Did Jesus Know?

Not long ago our pastor preached a sermon in which he retold the story of the woman with an issue of blood who believed that if she touched even the edge of Jesus' garment she would be healed - - and after years of illness and a drained bank account, she was miraculously and immediately healed when she reached through the people crowded around Him and touched his clothing....  The miracle happened precisely as she believed it would be.

And even though there was a crowd pressing in around Him, when she touched Him, according to the report recorded in the Bible, Jesus asked, "Who touched me?"  

I believe the reporter of the incident made some assumptions at that point....  He assumed that when Jesus asked who touched Him that He didn't already know who had caused power to go  out of Him.  But I believe Jesus knew precisely who touched Him in faith, believing in His healing power.  And, I suspect that when he asked the question, His eyes were lovingly locked with hers.  Why did He ask?  Because in her confession and His public declaration of her healing she would become socially healed as well as physically healed.  

I know the Bible doesn't specifically provide all that information, but I believe our translation of and understanding of the Bible is found within its pages.  When Jesus 'saw' Nathanael under the fig tree before Philip even called Nathanael, he demonstrated His divine power to see what others don't see.  When Jesus 'heard that Lazarus was ill' he intentionally stayed 2 additional days before heading back to Bethany.  In His explanation to the disciples with Him at that point, he initially told them that He was going to go awaken him - - but then was absolutely clear that Lazarus had died - - and by the time they walked back to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days.  That corroborates that Jesus knew circumstances that were not shared with Him by others.  

So, with those 2 instances as examples, and allowing the Bible to interpret the Bible, it is logical to believe that Jesus knew precisely who touched Him.

With that established, the question is why did He ask her?  The answer:  because she was unclean.  She had been totally isolated for years.  She shouldn't have been out in the crowd at all, because according to Jewish law, no one could even sit on a chair she had sat on.  And the only way people were determined touchable again after being an untouchable was by going to the priest and having him corroborate and declare it.  Jesus did that for her.  

In another healing example, when Jesus healed the 10 lepers, he instructed them to go to the priest so their purity could be established.  Only one came back to thank him...but it wasn't because he was the only one filled with gratitude, it was because he was a Samaritan and wasn't eligible to go to the priest.   

When we sift through the layers to see what is meant behind the words on the page, there is so much depth to be plumbed....

Jesus knew!  

And that gives me enormous comfort.  He knows me, my circumstances, my needs, my future.  And He has it all in His very capable hands.... 






Mark 5
Luke 8
John 1: 48 - 50
John 11
Leviticus 15:19 - 33

Mass Murder in Texas - the answer

When my children were little one of the summer VBS themes was:

Who's the answer?  Jesus is!

There was no theme song - - so I wrote one:

What's the question?  Who's the answer?
What's the answer?  Jesus is!
Jesus is, Jesus is, Jesus is, Jesus is!

When my life is dark and dreary
Who's the answer?  Jesus is!
When I'm feeling weak and weary
Who's the answer?  Jesus is!
Jesus is, Jesus is, Jesus is, Jesus is!

What's the question?  Who's the answer?
What's the answer?  Jesus is!


And He is!  Jesus is the answer to all of life's longings, all of life's needs.  He doesn't just hold the keys to our future - - He is the key!

He is the One I run to when I don't understand why the world has gone topsy-turvy.  This was one of those weeks.  Sunday morning while I was worshipping in my own church, the majority of the congregation in a little white Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas was gunned down by a madman, and people ask, "Where was God?"  The answer:  He was there!  He was with them as 25 people took their last breath.  He was with that little unborn baby boy who was the 26th life ended, and he is still with them in eternity where they have gone to their final home.  He is with those who are grieving, those who are recuperating in the nearby hospitals, and those who wonder how they can go on after such horrific loss.  

But go on they must.  If they don't the madman wins.  When we succumb to fear and insanity we lose.  

There is no rhyme or reason to this.  He had threatened his mother-in-law, but she wasn't even in the church on Sunday when he went with killing on his agenda.  

The tragedy touches all of us.  If it could happen there, it could happen anywhere....

