FollowingJesusUS.com

The World Is Getting Darker: Jesus Is The Bridge :)

With so many bad things happening in our world it’s easy to become angry. That “evil will appear good and good evil” is clearly happening now! And that is when we need to remember that we battle against the forces of evil – not people!

That more trouble is coming is clear. Casting Crowns sings, “The world is getting darker by the day”, and “broken people do broken things” But in that song, it also says that Christ’s “love is the bridge”.

Pray that those who do not see-Will. Pray that they will choose to use the “Bridge” that Jesus has given us – all of us :}

As Casting Crowns says “where sin leaves a canyon, your (Jesus) love builds a bridge”.

The Battle Belongs To The Lord!

This Is How I Fight My Battles

We fight our battle on our knees in prayer 🙂

It’s hard to miss the bad news headlines these days. They scream for our attention. Mask Mandates. Covid. Communism. The “Woke” riots…And then there are the financial issues, the coming tax per mile, the tax increases, the economy, inflation…And then last, but not least there are the moral issues like freedom, the “cancel” culture, attacks on police officers, the rise in crime and violence, the coming “social credit scores”, transgenderism, gay marriage, abortion, the women’s draft…The list is endless.

But as troubling as all of these are, and as much as we are called to take a stand, the real “battle” will be won by the Lord. And our most important work in this is-Prayer. Prayer for those we love, and for those we don’t. Prayer for ourselves and prayer for each other. And perhaps most important-Prayer that “God’s Will be done here as it is in Heaven?’

Perhaps one of the most important prayers we can pray is for God to give us greater faith, for it is that faith that will sustain us. Other really important prayers, are the prayers we pray for others. Someone once said, “we are most like Jesus when we pray for another”.

Prayer takes practice and discipline. It takes praying when we feel like it, and praying when we don’t. And sometimes we need help in praying-asking the Holy Spirit to help us makes a really big difference! Most of all, our praying needs to never give up!

Never stop praying, God will answer ?

Pain & Suffering: God Can Help!

Pain and Suffering can be really difficult to live with, especially long term-unless you find something positive to do with them. Finding something positive to do with them doesn’t change the pain or the suffering, but it does change us. And it does make the pain and suffering easier to live with.

Obedience. Obedience to God (in this area) is simply a way of thinking about the pain and suffering we are going through. This is the life that God gave us. It’s not Heaven, so it’s not perfect. It never will be – at least while we are still on earth. With God’s Help, living our best life in spite of the challenges we face- is our gift to God ?

Acceptance. Acceptance of the life we have, good and bad, is also our gift to God. Acceptance of God’s decisions in our lives leads to a peace that only God can give. Acceptance of God’s decisions in our lives also helps us to have a closer relationship with God ?

Redemptive Suffering. Redemptive Suffering is a concept in the Catholic Church that our pain and suffering can be offered to Jesus. “Each man, in his sufferings, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ”-Pope John Paul II

Is this true? I don’t really know. But I know that offering my pain and suffering to Jesus has always helped me tremendously. Feeling that there is something useful to God and to others from any suffering I have gone through means a lot to me, and makes it much easier to live with them ?

A word about pain and suffering. In my lifetime I have had a VSD repair (open heart surgery), 3 bladder surgeries, my gall bladder removed, heart failure, lung failure, various heart problems, rheumatoid arthritis, Graves disease, Hashimoto disease, TED, asthma, and now perhaps Sjorgens…Along with bouts or pneumonia and various other ailments…

I share this with you my friends, so that if you are suffering in anyway, you will know that I have shared your pain and this does work. We can suffer much, and even if we never get truly better, God can and will help us! If we let Him ?

And I can share with you, with God’s Help, I have had an incredibly happy life. The best family, the best friends, and much joy! Acceptance, Obedience and Offering our Pain and Suffering to God really, really helps. It makes such an incredible difference! And despite the illnesses I have had, with God’s Help, I have always been able to do everything that I truly needed to do ?

Lastly, the Holy Spirit can be a great Comforter and Friend. Whenever I have had a little more than I can handle, the Holy Spirit has always pulled me up and out of whatever pain or suffering held me down.

So if we are having anything happening in our life, emotional or physical, that is a little bit too much for us-we can ask the Holy Spirit for Help and He will ?

Racism Will End At The Foot Of The Cross

Lately, it seems we hear about Racism quite a bit. The CRT arguments, the riots and demonstrations, and the growing prejudice of the silent majority… It all serves some of those in the political realm, but does it really serve us?

Having had the privilege of attending an all African American Church, often as the only “white” person, I can assure you that many African Americans love our Lord as much as we do! They were all kind, compassionate and welcoming. Why do many African Americans see issues such as gay marriage and abortion completely differently than many “white” brothers and sisters in Christ, I don’t know. But the truth is that many “white” brothers and sisters in Christ see those issues differently.

And the truth is also, I don’t need to know. All I really need to know is that they are Following Jesus just as I am. They love the Lord just as I do 🙂

Jesus’ command to Love One Another is not just for those we agree with; it’s for everyone!

And when we all love Jesus more than we fear each other, when we all meet at the Cross together, Racism and prejudice will end completely. Thank God!

