Tell the Life-Changing Message of Good News Even If No One Listens

There is a life-changing message that is able to change everything . . . a message of faith, hope, and love. One that is worth sharing again and again. #Easter #Hope #Jesus #CountingMyBlessings #BlessingBloggers

I love that women were the first to hear the Life-Changing Message of Good News…

“Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”
Luke 24:5–7

Can you imagine?

And those women received the angels’ message with hope and joy as they remembered all that Jesus had told them.

They were likely disappointed, however, with the reaction they received when they shared the news with the men.

But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it.
Luke 24:11

You and I joyfully celebrated and proclaimed the life-changing message to each other just a few days ago.

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

A life-changing message of Good News we have to share with the world. But the message still catches people by surprise and sometimes we can be laughed at or ridiculed or even rejected. But with the Lord’s help, we can fight discouragement as we remember that the message is His. We are called to plant seeds of truth and then to trust the Holy Spirit to nurture them and help them flourish.

Like the women . . . we have been blessed with the message and a command:

Go quickly and tell…
Matthew 28:7

Go, tell, and pray that everyone who hears the words, “HE IS RISEN” will, like the disciples, one day say:

The Lord has really risen!
Luke 24:34

A Prayer to Boldly Tell the Life-Changing Message of Good News

Lord, the TRUTH of Your resurrection is a life-changing message. You are the risen Christ! And because You are alive, we too shall live. Because You are alive, I have a full and abundant life today. I have courage and strength to defeat fear, peace to defeat anxiety, and joy to defeat sadness. I have Your promises to give me hope for the future.

You have changed my life.

Today, I pray that You will give me the boldness I need to “go and tell.” Please give me a hunger for Your Word, teach me Your promises, and fill me with Your Spirit to share Your love. I know there will be times when I am laughed at, ridiculed, and even rejected for sharing Your life-giving life-changing message but it is too wonderful to keep to myself.

By Your grace, I ask that Your words to the disciples fill my heart and mind. “Look at my hands and feet, and see that it’s really me. (Luke 24:39a GW) I pray that I will cling to Your promise that You are “the resurrection and the life and that anyone who believes in You will live, even after dying, (John 11:25)

Thank you for living, dying, and rising again that I might be forgiven and given life! Thank you for filling my soul with Your life-changing message of Good News. In Your holy name, I pray. Amen.

The Lord has given each of us a personal story . . . one filled with His life-changing message. We don’t have to stand on our soapbox and preach . . . just tell a grace-filled story of love, promise, and hope.

On today’s note write:

HE IS RISEN and changed my life with His LOVE!

God bless you today as you continue to celebrate and share the life-changing message of the Lord’s resurrection.

Click here to read the rest of Luke 24.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

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How to Be Fearless with Love and Gratitude

3 / 4 / 213 / 4 / 21

Grief feels an awful lot like fear. When we don't know what the future will be moving forward with love and gratitude is the best way to become fearless. #Fearless #Faith #BibleStudy #Hope #CountingMyBlessings #BlessingBloggers

Grief is the powerful emotional response to overwhelming loss.

Grief feels a lot like fear and the question that always comes with it is…

“What does this mean for my life?”

I remember a period of grief when all I could do was curl up on my bed and say through tears, “I don’t know what to do!”

That’s why I find this part of the resurrection account in Mark 16 so touching.

Women who had stood at the foot of the cross, who were filled with grief, who had been with Jesus through much of His ministry, who had no idea what life was going to look like in the future . . . bought spices and went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body. They didn’t know how they were going to move the stone and they had no clue how they would deal with the Roman soldiers but they went.

Love and gratitude made them fearless.

The truth and the best part is that God had already gone before them.

The soldiers were gone. The stone was rolled away. And…

Jesus was alive!

“Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.Now go and tell…
Mark 16:6–7a

The proclamation to them and to us it to…

Go and tell! Tell what God has done and trust Him to prepare the way.

Trust that He will take care of the obstacles before us. He will roll the stone away and remove the soldiers. He is ALIVE!

And that truth makes us fearless. Whether we are grieving, anxious, or just overwhelmed by life . . . by the power of His Spirit, God is able to make us fearless one day at a time when we proceed with love and gratitude.

A Prayer to Be Fearless
with Love and Gratitude

Father, Jesus’ resurrection changed everything. All of Your promises have been fulfilled in and through Jesus. (2 Corinthians 1:20) And by Your mercy and grace, I believe I can trust Your promises for the future. Promises that tell me . . . I will never be alone. (Matthew 28:20), Jesus will return for me. (John 14:3), I will spend forever with You in heaven. (John 3:15)

Thank You! I love You! Please help me by the power of Your Spirit, to fearlessly “go and tell” all that You have done for me. Help me live each day fearlessly . . . filled with love and gratitude, trusting that You go before me removing obstacles and preparing the way.

I give myself to You, help me live each day for Your glory lifting up the name of Jesus. He is risen! I have everything I need. Amen.

Whatever you are going through today. Whether or not you are grieving or just afraid of the unknown future . . . give it all to God today. Remind yourself that the stone has been rolled away and the soldiers are gone. Jesus is alive and God is able to give you everything you need to go and tell your story when you live with love and gratitude.

