Good Friday

Skipping details that you can read on your own in the gospels. I'd like to pick up the narrative as Jesus stands in the presence of Pontius Pilate. Pilate asks the crowd to choose who he should pardon, as was the custom. The crowd, through lies and coercion screams out, "Crucify him!, Crucify him!" Pontius Pilate washes his hands of it and orders Jesus to be flogged. Again he is mocked and tortured while the guards use a nine-tailed leather whip with lead balls on the ends, to tear his back open down to the bone. The splintered rugged wood of the cross is heaped on his raw back. 

Reaching Golgotha, they pierced his hands and feet with nails the size of railroad ties and raise the cross up as he hung there bearing a humiliation and level of pain that we couldn't even imagine. 

Hebrews 12:2, "For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame..." Do you know what that joy was that made him endure the cross? It was you, it was me, it was his love for all of us. When he hung on that cross it wasn't just a crucifixion like any other. Heaped upon Jesus was the sin of the world. Past, present and future sin of every person who has ever lived, was living, and would ever live. He bore the sins of the world. 

Darkness covers the scene for 3 hours as Jesus hangs there. He has to use his pierced feet and hands to drag his raw back against the rugged wood to take each breath and to speak each last word. 

The Seven Last Sayings of Jesus

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) - Word of Forgiveness

"Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) - Word of Salvation

"Woman, behold your son... Behold your mother." (John 19:26–27) - Word of Relationship

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34) - Word of Abandonment

"I thirst." (John 19:28) - Word of Distress

"It is finished." (John 19:30) - Word of Triumph

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46)

Because the Father is Holy, he cannot look upon sin. So, for the first time in eternity the Father had to look away from his son Jesus because our sin covered him. For the first time in eternity Jesus felt utterly alone and cried out, "Father why have you forsaken me!"

The earth shakes and the curtain in the temple is torn! No longer is there a barrier between us and God. Jesus gave his life to become that bridge. Our conduit to God is Christ Almighty! Because of his blood, our sins can be covered! Because of his sacrifice, we can be released from the debt of our sins. Death is conquered!Remember the two choices that I pointed out in yesterday's account? Mary and Judas. Although Christ paid the price for our sins on the cross. We have a free will whether to believe and accept that or to reject it.

The Roman soldier pierces his side and then Christ is taken down from the cross. He is buried in a tomb that is sealed by a large stone.

In closing I want to point out the story of the 10 lepers in Luke 17:11-19. They cry out for Christ to have mercy on them and heal them. He does heal all of them but only one returns to thank him. When it comes to Holy Week and what Jesus did for us, please don't forget to thank him.

To invite him into your heart to be your personal Savior and Lord, simply say this prayer: Father in heaven, I believe that your son Jesus died on the cross, and by his blood I am saved. I admit I am a sinner and I need a Savior. I invite you into my heart and my life. In Jesus name, amen.

Maundy Thursday

Jesus met with his disciples for the last supper. He washed their feet, teaching them the lesson of humility. He gave them a new commandment, to love one another as he has loved them. He reveals that he will be betrayed... He then leads them to the Mount of Olives to the garden of Gethsemane. That is where Jesus asked his three dearest friends to stay awake and pray for him. But three times he found them asleep. Alone, distressed to the point that he sweat blood, He cried out to his father.

As condensed on line, (In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus experienced intense emotional and spiritual agony, grappling with the weight of his impending crucifixion and the sins of humanity. He prayed earnestly for the "cup" of suffering to pass, ultimately submitting his will to God the Father before being betrayed and arrested. 

Key Aspects of the Experience

Deep Emotional Distress: Jesus was "deeply distressed," "troubled," and described his soul as "exceedingly sorrowful, even to death".

Physical Suffering: His mental agony was so intense that according to Luke 22:44, his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Spiritual Struggle: Jesus faced a severe temptation to avoid the cross, but ultimately chose to submit to God’s will, a moment often referred to as the "agony in the garden".

Loneliness and Abandonment: His closest disciples—Peter, James, and John—fell asleep three times instead of supporting him in prayer.

Betrayal and Arrest: The scene ended with Judas Iscariot identifying him with a kiss, leading to his arrest by a armed crowd. 

Significance of Gethsemane

The "Oil Press": The name Gethsemane means "oil press," symbolizing the immense pressure Jesus felt.

Voluntary Submission: The events show that Jesus was not forced into crucifixion but voluntarily accepted it as a sacrifice for humanity.

Divine Support: Despite his pain, accounts mention an angel appeared to strengthen him. 

The events in Gethsemane are primarily recorded in the synoptic gospels: Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22.)

I encourage you today, to read the gospel accounts of what happened from the Last Supper to Jesus standing before Pontius Pilate. Isaiah 50:6 prophesized, "I (speaking of Jesus), gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting." The betrayal, the arrest, the interrogation, the beatings, the mocking... In The gospel of Mark14:65, "They all condemned him as worthy of death. Then, some began to spit at him, they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, mocking him. The guards then took him, stripped him, placed a purple robe on him and pressed a crown of thorns into his flesh. They slapped him, taunted him and beat him about the head with a stick. Silent was the innocent Lamb of God as they accused and tortured him for what he wasn't even guilty of. Jesus, the light of the world came to his creation offering love and salvation, yet, they rejected him and sentenced him to death by crucifixion.  John 1:11.

