I love to see how God reveals himself in everyday things and situations. In my case it is through my grandchildren. A few weeks ago, our plumbing stopped up and we had to call a plumber. It turns out that our little three year old grandson was responsible and the short five minute visit it took to fix the problem cost us seventy-two dollars! There is no way he can repay us no matter what he did, but I still love him and I love unconditionally.

It is so much like our relationship with God, the Father. He loves us unconditionally and there is nothing we can do to repay him for the debt he paid for our sins.

On the other hand, I can see that my grandchildren are completely dependent on their parents for their well being. They don’t worry where their next meal comes from and if they have a problem like a scraped knee, a nightmare, or a problem with a friend at school, my daughter and son-in-law can take care of them.

God is capable of taking care of us completely no matter what the problem or circumstance may be and when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are entitled to all His benefits and can rest in His great love and forgiveness.

Thank you Jesus for all you’ve done!

Christine

The other day I was listening to a song by Point of Grace called “The Best Thing.”

It’s about knowing Jesus as your Savior. It’s one of those cute fun songs with an upbeat tempo. My little granddaughter and I used to sing and dance to this song. We loved it. It’s hard to sit still when you’re listening to it.

While I was listening to it again the other day it hit me that this cute little song has a very powerful message behind it. You can listen to the song if you click here:

The lyrics say:

He saved me and He raised me
And all my sins He forgave me
He’s the best thing that ever happened to me

We sometimes go through our lives and our daily routines without Jesus being first on our minds throughout the day. I know I do!

But just think about it.

First of all, Jesus forgives us of all of our sins which in turn gives us eternal life with Him forever! If I never have anything else in this life, I can rejoice everyday about my salvation.

But the scriptures tell us that when we have Jesus, we are covered in God’s righteousness right now in this life! I am in right standing with God because of Jesus and I can go to God in prayer any time day or night and He hears me!

I have the privilege of praying in Jesus’ name and, though it sounds astounding, the scriptures say I have what I ask.

In Matthew 21, Jesus is hungry and approaches a fig tree for some fruit. Finding only leaves, he says to the tree, “May you never bear fruit again!” The disciples are astounded when the tree withers.

But Jesus then tells them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

The disciples were amazed but Jesus’ words indicate what can happen when they have faith, and what He told them applies to you and me today as well.

At the end of the song, it says I tried all the rest, but had to come back to the best thing.

No matter what else–or who else—you or I have tried out there–even though it might look and sound really good—there is the only one best thing. And it is Jesus.

He says He is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father but through Him. Jesus is the only one who died and rose again so that we can continue to live with Him even when our life here is finished.

When you think about it, we should rejoice always and keep in mind that He is indeed “The Best Thing”.

However, the thought occurred to me that we need to know as Christians that God is always here with us.

At His birth, his mission was to redeem us from sin and restore a relationship with God the Father by dying on that terrible cross. Quite simply, that was the plan and Jesus fulfilled His mission for you and for me.

I believe, however, that we get caught up in “religion” and take our eyes off Jesus. Instead we struggle in this life and think to ourselves, “If I can be good enough, then God will be good to me.”

How wrong can we be? First of all, that kind of thinking makes us feel like God is far from us and waiting to berate us for all of our mistakes and wrongdoing. That thought, in turn, can make us feel like we are on our own and have to do things ourselves and in our own way.

God is never far from us. His word plainly tells us that he will never leave us nor will he forsake us (Heb13:5-6).

This passage of Scripture has a warning about the love of money and being content with what you have. An interesting thought is that being content is not just settling for second best.

God, in His comforting words, is saying that we can rest in any situation we are in because He is with us. Well, if God is there in our circumstance and knows me and calls me by name, what do I have to fear? What do I have to fret about?

“God is with me, and nothing can separate me from His love” Romans 8:35.

I have everything that I want and God even gives me the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4) when I delight myself in Him.

Another scripture that really got my attention one day is Hebrews 3:6. The passage is talking about Jesus as a faithful high priest. It said that Jesus is greater than Moses who was also faithful as a servant over his house, but that Jesus, our high priest, is faithful over his house, and the Scripture says, We are His House!