However, in our shocked reactions the outcry against guns is the wrong response.  He would have found a way - - whether with a pressure kettle bomb or some other means.  People kill.  Guns are just one of the options as a tool for achieving their goal.  Having said that, I do believe magazines that hold more than 8 rounds of ammunition should be outlawed.  I believe in having guns for hunting and self-defense - - but being able to discharge interminable numbers of bullets from an automatic rifle is absolutely unnecessary in my opinion.  Still, if law-abiding citizens do not have that kind of guns, the criminals still will....  And that's the dilemma.  

We should enforce our already tight gun laws.  We should have a better system of reporting and flagging individuals who should not be able to purchase guns legally.  We, as citizens, should report people who seem "off" and who should be red-flagged as a concern.  

This is not just the Texans' problem, it is America's problem.   It is something that has to be addressed...but for now, we mourn.  In this and other killing incidents we have witnessed horrific carnage and  totally unnecessary loss of life.  

The only sliver of silver lining in the dark cloud that hangs over Sutherland Springs is that their loved ones are with Jesus....  And He is with those who loved them in their pain as they mourn.  Beauty will come from the ashes.  Right now that is hard to fathom, but the beginning of that was the heart-rending report of the young mother who shielded her children's bodies with hers, giving up her life to spare theirs.   That's what Jesus did.  He gave up his life to spare ours.  The promise of a perfect life is not for this world, but the next - - if we only let Him in.  

We must all forge ahead - - continuing to go to church, continuing to help others in need, continuing to be a community of believers who bear each other's burdens, continuing to place our faith in God.  

My Candy!

Yesterday was one of those days!  My candy, I call it!

Three friends and I had the privilege of leading the Seasoned Saints of my church in a Singspiration following the bi-monthly potluck yesterday at True Grace Church.  Fun to prep for, and anticipate, and then sooooooo fun to be part of!

We did a fun flashback section at the beginning, followed by a journey down memory lane, which elicited memories for all whose history as a Christian took them back to the same roots those of us leading share.  

This was the list of songs we sang:

SELECTED SONGS for OCTOBER 18, 2017

SEASONED SAINTS MINI-SINGSPIRATION

A little fun flashback section at the beginning:        

                  Hallelu, Hallelu                                                                       

                  We Are Christ’s Ambassadors                                             

1870          Hold The Fort                                                                       

1868          Pass Me Not                                                                      

1946©       Room At The Cross For You                                             

1897          Count Your Blessings                                                             

SPECIAL MUSIC SELECTION:

1931         *All That Thrills My Soul Is Jesus                                      

                  (Trio)

1890         *He Hideth My Soul                                                              

AUDIENCE CHOICE:  2 of the 4   (The middle 2 won the vote!)                                

1910         *He Keeps Me Singing                                                    

1905         *My Savior’s Love (How Marvelous)                         

1939         *Victory In Jesus                                                               

1885         *A Shelter In The Time of Storm                                       

+-1950      Not By Might/ aka By My Spirit                                             

I have seen guesses all the way from 1930 - 1957

1970         Something About That Name                            

                 (Jesus, Jesus, Jesus)

                         

1924         Jesus Is The Sweetest Name I Know   

Pure joy!!!!!  My candy!                                        

My Perspective on the NFL "Protest"

I have to assume that the players who were caught up in this NFL drama just don't know our country's history, or they wouldn't use disrespecting the flag as their mode of protest.  The flag is a symbol that demands we display respect. 

I absolutely defend players' right to protest - on their own time - and applaud all of the players who are truly making a difference by donating their time and resources to inner city communities who need their help and need responsible role models to show kids in dire circumstances that there is a way out - and it comes through hard work and dedication.  

But I do not agree with the method many players have chosen as their mode of protest.  They are at work.  What if, to protest inequities in the Justice System,  a group of lawyers decided to sit instead of stand when the Bailiff says "All Rise!"  They'd be in contempt of court.  And disrespecting a judge is not as awful as disrespecting what our flag and national anthem stand for!  "On the job" is not the place to stage a public protest.(However, if there are indecencies occurring as part of the job, then those need to be handled appropriately - but not as a public forum.)

We are not a perfect nation - we have lots of flaws - but the flag and National Anthem are the representations of the hope of what we want to be, and thousands have died to give us the freedom of free speech...but that freedom has to be exercised in a way that generates the possibility of a positive outcome.  

