HE Is Risen!

 Happy Resurrection Sunday!

"But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, EVERYONE who Belongs to CHRIST will be given new life."(1 Corinthians 15:20-22 NLT).

"And why do you think I keep risking my neck in this dangerous work? I look death in the face practically every day I live. Do you think I’d do this if I wasn’t convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus? Do you think I was just trying to act heroic when I fought the wild beasts at Ephesus, hoping it wouldn’t be the end of me? Not on your life! It’s resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that undergirds what I do and say, the way I live. If there’s no resurrection, “We eat, we drink, the next day we die,” and that’s all there is to it. But don’t FOOL yourselves. Don’t let yourselves be poisoned by this anti-resurrection loose talk. “Bad company ruins good manners.”(1 Corinthians 15:30-33 Message).

"Please listen. If you say, “the dead are not raised,” then what you are telling me is that the Anointed One has not been raised. Friends, if the Anointed has not been raised from the dead, then your faith is worth less than yesterday’s garbage, you are all doomed in your sins, and all the dearly departed who trusted in His liberation are left decaying in the ground.  If what we have hoped for in the Anointed doesn’t take us beyond this life, then we are world-class fools, deserving everyone’s pity."(1 Corinthians 15:16-19 Voice).

Thank God, Jesus Christ Is Risen!

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Speak Out

 Happy Sunday!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.  Has the Lord Redeemed you? Then SPEAK OUT! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies."(Psalm 107:1-2 NLT).

The Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines the word "Redeemed" as "delivered from bondage, distress, penalty, liability, or from the possession of another, by paying an equivalent".  Now that's good news!  Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."(KJV).  Romans 3:23 says, "For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"(KJV).  Don't miss this!  We all have missed the mark in our lives.  The wages or payment for our wrong doing is death! BUT if we acknowledge the fact that we can't pay our debt, and we accept Jesus as our Redeemer, we can have abundant life!

Now that we have been Redeemed, we need to "Speak Out"!  We need to tell others what God has done for us!  When is the last time you testified?  Do you remember testimonies at church?  A member would stand up and tell about the goodness of God.  They may recall that they didn't have a job, and the Lord created a job for them.  Or they would tell of being sick, and being miraculously healed by the power of God.  We need to tell others just how good God has been to us!   We need to "Speak Out"! 

These scriptures in Psalms 107 made me think of my Mother-in-Law, Minnie Pruitt.  She told me about "Laundry Days" decades ago.  Throughout the neighborhood women would hang their laundry outside on the clothes lines.  Your neighbors and passersby could see your clean clothes. If your clothes looked cleaner or brighter, they may ask you what detergent you used.  They could see the difference and wanted their clothes to be as clean or cleaner. 

It's just like speaking out about what God has done for you. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas had been beaten and thrown in prison.  They hadn't done anything wrong, and could have wined about how unfair this all was, but instead they prayed and sang praises unto God!  An earthquake shook the prison, and all their chains fell off.  In those days, the Jailer would be killed if any inmates escaped, and he was terrified.  He decided to kill himself, "But Paul yelled to him, “Don’t do it! We are all here!” Trembling with fear, the jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down before Paul and Silas. He brought them out and begged them, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”(Acts 16:28-30 Living Bible).  People should see our lives and hear how we praise God!  When they do we can "Speak Out" and tell them how amazing life can be with Jesus Christ Our Lord!

Love and prayers, Cynthia

PS:  I will put a few links below of testimonies that have blessed me!

https://youtu.be/cp-tDcThl-o?si=zxkXSeT61-OXX_yZ

https://youtu.be/E_iHJ_My0Yg?si=sBgDpIMeC42tzHJZ

https://youtu.be/LcAfgoFd2Os?si=-isWJmV6ij4YxwwF

Lifelong Learner

 Happy Sunday!

