Need a little Encouragement?

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..." 1 Thessalonians 5:11a (NIV)

Encourage - to give courage to someone to stand, to move on, to take a chance

That's what we are called to do...

To encourage others to take a stand for Christ among their peers
To encourage others to move on from past mistakes, hurts and bad habits
To encourage others to take a chance - to dare to step out and do what they feel God calling them to do

These things take courage - incredible courage in some cases, and it's easy to let fear hold us back. Perhaps it's the fear of rejection by someone we care for, perhaps it's the fear of embarrassment or failure, but we need not be afraid, because we are not alone. God is with us, but it's also good to know that there is another human being standing with you.

It's easier when you know that someone "has your back" - when someone is on your side, cheering you on, when someone believes in you.  We all want someone in our lives like that. We all want an encourager, so why not start by being an encourager in the lives of those around you?

"...A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:7a, 9, 10 (NIV)

Prayer:
Father, open our eyes to those around us who are in need of encouragement. Help us to give to them the kind of encouragement we would like from others. Strengthen our relationships with others through the gift of Encouragement. Amen


--------------------------------------------------------
(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

The Journey

The journey was hard
The way, clouded - confused
Alone I struggled
No one to show the way

I thought I found it
Only to lose it again
Bad decisions
Brought much pain

But He was there
Lighting the way
One step at a time
back to the foot of the cross

I thought I had arrived
But to my surprise
My journey had just begun
The hardest part lay ahead

The transformation process
The steady walk of faith
Through good times
Through hard times

Until I reached the valley
The valley of the shadow of death
Until I lay down my will
Until I relinquished it all

And then a deeper journey began
Down the path to truly knowing God
To dying to self in order to live for him
To take His will as my own

Moving forward, pressing onward
I move to the rhythms of His grace
Until the final leg of the journey
When I shall see him face to face

But, will that be the end?
Or will it be just the beginning
Of another journey-
One that will continue on into eternity?

--------------------------------------------------------
(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved

No More Christian Status Quo!

I am tired of the Christian status quo - that safe, sweet kind of Christianity that requires only that you attend church, play the part and don't rock the boat.  We live in desperate times and that kind of Christianity just won't stand up to the onslaught of evil in this world.

I'm talking about that refined and civilized version of the good news that goes something like this: Jesus died and rose from the dead so that you can live a life of endless comfort, security, and indulgence or the flip-side of that coin that says if you'll simply confess that you're a sinner and believe in Jesus, you'll be saved from the torment of eternal hell fire, then go to heaven when you die - if you can hang on to your faith until then.

Both are way too domesticated for the true calling that Jesus puts on our lives, which is one that demands action and He never lied about the danger or cost associated with becoming His follower. He began His public ministry with a simple invitation: "Come, follow Me." and warned "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)  His closing instructions to His disciples can be summarized in one word, "Go!".and He told His followers up front, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves." (Matthew 10:16a).

Jesus understood His purpose was to save us not from pain and suffering, but from meaninglessness.  We have a purpose to fulfill. Jesus did not suffer and die so that we could build for ourselves haven, but so that we might expand the kingdom of His love. Because invisible kingdoms are at war for the hearts and lives of every human being who walks on the face of this earth.

Looking around at the church today, one would think that His invitation was to "Come, and listen" and that our response to His command to "Go" is "No!"

It's time we shake ourselves out of our complacency and our perpetual pursuit of comfort and become the revolutionary force that storms the gates of Hell in order to reclaim souls for Christ - the force that bombards the gates of Heaven with fervent prayer for the souls of the lost and that God's will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

I for one do not want to leave this world having lived a safe, but bland and ineffective life. I may not be able to single-handedly wipe out the evil forces of this world, but I can bring them to their knees as I wage spiritual warfare on mine!

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

Prayer:
Father, forgive our complacency, forgive us for living a pablum brand of Christianity. Show us the power we have to change the world, to root out evil and to be your hands extended to the hurting, lonely and lost in this world. Shake us to wake us, Lord. Give us the courage to set aside our comfort to be all that you have called us to be and call your people to a renewed commitment to Christ, to righteousness and to fervent prayer.  Amen

--------------------------------------------------------
(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)
(adapted and inspired by an excerpt from The Barbarian Call by Erwin Raphael McManus).

He Touched Me!

Early in the morning I stumbled toward the well to draw water, just as I did every morning.  It was a long walk, made longer because my legs didn't work so well. The sun had not yet peaked over the crest of the mountain to the East to spill her sunlight into our sleepy little village.  I was glad to be walking in the half-light of dawn, because that meant fewer people would see me - gawk at me, the crippled girl.

My legs used to be strong. I used to run with the other kids in the dusty streets of Philippi, but I haven't been able to do that since Papa's mule kicked me.  It took a long time for me just to be able to limp along and even longer to be able to help Mama with simple tasks like fetching water. I was glad to be useful again, but still terribly embarrassed by the clumsy way I walked.

As I neared the well, I saw a man, all alone. He was kneeling near the well, praying. I stopped a ways off, so as not to disturb him, but he must have heard my feet scuffling along in the dirt because he turned and smiled at me.