Holy Wednesday

Holy Wednesday juxtaposes two different heart postures. On one hand you have Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who Jesus raised from the dead. On the other hand, you have Judas, who is the one that will betray Jesus.  Mary breaks open her alabaster box that holds a very expensive perfumed oil. She pours it over Jesus's feet and washes them with her hair. She knows what lies ahead for him because her heart is fixed on him. Judas sees this act and becomes indignant that the money could have been used for the poor and she just wasted it! He storms out yet Mary stays at his feet. Just like many other examples in the Bible where it shows us that we have two choices. To stay and follow the Lord or to turn and go our own way. You can stay at the Lord's table or you can walk away. Those decisions though, also determine our eternal life. Will you open your eyes and your heart to God's great gift of his son? Or, Will you shake your head, and close yourself off as you turn away from him and go do things your own way? Mary had her eyes fixed on Jesus, whereas, Judas had his eyes fixed on self. Where you focus is where you'll be. 

Holy Tuesday

Holy Tuesday/Fig Tuesday 

Imagine a scene where you knew you didn't have much longer to live. You would want to be around your loved ones, your conversations would be more on the serious side. You would want to tell them so many things that you learned in life and about how to handle things that are to come. This is the shift that has happened between Palm Sunday, a time of celebration, to the week before our beloved Savior goes to the cross. You can pick up on the sense of urgency when he speaks about the fig tree which represents Israel. I encourage you to look up the story of the fig tree and what it means. 

But, for today I want our eyes to be on how much passion Christ had about having to leave his beloved followers, especially his disciples. His words toward them are still instructive yet with much more intensity. His eyes are fixed on each of theirs. He knows each of them so intimately, their quirks, downfalls,  weaknesses, strengths etc. I can imagine his heart in constant intercessory prayer to the Father for them.

With Christ being "all God"  he knows that he's leaving the Holy Spirit to be with them, to guide them. However, with Christ also being "all human", he doesn't want to leave his buddies. Their hearts are connected. This is his crew. His closest friends. The human part of him does not want to leave them. The human part of him knows what's coming in a few days, yet, if not for his Father holding him together, I think his heart would have just burst open right then and there.

And we can't forget about the protagonists in this story. The Pharisees and the other chief priests.  They were out for Jesus and trying every trick in the book to trip him up. However, his words to them are hot, fiery arrows meant to pierce their cold and ruthless hearts. He calls out their greed, wickedness and pride, publicly. Which makes them want to kill him even more! 

This intensely emotional saga of the week before Jesus's death is too much to bear if you allow yourself to feel it. I think about what it might be like to lose my dearest friend or my husband. As debilitating that thought is to me it doesn't even compare to Holy Week for Christ.

Holy Monday

Holy Monday. The area where the merchants were was the area where gentiles and foreigners were supposed to be able to come to God. But the greedy Jewish elite took that space and set up booths to sell the sacrifices like sheep and doves. They took the space that was meant for everyone to be able to come to God and occupied it with greed. By Jesus flipping those tables, he was telling the world that no one would ever be able to do that again because he would be the ultimate sacrifice. Everyone would be able to come to God through him!

Palm Sunday

Rescue Heart

I was just thinking about those special people that save animals. They not only do the easy rescues but they have the special gift where they can be patient while an animal is terrified or they'll even let an animal bite them or scratch them. They'll still stay there until they can rescue them. That's how it is with Jesus. Some just swing the door of their heart open to him and they are so grateful that he's offering to save them. Others, are sometimes paralyzed to even be able to move toward him but he will not leave. He will stay until you feel safe. Then, there's the ones that kick and scream, bite and scratch. They dig their heels in and fight. But our loving Lord will wait as long as it takes. He will let them act out but he will never leave them. He never gives up on any soul. In the end we all have to make our choice whether to let him in or to reject him. All he wants to do is love you. And, all the things that you're afraid that he's going to take away or make you do, are just lies from Satan. I used to blame God for all my troubles. Now, I put the blame squarely where it belongs and that is on Satan. He causes everything that's bad because of the sinful world that we live in. Instead of blaming God, I thank God for being the one who is there with me through all of this pain and suffering. Because my hope is in him and his promises. To all those people who rescue those animals that even bite you. I just want you to know that I see God in you. You are a special breed and so needed in this world! I pray that whoever reads this, would soften their heart and accept the free gift of love through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We will all be re-homed one day and you have a choice of where you will go. May you choose wisely. ❤️🙏🏼❤️

For Such a Time as This

The book of Esther in the old testament is a story that should open our eyes to the sovereignty and goodness of God. He sees the beginning of time, the end of time and all that is in between. Most importantly he sees the hearts of all people. He works his perfect will out as he uses people in fantastic ways. 

