Tonight I lay here thinking about the number of people who have come and gone in my life. As I think of those who proclaimed to be my best friend, where are they now? What is it any way that makes a real friend?
After dinner, Jesus said something that must have made Mary realize that His time here on Earth was coming to an end. She remembered that she had been saving her very best perfume for the burial of her Best Friend Jesus. Mary brought out her bottle of expensive perfume that was sealed inside of an alabaster box. The perfume was a precious treasure and was often used to prepare the body of a person after they died. Mary opened the alabaster box and poured the expensive perfume over Jesus' head and then poured the rest of the perfume on Jesus' feet. She then wiped His feet with her long, beautiful hair. The room became filled with the sweet smell of perfume. When Judas Iscariot saw what Mary had done he complained that she wasted the expensive perfume. Judas said the perfume could have been sold for a whole year of wages and the money used to feed the poor. Jesus replied, "Leave her alone, it was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. I tell you the truth whenever the Gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
(John 12: 1-9; Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:1-10) Mary loved Jesus with all of her heart. She was willing to give everything she had to Jesus. She was thankful for His friendship and love, and for the miracle of bringing her brother back to life. How beautiful, to know that you are loved, that Jesus is our best friend, that He won’t forsake or leave us, ever.
John 15:12-15 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
This is exactly what Jesus did for you and me; He gave His life on that cross so that we wouldn’t have to suffer eternally, what a friend we have in Jesus. Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
Listen my friends, when all others run away, and hurt you, there is one friend who will still be there, so I know for me, I am crying out to him, I need His friendship, I am hungry for His understanding and love, kindness and mercy. I hope you too will reach out and ask Jesus into your heart.
God bless you my friends…
You may look normal on the outside. But, what do you think your soul looks like? Without the Lord there is poverty in one’s soul. What is your level of poverty? Why do those around you have a different quality of life than you do? With all your hard earned success you look into the eyes of those with nothing and find happiness, yet you can’t seem to find it no matter what you achieve in your life. Do you ever wonder what it is you are missing in life?
Do you remember being a child and knowing that if your parents were home you were safe. To go to bed was never a thought, it was a safe place. In spite of the Satan’s that were there, you wasn’t scared. Do you remember going to church as a kid and learning that song, Jesus loves me.
Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
As a child you trusted that your parents would protect you, as well as knowing that Jesus loved you. You would kneel down by your bed and say your prayer at night and thank Jesus for your mom and dad, and whatever else your little heart would tell you to say. Are you aware that you are still that little child to God? That He is still protecting you from harm, and is still there to listen to your prayers, no matter how short or long that they may be.
The sun rises, the sun sets, the seasons come and go, and we have no control over those. People that have given us comfort throughout our lives may no longer be around, but there is one person who is the ALPHA AND THE OMEGA in our lives; who has always been there and never will leave us and that is JESUS CHRIST!
It is in your hands to change your own poverty level that lives within your soul.
Helping others is out of the question when your soul is lost, there is only one way to be released from this poverty stricken place in your heart and that is to accept Jesus into your life. DON"T GIVE UP!!!! There is a solution for everything.
His name is JESUS! The son of GOD. He was born, died and raised again from the dead. He sacrificed his life for YOU! He died so that your sins may be forgiven, if you will repent of your sins, believe in and accept Him as your lord and savior, you will not go to hell. He will SAVE you. He will fight for you. He will comfort you. He will clean what is dirty. He will restore or make new what was broken. You will never be alone again. You will finally be safe. You will experience true joy. He will never abandon you. All you have to do is ask him to save you and become your lord. In Him you will find rest. In Him, you will find a safe and happy place. You will become part of GOD's family. You will go home.
Yes, Satan will be there, in every corner or turn that you make in your life, for it’s his place to turn you against Jesus; Satan is the poverty that lies within your soul. Ask Jesus today to help you clean him from your spirit, to cleanse you with His blood, to make you whole in His eyes, so that you too can live a life of helping others and a life that matters. Jesus is the means to deliver you from this poverty stricken heart. All that is needed of you is to ask Jesus to please come into your heart, and trust and believe that He will and accept that God does love you so much, that He even sent His only begotten Son to live on earth and to die on the cross for each of us. If you will except Jesus into your heart and ask for His forgiveness His word tells us that we will one day live eternally with Him in Heaven. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Father in heaven, by Your Word we acknowledge that you sent your Son to intercede for us. So now we ask that you open our eyes, so that we see that without you, we will remain lost, and poor in soul. Father please lifts our hearts in anticipation of your ability to help those who are in our hearts . . . even as we go to our knees for one another. Father helps us to ask you into our hearts, help us to fulfill our lives with your presence.
Do you hunger or thirst for the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour? Are you living a poverty stricken life? Please contact me at msmorgantou2@yahoo.com for prayer.
On a recent vacation I travelled to Guatemala where I was brought back to a sense of reality and a realization of just how blessed we are , yet at the same time how we trivialize things in our own country and take for granted each other. When I was face to face with the people and the lifestyle I was first in tears, then I realized these people are happier than we are. They don’t know all the riches of the earth; they live simple, hard lives. It wasn’t until I saw the state of their living arrangements that I got sick, no running water, no septic’s, children who were hungry, dogs that were starving. 80% of people in Guatemala live in poverty, and two-thirds in extreme poverty. This country has the fourth-highest rate of malnutrition in the world. 
5,000 children living on the streets there are drug dependent and most come from a broken family. We learnt that more girls are moving on to the streets because of the violence and abuse they face at home. A total of 1.5 million children in Guatemala spend at least part of their day working and not in school, and unfortunately many children are selling their bodies.
These young children have to work from a very young age, just to help provide for their own food and clothing.
Though we often forget poverty and oppression, it is clear from the Bible that they are always on God's mind.
Deut. 26:5-9. The Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us. Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders; and He has brought us to... this land flowing with milk and honey. Is 41:17. The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them myself, as the God of Israel I will not forsake them.
Luke 6:20-21. Blessed are you who are poor, for yours in the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
James 2:5. Did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
My thought is if God loves the poor so much, shouldn’t we too. Shouldn’t we quit judging them and start supporting them. Prov. 29:7. The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor; the wicked does not understand such concern.
This journey in life has taught me that I need to be kind, considerate and a whole lot more patient with understanding to those less fortunate and help out as much as possible. One thing I can do without lifting a finger is pray. Is that too much to ask? I want this message to reach out to your heart so that you too realize you don’t have to be in Guatemala to see hunger, filth, desperation, sometimes it could be your next door neighbor that is struggling. Reach out with extended arms my friends; take a moment to see if you can be someone’s angel today. I know myself I have had days that I know without God I wouldn’t have survived, for no one was there but Him. Give Him all the glory today and ask that He give you strength and courage and take away all your fear of helping in an area that is unknowns’ to you. God bless you my friends.
