Archive for category: Random Thoughts

What’s the Big Deal About Easter?
It doesn’t get as much splash as other holidays, but it can hold its
own!

We need to give Easter a little help. Bless its heart. It just
doesn’t measure up to Christmas. Of course, how can you compete
with lighted trees surrounded by brightly wrapped gift packages?

If we surveyed everyone in North America, they’d probably
place Easter behind Halloween. While Easter gives us a few
chocolate bunnies, Halloween gives us entire sack loads of candy.
And for those who choose not to participate in the world’s custom of
trick-or- treating, churches open their parking lots, malls extend their
hours and people can still get all the candy they want without ever
having to mutter “Trick or treat.”

And Valentine’s day captures our hearts. It’s the time for
romance, and the opportunity to share love with friends and family members.
The day is filled with the smell of roses, boxes of chocolate
hearts, candy hearts, exquisite cards—all declaring love.
But Easter?
No tree. No parties. Not many decorations.
What do we get at Easter?
A sermon.
And sometimes even that’s a little flat!

A Little Help, Please

So maybe we should spruce Easter up a bit. If we could get
some really cool celebrities to get behind it, Easter might mean more.
It seems whenever we have a devastating tornado, tsunami or
earthquake that takes out a city, the celebrities rush to get involved
and make a difference.

So maybe we could get the celebrities to promote Easter on
television ads!

That would be a great start, but we’d still need a good
marketing plan. Maybe we bring the fashion industry into this. Put a
few models in some super cool T-shirts that boast “Easter Is Cool,”
“Vote Easter Best Holiday,” “Easter Is #1,” “Easter Rocks!”

Yes. If we can get the celebs, the athletes, the models and a
creative marketing plan, Easter might have a chance!

Wrong Plan

I’m glad it’s not up to us to make Easter popular. Easter was
never created to be popular.
Why?
Because it’s the message of the Cross.
And the Cross is an ugly message.
The Cross means death. And death doesn’t sell well.
You see, even if we could get the celebs to promote Easter . . .
if the celebs haven’t experienced and embraced the Cross the way
Christ did, what good would it do?

The truth is: God doesn’t need any celebs to take on Easter. He
doesn’t need help promoting it. He doesn’t even want help promoting
it. He doesn’t want people embracing Easter for the wrong reasons.
He wants true followers.

The God of color and rhythm and the Grand Canyon and
kangaroos and gravity and Niagara Falls and sound and lightening
and donkeys who talk and hyenas that laugh could have created an
amazing marketing strategy to promote Easter. But He’s not into
marketing. He doesn’t think strategy. He thinks love.

The Truth

The message of the Cross is an invitation to die. “Wanna follow
Me?” Jesus asks. “Then pick up your cross. We’re going over there.
It’s a hill called Golgotha. We’re going to die.”
How do you market this?
How can you make this sound glamorous?
You don’t. You can’t. If you try . . . you’ll miss the meaning.
But the truth behind Easter is dying with Jesus.
Why would anyone do that? They wouldn’t.
Unless—they’ve experienced first-hand the death of Jesus for
their own sins.

You see, once a sinner realizes that Jesus willingly picked up
the Cross and died in her place, she’s overcome with joy and love for
her Father. She wants to live for Him, obey Him, serve Him, follow
Him, die with Him.

A High Price Tag

Jesus told everyone to count the cost before deciding to follow
Him. (See Luke 14:25-30.) He reminds us that a contractor doesn’t
start to build a house without first counting the cost of all the
materials. If he doesn’t do this, he may only build half a house and
run out of money.

What does it cost to follow Jesus?
It costs a lot.
It costs everything.
You see, Jesus isn’t looking for half-hearted followers. He’s not
interested in being the next big fad. He doesn’t recruit with a polished
benefits package. That’s not the way He works. He’d rather have 12
sold-out disciples than an entire world that’s only talk.
So why would anyone want to follow Jesus?
Because of love.
No one loves like He does.
And forgiveness.
No one else has offered to pay for our sins.
And eternal life.
The only way to God (and to live forever in heaven) is through
Jesus (see John 10:10).

