Why do you follow Jesus?

Yesterday, during our Bible Study time, I challenged my oldest two children to answer this very question.  I said that one day they will be asked it by not only strangers, but also by loved ones too.  Family members and friends and acquaintances, who have not yet come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, will look at their life as Christians and want to know the answer to the big "WHY?!"

"Why do you follow Jesus?"

And I reminded them, that when that time came, they were to be READY and PREPARED with their answer that would not only give information, but hopefully draw that person closer to faith in Jesus themselves.  Because the wrong answer at that time, will most certainly push them away!!  It happens each and every day.

So, I let my children answer, and I just told them to think about, "What has Jesus ever done for you?"

Both of their answers were pretty similar, they each shared of a time when they were spared extreme pain, illness, injury, or even death.  They said, "Jesus saved us in those moments, because He loves us."

And you know what...they were almost right, but not quite.

See, I reminded them that God's love for us is NOT shown by whether or not we have an easy, healthy, pain-free life in this world!  That's not what we should expect out of this life at all.  In fact, we have known people...children even, that have not been protected from all suffering and pain and death in this life.  So, I took that opportunity to remind them of a dear little boy held in our hearts, so that they could think deeper and differently about this concept of God's love being shown in our lives.

"Remember John?"  I asked them, "Do you think God loves John?"

They both said, "Yeah."

"But, if God loves John, then why wasn't he saved from the things he went through as a result of a car wreck?"  I responded.

You could see the wheels clicking and turning in their minds trying to think through that one.  As I told them, the proof of God's love for us is not about healing us or protecting us from harm and bad things--He is capable and DOES do those things for us all at various times in our lives--but His love was ultimately shown for us through Jesus Christ.  He gave His own Son as the SACRIFICE for our sins so that WE could be reconciled back to Him in Heaven.  The whole benefit of the cross is OURS!!

Left on our own, we would all break Hell wide open, because not one of us (even those of us claimed, saved, and redeemed!!) can live up to the standards needed for entrance into the presence of God's glory in Heaven.  Our sin separates us from God!!  It's ONLY through the gift of grace offered through Jesus that we can be made clean and pure and righteous in the sight of our Lord, Savior, and God, and thus reconciled back to the Holy One.

What Jesus did on the cross, He did for every single soul that will accept it!!  He laid His life down for the sake of John, nearly 2000 YEARS before John ever graced this earth, and for all of us too, because of His GREAT and ABUNDANT LOVE FOR US!!  So, though John didn't get a miracle in that particular time of need, we can still have whole and complete assurance of God's love for him, just knowing the truth that the cross was set aside for John as much as it was for any one of us.  And it is for every one of us!!  All we have to do is reach out to the One who offers it freely to us and accept the GRACE that only He can pour out.

So, why do we follow Jesus?  Because Jesus loved us SO MUCH that He gave His own life for our sake, so that we could have eternal life one day in the glory of God in Heaven!

John knows this right now more than I could ever express, and he truly knows more than any of us still on this side of Heaven could ever attest, that the love of God is REAL and TRUE and everything this world has to offer us pales in comparison to what is waiting for us there.  Just cling to Jesus, and know that it will be all worth it one day.  All will be made right, and our days of suffering, sadness, and pain will not last forever.  This is why we follow!  This is what we believe!  And this is the reality that John knows in its awesome fullness today.

Romans 5:2-5(NLT)

Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.   And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

John 3:16-17(NLT)

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

John 15:13(NIV)

13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Carter's Testimony of Salvation

Last night was a pretty big night for our family.  One of those nights that I dream about, and hope and pray for the chance to experience.  Last night my sweet Carter prayed for Jesus to forgive him of his sins.  This moment is so sweet to have the opportunity to share with you all, and I can almost hear the chorus of angels celebrating with us.

Carter is six years old.  Which is pretty young for such a BIG life decision, I know.  The thing you have to understand is that the truth of who Jesus is, and the reality of Heaven has been a huge part of this child's life since before he was even born.  There is just no question in our family about the reality of Jesus, and what He did for us.

The thing we have to wait for is for our kids to come to an understanding of sin, and why we need salvation from it.  And that's a big concept for a young child, and that's why that whole age of accountability thing is in place.  God knows that children have to grow to a certain maturity level to be able to understand the depth of these concepts, and this timing varies with each child.

So, what brought about this big moment last night?

Carter had a moment at dinner that was hard for him.  He deals with a great deal of anxiety...much like his mom.  Social anxiety in particular.  Again...much like his mom.  And he got really embarrassed at a couple of things that were said.

Greg noticed that Carter's shirt was way too big.  So, he looked at the tag, and realized that the shirt was sized big enough to fit our 12 yr old.  So, we laughed about how that ended up in Carter's closet and that he was wearing it without even knowing it was so big.

