Tag Archives: salvation

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A Reason to Rejoice

Photo by Christian Roßwag on Unsplash

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Earlier this week, I found myself in a small engine repair shop, hoping for a low repair estimate for my lawnmower. Lawnmowers, generators and other small equipment filled the two bay units of the shop, as well as the outdoor section behind the building. Alas, I discovered my lawnmower was beyond repair. 

During my conversation with the owner, I asked if he had any inexpensive used lawnmowers for sale. One had come in recently, he said, but he wasn’t sure of the condition. He brought it to me, tinkered with it a bit, and said that it appeared to be fine. If I was interested in it, he would give it a complete tune up and have it ready the following day. Throughout our conversation, the owner’s assistant busily went about his tasks, singing and humming as he worked. I left the shop with plans to return the next day.

When I returned the following day, the tune up was complete, but some tires still needed to be replaced. The owner walked me through the shop to the outside area behind the building to see the lawnmower. He gave his assistant instructions regarding the mower, and the man nodded and quickly returned to the job he was working on. I found a spot to wait while he worked.

The assistant was cheerfully working as before, quietly singing and humming in the scorching sun. When he noticed I was standing in the sun, he kindly told me I could wait under the shade tent that was covering some of the equipment if I wanted some shade. I smiled, thanked him, and stood in the shade as he completed the job. 

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

The assistant then walked over to the lawnmower I was purchasing and bent over to examine one of the rear tires. That’s when I noticed his shoes. He was wearing an old pair of tennis shoes, held together with black duct tape. The tops of both shoes had come apart from the soles, and his toes were visible. I stood in wonder as I gazed at this man. Here he was, happily working in the sun, concerned for my comfort, while singing, smiling, and wearing duct taped shoes. 

When he finished, I could barely speak, but I managed to thank him, and asked permission to walk back through the bay to the front of the store so that I could pay. He agreed, after gently cautioning me to be very careful so as not to hurt myself. I paid for the lawnmower and commented to the owner that his assistant was a very cheerful man. He heartily agreed and told me that the man has a big heart—that he feeds and cares for approximately 40 cats in the area between his home and workplace. 

I have been thinking of this unselfish, compassionate man and his shoes ever since. 

I don’t know his story, but I saw his heart. This compassionate man needed shoes, but he did without in order to feed those cats. He considered their needs above his own. That just floors me.

“Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And He said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” Luke 21:1-4

Our culture tells us we need the latest technology, new cars, large homes, and designer clothes to be happy. We love our creature comforts. How many of us would give up what we would consider a genuine need to provide for someone else, though? What are we willing to do without, and are we willing to do it when there is no hope of repayment? When there is no one there to see it?

What would Jesus do? It’s not just a phrase on a bracelet or t-shirt, it’s a thought-provoking question. What would Jesus, Yeshua, do?

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” Matthew 25:34-40

I don’t think we set out to be self-absorbed, selfish or ungrateful people. I think sometimes life just happens, and we trudge through it, hoping for the best and expecting the worst. We treat ourselves along the way to bring a temporary measure of satisfaction to what can sometimes seem like a very unsatisfying existence. We’re told that this life is all there is, so we might as well get the most out of it that we can, because you only go around once, you know. We’re told that if there’s a God at all, He just wants us to be happy. What happens when your idea of happy conflicts with my idea of happy, though? Whose happy wins?

Throughout my life, I have heard people say that no matter what happens, we should thank God for it. I don’t understand that thinking. Thank You, God, for this sickness? Thank You, God, that I lost my job? Thank You, God, that my family is in disarray? No! Emphatically, NO!

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

We can lose jobs, homes, even people, but that verse doesn’t mean that it’s good, that we should give thanks for it. The meaning of it has been twisted. The verse says to give thanks IN all circumstances, not FOR all circumstances. His will is that we be thankful amid hardship, pain, and suffering. We can be thankful that He is working all things together for our good. All things aren’t good, but all things work together for our good.

“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

If you are going through a tough time, or find yourself being less than compassionate with those around you, may I encourage you to change your focus? We can choose to focus on the Savior who gives us life. We can choose to focus on others instead of ourselves. We can step out of our comfort zones and be the answer to someone’s prayer. 

“Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You.” Psalm 33:20-22

Reasons to be thankful are all around us if we just open our eyes. Sometimes the Lord will even bring people across our path with duct taped shoes to remind us of this. 

God our Father, Jesus our Savior, Holy Spirit our Comforter—they are all the reason we need to rejoice.

“And Mary said, ‘My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.’”  Luke 1:46-55

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Where is the Abundant Life?

Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash

“You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”  Psalm 16:11

I grew up believing that God made me and loved me, and that Jesus died for my sins. That was all I knew about God. I didn’t talk to Him, and figured He was too busy running the world to talk to me.

One Christmas Eve, when I was 20, I learned someone I loved had deceived and betrayed me. It so devastated me that I didn’t want to live anymore, because it hurt too much. The pain was unbearable, and I didn’t know how I would endure it.

Not knowing if He was listening, I told God that I didn’t want to live anymore, but that I wouldn’t do anything to end my life. Then I said that if He wanted to do something with me, that was fine, but I didn’t want to go on and hoped He would just let me die.

About that time, my mother began visiting a Christian bookstore. Since I loved to read, she generously offered to buy me a book or two if I wanted to tag along. Taking her up on the offer, I began reading Christian novels and saw something within the pages that I had never imagined, much less seen in real life. The characters in the books talked to God and Jesus like they knew them…like they were actual flesh & bone people! I was stunned! Were there actually people that talked to them like that way, like they were good friends? And did their lives actually change as a result?

I was living alone in an apartment during that time. I had an old television that rarely worked and hadn’t turned on for months. To my surprise, a day or two before Easter, it turned on immediately when I tried. An Easter special filled the screen.

I watched in horror at the scene before me. The man portraying Jesus was lying on the ground upon rough beams of wood. Cruel soldiers were forcefully nailing his hands and feet to a cross. He cried out in pain, and I wished they would stop hurting this man. I knew little about the real Jesus, but I knew He didn’t deserve this.

It shook me when he looked straight at the camera, making it seem like Jesus was looking at me! The next thing I knew, I found myself face down on the floor, crying, knowing that the real Jesus had suffered tremendous pain and died on the cross for MY sins! He was there because of ME! Overwhelmed with sorrow at this discovery, I begged for His forgiveness for my wrongdoings against Him and others. I offered Him whatever was left of my life. That was many, many years ago, and I have not been the same since.

Fast forward to about five years ago. After accompanying my husband on a work assignment overseas, two of our children and I came back to the United States. I was in the middle of a divorce. Like before, I was devastated. For months, I read the Bible, cried, prayed, cried, questioned, cried, and then I came across this verse:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  John 10:7-10

I cried out to the Lord, “Where is the abundant life? Your Word says that You came to give us abundant life! This sure doesn’t look like abundant life to me!”

That was a turning point for me. My eyes were opened to many things that I hadn’t seen before. I realized I had put God in a box, and He didn’t fit! To better understand God’s Word, I studied verses in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, instead of relying on their traditional meanings. The more I read, the more I understood that these words, spoken by God through the Holy Spirit, contained promises for us. They were true, and I could believe them because God always keeps His promises. They could change my life.

Immersing myself in God’s Word changed my life. My pain, confusion, and fear vanished, and joy, peace, and love took their place as I immersed myself in God’s Word. The Lord is so good, so loving, and more at work in us and around us than I ever knew. He has given me abundant life, and the great news is that it’s not just for me, it’s for anyone who asks. Jesus, or Yeshua (His Hebrew name) came to give us LIFE!

During the weeks leading up to Christmas last year, I came across that verse in John daily. If I opened a book, it was there. If I went on Facebook, it was there. If I turned on the radio or television, it was there. Every single day. And every time I came across it, I thought about the abundant life that had been mine for the last few years. Real abundant life, living life to the full.

Then, about a week before Christmas, thieves broke into our home. Two of my children and I had been out to dinner with my sister and her family, who were visiting us all the way from Nigeria. Afterwards, we went to a hospital to celebrate the birth of a precious baby girl, born into a wonderful family who has been on the same spiritual journey I and my family have been on. How wonderful to have companionship on this journey!

Upon our return home, we discovered our home had been broken into. We lost jewelry, electronics, and even some of the Christmas presents that were wrapped under the tree. In the midst of it, though, I was not afraid. I didn’t feel violated, as many people do after a break-in. I wasn’t even angry. Disappointed, sure, for the gifts that I could not replace, and for the hearts and minds of the kids that broke into our home.

Looking back, I believe the Lord was not only warning me, but preparing me by reminding me of the abundant life that He has given me. Yes, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but we have something that he can never steal or take away from us. We have the promise of living forever with God, our creator and the lover of our souls, both here and when our time on earth is done, because Jesus, Yeshua, made it possible.

Are you experiencing abundant life? If not, do you want to? If so, ask Him for it. Jesus, Yeshua, came to give you life, and give it to you abundantly, and He promises that if you seek Him, you’ll find Him.

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:13