Christ Archives - Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel

Do We Have An Expiration Date? & Sitting Among Friends Blog Party #33

Jaime Wiebel — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 08:15:00 +0000

My son asked me an interesting question today. At first, I wondered about what must have been going through his head. After thinking about his curiosity, I realized it is a question we all have we just don’t always think of it in these terms.

The conversation went like this…

Mom, does everything have an expiration date?

I had to think about it. Before I could get in any real thought, the one-sided conversation went flying.

Well, the towel doesn’t have an expiration date, does it? A bar of soap? That doesn’t really expire. Well, maybe it does. You know that teacher that had his kids buy the Twinkie that lasted for 40 years. They ate some and put one on the plate. That is still good. Maybe, Twinkies don’t expire.

Then came the kicker…

Do we have an expiration date? Well, maybe not. Well, I guess we do. Well, we won’t have one in heaven.

Oh, from the mouth of a babe.

Do we have an expiration date?

It’s what we all know to be true. It’s something we don’t often want to face. To face our own mortality can be scary. It puts life in quick perspective.

In today’s world, we seem to be faced with a lot of uncertainty.

Sometimes, feelings of hopelessness and the feeling of being defeated.

Friends, there is good news. There is hope. We can have that hope in Jesus.

Faith in Christ can give us the assurance that we need. Life in this world is temporary but eternal life, life after this world, is exactly what the word says. It is forever.

Although there are many different views on life after death it is certain that everyone wonders about life after death.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Not coincidentally, eternal life or the longing for the eternal was set in our hearts by our creator. Simply put, whether we believe in eternity or life eternally with Christ, our creator has put the longing to even wonder about eternity in our hearts. I have to say, He is nothing shy of amazing.

God wants us to long for Him. Our Creator wants us to long for a life in eternity with Him. Tweet This!

It can feel confusing. We have this longing and at first, we are not always sure what it is. We seek it out in so many ways and places. When it all seems to be unfulfilling and unsatisfying to the longing of our heart, we are left empty.

But how can we be sure that if we accept the gift Christ has to offer us of life eternal that it will be certain. Most of us won’t take something, even something free, without a guarantee or warranty.

One of my favorite guarantees comes from Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

We can have confidence. I love that word. I can know that if I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, I can have assurance in what He says is going to happen. Even though I can’t see it, my faith and hope in Christ are secure.

So what do you do? To have this hope? To have this faith?

Tweet This!

Giving your life to Christ means recognizing that you are a sinner (this means that you have done wrong against God).

Romans 3:23 tells us that All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.

This brings us to the next thing we need to realize, God is perfect.

This has left a giant gap between our sin and God’s Glory. You can think of it like the bridge to heaven is out because it is broken by our sin.

The Good News of the Gospel says that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a way was made for the bridge to be fixed so we could join God in heaven. That longing that was placed in our heart can be satisfied through a relationship with Jesus.

Here’s How: You can pray this prayer.

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I ask for you to forgive me. I believe that you died on the cross and rose from the dead. I want to trust and give my life to you. I want to follow you as Lord and Savior of my Life. Lord, guide me and help me to do your will in my life. In your Name, Amen!

I would love to have a further conversation with you. If you said this prayer or have more questions, feel free to email me at youresewtrendy@gmail.com.

I don’t want you to miss this opportunity. If you would like to chat with someone directly or have more questions. I have placed a link here to

Peace With God {dot} net. It is a site through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. It is an amazing resource! It has videos and follow-up resources and someone you can chat with directly, which is open 24 hours.

I hope you have a wonderful week. Before you go. I would like for you to visit some of my friends, they are amazing and have wonderful sites. Also, meet my featured friend of the week.

*New To Sitting Among Friends Blog Party*
I am glad to call you, friend! Here is a badge you are welcome to post on your site!

I am going to be sharing a Featured Friend, weekly! I love that so many of you come and share with us every week and I would love to highlight your work! The friend that I have chosen this week is… Christa From Do A New Thing!

Every week, Christa has something new to teach me about being a blogger. This week I was so impacted by her post. She discussed the sad loss of her friend and the role she had in online ministry. Christa, as always encouraged us in our walk with Christ and how to incorporate that into an online ministry. She talks about leaving a legacy with our families so they see us not just sitting as our computer but know how we are serving Christ. Thank you so much, Christa. I am happy to call you friend!

While you’re here, sit down with some of my friends.

WOW! I know Summer is busy so I thank you all for coming here and for the 96 Amazing posts. This party has been wonderful and it is thanks to you, friends, who link-up with us and those who stop by and read and SHARE! Thank you!

You all are amazing writers who share DIY’s, Recipes, Photos, Giveaways, Homeschool and Family and Faith. Many of you have amazing journeys of faith and I praise the Lord we are able to connect here!

Friends are here to encourage and challenge us in our walk of life, so enjoy!

There are easy share buttons to your left or at the bottom of each post (mobile) and after you link-up. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! From all of us at #SittingAmongFriends

An InLinkz Link-up

Subscribe to Sitting Among Friends Blog Party Updates.

Yes, Sign Me Up!

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Email Format

html
text

The post Do We Have An Expiration Date? & Sitting Among Friends Blog Party #33 appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Your Encouraging Words

Jaime Wiebel — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 07:12:00 +0000

Thank you Lord
Jesus for all of your blessings. May I use them to bless the lives of others
just as they have blessed me.

