GOD BLESS AMERICA, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, WE STILL STAND

"God Bless America, land that I love, stand beside Her and guide Her, through the night with Your Light from Above."

America, the land of the free, and the home of the brave, still stands true, no matter what the critics say otherwise. 

Several years ago my husband and I took a trip to two other countries, I will not name them, but they were not democratic nations as America is.  From the moment we stepped off the airplane in each country I had the immediate feeling and knowing that I was not in America, I was not free, I was in bondage to do what that Country required..

For the first time in my life, I felt afraid to be on the street, because I knew that if we were arrested, just because we were Americans, or the police did not like the way we looked or just for any reason there was virtually nothing we could do but be at the mercy of those countries.

In one of the countries the roads were so bad that the Land Rover we were traveling in had to travel on the  side of the road because there was virtually no asphalt on the road bed.

There were hardly any vehicles on the roads, because everyone walked.  When you did see a vehicle, there were people hanging on anywhere they could hold on.  On Sunday morning, I saw hundreds walking to church on the side of the road, and I thought oh, God, there are three vehicles in my yard that I could drive to church or I could call any number of people to pick me up.  But these people evidently did not have that privilege, so they walked.  It literally made me ashamed of myself,  and I asked myself, "would I walk to church for four or five miles if there were no transportation available?"

Americans, we have had it so good and have been so prospered by God for so long that we forget the good things about America.  Sometimes some people get so involved in the things that they think are so bad, as the old saying goes, "they cannot see the forest for the trees."

Yes, in so many ways our founding fathers values have slipped, but still, for all the things that are not right, there are so many things that are right.  We can still vote, if the one in office is too liberal, vote them out. Our roads have hardly any potholes. We can worship freely in the churches of our own choice, not told where we have to worship. Most homes have at least a dozen Bibles because we just want them. Most families have at least two vehicles. No one goes hungry, unless they chose because they are fasting or dieting.  Too many things to count are the blessing we enjoy as Americans.

Dear Readers, please pray for America, that she will return to God before God has to judge us,  In Genesis 18:32, a man (thought by Bible scholars to be Jesus) told Abraham that they would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if there could be ten righteous people found in the cities. Surely there are ten righteous people in America, if we fast and pray for our Country, I believe God will not destroy America.

Again, I ask that instead of thinking and trying to find fault with our country, think on the many things and freedoms that we enjoy each day, one of them is the right to express our feelings about our country, but instead of complaining, why can't we just PRAY.  If each of us pray for America, it will put us in closer communion with God and we will begin to see the good in our country instead of all the time seeing what we think is bad.  Praying people CAN make a difference, all it takes is just a concentrated effort to Pray, and God will listen.

Precious readers, love America, don't put Her down, pray for Her, pledge your allegiance to Her, rejoice that you and I live in America where we are free.  Pray for our soldiers that are in harm's way trying to keep our country free from oppression and being overruled.  May God grant us the continued freedom that He has allowed us to have since the Revolutionary War was fought and won for our freedom.  God Bless America,

Love Gloria


Copyright 2011 Gloria B. Powell. All rights reserved.

A TRIBUTE TO THREE PRECIOUS AND SPECIAL FATHERS

"Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.." Ephesians 6:2 NKJV

I would like to honor all the father's in my blog.  But I will mention  three fathers that were and are very dear and special to me.

Because of limited space I will only be able to write a short synopsis of each of these three most special men in my life.

WILLIS CLINTON POWELL, SR.

Shug as I will refer to him from here on,  is my husband and the father of our three children.