That really embarrassed him.  He does not like to make mistakes, and really doesn't like it if he feels people are laughing at him. So, this was just a very mortifying moment for him.

Well, very soon after that, he hit his hand down on his plate and not meaning to, made some oranges go flying in the air a little.  Since it was another unexpected and surprising moment for all of us, we laughed again.  But sadly, for him, this was ANOTHER HUGE EMBARRASSMENT!  So, he starts crying because he doesn't like everyone laughing.

I felt for him because I do understand what he feels in moments like this, but I also need him to learn to not be so serious and learn to laugh at himself a little, and not take mistakes so hard.  Because mistakes are inevitable!!

So, that led to a conversation with him later.  I was hugging him, and reminding him how much I loved him, and really making sure he knew that.  And that no mistake he could make would ever change how awesome I thought he was because I loved him because of who he was, not the things he does.

And then I led in with, "And you know who loves you even more than me?"  He looked confused.

I said, "Jesus does.  He loves you even more than me."

This was not an unusual or new statement in our house.  I tell them this truth all of the time, but this time Carter's response was very different than usual.  With a very curious look to his face, he asked, "How does Jesus love me even MORE than you?!"

So, I started telling him the familiar story, but this time I felt the tug of the spirit letting me know that I needed to make sure that this kid REALLY UNDERSTOOD what I was saying.

I explained sin, and how everyone sins.  I let him know that even I have sinned, and gave clear examples of my own sin.  And then I asked him if he had sinned, and had him identify for me ways that he had sinned.  Not so that he would get in trouble, but just so that I would know for sure that he knew what sin was.  So, with some hesitation...because who wants to admit that they do bad things...he finally admitted to his own sins.

Then we went over the impact of sin on our lives.  The fact that no sin is allowed in Heaven.  And since we had both admitted that we had both sinned, what did that mean for us?  Well, it meant, we wouldn't be allowed in Heaven either, and in fact, that the place for sinners is actually Hell, which we know is a place we do NOT want to be.

And that's where the good news of Jesus comes in.  Jesus died because of the sins of all people, and through His sacrifice, WE can be forgiven of these sins.  All we have to do is accept that Jesus is who He claimed to be...the true Son of God, and that He alone has the power to take away our sins, and reconcile us back to God, so that we can one day go to Heaven too.

So, after fully discussing all of this, Carter said, "But, I do believe in Jesus?  So, won't I get to go to Heaven too?"

I said, "Well, you know, there is one way we can know for sure.  All we have to do is ask Him?"

So, I said that he would need to pray a prayer from his heart, that I couldn't pray it for him because Jesus needed to hear it from him, and in that prayer he needed to tell Jesus that he was sorry for sinning, and ask God to forgive him, and just let him know that he really does believe that He is God's son, and that He saved us from sin by dying on the cross.

With that, we both closed our eyes and held hands, and I let Carter pray.  He, being a VERY TIMID little boy, quietly said, "Dear God, I'm sorry that I sinned.  Please forgive me.  Please save me.  I love you, Jesus.  Amen."

And then I gave him a hug, and I said, "You know what?  The bible says that anyone who prays and asks Jesus to forgive them of their sins, will be saved.  So, you just got saved!"  I hugged him and told him I was so proud of him!

Then I let him go play, and he was just giddy.  He was skipping around, and I could tell that a peace had come in his heart too.  An assurance that yes, he does love Jesus, and Jesus has forgiven him from all the sins he's done, and all he may still do.

I still have lots of shepherding to do with him and all of my children, but I am so glad to know they have hearts open to receiving our Lord Jesus Christ.  There is just nothing more important to my heart as a mother.  I have prayed for this day, and so thankful it has come to be.  Just one more child to go now.

We will be setting up time to speak with our Children's Pastor soon, and make sure that he does have a full understanding of what all of this means, and if we all feel he is ready, we will be preparing him for an official baptism so that he can proudly announce to all of the world his faith in Jesus Christ.

The Church

We had a powerful revival service last night, and I wanted to share a point that the preacher gave that I think is so true and something we should all keep in mind.

He said, "Church was never intended to be a museum for the saints, rather its purpose is a hospital for the sick and a refuge for the lost."

If you are broken, tired, sick, beaten, worn, depressed, anxious, confused, desperate...then remember, that the exact place to find that help and healing you are looking for will be in the body of Christ. You were never intended to face these battles alone.

And if you are not in need of healing or help yourself, then you need to be there at the church ready and waiting to help those who are coming in need of direction, a friend, and/or salvation, standing ready at your post to show the way that leads them to Jesus.

