Salvation Archives - Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel

The Cherished Moments: Face to Face with New Life

Jaime Wiebel — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 11:00:11 +0000

Face to Face with New Life

Much of my life was not spent in living an abundant life in Christ. Sure, I thought that I had a life. Sure, I thought it was eternal. But I had never really sat face to face with Jesus. In fact, I had spent much of my time running in the opposite direction. New life wasn’t something I grasped.

The most well-known verse in the Bible, John 3:16, was something I could rattle off of my tongue in my sleep. But like the man Jesus was talking to in these verses, I didn’t quite grasp the love, the life eternal, and the new life that is offered by Jesus.

So There Was a Man

And there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. John 3:1 (BLB)

This man was not just any man of the synagogue, he was a ruler He was a Pharisee and a lawyer. If disputes are to be made among the rulers, these are the men that are gathered. We see Nicodemus appear later in requesting Jesus get due process of the law in John 7.

He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.” John 3:2 (BSB)

I can completely relate to Nicodemus in the verses. Sadly, I lived much of my life ashamed to come out in the light of day to know Jesus. I think if we are honest, as believers, we often struggle with the people around us knowing we want to know Jesus more or even that we know Him at all.

Jesus is Personal

What I love about this interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus is that I can picture, Jesus, sitting right up close with someone who has to come in the cloak of darkness to Him more. Jesus seeks a personal intimate relationship with each of us and this man was no different.

Jesus got personal with Nicodemus. Nicodemus was not condemned for his late night covert operation. Jesus welcomed him into a conversation about who He truly is.

Nicodemus had one understanding of God at this point in his life. He knew access to God was limited through the vail. He most certainly would have known that God had not been present behind that vail for hundreds of years. To be up close and personal with someone who he believed was with God had to be astonishing.

Jesus’ signs and miracles were evidence of who He was. Nicodemus knew these signs pointed Him in the direction he wanted to understand more. Although Nicodemus came in the dark of the night, he had a purpose to understand his own soul. And without hesitation, he jumps right into this subject.

Born Again

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3 (NLT)

This is a very interesting statement. It baffles Nicodemus. What is Jesus talking about? Born again? How could he go back into his mother’s womb?

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. John 3:5 (NLT)

Jesus gives us all hope in this one phrase. He tells Nicodemus, “I assure you”.

If you have ever questioned your faith, questioned if God is who He says, questioned Jesus and His authority. You can take ahold of verses such as this.
Share on X

Christ assures us. We can know whether we can enter the kingdom of God or not. Without believing in Christ and putting our trust in Him, repenting, and accepting his gift of salvation, we cannot enter heaven.

Born again does not mean we go back to being an infant in our mother’s womb. We know that is not happening. Jesus tells Nicodemus if you don’t understand earthly things (going back to your mother’s womb) how are you going to understand things of heaven.

Heavenly things — because Christ died for us on the cross, we can be born into new life with Him. the new life or new beginning is of the Spirit.

I Just Don’t Know

I have to be honest, there are somethings in my faith that I just don’t know and understand. That does not make them any less credible or believable. It just makes my trust in Christ stretch farther.

Although we would like a clear explanation of how the moving of the Spirit works, Jesus continues on in verse 8.

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 (NIV)

I cannot explain about the day I received Christ as Savior. Having come to the realization that I was a sinner in need of a Savior and to be with Jesus in heaven I needed to admit my sin, ask for forgiveness, and ask Jesus to come and live inside me.

I cannot explain the things that the Spirit was doing in me to make this decision. I don’t know how the Spirit operates in this manner. But I can be confident that He does. I can be assured of my Salvation as a result of Him breathing new life into me. And I can have blessed assurance that one day, I will get to see Jesus face to face.

Great Love

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)

This verse is a cornerstone in the Christian faith. Yet, it’s so drastic, that it seems unreal.

This is not a love that we know by any other name. Sacrificial, never-ending, unfailing love. That God would send His one and only Son, to save an undeserving sinful wretched soul such as myself. To take the punishment that I deserve and lay it on His Son so I can breath new life.

I can see why the Christian faith seems so unbelievable. This kind of love has its own name. It is the name Jesus.

