Jesus Freak!

"Not everyone who says to me: Lord! Lord! will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven. Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not speak in your name? Did we not cast out devils and perform many miracles in your name?" Then I will tell them openly: I have never known you; away from me, you evil people!" - Matthew 7:21-23

Why is it that I am met with so much resistance when I want to pray with someone or talk about God? It seems to me that I would have more friends and people wanting to talk to me if I spoke about wild nights and getting wasted as opposed to the fact that God wants to be everything for us… He wants to make up for the friend that betrayed you, give you love for the partner that doesn't show you affection, be a crutch when you need support. Yet the people that don't want to hear about God now become expert knee-benders, church goers, and bible-holders when an accident leaves a loved one in a coma, when a serious illness hits, when someone goes to jail, or someone is about to lose their house because they can't pay their bills. Where are they when life is good? The fact is, that soon or in a couple of years, I, like each and every single one of you, am going to die, and on that day, I will have to face my God, and on that day, I WILL NOT care about who calls me a "Jesus freak" today, who avoids talking to me because I want to talk about the love of God, or who tries telling me that I should take things easy. The only thing I care about, that matters to me, is that when I die, Jesus will know who I am. Therefore, I am NOT compromising on my faith and I WILL continue to try to do the will of God, because as far as I am concerned, when I call out "Lord! Lord!" I'm getting through those doors and joining all the other Jesus freaks!

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, it is so hard to live with Your joy and do Your will when most of the people around me only seek their own needs and desires. Help us to remember that this life is short and in order to live it righteously we need to put ourselves aside and do as You have taught us. Give us the strength to persevere. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Prodigal Son

"He was still a long way off when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him." - Luke 15:20

This is a story we all know really well, the story of the prodigal son. I wanted to focus on this verse in the story because it's what stands out the most to me. After squandering all of his money on filth, the son recognized that his father always treated his servants well, and if he was going to be a servant, he should go back and work for his father. I love how this verse describes the reaction of the father upon seeing his son return. The father didn't need an apology, he didn't have the need to lecture the son and say 'I told you so,' or hold any grudge against him. From the moment he saw his boy from afar, he was prepared to give him the best he had to welcome him, no matter how selfish the son was in the past. This is the love of our Father in Heaven.

During the season of Lent, we focus a lot on sacrifices and repentance, but God is so good that after a few weeks, the teachings in the daily readings start reflecting the goodness, forgiveness, and mercy of God! God wants to forgive us. He doesn't even need to hear the apology to welcome us back to Him with open arms! Like the son in the story, you could have wasted all of your life with horrible sins but the moment you turn your eyes to Heaven, God wants to be there for you! Seek His forgiveness today! Let yourself be welcomed into His loving arms.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, thank You for Your love and mercy. Thank You for being better than my evil. Please cleanse me of all my sins so that I can be worthy of You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Stealing Heaven

"Turning to Jesus, he said, 'Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus replied, 'Truly, you will be with me today in paradise.'" - Luke 23:42-43

At the time of His crucifixion, Jesus was put between two criminals. One mocked Jesus telling Him to bring Himself down if He was really a prophet, while the other asked Jesus to remember him. I love this verse because it shows how loving and merciful God is. This criminal had to have done something really bad to deserve a death on the cross and he even told the other thief to leave Jesus alone because they did deserve their punishments, unlike Jesus. But this just goes to show that to God, it doesn't matter what you've done. You could be the worst person ever, but the second you repent from the heart, you become pure and win God's complete forgiveness. This thief was just about to die and if he hadn't repented, he would have gone to hell, but instead he recognized his own faults before Jesus and asked Him for help. Not only did he receive forgiveness because of this, but he also won an immediate entry into Heaven

In our lives we definitely do feel that our sins are without forgiveness at times. We think that we've done something so bad that we don't deserve to seek God or go to church, but the example of the thief proves us wrong. It does not matter what you've done. If you are truly sorry and repented from the heart, you win God's forgiveness and acceptance. Be thankful that the only One who can truly judge us is a much fairer judge than we are.

Today's Prayer:
Thank You Lord for being so loving and forgiving. Help me to see how easy it is to be Your friend and help me to never forget Your kindness. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Sole Reliance on God

"For us, our citizenship is in heaven." - Phillipians 3:20

We need to be reminded constantly that we do not belong to ourselves or to this earth. God created you with a purpose and Jesus paid for your life with His blood to give you back the abundant life you lost because of sin. As you know, God took His time to make you in your mother's womb, He gave you the breathe of life and holds on to you, preserving your life until He decides. That's why your true life can only be found in Him. That's why all you try to do without Him crumbles. Understand that you cannot get away from Him, so today, accept His call to surrender your will to His for He will take care of you out of love. Look at the great things you have in your life, your friends, family, they were all given to you by God without you even asking. Imagine what else He can give you if you make your life His. I know some that don't give themselves up to God because it's just not what most people do, no one follows God anymore, you don't want to be an outsider…you certainly don't want to be a "Jesus freak." But wake up and realize that all that really matters is what God thinks of you because in about 50 years, most of us will be gone. No one will be there when you die except for God so what does it matter what other people think?

Since our time on earth is only temporary, not even a 100 years, and our citizenship is with God in Heaven, where we will be for eternity, we need to change the way we think of ourselves. Instead of what you think of yourself, what you can do for yourself, or what others think of you or can do for you, you ONLY need to worry about what God thinks of you and can do for.

Say this to God each and every morning and He'll help you get there:

Self Sufficiency - I am only satisfied when I completely depend on You.

Self Esteem - I only need to see me the way You do.

Self Awareness - I realize how poor I am and how rich You are.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am nothing before You but You are everything. Make me aware each day of how short my life is and how much I need You in it. Help me to only depend on You and only worry about what You think of me. In Your Name we pray, Amen.