Year: 2014

 I love to watch TV shows where the police study the crime scene. Sometimes these crimes are years old, but using special techniques in forensics they can solve the crime with old evidence.

 In one show I watched, investigators sprayed a special formula on a wooden floor to reveal old blood. Even though the murder had taken place years ago and the blood had been cleaned up off the floor, this formula made it show up.

 The blood of Jesus is over 2000 years old, but it still exists. When Jesus shed His life’s blood on Calvary, the blood ran down His body and into the earth. His blood was perfect blood, the blood of His Father God, inherited, as every baby’s blood is, from his father. Jesus got His body from the womb  of Mary, but His Spirit and blood came from God.

 In Luke 24:39 KJV Jesus told the disciples after His resurrection, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” Normally you or I would say, flesh and blood, but you see, Jesus didn’t have any blood anymore. The physical portion of His blood went into the ground, but the LIFE of His blood, the supernatural, spiritual part of His blood, He took into the heavenly temple of God, into the Holy of Holies and placed it on the Mercy Seat of God, where it remains today, alive and still able to wipe away all the sins of the world.

 Lev 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

 The evil of this world cannot wash away the blood of Jesus, cannot overcome it, cannot hide it. It still remains. It has never lost its power to wash away sin.

 I’m so thankful Jesus shed His blood.

So another birthday has rolled around for me for another year. You know what they say—it’s better to be over the hill than under it. Mama who turned 96 this year says, “It’s not bad getting old. It’s just getting all crippled up that hurts.”

Our family makes a big deal out of birthdays. When we were kids, if Mama didn’t have the money to get us something for our birthday, she said, “The whole month is your birthday month, and everything that happens during that month is for your birthday.” Then later in the month when she had the money, we might all go out to eat at Scotty’s or the Dairy Queen.

We always picked blackberries in June and July so one year she let us sell our blackberries we picked to Dairy Queen. Guess what I bought with my money? A blackberry milkshake.

Having a birthday in July meant that I never celebrated my birthday in school with my school friends, but I had plenty of friends in the neighborhood to celebrate with.

I always think first of my mother when I think of my birthday. I haven’t always been able to celebrate my birthday with my mother, but I celebrate in my heart and mind with her. Without her I would never have existed.

The Lord is keeping track of our birthdays and without Him there are no birthdays. Without the Lord, I wouldn’t even exist, but because of Him, I am able to celebrate my birthday and enjoy a life on this earth. He puts the breath of life into my body.

 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all my diseases, who redeems yourlife from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies our mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5New King James Version.

You know the alternative to getting old, don’t you? Not getting old, but that means dying and going to heaven and that won’t be so bad after all.

Lavon Hightower Lewis

I should work in the yard this week. I should make that phone call I have been dreading so much to make that I have put it off for 3 months. I should write that letter to my friend who I haven’t seen in 20 years. I should quit eating so many sweets and watch my diet.

“I shoulds” and “I shouldn’ts” keep many people from either becoming a Christian or living a victorious Christian life. People think, “I should quit drinking and smoking. I should start going to church. I should start giving more money to the church. I should do this and I should do that.”

Yes, you should, but think about this: our Lord forgave the thief on the cross and promised him a home in heaven. That thief was guilty, but he never had an opportunity to repay what he stole, or go to the synagogue, or give his tithes and offerings before he died.

Jesus forgives us and accepts just as we are, because His grace takes care of all those sins. His sacrifice on Calvary paid the cost of all my sins-past, present, future. There is no sin I could ever commit that will  not be paid for. It is His righteousness, not mine, which is the basis for my salvation. Any other way implies that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross was not enough.

However, as Paul said in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say, then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” (or as the King James Version says, “God forbid!”) The same grace that took care of my sins when I was born again also enables me to live a victorious Christian life. Thank God, He accepts us just as we are, but He doesn’t leave us there. God’s plan includes more than an eternal home in heaven. He loves us too much to leave us in our sorry state.

Lord, give me grace to live for you. I put it all in your hands-my life, my money, my habits. Enable me to be the person You have planned for me to be.

Sunday is my rest day. After church and lunch, I usually put my  nightgown back on and take a nice long nap. When my children were growing  up, they knew to be quiet or take a nap themselves. Sometimes we had friends  of the children over for Sunday afternoon on the condition that they would  play quietly in the bedroom and not disturb “mother.” The child that made  too much noise usually didn’t get invited back for a while.

When I was in the 5th grade, I was the Statue of Liberty in our school play.  I was dressed in some long silky gown, holding a piece of pipe covered in tin foil. I gave a speech about freedom and democracy and then we all sang “God Bless America” and pledged allegiance to the flag. I realized years  later that the reason I got to be the Statue of Liberty was that I was the tallest girl in our class that year.

We were patriotic back then. We pledged allegiance to the flag every morning and bowed our heads as the teacher lead us in prayer.

At the 4th of July celebration every year, we began with the “Star Spangled Banner” and the flag salute, plus a prayer for safety for the American Legion men who were putting on the fireworks display.

At the Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo parade each year, we stood at attention with our hands over our hearts when the horse and rider presented the U.S. flag. At the grand entry the first night of the rodeo, when the horse and rider raced around the arena with the U.S. flag waving high, we leaped to attention, again with our hands over our hearts. My heart swelled with pride until I thought it would leap out of my chest.

I guess patriotism isn’t as popular as it once was, but I noticed something lately. The Baby Boomers who were around during the 60s and 70s, criticizing the government, are now the most patriotic of all. We all remember our school days. We remember the songs our music teacher taught us to sing in 5th grade. We remember the flag salute and standing at attention when the flag was presented. We remember the 4th of July as a celebration of freedom, not just a 3-day weekend to play around at the lake with fireworks to watch.

Now it is our turn to show the younger ones that patriotism doesn’t go out of style.

Have you been crying your eyes out lately over some unresolved problem in your life? Does it seem like no one really cares about you, that God doesn’t hear you when you pray? Have you cried enough tears to fill the ocean or at least your iced tea glass?

Well, I have good news for you. Those tears may not be wasted after all. I found a scripture that speaks of this very situation.

In Psalms 56 David cried out to God, in his trouble, and put his trust and confidence in God. “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book? Then shall my enemies turn back in the day that I cry out; this I know, for God is for me.”
God is saving your tears in a bottle, recording them in His book. They are not wasted. “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Psalms 126:5.

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalms 30:5.

Rev 21:4 says “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Lift up your head, brush away your tears, and put your hope in the Lord. He is keeping track of all those tears you have cried and He will take care of this situation for you. God is for you. God is on your side. He is not against you.

He’s never failed me yet.