What Are You Hungry For?

If you would like to listen to Pastor Yolanda preaching this sermon, please click the link below.

SCRIPTURE

John 6:35, 41-51 (NRSV)

Christ, the bread of life

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ...

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus answered them, "Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

SERMON

Today we continue listening in as Jesus talks to his followers just one day after he fed thousands of people with just two fish and five loaves of bread.

Jesus is attempting to explain to the crowds that they should not seek Him because they ate physical bread, but because they desire the spiritual bread that produces eternal life.

At the crux of his argument Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

This statement got me to thinking, “What are people hungry and thirsty for today?”

As I survey the people of the Earth, I notice much spiritual hunger. You probably do too.

It seems to me that some of the things that people are hungry for are power, prestige, wealth, and fame. People are also hungry for relationship, companionship, and fellowship. Additionally, people are starving for respect, honor, favor, and personal security.

I could go on and on, but it is not hard to see hunger in the eyes and hearts of our neighbors everywhere. People are hungry for wealth and fame so they lie, cheat and steal to get to the top. People are hungry for power so they abuse the weak and the powerless around them. People are hungry for relationship, so they enter into illicit and inappropriate liaisons with friends, and strangers alike, looking for love in all the wrong places. People are hungry for respect and personal security so they work long, arduous hours on the job trying to secure enough money, to buy enough stuff, so that their neighbors will respect them.

This is a sad, sad, situation my friends! People are literally starving all around us and as Christians we have access to the “spiritual food” that they need in order to survive. His name is JESUS!

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Let’s keep it real, dear friends. When we go to our starving friends and offer them Jesus, they may be skeptical at first. After all, even Jesus’ followers said in response to his declaration, “"Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

Our non-Christian friends may express similar disbelief. They may say things like, “It can’t really be that simple. I knew you before you were a Christian and I think that you’re faking it now. Are you running a scam; Jesus can’t really be all that I need, can he? Jesus was just a nice guy, a good prophet, but not actually the son of God, right? How can I have faith in Jesus, if I don’t have faith at all? What exactly do I have to do to be saved by this Jesus of yours?”

Due to our limited time together, I can’t float every single argument that I have heard from my non-Christian friends regarding why they—cannot, or will not—eat the bread and drink the blood that leads to eternal life.

Isn’t it amazing that so many starving people are so picky about what they will eat?! After all, many people know that they are starving. They feel the deep hole in their heart that nothing will fill. They attempt to fill it with food, alcohol, drugs, sex, pornography, video games, cutting of their flesh, and/or other things, but the hunger refuses to be satisfied.

They lay awake at night with stomachs that are cramped with hunger and tongues which are swollen with thirst. They cry into their pillows at night wishing that there were someone—anyone—out there who was truly willing to love them unconditionally and without cost.

These people are literally starving for the Bread of Life—also known as the King of Love. They are so hungry and so thirsty for love that they look for it in all the wrong places, willing to accept a fake and phony and temporary version offered by the world, rather than taking the real thing that comes only from God.

In response to the skepticism of the people of Jesus’ day, Jesus said, “"Do not complain among yourselves…Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life...I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever…”

In the final analysis isn’t eternal life what all human beings are truly hungry for? Everyone is chasing the illusive love, joy, and peace that will only be eternally available in the Heavens and in the presence of our God.

The Bible teaches us that God loves the world so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life!

In short, the good news can be summed up in five short words, “God loves, gave, and saves!”

This short mantra is all that is needed to satisfy the hungry souls of our neighbors and friends! God loves, gave, saves.

It is my firm assertion that all people need to know that God loves them unconditionally and that there is nothing that they can do to out sin, out fox, or out run the love of God that has been revealed in Christ Jesus! People need to know—and believe--that Jesus is a free gift and that there is nothing that they can do to earn it or purchase it. Finally, people need to know that Jesus saves, and He saves to the utmost!

I have heard it said that inside of every human being is a God-sized hole (Pascal). Nothing but God can fill this hole. People attempt to fill it with other means of salvation, but there are none. God, and God alone, is able to save us from our hunger and thirst! God, and God alone, is the only one able to love us enough, give us enough, and save us enough to preserve our lives for eternity!

JESUS is the answer to the hunger and thirst that threatens to consume our very souls! When we put all of our hope in Jesus, we can trust Him to be everything that we need.

