Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

God Loves You!

Posted on November 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

“I have loved you with an everlasting love…” (Jeremiah 31:3)

The way we perceive God reflects the way we worship Him. If we visualize Him as a hard taskmaster our worship will be cold and distant.If we picture Him as a loving God, then are worship will be reverential and meaningful.

Worship is so much more than just going to church and singing hymns. Worshp is a way of life; it is what we do for God on a daily basis. It is giving glory to God in everything we do. It is praising Him, loving others, and serving Him with our whole heart.

Circumstances in our life may affect the way we perceive God, such as our relationship with our own father, listening to a priest, minister or pastor, the books we have read, our personal experiences, or the stories we have been told since early childhood. These circumstances may be positive or negative.

We can change our negative perception of God by prayer, talking to Him, and reading the Bible. If one wants to identify with a Bible character, read the Psalms. The psalms are songs written mostly by David, but some are written by ordinary people trying to comprehend who God was so that they could trust Him.

Some of God’s attributes are discovered through His Word such as merciful, compassionate, forgiving, loving, steadfast, just, truthful, powerful, etc. In order to trust Him we need to know about him; the same way you would  need to know a friend before you give him the keys to your car.

When we feel God’s love we will have a better understanding of  His Son, Jesus Christ. All of a sudden life makes more sense when we know there is a promise of eternal life in heaven for all who believe in Him.
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will have everlasting life.” (Judy Whittaker)

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The Lord–My Strength and My Song

Posted on May 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

“The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” (Exodus 15:2)

Frank had a terminal illness and gave his life to Christ a month before he passed away. He had always loved to sing, and one day he sat up straight in his Hospice bed and belted out the song, “Amazing Grace”. The hospital staff was amazed at his strength because two hours later he passed into the arms of Jesus. The Lord became his strength and his song.

Moses and the Israelites sang a song after their victory over Egyptian slavery, and one of the lyrics was, “The Lord is my strength and my song and he has become my salvation.” (Exodus 15:2) They all sang with timbrels and dancing for this glorious victory!

When the Lord is our strength and our song we have a reason to celebrate as He gives us joy in the midst of sorrow. Who is your strength and your song? (Judy Whittaker)

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Playing Church

Posted on April 12, 2012 | 1 Comment

“Nevertheless, I have something against you because you have lost your first love.” (Revelation 2:4)


What happened  to the church with the impressive brick and ivy-draped exterior——but whose interior resembles “dry bones”?

On Sunday morning the preacher preaches to a captive audience, quoting bits and pieces from the Bible, skillfully averting any passages that may offend someone in the pews. Ears are tickled with funny stories and intellectual “aha!” moments, and the congregation is entertained. But where is the transforming power of the gospel? How did they lose their first love—-the passion of Jesus Christ?

There were so many programs and wonderful church picnics, something for everyone to get involved in. Why they even gave some of their offerings to feed the poor with enough money left over to pay for one of the best worship teams one could imagine! So many works done in the name of the church, but the name of Jesus was rarely mentioned. When did the church of Jesus Christ become the church of good works? When did they lose their first love?

In the book of Revelation Jesus reprimanded the church of Ephesus . Although they were doing good works in Jesus’ name, they lost their first love–the love of Jesus. He told them to repent or they would be excluded from future blessings in heaven. (Revelation 2:4-7)

Does this description fit your church? If it does, then do not be afraid to stand for the sake of the gospel. The apostle Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation….” (Romans 1:16)

The blood of Jesus must be preached (the cross), because the Bible tells us without the shed blood of Jesus there is no forgiveness of  sins. (Hebrews 9:22) And without the gospel being preached there is no power. When we get to heaven, I doubt if God will be asking us what works we did—only what works we did in His name.

This is serious, my friends.  Take a stand and make a difference in your church. Know your Bible and if a doctrine does not line up with the Word of God, lovingly challenge the preacher who misquotes it. Respect people of different faiths who do not agree that the Bible is their authority, but if someone is preaching untruths from the Bible, then it is time for the church of Jesus Christ to stand up. Will you be one of the first in line?  (Judy Whittaker)

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Christian Worship

Posted on February 9, 2012 | 3 Comments


“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6)

According to the International Bible Encyclopedia, the definition of Christian worship is “the uplifting of Holy joy before the Creator.” It embraces all of a believer’s life and walk with God. The place doesn’t matter, and worship can occur individually or in a group setting. What does matter is the condition of our heart. Worship involves praise, submission, service, and consecration.

