Blog:
Just Give Me Jesus

Sometimes I feel like shouting from the rooftop, "Just give me JESUS!"
I have an inscription in my Bible that I found many years ago when I was just a
teenager seeking after God. It was my prayer then and remains even more so
today...

"O Jesus Christ, grow Thou in me, and all things else recede; My heart be daily
nearer Thee; From sin be daily freed."

Jesus stands at the center of human history like a colossus with everything dated
before Him and after Him. He is the very incarnation of the glory and grace of God.

Today countless people look for a god within themselves or in crystals or in trees or
in a former life or in some statue or in a religious experience or in the stars. But
John declares the awesome truth that the glory of God is not confined in any of
those things, just as it is no longer confined on a mountain or in a Tabernacle or as
a cloud or fire or as a reflection on a face. Instead “the Word became flesh and
lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only
Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

John is saying emphatically, “I have seen Him!”

“I’ve seen Him first thing in the morning when He awoke. (Mark 1:35)
“I’ve seen Him when He was tired and had nowhere to lay His head. (Matthew 8:
20)
“I’ve seen Him when He was alone. (John 6:15; Mark 9:2, 8)
“I’ve seen Him when He was surrounded by a crowd of people. (Matthew 4:25)
“I’ve seen Him when He was so sad He wept. (John 11:35)
“I’ve seen Him when He was feasting and full. (Mark 2:15)
“I’ve seen Him when He was fasting and hungry. (Matthew 4: 1-2)
“I’ve seen Him when He preached His heart out and the people turned away. (John
6:60-66)
“I’ve seen Him tenderly touch the eyes of a man born blind and create sight. (John
9:6-7)
“I’ve seen Him when He was angry. (John 2:13-16)
“I’ve seen Him when He was rejected as a son of Satan. (John 10:20)
“I’ve seen Him praised as One Who came in the Name of the Lord. (John 12:13)
“I’ve seen Him dressed in a robe more dazzling than the sun. (Mark 9:2-3)
“I’ve seen Him in a loincloth as He washed my feet. (John 13:4-5)
“I’ve seen Him confound the greatest religious leaders of His day. (Matthew 21:23-
27)
“I’ve seen Him cuddle a little child on His lap. (Matthew 19:13-15)
“I’ve seen Him when His face was slapped. (Matthew 26:67)
“I’ve seen Him when His feet were wet from Mary’s tears and dried with her hair.
(Luke 7:36-50)
“I’ve seen Him riding a donkey in triumph into Jerusalem. (Matthew 21:6-11)
“I’ve seen Him when He prayed so earnestly He sweat great drops of blood.”
(Luke 22:44)
“I’ve seen Him tortured, carrying His own cross out of Jerusalem”. (John 19:16-17)
“I’ve seen Him dead, (John 19:30)
“I’ve seen Him buried, (John 19:38-42)
“I’ve seen Him risen, (John 20:1-8, 19-20)
“I’ve seen Him ascended. (Acts 1:9)

“I’VE SEEN HIM! I’ve seen the glory of God clearly in Jesus Christ! And in every
situation I have seen Him full of grace and full of truth!”

Not once did He lie to get out of a tight spot or flatter to get into a better spot.

Not once did He complain about His physical deprivation or brag about His superior
position.

Not once did He try to hurt those who had hurt Him or ignore those who had
ignored Him.

“What I have seen is not just the clear visibility of God’s glory but the clear
visibility of God’s grace!”

One recent translation puts it in the modern vernacular: (John 1:14 The Message
Bible)

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.We saw the
glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous
inside and out, true from start to finish.

I can never say it enough…JUST GIVE ME JESUS!

