The first miracle of Jesus was at a wedding—no small event.  For several days, there was gift-giving, speech making, food-eating, and wine-drinking.   Hospitality was a sacred duty  The absence of wine was a social embarrassment.  Mary asks her son to help, and he tells her that his “time has not yet come.” But he changed his plan to meet the needs of his friends.

This miracle tells us that what matters to you matters to God. You are his child.  So go ahead. Tell God what hurts.  He won’t turn you away or think it’s silly.  Hebrews 4:15-16 says,

“For our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses…Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace.”

Does God care about the little things in our lives?  You better believe it.

By Max Lucado
used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:    
https://maxlucado.com/about-max/

From: He Still Moves Stones

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: http://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

FURTHER READING

Attributes of God

God is Thinking about You

Father God’s Intimate Love Letter to You

The post What Matters to You Matters to God can be found at Thoughts about God.

“And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the Lord. “But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.” Jeremiah 45:5 (NKJV)

“Once you get into the real world, you’ll find it’s not as easy as that.”

“You’re in for a rude awakening when you get out of here and into real life.”

These are things we might say to students who’ve never experienced life outside of school. But the truth is, graduation doesn’t lead to real life because we find our  real life in Christ.

We become real, healed, full human beings when we connect with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Until then, we’re still sending postcards from a fantasy life. Our maturity in Jesus brings us closer and closer to real life, as established by God before he set the foundations of the world.

Thomas Merton, the prayer-centered monk, spoke in terms of life in the nasty-now-and-now being like an onion. God keeps peeling away the layers until the real you is revealed.

In a sense, God is explaining that when he says, “I will bring adversity on all flesh” (Jeremiah 45:5 NKJV). He uses adversity in your life to scrape away the layers that cover your real life.

God says when he brings great disaster upon you there will be no time to pack a bag filled with ego, self-centeredness, lust, or materialism. He’ll let you escape, but only with the Jesus-clothes on your back.

What you’re left with is your real life in Jesus (Colossians 3:4). A life that is filled with God’s purpose and a life in alignment with God’s heart and mind. In this real life, we enter into the abundance of life promised by Jesus (John 10:10).

By Jon Walker
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

Christ, Our Life

Help for Hard Times

Joy in Hard Times

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • ‘X’ Twitter  •  Instagram  • Pinterest

The post God Peels Back the Layers until the Real You is Revealed can be found at Thoughts about God.

Do we know when we need to rest, or do we think we are super human and can go on and on forever? I tend to think we believe that with enough determination and caffeine we can go on forever. Are we thinking about what our body and soul truly needs when we are pushing ourselves beyond our limits?

What is on your plate right now? Maybe you have a full plate or far too much on your plate. Maybe you have some hard things on your plate right now and haven’t even considered taking care of yourself with some body and soul rest.

We might not want to admit it, even when caring people around us are suggesting it – we need rest.

If you are experiencing extreme weariness, frustration, and discouragement – the best remedy is to give all your cares to the Lord and rest in knowing He can carry it all. When you finally let go and stop wrestling, and instead rest, you will soon recognize that you are experiencing something new. In letting go and resting, you will find you are growing strong again.

Your strength is renewed when you let go and find God’s rest.

Can you begin to imagine the incredible source of strength that comes from our Almighty All-Powerful God? Now, imagine… He is offering it to you.

Yes, the ultimate mystery and blessing is that when you find God’s rest you will also find God’s strength.

Matthew 11:28
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Isaiah 40:31
“But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

1 Peter 5:7
“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

By Kathy Cheek
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

Renew Our Strength

Strength Comes from God

Renewed

The post When You Need Body and Soul Rest can be found at Thoughts about God.

I lock my doors sometimes too. Emotional doors because I fear hurt or rejection.

“When it was evening on that same day, the first day of the week…the disciples were meeting behind barred doors for fear of the Jews… Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with great joy.”  John 20:19-20 (Amplified Version)

They had moved from the pinnacle of joy to the crushing depths of tragedy within the span of a few days. Exultant “hosannas” were buried beneath horrifying screams of “crucify him.” The healing hands of Jesus were mutilated by spikes. His words of love and freedom were silenced by mockery and whips.

Rumors of his resurrection floated in the heavy air of disappointment, disillusionment and despair. His friends huddled together to be for each other what they could not be alone. They locked the doors because they knew what had happened to Jesus could easily happen to them. Then…

Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.”

I lock my doors sometimes too. Emotional doors because I fear hurt or rejection. Intellectual doors because I’m unsure what deep study will uncover. Spiritual doors because I wonder if giving my all will truly mean giving my all.

I need Jesus to come. I need to hear his voice and see his scarred hands and wounded side. I need to believe that it’s really him. Such hearing and seeing and believing doesn’t come easy. It requires time away from the realities of daily life which so often give birth to hurt, rejection and fear.

When Jesus came to his friends, he somehow miraculously just appeared. I don’t need that miracle today because he is as near as the Word of God (the Bible) and his Spirit who lives within me. To the pressing crowds Jesus once said, “Seek and you will find.” Crowds in my life—whether people or circumstances—so easily block out those words, words I need to hear and believe. It is through such seeking and believing that doors are unlocked so I can see Jesus. And experience his peace.