On today’s note write:

God is before me preparing the way for me to live with love and gratitude.

God bless you today as you celebrate God’s love today!

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

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How Can I Ever Begin to Thank You, Jesus?

4 / 21 / 194 / 19 / 19

It’s Easter!

He is Risen!

I thought this would be the easiest prayer of all to write until I began and words seemed beyond my reach because I knew the truth…

How Can I Ever Begin to Thank You, Jesus?

Your Resurrection Day changed everything! Everything!

Because of Your resurrection…

My sins are forgiven and I have been freed from sin’s greatest consequence.

He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.
Ephesians 1:

I have a LIFE that lasts forever.

[It] was God’s plan from before the beginning of time—to show us His grace through Christ Jesus. And now He has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.
2 Timothy 1:9b–10

I have the promise that, You, Jesus are praying for me.

Because Jesus lives forever, His priesthood lasts forever.Therefore He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.
Hebrews 7:34–35

I have hope for today, tomorrow, and forever.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

I have Your perfect peace to guard my heart and mind.

Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6b–7

I have confidence that all of Your promises are true and that You will faithfully accomplish them all.

Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
1 Corinthians 15:3b–4

I have the assurance that You are with me through good and bad … always and forever.

Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20

And today and every day I can proclaim with Job…

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
   and He will stand upon the earth at last.
And after my body has decayed,
   yet in my body, I will see God!
I will see Him for myself.
   Yes, I will see Him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!
Job 19:25–27

How can I ever begin to thank you, Jesus?!

With Your Spirit’s help…

I will do my best to make everything I do and say an offering of thanksgiving for all that You have done for me.

I will surrender each day to You. I will trust and follow Your will as You reveal it to me.

I will rely on You to give me everything I need for whatever lies ahead.

I will love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and I will love those You place around me.

Yes, I will love because that is the perfect way to thank You, Jesus!

By Your grace, please help me fulfill these “I will” promises as my thank you!

Because Jesus…

Your love overwhelms me! Your love transforms me! Your love surrounds me and fills me.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

By Your grace, mercy, and love, I have everything I need now and forever!

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You, Jesus! Amen.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

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15 of the Best Quotes to Celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection

4 / 17 / 174 / 17 / 17

You celebrated with family and friends.

You shouted the victory cry, “He is risen! He is risen, indeed!”

And today, before you go back to business as usual, stop a minute longer and bask in the blessing of the resurrection with quotes that change everything . . . not just for one spring day but every day, forever and ever and ever and always.

Because of Easter, there is hope…

15 of the Best Quotes to Celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection

“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” ~ Pope John Paul II

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s great mercy He has caused us to be born again into a living hope because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3

“The gifts of the Master are these: freedom, life, hope, new direction, transformation, and intimacy with God. If the cross was the end of the story, we would have no hope. But the cross isn’t the end. Jesus didn’t escape from death; He conquered it and opened the way to heaven for all who will dare to believe. The truth of this moment, if we let it sweep over us, is stunning. It means Jesus really is who He claimed to be, we are really as lost as He said we are, and He really is the only way for us to intimately and spiritually connect with God again.” ~ Steven James

Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we also can live a new life. Romans 6:4

“Let this one great, gracious, glorious fact lie in your spirit until it permeates all your thoughts and makes you rejoice even though you are without strength. Rejoice that the Lord Jesus has become your strength and your song – He has become your salvation.“ ~ Charles H. Spurgeon

So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. Hebrews 6:18–19

“The best we can hope for in this life is a knothole peek at the shining realities ahead. Yet a glimpse is enough. It’s enough to convince our hearts that whatever sufferings and sorrows currently assail us aren’t worthy of comparison to that which waits over the horizon.” ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect. He suffered death on the cross. But He accepted the shame as if it were nothing because of the joy that God put before Him. And now He is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. Hebrews 12:2

“Want to know the coolest thing about the One who gave up the crown of heaven for a crown of thorns?
He did it for you. Just for you.” ~ Max Lucado

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we declare with our mouths that we believe, and so we are saved. Romans 10:9–10

“Crucified Love lives with us today and till the end of times, as He promised. Amen.” ~ Henrietta Newton Martin

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16–17

“The benefits [of the resurrection] are innumerable.
To list a few:
Our illnesses don’t seem nearly so final;
Our fears fade and lose their grip;
Our grief over those who have gone on is diminished;
Our desires to press on in spite of the obstacles is rejuvenated…
Our identity as Christians is strengthened as we stand in the lengthening shadows of saints down through the centuries, who have always answered back in antiphonal voice: ‘He is risen, indeed!’” ~ Charles Swindoll

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will have life even if they die. And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. John 11:25–26

“It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all and showing us over and over again the birth, life, death, and resurrection of his only begotten Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord. It was like a best-loved story being told day after day with each sunrise and sunset, year after year with the seasons, down through the ages since time began.” ~Francine Rivers

What a joy-filled blessing to be able to celebrate Jesus! Praising Him! Worshipping Him! Loving Him!

If you’d like to know more about Him, you may want to read…

You Need to Know the Whole Truth about Jesus

and

18 Important Blessings to be Found at Jesus’ Feet

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And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Send it to a friend, family member, or coworker . . . or can use the links below. Thank you and God bless.