References: Holy Bible (KJ), The Message Bible, Anne Graham Lotz, Author


May God Bless You,
Donna Fontaine
The Bethels



“A Lesson from “Rocks”

I would like to share a simple story with you of something that has so profoundly
affected my life…

As you know, I travel quite extensively in the field of Gospel Music Ministry. Of
my three grandchildren, the middle child, which is my oldest granddaughter, is the
only one who really enjoys traveling. She has made many trips with us from the age
of two to her current age of six years. She especially enjoys the trips to Tennessee
and Kentucky. If you have ever read any of my previous stories such as “Butterfly
Breath” or “You Complete Us”, you will know that this particular child indeed
often serves as a source of inspiration for my writing material.

Recently I personally learned a very valuable lesson as a result of my
granddaughter’s favorite passion…collecting “Rocks”.

In the telling of this story, I must first explain that I carry a large “briefcase” type
purse. This purse indeed serves as my mobile office; therefore it can get quite
heavy at times. Being so accustomed to my purse being heavy, I had not noticed it
had recently become excessively heavy to the point of causing me some discomfort
and pain in my right arm and shoulder. When I finally took the time to stop and
clean out my purse, much to my surprise and consternation, I found deposited there
at the very deepest pit of my purse a handful of “rocks”. It was then I realized that
at some point on our previous journey, my sweet granddaughter had delivered her
precious collection of “rocks” to me for safe keeping.

When I delivered the collection of “rocks” to her, she was ecstatic and joyful. What
to me had been such a heavy weight and a source of consternation, grief, and
indeed pain; was to her a true source of delight and pleasure.

Herein lies the valuable lesson…

For a very long time, I had been carrying my very own personal load of “rocks”; a
heavy weight of some old unfulfilled dreams and desires. Although these dreams
and desires were by no means of a sinful nature; still it was not good for me to
allow my mind to be obsessed with them. Whether these obsessive thoughts were
brought on as a trick of the devil in his efforts to destroy my mind or were of my
own making, I will not question. Suffice it to say, they were in fact weighting me
down to the point of exhaustion, pain, and depression; consuming my valuable
time, confusing my mind, and clouding my good judgment.

When I finally cleaned these so called heavy “rocks” out of my heart and indeed
delivered my heavy load over to my precious Jesus, I felt such a sense of relief,
weightlessness, and release from the sorrow, grief, and pain. Without question, I
had hauled around this excess baggage of my own personal “rocks” for so long; I
had become accustomed to them and did not recognize them to be my true source
of misery and pain.

You see, just like those real “rocks” discovered in my purse that were a great
burden to me, yet brought pleasure to my precious granddaughter; my collection of
spiritual “rocks”; unfulfilled dreams and desires; when turned over to Jesus brought
me much relief and brought Him much pleasure in carrying my load for me.

He truly cares for us dear friends. 1 Peter 5:7 says… “Casting all you care upon
Him; for he cares for you”.

He delights in lifting our heavy burdens and takes great pleasure in healing our hurts
and pain. Psalms 55:22 says… “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain
you.”

But, be warned of Satan’s tricks… for just after Peter told us to cast all our care
upon Jesus. He gives us a stern warning in the very next verse…

1 Peter 5:8 reads… “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”.

Now, when Satan rises up against me to destroy my peace of mind by causing
confused or obsessive thoughts, I instantly go into my “battle mode” by pulling out
my weapon of The Word against him…

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of
love and of a sound mind.

Isaiah 26:3 – You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You.

In closing, let me say, “God’s Sovereign will for my life is what I desire most. It
may be that my dreams and desires will actually be fulfilled someday. He alone
truly and surely knows what’s best for me. So I will trust in Him and accept His
will for my life. I will allow Him to take charge of my life by acknowledging and
accepting His guidance to lead me in the right paths.”

I must hold fast to…

Proverbs 3:5-6 – (5) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your
own understanding; (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct
your paths.

I can indeed hold onto that scripture with this end result in mind…

Jeremiah 29:11 says… “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

With my mind stayed on Jesus and all my trust in Him, I can finally shout…

“Oh, how sweet is the victory!”

I can never say it enough…

Just Give Me Jesus!
He’s All I Need!
Donna “Bethel” Fontaine