Here are a
few reasons that I love writing. I can go back and look at how God has been
blessing my life.

For
instance, earlier this month I was really struggling with some things in my heart.
I wrote about them in a post titled, Time Alone. My
struggles were, I believe, the result of some unconfessed feelings I may have
been harboring.

The thing was
I wasn’t even able to recognize the feelings. I finally asked God to just forgive
this attitude in my heart and in that He helped me identify what those feelings
were and I gave them to Him.

First
blessing, what an Awesome God that we have that He is able to help us identify
our feelings and heal us from any that are not pleasing to Him.

Second
blessing, among many, I was able to reach out to a reader and suggest t her that journal
her feelings or struggles, pray over them, and in doing that she could look back and see how
God has blessed her through certain situations.

I was excited
to help someone with their journey in walking with Christ. I am a teacher at heart and any time I can help
someone it feels great. The blessing came through her words to me.

Her
gratitude and her encouraging words to me were such inspiration to my heart at
this late hour. I just praise God for those moments. May we look for His
blessings in every situation.

I recently wrote
a post called Nothing Holding Me Back. You see, I sometimes feel like the
things in my life may be distracting me or pulling me away from God’s heart.

The truth is
God put us where He wants us to be. We need to give Him our whole heart in
those moments or in those places. When our heart begins to fade we need to call
on the Great Healer to strengthen us and refresh our souls.

One reader
commented about this post and I have thought about what she was saying for a
long time but God put her words straight to my heart. I realized what a
blessing God is giving me in allowing me to write and share with other people
and what a blessing others have been to me.

I hope that
you are enjoying reading this blog. I absolutely enjoy writing it. It means a
lot of late nights so you will have to excuse my dark circles but what a
blessing it has been.

I would just
like to encourage anyone that is reading this to please share in the comments below.
1 Corinthians 12:27 says were are many individuals but one body of Christ. I know it takes a little extra time out of your day but what you may not realize is the blessing your encouraging words and your stories are to not only to me
but to everyone who is reading. Together we can build up the body of Christ.

You have an
amazing week and please keep Sharing the Love of Jesus in your life.

The post Your Encouraging Words appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

I’ll Give Him All of Me!

Jaime Wiebel — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 18:31:00 +0000

He answered,
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.'” Luke 10:27

Is this you or is this something that you struggle
with?

We devote ourselves endlessly
to our children’s activities. We will pay whatever it takes to get them to be
the best or one of the best.

We will give all our time,
days, nights, weekends… whatever it takes.

We will be their biggest
agent and promoter.

Maybe it is not your
children’s activities, maybe it is your significant other or your family. Maybe
it is yourself, maybe it is your hobby, your job, your extra-curricular
activities.

We so often are willing to
give our heart, soul, mind, and strength to many things or many people.

In Luke 10, Jesus is
answering an expert of the law. He wants to know what he must do to inherit
eternal life. He next wants to know what is written in the law and how does the
law read according to Jesus. They were trying to catch Jesus not answering
according to the law.

To them their life was the
law and it was based on their beliefs. They wanted to follow the law with their
actions but not with their hearts. They were the first to point out others
failing, but couldn’t see the failures in their own lives.

Jesus defined the law. Jesus
came to not give more laws but to fulfill the law in giving his life as a
sacrifice for us.

Jesus quickly answered this
lawyer saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your mind and with all your strength.” Not just with your empty words
or your actions, but with your being.

How many times do we devote
ourselves to all the other things this world offers and we are quickly let
down. We are quickly disappointed. Like these men we are seeking more.

As Jesus answers us here in
Luke our heart, soul, mind and strength are being put in the wrong place and in
the wrong person.

I don’t know about you
but I don’t want to be let down. I don’t want to be disappointed.

So instead of relying on the
things of this world to build me up. Instead of depending on the people of this
word to not let me down, I can do one thing. I can change my focus. I can
change the direction at which I seek my strength.

You may be thinking right now
that I am crazy. You have families that need your strength. You have spouses
that need your heart. You have jobs that need your mind. You have everyday life
that needs your soul. You are so divided. How can you give any more?

Where do you fit God into all
that giving? What is left for The One you are to be devoted to?

The LORD is my strength
and my shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me and my heart is
filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28:7

I love the promises that we
are given through God’s Word.

So, how can we give the Lord
ALL our heart; why would we give Him all our heart when we feel like we have so
little left to give?

I am not suggesting giving
Him the pieces that you have left. I am not suggesting that you give him the
parts of you that you can free today. I am not suggesting that you fit
Him in for your five minute pick me up. Neither is HE.

Think about your heart, soul,
strength, and mind. That is ALL of you. This is a sacrifice. This is a
surrender. This is putting yourself aside, to gain life.

What is His promise? HE
promises to be your strength. He promises to be your shield. He helps your
heart be filled with joy. So much joy that you are bursting out with songs.

Anyone in need of a little joy?
Anyone seeking out joy or happiness in things and people, just to be left
seeking more.

Daily, Seek Him first. Daily, Seek Him with all that
you have in you. Intentionally, seek Him with all of your might.

Here are a couple of ways to
give your heart.

