Roadside Stops...

"After Jesus had dismissed them, 

He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. 

When evening came, He was there alone" 

(Matthew 14:23 - NIV)

"And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to 

a deserted place and rest a while.” 

For there were many coming and going, 

and they did not even have time to eat." 

(Mark 6:31 New King James Version)

"Jesus... departed again to the mountain 

by Himself alone" 

(John 6:15 NKJV)

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Wayside Stops

A sanctuary is a place of refuge and protections – a place where you can leave the world behind.

Travelers in the Middle Ages found little shrines set up along the roadway. In each shrine, a cross and the image of a saint were hung. Travelers could stop at these so called “sanctuaries” for rest and take time for prayer, regaining strength to continue their journey.

Our contemporary world doesn’t have wayside shrines for rest stops. But our minds and hearts still get weary. We have to devise our own wayside stops, not on actual roads, but in the road or daily life.

Attending a worship service on a weekend does not usually provide everything we need to see us through an entire week. As inspiring as the service may be, we need something more to keep us going until the next service. We need stopping places during the week, intimate sanctuaries here and there where we can stop our busier life and let the Lord God refresh our soul with His presence.

What are some sanctuaries you might find to get away from your busy life and find restoration and peace from God? Here it is some ideas:

• Reading the Holy Scriptures is one such stopping place, because our success in life and in anything we do depends on our reading of the Word of God, see Joshua 1:8 “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” – Immerse yourself in a favorite passage elsewhere in the Bible, such as Psalms, Proverbs, and the Gospels.

• A little book of daily devotion is a good way to restore energy. Carry one of these precious devotional books with you. Read it with your heart, soul and spirit!

• A trusted Christian friend with whom you can be yourself is a type of sanctuary. You can gain a great deal from the faith, encouragement, and insight of others. The Bible says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22) – “Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.  They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck” (Proverbs 1:8-9).

• Your own communion service during the week gives you a chance to take part in the nourishment of the Lord’s Supper. Just to show you how it was begun in the home, Acts, chapter 2:46, says, “They, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house.” One of the customs of the early church was to share in communion from house to house. It’s a beautiful thing. It belongs in the home, equally as it belongs in the Church. If you were to share once a week in a communion in your own home, this could be a tremendous thing to celebrate together as a family, the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Soon coming back. This praises God; this exalts the Savior; this brings the focus on the unity of the believers as we gather at the foot of the cross. Yes, certainly it belongs in the home. You don’t have to have official people serving it. It’s something every believer can do. Maybe someone asks, “Do you have to be a member of the church to take communion?” Of course not. You just have to be a born again Christian and love the Lord Jesus Christ; there’s no requirement other than that.

• Going to a State or City Park, or just sitting in your own backyard and reading the Bible or a good Christian book gives you a chance to rest while enjoying God’s creation. Note: Don’t read gossip magazines at these moments, because they are filled with evil things and social garbage.

• Singing aloud a great hymn or praise song helps to restore your joy, while you immerse yourself in the song’s lyric.

Jesus Christ is your Example, and He often went away to quiet place to gain strength from His Heavenly Father our Father too, “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:14-16).

Establish your own personal shrines today! God want your attention because He wants to have a personal relationship with you daily, every minute, wherever you go! Think about it and don’t harden your heart to His lovely voice right now. May the Lord bless you.

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“Let the first act on waking be to place yourself, your heart, mind, faculties, your whole being, in God's hands. Ask Him to take entire possession of you, to be the Guide of your soul, your Life, your Wisdom, your Strength. He wills that we seek him in all our needs, that we may both know Him truly, and draw closer and closer to Him; and in prayer we gain an invisible force which will triumph over seemingly hopeless difficulties.” (Sidney Lear)

With God Nothing Is Impossible…

Philippians 4:13 (New Living Translation)

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Isaiah 44:1-8,24 (New International Version)