When we choose to “eat” the bread of life and “drink” from the cup of salvation, we are literally bathing in the Holy Spirit of God which meets all of our need according to God’s riches in glory.

When we have JESUS we have…everything!

No longer do we have to chase power, prestige, wealth, and fame because our soul’s focus becomes making the very Name of Jesus famous everywhere that we go! No longer do we hunger for relationship, companionship, and fellowship because we are aware that God will never leave us nor forsake us; and additionally, we have the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ! Finally, no longer will we starve for respect, honor, favor, or personal security, because we will know—and believe—that we are the beloved children of the Most High God, brothers and sisters to the King of Kings, and inheritors of the greatest Kingdom that ever existed this side of eternity and beyond!

Hallelujah! Come on somebody! Isn’t this wonderful good news!

Watch the news on your television, or computer, any day of the week and you will see human beings who are starving for Jesus! Better yet, look around your home, open up the door to your house, and you will see the same thing. People need JESUS!

As Christians, we are commissioned to bring them the bread of life which will satisfy their hungry souls! We are called to go to the highways and the by-ways of life and invite people to the Banquet Feast!

As we go, we ought not to be respecters of persons. We ought not to extend our invitation to the rich and not the poor, the white and not the brown, the powerful and not the powerless.

For our JESUS died that ALL may have eternal life! This simple statement means that as we take our good news message into all the world, we should share it with absolutely everyone that we meet!

There is no one who is beyond the pale of God. No matter whom they are or what they have done—or are doing—Jesus is able to save them from themselves!

No matter how much skepticism they may show for your message—our message--we must continue to show—and tell—that God loves, gave, and saves and that Jesus is the Bread of Life come down from Heaven!

Dear friends, here is what I do know. All human beings want to live forever. When we are healthy in our bodies, minds, and spirits, we are hard wired by God with a natural desire to preserve our own lives.

As we offer people JESUS, we are giving them the means by which they can experience eternal life! As we help people to put all of their hope in Him, we are meeting their very real soul’s need for spiritual food.

Jesus is the Bread of Life. Let us eat this bread and share it with others for eternity!

In the Name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

INVITATION

There may be someone who is listening today, who is hungry and thirsty in their soul. If that is you, won’t you pray with me today?

God, I am so hungry. Please give me Jesus, who is the Bread of Life. I believe that You gave Jesus to die on the cross to save me from my sin and gift me with eternal life. I believe that Jesus did not stay dead, but got up on the third day just as He promised! Won’t you please forgive me of my sin, my Lord, and fill me with the Holy Spirit? I no longer want to be hungry or thirsty. Please give me Jesus…

SPECIAL NOTE

If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! Let me encourage you to tell a Christian friend that you just put all of your hope in Jesus. Ask him or her to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand and to find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make new friends who will walk with you on your Christian journey!

Congratulations and Happy Re-birthday! Your salvation is our GOOD NEWS, please go and share the GOOD NEWS with others!

Peace be with you and thanks for listening to GOOD NEWS LIVING with Pastor Yolanda.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

BRING PASTOR YOLANDA TO YOUR HOME TOWN--Would you like to invite Pastor Yolanda Lehman to come speak or preach at your church or Christian ministry event? Please use the form to the right. Once you click “submit” your information will be privately conveyed to her email address! Pastor Yolanda is available for church anniversaries, pastoral appreciations, women’s day, missionary day, retreats, revivals, conferences, and so much more! Fill out the form to the right to get onto her preaching or teaching schedule!

LISTEN TO PASTOR YOLANDA’S SERMONS ONLINE--To listen to audio recordings of Pastor Yolanda's Sunday sermons, please visit http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/57814 or click the widget to the right on this page!

PUT ALL OF YOUR HOPE IN JESUS--If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html

Pastor Yolanda is now publishing another blog entitled, “A Spoken WORD” in celebration of Holy Hip Hop, Gospel/Christian Rap and Spoken Word. Please check it out @ http://aspokenword.blogspot.com/

You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda

You are invited to be Pastor Yolanda’s friend on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PastorYolanda

Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews

You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.

EACH ONE--REACH ONE! To share GOOD NEWS with a friend please click the "Share With Friends" button to the right!

