Devotionals for the Heart: The Hope of the Bible cannot be defeated

An Invincible Hope
A devotional by Tessa Huckstep

“That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” –Titus 3:7 (KJV)

There are so many different things I hope for throughout just one day.

I hope it won’t rain today. I hope I get the promotion. I hope my friend is feeling better than she was yesterday. But this kind of hope simply sounds like wishful thinking. There is no confidence behind these hopes—they are empty and uncertain.

Wishful thinking always depends completely on circumstances: If it is sunny today, I will be happy. If it rains, I will be sad. But how can we depend upon our circumstances for happiness and fulfillment? Our circumstances are always changing and fluctuating. Additionally, our circumstances are being constantly manipulated by the enemy. 1 Peter 5:8 (KJV) states, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”. The devil is searching for ways to discourage Christians. If our hope is set on our circumstances, it would be easy for the devil to alter our circumstances for the worse and discourage us.

The hope of the Bible, however, is far from wishful thinking. The hope of the Bible is a hope in eternal life, in everlasting joy, in Jesus Himself. These things are certain. They are facts. John 3:16 (KJV) states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It does not say that some or a select few might be saved. It says that whosoever believes will have eternal life.

But what about the major disappointments of life? Sometimes, we spend years working toward a specific goal or dream only to have it crushed in front of us. We can pray. We can ask God to intercede. But here on Earth, we are going to face major disappointments. We are going to face heartache. We are going to face failure and defeat. Jesus says in John 16:33 (KJV), “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”. The world hates the light and love. Satan will stop at nothing to extinguish the light of Christians. But our hope is not found in this world. Our hope is in Jesus Christ because He has overcome the world.

When your heart begins to ache, and you don’t know where else to go—go to Jesus. When your circumstances seem hopeless, and you can’t see any way out—go to Jesus. There is no hope besides Jesus and eternal life with Him. We could search every inch of this Earth, but we would never find the hope our souls were made for because our souls were made to be in communion with Jesus. In Christ is where our souls belong.

Put away the habit of wishful thinking and start putting your hope in Jesus. He will never disappoint you and your hope is safe in Him. Jesus is victorious. He has already won. Why not put your hope in Someone who is invincible and whose plans are certain? Put your hope in the Invincible Hope which is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, thank You for the hope you have given us. Please help us to put our hope solely in You. Grant us the courage to look beyond our circumstances and keep our eyes always on You. Lord, You are our only lasting and certain hope. Allow us to rest only in who You are and the promises You have made. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection:
“In Christ Alone / The Solid Rock (Live)” by Travis Cottrell. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Tessa Huckstep grew up in rural Illinois to Christian parents and has known Jesus personally since the age of five. 

She is currently attending community college and majoring in elementary education. In the future, she plans to teach in the public school, hoping to bring the love of God with her.

God’s dream of Tessa becoming a writer was revealed to her at the age of sixteen and she hasn’t been able to stop since. Though she has not yet been published, Tessa enjoys writing historical romance novels and speculative fiction.

Tessa believes God loves stories, and through her writing, she wants to reveal the happily ever after God dreams of for each of his daughters—one where Jesus is the knight in shining armor.

Tessa loves all things Georgian/Regency, needlework, and dainty teacups of every size. When she isn’t writing or studying for exams, Tessa can be found in the kitchen with more flour in her hair and on the floor than in the mixing bowl, though the mess is always half the fun!

~*~
Connect with Tessa:
Blog: https://beautifulbeloved937002841.wordpress.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/101227159

Easter Sunday: Priceless (a devotional)

Priceless
A devotional by Alexis A. Goring

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 (NIV)

One beautiful day in April 2020, I was looking up information on Google about my favorite Hollywood actresses and actors.

I noticed that one of the search results asked the question about their net worth. When I clicked on it, I saw the answer (millions of dollars). I also saw the same question popped up for several more actors. Each question was clickable with a drop down menu that revealed how much each actor (male and female) was worth financially. It awed me to know how much money these celebrities made just by their famous careers on the big screen.

Before I could go too far and become completely consumed by the lifestyles of the rich and famous, God placed this question on my heart, “How much is a human worth?” And to that, He answered, “Priceless.”

The Creator of humankind is the Eternal King of the entire Universe and He is also our Heavenly Father (God) who loves us with all of His heart. In fact, He thinks that we’re worth dying for so He sent His only Son (Jesus Christ) to save our life! Read John 3:16 for details.

