Tag: never alone

Following the fourth Wiseman- Breakfast on the beach
Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · found · free · guidance · Jesus · lent · Love · no longer lost · power of God · Prayer · searching

Following the fourth Wiseman- Breakfast on the beach

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Our traveler has tried to remain with the disciples ever since the upper room. He lost track of them a couple of times but has now managed to follow them to the sea. They decided to go back to fishing. They don’t know what else to do. He asks if he can join them and they agree. As he works to become used to fishing he sees something that changes his world forever.

John 21:1-7, 9-10, 12 ESV
[1] After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. [2] Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. [3] Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. [4] Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. [5] Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” [6] He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. [7] That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.
[9] When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. [10] Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
[11] So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.
[12] Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.

Our traveler waits at a short distance and watches as the Messiah goes off with one of the disciples. Then He returns and he looks at our traveler and smiles. Our traveler goes to Him and falls to his knees.
“My Lord, you do not know me…”
The Messiah kneels in front of our traveler and takes his face in His hands, “I know you.”
Our traveler’s eyes fill with tears one more time and he is embraced by the Messiah.
“I could not get to you sooner.” Our traveler weeps.
“You have arrived when my Father planned for you to arrive.”
“I was meant to be here?”
“You were meant to go and tell the other Magi who had followed the star all those years ago, what you have seen and heard so they can tell others. Spread this as far and wide as you can travel. You are my traveler, after all.”
Our traveler smiles. In the end. He was not late. He had not missed his chance. He was where his Messiah had always meant for him to be.

In the calling of the deciples all those weeks ago, our traveler had wondered if he too could follow Jesus? Despite his inadequacies. Now, because of the cross he has his answer. Yes. Yes he cam follow him. Yes you can follow Him, more than that, He is calling you to.

Following the fourth Wiseman- Are you still at the pool?
Christianity · Devotional · dreams do come true · encouragement · free · guidance · Jesus · lent · power of God · Prayer · searching · still fighting

Following the fourth Wiseman- Are you still at the pool?

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We rejoin our traveler as he walks the darkened cobbled path that he had been directed to by a merchant in the market. The groans of the ill and the smell of the street makes his stomach turn.

“I believe He can do it again!” Says a man laying on the stones, his legs bandaged.

“It was a fluke. Some strange medicine from another land.” Replies another.

“Medicine that could make a man you and I have seen to be crippled for all the years we have been here, get up and walk?”

“You think too much.”

“I have hope. If He healed one He may return to heal more.”

Our traveler walks over to the two men who are speaking and asks them of what they speak?

“None of your business.” The one replies, but the other, smiles.

John 5:2-3, 5-9 ESV
[2] Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. [3] In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.
[5] One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. [6] When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” [7] The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” [8] Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” [9] And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

“Can you believe it?” The man asks excitedly.

Our traveler nods his head, “Yes. I certainly can.”

Our traveler goes back to the market and buys bread and fruit and returns to the alley where he dispenses the food between the people there.

I have always had trouble with the pool of Bethesda. Not the mystery of it, there could have been something God was doing there, or ot could have been a mineral pool. We do know there were stories of people who went in and came out healed. What bothers me is the healed man. There were most likely many people there. Near that exact spot. All of them. Every. Single. One. Needed healing. Yet, Jesus chose to heal only one. I don’t understand that. I never will. Sometimes we see someone receive something that we deserved. We were just as good, we worked just as hard. Yet we walk away with nothing. Why? We cannot always understand God’s will. There are times when it confounds us to the place of doubt. Yet He is still good. Remember what the three Hebrew boys said in Daniel? “And if not He is still good.” To have that faith. To watch the Messiah heal one man and walk away when there were many others there who needed Him just confuses me to no end. But He had a reason. We still don’t know what that reason was. Was it the man’s faith? Jeuss does not say so. Was it because he was Jewish? There were probably other Jewish people there. Was it simply because he had been there the longest? Perhaps he had prayed and Jesus had come in answer to that prayer? We won’t know the answer until we see Jesus ourselves and ask Him. Even if you are the man in the alley, still crippled; or the woman on the stairs, still blind. Jesus has not overlooked you. He sees you. He has a plan and a purpose for your life just as you are now. Would a miracle be great? Of course. But sometimes He only heals one, yet He still has a path for the others. Don’t lose hope because you are still sitting by the well. He sees you, He knows you, He understands you, and He has not forgotten you.

