Friday, March 29, 2013

BUT... He died for our sins (1Peter 3:18)


Christ suffered for our sins once for all time.
 He never sinned,
 BUT…
He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.
 He suffered physical death,
BUT…
He was raised to life in the Spirit.
1Peter 3:18 (NLT)
Today is a sad day for believers as we think about what Jesus went through on the cross for us.
He left His heavenly Father and His home in heaven for 33 years to walk this year so He could understand and sympathize with us.  He did not sin.
 BUT… He willingly suffered to pay the ultimate price so that we might have fellowship with our Heavenly Father. Don’t miss that today or for the rest of your life here on earth.
Rejoice the resurrection is coming!!!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

BUT... He loved us and sent His Son (1 John 4:10)


 This is love:
not that we loved God,
BUT…
that He loved us and sent His Son
as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:10

Oh if only you could get this concept! There is NOTHING you can do to earn God’s love. If we could be good enough or love enough then Jesus did not need to die on the cross.
 We are human thus we are imperfect. We need God. Accept His love this Easter and be free to love God and live at peace with yourself. 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

BUT... He was pierced for our rebellion (Isaiah 53:4-5)


Jesus was innocent
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought His troubles were
 a punishment from God,
a punishment for His own sins!
But…
He was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.

Isaiah 53:4-5 (NLT)
NO matter what you have done in or with your life> Jesus died to provide a way for you to have a relationship with the Heavenly Father. You don’t need any other human here on earth to intervene for you. You can’t be good enough or bad enough to earn or loss what He had come to earth to do. This Easter week STOP and make the greatest decision of your life Accept the gift of Jesus that God the creator of the universe sent for YOU!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

BUT... when God revealed His kindness (Titus 3:4-5 (NLT))


But—
“When God our Savior revealed his kindness
and love, He saved us, not because of the 
righteous things we had done,
BUT…
because of his mercy. 
He washed away our sins, 
giving us a new birth and 
new life through the Holy Spirit.
 Titus 3:4-5 (NLT)

BUT...God showed His great love (Romans 5:8)


But…
God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:8 (NLT)

Saturday, March 23, 2013

BUT... there is something I am looking for ((Isaiah 66:1)


What sort of house could you build for me?
What holiday spot reserve for me? I made all this!
I own all this!" God's Decree.
"But…
 there is something I'm looking for:
a person simple and plain,
reverently responsive to what I say.
(Isaiah 66:1 MSG)

What I love about this verse is that God is not telling us that we can’t have nice things BUT when it comes to what we have to offer Him the things is not what He desires. What pleases Him is when we listen to what He has to say and humbly do it. Take the challenge this Easter week.
Take time to listen to Him and respond.

Friday, March 22, 2013

BUT... fools despise wisdom (Proverbs 1:7)


The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Knowledge
BUT…
Fools despise wisdom and instruction
Proverbs 1:7
What does it mean to fear God? When you realize God does know everything, yes everything you have ever done or thought. (BUT He still loves you)  God created everything, He set everything into motion, BUT His greatest creation is you. This should make you afraid. BUT not a fear that scares you, 
a fear that draws you closer to His so that He may share with you all His knowledge.
Is God providing counsel right now? Think about the people in your life, are you really listening for what God may have to say to you, or are you waiting to hear what you want to hear? Will you chose knowledge today? 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

BUT... a disgraceful woman is like cancer (Proverbs 12:4)


A worthy wife is a crown for her husband
BUT…
A disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.
Proverbs 12:4
So many times cancer goes undetected by the natural eye. We have no idea that there is something in our body destroying us. The Bible compares this to a wife. What does it mean to be disgraceful?
Do you talk negatively about your spouse to others?
Do you act in a way through speech or actions that may disgrace him?
Today is a great day to choose to be crowns to your husband- lift him up – encourage him.
If you feel this is impossible seek God with all your heart, ask Him to show you what has happened in your relationship. Next look at yourself for reality reminds us that we can only change our behavior and how we look at things. 

