Care for People All around You

Scripture: "And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows." (1 Thessalonians 3:12)

The book of Ruth in the Old Testament tells a beautiful story about love and loyalty among family. 

Naomi, an Israelite, had traveled with her husband and sons to the foreign land of Moab to escape a famine. Her sons married local women, one of them being Ruth. When the husband and the sons died, Naomi chose to return to Israel and her people.

Love Each Other

Naomi and her daughters-in-law loved each other dearly. Wanting them to be provided for, Naomi urged them to remain in Moab to remarry. However, Ruth chose to stay with Naomi, dedicated to serving her mother-in-law -- and God. She demonstrated a love and loyalty the Apostles Paul and John would describe many years later: “those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith” (1 Timothy 5:8) and “those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters” (1 John 4:21).

Avoid Evil and Pray

In Israel, Ruth provided for herself and Naomi by gathering leftover grain. She chose a field owned by Boaz, one of Naomi’s distant relatives. Boaz told Ruth to keep gathering on his land, where she’d be safe from dangerous men elsewhere. This mirrors God’s warning to His people against close contact with those who chose evil: “If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped” (Exodus 34:12). If we can’t avoid harm, though, Jesus said to “Pray for those who hurt you” (Luke 6:28). We should avoid evil ways, but care about, and pray for, people who choose evil.

Care - No Matter What

Naomi loved Ruth, wanting to see her married and settled. She instructed Ruth to ask Boaz to take care of her (and Naomi) by marrying Ruth. Although Ruth was a poor foreigner, Boaz treated her with godly care and agreed. Jesus spoke of providing for others: “when you [cared for] one of the least of these people, you [cared for] Me” (Matthew 25:40). We, too, should show godly concern for others, especially those in need.

When Ruth chose to go with Naomi rather than stay with her own people, she said, “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16). 

Naomi’s devotion to the Living God caused Ruth to turn from the idols of her native Moab. Wouldn’t it be awesome if your love for God and for people would inspire others to turn from sin and follow God?

Is it wise for Israel to strike Syria now?

Your Bible reveals that at the time of the end, there will be much turmoil in the Middle East.

 "An Israeli air attack staged in Syria this week may be a sign of things to come. Israeli military officials appear to have concluded that the risks of attacking Syria are worth taking when compared to the dangers of allowing sophisticated weapons to reach Hezbollah guerrillas in neighboring Lebanon.

"With Syrian President Bashar Assad’s grip on power weakening, Israeli officials fear he could soon lose control over his substantial arsenal of chemical and advanced weapons, which could slip into the hands of Hezbollah or other hostile groups. These concerns, combined with Hezbollah’s own domestic problems, mean further military action could be likely" (Associated Press, Jan. 31, 2013).

Most everyone interested in geopolitics and especially the politics of the Middle East can see the handwriting on the wall. The situation is changing almost daily as extremist groups are taking advantage of social uprisings in countries run by Muslim dictators.

Syrian President Assad probably suffers sleepless nights, for the die has been cast and the precedents are set. Many Muslim Arabs want Islamic rule, and they are willing to die for it. Considering that Israel is surrounded by Muslims and attacked by Islamic extremists, the only choice Israel has is to reduce the chances of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) falling into the hands of extremists.

Your Bible reveals that at the time of the end, there will be much turmoil in the Middle East, including a "king of the South," likely the leader of a Muslim confederation, who will set in motion a great conflagration (Daniel 11:40-45 ).

To Make Us Holy

Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. Lev. 19: 2. 

Holiness is not rapture: it is an entire surrender of the will to God; it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the light; it is walking by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love. 

Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. . . . Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behaviour, but they cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness. 

No man receives holiness as a birthright, or as a gift from any other human being. Holiness is the gift of God through Christ. Those who receive the Saviour become sons of God. They are His spiritual children, born again, renewed in righteousness and true holiness. Their minds are changed. With clearer vision they behold eternal realities. They are adopted into God's family, and they become conformed to His likeness, changed by His Spirit from glory to glory. From cherishing supreme love for self, they come to cherish supreme love for God and for Christ. . . . Accepting Christ as a personal Saviour, and following His example of self- denial-- this is the secret of holiness. 

Forgetting the things that are behind, let us press forward in the heavenward way. Let us neglect no opportunity that, if improved, will make us more useful in God's service. Then like threads of gold, holiness will run through our lives, and the angels, beholding our consecration, will repeat the promise, "I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir" (Isa. 13: 12). All heaven rejoices when weak, faulty human beings give themselves to Jesus, to live His life.

Gives Life to the Soul

Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 4: 14. 