"Good morning, Sara," he said, motioning for me to come closer.
"You know me, sir?" I asked.
"Yes, child, I know you." he said, then he asked me to draw water that he might have a drink.

As I lowered my vessel into the well, the man spoke again.
"Sara, I see you limp, does it hurt?"

I nodded as I drew the vessel back to the top again. "Yes, it hurts, but my father says that there is a man named Jesus, who can touch me and make me well again. We have heard that he is coming to our village soon."

"Do you believe this man can heal you, Sara?" he asked.

I hesitated.  I wanted to say yes, that I believed it with all my heart, but the truth is, that I just didn't know if any man could heal a person just by touching them. "I want to believe," I said. "I hope he can."

"Sara, I am Jesus," he said.

There was something about the way he said his name that caused my heart to jump in my chest.

"You are the man sent from God?" I asked.

He nodded.

"I am," he said and again my heart leapt.

"Can you really heal me?" I asked.

Again he nodded and this time he reached out and put his hand on my shoulder, then raising his eyes to heaven he said, "Father, bless this child with health that she might be your witness in Philippi."

With that, a warmth moved through my body, moving from where his hand rested on my shoulder downward to my legs and feet. I heard or felt (I'm not sure which) a popping and stretching and then the pain was gone. My bent leg was straight again. The funny thing is that I hardly noticed the newness of my legs until he removed his hand, for I was mesmerized by the way he looked at me.

"Sara," he said in the most loving voice I had ever heard, "You are healed, go and tell your family, tell everyone you know that today God has touched you and tell them that I am coming."

Before I knew it I was running, yes, running! Straight and strong and fast! I ran all the way through the village, passing several women on their way to the well. They stopped to stare, but I didn't mind. I kept laughing and running all the way back to my house.

I had completely forgotten about the water and had left our jar sitting near the well, but I didn't get in trouble, because when Mama and Papa saw me running towards them, they were so happy they cried!

--------------------------------------------------------
(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

I'm Feelin' Blue

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:5

Oh, I just hate days like this when I feel blue for absolutely no reason. What? You thought Christians didn't have those kind of days? Sorry to disappoint you, but we have them, too.  In fact if you read through your Bible, you will find that many of the pillars of the Old Testament and New Testament went through times when their spirits were low, too.

It's nothing to worry about. Just because I'm feeling blue doesn't mean my faith is weak or that God has let me down. No matter how I feel, I know that very soon my feelings will catch back up to the Truth - that God is still the Lord over all my life and that He has great plans for my future.

So, even when I am down, I will put my hope in God and I will take time to praise Him for He is worthy to be praised no matter how I am feeling.

Prayer:
Father, I praise you, even when my spirit is downcast, for you are worthy, you are loving and kind, you are my protector, my provider and my hope for the future. I love you with all my heart. Amen
--------------------------------------------------------
(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

The Unfathomable Mystery

(Jesus speaking) "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you...On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you...Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." John 14:16,17,20,23 (NIV)

No matter how much I contemplate it, I can not fathom the truth that the God of the universe lives in me and that I am in Him.  It's a mystery too wonderful for me to comprehend, and yet, I believe it with my whole heart!

Some days I can sense His presence and other days I can not, but regardless of what I sense, or what I feel, the truth is that He is within me, guiding me, counseling me, changing me, protecting me, loving me and working through me to love and reach out to others.

What a profound and wonderful life this is!

Prayer:
Father, thank you for the saving grace of Jesus Christ, by whose sacrifice I am forgiven and adopted into the family of God, indwelt by your Holy Spirit, living with the promise of an eternity spent with you. Thank you for living in me. I submit myself to you once again. Use me to be your hands extended to those you have placed around me. Help me to show them all the love you have for them. In Jesus' name, Amen.

--------------------------------------------------------
(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

The Day the Cross Became Real to Me

"They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again."  Matthew 27:28-30 (NIV)

Several years ago we attended an evening Easter service at our church. It was a reinactment of the the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I was delighted to be seated on the aisle seat so that I had a perfect view. At one point in the play, "Jesus" carried a large wooden cross down the center aisle. He was followed by two Roman soldiers who where beating his already bloodied back with whips. (They were actually hitting the wooden cross with the whips, not the actor.) The room was dark, the makeup and the sound of the whips cracking and hitting the cross made it all seemed very real.

As they reached the place where I was sitting, tears were streaming down my face at the thought of what Jesus had to endure to so that I might be forgiven. Just then one of the soldiers raised his whip and struck the cross again, but they were so close to where I was sitting that the end of the leather strap whipped back and hit me on the arm. It hurt - really hurt, and I realized the pain I felt could not even begin to compare the pain and suffering that Jesus took upon himself in order to bring salvation to us.

From that day forward, every Easter reminds me of His incredible love for us - and all because I got just a tiny, tiny taste of what He went through that day.

Prayer:
Father, it was your incredible love for mankind that caused you to send Jesus, your only Son to earth, to live as a man, to set a perfect example, then to be crucified for our sins that we might receive forgiveness and have a renewed relationship with you. As we remember His incredible sacrifice, may our hearts be humbled and may we reach out to Him and invite Him to come into our hearts and be our Lord and Savior forever. Amen
--------------------------------------------------------
(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)