Tags

god's greatest gift, Good Friday, Jesus, love, the cross

John 19:1-42 (HCSB)
¹  Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged.
²  The soldiers also twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and threw a purple robe around Him.
³  And they repeatedly came up to Him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and were slapping His face.
⁴  Pilate went outside again and said to them, “Look, I’m bringing Him outside to you to let you know I find no grounds for charging Him.”
⁵  Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
⁶  When the chief priests and the temple police saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate responded, “Take Him and crucify Him yourselves, for I find no grounds for charging Him.”
⁷  “We have a law,” the Jews replied to him, “and according to that law He must die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”
⁸  When Pilate heard this statement, he was more afraid than ever.
⁹  He went back into the headquarters and asked Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus did not give him an answer.
¹⁰  So Pilate said to Him, “You’re not talking to me? Don’t You know that I have the authority to release You and the authority to crucify You?”
¹¹  “You would have no authority over Me at all,” Jesus answered him, “if it hadn’t been given you from above. This is why the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.”
¹²  From that moment Pilate made every effort to release Him. But the Jews shouted, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Anyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar!”
¹³  When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside. He sat down on the judge’s bench in a place called the Stone Pavement (but in Hebrew Gabbatha).
¹⁴  It was the preparation day for the Passover, and it was about six in the morning. Then he told the Jews, “Here is your king!”
¹⁵  But they shouted, “Take Him away! Take Him away! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Should I crucify your king?” “We have no king but Caesar!” the chief priests answered.
¹⁶  So then, because of them, he handed Him over to be crucified. Therefore they took Jesus away.
¹⁷  Carrying His own cross, He went out to what is called Skull Place, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
¹⁸  There they crucified Him and two others with Him, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
¹⁹  Pilate also had a sign lettered and put on the cross. The inscription was: JESUS THE NAZARENE THE KING OF THE JEWS.
²⁰  Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
²¹  So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”
²²  Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written.”
²³  When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier. They also took the tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.
²⁴  So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see who gets it.” ⌊They did this⌋ to fulfill the Scripture that says: They divided My clothes among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothing. And this is what the soldiers did.
²⁵  Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
²⁶  When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple He loved standing there, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.”
²⁷  Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
²⁸  After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now accomplished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He said, “I’m thirsty!”
²⁹  A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on hyssop and held it up to His mouth.
³⁰  When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” Then bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
³¹  Since it was the preparation day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special day). They requested that Pilate have the men’s legs broken and that ⌊their bodies⌋ be taken away.
³²  So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other one who had been crucified with Him.
³³  When they came to Jesus, they did not break His legs since they saw that He was already dead.
³⁴  But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.
³⁵  He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows he is telling the truth.
³⁶  For these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: Not one of His bones will be broken.
³⁷  Also, another Scripture says: They will look at the One they pierced.
³⁸  After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus—but secretly because of his fear of the Jews—asked Pilate that he might remove Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took His body away.
³⁹  Nicodemus (who had previously come to Him at night) also came, bringing a mixture of about 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes.
⁴⁰  Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the aromatic spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews.
⁴¹  There was a garden in the place where He was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been placed in it.
⁴²  They placed Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation and since the tomb was nearby.

*image by Urdu Bible

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Your Best Chance

Tags

Christian growth, christian journey, christian walk, destroying our enemies, encouragement, enemy of our souls, fighting and winning, great prayer life, greatest spiritual weapon, greatest weapon, having a consistent prayer time, how to keep praying, our best chance, pray without ceasing, prayer, spiritual war

 If you were in a war and your enemy had the best weapon, what would you do?

What would you do knowing if your enemy used this weapon, you would be obliterated?

What would your strategy be?

Would you change sides?

Not an option.

Would you disarm the weapon?

Not possible.

You couldn’t do anything about the weapon’s power. Nothing. So, what would you do? What could your strategy possibly be?

Your only chance would be to convince your enemy that the most powerful weapon they have… the one that would completely annihilate your side…is useless. The best plan would be to come up with a campaign to brainwash the opposing side into thinking their weapon is pitiful, their weapon will never amount to anything and in fact, other armies will laugh at them if that’s the weapon they depend on.

You would try to embarrass them, harass them and tell them that, in fact, the weapon they were told is invincible will actually make them appear weak.

Why?

That would be your only hope. You would know that you had to convince the other side to never use that weapon or, you would be finished.

Ephesians 6:12, says, “For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.”

Scripture tells us we are in a war and it is a war we cannot see without spiritual eyes. This chapter in Ephesians later tells us to put on the whole armor of God and while we are putting on this armor Ephesians 6:18 tells us we are to do so while praying. In fact, it says we are to pray at ALL times.

Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.”

Another example is found in I Thessalonians 5:17. It says, “Pray constantly.”