He who seeks to quench his thirst at the fountains of this world will drink to thirst again. Everywhere men are unsatisfied. They long for something to supply the need of the soul. Only One can meet that want. The need of the world, "the Desire of all nations," is Christ. The divine grace which He alone can impart, is as living water, purifying, refreshing, and invigorating the soul.

Jesus did not convey the idea that merely one draught of the water of life would suffice the receiver. He who tastes of the love of Christ will continually long for more; but he seeks for nothing else. The riches, honors, and pleasures of the world do not attract him. The constant cry of his heart is, More of Thee. And He who reveals to the soul its necessity is waiting to satisfy its hunger and thirst. Every human resource and dependence will fail. The cisterns will be emptied, the pools become dry; but our Redeemer is an inexhaustible fountain. We may drink, and drink again, and ever find a fresh supply. He in whom Christ dwells has within himself the fountain of blessing. . . . From this source he may draw strength and grace sufficient for all his needs.

He who drinks of the living water becomes a fountain of life. The receiver becomes a giver. The grace of Christ in the soul is like a spring in the desert, welling up to refresh all, and making those who are ready to perish eager to drink of the water of life.

The water that Christ referred to was the revelation of His grace in His Word. . . . Christ's gracious presence in His Word is ever speaking to the soul, representing Him as the well of living water to refresh the thirsting. It is our privilege to have a living, abiding Saviour. He is the source of spiritual power implanted within us, and His influence will flow forth in words and actions, refreshing all within the sphere of our influence, begetting in them desires and aspirations for strength and purity, for holiness and peace, and for that joy which brings with it no sorrow. This is the result of an indwelling Saviour.

Who Are You?

Scripture: "I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as My prophet to the nations." ( Jeremiah 1:5)

During our family's process to adopt a child, we learned that adopted children sometimes wonder about their history and how they fit in. You, too, might wonder about your identity as an adopted child of God. He has known who you were and would become since before your birth, but God lets you discover how He can use your unique personality to minister to others.

Your Identity in God

When you accept Christ as your Saviour, that means that God has accepted you as His adopted child. "To all who believed Him and accepted Him, [Jesus] gave the right to become children of God"(John 1:12), and "God sent Him to buy freedom for us..., so He could adopt us as His own children"(Galatians 4:5). Part of your identity as God’s child is as a representative of our Lord. Jesus told His followers, "You are the light of the world … let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father"(Matthew 5:14 & 16)

Interaction with Other Believers

Good deeds begin at home, with family; other believers are your family in Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote, "we should do good to everyone — especially to those in the family of faith"(Galatians 6:10). And as further encouragement, we are told to "keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters"(Hebrews 13:1).

Interaction with Non-Believers

Making sure love is part of your personality is important for ministering to people who don’t know God yet. Jesus called His followers to “be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere” (Acts 1:8). Peter reminded us “if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it” (1 Peter 3:15). Sometimes, unbelievers “are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4). So when sharing the gospel, Paul would “try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). Following that example, you can discover what good things God has put into your personality that will enable you to share His love, in your own unique way.

Adversity

The words of a song from 1944 by The Ink Spots were, "Into each life some rain must fall."

There is truth in those words and adversity will strike each person sometime. It may be that nothing can be done to deflect the problems we face. When that happens, we can trust in the two main supports during adversity. They are hope and patience. Without hope, we lose a sure anchor and without patience we lose our faith and trust. God responds at exactly the right time and in the right way. That is why He is completely wise and right in all He does.

No trial or adversity is pleasant, but the testing of our trust and faith in God develops patience. Our faith is based on the hope of His intervention (James 1:2-4


). With these two tools in your toolbox, adversity will come and go without robbing you of the joy of life. Rain makes the flowers grow.

To Banish Unrest and Doubt

O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Matt. 14: 31.

Christ came to this world to show that by receiving power from on high, man can live an unsullied life. With unwearying patience and sympathetic helpfulness He met men in their necessities. By the gentle touch of grace He banished from the soul unrest and doubt, changing enmity to love, and unbelief to confidence. 

It is not wise to look to ourselves and study our emotions. If we do this, the enemy will present difficulties and temptations that weaken faith and destroy courage. Closely to study our emotions and give way to our feelings is to entertain doubt and entangle ourselves in perplexity. We are to look away from self to Jesus.

When temptations assail you, when care, perplexity, and darkness seem to surround your soul, look to the place where you last saw the light. Rest in Christ's love and under His protecting care. When sin struggles for the mastery in the heart, when guilt oppresses the soul and burdens the conscience, when unbelief clouds the mind, remember that Christ's grace is sufficient to subdue sin and banish the darkness.

