The Cross Archives - Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel

The Resurrection of My Lord and King

Jaime Wiebel — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 10:00:19 +0000

My Lord and King

As I lay my kids down at night there is nothing more precious to me then to snuggle with them. The busyness of our day comes to an end and the quietness of the night calms our restlessness. For those split moments, our hearts meld together and I know they are mine and they know I am theirs.

We lay head to head and heart to heart. And nothing else seems to matter in those moments. They are great moments to curl up into a book or talk about our love for each other.

I love to tell my little girl how much I love her because her sweet reply is always, “I love you more.”‘

A relationship sweeter than honey.

Many years ago, I asked God to come into my life and become my Lord and Savior. I knew I needed to do that but I didn’t know what it entailed.

I didn’t know it was about a relationship with the Living God. I only understood I needed it to get to Heaven. As I got older my faith stayed at that same place.

While I understood it’s importance, it pretty much ended there.

A Decree of Love

From what I understood I had covered my basis. I continued to live most of my adult life the way I wanted because I had never had those times with Jesus where I just curled up with Him.

I thought He knew me and for all it was worth I thought I knew all about Him.

I understood Him to be Lord over all but never recognized Him as Lord over my life. And my life certainly showed that I was far from a sincere relationship.

How often do we put God behind us to move forward in life? I knew He was there and if I didn’t have to acknowledge that, I didn’t have to face my ugly reality.

There is a difference in knowing about God and knowing God. If we had friends that we never talked to, never sat down with, never tried to make any connection and never sacrificed or made any efforts in pursuing. We wouldn’t call that a friendship or any relationship at all.

This Friend is Different

Jesus is different than any other friend. I have found Him to be trustworthy and faithful. Pursuant of me even when I have turned my back on Him. Loving and holding onto me even when I have fought to walk away. Gracious when I least deserved it and sacrificial of Himself when I didn’t know I needed it.

He is so different.

Now the times I curl up with Him, I try to say, “I love you more” But He demonstrated His love for me on the cross that was like no other love. A love that I wouldn’t trade. A love that I now run to and am assured of arms that greet me there.

Christ Dies For Our Sins

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

When I curl up with the Good News of the gospel, the lies in my life are dispelled with the truth. My heart is refreshed by the Living Water. My soul longs for those moments to never end. In the quietness of my soul, my heart longs for a deep and real relationship.

Why? Because in my heart my creator made an empty place that was the size of a cross. A need and desire to seek His face. He has set eternity on the heart of every human so we would long for Him. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

The one thing that we have to face when facing eternity is the cross. Not the pretty crosses we hang around our necks or the cross we hang on our churches. We have to face the reality of the cross and the decision of what to do when we are there.

Christ became like us to that we could become like Him. The Son of Man was nailed to that cross. Our sins poured out on Him as He gave up His spirit on our behalf.

We have two choices, just like the thieves that were hung beside Jesus. Are we going to choose to notice Jesus for who He really is, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords or are we going to turn away and mock Him.
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I Took The Drive-Thru Version

I can compare my former form of Christianity to the drive-thru.

I went to the cross and asked for forgiveness and left. I then came back when it was convenient. When I wanted a quick fix. Lord, help me… kind of religion. I wanted a menu of choices and options. I wanted the golden arches and the toy in the meal without actually consuming the food.

I didn’t want to make a commitment to go there if there were other places I enjoyed more. I wanted it to be quick and cheap. I would go with it if it didn’t cost me much. Not because I was thrifty, but because I was selfish.

That form of Christianity has so many times crept into our hearts. And before we know it we are trying to live on the drive-thru Jesus.

On the Third Day

Jesus wants more.

On the third day, everything changed. For a long time, I never understood the importance of the resurrection. In fact, I stopped at the cross. I thought that was where it was at. I thought it was the difference maker.

And then I realized that the cross without the resurrection would have left Him like every other “god” or religious leader. He would have been dead.

And while it was essential for Him to die to be the sacrifice for our sins, it was also essential for Him to be sitting at the right hand of His Father — Alive.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:8-11 (BSB)

Count Yourselves Alive

Life is but a breath yet in Christ, we can count ourselves alive. This life is not the end because death has no hold on Christ. If we have put our faith and trust in Him, it has no hold on us.

Because I can Live in Christ. I can count Him as my own. He is not just Lord over all but He can be Lord over my life.

We no longer have to approach Him behind the veil. We can confidently approach Him on the throne. We have become His and He has become ours.

The resurrection granted me access to a living God that offers us a living Hope. Because of that hope, I call Him mine. My Lord. My God. My Savior.
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My Rock. My Redeemer. My Fortress. My King. My Deliverer. My Refuge.

Personal Reflections

Have you stood at the foot of the cross and asked for repentance and for Jesus to become the Lord of your life?
If you have made a decision to put your trust and faith in Jesus, what changed in your life? If you have not, what do you think will change in your life if you do?
Jesus is the name above all names. What other names for Jesus can you reflect on today? Make a list and share some of them with us below.

Want to join a great online community offering hope and encouragement in God’s Word?

Join us at Seeking God Daily FB Group

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

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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.