All of these verses tell us that prayer is vital. It is a MIGHTY WEAPON, but how do we really feel about prayer?

In the core of our being do we know how powerful prayer is?

Did we know at one time how powerful prayer is, but now we are losing hope?

Can we remember intense times of prayer, but the edge of our weapon has worn down a little?

Do we believe prayer works, still works right now?

Do we believe it is our strongest weapon?

Jesus is our best example for prayer in Scripture. Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Luke 9:18 are just a few of the accounts we are given of Jesus praying. We see in these first two verses that He prayed in the morning and the evening. We see from other passages that He was continually in prayer throughout His ministry. In Matthew 6:6, Jesus says, “…when you pray…”, not if.

Praying is not a suggestion, it’s a necessity.

So, if Jesus taught it and demonstrated to us how to pray, why is prayer so hard at times for us? Why is it so hard to pray without ceasing as Thessalonians tells is to do?

Part of the reason why prayer is so hard is that we are in a war. It is a weapon. Battle is hard work. Fatigue is real. Ask any soldier.

When we pick up our weapon of prayer, we have engaged the enemy. Our weapon is by far the most powerful, but we still have to wield it and that takes work.

I believe another reason prayer is hard for us is because we have no perseverance without God’s strength. Our humanness has no staying power without the Holy Spirit. No need to hide in shame if we have grown weary praying for the same people over and over. We simply ask for renewed vigor.

When I grow weary in prayer, I remind myself to ask God for His heart for prayer. Maybe I’m praying for a particular person to start coming to my church when God wants me to pray for them to have people around them to guide them daily? Maybe I’m praying for a person to give me a raise when God wants me to pray for their salvation? What does He want us to pray for? What’s on His heart? Renewed energy comes into our prayer life when we know we are on the same page with God Himself.

But, you want to know the main reason prayer can be so hard?

Our enemy knows our prayers will annihilate him.

He knows prayer is the key to not just the battle, but the war.

Our enemy is a constant gnat buzzing around our ear saying things like, “Prayer doesn’t matter. God’s not hearing you. You are wasting your time. You’ve already prayed about that. Is prayer really all you have?”

Our enemy is holding a constant campaign to sow deceit into our thinking.

Our enemy knows their only chance of victory is if we do not use our most powerful weapon…prayer.

Unfortunately, the constant barrage works with most of us. We think prayer is a last resort, or that God hears others, but not us. We allow lies we are told by the enemy to germinate in our lives and those seeds bring forth the fruit of a prayerless life. 

 In the Old Testament, Hezekiah gives us an amazing illustration of prayer. When he prayed on behalf of God’s people, the Lord sent an angel that destroyed over 185,000 soldiers in one night.

Woah.

Prayer is powerful! We literally have a spiritual bomb in our arsenal that will obliterate our enemy and it sits quietly in the corner gathering dust. We worry and fret about our families’ issues, the unsaved, dissention among believers, finances…the list can go on and on and we have allowed our greatest weapon to seem powerless to us. We have believed the propaganda of our enemy.

Is praying hard?

It is, but we know it is worth the effort because it is our most powerful weapon.

I want to encourage you to pray without ceasing. Pray with renewed commitment and vigor. Pray when you feel like it and especially when you don’t.

Let’s not be tricked into thinking that prayer is not vital to every person and every ministry. When we get discouraged into thinking our prayers don’t matter, it should be a trigger for us to know they matter… A LOT! Otherwise, why would our enemy bother with discouraging us? If prayer was a waste of time, why would our enemy be so adamantly against it?

So, be encouraged today and PRAY!

http://seekinghearts.org

Am I Treating God like a Jack-in-a-Box?

Tags

christian walk, encouragement, encouragement for the weary, encouragement for the worn out, faith in God, i need refreshment, is prayer just asking for things i want, prayer, treating God like a genie, true peace, trust, worshipping God

A few years back, I heard a testimony that hit me to my core.

The visiting pastor at a church where I was also visiting explained how he is sometimes guilty of treating God like a Jack-in-a-Box.

Whoa.

That hit me right between the eyes.

He went on with his sermon, but I stayed right in that moment, right in the question of… “Do I treat God like a Jack-in-a-Box?”

(If you are unfamiliar with this torture device, marketed as a toy, it’s worth looking up.)

Well, it really wasn’t a question. It was a knowing. I knew immediately that I often treat God like a Jack-in-a Box.

I pack Him around in a little box, set Him in a situation where I expect Him to pop out. I wind the handle…meaning…I pray. I quote Scripture to prove to Him I’m right. I pray some more…and some more…and sometimes a little more, but God doesn’t pop out when I think He should …and I get mad.

