Wonderful Jesus!

Tag: Handling difficulties

• His Name is Prince of Peace!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on October 1, 2020

  Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” NKJV

  

  his-name-is-prince-of-peace.mp3

  On the day of His birth, the angels announced,

  “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:14 -NKJV

  The Prince of Peace had come to the earth and it was simply glorious! The angel was speaking with the shepherds, telling them of the Child that was born. The One who was named, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace had arrived! They were listening in awe and fear, when as soon as the angel told them where to find the Child, the host of heavens burst out with praise! They couldn’t hold it any longer! Peace had been deposited on earth! Not one who had peace, but One who was, and is Peace. Jesus, the Prince of Peace! If they were afraid after seeing the angel, they must have almost passed out when the hosts arrived on the scene!

  He also killed the bull and the ram as sacrifices of peace offerings, which were for the people…Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. Leviticus 9:18,23-24 NKJV

  In the Old Testament, God instituted the peace offerings. This peace offering was said to be for the people. The sacrifice provided the meat for a communion meal for the people, after they had performed the sin offering, and the atonement offering. It is special to note, that after we repent of our sins, and are cleansed by His Blood, we have the ability to rest in His peace and have communion with the Father! The peace offering, was in fact, representative of what the Prince of Peace came to the earth for; to restore peace between God the Father and mankind, that we might have sweet communion with Him. After this particular peace offering, the glory of God filled the place, as it did when the Prince of Peace had come! Wonderful Jesus!

  The way He came, is the way He left, with an announcement of peace. Before He was crucified, He told His disciples:

  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 NKJV

  The Prince of Peace left His peace for His disciples. He said His peace was not of this world and that we are not to allow our hearts to be troubled or to allow it to be afraid. How can we live daily, with all that goes on around us, and not be troubled, and sometimes afraid? He told us it’s possible because He is our peace!

  We sing the chorus:

  This peace I have, the world didn’t give it to me,
  This peace I have, the world didn’t give it to me,
  This peace I have, the world didn’t give it to me,
  the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away!

  Yet, all too often, we do allow the world to take it away from us. Financial crisis, health crisis, pandemic, marital issues, relationship issues, work issues, and the list can go on and on. However, this simple chorus echoes Jesus message to us: “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid!” Why?

  For He Himself is our peace…Ephesians 2:14 – NKJV

  David said,

  I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8 – NKJV

  Isn’t that something? He said that he was going to lie down in peace, and get a good night’s sleep. How? Because the Lord made him to dwell in safety, and the Lord was his peace! Oh, that we can come to such a place in Peace, that we can lay down and get some good sleep. Have you been missing out on sleep lately? Are you restless and can’t seem to enjoy life? Are you worried to the point of staying up til the wee hours of the morning? No sleep, no peace! Know Peace, know sleep!

  This “mini-series” has been to remind us of who Jesus is to us! Sometimes we can get focused on all that is going on around us, and forget the awesomeness of the One we call Lord. As I sit here blogging, thinking of this verse, I rejoice in the One called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace!

  I leave you with Jesus, the Prince of Peace, words:

  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NKJV

  We can have peace, because He, Prince of Peace, is our Peace! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in His Name, Jesus, Peace | 3 Comments | Tagged Attitude, encouragemnt, Handling difficulties, Jesus, Peace, praise, relationships, sacrifices, the Glory of the Lord

• Rejoice Always!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on September 8, 2020

  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. NKJV

  

  rejoice-always_.mp3

  If you’ve been following my blogs, you know that I have been writing on the requirements that God has for us. In the following blogs, I would like to write about some of the things that we are encouraged to do as believers. For this blog, I will focus on rejoicing!

  I found the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary listening to Pastor Bill Winston, of Living Word Christian Center. He said it was a favorite of his and I have been using it lately. According to this edition of the Webster’s Dictionary, rejoice means to experience joy and gladness in a high degree; to be exhilarated with lively and pleasurable sensations; to exult.”

  Typically people rejoice at weddings. When we attend a wedding of a family member or a friend and we like the dynamics of the couple, we rejoice with them because we are happy for them! When a baby is born to someone we love, we rejoice with them at the birth of the baby; even at the news that a baby is about to be born. We rejoice at birthdays, and graduations, and some times at home goings, even when we are sad, because we know that person has transitioned to be with Jesus! Sometimes it is easier to rejoice then it is at other times.

