Without - What Jesus did for me

 Without

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Without Jesus' sacrificial death

on the cross,

God would hold my own guilt

and mistakes against me

mercilessly and with full force.

 

Without Jesus' death on the cross,

I would be separated

from my Creator for all eternity.

 

Without Jesus' resurrection,

I would be left to die

and there would only be a grim aftermath.

 

But because Jesus spared no suffering

and because he took the lowest path

for my sake,

he took all my mistakes

on his behalf and not only gave me

complete forgiveness,

but also restored the fellowship

with my heavenly Father.

He did even more.

He conquered death

so that I am no longer exposed

to eternal death.

 

Here and now,

I can accept his gift of grace.

Even during my lifetime,

I can feel and experience

his healing love and forgiveness.

 

All that remains for me to do

is to say THANK YOU

and to align my life more and more

with his principles.

 

 

Theme:   What Jesus did for me

 

Without God - What happens when we renounce God

Without God

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Without God,

our governments wanted to reign.

Without God

they wanted to go about their business.

Without God

they wanted  to change the laws.

 

But what has become of it?

 

Do we still not understand

that there is only

peace on earth WITH GOD?

Only WITH GOD

can our heart remain calm.

Only WITH GOD

do we know, to whom we can bring

all of our worry and anxiety.

Only WITH GOD

do we experience true forgiveness

for all our faults.

 

Without God we wanted to go on

and hope that  grace and success

would just continue like before.

 

We banned God from our families,

schools, cities and communities.

God can no longer be found

in our new government.

He has also become

a stranger in our churches.

So he left.

 

But what good

does it do us?

Now we can

realize it very clearly.

 

Oh God have mercy on us

and accept us again

when we come back

to YOU remorsefully!

 

 

Topic:   What happens when we renounce God

 

No thank you - What happens when we ignore the Bible and Jesus

No thank you

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 I said no thank you

 to my Maker's instructions

 for my life

 and went my own way.

 

 But relatively quickly I realized

 that I just didn‘t get

 the freedom I had hoped for

 but slipped from one bondage

 into the next.

 

 Happiness, joy and freedom

 was not part of my life

 and instead I realized

 there is a power destroying me

 and that wants to keep me bound.

 

 I slipped lower and lower

 into the mess

 and took advice from people

 who were just as clueless as me

 about my Maker’s instruction  manual. 

 It's like I'm blind

 being led by blind people.

 

 I said no thank you

 to my Savior

 who came for me

 in order to get me

 out of my misery.

 

 But in my heart was always

 this growing dissatisfaction.

 My conscience accused me

 I could do whatever I wanted

 I just couldn't calm down.

 

 I longed for peace

 but it raged inside of me.

 I longed for true love

 and security,

 but what I lived out

 was lust and selfishness.

 

 I got to a point in my life

 when  I was fed up with myself.

 but I could not come up with

 any good ideas on my own  anymore.

 

 Is there really nobody

 who can help me now?

 Isn't there anyone who

 can pull me out

 from my sinking mud hole?

 

 Maybe I should reconsider

 my Maker's instruction manual

 for my life

 and reflect upon

 the words of the Savior

 who he sent to my world.

 

 Yes, please,

 because I've degenerated so much

 that only HE can help me!

 

 

 Topic: What happens when we ignore the Bible and Jesus

 

 

Matthew 15:14

Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.

 

Luke 19,10

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

 

(Bible quotations are from the NIV Bible translation)

Lord help - Sometimes all we are left with is to pray Lord help

Lord help 

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Sometimes the only thing

that I am barely able to pray is 

Lord help. 

Lord help, 

sometimes my situation is so difficult 

and I am desperate. 

You know I want to live 

according to your will, 

even when my path 

is narrow and rocky. 

But sometimes I do not see 

the direction at all. 

I get the feeling 

that all my prayers 

get stuck at the ceiling, 

they don’t get answered, 

and I do not recognize the direction. 

Lord help 

is all I am left with to pray. 

In a total trust in you 

I want to continue to walk 

and believe that in the right moment 

you will show me the path after all. 

You are not too small 

to talk to my heart in a way 

that I will understand it loud and clear. 

You are not too deaf 

to hear my prayer. 

You know my request 

even before I have spoken it 

and you know my prayer 

before it enters my mind. 

Lord help, 

let me think the thoughts 

according to your will. 

Let me pray according to your will 

and let me do your will. 

Show me your direction 

and your path again. 

Lord help 

for I depend on you in everything. 

Theme:   Sometimes all we are left with is to pray Lord help

 

Hope in despair - There is still hope for today

Hope in despair

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There was great despair

during the time

when Jesus was born.

 

Israel couldn’t govern themselves

but was occupied by the Romans.

For the purpose of increasing the taxation

they started a census.

 

Mary and Joseph

had to leave their home in Nazareth

and while being very pregnant

find their way to Bethlehem.

 

The despair was also great

upon arrival there

because no one offered them

any housing and they had to be

satisfied with a stinky stable.

 

Far away from their actual residence,

far away from friends and relatives,

far from any protection and hygiene

the savior of the world

was born.

 

He who owned everything

saw the light of the world

in the most insignificant places

of the world.

 

He, who is the hope of the world,

arrived in the midst of the greatest

hopelessness.

 

If Mary and Joseph did not exactly know

who it was that was going to see

the light of the world

they would have probably despaired

in their unfortunate situation.

 

But they had hope.

They knew it was the king of the world

that was going to be born.