So, I change tactics. I try harder. I pray some more. I may even add fasting. I quote Him more Scripture. I use my essential oils. I check every box I can think of…winding, winding, and winding … waiting for God to pop out. Waiting for God to keep His end of a bargain I assume we had made.

The more I wind, the more frustrated I become. The more frantic I grow.

The more I wind, the more I expect God to pop out at my request.

I become more and more uptight… but I just keep winding.

1 Kings 18:21-29 describes an amazing account where Elijah has a showdown with Baal worshippers. It’s really worth reading, but what I want you to see now is how the Baal worshippers tried to get Baal’s attention.

Here’s what the book of Kings says,“So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, ‘Baal, answer us!’ But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, ‘Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!’ They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them. All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice…”

I think this is what I must look like when I am winding the handle on my Jack-in-a Box god. I think I’m right, so I assume I will be able to prove it. I don’t actually cut myself…not on the outside anyway. But, on the inside? On the inside, I torture myself with what-ifs.

What if I had prayed more specifically for my kids as they were growing up? Are the choices they are making now my fault?

What if I had given 5 days a week to church work and not four, would I still have been the subject of gossip?

What if I had tried harder, accomplished more, dug a little deeper… would God have popped up as I expected?

This is what happens when I treat the God of the universe like a Jack-in–a–Box.

I go, go, go instead of being still and knowing that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)

I wind the handle and wind the handle and wind the handle as tears flow wondering how long I can keep this up.

Sounds like I’ve been worshipping an expectation instead of a Savior.

Sounds like I’ve been worshipping a box and not God.

Sounds like I need to breathe and stop winding the handle on the Jack-in-a Box…now.

Can you relate?

Is that why you are exhausted and in need of refreshment?

So…where do we go from here?

How do we stop the obsession with the handle on that stupid contraption that has no place in our lives?

First off, let’s set the box down and remember who God is… who He really is.

Read Psalm 18 and take note of any verses that encourage you specifically. Write them down in a prominent place so you can revisit them often.

Secondly, let’s quit picking verses out of Scripture to suit our own agenda.

Instead, let’s read until God places the Word He has for us deep in our souls. The message He has for us to hear.

Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I am called by Your name, Yahweh God of Hosts.”

Third, let’s quit praying just to get our needs met and instead pray simply to be close to Jesus. Let’s pray in order to stay in close connection with our Best Friend. Let’s remember it’s about relationship.

Fourth, we fast only when we get a direct call from God to do so and not just for financial gain, or to “make” God move in a certain way. (Read Isaiah 58 for further insight.)

We choose to worship instead of wind the box.

We choose to leave the handle alone.

We choose the connection of the Vine (John 15) over the expectation of the pop up.

Let’s take our Jack-in-a Box to Goodwill and leave it there.

Our God deserves to be worshipped for Who He is and not what we think He should be doing.

Our God deserves complete trust and faith in His plan and the timing of it.

Our God deserves to be adored and loved… not accused of not keeping the end of a bargain He never made.

God is not a Jack-in-a Box who comes and goes at the whim of our attentions.

God is God.

He is faithful.

He is true.

He is perfect.

He is love.

He is Savior.

He is Lord.

Let’s worship Him and throw the Jack-in-a- Box in the trash where it belongs. I guarantee you will feel refreshed.

www.seekinghearts.org

Lessons in Construction Part Four – Angels Unaware

Tags

angels, angels unaware, Christian encouragement, christian journey, encouragement, entertaining angels, Jesus girl, kentucky backroads, learning as you go, lessons on the job, lessons on the way, marriage, on the way, road trip

Several weeks ago my husband and I were driving down a rural road in central Kentucky on our way to a jobsite when we happened upon a large work truck across both lanes of the road stuck in a ditch. The driver had a stone wall behind him so he couldn’t back up to get a running start and frankly, he was in a mess. I was perturbed that it was putting us behind schedule, but I quickly realized God had put us here for this poor young man to get help.

Mark talked with him a minute and they both got to work pulling him out of the ditch. I immediately thought of how the Word of God talks about helping others, entertaining angels unaware, etc. and I was so grateful that Mark was able to show this man Jesus in action.

Sure enough, within a few minutes the truck was out of the ditch and on it’s way.

Great story, huh?

This is where I need to pause and tell you what was really going on.

The day before my man and I had literally had the worst day ever. Meaning…it was a really rough day to be married to me.

To start our day off right, we had a really weird incident in our driveway that was spot on to a horrible dream I had had several weeks before. It was really freaky. Exactly like my dream and literally terrified me.

That same day we were headed to a jobsite that had had many delays and this was the last piece to get it finished up.

The piece that needed finishing up was a part of the project I had never been around, never wanted to be around and knew absolutely nothing about. To say that I was uncomfortable with it would be an understatement. Anyway… it was a BAD day. So bad that at the end of the night, Mark asked, “Are we okay?”

