Category Archives: Jesus

Everything We Need to Know Him Part 2 — Jesus

Posted on by
Reply

Have you ever thought about how much easier it would be to trust God and to live for Him if you could just see Him, listen to Him talk, touch His hand, and experience His embrace?

God desires for us to experience Him this way. This is why Jesus came. He came to us 2000 years ago as a baby born in humble circumstances. This baby grew to a man, who walked where we walk, experienced what we experience, and yet He displayed God, the Father everywhere He went. Colossians puts it this way:

“The Son is the image of the invisible God…” Colossians 1:15

Jesus came to show us exactly what the Father is like.

Philip, one of Jesus’s disciples told Jesus that it would be enough for them if He would show them the Father. Philip wanted to know what His Heavenly Father was like. Jesus told Him:

”… “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.“
‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Simply put, when we see Jesus, we see exactly what our Heavenly Father is like. The accounts, in the Bible, of Jesus loving the unloveable, touching the untouchable, and healing the broken are an exact representation of our Heavenly Father. He loves us, touches us, and heals the brokenness of our past.

Every action of Jesus recorded in the Gospels, ever word He spoke, are an exact image of the God. When we look at Jesus, we are looking at God.

God deeply desires for us to know Him not just know about Him. Jesus, our Emmanuel — God with us, is evidence of this fact. Jesus is the same today as He was in Bible times. He is approachable. Even the little children were invited to come and sit on His lap. He is speaking. His words are alive and powerful. He is touchable. He still offers the skeptic and the doubting the opportunity to reach out their hand and touch and examine His nail pierced hands so they can believe.

He longs for us to experience Him! The reason for that longing is when we experience and come to know Him, we experience and come to know the Heavenly Father that He came to make known.

Do you desire to KNOW God in an intimate way? Come to Jesus! He will show you exactly what His Father is like.

Everything We Need to Know Him Part 1 — Creation is Speaking

Posted on by
2

God wants us to know Him. He wants to be close to us. He wants to have an intimate relationship with us. These statements may seem incredible or maybe even impossible when we look around us. How can this God who is so infinitely big desire to know me, one of eight billion people who occupy the planet we live upon? The truth is this God who desires a one on one personal relationship with us has given us everything we could possibly need to know Him, His character, and His love.

Have you taken a few moments to consider creation? King David did thousands of years ago. 

”The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun,” Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Creation is speaking.

Long ago, God desired to have the perfect home for the people He created. With the most intricate of handiwork He made it for them.

Have you stood in the country and looked high at the black night sky, staring at the stars, considering its vastness? Have you watched the sunrise and been amazed at the explosion of colors as the sky changes from darkness to the clear blue color of the light of day? That is what David did, and he concluded that “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” God did not create all the wonders of our world on a whim. He created them to “proclaim”. He made them to “reveal knowledge”. But what knowledge do they reveal? Himself.

Go to a mirror and look deeply at the intricacy of your eye. The colors, the function, the different parts. If we could explore it more deeply the cells of your eyes are amazing and they function individually as well as together to make up you! The God of details created you and your eye. He also created the skies we look at using this very eye, and we should stand in wonder. All these tell a story to us.

They tell of a God who is so powerful. We could not stand before Him on our own. The words of His mouth create and have power to destroy as well. They tell of a God so personal that He created, with detail, the tiniest parts of us and knows them well.

God gave us creation so we could know Him. He wants us to stand in awe of how great and wonderful He is. Yet He longs for us to know He has thought of every minute detail of our lives and we are not just one in eight billion, we are His delight.

Creation is proof that He wants us to know Him. In a very small way, creation is like a billboard on a highway declaring a fact about an upcoming attraction. It speaks of what we can encounter if we decide to pursue that course. Creation tells us that God is there, and perhaps if we turn our thoughts toward Him and speak to Him, He will indeed speak back to us!

God wants us to know Him. He’s given us all we need to experience Him. Creation is just one thing that “pours forth speech.” Stop for a moment and listen. He is calling out to you!

Created For More

Posted on by
Reply 
”Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.“ John 17:3 NIV

You and I were created for more. We know it. There is a longing within us all. We long for love, joy, and peace. We desire to be fulfilled in our lives.