First of all he is a wonderful man of God, he loves Him with all his

heart. Second he loves me and our children, and grandchildren.  Shug has always been a good and Godly example to me and to  our children.  His motto is, "my daddy worked to give me his  example of a good and honest name, and I have always tried  my best to make him proud of the way that I have honored his gift to me by working hard and being honest with my dealing s with others," my word is my bond."  He always explained to our children that the best and most important thing that he could  give them for an inheritance was the good name that he was  given, and has tried  all his life to keep and to add to that good  name. Shug always encouraged our children to remember what his daddy taught him that money is not as important as the trust and friendship of those you come in contact with each day. If you are a trusted individual, it does not matter if you are rich or poor, people will respect you, because they know they can trust you, because "your word is your bond."  He has worked hard all of his life starting as a young boy helping his daddy and the other children work on the farm. One of the things he always said to our children, "I give you permission to say anything that you hear me say."  I am so thankful for each and every day that I have shared with this man, my Shug.  He is a loving husband and father, his "I love yous are always so sweet to my heart. He has always told our children and grandchildren that he loves them and that can never be forgotten or become less important than when we hear him say I love you. His love to me and to our children and grandchildren is unconditional. Good times or bad times, nothing can stop him from loving us.  Shug I hope we can be together until Jesus come for us in the Rapture. I hope God lets us just be able to take care of each other and live in our home until that time.  I Love you

JOHN WILLIS POWELL

  June 1, 1914--
October 25, 1991

Mr. Powell was my father-in-law. He was the one that God
 had picked out for me before I was born.  He was indeed a
 Godly influence on me and my children as long as he lived
 and his influence has remained since Jesus carried him to
 heaven to be with him and Mrs. Powell.

 When I was a child I did not know then, that our parents should pray
for the husband that God wants for their girl children and also for the
wife of their boy children.They should pray that their sons and
 daughters-in-law will not only be God's will for their child, but that they will have Godly parents that will be the in-laws to their sons and daughters, that will have a Godly and lasting influence on their lives.  When we become old enough to realize that we need to pray, we also should be praying for the same things for ourselves, that our mate and their parents will be a  Godly influence on us. Mr. Powell was just that.  He raised all
seven of his children to love and respect God and be honorable in their
dealings with their fellow man.  "His word was his bond" and he made this a priority teaching to his children. He taught them how to work , and he also taught them the value of family time with big cook-out bar-b-ques.  Mr.  Powell loved me not as his daughter-in-law, but as his daughter. I always knew that I could talk to him about anything that I needed to and he would always give an unhurried listening ear.  His advice to me was always Godly and right on target. His marriage to Mrs. Powell was such an example of being married to the person that God intends for you.  When Mrs. Powell went to heaven on January 30,  1991, just five days shy of nine months later he joined her in heaven, the night she passed away, his heart went with her.  I will always love you Mr. Powell, and I will always miss you and Mrs. Powell until we are joined again around the Throne of God.

                          COY BARNES

                              September 26, 1915--
                          January 26, 2000

My daddy was a good and special daddy to all of his six children.  He loved us, of that we were certain, Daddy had a hard life from a boy just seven years old.  There were nine children in his family, and his daddy died when my daddy was seven years old.  So he had to quit school in third grade and go to work like a man.