Thanks for reading and please come again. Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to all of our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.

From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com

MAKE THE NAME OF JESUS FAMOUS!

To hear an audio recording of Pastor Yolanda reading this sermon, please click here.

SCRIPTURE

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 (NRSV)
Christ healing the multitudes

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. ...

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.


DEVOTION

Today, I am struck by the lessons regarding discipleship that are found in the Gospel reading. I think as Christians we often wonder what we “should” or “ought” to be doing for Jesus. We know that salvation is a free gift given out of the unmerited favor of God. We know that we cannot buy our pardon or purchase an admittance ticket for the pearly gates. We know that all that is required to be “saved” is to believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and resurrected from the dead conquering sin, death, and the grave on our behalf (Romans 10:9).

However, we also know that the Bible says in James 2:20 “faith without works is dead and without faith it is impossible to please God.” We also know that Jesus has instructed us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, house the homeless, and visit the sick and imprisoned (Matthew 25). We also know that we have been given the Great Commission to “go ye therefore into all the world baptizing and making disciples (Matthew 28)!”

I am afraid that as Christians we have a history of either leaning too far to the right and doing nothing asked of us in the name of “free gift” theology or too far to the left and doing too much seeking to “earn our way” into Heaven.

My friends, it is clear to me that the best place to be is smack in the middle. We know that we cannot purchase our salvation, but we do charitable good works as a means to express our gratitude and thankfulness for the free gift of salvation and eternal life.

It is out of our grateful hearts that we respond to the needs of the world! After all, Jesus said, “As you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me (Matthew 25).”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ disciples are returning with their GOOD NEWS testimonies. Jesus had sent them out two by two on ministry expeditions with instructions to cast out demons, anoint with oil, and heal the sick! The disciples were now joyfully returning explaining all that they had taught and done in His Name!

This leads us to our first lesson in evangelism and Christian ministry which is that Jesus is our leader and we should take all of our direction, instruction, and praise from Him! When we want to know how to reach the world for Christ we have two means of getting our marching orders—prayer and the Holy Scripture!

God has given us a good plan for evangelism. Jesus has given us a wonderful example of how to go to the lost sheep of his fold. We were instructed to go out two by two with the GOOD NEWS message!

To be an evangelist is to be one sent out with a GOOD NEWS message! By this definition, all Christians are evangelists, or witnesses for Christ! As we tell the whole world that God loves us so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life, we become ambassadors of Jesus and the Kingdom of Love.

As we make our GOOD NEWS testimonies more specific by sharing how a relationship with Jesus impacts our own lives, we help non-Christians to understand that faith is not a “wish upon a star” mentality, rather it is a saving relationship with The One who gave His life on Calvary’s Tree for us!

Oh, how the world needs to know that Jesus saves and He saves to the utmost! As Christians we have sometimes hidden our light under a bushel casting the whole world into darkness. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine that people may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16)!”

We are to be candles of flame, illuminating our spheres of influence, bringing the love, joy, peace, hope for the future, and an attitude of gratitude that are the natural by-products of living into a Holy Ghost inspired life!

The second lesson regarding evangelism and Christian ministry from today’s scripture is that Spirit is able to go in front of us, behind us, and in us making the Name of Jesus famous everywhere we go!

Can you imagine how wildly successful the disciples GOOD NEWS witness must have been? Scripture tells us that they had done such a good job proclaiming the Name and Power of Jesus that people were following them everywhere they went. The people were coming and going so frequently in response to the GOOD NEWS that the disciples hardly had time to eat or sleep.

Their witness was so effective that everywhere they went—whether on the farm or in the city—people came rushing out to see Jesus from the surrounding areas bringing all those people who were sick and needed to be made well!

Oh hallelujah! I don’t know exactly what the disciples said about Jesus, but if you will permit me to use my Holy Ghost imagination I will tell you some of what I think they must have said.

They might have said, “Come see a man who knows the unknowable, sees the unseeable and opens up the scriptures to us in ways we never imagined. Come see a man who is able to make demons tremble and sick people well. Come see a man who is able to command the wind and the waves from a fishing boat. And finally, come see a man who loves and touches everybody with the very power of God.

WOW!

