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Welcome!
Welcome to our news update. Here it’s spring- the grass if finally green, the air has warmed up, the trees are turning purple (yes, purple) and so many new things are always going on, as happens often in Spring. Before you go on, I’d just like to share something I noticed in my devotions the other day. I was reading Jeremiah. We know that often it can be hard to read from these books of the prophets, if we are looking at only the words and not the circumstances surrounding these words. This is what can help give them meaning. In Jeremiah 7 God is trying to call his people of Judah back to following him. They’ve left his covering once again and have found themselves in trouble. As the passage starts it seems the people of Judah are quite confident that no harm will befall them, because they have the Temple in their midst. They are trusting in the Temple for their confidence, rather than on God. They think that having this structure is what keeps them safe. God reminds them that its not about having a structure, but having a relationship with him. He even says that his commands (given in the time of Moses) were not just a bunch of “Do’s and Don’ts” but they were actually about how to live right, loving each other and glorifying God. I find this passage interesting as I realize we can find ourselves some types religious traditions, that may even seem spiritual, but in the end give us a sense of confidence which is actually false. It’s important that I know that God has the best in mind for me, and my relationship with him must be renewed for me to discover that each day. A lot has been going on over the last few months. Check out the News Page for a summary of the highlights and events that have taken place as well as News from the Frontiers. In the Cost of Justice you can continue to pray for the situations of infanticide happening in Brazil. And for those YWAMers and ex-YWAMers out there, or for anyone who’s ever wondered what it’s like to be a YWAMer check out You Know You’re a YWAMer When... Thanks for checking in with us!
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Free at last
Colossians 2:13-15
Sharon had heard about Jesus many times. She believed there was a God. She even believed that Jesus lived, died and rose again. But she could not believe that God would ever forgive her for running away from home, leaving her young children motherless. Whenever she even thought about God, she felt condemned.
She still felt that way as she lay dying form cancer. Then two women came to her hospital bed and talked to her about Jesus again. They explained that Jesus’ love for her had motivated him to pay the penalty for her guilt when he died on the cross. They assured her that he was now waiting in heaven to welcome her, if she would only believe.
The voice of condemnation had drowned out that truth so many times before. This time she recognized that Jesus had looked her enemy in the eye, met the demands of the law, canceled her dept and set her free. That day Jesus became her Savior, her life, even as she breathed her last breath.
What negative thoughts, feelings or habits do you experience that are rooted in your past? Ask God to set you free on the basis of what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
Faith builders: Psalm 18; Zech. 3:1-7; Romans 8
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