By Marilyn Ehle
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  Pressing the RESET button on our lives 

•   Keeping Yourself in God’s Love – even during painful times in your life

•  Salvation Explained

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  •  Pinterest

The post Locked Doors can be found at Thoughts about God.

““For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Much has been said about Jesus’ “gift of the Cross.” But what of the other gifts? What of the nails, the crown of thorns?  The garments taken by the soldiers?  Have you taken time to open these gifts?

He didn’t have to give us these gifts, you know. The only required act for our salvation was the shedding of blood, yet He did much more.  So much more.

Search the scene of the Cross—and what do you find? A wine-soaked sponge.  A sign.  Two crosses beside Christ. Divine gifts intended to stir that moment, that split second when your face will brighten, your eyes will widen, and God will hear you whisper, “You did this for me?” Dare we think such thoughts?

Let’s unwrap these gifts of grace– as if for the first time. Pause and listen.  Perhaps you will hear Him whisper, “I did it just for you!”

By Max Lucado
Used by permission
From: He Chose the Nails

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://maxlucado.com/about/

FURTHER READING

• Eternal Love

• Fully Surrender to the Lord

•  Salvation Explained

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  •  Pinterest

The post Unwrapping the Gifts of the Cross can be found at Thoughts about God.

An Easter Prayer

Of all of God’s gifts
Easter shows us our fate
Forgiven we will rise
And pass through Heaven’s gate

This Easter remember
The sacrifice of a Son
And through His resurrection
Eternal life we have won

This Easter I pray
That the love of God
Is resurrected
Reborn, renewed
Inside your heart
God Bless You!

– Anonymous

FURTHER READING

•  The Power of Resurrection – by William S. Stoddard
•  Touched by the Risen Lord by Elfrieda Nikkel

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

The post An Easter Prayer can be found at Thoughts about God.

This was the last week of Lent, also called Passion Week, and I have been reading and reflecting on the last days of Christ and His crucifixion.

I will be forever grateful for Christ’s willingness to go through the agony of carrying our sins (the sins of more than six billion people), and to suffer extreme physical pain — the torture of being whipped and nailed to the cross — and rejection and loneliness. When I think about the love He has for each one of us, I want to prostrate myself on the floor before Him and worship Him.

He went through all of this because we are sinful. However, we can be healed and experience His immense love. We can experience His power, grace, and wisdom every moment of the day and every day of our lives.

Let’s take a look at parts of verses 3 and 5 of Isaiah chapter 53 and reflect on His suffering.

Verse 3: “He was hated and rejected by people.” I find it much easier to be rejected by people who don’t know me, but when I am rejected by relatives or a friend I thought was loyal to me, that really hurts. We know that Christ experienced this, as His disciples all left Him. He too was rejected.

Verse 3: “He experienced much pain and sorrow.” I would venture to say that you have experienced some deep sorrow in your life.  Because of Lou Gehrig’s disease, every muscle in my strong brother’s body deteriorated until all he could do was blink his eyes. Watching him struggle to eat and trying to make us understand what he was trying to say was one of the most sorrowful situations I have ever experienced. He had gone from using canes, to a walker, to a scooter, and finally to a wheelchair. It was sorrowful.

Jesus was with him every moment of every day, strengthening him and us and giving us courage. He has experienced every sorrow we have and ever will go through.

Verse 5: “He was wounded for the wrong things WE did. He was crushed for the evil things we did. The punishment which made us well, was given to Him, And we are healed because of His wounds.”

By Katherine Kehler
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  The Easter Story – the story of Christ’s death and resurrection

•  Jesus’ Resurrection: Fact or Fiction?

•  Who’s Got the Body?   A short, documented examination of evidences for Jesus’ resurrection.  By Rusty Wright

•  Why Do Christians Celebrate Easter by Dr. James L. Wilson

•  At the Foot of the Cross – Powerful Poem

SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL: FOLLOW THIS LINK

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  •  Pinterest

The post Christ Crucified can be found at Thoughts about God.

“When we would have any great things to be accomplished, the best policy is to work by an engine which the world sees nothing of.” – John Preston

When we can’t reach something, where do we usually turn?

To someone who’s taller. Or closer.

To someone whose arm is not too short.

Prayer is asking God to reach for something outside our grasp.

To move where we can’t.

To touch where we are incapable.

To act where all we can do is watch.

Prayer is coming to the One whose arm is never too short.

The God we approach in prayer is a God sitting on a throne—high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1). Yet our Father who sees in secret and hears in secret and is present with us in secret (Matthew 6).

Prayer is seeking the hand of a God who can move in men’s hearts. Heal the bruised. Touch where we can’t. And protect where we would only crumble.

•         We pray to a God who is mighty in our midst (Zephaniah 3:17).
•         To a God who shows Himself strong on our behalf (2 Chronicles 16:9).
•         To the One who is our only hope and our only trust (Psalm 71:5).

We pray to a God who has a mighty, outstretched arm.

It is nothing for our God to work, to reach, to move (2 Chronicles 14:11)

It is nothing for Him to answer our prayers.