1 "But now listen, O Jacob, my servant,
       Israel, whom I have chosen.
 2 This is what the LORD says—
       he who made you, who formed you in the womb,
       and who will help you:
       Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant,
       Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
 3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
       and streams on the dry ground;
       I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
       and my blessing on your descendants.
 4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
       like poplar trees by flowing streams.
 5 One will say, 'I belong to the LORD ';
       another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
       still another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,'
       and will take the name Israel.
The LORD, Not Idols
 6 "This is what the LORD says—
       Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty:
       I am the first and I am the last;
       apart from me there is no God.
 7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
       Let him declare and lay out before me
       what has happened since I established my ancient people,
       and what is yet to come—
       yes, let him foretell what will come.
 8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
       Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?
       You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
       No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."
24 "This is what the LORD says—
       your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:
       I am the LORD, who has made all things, 
       who alone stretched out the heavens,
       who spread out the earth by myself,

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With God Nothing Is Impossible…

Scientists say it can’t be done! It’s impossible, Aerodynamic theory is crystal clear. Bumblebees cannot fly.

The reason is because the size, weight, and shape of the bumblebee’s body in relation to the total wing spread make it impossible to fly. The bumblebee is simply to heavy, too wide, and too large to fly with wings that small.

However, the bumblebee is ignorant of these scientific facts and goes ahead flies anyway. In another word, the bumblebee doesn’t care what anybody says about it, or any report from any Scientist, it keeps on flying no matter what.

It was God who created the bumblebee and God who taught it how to fly. The bumblebee obviously didn’t question God about the problem with aerodynamics. It simply flew. It didn’t question whether God really knew what He was talking about or what He was doing. It didn’t wonder if God really loved it when He gave it such small wings. No, Sir! – No, Ma’am! – It simply flew!! – Glory to God!!

When God created us, He also equipped us for the life ahead. He didn’t say to us that life would be easier. But He says He knows the “plans” He has for our lives, for each one of us. Because He loves us, He has promised to be with us, to reach us, to carry us, and to be our Rock, and our Redeemer, “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer"   (Isaiah 44:22, 24a). Now all we have to do is just to trust Him and to obey Him.

God is not limited by our understanding of how things happen. Just because we can’t see something, doesn’t mean it’s not real. Faith is, indeed, the substance of things not seen. Sometimes life is inexplicable, and the impossible happens. We can’t always explain everything.

And just because we don’t understand how something can be done, doesn’t mean our Almighty God can’t do it. “The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” - Mark 10:26-27 (New Living Translation).

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God is within all things, but not included;

Outside all things, but not excluded;

Above all things, but not beyond their reach.

(Pope Gregory the Great)

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"I am the LORD, 
the God of all mankind. 

Is anything too hard for me?

(Jeremiah 32:27)

Nailed to The Cross

Colossians 2:9-17 (New International Version)

 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, 
who is the head over every power and authority.
11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, 
not with a circumcision done by the hands of men 
but with the circumcision done by Christ, 

12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised 

with him through your faith in the power of God, 

who raised him from the dead.

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the 

uncircumcision of your sinful nature, 

God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, 

that was against us and that stood opposed to us; 

he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, 

he made a public spectacle of them, 

triumphing over them by the cross.

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you 

by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, 

a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; 

the reality, however, is found in Christ.

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Nailed to The Cross

It was a touching church service that day. Our Pastor talked about Jesus taking our sins upon Himself and dying in our place to take our punishment. He asked if anyone still felt guilt over confessed sins and was therefore not enjoying the forgiveness of God.

The Pastor then asked us to write sin or sins on a piece of paper, walk to the front of the church, and nail the paper to the cross that was placed there. Many went forward, and you could hear the pounding of nails for several minutes. That act didn’t give us forgiveness at all, of course, but it was a physical reminder that Jesus had already taken those sins of Himself as He hung on the cross and died for each one of us. So, basically this action was to make the audience to understand that “all of our sins” were nailed to the cross with Jesus.

That’s exactly what the Apostle Paul taught to the Church at Colosse. The people were being influenced by false teachers who presented Christ as less than adequate for their needs. But Paul explained that Jesus paid the price for our sins and for our freedom from the accusations of the devil about our past. Paul said, “Having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 3:14).

John the Apostle said, “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9). We don’t need to hold on to the guilt and the accusations that the Satan does against us.  Our sins have been nailed to the cross; they’ve been taken away, Jesus has forgiven them all and He paid the highest price of all, shedding His own blood on the cross for you and me.