And peace. And purpose. And meaning. And joy. And real life!

They Don’t Compare

If you stack Jesus against all the other gods, none of them even
compare with Him! Think about it: In all other religions, you have to
work really hard to reach your god. You have to pray so many times a
day, or sacrifice so much, or travel thus far, or. …

All other religions show man reaching up to their god. ONLY
Christianity shows God reaching down to man! Wow. Read that
again, because it’s mega-powerful. ONLY Christianity shows God
reaching down to man!

Christianity is the only religion that offers free salvation. You
don’t have to earn it. You can’t pay for it. You’ll never be good
enough to deserve it. So God reaches down to YOU by sending His
only Son wrapped in human flesh to die an ugly death on the Cross
for YOUR sins.
That’s love!
And He invited you to participate.

Make This YOUR Easter

Many of you reading this have already accepted Christ as your
Savior. You’ve already asked Him to forgive your sins. (If you haven’t
done this, you can do it right now. You can tell Him you’re sorry for
disobeying Him, ask Him to forgive you and place your faith in Him.)
But many of you reading this right now really want to go deeper in
your relationship with Christ. We call this sanctification.
If you desire to give Christ your all, you can pray this prayer.
No, it’s not a bunch of magic words. You really have to mean it. And
God will know if it’s genuine.
Dear Jesus:
Thank You for forgiving my sins. I’m so grateful that You
died for me. I love being a Christian. But I want to go
deeper. I want to give You everything! So right now, I’m
choosing to die. I’m dying to my will, my dreams, my way,
“me first,” my future. I want You to be LORD of every area
in my life. I’m moving to the back seat; You’re now in the
driver’s seat. You’re in complete control. Please release
the power of Your Holy Spirit within me and enable me to
live a holy life pleasing to You. I love You, Jesus. Amen.

New Plan

If you prayed that prayer and meant it, this Easter will become
something brand-new to you. More than a second-rate holiday, it will
be your love response to a God who’s crazy about you. He doesn’t
need a few celebs; He needs YOU.
You are His marketing plan.
YOU . . . simply loving one person at a time to Him.
You . . . dying to yourself and coming into new life through Him.
You . . . celebrating His resurrection from death.
You . . . living forever with Him.
This is Easter.

Moving ahead in God’s strength:

The blessings of waiting:

• “For since the world began no one has seen or heard of such a God
as ours, who works for those who wait for him!” (Isaiah 64:4 LB)

• But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They
shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be
weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 LB).

• “I wait eagerly for the Lord’s help, and in his word I trust.
I wait for the Lord more eagerly than sentries wait for the dawn—than
sentries wait for the dawn” (Psalm 130:5-6 GNT).

The blessings of moving forward:

• “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your
God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand: (Isaiah 41:10 NIV).

• “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be
frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you
wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 ESV).

• “   I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has
called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14 NIV).

 

How do we know when to wait and when to move forward?

When Christ extended His invitation to the 12 disciples, they moved
immediately (see Matthew 8:21-22).

The apostle Paul waited 14 years before his ministry to the Gentiles
(see Galatians and Acts).

There have been times in my life when I’ve prayed, “Lord, I want Your
will. I’m moving forward in this direction. Stop me or turn me around if
this is not Your will.”

And there have been other times I’ve prayed, “I really don’t know
what to do, Jesus. Please tell me. I want to do Your will, but right now
I feel paralyzed. I’m waiting to hear from You.”

The key?
“I want Your will.”

If we’re faithful to seek His will, He’ll let us know when to move
forward and when to wait.

The answer: “The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for
him, to those who seek for him” (Lamentations 3:25 LB).

Did you catch it?
This Scripture highlights those who wait and also those who seek.
The above verse encourages us to act (seeking) as well as to wait.
Both are part of God’s will.
Seeking requires action.
Waiting requires patience.
God gives both.

Ask God to help you want His will move than anything.

“Happy are all who search for God and always do his will. . . .”
(Psalm 119:2 LB).

OK, but how can I learn to want God’s will?
“Blessed Lord, teach me your rules. I have recited your laws and
rejoiced in them more than in riches. I will meditate upon them and

give them my full respect.   I will delight in them and not forget them”
(Psalm 119:12-16 LB).

