More of Jesus and Less of Me

More of Jesus sounds like a good thing for His committed followers. And it IS my heart’s desire.

So I like how the Bible points us to this perspective through John the Baptist when he said,

“He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30 (NIV)

But what does this look like in our lives? A closer look at this passage in John 3 sheds some light for us.

(1.) There’s a God and it’s not me: More of Jesus

John the Baptist reiterated this to his listeners, “I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.” John 3:28b (NIV)

When we recognize Jesus as part of the Triune God with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, we know our limits. Because we realize how we are creations, not the Creator. Our humaness dwells in the natural, while Christ dwells in the supernatural realm.

And we realize who He is and who we are in Him—a vessel for His light and glory, not our own.

I let Jesus be Lord in my heart and life.

(2.) Jesus is from above and above all

“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.” John 3:31 (NIV)

Jesus left the glory and splendor of heaven to come to earth. Both God and man, Jesus spent His ministry years teaching about heaven and things above.

Jesus, divine in nature, stands above all people, gods, kings, and earthly authority.

What Hope Feels Like in Jesus

Sometimes hope feels like a thing we are looking at from the outside. But we can know what hope feels like when we know Jesus.

Because we all search for real hope.

While the world offers many forms of hope, they soon fizzle and fade away.

But God made big plans to bring Hope to a hopeless people.

Hope’s birth took place in a lowly stable. Hope grew and carried out the heavenly Father’s will—even death on a cross. 

You see. hopeless never gets the last word.

Hope rose from the dead when Jesus Christ conquered the grave. 

So in Jesus, we can know what real hope feels like. Because we know Him.

H – Hope has a name, Jesus: Hope Feels Like

My favorite thing about hope is how it has a name, Jesus. Jesus came to die for me and for you—for our salvation and the salvation of all willing to embrace real hope in the Lamb of God.

God sent Jesus from the throne room of heaven to take our place. Beaten, bruised, and pierced with nails, His blood spilled on a cross. And He bestowed forgiveness on us to cover our sins.

Jesus saves us from condemnation, wrath, ourselves, other gods, and eternal death. But salvation also brings new and abundant life with Jesus as the Savior of our souls and a spiritual way of life. 

Jesus is our hope for this life and the next.

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” I Peter 1:13 (ESV, emphasis added)

When you know Jesus and your hope is fully set on His grace, it’s what hope feels like.

Unapologetic About My Faith in Jesus

The world seems to have gone half mad. Sadly, the madness often surrounds the foundations of the Christian faith. But I remain unapologetic.

Christian values are ridiculed. Or, spiritual and biblical principles are questioned as valid and relevant or relatable. But I remain unapologetic.

And people (and the enemy) try to convince us truth is relative and up for debate. Or, culture whispers in our ear, We each have our own version of truth—and that’s okay.

But it’s not okay.

If you follow this blog, you know I’ve experienced rude remarks on social media about my faith.

 Still, I’m unapologetic about the foundations of my faith.

Here are 3 key foundations to remain unapologetic about.

1.) Unapologetic about the Bible and its Truth

Not only does God’s Word never return void, it also never goes out of style like the changing times.

Jesus Rose From the Dead for You

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”  Matthew 28:6 (NIV)

I never want to get over how Jesus rose from the dead for me.

And He rose from the dead for you.

You see, it’s all about Jesus…every Easter, every Sabbath, and every day—life itself.

Because Jesus came to earth with “go big” plans from the Father.

Christ came to live among the people, teach God’s truths, love unconditionally, and heal others physically and spiritually.

Sentenced as an innocent man, Jesus was crucified at the hands of influential men.

And here’s the best go big part, He came to die for the sins of all mankind.

The Lamb, impeccable and without blemish, was torn and tattered for us.`

Eternal life purchased for us…the first Easter gift. God desires to call each of us one of His children. There are no boundaries or limitations, not age or gender or bloodline. We each meet the same eligibility requirements because Jesus became our bloodline on the cross.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.’” John 11:25 (ESV)

Good Friday, The Darkest Day in History

Good Friday was the darkest day in the history of the world. When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, breathed His last breath.

Jesus Died on the Cross for You

If you were the only person on earth, Jesus would have come and died on the cross for you. 

Because your life is worth the cross. 

Still, it’s easy to believe things that are not true. 

Like God loves others but not me. 

Or it’s hard to make the cross and empty tomb personal—Jesus suffered, died, and rose from the dead all for me. 

Say this quietly in your heart or out loud:  My life is worth the cross. 

This is how much God loves you and me. 

Yes, Christ came for the whole world, but He also came for you. 

Think about that, meditate on it in your heart. 

Let’s look at supporting scriptures.

(1.)  Jesus loved you so much, He died on the cross for you.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) 

Read John 3:16 again, inserting your name in place of “world” to make it personal. 

1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us” (ESV).

God created love and demonstrated love on Calvary’s cross through His Son—a show-and-tell affection.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving me and Your provision of grace through Your Son. Help me to believe and know it was for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(2.)  Jesus took on your sin and spilled His blood to redeem you.

10 Wonderful Ways God’s My Father

I first met God at sixteen. Since that amazing-grace day, the Lord Almighty is my Father. 

And the Bible confirms this happens when we accept Christ as Savior, God’s gift of salvation.

“…God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba Father!’” Galatians 4:6b (NIV)

This meant everything to me then and now.

Because my earthly-father story includes chapters of abandonment, a longing to know my biological father, and dreams to be loved by a father.

And a redemptive ending that still amazes me.

