Celebrate the Resurrection Victory

By Charlotte Lowrie

Celebrating the new life we have in Christ Jesus.

This is the greatest celebration of all time—Easter. This is the time when we celebrate life—new life in Christ Jesus! What a joyous celebration for all of us who believe. In the Gospel of John, the Lord explains that just there is life in the Father, so there is life in the Son. And through Jesus’ sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, all of us who believe are already, in this very moment, removed from the curse of death – we have passed to life.

In John 5:25-27 (ESV), Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself."

We have the gift of life eternal, and our joy overflows! But at the same time, we see that the signs of the last days are playing out every day. Prophecies are being fulfilled before our very eyes. The time is short before our Savior’s return.

With the time being short, it is so important to remember that our lives are not about us, but they are about our Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who we serve. So as we celebrate the gift of eternal life, let’s also think about how we can help spread the Gospel to those who do not yet believe. Also in these last days, satan will redouble his efforts because he also knows that his time is short. Thus do not be taken in by the lies of this life. Do not be taken in by popular opinion and trends. We must keep our eyes on Jesus. We must remember that our work is to do His work while there is still time. It is not about us. It is all about the Lord Jesus Christ.

I wish you rich blessings at Easter. I pray that the Holy Spirit will renew and inspire you to do the work Jesus gave us to do with new energy and dedication. Please join me in praying daily for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are enduring persecution for the Lord’s name. For those courageous believers, I pray that the Lord will renew you, protect you, and that your testimony will be as clear as a bell ringing across the mountaintops.

Let us celebrate our Lord’s resurrection this day and every day.

Watch for the Lord's Coming

As the New Year begins, I asked the Lord what Christians should focus on in 2013. He responded with a message that is as powerful as it is simple. "Watch for My coming." The signs that the Lord gave us to watch for are coming together even as I write this article. The Lord cautions us to "be aware." We should be the watchmen on the wall, warning and reminding each other that His coming is near -- even at the door. 

During these times, satan will try to take our spiritual awareness from us, making us dull of heart. We must always rebuke and resist satan. If it is hard to rebuke and resist, as the Lord for help. Focus always on the Lord. Churches in New York City hold services virtually around the clock at 10, 12, 2, 5, 7, and 9, and all services have lines of people waiting to get into the service. Others report that Iran is experiencing the greatest Christian revival in the world. Revival is also happening in South America, China, and part of Asia and Africa. There is a hunger for the Lord in diverse places. Let us be part of the revival. 

Between now and then, we should be doing exactly what the Lord has given us to do. In Mark 13, the Lord says, 

"But concerning that day or that hour, no one know, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake--for you do not know when the mast of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning--lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake." (Mark 13:32-37 ESV)

In the meantime, pray that the Lord will come quickly. Pray for the unsaved. And pray faithfully for our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. 

And in the words of Christ, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions." (Matthew 24: 45-47 ESV)

I wish you all a blessed New Year. 

A Most Blessed Season

Christmas is the season of love, the season of joy, and the season of hope. Our joy and our hope is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And whether you live in India, China, America, Europe, Africa, or somewhere else in the world, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.  

The Apostle John's words emphasize the work of the Lord Jesus in His coming. "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John continues, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth…And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." (John 1:4, 5, 12-14, 16 ESV)

So to all of my brothers and sisters in Christ, I wish you a Christmas filled with an outpouring of His grace. I wish you the abiding, supernatural joy that comes only from God. I wish you blessings here on earth, but most of all, blessings that are eternal.

I pray for your safety and strength, especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer persecution. I pray that together we will carry the light of Christ into the darkness. 

Encouraging Your Creativity

By Charlotte Lowrie

Some of the most popular posts on this Web site are those that focus on creativity. That’s not surprising to me because creativity is one of our natural connections with God. He is, after all, the Master Creator, and he instilled within us the need and desire to be creative. Thus, creativity is really an awakening of what God instilled within us.

Our work is not only to encourage and express our creativity, but also to avoid blocking creativity. There are many ways to block creativity, and some of the ways are inherent in the very process of being creative.

A pathway shaded by splendid fall maple trees. 

The primary creativity block is the desire to follow the crowd, as I mentioned in an earlier article. But this block deserves a second mention. When we follow the crowd, we seek the approval of the crowd rather than seeking the approval of the Lord. And the Lord’s approval is the only approval that matters. If you have worked with the Spirit of the Lord guiding your work, then you likely know the moments when the Lord provides an idea or technique. It's those moments when you know immediately that what He has given you is “just perfect.” Those are the blessed creative moments that we seek in all of our work.

Ultimately, regardless of what our creative work is, we can only imitate what God first created. But as the Lord reminded me, “Through imitation, you learn of Me.”

In whatever we create, we must be certain that it it is 'alive.' This seems like a strange statement, and it’s best explained by thinking of doing something over and over again. For example, updating a base-level book multiple times eventually becomes a life-less task. When we recognize the lifelessness of the task, it is a sure sign that it’s time to do something new—something that is alive. The Lord reminded me that “Nothing is dead and lifeless in the heavenlies. It is all alive.”

Another way to block creativity is by rejecting what our imagination creates. The imagination is our inborn creative channel. We tend to be harsh judges, especially of ideas that are much different from the earthly norm. Plus when we censor and reject ideas, we are judging by earthly standards. Instead, remember that we have the DNA of God within us, and what we reject, He may recognize as being worthwhile. When we reject our imaginative ideas, we close the door to our creative channel.

Every day, your life is a blank canvas waiting for you to create what is good and pleasing to the Lord. Nothing is impossible with God, so you can create whatever you can dream. Your only limits are self-imposed. 

Dream God-worthy dreams and trust Him to supply all that you need. His arm is not too short.