Thanks to Him, we have hope. Thanks to Jesus, we have a chance at eternal life! All we have to do is accept His free gift of salvation that He carried out when He died for us on the Cross. But Christ’s death was not the closing act! After three days, He rose again on a Sunday, which is now celebrated by Christians around the world and listed on calendars as “Easter Sunday.”

Thanks to the life and resurrection of Christ, all who accept Him into their heart and follow Him know that one day He will return to take us home to Heaven. Until then, we need to live for Him and be encouraged by the fact that He died to save us and He’s coming again. The Bible says that, “God is not a man, that he should lie” (Numbers 23:19 KJV). So we can trust Him when He says that He’s preparing a place for us in Heaven (John 14:3) and that He will return to take us to be with Him there forever.

Meanwhile, as we journey through this Earth and experience all the highs and lows that life brings, we need to remember this precious truth:

Famous or not, we are all precious and priceless in God’s sight. 

We are completely loved by Him.

Reflection: 

How does it feel to know that the Creator of the Universe knows you completely and loves you unconditionally?

~*~

Author Bio: 

Alexis A. Goring, founder of "God is Love" blog, is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ.

Devotionals for the Heart: Discipline

Does God Discipline Us?
A devotional by Amy Odland

“Therefore I bring charges against you again,” declares the Lord. “And I will bring charges against your children’s children. Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and observe closely; see if there has ever been anything like this: Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols. Be appalled at this, you heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the Lord.”

 – Jeremiah 2:9-12 (NIV)

My, how the world can change in a week! Those of us who’ve lost someone unexpectedly or been through a natural disaster or tragedy before already understand this. But a large portion of the world is finding out all at once what it’s like to have life change in a moment.

I haven’t heard anyone preaching about this being some sort of punishment from God yet, but I’m also writing this on March 16. The Coronavirus is still pretty new to most of the United States at this time (though, our friends in Washington state have been dealing with it since January) but the numbers of cases and deaths worldwide is growing steadily right now in most places. I imagine by the time this is published, someone somewhere will be preaching the idea that this is God’s punishment on us.

So, let’s bypass the fluffy examples I could’ve used for this devotional and dive right into the deep end: “Is God disciplining us with the Coronavirus pandemic?” 

I say YES and NO. Here’s why ...

YES:
Complacency, indifference, and disbelief are always present in our society to a degree, but they became more blatant as the arrival of the Coronavirus started spreading in the news. First in Italy, then in America. Phrases like “It’s basically the flu” and “the flu kills more” became common in Italy until they realized too late that it is different from the flu in that no one has immunity from it and large numbers of people were being infected all at once. We heard these phrases being said by our own citizens and leaders just a couple weeks ago.

People have become complacent as a result, and while the disease does look similar to influenza in its symptoms, there are other concerns. The clustered increase of people all getting sick at the same time will overwhelm the healthcare system like a tsunami wave hitting the shore. It has already happened in Italy and they have warned us. 

Trying to educate people about this very serious concern and the benefits of social distancing before there is the evidence of a large number of cases present has been made more difficult because people don’t believe it’s true or believe it’s a political conspiracy or news media hoax. Add to that the delay from our leaders (between March 9-13) in communicating the seriousness of this and you have a recipe for indifference, disbelief, and conspiracy theorists...which made speaking truth during this time much more difficult. 

Yes, God can allow a new virus to sweep the world to show people He is still able to wipe the earth clean. It’s not a flood of water like He’d promised Noah He would never do again, but it can still be an effective wake-up call to many who haven’t considered eternity before now.


NO:
If Christians die because of this pandemic, is God punishing them? If my loved ones get sick and die because of this pandemic, do I believe God is punishing me (or them)? Definitely NO. This world is evil and filled with people who do evil. Rape, murder, theft, and destruction are just the result of living in a fallen world and having evil reside amongst us. People by nature are selfish, greedy, and stubborn...even the good ones are not perfect all the time (Romans 3:12). I have seen many on social media selfishly choosing to still go on vacation or still gather in large groups. They will affect us all more than they realize right now.

Psalm 91 says that “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1) and “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” (Psalm 91:14) Yes, we can pray the words of this Psalm in times of trouble and we can pray it would be the Lord’s will for us to be protected from the calamity that lay before us. But this Psalm isn’t the guarantee of safety that some would interpret it to be. It is not a force field or protective shield to turn on and off when we need protection. The words in this psalm are a promise of eternal salvation, a promise that no matter what evil comes before us or is successful in destroying us, God has sealed our eternity.

God has only promised us we will someday be completely free of sickness and death and evil. But he did not promise that we would be trouble-free in this life. John 16:33 tells us to take heart, though, because Jesus has overcome the world.