Whatever the disciples said spread like wildfire all throughout the region! This reminds me that GOOD NEWS is meant to be shared. When God has done something marvelous for us, we are meant to share our testimonies with others. I have heard it said that “we are blessed to be a blessing.” I have also heard it said that we are to share our testimonies with others, not to be braggarts, but to encourage others going through similar trials, tribulations, or challenges.

In the Black Church tradition we say, “If God did it for me, God can do it for you! God is no respecter of persons.” What this means is that God loves all of God’s children equally and seeks to bless all of us real, real good!

When people ask me how I am I always say, “I am blessed and highly favored!” This often takes non-believers off guard. They ask me why I am blessed and highly favored, after all most people just say “fine” and keep walking.

As Christians we are invited to take the time to look people in the eyes and tell them, “I am blessed and highly favored. You are blessed and highly favored. And here’s why…”

I love to tell the GOOD NEWS story! God loves, gave, and saves! Jesus is without a doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me or anyone else! Like Jeremiah, when I have tried to keep this GOOD NEWS to myself it feels like fire shut up in my bones and I just have to let it out (Jeremiah 20:9)!

My friends, all of us need the love of God which has been revealed to us in Christ Jesus. All of us need the light of Christ to illuminate our dark corners. All of us need the Amazing Grace of God to forgive our sins and restore us to right relationship with our Maker. All of us need to be healed in body, mind, and spirit by Jesus! And all of us need to be commissioned with a life’s work as meaningful as sharing the GOOD NEWS with others, leading to the very salvation of people’s souls!

Now, this leads me to the final lesson regarding evangelism and Christian ministry as found in today’s text. After Jesus heard about all of the good work that the disciples were doing in His Name, he said, “"Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while."

I don’t know about you, but I think that this is wonderful advice! Sometimes as Christians we get so exuberant about the work of Jesus that we forget the importance of solitude, quiet time, reflection, prayer, and rest. We forget that we are commanded to “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy (Exodus 20:8).” We actually resent church folks who have learned to say no in the face of too many obligations that wear them down and take the joy out of their service.

This ought not to be so my friends! Jesus has given us permission to “Come away to a deserted place all by ourselves and rest a while.”

When we are undertaking the important work of evangelism and Christian ministry we must remember the importance of self and family care. We must remember that we can be no earthly good to others if we are run down, exhausted, cranky, and burnt out Christians!

We will not be examples to others if we lose the Spirit of love, joy, and peace because we need a nap. We will not be a faithful witness to non-Christians friends if they see us snapping at each other out of mutual exhaustion. We will not look “blessed and highly favored” with bags under our eyes and despair in them.

Dear Ones, do not forget to rest from your labors! There will always be another weekly supper. There will always be another opportunity to host the homeless. There will always be another brat or lemonade sale. There will always be another outreach ministry opportunity.

If all of us do our work, there will be enough hands on deck when one of us needs to “go away to a deserted place and rest.” No longer can we continue to allow 5 or 10 people in a church to do all of the work. With all due respect, all of us are called to the work of evangelism and Christian ministry. All of us have been given gifts and talents that are to be used for the building of God’s Kingdom on Earth until Jesus comes from Heaven. All of us are able to do something to make a difference in the lives of people in need.

These are today’s evangelism and ministry strategies. First of all, take your marching orders from Jesus through prayer and scripture reading. Secondly, make the name of Jesus famous everywhere you go through your GOOD NEWS testimony. Finally, remember the importance of quiet time for reflection and rest.

As we follow these examples from today’s scripture we will see the miracle working power of Spirit working in us as we lead people to Christ! We will experience the blessing of seeing new friends joining our church as they put all of their hope in Jesus. And we will have the joy of knowing that we have done all that we know to do to share the Love of Jesus with everyone we meet.

Go out my friends and make the Name of Jesus famous!

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.



ANNOUNCEMENTS

To listen to audio recordings of Pastor Yolanda's Sunday sermons, please visit http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/57814 or click the widget to the right on this page!

If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, please visit my blog entitled, “Putting All Your Hope In Jesus” located at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/putting-all-your-hope-in-jesus.html

If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html

Pastor Yolanda is now publishing another blog entitled, “A Spoken WORD” in celebration of Holy Hip Hop, Gospel/Christian Rap and Spoken Word. Please check it out @ http://aspokenword.blogspot.com/

You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda

Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews

You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.

