Who Are You Following?

What if social networks came a few thousand years earlier?

Would you "follow" Jesus? Would you keep following when things didn't look so good?

The church would have never lasted as long as it has if it were built on fans. God doesn’t want us just to believe in Him, He wants completely devoted followers.

Let's make disciples, true followers of Jesus, people that will stick with him in the going gets tough.

Hallelujah, He Is Risen!

Someday everybody will know its true.

Matthew 28:6  He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.

Revelation 1:7  Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!

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Today somebody may argue with you that Jesus didn't die and return to life, but the day is coming when everybody will be convinced, that's everybody.

Imagine how some of the various groups that came into contact with Jesus while he was here will feel. What about the people that Jesus healed, or all of those nasty Pharisees, Pilate and all of the men that inflicted punishment on Jesus body.

The ladies that visited the tomb were convinced, the room full of disciples were all convinced and eventually Thomas was convinced. In fact Jesus was seen by thousands before he left.

Need more proof?

Click here for an intellectual approach to the evidence.

Will you be convinced now or will you wait until the day that it is too late?

He Died For Me!

Crucifixion didn't happen to Jesus, it was his choice.

Matthew 26:1-2  When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

Isaiah 53:5-7  But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.

Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.

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The perfect sacrificial lamb went to his death just like every other sacrificial lamb, he didn't say a word, the main difference with this lamb is that he was beaten and tortured.

Most sacrificial animals died a quick death but with Jesus the fury of hell was unleashed on him, the worst of the torturous techniques that the world had back then were used on Jesus, yet he still went quietly, the same as all of the other lambs did.

He knew what he was doing when he came to earth, he knew what he was getting into when he entered the gates into Jerusalem, it was clearly his choice to be our final sacrifice for sin.

Thank you Lord for being in love with your creation. We know that when things are the darkest in life that you are still in control.

Jesus Death - Lenten Bible Readings

This moment in history should greatly impact your life.

Matthew 27:45-54  From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” .

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After all of the cruel physical abuse and torture, now comes the ultimate sorrow, the moment that God turned his back on his son. We usually focus on all of the physical hardship but can you imagine being separated from God?  That is something that I don't have to ever do, thanks to Jesus!
 
Jesus became my High Priest! He gave me direct access to God and he made it crystal clear by tearing the curtain in two. Imagine how hardened the hearts of the Pharisees had to be for them to have a new curtain installed in the temple, what were they thinking?

Hebrews 6:19-20  This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Next thing you know there is an earthquake which makes an opening for a bunch of dead people to walk around! Is there any wonder that people saw all of the events that occurred and came to the conclusion that Jesus was God's son? Jesus impressed the people of his day through his death, shouldn't we take notice of the importance of this event and realize how significant it is for our life.

Thank you Lord for going through such agony and torture for me and saving my soul!

Do You Know Jesus - Lenten Bible Readings

Is he who you think he is?

1 Corinthians 1:18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. 30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

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Just about everybody on this planet has an opinion about Jesus but few have really studied God's word and found out for themselves who this unique man is.

The mainstream thought about Jesus doesn't give him much more than a mild respect as a good man. Just take a look at how the world viewed Jesus while he was on earth, he was counted as nothing. Jesus was used for personal gain, manipulated, mocked and physically abused, he didn't matter much to the average Joe while he was here on earth but I know that he was priceless.

Paul tells us that Jesus is "the power and wisdom of God" and he said that  "Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin" all of this from a man that the world thought was lowly, foolish and of no importance.

Thank you Lord for making the world's wisdom to be nothing. I am so glad that I don't need to seek to become wise or to gain power in order to be somebody. I am somebody because of what you did for me at Calvary.

The Greatest Gift Giver - Lenten Bible Readings

So much has been done for us!

Ephesians 2:4-10  But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

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My God is so rich beyond my comprehension, so amazingly full of mercy and love toward me, he just had to share it with us. God couldn't watch us in our desperate situation and not do something about it.

I have experienced God's love and mercy everyday, he has blessed me with good health, a cozy lifestyle and as if that were not enough he has also given me a place to live for eternity with him. God is the best at giving gifts, he knows what we need and he has all of the resources to give them to us.

Thank you Lord for saving my soul and for giving me meaning and purpose for living. I want to be busy serving you all of my days.

God Has A Plan - Lenten Bible Readings

Jesus knew that God's plans for him were not pretty.

Mark 8:31-38  Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.

32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.

33 Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

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God's plan for Jesus was in motion, it wasn't a pretty plan, just look at Peter's reaction to hearing about it. Jesus was probably Peter's best friend and Peter couldn't stand to think about the things that Jesus said would happen to him. Jesus was going to "suffer many terrible things" for my benefit.