Yep, it was an awful day.

Back to the day of the stuck truck…

After Mark helped the young man and we were back on our way to the jobsite, I noticed my whole outlook had changed. The burden I wasn’t able to shake that morning was lifted, I was energized again and truly ready to get on with life. Yesterday had been a bad day, but that was done. Today was today. I was so grateful that God had sent us to be someone’s angel. I remembered people saying that when you are in a bad mood, or are feeling ungrateful to get out and serve someone else. It was supposed to bless you more than the person you helped. I thought, “That’s right. Helping someone really does help lift your spirits. Being someone’s angel is so amazing!”

And then it hit me…

Mark and I were not his angel.

He was mine.

God didn’t send us to help him. He sent him to help us.

The kindness of God knew my struggle. He knew the enemy planned evil for my day, but His gracious, consuming fire burned up the enemy’s plan through a truck in a ditch in the middle of nowhere. Only God can orchestrate such a thing. Only God.

Lesson Four from a trip to a construction site… helping someone get out of a ditch may just get you out of your own.

http://www.seekinghearts.org

Lessons in Construction Part 3

Tags

christian walk, construction, empty nester, encouragement, expectations, managing expectations, measuring, working with your husband

The last few weeks I’ve been talking about lessons I’m learning while working with my husband. In my last post, I referenced measuring https://tinyurl.com/2tpfmru2 which led me to this week’s contemplation.

When Mark and I were checking and re-checking all of the posts on our first official job together (and many others since then), I discovered that we have to trust the other person’s reading of the tool. Whether it’s a basic level, a measuring tape, or a laser level the person holding the object in place has to trust the other to read the instrument correctly.

That thought led to the understanding that if the person with the knowledge has never shared how to read said instrument, the expectation that the inexperienced person should “just know” how to see things clearly and correctly should not be placed upon them. Can I get a witness?!

Now, just to be clear, Mark and I have not run into this issue with measuring, but we have with other tasks… thoughts for another day…but, while we were setting those posts so many weeks ago I couldn’t help but think along these lines. It led me to ask the question, “Have I taught those coming after me how to read the measuring tape?”

Have I encouraged those around me to read the “level” of God’s Word?

Have I reminded those around me to check and re-check their life with Scripture? Or, have I just expected them to figure it out on their own?

Have I sat back in judgment of someone else’s crooked post, if you will, when I haven’t even given them a measuring tape?

In the past, I have become so angry at adults around me who expected me to “just know” how things were supposed to be done instead of verbally (and by example) showing me the way. I have to ask myself if I have become that same kind of adult.

Titus 2:1-8 says, “But you must say the things that are consistent with sound teaching. Older men are to be level headed, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine. They are to teach what is good, so they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, homemakers, kind, and submissive to their husbands, so that God’s message will not be slandered. In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled  in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.”

Does this verse sound like you? Have you been faithful to lead and encourage? Or, do you expect those around you to “just know”?

Lesson Three on the construction site … don’t just expect, teach.

Am I Treating God Like a Jack-in-a-Box?

Tags

character, expectations, Fasting, God didn't keep His end of the bargain, God didn't meet my expectations, God's character, managing expectations, prayer, trust, worship

The other day I heard a testimony that hit me to my core.

The visiting pastor at a church where I was also visiting explained how he is sometimes guilty of treating God like a Jack-in-a-Box.

Whoa.

That hit me right between the eyes.

He went on with his sermon, but I stayed right in that moment, right in the question of… “Do I treat God like a Jack-in-a-Box?”

Well, it really wasn’t a question. It was a knowing. I knew immediately that I often do treat God like a Jack-in-a Box.

I pack Him around and set Him in a situation. I wind the handle. Meaning, I pray. I quote Scripture to prove to Him I’m right. I pray some more…and some more…and sometimes a little more, but God doesn’t pop out when I think He should …and I get mad.

So, I change tactics. I try harder. I pray some more. I may even add fasting. I quote Him more Scripture. I use my essential oils. I check every box I can think of…winding, winding, and winding … waiting for God to pop out. Waiting for God to keep His end of a bargain I assume we had made.

The more I wind, the more frustrated I become. The more frantic I grow into being.

The more I wind, the more I expect God to pop out at my request.

The more I wind, the more uptight I become.

1 Kings 18:21-29 describes an amazing account where Elijah has a showdown with Baal worshippers. It’s really worth reading, but what I want you to see now is how the Baal worshippers tried to get Baal’s attention. Here’s what the book of Kings says, “So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!” They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them. All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice…”

I think this is what I must look like when I am winding the handle on my Jack-in-a Box god. I think I’m right, so I assume I will be able to prove it. I don’t actually cut myself, not on the outside anyway. But, on the inside? On the inside, I torture myself with what-ifs.

