Sharon's Rose

For the next several weeks, I hope you will enjoy original songs, sans the music, that speak of the Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus.  Be blessed.


SHARON'S ROSE

They led Him to a barren spot, Golgotha was its name;
They nailed Him to a rugged cross and hung Him there in shame.
And from His hands and feet and side, a healing river flowed;
And on His head they placed a crown of thorns upon the Rose.

Our sins are sometimes many, we cause Him so much shame;
But every time we come to him, His love remains the same.
That precious blood can cleanse you purer than the whitest snow,
And cause you to remember all the thorns on Sharon's Rose.

He's the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star;
The precious Son of David, this blessed Child of God.
The stars in all the heavens upon His head will glow.
There'll never be a crown of thorns again on Sharon's Rose.

B. Sasser, Chestnut Mound Music, Inc., c. 1983

The Simplicity of Salvation

John 3:16  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."


Nicodemus, a trusted leader of Israel, came to Jesus to determine who He was and what was His purpose.  He already knew that Jesus had a Godly origin, as he had observed many miracles being performed.  But now he wanted to know more.


When Jesus said, "You must be born again.", Nicodemus had no clue as to what he meant. His great knowledge tried to complicate the process of salvation.  Surely a retreat into your mother's womb for a rebirth was not possible.  Jesus probably smiled as he watched Nicodemus' brow wrinkle with questions.  Jesus then spoke of the undeniable, yet unseen wind, its origin and its destination. If Nicodemus couldn't understand this, how could he understand the ways of God.


O.K.  If I cannot understand the ways of God, how can I be born again.  Herein lies the simplicity.  You don't have to understand it, just accept in your heart this simple truth...Jesus loves you enough to die for you.  He wants you to be His child.  Accept Him as your Savior...and you will be "Born Again."  


Yes, it is just that simple.  Do it today.  

Spring Forward

Well, did you?  If you didn't, its one hour later than you think. Daylight savings time first appeared in the U.S. in 1918 as the government's way of "saving time." The concept was to give America an extra hour of quality daylight. So at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, everyone awoke to run their clocks forward to 3:00 a.m., right?

Time is the one commodity we all have the same amount of.  No matter how you slice the clock, everyone gets 24 hours in a day. Ephesians 5:16 says that we are to "redeem the time...", making the best use of the time we have.  We should use our days to serve God by serving one another, presenting His gospel through our lives.

Luke 19:13 gives the key words to an amazing story, "Occupy 'till I come."  Stay busy, invest what I have given you, make the most of what you have, never give up, walk by faith.  Read the passage and discover how serious God is about how we spend our time. His rewards for our faithfulness are far beyond measure.

So now you have a little extra daylight for a few months.  No more time, just extra light.  Let's make sure we are using those "free" moments being the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) and offering our praise to God for being our Light in this world of darkness.

Power in the Name

I gave the names of our hymns for Sunday to our musicians earlier this week. I then asked my piano player if she could figure out what my message was about. She had no problem answering that question.  The songs were "Glory to His Name", Blessed Be the Name", and "There's Something About That Name".

Scriptures abound that describe the mighty power in the name of Jesus. There is healing, blessings, and assurance...all in His Name.   Faith, mercy, hope, provision, peace, forgiveness, joy, gladness,  and so much more are promised to those who believe in the one called Jesus.   God the Father is glorified when the name of Jesus is spoken.

But the power of God is display best when a sinner calls upon the name of Jesus and receives salvation.  John 20:31 says, "But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in His Name."

Have you called upon Him to give you eternal life?  Please do!  You can only receive it through the power of His Name.