The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name. ~ John 20:30,31 NLT
Do you believe God still performs miracles? I do. And it is clear that the Apostle John believed that miracles were signs to believers, not unbelievers, so that we continue to believe in his power to hear and answer our prayers. Only by continuing to believe will we reach the fullness of life we were created to live. My NLT Bible suggests that along with these lines in John 20 (above), we might read what the apostle wrote in 1 John 5:13-15. “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. 14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” It appears from the 1 John verses that we are to live with confident hope that because our loving Lord hears us, he also wants to answer all of our prayers that “please” him – even though the answers might seem miraculous to us. Many of us are becoming confident that we are in relationship with a God who loves us so much that he would die to restore that relationship. Where does our faith grow from there? In the last six weeks, I have personally witnessed two miracles of physical healing. The first was for my friend, who after suffering agonizing pain from traumatic brain injury, finally reached out to God to miraculously heal her and stop the pain that had attacked her for several years. He did. She was able to sleep through the night without pain meds for the first time in years and is still pain free. The second just occurred last week. Another friend’s daughter had her first baby, a boy who was rushed from her arms after a long delivery and placed in neo-natal intensive care in an excellent children’s hospital. An echocardiogram had shown his heart’s aorta was too small to allow adequate blood flow. People prayed. Two days later, a second echocardiogram showed his heart was perfect. No problem at all. There was no doubt that God had miraculously healed him. So that leads me to question, "Do I have the kind of faith that leads me to live my life 'by the power of Jesus’ name'?" In this “new” time, after the Resurrection, what if all of us, as believers in Jesus, trusted that God hears us when we pray and will answer every prayer that pleases him, even if that means by a miracle? What would prevent us from having that kind of faith? Join me in making time to sit down with the Lord and ask him what he wants us to know about that. Whatever the answer, I sense that the Lord is waiting for us to confidently come to him so he can show us more of his compassion and love. Perhaps, in getting better at receiving his love, our faith may have no boundaries. Dear friends, be blessed with continuing joy as you trust you can come to your loving, compassionate Lord to receive answers to your prayers. May you grow more and more in love with Jesus through the power of his name. Amen. Mary Sumner ~ April 26, 2022
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But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,
5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. ~ Ephesians 2:4-7 NLT Easter is here, perhaps appearing for you in the midst of dreary and rainy days. But then, when the sun breaks through, everything takes on fresh life. The spiritual sun broke through the dreary weather for me a few days ago as I soaked in the verses above. I invite you to read them slowly out loud and expect the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart through them. As you soak in these words from God, receive the truths inbedded in them. For example, no matter what your circumstances are today, God loves you so much! You don't have to work hard to earn God's love. He has loved you before he created the earth. So receive and soak in his love. Your problems may appear to be overwhelming, but remember where you are seated right now. You are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms! Ask the Holy Spirit to make that truth real to you. See how small your daily struggles can get when you consider them from God's perspective. And we will still be seated with Jesus into the ages to come, or how else could God point to us forever "as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us"? Eternal blessings are promised to us in the glorious presence of God. What in this passage speaks to you today? Why not slow down and don't miss the opportunities given to us in these sacred moments of remembrance of Christ's sacrifice for us.Let Jesus fill your heart and mind with the light and love of his truth. It's a free gift that he died to give to you. Dear friends, be blessed as you release all the doubts about God's love for you. Receive the truth that Father God delights in you. Your separation from him grieved him so much that he did the impossible, even the unimaginable, by raising you from your spiritual death, so you could enjoy all the benefits, forever, of being united with Jesus as his precious child. Amen. Mary Sumner ~ April 13, 2022 |
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January 2025
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