So many people look at the church as a place that is just to meet their own needs and will walk away from it for the most trivial of reasons (when it stops serving them usually), and they forget that they have a responsibility as a Christian to BE a part of the church too. As I said above, if you are not the one in need of the help and healing, then you are the one intended to give it. You are needed and valuable in the body of Christ, and you can really make the difference in someone's life that really needs it, if you are there ready to do the work God created you to do. And the blessings you will receive as a result of that are so great and unimaginable, trust me, that you do not want to miss out on that. 

So, I'm throwing a challenge out to everyone who hasn't been in church for a while (for whatever reason), I'm asking you to give it another chance. Seek God's direction to place you just where you need to be, whether it is to be personally ministered to or to be used directly by God for His glory, and then get ready to see all of the wonderful things God will do in your life because of this decision.

Finally

It's only taken me a few months to make this happen, but I FINALLY have gotten our baptism certificates proudly displayed on our kitchen wall, which is a very central location in our home that anyone who came here would definitely see, but is also a place that we see daily and will have a constant reminder of our commitment of faith in Jesus Christ.



In case you don't remember, I wrote a post a few months ago about being impacted by the owners of one of our local Chinese restaurants proudly displaying their baptism certificate (that looked JUST LIKE THESE) on their wall right by the register, and the huge yet quiet profession of faith it makes to each of their customers that come to their restaurant.  And I was a little ashamed that, to that point, our baptism certificates were just sitting in some drawer somewhere, not really placing the appropriate value on them at all.

So glad to have finally changed that though.  And I had also mentioned before that I actually did not receive a certificate after my baptism (many moons ago), so, I had to track down the information from the church where I was baptized, and then I created my own to match the ones the others from my family have.

There is still space on the wall for when my little two make their BIG decisions, and actually they got really excited when I explained to them what these papers were, and both said, "I can't wait to have one too."  :)

And I hung these while my big two boys were away at camp, and when my second son came back, it was the FIRST THING he saw when he came in, and he commented immediately with a big, beaming smile, "You put them up!"

See, kids are always proud of the awards and achievements they make in life, and love even more when their parents show pride in that, right?  What one thing could my children do that would bring me more pride than accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and publicly confessing to live their lives for Him?  Really!!  This is the single accomplishment that really matters, and I want my children to know how very proud I am of them for that, and I want THEM to be proud of this decision themselves, and know what a really big honor it is to be part of the body of Christ.

While they were away as well, I added in a few other little decorations around the house that also caught their attention.  I had read a blog a few weeks back that inspired me to place scripture verses in well seen areas all over our house, because this is an easy way to get the Word of God into their little minds to use at the times when they will need them most.  So, I picked some great every day living verses, and have them distributed all over, and the kids were eager to go around and find them.  I will actually probably try to add to this and change it up from time to time to get more and more important verses into them.

I'm always on the lookout for ways to strengthen my children's faith, and these are just some of the recent ones that have really inspired me to action.  :)

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

I read the passage below today, and just cried all the way through it.  There is so much about this passage that breaks my heart.  Looking at verses 33-34, Jesus took his closest friends with him and asked them to stay with him and pray with him, for HE knew what was coming even though they didn't.  And it breaks my heart at the mere idea that his "soul was CRUSHED WITH GRIEF to the point of death."  He's begging, "Friends, PRAY with me!  Be with me in this moment!"

Then we move on to Jesus's actual prayer in verse 36.  "Father, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU!  PLEASE TAKE THIS CUP of suffering away from me!!  Yet I want YOUR WILL to be done, not mine!"

The passion behind it!!  The brokenness of his heart knowing what needed to be done, yet wishing there was any other way.

He comes up from this prayer, only to find his friends sleeping.  The pain and disappointment he must have felt at that.  Needing his friends' prayers and support so much, and they let him down.

He asks them again, "Keep watch and PRAY!"  Saying, "My spirit is willing, but my body is weak."  He needs all of God's strength to overcome the fear of the flesh placed upon him, at the things he knew he was about to face.  His soul completely willing to do what needed to be done, but experiencing the weakness that came with his earthly body.  (The weakness, you and I know all too well!)

He leaves and prays again, that same passionate prayer, and then returned to find them sleeping again.  They don't even have words to give him because they know in their hearts they've let him down.  There's no excuse good enough to answer for their lack of faithfulness during that time.

Then just moments later, the time he feared and dreaded so much had come.  And there was no more time to pray or change the path of his destiny.  It had been decided, and it would come to pass.

I felt his heart today as I read these verses again, and it was broken and desperate, and just longing for the closeness and support from those he held so dear.  It hurt to read this, it hurt to see him so alone in his greatest time of need.  And it hurt knowing that the pain that "CRUSHED his soul with GRIEF" was over knowing what he had to do... for the sake of me...  as well as the sake of all mankind because he loved us all that much that he was willing to walk this path and bear that cup for us.

