My father-in-law was a hard-working man.  Comer Benton was a farmer, and he worked hard at it well into his seventies. He did not expect to wake up one day and see the harvest on his farm. He did not pray for a harvest and hoped it would show up one day, or that someone else would work the fields on his farm while he sat on the sofa. Mr. Benton knew that prayer was essential, but so was arduous work or there would be no harvest. Papa Benton’s work ethic produced many abundant harvests.

Comer Benton knew that passivity would never produce a harvest.

The same principles apply to the life of a Christian. There is no such thing as a healthy passive Christian life. God Himself set a great example of not being passive. He did not sit on His throne in heaven, twiddle His holy thumbs, and hope for the best for mankind. No, God actively sent a Savior to the world, so redemption could take place.

The Bible is full of stories of great men and women who did not sit on their blessed assurance but heeded the call of God to action.

• Jericho did not fall without action from Joshua.
• The countries of the world would not have heard the message of the Gospel had Paul decided it was someone else’s job. Even while sitting in prison, Paul asked the Ephesian church to pray that he would have boldness to preach the word.
• Abram would never have become Abraham had he been passive when God called him to action.
• Esther moved into action so that the Jewish people could be saved from destruction.

There is much talk about the condition of the United States of America. We pray for God to move in the nation and the Church. I, too, pray for these things every day. We should pray; however, that does not mean we are to be passive when God has called us to action.

Scripture rarely requires passivity. God has called us to be an army who acts. These are just a few of the active things we can and must do to have an effect on the nation, the Church, and our families.

1. First Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. When your church calls a prayer meeting, go and participate. Prayer meetings are one of the least attended activities of a church.
2. Preach the word – 2 Timothy 4:2. Pastors must preach the word, but as believers we also “preach” the word over a cup of coffee or in the marketplace.
3. Hebrews 3:13 admonishes us to encourage one another. Praying for people is powerful, but when we see someone down, hurting, or discouraged, speak a word of encouragement. Take a casserole to a person who is in a difficult place. Be an encourager.
4. First Corinthians 6:18 instructs us to flee from sexual immorality. The Church must lead the way on holy living in this area and others. Actively live a Christian life that reflects the scripture. Colossian 3:5 teaches us to put to death our earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed which is idolatry.
5. When we see those in need and we can help, then we rise to action. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” – Luke 13:10.

There are many more action words in scripture. A great study for one to do is to seek out the action words of the Bible. Many people ask God for a word for the year. That is a good thing. I pray that all of us will add the word action to our lives in 2025 and lose the word passivity.

The last words of Jesus to His followers were to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” – Matthew 28:19-20. If the first disciples had chosen passivity, Christianity would have died quickly and none of us would have heard about Jesus. Passive is NOT my word for 2025.

I love a good hot cup of black coffee. Well, a small bit of sweetener might be needed to take off the edge of any bitterness. One of my favorite things to do, especially on a chilly morning, is to sip my coffee, not devour it but sip it. Sipping coffee means drinking it slowly, taking small mouthfuls, rather than devouring it in large gulps and finishing it fast. When I slowly sip my coffee, I take time to savor the taste.

As we begin 2025, many people start a new Bible reading program. Some like to go through the whole Bible in a year. Some even do an aggressive plan where one can read the entire Bible in ninety days. Others are reading just the New Testament. A few that I know are concentrating on the epistles found in the New Testament.

All the above options are great, as is any option that causes one to consistently read God’s word.

May I share with you what my Bible-reading plan is this year? I plan to “sip” the scriptures. I want to stop, take a mouthful, and take time to savor what is being said. I am not rushing to make sure I get a certain number of chapters read, rather I am taking my time allowing Holy Spirit to speak to me.

As I was sipping on Luke chapter four today, I totally savored what jumped out at me – Jesus does miracles in the home.

^“After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law extremely sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,” everyone begged. Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.” – Luke 4:38-39 (NLT).