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

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

Anchored In The Cross

Jaime Wiebel — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 07:28:00 +0000

Over the past few days I have been having “one of
those days”. I woke up and just didn’t feel quite like myself. No matter what I
was trying I just couldn’t shake the feeling. I wanted to cry, I felt so
frustrated.

Anyone ever have those kind of days?

Of course, I am not alone in my feelings but that is
exactly how I felt, alone. I felt like everything was coming down on me at
once.

My head kept filling with the lies that I wasn’t
good enough, mom enough, smart enough, tall enough, skinny enough, outgoing
enough, enough of a friend, just purely not enough.

I kept reminding myself that God’s promises are
bigger than I am and I just kept clinging to all that I know. I was crying out
to Him, a couple of times literally, for a rescue from these feelings.

I know when I feel alone, I am promised from God
that He will never leave me nor forsake me. I felt, however, like I was
reaching out and grabbing at nothing.

I asked God why I was feeling alone and told Him I
knew this was not true and knew He was by my side.

I began to pray for God to rescue me from these
feelings and I was sure that He would. I continued to however, perpetuate these
thoughts. They began to pull me down like a heavy weight.

Sometimes the assurance doesn’t come so quickly or
as easily as we would like. Sometimes we get caught up in the whirlwind of our
emotions and they begin to take over.

The fact is,

I can
choose to be anchored to these lies…

I can continue
to sink into a downward spiral until I am in over my head…

I can
choose to drown in my self-doubt…

Or…

I can choose to be anchored to the cross.

At the cross, I receive the grace and mercy of a
loving Father. At the cross, I receive the promises Christ has given to his
children. At the cross, I receive the rest I need for my weary soul to be strengthened
for the next step in my journey.

Hebrews 6:19 says: We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It
enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain

The hope in the salvation of cross is real. It is
what we can stand firm on when our hearts and our heads begin to get weary and
all of life comes pouring in on us.

This hope is more than I hope it doesn’t rain
tomorrow or I hope the grocery store is having a sale on strawberries.

This hope is grounded in something sure, certain and
secure. This hope is standing firm in the Salvation of Christ and being able to
approach His throne with confidence.

Psalm 62:5-7 Yes, my
soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my
salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor
depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

This Psalm is a beautiful reminder or our Great and
Mighty Lord in the midst of our weariness. In the middle of life’s
complications we can be assured that our hope comes from God alone.

I am not my feelings today. I am not the
circumstances that surround me. My anchor is set outside my rocking ship.

I can pour out my heart to God and there I will
find shelter. I can expect Him to be a solid ground to rest my feet upon.

He is my
rock, my fortress, my refuge, my defense, my salvation,
my honor depend on Him alone. With
God, I will not be shaken.

Does anyone need that reminder today like I do?

Does anyone have a weary heart or head that could
use a little rest and assurance?

Jesus says in John 15:26
says: I will send you the Advocate
– the Spirit of Truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all
about me.

I often times have songs in my head, but only a
couple of lines and I sing them all day. Yesterday, I asked God for help.
Today, I had this song play over in my head, “Holy Spirit, You are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.” This beautiful song is by Francesca Battistelli.

God has sent help, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth,
the Holy Spirit. If you have accepted Christ, He has come to intercede on your
behalf.

He will give you a renewed strength. He will comfort you, encourage you,
and give you counsel in those times when life hurls all it has in your direction.
He
will testify to the truth that Christ took it all at the cross. He will testify
to the truth of God’s promises for His children.

What or Whom will you choose to be anchored to today?

Read last weeks post, Expecting the Unexpected

The post Anchored In The Cross 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.

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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.

Shame Can No Longer Bury Me: Today I Am Living Free

Jaime Wiebel — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 20:49:00 +0000

The Lies I Told Myself

For years I told myself as long as I accepted Christ, I was free to do whatever I wanted. I had gotten my ticket into Heaven and I was free.

But as I came into my twenties and early thirties, my Shame began to bury me deep underneath the lies I had told myself.

The bigger problem was I had enough Bible knowledge to lie to myself and everyone around me, but not enough to truly live free in Christ.

For years I had been “Following Jesus”. What does that even mean? Many people today claim to be Christians but they don’t really follow Jesus. I
know what that looks and feels like; I was one of those people for many many years.

Recently, I heard someone on the radio say, “If all of the evidence of your life was gathered, would there be enough evidence to prove you
are a Christian.”

For me, the sad answer was NO!

Playing the Game

I could play the game as most people do. Go to church on the weekends and live for me the rest of the week. I knew all the great stories inside and out and I could have great theological conversations.

The world will tell us to follow our hearts and follow our dreams and that is exactly what I did. What made me happy or what appeared to make me happy at the time was where I went.

If you are a follower of Christ those worldly mantras couldn’t be further from what Christ calls us to do as Christians. They are lies and ones that look pretty on wall hangings and T-shirts but can leave us feeling ugly.

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

My heart told me things like it didn’t matter who I was with as long as I was happy. My heart told me that it didn’t matter what my behavior was with them as long as I was happy. The lies of my heart even told me it didn’t matter what

but if we are followers of Christ that is sometimes very far from the truth of
Living for Christ. Let me explain by sharing a bit of my
life with you.

