Cheer UP! Podcast
Cheer UP! Podcast
Journeying With Lazarus
What can we learn from Lazarus and the pain of waiting? Join us as we delve into the power of grief and the hope we can find in it. Don't miss this uplifting discussion! 🎧
#Lazarus #Grief #Hope #Life #Siblings #FromTheBible #ChristianPodcasts #CheerUpPodcast #CheriSwalwell #KaraRHunt
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Hi and welcome to the Cheer Up Podcast. I am your host, kara R Hunt, and with me is the nice and kind Sherri Swalwell. How are you doing today, sherri?
Speaker 2:I am doing great and you know. I don't know if you have checked the date yet today, but today is 9-11. So today we're commemorating and remembering, and just pausing to remember what our country went through on that day.
Speaker 1:Yes, and all the sacrifices that were made all the lives all the lives that was lost and all of the heroes and the people and the rescue workers who went into danger you know, to save people. So I'm glad you mentioned that. No, I you know it's since my husband has been retired. The days get all conglomerated together. The days get all conglomerated together Exactly. I am constantly asking, like a family member, like what day is it, what's?
Speaker 2:today's date.
Speaker 1:Exactly. Or I'll be saying something and I'll say, oh yeah, we're supposed to do that on Tuesday and they go today is Tuesday. I'm like what, I thought it was Monday. They're like no it's been Tuesday for about 12 hours. Now it's noon, right, so I'm glad you mentioned that. Thank you for bringing that forward and we want to thank all. Oh, go ahead, I am so sorry. Go ahead, sherry.
Speaker 2:Oh no, that's okay. I read a book recently this year about. It was called Live Like a Guide Dog.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 2:The book itself isn't completely about 9-11, but it is. If you like to read at all and if you like true stories, then I would highly highly recommend that you pick up this book. It's called Live Like a Guide Dog and it's about this man who's blind and all the different guide dogs that he's had in his life, but one of his experiences was coming out of the tower. Oh, I don't remember. I read it a while ago, I don't remember what floor he was on, but he and his I want to say it was his work partner, but I think he was also related to him. Don't quote me on that.
Speaker 2:Anyway, the point of what I'm trying to get at is they had to climb down like 38 flights of stairs or 41 flights of stairs, a lot of stairs, and people were starting to panic and I remember one of the things that he said to them was hey, everybody, it's okay, my dog knows what we're doing. I'm blind, so if the lights go out, just listen to my voice, because I can't see darker light. Anyway, I've got this Like God's got this. I've got this, we've got this. So just follow my voice, follow us out and we'll be okay. And they were. So it's a great, great book and if you're, you know, wanting to remember or learn more about some of the hero, part of what happened that day Live Like a Guide Dog is the name of the book.
Speaker 1:Now I'll be quiet. No, this is like an excellent book no-transcript. It's so easy to just scream and panic and run, but, oh my gosh, we need to listen to that innermost voice, god. Just listen to God and he will lead us out. He is a perfect guide and Him and the Holy Spirit, they will guide us out and they will give us everything we need to do in those type of situations. And it may not even be an actual physical thing that's happening right then and there, but our emotions can feel like we've just been attacked, our spirits can feel like we've just been attacked, right, and we just need to listen to the shepherd, that quiet voice of the shepherd, as he guides us out of those different scenarios, predicaments, situations. Not panic, but to trust, just to trust in the good shepherd, which is the ultimate guide dog, right, right.
Speaker 1:You know, and everything, and so what an inspirational book it sounds like Sherry and what a great way for those who just want to read more about this particular day and want to know more of the story behind what happened there. What an excellent book. Thanks for sharing that. What happened?
Speaker 2:there. What an excellent book. Thanks for sharing that. Oh, you're welcome. And I guess he wrote a different book also that talks only about 9-11. I didn't have the privilege of reading that one yet, but if you want, just this one was amazing, absolutely amazing, and yeah, it stuck with me, because I read it months and months ago and yet even the title stuck with me. So you know it's a good book when you remember all those kind of little details.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I just wanted to throw that out there, since it was the anniversary of 9-11.
Speaker 2:And some people you know like to remember anniversaries more than other people, and other people like to forget them, and we're all different. And so for those who like to forget them, and we're all different. And so for those who like to remember or learn more.
