Why Listen to Jesus?

I have an old, ratty wind-up timer (much more grungy than the one above).  I love that thing. It's face often. falls off in my hand or onto the kitchen floor  I've bought newer ones--a bright red apple, a fun yellow chicken to name a few. But none of them work as well or have that same familiar "ding" that reminds me of baking cookies with my mom when I could barely see over the counter to frost them. 

Some people might think I'm silly for using something that's probably an antique. They might be the same people who think the words of Jesus are obsolete, or only for His contemporaries. Yet Jesus's words contain powerful truths that are always relevant. 

"Don't keep the children from coming to Me. You need to become child-like if you want to be part of My kingdom."

"Take the speck out of your own eye first; then you can see clearly to help your neighbor with their faults." 

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can get to God apart from Me."

"I came to give you life, and life in all its fulness, till it overflows."

"Don't be afraid." 

That's what I mean. Timeless. Words of life. Words to live by. That's Jesus for ya. 

Do you have a favorite saying of Jesus that helps you live life to the full? 

What's the Big Deal about Jesus?

What’s the big deal about Jesus? Why are millions of Jesus’ followers willing to risk their lives and reputations to follow him?

   Because they believe he is who he claimed to be—according to historical records of his talks—the Son of God and the only way to God. They’ve experienced his love and forgiveness in their own lives.

  When a person realizes they’ve sinned and can’t change themselves, it leads to either despair or a search for someone who can give them hope.

     Jesus is that someone.

    Jesus lived a sinless life, taught about what God was really like, and healed the sick for three years.  

    Then he willingly let others kill Him to take the punishment for all our sins—everyone in history, including me. And you.

 

  After three days, he rose from the dead, proving that he was God in the flesh.

    When we believe these facts about Jesus and open our hearts to him, the Bible says we are “born again.”  Jesus comes to live in us, exchanging our sinful selves for his eternal life, making us God’s children.    

You can know that God has forgiven your sins, and that you will become a new person and one of God’s children simply by saying “Yes” to these questions:

1.      Do you believe that Jesus is God’s Son?

2.      Do you believe that He lived a sinless life, and died in your place, so you could be forgiven?

3.      Do you believe He resurrected from the dead, proving His deity?

4.      Do you acknowledge Him as Lord and God?

5.      Do you desire to live for Him?

     If you answered “yes” to these questions, the Bible says you are a Believer. Find a Bible teaching church to attend, be immersed into Jesus Christ, and you will be a new member of Jesus’s family!

     If you made this life-changing decision today, please email me at jeanettelevellie@gmail.com and let me know. I'd love to rejoice with you!

How Can Good come from Bad?

       I had surgery in April to replace three wonky discs in my neck. The surgery went well, but the recovery was rough. I whined most days about what I couldn't do, even though Kevin, my Prince of a husband was willing to do everything for me (including housework and cooking!). After I got the dreaded collar removed and the dr. released me with no restrictions, I realized that not only was my nerve pain relieved, but also my posture had improved. What I thought was hindering me actually helped me!

          Kevin's aunt passed away a couple weeks ago. She was 98 and very sick.  Although we and all her family will miss her, we are happy she is in heaven with Jesus and her late husband, rejoicing and celebrating. 

         

          Jesus promised us in Romans 8:28, "I will work all things for your good if you love me." He will work the bad things in our lives for good. Our part is to love Him and put our lives in His hands. He knows how to redeem the worst situation and turn it around because He is God. 

Have you experienced Jesus making lemonade from your lemons? Do tell. 

Laughter or Tears? Sometimes Both

Our daughter's birthday is today. I gave her several gifts and a sparkly purple card. We are taking her to one of her favorite restaurants for dinner. I'm excited she was born! But she's not. She doesn't like adding another year to her age. It depresses her. Sigh. If only I was her age again! I wouldn't get lightheaded when I stand up from squatting down to clean out the cat boxes. I could stay awake later than 9 p.m. every night. I wouldn't need pills for high blood pressure and pain that bounces from my hips to my head. So. I'm laughing but she's crying. Over the same event! We are different, all right.

If you have a loved one who's vastly different from you, that's a good thing. It means you complement one another. When she's crying, you can encourage her. And when you're depressed, she can lift you up. If you both have Jesus in your lives, better yet. He shares in every little and big event, whether it brings laughter or tears. He's the Best Friend anyone can have. Is Jesus in your life? If not, contact me and we can chat about Him.

