The Hands Tell a Story

What do your hands look like?

If you work in the office all day, typing away at the keyboard- you probably have nice fingers with calluses on the tips and carpal-tunnel of the wrists.

If you are a laborer by trade- construction, mechanic, carpenter. Your hands are rough, full of cuts with dirt under the nails.

If you are a surgeon, your hands are kept clean and free from risky sports that could injure those million dollar hands.

A mom's hands are articulate, strong and gentle. Mom can unclog a toilet, hem a shirt and mend your hurts all at the same time! The Bible says, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3 (NIV). Jesus not only listens to our troubles, but if we give Him our hurts... our pains... then He will heal our brokenness.

If you were to look at Christ's hands, you would see strong, rugged hands from being a carpenter by trade. You would see hands that are gentle- reaching out to little children and the disabled. Loving hands that served those around Him. Powerful hands that healed the sick and raised the dead. You would see hands that are pierced from being nailed to the cross. He sacrificed His body and life for us- giving up everything so we can be free from hell.

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;" Isaiah 49:15-16 (NIV)

Jesus is saying, "I love you! You will not be forgotten. You have asked Me into your heart and now you are a permanent tattoo on my hands. Nothing you do will change my mind. You are with me and I am with you eternally." That is great news!

Let the hands of God, who created the universe- who created me and you- heal us and save us from a life full of grief and pain. If you give all your burdens to Him, He will "heal your broken heart and bind up your wounds".

Don't miss out on a life of joy because you didn't let Jesus' hands heal you today!

"I have held many things in my hands, and have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess." Martin Luther

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Funny Humor for Friday III

THE MAN SHOULD MAKE THE COFFEE?

A young married couple got up early one morning. The husband asked his wife to make some coffee. Reluctant and tired, she said "Sure".

When the coffee was ready, she poured her husband a nice cup of joe. The husband said, "Wow, I could really get used to you making me coffee every morning."

Irritated, his wife said, "I would like to, but the Bible specifically says YOU are to make the coffee for ME every morning. It's a rule and it's good to follow God's commands."

Her husband laughed and challenged her biblical insight, saying, "If you can open the Bible and show me where it says the MAN needs to make the coffee, I will make coffee every morning for you for the next 40 years of marriage."

With a big, peculiar smile on her face, she opened the Bible to the New Testament, "See, it says in big, bold letters 'HE- BREWS' !"
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AN APPLE A DAY

In kindergarten, two boys were sitting outside eating their lunch.

The one boy bites into his apple, stares at it for a moment, then says to his friend,
"Do you know what's worse than finding a worm in your apple?"

The friend replies, "No, what?"

Answering, "Finding HALF a worm in your apple!"
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WHERE IS GOD?

A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that, if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.

The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?”

The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed. So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?"

Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?"

The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.

When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"

The youngest brother gasped for breath and replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time dude. God is missing and they think WE did it!"
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Nothing like good laughter for the belly =)

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Looking Backwards

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

Yes, you've messed up, but your different now. You've asked for forgiveness, you've stopped doing what has harmed yourself and others. It's time to stop looking backwards!

It's time to stop looking back at your pain- your failure- your betrayal- your old life. God is wanting to give you something better; something new.

There is a new beginning waiting for you if you are willing to grab hold of it.
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

To amplify what God is saying to you in more modern words, read it from The Message: "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history.

Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.

It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is!
I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands."

God's saying "I want to do a new thing- I want to start a new chapter in your life." In order to start a new chapter you must "forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." If you want a fresh beginning and start a new chapter, you must stop looking backwards.

God is speaking to you, "Let it go, give it over to me. Hurry, because what I have for you is springing up, it's bursting out! I will cleanse you of all the bad things you have done in your life. Bring me with you and I will give you springs of blessings."

God forgives you. . . it's time for you to forgive yourself.

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All posts are the sole property of the Heart Like Jesus blog. You must obtain permission to use any of the information on this blog.

Your Hurts for Their Healing

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)


Have you found victory in Jesus? Did you push through your season of hardship and pain?

Maybe you've conquered alcoholism for 9 months- Maybe you are finally healing and moving forward from the loss of a loved one- Maybe you are recovering from abuse... physical... sexual abuse.

Through the help of Jesus you can say that you've defeated depression, suicide, anger, resentment. . .

Congratulations!

Your hurts can heal those around you. God can take your bad experiences and use them for His good. If you stop to think for a moment of someone who is facing similar struggles. . . at church. . . at home. . . at work- you can be a true inspiration to them!

There is nothing like learning from someone who has been there before. Someone who pushed through the trenches of hardship and despair. Your life experiences can mean the world for someone who is giving up on life. Ask God to show you someone you can touch- and share with them your victory through Jesus!

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16 (NIV)

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All posts are the sole property of the Heart Like Jesus blog. You must obtain permission to use any of the information on this blog.

"If We Are The Body" - Casting Crowns

"If We Are The Body" - Casting Crown

There are people who show up to church and feel disconnected by the clicks that are formed by our own self indulgences. We tend to ostracize those who are socially or personally different than us. Fellowship is not about status, race or popularity. Fellowship is about glorifying God and edifying one another. It is very easy to socialize with the same people every Sunday. How about reaching out to those that are standing alone, those that are a bit awkward socially. They are just as important as the rest of you. Fellowship with them. Let them know you care about what they have to say. Love them as Christ loves you!

The Bible says, " On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment.

But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12:22-27 (NIV)


Take a moment to really see & hear this message. . .



We go to church every Sunday to learn about God. We read the bible to gain knowledge and wisdom. We invest time with other Christians. . . but what about the lost souls outside the church doors? God calls us to "Go! and make disciples of all nations." Jesus wants us to reach out, to provide comfort, and to give hope to the lost.

It is good to have a relationship with God- it is good to have great bible knowledge- but what about expressing it? What about sharing it to those who need it most?

Listen to what Jesus is saying to you. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’" Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV)

Here is a challenge for you:
Stop sitting in the same assigned seat or pew. Stop gathering with the same people. Search out someone new. Sit next to someone who is sitting alone. Search out someone after church who is lost in the crowd. Invest time with them- show them they are special and that you care about them!


"Love the unlovely. Care for the unfortunate. Yes, you may say, "They don't live up to my standards." Without God's grace, we don't live up to His standards. Through Jesus Christ, only because of Him, can we have complete fellowship with God." ~HLJ

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