Here are a few observations from the story that came as I sipped:

1. When Peter left the synagogue, he did not leave Jesus at church. He took Jesus home with him. May we not be content to attend church services. Let’s take Jesus home. When Jesus is in the house, He shares our burdens and our blessings. Jesus does miracles when invited to stay in our homes.
2. Jesus wants to give miraculous breakthroughs in our homes. In chapter one of Mark’s Gospel, Mark tells us that when Jesus entered Peter’s home, they told Him what they were facing. Jesus intervened and brought healing. What are you facing in your home? What miracle do you need Jesus to do in your home and family? Tell Jesus about it. Invite Him to intervene.
3. Peter’s mother-in-law was healed and began to serve Jesus. Her response to Jesus’s touch was to serve Jesus and His disciples – immediately. She used her recovered health for renewed service. I pray the days where we want God to intervene in miraculous ways and then do nothing for the Kingdom are gone!

These two verses about Jesus going to Peter’s home came to life in my spirit as I sipped my coffee and sipped the Word of God. I gave Holy Spirit time to speak.

I highly encourage each of us to have a plan to read God’s word in 2025, but I also hope there will be times where we sip the Word, savor it, and taste and see that the Lord is good. It is amazing what we taste with a slow sip.

Many of us grew up watching the Beverly Hillbillies. The wildly popular series ran for nine seasons beginning in 1962. Millions have seen it in reruns since the series ended in 1971. 

The Beverly Hillbillies centered around a man named Jed Clampett, played by Buddy Ebsen. Jed was a poor, uneducated hillbilly from the hills of the Ozarks. The song tells us that Jed could barely keep enough food on the table for his family. Jed discovered oil (black gold, Texas tea as the song said) on his land and became a very wealthy man. His family and friends told Jed that he belonged in California where rich people live.  Jed loaded up his family and moved to Beverly Hills. For nine years we watched the story ‘bout a man named Jed.

Let me tell you another story about a man named Jed – well, about Buddy Ebsen who played Jed.

Buddy Ebsen was an actor trying to make his way in 1945. Like others, Ebsen was trying to find his way after World War II, which had interrupted his career. It was a snowy, cold December 31 night. Ebsen was finishing rehearsals for a play in which he was a cast member. It was 11:30 at night, and his wife waited for him by the door.

As the Ebsens began trudging through the snow and the chilly wind, Ebsen felt the churning of the aftermath of war, and wasn’t ready to go home. Buddy said to his wife, “Let’s not go home yet. Let’s get a bite to eat.”  They made their way to a diner only to find the door locked, but there were many people inside. The Ebsens were disappointed. Buddy Ebsen decided to knock on the door, and the owner whose name was Al Green opened the door and invited Buddy and Nancy Ebsen to join their staff party ringing in the new year.

There was much laughter, music, and fun going on at the party, but suddenly a total hush fell over the room just a couple of minutes before midnight. The Ebsens had expected a loud shout of celebration when the clock struck midnight welcoming the new year. Instead, there was total silence.

At midnight the owner of the restaurant Al Green stood in the center of the room as others sat at tables or lined the walls. Someone whispered to Buddy Ebsen, “It’s a tradition he does every year.”  

Al Green began to sing unaccompanied in a rich baritone voice. Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name he sang. Ebsen was transfixed to hear the normally rough-looking New Yorker singing a melody to the Creator of the universe.

Ebsen bowed his head, as Al Green sang every word of the Lord’s Prayer. Al’s voice rose powerfully; his words rang with conviction; and then, as the last firm note drifted away, Al lowered his head and sang the last word as a benediction:

Amen.

Buddy Ebsen then lifted his tear-stained face, looked at his wife and said, “Never let me lose faith in God, myself or others.”  After years of discouragement from war and demanding times, Ebsen’s attention was brought back to the God who is over all.

According to Ebsen, “When it was time for us to leave, Nancy and I put on our coats, and amid hearty good wishes from those at the restaurant we walked out to the street. The snow had stopped. Everything was still frosted with a neon iridescence. Tall buildings soared above us like church spires. The stars were like tiny sapphires winking in the deep blue.”

“Happy New Year,” I said to my wife.

“Yes, Happy New Year!” she said in reply as we stepped out confidently into a new year and and a new world and a new beginning.