We are not living lives of fear if we “see danger and take refuge” (Proverbs 22:3) and take extra oil along for our lamps as the virgins did in the parable in Matthew 25:4. We are being prudent and wise, just as God has told us to be. It is an act of love to be quarantining ourselves right now in order to protect the lives of others who are more vulnerable, who are at high risk for complications from this virus, just like it is an act of love when we speak up for the unborn or when we help the widows and orphans.

We can do our part to still love others during this hard time and have peace because Jesus has told us He is preparing a place for us and will take us there to be with Him (John 14:2-3). We can have peace because He has promised He will care for us and while it doesn’t mean He’ll care for us on our terms or based on our parameters, He WILL care for us. Let us be encouraged to rest in the shelter of His shadow and acknowledge His name.

~*~
Author Bio:

Amy Odland has been serving in church ministry as a volunteer leader for over 16 years, in various worship, prayer and women’s ministry roles. 

Her passion for helping women stems from her own struggles and lessons learned in her journey as a Christian since first deciding to follow the Lord in 1994.

Amy’s priorities after her faith include her family — husband Rick, and their four kids — as well as extended family who all live close in proximity and the many friends she’s made over the years.

In addition to a love of teaching and helping her husband with the bookkeeping for their many businesses, Amy has recently expanded her stay-at-home work to include leading author’s book launch teams for publishing companies like Baker, Revell, Barbour, and Lifeway.

She also enjoys teaching new authors about platform building, self-launching, and online marketing.

~*~
Connect with Amy:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/amyodland
Instagram: https://instagram.com/amy_odland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_odland
Website: https://amyodland.com

Devotionals for the Heart: A Symbol of Jesus Christ's Promise to Return

The Folded Napkin

A devotional by Nanci Rubin

“And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.” – John 20:7 (KJV)

A few weeks ago, the Christian Church formally and personally celebrated Easter. The resurrection of our Lord is a time of joy, re-birth and appreciation. Within theology and Christology, there is definitely a place for the historical Jesus and the cultural context within which he lived, alongside the divine person of Christ Jesus who gifts us with salvation and eternal life and lives within us through His Spirit.

Many years ago, my pastor at the time preached a sermon on the folded napkin, it so impressed me, that I never forgot. We have to consider that Jesus was a reflection in many ways of the culture within which he was born and lived.

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after his resurrection? The gospel of John 20:7 tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the other grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. I can only imagine her fright and shock as she ran to find Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have laid him!” – John 20:2 (KJV) 

Peter and the other disciple took off running to the tomb so they could see for themselves. The other disciple being faster outran Peter and got there first. Cautiously he stooped and peered in. He saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived, breathless and without hesitation, went inside the tomb. He was stunned to see the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, we need to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the master and servant and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating.

The servant would dare not touch the table until the master was finished. Now if the master was finished eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers and mouth, clean his beard, and wad up the napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m finished.”

But if the master got up from the table, folded his napkin and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back!”

Let us not only remember Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, but the fact that he did leave a folded napkin to symbolize that He is not finished and He is coming back for His faithful servants within His Church.

And Jesus commissioned His disciples after His resurrection and said to them, “I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” –Matthew 28:20 (KJV)

I am mindful when I eat out about the napkin. If I’ve enjoyed the meal and the service has been excellent, I always fold the napkin and place it by my plate. The establishment may not understand the significance of the folded napkin, but it is my way of saying, “I’m coming back.”

We not only have a hope, but a promise, because Jesus said He’s coming back.

My Prayer: Father (God), thank you for the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus, for all of humanity. Teach us, O Lord, to be kind and to love as Jesus taught. We will be your hands and feet on the earth and share the Good News of Jesus and the promise of the folded napkin. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Nanci is a poet and short story writer published in Cypress News, Family Times E-Zine, Free Verse and the Commonwealth of Poetry. 

She belongs to RWA, ACFW, and Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild where she’s enrolled in his novel writing program.

Nanci lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and cats, Romeo and Juliette, along with their newest member of the family, Roni who is a seven-month-old Goldendoodle.

Recently, Nanci completed her debut novel, A Betrayal in Cross Keys. It is an Amish romance. She has placed it in her agent's capable hands. The rest is up to God.

Devotionals for the Heart: God's Favor

Grace, God’s Unmerited Favor
A devotional by Nanci Rubin

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast.” ~Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

This scripture always pings my heart. I try and envision God in Heaven asking, “Who will go and save my creation? My children have been deceived and have gotten off course. They need someone to show them the way home. Someone who can bridge the crevasse sin has created.”