Immerse yourself in God’s Word.
Read it.
Study it.
Think about it.
Live it.

And as you do this, He is faithful to make His will known to you.

Thoughts?

Please pray for me as I speak in Claremore, OK this weekend.

Many times when Jesus healed someone in the Bible,
He told them to get up or to go after He had touched them.
He performed the miracle of healing and was simply on His way.

But other times, He did just the opposite:
He took their hand.
It seems as though He wanted to savor the moment.

Here are a few examples:

• When Jesus brings Jairus’ daughter back to life: “Jesus took her by
the hand. . . .” (Luke 8:54 NLT).

• When He healed the 10 lepers, He asked the one who returned
where the other nine were (Luke 17:11-19).

• After Jesus healed the blind, mute demoniac, He lingered while the
healed man spoke to the crowd (Luke 11:14-23).

So sometimes after God ministers to us, He wants us to GO, yet
other times He wants us to wait . . . to hold His hand . . . to simply
BE with Him.

The question is: How do we know when to do what?

Last week, when I wrote about going, Sherry left this remark in the
comments section: “It’s so hard to discern between ‘get up and go’
or ‘be still and wait!’ ”

She makes a great point, doesn’t she?

Know this: It won’t be the same for us each time we hear from God.

(We’ll chat more about this next week.)

But we can rest assured that God’s will is not a mystery.
He’s not playing the guessing game with us.
He wants us to know His will even more than we want to know it!

Remember, however, that He is not on our timetable.
You’ve heard the old saying, “God is never early—but He’s never
late.”

When you’re trying to decide whether to “stay still” or to “go,”
saturate yourself in prayer. It’s a FACT . . . He will guide you.

Thoughts?
Care to share how God has guided you?

I’d appreciate your prayers March 16-21 as I speak in Newcastle, IN.

Do you realize that prayer is our greatest weapon
against satan? He fears prayer. It sends him and
his demons running.

There is power in prayer!
When we pray in the name of Jesus,
we are tossing grenades at satan.

Prayer is also our greatest connection to Christ.
Aren’t you glad His line is never busy?
Every time we pray in Jesus’ name,
we enter the Kingdom of heaven.

And our prayers make a difference.
Do you believe that?
Truly believe that?

Could your friends and loved ones have had a better day
yesterday if you’d prayed for them?

Have you considered that NOT praying for someone
can be a sin?

“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin
against the LORD by failing to pray for you.” (1
Samuel 12:23 NIV)

Kind of makes you want to make prayer a priority, doesn’t it!

Thoughts?

I’d appreciate your prayers for me this weekend as I speak in Topeka,
KS.

Throughout the Bible, God’s message is crystal clear: “Come.”
He so years for us to come to Him, that He repeats this invitation in a
variety of ways:

“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever
comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37 NIV).

The most important way we can come is for salvation. Have you
come to God for this most important gift you’ll ever receive?

“ ’Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD: ‘though your
sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are
red like crimson, they shall become like wool’ ” (Isaiah 1:18 ESV).

We can truly REJOICE in the fact that when God forgives our sins,
He completely cleanses us inside. As the above Scripture declares,
we become transformed from dirty sinners to cleansed children of
God.

“Come to me and I will give you rest”
Matthew 11:28 LB).

The above verse reflects our Father’s great care. He knows how easy
it is for us to become beaten down by the daily grind. He knows our
hearts are fragile. When we’re burdened, weary or confused, the best
thing we can do is go to God and allow Him to breathe comfort,
strength and renewal into our souls.

Ask the Holy Spirit to draw you to the Father not only on a daily basis
. . . but several times throughout your day! You’ll be amazed at the
difference this will make.

Thoughts?

I appreciate your prayers as I speak in Waxahachie, TX this
weekend.

It’s still not too late to sign up for the Susie Shellenberger Ministries
cruise to Alaska June 1-8. This will be an incredible way to come
away for the spiritual retreat and adventure you’re yearning for.

Contact my friend and travel agent, Carla Pryor, who can accept
passengers through mid-March: carlaray@aol.com