Speaker 1:There you go. And for those who just want to start their morning off with a little bit of joy, we hope Sherry and I can help you with that, you know. And so thank you for joining us again on the latest episode of the Cheer Up podcast. We thank you so much for doing that and tuning in weekly when we have weekly episodes once a week. So we thank you for joining in. We thank you for constantly returning and listening to us. We so appreciate it for listening to us. We so appreciate it. We see all of you.
Speaker 1:We see those of you who are international, who are in other countries, on other continents, all the different states across America. We want to say hi, thank you for joining in. And for those who are just joining us, we just want to say thank you for joining us, for giving us a try, for giving us a shot, and we hope that you enjoy the podcast and that you will stay and join us for many, many, many more. And if you are new, send us an email at chairpodcasts at gmailcom chairpodcasts at gmailcom. And we would love to just know more about you your name, what state you're from and if it's not one of the states that's already on our list. We would love to do a shout out to just recognize you and your state. So thank you so much. And for those of you who may have, who are avid listeners and you've been if you've been blessed by this podcast, then please share it with your friends and family. It just really helps with the algorithm for others who may, on a day like today, just be looking for something that's a little bit uplifting, that's talking about God and it spreads a little joy. So we just want to thank you for doing that.
Speaker 1:And for those of you who have been listening, then you know we are continuing our series on biblical figures from the Bible. We have been doing this since February 2024, so there are a lot of biblical figures that we have covered, and we're doing this because, even though these biblical figures were, they lived and are the things they did or the things God did through them may have happened centuries ago. It is so apropos to what we live like here today in a Christian journey, whether it's something like 9-11 or whether it's our own little personal attack, the personal spiritual attack that we're going through. It's just so helpful to know that none of this is new that a lot of the people in the past went through these things, sometimes centuries ago, and God brought them through it. And today we are going to talk about Mary, martha and Lazarus. Do I have that right, sherry?
Speaker 2:Yep, Yep.
Speaker 1:And Sherry is going to give us some insight into those three siblings Mary, martha and Lazarus. So we know that a lot of you probably already heard a lot of things about those three, but the fact that they're siblings just always seems new to me, right? I mean, how is that, when it clearly says that in the scriptures, but it's like, I don't know, I don't know, I just, I just it just always seems new to me, I guess because Mary and Martha seem so different. But that's just siblings, am I right, sherry?
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely Absolutely, and they, they played into each other.
Speaker 2:And one of the things that I always think about when I think about Mary, martha and Lazarus is I think about, okay, in that time period, it seems like most people about them, but I kind of get the impression that they're single, and the fact that they're single and that they all live together makes me think, okay, did they like, did their parents die at a young age and so they've just kind of been living together and and also against the world type of a thing, or you know what did? The Bible doesn't tell us that the reasons why they're living together. Bible doesn't tell us the reasons why they're living together. The Bible doesn't tell us the reasons why they're not married. The Bible just tells us about Mary, martha and Lazarus, and they tell us it talks about how they were friends of Jesus, and I just, oh man, to be able to be described in the Bible, kara, as God or Jesus' friend, wow, like, what a compliment. And just because he was friends with them, though, doesn't mean that they got a free pass from him.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:In fact, maybe they were singled out more because of that fact, because he knew that he could speak biblical truth from them. I don't know, that's just a Sherry thing, that's just a Sherry question, not even needed to be answered. But they did not. They definitely did not get a free pass from pain. There are two specific stories where we learn the most about Mary Martha and Lazarus. Where we learn the most about Mary Martha and Lazarus. And the first one is just a nice general one where, like Jesus came over to have supper with them, to eat with them, and he. I think I kind of get the impression that pretty much wherever Jesus went, he always imparted wisdom, he always was teaching, he always was preaching, even when he was just enjoying a meal. And so, like Kara said, you have these two very opposite sisters and it kind of reminds me of my sister and myself.