He will give you grace to be patient, He will give you grace to be trustful, He will give you grace to overcome restlessness, He will warm your heart with His own sweet Spirit, He will revive your soul in its weakness. . . . Then stay your soul in confidence upon God. Roll all your burdens upon Him. 
 
The soul that loves God, rises above the fog of doubt; he gains a bright, broad, deep, living experience, and becomes meek and Christlike. His soul is committed to God, hid with Christ in God. He will be able to stand the test of neglect, of abuse and contempt, because his Saviour has suffered all this. He will not become fretful and discouraged when difficulties press him, because Jesus did not fail or become discouraged. Every true Christian will be strong, not in the strength and merit of his good works, but in the righteousness of Christ, which through faith is imputed unto him. It is a great thing to be meek and lowly in heart, to be pure and undefiled, as was the Prince of heaven when He walked among men.

To Uproot Selfishness

Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Luke 12: 1. 

The hypocrisy of the Pharisees was the product of self- seeking. The glorification of themselves was the object of their lives. . . . Even the disciples, though outwardly they had left all for Jesus' sake, had not in heart ceased to seek great things for themselves. . . . As leaven, if left to complete its work, will cause corruption and decay, so does the self- seeking spirit, cherished, work the defilement and ruin of the soul. Among the followers of our Lord today, as of old, how widespread is this subtle, deceptive sin! How often our service to Christ, our communion with one another, is marred by the secret desire to exalt self! . . . To His own disciples the warning words of Christ are spoken, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees." . . . Only the power of God can banish self- seeking and hypocrisy. 

When Judas joined the disciples, he was not insensible to the beauty of the character of Christ. He felt the influence of that divine power which was drawing souls to the Saviour. . . . The Saviour read the heart of Judas; He knew the depths of iniquity to which, unless delivered by the grace of God, Judas would sink. In connecting this man with Himself, He placed him where he might, day by day, be brought in contact with the outflowing of His own unselfish love. If he would open his heart to Christ, divine grace would banish the demon of selfishness, and even Judas might become a subject of the kingdom of God. 

No one was so exalted as Christ, and yet He stooped to the humblest duty. . . . Christ Himself set the example of humility. He would not leave this great subject in man's charge. Of so much consequence did He regard it, that He Himself, One equal with God, acted as servant to His disciples. While they were contending for the highest place, He to whom every knee shall bow, He whom the angels of glory count it honor to serve, bowed down to wash the feet of those who called Him Lord. He washed the feet of His betrayer. . . . His whole life was under a law of service. He served all, ministered to all. Thus He lived the law of God, and by His example showed how we are to obey it.

Three Traits to Avoid when Looking for a Husband

When my daughters were teens I told them to be particularly aware of three traits in a boy because these traits influence what kind of man he would become.

Points to build on

1. How does he treat his parents?

Proverbs 19:26
 "He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother is a son who causes shame and brings reproach."

Proverbs 28:24
 "Whoever robs his father or his mother, And says, 'It is no transgression,' The same is companion to a destroyer."

Proverbs 30:17
 "They eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it."

2. Is he cruel to animals?

Proverbs 12:10
 "The righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."

3. How does he treat those whom he sees as weaker than himself?

Proverbs 14:31
 "He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy."

Application

These principles apply to any woman looking for a good husband.  No matter how attractive, charming or rich a man may be, if he mistreats his parents; is cruel to animals; and oppresses those who he sees as weak he will do the same to his wife and children.

What Have We Become?

Founding father John Adams said that the Constitution of the United States was made for a moral and religious people. That if ever the nation stops being moral and religious, the Constitution would be broken as a whale goes through a net.

He was right. Sadly, we have stopped being a moral and religious people to too great a degree!

Consider the following tragic facts:  54.5 million abortions since Roe v. Wade in 1973 (National Right to Life Fact Sheet). Homosexuality and same-sex marriage is supported by a majority of Americans , half of marriages end in divorce, the highest officers in the nation blatantly lie, laziness is rampant, we have astronomic individual and national debt and there is an overall lack of virtue. These selfish mentalities are the harbingers of the decline of a nation.

Of course, that list doesn’t describe everybody , but in all too many cases it seems the majority of people fall into the description above.

 

Why are we declining morally?

We have departed from God’s fundamental principles of life.

Our theologians have turned the clear and concrete Ten Commandments into abstractions. The Bible is viewed as full of allegory, story and poetry. 

Even as people talk about what would Jesus do (WWJD), hardly anybody actually does what Jesus did do (WDJD). The end result of the latter results in a moral society and the former does not! WWJD leaves the situation open to speculation and convenience.

