DADDY’S PROUD OF YOU

God Loves You, Spiritual Food

Matt 3:17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, IN WHOM I am well pleased.” (NKJV)

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (NKJV)

Matthew demonstrates the greatest example of a Father’s unconditional love for a son. It is awesome to see, especially for some Father’s like myself, who would like to raise their kids in a Godly manner. Being a son that grew up trying to please my dad, I want to ensure that my kids know how pleased I am to be their Father. With that being said, let’s dig into what God said to Jesus and what He is saying to us now.

We’re In Jesus:

Following Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, all of the onlookers heard a loud audible voice from heaven. It was a proud papa, letting all know just how much he loved and was proud of his son. Imagine, how good that must feel to hear your father tell the world or his joy to be your dad. That is what Jesus would have felt if He was like you and me. So what does this have to do with us???? God said that Jesus was His beloved son and that He was well pleased with Him and everything about Jesus, including all that is IN HIM. Guess who is IN HIM??? Us, You and I if we’ve believed on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of Sin. Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (NKJV). Once we put our FAITH in Jesus Christ, we put ourselves in position to please God; without FAITH it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is. Our faith in Jesus allows us to be IN HIM, where we are beloved Sons & Daughters who God is well pleased with. Are you IN HIM? If not you need to be.

 

God Is Pleased With Us:

We are IN Christ and well pleasing to God, because we “have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” You see we are pleasing to God, not because of what we have done or what we do, but what Christ did. We can try as hard as we can to do everything right and perfect; it will never happen because even on our very best and perfect day “Isa 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags (NKJV).” For you bible scholars, filthy rags actually refers to used sanitary napkins (yes that is what I said). Our best offering, without Jesus it is just filthy rags, nothing you would ever think about giving to God. So since our best is a mess, our worst is just that multiplied. We have to remember that Jesus went to the cross and all of our sin was placed on Him. God has to deal with Sin and for our sake God’s wrath was satisfied on the Cross.  So let me ask you this; “Why would God punish Jesus for our sin at the cross, if He was going to then turn around and punish us or hold the Sin (Christ died for) against us?? It is a question worth asking, I believe the bible gives us a clear answer, but If you don’t see that, I recommend asking the Lord for yourself and see what He says.

Say it with me “I am Righteous and Well Pleasing to God, because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross.” 2 Cor 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God IN HIM.

Remember we are well pleasing to God by the blood Jesus shed at the cross and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

It Is Finished

God Loves You

John 19:30  So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

I saw this and today was a perfect day to share:  Here are 6 things Jesus accomplished on the Cross and after it was done He said “IT IS FINISHED”

 

1. He Removed All Of Our Sin. The term is Expiation; Jesus took all of our Sin and the guilt of sin and placed it upon His shoulders while on the cross.

John 1:29…“the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
2. Propitiation. This refers to the removal of God’s wrath. All of God’s wrath fell upon Jesus to destroy the sin He bore for us. It was finished, God punished our sin and would never remember it again….After this was done, Jesus was still alive. God’s provision for our sin was/is/always will be greater than His wrath.

 

3. Reconciliation. Sin alienated us from God, but Jesus’ sacrifice reconciled us giving us the same relationship with God that Jesus has.

Romans 5:10-11: “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

 

4. Redemption. Jesus gave His life as a ransom for us. We were redeemed from our sin debt owed to Satan.

Galatians 3:13-14 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.”

 

5. Defeated the Devil.   Christ’s death disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 3:15). Satan’s only weapon that can ultimately hurt people is unforgiven sin, Christ’s death disabled that weapon, therefore…

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper…….

 

6. He Took Our Place. Jesus died as our Substitute. Christ accomplished all of these benefits for us by dying in our place – that is, by dying instead of us. We deserved to die, and he took our sin upon him and paid the penalty himself.

Isaiah 53:5-6 “he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities . . .

5 Keys To Success

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The Lord is so special!!  He always knows how to give you what you need when you need it.  Today was one of those days.  Without going into detail, I was very frustrated with my son today and God responded by blessing my wife and I beyond our wildest dreams.  My 10 year old son wrote this today and I had to share, I hope you enjoy and are encouraged.

