Letters from Jesus - 3/8/21

“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Revelation 2:8-11

Questions for Reflection

Contemplate the fact that Jesus knows you and your situation right now ... today! What kind of relief or rescue does that fact bring you? How does that feel?

Jesus is asking us to replace our fears with is presence and promises. If you were asked right now, "What are you afraid of?" How would you answer?

What truths or promises from the verses, when focused on, help your combat fear?

Prayer of the Week:

Jesus, I love You! I worship You! I trust You! I give myself over to You today! You alone are Life and You have become my Life, My Hope, My Peace and My Love. I renounce all other gods and idols and ask You to take Your rightful place as the One and Only Lord of my life. Thank you for coming to rescue me from my sin, from my self, from the world and the devil. You are my Warrior King, the First and the Last, the One who died and came back to life. You are the source of all Truth! I surrender to You! I give You my “fear and fears” today! (Name and describe any fear you are dealing with.) I call forth the reign of Jesus over all my fear and trust that even if I were to lose all, including my life You still have victory in store for me – a crown of Life! I rejoice in the Life you have given me that nothing and no one can take away! Jesus, I turn to You in this moment and renounce any ways I have "given in" to compromise with regards to You, Your truth, our relationship and Your calling on my life. Lead me into a true and deep repentance trusting in Your forgiveness. Show me how you are working in my life and lead me into all truth especially where I am vulnerable to fear and compromise – to trying to do it my way! I will follow You today – with my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. You are my victorious Savior and I am Yours! Amen.

Letters from Jesus - 3/6/21

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

John 12:1-8

Questions for Reflection:

Where is my heart at?

How can I spend some time extravagantly worshipping Jesus today?

Prayer

Jesus, I love You! I want to love You today with my whole being… my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus, show me, teach me, mentor me in how I can love you well today. I need your help, your Spirit and your strength so that today I “love my first love first”. I consecrate my body to You, my money, my energy, my effort, my intellect, my sexuality, my family and all my relationships to You …. so that in all of these dimensions of my life I might love You well this day. Thank you for loving me first and always, even the many times I have not loved you back. Today I will “love my first love first”. I love You! Amen

Letters from Jesus - 3/5/21

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:9-13 (NIV)

Questions for Reflection:

How might I take a step to remain in Jesus' love today?

What difference would it make for me to work out of a love relationship with Jesus rather than work for a love relationship with Jesus?

Prayer

Jesus, I love You! I want to love You today with my whole being… my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus, show me, teach me, mentor me in how I can love you well today. I need your help, your Spirit and your strength so that today I “love my first love first”. I consecrate my body to You, my money, my energy, my effort, my intellect, my sexuality, my family and all my relationships to You …. so that in all of these dimensions of my life I might love You well this day. Thank you for loving me first and always, even the many times I have not loved you back. Today I will “love my first love first”. I love You! Amen

Letters from Jesus - 3/4/21

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

-Matthew 22:34-40 (NIV)

Questions for Reflection:

Why does God care so much about how we treat others?

What is one area where you could step out in love for your neighbor?

Prayer

Jesus, I love You! I want to love You today with my whole being… my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus, show me, teach me, mentor me in how I can love you well today. I need your help, your Spirit and your strength so that today I “love my first love first”. I consecrate my body to You, my money, my energy, my effort, my intellect, my sexuality, my family and all my relationships to You …. so that in all of these dimensions of my life I might love You well this day. Thank you for loving me first and always, even the many times I have not loved you back. Today I will “love my first love first”. I love You! Amen

Letters from Jesus - 3/3/21

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:1-7 (NIV)

Questions for Reflection

How does it feel to know that, for Jesus, "love" is the highest priority for His church. He is so bold to say that if a church does not hold love as of "first" importance He will remove their lampstand - their identity as His church? Love is so important to Jesus!

There must have been something about the current condition of the Ephesian church which prompted Jesus to say, "You have forsaken the love you had at first." What might that have looked like? How could Jesus tell they had forsaken their first love?. He then said, " Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." What might that have looked like?

Prayer

Jesus, I love You! I want to love You today with my whole being… my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus, show me, teach me, mentor me in how I can love you well today. I need your help, your Spirit and your strength so that today I “love my first love first”. I consecrate my body to You, my money, my energy, my effort, my intellect, my sexuality, my family and all my relationships to You …. so that in all of these dimensions of my life I might love You well this day. Thank you for loving me first and always, even the many times I have not loved you back. Today I will “love my first love first”. I love You! Amen

Letters from Jesus - 3/2/21

9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” 12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Revelation 1:9-13, 17-20

Questions for Reflection:

Reflect for a minute on the fact that John (now exiled to and island) admits in the first verse of this text that suffering and patient endurance are ours as followers of Jesus. How does that challenge or confirm you expectations of what the Christian life would be like?

There is a tender yet powerful compassion Jesus reveals in how He treats a frightened and overwhelmed John, He "placed His right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last....". Imagine yourself today getting that kind of personal attention from Jesus especially in dealing with your fears. How will this reality bless you heart today?

Prayer of the Week:

Jesus, I love You! I want to love You today with my whole being… my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus, show me, teach me, mentor me in how I can love you well today. I need your help, your Spirit and your strength so that today I “love my first love first”. I consecrate my body to You, my money, my energy, my effort, my intellect, my sexuality, my family and all my relationships to You …. so that in all of these dimensions of my life I might love You well this day. Thank you for loving me first and always, even the many times I have not loved you back. Today I will “love my first love first”. I love You! Amen

Letters from Jesus - 3/1/21

“The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. “

Revelation 1:1-6

Questions:

How do you sense Jesus is loving and leading you even in these first verses of Revelation?

What does it means for you today that your Father in heaven is "the One who was, who is and who is to come", that He has your yesterday, your today and your tomorrow?

Verse 5 says Jesus "loves us and has freed us from our sins by His own blood".

What particular part of you life or story do you long for such love and freedom to be experienced?

Prayer:

Jesus, I love You! I want to love You today with my whole being… my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus, show me, teach me, mentor me in how I can love you well today. I need your help, your Spirit and your strength so that today I will “love my first love first”. I consecrate my body to You, my money, my energy, my effort, my intellect, my sexuality, my family and all my relationships to You …. so that in all of these dimensions of my life I might love You well this day. Thank you for loving me first and deeply and always, even the many times I have not loved you back. Today I will “love my first love first”. I love You! Amen