EACH ONE--REACH ONE! To share GOOD NEWS with a friend please click the "Share With Friends" button to the right!

Thanks for reading and please come again. Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to all of our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.

From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com

JESUS:The Center of Our Joy!

SCRIPTURE

Colossians 2:1-5 (NRSV)
Christ, the mystery of God

For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face. I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

DEVOTION

I love today’s scripture reading because it reminds us that we can only possess true riches when we are in right relationship with God, through Jesus Christ!

So often in contemporary society we are taught—and media affirms—that if we just acquire more money and more stuff we will solve the mystery of how to be truly happy.

When we look at our computer screens, televisions, newspapers and magazines, our materialistic culture assures us that if we just had the right car, house, boat, shoes, clothes, jewelry, and toys, we would be truly happy!

Unfortunately, a lot of people spend their whole lives chasing money and stuff and are never truly satisfied, much less happy.

See, stuff and money do not make the heart truly joyful! If we want to be full of joy, we must be assured of God’s great love for us! If we want our hearts to be encouraged and united in love with our brothers and sisters we must know--and believe--in the mystery that Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again!

It is in Jesus, the Christ, that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. It is in Jesus that we experience all of the love, joy, peace, hope for the future and an attitude of gratitude that are so elusive for so many people! It is in Jesus that we come to understand that God loves us so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life. And it is in Jesus that we find the real meaning of life as we share God’s love with others!

Oh….Hallelujah!

Isn’t God amazing; the mystery of life is that it is not so mysterious at all; life is simple. God loves, gave, and saves and we are invited to share God’s love with others!

Wherever we are, we are standing smack in the center of God’s heart and God’s love. We are never off of God’s mind. We are never away from God’s presence. God decided a long time ago that we were worth dying for; now, that’s real love!

Friend, stop chasing after stuff and money! These things have never—and will never—make you truly happy! Instead, put all of your hope in Jesus. I can tell you with absolute certainty that it is the best decision you will ever make!

Are you ready to put all of your hope in Jesus? If so, please pray with me.

Oh God! I am amazed by Your great love for me! It is so wonderful for me to imagine! Today, I am putting all of my hope in Jesus. I believe that You love me, gave Jesus to die for me, and that Your raised Jesus to new life for me, all in order to forgive me of my sin and gift me with eternal life! Indeed, this is GOOD NEWS! Please forgive me of my sin and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to share Your love with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.



ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, please visit my blog entitled, “Putting All Your Hope In Jesus” located at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/putting-all-your-hope-in-jesus.html

If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html

Pastor Yolanda is now publishing another blog entitled, “A Spoken WORD” in celebration of Holy Hip Hop, Gospel/Christian Rap and Spoken Word. Please check it out @ http://aspokenword.blogspot.com/

You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda

Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews

You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.

EACH ONE--REACH ONE! To share GOOD NEWS with a friend please click the "Share With Friends" button to the right!

Thanks for reading and please come again. Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to all of our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.

From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com

God is loving and forgiving!

SCRIPTURE

Jeremiah 16:1-13 (NRSV)
Jeremiah's celibacy and message

The word of the Lord came to me: You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place. For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning the mothers who bear them and the fathers who beget them in this land: They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried; they shall become like dung on the surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies shall become food for the birds of the air and for the wild animals of the earth.

For thus says the Lord: Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament, or bemoan them; for I have taken away my peace from this people, says the Lord, my steadfast love and mercy. Both great and small shall die in this land; they shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them; there shall be no gashing, no shaving of the head for them. No one shall break bread for the mourner, to offer comfort for the dead; nor shall anyone give them the cup of consolation to drink for their fathers or their mothers. You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to banish from this place, in your days and before your eyes, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, "Why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?" then you shall say to them: It is because your ancestors have forsaken me, says the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law; and because you have behaved worse than your ancestors, for here you are, every one of you, following your stubborn evil will, refusing to listen to me. Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.

DEVOTION

Oh my goodness! Today’s scripture really makes it clear that there are grave consequences for the sin of idolatry.

It appears that God hates idol worship so much that it was punishable in Jeremiah’s day by deadly disease, war, famine, and death.

God warned Jeremiah not to associate, or make merry with, people who were worshiping other gods, but rather to warn them that certain doom and gloom was coming if they did not repent of their sinful ways!

