“At Noon, Darkness Fell”

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33 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. — Mark 15:33 NLT

3  I dress the skies in darkness, covering them with clothes of mourning.” — Isaiah 50:3 NLT 

At noon on Friday, the sun was hidden as nature mourned the approaching death of our Lord and Savior.  At three o’clock on Friday afternoon, the Light of the world was extinguished.  It was a time of deep darkness and mourning for all of nature and the followers of Jesus.  It seemed that satan and his demons had won a great victory.  At three o’clock, the natural light reappeared.  Could this have been a sign that the Spiritual light would also reappear, that all was not as it seemed to be?  A heaviness lay over the people and the land.  Friday night, all day Saturday and Saturday night was a time of grieving and wondering.  Could they have been wrong about this man, Jesus?  Was He not really the Messiah?   A time of fear, could they be the next to die?  For a moment, imagine that you are one of the disciples at that very time.  Look at the situation through their eyes, not knowing the final outcome of this event.  Take the time to imagine the scene on the cross and mourn the death of your teacher and closest friend.  His promise that He would always be with them must have seemed pretty hollow about then. Would your faith have carried you through this event?  What would your reaction have been?  Would you have been able to remember and believe all the promises at this particular point?   Would you still believe that He would arise after three days? Now, back to the present.  Will our faith carry us through what God has in store for us now?  When temptation stares us in the face, will we give in?  Knowing the whole story, how will we respond to the times of darkness and mourning in our lives?  Will we remember that there is hope?  Will we remember that “joy comes in the morning”?

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

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Take the “U” Out!

For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning. – Psalm 30:5

Are you going through a rough patch? Mourning the loss of a friend? the loss of a child? a parent? a home? Feeling lost with no direction? If you can check one or all of the boxes, you are not alone. And like most, you are wondering when it will end or if will it ever end. Will the memories ever go away? No, I pray that the good memories will never go away. There is a way to lessen the impact of these events on the rest of your life. And listen carefully, I can check all the above boxes, so I know whereof I speak. The first step is to take the “u” out and you will see that moUrning turns into MORNING and a new day begins. Regardless of all the worldly do it yourself projects and rehab programs, study after study shows that we cannot fix ourselves. The best we can do, all by ourselves, is temporary relief. There is no band-aid for the heart, but there is a permanent fix, free and available to everyone of us. Now that morning has come, listen to what God has to say, “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1). Nothing is hidden from the One that loves you so much that He died to save you. Hope and joy have a Name and that Name is Jesus, Accept Him today as your Savior and your Lord.

1For this is how much God loved the world—he gave his one and only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life. – John 3:16 TPT

He can fill every void and provide for every need. Not just physical needs, but those deep down in your soul spiritual needs. The healing will begin and the joy will come. Your new day is here, full of His joy and peace, reach out, grab it and never, ever let it go.

Post 01-12-2020

Sing Praises – Give Thanks

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11  You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.  You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, 12  that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.   Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! 
— Psalm 30:11-12 NLT
Starting today, the 2nd day of Christmas, let us continue to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord by committing to sing His praises, read His Word and worship Him daily.  This Psalm was not written about the birth of Jesus but it certainly applies to it.  His coming gave the world hope and accepting Him as our Savior should turn our mourning into joyful dancing. We are filled with His Spirit and clothed in His righteousness.  Our tongues should never be silent when it comes to singing praises to our God. Nor should they be silent when we have opportunities to witness to those that are lost.  Living a lifestyle of joy and thankfulness will attract others to Jesus and give us even more reason to continue to praise and glorify our God.  
 

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

Post 12-26-2016