Jesus, Always the Same

“Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

How have you changed? How has our nation changed? How has the environment changed? But Who never changes?

He is our Prophet, Priest, and King. As our Prophet, He came and spoke to us about His Father, the Holy Spirit, Himself, heaven, all our relationships, and the future. Now He sits on the right hand of His Father and fills the roll of the Great High Priest. One day He will come to earth as the King and will reign forever. His circumstances and His occupation have changed, but the essence of who He is, was, and shall be never changes.

He is the always the same. What never changes about Him? First, let’s consider the term Jesus Christ. Jesus is His name. Derived from the Hebrew name “Joshua” (Y’shua or Je-Hoshua), it means “Jehovah is salvation.” Christ, His title, means “the Anointed One, the Messiah.” True theology never changes. We may learn more from studying, but the truth of Jesus Christ is always the same.

What is the unchanging Jesus Christ like? He is God. To discuss all His characteristics would take years! Jesus is powerful: as a man, strong enough to walk miles every day and drive the money changers from the temple; as God, powerful enough to calm the sea with a word, wither a fig tree with a word, create the entire universe – omnipotent!

Jesus is gentle. He has always had a wholesome, compassionate, and loving relationship with the children, the weak, the lame, the downtrodden, the retarded, the widows, the orphans, and the bereaved. With all His tenderness and sweetness, He is, however, no pushover. His meekness is the essence of His almighty power submitted to the will of His Father so that He could become the sacrificial Lamb to pay for our sins.

Jesus is the God of grace and forgiveness; yet He is intolerant of sin. For some, this statement represents a contradiction; but for Jesus and the believer, there is no problem here. If there is any doubt about these two sides of Jesus Christ’s personality, study the book of James. He receives us through His grace and saves us unto good works. (Ephesians 2:10)

Jesus is the God of Glory. Only He, who has made Himself low and given His life for us, is worthy to open the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Revelation 5) The glorified Jesus is so dazzling that our human eyes are overwhelmed. Like His Father and the Holy Spirit, His glory shines likes a flame. In one word, He is perfection.

Jesus Christ is unique when He is compared to all other gods. Only Jesus has been crucified and resurrected. He is also unique in that becoming a follower is not the result of works. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9) Quoted from Do You Know How God Loves You?: Successful Daily Living


If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)

The following is a delightful video. At the end there is a request for money, which I did not add.

I’ll Tell You Why I’m Not Going!

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” (II Peter 3:18)

How many times have you heard someone say, “I’ll tell you why I’m not going to church”? The reasons go like this:

I cannot abide the preacher...the choir director...the deacons. On the front row every Sunday there are a bunch of hypocrites, who lie, steal, and cheat. Sunday they are the biggest Christians you’ll ever see, and Monday morning they are scoundrels. They are keeping me from church. I don’t want a part of God if these are His people. I’ll get more out of going to the lake than sitting in that church with that bunch of sinners calling themselves Christians. I don’t want anybody like that preaching to me or teaching my Sunday school class.

There are a few things to keep in mind. Don’t let anyone steal your joy in the Lord! Realize that these people are growing in grace. Try to see them as God sees them: through the love of Christ. Be sure that God is seeing you through the grace of Christ’s love. If you have not already claimed Christ’s saving grace through His shed blood, do so.

Turn your eyes toward Jesus and away from other people’s faults. Forgive them as you wish people would forgive you for the most stinking thing you have ever done to anybody. When you see mean-spirited persons on the front pew of the church (or even in the choir!) and you cannot help noticing them, thank God that they are in church. How much worse would they be if they were not there? How much has God already worked on them?

Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Remember that they are sinners saved by God’s grace. We are all growing in the Lord, and He hasn’t finished with us yet. Pray for them and thank God for the opportunity. Be especially kind to people who have offended you. Read and reread Matthew 5, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

Go to church for encouragement from the Lord and to assemble yourselves with others to encourage them. All those other sinners saved by grace in God’s church need to see you there, where they can receive a hug and a handshake with your smile. They need to hear you say something sweet.

Did you know that there are little children who never receive kind and encouraging words except on Sunday in church? Did you know that there are elderly people who go all week without touching another human being except for the ones they hug in church?

Take a few minutes to relax and enjoy the imagery of this brief video while you listen to a soothing version of "Amazing Grace."