And just a little postscript for those who want to get on the bandwagon of how abysmal the inequities are in our country....you should go to a third-world country and see people living at the dump, eating whatever scraps they can find!  It is very possible that many who are Americans have been spared that fate by their ancestors coming here - whether or not that was by choice....

And just one more pertinent aside - I was at Evergreen as a Senior taking a class titled "The Harlem Renaissance" when I learned that it was not white people who captured black tribal members and sold them.  It was black people.  Yes, they sold them to traders, who were white, but the captivity began with their rivals of their own color.  So - get over it.  We are all here now.  Together.  Black, white, brown, and every combination imaginable.  We can work together to be strong, or we can be our own worst enemy and implode.  It's up to everyone of us to make that choice!

There have been multitudes of horrible atrocities that have happened throughout the span of history of man's indecency to man.  In the relatively brief history of our own country many Chinese were brought to work in forced labor under terrible living and working conditions....  Upstanding hard-working (with many being fully-American) Japanese were crowded into camps and their land was stolen from them because of the attack of Japan on the United States....  There were multiple inequities done to the Native Americans who lived here before we arrived....  Many of the Scotch and Irish who came here as laborers were treated abysmally.  And, yes, we have the horrible stain of black slavery tainting our history....  That was then, this is now.  We all have to take personal responsibility for navigating the future and quit blaming the system and the past.  Those who think it is intolerable here could opt to leave America and go to where they think things will be better...but that place doesn't exist.  If you even have running water, you are better off than the majority of the world.  

All lives matter - and all people need to get to work to help make a difference!  And that is my perspective....

In the beginning....GOD

Genesis 1:1-3
John 1:1

That's my foundation for belief.  God initiated Time.  He was there in the beginning and will be with us through the end.  And then we will be with Him for eternity if we hold fast to our faith in Him.  As we see so much that is awry in our world I cling to the good news that God is with us and holds us close to Him - in life and in death.  

'And God said'...and that's enough.  My confidence is in Him and Him alone.  

Of course the best good news is that God loved the world so much that He sent His Son to pay the price for Sin and redeem us through the blood Jesus shed as the final sacrifice ever needed.  Truly, God loved the world so much that He literally took on flesh and came to earth to become that sacrificial lamb....  What amazing love.  

In praying for those who are being devastated by the current massive disasters of Harvey, Irma, fires and other storms He is the only one we can turn to, and our faith is distilled to the basics:  He is God. He loves us.  He is still in the soul-saving business.  He contends for mans' souls.   

My prayer is that in the hour of desperation, many hearts will be inclined to Him and find His ultimate peace and comfort.  He truly cares....and is there in the midst of the storm.  In times of trouble people either turn to God as their only source of strength - or they turn away from Him in anger and blame Him for their circumstances.  

None of these storms come as a surprise to Him.  In His Word He has forewarned that terrible times would be the beginning of the birth pangs that usher in the end of the world and His return to gather those who believe in Him.  

I am praying for those who are affected by the storms, and those who are going to storm-affected areas to help - to be God's hands extended to the oppressed.  We have never seen such a time of devastation.  

I have been tenderly touched by the outpouring of kindness and care that I have observed in the Texas weather crisis.  People  being the America I have always known and love - - and it gives me hope for our country!

Northwest College 60's Reunion 2017

July 21-23 was the 15th annual gathering of those who attended Northwest College* in the 1960's.   In honor of that I will make this large print!  The reality of many lives is that the print is just too small these days!  

It is so good to reconnect with old friends, and make new ones among those from the same decade.  We share an era so there is an understanding that is simply a given.  That makes it a very comfortable environment - and then shared histories meld us together even more definitively.  

At this particular gathering I was particularly impressed by how many missionaries were in attendance.  People who had served in countries all over the world - some for all of their working lifetime, and now as they reach the decade of their 70's they are challenged with finding a new focal point for their ministry outlet.  

That brings up an interesting observation:  God does not have a retirement plan from service - though He does alter the direction and location of where people serve.  And - everyone can do something.  I was chatting with a missionary who had served many years in Latin American countries, and he told me the story of a lady who desperately wanted to do something to serve the Lord, but she was confined to a wheelchair.  So, he told her, 'write messages on paper, make them into paper airplanes and fly them out your window.'  She did - and over the course of the next year, 4 people came to the Lord and were baptized because of her 'airplane' messages.  