From now on I will call him PawPaw.  PawPaw. He had to start to work doing a mans job  at seven years old.  On pay day a lot of the older boys and men would gang up on him and try to steal his pay.  He learned to fight to keep what was his.  All his life he would fight at the drop of a hat especially if he thought someone was trying to mess with mama or one of us children.  I was the oldest of six children, the child born after me was a normal healthy girl, until she was eight months old.  She spiked a temp so high that it would not even register on the hospital thermometer.  She was having seizures every day and three weeks later when the fever left her and she came home from the hospital she was still having seizures.  Mama had to rock  her most all day, along with giving her large doses of phenobarbital for the seizures.  Daddy was working at the saw mill at that time and he would work long hours each day and come home.  At bed time he would sit in a platform rocker with his feet propped up, my sister would lay on his chest and he would rub her back all night.  This was the only thing that had any soothing effect on her.  This is the way he slept every night for years. When he was a young man he went to church occasionally, but never really gave his life to Jesus until he was older.  When my brother was in Viet Nam and my other brother was in Guam and Viet Nam, every night when he said his prayers you could hear him all over the house praying for all his children, and beseeching  God for the safety of his boys that were in harm's way. He was faithful in church, if no one else would clean it, PawPaw would, if no one else would change light bulbs, PawPaw would, he was always ready and willing to do anything needed in God's house. Sick or well he was faithful, the pastor even carried a recliner to church when PawPaw had back surgery so he would not have to sit on the pew.  In 1959 he  lost his left hand in an accident and he bought a small grocery store.  He never could stand to see a person especially a child go without, any child, no matter who they were.  If he knew of a need  he would try to do his best to see about it.  If someone could not pay their grocery bill because they were on hard times PawPaw would say, " pay what you can and I will carry the balance on the books until times are better for you. But go ahead and get the groceries you will need for this week."  At Christmas time he carried a large selection of children's toys and my sister Bobbie Jo came home from school one day and said, " there is a girl in my class (third grade), that wants a doll for Christmas but her parents cannot pay Santa for one. PawPaw saw that the little girl got her doll, the biggest one he had in the store.  PawPaw suffered so much and for so long before he went to be with Jesus, He had bladder cancer and several surgeries on his back. He prayed, please Jesus take me home today.  It was a relief to know that all pain and suffering was over for him when Jesus took him home. I still  love and miss you PawPaw, but I am glad that you and mama are together around the Throne of God.

Shug, Mr. Powell, and PawPaw are from the "old school" that a gentleman is always a gentleman.and  that" His Word Is His Bond."

Happy Father's Day, all fathers, God Bless and Keep You is my Prayer, Love Gloria.

Copyright 2011 Gloria B. Powell. All rights reserved.

"MY WAYS AND THOUGHTS ARE HIGHER THAN YOURS," SAYS GOD

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" Isaiah 55 :9 NIV

Have you ever just wondered at the powerful awesome grandeur of God and His thoughts and love for us, His creation, the love of His life?

Why do I say the love of His life, because in John 3:16, NIV , "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

What does the phrase "God gave His one and only Son" mean.  Precious reader it means that God allowed His one and only Son Jesus Christ, to die the most horrible, cruelest death imaginable, on the cross for US, for YOU and for ME.  And what is even more wonderful, just think about this, is that Jesus Christ fully agreed to do this FOR US, YOU and ME.  Jesus' death on the cross, His shedding of His precious blood for ALL MANKIND is the only way we can ever  approach a God so Holy as God Almighty, the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD.

God's greatest desire is for you and me to be in constant communion with Him through His Son Jesus Christ who gave His life for us so that we can have this unfathomable privilege.  Just imagine, day and night we can approach the Throne of God, and make our needs known personally to Him by praying in the name of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.  This same Jesus Christ that freely gave His life for you and for me, so we may enjoy and savor this privilege of being in constant communication with God Almighty.

God's ways and thoughts are so much higher and greater than our ways and thoughts, but God promises in His Word, that if we pray and communicate with Him every day and read His Word every day and devote our thought life to knowing Him on a greater and higher plane, that we can know His mind and will for our life. We can know Him so intamently more than we could ever imagine  could even be possible. What a precious privilege, just to be able to say, " I know and love God Almighty,   and His Son Jesus Christ is my Savior because He shed every drop of His precious blood for me. I accepted this unexplainable gift of Devine Love from God to me, by accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior and the Lord of my life.

Love, in Jesus name, Gloria


 Copyright 2011 Gloria B. Powell. All rights reserved.

SOLDIER OF THE LORD, DO YOU HAVE YOUR WAR CLOTHES ON?

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.  Above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all  the fiery darts of the wicked.   And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the Word of God.  And for me, that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel." Ephesians 6:10-20 KJV

When a young man or woman joins the U.S.A. military forces they are trained to be a soldier.  They are also trained to be a warrior because our Country is in a state of war.When a person gives their heart and life into the service of Jesus Christ, they become a soldier in His Army.