Speaker 2:We used to live together. I should say I moved in with her when she was early married I mean, I think they've been married four or five years at this point and she became pregnant or she found out she was pregnant the weekend I moved in with them, I was going to school where they were and they graciously allowed me to live with them. Well, her husband works evening, so it was basically her, me and their daughter and we. We had a really good rhythm together, but we were very opposite. So I would take care of their daughter, I would give her a bath after dinner, I would do that kind of thing. My sister would clean up the dishes. That gave her a chance to unwind from work, and then we'd switch focuses again and I would probably start my homework and she would put her baby to bed, and it just worked really well. And I just remember that we just had this really good rhythm. And so, even though Martha and Mary were very different, I kind of get the impression that they had a really good rhythm going most of the time and every once in a while I'm sure my sister got annoyed with me that you know I'm doing all the work and you're getting all the fun, and that was what kind of happened with with Mary and Martha too.
Speaker 2:So, um, I was reading somewhere and Mary is described as strong willed and Martha was described as the lady. Martha was the one who was the homemaker, the cook, the one that made sure the house was clean, and Mary was just kind of strong-willed, she did what she wanted to do. I think she still contributed very well to the family, but I think that what Mary wanted, mary got. You know, what Mary wanted to do, mary did. And so at one point Jesus came over and Mary chose to sit and listen to his teaching with the men, while Martha was stuck getting the food ready because the food wasn't going to get itself ready. They didn't have a crock pot back then. They didn't have a George Foreman set it and forget it. They had to like, do it, and so Mary.
Speaker 2:No Instapot right, right, right, no Instapot. And so they had to do it. And so Marcia got mad. She was like what's going on here? You need to be helping me. And Jesus nicely, lovingly rebuked her and said no, I'm not going to tell Mary to get in there and help you, because Mary chose the right thing. You need to come listen to me too, basically. And so Jesus I used to always think that he was yelling at her. I used to always see him as, like, angry with her. And I don't think he was angry with her. I really, truly think it was more of. You know. She chose the right thing. Please come join us. The rest of it will happen. You know, do you not know who I am? I'm the son of God. I can like make dinner happen. I can make it appear.
Speaker 2:We'll have our first instant pot going on and he honestly didn't say that. So I'm not trying to be sacrilegious, honestly, I'm just I'm just kidding around, but but like God, God performed miracles, or Jesus performed miracles regularly. So if he had wanted to just instantly have them have dinner, he could have, but he wanted Martha to choose the best thing, just like Mary chose the best thing, and he wasn't going to criticize Mary when she was choosing the best thing. So that's the first story that we are introduced to the sibling group. And Lazarus I mean he was mentioned but he wasn't really talked about in that story.
Speaker 2:So they were friends. And then the next story, so that one happened in Luke 10. And then in John 11 and 12, or let me make sure that I have that right. Yeah, john 11 is where we hear about them again, and this time Lazarus is sick. And so, mary and Martha, they know who Jesus is and what he's capable of. And so they called for him and said hey, your friend Lazarus is sick, please come, heal him. Come see him and heal him, pray over him. And so Jesus waited four days before he came. And even the disciples were like why are we not going? They requested you, they need you. Why aren't we going? And he said so that my glory will be revealed even more.
Speaker 2:So, basically, lazarus died. He was in the tomb for four days. Jesus finally showed up, mary and Martha run out to him. They don't even wait for him to get there. They've been watching for him this whole time and they're like he's dead. Why didn't you come sooner? And so he has them lead him to the place.
Speaker 2:And it says in my research it was saying that Mary and Martha were prepping, didn't come sooner, and it's somewhere, which now, of course, I'm not finding it, but something about the fact that either Mary or Martha was worried that Lazarus was going to smell because it had been so long. But Jesus knew what he was doing. And not only did Jesus raise him from the dead and call him to come out, but Jesus wept first. It's the shortest book or the shortest verse in the Bible talking about how Jesus wept and it shows us how, even though he knew that a miracle was going to happen very soon after that, he still felt the feelings and he still went through the grief of losing his friend. And that has really comforted me, especially in the past year, as we've had to say goodbye to my in-laws and we have the hope of seeing them in heaven.
Speaker 2:But there's a time for weeping. It's okay to weep, it's okay to be sad. We mourn, not as unbelievers who will never see their family again, but we still mourn and it's okay to mourn. It's okay to have those feelings, and I have learned from my own life that it's worse if you stuff the feelings and you pretend that they aren't happening, because they're going to come out at some point eventually. So you might as well experience them and heal from them the right way.