What if I had prayed more specifically for my kids as they were growing up? Are the choices they are making now my fault?

What if I had given 5 days a week to church work and not four, would I still have been the subject of gossip?

What if I had tried harder, accomplished more, dug a little deeper… would God have popped up as I expected?

This is what happens when I treat the God of the universe like a Jack-in–a–Box.

I go, go, go instead of being still and knowing that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)

I wind the handle and wind the handle and wind the handle as tears flow wondering how long I can keep this up.

Sounds like I’ve been worshipping an expectation instead of a Savior.

Sounds like I’ve been worshipping a box and not God.

Sounds like I need to breathe and stop winding the handle on the Jack-in-a Box…now.

So…where do I go from here?

How do I stop the obsession with the handle on that stupid contraption that has no place in my life?

First off, I set the box down and remember who God is… who He really is.

Psalm 18 says, “I love You, LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold… “

Secondly, I quit picking verses out of the Scriptures to suit my own agenda. I read until God places the Word He has for me deep in my soul.

Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I am called by Your name, Yahweh God of Hosts.”

Third, I quit praying just to get needs met and instead pray simply to be close to Jesus. I pray in order to stay in close connection with my Best Friend. I remember it’s about relationship.

 Fourth, I fast only when I get a direct call from God to do so and not just for financial gain.

I choose to worship instead of wind the box.

I choose to leave the handle alone.

I choose the connection of the Vine (John 15) over the expectation of the pop up.

I’m taking my Jack-in-a Box to Goodwill and leaving it there.

Our God deserves to be worshipped for Who He is and not what we think He should be doing.

Our God deserves complete trust and faith in His plan and the timing of it.

Our God deserves to be adored and loved not accused of not keeping the end of a bargain He never made.

God is not a Jack-in-a Box who comes and goes at the whim of our attentions.

God is God.

He is faithful.

He is true.

He is perfect.

He is love.

He is Savior.

He is Lord.

Let’s worship Him and throw the Jack-in-a-Box in the trash where it belongs.

*image by depositphotos

http://www.seekinghearts.org www.seekinghearts.org

The Mysteries of Christmas

Tags

Christmas, Christmas mysteries, encouragement, mysteries, mystery, ponderings at christmas, questions at christmas, questions of christ

There are so many mysteries surrounding the birth of Christ and oftentimes I simply gloss over them. To sit and examine them seems overwhelming, so I thank Jesus for His birth… and move along with my day.

This year though, I have found myself delving into the wonder of Christ’s birth more. I have allowed myself to plunge into the questions of who, what, how, and why. Scriptures from Philippians, Deuteronomy, Hebrews, and of course, John have jumped out at me over the last few months and shown me a touch of what Christ gave up to become humankind’s sacrifice for sin.

When I think of Jesus’ sacrifice, I usually think of the Cross and Easter, but I am finding that becoming a baby must have been just as hard… if not harder. The trust it took to be that vulnerable? I can’t even imagine.

You and I have no choice about how we enter this world, but our Savior, Jesus, was not just already mature, He was eternal.

He had always been.

He was infinite.

He was all-powerful and well, who knows what else? He’s God! Yet, He placed Himself in His Father’s hands and said, “Your will, not mine be done.” He had known God the Father for all eternity and fully trusted Him. This would have been the perfect time for the Father to kill off the Son if there was any jealousy, or strife in the Godhead, but Jesus had been with the Father for all time and fully trusted Him. Jesus knew the mind and heart of the Father. He knew there was no darkness, or dark shadow in Him (I John 1:5).Our triune Godhead loves with no envy, or strife, and Jesus knew this with every fiber of His being. He trusted with every fiber, holding nothing back. He knew the Father and Spirit would cover Him, protect Him, and help Him reach His designated path.

No worries, only trust.

Hebrews 10:5-7 says, “Therefore, when He [Jesus] comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, but a body Thou hast prepared for Me’; …Then I [Jesus] said, ‘Behold, I have come (In the roll of the book it is written of Me) to do Thy will, O God.’”

Jesus knew from the beginning of time that a body had been prepared for Him to come to this earth for us. He trusted the Godhead enough to be completely sold out to the solution and was willing to endure the extreme vulnerability that would be required of Him. I too often take for granted the miracle of birth, but Jesus intimately knew the complications that could occur. He knew everything, yet still agreed to do the will of the Father.

He trusted Him completely.

The choice of mother, the choice of father, the choice of living conditions, everything was placed in the Father’s hands.

I do wonder if Jesus helped pick Mary to give birth to Him, or did He leave all of the decisions up to the Father? I think He at least realized as she was growing up that this was it, the time had come.