  I’m amazed at how many people are struggling at this time. I know it isn’t easy, but some are finding it especially difficult to find any type of joy, let alone joy to a high degree. I have even heard pastors speak of the challenge they are having to not to become discouraged. Well, God saw this day afar off and His word to us is to “rejoice always”!

  Who better to write words of encouragement, then Paul? Paul wrote this letter to a group of saints in a city he was thrown out of! You’d think he would tell them to leave that place or even that he was sure they were struggling with their faith in such a sin filled city. But that’s not what he said to them. He told them “rejoice always”!

  Paul learned in the course of his ministry that his joy didn’t come from the situations and circumstances that he continually found himself in. They came from the Lord! He understood that even when there was nothing outwardly to find joy in, we could find joy in Christ.

  Paul was shipwrecked on several occasions, stoned, whipped, lied on, thrown out of cities, left for dead, and persecuted throughout his ministry! Yet Paul said, “rejoice always”!

  We used to sing a chorus with these words in it:

  This joy I have, the world didn’t give it to me,
  This joy I have, the world didn’t give it to me,
  This joy I have, the world didn’t give it to me,
  O, the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away!

  But all too often in life, we live as though this is not a truth found in Jesus, and the world and its events really do take our joy away!

  Let’s look at a few scriptures about rejoicing:

  But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12

  That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. Psalm 9:14

  But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:5-6

  I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, Psalm 31:7

  Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Psalm 33:1

  Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The Lord be magnified!” Psalm 40:16

  Are you getting the message? I had another post scheduled to come out today, but as I was lying in bed thinking on the Lord and quoting scriptures in my spirit, this one resonated with me and I felt that I was to get up and change my blog. It’s one o’clock in the morning, my time, and I have to get up soon for work, but I had to obey the prompting in my spirit!

  The numbers for the virus is escalating. Politics are getting nerve wrecking. Jobs are being lost and loved ones are dying. If we are not careful, we will become complainers, but God is saying, Rejoice always!

  Rejoice in your salvation! Rejoice because God is magnified over all of this stuff! Rejoice because He is mindful of you and all your adversities! Rejoice because He favors you! Rejoice because you can trust Him! Rejoice because from His vantage point, your praise is beautiful! Rejoice because He loves you! And rejoice because it is His will for you! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in joy, rejoice, will of God | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, encouragement, Handling difficulties, hard times, joy, rejoice, Salvation, Victorious Living, victory, will of God

• Where Did You Build?

  Posted at 3:49 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on June 13, 2020

  Matthew 7:24-27 – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” ESV

  

  Jesus concludes His Sermon on the Mount with this parable. It’s actually a very fitting ending to a remarkable teaching to His followers about life in the Kingdom of God. The hearers in the audience were raised in Judaism, whose ancestry went back to Abraham, and they were very familiar with the Law. However, in this sermon, Jesus doesn’t stress the importance of following the Law, but the importance of a sincere heart of obedience towards God.

  This parable is short and to the point and needs little interpretation. The message of this parable, is powerful and life changing, and as applicable today as when He first spoke it.

  There are two builders. One is wise and one is foolish. The wise man builds his house on a rock, and according to Luke, he dug deep into the rock to lay his foundation. The foolish man built his house on the sand, without laying a foundation at all. The storms came upon both houses, but the house built on the rock, with deep foundations, withstood the storms, while the house on the sand was destroyed.

  I read in a commentary on Matthew, that the land of Palestine required that one should be careful about where he chose to build a house. In some areas, the land was filled with gullies, or ravines created by water. In the summer time the sandy hollows of the gullies looked like a great place to build, because of it’s flat surface. However, if you chose that area upon which to build, in the winter you would have raging torrents of rushing water to deal with. If this were to happen, it could literally destroy your house.

  Imagine you built your house in a gully thinking that it’s a great place to enjoy the sun and sand, and maybe even the waterfront. You have easy access to the life you enjoy and all is well in the land. Then one day the heavy winds and rain come along and you have to get out as fast as possible to not be carried away with the house. Life isn’t fair! How could God let this happen to you?

