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Relationship with Jesus

The Look of His Love

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Life is full of a lot of questions. I have learned that there is only One person who gives me the right answers to my questions. He is the One who has a Look of Love in His eyes.

The first time I experienced that Look of Love was at 10 years old when I began a relationship with Jesus. I experienced that Look of Love in His eyes as He said: “I chose you to be My child before I created the foundations of the earth. . .you are one of My original masterpieces that I created for My pleasure and My purposes.”

Over the years I have experienced His Look of Love in different ways and at different times. When I wandered away from Him, lived my own way, making my own decisions. . .as I returned to Him I saw the Look of Love in His eyes as He welcomed me back with open arms and said: “Welcome home My Child, welcome home. You’re blessed when you stay on My course, walking steadily on the road revealed by Me.”

I have learned that when I have an important decision to make and I frantically go to Him saying: “I could do this. . .or I could do that. . .or maybe. . .Oh! What do I do?” I see the Look of Love in His eyes as He says. . .”Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ I am your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”

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Through Jesus. . .

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. . .everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (NIV) Acts 10:43

Through Jesus you can experience forgiveness for your sins. . .

God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. (Acts 5:31)

All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43)

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 1:7)

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)

Through Jesus you can be reconciled to God. . .

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

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Seeing the Light

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Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. (NIV) Acts 9:18-20

Paul’s conversion is due to the personal appearance of the risen Christ, who appeared as literally as He did when He appeared to the disciples for 40 days before He ascended to Heaven. It is not a mere vision. It is not a figment of Paul’s imagination. It is not a dream, but a manifestation of the risen Lord. It radically changed his life.

After interacting with Jesus Christ, Paul is literally blinded by the experience. From the moment that Paul is blinded on the Damascus road, he lives in total obedience to the One whom he had opposed. It is a total conversion – a conversion of the will, intellect, and emotion, that changed the purpose and direction of Paul’s life and activities.

Paul was a man who was running hard in a direction he was convinced was right, but Christ “laid hold of” him, turned him completely around, and set him off in the opposite direction. Are you running hard in a certain direction utterly convinced that it’s right? You may say: “I’m not running.” Well what’s the most important thing or person in your life? That’s what you’re chasing. Sometimes we run so fast, so focused, it takes a Damascus road experience like Paul’s, to get our attention.

Jesus tapped Paul on the shoulder and he turned to follow Christ. When has Jesus tapped you on the shoulder? Have you turned around?

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The Church Experienced the Presence of God

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When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. . .All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit . . . (NIV) Acts 2:1-2, 4

The Church experienced the presence of God and those people were never the same. . . the world was never the same! Immediately the Church began to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the hope of eternal life. After hearing the Truth about Christ, 3000 people began a relationship with Jesus. And because it was the Passover and many of the people in Jerusalem were tourists, the Word of God spread to the outer most regions of the world.

But it was the presence of God which prompted the proclamation of His purpose, to bring salvation to all mankind. Has the presence of God in your life prompted you to proclaim His purpose? Do those “everyday people” (those you come in contact with on a regular basis) know that you are a Christian? Does your lifestyle look different than that of your neighbor? How is the presence of God seen in your life?

If you answered no to any of those questions, I encourage you to take a moment, bow your head and ask God to change you. . . ask Him to release His presence in your life with such power that you can’t help but proclaim His purpose! All it takes is a willing heart, God will do the rest!

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Comfort, Comfort

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Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.
(NIV) Isaiah 40:1-2

Isaiah paints a beautiful word picture of God’s forgiveness in Isaiah 40:1. He begins with the words “comfort, comfort” spoken to God’s chosen people, the Jews. They were returning from 70 years in captivity. Although the Jews had been disobedient to God, He had not forsaken them. The words “comfort, comfort” in verse 1 are in the imperative, meaning that God repeats these words over and over again so that they are never forgotten. Then God speaks tenderly to the Jews showing us His gentleness. It’s as if He’s wooing His people back to Himself. They had completed their hard service, the slavery in Babylon. . . their sins had been paid for. . . and God had forgiven His people.

We receive forgiveness today, not by serving our time to “pay off our sins”, but through a relationship with Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God. And like the Jews, we will not escape adversity but, you can experience comfort in the midst of struggles. For the same God that promised His Jews comfort, promises us comfort. . .

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (NIV) 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

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Light and Darkness

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John proclaims what he had seen and heard about Christ. He begins with contrasting God’s light versus the world’s darkness. God’s perfection is seen in the phrase “in him there is no darkenss at all.”  John wrote extensively about light and darkness in his gospel. . .

  • In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. John 1:4, 9
  • This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:19-21
  • When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12
  • While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  John 9:5
  • Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.  John 12:35-36
  • I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.  John 12:46

Jesus is the Light of the world. All who believe in Him live in the light. Where are you living? in the light? or in the darkness? If you’re in the light, you have life. . . eternal life. If you’re in the darkness, by believing in Jesus Christ, you too, can experience light and life.

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Start Now!

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For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV) Romans 6:23

Who do you know that needs a relationship with Jesus Christ? Look around you. . . work through your daily schedule. . . who do you know that is empty inside and needs what only God can provide, a Savior? Don’t wait for an evangelistic event to begin praying for different individuals who need a relationship with God! You can start praying for that individual right now!

Who do you know that needs to know Jesus? Whose name is God placing in your mind right now? Do you have a list of individuals who you regularly are praying that God will move in their lives? How do you pray for them? Are you watching for opportunities to share how God has changed your life? Don’t wait. . . begin praying today for friends, family members, leaders, teachers, co-workers, bosses, neighbors, etc. who will live more fulfilling lives with a relationship with Jesus Christ.

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I Am the Truth

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Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (NIV) John 8:32

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (NIV) John 14:6

According to the Doubleday Dictionary, truth is: “The state or character of being true, that which is true.” Jesus said that He is Truth. In knowing what is true you are freed.

Freed from. . .

Expectations of others
Entanglement in the world’s vices
Enslavement to the past
Exhaustion from life’s busy pace
Estrangement with God
Excessive habits and addictions
Endearment with money and possessions
Entrapment in society’s standards

Instead you have been set free to be a child of God, set free to be who He created you to be!

Written by Marji “Mike” Kruger

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