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

BUT.. I press on (part 1) (Philippians 3:12)


I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already met perfection.
BUT…



I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.
Philippians 3:12

Living the Christian life is definitely a roller coaster. Sometimes you feel like you got it all figured out and other times you realize that you are out of control. Jesus is the same in the highs and the lows and it does us good to keep pressing on.

Monday, March 18, 2013

BUT... can I trust in my gun (Psalm 44:6-7)


I do not trust in my bow,
And my sword does not bring me victory.
BUT…
You give us victory over our foes and let those who hate us be disgraced.
Psalm 44:6-7
In today's society there is so much talk about gun ownership and gun control. Our trust must be in God and God alone. Your bow or sword (gun) will not bring victory any more for the believer or unbeliever
 BUT when we realize victory over our foes comes from turning them over to God. 

BUT... the sick do (Luke 5:31-32)


Jesus replied to them,
The healthy don’t need a doctor,
BUT…
The sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous,
BUT…
Sinners to repentance.
Luke 5:31-32
If today you are trying to get right before you accept Jesus take hold of this verse. He did not come to earth for the righteous BUT for sinners. Meaning He knows where we fail and loves us because of that failure. 

Thursday, March 14, 2013

BUT... I do it anyway (Romans 7:18-20)


I know what is wrong and I know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature.
I want to do what is right,
 BUT I can’t.
I want to do what is good,
BUT I don’t.
 I don’t want to do what is wrong,
BUT I do it anyway.
BUT if I do what I don’t want to do,
I am not really the one doing wrong;
 It is sin living in me that does it.
I have discovered this principle of life—
That when I want to do what is right,
 I inevitably do what is wrong.
 I love God’s law with all my heart.
BUT there is another power within me that is at war with my mind.
This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
 Oh, what a miserable person I am!
Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is:
 In my mind I really want to obey God’s law,
 BUT because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Romans 7:18-20 (NLT)
Do you find yourself in these passages?  If you have struggled in the past in a humbling situation where you want to do what is right but inevitably you still have bad thoughts or actions please be reminded that is the old nature. Until we get to heaven this battle within will always rage, be strong my friend Jesus can concur even this battle. So often we think to pray about health, financial issues or physical needs BUT my friend the greatest pray is for Jesus to get victory over the battles within!  Please feel free to comment and share an internal battle with us. 

But... now that the child is dead (2 Samuel 12 21-23)


His advisers were amazed. “We don’t understand you,” they told him. “While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat.
BUT…now that the child is dead,
you have stopped your mourning and are eating again.”
David replied,
“I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said,
"Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’
BUT…
 why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again?
I will go to him one day, BUT he cannot return to me.”
2 Samuel 12 21-23

I relate to this verse in so many ways. Watching your own child become sick to the point of death is agonizing. BUT once they have been transformed to their new life it is a time of rejoicing. My daughter entered the hospital on November 1, 2010. Within 2 days the Lord had placed upon my heart that she would not be coming home with us and that these would be her last days. I shared this insight with very few people and I am not sure whether they believed me or not. I am forever grateful for this insight as it allowed me the privilege to share secrets with her and even watch my favorite Disney movie with her. There are times now I wish I could go back to that place when I was so close to God. The Celebration of life service we had for our daughter was full of life. God continues to remind me that there is life after death for both the ones who have passed and those who must stay here. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

BUT... The word of the Lord remains forever. (1 Peter 1:23-25)


For you have been born again,
BUT…
Not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.
As the scripture say,
People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades.
BUT…
The word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:23-25
I love spring time. The daffodils are in full bloom! The daffodils do fade quickly though and we can choose to let this make us sad or rejoice in the fact that these flowers are just the beginning of the beauty of spring and even that summer is just around the corner. It is like our life here on earth, in comparison to eternal life.

Monday, March 4, 2013

BUT... for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)


And now the prize awaits me- the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me BUT…
For all who eagerly look forward to His appearing.  
2 Timothy 4:8
Everyone loves prizes! God loves rewarding His children. This verse tells us that when Jesus returns He comes with prizes. We will be given crowns for the things we do here on earth that please Him. Not for things we try to do to earn salvation BUT for things we do because we love our Lord and desire to make Him happy.