I can imagine the angels, the Holy Spirit and Jesus talking with God at a Heavenly Holy Ghost board meeting. Jesus, the chairman of International Outreach, raises his hand and says, “I will go.” Everyone nods and an ethereal melody that only the Heavenly Host can hear permeates the atmosphere. The Angels nominate Jesus as God’s representative and the Holy Spirit seconds the motion. Everyone is in agreement. God’s only-begotten son will become the savior.

There is a flurry of activity as preparations are made for Jesus to come to earth as the Son of Man. He willingly lay aside his robe and crown to come down to our level. He became the propitiation for our sins. I often wonder, why he did that? How deep is a love that would willingly take all our afflictions and sins? It is beyond all human comprehension.

So, how does grace come into this? According to Ephesians at the top of this blog, it states we’re saved by grace, God’s unmerited favor, not by anything that we say or can do. It is God’s greatest gift to mankind. He gives it freely. We can’t earn it. We can’t save ourselves. We all need a savior. God knew it. It wasn’t enough any longer for our sins to be merely covered by the blood of a sacrificial animal it was time for our sins to be laved away, once and for all. This was accomplished by the blood of Jesus at Calvary. His sacrifice opened the door unto eternal life.

In Isaiah, Chapter 53, God’s Word clearly defines what Jesus accomplished for us at The Cross. He took upon himself. ALL of our sin, All of our sicknesses and diseases, and we were healed. It’s already done. So many wonderful Christians fail to understand this gift of grace. I want to have the unmerited favor of God. I want to know that when I fail and sin, which we all do, that God has made a way for me, and you, to confess our sins and be forgiven. We need to get it through our heads that God loves us so much he has given all He can give to show us that love. There is not one thing you can do to make him love you more nor can you do anything to make him love you less. He just loves you.

When you think, you’ve screwed up and made a mess of everything God is not sitting on His throne with a whip, ready to punish you. No, GOD IS NOT MAD WITH YOU. HE IS MAD ABOUT YOU. He wants to restore you back into fellowship with Him. We all have such a tendency to run from God when we’ve messed up, but we should be running to Him.

Many years ago, God chastened me about speaking negatively about myself. I was constantly calling myself stupid or saying what a dummy I was when I’d done something wrong. God spoke to my spirit, and said, “Don’t say those things about My creation. You don't see yourself through my eyes. I see the finished product. You cannot.” From that time forward, I became very conscious of how I spoke about myself. I began to believe that indeed I was wonderfully and marvelously made by God’s own hands. Sure, I still mess up, but I realize it's covered by Jesus’ blood. I confess my faults, get up, dust myself off and start over.

This is the walk we choose when we accept grace. It’s wonderful to know God is always there and ready to restore us when we’ve gotten off course. Don’t allow the enemy to deceive you into believing God will not forgive you. Remember grace and Jesus’ sacrifice.

If by chance you’ve stumbled and lost your way call out to God and tell him you’re sorry and want his unmerited favor. When our children err and confess what they’ve done, we are forgiving because we love them. God loves you a zillion more times than that.

~*~
Author Bio:

Nanci writes Inspy Amish romance. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two fur kids, Romeo and Juliet, rescue cats. She is working on her debut novel, Plain Justice.

She retired earlier than planned from nursing to care for her mother, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Her mom passed last year at the age of ninety-nine and Nanci has delved more into her writing.

She is active in an intercessory prayer ministry in her church, belongs to The Woman’s Club, a service-oriented volunteer organization dedicated to the welfare and enrichment of the community and volunteers two days a week at the Mary Washington Museum.

Currently, she's enrolled in Rhema Bible College’s correspondence Bible studies. She belongs to ACFW and RWA. When she’s not working, reading or writing she’s hiking with her husband at Shenandoah National Park.

A devotional for your heart about an Author and a Book

Acknowledgments from God in the Lamb’s Book of Life
A devotional written by Alexis A. Goring

"I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God's angels.” ~ Luke 12:8 (NLT)

This devotional was inspired one summer night in July 2017.

I’d logged into my Facebook page and saw an update from one of my friends. She’s an author who’s working on a new novel. I’m one of her beta readers.

The message from my author friend noted how she would award her beta readers after her book was ready to be published. She said, “As a reward for being a HUGE part of this creation, you’ll have your name mentioned in my acknowledgments and you’ll get a free, autographed copy of the paperback when it releases.” As I read this note, Luke 12:8 came to mind and a parallel was formed!

