We Are One with Jesus!

 

     Have you ever felt truly alone? As Christians we know that our Lord Jesus Christ is with us always. We know we can reach out to God at any time. Yet, we can still feel alone. Sometimes we feel alone in our faith in Jesus. Those around us do not understand, sometimes we are laughed at, mocked, physically abused, and there are even times our lives are at risk, because of our faith. We do not feel alone from God, but we can feel alone from other Christians. Yet, we are not.

    In John 17:20-23, Jesus prays for the believers. He prays for those who will believe in him, and he prays we will all may be one. He says that He has given us the glory that God gave him, that we may be one as He and God are one. Jesus in us and God in Him. Why? So, we may have complete unity. That unity will be a sign to the world that God sent Jesus and he loves us like he loves Jesus. That unity is an essential part of our Christian faith. All true believers are one family under Jesus. If you have put your faith in Jesus you are my brothers and sisters no matter where you are in the world.

     With that said, you can know you have brothers and sisters around the world who are praying for you. We will probably never meet, but I can tell you I pray for you. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world people are praying for your safety, strength in your faith, and for God’s blessings to come to you. If you are a believer, you are my brother or sister in Christ. You are so loved by God that He sent his Son, you are so loved by Jesus He prayed for you and He gave His life for you, and that alone is enough reason for us to love and support each other.  You are not alone. You have family members around the world who are kneeling in prayer for you. May peace be with you.

 

I pray you have a blessed day,

Ray

Layman Ray

Jesus in the Garden

 

     When I was growing up, our family lived in a trailer house in a small town in Wyoming. Both of my parents worked. My dad was a truckdriver and my mother was a cook at the county hospital. We did not attend church. My family had at one time, but we stopped going when I was around four years old. My father continued listening to Christian music, and I would at times see him sitting in a chair reading the family Bible. Still, my exposure to Christianity was limited. It was not that my parents did not believe, but we had drifted away from church.

     Still, there was one thing that had an impact on me. In our house we had a large picture of Jesus sitting on a hill, and before him were pictures of the faces of soldier’s faces. It was nighttime, and you could see what I assume was Jerusalem at the bottom of the hill. The soldier’s faces seemed out of place, and it was Jesus that always captivated me about that picture. He was just sitting on that hillside. I could just sit and look at that picture. There was something about it that brought me peace.

     A few years ago, I started trying to do some painting. My painting style is what I call “Early Amateur.” I am not a talented artist; I would be happy to be an average artist. Still, I try from time to time. One day I decided to try to paint a large picture of Jesus to have on my wall. I fumbled along, and what you see above is what I painted.

     Is it on my wall now? Yes.

    Do I think it is fine art? No.

    What this picture does for me though is bring me peace when I am having a challenging day. Some of it is nostalgia. It reminds me of the other picture, but even more so it reminds me of a Savior who loves me. Who loves you. I do not pray to the picture. The picture is not an idol, but it points to the one who came and died for our sins. It points to the one hope that we all have for an eternity of peace. A peace just waiting for us, but we must acknowledge that God sent his Son Jesus to save the world through his sacrifice. We need to accept him as our Lord and Savior. I hope you have.

I hope you have a blessed day.

Layman Ray