Wow! This sounds like terrible bad news!

But, wait, my friends! This side of the cross there is GOOD NEWS for us!

Although we are sinners and we miss the mark, God loves us so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life.

It is true that we are guilty of the sin of idolatry. So often, we chase the gods of money, wealth, power, prestige and stuff! We bow down day after day to our houses, cars, bank accounts, employers, and/or possessions—large and small.

We know that failing to hear and heed the voice of God is punishable by death; for the Bible clearly says, “the wages of sin are death (Romans 6:23).”

But, God has loved us so much that God has made provision for our sin to be forgiven. When we put all of our hope in Jesus, asking Him to forgive our sin and fill us with the Holy Spirit, God’s Amazing Grace meets us just where we are and immediately restores us to right relationship with God Almighty!

As we walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, we will live into a life full of love, joy, peace, hope for the future and an attitude of gratitude, that is well pleasing to our God!
Instead of the just punishment which we deserve, God grants us healing, peace, forgiveness, abundance, favor and eternal life!

I don’t know about you, but I am so glad that God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Ex 34:6)!

It is so wonderful that although God has just laws that we are expected to follow, when we make mistakes and/or miss the mark we need not be afraid to ask for God’s forgiveness; for when we are truly repentant we will always find that God is quick to forgive us of all our sin and cleanse us of all unrighteousness!

I am so glad that GOD is loving and forgiving; aren't you?

Do you love something more than God? If so, that is your idol god. Will you cast down your idols and put all of your hope in Jesus today?

If so, please pray with me:

Loving and forgiving God, I confess to you that I have been worshipping idols. I have failed to hear and heed your commandments. I have been lawless and determined to do my own thing! Today, I ask you to please forgive me of all my sin and fill me with the Holy Spirit. I put all of my hope in Jesus trusting that you love me so much that you gave Jesus to die on the cross to save me from my sin and gift me with eternal life! Thank you so much for Your great sacrifice. I will share this GOOD NEWS message everywhere that I go! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SPECIAL NOTE

If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! I would be so honored if you would let me know about your decision by clicking “Yes” in the poll located at the top/right of today’s devotional! I am so happy for you! Happy Spiritual Re-Birth-Day!

Next steps: In response to what God did for you just now, let me suggest that you consider telling another Christian so that they can celebrate with you! Ask them to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand so that you can learn more about your new-found faith! Ask them to help you find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make new friends who will walk with you on your new journey! You are already saved; now let God mature you by faith! Congratulations!



ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, please visit my blog entitled, “Putting All Your Hope In Jesus” located at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/putting-all-your-hope-in-jesus.html

If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html

Pastor Yolanda is now publishing another blog entitled, “A Spoken WORD” in celebration of Holy Hip Hop, Gospel/Christian Rap and Spoken Word. Please check it out @ http://aspokenword.blogspot.com/

You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda

Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews

You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.

EACH ONE--REACH ONE! To share GOOD NEWS with a friend please click the "Share With Friends" button to the right!

Thanks for reading and please come again. Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to all of our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.

From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com

COME, LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN

SCRIPTURE

2 Corinthians 7:2-16 (NRSV)

Grief leads to repentance

Make room in your hearts for us; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. I often boast about you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with consolation; I am overjoyed in all our affliction.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way - disputes without and fears within. But God, who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled about you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did regret it, for I see that I grieved you with that letter, though only briefly). Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who was wronged, but in order that your zeal for us might be made known to you before God. In this we find comfort.

In addition to our own consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you. For if I have been somewhat boastful about you to him, I was not disgraced; but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved true as well. And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you.

DEVOTION

My dear friends, today’s devotion touches me in the deepest part of my heart because it speaks to the deep pain and brokenness that many Christians feel regarding their sin.

One of the hardest things about seeing ourselves through the eyes of God is seeing ourselves as we truly are.

As human beings we are infected with congenital birth defect called sin-sickness. It is a condition of the soul and it is deadly.

In addition, we are also predisposed to sinful behavior. We do things—or leave things undone—that we know are wrong. We fail to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and we fail to love our neighbors as ourselves.

