JESUS' LAST WORDS

He is a forgiving God. He would rather forgive than punish us.
The first words of Jesus on the cross were, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they do."

Two robbers hung there also. One believed, saying "You are truly the Son of God."

And Jesus said to Him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."  This shows that anybody can be saved if they believe. 

Jesus showed love for His mother for as first born son it was His responsibility to care for her.  "Woman, this is your son." Then He said to His disciple: "This is your mother."

The full force of God's righteous anger at the sin His son bore in our stead fell on Jesus. This awful separation from His father was the greatest suffering of all. Jesus cried out, "MY GOD, MY GOD, why have You forsaken me?"

Then he gasped, "I thirst." Because of this human side, we know that He understands when we suffer.  Then when Jesus received the wine He said, "It is finished; and He bowed His head and handed over His spirit." The darkest day for Jesus became the hope of all mankind.

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit."

 
 EASTER says you can try to nail TRUTH to a cross, and hide it in a grave. But it won't stay there. 

You can wrap it in winding sheets and shut it up in a tomb, but TRUTH, like JESUS, will rise! 

 Jesus is my Saviour, My Lord, and my friend. You can find peace and a new beginning when you ask Him to come into your heart.

You can pray this simple prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank you for dying and taking God's judgement from the sins I have committed. I am sorry for the wrongs I have done and for the good I should have done.  Please cleanse me and come into my life and please guide me from now on. Amen.

 



 

RELATIONSHIPS

A few tips to keep that special relationship healthy.

* Money is key contributor to relationship failure with many couples.   Why?  Money is the most difficult conversation for people to have.  People are afraid of talking about money, about budgets, about financial planning, etc.  For the relationship to work, you must learn how to get comfortable with talking about money and spending.  You should meet at least once a month to review your outgoing expenses and income as a couple for the long term health of your relationship. 

  *  Communication is vital to all healthy relationships. Listen to each other – hear each other out without interrupting. Talking things over can help you to both have a deeper understanding of each other.

  * Maintain a balance of dependence and independence with each other.  Do not depend on your partner 100% of the time because that can be suffocating to your partner.  On the other hand, don’t allow your partner to think you don’t need them, by going or doing things without them. Do your best to keep a healthy balance between the two.  Again, communication is key.  You both should know what is stifling to each other and areas where you both want to depend on each other versus areas in which you both need independence.  Balance between the two is important and the best way to find balance is to share and discuss what works and does not work for both of you.

 *  Another vital tip that has worked in many couple's lives is this:  
Those who pray together, stay together.  Holding hands and praying to God about what most  affects you in your daily life cements a relationship.

BRIDES and BRIDESMAIDS

"Always a bridesmaid, never a bride."
So the saying goes, But it was never true with my bridesmaids. Every one of them married fine Christian men.

This Victorian era painting is called, "The Reluctant Bride". Her bridesmaids seem to be comforting her and assuring her that she'll live happily ever after.

Somehow I don't think they convinced her. And I can't help but wonder why she seems so uneasy about her coming marriage. It looks to be only an hour or so away because she is already dressed, and the young girl is trying on her bridal headgear. And that is usually made of fresh flowers.

Was the marriage arranged? Was it a case of pre-wedding jitters? Whatever the case, I was touched at the sad expression on her face. Marriage is supposed to be a uniting of two souls to become one flesh as the Bible states so beautifully. In those days marriages were often forced upon young girls, and this is so in many cultures today.

If this were true in this young girl's situation, I would counsel her to ask God to give her the grace to love and honour her husband with her whole heart and mind and soul. Love is not just a feeling. Feelings come and go. Marriage is a commitment and even if pushed upon a young woman, if she makes up her mind to love her husband, it will only cement their relationship. "Love begets love" is a truism. And asking the Lord Jesus to come into her new life with her husband will both comfort and strengthen her resolve.

LOVE? Who Cares?

Dennis Hirschfield shares.

"I was born into a Jewish family in a tough section of New York. Life consisted of street gangs, racial trouble and violence everywhere. As part of a racial minority I was often laughed at and challenged to fight.

My mother died when I was twelve years old. Up until then I believed in God, but then I stopped believing He existed, because how could a good God allow my mother whom I loved and needed to die?

I became wilder as the years went by with all the others from similar backgrounds in the concrete jungle. When I was 14 I carried a gun and wasn't afraid to use it. At age 18 I was drafted into the army and found myself in Vietnam. There I personally experienced the horrors of war. And when I returned home I was so disillusioned and uncertain about my future, I couldn't adjust to civilian life.

During the next ten years I took all kinds of drugs and alcohol to get something more from my life...something lasting. I took in Eastern religions, mysticism, astral travel and others areas of the occult. The more I looked into these things, the more lost and confused I became. By that time I got married, but our mutual drug-taking and lack of communication and understanding of each other's needs caused our marriage to break down.I had lost everyone and everything that was dear to me without hope of getting them back.

A minister came around to my home and talked about Jesus Christ. But I really couldn't see how a man born and then died two thousand years ago could do anything for me. But after his last visit, there alone in the in a corner of my dark, lonely room, my heartache caused me to cry out to God. Then I remembered the minister telling me from the Bible that Jesus Christ was God's Son and the only way to God was though Him. I had nothing to lose so I prayed to receive Jesus into my life. I asked for forgiveness and felt a calmness that I had never experienced before in my whole life.

It took time for my problems to be sorted out, but my tensions and fear were gone and I knew God was working in my life. And a few weeks later, my wife and two children returned to me. It took time to patch up our marriage but God was there giving us the strength to get through. My wife also became a Christian and our marriage is better than it ever had been. We both gained our self-respect and our respect for each other and our love deepened.

Now I don't need to carry a weapon because we are in God's hands. Jesus Christ says 'I shall never leave you or forsake you.' And having my Saviour's promise of eternal life  gives me encouragement and hope. The most important thing for me now is being able to have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe, and the Source of unlimited wisdom, power, love, and happiness."

So who cares about you? Jesus Christ God's Son cares. He cared enough to give His life for us, and He rose from the dead and now lives in heaven at God's right hand. We can pray directly to Him and he will answer our prayers according to God's will.

ALZHEIMERS and GOD"S LOVE

What is love?

 "In sickness and in health..."

Bill Forward has risen to the challenge of caring for Gladys, his wife of fifty years. Alzheimers disease had taken over her life. 

In his own words, Bill says, "I don't count it a burden to look after my wife.  From the moment she wakes up to the time she goes to bed, I take care of her every need."

Out of his concern came the BIKECHAIR.

"Several years ago I felt a deep sense of loss as I noticed my wife was losing her ability to walk. We had enjoyed walks by the sea, through parks and beside rivers. Having lived and travelled in Asia I remembered what people had done to bicycles to make food carriers or tri-shaws. 

I thought that we could modify a bike to enable us to continue these outings I wanted the passenger seat in front of me so that we could see and talk about the same things together and then as her disability progressed, I would be able to see if she was in some difficulty or another. 

I took the concept to my good friend, Ken, who immediately spotted the problems. With his skill and knowledge we were able to produce the original Bike Chair. We have developed it further to ensure safety and comfort. We can put the Bikechair in our box trailer to visit nearby beaches and also on a rack behind our Coaster RV when we travel to enjoy special times It is a wonderfully liberating experience to be able to get out again together and cycle along bike paths everywhere. I get the exercise I need to stay healthy and my wife loves to meet and greet people along the way."

If you know of someone who could be helped, see his website: www.bikechair.com.au