God uses willing vessels.  Neither age nor physical limitation is an insurmountable issue.  So if you are one others consider to be 'older' - make goals, find something to do to contribute to nurturing others to begin a faith journey or to grow in their faith.  

Write that book!
Teach that class!
Mentor that young person!
Call that someone God is nudging you to call!
Pray!  Encourage!  Finish strong!  

As a message in tongues and interpretation on Friday night stated which was reiterated in the message given by our Sunday morning speaker, Terry Peretti:  God isn't finished with us yet!  


*Now Northwest University

AFTER THE JOURNEY

I think I am addicted to writing!

But after the discipline of editing and posting every day* since Ash Wednesday, the commitment is completed....

I'll be popping in from time to time - - hope you will check in on me....

*I pre-posted in advance a few days that we were going to be gone....

DAY 50 – PENTECOST

PENTECOST..........Finally - after all the waiting - it is here!

Jeremiah 31:33
Luke 24:45-53
Acts 1:1-5
Acts 2:1-41
Hebrews 12:1-3

In Jesus day, Shavu’ot – the Festival of Weeks – was the next major festival following Passover, and it was the last of the Spring Feasts.   It honored the giving of the The Ten Commandments at Mt Sinai after the Israelities were rescued from slavery in Egypt.  It’s name of Pentecost came from the original instruction that it was to be fifty days after Passover.  I do not know exactly what year the commandment was given to celebrate Pentecost – but it was probably sometime between 1093 and 1071 B C, so it has been being celebrated for a minimum of 3,088 years. 

Pentecost, as a celebration of the giving of the Ten commandments at Mt Sinai – God’s Word written on 2 tablets of stone; and subsequently the Torah aka Pentateuch – God’s Word written in the first 5 books of the Old Testament dictated by God and transcribed by Moses – is a significant precursor to Pentecost in 33 A D when God’s Word became written on men’s hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, the promised Comforter who was to come. 

Jesus made that possible by his death on the cross. He endured the cross, despising its shame, for the joy set before him. What was that joy? Us. We are his inheritance. Everything he suffered was for our redemption – and he finished the work he came to accomplish: to be the consummate sacrificial payment for sin and to give us access to God Almighty. 

When Jesus lived on earth, he was both fully God and fully human, but his humanity limited his mobility. He could only be in one place at a time. Now, through the power of the Holy Spirit, he could be everywhere, with everyone at all times. 

Pentecost was just 10 days after Jesus’ ascension. The disciples and 108 additional followers had obeyed Jesus’ command to go back to Jerusalem and wait – which included lots of time dedicated to prayer. They were obedient and expectant. They weren’t told what day the promise would come – but the fulfillment of the promise on the date it occurred is significant. 

That Pentecost in 33 A D was different than all others before it. It was fulfillment. Just as Jesus changed the 3 earlier Spring Feasts by fulfilling them – and specifically telling the disciples that from that year forward, instead of remembering the Exodus, the Passover celebration was to be about Him, He effectively did the same with Pentecost.   God was no longer distant and available only once a year to one high priest and a few chosen prophets, he became available to every one who seeks him. And – it was the date that marked the beginning of the Christ-ones’ church – literally, the beginning of Christianity...and it happened 1984 years ago! 

In my 38 years in the Presbyterian Church, that beginning was honored. Now, in the Pentecostal church I am in, it isn’t even mentioned. Go figure. In my Presbyterian history everyone was encouraged to wear red on Pentecost Sunday.   Red, because it is symbolic of the tongues of fire that came down on those in the upper room. Then they carried their message to the streets – and the masses heard the gospel in the various tongues that the Holy Spirit spoke through the 120 Upper Room Seekers – each in their own language!

Peter – who had denied Jesus in the courtyard during Jesus’ abuse and suffering – now boldly proclaimed the Truth of the risen Lord to the masses… and 3000 converts were added to their numbers.  Talk about people finding Truth!  That’s one of the actions of the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit is the loving, gentle Comforter – the One who leads us into all truth, if we only ask. 


Lord, I’m asking….

DAY 49 – WAITING FOR PENTECOST

Just a little longer….

In +-33 A D, 120 people were gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem.  Praying.  Fasting.  Waiting.  This is their 9^th day of waiting for the promised Holy Spirit – the Comforter Jesus promised them.   