"These are the wise sayings of Solomon,
    David’s son, Israel’s king—
Written down so we’ll know how to LIVE WELL and RIGHT,
    to understand what life means and where it’s going;
A manual for living,
    for learning what’s right and just and fair;
To teach the inexperienced the ropes
    and give our young people a grasp on reality.
There’s something here also for seasoned men and women,
    still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—
Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate,
    the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women."(Proverbs 1:1-6 Message)

Are you a Lifelong Learner?  I hope so!  We can learn something new every day!  I've mentioned before how I get a daily email from Merriam-Webster with the Word of the Day.  It's interesting and enlightening.  Also, the Word of God, The Bible is overflowing with interesting stories, psalms, proverbs, and helpful wisdom.  My Sunday School students would gasp when I told them and showed them stories like the 2 Kings 2:23-24.  Are you familiar with this passage?  42 children decided they would make fun of the Prophet Elisha.  Bad idea!  He turned around and cursed them and two bears came out of the woods and tore the children to pieces.  OUCH!  2 Timothy 3:16 says, "The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is RIGHT."(Living Bible).  I imagine we can learn from this scripture that it's not good to make fun of bald headed men or God's Servants.

Let's purpose in our hearts to learn something new this week!  A new word, a new scripture, a phone number, a feature on your phone, are just a few options.

Love and prayers, Cynthia

THIS Day!

 Happy Sunday!

"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."(Psalm 118:24 KJV).

Thousands of years ago the Psalmist wrote and sang this verse and it's still relevant!  THIS is the day!  Every day that we are blessed to see is “The Day”!  It's a day to be glad and rejoice!  Don't miss this!  It doesn't have to be what we consider a perfect day, for it to be “The Day”!  It is believed that the author of this Psalm was also the author of Psalm 27.  Listen to what he says in Psalm 27:2, "When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell."(KJV).  Sounds like he had challenges, opposition, and struggles but he understood he could choose what kind of day to have.

You may be wondering, how is this possible?  How can I rejoice and be glad when so many scary and crazy things are happening all around me? Great question.  So glad you asked!  The psalmist gives us a few tips throughout the psalm. Several times he encourages us, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."(Psalm 118:29 KJV).   Thankfulness is key!  Being thankful and recognizing that we didn't get here all on our own.  Good or bad our parents kept us alive long enough for us to go it on our own.  We have had our needs supplied and so much more. We have to look past the mistakes and sadness and see the big picture. 

This is the Day!  We are alive and every day is another opportunity to be a Blessing!  In Psalm 118:17 he says, "I shall not die, but live, and DECLARE the works of the Lord."(KJV).  Who will you Bless today?  Who will remember you with a smile?  Who enjoys being with you?  Use The Day, this day to make a difference! Rejoice!  Be Glad!

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth

 Happy Sunday!

"The world is unprincipled.
It’s dog-eat-dog out there!
The world doesn’t fight fair.
But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—
never have and never will.
The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture.
We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the TRUTH of God,
fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.
Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity."(2 Corinthians 10:3-6 Message).

An acronym for BIBLE is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.  The Bible is full of truth and wisdom that can help us to thrive everyday! Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”(John 8:32 Easy-to-Read Version).  Don't miss this!  It's only the truth you KNOW that can help you. If you choose to remain ignorant you will suffer the consequences.  Hebrews 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"(KJV).

The Apostle Paul urged the Believers to use the tools God has given us to "Build Lives of Obedience and Maturity".  It's time to grow up!  We can't stay at the same level!  We need to move forward.  Are you dealing with the same issues you dealt with last year?  Go to the Word and find the answer.  Is the enemy telling you things will never get better?  Go to the Word and speak the Word like Jesus did!  When Satan came to tempt our Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus didn't waste a moment pondering what to say or do!  Immediately, He responded, "IT IS Written!"  The Devil didn't argue with Jesus!  He couldn't dispute the Word of God!  Jesus has given us the Authority to do the same!

No matter what it looks like, speak the Word.  Remind your enemy and yourself that the Word will never fail!  The Word always works, and we are destined to WIN when we know and use the Word.

Love and prayers, Cynthia