 

5 Keys To Success, by Joshua K. Harris

The Lord showed me some real important things in his word. He showed me 5 keys to success and 5 verses to share. The first key he showed me is to move forward. Hebrews 8:12 says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.” My past, present, and future sin are forgiven. This means I can move forward knowing that my past, present, and future sins are forgiven. I keep looking back at the bad things, but those times are over now. It’s a new year; new things are going to happen. Moving forward is an important key to success. The second key to success is to let go, and let God. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I abide in him, will produce much fruit; for without me you can do nothing.” I cannot do anything without the Lord. I will only succeed if I trust God. In Proverbs 3:5-6 Solomon tells us to trust the Lord with all of your heart, and not to depend on our own understanding. If we trust God, He will direct our paths. To me that means, if I trust God he will help me succeed. Trusting the Lord and letting God help me succeed is the second key. The third key is the power of prayer. Matthew 21:22 says, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, that you will receive.”  The power of prayer is really helpful. When we pray, we know that God will answer. Also, when we pray we should believe that what we asked for will happen. It is having faith what you asked for will happen. To me this means that, when I talk to the Lord in any situation can help me succeed in life. The power of prayer is the third key to success. The fourth key is to know that you have everything that you need. Psalm 23:1says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Knowing that the Lord gives me every good thing, I can trust the Lord. I don’t need to beg. I don’t need to be stressed out to have everything I need; I already have it, for it is Jesus who is everything I need. Knowing that the Lord gives me everything I need is the fourth key of success. The final key is to receive God’s love, grace, and mercy for you. He showed all of this on the cross. Took every beating, was spit upon, crown of thorns put on his head, carrying a heavy cross to Mount Calvary to save our lives, nails stuck into his hands and feet, all for our sinful bodies. God showed us his Love, Grace, and Mercy through all the pain. The only thing left to do is receive. Receive his love, grace, and mercy. Receiving is the final key to success. I thank the Lord for putting this on my heart. This is amazing what the Lord has showed me. I’m glad I got to write it on paper. I’m also glad that the Lord is pleased with me. Out of every single sin I have committed has been forgiven. These are the Lord’s 5 Keys to Success!   

It’s Time to Rest

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Matt 11:28 NKJV

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

I’ve read, memorized and studied this verse for many years since accepting Jesus.  Just like Jesus, every time I look at it this verse the Lord shows me something new.  Jesus had just done miraculous acts in the cities Chorazin and Bethsaida then rebuked them because they did not change their mind (repent).  He openly thanked His Father for hiding His truths from the wise and sharing with His babes.  This text I believe is one of those.

Jesus says come to me and I will give you rest…… Our loving Savior invites us to Himself.  It reminds me of the times when I just open my arms wide to my kids and they just come and dive into my chest for a big hug.  It is those moments that help me show them how much I care about them and reminds them of how safe, warm and loved they feel in Daddy’s arms.  It is a special time and I believe that this what Jesus is inviting us to do.  Then He goes even further by offering to give us rest, His rest.  He’s saying to us….You’re tired and burdened but when you come to Me I will give you the ultimate fix for your weariness and pain. 

Rest, what a great word and gift Jesus offers us.  The Greek word “Anapauo” literally means to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength.  I know that you can connect with this word, have you ever worked, tried, strived, toiled, slogged and given everything that you could possibly give; only to have to keep going on to the next task, problem or chore.  You need to cease from any movement, to recover and collect your strength, and this is exactly what Jesus has given us.  Just know that we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses (Heb 4:15).  Jesus knows exactly how that feels, in Luke He told His disciples “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”  The Greek for “lay” is Klino which is the same word used when Jesus finished His marvelous work on the Cross. “He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit (John 19:30).”  He worked, worked and worked but had no place to lay His head; no place to rest.  He did however rest once His work was finished.  We can rest and have a place to lay our heads because Jesus finished all of the work that needed to be done.  All of the requirements and payment for sin was paid on the Cross and there is nothing left for us to do….it has already been done!!!!

Our job now…..Rest in Jesus’ loving, warm and protective arms; after all He did all of the work for you!!

God Bless You

Believe or Get Off the Pot!!!

God Loves You, Spiritual Food

Matt 9:27-31 (Two Blind Men Healed)

When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”  28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”  They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”  29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.”30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.”31 But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.