Speaker 2:So Jesus gives us that example, and he gives us almost that permission to weep and to mourn. And then the miracle happened. So, even though he knew in just a couple of minutes he was going to call Lazarus out and Lazarus was going to become alive or be raised from the dead, he still mourns Lazarus's death. And I think that those are two of the very significant because God wants us to ask him, he wants us to stay in tune with him to know what is the best agenda for us on any given day.
Speaker 2:Is it to sit at his feet or is it to prepare a meal? And he also wants us to have permission, gives us permission to breathe when bad things happen, when there's sadness, when there's death, when there's tragedy. Today is such a fitting day to talk about that. It's okay to grieve the people that we've lost in 9-11. It's okay to remember and to feel the field, but he gives us the hope to help us to grieve in a way that it's a see you later, it's not a goodbye forever, and I just think that that's a good thing to remember.
Speaker 1:It really is. And I love the part to where you said we are not to grieve like those who have no hope, right, but we are to grieve and I think that's because how can we not grieve like those who have no hope, right, but we are to grieve, and I think that's because how can we not grieve? We know we're going to see that particular person again, especially if they were a believer in Jesus Christ. So we know we're going to see them again. But you may have spent 20, 30, 40, 50 years with this person, right, close years with them, you were friends, you were relatives I mean, in this case they were sisters and brothers, you know and they spent a lot, they all lived together, so they got to see each other. You know, in the mornings, when they woke up, they probably had breakfast, lunch and dinner together and probably relaxed, you know, in a fire, in front of a fire, before they went to bed at night. So all together, right, like you say, those scriptures I don't think mentions what happened to their parents or exactly what age they were, but they spent a lot of time together and whether that was 20 years, 30 years or 40 years, that's a lot of time to be with someone and even though you know you're going to see them again if they were a believer, you still sad because they're no longer going to be a part of your everyday life.
Speaker 1:Right, you're going to miss the things they said in the morning, or the things, the little funny, little quirky things they used to do, um, when they were out, you know, in the field, gathering wheat, for example. You know, back in Bible day. So, yeah, so you're going to grieve because they're no longer part of your everyday life and you're going to miss things about them that you know you never thought you would miss. But what he's saying. But it's just so important that you say we grieve with the hope. Like man, I am so sad that you're not here with me again every day. We had so much more still to do on this earth, but by golly you are where I'm headed, where you are now. I know if I begged you to come back, you wouldn't.
Speaker 1:And as a matter of fact, why would you? Because I'm headed your way sometime soon. Only Jesus knows when. But you know I'm headed there and it won't be for 10, 20, 30 years or 40 years like we had here on earth. It's going to be for eternity. You know, and that's the hope that we have, but you can't help.
Speaker 1:You know the way Mary and Martha felt, because it says Lazarus was sick first, and when he was sick they sent word to one person they knew who could stop him from dying, and it took him four days to get there and I guess even his friends were like, hey, Lazarus, your friend, remember, we need to, like go to him, you know, and everything else. And so that had to be heart wrenching for them, sitting there seeing him suffer with fever and sweats and shivering, and I have no idea what illness he had. I'm just thinking like a blue-gone-wild right is what I'm just thinking? Or something. Because they said he was sick. They didn't say he was injured, like he had fell and hurt himself or something like that. They said he was sick but as they're tending to him, you know, and giving him herbs and you know, and different type of medicines and stuff like that, knowing that they sent for Jesus, knowing that one touch from Jesus can heal him.
Speaker 1:And Jesus doesn't show up. So not only are you watching your loved one die, but your hope is kind of dwindling as well, because you're like he's not going to make it, my brother's not going to make it. Jesus, where are you? You know, and you're just waiting, and you're waiting and you're waiting, and then finally Lazarus, you know, takes in his last breath and you know they're mourning that. And then you know they have to have I don't know if they would call it a funeral or memorial service back then, but you know and then he's like put in a tomb. So by the time Jesus get back, they're just like hey, jesus, where were you? Lazarus, is your friend? Like why couldn't you come? Like you could have come sooner, he could still be alive. So I can immediately see why they would react like that. But see, god had other plans, because how miraculous and how quickly their tears dried up when Lazarus was resurrected. Am I right, sherry?