 

Even today,

no matter how hopeless and desperate

our current situation is,

no matter how much fear

the media is injecting in us,

no matter what happens to our economy

our perspective reaches

far beyond the here and now

if we focus on Jesus,

know his words

and allow us to be lead

and guided by him.

 

He is still the light of the world.

The darker things get all around us

the brighter he shines.

His words and deeds are in sharp contrast

to anything that currently happens

in this world.

 

His words in God’s Word

give comfort and security,

strength, support, and courage

in our days today.

Good for those who know them.

 

Jesus is hope for the hopeless,

salvation for the lost,

comfort for the fearful,

direction for the confused,

and security for the insecure.

 

Especially in our situation today

it is more important than ever

to know him.

 

He did not shy away

from any difficulties

to come close to us.

He did not shy away

from despair and destress

in order to take us out of

our destress.

 

The child in the manger

that we celebrate

is the savior of the world

and wants to be your savior as well.

 

Is it not high time to be saved

and to get to know him better?

 

He is so much more

than only the baby

whose birthday we remember

during Christmas.

 

 

Theme:   There is still hope for today

 

 

Hatred and rabble-rousing - The whole world is going nuts

 Hatred and rabble-rousing

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I can hardly believe

how fast our world is changing

through hatred and rabble-rousing.

 

Haven’t we learned anything

from the propaganda

in the 3. Reich?

Why do the

overwhelming amount of media

all play along?

 

Are we willing to sacrifice

everything that we have built up

in the past 70 years

for the sake of

hatred and rabble-rousing???

 

How dumb did our world get

that it is willing to dance

to the music

of a few loud screamers?

 

What came of fact checking?

What happened to objectivity?

It seems that we are being

systematically brainwashed

in the name of freedom of speech.

 

Hatred and rabble-rousing

on our streets,

in our media

and in the mouths.

Unfortunately

more and more politicians

and even many churches

let themselves

be manipulated.

 

Lies are being believed,

emotions go wild

violence spreads.

 

How can that be?

What happened to our

common sense?

 

People are being judged

and condemned

for matters

that they cannot influence.

Character and facts

do not count anymore.

Good is called bad

and bad is called good.

 

Who has turned

our entire world

upside down so quickly?

 

 

Theme:   The whole world is going nuts

 

 

Voluntarily - Jesus lays down his life voluntarily in order to save mine

 

Voluntarily

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Voluntarily you surrendered yourself.

Voluntarily you went through this ordeal.

Voluntarily you let yourself be interrogated and tortured.

Voluntarily you died on my behalf.

 

All, because you had a goal in mind.

All, because my salvation

from the power of sin and death

was worth it to you.

 

Voluntarily you went down

to the realm of the dead

because only you were capable

to snatch the keys of death from the devil.

 

Voluntarily you took all of that

upon yourself

because you love me endlessly

and don’t want

to see all of humanity lost.

 

Jesus only you are the bridge to the father.

Only you could restore

the broken relationship to HIM.

 

Thank you for all that you have done for me.

Thank you for your endless love towards me.

Thank you that no path was too difficult for you.

Thank you for your sacrifice that you provided

once and for all.

Voluntarily and out of love for me.

Thank you.

 

 

Theme:   Jesus lays down his life voluntarily in order to save mine

Easter during Corona times - Reason for joy besides restrictions

Easter during Corona times

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Already the second year in a row

we have to celebrate Easter

under government restrictions

due to the Corona virus.

 

Fear and loneliness

dominate the day of many

who would usually be  joyful

and get together with the extended family.

 

Never the less

we want to reflect

upon the Easter happening

even if we have to lay aside

many of our traditions.

 

Sorrow and joy

are so close together at Easter

like on no other holiday.

 

The murder of the Creator

by his creation on Good Friday

was the biggest triumph

of the adversary.

He believed

that he will be the only ruler

of this world from now on.

But he had forgotten,

that the Creator is bigger than death

and pursues his goal

with sorrow, misery

and even death.

 

The victory came early on Sunday morning.

Jesus rose from the dead

yes he lives!

He has conquered the power

over sin and death victoriously.

No human would have been able

to accomplish that.

 

As the replacement for you and me

did Jesus take on the sorrow and death

on Good Friday

so that we can have fellowship with the father.

This has been massively disturbed

ever since the fall of mankind.

 

The reward for the sin of man is death

and this is what Jesus took upon himself

as you and my representative.

 

On Good Friday we receive forgiveness

and on Easter Sunday eternal life

was given to us.

 

Let us receive this gift

and not forget the reason

of true joy

in times of Corona!

 

 

Theme:   Reason for joy besides restrictions

 

 

 

 

Christmas different for a change - Christmas 2020

 Christmas different for a change

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Silent and lonely

abandoned and quiet.

None of us

would have imagined

Christmas to be like it

this year.

 

No Christmas markets,

no hustle and bustle in the shops

no stress while preparing

large family parties.

 

Everything is different than usual.

 

But was is not similar

for the first Christmas?

A young Jewish woman gave birth

to the Savior of the world

away from all the hustle

lonely in a stable

far away from family

and any support.

 

Everything was different

everything was unusual

and everything was not hoped for

the way it was.

 

Here too

the government set up regulations

that the people did not like.

 

And the young couple

had no means or possibilities

to improve the arrival

of the Savior of the world.

 

Perhaps this time

should serve us

as a memorandum this year?

Perhaps it is time

to think about

the essential during Christmas?

Perhaps the Savior of the world

wants to touch your heart

all anew this year

in all the loneliness and silence?

 

 

Theme:   Christmas 2020