He will wipe away every tear

Photo from dreamphemera.wordpress.com.

"Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: 'Look! God's dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away'" (Revelation 21:3-4, HCSB).

Across the media in America yesterday were floods of memories of what happened on 9/11 in New York City. My friend reminded me of God's promises in the verses above. On that day, I remember the shock I felt. It seemed like it wasn't real for some time afterward.

As we honor those who work hard to protect our country and as we pray for them today, let us fully trust that in the end God will conquer all evil. He has power over it. What's more, because of Christ's sacrifice, God can bring redemption, peace and a renewed heart to a world in need of a Savior. How much we all need Him.

Do you know someone who is suffering or grieving? Let's pray for them or with them. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give us the words to say if we're given an opportunity to help them see more of who God is, this God who keeps His promises and saves.

This reminded me of how Queen Esther may have felt before asking the king, her new husband, to save her/God's people. Below are lyrics from a song about this (produced by VeggieTales actually):

"Mordecai: You wanted to know why you became queen
I told you God must have a reason
Perhaps he put you here, for such a time as this
Perhaps this is the reason.

"Esther: Tell me why, I don't understand 
Tell me why, or show me your hand
Tell me why because I can't see my way through
What now... should I.. do?

Kelli Martin

"The battle is not ours 
We look to God above
For He will guide us safely through
and guard us with His love

"I will not be afraid
I will not run and hide
For there is nothing I can't face when God is at my side"

You can listen to a clip from this song on YouTube here.
You can read this part of the story with Esther and Mordecai on Bible Gateway here.

HeartCall Tract

"HeartCall Tract"
www.jayemartin.com/shop

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

When God calls to your heart, answer Him. He loves you, cares for you and wants the best for you. He sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to die so that you might have life. God wants to forgive you of all sin, but you have to let Him. He can give you a new start.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Jaye Martin

The "HeartCall Tract" walks the reader through the gospel message using a heart for HOPE, a cross for BELIEVE, an arrow for TURN, and the word HeartCall for CALL. It is God's plan that you can hope in Him, believe He sent Jesus to die on the cross for you, turn to Him and away from Him, and call on Christ to be your Lord and Savior. These simple truths can and will change your life. Will you trust Him? He is calling from His heart to yours?

Order a package of 50 of the "HeartCall Tract" to give your friends and to use at your church. If you want to know more about being a new believer, download the new believers guide, HeartCall New Heart: What it Means to Believe. You can find both these resources at www.jayemartin.com/shop.

New Heart

^"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB

 Having a new heart doesn’t mean anything is easy, in fact it can make things worse. Your old heart and desires are being replaced but it is a daily struggle against the things of God and the things of the flesh. Last night, I saw the play, Sister Act. At the end, the play added that God and the human spirit are equal and are one. Oh my, don’t buy into that untruth! God’s new heart is stronger. He is stronger! Read the Bible: Jesus is all-powerful, Jesus wins!

 If you follow Christ with a passion, you know what it means to believe and have a new heart. God’s promise, found is 2 Corinthians 5:17, is that if we are in Christ (if we have placed our hope in Him, believed God send Jesus to die on the cross, turned to Him and away from sin, and let Him be our Lord and Savior), we have a new heart. We are created by God but return to Him as He recreated us for His glory. Old things are gone, new things are here.

 This week, we are thrilled to release the long-awaited new believers’ guide, “HeartCall New Heart: What it Means to Believe.” This 62 page, eight-day downloadable resource is a workbook designed to help anyone with the basic steps to the faith: hope, believe, turn and call, as well as the next steps to walking with Christ: share, church, pray and Bible. You will find it on our new website, in our shop: www.jayemartin.com/shop.

I pray that if you don’t have a new heart, you will ask God to give you one.

You know you are loved.