If you have children, Deuteronomy 6:7 tells
us: Repeat them (the Lord’s commands) again and again to your children. Talk
about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are
going to bed and when you are getting up.

At your job, Colossians 3:23 says:
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord
rather than for people.

With Christ, you have hope.
You can have hope in the present. You can have hope for the future. You can
rest you soul in the moments and trials of this life.

I am a constant work of God
but I can be assured with giving him my heart that He will be my strength. He
will be my shield. He will be my fortress and I can find refuge in Him. He will
never leave me nor forsake me.

Are you ready to give your
heart, soul, mind, and strength? Who will you choose to give it to?

Please encourage us with
comments and
SHARING below on ways that you give your heart to Christ in your everyday
life.

The post I’ll Give Him All of Me! appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Had Enough? Here’s a Cup of Sufficient Grace!

Jaime Wiebel — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:29:00 +0000

How many of you woke up today and thought enough already?
Today is a new day and I am ready for a new beginning. You have been going
through your life and day after day it seems to be the same rehashed story just
a different day.

Have you ever seen the movie Groundhog Day? Bill Murray, the
star of the show, wakes up and it is the same day over and over again. At first
he is so down and out; he thinks I cannot live this day over again and refuses
to get out of bed. It is just an
unbearable situation.

Have you been there? Waking up to start a new day with a
grumble, with an, “I cannot take another day like I had yesterday.”

Recently, in my life, I had those days over and over again. I
wasn’t refusing to get out of bed but it was really taking a toll on me. It was
really beginning to take a toll on my family and friends because they had to
listen to my grumbles. My heart and attitude to say the least was sour. If that
was you, I am sorry.

I felt like my grumbles were legitimate. I am still not sure
that they were not legitimate, that is not the point. My grumbles were being
poured out to the wrong sources.

I am the type of person to wear my emotions on my sleeve. I
feel so deeply, that I quickly get hurt. This hurt was driving deep down into
my soul. I kept thinking today is a new day. I can brush off my feelings from
yesterday and start over today. These feelings, however, didn’t want to give up
so easily.

I would try to wrap my brain around this, sometimes all
day. It began to consume me until it was
almost eating at every heart-string that I have.

Look back at the last few paragraphs, do you see yourself
there? Do you hear yourself there? Now look carefully at how much I tried to figure this all out.

I would cry about this. I would talk about it to everyone
that I thought could help me change it. I was putting all my greatest efforts
at making my situation different.

As I looked back at all my efforts, they seemed to fade with
each passing day. I would wake up the next day to do it all over again.

I was becoming so busy at laying it at others feet and well,
they couldn’t fix it. I certainly couldn’t fix it. Now I realize God didn’t
want me to fix it.

Don’t get me wrong I was praying about this situation. I was
asking God to fix it the way I wanted Him to and in my time. My prayers and
thoughts were not entirely selfish, but I was praying that my will be done and
not God’s. I was praying as if He is
some sort of fix it my way and we can all move on, happily ever after, kind of
God.

Until the moment, listen to this carefully, until the moment I prayed for Him to
change me, and for Him to align me with His will, did He answer my prayers. I surrendered
it to Him. Please read Lay Down All Your Heavy Burdens to get more insight on
surrendering.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus
says, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Do you have those prayers? Are you praying regularly for God
to fix the situation that you are in? Are you treating Him like some sort of
genie God on your knees day and night trying to get Him to do what you are
asking Him?

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul, who became one of God’s greatest missionaries,
tells us about a thorn that he has in his flesh. This was not an actual thorn.
What he was saying was he had this affliction tormenting him so much and he pleaded
three times for the Lord to take it away.

I felt like this was me. I was pleading with God. I was
crying out to him. When He wasn’t fixing it the way I wanted Him to. When He
wasn’t laying out the path I wanted Him to, I pleaded in torment.

My heart was breaking. I thought that since my heart was
breaking for the things God wants our hearts to break for, like the injustice
to his people, this was okay.

This is what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God
said to him, this is what God tells me, and this is what He is telling you
right now in the midst of your tormented days. Paul says, But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness,” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

God does not promise us an easy life free of burden and
affliction. He promises that He is enough for us in the midst of the burdens,
if we lean on Him.

God can fix His own situations, I can’t.

I can
surrender. I can ask for my thoughts and actions to be aligned with His will,
and not my own.

Seems simple? That’s the tough part. It means surrendering
myself, taking up my cross daily (Luke 9:23), and living in alignment with the
will of God.

Are you in what seems like an unbearable situation, in a
state of personal torment?

God wants you to draw near to Him. He wants you to give it
to Him. Look back at 2 Corinthians 12:9 He says, My grace is sufficient for
you. It is enough for you. It is actually all you need. He also says His power
is made perfect in your weakness.

Are you feeling weak? Are you feeling like you cannot do
this again today? Give it up. Ask God to take your heavy burdens. Ask God to
help you draw closer to Him and to live in alignment with His will. He will
then show you His awesome power.

Please share this with a friend, you never know someone’s
real heart or the personal struggles that they may be going through. And guess
what, you can’t fix them anyway, but God can. May you extend to them that opportunity?

Please share in the comments below how God has made His
power perfect in your weaknesses. You can also encourage us with comments about
how He has lifted a heavy burden when you have surrendered.