What did He think of Joseph, the man who would be His earthly Father? Did He watch Joseph play as a boy more intensely than He watched other Hebrew boys? Did He smile when Mary first heard Joseph’s name? When the betrothal was formalized was Jesus excited to see the first step in His “parents” life together?

I also wonder if being fully God and fully man, did Jesus know the reality of the womb? Did He want the “full experience” and give up His omniscient side during this uterine experience? Was the baby Christ fully aware even at this time of His humanity? When the birth took place did He remember that He had created this world that He had just entered?

Oh, the mysteries of Christmas!

When Jesus was a child in the synagogue, did He have to work at memorizing the holy canon like other children, or was He a genius who knew everything by heart? After all, He helped write it.

When He was read the words of Deuteronomy 31:8, ‘And the LORD is the One who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed,’ did He jump up with joy and yell out that He knew this to be true, or did He sit quietly knowing His Father was proving this daily in His own little life?

Oh, the mysteries of Christmas!

Then, we must look at the other side of things. What was it like in heaven with Jesus gone? It had never happened before. Was He missed? Were all of the angels with Him on earth? Were they taking shifts, or volunteering for overtime to be with Him?

The Godhead itself… were the Spirit and Father lonely at times? They were ever-present with Jesus, but not in the same way. Yes, Jesus was fully God, but He was fully present on earth as well. I don’t believe we will fully understand even a fraction of the sacrifice they all made until we are in heaven. To be totally one for all of time and then… suddenly… not to be…the mysteries of Christmas are almost overwhelming at times.

I wonder… when Jesus was full of the Spirit in Luke 4, did He feel almost “normal”? Was the intensity of not being one with the Father still as strong?

As Jesus later in His life would go to a “lonely place” to pray was the communication frustrating, or refreshing?

Did He just want His stint on earth to be over, or was He relishing every moment?

The Word shows us that He grew frustrated with humanity at times, yet still never said that we were not worth it.

What a mystery!

So, this Christmas as you go about your busy days, stop and contemplate some of the mysteries of Christmas. Contemplate how our GOD came down in the form of a human. Think about how He was one of us. Remember He had the same vulnerabilities, the same defenselessness, and the same struggles… and still chose to go through it for us.

He chose to trust all of Himself into the hands of the Father. He knew He would be taken care of. He knew He would be safe in His arms. He knew His Father’s will was worth any struggle.

He trusted fully.

Oh, what a mystery!

Is God Just My Spotter?

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am I living in Christ, christain walk, encouragement, getting stronger, how to live in Christ, how to live in God's strength, living in christs strength, spotters, truly living in Christ's strength, weightlifting or surrender

If you’ve been around me at all, you probably know I’ve been reading a lot of Andrew Murray’s books. The one I’m currently studying is called Absolute Surrender and I highly recommend it.

As I was reading along a few months ago, Mr. Murray took us to Galatians 3:1-3. It says, “You foolish Galatians! Who has hypnotized you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified? I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh?”

Part of verse three says, “…after beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete (KJV says “perfect”) by the flesh?”

That really hit me.

Did I receive Christ by the Spirit? Yes.

Am I receiving and acting on that power today? That’s where things get iffy.

Am I depending on Christ’s Spirit in me, or am I depending on my own self will and determination to live the Christian life?

Am I white knuckling the Word, or resting in the completion that Christ has gifted in me?

Again… all of those questions are answered “yes”, or “no” depending on the day.

His Spirit is in us for a purpose and yet I find myself thinking I have to figure out how to get all these “good works” accomplished that He has called me to fulfill. Christ is in me to achieve all He has called me to do, not so He can simply whisper where I’m supposed to go and leave me to it, but also to empower me every step of the way.

I Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

This verse reminds us that not only does God call us to good works, He is the One who accomplishes it in us.

I just found this verse in Proverbs10:22, and I got so excited. Listen to what it says: “The LORD’s blessing enriches, and struggle adds nothing to it.”

I’ve deceived myself into believing that I’m supposed to work out my completion in Christ. I’m supposed to struggle. Each day, I’ve taken Jesus by the hand and powered on in my own ability. Sometimes dragging Him along instead of submitting to His lead.

I’m discovering though that I will never be able to grow in Christ. Only His Spirit can accomplish that in me. My flesh, my will, my determination is not what makes me a mature Christian. Only my absolute dependence on Christ makes me complete.

Look at all the times we have failed Christ when our intentions were good. Look at all the times we made new commitments, renewed vows, or even woke up thinking “Today, I am going to do this, or not do that,  like yesterday”, but lunchtime arrives, and we look at the day and wonder, “What happened? I was so determined to make it work this time.”

I’ll tell you what happened. We tried to do it in our own strength. Philippians 4:13 says, “I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” We forget this verse is describing Christ’s strength in us.

