Savior

For Them

/ Susie Stewart / 4 Comments

They cannot speak for themselves,

and so you speak

 

They cannot do for themselves,

and so you do for them

 

They cannot pay,

you give

 

They cannot fight,

you march

 

They are destitute

victims

marginalized

poor

young

mute

alone

 

and passed by

 

But you

with your indwelling Hope

 

YOU are the hands

and the feet

and the voice

and the justice

 

for each one

 

knowing that YOU

were the one in need

 

when your Savior

left heaven to save you

 

He spoke for you

He fought for you

He did what you could not do

when he died to save you

 

And He paid

when you could not pay….

 

His heart for those in desperate need

replaced your heart of stone

 

and so you march

and you speak

and you pay

and you do

 

for the least

and the mute crying

 

– Susie Stewart

 

**Inspired by my daughter’s prayer march against human trafficking today.  We each need to take a look at ourselves and ask what we are doing for someone who cannot do or speak for themselves.  

 

 

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.

– Proverbs 31:8 (NLT)

 

Learn to do good;  commit yourselves to seeking justice.  Make right for the world’s most vulnerable – the oppressed, the orphaned, the widow.  

– Isaiah 1:17 (VOICE)

 

Stand up of the poor and the orphan;  advocate for the rights of the afflicted and those in need.

– Psalm 82:3 (VOICE)

 

Real, true religion from God the Father’s perspective is about caring for the orphans and widows who suffer needlessly and resisting the evil influence of the world.

– James1:27 (VOICE)

 

Jesus said – The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor.  He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.

– Luke 4:18, 19 (NLT)

 

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you.  I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

– Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)

 

Then these righteous ones will reply, “Lord, when did we ever see You hungry and feed You?  Or thirsty and give You something to drink?  Or a stranger and who You hospitality?  Or naked and give You clothing?  When did we ever see You sick or in prison and visit You?”

And the King will say, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sister, you were doing it to Me!”  

– Matthew 25:37-40 (NLT)

Photo by John Butler

Don’t Call Me Religious

/ Susie Stewart / 6 Comments

Whatever you do,

don’t call me religious

 

And you might be confused

because I go to church regularly

and I talk about God

and I read my Bible

 

but please

don’t call me religious

 

Because I’m not

 

I am a Follower of Jesus,

the One who said,

 

“I am the WAY

the Truth

and the LIFE…”

 

not ONE of the ways

ONE of the truths

 

He is my LIFE

 

And all the religions of the world

are full of people

 

working their way to God

or to something other than God

 

While I place all my faith

with evidence

on my God who came down for me

 

Religion is ritual

and repetition

and redundant

 

My relationship

with the Lord of the Universe

is new

freeing

and vibrant

 

Religion constantly has its focus on

“What can God do for me?”

 

Relationship with God has its focus on

God

 

Please,

whatever you do,

don’t call me religious

 

for my Jesus

who took on human flesh and humanity

 

reserved His harshest words

for religious people

 

They might have looked pious on the outside

but they were not God-alive on the inside

 

they were dead inside

 

We need Jesus to cleanse us from our sin…

 

Uh oh, I said it,

SIN

 

Who wants to hear that word??

 

But we all know we struggle with it!

Sin, like cancer, eats away at us

 

And God had a plan all along

to save us from the bondage of it

 

He would step into our world

and make the payment for OUR sin

 

by sacrificing His perfect self,

unconditionally loving us

all

along

the

way

 

But He didn’t skimp on words

while He was here

 

and He wanted everyone to know

 

that the Son of God does not stutter

when He says,

 

“NO ONE comes to the Father

except through Me.”

 

No one

 

Not a single

religious

person

 

who is trusting in themselves being religious

to get themselves to God

 

For there is no good deed that wins God’s favor

 

No amount of charity work

or chants

or  going to church

or bowing 10 times…

 

It has always been about God,

not what He can do for me

 

This is not about self-centered religion

but a God-centered life

 

committed to His glory

 

What a free

and abundant

and wonderful way

to live

 

Thank you, Jesus,

for setting me free of

RELIGION

 

~  Susie Stewart

 

Pass this on to everyone you know.  The message is for the whole world.  

 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

~  John 14:6 (NIV)

 

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

– Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

 

You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.

– Matthew 23:27 (MSG)

 

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

– Romans 10:9 (NIV)

 

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus.

– Romans 3:22-26 (NLT)

 

Photo by Andy Stewart

For Sure

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

In uncertain times

I am grateful to You, my Abba,

for making my footsteps sure

 

You have planted me

in the sure earth

of Your inheritance for me

 

You have established

Your good plans

for my good

 

You have lead me,

never forsaking Your promises,

and I have followed

 

The surety of You

is all I need

in the uncertain

 

For I am Yours

and You are God

for sure

 

– Susie Stewart

 

You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance— the place, Lord, you made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.

– Exodus 15:17 (NIV)

 

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.