I'm not writing today's post as a teaching about The book of Esther but rather I'm using it as an example of how God works things together for our good. (Romans 8:28),  "²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to his purpose." I do encourage you to read the book of Esther on your own. To glean the insight of how God works in all situations.

This morning during my Bible time I began to think about my life and how God has used me. The Holy Spirit began to fill my mind with moments from my past. Don't get me wrong I have made a tremendous amount of mistakes. However, God turned what Satan meant for evil into good (Genesis 50:20). I'm not going to focus right now on the things that I did that were not good. I am going to put the spotlight on how God used a broken young woman to bring about eternal things. Just like all of the broken and flawed people that God chose to do his work through in the past (Moses, Gideon...). To this day he continues to use those of us that are imperfect to bring about his will.

One of the ways that God used me was to be a legacy changer in my family. I was such a young Christian and so unaware but he used me to share my faith with my family. First, my mom and my sisters and then my dad and my brother. All of them came to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and were baptized. It changed the trajectory of my family in an eternal way. I think about the hundreds and hundreds of people that I have shared Jesus with and how I know God is working in their lives and the lives that they've touched also..

The Holy Spirit kept bringing to my mind all of these little moments in my life where he used me to intercede for people. Moments that I don't even know how they worked out but I know that God used me and he is continuing the process. We cannot even fathom the breadth and depth of God's hand in the lives of Christians.

So many of us spend so much time dragging the past along with us, worrying about the future and thinking about how inadequate we are when we should be thinking about how God uses flawed people to his glory. It's not about us, it's about him working through us. His strength being implemented through our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9). It's not about how we do anything. It's about him getting all the glory for working all of these Divine moments together for the glory of his name and the expansion of his eternal kingdom. What an honor it is that the God of the universes works through our imperfect lives to bring about eternal glories.

I want us to stop and think about how much of the past we drag along into the next day and how that burden weighs us down. How much worry about the future bears down on us each day because we invite it into our minds?? How much of our inner dialogue tells us that we're not worthy or that we are not important enough for God's work? How many thoughts do we entertain about being useless or not meant for great things? 

Surrendering our day to God and learning how to be present in the moment is freedom and blessing. Knowing that in the most unnoticed ways God is using us if we ask him to. Then, there will be those times when we know that he used us! We realize how much worth we have in him and what a privilege and honor it is to be used and to work beside the Lord of Lords. Sometimes, it's not about one big moment that God uses us. Although, that may be the case, we have to also acknowledge that he is using us all the time. I think back on times when I overheard a conversation in a store and I never forgot what one of those people said and what a profound influence it had on my life. I also recall moments of kindness that were shown to me that changed me as a person and I passed it forward. It says in Matthew 10:42, "And whoever gives to one of these little ones [these who are humble in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.” I've told this story before but my sister who lives in California was sitting in the backseat of their car on an extremely hot day with her handicap son. They were waiting for her husband who ran something into the store to return. Across the alley was a drinking water truck delivering water. The man brought over some bottles of water because he saw my sister sitting in the car. He did exactly what that scripture above says. My sister and I have never forgotten that act of kindness. We tell so many people about that and how amazing God is. He works through people to bless others. That's just one example. I have hundreds of those stories but I think you know what I'm talking about.

So, every one of us was knit together in our mother's womb and God knew us before we were even born (Psalm 139). He has a specific purpose for each of our lives. The Bible says when we draw near to God he draws near to us. Draw near to him today and invite him to work through you. There is someone out there who needs a cup of water. There are people who are so close to giving up and your one act of kindness can turn their life around. You can be a legacy breaker in your family, a person who takes the lead on a project when no one else will step up, a person who brings a smile and a good word with them as they go through their day. Making others feel seen and heard. The list goes on and on regarding how God can use you.

You were born for such a time as this. You are here for a reason and if you feel unsure about that, God invites you to draw near to him. Be sure that you have invited him into your heart as your Lord and Savior. Ask him to forgive your sins and to move you forward into his purpose for your life. Spend time reading your Bible, getting connected with other Christians, doing Bible studies and devotionals etc. You were meant for something that has amazing eternal value because God created you. Go to him with boldness and confidence to find the reason why you're here on this earth for such a time as this. 

1st Corinthians chapter 13 reads, "If I speak in human and angelic tongues^* but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.^a

2And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.^b

3If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.^c

4^* Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated,^d

5it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,^e

6it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.^f

8^* Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

9For we know partially and we prophesy partially,

10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

11When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.

12At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.^g

13^* So faith, hope, love remain, these three;^h but the greatest of these is love.

Love=Charity

In 1st John 4:8&16 it says, "God is love." Just as it says in 1st Corinthians chapter 13, we can do acts of kindness but unless they're done in love, which means in the name of Jesus, they are nothing but a clanging symbol. 

Good deeds do not get eternal wings unless they are done in the name of Jesus.