His arm is never too short, and His hand can reach even the tiniest trouble.

Pray. And watch God reach His mighty hand long and strong where we never could.

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;
Nor his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” Isaiah 59:1

By Bethany Hayes
Used by Permission

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: http://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

The post How to Convince Your Heart that His Arm is Not Too Short can be found at Thoughts about God.

“This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10

If I asked you to define love, what would you say? Some people may say that love is a strong feeling of affection toward another person. Other people may say that love is caring for another person. Alternatively, some people may say that love is difficult to define.

In today’s ever-changing perplexed world, accurately defining love is challenging, especially when we try to comprehend the mystery and magnitude of God’s love for every human being.

Scripturally, God frequently defines his love as a verb — an unrequited action toward humanity individually and collectively. He emphasizes that he reveals His love for us by sending his Son into the world to reconcile us to himself (John 3:16). John clearly and unambiguously asserts that, despite our lack of love for God, he, reflecting the essence of his character, demonstrated unrequited love for us by sending Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

The mystery, miracle, and majesty of God’s love is unfathomable to a world that prefers to define love through the unreliable chameleon influence of cultural trends and acceptance.

Ultimately, God’s love is undefinable, unfathomable, unshakable, and unmatchable. Renowned evangelist, the late Billy Graham, once stated, “He knows exactly what we are and loves us anyway.”

Do we fully realize and reflect the influence of God’s love in our lives? Love is the divine essence of God’s character and we should daily seek to fully realize his unrequited love and reflect it to those around us.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that your often unrequited and always unmerited love, in sending Jesus, saves me. Equip me with understanding and discernment to comprehend the depth of your love, and empower me to reciprocate and reflect your love to those within my sphere of influence. Amen.

By Allan Mitchell
Used by Permission

RELATED RELATED

Our Heavenly Father’s Unconditional Love

God’s Love

God Demonstrates His Love

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • ‘X’ Twitter  •  Instagram  • Pinterest

The post Unrequited Love can be found at Thoughts about God.

A couple of weeks ago we had four trees trimmed. It needed to be done. They were hanging low, touching the fence and getting a little too personal with our neighbor’s vehicles. But, the pruning was done aggressively, taking more than we expected, or wanted.

A range of emotions followed in my home—sadness because I felt like my trees were ruined, surprise over how sad I was, annoyance because it wasn’t what we wanted, anger because the bill still had to be paid…and finally, in time, acceptance.

As we worked through at our own pace, I thought about the pruning God does in us and how we might experience the same emotions.

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” John 15:1-4 NLT

The pruning process is not easy for us. God wants to draw us close to Him, and as He changes us from the inside out, He knows what isn’t producing fruit. From our perspective though, this looks like having to give up things, interests, behavior, or ways of life that we like or we’re used to. It means laying down our will for His.

The more we know God, the greater the desire to make these changes, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It can be unpleasant, uncomfortable, and downright painful.

While God’s pruning is always what’s best for us, it doesn’t feel that way when the work is being done. It may feel like He’s pruning too aggressively, taking more than we expect, or want to give up.

There might be sadness because what we’ve always known is no longer what’s normal. It may mean a change in who we associate with or where we go, and making those changes can be hard, and even lonely. No matter how much we do want our lives to be different, there are still pieces or memories that we don’t want to give up completely. And that may surprise us.

There might be annoyance at what God is asking of us. We’ve worked and worked to move forward, but it’s still not enough. He’s still snipping and cutting, even from where we’ve made progress, and we want to shout, Stop! Enough trimming. You’re taking too much and it’s just too hard. We didn’t agree to this much pruning.

We might be angry. This isn’t what we asked for. The years of hardship. The loss. The sudden and drastic changes in our lives that don’t make sense to us. Years later we may see how He drew us close and we learned to trust Him in every way. But, right now, when it feels like we’re getting hit with one thing after another and we don’t understand why He’s letting it happen, it’s difficult to see how we can grow from it.

We want some explanation and to know how this will work out. We want our questions answered—How long? Why? When? But, when our questions don’t get answered, we have to wait and trust that the One pruning knows what He’s doing.

At some point, when the new becomes more familiar and comfortable, there is acceptance. We’ve become used to the changes—both the good and the bad, and it’s not as difficult to function. It’s no longer a constant struggle to get through each day because there’s been new growth. Instead of only seeing what’s missing, we see how God has blessed us. There is still grief and mourning, but there is also thankfulness and new beginnings.

Our trees were trimmed with the best of intentions and we received a credit when I kindly expressed how disappointed we were. God prunes us for His purpose and His glory, and when we turn to Him with our disappointment, exhaustion, sadness, and even our anger, He comforts us with love and compassion

God’s work will still be done, but He never cuts and walks away. He stays with us through the pain and the setbacks. He encourages us as we get back on our feet. And He rejoices with us as we begin to see the growth through His pruning.

By Laura Rath
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

Pruned for Purpose

Bear Much Fruit

The Purpose of Pruning

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • ‘X’ Twitter  •  Instagram  • Pinterest

The post Pruning can be found at Thoughts about God.