Author: njbc-editor

Each of us looks to the future when we will be with our King. We wait with hope, trusting in the word of God that promises us eternal life if we put our faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We wait expectantly for His return; some of us more expectantly than others, but all of us who believe are waiting for Him to split the skies with a trumpet and a shout. Psalm 130:5-6 says “I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.” I look forward to the day we all will be gathered at his feet, worshipping him forever!

Praise may be one of the highest, noblest, best, most satisfying things we can do with our day. All of us praise Him for the “big” things: recovery from illness, a new job, the birth of a healthy child, but consider the small things. As I sit at my table each morning I can see the beautiful blue sky He has created. I watch the different species of birds feasting on seeds and insects and the squirrels gathering acorns, each of them working side-by-side in perfect harmony with each other; even the rain is a blessing from Him. At night, I gaze at the majesty of the stars, each put in place by our creator! Psalm 9:1 says: “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth (tell) all thy marvelous works.” What will you praise Him for today? There are thousands of things, and we can’t praise Him enough! May He fill your day with blessings!

Have you ever felt alone and discouraged? Imagine how Christ felt, alone and dying on the cross for us, and yet he persevered! Isn’t it fantastic that we have a savior that endured agony and defeated death – for us! Now we can be optimistic about our future. We have to remember that no matter how discouraged we get, our Jesus was not discouraged because He had us in mind. We have hope in Him! Romans 5:13 says: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” When you feel lost and discouraged, do like Jesus did – Persevere! May He richly bless you today!

Have you ever considered the word “honey?” It is used in so many ways in our lives! In songs: “Sweeter than Honey;” in food, “Honey Nut Cheerios;” in movies “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids;” and even pet names for our spouses, “Honey, I’m home.” Honey also has many health benefits, such as dialating arteries to increase blood flow! Did you know that honey was used 61 times in the bible? The land was flowing with milk and honey; honey was given as precious a gift, John the Baptist survived on honey in the wilderness, and honey was a symbol of good health in Samuel. Proverbs 24:13 says: “My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste.” The next time someone asks if you want honey with your tea you can use it as an introduction into the scriptures! God bless you!

Have you ever heard anyone ask “what’s in it for me?” Sadly, that is the attitude of some people. JFK once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” The same can be said for our walk with Jesus. We, as believers, need to realize that we are here to serve Him! He isn’t there to make our wishes come true, but to lead us in a life that glorifies Him. Colossians 3:23 says: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Today, as you go about your tasks, ask Jesus what you can do for Him! May God bless you today!

Simply pray! These words can have two meanings.  When you are in a trial – you can simply pray for God to help, but when you are praying – pray simply because God already knows what you need, he doesn’t need long, fancy dialogs from us.  In Matthew 6:7 Jesus said “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Praying should not be hard, but simple: Romans 8:26 says “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered.” God knows our hearts; it is enough to simply pray “Dear God,” or “Heavenly Father” please help me! He already knows our innermost thoughts so we can “pray simply”  God bless you today and forever!

Easter Sunday! A day to rejoice after the brutal treatment of Jesus on Good Friday. Our Lord, after being in a cold, dark tomb has risen and defeated death! Can you imagine the joy Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James and the other women must have felt when the angel said in Luke 24:6-7: “He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” We can share that joy knowing that our savior defeated death and now sits at the right hand of God, waiting for the time when He will call us and we will rise to meet him in the air. We can rejoice because of Resurrection Sunday and what it means for our future. God bless each of you!

We all remember the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They were told in Genesis 2:16-17: “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Because of their disobedience humanity suffered the consequences of sin. But…. have you ever considered the other trees? God provided them with apples, oranges, pomegranates, olives, avocados, nut trees, trees of every variety! The point is, Adam and Eve focused on what they couldn’t have instead of all the good things that God gave them to enjoy. Are we like that? When we focus on things we don’t have we end up getting ourselves in trouble. Instead, read Philippians 4:8 and praise Him for all he has given. May God always provide you with good things!

Has anyone ever made you a promise that they didn’t keep?  How disappointed were you? God makes these promises to us: I will be with you, I will protect you, I will be your strength, I will answer you, I will provide for you, I will give you peace, I will always love you, and so many more. God’s promises never fail; He never disappoints and we can always trust in Him. Just like Him, we should strive to keep our promises to Him and to each other. Ephesians 4:25 says “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” It’s a goal we should all reach for.  I promise to always love Jesus and you!

There are many doors we walk through in life: doors of opportunity, office doors, garage doors, we walk in through the front door, we run out the back door, we open the car door for our spouses. What is the most important door? The door that leads to Jesus. He is the door! John 10:9 tells us this: ” I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” I want to enter in through that door, how about you? May He richly bless you today!