As a pastoral care and counselor, I have talked with many Christians, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, and feel convicted by their sin. This is normal; when we miss the mark, and grieve the heart of God, it hurts. This pin-prick of mind and soul is a gift of the Holy Spirit whose work it is to keep us in right relationship with God by convicting us of our sin and leading us in a prayer of repentance.

But, I have also talked with other Christians who feel terrible about their sin and yet refuse to accept the forgiveness of God! It is these people who toss and turn upon their beds in the midnight hour, tears flooding their pillows, noses running, and sobs choking their breath.

When I encounter people who are besot with guilt I remind them that 1 John 1:9 states, “If you confess your sin, God who is faithful and just, will forgive your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” It also says, “godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.”

Oh my! Do you see the distinction? As Christians we must learn to distinguish between Godly grief and worldly grief.

Godly grief comes as a result of a pricking from the Holy Spirit. Spirit reveals to us our wrong-doing and encourages us to make it right with God and with the person we have offended. When we are experiencing Godly grief, we are swift to ask for God’s forgiveness and we are swift to beg the pardon of the person we have harmed. As a result, we receive quick forgiveness from God and our soul is at peace.

On the other hand, worldly grief is a tool of our Enemy. The enemy of our souls wants to devastate us with our sin. He wants to convince us that there can be no forgiveness. He wants to depress--and oppress us—by wracking us with guilt, pain, fear and shame, so that we will be too embarrassed to ask God for forgiveness. Worldly grief isolates us from our family, friends, and church family and/or pastor/priest. It keeps us locked away from the very people who would speak words of forgiveness and absolution into our lives. It keeps us hidden, seeking to cloak our sin in the darkness, rather than bringing it into the marvelous light of God’s Amazing Grace!

Worldly grief is not of God! If you feel repentant, by all means ask God for forgiveness and receive that forgiveness in Jesus’ Name. This reception of God’s love and forgiveness leads to our salvation.

But, if you feel guilty and wracked with fear and shame, this kind of worldly grief leads to pain and death. Please join me right now in rebuking the Adversary in Jesus Name!

As long as our enemy can keep you bound up, you won’t think about God’s great love for you that gave Jesus to die on the cross to save you from your sin and gift you with eternal life. As long as you are focused on yourself, and on your failures, you are not focused on bearing witness to the GOOD NEWS that Jesus saves and He saves to the utmost!

Isn’t it tricky of the enemy of our souls to make us so self-centered, that we push God out of our lives? It’s it conniving of him to make us so self-involved that we make God out to be a liar, refusing to believe that God will forgive us just as God promised!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to call God a liar!

Psalm 103:8-12 says,

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.

Oh hallelujah! Come on, now, let’s take a praise break! 1-2-3-GO!

Bless that Wonderful Name of Jesus! Hallelujah!

We are a loved and forgiven people. As far as the East is from the West, God removes our sin from us and remembers it no more!

Dear Friend, today God is calling for you to come up out of the prison of guilt, shame, and fear that you have been living in. You are loosed now, in the Name of Jesus!

God does not condemn you. God loves you and God forgives you. There is nothing that you have done that God cannot forgive. You cannot out sin, out fox, or out run the love of God that has been revealed to us in Christ Jesus!

Jesus’ love and blood covers the multitude of our sin. Jesus’ love and blood is strong enough to make atonement for your every mistake!

Please, beloved of God, lay down the weight you have been carrying and put all of your hope in Jesus today! Confess your sin to God. Reconcile with your neighbor. AND LET’S MOVE ON…
God’s got “Kingdom-Come” work for you to do! Will you get busy?

Dear God, I have been wracked by guilt, shame, and fear. I thought that I was too awful to be forgiven. I now know that I was wrong. I believe with all my heart and mind that you love me and that you proved it when Jesus went to the cross to forgive me of all of my sin and to gift me with eternal life! I know that you are not a liar; so I also know that you will forgive me if I ask. I am asking now; will you please forgive all of my sin and fill me with Your Holy Spirit? Thank you, Jesus! My soul feels so much lighter! This is wonderful GOOD NEWS! Please help me to boldly share it with everyone I meet. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SPECIAL NOTE

If you just prayed this prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! I would be so honored if you would let me know about your decision by clicking “Yes” in the poll located at the top/right of today’s devotional! I am so happy for you! Happy Spiritual Re-Birth-Day!