Fix Those Holes in My Heart, Jesus!

I'm forever asking God to fix all the holes in my heart, help me be more like Jesus. I figure after knowing Him for over fifty years, I should be more "together" than I am. 

Recently He spoke to me  as I poured my empty soul out to Him in my prayer journal. His voice deep in my heart was a sweet but solid: “You are trying too hard. You cannot force grace; it flows from My heart. It isn’t wrenched out by effort on your part. You can’t fill yourself or grow 
yourself up.”

Oh. I knew that. Then how did I forget ? I had allowed that pesky demon, fear, into my life. Fear that I wasn’t good enough. That I didn't "do Christianity the" right way. Fear that God was disappointed in me … Have you been there?

I purposed in my heart to allow God’s grace to flow into my tank, filling me up with Him instead of trying to run this race myself. After all, it's not about me. It's about this gift of communication He's given me, burning a hole in my heart, compelling me to tell everyone I can how exquisite is this God that I love and serve.

What about you? How do fears paralyze you, hindering you from being and doing all God has called you to? I will stand with you in prayer in this fight against the enemy of our souls and destroyer of our dreams. We are a threat to Satan because we carry the source of life--Jesus--to a dark world.

My word to you today is: You can do this. You can be whatever the Lord has put in your heart. God is on your side. He believes in you and so do I. Just let Him love you into wholeness. 

12 Reasons Why I Find the Scariest Book Encouraging

Some people find Revelation the scariest book in the Bible. I am encouraged by it. Why? For these dozen reasons:

1.       “Grace and peace to you from him who is, who was, and who is to come, from the seven spirits in his presence before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power forever and ever” (1:4-7).

2.       “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty; he was, he is and he is to come. You are our Lord and our God, you are worthy of glory and honor and power, because you made all the universe and it was only by your will that everything was made and exists” (4:8, 11).

3.       “There is no need to cry; the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and he will open the scroll and the seven seals of it. You are worthy to take the scroll and break the seals of it, because you were sacrificed, and with your blood you bought men for God of every race, language, people and nation and made them a line of kings and priests, to serve our God and to rule the world” (5:5,9).

4.       “The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing. To the One who is sitting on the throne and to the Lamb, be all praise, honor, glory and power, forever and ever” (5:12, 14).

5.       “Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen” (7:10,12).

6.       “We give thanks to you, Almighty Lord God, He-Is-and-He-Was, for using your great power and beginning your reign” (11:17).

7.       “Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down” (12:10).

8.       “How great and wonderful are all your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are all your ways, Who would not revere and praise your name, O Lord? You alone are holy, and all the pagans will come and adore you for the many acts of justice you have shown” (15:3-4).

9.       “Then a voice came from the throne; it said, ‘Praise our God, you servants of his and all who, great or small, revere him.’ And I seemed to hear the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean or the great roar of thunder, answering, ‘Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun; let us be glad and joyful and give praise to God” (19:5-7).

10.   “And now I saw heaven open, and a white horse appear; its rider was called Faithful and True; he is a judge with integrity, a warrior for justice. His eyes were flames of fire, and his head was crowned with many coronets; the name written on them was known only to himself, his cloak was soaked in blood. He is known by the name, The Word of God” (19:12-14).

11.   “You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes;there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone. Then the One sitting on the throne spoke: ‘Now I am making the whole of creation new,’ he said” (21:3-5).

12.   “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. It will never be night again and they will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining o them. They will reign forever and ever” (22:3-5).

(All Scriptures from The Jerusalem Bible, Doubleday Publishing, 1966, 1967, 1968)

What do you think? Do these passages encourage you, too? Which is your favorite? 

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

12 Reasons Why I Find the Scariest Book in the Bible Encouraging

Some people find Revelation the scariest book in the Bible. I am encouraged by it. Why? For these dozen reasons:

1.       “Grace and peace to you from him who is, who was, and who is to come, from the seven spirits in his presence before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power forever and ever” (1:4-7).

2.       “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty; he was, he is and he is to come. You are our Lord and our God, you are worthy of glory and honor and power, because you made all the universe and it was only by your will that everything was made and exists” (4:8, 11).

3.       “There is no need to cry; the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and he will open the scroll and the seven seals of it. You are worthy to take the scroll and break the seals of it, because you were sacrificed, and with your blood you bought men for God of every race, language, people and nation and made them a line of kings and priests, to serve our God and to rule the world” (5:5,9).