Because we can be sure of one thing, Heaven will be filled with people of all different colors 🙂

The Depth Of Christ’s Love

How does one describe how very much Jesus loves us? Whipped and Crucified because He loved us so-He even carried His own Cross, rejected by His own hometown, watching those He loved so much suffer so…

And perhaps because I am a Mom, that resonates with me the most. As Jesus hung on that Cross suffering so, He knew that His Mom and His beloved apostle John stood at the Foot of the Cross suffering with Him. Their pain, was His pain. Jesus didn’t just suffer physically; He hurt for those He loved as well and for those who loved Him!

Bible Verses:

“And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”-Matthew 13:57

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged”-John 19:1

“Carrying His own cross”-John 19:17

“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, “-John 19:23

“Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.”-John 19: 25-27

And all of this He did because He loved us. Some of us loved Him in return and some of us treated Him horrifically. And that is still true today. Some appreciate all He has sacrificed for us and some ignore all Jesus has given us and live life on their own terms-instead of For Jesus.

Being loved like Jesus loves us is a Gift that we can never repay. But we can accept it and say Thank You. And love Jesus in return ?

Believe, Then What?

“Believe what you do believe, or else you will never persuade anybody else to believe it” – Charles Spurgeon

When we really think about it, Jesus suffered horrifically so that we might go to Heaven. And only those who accept His Great Gift go to Heaven. And those who accept His Great Gift must first believe in Him in order to accept it. Because if we don’t believe in Jesus, how then can we accept His Great Gift?

But if we do Believe, what next? Because if we truly Believe, wouldn’t we want to share that Great Gift and our faith in Jesus with everyone we meet? Wouldn’t we want to take everyone to Heaven with us?

“I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.” – Luke 12:8-9 – Luke 12:8-9

We need to share our Faith in Jesus today!

My Friends, Don’t Dilute God’s Word!

2 Peter 2:8-9 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

“When Yeshua (Jesus) was attacked by Satan during His temptation in the wilderness, He countered every attack with the Word of God. But notice in Satan’s second attack – the enemy himself quoted the Scriptures, saying, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, ‘He shall give his angels charge over thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4:6 was a quote from Psalm 91:11, but the phrase, “to keep thee in all thy ways” was absent from Satan’s quote).

If we learn anything from this, we will realize that Satan has knowledge and some understanding of Scripture, and that he will use the Word attempting to deceive us with it into wrong actions. This tactic goes back even as far as the Garden of Eden where the adversary twisted God’s word saying, “Did God really say you shall not eat from every tree in the garden?”

So it is today, that all around us we are hearing constant abuses, questions, and attacks against the truth and reliability of God’s Word. Did God really create the world…in six days? Did God really say that marriage consists of a union between a man and a woman? Is God really going to judge the world and destroy it with fire? Has God really defined absolute moral truth?

The enemy is constantly attempting to erode and destroy the foundational truths of God’s word using distortions, corruptions, half-truths, and modern “interpretations”, for he knows that “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)

My Friends, let’s not be deceived by these subtle ploys of Satan. If we agree to alter or dilute the Word of God to accommodate our circumstances or natural inclinations, we will end up exactly where that serpent wants us; in disobedience, sin, and sorrow. You know, Satan has been using religious language to tempt the saints since the beginning of time, even to the point of trying to persuade people that he doesn’t even exist. We must be discerning. If we want to live and walk in the truth we will believe God’s Word undiluted without compromise or private interpretation, seeking to understand it with the help of His Holy Spirit, Who is the only perfect interpreter. If we do, the enemy’s deceptions will fail, and we will be delivered from every temptation!”

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Worthy Devotions

God Always Sends Something Good!

That we live in tough times, there can be no doubt. That tougher times are coming is true. But just as True is that God always gives us something Good to hold onto :). Something to remind us that He is our Hope and all is well! 🙂

Perhaps it’s a friend or family member that lifts us up. Perhaps it’s the kindness of a stranger. Perhaps it’s the beautiful world that we are surrounded by. And perhaps it’s the Bible itself!

It could be so many things! But God put it there, gave it to you, because He loves you and wants to remind you that He is with you “until the end”, when we come Home . Look for it! Hold on to it! God’s Got You 🙂

Reach Out To Family Members & Love Them Well :)

“So then, while we have opportunity, let’s do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”-Galatians 6:10

This verse seems especially important right now. Household of Faith refers to those who Follow Jesus. While we need to do good to “all”, it is the people who Follow Jesus who are especially in need right now!

An extra kindness, an extra hug, moments spent listening, sharing Christ’s Love-it all helps!

There’s a reason that the Lord talks about the “Narrow Path”; it’s not an easy one.

So reach out and help someone in our “family of Christ Followers”. Let’s not let anyone feel they are walking it alone!

Pray, Watch and Prepare ?

“Dearly Loved” :)

This is a great song, listen to the lyrics 🙂

President Reagan once said, “”The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help. “.

But God’s Help is different. God loves us, He Helps us Because He Loves Us! He doesn’t want or expect us to repay Him. He doesn’t keep track of what we “owe” Him. We don’t need to “earn” His love; He already loves us. Just as we are! ?

And God loves us so very much. The government doesn’t really love anyone but themselves, but God does. He loves us with a love so incredible that it’s hard for us to even imagine loving someone that unselfishly. We are not perfect; we are not even close. But God loves us and He is always Faithful.

So when the times get tough, and they will, hang on to that love. Hang on to God. He won’t let you down. Because God does loves you-just as you are!