Whenever mankind departs from the example of Jesus as stated in Scripture, it leads individuals away from the simplicity and clarity of godly principles.

How have we changed from a moral and decent people into an increasingly godless society? How do we biblically justify the murder of millions of babies? We can’t—so we just throw out the Bible.

We change incrementally. A little at a time. Slowly, a tiny step at a time over a long period. Somebody will challenge an established principle with an argument against it.  The thin edge of the wedge of argument and debate is driven in. Everyone has a reason and justification for their position. A war of attrition pursues the goal of changing for the “rights” of non believers. A liberal legal climate encourages loose interpretations of a law and the split of the principle slowly grows wider and wider with each blow on the wedge.

What was once a moral principle firmly established in a mostly religious culture is changed by people pushing for tolerance and compassionate understanding. There is always a reason, always a justification, always a plea. It never ends.  Eventually, people accept the new position and the road to moral decline continues. Things like abortion, divorce, adultery, fornication and “Jimmy has two mommies” become the norm.

The cause of this sad situation is that America is becoming more and more secular.  Fewer and fewer people adhere to Scriptural principles, like the Ten Commandments.  Discipline within churches declines because pastors depend on numbers for their salaries. They don’t hold the line for fear of offending people and a loss of income, and so the moral slump continues.

How do we reverse it? By each individually acknowledging our own faults, sins and shortcomings, and fall on our knees before God in repentance. Return to God and obey Him.

Exalts God's Law

Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. Job 22: 22. 

Everything in nature, from the mote in the sunbeam to the worlds on high, is under law. And upon obedience to these laws the order and harmony of the natural world depend. So there are great principles of righteousness to control the life of all intelligent beings, and upon conformity to these principles the well- being of the universe depends. Before this earth was called into being, God's law existed. Angels are governed by its principles, and in order for earth to be in harmony with heaven, man also must obey the divine statutes. To man in Eden Christ made known the precepts of the law "when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38: 7). The mission of Christ on earth was not to destroy the law, but by His grace to bring man back to obedience to its precepts. . . . 

His mission was to "magnify the law, and make it honourable" (Isa. 42: 21). He was to show the spiritual nature of the law, to present its far- reaching principles, and to make plain its eternal obligation. 

The divine beauty of the character of Christ, of whom the noblest and most gentle among men are but a faint reflection; . . . Jesus, the express image of the Father's person, the effulgence of His glory; the self- denying Redeemer, throughout His pilgrimage of love on earth was a living representative of the character of the law of God. In His life it is made manifest that heaven- born love, Christlike principles, underlie the laws of eternal rectitude. 

The Bible is God's will expressed to man. It is the only perfect standard of character, and marks out the duty of man in every circumstance of life. 

We must so conduct our life work that we can go to God in confidence and open our hearts before Him, telling Him our necessities and believing that He hears and will give us grace and strength to carry out the principles of the Word of God.

To Him Who Overcomes...

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33
).

There is something about the word “overcome” that astounds me. To overcome a trial or a sorrow is a great accomplishment when you’ve involved God. But to overcome the world? That seems impossible. Overcoming the world means we have to actively prevail over every enemy—our sinful human nature, persecution, trials, Satan’s temptations. I sometimes feel like Jesus Christ is the only one who could ever overcome the world. But if it were impossible for us, why would God repeatedly say in Revelation, “To him who overcomes…”? And how could Jesus Christ, who left His position as a God being and became human, be able to live a perfect, sinless life?

The key is faith. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4
). Sometimes we forget that God is always there, and we can rely on Him. It can be hard to have faith when we’re in the middle of difficult circumstances. Or even if we remember Him, it sometimes feels like He’s very far away. But God is always there, and He’s always ready to help us.

One story that helps me to remember that God is always near is the one of Elisha and his servant when they were surrounded by the Syrian army. When Elisha’s servant saw that the city was surrounded, he was afraid: “Ah, my lord, what will we do now?” But Elisha knew why they didn’t need to fear. “‘Don’t be afraid!’ Elisha told him. ‘For there are more on our side than on theirs!’ Then Elisha prayed, ‘O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!’ The LORD opened his servant’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire” (2 Kings 6:16-17

). Elisha showed the servant why he needed to have faith. God and His unseen army were on their side, and they could overcome.

For us today, it isn’t necessarily an army surrounding us, it’s Satan out there trying to break us down. But He who is on our side is greater than those on Satan’s side. “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4
, New International Version).