God's plan for us isn't a pretty one either, it is very much against our human nature, but it is still the best plan that there is. God's plan says that we must turn from selfishness, take up our cross and follow him. The trouble that we have is that the battle with selfishness is difficult enough in our culture and few of us get around to picking up the cross and following him. 

The world is looking for a return on everything that it does, there aren't very many that consider doing something that has zero benefits, but Jesus said that it didn't matter if we gained everything that the world has to offer if we lose what is priceless. Our soul is way more important that anything that the world has to offer.

I want to follow you each day Lord and be in the center of your will, I want to follow the plans that you have for me. Thank you for loving me enough to die in my place.

Don't Kid Yourself - Lenten Bible Readings

Well-meaning parents and school teachers told you to "believe in yourself, you can do it."

Romans 7:21-25  I have discovered this principle of life, that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

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Don't kid yourself, when it comes to living a good life that is pleasing to God, you don't stand a chance! Even the "best" Christ follower, the one with all the attendance awards and the ones that can quote Bible verses in King James, has something working against them that causes them to either struggle with sin or just give into it.

Look at the apostle Paul, the guy that we would say had it all together, he had to admit that there is something that is working against him wanting him to go against God. Paul didn't put his confidence in his ability to keep God's commands but rather he realized that it is only by God's grace that he was anything at all.

1 Corinthians 15:9-10  For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. 10 But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.

I need to rely on God's grace. God choose to extend grace to me through his son Jesus so that I could have a relationship with him, he extends his grace at the time of salvation and he extends grace to cover my short-comings everyday.

Help me Lord as I strive to live each day for you, help me to remember that I am nothing without your power, you are the only one that can defeat the power of sin.

Could It Get Any Better - Lenten Bible Readings

We have God on our side!

Romans 8:31-34  What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one, or God himself has given us right standing with himself.

34 Who then will condemn us? No one, for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

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I'm the comeback kid, don't think that I am the underdog and that I don't stand a chance, I have God on my side!

If I have right standing with God, how dare you judge me and put me down, God has the right to judge me but instead he fixed our relationship so that I can call him my father. It is amazing how much we judge each other when the one that has the right to judge isn't doing it.

Jesus is pleading for those that belong to him. We needed forgiveness and he provided, is there any doubt that he will provide anything else we need since he has already provide us with the most expensive gift that we needed.

1 John 2:1-2  We have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

Thank you Lord for your sacrifice that gave me the greatest gift that I needed. Thank you Lord for providing so many blessing everyday.

The Lord Will Provide - Lenten Bible Readings

He always comes through for his people.

Genesis 22:1-2, 7-8   Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” 2 “Take your son, your only son, yes, Isaac, whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” 8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered.

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Abraham and his son left home not really sure what was going on, Sarah isn't mentioned in the story but I bet that she was just as puzzled about the situation. Perhaps the servants that went along wondered why they were not tending to an animal along the way. Everybody must have been wondering the same thing that Isaac was when he asked his dad where the sacrifice was.

Just like all of the people surrounding this story, we look around sometimes and wonder when in the world will a break through come our way. God shows us over and over again that he is in the business of providing. This Easter season I am reminded that God reached down and met my greatest need just because he wanted to and he does it in his timing.

Philippians 4:19  And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Thank you Lord for providing for all of my needs, help me to rely on you for everything that I need.

Love Your Savior - Lenten Bible Readings

We are always turning our back on our best friend.

Exodus 20:1-8  Then God gave the people all these instructions:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.  3 “You must not have any other god but me.

 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.

I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected, even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

 7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

 8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

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We cannot start to imagine what it would feel like to be on death row waiting for our sentence to be carried out. What would it feel like to have an exact date? How would I feel when the moment was just hours away?

That's where we all are without Jesus, we don't have anything to look forward to but with Jesus we have been given an undeserved pardon, we have been given far more that we could ever earn. It makes you wonder how we could be so unfaithful to the greatest friend that we could ever have. When we look at how much that has been done for us it makes us look like losers when it comes to being Jesus friend. If my friend received a pardon for his crimes then he should call me his best friend, we would never keep friends around that did so little for us and yet Jesus shows us love and compassion without getting much in return. 

God gave out some basic guidelines to help us to know how to treat him, he told his people: he is the only God, don't make any other gods, don't misuse his name and keep the Sabbath. It doesn't seem like it would be difficult to keep these basic rules but we all too easily make a u-turn and head off in a different direction.

As Easter approaches I need to remember that I have a friend that is true to me (Proverbs 18:24) and he will always treat me better than I could possibly treat him. I need to do everything that I can do to be pleasing to him.

Isaiah 45:21-23 For there is no other God but me, a righteous God and Savior. There is none but me. Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me.

Lord God you are an awesome friend and Savior! I want to treat you with the love and respect that you deserve, I pray that I will be a more loyal friend and give you the allegiance that you deserve.