Many of us experienced gut-wrenching times in 2024. As a nation we experienced one of the most bitter, divisive elections in the history of the United States. We have continued to watch conflicts in Ukraine, Israel, and other nations. Grocery prices soared, putting many in a place of hardship. Gaylon and I, like many of you, saw the deaths of several loved ones. The year 2024 brought difficulty to many. Perhaps your spirit is even heavy.

As we enter 2025, may I suggest that you consider listening to the Lord’s prayer being sung and meditate on that. Yes, do the celebration and the hugs that a new year usually brings, but how about considering starting the New Year remembering “Our Father” who sits on His throne in heaven. For at least the first month of the year, would you read, memorize, and recite the Lord’s prayer every day? I actually plan to say it every day through 2025, starting my day, reminding myself of the One who will be walking with me.

Like Nancy Ebsen, I say to all of you, “Happy New Year!”  Let us step out confidently into a new year and a new world and a new beginning with Our Father at center. Amen.

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.” Amen. Matthew 6:9-13

It’s the most wonderful time of the year,
With the kids jingle belling and everyone telling you be of good cheer
It’s the most wonderful time of the year

It’s the hap- happiest season of all, With those holiday greetings
And gay happy meetings when friends come to call
It’s the hap- happiest season of all

There’ll be parties for hosting, Marshmallows for toasting, And caroling out in the snow
There’ll be scary stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.

As we celebrate Christmas, Christians stop and remember the birth of the Savior of the world. We stop and sing with our kids, “Away In A Manger.”  That song makes my heart leap! Jesus was more than a baby; He was a way in a manger. He was a way for us to be reconciled to God. He was a way for divine healing of our bodies and souls. He was a way to overcome life in a world filled with challenges. He was more than a babe. He was a way for me and you.

It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year!

What amazes me are the outbursts of arguing that happens on social media. It is like every detail of the Christmas story must line up with the person’s thought. Let me settle two of the arguments.

PEOPLE ARGUE WHETHER JESUS WAS BORN IN A STABLE OR A CAVE

It is more likely than not that Jesus was born in a cave, not a wooden stable. But does it really matter? We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there was no room “in the inn,” and that He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. There are no pictures of the baby or of Mary or of Joseph. We don’t know exactly the scene. 

Historically, many homes in the area would have built a dwelling with a cave underneath to house the most valuable animals. The top floor was the primary residence for the family and often included an upper room that would serve as a guest room for visitors.

When Luke 2:7 says, “there was no room for them in the inn,” the Greek word is the word for the guest room of the home, not for a hotel. (That word for a public room would be found in the story of the Good Samaritan.) Because of the census, the upper room was already taken, so Joseph and Mary stayed in the lower level where there was enough room for everything that goes into giving birth to a baby. It was not an ideal place to have a baby.

Here is my question. Does it matter? The Savior was born in less-than-ideal circumstances. What we celebrate is that He was born, not the spot where He was born. The place was not sterile, and it was not a beautiful birthing room with doctors and nurses. Perhaps God wanted to show us that He came for those in lowly places not just high places.

THE SECOND ARGUMENT IS OVER THE ACTUAL DATE OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS

The Bible does not give us the exact date. Some say it was actually October. A few say it was June. Again, my question is, “Does it matter?”

I remember meeting a woman from a foreign country. As a baby, she was brought to America by a family who adopted her. No one knew her exact birth, so a pediatrician examined the child and estimated when her birth took place. Her family then chose a date to celebrate her birth. They were not celebrating the date. They were celebrating the child.

For me, it is unimportant the exact date of the birth of Jesus. I celebrate the birth of the Savior, not the date of His entrance.

Can we just stop arguing about things that do not matter? If you are a believer, I suggest that social media posts and conversations celebrate Emmanuel, God with us. The fact is that He was born; He came into the world to atone for our sins; He was resurrected to eternal life, and He is alive today. As followers of Jesus, let us add to the joy of the most wonderful time of the year. Go tell it on the mountain that Christ the Savior was born.

If you were raised in a Christian home with Judeo-Christian values, you have probably been told not to say certain words because that is taking the Lord’s Name in vain. I was not raised in a Christian home, so no one cared how God’s Name was used. My husband Gaylon, on the other hand, was raised in a strict Christian home. Certain words that were not actual “cuss” words were definitely punishable! They were taking the Lord’s Name in vain.