Crowds were gathered from all over Israel for the coming Feast of Pentecost – the celebration of the giving of the Law at Mt Sinai, which came to be celebrated as the giving of the Torah – the first 5 books of the Bible that God dictated to Moses.  

But this faithful remnant of those who believed in Jesus as the Messiah was focused on waiting – just as He told them to do.  Praying.  Fasting.  Waiting…. 

And so we wait….

DAY 48 – WAITING FOR PENTECOST

THE WORLD’S SAD SITUATION

Romans 12:9 (Berean Study Bible)

Love must be sincere.  Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. 

That is a pretty strong edict!  We live in a world that currently courts evil – embraces it – and calls it good. 

It is heartbreaking that it is so, but it was prophesied as being what will happen before metered time ends – and the meter is running out….

I should be gloriously happy for my eternal future –  but the anticipated joy is tinged with sadness.  The root of the sadness comes for all those who refuse God’s message of love, those who do not cling to what is truly good.  God alone is truly good!  He and he alone is the plumb line for GOOD.  Good is parametered by him.  Without Him we have nothing – eternally.  That’s huge! 

The world is on a slippery slope leading to certain destruction – and seems not to care!

Jesus warned what would come at the end of time – and we are there. 

I am grateful for the promises we can hold on to:

Matthew 28:20 ESV

I am with you always, to the end of the age. 

Romans 8:38-39 ESV

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

John 16:33 ESV

“…I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Lord, have mercy!  Peel away the scales from the eyes of all who seek Truth.  The search begins and ends with YOU! 

DAY 47 – WAITING FOR PENTECOST

SAVED AND BEING SAVED

There is a phrase that I love which is part of my 38-year Presbyterian heritage (1970 – 2008).  The phrase is ‘Saved and being saved.’ Salvation starts with that beginning moment of ‘being saved’ – of accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior!  Salvation was made available by Jesus’ sacrifice – God himself, incarnate – coming to earth in the form of man to pay the price for original Sin and the egregious sins of the world for all of metered time; but the process does not culminate in a one-time decision. Every day we are ‘being saved.’  We have to make a choice to accept the gift each and every day. It isn’t imposed on us. And the gift has a price for us. It means that we die to self and become alive in God – that our life is no longer our own, but that we acknowledge our opportunity to have eternal life was bought with a price. In initially committing to giving up our independence and becoming submitted to the Lord’s will, we begin a journey that continues throughout this lifetime – a journey of becoming more and more like him as he peels away the layers of our ‘self’ and guides us deeper and deeper into his truth. There are specific days when I am poignantly aware of that cleansing work of God’s continual salvation, and I am grateful that it is so. 


I love miracles – but the miracle of a changed life is the greatest miracle of all. Saved and being saved!

DAY 46 – WAITING FOR PENTECOST

WAITING FOR PENTECOST – JESUS’ MANY MIRACLES

Reading for today:
John 20:30-31
John 21:25

We just acknowledged Jesus’ ascension back to heaven 6 days ago. In our parallel journey through Lent, to and then beyond the cross, the story is still unfolding. At this point in the disciples’ lives, they are meeting together intentionally in the upper room as they were instructed to do, obediently praying for the promise Jesus left them with in his instructions for what was to come next. “Wait….” They are waiting – which means we are too, as we’re intentionally attempting to follow the day-by-day journey as they experienced it. Right now – all we have recorded is that they were told to wait….

So while we are waiting – it gives me an opportunity to explore some more portions of the Gospel’s messages.  (I suspect the disciples were sharing their memories of messages as encouragement to each other as well during this time.)

His Word tells us everything we need to know – but still, these two references in John intrigue me. After all of the amazing miracles that John recorded, he lets us know near the end of his writing of his testimony that Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples. The most captivating statement is in John 21:25, when he says, “If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” 

That is such a ‘wow’ statement. It intrigues me. All the reports in the gospels of Jesus’ interaction with man during his three whirlwind years of ministry on earth represent only the tip of the iceberg. And, yet, it is enough. These are written so that we may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in his name. (John 20:31)

I cannot help but reiterate that – we may have life in his name. There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved. None. 

Right after Luke tells us that Jesus is the one who was the stone the builders rejected – who has become the capstone, he tells us in Acts 4:12: “…Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” 


Jesus paid the price. He extends the offer of salvation through His blood – but we have a part to play. We have to reach out and accept the gift. 