Often this results in us chasing after things that really don’t fulfill. We chase money, things, beauty, health, earthly relationships, our selfish ways, etc… When our focus is fixed on these things, we will surely find ourselves empty.

Chasing them is similar to chasing the wind. Even when we may catch them for awhile we will find them to not fulfill the longing of our hearts.

That is because we were created by a Creator for relationship with Him. This relationship of knowing Him, God, is where true life is found.

A relationship of “knowing” requires connection to what we know. We cannot know someone unless we experience them. We must experience the sound of their voice, their touch, their closeness. If we are not experiencing this, we are not living a life of “knowing” them.

Our verse above is Jesus speaking about the life He offers to each of us. This life is not a temporary experience, but a relationship that goes on and on throughout eternity. It is a life of fulfillment that no other can bring. It is knowing God in intimate relationship.

As you read these words today, I would encourage you to ask: What is the longing I am experiencing inside? Are the thoughts I have about God, just that … thoughts? Do I have knowledge of Him like I have knowledge of a subject I studied in high school? Or do I KNOW Him? Do I have first hand experiences with Him? Do I have a relationship of sharing where He speaks to me and I speak to Him? He desires for us to know Him this way! It is what we were created for our purpose.

As I stated before, you and I were created for more. We were created to experience God’s eternal life knowing Him in an intimate relationship. Does this create a stirring within you longing for that more?

Give Me Only My Daily Bread – Reflections on Proverbs 30

Posted on by
Reply 
”Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.“ Proverbs 30:8 NIV

Agur was a wise teacher of long ago. He wrote the words above as a prayer. He knew of his own sinful nature and its propensity to believe lies and falsehoods. He knew his propensity to do life his way and not God’s. So Agur prayed. He prayed that he wouldn’t be so consumed with selfishly pursuing wealth so that he would forget God saying, “Who is the Lord?”. He also prayed that he wouldn’t lack so that he would feel compelled to selfishly steal and get things his own way. He simply wanted God to be his “daily bread,” His everything! He wanted God to be what satisfied him day in and day out.

There is much wisdom in that prayer. We can learn much from this prayer of Agur. We can come to God asking of Him to be our daily bread and the satisfier of our soul as well.

We are invited to experience God as our “daily bread.” We can “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8). We do this by a daily, moment by moment, intake of His Word! His Word is the Bread of Life.

We can know His Word as the Truth that will keep us far from lies. As we know the Word, we know God. Because He is His Word and His Word is God (John 1:1).

Agur was wise to pray his prayer and find delight in God’s provision of His daily bread, His Word. May we delight in His Word as well! God is the only One who will satisfy us!

Women on Wednesday’s Devotion: God’s Way of Love

Posted on by
Reply

Latest devotion written for WOW ministry:

“I have stood face to face with the one, I did not think I could ever love. As I stood there before her, I was able to reach out and hug her with a true love that had no expectation of anything in return. I loved her willingly and selflessly, at no cost to her.”

For entire devotion click on the link below.

https://mailchi.mp/wowjcmo/wow-devotion-john-6217185?e=36ae1400fb

Trapped — Reflections on Proverbs 29

Posted on by
Reply 
”An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices.” Proverbs 29:6 ESV

EVIL- corruption of heart, or disposition to commit wickedness; malignity. (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

”for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,“ Romans 3:23 NIV

Everyone has sinned. We’ve all went our own ways. We have all had evil in our hearts- corruption, or a disposition to commit wickedness… sin.

Sin is a trap. I have felt the weight of being trapped by my sin. In that sin I felt like there was no escape. BUT Jesus has offered to us the way to be freedom! The one He sets free is free indeed. His freedom is reason for great rejoicing.

This morning I was reflecting on what Jesus has set me free from, and the freedom that I now stand in! It brought rejoicing to my heart. Because I am free!

We are warned in Proverbs about running from evil and its snares. We are told to pursue righteous living. We must choose between the two. It is a stubborn, stiff necked heart, that pursues its selfish sinful ways. That person will suddenly be destroyed. (Verse 1) We do not have to experience the destruction and entrapment of sin. We can live free!

The only way to freedom and joy is to live a righteous life surrendered to Jesus.

My Life Reflects My Heart – Reflections on Proverbs 27

Posted on by
Reply 
”As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.“ Proverbs 27:19 NIV

What is inside of you is showing.