The post Had Enough? Here’s a Cup of Sufficient Grace! appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Courage For Today

Jaime Wiebel — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 16:39:00 +0000

Lord Give Me Courage,

This blog post is going to be a little bit different than I
usually write because today it is a prayer. I ask that you pray with me and for
me as I continue on this journey. I also ask that if you are at a place in your
life and you want to give more to the Lord or you want to begin in your journey
with Him, this may be your prayer.

My Gracious Heavenly Father,

I ask that you give me the courage to live
boldly for you. Living out Your Word has so many blessings and I want to be obedient
to you.

Lord, I am not always courageous, I am not always the one to
stand up for you or for what is right but I want you to change my heart. I want
to not only be a hearer of Your Word but I want to be a doer of what you ask of
me, even when it is difficult.

I know that I struggle with always giving you my whole
heart. Worshiping you with my whole heart and all my strength gets put aside
to my selfishness and “me time”. Lord please help me to overcome myself and keep
my eyes focused on Your truths.

Lord, I know that I can accomplish great things in your name
and for your Glory, if I will not be the one to opt out when you want me to
give it my all.

I know that living for your glory is my choice. Lord I ask
you to give me the strength and the endurance to fight the good fight and keep
the faith to the end and not just when it is convenient.

You have given me this freedom from the bondage of my past
and yet I sometimes cling to the hurt that I have caused in my own decisions. You
have given me everything, including my freedom to live and not be bound to the
chains of sin. So Lord I ask that you help me to not only live but live freely.

Lord, I ask that you continue to walk beside me and give me
strength and courage to be the person you have designed me to be.

Lord, I know that I mess up, even daily; I thank you and
praise you for your forgiveness. I pray that you use my insecurities, doubts, fears, and my faults
as a reminder that I can be more in you and with you.

Lord, I pray that when I look in the mirror I will see you
and I will not walk away and forget what that needs to look like and be like.

I pray that you use Your Word to correct my attitude quickly
and swiftly and take those undesirable attitudes and actions and turn them into
something that is pleasing to you. I pray that you turn me into something that
I, too, desire. I thank you for constantly transforming me into the person that
you need me to be.

Lord, I want to have a heart that gives my all. I want to
face each day with the courage to face
each day.

Lord, my greatest desire is to love you. I praise you for loving me
in spite of whom and what I have been.

Father, until the day when I can be with you, I want make a
difference that will further your kingdom. My greatest desire is for the people
that I meet and even the ones that may only be reading the words that you have
been giving me is that they will have a heart for you and they will be with you
in paradise.

Lord, I thank you for giving me the love for each and every
one of these people and for their lives to be transformed through your Saving Grace.
Lord, I ask as I continue to use this ministry to reach others with your word
that they will not just notice my words but feel the love, grace and mercy that
you have for them.

I thank you for sending your Only Son, Jesus, to die for my
sins and raising Him up so that I, too, could be raised up to your Glory on the
day I leave this world. Thank you for doing what it took to restore a broken relationship
between us.

Lord, You are amazing. You alone, are awesome. Thank you for
each step of this journey. Walking hand in hand with me each day. Thank you for all your
promises and truths that you pour into my life.

Lord, I give all the glory and honor to you and I praise
Your Great Name for the blessings that you have abundantly poured upon my life.
I love You.

Amen

John 10:10 I came that
they may have life and have it abundantly.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God,
you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Joshua 1:7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

The post Courage For Today appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Take a Walk on the Light Side

Jaime Wiebel — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 16:27:00 +0000

Do you hang out in dark alleys? Some of you may be thinking
that is a crazy idea. Some of you may be thinking you would never be caught
anywhere close to a dark alley or any alley at all. On the other end of the
spectrum, some people may be saying, “I am in a dark alley all of the time,
what is the big deal?”

Think about your answer carefully. Don’t answer too quickly.
What is it that is going to make you come up with an answer? Is it your
experience? Is it the idea of the darkness? Will your answer be formed from
unknown or perhaps misinformation or prejudiced information? Does it stem
straight from fears?

Now think through your answer and say it out loud to
yourself.

Lets further explore the darkness according to God’s Word
and maybe we can get a clear perspective on what it is that may evoke certain
thoughts on the matter.

Genesis 1:1-2a, 3—4a In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and
empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. Then God said, “Let there be light.”
And there was light and God saw that the light was good. The idea of God’s
creation being good from His perspective is absolutely amazing; it means He
created it the way it was supposed to be, the way that made it all work
together.

1 John 1:1 says, “We
proclaim to you the One who existed in the beginning, whom we have heard and
seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands.”
John goes on to say in verse 5-6, “This
is the message that we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light
and there is no darkness in Him at all. So we are lying if we say that we have
fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not
practicing the truth. ”

In the beginning when God created the light in the world it
was to displace the darkness. John attests
to the light that he saw. He said he touched Him with his own hands and saw Him
with his own eyes. John also attests to the fact that God is light and in Him
there is no darkness.

In the darkness we cannot see. That is why there is so much fear in the
darkness.

Do we fear darkness
itself or what may be revealed or exposed in the light?

At night when my kids are fearful, I turn on the light and
ask them point out the things they are afraid of? Usually, there is nothing there.
Then I tell them that the same things are there when we turn the lights outs.
We often times pray for God to take those fears away in the night.