But you have to accept Jesus Christ in your heart as your personal Lord and Savior, because He is the only Way that can secure your future in eternity. Have you thought what’s going to happen to you after you pass away?  Only the Name of Jesus and His blood has the power to make you free, to save you and to make you clean in the presence of the Almighty and Holy God. See what the Bible says: 

“By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole. Jesus is 'the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.' Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this One." (Acts 4:10-12 The Message). 

"Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” (Isaiah 1:16-18 N.L.T.) – Also, 

“For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped  you.”  Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2 N.L.T.)

Prayer of Salvation - Say It! and Mean It Now!

Do you agree with everything you have read so far? If you do, don't wait a moment longer to start your new life in Jesus Christ. Pray this with us out loud:

"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

Prayer of Salvation - I've Prayed It; Now What?

If you've prayed this prayer of salvation with true conviction and heart, you are now a follower of Jesus. This is a fact, whether or not you feel any different. Religious systems may have led you to believe that you should feel something - a warm glow, a tingle, or some other mystical experience. The fact is, you may, or you may not. If you have prayed the prayer of salvation and meant it, you are now a follower of Jesus. The Bible tells us that your eternal salvation is secure! "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

Welcome to the family of God! We encourage you now to find a local church where you can be baptized and grow in the knowledge of God through His Word, the Bible.

Remember: Your Sins Were Nailed to the Cross!

Trusting God Completely

John 2:23-25 (New Living Translation) 

Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in 

Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, 

many began to trust in him.  

But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew human nature.  

No one needed to tell him what mankind is really like.

Trusting God Completely

How deeply can we trust others? How much of ourselves do we give to others, and how vulnerable are we to them? I suppose the answers to these questions are as varied as the different situations. But considering the questions is definitely food for thoughts.

Those of us who have been hurt by trusting too much tend to pull back when we get into certain situations. I was once involved with a group of people whom I dearly loved, but eventually I realized our relationship wasn’t healthy for them or for me. I had become too dependent on them, even placing a trust in them that belongs only to God.

All of us know we’re supposed to place our ultimate trust only in the Lord. But sometimes we encounter individuals or groups who mean so much to us that we give too much of ourselves, or we allow them authority in our lives that belongs only to the Lord. When this happens, our lives are out of balance. And when we get out of balance, we open a door for the devil.

The words from John’s Gospel serve as an appropriate warning to us. He was speaking of the relationship Jesus had with His own beloved disciples. Jesus knew how much – and how little – He could trust even those who were closest to Him. He understood human nature—something all of us have.

Jesus knew that we, too, would need discernment about trusting others, so He sent His Holy Spirit to guide us and to let us know who we could trust. In 1 Corinthians 12:10, the Apostle Paul referred to the spiritual gift called the discerning of spirits, and in verse 31, he urged us to “earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts…” One of these “great gifts” is discernment, and it helps us distinguish between good and bad, not just bad.

True spiritual discernment motivates us to pray when a problem is identified. A genuine problem being discerned by a genuine gift will follow the scriptural plan for dealing with it, not fleshly ways that only exaggerate the problem. As we walk closely with God and ask for His guidance, the Spirit will provide it.

As I mentioned earlier, some seem to have the “gift” of suspicion, and it comes out of an unrenewed mind. Discernment, on the other hand, is the fruit of renewed spirit.

The book of Acts provides a good example of the discernment and trust issue. The Scriptures describe a couple named Ananias and Sapphira, who were members of the first church in Jerusalem. In those days, believers sold their possessions and shared them with others. This couple sold some land, kept part of the money, and brought the remainder to Peter. That was all right, because it was their money. But only giving part of the money and then leading Peter to believe it was all they had earned from the sale of their property, was not all right.

“Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?” (Acts 5:3).  Peter pointed out that it was their land and their money. Their sin was in giving only part of the money and claiming it was everything. “You have not lied to men but to God." (Acts 5:4b).

Both the husband and wife died for that deception. As terrible as that story is, it shows us clearly that the Holy Spirit knows our hearts. And it also shows us that the Spirit can show the intent of our heart to faithful, committed servants such as Peter through discernment.

God wants us to love and trust others, but we need discernment to guide us. There is a line where our trust and commitment must be reserved only for the Lord. When we give that trust to others, not only will we be disappointed-for no human can live up to our expectations- but we disappoint God.

