Signs - 40 Pack

What in your life keeps you up at night? What's missing in your life?
 
SIGNS
“Jesus said … ‘I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. No one comes to the Father (GOD), except through Me.’” (John 14:6)
 
I had just finished cutting the grass and was ready to do whatever, when I heard this blood curdling cry coming from outside. It was my wife. I had heard her scream in the past when she came upon a spider, but this scream was different. It was a cry of fear and desperation.
 
I immediately ran downstairs. I wasted no time getting to her. She was standing there trembling with fear on her face and tears in her eyes. I asked what had happened and if she was alright?
She nervously told of her close encounter with a large snake that she almost stepped on while entering our home. I asked her to come inside with me but she was reluctant to do so. I assured her that she would be OK with me at her side.
 
She then told me that the snake was under the step that led into the house. I again assured her that she would be alright! I led the way onto the step that went into the house and waited for her to follow. She cautiously did so.
 
Later, when we went back outside, I asked her how she thought that the snake was poisonous. She then said these words that I'll never forget, “Black and yellow kill a fellow.” “Funny line,” I thought at that moment. This line could come in handy someday, I thought again, especially in our own back yard.
 
We went to Google to find more information on the snake that we thought might be poisonous, like the Mississauga Rattler, which is indigenous to Michigan. What we found was that the snake was more than likely a common Garter or Butler snake.
 
Well, my wife’s encounter with death was real to her, and all too often these encounters are very real and without a happy ending. Because my wife loves me so much, she had shared a sign of what to look for to avoid a very present danger.
 
As we read the third chapter of John, we find a man named Nicodemus, a Pharisee (strict religious group) and a ruler of the Jews. He had seen the miracles that Jesus performed like never before (John 3:2). This was a sign that Jesus was someone that the Jews were looking for, their Messiah, our Savior, their expected deliverer, God in the flesh!
 
Nicodemus went to see Jesus secretly at risk to his own life and reputation, and Jesus without hesitation said to him, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
 
I wonder what was truly on the mind of Nicodemus. What was his curiosity? What circumstance in his life had led him secretly down the streets at night to see someone that he had never met before? What laid heavily on his soul?
 
As I look back on my own life, I know what led me to seek out Jesus. I had a very big hole in my heart and only Jesus could fill it!
 
Let me be very serious with you. What in your life keeps you up at night? What’s missing?
 
I remember these words to a chorus of a song:
     Only Jesus can satisfy your soul.
     Yes, only He can change your heart
            and make you whole.
     He will give you peace you never knew,
     Sweet joy and love and heaven, too.
     For only Jesus can satisfy your soul.
 
By the way, after Jesus’ crucifixion, Nicodemus was at the cross securing the body of his Savior (John 19:39).
 
Isn't it time for you, like Nicodemus, to come to the cross of Christ? The Lamb of God, the Savior of your soul is waiting for you to accept Him by faith! Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Amen.
 
~ B.V.M.
 
“Jesus said … ‘I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. No one comes to the Father (GOD), except through Me.’” (John 14:6)
 
YOU CAN HAVE A NEW LIFE IN CHRIST
ADMIT that you are a sinner.
Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short (missed the mark) of the glory of God.”
REALIZE the penalty of your sin.
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died to pay the price for your sins and rose from the dead.
Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
TRUST and RECEIVE Christ alone as your Savior.
Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
 
WHAT’S NEXT?
Just as a newborn baby grows physically, in a similar way you can grow spiritually, by taking the following steps:
READ THE BIBLE – starting with the Gospel of John, read a chapter each day.
PRAYER – Spend time each day talking with God.
WORSHIP – Regularly attend a church that honors Jesus Christ and teaches you the Bible.
FELLOWSHIP – with Christians who will help you grow in faith.
WITNESS – Tell others what Jesus Christ means to you!