4.       “The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing. To the One who is sitting on the throne and to the Lamb, be all praise, honor, glory and power, forever and ever” (5:12, 14).

5.       “Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen” (7:10,12).

6.       “We give thanks to you, Almighty Lord God, He-Is-and-He-Was, for using your great power and beginning your reign” (11:17).

7.       “Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down” (12:10).

8.       “How great and wonderful are all your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are all your ways, Who would not revere and praise your name, O Lord? You alone are holy, and all the pagans will come and adore you for the many acts of justice you have shown” (15:3-4).

9.       “Then a voice came from the throne; it said, ‘Praise our God, you servants of his and all who, great or small, revere him.’ And I seemed to hear the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean or the great roar of thunder, answering, ‘Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun; let us be glad and joyful and give praise to God” (19:5-7).

10.   “And now I saw heaven open, and a white horse appear; its rider was called Faithful and True; he is a judge with integrity, a warrior for justice. His eyes were flames of fire, and his head was crowned with many coronets; the name written on them was known only to himself, his cloak was soaked in blood. He is known by the name, The Word of God” (19:12-14).

11.   “You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone. Then the One sitting on the throne spoke: ‘Now I am making the whole of creation new,’ he said” (21:3-5).

12.   “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. It will never be night again and they will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining o them. They will reign forever and ever” (22:3-5).

(All Scriptures from The Jerusalem Bible, Doubleday Publishing, 1966, 1967, 1968)

What do you think? Do these passages encourage you, too? Which is your favorite? 

What's Good about Good Friday?

What's Good about Good Friday?

You see them throughout the world. We make them of gold and jewels and drape them around our necks. We carve them of exotic wood and adorn church buildings with them. We fashion them of different sizes and shapes of stained glass, pieced together to form exquisite works of art that fly our souls heavenward.

            But the cross was not designed to sparkle on throats or beautify a place of worship. Invented before the 4^th century B.C. by the Persians, its purpose was as an instrument of slow, torturous execution. By the time of Jesus, the Romans had begun using this way of hanging their worst criminals. Making it a public spectacle served as added humiliation. Anyone could walk by a murderer or thief as they hung on the rough-hewn boards and spit on them or cast abuse up at them.   

          Thus hung Jesus, naked before the world, nailed between two real criminals while the world gaped, supposing Him a fool. After all, He’d raised three people from the dead, multiplied food for thousands, and healed multitudes. Why was He submitting to this mockery and abuse, like a stupid lamb? They railed at Him, “You saved others; but you can’t even save yourself!” Why did He not use His power to subdue the Roman guards and come down from that cross, if He truly was the Son of God?        

            The answer to this question, my friend, is why we call the Friday before Easter “Good Friday.” The goodness in His heart compelled Him to hang in our place, so you and I could have a relationship with the God of the Universe.

            Don’t believe for a second that if Jesus had wanted to, He could not have freed Himself and jumped down. He told the crowd, “Don’t you know that I could at this very moment call ten legions of angels to come and rescue me?” Yet He remained to the end, although it meant God turning His face from Him. Not because He was a fool. No. Because He loved us too much to let us die in our sins and spend forever in Hell.

No one kept Jesus on the cross but Jesus.

            Next time you put your favorite crucifix around your neck or gaze upon the loveliness of a stained glass cross, remember how it came to mean a sweet symbol of love and beauty, rather than an instrument of death. Remember that Jesus went there of His own free will, to give you a future and a hope.

            And, if you’ve made Him the Lord of your life, you’ll hear Him say one day very soon, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into my joy” as He welcomes you to Heaven. Cross my heart.

Have you made Jesus the Lord of your life? If not, please email me at Jeanette@jeanettelevellie.com. I'd like to share the Gospel with you, so you can share Heaven with me.

3 Fun Facts about Jesus

Occasionally I will do what my husband calls a “Bible dash” and read through the New Testament in as few days as possible. Last month I did that and discovered three fun facts about Jesus I think are significant.

     1.     Jesus is generous. 

            When Jesus multiplied a few little biscuits and fish from a young boy’s sack lunch to feed a multitude of  thousands, there were baskets of leftovers. And not just Red Riding Hood-sized baskets—these were enormous baskets!

            When Jesus told Peter to go catch a fish to pay his taxes, there was a coin in the fish’s mouth that equaled enough money to pay both Peter’s and Jesus’ taxes.