A soldier in God's army is in a constant state of war, because satan, who is the deceiver of our minds is constantly at war to take our lives back from serving Jesus Christ. A warrior for God can never take off their armour, because without it, satan can so easily attack us and he can defeat us, if we do not make a constant effort to keep our bodies  "suited up" with the whole armour of God.

You may wake up in the middle of the night and be filled with fear because satan has put a horrible thought of doom into your mind.  If you have on your armour you can defeat him the way that Jesus defeated him when satan came to him in the desert after Jesus had fasted 40 days and nights. After this time of fasting Jesus was in a weakened state his body was weak, hungry and tired.  Satan wanted Jesus to worship him  Jesus had on his armour and he defeated satan with the Word.  Three times the Bible tells us that he tried Jesus. Jesus quoted satan the Word each time. The Bible says that after the third attempt satan left Jesus for a season.  (Read Luke 4:1-13)

Remember, satan will only leave you for a season, then he will come sneaking back putting ungodly thoughts in your mind of horror, disappointment and try to tell you that you have failed God and are not fit to be a God Warrior.but  the Word says, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate (lawyer) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.". 1 John 2:1,2, KJV.   When we have on the whole armour of God, we can quote scripture, and tell satan, "to get behind me," and the Word says he will have to leave.

My Precious readers always remember that anything that satan tells you is a LIE. He is unable to tell the truth because the Word calls him a liar the father of lies.  "Ye are of your father the devil and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own;  for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44 JKV

The way to be a successful God Warrior is to keep on  the whole armour of God always, talk with God many, many times during the day, if you wake up at night talk to Him until you go back to sleep. Read the Word of God every day, meditate on it, keep a journal of thoughts that the Holy Spirit puts into your mind to think on and look up scriptures to go along with the thoughts.  Keeping a prayer journal is so helpful for your prayer life.

Jesus is coming soon for His people, the ones that let His Precious Blood wash away their sins, and are looking for His coming, we must be looking for Him to come at any instant, the Bible says, "in the twinkling of an eye, when ye think not."  It  might be today.  If so, I''ll see you on the way up.

Love Gloria

Copyright 2011 Gloria B. Powell. All rights reserved.

A GODLY MOTHER IN LAW IS AN AMAZING BLESSING

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.  she will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.  she looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." Proverbs 31: 10,11,12,27,28 KJV

Just as certain as I believe that God picked out Willis C. Powell, Sr. to be my husband.  I am just as certain that God had him conceived by Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Powell into her womb so that they would be my Father and Mother in law.

Last Sunday was Mother's Day and I blogged a tribute to my mother.  All week I have been thinking and praying  because a good and Godly mother is such a blessing, but oh, what a blessing is a good and Godly mother in law.  The verses above can never do this loving and gentle woman complete justice.  but they are from God's Word so they surely apply to my mother in law.  Annie Lois Conrad Powell.

From the first time I saw her,  (Shug, as he will be call from now on in this post), invited me to a Christmas party at his church.  After the party he took me by to met Mr. and Mrs. Powell.  I thought, "what am I going to  talk about, I don't even know them."  We went into their house, and I sat down by Mrs. Powell.  Shug said not a word of introduction, just went to get a drink of water.  For about one second I felt like a deer caught in the headlights.  Then Glory to God Mr. and Mrs. Powell begin talking to me non-stop.  I felt as if I had known them all my life.  I loved them instantly.  (I learned later that Mr. Powell chastised Shug for not introducing me to them.)

Mrs. Powell was basically a quiet person in public, but in her own home, she was just amazing.  She could come up with some of the funniest stories. Not only could she tell the stories, but she could do the funny expressions and faces that made the story even more hilarious.   Her complete faith in Jesus Christ was always very evident and she was always a shining light for Him.  Every time she gave a testimony in church she always thanked God for her "happy home".