God lives within each of us when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. With Jesus, we are made clean from our sin condition. That means every sin past, present and future.

Get a revelation today of what it means to understand that God is here. He wants you to talk to Him and walk each day with Him. Know today that He is with you and will never leave you. That was His plan: to save you and to live within in you through his Holy Spirit.

John 3:16 says a great deal about the kind of God we serve. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. Whosoever. That’s you and me and anyone else who confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Most of us know that Scripture but I challenge you today to embrace it as God’s personal message to you that He loves you and He is with you no matter what circumstance we may find ourselves in.

One last thought. God does not have grandchildren or great grandchildren. No matter what our age, we are His children through the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

If you don’t know Jesus, then the promises in the Bible will not apply to you. That may sound harsh, but God paid the price for you to be redeemed and restored. We have to receive His gift and by faith come to Him and then and only then are you made to be his child and by the way, a joint heir with Jesus!

Don’t miss out on what it means to be his child and walk in the promises and live in victory and then step into eternity with Him at the end of life’s journey.

GOD LOVES YOU UNCONDITIONALLY. YOU CAN COME TO HIM JUST AS YOU ARE AND HE WILL ACCEPT YOU AND THEN HE WILL REJOICE OVER YOU!

He has come. He has died for our sin. He has paid the price. He has risen. And He is here.

In Christ,
Christine

About the Author:

Christine Walker is the creator and webmaster of Christian Fiction Book Club, where she reviews popular Christian novels. This article may be reprinted in your e-zine, e-book and/or on your web site so long as it includes this resource box and a link back to her website at http://www.ChristianFictionBookClub.com.

What a great picture of how God wants his wayward children to come back to Him and how He rejoices when they do!

However, the other son—the one who remained at home–is an interesting part of the parable, as well.

He was jealous and angry about the return of his wayward brother and didn’t appreciate the celebration he received. He represents many Christians today who do not know who they are in Christ.

According to the parable, all that the Father has is ours, and we have access to Him any time day or night when we pray. The promises of grace, mercy and forgiveness are ours as well as promises of provision, protection, guidance, and healing.

In the light of this truth, we should celebrate His goodness everyday, and be willing to extend grace to those who repent and come back into Him.

By the world’s standard, it’s easy to understand the elder son’s reaction. After all, he had not gone away and squandered all of his money and lived a sinful life style but chose to stay faithful to his father.

In God’s Kingdom we see how grace is shown equally to all who ask for forgiveness and are willing to repent. God rejoices over us no matter how long we have known Him and have walked with Him.

In verses 31-32 the father tells the complaining son,

“‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

The same joy is felt by this father is felt by our Heavenly Father.

Our sins completely separate us from God, and in turning from them, we are reunited with Him. This is cause for celebration in God’s eyes. We in turn should celebrate with the one who is lost and now is found.

Christine Walker

About the Author:

Christine Walker is the creator and webmaster of Christian Fiction Book Club, where she reviews popular Christian novels. This article may be reprinted in your e-zine, e-book and/or on your web site so long as it includes this resource box and a link back to her website at http://www.ChristianFictionBookClub.com.

There are many times in my walk with God that I wonder where He is and if He has heard my prayers, especially those that have not been answered after a long period of time.

The thought came to me, however, that my time of feeling like God has forgotten me is like winter time for a tree. The tree may look dead because the branches are completely bare of leaves, fruit, or blossoms. The fact is, though, that the branches are still very much alive. They are still connected to the tree itself and the life of the tree flows through every one of those branches from the largest to the smallest.

Just as the bare branches stay connected to the tree in winter, so must I stay connected to God in my “Winter Seasons.” The branches go dormant for a season or two, and my spiritual life may go dormant periodically as well. This is the time to allow the Holy Spirit to flow through me as I read and meditate on the Word and continue to praise God regardless of how I may feel.

God will sustain me through this time and then, like the tree sprouting beautiful leaves, fruit or blossoms in the springtime, my life will begin to sprout the fruit of the Spirit again.

