From the Heart by B.Demaere

Is it not wonderful to know that we Christians have a purpose for everything we go through? Our hope is not aimless nor is the purpose of our suffering. Although you or I might not go through persecutions, we go through trials. We are sometimes afflicted in some ways and our lives might still demand endurance and patience.   We might be emotionally targeted by the enemy. A mental assault could affect our life in an extremely negative way. Although these might be results, we could expect in normal circumstances.   Because we are Christians, we are given the mind of Christ, and we can approach our lives with the focus of Christ’s death.   Like it says it in this verse in 2 Corinthians 4:10 “ always carrying in the body the death of Jesus , so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”    Therefore, now more than ever your life as a Christian has meaning. All those trials and afflictions are aimed by the enemy to make you fall but b...

  The Cross: Defeat or Victory To many the Cross has been portrayed as a defeat, but not to God.  It means victory over death and sin. To some people, anything that looks like a threat is a defeat, but not to God or God’s peoples at least it should not be.   I believe these verses speak of Jesus at what would be his Crucifixion much later: Isaiah 50:4-9   (I will write down only the verses that means the most of what I want to say) Verse 5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away.                                          Verse 6 I offered my back to those who beat me,                         ...

  Exciting Growth The hope of exciting growth always comes after strong hardship, does it not? Here in the part of Canada where I live, we have the harshest of winter (-40’C) which is like the hardship to the ground and us.   Then comes Spring in all its beauty and elegance.   A short Spring but nice and then now we are in the Summer which is a moment of growth for the fruits and plants and vegetables.   Notice that before the period of growth and renewal we have the hardship of Winter.   It is the same in life.   Our lives are made up of seasons and years and months.   We have weeks and days and hours.   Everything is broken up in stages and it is up to us to make these seasons valuable.   Those breaks count.   Make your life count but break it up in stages.   Plan accordingly and carefully.   This is the advice of a 66-year-old senior who has experienced it.   I am not all wisdom, but I have some wisdom. You cannot l...

  Jesus being the Son of God had never experienced death before that the time of the crucifixion at Calvary.  He had never experienced suffering at this level.  He became acquainted with it as it says in Isaiah 53:3. This whole chapter talks about him in the future.  For death as well it was a new encounter.  What a surprise it would have been when life gushed out of the tomb on the third day.  Death had never seen such an adversary like Jesus.  Death was beaten and defeated.  At the Cross, death thought it had won but at the Resurrection it was defeated for sure.  What a victory over anything that claimed to be associated with death like sin, sickness, and infirmities. Now in this world of enmities and injustice, it looks like death is still victorious but not so fast.   God has reserved a time for Justice to take place and he will indeed have to last word.   In the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ and at the end of your ...

  The Seed must die first   I got so excited about the deep subject of death that here I am again bringing it to you with renewed vision.   Most people out there are excited (maybe a bit) about life.   They ‘want a better life’. In John 12:24 Jesus seems to present it from a different angle: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel Of wheat falls to the ground and dies, It remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”   To me, it simply means that to experience the true life you and I need to figuratively die (Be careful here I did not mean literally).   It just means that your self-desired life must die first before you can live a life where you will be truly satisfied.   Not seeking self, but God’s desires for your life.   The seed must die in the ground before there is an explosion of life producing a plant and fruits.   Just think of what will become of you when figuratively you will die, and life eternal will co...

  A Deep Subject Death is the deep subject.  I do not know if it is because my mother passed away last month or because I am getting older and all of you are getting younger or both. Life seems shorter as we get older, and we know death is nearer.   Which is stupid to think that death is nearer now than when I was twenty years of age.   Death is nearer to us all the time.   Beware of thinking that you are immune to it.   Death is inevitable. Why do I talk about death so much?   Because it is a fascinating subject.   It is a subject that causes the depth of philosophy to open before us.   I am especially interested in people’s last words as they face death in the face.   Somehow, in every word their soul reveals their souls. Of course, we should not keep our thoughts constantly on death and forget about life. It is just that thinking on death gives us a certain wisdom that was not there before. Death for some people is a warning...

  After all is said and done… As you can probably understand with my mother’s passing away just a few weeks ago, I have been in deep thoughts about death. Death affects both the dying as we are going to see in a bit and the dead. No one escape it and soon or later you and me will face it. I could not copy what I saw about Steve Jobs's deathbed experience (One of the richest men who ever lived)  .  His last word was solemn and deep.  I was wondering, but why do we have to wait to be on our deathbed to realize that, like Steve Jobs, a watch of $30 will show the same time than a $300 one or an expensive wallet holds the same amount than a cheaper one.  Our national debt shows that many people are still choosing the expensive options.  Steve Jobs realized too late that money was an experience he had fortunately gone through.  But through this darkness he never probably experienced the blessings of family and most of all the blessing of the love...

  Rise up! After having driven over 1000 km my wife and I arrived at my mother’s funeral.  That same day, I read in my Bible the story of Jesus restoring to life a young boy and giving back to his widow mother (Luke 7:11-17).  There is no coincidence with God. Hope is always there even in the worse of circumstances.  It all depends on the individual seeking it or not. Life after death is real but is it real to you. What you have given up you have given it up long time ago. Come back to God and believe!  Once you give up on him you give up on hope and change for a better life. Now is the time to change and have a new life. Rise up from that grave and be restored.  Be born again (John 3) My mother’s life was long and bitter, but yours doesn’t have to be that way. Decide today and pray to God for a better life and he will hear you and answer you in his time. Life is too short to be bitter. It needs to be lived in truth and love with Jesus a...

  It is Free! What more do you need or want?   Life can be free for you if you choose to be free.  Right now, you are a slave to sin, you are paying dearly for the life you have and the wage in the Bible is called DEATH. “For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the GIFT of God is ETERNAL life through Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 6:23).  Within the Eternal life is included the abundant life that Jesus is.  You and I don’t need anything else.  He will supply all our needs because he is the Good Shepherd.  The only reason we find ourselves lacking is when we quit believing or having faith in him.  When we quit trusting him.  When we quit putting him FIRST.  A Christian should never find himself or herself lacking and I don’t mean prosperity gospel.  When you put your faith in God first before your want.  You will not be lacking anymore and always content of what you have in your pantry.  There will always be enough t...