The third of the ten commandments listed in Exodus 20:7 is, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” Although many people believe taking the Lord’s name in vain refers to using the Lord’s name as a swear word, there is much more involved with a vain use of God’s name.

My personal belief is that Christians should refrain from the use of vulgar profanity which is so widely accepted and used today. Social media posts are shocking to me, at times. “Cussing” someone out would surely fall under the categories listed in Colossians chapter three – anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language (Colossians 3.8). Please, people of God, guard your words, and let them represent Christ. Saying, “Oh my god!” when someone makes us mad is a misuse of God’s Name. Let us remember that “Hallowed is His Name.”

The word “vain” in Exodus 20:7 means empty or hollow. You shall not take the Name of the Lord in a hollow and empty way. In other words, don’t profess the Name of the Lord and live a life that is empty of Christlikeness. If you live a life filled with hatred, immorality, greed, lying, envy, and a host of other things, and continue to profess being a follower, that is taking His Name in vain. It is the issue of living a hypocritical life. Once I become a Christian and take on His Name, I am to live a life worthy of that Name in word and deed.

When I married Gaylon Benton, I took his name. After fifty-three years of marriage, I still try to honor my husband’s name through my actions. I am faithful to him. I show honor to him. I walk together with him. His name caused me to walk a life that reflected our union.

As a professing Christian, I am to walk a life that honors the Name of the Lord. The name of the Lord is holy, as He is holy. The name of the Lord is a representation of His glory, His majesty, and His supreme deity. We are to esteem and honor His name by letting our lives revere and glorify God Himself. To do any less is to take His name in vain.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. At least that is what the song says! Is it? Yes, it is in many ways. All the laughter, the food, the candlelight, the carols! Decorating the tree, or these days – trees! Wrapping the gifts and listening to the giggles and excitement as children open them. So many are singing and hoping for a white Christmas where everything is merry and bright.

What about those who just are not feeling so merry and bright? For many this year is difficult. I am praying with and for several people who have lost significant loved ones this year. My heart aches for them, and my tears stream for them. Grieving can be the most challenging time for people who are trying to balance the feelings of pain and loss, while going forward with everyday life. I found this to be true when we lost our son Bryan.

Sometimes we find ourselves mourning on Christmas morning. If you are in grief, especially fresh grief, it is okay not to feel that it is the most wonderful time of the year. It is okay not to feel merry and bright. It does not make you grinch, it makes you a person in pain.

God is hugging you today. He understands where you are, and He cares about every tear. Jesus Christ left the splendor of heaven and was born as a babe into a world that was dark and broken. He became Immanuel – God with us. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER WILL JESUS LEAVE US! He will be with us in good times and bad times, in sickness and in health, in success and failure, in poverty and prosperity, in joy and sorrow.

He will be with you this Christmas even when you do not feel like being merry and bright.

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” –  Psalms 34:18

Charles Spurgeon is one of my favorite preachers. When I read his articles and sermons, I have to really ponder them, and I often have to read them again to grasp what is being taught. Spurgeon’s articles are not easy reads, but they are full of great theological truth.

Years ago, I came across a helpful insight by Charles Spurgeon, and it has stuck with me over time. Spurgeon said, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”

I think it would be beneficial to carry this quote through our entire lives.

There are a lot of Bible teachers who sound right. But sometimes it is possible they are almost right. If a person is an effective communicator, it is easy to be persuaded by their message. However, it is possible for messages to contain some truth, but not the whole truth. That is what Spurgeon is trying to get believers to see.

How do we know the difference between right and almost right? We know the difference based on a prayerful and thoughtful reading of the Bible. We cannot just listen to our favorite speakers and assume they are right about all things.

I have a friend who Googles everything, and I do mean everything. Anyone can pull up Google and find an isolated Bible passage to support an idea they want to push. That is looking at a verse in isolation and not being informed about the wider context.

Let me give an example. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

I remember a young man using this verse in a conversation we were having. We were talking about playing the piano, and I stated that I wish I had stuck with piano lessons instead of giving up. How I would love to sit at the keyboard, play worship songs, and sing unto the Lord while sitting in my living room! This young man said to me, “Well if you have faith, you can do that. The Bible says you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Have faith that you can sit at the piano and start playing.”