I’m sure that some of you may be “Old School” like me.  I recall while growing up, hearing the extreme encouragement “Piss or Get off the Pot!!!”  This statement was used to help someone get passed a crossroad in their life.  You know what I’m talking about, in Sports a coach might say it when he needed you to push pass the pain of trying something you’ve never done before.  Maybe, it was when you had to push pass a fear, like when I had to jump of the high dive for the first time as a kid.  After climbing to the edge of the 20 foot high platform, I had to either jump or give up and make the humiliating trip back down the ladder.  If you’re not going to piss, the get off of the pot (toilet) because someone else will.

These two Blind Men understood this sentiment, because they were at a crossroad in their lives.  You see these men could not see, but they could hear.  They heard about this great teacher, healer, prophet and miracle worker.  They heard about his teachings and the miracles he’d done.  They heard the commotion in the streets as the multitudes followed this mystery man.  So when Jesus was near they had a choice to make.  They cried out to Jesus, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”   They were saying Lord Jesus pour on us this Grace that you’ve been telling everyone about.  That is when Jesus asked the question of all questions.  “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”  You see the problem for most people is not the inability to know what Jesus can do, most people know that Jesus is able to change our situation, our struggle is believing it!!  Jesus asked the simple but powerful question, do you believe in my ability, do you believe I am who I said I was?

There was only one thing left now for the two blind men.  They had to Believe or Get Off the Pot!!!  They could believe everything they heard or they could give up and choose to remain in their darkness.  The text tells us that the men believed Jesus then they received their sight.  (What are you talking about it does not say they believed)  Look again, Jesus said “According to your faith let it be to you.”  They were healed according to their faith, the Greek word for faith here means “conviction of the truth of anything; belief.”  Jesus told them that they were healed based on their ability to believe.  Don’t be fooled though, their faith was not in them being healed but their belief was in who Jesus was.

God is able to do, just what He said He would do; He will fulfil every promise to you.  We just need to believe He is who He said He was.  Who is He?  The lamb that took away the sins of the world; the “Truth and the Life;” the creator of Heaven and Earth; our Savior; our Friend; our Big Brother; our rock; our confidant; our help, our shield; our everything; the ultimate sacrifice for every one of our sins.

When we believe in the Lord Jesus, we received His salvation.  My encouragement to you today is to Believe or Get Off the Pot!!

Get Some Daddy Time

Family Ministry, God Loves You, Spiritual Food

Ps 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

So this morning, as it is many Saturday mornings, my industrious wife was off to the grocery store early to beat the rush and get back in time to still enjoy the weekend.  So it is up to Daddy to take care of breakfast and spend some quality time with the children.  This time is usually spent with me in the kitchen cooking, and the kids downstairs watching their favorite cartoon or TV show.  Then we eat breakfast together, typically at max speed because the boys want to get back to playing games and or hopeful that I will let them watch another show.  But today was a little different, no hot breakfast, just cold cereal and toaster’s strudel.  This was quickly gobbled up by the kids and I had not even sat down to eat my mix of breakfast and leftovers from last night’s dinner.  My 4 year old daughter was still sitting there and she said these words to me “Daddy can I keep you company while you eat your breakfast?”

Ohhhhhhhh, my heart melted so fast, I could not get the words “Of Course!!!” out of my mouth quick enough.  There was such a smile of my face that I could not wait to sit and spend Daddy Time with my little Princess.  We had such a pleasant time, we talked about questions she needed answers to, things that were fun for her, some things that I did when I was small and our favorite things about playing in the snow yesterday and even sharing some of her fears.  It was then that Jesus spoke to me and said this is exactly what I feel when my children want to spend time with me.

The bible says “In Your presence is fullness of joy” and I have always enjoyed this verse because it reminded me that when I spend time in the Lord’s presence, I will be full of joy.  His joy not mine, this Joy the world could never take away from me, because it did not give it to me.  This joy is not based on my situation or circumstances but based on the Joy of Jesus, whose Joy is unspeakable.  Knowing this makes you look forward to spending time with God so that we can be replenished or be filled.  Today, Jesus revealed to me that it’s not just my joy that will be full, but that Jesus joys in His children desiring to spend time with Him.  He loves to hear from us, He smiles when we tell him what makes us happy, the things we like about being with Him and especially the cares we want to lay at His feet.  Nothing beats Daddy Time for you or Daddy.