                  2. Jesus values children.

                        He tells us to become like them, not to look down on them, that the Father wants none of 

them to perish, and that we’re not to hinder them 

from coming to Him.

                       He stuck up for the children who 

praised him in the temple and defended the moms 

who brought their children to him to be blessed, rebuking his disciples when they tried to prevent the kids from coming to Jesus.

                 

3.   Jesus can prevent tragedy but sometimes he chooses to wait, so he can do a miracle. 

                             In the cases of Jairus’ daughter and Lazarus, Jesus could have  easily healed either one. Instead, he delayed and they died. Later on, he resurrected them. Sometimes a dream, a situation or a relationship in our lives seems dead. We wonder why Jesus doesn’t just step in an fix it. Why does he delay? Perhaps he waits, knowing that he wants to fully resurrect it, so we’ll see how much he loves us.

            I hope you’ll try a Bible dash sometime. I always find new insights I’d not seen before, and it’s fun to get an overall view of the whole Bible or the New Testament. 

What’s the big deal about Jesus?

     
     What’s the big deal about Jesus?Why are millions of his disciples willing to risk their lives and reputations to follow him? Because they believe he is who he claimed to be—according to historical records of his talks—the Son of God and the only way to God. They’ve experienced his love and forgiveness in their own lives.


     When a person realizes they’ve sinned and can’t change themselves, it leads to either despair or a search for someone who can give them hope. Jesus is that someone.

      Born of a virgin, Jesus lived a sinless life, preached about God’s personality and kingdom for three years, and then willingly gave up his life to take the punishment for all our sins—everyone in history,
including you and me. After three days, he rose from the dead, proving he was God in the flesh.

      When we believe these facts about Jesus and open our hearts to him, the Bible says we are “born again.” He comes to live in us, exchanging our sinful selves for his eternal life, making us God’s children.     

     

If you long to get out of the pit of sin, receive a new life and a forever home with God in Heaven, you can become one of Jesus’ followers. All you need to do is believe that Jesus is who he claims to be, turn away from your sin, say “Jesus is Lord,” invite him into your heart, and be immersed in water in his name. He will then make you a new person, full of his life and power.

     Want to find out about Jesus’ claims for yourself? Please read the book of John in the Bible.

What's Good about Good Friday?

What's Good about Good Friday?

You see them throughout the world. We make them of gold and jewels and drape them around our necks. We carve them of exotic wood and adorn church buildings with them. We fashion them of different sizes and shapes of stained glass, pieced together to form exquisite works of art that fly our souls heavenward.

            But the cross was not designed to sparkle on throats or beautify a place of worship. Invented before the 4^th century B.C. by the Persians, its purpose was as an instrument of slow, torturous execution. By the time of Jesus, the Romans had begun using this way of hanging their worst criminals. Making it a public spectacle served as added humiliation. Anyone could walk by a murderer or thief as they hung on the rough-hewn boards and spit on them or cast abuse up at them.

      

  
          Thus hung Jesus, naked before the world, nailed between two real criminals while the world gaped, supposing Him a fool. After all, He’d raised three people from the dead, multiplied food for thousands, and healed multitudes. Why was He submitting to this mockery and abuse, like a stupid lamb? They railed at Him, “You saved others; but you can’t even save yourself!” Why did He not use His power to subdue the Roman guards and come down from that cross, if He truly was the Son of God?        

            The answer to this question, my friend, is why we call the Friday before Easter “Good Friday.” The goodness in His heart compelled Him to hang in our place, so you and I could have a relationship with the God of the Universe.

            Don’t believe for a second that if Jesus had wanted to, He could not have freed Himself and jumped down. He told the crowd, “Don’t you know that I could at this very moment call ten legions of angels to come and rescue me?” Yet He remained to the end, although it meant God turning His face from Him. Not because He was a fool. No. Because He loved us too much to let us die in our sins and spend forever in Hell.

No one kept Jesus on the cross but Jesus.

            Next time you put your favorite crucifix around your neck or gaze upon the loveliness of a stained glass cross, remember how it came to mean a sweet symbol of love and beauty, rather than an instrument of death. Remember that Jesus went there of His own free will, to give you a future and a hope.

            And, if you’ve made Him the Lord of your life, you’ll hear Him say one day very soon, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into my joy” as He welcomes you to Heaven. Cross my heart.

Have you made Jesus the Lord of your life? If not, please email me at Jeanette@jeanettelevellie.com. I'd like to share the Gospel with you, so you can share Heaven with me.