SATURDAY, DAY 22 OF LENT 2025

 John 12:44-50 ESV

⁴⁴ And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. ⁴⁵ And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. ⁴⁷ If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. ⁴⁸ The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. ⁴⁹ For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

These verses reiterate what John declared about Jesus in John 3:16-19 ESV:

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil...."

The message is plain. Those who believe in Jesus believe in God. Jesus is the light that dispels darkness. Jesus came to save the world, not to judge the world. Those who reject Jesus have chosen their own judgment. 

Jesus is the Light of the World. He dispels darkness. Those who choose him do not walk in darkness. 

The most important decision anyone will ever make is whether or not they choose Jesus! It is an eternal choice. 

I am praying for opportunities to introduce him to those who are hungry to hear that he loved them so much he came to die to pay the price for their sins and be the Light for their lives,

 

FRIDAY, DAY 21 OF LENT 2025

John 12 - still! In John 12:37 John states, "Even though he (referring to Jesus) had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him." Then John quotes Isaiah 53:1 and Isaiah 53:3, 6, prophecies that were applicable to the hardening of people's hearts to not embrace Jesus' message.  

Then  John states, "Nevertheless, many did believe in him even among the rulers, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, so that they would not be banned from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than praise from God."

Ouch! In my personal experience, when I don't speak up when I should it isn't about human praise - it is about the risk of rejection. And the bottom line is still the same. It gets tricky - that "not throwing our pearls before swine" part and "being totally transparent about our love for the Lord." That's why we need the Holy Spirit's leading us into the right conversations, and need his nudging about what and when to say what he wants us to say. If I feel nudged, and don't comply, I have failed to honor the Lord. 

Of course, living our faith conspicuously is also incredibly important. I once heard it said, and I agree, "If I am ever accused of being a Christian, I hope there will be enough evidence to convict me!"

I have a lot to think about and pray about! Lord, help me honor you in everything I do and say.

Redeemed! Redeemed! Redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Redeemed, redeemed, His child and forever I am!  (That's the refrain for an old, old song that I love.)

 

Seguing to other things happening on our planet, I saw a newsflash this morning on my phone telling about a tall skyscraper in Bangkok, Thailand collapsing when a 7.7 earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand. I followed up by doing some online searching, and it is really bad in that area - and the reports of the destruction are just coming out. 

Earthquakes in various places is part of the prophecy for what will happen just before the end of time, and it definitely feels like we are there. 

This is what Matthew 24:6-8 foretells:

⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

Lord, draw people to you in these tumultuous times. Help people see that you, and you alone, are the answer to everything that is wrong in our world, and we need you!

THURSDAY, DAY 20 OF LENT 2025

We are still in John 12. There is sooooo much in this chapter. Jesus is the LIGHT OF THE WORLD. We know our eternal destination because we "walk" in the light! Those who walk in darkness do not have an assurance of where they will spend eternity - and there is no other light, but Jesus! There are many entities that are called gods, but they are not the ONE TRUE GOD! John 12:35-36 records what Jesus said, "The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn't overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn't know where he's going. While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become children of light." (CSB)

As a little aside: CSB means Christian Standard Bible. I bought this version after I had cataract surgery and it messed up my right eye so each eye sees differently. It is a bit of a nuisance (I am understating that!) and makes reading challenging, so I bought a Bible with significantly larger print, and the one I found that was large enough, which I ordered from Christian Book Distributors, just happened to be this version. I like reading the Bible in different translations!

This morning a friend alerted me to a YouTube video of Kristian Stanfil singing Agnus Dei. I had not heard him sing it before, and it was a blessing. He definitely did justice to the song, and the worship in the congregation came right through the airwaves as I listened. Then I returned the favor, and shared the original of Agnus Dei as done by Michael W. Smith, who wrote the song. It was the only artist I had ever heard sing/ lead it on YouTube - and I love that version as well. It is hands-down my absolutely favorite worship song and I have sung it many times on worship team.

Listening to both of those segued into my looking for YouTube's of Dale & Rita Lidstrom, whom I went to college with. In more recent years, we have become friends. I found what I was searching for, and you can listen too, if you choose. Just search for NOW AND THEN by Dale & Rita Lidstrom YouTube and it should pop right up. The first YouTube I found was one posted in 2009 by our mutual friend, Elvin Huston, so you will find more than just the one I referenced if you do some further searching. I know there is a YouTube of Rita singing as well. You will be blessed! Each of these vocal artists have definitely portrayed the light of Jesus!   

WEDNESDAY, DAY 19 OF LENT 2025

I failed to write on Wednesday, so am catching up on Thursday. I actually thought I had written. I had my Bible laid out beside the computer, had read and reread the portion of John 12 I wanted to write about, and got distracted and diverted to a different writing project. Aarrgghh! Is this what getting older looks like?!?

I am intrigued by John's detail in John 12:20-22. Some Greeks who came up for the Passover Festival  wanted to see Jesus. They went to Philip and asked him (and John adds very specifically that Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee). Then Philip told Andrew; and both Andrew and Philip went to Jesus. It is interesting to me that he provides such specific detail about the process of their sharing that information with Jesus, but in verse 23, his antecedent is not clear when John says, "Jesus replied to them." 