I used to think I could hide what was going on inside of me. The truth is what is inside of us, or in our heart, will eventually come out of us. It will come out in our actions. It will come out in what we say. It will come out in the way we present ourselves. The truth is we cannot hide what is inside of us. If our hearts are full of turmoil, anger, fear, anxiety, etc., we will display it.

However, God has offered us a new heart that is His. When we come to Him and ask Him for a new heart, He will give us that new heart, and He will remove the old heart from us. The closer we get to Him the more the old heart will be cut away. More and more we will reflect Him.

So once again, what is in our heart will show. If God is in our heart, His love, His goodness, His joy and peace will be reflected in our lives.

What’s inside of us is showing. What is your heart reflecting?

Polluted— Reflections on Proverbs 25

Posted on by
Reply

We had an above ground pool when the kids were younger. I worked and worked at keeping that pool clean. The right balance of chemicals and diligent maintenance was required. The waters in my pool often looked less than desirable as I was trying to figure out that balance, murky waters, bugs not getting skimmed off, slime on the sides… It was a constant battle. Every once in awhile I would find the pool looking good until the kids got in and kicked up the dirt I didn’t get completely vacuumed off the bottom. Murky again… the battle went on.

Today’s Proverb has a verse that reminded me of that pool we had years ago.

”Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked.“Proverbs 25:26 NIV

Our lives are meant to be lived in righteousness. God created us to be in His image, righteous and holy. When we live our lives set apart to Him, observing and obeying what He commands in His Word, our lives are beautiful! They are filled with joy, peace, and contentment.

BUT, when we “give way” to sin. Our lives become like a “muddied spring or a polluted well.” Or like my old above ground pool when the PH balance was off, the bottom wasn’t being vacuumed off, and the skimmer bucket wasn’t working…slimy, green, NASTY! Our lives are unable to be enjoyed.

The entire book of Proverbs has much to say about living a righteous life and warnings against unrighteousness. This is because it pollutes our hearts, and if left unattended to by prayer, time in the Word, and repentance from sin, our waters of our heart will be destroyed…NASTY too!

How we live out lives matters! Don’t let the wicked ways of the world pollute you!

Established – Reflections on Proverbs 24

Posted on by
Reply

Nelson Family – Established January 2, 1993

Thirty one years ago Rich and I began. Through a formal ceremony and the exchanged of vows God ordained our home. We have worked to build a life together ever since.

Today’s Proverb once again speaks of wisdom:

”By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.“

Proverbs 24:3-4 NIV

Wisdom is the knowledge of the fear of the Lord. It comes from us seeing God for who He is and having a reverence for His greatness. This gives us the desire to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It also gives us the desire to hate sin, not want anything to do with it.

Wisdom is what builds our house— our lives. Understanding, agreeing with, that wisdom establishes them.

Deep within us all we desire to see something firm and fixed within our lives. Something that will look forward to the future with hope that does not waver or be destroyed by life’s storms. Jesus is the wisdom from heaven. He is the firm foundation on which our lives are built and they will not be shaken no matter what storms may come. When we come into agreement with Him and understanding of His Lordship over our lives we are established. When we find Him, our Heavenly Wisdom, we can rest assured of this promise.

“…there is a future for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” (Verse 14)

How is your life established? Is it built on the Rock of Jesus or on the shifting sands of a life built on self? A life built on Jesus is the only one that will stand.

Zealous – Reflections on Proverbs 23

Posted on by
Reply 
”Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is a latter end [a future and a reward], and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.“ Proverbs 23:17-18 AMPC

There is reward in obedience to God’s commands. The “thirty sayings of the wise” in Proverbs 22-24 list many of them. But the greatest reward is our hope and expectation, Jesus, will be realized. We will know Him! We will be connected to Him and not be cut off from Him.

There is nothing better than to know Jesus and to be connected to Him or in Him.

“Be zealous for the fear of the Lord,” (Proverbs 23: 17 NIV) or pursue passionately knowing God, loving God, and hating sin (i.e. wanting nothing to do with sin.)

The life of reward spoken about in the verses of Proverbs is the fruit of pursuing Wisdom. Jesus is the very Wisdom we pursue!