I tried that a few times, and I think I might have heard Heaven say, “Just sing a cappella.”

In context, Philippians chapter four teaches us about contentment. Verse thirteen refers to a Christian’s ability to endure hardship and persecution. It does not mean that a Christian is empowered to accomplish any task simply because they are saved. The verse promises that as people pursue God’s purposes, they can find a contentment and peace that can endure any hardship.

This verse is not about our potential. It is about our contentment. While some great communicators tell us we can do anything we set our minds to, God tells us to be content when we find ourselves faced with adversity, and that it is possible through His strength! 

We live in an hour when we must be diligent about searching the scripture for ourselves. If you love something someone said in a message, that is wonderful. Jot it down, then search the scriptures to see if it is truth or almost truth.

I remember an influential person saying that all gods lead to the same place. That might sound like truth, but if the scripture is searched, one cannot deny the teaching that the way to the Father and eternal life is through Jesus Christ’s work on the cross.

Dearly beloved, please remember, “Discernment is not just knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”

From time to time, I come across a message from someone that is worth reposting. This is one of those messages. Written by Dr. Kenneth Berding, who is a professor at Talbot Seminary, this message reminds us of the lavish grace of God. Take a moment to ponder Dr. Berding’s message.

I love the fact that in the United States we as a nation set aside one day a year simply for giving thanks to God for his good gifts.  At some of our tables, we will take a few minutes before we eat to mention the things that we are thankful for: a new job, a delectable Thanksgiving meal, or a loving spouse. This is all good and proper. We should take every opportunity to thank God for his particular gifts.

But have you ever thought about the fact that thanksgiving is one way of describing the entire Christian life? This is not an exaggeration. One powerful and entirely biblical way to think of the Christian life is simply this: God showed us grace, and our response to that grace should be a life lived out of gratitude. The Apostle Paul put it like this: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col 3:17).

The manner in which we serve others illustrates the point well. Christian service isn’t simply deciding to serve, and then “gritting out” our service. We serve in conscious awareness of the lavish grace we have received from God! God looked upon us, criminals (“sinners”) that we were, and chose to send Jesus to die in our place. As a response, we sacrificially serve others because of the unbounded grace we have received.  

The sinful woman who poured expensive ointment on Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair illustrates the relationship between thankfulness and its lived-out relationship to the actions of one who has been forgiven much. When Simon the Pharisee complained (in his own head) that Jesus shouldn’t have allowed a sinful woman to act in such a way, Jesus challenged those thoughts with “he who is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:47). But the woman at Jesus’s feet knew how much she had been forgiven, allowed that grace to move her heart toward gratitude, and the result was an extravagant act of thankful service to Jesus.

Perhaps this Thanksgiving we can move beyond listing out individual things that we are thankful for and start to respond more deeply to the grace God has demonstrated through the sacrificial death of Jesus—and how such thankful reflection might work its way into the way we live the year ahead. A whole life lived out of thankfulness is the right and proper way to respond to God’s lavish gift of grace through Christ. 

While headed to a meeting recently, I got behind slow traffic – VERY slow traffic. I was trying to drive the speed limit which was only thirty-five miles per hour, and I was barely able to drive twenty miles per hour. The road was hilly and curvy, so it was unlawful to pass. I am sure this does not happen to you, but I felt myself getting impatient and irritated.

The vehicle in front of me was a monster-size pickup truck. I began to think, “Who drives a manly vehicle twenty miles per hour? Come on man! Step on the gas!”

As we approached a huge curve, I had a better visual of what was going on in front of me. There were two other cars in front of the truck, and the lead car was going terribly slow. The reason we were slowed down was not because of what I could see, but because of what I could not see.

There have been so many times in my life when I wished things would hurry along. What I really wished was that God would speed up the process. As I impatiently drove behind the truck driver, my waiting experience could have been much better. Seething, getting aggravated, and being impatient did not make the wait any less, but it sure made it more unpleasant for me.