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely Absolutely, and I think that that was part of it. Was that, at least for me, I would have felt a sense of betrayal. I would have been like but you, you were, we were part of your inner circle. You were part of our inner circle. We asked for you, we should have had an in here, and you took forever, like why, lord, you let him die? We know you could heal him. We knew that you had the answers. We even came to you. We did what we were supposed to do and you didn't.
Speaker 2:And I wonder, at least if it was me, if I was one of the sisters, I think it would have taken me quite a while to process what really happened after he came out, and I would hope that I would be able to have that heaven mindset that, okay, this was all part of God's plan and I'm so thankful that it turned out the way that it did. But what if it hadn't turned out that way? Could I still have been able to praise God? Could I still have been able to trust that his way was the best way? I hope so, I hope so.
Speaker 2:Well, nowadays we have that. We have that choice and that option to see if we would or not, and I guess I've passed the test because I've had quite a few people that I love die and yet I still trust God. I know that their death was part of the plan. I didn't understand the plan and I might not still understand the plan, but their death was part of the plan and all I'm supposed to do is trust him. So I guess, in that regard, I did pass the test. But it would be so hard, I would think, knowing that you've watched him raise people from the dead literally. If Lazarus didn't get raised but he did, so there was a happy ending. But what if?
Speaker 1:Right, and what a miracle to the people who witnessed it not just Mary and Martha, right, because if I'm not mistaken, there was a crowd right that witnessed this. So sometimes we have to realize and this is even in death and I know a lot of people are going to be like Kara, I don't see what you're saying, but just give it time but sometimes, even in death, when we have prayed, prayed, prayed for someone and prayed for someone, and unfortunately they still pass away, sometimes that death could be for the benefit of others. Their death is not about them anymore, it's about the people who they left behind, you know, and maybe that death. So Lazarus died, right, and Mary and Martha and all of their friends and you know, people they knew were grieving Lazarus, but they had no idea that, because of Lazarus' death, they were about to witness a miracle that they were getting ready to be. They weren't getting ready to hear about a miracle that Jesus did, a miracle that Jesus did. They weren't getting ready to talk about a miracle that you know Jesus, you know did, that they had, you know, heard from somewhere else. They were going to witness it firsthand with their own eyes.
Speaker 1:Lazarus died, not because of Lazarus per se, but because other people can see that he was exactly who he said he was. They already believed, but then now he blessed them with this miracle of someone who was once dead who's now alive again. And in the same way, it's like that when we lose our loved ones, now, for those who are believers, they're dead but they're alive again. Now, lazarus' case he actually got to come back and join them.
Speaker 2:You know he Now in Lazarus' case he actually got to come back and join them. He was up there for four days. He was up there for four days. Do you think he really wanted to come back?
Speaker 1:Right as a matter of fact, sherry, did he? Because I don't have the scriptures in front of me did Lazarus say anything audibly after that? Did he speak?
Speaker 2:I don't think so. I'll double check, but I don't. I don't remember hearing anything about him speaking.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Maybe God didn't let him speak on purpose, you know?
Speaker 1:I was just thinking that when you said he was probably like wait what? I'm back here? Exactly, yeah. But so for those, don't get frustrated, I just don't have the scriptures in front of me right now, but I can't remember if he said and I know Mary and Martha and so many others you know may have said something, but I can't remember if Lazarus said anything.
Speaker 2:No, he didn't. Yeah, that is the most curious I'm reading it right now and he didn't say anything.
Speaker 1:Isn't that curious.
Speaker 2:Maybe he was like wait a minute, how did I end up back here, Right?
Speaker 1:That's what I'm wondering. That is so curious to me that he says nothing, isn't it interesting? It kind of makes me want to dig into that just a little bit more.
Speaker 2:I agree and I digress. I apologize for my rabbit trail there, but you were talking about that. Our death is not necessarily about us, or our human death is not necessarily about them.