Jesus went to the cross for my sins and yours. He was placed on heaven's alter and sacrificed in our place.
Share on X

I have to admit, I don’t know many people that I would take a punch for, let alone willingly lay down my life.

Yet some 2000 years ago, Jesus did exactly that.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

For my sins, He allowed Himself to be beaten, slapped in the face, and spit upon. A crown of glory that was meant to mock Him will one day bring me into glory. He was speared, nailed, and hung to die on a tree on Calvary’s Hill.

For me.

For you.

No, I can’t explain it but I can claim it. Christ assures us it is for us to take and when we do, we may enter the kingdom of God.

Choose New Life

Dear Friends, if you have not made the decision to accept Christ as your personal Savior, don’t hesitate. The Bible says one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ as Lord. The decision is not if but when. The decision has both immediate and eternal impact.

If you have not made that decision, I would love to talk with you further. I don’t want you to miss the breath of new life that can penetrate your soul. Life of the Spirit. One that can not be obtained by any human effort or achievement. One ordained only by God Himself.

If you would like to further learn how you can make a decision to accept Christ, here is a great resource. PeaceWithGod.net

Linkup with Sitting Among Friends Blog Party

Blog Parties are such a great place to meet people and build connections around the web. This is one reason, I love this party. Please make sure to visit another friend in the linkup!

I would love to sit down face-to-face with you but since we can’t do that I love to meet you here. I love to hear your stories and see your work.

This is a Christian based website and so is the material that I promote here. Please remember that when linking up. I do reserve the right to remove posts.

*Please be sure to visit other blogs to comment and share*

I would appreciate you linking back to Seeking God or #SittingAmongFriends somewhere on your page. (You can also use the SAF picture with a link)

Tag Me with Twitter Shares and I will RT them.

I will also be featuring a friend during the week on my FB page!

Join us at our Sitting Among Friends Pinterest Board by following my profile and then requesting an invite.

An InLinkz Link-up

The post The Cherished Moments: Face to Face with New Life appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Rejoice! and Sitting Among Friends #84

Jaime Wiebel — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 07:21:00 +0000

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 (NIV)

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

7-17-17.

My son and daughter were up to some shenanigans. My son apparently got the brunt end of the matter, literally. But was this the tipping point for His next decision?

God has a way of bringing us to Him. I am not always sure what or why or how He does it but He can certainly pull it off.

I have been praying that something in him, my son, would change. That God would change Him. More importantly that God would choose Him to be His own.

A Mother’s One Cry! God, let my children be your own.

I feel He has chosen me to be their mother but let’s be honest. I am lacking. In so many ways that only God will do. I Need Him. I need Him desperately.

So, after the incident, it happened! A moment I have been waiting for.

As my son sat on the couch, the realization seemed to flood him. “I trust Jesus. I need Him. Without Him I am nothing. I am everything through Him.” He kept repeating these sweet words.

WOW! I was overwhelmed. Here he is, 10-years-old and the Holy Spirit is flooding over him. And I got to witness it. It was beautiful. It was exciting! The crimson blood seemed to wash over him.

He wanted me to pray again with Him and this time when he asked, I sensed something was different. And I asked Him. Did you ask Jesus to come into your heart?

YES!

Praise the Lord! He said, YES!

And she treasured these things in her heart!

This mother’s deepest desire for her children to know Christ as their personal Savior. More than anything I want them to have Jesus come into their lives and rescue them.

It is my prayer. Lord please chose them to be your own.

For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love, He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One. Ephesians 1:4-6 (BSB)

In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will for us, the ones having first trusted in Christ, to be to the praise of His glory, And in Him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, having heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Ephesians 1:11-13 (BSB)

I don’t know how this works. It seems as if we are offered this gift and we can choose to take it and then we look back and the sign reads “Chosen before the foundations of the earth.”

This is the part, where I say God is God and I am glad I am not Him. I don’t know how He works out this system but I know He does. I know He can and I know He will.

I didn’t want to overwhelm him so I let it settle. I wanted to talk to him and tell him of some of the things that happened and assure him these things happen instantly and can’t be taken away from you.

If you are a new believer who is searching for your identity in Christ or a long-time believer that needs your heart refreshed (and who doesn’t) These few verses in Ephesians give us so much hope.