The trailer for DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU was written and produced by Misty Taggart. A Hollywood screenwriter, she was one of the first women to write for animation such as SCOOBY DOO. Other credits include ANOTHER WORLD, FANTASY ISLAND,and KNOTS LANDING. Misty is an author, speaker, and certified Christian life coach. Her mentor was William Hanna, of Hanna/Barbera fame. She produces exciting video trailers for authors, speakers and event planners. To view more of her extensive repertoire, visit TrailertotheStars.com or youtube.com/booksinmotion.

Misty is a pleasant, efficient professional person, who is a delight to work with. I respect her creativity and high standards.

My portrait for DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU was taken by Nicholas Hurkes II, a highly sought after photographer based out of Louisiana with over 34 years. He has photographed Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, President Reagan, President Bush, Governor Foster, Governor Blanco, Terry Bradshaw, and Reba McIntyre. Having worked on assignments throughout the United States and abroad, he is happy to travel anywhere to document your story with images. For more information visit AmazingShots.net

Jehovah-tsidkenu, the Lord Our Righteousness

From Do You Know How God Loves You?

“ ‘Behold, the days come,’ saith the LORD, ‘that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ ” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

A highway running through our town becomes two one-way streets for several blocks. When people go the wrong way, wrecks occur. If the friendly folks and the policemen decided to be nice to strangers and allow them to go up it the wrong way, disasters would result. Drivers must travel the one-way streets the right way. I don’t think the law enforcement officers are arrogant when they require the traffic to flow in one direction.

The majority of church goers in the United States today feel that the idea of having one way to get to heaven is arrogant, uncharitable, and politically incorrect. They have decided that if people are sincere, there must be more than one way. If the people following other paths should terminate their life-journeys at the destination of heaven, where they would have to spend eternity with Jesus, the God they do not know or love, they would, I believe, reject Him there. Why would He want to let uninterested, ungrateful guests into His Father’s house?

Throughout history, human beings have sought to avoid the simplest path to salvation by traveling all kinds of circuitous routes. We human beings have taken raw materials that God has given us and shaped them into objects to worship, we have found exotic alien systems of religions to follow, we have tried to attain righteousness by pretending we are capable of obeying every law of God without loving Him, or we have taken a self-absorbed and self-achieving path to pseudo-righteousness.

All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6)

No matter what perspectives human beings have, there is only one Way to righteousness. As human beings, we have no true righteousness, except through the one Way...the Lord, our Righteousness, Jehovah-tsidkenu.

Our Father God is kind and loving. His nature is goodness. If there were some other way He could remedy the central problem in the world, if there were some other way He could correct the underlying sin nature of mankind, if there were some other way besides a blood sacrifice for our sins, He would not have sent His beloved Son to earth to live without material possessions and then to suffer from the ridicule of scoffers, not to mention laying down His life in a death of torture for us. If He had another way to save us besides through the blood and sacrificed His Son anyway, He would be a cruel, hateful deity; but we know He is all love, kindness, purity, life, light, and intelligence. There is only one Way.

Jehovah-tsidkenu, the Lord Our Righteousness, is all righteousness and the only provision we have to make us righteous. This name applies to the Father, the Provider; the son, the Giver; and the Holy Spirit, the constant Presence. We have no righteousness of our own except through Jehovah’s righteousness.

Copied from Do You Know How God Loves You? by the author, Mary Lou Cheatham

A Hiding Place for Work and Travel

The following is an excerpt from a new book in progress:

As a child of the Father God – a child bought by the sacrificial blood of Christ, the Lamb – you are blessed with protection. God keeps you safe as you travel. Consider Psalm 121:

1.I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2.My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3.He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4.Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5.The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6.The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7.The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul.
8.The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. (Psalm 121:1-8)

David describes in this Psalm what he would have seen when he was traveling from one place to another. Perhaps David was looking at Mt. Zion and Mt. Moriah. Obviously he did not mean that his strength came from the hills, for the pagans worshiped idols. Instead he is setting up a contrast. Place a question mark at the end of the first line. (Many translations interpret this part as a question.) The answer is the second verse, which shows us that he was looking higher than the hills to the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Jeremiah 3:23 clarifies the concept:

Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from multitude of mountains; truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.

God spoke the world into being. He who made heaven and earth, night and day, hills and valleys is powerful enough to watch over you always. And He loves you enough to make sure that you don't fall or stumble as you travel along the roads of your life. Whatever you are going through He understands and knows about. He will use His power to comfort you and relieve you. He will protect you.