It’s not describing walking along the path of our Christian life in our own strength and when we need help, Christ giving us a boost. Philippians 4:13 is reminding us that in order to do anything, it’s about Christ’s strength, not just using Him as our spotter.

Are you familiar with who a spotter is? This isn’t something that’s usually in my scope of everyday life, but my oldest is into weightlifting, so I’m learning.

Wikipedia describes the action of spotting in this way, “Spotting in weight or resistance training, is the act of supporting another person during a particular exercise, with an emphasis on allowing the participant to lift or push more than they could normally do safely.”

How often have we treated the Holy Spirit as a spotter when He simply wants us to be the weights in His arms. Picture that…we are the weights, not the weightlifter. That’s a huge difference.

It’s His job to lift us to heights we never realized were possible.

It’s by His strength we are able to join with others in tasks we never imagined.

It’s by His power we can do all things because as a weight in His hand, we are relying on His force, His strength, not ours.

That’s when verses like Psalm 112:7 are possible. It says, “He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the LORD.”

I’ve actually memorized this verse and tried to will myself into the completion of it in my life. In the past, I start to imagine a bad scenario that may, or may not happen soon. I remember this verse and will myself not to fear. That works for a while, but what I’m finding is that I need to go a step further.

When I’m simply a weight in the arms of God, I rest in His strength. I tell Him I can’t accomplish this verse without His muscle, and He lifts me by His strength into the empowerment of this verse.

Then, I really and truly do not fear bad news because I’m living in His strength. He will pack me where I need to go. He will lift me to where I need to be and because I am in absolute surrender to a faithful, trustworthy God, His strength becomes my reality.

“O, foolish Galatians…”

“O, foolish Christians…”

“O, foolish Melissa…”

Our Lord never intended for us to complete our lives on this earth in the power of the flesh. Our God has given us everything we need to live our Christian faith and it’s not by willpower, it’s by His strength alone. Simply and totally Him.

Isaiah 40:28-31 says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless.
Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”

That’s His desire for you. Rest in His arms today and let Him lift you higher than you ever thought possible.

*image by fitness19.com

Seeking Hearts Ministries

Fruit in the Lowlands

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bearing fruit, being in the valley, Christian growth, christian journey, christian walk, encouragement, encouraging word, encouraging words to get you going, fruit, growth, mountain versus valley, quick encouragment

The other day my husband and I were discussing the Biblical account of Zacchaeus. You remember, he’s the “wee, little man” who climbed up in the sycamore tree to see Jesus in Luke 19.

As we were talking, he told me about a discovery that he had made recently. He said the name “sycamore” actually meant “rebirth”. So, when Zacchaeus chose to climb that sycamore tree, he was choosing to be in a place where rebirth could occur.

In those first steps to find Jesus, he was trying to draw nigh to God. We know from James 4:8 that when we draw nigh to God, He will draw nigh to us. He just can’t help Himself. It’s who He is.

This discussion led me to look up every time the word sycamore was used in the Bible.

Take a guess. How many times do you think sycamore occurs in the Bible?

There are eight occurrences in the Bible regarding sycamore trees. Almost every single occurence refers to where they were grown. They were grown in the land of Judah in a place called Shephelah. It just so happens that Shephelah is in the lowlands. It’s actually the term used for the whole region of the lowlands.

Take a minute to read First Kings 10:27. It says, “The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills.”

Other references in First Chronicles 27:28, Second Chronicles 1:15, and Second Chronicles 9:27 also talk about where sycamores grew.

The fact that sycamores are grown in the lowlands reminded me that rebirth can only happen when we humble ourselves, when we are willing to seek God’s face in meekness and when we are willing be in the lowlands.

I think Christians and non-Christians alike don’t enjoy being in the lowlands of life. We all enjoy riding high on life. The lowlands? No, thank you. We are fine on the mountain. When we do have a lowland experience, we want to run through it quickly, but we want to meander as slowly as possible when we’re on the mountain. At least, that’s how I am.

In studying the geography of the lowlands, I found this: “the Shephelah was a zone of low, rolling foothills separating the high, rugged hill country of Judah from the flat, open coastal plain. The heavy runoff from the western slopes of the hill country flows into a series of six broad, shallow valleys furrowed into the soft limestone of the Shephelah, each of which is a focal point of rich, agricultural life. Historically, the Shephelah as a whole, and its six valleys in particular, has been a buffer zone between the hill country and the coast…” The Rose Then and Now Bible Map goes on to say that people in the Shephelah were more rural and conservative than on either side, but “the Shephelah, a true land between was desired by both.”

Even though the Shephelah was in the lowlands, it was desired because of the agriculture, because of the fruit it was capable of bearing. I pray that is how we begin to look at our lowlands, as places of rich fruit.