Your Identity

You can see Christ’s heart in these verses and out of them pours your identity. We have a purpose and most importantly we have hope.

You are chosen to be holy and blameless in His sight.

You are adopted as His sons and daughters. You are family.

You are in His will and He finds pleasure in you.

You have been freely given His glorious grace through His beloved.

You are chosen as His own.

You have God’s will working for the good in your life.

You are the praise of His Glory.

You are sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit.

You believe the Word of Truth and the Gospel of your Salvation.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. In Christ, you are so much more. On top of all these amazing things. The Bible also says we are redeemed, free from bondage, robed in righteousness, bought with the blood of the lamb, justified, sanctified, and all to someday be glorified.

If you are reading this today and you are not sure where you stand with Christ, I would love to continue this conversation with you. Feel free to contact me by sending an email to youresewtrendy@gmail.com

If you have made the decision for follow Christ. Tell someone. I know this can be difficult but Romans 10:9 says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

We can’t have news this amazing and keep it to ourselves. God is working. God is moving in the lives of others through us. Be the change they need today.

Personal Reflections:

Have you asked Christ to be the Lord and leader of your life?

Do you need someone to pray for you today or to be interceding on your behalf?

If you have asked Christ into your life, what was one thing that helped in the beginning with your walk with Him?

How can you do that for someone else in your life right now?

List 10 things you can rejoice the Lord for right now!

Thank you for joining me today in Rejoicing in this very special moment! Please pray for my son to grow in God’s graces!

I am glad you are here. I would love for you to join us at Seeking God Daily. Because a couple friends and I are passionate about sharing God’s Word we have joined forces to bring together a Facebook Group called Seeking God Daily.

Seeking God Daily is a group that offers hope, encouragement, and support in learning God’s Word and applying the truths to our walk with Christ.

We want to encourage one another through authentic, honest and respectful conversation as we earnestly seek God daily.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

We’re doing life together so come and join in the conversations. You can join this group by clicking HERE ! While you are there feel free to invite some friends along for the journey. We would love to have them!

Share Here

Let’s Connect!

WOW! Thank you all for coming and for the 69 Amazing posts from last week. This party has been wonderful thanks to you, friends, who link-up with us and those who stop by and read posts. Thank you!

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

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

*** Joining Us Here? You are welcome to join me on Pinterest and Pin to Our Sitting Among Friends Blog Party Board where I will be happy to re-pin posts to my other boards. ***

An InLinkz Link-up

Want Reminders and Updates for Sitting Among Friends Blog Party.

Yes, Sign Me Up!

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Email Format

html
text

Share Here

The post Rejoice! and Sitting Among Friends #84 appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

A Living Hope and Sitting Among Friends #64

Jaime Wiebel — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 20:33:00 +0000

A Living Hope

I am so excited to be sharing this new seven-week study with you. This winter has been a bit tough for me. I have been sick and down and out on several occasions. Even today as I write this, it is gloomy and I am getting over yet another bout of whatever is going around.

Times like these can get us down. They can leave us feeling like there is no hope for anything better and wondering when the promise of a tomorrow will come.

Maybe for you, it is not an illness or gloomy weather, maybe it is a loss. Loss of a job, health, finances, a prodigal child. Whatever it is that leaves you feeling bleak and grabbing for any piece of encouragement, I am glad you are here. I am ready to have a new focus — a focus on The Living Hope of Jesus.

Hope for Newness

What I love about this time of year is the hope for newness, growth, and the promise of a brighter tomorrow.

For the next seven-weeks we are going to thrive on the promise of a new day and new mercies, a new birth, a new hope, a new covenant, a new heart, and a newness that only comes from the hope we can have in the Lord Jesus through His death on the cross and resurrection. All of this bringing us into a new life with Him. Hallelujah!

This study was born out of this verse in 1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (NIV)

Great Hope

Take a moment to read all the hope we are given through Christ in this single verse. Sketch those words down on a piece of paper and carry them with you until they become your heart. When you begin to feel life do an overhaul on you, bring this out.

What great mercy we are given. We are given a new birth. We have a living hope. The best part is it all stands on the firm foundation of a living God!