Do you enjoy waiting? Most of us would say a resounding, “No!”  We do not like waiting. We want things to be done on our timetable. Our society today wants things done quickly, however, for the Christian, walking by faith requires trusting God while sitting in His waiting room.

Noah had to wait for the rain to come and the rain to stop. Daniel had to wait in the lions’ den, not knowing when his ordeal would be over. Even though God promised a son, Abraham and Sarah waited decades for Isaac to be born. I have often thought about the years of waiting that Joseph had to do to see the promise of God fulfilled in his life – hard, unfair years of waiting. Even Jesus had to wait thirty years to begin His earthly ministry.

When Jesus was leaving earth to return to His Father in heaven, He said to His disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4).

I seriously doubt that any of Christ’s followers wanted to wait in Jerusalem. John 20:19 tells us that the disciples were afraid of the religious leaders who killed Jesus. They hid behind locked doors, fearing for their lives. It would have been far easier to hide in an obscure place, anywhere but Jerusalem.

Why did Jesus make them wait in a place they would rather leave? Why Jerusalem? Because Jerusalem was where He needed them to be. He was about to pour his Spirit out upon them and birth the Church.

Jesus saw farther down the line than did His disciples.

The waiting can be hard. Sometimes, it is easy to feel like God has forgotten about the desires of our heart. It’s easy to explain to God that He needs to hurry it up! When we find ourselves in the waiting room, it is important to remember that God has a plan for us that is far greater than what we could imagine. He sees farther down the line.

I could not see what was farther down the line as I slowly drove in traffic. God sees the whole picture. He sees everyone involved in the whole picture. He has promised “…that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28. Trust Him.

Recently, I was thinking about a woman I met many years ago. I met Nancy at the church where my husband was the lead pastor. While in that church, I worked in several areas which also included counseling with women.

Nancy came to my office and took a seat, and before she said anything she began to cry. I sat quietly giving her a moment to release the obvious pain she was carrying. Nancy began to talk with me saying that she never felt good enough to be a part of God’s Kingdom. She proceeded to tell me her story.

When Nancy was seventeen, she got pregnant out of wedlock. Nancy was a teenager during a period when couples usually got married if this was their situation. As she and her parents sat with the priest of the church to set a wedding date, she confessed that she was pregnant. (There are several churches that have priests, so I am not trying to call out a denomination.)  The priest shamed her in front of her parents and proceeded to tell her, that because of her sin, she could not be married in the “holy part” of the sanctuary. As a result, those who attended her wedding knew the situation. She felt ashamed standing there on her wedding day.

As I listened to Nancy, my heart had such compassion for her. Sitting in the chair in my office that day was a seventy-year-old woman, who had been bound by shame for more than fifty years. Her question to me was, “Am I good enough to be forgiven and accepted?” A big smile was on my face, and I held Nancy’s hands in mine and said, “You were forgiven the day you asked God to forgive you. Don’t let anyone hold you in the chains of shame.”

I then asked Nancy to follow me as we walked into the church sanctuary. I took her by the hand and walked her all over that sanctuary. We walked through the church, behind the pulpit, sat down at the piano, and finished at the altar.

I reminded Nancy of these words from the great Church hymn “There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood.”

There is a fountain filled with blood
  Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
  Lose all their guilty stains:
  Lose all their guilty stains,
  Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
  Lose all their guilty stains.

As we concluded our time together, my parting words were, “Nancy, don’t ever let anyone hold over your head what Jesus has placed under His feet.” Nancy’s whole countenance changed. Her face lit up, and from that time forward, she was always glowing during worship. Nancy now resides in heaven, and I know she is smiling in the presence of the One who forgave her.

Have you ever felt ashamed? Maybe it was something in your past, something people want to hold over your head. Shame can be an overwhelming emotion that imprisons us, especially if it comes from Church leaders.

Let me be emphatic! Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross to free us from sin and shame. If people or Satan can heap shame upon us, then our emotions might tell us that God is withholding His love from us because of our actions. The good news of the Gospel, however, is that God’s love is not about what we have done for Him; God’s love is about what He has done for us!

Today, let the shame go. Jesus offers you an invitation to rest in His unfailing love, and to live in the freedom He has granted. It is no longer shame on you but shame off you!

“Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” – John 8:36