I do not understand all the ways our God works, for His ways are higher than my ways, but I do know that when you face the most problems in your life – the most sickness, the most financial difficulties, the most misunderstandings among our loved ones, the most danger – the list could go on . . . when you face hardships, your Shepherd is near to lead you to a safe place. He sends His angels to keep you from stumbling or falling.

Trust Him. He is your protector and keeper. Realize that He will watch over you without a need to sleep or turn His head away from you. Realize that He loves you that way. I used to work as a nurse on the night shift. More than once a patient who needed help would ring his bell to call me and make a slightly disoriented apology: “I'm sorry to wake you up.” Some patients did not realize that we were wide awake and busy at the work of watching over them. They forgot that they were wearing monitoring equipment so the staff could watch every beat of their hearts. They did not see us sneaking into their rooms while they slept to make sure they were all right.

Not only does God protect you: He also provides for you a shade. When I think of shade, I visualize the shade of a big live oak tree or a beach umbrella. God's protection is much more than those. His shade is a place of refreshing. The eternal Being who is the infinite Source of all that is good, and the everlasting Substance of life, reaches down to comfort you.

Keep close to Him the way your shadow keeps close to your body. There He will shelter you from the scorching trials of this world. His shadow will be for you like a huge rock in a land that is weary, dry, and thirsty. There He will provide streams of fresh cool water to quench Your thirst. You can sit there in the shade of your God's comfort and delight in the pleasure. (See Isaiah 32:2.) You can be sure that He will provide protection from the roaring lions that are lurking about.

He will protect your right hand; or if you are left handed, he will protect your left hand. What is meant here is that God will protect your working hand. Since He is protecting your working hand, the logical conclusion is that He has work for you to do. Also He will help keep you from temptation. Your feet will not slip off into a way they should not no matter who is trying to take you away from your comfortable place near your God. Although there is evil all around, there is no need to be frightened. Your God will take care of you.

When God spoke the world, everything on earth was in harmony and beauty. After sin came onto the scene, evil, hurt, and ugliness appeared. God will protect you from the evil of sin if you stay in His shade – His umbrella of safety. He will protect you when you go out into the world and when you go home to your house. He will guard your soul. Realize that your soul belongs to Him. He will lead you in love as a child, through your adulthood, and your old age. He will take care of you as you live and as you die. He will preserve you fro all time in heaven. The Holy Spirit will remain with you forever.

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Form some new habits. Now that you have read about God's help for you, make a conscious effort to rely on the divine protection freely given you.

Meditate today on your relationship with your God as your protector.
Pray that God will protect you; in other words, accept graciously what God is giving you.
Let Him know that you trust Him to keep you safe.
Promise Him that you will stay in His safe shade.
Ask God to lead you away from temptation.
When you travel, ask God to keep you safe.
When you go out of your house, ask God to go with you and to send His angels to keep you from stumbling. Although you can assume that He will lead and guide you, talk to Him about it. You, as His child, will need to be reminded.
When you come home, ask God to bless your house and all that live within.
Thank Him.
Love Him.
Trust Him.
Remember that God is protecting your working hand. Ask Him how what work He has for you.

What a blessedness you have as a child of God!

How Do You Know God Loves You?

In God's word, the Bible, which is full of love letters to you, He explains how you can know:

-He made you in His image. (Genesis 126-27)
-He made the world beautiful and placed you in it. (Genesis 128-31, Psalm 23:1-6. Look around you!)
-He created you for His pleasure. (Revelation 4:11)
-He watches over you at all times (Psalm 139:1-24)
-He surrounds you with His protecting angels. (Matthew 4:6)
-God the Holy Spirit lives within your heart when you become the child of the Father. (John 14-16)
-God the Father chooses you to be a member of His family and adopts you. (Romans 8:15, Ephesians 1:5)
-He wrote your name in His book before the foundation of the world. (Revelation 17:8)
-He values all you feel so much that He saves your tears in a bottle. (Psalm 56:8)
-He saves your prayers in a bowl and savors them as incense. (Revelation 5:8 and 8:3-5)
-He will share His glory with you when you enter into His presence. (Isaiah 6, Revelation 21:23)
-God the Father loved you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to shed His blood for your sins. (John 3:16)
-He is preparing an eternal home for you. (John 14:1-4)
Jesus, God the Son, came to the earth to die for our sins and waits in heaven for you. (Revelation 1:6)
-Jesus, serving as our High Priest, intercedes for you. (Hebrews 10:12-21)
-The Holy Spirit intercedes for you (Romans 8:26).

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