Speaker 2:I heard a story from either a guest speaker at our church or our actual pastor I truly can't remember which one, or maybe it was online, but I heard a story where he was saying that this one particular person prayed for the salvation of his friends for like 25 years. Every single day, prayed for his friends' salvation and he ended up. So okay, we'll just say Bob prayed for Joe's salvation every single day for 25 years. Bob ended up dying and it was at Bob's funeral that Joe became a believer. So he had to die in order for Joe to finally wake up and make the choice to become a believer. So when you said that, I was reminded of that story. So just remember that sometimes in our death, god can still be glorified and God can still give us glory.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and sometimes depending on the memorial service, right, people can come to Christ. Right, there have been people who have had memorial services and or funerals where there has been hellfire and brimstone preaching and they have had an altar call and people who went in there not knowing Jesus left there knowing Jesus and the funeral or the memorial service was the launching pad for that. So, emma, are we saying that people have to die for people to come to know Jesus? No, absolutely not. What we're saying is God can use it, right, right, he can use it and he may know that these particular people, this group of people, these family members or you know, or something else, may not actually do that unless certain things happen.
Speaker 1:I think I was just talking to someone else the other day about how some people tons of people right give testimonies about how they did not give their life to Christ until they hit rock bottom, right, rock bottom, and sometimes that meant that they were in prison for crimes that they have committed.
Speaker 1:Sometimes that means their lives were about to be taken from them because of the stuff that they were involved in. Sometimes it means they ruined their marriages and their kids' lives because they were addicted to something. It doesn't matter what the case may be, but sometimes people they hear about it, the seed has been planted, they just ignore it, ignore it, ignore it until they hit rock bottom. And so we all know that there are people like that that would never come to Christ until they feel like they have a need for Christ, right and so and in some people it takes that, and I remember, you know, when you read a lot of, I used to read like a lot of military, historical, military stuff, different things that would happen in different military wars that were waged and different things like that, and way back then they used to say there are no atheists in foxholes right that makes sense, you know, because everybody is um, oh, I'm an atheist.
Speaker 1:Oh, there's no God. Oh, there's no this, there's no that. Yeah, until you're like in a foxhole, hoping and praying that one of those shells didn't come and blow you up or they didn't find you. All of a sudden, you're crying out to God. Right, because you know your life can be taken from you in an instant, and you may or may not know when it happened. Right, because you'd be blown to pieces and smithereens, as well as the people in front of you.
Speaker 1:And what do they do? When they're in foxholes and they don't know whether or not they're going to make it out alive? They call on God. All of a sudden, the God that they've been hearing about seems a lot more real to them, you know, and everything else. And so a lot of people say a lot of things I've heard people say who've been on planes where it's hit really bad turbulence, extremely bad turbulence, and or it looks like an engine failure or, excuse me, some type of failure on the plane, and the people next to them would say something like man, I never believed in God, but I'm about to pray for him now. Or they were able to lead people to the Lord because they didn't know if the plane was going to crash or not.
Speaker 1:Now, could all of these people, before they were in the foxholes, before they were in a plane that they didn't know was going to land or not, could all of these people have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior before then? Oh, absolutely, they could have, but they didn't. So there are some people to where they will only do it when they feel like they have no other choice. But it's sincere right, because they honestly don't know if they're going to make it out of that situation alive, or are they in rock bottom and God can get their attention?
Speaker 1:They're in a prison cell and everyone they depended on before their buddies, their friends, their parents, you know, no one's there, you know, except your father, their friends, their parents. You know, no one's there, you know, except your father, father, your true father, and he's like okay, it's a shame. You know like, well, now you're here in a sale, a 10 by 10 sale, maybe now I can get your, you know. So God can use all of those things. And there have been so many prison ministries that have brought so many people to the Lord, but they had to be in prison to be able for that to happen. And it's the same thing with death. Sometimes we may think, oh, this person's going, they're no longer making an impact. No, we serve a big God. You have no idea what impact that particular person's death is having on those who loved him.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. I think that we, just as we wrap up today I think that's kind of the encouragement that we want to give is that we need to wake up every morning and we need to just say God, use me, however it is that you want to use me, and we need to remember that none of us know when our last day is. None of us know what's going to happen to us today. Like I just saw on the news, a couple months ago they were talking about these people were at a rodeo and a bull ended up jumping the fence and crashing into this crowd of people.