– Psalm 37:23,24 (NLT)

 

I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

– Psalm 16:8 (NLT)

 

The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

I’m happy from the inside out,
and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
that’s not my destination!

– Psalm 16:7-10 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

The Most Important Blog You Will Ever Read

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

As your friend

I must tell you something

 

And maybe it’s kind of familiar

but read it carefully

 

for everything depends on it

 

Everything.

 

So here it is…

 

You will either confess Jesus

as your Lord and Savior here on earth

 

which will bring you salvation

 

Or you will confess Jesus

as the Lord and Savior before His judgment throne

 

which will bring you condemnation

 

forever

 

Either way

you WILL confess Jesus

 

Take the opportunity NOW

to turn to grace, life and love

 

for once your life on earth

is over

 

your confession

will only bring you death

 

And if you read this blog

and you disregard its truth

 

you can be sure

that you will think of my words

 

when you stand before God

ALONE

 

without an excuse

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

So God raised Him up to the highest place
and gave Him the name above all.
So when His name is called,
every knee will bow,
in heaven, on earth, and below.
And every tongue will confess
“Jesus, the Anointed One, is Lord,”
to the glory of God our Father!

– Philippians 2:9-11 (VOICE)

 

For it is written, “As I live, so I promise,” says the Lord, “every knee will bow down to Me. Every tongue will confess to God.”

– Romans 14:11 (VOICE)

 

I have bound myself with an oath. A word has gone out from my righteous mouth that will not be recalled, “Every knee will bow to me and every tongue will swear allegiance.”

– Isaiah 45:23 (GW)

 

…He has planted eternity in the human heart…

– Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

 

…each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment…

– Hebrews 9:27 (NLT)

 

I saw a Great White Throne and the One Enthroned. Nothing could stand before or against the Presence, nothing in Heaven, nothing on earth. And then I saw all the dead, great and small, standing there—before the Throne! And books were opened. Then another book was opened: the Book of Life. The dead were judged by what was written in the books, by the way they had lived. Sea released its dead, Death and Hell turned in their dead. Each man and woman was judged by the way he or she had lived. Then Death and Hell were hurled into Lake Fire. This is the second death—Lake Fire. Anyone whose name was not found inscribed in the Book of Life was hurled into Lake Fire.

– Revelation 20:11-15 (MSG)

 

…when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power.

– 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Does He KNOW You?

/ Susie Stewart / 3 Comments

You know that you are going to stand before Him,

right?

 

You will stand before the God of the Universe,

alone

 

And the eyes you look into

will either hold joy

or sorrow

 

And the just Judge

will know

if you’ve known Him

 

He will know if you chose Him

and His grace

 

Or if you chose the world

and your sin

 

And I can’t emphasize enough

the importance of knowing Him NOW

 

For when you stand before Him,

and you will,

He will either welcome you into His Kingdom of Life

 

or He won’t

 

And when you realize that all you had to do

here on earth

was accept grace and love

 

You will forever be in regret

 

that you didn’t know Him

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Not everyone who calls out to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to Me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

– Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT)

 

Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with Me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what My Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use Me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress Me one bit. You’re out of here.

– Matthew 7:21-23 (MSG)

 

So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, His choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

– 2 Peter 1:10,11 (MSG)

 

This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

– John 3:16-18 (MSG)

 

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by My Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed Me, I was thirsty and you gave Me a drink, I was homeless and you gave Me a room, I was shivering and you gave Me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to Me.’

– Matthew 25:35-36 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Not Good Enough

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

If any of us waited to get our act together

before coming to Christ,

we’d all still be waiting

 

We will never be good enough to approach God

on your own merit

 

That’s why we all need a Savior

And that’s why it’s called “asking Him into your heart”

 

We accept in our heart of hearts

that He is indeed the Savior

 

And we are the saved

 

His perfect sacrifice was the only thing

that could rescue us out of our mess

 

Thank you, my precious Lord,

Savior of the not good enough

 

Because You are

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented Himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put His love on the line for us by offering His Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to Him.

Romans 5:7-9 (MSG)

 

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

– Isaiah 64:6 (NLT)

 

Don’t be mistaken; in and of ourselves we know we have little to offer, but any competence or value we have comes from God.

– 2 Corinthians 3:5 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Forsaken

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

You were forsaken

by the people you came to save

 

Condemned to die

as an innocent man

 

As God

 

And You willingly,

through tears and anguish,

torture and mockery

 

took my sentence

 

You were forsaken

by the Father You love

 

Your heart

Yourself

 

He had to turn His back to You

 

For You were dark

with my sin

 

You were forsaken

by everyone

 

And I can’t begin to know

how that must have felt

 

For that act

brought me love

and acceptance

 

Thank you, my  beautiful Savior,

for being forsaken

for me

– Susie Stewart

 

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.  About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.  The rest said, “Now leave Him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save Him.”

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.  They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with Him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely He was the Son of God!”