Praise you, Lord Jesus, I don't have adequate words, just humble adoration to offer.  THANK YOU for your love and sacrifice you've given to me, and that you offer to all.  I pray that no one that hears this will refuse the gift you've given to them; that cost you more than any other person in this world would be willing to pay and brings more joy and peace than anything else in this world could provide.  Amen!




Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

32 They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. 34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

35 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

37 Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

39 Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before. 40 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.

41 When he returned to them the third time, he said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But no—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”

Mark 14:32-42

How did that get in there?

Evidently there is controversy of John 7:53-8:11 or better known as the story about the adulteress woman who was about to be stoned to death, and Jesus said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Did you know that there was question about the validity of these verses being placed in the Bible? I didn't, and when I was reading this morning, I noticed a special notation in my Study Bible that sent me on a hunt for the background of what's really going on here.

In my NIV Study Bible, listed before these verses is a notation that says, "The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53-8:11."

So, I sat back and went, "HUH?!" Because I feel like this is one of those REALLY well known stories of Jesus' works while he was on the earth.

From what I've found, I think it's safe to still consider this as a Biblical truth, but I think it's very likely that it wasn't actually written by John. Could have been, but I think, it's just not known for sure where this piece was derived though there is high confidence that it came from one of the apostles.

I'm attaching a link that I felt was very thorough in its explanation behind these verses, and they quoted this one verse from John that made me giggle:

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." John 21:25 (NIV) :)

Also, I checked my other versions of the Bible that I have in my house, and my KJV did not have this notation. I appreciate at least having the notation that this piece may or may not be included correctly. If we are going to take the Bible for what it says, we need to understand as best as we can the origins of the things we've placed in it.

Here's the link that I told you about:

http://www.notjustanotherbook.com/disputedjohn.htm

Honoring a symbol of our faith

I have been burdened by a blog post that I read the other day that was talking about the leader of North Korea calling for 33 Christians to be executed.  A stark reminder of the freedoms we have here that are so often taken for granted.  And, I can't hear things like this without thinking, "Would I be brave enough to stand up as a Christian under those same circumstances?  When everything of this world of value to me lays on the line?  Would I show REAL faith then?"

So, yes, those 33 Christians and their families have been heavy on my mind, as well as the other members of the faith that are still living in fear of becoming the next victim to this horrible persecution, and they have all been in my prayers since I read the article.  However, today I was hit with a new revelation about that situation as well.

After church today, I took my 9 yr old to eat at a local Chinese restaurant--just the two of us.  This is a place we go to often.  The owners are so nice, and actually comment to me when it's been a while since they've seen us.  LOL

Here's where things were different for me this time though, and made this visit a little more memorable than others have been.  When I was at the register to pay, something on the wall caught my eye.  It was a baptism certificate with a picture of the owner of this Chinese Restaurant being baptized into one of our local churches.  This small symbol of their faith taped to the wall of that restaurant for all to see left me in AWE.

I don't have a baptism certificate from when I was baptized, but my husband and my 2 older children do.  Are theirs proudly displayed on my wall?  No.  Why is that?  Because it never occurred to me how proud I should be of the thing those pieces of paper symbolize.

Then I thought more about these local Chinese people that I don't know very well, but have become familiar and friendly faces to me in our community.  And though their restaurant is kind of small and doesn't have the widest variety of choices on their buffet, theirs quickly became my favorite Chinese place because the kindness of this family makes them the type of people I want to support with my business (even before seeing this baptism certificate today).

And my new thought today was that these particular Chinese people who live here in Small City, USA get to PROUDLY live and display their faith in Jesus Christ, while near their homeland of China they would have to live in fear of being truly known as a Christian.  They could never display something like that, without GREAT fear of repercussion and persecution from their own government for their faith in Jesus Christ.  And they must understand the significance of that fact, and is likely a deeper reason to proudly sharing their faith in such a quiet, yet public way.  They realize the significance of being a Christian and being able to live it publicly without fear.  It's an honor to them, and something that obviously makes them deeply proud.

The funny this is, that baptism certificate has probably been there on that wall a long time, and I never stopped and noticed it until today, but it has inspired me so much in my own faith now that I have seen it.  And I think it was in God's timing that I did see it, because I may not have put together the significance of this Chinese family openly sharing their Christian faith without having the burden on my heart for these other persecuted North Korean families too.

So, why am I not giving it the true honor it deserves?  Today I was able to go church and openly worship my Savoir, I was able to go in a restaurant and speak freely to my son about our faith, and I was able to commend and encourage a Chinese family for showing me (and the rest of the world) how precious a little piece of paper could be, when it signifies something as amazing as a life given to Jesus.

Anyway, I just had to share.  It moved me, and I wondered if it might move some of you as well.

Here's the blog post I referenced too.

http://loristanleyroeleveld.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/theyll-be-dead-by-morning-
what.html?m=1