The Creels' Catch

A Fresh Start!

Do you sometimes feel like the world is spinning out of control? Do you feel like life is tangled up like a spider’s web? Feeling stuck and hopeless? Wishing there was a “reset” button to push? Whispering to yourself, “If only I could start a new life?”

Well, good news friends! A fresh start and a new life are possible!

Sounds to be good to be true, but it’s real and not impossible at all.

You can begin a new life and have a fresh start because God’s mercies are new every morning:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3: 22-23 (NLT)

I have heard countless stories of people whose lives have been changed by God.

For example, a few years ago, my husband and I were invited to a seminar in another church on prison ministry. We heard someone share about guidelines for prison ministry including practical aspects like collecting cookies for inmates. Then, the leader of the group shared his own personal story. Ron shared how his life in the past was a mess. He was in jail and had to serve several years in prison for various crimes such as robbery, drug abuse, etc. Even in prison, he started out as a very tough guy who got into fights with other inmates.

Then one day, he heard a man who came to the prison and talked about the salvation Jesus offers. As he continued to study the Bible and listen to Christian teachings, his life was changed. He accepted Jesus into his heart and became a changed man! His behavior changed, and those in the prison saw this remarkable change. He was given an early release and parole. Later, he met a Christian woman and married. He was even given a pardon and is now a real “free man.” Now, he and his wife are serving the Lord through a prison ministry. He is indeed a free man, both physically and spiritually. The Bible says, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32 (NKJV)

I was truly amazed as I heard him speak about his past life. It was hard for me to imagine that he had been a bad guy in the past. As I looked at him now, he appeared to be a gentle and kind man. Ron had been transformed into a completely different person. God is still in the business of changing lives!

As the Word of God says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 (NLT)

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 (NIV)

Perhaps your life is not as bad as Ron’s. However, the Word of God says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23 NKJV) No one, not one person is perfect. Big and small sins are all the same in the eyes of God. Jesus was the only perfect man who walked on earth because He is the Son of God. However, we have hope:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NKJV)

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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

In John 3:5-8 (NIV), Jesus tells us how to have a new life:

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spiritgives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘Youmust be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Do you want a fresh start, a new life? It is not about changing religions or churches. It is a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is really simple. Believe, repent, have faith in Jesus, and receive the love of God in your heart.

To begin a new life in Christ, here is a simple prayer guide:

Dear God, thank You for your love for me and for sending Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying on the cross for my sins. I believe that God raised you up from the dead. Please forgive my sins. I open my heart to you as my Lord and Savior. Holy Spirit please help me to have a new life in Christ. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Thank you, Lord!

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of life.

Thank You, Jesus, for You are the Giver of life.

Thank You, my Creator, for the gift of life.

Thank You, Jesus, for giving us Your life.

Thank You, Jesus, for coming to preach Good News to the poor.

Thank You, Lord, that You came to heal the brokenhearted.

Thank You, Jesus, for coming to set people free.

Thank You, Jesus, for coming to open blind eyes.

Thank You, Jesus, for your life.

Thank You, Jesus, for your gift of eternal life.

Thank You, Jesus, for your great love.

Thank You, Jesus, for You are the God of love

Thank You, Jesus, for coming to make me free.

Thank You, Lord, You are my life.

Thank You for blessing me with Your life and love.

Thank You, Lord Jesus!

Spirit and Truth

The Apostle was in Athens, Greece.

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; ²³for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: ²⁴God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. ²⁵Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. ²⁶And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, ²⁷so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ ²⁹Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. ³⁰Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

Apostle Paul, Acts 17: 23-31

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. ²⁴God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Jesus Christ, John 4:23-24

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 3:17, NIV

Scriptures are taken from the Bible Gateway

Only If They Know

Only If They Know

Only if they know You

Only if they know

How much you love them,

They will love you too

Only if they know your love

They too will be in awe of You.

Only if they know

That You gave Your all

Body, soul and all

Only if they know

That Your body was bruised for our transgression

Only if they know

You bore a crown of thorns

Only if they know

You carried the cross for our sins

Only if they know

Your hands and feet were nailed to the cross for our iniquities

Only if they know

Jesus only if they know

They too will be in awe

That You love them so true

Jesus if they know

How much you love them so

They too will love you so.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”
Romans 5:8 NKJV

The Morning Dew

Reading: Lamentations 3:19-26

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness

Lamentations 3:22 NRSV

When the weather is fair, David and I enjoy walking around our neighborhood for exercise after a days’ work. On some weekends, we do our walking in the mornings. As we walk and stretch, we bask in the warmth of sunshine and blue sky. Sometimes we see white fluffy clouds. We also hear birds chirping and see squirrels running up and down big oak trees. At almost every corner we turn, we see huge, tall oak and pine trees. There are also some Crepe Myrtle trees with clusters of purple, pink, or white petals. During spring and early summer, we see lush green grass that carpets the neighborhood lawns. Some are covered with small white or red clover, and some with yellow and white dandelions. There are also different varieties of beautiful, colorful flowers on well-kept yards.

One morning, I noticed next to the sidewalk the green wild grass was covered with small droplets of water that glistened under the sun. At that time, it had been many days since we had rain. So, I knew the water was not from the rain; it was the morning dew. As I looked at the morning dew which moistens the thirsty and dry ground, I was reminded of today’s verse in the Bible that says, God’s love and faithfulness are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).

God takes care of the wild grass, the wild trees, and the wildflowers even though they do not receive care as part of someone’s yard. Sometimes we feel dry and weary from all the cares and concerns of this world. However, like those wild grasses that God refreshes through the morning dew, God refreshes our souls too each morning. The Spirit of the Lord blesses us each morning as we spend time with Him in Bible reading and prayer. Each morning with God is a new beginning because of His mercy and love for us.

Reflection: Like the morning dew, God’s love and faithfulness refresh my soul every morning.

Prayer: Thank you dear Lord God for your mercies and steadfast love that renew my spirit every morning. Great is Your faithfulness!

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