– Matthew 27:45-54 (NIV)

 

Photo found online at redeeminggod.com

 

Perfect

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Self-loathing

Self-consciousness

and

Self-hatred

do not lead to true humility

but lead only to increased self-absorbtion

 

Let us not waste time

being engrossed in how we don’t hit the mark

but focus our energies on Almighty God

the One whose

unconditional

perfect

stubborn

unrelenting

Love

 

desires an accepting of that love

unconditionally

 

– Susie Stewart

 

It used to be that I never felt safe with myself unless I was performing flawlessly.  My desire to be perfect had transcended my desire for God.  Tyrannized by an all-or-nothing mentality, I interpreted weakness as mediocrity and inconsistency as a loss of nerve.  I dismissed compassion and self-acceptance as inappropriate responses.  My jaded perception of personal failure and inadequacy led to a loss of self-esteem, triggering episodes of mild depression and heavy anxiety.

Unwittingly I had projected onto God my feelings about myself.  I felt safe with Him only when I saw myself as noble, generous, and loving, without scars, fears , or tears.  Perfect!

But on that radiant morning in a cabin hidden deep in the Colorado Rockies, I came out of hiding.  Jesus removed the shroud of perfectionist performance and now, forgiven and free, I ran home.  For I knew that I knew Someone was there for me.  Gripped in the depth of my soul, tears streaming down my cheeks, I internalized and finally felt all the words I have written and spoken about stubborn, unrelenting Love.  That morning I understood that the words are but straw compared to the Reality.  I leaped from simply being the teacher of God’s love to becoming Abba’s delight.  I said good-bye to feeling frightened and said shalom to feeling safe.  What does it mean to feel you are in a safe place?  That same afternoon I wrote in my journal:

To feel safe is to stop living in my head and sink down into my heart and feel liked and accepted…not having to hide anymore and distract myself with books, television, movies, ice cream, shallow conversation…staying in the present moment and not escaping into the past or projecting into the future, alert and attentive to the now…feeling relaxed and not nervous or jittery…no need to impress or dazzle others or draw attention to myself…Unselfconscious, a new way of being with myself, a new way of being in the world…calm, unafraid, no anxiety about what’s Going to happen next…loved and valued…just being together as an end in itself.

– Brennan Manning

 

Quit keeping score altogether and surrender yourself with all your sinfulness to God who sees neither the score nor the scorekeeper but only His child redeemed in Christ.

– James Finley

 

 

…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith….

– Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

 

But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

– Ephesians 2:4-9 (NLT)

 

Photo taken by Susie Stewart

 

What you deserve

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Next time you are tempted to allow yourself

to be weighed down by forgiven sins,

remember that Jesus already got what you deserved.

 

He reminded me of that recently.

I was walking my dog Larry and started to slip on some sidewalk ice.  I didn’t fall down and the thought popped into my mind, “I probably would have deserved that”.

I had been hashing over some past regrets.  Not a healthy way for me to be spending my time on this beautiful dark evening under the stars with Larry and God.

As quickly as that downgrading thought entered my mind, I then also heard in my mind, “I GOT what you deserve.”

Such a swift response.  It took my breath away.

Yes, my Jesus!  You paid the ultimate price for all the sins I’ve committed and instead of me getting what was coming to me, You, my beautiful Savior, took the punishment I deserved.

You paid the ultimate price for me.  And You have forgiven me.  You continue to forgive me.

You didn’t deserve that.  I did.

 

And I want to consciously and graciously accept the forgiveness You give,

and move on.

 

Because that’s what You desire.

Moving on.

Turning the opposite direction.

Doing better.

Being free.

 

“I GOT what you deserve.”

 

Regret and sin

need to be left in the past

 

– Susie Stewart

 

“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,
rivers in the badlands.

– Isaiah 43:18,19 (MSG)

 

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

– 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

 

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

– Philippians 4:23,14 (NLT)

 

…this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.

– Matthew 26:28 (VOICE)

 

Photo taken by Susie Stewart

Infinite

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

I feel the tug

 

the Martha in my head

 

pressuring me to go

to do other things

to leave

 

And my heart longs

to sit here at Your feet

to gaze into Your beautiful eyes

to hear You

to learn and grow

to connect

 

So many distractions

pulling me away

 

an infinite amount it seems

 

And yet

what my heart and soul truly want

is You

 

Jesus

 

truly Infinite

truly Fulfilling

truly the Better

place to be

 

at Your feet

 

May the seemingly infinite

distractions

 

be overruled

 

by my desire to connect

with my Infinite God

 

– Susie Stewart

 

As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,  but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

– Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)

 

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

– Galatians 5:16,17 (ESV)

 

Brothers and sisters, because of the blood of Jesus we can now confidently go into the holy place.  Jesus has opened a new and living way for us to go through the curtain. (The curtain is his own body.)  We have a superior priest in charge of God’s house.  We have been sprinkled with his blood to free us from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with clean water. So we must continue to come to Him with a sincere heart and strong faith.

– Hebrews 10:19-22 (GW)

Photo taken by Susie Stewart