In the box of grief
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In the box of grief

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I don’t know who needs this tonight. But grief is like a box. You feel trapped by walls that you can’t touch or see and you feel a need to escape but can’t. This is why so many turn to suicide, because the box is everywhere. You run one direction and it follows you, you go another direction and it’s still there. The worst part of the box is that it is there even when you try and escape into sleep. It follows you into your dreams and makes you feel like you can’t breathe.
No one else sees the box, so they don’t understand how you feel.
But Jesus sees the box. He alone can hear you pounding on its barriers and screaming for help. The best part is, counselors and support groups -though great – can only meet you outside of the box. They try to coax you out and then meet you on the other side. But Jesus doesn’t need to wait until you are free from the box. He goes into the box with you. He sits there with you as long as you feel you need to be there. Because sometimes fighting the box takes too much out of us and we need time to sit and cry. When you are ready, Jesus will hold your hand, tap the box wall and make it fall before you. He will set you free.

If you are in a box right now, take a moment to speak the name of Jesus and realize that you are not alone.

Last days burn out
Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · guidance · Jesus · power of God · searching · still fighting · The Bible

Last days burn out

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Last days wear out is something no one talks about.

I would like to start this Devotional with the releasing statement that I am not one the great people who study in depth and know great and terrible things involving the end. However, if we believe the Bible (which we do) and read it fully we will know that all the days after Jesus ascended are the last days. So we are in them even if we are or are not fully in the book of Revelation yet.
What I want to speak of is last days wear out.
The Bible says:

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:1‭-‬5‬ ‭NIV‬‬
[1] But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. [2] People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, [4] treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— [5] having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

And it says:

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬
[3] Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
There are many more but we will stay with these for today. The last days for those living in sin will look a big party with no rules or rulers. But for those us who belong to Jesus, we can see the truth. What about those of us who long for righteousness? Those who tread carefully on the narrow path? We see all around us and try and remain pure, untainted and faithful, but as the final days of the end draw closer and closer things are getting worse. The world is dying and we can see it and for many of us it’s frightening and tiring. We feel like we are fighting against so much every day. We have lost friends and connections with loved ones and we wonder if we are doing the right thing. But God.
God warned us that this would be what these days would look like, He’s not surprised by any of it. Is He sad? Probably. Is He angry? Probably. But Is He surprised? No. He is still in control.
‭‭15] Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. [16] He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. [17] Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. [18] But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

We are called to stay on guard and to help our fellow Christians do the same. But it does wear us out. I am worn out. My friends talk and I hear how worn out they are. Being a true Christian in these sad and heartbreaking days is hard work. We pray harder and more often. It seems like the list of needs keeps growing. Evil is standing in the center of everything and is reaching its fingertips towards the church and all we want to do is scream or cry. But God is holding us. He is keeping us together and waiting until His time is right for His second coming and in that we have hope. The wars, politics, lies and deceit are banging around in our heads and Jesus is saying, “just be still. You are here for my chosen purpose. I am always with you.”
So maybe some days we need to take a break and rest and disconnect from social media, TV, and the radio just so we can become realigned with what matters and what is true. Then let us stand up and say:
[20] He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. [21] The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. Revelation 22:20- 21

I wish we’d all been ready
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · guidance · Jesus · searching

I wish we’d all been ready

carriedinthecross1 Comment

Life was filled with guns and war
And everyone got trampled on the floor
I wish we’d all been ready

Children died the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we’d all been ready

There’s no time to change your mind
How could you have been so blind
The father spoke the demons dined
The son has come and you’ve been left behind

You’ve been left behind
You’ve been left behind

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Larry Norman
I Wish We’d All Been Ready lyrics © Ordure Blanc Music

