IT'S OVER...

Christmas and the year 2014 are over. There is one thing that is not over and will never be as long as you have breath and that is the love of God and His offer for you to start over anytime.

As we begin 2015 let me remind you that the meaning and offer of Christmas is still on. And that is great news! The wonderful offer is that God sent His Son Jesus to save us. To save us from what? you might ask. To save us from sin and death. Check out this Bible verse:

John 3:16-18

16 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. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

I love verse sixteen but seventeen is very important as well. God did not send  His Son, Jesus, to condemn us but to SAVE us. He died in our place at the cross and He is the only One who can remove our sins. The Bible says so. There are a lot of religions out there and I respect their desire to be more spiritual and to do good to mankind and to the earth. We, Christians, believe we are saved by grace through faith and not works or good deeds. Even though we love doing those good deeds out of gratitude and love for Jesus, it is the blood of Jesus that wipes our sins away. 

One time a friend of mine was checking out our Bible study group and said, "The only thing I don't like is why you Christians say that Jesus is the only way to Heaven when there are other good religions out there." There was a silence in the group. I waited a few seconds to give someone else the opportunity to respond. Breaking the silence, I lovingly replied, 'We don't say it, Jesus said it. He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." And that's because it was not Buddha, but Jesus who hanged on the cross to pay for our sins.' That answer satisfied my new friend and she still attends Bible studies.

Please know this, Jesus doesn't want anyone to perish and neither do I. That is why I have this blog. I love to share what I've learned through the many years of Bible studies and asking questions. 

I remind you again that Jesus did not come into the world as a baby in a manger and later on be crucified to condemn you, but to save you! I leave you with these Bible verses:

1 John 5:20

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true by being in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

John 3:36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

So, my dear blog readers, if you haven't already explored or received the Son of God, Jesus, as your Savior, the offer is not over. Please begin the New Year with the assurance of God's love for you and that He has His arms wide open to forgive you and SAVE YOU!

Prayer to receive God's offer: Dear God, I thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to save me from my sins. I repent of all the wrong I've done and ask You to please forgive me and save me from my sins. I receive your free gift of grace and mercy. Thank you that I belong to You now. I know I will make mistakes, but I thank you that you paid for all my mistakes at the cross and took my punishment. I know You will help me to live this NEW LIFE with your power and strength and that I will never be alone because I have You. I thank you and praise You in Jesus name. Amen!

HAVE A BLESSED AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

http://youtu.be/cPQNMuumLQk

I'm praying for you :)

Marriage Advice to my Son

As the mother of the groom, on February 2013, my son asked me to share three Bible verses at his wedding. These are the ones I shared:

Ephesians 4:26 

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry."

I said, "It happens. Sometimes we do go to bed angry with our spouse, but we can still pray when we're angry. We can ask God to soften our hearts. When I do this, God reveals to me that I also need to ask for forgiveness for what I said and other times as soon as I finished praying, my husband came to say he was sorry."

James 1:19

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." 

I said, "This one is self-explanatory! My husband and I have been married for 33 years and we would've avoided many arguments if we had been quick to listen and slow to speak. So we're still practicing this one!"

My last verse was my favorite...

John 3:16

"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."

I said, "This life is temporary. Marriage is until death do us apart, but the love of God is FOREVER. God's love is ETERNAL!!!

SLOW DOWN...

High blood pressure and anxiety? Why? I'm a happy and content person who trusts God, so what's going on? First, I thought I wasn't trusting God as I should with my life. After slowing down and cutting down on daily fun activities, yes, fun activities, I was able to notice what my body and mind needed--rest!

Even Jesus told his disciples to come away with Him to a quiet place and rest (Mark 6:31). Please take time to relax and meditate on God. Let Him quiet you with His love. Zephaniah 3:17 says, "For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” - New Living Transalation 

May you have a quiet and restful Christmas season and may the Lord give you a healthy body and mind on 2015. 

Draw closer to Him and be blessed!!!

Love, Hope, and Faith with Heather Murdock 11-28-12

God's Great Dance Floor With Lyrics by Chris Tomlin

Chris Tomlin - I will Rise w/lyrics

DEATH - PART THREE "Death Is A Glorious Thing!"...Really?...

Picture this with me: A glorious crown over your head, complete splendor, dressed in white, filled with joy, redeemed, forgiven, no worries, no fears, no pain, a new glorious body, feeling completely loved and accepted, the most breathtaking views surrounding you...This is how God describes in the Bible the eternal life that awaits us after this life when we have chosen to trust Him, believe Him and put our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ!

This is the final part of my blog on the Death Series. On my blog, "Death - Part 1", I wrote about how I woke up the first day of the year, 2014, feeling led by God to write a blog titled, "Death." The next thought that entered my mind on that day at 5:00 a.m..."Death is a glorious thing!" My very next thought was, "How can it be a glorious thing?" Then as I meditated on the promises of God about our own resurrection and arrival to our eternal destiny, I totally agreed with that statement!

Here is an excerpt from my book titled, "How To Love God with all Your Heart" Copyright 2015.

..."If you lost a loved one, God can ease your sorrow. He does it with the comforting hope and assurance that those who died in Christ Jesus will be reunited with all believers in heaven. Notice how verse two mentions what we desire to have on earth. One of them is rest and the other one is peace. Those who have gone ahead of us have both and much more.

 GOD’S LOVE PROMISES

10.  What is Jesus’ promise to all believers? Read John 14:1-4.

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus went ahead to prepare a place for us who believe. One example I use to explain this is a trip to Hawaii. What if I told you that while I was there I would see the most amazing sunsets, waterfalls, sunrises, beautiful trees and flowers? Everything would be perfect. I would not experience pain, sorrow, hunger, sickness, anger, or disappointment. Everyone would be kind and friendly. I’ll have no fear of danger or trouble. I would only experience relaxation, peace, joy and great love. Would you feel sorry that I was going to this place? Of course not, you would want to come with me! This is a small illustration of what happens when believers go to Heaven. Should we be feeling sorry for them? It’s normal to want our loved ones with us and to miss them greatly. But, remember that in reality, they’re living a better life than us."

I have not experienced the death of a close loved one and I do not mean to underestimate the pain and sorrow from the separation and hurt that death causes. I don't want to be insensitive to your loss, if anything I want to give you hope and even a glimpse of joy based on God's Word. I hope the following verses will bring you comfort and peace.

2 Timothy 4:8
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

James 1:12
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

1 Peter 5:4
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

(Jesus speaking on this following passage)
Revelation 3:5
The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 

Revelation 21:4

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Philippians 3:20-21

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

1 Corinthians 15:42
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable.

There is so much to talk about this subject and so many Bible passages, but then this wouldn't be a blog but a whole study on this important matter. Please feel free to send me your questions or comments. Also, on the right hand side of this blog site I included a link to Billy Graham's website where you will find a wealth of information on questions and answers about life and death.

In the meantime, enjoy these songs and may God bless you!!!

http://youtu.be/IifTXVqpV-E

http://youtu.be/FP73T3Pv6Wg

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 
Luke 15:10

If you want to know how to obtain eternal life, you can visit several of my blogs where I speak about salvation. You can also watch my interview here and say the prayer at the end of my interview or simply say this prayer:

Dear Jesus, 

I know I'm a sinner and I repent of all the bad things I've done. I believe by faith that you are the Son of God. I believe you died on the cross to pay for the penalty of my sins and make me right with You. I receive your forgiveness and give my life to you now. Thank you for washing my sins away and giving me the gift of eternal life. I pray this in your Name. Amen!

This is the link to my story...

http://youtu.be/pM5bnOu7Ymk