After reading further and knowing there was a crowd, I am going to assume Jesus was speaking to not only his disciples that were present, but to the Greeks who wanted to see him as well as a larger crowd that had formed around him. He tells those listening that his time has come to be glorified; and he talks about a grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying, and because of that, reproducing. He is predicting his death, but at that point his sharing that is not as easily identifiable as it might be. At the end of this portion revealing to us what he said at the time, Jesus says in verse 28, "Father, glorify your name."

Then a voice from heaven proclaims, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd heard it, and while some claimed it was just thunder, others said, "An angel has spoken to him." 

Jesus responded, "This voice came not for me, but for you. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself." 

The hearers didn't understand. They had an erroneous view of who the Messiah would be and what he would do in his coming - and that is why many Jews are still waiting for Jesus to come. They believed all along that he would come as the conquering hero - and he will - but first he had to come to lay down his life to redeem us. He did it for you. He did it for me.

TUESDAY, DAY 18 OF LENT 2025

John 12 has a lot in it! Yesterday we reviewed the story of Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, anointing Jesus with expensive Oil of Nard and wiping his feet with her hair, and act of total love and adoration. We leap from that to verses 9 - 11, where we are told that the Chief Priests decided to kill Lazarus because so many people were coming to belief in Jesus because of that miracle. John doesn't tell us what happened with that plan, even though he likely could have, since he was writing well after the events that transpired. It leaves me wondering. I don't recall any further mention of Lazarus in the Bible.... Perhaps, since John didn't say, the focus returned to killing Jesus since that was their priority. John definitely clearly records that.

But, in the meantime, the next event John shares with us is the triumphal entry that we celebrate on Palm Sunday. Other gospel writers tell more of the story - how Jesus sent disciples to get a donkey with a young colt, and to tell the owner, "The Master has need of it." John just says, "Jesus found a young donkey, and sat on it...." John does make it clear that Jesus sat on the colt - and that in itself is a miracle to me. I very much doubt that the young colt was trained yet! I could be wrong, of course, but I doubt it! 

As John relates, when the large crowd in Jerusalem who had come for the Passover Festival heard that Jesus was coming, they ran out to meet him, waving palm branches, laying their outer wraps down on the road, like a glorious carpet, showing their adoration, respect, honor, momentary love and praise for the Son of God, Son of Man, the One many had come to believe was the Messiah...but they believed the Messiah was going to be an earthly king, and their story line fell apart soon after this event, because they didn't see through God's eyes. I suspect they thought this might be the day when he would take over, vanquish their foes, set them free from the bonds Rome had placed on them.... 

I don't always see through God's eyes either, but this is one of the greatest examples of that reality. The beautiful thing to focus on is that in that moment, on a 2-mile donkey ride from Bethany to Jerusalem, Jesus was given the praise and adoration he was due. Palms waving, people shouting 'Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. Hallelujah!' Pure joyful adoration! I love that picture! 

[P S, I do realize that in following John sequentially in his writing we are getting way ahead of the story, but my blog entries this year are not meant to follow the daily journey to and beyond the cross, but to simply be a personal spiritual journey for this season.... If you want the sequential, you can order an online version of my book, LEAD ME TO THE CROSS, which does document the daily journey commemorating Jesus' journey to the cross and beyond. It is available as an eBook on Amazon.]

MONDAY, DAY 17 OF LENT 2025

John 12:1-8 brings us along to peek into one of the last meals Jesus will share with his closest group of friends, allowing us to join Jesus as he has dinner at the home of his dear friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus in Bethany. Martha is serving the meal. Lazarus (who was just recently raised from the dead) is reclining at the table with Jesus, along with whomever of the other disciples that were present; and Mary, who adores Jesus, and who has often sat as his feet absorbing whatever he was teaching with enormous interest, gets out about a pound (according to the ESV) of very expensive ointment of pure nard, rubs it generously on his feet and wipes his feet with her hair. The generous use of the nard is unmistakable as the scent of the costly perfume wafts throughout the house. 

This draws the immediate ire of Judas, who declares that it should have been sold and given to the poor.  John adds a couple of editorial comments in this passage, since he was writing it "after the fact." One of those asides is that Judas didn't care in the least for the poor, but since he was the keeper of the group's finances (the moneybag) he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus does not call Judas out for his pilfering of their mutual funds - he merely tells him, "Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me." 

What a reminder for me to take a moment whenever necessary and try to see through Jesus' eyes. It also gives me enormous joy to experience vicariously such a precious moment in Jesus' life, while knowing the end of the story. Historically I have often been too much like Martha, doing things FOR Jesus instead of prioritizing spending time WITH him. He wants us to have a balance of both - and we can only achieve that when he is the one in charge!

SUNDAY MARCH 23, THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT AKA THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

Great Is Thy Faithfulness    

 

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever will be 

 

Chorus:

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

 

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

 

Chorus

 

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

 

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness,

Great is Thy faithfulness,

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

 

..........

 

This song was written in 1923 by Thomas O. Chisolm, based on Lamentations 3:23.  The music was by William M Runyan, and the beautiful marriage of talents is evident in this wonderful song. 

I have been in the middle of a couple of challenging 'storms' recently - one piled on top of the other, and songs reminding me of God's faithfulness have been an important part of the journey. God is FAITHFUL even when we can't feel his precious presence. Even if we are faithless, he is faithful! It is his nature, and he cannot be anything else. 

Thank you, LORD!