Mr. and Mrs. Powell's children grew up with such a rich heritage of love and blessing made possible by their parent's  genuine love, devotion and respect for each other.  I have never before or since met a husband and wife more in love or more in complete harmony of heart and mind.  What one wanted the other wanted the same thing, no arguing to reach a compromise or agreement on an issue, just what one wanted, the other wanted and vice-versa.

At dinner, (most people now call it lunch, but at 11:30 am. it was dinner at the Powell home.)  Mrs. Powell never knew from day to day how many would be sitting down at her table to eat, but no problem, there was always enough to go around and plenty left over for late stragglers who just happened to drop by and Mrs. Powell always insisted on them getting just a bite of vittles before they left.

Mr. and Mrs. Powell, and their oldest child, Pearl who lived with them always called me Glory instead of Gloria, I loved it.  All three are now with Jesus in heaven and I long to hear them call me Glory again, but fortunately, Shug's sister Levon still calls me Glory, so it is still music to my ears.

Mrs. Powell taught me how to cook the way that Shug liked to eat, because I did not know how to cook.  I worked and would go by a fast food place for supper, so there was no need to learn to cook.  But I spent many hours in Mrs. Powell's kitchen  learning to use a pinch of this, a dab of that and just a smidge of the other.

My daughter April was four years old when Shug and I married, Mrs. Powell immediately bought a girl head charm to go on her grandmother pin, I was overwhelmed with gratitude.  I knew so many women that had entered into marriage already with a child, and that child was always "her" child, not a child of the new family.  This was never the case with April, in fact when Shug asked me to marry him, which was 16 days after we met, part of his proposal of marriage was that I would let him adopt  April, so he could be her daddy. (That's always been my Shug, so full of love.)   The whole family, brothers and sisters loved April from day one and that has always been such a blessing to me. April loved Mr. and Mrs. Powell with an unexplainable, unfathomable love, and to her Aunt Pearl was just an extension of Mrs. Powell.  She loved them with all her heart.

Mrs. Powell had her own vocabulary that she used, just a certain way she would pronounce words, made perfect sense to us and so most of the time we used the same words she did, especially when we were talking with her, we would tease her and I can still see the impish grin on her face, one of her daughters, Mary Lou has that same grin and I see her mother in her in so many ways and mannerisms.
April and I speak to each other on the phone almost every day and not a conversation goes by that we don't have some Grandmother Powell vocabulary in the conversation.

Not only did she love April unconditionally, but she also loved me as a true daughter, and I knew from day one that is how it would be because there was no pretense in Mrs. Powell at all, she loved me and oh, how I loved her.  She had a massive brain hemmorage on January 29, 1991, and early in the morning on January 30, 1991 she went to be with the Lord.  Mr. Powell was still alive, but I believe that his heart died with her.  Less than nine months later he joined her in heaven.  Even though we grieved for him, there was a blessed peace because he was finally at peace for the first time since she had died.  Pearl went to meet them in 2005, and it gives me such a sense of peace to know they are waiting for the rest of the family to join them one day.  Jesus is coming soon and I am glad we can be together again, I hope she can make me some tomato gravy and cat head biscuits.

Mrs. Powell gave me such a beautiful and Godly legacy of love and acceptance and how to be another mother instead of (in law). I hope that I can follow in her footsteps as a good and Godly mother to my son's wives.

Mr. and Mrs. Powell, Pearl and Joe Edward (who died in 1973),  I still miss you every day.  Shug, April, Willis and John Coy and I talk about ya'll every time we sit down and have a grand old time of nostalgia and reminiscing.

Copyright 2011 Gloria B. Powell. All rights reserved.

TO MY MOTHER

"Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come." Proverbs 31:25 KJV

Dear Mama:

First of all I want to thank God that He picked you to be my mother.   When I was a child I never realized what your daily life was all about.  I only knew that I was the oldest of six children, and I used to get so weary of hearing you say, "Now Gloria you have to be a big girl and help mama with the other children, and with the housework." Mama I am so sorry that as a child I did not understand, how much you needed and depended on me.