Know that Jesus Joys in your presence with Him.  He loves to hear from you and loves to fill you with His unspeakable joy.   In Your presence is fullness of joy

Christmas without Christ!!

God Loves You

John 1:3-5  3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it[1].

This morning I saw this calculated assault on my Lord, Savior and Friend Jesus Christ.

New Billboard in NYC Says ‘Nobody’ Needs ‘Christ During Christmas’

While it was not a surprise, it was still sad.  How much abuse can you possibly take from someone you love so much??  The Cross answers that question over and over again.  Jesus died for everyone, yes even the ones who designed, paid for and authorized this sign.  He loves them abundantly; guess what just as much as He loves you and me.  I know it does not seem like that is possible, but it is the truth.  I just felt like sharing this with you today so that we remember “what manner of Love His is.”

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made:

Although these atheist (a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods), and I use that term graciously, because they seem to flat out hate Jesus, believe Christmas does not need Christ.  We see in the text that All things were made through Him, Yes Jesus created every things and without Him nothing would exist.  They don’t believe Jesus created them, they just can’t see how that is possible, but that does not change the fact.  I cannot see the air, but every second, I inhale believing that something will enter my lungs and keeps my body functioning.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men:

The phrase “and the life was the light of men” is in the Greek imperfect tense and means that “the life” began to be “the light of men” in the past and continues to be so in the present time.  In essence, Jesus is the source of all life and not only to physical life, but also to spiritual life.  In Jesus we find life, other scriptures let us know that it is abundant life, so we are not even capable of living without the Lord.  Life (Logos) is the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God.  When we are in Christ we receive His life, and His life is awesome (all power, knowledge, presence)!!!   This is what we now have access too.  Without Christ; you get nothing (and without Him nothing was made that was made).
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it:

So say we were to “remove” Christ from Christmas, what would be the result?   Christmas with Christ is just mas, mas in Spanish means “more;” more commercialism, stuff, debt, ungratefulness and just chaos.  According to the billboard the “true meaning,” includes charity, family, friends and food.  How in the world can they remove Christ if this is what they believe is the true meaning??   Let’s just look at their definition or Christmas:  “Charity” is love and (He who does not love does not know God, for God is love[2]), “family”(but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”[3]), friends (but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you[4]) and food (“I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.[5]).  I would get upset at the people associated with this billboard, but remember the darkness did not comprehend it.  The dark will never comprehend Jesus, but Jesus will always shine, even on them (And the light shines in the darkness).  He will continue to love them, and put people around them to care for them, giving them time to “change their mind” about Him (The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance[6]).  Jesus died for each one of us and although we have accepted His wonderful act of love in our hearts, not everyone has and according to this John they are not living!!

This Christmas remember that Jesus is the “Center” of everything, because He created all things (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God[7]) and as we celebrate His love for us, coming as flesh and blood to stand in our place and redeem us from eternal damnation.  Remember that He did it for everyone, so when you come across those who don’t believe in Him, tell them know how much Jesus loves them.

Merry Christmas!!

[1] John 1:3-5

[2] 1 John 4:8

[3] Romans 8:15

[4] John 15:15

[5] John 6:35

[6] 2 Peter 3:9

[7] John 1:1

JESUS

Spiritual Food

Jesus!  Jesus!!  Jesus!!! Jesus!!!! Jesus!!!!!        JESUS

JESUS!  JESUS!!  Jesus!!! Jesus!!!! Jesus!!!!!        JESUS

JESUS!  JESUS!!  JESUS!!! Jesus!!!! Jesus!!!!!        JESUS

JESUS!  JESUS!!  JESUS!!! JESUS!!!! Jesus!!!!!        JESUS

JESUS!  JESUS!!  JESUS!!! JESUS!!!! JESUS!!!!!        JESUS

Read it, Sing it, Yell it, Think it, Speak it, Rap it, Write it….Whatever you decide to do, do it and you won’t regret it.  His name is higher than any of our situations, illnesses or circumstances and it will invoke our worship.  Don’t take my word for it……..

Phil 2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.