The Bible has a lot to say about worship. In the old testament, the Hebrew word for worship is shacah, which means to bow down, prostrate, or serve. Mind and body are included. In the new testament, the Greek word is proskuneo, which means reverence, adore, and serve, but the most common definition is “to kiss”.

The focal point of worship is God in Jesus Christ, because in worshipping Jesus, we worship God. Jesus gives us access to the Father. (Ephesians 2:18). God is a Spirit and those who worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24), so true worship is made possible only through the intervention of the Holy Spirit

Worship is “our attempt to pay the unpayable debt of love…” (International Bible Encyclopedia) We worship God because of His mercy and grace, expressed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “But God commendeth His love toward us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Prayer can be a type of worship that leads to praise. Praise Him for what we have, what we are, and what we hope to be. Thank God not just for what He has done, but for who He is—our Creator. Be filled with the Spirit! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!!!  (Judy Whittaker)

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What Is Your Passion?

Posted on December 7, 2011 | 1 Comment

” Don’t lay up treasures on earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven….For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

What is your passion (or treasure)? What extra-curricular activities are you pursuing that consume most of your thoughts? Where do you spend your extra money? Where is your heart? These are questions we need to ask ourselves so we can avoid a lifetime of striving after the wind if our heart is not in the right place.

Passions can be fleeting, charged by our temporal emotions, or lifelong. They can he healthy or unhealthy, but will always cost us something. A lot of times we compromise our vocation, marriage, time with our children, and maybe even our self-respect in order to fulfill our unhealthy passions.

What have we set our heart upon lately? Jesus set His heart upon us—so much so that He was willing to die for us! So, as believers, our first passion must be our love for Jesus Christ.

Multiple passions compete with each other in our spirit. If our earthly passions take precedence over our heavenly pursuits, we will be estranged from God and our spiritual vitality will be weakened. But when our love for Jesus reigns in our heart, then we will experience the fullness of life that only He can give. (Judy Whittaker)

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The Quest For God

Posted on November 29, 2011 | 1 Comment

In most people’s lives there is a sense of a higher power, but the degree of importance of this underlying sense of a God varies dramatically. When something wonderful happens to us we want to say, “Thank you”, but to whom? Our human heart calls out to worship on a deeper level, and so we create the god of our own understanding. Sometimes God is “I” and sometimes it is “We”–all based on human reason.But that would mean that the world just happened. It is like a clock without a clock maker.Therefore, we need more than human reason to understand who God is. We need a spiritual revelation!

The nature of God is revealed in His Word, the Bible. Paul the apostle states, “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20) So according to this passage, God is revealed in His creation, and there is no excuse for not seeing Him. Just look around and you will see evidence of an invisible heavenly Creator, whose masterpiece is humanity. We are created In God’s image, so that we might have fellowship with Him.

We also know about God through His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the mirror image of God in all His glory. Jesus said, “He that has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) Through Jesus we have seen how “God so loved the world that he gave His only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Do we need any more proof that God exists?   He really is “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (Revelation 22:13) If we truly believe this the quest will be over and we will be complete in Him at last…….(Judy Whittaker)

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Direct Connection

Posted on November 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

“The glory of the Lord has departed from Israel; for the ark of God is taken.” (1Samuel 4:22)

Sometimes we put so much faith in God’s symbolic presence that we lose sight of God himself. We hang “crosses” from our car windshields, bury St. Joseph statues in our yard to bless our houses, and worship icons instead of our Creator. Yet when Jesus was crucified, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom, giving us free access to communicate directly  with God through Jesus Christ. We don’t need symbols to block the pathway
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A case in point is described in the book of 1 Samuel. The Israelites had just been defeated by the Philistines and decided to bring the ark of the covenant with them into the battlefield. In ancient times, the ark was a wooden chest that contained the 10 Commandments and other symbols of God’s presence. The ark began to be used as their good luck charm, and instead of seeking counsel from God, they put their confidence in the ark itself. The result was defeat in battle and the capture of the ark by the Philistines.

So the next time you reach for the rosary, remember that the power does not come from objects but from a direct connection to our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. He has opened the door to the throne of grace. Won’t you walk through it, unhindered by symbolic roadblocks? He is waiting…..(Judy Whittaker)

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