So don’t make that mistake. It is wise to use discernment in choosing your friends, loving and trusting them, but you will never go wrong by loving and trusting God completely.

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Let’s pray:

Lord, I trust You, but I want to trust You even more. When I’m tempted to give the trust to others that only You deserve, please help me to be true to You. Help me, through Jesus Christ, to be sensitive to the leading of Your Holy Spirit, and let me understand which decision to take when it comes to my relationship with others peoples. I want to glorify your Holy Name any where I go, in any place I am and in anything I do. So help me Lord to be more like you and be faithful to you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

(by J. Meyer)

How to Become Rich

Luke 12:13-21 (New International Version)

 ¹³Someone in the crowd said to him, 

"Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

 ¹⁴Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 

¹⁵Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; 
a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

 ¹⁶And he told them this parable: 
"The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  
¹⁷He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

 ¹⁸"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. 
I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there 
I will store all my grain and my goods.  

¹⁹And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. 
Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

 ²⁰"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. 
Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

 ²¹"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself 
but is not rich toward God."

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How to Become Rich

I find it interesting that Jesus taught more about money than anything else. And He wasn’t trying to ratchet up the treasury. As far as we know, He never even asked for an offering. The reason He taught extensively on the subject is that nothing clogs our spiritual arteries more quickly than money – either working to have a lot of it or wishing that we had.

Think of the man who brazenly asked Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me” (Luke 12:13). Amazing! He had an opportunity to “go deep” with Jesus, but instead he wanted deep pockets.

Jesus responded with a stunning, counterintuitive statement: "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). He then went on to tell the parable of a rich man who was wildly successful from a worldly standpoint – having so many crops that he had to keep building bigger barns – but who, in God’s eyes, was actually a “fool.” Not because he was rich, but because he was not rich toward God.

You’ll hear a lot of advice about how to become rich. But only Jesus tells it to us straight. It’s not about the money. It’s about the richness of our relationship with Him and the joy of turning our greed into generosity.

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The riches of this world are vain,

They vanish in a day;

But sweet the treasures of God’s love,

They never pass away.

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Learning how to be rich toward God

Yields eternal dividends.

But Some Doubted….

Matthew 28 (New International Version)

The Resurrection

¹After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

²There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  

³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  

⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  

⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

⁸So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  

⁹Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.  

¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

¹¹While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.  

¹²When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,  

¹³telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.'  

¹⁴If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 

¹⁵So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.  

¹⁶Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 

¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 

¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  

¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  

²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

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But Some Doubted….

Our experience tells us that people do not return from the grave. At the heart of our desolation when death strikes is the awful certainty that in this life we will not see our loved ones again. We attend funerals to honor their memory and grieve our loss, but we do not expect to be greeted at the door by the person who has died.

In light of this, it should not seem surprising that Jesus’ disciples were reluctant to believe that He had risen from the dead. Following the testimony of the women who had seen and angel, and empty tomb, and Jesus Himself (Matt. 28:1-10), “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted” (Matt. 28:16,17).

Among those who were closest to the Lord and had heard His remarkable teaching and witnessed His powerful miracles, some doubted that Jesus was actually alive again. But the honest doubts of the disciples soon turned to joy and hope as they embraced the reality of their risen Lord.

What do we doubt about Jesus today? Does our experience tell us that our past mistakes, present struggles, or future prospect can’t be changed? With fresh memories of Easter, let’s trust that Jesus Christ can do all things. He has the power to say to you today, right now, no matter where you are:

“Don’t cry, because I am your peace;

Don’t be afraid, because I’m with you wherever you go; Is your soul hungry? come to me because I am the bread of life (john 6:51); 

If you are in darkness ground and being tormented by the devil, come to me because I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. (John 6:12); 

Are you still trying to find the way or the door to heaven? ONCE  and for all listen to Me: I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved…,I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 6:9: 14:6); 

Are you afraid of death? I had defeated the enemy and the death, so come to Me because I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.(John 11:25); 

Are you worried about your past? I can change your past, because I AM the same yesterday, today and forever! (Hebrews 13:8);  

- I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 22:13)”

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Where Jesus reigns there is no fear,

No restless doubt, no hopeless tear,

No raging sea, nor tempest dread,

But quietness and calm instead.

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Just one look to Calvary 

can dispel your doubts.