The AWOL Disciples
On the night that Jesus was arrested He began hours of untold and unjust torture. The twelve men he chose from all others and made his disciples — where were they? These men, His closest earthly companions became scared and fled – they went AWOL. There “fight or flight” self-preservation kicked in and they chose “flight.” In His greatest hour of need, they deserted – leaving Him to go through a trail of made up, false allegations, a flogging that should have killed Him, nailed to a cross and to die – alone.
The AWOL Children of God
How often do we do the same when life gets tough. Maybe we blame God for what’s happened or we wonder why He isn’t doing something about the trouble we are facing. Maybe its being bitter over the death of a loved one. Whatever it might look like, we desert Him – just as the disciples did. We give up and stop praying for that miracle. We close our Bibles and put them on a shelf to collect dust. Maybe we drop out of church. What it really comes down to is we become AWOL children of God.
Jesus stayed true to His mission
While we might give up on God, and even though the disciples fled and hid in fear, Jesus stayed true to His mission. He surrendered to the Father’s plan that would bring about our redemption and salvation. Out of His love for them and us, He endured the cross and died in our place – taking the punishment we deserve on Himself so that we could find forgiveness of sin and have a relationship with God. I sometimes wonder if in those hours of agonizing torture if the face of every human created past, present and future, played across the mind of Jesus and as He saw each face, He would say, “I’m doing this for you, Julie. I love you this much.” Go back read that again, but put your name there.
In John 15:13, Jesus said that there is no greater love than a man lay down his life for his friend. He lived out those words as he hung on a cross with you and me on His mind.
God never goes AWOL on us
No matter how many times we might turn our backs on God, God will never turn His back on us. He’s always there – ready to love us, ready to forgive, ready to bring us back into a right relationship with Him. With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, be sure that you take time to acknowledge Jesus’ love for us – an unfailing love that has no ends, an unconditional love that accepts us just as we are. If you are in a season of life where you have turned your back on God, take a few moments to remember the sacrificial love of Jesus as He hung on the cross for you.
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Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.
Be Still & Know
With all that’s going on in the world today, sometimes we just need to be still and know that God is God and He is in control of all things.
Here are some of our favorite designs
Godfidence 
Anything is possible 
With my song I will praise Him 
All Things New 
Joy of the Lord 
Way Maker 
Walk by Faith 
Script Unstoppable God 
Print Unstoppable God 
Unstoppable Force 
Steps of a Good Man 
Something New 
Seek and Find 
Revive Us Again 
Resist the Devil 
Raise a Hallelujah 
Path of His Commands 
Prayer Warrior 
Beloved- Mr and Mrs 
Mr and Mrs – God’s Plan 
Man of God 
He Left 99 for Me 
Cast All Your Cares 
Giants 
Faith over Fear 
Faith Can Move Mountains 
Don’t Worry 
Don’t Quit 
Created to Praise 
All things are Possible 
What the Lord Requires 
Living for the world to see Jesus 
Face Masks now available! 
All things are possible 
Run with perseverance 
Revive us again, Lord
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God, Love and Marshmallow Wars by Julia M. Bruce
What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?
God, Love and Marshmallow Wars is a book that includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
- Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
- Conversation Starters.
- Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
- Romance Builders.
- Relationship Builders.
- Personal reflections.
- Date ideas.
- Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.
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