The commentary in NLT Life application Study Bible says of 1
John 1 5-6: Light represents what is good, pure, true, holy, and reliable.
Darkness represents what is sinful and evil. The statement “God is light” means
that God is perfectly holy and true and that He alone can guide us out of the
darkness of sin.

Light is also related to truth in that light exposes
whatever exists, whether it is good or bad. In the dark good and evil look
alike; in the light they can be clearly distinguished. Just as darkness cannot
exist in the presence of light, sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God.

So here is the connection that we can make and a couple of
questions we can ask ourselves.

Because God is light, walking in the presence of a holy God
can do two things, reveal our true selves and give us a peace beyond our
understanding.

Walking close to Christ and getting exposure to the SON can
expose all of our fears, worries, troubles, faults, insecurities, and sins. All
the things we want to keep “in the dark”.

Is this why you stay away from the light? Is this why you
may have distanced yourself from a real or active relationship with Christ?

I love reading God’s Word but sometimes I am so convicted
that I can’t wrap my head around what God is trying to teach me. I become
agitated and frustrated because I know there is something that needs fixed and
clearly I don’t want my faults pointed out to me.

A couple of months
ago as I was reading some passages, I just kept feeling agitated. I finally
said God, you are obviously trying to fix something in me so can you do it swiftly;
I am ready to change whatever you are trying to change in me.

I am not always so “adjustable” sometimes it has taken God
years to set me straight. In the mean time He

allowed me to live with my issues
and let me just deal with the consequences of my hard heart or stiff necked
self.

On the other hand, the light gives us a hope and peace that
we cannot otherwise see. Walking close to God takes our whole heart, mind, and
strength. This is exactly what He wants of us. He wants to make us more like
Him. The benefits of having a close relationship with Christ are so real and immense.

I have had many many times in my life when, on my own, I was
a complete mess. But the moment I turned it all over to Christ he made things
more clear and gave me a peace that I could not have gained on my own.

What hope we can gain walking in the light. Psalm 119:105 tells us, Your word is the
lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Do
you need your path lit up? Do you need help and guidance to know which way to
go, which decisions to make?

In the beginning I asked if you would walk in a dark alley,
what did you say? If your answer is never, then

ask yourself why you would walk
through life in the darkness. Why do you continue, daily, trying to navigate in
the dark?

Take a walk in the
Word. Take a walk in the light.

Questions to ponder:

Do we fear the dark or what may be revealed or exposed in
the light? Have you been exposed to The Great I Am?

Do you need your path lit up? Do you need help and guidance
to know which way to go, which decisions to

make?

Please encourage others by posting comments below. SHARE from
your experiences how walking close to the light or completely out of the light
has affected your life or answer the

questions above.

The post Take a Walk on the Light Side appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

The Power of a Living God

Jaime Wiebel — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 17:32:00 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48600082269@N01/2819155661/#DiscussPhoto

I love the story of the cross and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and I am honored to be sharing some of it with you today and we can reflect on Easter weekend.

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary
Magdalene, came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from
the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and other disciple, the one whom
Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we
don’t know where they put Him.” John 20:1-2

Ever been to a grave yard? Can you picture this scene?

Mary going to the tomb and sees that the stone is rolled
away and she thinks He is taken. Who would take the body? Why would she even
think this?

It was thought at the time that Jesus body would be taken so
they could disprove Christianity and all Jesus had said during His ministry.

It’s funny how 2000 years later those same thoughts and
actions are trying to disprove a living God.

I found the caption under this picture of the garden tomb to
be quite amusing. It said “It was empty. We went inside and checked.”

Why had Mary found the tomb to be empty? It was not that His
body was taken. John continues on telling us that He and Peter went to the tomb
and found His linens lying neatly wrapped and laying where His body was.

In a James MacDonald sermon I recently heard, He asked a
funny question. He said, “If His body was taken, would the robbers have taken
the time to neatly fold up the linens that were covering His body and lay them
down and then escape with His body?” Also, Jesus’
tomb was also guarded by Roman soldiers.

Jesus had not been taken; He was raised on the third day,
just as He had told them on several occasions.

How do we know this is true and can His resurrection have
anything to do with me?

First, Jesus stood with Mary in the garden and comforts her
in her distress as she was standing outside the tomb crying. He talks to her gently and says, “Mary, why
are you crying? Who are you looking for?” She cries on in her distress, and He
simply calls her by name, and she recognizes Him.

Do you need comforted in your situation right now?

Next, He appears in the midst of the disciples, as they were
hiding out in a locked room. They were afraid of the Jewish leaders who had
Jesus crucified. Jesus’ first words to them were, “Peace be with you.” This was
not just a generic overused saying. Jesus wanted them to have Peace in the
midst of their fears. He was standing
among them so they would know that only He would be able to give it to them.

Do you need a little Peace in the midst of your fears?

Next, Jesus appeared to Thomas, who doubted Jesus was real.
Jesus understood Thomas’s doubt. He didn’t rebuke Thomas. He reached out to
Thomas, showed him His wound, and allowed Thomas to touch His hands so his
doubts could be answered. Then He said to Thomas, “Believe.” And he did.

Do you have doubts?

Jesus continued to walk and talk with people for 40 days
after He was raised from the dead.

Witness after witness can attest to a living God.