  Your neighbor, on the other hand, built his house on the hill. When the storm came, he and his family were quite safe in their home. They continued on as usual because their sturdy house, that had it’s foundation in the rock, was secure. Again, you think, life isn’t fair! God loves your neighbor more than you! Does He? Or is there something else going on?

  Jesus says it clearly, the wise men is the one who hears His words and does them. The foolish man is the one who hears His words and does not do them. One person is living a life of obedience and the other person is not. Both of these people heard Jesus, but only one of them obeyed Him. Yet, people easily become embittered over a situation of their own making, blaming God, because someone needs to take the blame, other than them!

  In the Church, we have both types of people: wise and foolish. They both attend church, read the Bible, memorize scripture, attend conferences, and buy Christian literature. They both look the same, like strong Christians! But when the storms of life hit, they reveal the truth about each and every person. Both had the appearance of a solid Christian faith, because they both heard the word, but only one was able to withstand the storm. The one that withstood the storm had laid the foundation of his house on the Rock; while the other one only looked like he had.

  Jesus’ parable is touching a place where we don’t want to go. He lets us know that an intellectual knowledge of Him and His kingdom principles will not sustain you in the tough times. Nor do they represent a commitment to Him. Looking like you are alright, when you are not, will one day expose you for the fraud that you are. It is a life of obedience and heartfelt worship and service that keeps us anchored to the Rock! It is obedience that is the proof of life surrendered to Christ!

  The apostles continued this teaching when James wrote that we are to not only be hearers of the word, but doers also. John furthered this teaching by saying we are liars if we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness. Interesting to note, there was no third house mentioned. You know the one, the house of the partially obedient person?

  If I tell my child to clean the kitchen, and she only washes the dishes, did she obey me? If I tell my student he can go to the bathroom, but he also went to his locker and got some water, did he obey me? If Jesus tells me that committing adultery is wrong, and I’m not having an affair but I love pornography, am I obeying Him?

  Jesus introduced, at the close of His sermon, a radical new way of thinking. He actually revolutionized what following God was all about. It’s not about getting caught up in the rules and being able to recite them, but demonstrating absolute obedience to Him and His way of doing things. Remember, the wise man’s life was secure in Jesus and protected from the storms, while the foolish man’s life was headed for sure destruction. Are you being wise, or foolish? Only you really know the answer to that question! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in hard times, obedience, Parable of Jesus | 0 Comments | Tagged Christian, God, Handling difficulties, hard times, Jesus, Jesus as teacher, obedience, parable, protection, Victorious Living, word of God

• When the Odds Are Against You!

  Posted at 1:13 am by wonderfuljesus8, on September 18, 2018

   

  2 Chronicles 13:3 -And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.

  This is a wonderful passage of scripture that encourages me time and again in the midst of challenging situations.

  In this passage, we have the king of Judah, Abijah, and the king of Israel, Jeroboam, who are set for battle. Abijah had an army of 400,000 valiant men of war and Jeroboam had an army with 800,000 chosen men, being mighty men of valour.

  Both kings had warriors on their side, but Jeoboam had twice as many men as Abijah had. Not only that, Jeroboam had been king for 18 years and Abijah for only three years. So not only does Jeroboam, king of Israel, have more men, but he also has more experience at being king and dealing with warfare.

  Have you ever been in a situation where you felt that the odds were against you? Your enemy had the deck stacked so heavily against you that there was no possible way you could win? Maybe his finances were so much greater than yours that you felt the war had already been decided?

  It’s amazing how often people come under attack from the enemy and they are the person “most likely to lose” even before they get started. Well, this was the case with Abijah. He was slated to lose this battle.

  This scenario happens in every aspect of our lives. In a sporting event, there can be a strong team and a weak team; in a divorce there can be a rich or connected person and a “not so rich or connected person”. In a job situation, there can be a boss and an employee, a system against an individual. I think you get the point. This is not a new thing under the sun. And it wasn’t new with Abijah! 

  Well, I want you to know that Abijah wasn’t worried about his status as a new king, the size of his troop, or the victories of Jeroboam! He wasnt’ even worried about losing! 

  How about you? Are you in a situation that seems impossible for you and you’ve been slated to lose? I’ve got news for you…the tables can turn in your favor. Check back in to my next post (or read the story for yourself) and see how Abijah dealt with the overwhelming odds that were against him. Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in encouragement, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged encouragement, Handling difficulties

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