As a kid I loved this song. It was sort of dark and moody and I liked that. As I grew older and the tune gave way to the words I still liked it for it’s powerful meaning, but now as 2022 has been in full swing for five months and we see how much worse things are getting this song breaks my heart, because I see it. I’m not saying Jesus is coming tomorrow or trying to prophesy end times, I am just saying we need to have eyes that are open. You might sound crazy if you mention the word apocalypse, until you are proven right. This might not be it. Jesus might not be returning for another two thousand years for all we know, but I wish we were all ready. I have heard the people call us Christians fanatics and Jesus freaks and other things I can’t say. I get it. We look crazy to some people, we talk about an all powerful God who takes away sin and makes us clean, a God who loves us as we are and is willing to help us be better. We talk about a paradise and a second coming and Heavenly beings. We sound a little crazy. But if you have met Him. Heart to heart, and found a true connection. If you have seen Him do amazing things, if you have been in darkness and then met His perfect light, you know that you aren’t crazy, you know that He is real and what He says is true.
Don’t get discouraged by the bribes and threats of the fallen world around us. Stay strong and continue to follow.
My Poppa who has been an evengelical minister for seventy some years said something really good the other day.
‘Those in the stands will always find criticism in those running the race, but those who have crossed the finish line will cheer you on.’
Those who aren’t aiming for Heaven will always find fault in those who are, but that doesn’t mean that those who are striving toward God are wrong, it means that the people in the stands aren’t running, they don’t understand the race and have nothing better to do then yell at the people who are down on the track sweating it out. But the people who have run the race and are watching from Heaven, they know what it’s like, they understand and are cheering you on. Don’t give up because the guy buying peanuts in row three seat A5 thinks that you should do something differently, is he running? No. So how does he know what you should do?
Look closer at that guy who is challenging you to give up, do you see the sneer and…is his toungue forked? Never doubt that the one telling you to stop being a Jesus Freak is the devil. It doesn’t matter whose voice he uses to dissuade you, it’s the deciver trying to make you give up. So keep going. And when you can’t run, walk, and when you can’t walk, kneel. Jesus is there beside you cheering you on too. I wish we’d all been ready, but just as much I pray that those who are ready don’t give up before the race is won.

Friends
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · dreams do come true · encouragement · free · Jesus · searching

Friends

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I will follow you anywhere. Even past the realms of death to that which lies beyond.
So says a true friend.
I will go through death alone and move through what lies beyond alone for you. So says the truest friend. Jesus.
No matter where we go we are not alone; and for the places where we cannot go, Jesus goes alone without us to fight our battles for us.
Isn’t that an encouraging thought.

Easier would be nice God, just saying
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · Jesus

Easier would be nice God, just saying

carriedinthecross3 Comments

Some days….most days, I wish that God would make things easy. You know? Today I drove into an unassuming ditch. It looked like I would skim the edge of a very small divot leading to a field. The divot was a ditch so deep and so full of snow that suddenly not all four wheels were on the ground anymore. Worse it wasn’t my property. Worse still I was in the middle of no where so CAA would be a pain to try to get out to my trouble spot. So I prayed. Of course. Then tried for about 15mins to get out. Now, in my mind I would pray and walk my truck right out of the hole. Nope. I prayed and then tried and tried and tried until finally my little Holy Spirit nudge said, “call your DAD!” Dad face timed with me. We prayed together and he helped me figure out how to get the truck out. It took almost an hour. A lot of shoving bear claws under tires, backing up as far as it would go and repeating. A bit of shoveling, more prayer, and a 3 point basket cheer when we finally got out.
Was God not there as I struggled? Of course He was.
Why wasn’t He making it easy?
Good question.
I think that sometimes God gives us things that He helps us through. Instead of fixing the problem for us, He helps us fix the problem ourselves, then we learn and grow from our issues and mistakes.
Kind of like my Poppa. I can do so many things that most people probably can’t simply because instead of doing it for me my Poppa always showed me how to do it and had me do it myself. Actually so does my dad. He hands me the skill saw and says ‘cut here, follow this line.’ Saw gets pinched. ‘Here, this is how you get it unstuck without breaking the blade, now you do it.’ That’s how I know how to do things. I believe that God does that too.
“Here, listen to what I am saying and try it this way. Okay, good job, now try again.”
That way, we learn.
Thank God for teaching me, even if that sometimes means making me do things the hard way.