Do you have doubts? Do you have fears? Do you need comforted
in the midst of your situation?

God doesn’t guarantee
a life free of problems. With Him, He offers us hope and peace in the midst of
our problems. Don’t wait until you are free of lives problems to come to
Christ. Come as you are. There is awesome power in the Resurrection of Christ. He is waiting for you right now to answer His call and
bring your life to Him.

Christ conquered death! Christ conquered the grave! Do you believe He can conquer whatever you are facing right now?

I will be praying for you this week to turn your life over
to Christ.

He said it to Thomas 2000
years ago and He says it to you today, BELIEVE!

I have changed the comments section to hopefully make it easier
to share. Please take a few moments to share how the power of Christ is working
in your life today.

You can also share your doubts, your fears, or areas that
you need comfort so we can pray with you.

May God Bless you and bring you to a new place this week.

If you want to know how to make a change in you life go to Who Loves A Good Rescue Story, Part 2?

To further read the details of this story read John 20 and
21

The post The Power of a Living God appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Make Today Count

Jaime Wiebel — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 16:48:00 +0000

I saw a really funny post from a teacher today. He hung a
note on his computer and told his students that it was the last day of the
quarter and he no longer was taking late assignments. The responsibility was
theirs and they should do the work when He gives them the opportunity.
Basically, no excuses for your grade, you had the chance. Now it is too late.

Often times in our society we want extra chances. We don’t
want there to be consequences for what we do. We, as parents, are constantly
make excuses for our children and their behavior and everyone is a superstar no
matter how average they are.

We don’t leave room for failure. We only leave room for
excuses.

I have learned the greatest things in my life while facing
my own failures. You can read one way Christ revealed Himself to me through
some of my most shameful moments in “Who Will Bear My Shame in Part 1, Part 2,
and Part 3”

I don’t want my kids to fail. I don’t want them to fall. But
I know deep down in my heart it will lead them to growth both emotionally and
spiritually.

At this time of year we are facing down Calvary’s road right
at the cross. Overall, the cross looked like a well laid out plan that completely
failed.

On Palm Sunday everyone was parading Christ in singing
Hosanna! Praise God! Here is our Savior! By late Thursday early Friday they had
completely turned on Him. We want answers. We want a Superstar. They began
making excuses for following the crowd and denying who He was. They wanted one
more miracle, one more sign, just one more.

Apparently, all He had done to this point to prove who He
was, was not enough. Show us and show us
now or you are a failure. Even His disciples temporarily questioned who He was.
As if all they had seen was not enough. I would clearly think from them, there
would be no excuses. They saw it. They witnessed it. Yet here they were denying
Him, betraying Him, doubting Him.

Doubt, denial, betrayal. Character flaws that are quick and easy for us
to judge. But Jesus tells us we are to take up our crosses daily, which means
He knows that we are going to fill our lives with excuses. It also means that
it is a constant work. We too, sometimes
daily, deny, doubt, and betray our “King.”

We are surrounded by His goodness, grace, and mercy, yet we
are always looking for one more sign, one more miracle. Then we will believe, and then we will follow.

As Jesus stood before the high council they said to Him, “Tell
us, are you the Messiah?” But He replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me.
And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer. But from now on the Son of Man
will be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand.” Luke 23:67-69

The leading priests, the teachers of religious law were
staring God in the face and they couldn’t see Him and they were making excuses.
Jesus even said to them, it doesn’t
matter what I tell you, it doesn’t matter what I do to prove myself to you, you
won’t believe.

Are you tired of making excuses? Are you tired of trying to
find ways for Christ to prove Himself to you?

As you stand on the road to the cross this Easter season, don’t
wait one more minute. Don’t come to the cross with your excuses. Come to the
cross with your open heart. Lay down all that you have at the feet of Jesus.

If you are already a believer in Christ, He is waiting to do
His work in you. We are to serve him with passion and desire to further His
purposes and to further His kingdom. Are you diligently seeking and serving
your Lord or are you daily making excuses about how busy you are and filling
your life with much more of you?

If you have not ever made the decision to call Jesus Lord of
your life, don’t wait another minute.

Philippians 2:9-11 tells us, Therefore, God elevated Him to
the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God
the Father.

A well laid out plan that failed, NO WAY! He has been
exalted to a place of highest honor. He has been given the name above all other
names. To Him, Every knee will bow. A well laid out plan was perfectly executed
for you and me.

Friends, there will be a day when no more excuses will be
able to be made. We will get to the final quarter, we will get to the day when
all grades will need to be turned in. Paul tells us in Philippians that on that
day EVERY knee will bow, EVERY tongue will confess, Jesus Christ as Lord.

On that day, No more excuses will be able to be made. As you
stand at the crossroad facing the cross please don’t miss your opportunity to
make the choice to follow Him. Make it today so that you can someday stand confidently
before Jesus and call Him Lord.

Friends, I will pray that you will make a choice
today to make no more excuses. That you will follow the Lord with passion and a
burning desire to only live a life pleasing to Him.

The post Make Today Count appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Who Will Bear My Shame? Part 3

Jaime Wiebel — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 03:38:00 +0000

Please Read Who Will Bear My Shame Part 1 and Who Will BearMy Shame Part 2?