Next steps: In response to what God did for you just now, let me suggest that you consider telling another Christian so that they can celebrate with you! Ask them to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand so that you can learn more about your new-found faith! Ask them to help you find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make loving friends who will walk with you on your new journey! You are already saved; now let God mature you by faith! Congratulations!




ANNOUNCEMENTS

Congratulations to all of those people who have recently put all of their hope in Jesus! Welcome to the Christian family! We love you and we are praying for you even now in Jesus’ Name!

If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, please visit my blog entitled, “Putting All Your Hope In Jesus” located at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/putting-all-your-hope-in-jesus.html

If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html

Pastor Yolanda is now publishing another blog entitled, “A Spoken WORD” in celebration of Holy Hip Hop, Gospel/Christian Rap and Spoken Word. Please check it out @ http://aspokenword.blogspot.com/

You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda

Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews

You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.

EACH ONE--REACH ONE! To share GOOD NEWS with a friend please click the "Share With Friends" button to the right!

Thanks for reading and please come again. Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to all of our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.

From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com

WORTHY TO BE PRAISED!

SCRIPTURE

Psalm 65 (NRSV)

God silences the seas

Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.

By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
By your strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.

DEVOTION

Doesn’t today’s Bible passage make you feel positively giddy?! What a wonderful psalm of praise to Almighty God!

Just think about all of the wonderful things that God does for us every day! God is the Lord of Creation. It is because of God’s creativity as expressed through nature that we have air to breathe, water to drink, food to harvest and eat, natural fibers with which to make clothing, and wood and stone to build our homes. Absolutely everything that we need to stay alive comes to us as a gift from the loving hands of our generous God!

But, God doesn’t stop there! God goes above and beyond our expectations by providing not only for our physical needs, but also for our emotional and spiritual ones too!

When we talk, God listens. When we ask for the forgiveness of our sin, God grants our petition. When we desire to worship God corporally; God’s Spirit meets us in a special way in our community of faith and when we are in trouble, God comes to our rescue!

Now that think about it, I have an awful lot to thank God for! I thank God for my loving husband and my beautiful kids! I thank God for the beautiful flowers that adorn my lawn. I thank God for my friends who bring joy and laughter into my life and I thank God for you—my GOOD NEWS family!

I could go on and on, but now it’s your turn! In today’s scripture, the psalmist takes time to praise and thank the Lord for the many ways in which God provides for us!

Will you take the time to thank God today? I bet if you start counting your blessings, you’ll never be able to stop!

Today the scripture says, “Praise is due to you, O God in Zion.” Later it says, “By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.”

Wow, hallelujah! The psalmist was right!

But from our perspective, this side of the cross, we can truly see that God does answer us with deliverance and salvation!

Aren’t you glad that God’s answer to our sin was, is, and will ever be, JESUS!

God loves the world so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life!

I’m really happy about the air I breathe and the food I eat. I’m really appreciative for the clothes I wear and the house I live in. But, most of all, I am so eternally grateful for God’s love revealed to me in Christ Jesus!

Of all the gifts that God has granted to us, JESUS is the best! Jesus is the door that leads to a reconciled relationship with God, forgiveness of sin, and eternal life in the Heavens!

It just doesn’t get better than this my friends!

Will you take the time today to thank God for JESUS, as well as all the other wonderful blessings in your life?

Holy One, you are generous beyond measure. Thank you for loving me so much! Thank you for JESUS and for His life, death, and resurrection! Thank you for providing for all of my daily needs and many of my wants! You are an awesome God! I love you and I want others to love you too! Please help me to share Your love with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Congratulations to all of those people who have recently put all of their hope in Jesus! Welcome to the Christian family! We love you and we are praying for you even now in Jesus’ Name!

If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, please visit my blog entitled, “Putting All Your Hope In Jesus” located at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/putting-all-your-hope-in-jesus.html

If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html

Pastor Yolanda is now publishing another blog entitled, “A Spoken WORD” in celebration of Holy Hip Hop, Gospel/Christian Rap and Spoken Word. Please check it out @ http://aspokenword.blogspot.com/

You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda

Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews

You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.

EACH ONE--REACH ONE! To share GOOD NEWS with a friend please click the "Share With Friends" button to the right!

Thanks for reading and please come again. Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to all of our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.

From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com