I was the oldest of six children, the child born 2 years after me was another healthy baby girl, until she was eight months old, and then she became deathly ill.  She was in the hospital for over three weeks, her temp was so elevated that it did not register on the thermometer, that was in 1945 and there were no antibiotics then, when the fever finally left, she was completely devastated in her mind and her body, she suffered continuous seizures, at least two or three a day. She screamed night and day from pain in her head and body.  Though mama and daddy carried her to every doctor they heard of, the damage was done.  So we had to center our home and lives around trying to make her comfortable.

Soon following came four more children, and sometimes I would hear my mama pray, "Oh, God, how am I going to get through this day?'

Back then, people in their ignorance and superstition would tell mama and daddy, "well it must have been some sin in your life that you have this crazy child." You can imagine the terrible guilt that mama and daddy lived under, all the time thinking, "Lord, what did I do that you would punish my child so?"  I am so thankful that people have come to the realization that they are not the reason for children with disabilities, it is just LIFE and normal healthy children are a blessing, BUT children with severe disabilities are a blessing also.  No their pain and suffering are not a blessing, but the love that you have for them is so special that you can never define or even explain it.  I know that someday my sister Delores will be in heaven with mama and daddy, and she will be well and whole, and for that I am eternally grateful.

I realize that there must have been some days that mama would just think, how can I stand this another moment, I just wish I could walk away.  But thank you mama you never did. You were always there.    My mama was a perfectionist when it came to house cleaning.  Of course, being the "big girl" and "mama's helper", I had to do a lot of the housework while mama cared for my sister and the other babies. To this day I do not like to rake yards, mop floors,vacuum the floors dust and pledge the furniture, the smell of O Cedar Red Furniture polish still makes me gag, straighten up everything and put it in order, and hanging out clothes and folding and putting them away. But my mama taught me how even though I did not appreciate it at the time.  Thank you mama for at least training me how to keep a spotless clean house.

All of the stress that mama lived through in her younger life while her children were growing up, left its mark on her health and well being.  Her last 20 years of life were spent as years of sickness and pain, but she always told us how she loved us.

When mama's health got so bad that she could not stay at home, (at this time my daddy had already gone home to be with Jesus.)  There came a time three months before she also went home  to be with Jesus that she was almost constantly in the hospital. My baby brother would stay with her during the day while I worked, and I would stay with her at night.  We had so many wonderful talks about when I was growing up and mama would always remind me how I hated house and yard work, and I would say, "well mama you always prophesied that I would be a slovenly housekeeper," And she would always laugh and say, "well, I was right,"

The day that mama went home to be with the lord , the doctor spoke plainly to me and my baby sister and asked if we wanted mama on life support, now that is a question that no one ever wants to be asked especially if the one making the decision does not know the definite answer..   Mama would never talk about the matter with me or the other children, she just said ya'll make the decision. I asked the doctor in view of everything he had just explained about her state of health at that time was she already dying, and he looked at me with tears in his eyes and nodded yes. Her body is shutting down she will probably be gone by late tonight or early in the morning. I looked at my sister and she nodded to me, and I said, "It seems that Jesus has already taken the decision out of our hands, if she is in the process of dying, let her go peacefully."

About 2:00 am Sunday morning, I suddenly woke up, I was laying with my head on her bed, she always wanted me to have my hand on her as she slept.  Three nurses came into the room, I stood up and looked at mama, so peaceful, so serene, and I kissed her and said,"I love you my precious mama." Two breaths later she entered into HIS Kingdom.  All of a sudden I laughed, and said, "Mama you have seen Jesus, and daddy and all the ones you have been missing." I felt like an idiot for laughing, but the Joy of the Lord just filled me when I realized, she was at last free to soar and be completely without care, I was just so happy for her, the nurses told me not to be sorry that I had laughed, because what better time to be joyous than to know that someone you love is in the Holy Presence of God.