When I last left you, I was at the beginning of my marriage
and the baggage that I had brought with me was beginning to weigh me down. I
had this really amazing man and I felt like I had very little to offer him. I
loved him very much but that didn’t seem to be enough.

One day it happened, crumpled up in a ball, I collapsed
before my Lord and King in utter shame. The weight of my life came crashing
down on me and I had no choice but to face it. I fell on my bed and began
sobbing uncontrollably. I began crying out to God, “I am so sorry, I am so
sorry. Please forgive me for all that I have done against you. I am so ashamed.”
I begged over and over for Him to forgive me.
As I laid there crying, I didn’t know what else to do besides open my
Bible and begin to seek out some relief.

I now realize He was slowly revealing Himself to me and as I
was begging for forgiveness this is what He was showing me.

He held up my head
and said, “Child, I already forgave you.” I didn’t understand. I said how is
this possible my list is so long? How can you bear it?

He said, as I set out for Jerusalem, I knew what I was
doing. I held your list in my hand and with my face to the ground, I prayed for
my Father to take this cup from my hand. He reminded what I was holding onto. I
knew there was no other way. As I was betrayed with a kiss and arrested, I made
sure I didn’t let go. When all of my followers abandoned me, I didn’t waiver
for a moment.

As I was dragged from
the high priest to the governor, I made sure that I that your list was in my
grips. As they began spitting and slapping me in my face, I knew I had to take
this one for you. When they tore my clothes from me and replaced it with a
purple robe and a crown of thorns and began mocking me, I knew you would
someday understand.

When they tied me to the post and began beating me in the
head with a stick, I made sure to take every blow and to never let go of your
list that I had carried all this way with me. As the morning continued on and I
began to walk to the place they call The Skull, I made sure that no matter how
hard it was going to be to carry that cross and your list, I would do both.
When the cross became too heavy, it dropped me to the ground but I had clenched
your list I brought with me.

As I walked the rocky path to Calvary’s Hill, I knew you
would someday come back to me. When they laid me there on the cross and began
to nail my hands and feet to the rugged wood, I felt every blow of the hammer
but I held on tight.

As they mocked and ridiculed me, I knew you would face the
same. My heart broke for you and for all who were watching. I cried out, “Father,
forgive them for they know not what they do.” Just the same as I do today.

As they raised the cross my blood began to drip down your
list that I took with me on that day. With each drop, your list became less
visible to Me and to My Father until the blood soaked page was wiped completely
clean.

With my last breath, I gave one last shout for you and for
the whole world to hear, “It is finished,” because I had given the world all they
would ever need to be with me in paradise. At that moment, I opened my blood
clinched hand and your list blew as far as the east is to the west.

So you ask if I will forgive you darling girl, I already
have. Now it is your turn to forgive yourself.

I cried out, my Lord,
I don’t deserve your grace. He said, nobody does but the debt has been paid.
You just have to believe and to trust that it was meant for you.

The Good News is this. Now when I stand before my Lord, I
don’t have to bow my head in shame. I don’t have to trudge to His feet with my
heavy load. With arms spread wide, He took it all. Today, I can stand before my
Father and bow my head as a redeemed and righteous daughter of a King.

Dear Friends, there is power in the cross. The power to heal
the broken-hearted, the power to forgive, the power to be completely redeemed.
The amazing thing is, it was all for us. There is nothing we can do to add to
the grace that Christ poured out on us at the cross.

Crucifixion was meant to be painful and humiliating. Christ
took that so we don’t have to. For our relationship with God to be restored, there
had to be a perfect sacrifice. Jesus was the only One who could be the perfect
sacrifice, being One with no sin. Now God can see us in a new way because
through Christ we are redeemed. Through Christ we are made whole. Through
Christ we are made new.

So now you are faced with one thing, a choice. The choice to
believe what Christ did on the cross was for you or to turn it down.

Christ died with two criminals on either side of Him. On one
side a criminal who, in his brief time with Christ, realized who He was and
realized He was the only One that was going to save him at that point. He
recognized that he wasn’t worthy of being saved but saw the innocence of Jesus
as he hung on the cross.

On the other side was a criminal who made the choice to mock
and taunt Jesus, saying if you are The Son of God, then save us. Even in his
final moments of life, he didn’t recognize that he didn’t deserve it. He wanted a quick way out.

Christ recognized the heart of the changed criminal and assured
him, today, you will be with me in paradise.

Do you need that assurance in life?

Are you at the point in your life where it may seem to be
going good, but you are not assured of what would happen to you or where you
would go if you faced death today?

Have you asked Christ into your life but you are continuing
to live on your own path because it seems to be easier?

Are you a free person in Christ but still, like I was,
living in the bonds of sin and shame?

So, I asked the question, WHO will bear my shame? Jesus
says, I already have. I took it all and hung it to the cross. Do you need to
lay your baggage at the foot of the cross? Do you need some relief from what is
weighing you down in life?

There is power and hope in the death and resurrection of a
Living Savior. He’s waiting, my friend, for you to take His hand. He says seek
and you will find. Knock and the door will be answered.

Christ came to seek and save the lost. He came for people
like me and you.

If you are in need of forgiveness today, take it to the
cross. God laid down His life there to save you from your past, present, and
future. All you have to do is ask for forgiveness.