There is peace and strength to overcome this world in repentance and obedience. With God, all things are possible—even overcoming this evil and sinful world like Christ did. Renew your faith everyday. Have faith in the things unseen. Be victorious and overcome.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Scripture: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:16-17)

 

Jesus paid the highest price for you and me because He loves us more than we could ever imagine. He was put to death by being crucified on a cross, and his body was laid in a tomb behind a stone. He lived and then died rejected and alone. Like a rose He was trampled on the ground. Jesus took the fall and thought of you ABOVE ALL !

Here are 8 biblical terms to think about. As we learn about these words during Easter, we can appreciate the reason we celebrate.

REPENTANCE

Repentance is not just saying, "I'm sorry." It's turning away from the sin that separated us from God; reaching out, instead, to receive God's forgiveness and the new life he offers. Repentance is necessary for salvation (Acts 3:19). We must agree with God about our sin and turn toward him. We do not need to be perfect before we come to God, and we will still sin while we’re in this human body. But too often we shrug off our sins by saying, "Well, God's forgiven me, so I'm okay." That is not repentance. Repentance puts action to our words. True repentance means letting the forgiveness you’ve experienced change your life.

FORGIVENESS

Throughout history, God has been merciful and forgiving to those who repent of their sin. But that doesn't mean forgiveness is automatic. Because the penalty for sin is death, God’s law says there can be no forgiveness without the sacrifice of a life. Jesus death paid the ultimate price, and now our sins are wiped out, gone forever. It is true that we will still sin in this life, but God continues to forgive us when we come to him (1 John 1:9)

SACRIFICE

A true sacrifice involves giving up something that is cherished. It is no accident that the Crucifixion and Resurrection occurred during Passover. As the most important sacrifice in the Old Testament, Passover paints the most vivid picture of the greatest sacrifice ever made: the one made by God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus sacrificed his place in heaven to become human; he then sacrificed his life by dying on the cross to pay the price for our sins (Philippians 2:8). Giving our total lives as a living sacrifice to him is our natural and appropriate response of worship (Romans 12:1)

SALVATION

Some people call for God to save them only when they are desperate and in immediate danger. In the Old Testament, when God's people called out to him for salvation, they were looking for deliverance from their enemies. We may not have an army on our doorstep, but we’re all in immediate danger from the effects and consequences of sin. We can’t save ourselves from this— we need a rescue operation. Thankfully, God executed the rescue operation for salvation. He sent his Son to save the world by paying the penalty for sin and bringing us back to God (John 3:16-17). Our salvation is the accomplishment of the Crucifixion and Resurrection—the beautiful fruit of Easter..

CROSS

The cross points to God's rescue plan of the world. When we think of the cross, we should think of Jesus Christ, who was painfully stretched out and nailed to it, whose blood was shed, whose side was pierced and whose death paid the price of all sin (Isaiah 53:5). Without Jesus' death on a cross, Christians cannot inherit God's gift of salvation. We also associate the cross with Christ's call on our life. He asks us to take up our own cross, in denial of ourselves and in commitment to him (Mark 8:34).

GRAVE

Christians have eternal life, but it doesn't mean we’ll never die a physical death. We all have to leave this life sometime. But Jesus' empty grave means we don’t have to fear death anymore. In fact, we're told that he defeated death and Hades. His resurrection means that we can have life even after our bodies die and that one day our bodies will be raised anew (Romans 6:4). We can live in peace with the Lord forever.

RESURRECTION

The resurrection is evidence of God's satisfaction with the Son's sacrifice on humanity's behalf (1 Peter 1:3-5). The Holy Spirit brought Christ to life again. That same Holy Spirit dwells within believers; therefore, Christians can trust that we, too, will rise to eternal life after we experience physical death. All of these truths are celebrated in words of joy that ring out each Easter in many different languages: "The Lord is Risen! He is risen indeed!"

JESUS

Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of all humankind on the cross. Buried in a borrowed tomb, he rose again three days later as proof that his mission to conquer sin and death had been accomplished. Jesus appeared to his disciples and then returned to heaven 40 days later with the promise that he would return again someday. Jesus' words and life show us how to live life, but his message was that humanity should respond to God's love. Jesus claimed to be much more than a wise man or great teacher. He claimed to be God—a God willing to die for his creation so that their love relationship could be restored (Romans 5:10). Through his birth, life, death, and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled the hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament that foretold of a coming Messiah, a Savior not only for the nation of Israel, but for the whole world (1 Timothy 4:10). How will you respond to Jesus’ life and love? 

The point and the pinnacle of Easter celebration is the worship of Jesus Christ, the one who declared, "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades" (Revelation 1:17-18).