God as our heavenly Father, rises above any father definitions we write into our stories. No matter our earthly-father experiences, God is Abba Father.

God Loves Me

(1) He adopted me.

Just as my stepfather helped raise me as his own daughter, God adopted me into His family.

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)

(2) He loves me.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” 1 John 3:1a (ESV)

My biological father came back into my life and I finally realized that he did indeed love me.

God My Father Forgives

How Do We Love Others Like Jesus?

How did Jesus love others?

God calls us to imitate His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ set the example of how to love others in the most godly and practical ways. 

And we are called to love. Because the Bible never commands us to like others. But God’s Word commands us to love people.

So we look to the Scriptures to see how Jesus loved well in the midst of His biggest critics, the religious leaders. 

These religious men falsely believed a holy life meant keeping every letter of the law and adding to the law their own interpretations and rules, instead of showing compassion to others.

Even today, ministry may focus on programs over people, rules over compassion and love. 

Since Jesus led the way of loving unconditionally and practically, He is our example.

Jesus loved with kindness.

I like the adage, “Kindness goes a long way.” And this definition for a person who’s kind: Sympathetic, friendly, gentle, tenderhearted, generous. (YourDictionary)

When people see a kind smile, kindness in word or action, or they notice generosity and compassion in us, they see kindness in us. They see Jesus in us. 

Jesus exemplified kindness when He desired the children to come to Him, when He stopped to comfort and heal people with great needs, and when He looked at people with a compassionate heart. 

It’s love with kindness. Here’s how the Bible describes it.

“Love is patient and kind….” 1 Corinthians 13:4a (ESV)

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (ESV)

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14 (ESV)

We love with kindness. 

Jesus loved people with truth.

15 Prayers to Transform My Heart and Life

My daughter and I used to enjoy watching shows with the purpose to transform someone’s appearance—hair, makeup, and wardrobe.

Likewise, prayer has the power to transform us from the inside out.

So I gathered prayers I prayed and jotted down in my prayer journal or shared here on my blog.

And prayers I posted on social media to encourage other believers.

Transform My Heart

(1.)  Lord, empower me to live godly in an ungodly culture. And strengthen me to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (ESV)

(2.)  God, I surrender all to You. Give me clean hands and a pure heart as I seek Your kingdom above all. I need Your strength to be a living sacrifice, not conforming to the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (See Psalm 24; Romans 12:1)

(3.)  Father, grow me as a student of the grace and knowledge of Jesus—a faithful student of Your Word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(4.)  Heavenly Father, let my face glow with the beauty of Jesus, my heart beat with His passion, and my soul bloom with His glory and holiness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(5.)  Lord, give me the strength to set my mind on things above, hide your Word in my heart, daily put on the full armor of God, walk in the light, love you with all my heart, soul and mind, and praise your holy name above all names. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Life is Good vs. God is Good

Life is good. We hear it spoken. We see it on clothing, bags, hats, and as a framed quote. 

The phrase rolls off our tongues and scatters across our devices. 

It takes the spotlight when our online friend has a new pet, a new car or a new “something.”

Perhaps the words are in order when we land the ideal job, get a promotion, win a contest or an award, receive good news on medical tests, or anything that makes us feel on top of the world.

But what about when life’s not good? What then?

Life is Good vs. God is Good

Because if we put our hope in the ever-changing nature of real life, at the first hint of things going south, we won’t be on top of the world. No, we find ourselves in life’s pit of despair.

You see, I’ve never been a fan of the phrase. And here’s why; look at Merriam-Webster’s definition of good. “The pleasant things that happen to people.”

Oh, I want pleasant things to happen to me. I’m betting so do you.

Sure, some days the pleasant things come. And I’m on cloud nine. But on other days, life’s pleasant things stay far away. Maybe they go on vacation or visit my neighbor.

Or, the good things in life happen to all those friends on social media. You know, the friends sharing the wonderful news and picture to prove that it really happened. And the friends type the words in all caps and add an exclamation point, LIFE IS GOOD!

Yet as Christians, our hope lies in God, not in life. He’s a good, good Father with a never-changing nature. The Lord overflows with love, goodness, mercy, hope, peace, joy, compassion, patience, and kindness. The things that matter. And no matter what happens, God’s still good.

3 Ways to Remember God is Good

(1.) Change our perspective. Bad days don’t mean there won’t be good days. Life’s a mix of good days and bad days. The Bible never promises, “Life is good.” Not even after we become Christ-followers. But God has promised good to us.

Did You Know Kindness is Contagious?

I love how kindness is contagious and it’s one of the great ways we show others the love and light of Jesus in us.

There are many things to love about kindness.

First, how kindness is contagious. 

Think about a time someone acted kind toward you.

Did you want to be kind to that person or pay it forward? 

Also, contrary to what people may say or think, kindness never goes out of style. 

Even when society’s pendulum swings toward a me-focused culture, kind acts will always make a difference. 

And that’s why God’s people play an important role in dispensing kindness without discrimination or qualification. 

Our example in this is Jesus and His earthly ministry. 

Because from a spiritual standpoint, kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. Kindness grows in us as we sow and practice it. (Galatians 5:22-23)

So what is the current state of my fruit of kindness? Have I cultivated it in my daily life and in my family, community, and relationships? Maybe I haven’t planted enough seeds for it to grow. Or worse, it’s unused and decaying.

Kindness From God

You see, one of the epic reasons kindness makes a difference is how we never earn it. Consider God’s loving kindness toward us. 

It leads us to repentance. “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Romans 2:4 ESV

His lovingkindness saves us. “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:4-5 ESV