Keep Your Eyes On Him

     "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You (Psalm 63:1-5)."      If you have lived long enough, you have gone through many trials and tribulations. You may have wondered at times how you would even make it through. Life can be so hard. People can be so cruel. But God! He is the one constant in this life. He is the Rock you can always lean on. He is faithful. He is merciful. He is full of compassion and His mercies never fail. He will pick you up and carry you through all the storms of life. He will never, no never leave you. He loves you with an...

     "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26)." These are the words Jesus spoke to the crowds that were traveling with Him. At first glance, this sounds rather disturbing. I mean, God is love right? So why would He say if we do not hate our own family we could not be His disciple?       Jesus is giving an illustration to make a point. He is not saying we are not to love our family, He is clearly telling us that we should not love anyone or anything more than Him. We are to be obedient to Jesus even if it is against what our family may think. We are to be loyal to Him no matter what, even if it means losing someone we care deeply about. Life with Jesus is the most beautiful relationship anyone can or ever will have, but there will be suffering involved. He is preparing us for what is to come. No one likes to suffer and...

     Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:1-5)."      Read those words again, and let them sink deep into your heart. Friend, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are kept by God until the day He comes back for us. This is the hope that we have, this hope is an anchor for our souls-Jesus Christ. Life is hard and there are days when you may feel  you cannot take another step. But as you turn your eyes to Jesus and rest in who He is, He will give you the strength you need to face any challenge this life has to offer. It is in knowing that this life is not all there is. It is trusting Jesus w...