I realized that book enthusiasts get excited when their name is mentioned in the acknowledgments of a book by one of their favorite author friends. It’s exhilarating that we though in most cases are not an author, played a role in helping the author create this polished book. We like to see our name in print. It gives us a feeling of significance and lets us know that the author wants us in their life.

But did you know that there’s a GREAT book that God wrote called The Book of Life? Everyone whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be saved and go to Heaven when Jesus returns to Earth to take His faithful followers home.

Let’s read more about this in Revelation 21:22-27 (NIV): “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

The Bible also says, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” ~1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV)

Now that is a happily ever after ending that I want for my life story! Heaven is going to be wonderful. The struggles we face here on Earth can’t compare to an eternal life free of sin and pain (2 Corinthians 4:17) that awaits us! Most importantly, having our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life brings me so much hope and joy! It shows just how special and significant we are to God and it portrays the enduring, forever love that our Savior Jesus Christ has for humankind.

It’s wonderful to have our names mentioned by our favorite authors in the Acknowledgements section of their book but there’s one Author Friend’s Book that I most want my name to be in and that’s in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God and I want to be acknowledged in His book, don’t you?

So what can you do to be acknowledged by God? By committing your life to Him and accepting the free gift of salvation offered to you through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ! Live your daily life in obedience to God. Study the Bible and apply its principles then watch your faith in God grow!

Remember, it is better to be acknowledged by God than by man.

Devotional by Laura Thomas: The Easter Sheep

The Easter Sheep
A devotional by Laura Thomas

Picture a garden. A cave. A large stone. And a woman crying—weeping uncontrollably, actually—for she had lost someone very special. Someone she would never forget.

Mary Magdalene had encountered Jesus many moons prior, back when he delivered her from demons—that’s something you don’t forget in a hurry—and she promptly became one of His devoted followers. She had been there at the cross where He was murdered, and now her heart was breaking at the empty tomb. Jesus’ body had been taken, and it was the last straw for her fragile nerves.

She was so caught up in her grief, her eyes so blurred by tears, her heart so crushed, that she failed to recognize Jesus outside the tomb.

“At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

~ John 20:14-15 (NIV)

She thought he was the gardener.

Her Savior was gone and she was devastated…until Jesus made Himself known to her.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’”

~John 20:16a (NIV)

He called her by name.

In John chapter 10, Jesus talks of Himself as being the Good Shepherd, One who would lay down His life for His sheep. The sheep would be us, you guys. Granted, not the smartest of creatures; they tend to wander off and get lost, and are in need of constant guidance. But they are also highly treasured by their shepherd. Loved. Protected. Cared for. Verse 3 (in John chapter 10) says, “He calls his own sheep by name”… just as Jesus called Mary by name. And He calls me by name. And He calls you by name.

At His resurrection, Jesus could have appeared to whomever He wanted—crowds, leaders, cities…but He chose to appear to one of His sheep first. It was personal and so typically Jesus in its simple beauty.

And Mary’s joy was complete! Can you imagine? As soon as Jesus spoke her name, she was safe again. Her Good Shepherd hadn’t deserted her in any way—He was fully there, calling her name, and she no longer grieved. She may not have fully comprehended the theological ramifications of the resurrection, but Her Lord was alive and that was enough! Is that enough for us?

This regular woman with a tainted past was given the honor of being the very first person to herald the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the world! That’s quite something, isn’t it? We have also been given the same message to proclaim to the world—that’s quite something, too!

It’s timeless and true. A message of redemption and restoration.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” ~Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

As we ponder the path leading up to Easter, remember how personal the message of salvation is. Jesus died for us as individuals. He conquered death so that each of us might have eternal life. He did it for you. He did it for me. And He calls us by name, just as He called to Mary.

He really loves His sheep. I pray that we won’t be too busy or distracted wandering in other pastures to hear the Good Shepherd’s voice this Easter.

~*~

Author bio:

Laura is a published Christian author with a heart for inspiring and encouraging readers of all ages. 

She is truly multi-genre—with a published Christian teen fiction trilogy, marriage book, children’s stories, devotionals for Union Gospel Press, musings on her blog, and she now has a literary agent representing her Christian romantic suspense novel. 

Laura is English and Canadian, married to her high school sweetheart, mom of three, passionate about faith and family…and chocolate!

~*~
Connect with Laura:
Website - www.laurathomasauthor.com
Facebook - http://bit.ly/2o1eRyt

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Laura_Thomas_
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lauracthomas/
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/lauracthomas/