

How amazing is it that God promised the sending of His Son through Isaiah over 700 years ahead of time. Here are a few biblical truths about Easter from Isaiah 53:2–6:

Isaiah 53:2 “For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” (ESV)

We live in a world focused on external appearances.  As he grew up, Jesus was not outwardly impressive to the culture around him.  As Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death” His Father “highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.”  May we long for the day that our Lord Jesus returns and when “every knee should bow” and “every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:8–11) .

Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (ESV)

Our world rejected Jesus. Dishonored Jesus.  Hated Jesus.  So did we.  In our sinfulness we prioritized ourselves over the Creator of the Universe.  May we never cease to marvel at the fact that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Isaiah 53:4 “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” (ESV)

Jesus came to carry away the sin of the world, but the crowds chanted “crucify him!”  While he bore the weight of the cross towards Calvary, the crowds mocked His suffering.  May we honestly admit that in a similar way, in our lostness, the cross was “foolishness” to us too (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (ESV)

Jesus took the beating and died the death that we deserve.  He sacrificed His life so that we may have eternal peace with our Heavenly Father.  His wounds forever healed us from the sepsis of sin.

Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (ESV)

May the prophecy of Isaiah open our eyes to the seriousness of our straying from God.  We all loved ourselves and the creation more than our Creator.  We all trusted ourselves more than the King of Kings.  Easter is the most magnificent gift we could ever receive. Thank you Father for sending your Son!

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” (Romans 8:32)

p.s. If you enjoyed these, I think you would really love John Piper’s Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die (free here: www.desiringgod.org/books/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die )