God will never leave us nor forsake us and He is faithful to take care of us. So, continue to trust Him in your seasons of “Winter”. Then, when your see your circumstance change, or your longtime prayer answered, you can give God all the glory and the praise!

Be encouraged. Stay connected to God in the “Winter”!

In Christ,

Christine

About the Author:

Christine Walker is the creator and webmaster of Christian Fiction Book Club, where she reviews popular Christian novels. This article may be reprinted in your e-zine, e-book and/or on your web site so long as it includes this resource box and a link back to her website at http://www.ChristianFictionBookClub.com.

What is prayer? When do I pray? Why and how do I pray? These are all commonly asked questions. They are good questions and God wants us to have the answers to each of them.

We can talk to Him in our everyday way of talking. He understands all languages and dialects. He loves for His people to spend time with Him.

Since the scripture in 1Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray continually, it stands to reason that we can pray whenever and wherever we want to do so. Examples of praying continually include talking to God while we are driving, working, preparing meals, or shopping.

We need God every minute of every day, so it’s okay to pray in any circumstance you may find yourself or whenever the need arises. Since we have the mind of Christ according to 1 Corinthians 2:16, I believe our very thoughts can be prayers as we express them to God, and that this is what He would have us do.

Prayers do not have to be lengthy to be effective. A simple, from the heart, “God, I need You” prayer is heard by God and He will respond to your cry for help.

The reason we pray is out of our need and desire to have God’s presence, wisdom and guidance with us. There are always decisions to be made and God doesn’t care how many times we need Him nor is He too busy to hear from us.

You can ask Him about your life’s purpose or about what to prepare for dinner. Nothing is too large or too small for God to handle. If it is a concern to you, it is a concern to your Heavenly Father. Talking or praying to Him is the first thing we as Christians should being doing.

Sometimes I can talk to God in my car and genuinely feel His presence with me. Other times, if I am particularly burdened about something or someone, I like to go to my prayer closet. In my case, that is beside my bed on my knees. I have poured out my heart to Him there and have been quiet before Him so I can listen to what He says to me.

In any case — in the car or beside my bed — He is present. He tells us that if we seek Him with our whole heart, He will be found by us. Knowing God, talking to God and serving God are all things that come from the heart.

God is awesome, but He is approachable. James 4:16 says “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

You will always be rewarded when in His presence whether your petition of Him is answered immediately or if you have to wait patiently for Him.

God loves you and He hears you when you pray.

Christine Walker

About the Author:

Christine Walker is the creator and webmaster of Christian Fiction Book Club, where she reviews popular Christian novels. This article may be reprinted in your e-zine, e-book and/or on your web site so long as it includes this resource box and a link back to her website at http://www.ChristianFictionBookClub.com.

Jesus is our redemption, but it cost him his life. He died on the cross so that you and I would not have to endure the punishment for our sins. Because of this supreme sacrifice, the Holy Spirit can now live on the inside of us!

We are His temple!

Hebrews 3:6 says, “But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.”

Why then would we want to associate ourselves with sinful things?

In 1 Corinthians we read, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT)

Those powerful words should be a huge incentive for us to guard our actions, attitudes and behavior against the enemy, who would seek to misguide and destroy us and lead us into sin. We belong to God and should serve Him in all we do.

The next time you are tempted in thought word or deed, remember who it is that bought and paid for you so you could have eternal life and allow the Holy Spirit to give you that way of escape mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10:13:

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” (The Message)

The words “I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross” from the song “Here I am to Worship”, take on a new meaning for me when I think about my own life and what Jesus did for me. Sin is costly and actually requires death for payment. Jesus’ death on the cross and His payment for my sin and yours helps me remember that I do belong to Him, and I will gladly do my part to honor and serve Him all the days of my life.

You and I have been bought with a price.

Love,
Christine

About the Author:

Christine Walker is the creator and webmaster of Christian Fiction Book Club, where she reviews popular Christian novels. This article may be reprinted in your e-zine, e-book and/or on your web site so long as it includes this resource box and a link back to her website at http://www.ChristianFictionBookClub.com.