The mountains are beautiful yes, but its climate is not conducive to growing much of anything. Have you ever seen huge fields of wheat, or a massive grove of fruit trees growing on the side of a mountain? Not usually. But, in the lowlands of the Shephelah there is rich agriculture. Everyone wanted the Shephelah region due to the yield that it could produce.

We should desire our lowlands as well knowing that in those places God can till and tend and grow fruit that we never dreamed possible.

John 15:8 says, “My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.”

Since fruit is in the lowlands, that’s where we want to be, isn’t it?

When we understand the ministry of the lowlands, we find that they are places of replenishment, of rekindling and a place to develop a deeper level of trust in the Lord. The lowlands can be tough, but they are places of rebirth where everything has the possibility of change. The lowlands provide a feeding of our soul that otherwise would be missed if we were only on the mountains. Refinement requires being at peace in the lowlands.

An amazing example of fruit in the lowlands are the early Christians in the book of Acts. The book of Acts doesn’t have to say the word fruit for it to be obvious that a massive harvest was being produced. The Christians in the book of Acts were definitely in the lowlands physically speaking. They were being ridiculed, thrown in jail, beaten, and even killed for the cause of Christ, but the fruit they bore was remarkable. In fact, their lowland experience is still bearing fruit today. They took advantage of their time in the lowlands. They trusted God for the fruit.

Psalm 25:10 says, “All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.”

Let’s be thankful for every path that He leads us to. Let’s not run through our lowlands as quickly as possible, but absorb every moment, every lesson, and every opportunity to bear fruit. Before you know it, we will be headed to the mountain once again with a bag full of fruit, shallowness of soul gone forever and a richer trust in the Lord than we ever thought possible.

Ask yourself, “Am I in a lowland experience right now?”

If you are, are you thankful?

Why, or why not?

What changes can I make to bear more fruit in my lowland experiences?

Refinement requires being thankful for all the lessons God has for us, even if it means we are in the lowlands.

** Image by ExploreTraveler

A New Perspective

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an encouraging word, being on our knees, christian journey, encouragement, fruit, fruitfulness in the christian life, gaining the right perspective, growth, how to have fruit

Several years ago, my family found a wild blackberry patch growing in the field behind our home. My youngest son and I would go out about every third day and pick all the blackberries that we can find. It was so fun to pick these amazing berries right in our back yard.

One morning as we were out picking, I happened to drop one. I bent to pick it up and ended up on my knees. I looked up and lo and behold there were more beautiful, ripe blackberries in spots I never dreamed. I was amazed that I hadn’t seen them before. If I had still been standing, I would have never realized that they were there. I recognized in that moment that I just needed the right perspective to see all the fruit. I needed to be on my knees, looking up.

Over the years, verses like Matthew 12:33 and John 15:5 and 8 have frustrated me. They say things like, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit.” “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” “…for the tree is known by its fruits.” Frustrating stuff because I know I’m a disciple of Christ. I think I’m abiding. I think I want God to receive glory, but where’s the fruit?

As I was kneeling on the ground that morning, I realized the fruit is there. When I am abiding in Christ, when His Spirit has invaded every part of me at my request, and when I am seeking His face with every fiber of my being, the fruit is there. I just need the right perspective.

The right perspective is not getting distracted with the overgrowth, the thorns, or what fruit is in someone else’s bowl. The right perspective is acquired when I am on my knees, looking up at my Savior. Then, I am able to see the fruit that He has allowed in my life.

Second Thessalonians 3:13 says, “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.”

When we don’t readily see the fruit in a situation, we can grow weary. Our tasks become harder when we don’t see results. By having the right perspective though, we are in a position to better see His fruit in our life. When we are on our knees looking to Him, the thorns aren’t so tangled and the nettles aren’t invading our senses quite so much. We can actually see the fruit and be encouraged.

Let’s look up and ask God to show us the fruit that He has allowed to grow in our lives.

Has that teenager in your life decided that they won’t immediately leave when you enter the room?

Will the neighbors let you pray for them now?

Has your spouse decided to give your marriage one more try?

Has your youngest quit complaining about going to church?

There is fruit. We just need to kneel down to see it.

I also love to think about when we get to our heavenly home, we will have the best perspective of all. As we are on our knees before our Father, I have no doubt that He will pull away the branches, the thorns and the weeds that were as big as we were in this life, lift our precious faces and say, “Look at all this fruit, sweet one. Look what you allowed Me to grow in your life.”

As we look up with His gentle prodding, I believe our jaws will drop. I believe our faces will light up, and we will be amazed at all the fruit that grew in our lives without our even realizing it.

We will be assured that every task was worth it. Every opportunity did bear fruit. We just needed the right perspective. We needed His.

*image by fruitgrowersnews.com

Seeking Hearts Ministries