ARE YOU WALKING A STRAIGHT PATH?

God’s path is straighter than any other. It also promises the most blessings and promises. Bless you as you look to Him to keep your feet from straying off His path.

A Straight Path        By Sally Bair

When my husband took walks in the woods to check out the trees for future firewood, he always walked a straight path. For him, the shallow ponds, puddles, shrubs and downed trees meant wearing waterproof boots. He ignored any obstacles he encountered on his search for the right trees.

Centuries ago, when a king or ruler planned a trip to check on his kingdom, workers made sure the highway on which he rode could be traveled with ease. They cleared the path of obstacles and made the road as level as possible.

God’s Word speaks of a spiritual highway. “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3) The analogy refers to John the Baptist, the desert dweller, who prepared the way for Jesus by calling the people to repentance and baptism.

Prepare means to clear away the obstacles. The meaning of straight in Isaiah implies level, while the word highway represents the hearts of those who must be spiritually prepared by repentance for God’s glory to be revealed on earth.

In other words, we must clear away any obstacles within our hearts that keep us from true repentance. We cannot accomplish this by ourselves. God’s Spirit draws us to Jesus for salvation. He gives us the power, wisdom and strength to clear those obstacles.

“Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.” (Hebrews 12:13)

When we find our hands useless and our knees shaky and weak as we try on our own to follow God’s Word, we need only ask for His healing and strength. A prayer of repentance and submission will allow God to work wonders in restoring our heart to Him. And when we find our feet moving outside His straight, level path of obedience and service, we need only ask Him to clear away all obstacles for our own walk and for the journey we take to draw others to Him.

Is your spiritual walk straight and level, or filled with obstacles?

Lord, thank You for promising healing and strength as we humbly seek to keep all obstacles free from our path as we serve You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

RESURRECTED LIFE EVERY DAY!

He is risen! Let’s celebrate Jesus’ resurrection every day, not just on Easter.

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES              by Sally Bair

Jesus is the Resurrection and Life

Perhaps you’ve seen on TV how animals or people have come back from the brink of death by CPR. The technique has saved countless victims of near-drownings, choking or heart attacks.

Elijah and Elisha, as well as Peter, brought people back to life through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. And one of Jesus’s greatest miracles involved resurrecting Lazarus from death. After hearing that Mary and Martha’s brother had died, Jesus went to them—but not until two days had passed. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had lain in his tomb four days. The family and friends grieved. In fact, Mary and Martha both said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21 and 32)

Even Jesus shed tears of compassion—not for being powerless, because He wasn’t, but for their painful grief. He approached the tomb from which the stench of death had already come and called to dead Lazarus to rise up and come out of the tomb. Once released from his grave clothes, Lazarus faced the crowd of people, alive and wholly healed.

Before Jesus brought Lazarus to life, He proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26) Such an amazing statement! He had already said that whoever believed in Him would not perish but have eternal life.

The resurrection of Lazarus teaches us that though we Christians experience physical death, we will enjoy life thereafter with Jesus. Belief in Him involves more than just going to church. It means having confidence in Him and His Word that we will live with Him forever.

God’s CPR is better than man’s. It offers us more than mere resuscitation. It offers us peace with God on earth and eternal life with Him in heaven. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

His gift of new life is always available. All we need do is ask. It means living eternally with Him both now and forever. No other religion offers Christ’s gift of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Lord, thank You for Your resurrection power. As people revive from CPR, the breath of Your Spirit revives us to newness of life in Jesus. We acceptYour gift and have confidence, believing in Your resurrection power. In Jesus’ name, amen.

JESUS' TRUE IDENTITY IS CAUSE FOR REJOICING

In His holiness, His love, and His deity, Jesus gives us good reason to both fear and rejoice. He is the only One we can truly call awesome. We take joy in His power and love.

Eternal Perspectives     by Sally Bair

Who is Jesus?

Our names reveal many facets of us. If you want to know who I am, I’ll tell you I’m Sally Bair, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, author, speaker, teacher of many things, nature-lover, gardener and quilt maker. Some of my identities may change as I age and as my interests change. 

           

The name of Jesus brings all sorts of responses. Some believe it’s politically incorrect to use His name, others are embarrassed by His name, and many use it as an expletive—even some atheists.

So … who is Jesus? He told His disciples, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” (John 14:11) His “works” testify to His oneness with the Father. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

When Moses was commissioned by God to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, he wondered how to tell the people God’s name. “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM who I AM … thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14) God’s Son also called Himself I AM.

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger ….” (John 6:35) Like the manna God gave the Israelites in the wilderness, Jesus feeds us and sustains our spirit—not only daily but permanently.

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12) This is good news for the discouraged, the worried, the guilty and the sick—now and forever.

“I am the door of the sheep … if anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:7-8) No one can enter His Kingdom except through Jesus. He gives us freedom to dwell in peace with Him now and forever.

“I am the good shepherd … who gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees … because he does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” (John 10:11-14)  Jesus willingly died to save us, offering us entrance to His Kingdom now and forever.    

Lord, thank You for being our I AM. Bring us to a daily recognition and acceptance of Your holiness, Your provision and guidance, and Your eternal Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.

ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST, MY STRENGTH

Too often when we hear the verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” we place more emphasis on the “I can do all things” part than on the part that gives us the reason we can do all things. Christ is our strength—always.

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES             by Sally Bair

Kick the can-do attitude  

When I was a kid, my friends often played kick the can. We divided into two teams and tried to keep the metal can from reaching the “enemy” team by repeatedly kicking it.

The old-fashioned phrase, kick the can, has several meanings, including “to be able.” Most of us are able to perform daily living tasks and use our five senses. And when we want to do something, we rely on our abilities. Great things have been accomplished by talented, able people. And how often do we tell ourselves, “I can do that?” Or, “I can beat my addiction … make my marriage work … raise my kids to love God?”

If we believe we feel equipped, strong or able, we’ll use our own strength to do whatever task we set out to accomplish. But what do we do when we face obstacles or setbacks? We can’t always rely on ourselves. We may be unequipped or too weak. In fact, we all have weaknesses. We’re human, after all.

God wants us to rely on His strength rather than on our own. The apostle Paul had much to be proud of. He was a zealous Pharisee, blameless in obeying the Jewish laws. Then He met Jesus and discovered his strengths were actually weaknesses. He realized that without God’s strength, he could do nothing. His sense and feeling of self-sufficiency disappeared.  He wrote, “What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:7-8)

Paul not only admitted his weaknesses, he boasted about them, knowing Christ alone was his strength. Through Holy Spirit revelation, Paul shows us that truth. “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

When we consider that God created us and provides all things necessary for life, we can agree with Paul.

Lord, thank You for Your power that overcomes our weakness. Forgive us for believing we can do things on our own strength. We choose to kick the “can do” attitude out of our lives and accept You as our strength and power. In Jesus’ name, amen.