H.O.P.E.: March 2013

Friday, March 29, 2013

Point Of No Return

If you were to go a short distance upstream from Niagara Falls you would find signs posted that read, "DANGER! This is the point of NO return!" Any person or thing that crosses that point of the river will go over the Falls.

Jesus Christ experienced this Point of No Return as He knelt at the Mount of Olives to pray. The hour was getting late and He knew His time was short.

Here is what Luke says about this crucial time in Jesus' life:

Luke 22:39-43 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Jesus knew what lay ahead for Him...He knew the pain and agony that would soon be placed upon Him.
Making the decision to set aside His wishes, He crossed the line by surrendering to the Father's will. Once that decision was made, there was no turning back.

I too have faced challenging times in my life, yet nothing as horrendous as Jesus dying on the cross. However, there have been many times where I struggled with what I wanted versus what God wanted.

Surrendering to God's will is a choice that I must make when situations arise. Once I choose to go God's way, I determine in my heart that no matter what lies ahead I can trust God to take care of it. I can do that today because He has proven Himself faithful in the past.

Jeremiah 29:11 says: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

So, what decision is before you today? What choice do you need to make? Let me encourage you to give God a chance to prove His faithfulness to you.

All Scripture used in my blogs comes from

the Word of God which is the Holy Bible

426 Laurelwood Road
Pottstown, PA 19465
610-323-0480
www.calvarychristian.info

Feel free to e-mail me:
Cindy Mckinley at:
mckinleyclm@gmail.com

Check out some of my other blogs:

Go Away Jesus! http://cccenterhope.blogspot.com/2012/11/go-away-jesus.html

It's All God's Fault! http://cccenterhope.blogspot.com/2012/08/its-all-gods-fault_13.html

How Did I Miss That? http://cccenterhope.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-did-i-miss-that.html

I Am Free! http://cccenterhope.blogspot.com/2012/07/i-am-free.html

Transition vs. Transformation http://cccenterhope.blogspot.com/2012/04/transition-vs-transformation.html

Monday, March 18, 2013

Thirsty?

Isaiah 55:1,2,4,6 "Come all you who are thirsty...Listen, listen to me and eat what is good...See I have made him a witness to the peoples...Seek the Lord while He may be found.”

Did you ever stop to think that the God who created the universe wants you to spend time with him and that He has something to say to you?

Come ~ For those who are truly thirsty and hungry for more of God, He has given us an open invitation to come into His presence. And once we come He says, “Listen, listen to Me eat what is good.”

Listen ~ Not once, but twice God says, “Listen, listen to Me”. He has given us His Word, the Bible, which is full of instructions of how to live and walk this journey on earth.

Eat what is good ~ King David said, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8

Have you ever found a food that you really like and you don’t think twice about going back for seconds maybe even thirds. How many times have you said, “This is so good, I just can’t get enough.”?

This is what God is calling us to. Come if you are thirsty and drink in My Word. Come and eat up my Word. You’ll find something that tastes so good. Something that will give us hope and a future and it is all found in His Word!

See ~ He wants us to take a look into His Word and see His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is our witness of what is to come and since He has enter eternity. Jesus said in John 18:37 ... “I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” One who testifies is a witness.

Seek ~ We are all told to ... “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” There is a day coming when the presence of God will no longer be upon this earth. Many will cry out to God only to find He is no longer there. It is vital that we all seek Him while He may be found. We can’t give up. We must keep on seeking, every day. Not once in awhile but continually.

The prophet Hosea tells us, “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12

Every day I choose to Come to God. I choose to Listen to what He has to say and Eat what is good for my soul through reading the Bible. I choose to search out the testimony of Jesus for He is an eye-witness from the beginning till the end. I choose to Seek the Lord while He may be found.

Oh, there have been many times I have had to break up the unplowed ground of my heart, areas that have become hard because of circumstances in my life. But that is something God helps me to do. He loves us so much!

I leave you with this verse from Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”

Father God in Heaven, there may be some who have tried to come to You in the past and for some reason have not felt Your presence. You have promised that those who seek You will find You, if they seek You with all their heart. Be with each one who reads this blog. Let them feel Your presence in a personal way and find HOPE that can only come from You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

A good place in the Holy Bible to read and learn about Jesus is the gospels, which are the first four books of the New Testament ...Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Before you start reading ask God to open your mind to understand the scripture and to reveal His Son, Jesus Christ to you. He will answer your prayer!