If you read my blog post titled “The
No-Plan Plan, Part 1 and The
God Plan, Part 2” you can see my salvation story. I accepted Christ when I was twelve years old. I was soon baptized and later became a member of our church. Shortly after that, I came into my teenage years. Many of you that are grown know the rebellion and the heart ache that comes along with being a teenager. I was no different and spent a lot of my life following my own heart

These two verses could summarize a lot of my
life, denying my Lord and being afraid He would look me eye while doing it.

Luke 22:34 But
Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows three
times tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

Luke 22:61 At
that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered at that
the Lord had said, “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny
three times that you even know me.”

I began doing many things that I am not proud of. I was
hanging out with a crowd of really great people but when I was with them I
often did things that deep down inside felt wrong. The reality is that I never felt peer
pressured to do those things because they were things that I did out of my own
sinful nature and my own personal desires. It was even to the point that I was sometimes
putting myself in real danger.

I went through my high school and college years continuing
to live on my own path. After five years of college and a double major in Early
Childhood and Elementary Education I was sure that I would have no trouble
finding a job.

I spent one year as a substitute teacher in my hometown. With no prospects
for employment I decided to move to a bigger city and seek employment there.
After several really promising interviews, I ended up subbing again. When
subbing wasn’t paying the bills, I had to seek full time employment completely out
of my field. Sound familiar to anyone?

All this time I was trying to figure my life out
on my own. I am a very independent person and thought that if any trouble arose;
I could figure it out no matter the situation. I did what I wanted to do with
no real strings attached or so I falsely believed.

I ended up moving 5000 miles away to a beautiful island
called Oahu. Completely clueless what life would bring me, I thought that I was
moving for a job but in reality I was moving away from my life. I thought that
I would find a perfect life if I got far away from my real life. With two
suitcases, a one way ticket, a hotel reservation, and a job, I left for the
beautiful city of Waikiki.

At first glance, everything seemed like a real paradise. The
ocean, the palm trees, 5000 miles away from reality…

The problem with always
trying to seek happiness in the things of this world is there are so many
disappointments along the way. I had made many poor choices in my move there.
Not necessarily in the move itself, but in the choice to move with someone. We were
both moving out the convenience of running away from reality and that turned into
a lot of hate between the two of us.

Here was the thing. I had lived my life up to that point
doing everything that I wanted to do. I would call myself a Christian but my
life showed nearly zero evidence of a real faith in Christ. My disastrous
decisions and being in “paradise” weren’t enough to cover up that lie that I
continued to tell myself.

You know the lie. It is the same one that we are constantly
being feed. If we follow our heart and our dreams, if we are happy, then we are
making the right choices and everything will work out for good. I don’t want to
disappoint anyone but that lie has real consequences.

This is how the devil works. He will fill your head full of lies;
he will promise you the world and even give it to you. There is just one catch.
You have to follow him and live life for yourself, which really means for him.

The
problem is he cannot promise to ease your mind or the trap you may find yourself
in. In fact, after all of the lies he will begin to cover you in the dirt you
dug out of your own pit. He will tell you how awful you are and how this is all you will
ever deserve.

For some of you who may not understand what that statement
means, let me be real frank with you. You have two choices in life. You can go
on the path that Christ has planned for you or you can go on your own path and
live for yourself. You can be a slave to
the devil and his work. The latter was the path that I was choosing.

I was choosing my own desires and it led to so many feelings
of guilt, shame, resentment, fear, and worthlessness. In the process, I was
denying my Lord.

The thought that I lived with for years was this, if I keep
going on my path, never look over my shoulder (literally), I will never really face
the Lord and all the offenses I had and was committing against Him. I knew that
He was there watching over me which made the things I was doing feel so much worse.
I gave Him a front row seat to my own selfishness. I honestly thought to myself,
if I keep going straight ahead and never look back, I will never have to face
my sin. I was in absolute denial for a very long time.

If this sounds confusing, answer this question. Have you
ever done something, possibly pretty bad, to someone that you really love? The last thing you may want to do is see that
person, talk to that person, or maybe even face that person. You know the
moment you see them there will be some hard feelings or possibly even a serious
consequence to what you have done. So you avoid them, at all cost.

This was me, and as I stood before my Lord it was easier not
to face Him or look Him in the eye. What I was really avoiding was not facing
all my shame and sin. My life was standing before me and it was in serious turbulence.
When I left my Hawaiian paradise, I felt inside that I was at the pit of my
life and I was ready to escape it.

I started packing my heavy baggage. In went, the guilt, shame,
resentment, fear, and worthlessness, covered in a facade of living a great
life. The only thing left to do was head for home. Over the next several years my Lord, who would
never leave me or forsake me, began to pour out His grace and mercy. He had much
bigger plans for me.

My great Lord had many blessings waiting for
me and He has them for you, too. If you are carrying any extra baggage, pack it
up, come back and see how we can unpack it and live for the hope of a brighter
tomorrow.

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