We can begin by giving God the praise for who He is and who He has made us through Him. He is the Father of our Lord. Our giver of life.

For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. Colossians 1:27 (NLT)

And in Him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, having heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Ephesians 1:3 (BSB)

Sealed with a Promise

If you are a believer in Christ, if you have submitted your life to Him, the Holy Spirit comes and make His dwelling in you. You are sealed with the promises of God, on that very day! You are given an eternal inheritance as co-heir to Christ! Pretty Amazing!

1 Peter also says we were given mercy from God. Mercy means that we do not get what we deserve. Simply put because of our rebellion, we deserve death. God, however, is merciful and in exchange for the death we deserve, He gives us the opportunity for life. Life in Him.

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in John 3, Nicodemus wanted to know what it would take to get into the Kingdom of God? Jesus told him he had to be born again (John 3:16). Not physically, but in the spirit.

This means that you have a new birth (1 Peter 1:3). Before this, you were dead in your sins (Ephesians 2:1). For dead people to have life, it needs to be given to them and this was given through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Here is the amazing news. Your new life doesn’t just begin when you physically die. Remember in Ephesians 1 it says on the day of trusting Christ as Savior, you were sealed.

Further, in Colossians, it says God wanted you to know you can have assurance when Christ comes to live in you, you are given the riches of His glory. You become His child (1 John 5:1) and He will care for you as such.

We Become Alive In Christ

The most glorious part of this, I believe, 1 Peter tells us we have a living hope. Meaning here, now, and for eternity. Once we become alive in Christ, we have a living hope that we can only receive from Him.

Our life is given a new identity. We become alive in Christ.

You may be asking yourself, how we can have assurance? How do I know that this is set on a firm foundation?

We can have A Living Hope because Christ lives. Christ not only died on the cross for our sins, He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:4)

Believing Christ’s death on the cross is the most important part of the story leaves out the most exciting part of the story. On the cross, He provided the opportunity for us to be forgiven by taking on himself the sins of the world.

But friends it was critical that He rose from the dead because in that we can have new life. We do not have a God that is made by human hands or a God that his dead. He is a living and active God who conquered death.

Because He is alive, I too can live!

That is Awesome news!

Life at times seems bleak and a bit hopeless, but we have to look at all of the facts with the perspective of who Christ is and who I am in Him! For that, I can only say, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Please continue to join me for this series on A Living Hope in Christ Jesus.

Before you go, please leave in the comments below your favorite verse that keeps you excited about who you are in Christ.

Personal Reflections:

Have you been personally sealed with the Holy Spirit? If so, what evidence are you seeing in your life that would point to the day you became alive?
What can you do during the next 7 weeks to thrive on the promises of God and the present and future that He has for you? (List actual steps or goals)

If you have any questions for me feel free to email me at youresewtrendy@gmail.com. I would love to continue this conversation or you can read more here, and hear what you think or answer any questions you may have.

Dig Deeper Visit Each Post in this Series

A Living Hope – a 7-week study

1.Hope in the Cross

2. A New Heart

3. A New Hope

4. A New Covenant

5. A New Day New Mercies

6. A New Life

7. New Growth

This week’s featured friend is June Caedmon from inspiredbyjune.com. June is an author and blogger. She writes in her romantic fiction novels to glorify God and has a new book out called No Tomorrow. Stop by June site today and also see how she captures life through a lens. Thanks for joining us, June. I am so glad you are here!

Linkup with Sitting Among Friends Blog Party

Blog Parties are such a great place to meet people and build connections around the web. This is one reason, I love this party. Make sure to visit another friend in the linkup!

I would love to sit down face-to-face with you but since we can’t do that I love to meet you here. I love to hear your stories and see your work.

This is a Christian based website and so is the material that I promote here. Please remember that when linking up. I do reserve the right to remove posts.

*Please take the time to visit other blogs to comment and share*

I would appreciate you linking back to Seeking God or #SittingAmongFriends somewhere on your page.

Tag Me with Twitter Shares and I will RT them.

I will be featuring a friend during the week on my FB page!

Join us at our Sitting Among Friends Pinterest Board by following my profile and then requesting an invite.

An InLinkz Link-up

The post A Living Hope and Sitting Among Friends #64 appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.