If you have questions about how to heal a broken relationship
between you and God, let me know. I would love to have a conversation with you
about this. You can send me an e-mail at youresewtrendy@gmail.com.

If you already have a relationship with Christ, please take
a moment to pray for others that may be reading this right now. Please share
some encouraging words below in the comments sections and please SHARE the hope
with your friends.

Any comments and questions can also be left anonymous, so please reach out and take that next step.
I Love this song from Crowder! I hope that you enjoy it and may you be lifted by the Almighty!

The post Who Will Bear My Shame? Part 3 appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Who Will Bear My Shame, Part 2

Jaime Wiebel — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 06:43:00 +0000

If you missed my last post Who Will Bear My Shame, Part 1, follow
this link for the beginning of story.

My journey may not be as long as others but it has been
filled with many lessons that have made me who I am today. It has been filled
with a God that would not let me go, and a God that knew I needed all the grace
and mercy He could pour out on my past, present, and future.

God had many plans for me and it seemed that none of them were
on my list so far. I was in my mid-twenties, childless, single, and jobless. I
had just left my beautiful paradise home on Oahu and was heading back to the
Midwest to move back in with my parents.
Is this sounding like anyone’s fairy tale they dreamed of as a little
girl?

Not only had my life not been going as I had planned or
expected, I was carrying a lot of baggage that I had accumulated over the
years. I would have loved to throw it all out as I flew over the deep blue
Pacific Ocean and get a fresh start in my life. Getting rid of your sins is apparently
not that easy and it was something that God had to work out in me.

I could present myself as this good Christian girl but deep
down inside the pain and agony of shame, fear, worthlessness, regret, and
disappointment were weighing me down. As I continued to suppress all those
feelings inside they just became larger than I could take care of on my own.

When I moved back to the mainland, things seemed to be turning
around for me. I was quickly offered a teaching job. I began attending church
again. I was spending a lot of time with my family and I was really discovering
who I wanted to be, so I thought.

Shortly after being here a teacher friend of mine asked me
to go on a blind with her husband’s good friend. I quickly said, “No.”

I was on a mission to discover who I was and not what or who
any guy told me I was. I really wanted to become my own self without any
attachments. I already had an image of myself and that was looking pretty bleak
and downright disappointing.

My 28th birthday was approaching. My friend had
asked me several times to go out as a group with her and her husband so I broke
down and said yes. By this time I seemed to really know what I wanted for
myself. I wanted a turn around.

We went on a blind date. Many of you may be groaning right
now. I know it could have been pretty disastrous, it wasn’t bad but I told
myself I probably wouldn’t go out with him again. However, he called me back with
a plan and to make a long story short, I am happy to say I am married to an
amazing man and we

will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary
this year.

Our relationship didn’t start out quite as I would have
hoped. We went out a lot with friends and I was back into my lifestyle of doing
whatever made us happy at the moment. We were happy. We had great times together
but they were not all my proudest moments.

Several months after we got married my baggage really
started weighing me down. Here I was with a really great guy and I had so many
regrets in my life. Let me start by explaining with a little story.

When I was teaching there was a guest speaker for the school
district. I am not exactly sure what he was about. Maybe he was there for me or
I guess it might have been for the kids. He was talking to the kids about
purity and giving themselves someday to their mate.

He stood in front of all the kids and held up this beautiful
red rose and said something like this. “This is you. You are beautiful. There
are many layers to you and each one of them is very special. However, each time
you give yourself to someone, you lose a little bit of yourself.” As he said
this he was peeling away pieces of the rose. He continued to talk about doing
different things in life and each time he would peel away another petal. By the
time he got done with his story, the rose was just a stem, the center, and a
few petals.

Then he continued, “Someday you will meet the mate that you
want to be with. What will you offer them? Will there be just pieces of you or
will you offer them your whole beautiful self?”

This is exactly how I felt all the time. Here I was in a new
marriage and I felt like all I had to offer this amazing man were pieces that
were left of me. This was completely me. He had told me early on that he didn’t
care about my past because it made me who I was. I really loved him for that reassurance.

Slowly, I began to break. I had come into this marriage with
all this excess baggage and I had not figured out any way to get rid of it.
What I didn’t know at the time was God was beginning to make me whole but
before he could get me there I had to stand and face Him. I had to look Him in
the eye.

I relate to Peter here in the beginning of Luke 22:61 which reads: At that moment, the Lord turned and looked at Peter.

Peter said he would never deny Him Lord, but the Lord knew Peter would get weary and fall away. When I was young, I remember sitting at church camp and promising to live a life that was pleasing to God. Now here I was, afraid to look Him in the eye. Running this way and that just so I wouldn’t have to face Him. Here He was, looking me in the eye, undaunted by my life, and ready to pour out some grace and mercy so I could be more glorifying to Him.

Come back Sunday to read more of this story. Maybe you need to face your King today and you no longer want to do it with your head bowed in shame. Maybe you have no idea what I am talking about but you know you need something different than what you have, please come back for the rest of the story. It will be worth your time. In the mean time if you want to know what it means to have a relationship with Christ you can read, Who Loves a Good Rescue Story, Part 1 and Who Loves a Good Rescue Story, Part 2.

Until then, I will be praying that the Lord will do a work in you and pour out His mercy and grace onto your life.

The post Who Will Bear My Shame, Part 2 appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.