Jesus is the Light of the World

Yesterday, I took my boys to visit the old abandoned Donner Summit Train Tunnel. I got some cool pictures of these tunnels and I have to say that some of the graffiti was equally impressive. Anyway, as with any tunnel or cave we did a lot of walking in the dark. However, there were many moments when the light shined through sometimes very brightly. The following picture isn't the best example of what the tunnel looks like, but it's a good example of how the light shined through openings in the walls. Always remember that Jesus himself said that he was the light of the world. He is the light that shines brightly in the darkness.

Jesus is the Light

Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness. The darkness doesn't understand nor does it want to. In fact, the darkness hates the light. Jesus said,

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15:18-19)

What is Good

When You Feel Weary

When you feel weary, it's easy to want to quit. That's why we must encourage each other to continue running the race - remembering those saints who have gone before us, and relying on God's strength to remove those things that cause us to stumble.

Love Your Enemies - Matthew 5:44-45

We are to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. This is not a suggestion - it's a command from our Lord.

And yes, this is my cat and my dog. The funny thing is, they are both black and white. Ha!

Not Our Home

During the summer, I took my boys to visit Yellowstone. The picture is of Fort Yellowstone, the old army fort based inside the park. When the park was first established, it was the US Army that maintained and administered it; the National Park Service was not established until 1916 and subsequently took over the park in 1918. Anyway, I love old houses and I loved these old houses in particular, but nothing compared to the beauty of the park itself. Absolutely breathtaking. I love our national parks! Even so, this beautiful country, this beautiful planet is not my permanent home; it is temporary. As Christians, we have been promised an even better home, an even better country. The best is yet to come!

Trust in the Lord - Proverbs 3:5-6

Rest in God - Psalm 62:1-2

Seen and Unseen

A New Creation

If you are in Christ, you have been made brand new - you have been born again!

Brokenhearted and Crushed in Spirit

Lately, I have been brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. Divorce is not something I ever thought I would go through, yet here I am. While I'm not going to elaborate on the details, I will say this: I cling to the fact that the Lord is faithful and true. I cling to the promises of God that he is close to those who are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. Whether you are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit because you feel the weight of your sins, turn to the Lord. He will save you. Whether you are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit because of your circumstances, turn to the Lord. He will be with you.

Grow in Grace and Knowledge - 2 Peter 3:18

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 27:1

Easter - The Resurrection

Believing that Jesus merely existed is not enough. What you believe about Jesus (who he is and what he accomplished) is equally, if not more important. In answer to his question, Martha said:

"Yes, Lord" she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." -John 11:27

My friends, the resurrection of Jesus is the most important aspect of the Christian faith. Our Savior lives! If this were not so, then our faith would be useless. Paul reminded the Corinthians of this:

"If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." - 1 Corinthians 15:13-17

The alternative to everlasting life is everlasting punishment. Repent and believe the Good News. Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins, but He has risen and will one day return. Christ is risen indeed!

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..." - 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

No Condemnation Romans 8:1-2

I took my boys to visit Alcatraz yesterday and got this great shot of an open door. It just screamed "Freedom!" If we are in Christ, we are free. If we are in Christ, we are not condemned. Today, on Good Friday, remember and give thanks for that. Thank you, Jesus!

Psalm 145:9-10 - All Thy Works Shall Praise Thee

This is Love

Remember that there is nothing you can do to earn God's love. God took the initiative to save us by sending His one and only Son to pay the penalty for our sins ("For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23).

God did this because God is love ("...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23).

A Clean Heart and a Right Spirit

The Gift of God

Easter Reminder - John 5:24 and Ephesians 2:4-5

I took this picture at Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe, NV in June 2014. The beauty of Lake Tahoe (and many other places) is breathtaking and provides evidence of God's handiwork. As I was playing around with photo editing, I wondered what this pic would look like in black and white. Trust me, a black and white photo of beautiful Lake Tahoe is nothing short of pointless. (For comparison, I added the full color photo at the end with a verse from Ephesians.) A black and white photo can never convey the beautiful blue color. The black and white section looks lifeless; the color section looks alive. Kind of how we were before and after we came to Christ.

As we approach Easter, let us remember that since we have placed our faith in our Lord Jesus that we have crossed over from death to life. We were once enemies of God, subjects of the kingdom of darkness. We were dead in our sins. When we became believers in Christ, our sins were forgiven, we were immediately transferred to the kingdom of light and we became children of God made alive in Christ! (Ephesians 2:1-10, John 1:12, Colossians 1:13-14) Praise the Lord now and forever!

If this is new to you, and you are wondering what it means to be a Christian and why you need to be saved, I encourage you to read the articles, "What is a Christian?", "What is the plan of salvation/way of salvation?", and "How can I be saved?" from GotQuestions.org.