Soldiers
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · J.R.R.Tolkien · Jesus · searching

Soldiers

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Soldiers

Home is behind, the world is ahead, (J.R.R. Tolkien). I usually see this phrase of this song as a sentence of awe and thrill. Images of camping and wooded trails, tall mountains and pounding waterfalls overtake my mind and I breathe deeply. However that was not the scene around this statement. In the Lord of The Rings masterpiece epic, ( I mean the novels) Pipin sings a song of what would seem to be great adventure, in fact it is a song of war. They left their homes behind and took to war. Trenches and hill tops and beaches. Skies, oceans and forests. Deserts and mountains and jungles. Comfort left behind, loving arms and gentle words long forgotten as feet ache in heavy boots and backs sweat under heavy packs. You almost don’t dare make friends because you don’t know how long you will get to hold to these people around you, but you become family. Our soldiers learned the line Jesus said about true friends, and what Paul said, Rare for a person to lay down their life even for a righteous person; perhaps for a good man one would dare to die for.-Paul ( this is not a direct quote)
Our soldiers dared to die for those they never met. War is UGLY! Suffering and death happen and it is awful! But freedom doesn’t come by hoping for it. We should always honor those who suffered and died, AND those who suffered and live, because our freedom came from their blood. Hate war always, hate our soldiers NEVER! They did not ask for the wars they fought and fight in, but they saw the suffering of the innocent and had the courage to stand up and do something about it. God bless our soldiers! Semper Fi.

I found the cover image on the internet and hope that it is okay that I used it because it is so powerful. My uncle was in Vietnam and this painting reminded me of the few stories that he was able to tell when he got back.

Carrying your sword in hand
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · Jesus · searching

Carrying your sword in hand

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I have an author that I used to read a fair bit when I was younger. In the end of one of his books the ships are leaving with all the warriors of the king and one soldier comes running last of all. A soldier who had chosen to never go to war and to simply carry his weapon and claim to be part of the king’s army. In the end the king refused to take the soldier with him to his kingdom because, though he carried a weapon given him by the king, he never used it.
This made me think of God. Do we simply carry God’s gifts and feel that because we have them we are special, the ‘God chose me’ mentality? Are we special if all we do is posses unused gifts? We cannot simply believe in God but not serve Him. Now, I have no authority to say Heaven is out of reach for those who only believe and do not serve, but if God has given you a gift He has done so so that you can use it for HIM. He does not gift us for the sake of our pride. Romans 12:7 if your gift is teaching, teach; if it is serving, serve.
If your gift is being a mom then be the best mom you can possibly be to God’s glory.
If it is construction then construct to God’s glory.
Whatever you do, give your gift back to God. You do not want to simply carry your sword in it’s scabbard and never draw it. Do you polish it so you can admire your reflection or so it is optimal when you go to battle? Be a warrior who carries their sword in hand and is ready to use it. The sword of the Spirit is hungry and ready to be wielded, and if the Spirit is leading you then you are fighting on God’s team. Do not be discouraged, you may be already wielding your sword and not know it. Listen for God’s direction and let the Spirit guide you. Serve God the best way you know how. Further His kingdom as only you can. God gifted you for a reason and He will show you that reason but do not give up on searching for ways to be God’s warrior no matter how small it may seem. You are special and having a gift is a special thing, but being special without using your specialty is a waste. So waste not, find your niche, and fight for God’s kingdom.

Credit to owner for image

Dads
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · Father's Day

Dads

carriedinthecross2 Comments

What does the word ‘dad’ mean to you? What is your first thought when you hear someone say father? I think about strength, courage, endurance, sacrifice.

When someone says ‘dad’ I imagine my father. When someone says ‘father’ I imagine God.

God is our father. Why? Why is God not just our boss? Our master? Our king? Our friend? Why is He also our Father? God is our father because He knew we would need a protector, strong arms to run into when we are afraid, strong hands to fend away those who would harm us and courage to not run away from our need. He knew we would need wisdom, knowledge and just general know how for when we are confused or do not know where to turn.

He knew we would need a steadfast and loving heart for when this world crushes ours. God is our Father for every single meaning of the word.

Not everyone has a dad on this earth to run to, but everyone (no matter their age, abilities or needs,) everyone has a father in God.

Dads are our earthly version of Father, to the best of their abilities. Everytime they try, Everytime they help, Everytime they are understanding and protecting and loving, they are being father, just as God intended them to be.

Thank you Fathers for all you are and all you help us to be.

Happy Father’s Day

Please feel free to comment what your dad means to you and to connect him to this site so he can see what you said.