Speaker 2:Thankfully, only two people were injured, nobody died. But who knew? Like you went to a rodeo thinking that you were going to just have fun and you risked your life Like you could have died.
Speaker 2:So I mean it happens all the time car accidents, um, over the summer I heard of so many people who drown um in boating accidents and just because the waves were so bad and they didn't realize how how wavy it was, and so they went out anyway, thinking I'm a good swimmer, and they never came home.
Speaker 2:So like we're not trying to scare anybody, but at the same token it's it's sobering, but it's true Like we don't know when our last day is. So I don't want to be that person on the airplane who is saying I might die today. Okay, now I'm going to get right with God, although I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to get right with him before I die. But I want to be that one who chooses to get right with God when I'm still healthy, before I'm scared that I'm going to die today. So if that's you, if you've been thinking about God, if you've been thinking about having a relationship with him, and maybe you're scared, maybe you're like I don't really know what this whole relationship thing is all about. I don't know what it means to completely surrender my life to him.
Speaker 2:Does it mean that I'm going to have to, you know, do stuff that I absolutely hate? Am I going to have to start, like we were talking about last week, that Kara doesn't like Indian food? Am I going to have to start eating Indian food? Or, for me, am I going to have to start drinking coconut milk? Like, what is God going to require of me if I surrender my life to him? Well, yes, there are sacrifices that we make, but I'll tell you what the sacrifices that we make are nothing compared to what we gain, nothing compared to the peace and the joy and the hope that God gives.
Speaker 2:In John 16, 33, we hear that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have problems. It says these things I have spoken to you that in me you will have peace, but in this world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. God tells us that it's not going to be easy peasy, lemon squeezy, but he says he gives us peace, that he is going to be there with us every step of the way. So if you have been contemplating, if you've been thinking about maybe I should take the next step, and you just didn't know when or how. We want to do that. Right now we want to give you that opportunity.
Speaker 2:God tells us in Romans um, that if we believe in our heart let me just read it right from Romans, because I don't want to get it wrong. I mean, I I know it, but I don't know it and as I sit here thinking I'm getting it all wrong in my head. So he tells us in Romans 10, nine if we can for with the heart, no, sorry, here we go. But if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Mouth confession is made unto salvation. So the words and the prayer that we're going to be praying in just a minute if you believe that in your heart and you confess it with your mouth, god says you will be saved. He says you won't have to wonder anymore Is my heart right with God? You'll know that your heart is right with God and you'll know that you're a believer. So if that's you and you want to ask Jesus into your heart, you want to surrender your life and make Jesus your Lord today, then pray this prayer with us right now. Oh Heavenly Father, I come to you in Jesus' name. I believe you died on the cross and that you rose again and you're seated on the throne. Jesus, forgive me for all that I have done wrong, and I choose to forgive all others. Come into my life today and forever. I am yours In Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 2:If you just prayed that prayer with us, then I want to say welcome to the family. We are so glad that you're here. We encourage you to get into a Bible-believing church and if you want to grow your relationship with God and figure out what that next step is, then head over to my website and you can look at the membership. Jesus in the Everyday and that will just help you to keep yourself connected and to keep yourself growing, pointing you always back to the one who is our Lord and Savior. You can also we would encourage you to send us an email at cheeruppodcasts at gmailcom. Let us know that you made that important decision today. Also, if you have a prayer request or you need encouragement or you have a praise you want to share, you can email us at cheeruppodcasts at gmailcom, or you can start a thread in the Facebook group Cheer Up Podcast as well.
Speaker 2:Head over to Kara's website, kara R Hunt, find out what's new going on over there. And we just want to say one welcome to the family. Two we hope you're enjoying the. I can't believe that we're mid-September already, tara, so we only have a few months left of the Bible figures. Next week we're going to delve into and talk about the different disciples as a whole, and I'm just super excited. I thoroughly am enjoying this study and I'm enjoying finding out more and more about the different biblical figures in this, in the Bible, and just I mean, there's just so many. We just take only a handful. So have a great rest of your week, a great rest of your day, and we will talk to you next week.