So, on this Mother's Day, have a happy mother's day mama. I love you and I will be coming to join  you and daddy soon, because I think that Gabriel has the trumpet up to his lips just waiting for the nod from God, to Blow Gabriel and call my children home.

I did not have a newer picture of mama, this one is about 17-20 years old, but represents three generations, Mama, Me and April

Precious readers if your mama is still living give her a call and tell her how much you love and appreciate her.

Copyright 2011 Gloria B. Powell. All rights reserved.

REMEMBER, IT WAS JESUS ALONE, THAT MAKES IT "GOOD FRIDAY"

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16 KJV

Today is "Good Friday", but when we consider the sacrifice's of God's Son, Jesus Christ, and what he suffered: A night filled with mock trials, where no evidence could be found against him, shame, humiliation, beatings, scourging, ridicule from his own people, rejection and the ultimate horror of dying a criminals death on the cross, the Bible tells us that he was as a lamb led to the slaughter, in other words, a sinless spotless lamb.  He suffered all these things and more for us. 

How can today be called "Good Friday"? 

Jesus came into this world knowing that he would be given as a spotless lamb for the sin, disease, shame and degradation of the whole world and that he would die as a criminal on the cross. Only could he, spotless and sinless, the very Son of God, pay the debt for every sin and evil in the world. 

The night He was arrested he went with His disciple's into the garden of Gethsemane to pray.  He said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here and watch with me." Matthew 25:36 KJV.  "And he went  a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt." Matthew 26:39

I believe that the reason that Jesus dreaded the cross was that he knew that for the very first time in all eternity, all beginning and the Word says that God has no beginning and no end.  He always has been, always will be.  For the very first time, Jesus would be separated from His Father. For the very first time from beginning until that time on the cross there would be no communion, no fellowship between Jesus and His Father, I believe this is what Jesus dreaded, more than all he would have to suffer.  Because on the cross Jesus would bear in his own body all the sin, disease, evil, degradation, crimes  that ever had or would ever be committed, on his own  sinless body. Jesus literally suffered the weight of every evil and ugly thing on His body as he died on the cross.  Because it is impossible for God the Father to look on sin, He would have to turn His face away from His Son as he suffered death on the cross.  I am so glad that he said, "nevertheless, not my will but thine, to His Father." He shed every drop of his precious blood in his sufferings and that Blood is what covers our sins and makes us whole and clean.

Dear reader, Jesus did this for me and for you and for everyone that will just ask Him into their heart and repent of their wrongs and ask Him to become their Savior, from that instant on, live each moment trusting Him to lead and guide us through this life.  Once we have accepted Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for our sins and shortcomings, the Holy Spirit will come and dwell in us to lead us in the ways of God.

If you have never given consideration that you need a "Savior", even if you have never prayed before, just right now ask God to show you that you need  to accept Jesus Christ into your heart and life to forgive you of  EVERY wrong doing, I don't care what they are, Jesus will forgive you of EVERY wrong doing in your life.  Please just try, just pray, "Oh, God, I believe that I am a sinner,I now repent of all my sin, and I want to ask your Son Jesus Christ into my life, to apply His precious Blood over every sin in my life, make me new and clean with my sins washed away.  Lord from this moment on, I am going to live for you and I will tell people that I meet, that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.  Amen."

If you just prayed the prayer, tell someone what has happened to you.  Find a Bible, and begin to read, starting with the New Testament, read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John first.  Make Bible reading a part of every day.  This Sunday which is Easter Sunday, in memory of His Resurrection Day.  That's correct Jesus is not dead today.  On the third day after he was killed, very early in the morning the Spirit of God resurrected Him from the dead, he was seen by many before he ascended back to His Father in heaven.  Jesus now sits at the right hand of The Father, constantly making intercession (praying) to God for his children, the ones that have made him their Savior.

AND THAT DEAR READER IS WHY WE  CAN CALL TODAY "GOOD FRIDAY"

Copyright 2011 Gloria B. Powell. All rights reserved.