The chorus of a song by Don Moen springs to mind:

No other name but the Name of Jesus

No other name but the Name of the Lord

No other name but the Name of Jesus

Is worthy of glory, and worthy of honor

And worthy of power and all praise

DAY 45 – WAITING FOR PENTECOST

…AND WAITING

Galatians 5:22-23

The Bible lists the qualities that the Holy Spirit grows in us when we are under His tutelage: 

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Those are nine specific hallmarks that identify Christian behavior. 

Of all of those attributes love and patience are probably the least understood.  The love referred to is not the warm, fuzzy emotional kind of love.  It is a love that demonstrates care in spite of emotion, and reflects the ethic of commitment.  It is doing the right thing whether I feel like it or not.  Love as action – not love as feeling. 

And patience.  We often think patience is just being willing to wait when you want a faster response or resolution – but it is deeper than that.  It is patient forbearance.  It is putting up with.  It is endurance, not giving up.  It is waiting for God’s timing in the weighty matters of life.  It demonstrates our trust and acceptance of His divine plan.   And, like all of the other ‘Fruits’ listed we can’t achieve it without the Holy Spirit’s help. 

I was relieved when I learned that the kind of patience so often assumed was not the same as the patience listed in the ‘Fruits of the Spirit’….  If we assume it is normal ‘patience’ we just set ourselves up for perpetual consternation.  In reality, sometimes that sort of patience is not practical.  There are times when ‘waiting’ is not appropriate, and situations where courteous impatience is warranted.   (However, dealing with whatever the issue is in a positive way and exercising kindness reflects Christian character.)

The Holy Spirit is our Comforter – but also our teacher, and He will lead us into Righteousness in our behaviors if we let Him! 

DAY 44 – WAITING FOR PENTECOST

PATIENCE & WAITING

Before I get into my blog for today I want to acknowledge that it is Memorial Day – a day we set aside annually to honor those who have died serving in the various branches of the Armed Services – those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect and defend our country and the values we hold dear.

Freedom is not free. 

In our family line we have relatives who have lost their lives defending our country.  The price of freedom is very personal.  In memorial of those who have died serving, honor to all who have served and gratitude to those who are serving now…thank you! 

………………..

[2010 Blog post that is uncannily appropriate again and instructive to me right now in my life:]

The disciples were getting a graphic lesson on patience.  God didn’t install me with as much patience as I sometimes wish I had. However, when someone tells me they are praying for patience I remind them that’s a dangerous prayer. The way God teaches us any lesson is through opportunities to practice it. 

My lesson in learning that definitively was when God told me ‘we’ were going to work on my gentleness. When he told me that I thought, ‘Great. Now I am going to be like one of those sweet little ladies at church who just ooze gentle, caring love.’ 

Not!

Now – the absolute truth is: I love deeply and sincerely. I care. I have oodles of compassion. Gentleness – I’m still working on it….

God’s chosen method of teaching me gentleness was to throw me into situations where I had to practice it. Situations where I was treated abysmally unfairly – misunderstood, misjudged, maligned – and instead of reacting in ‘human’ nature to defend the assaults I had to learn to absorb them and pray for God to work in each situation. I spoke the truth – then had to let each go . . . even though unresolved. God gave me a promise that he would be my defender. In some cases I am still waiting. It’s his battle – not mine. 

Over and over I get to take to heart my Potato Masher Parable about not getting upset with a frog for being a frog. 

In the process of working on gentleness, which involves responding not reacting, I’ve also learned that forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves. People can do some pretty awful things, say some pretty awful things – but we don’t have to be held hostage to their words or actions. When we forgive we release ourselves from being part of their issue. It is incredibly freeing. And – I can only do that through God’s grace. His grace is sufficient. Really, it is! And I have to trust that promise!

It isn’t always easy! Sometimes feelings of resentment for wrongs done against me try to creep in. I have to intentionally and carefully take those thoughts captive and submit them to God’s Word. He promised me that no weapon fashioned against me would stand. I stand on His promises, claiming them because His promises are true – knees shaking, lip quivering, soul determined. I put on my armor listed in Ephesians 6:10-18, and place my life in his hands. I want to trust him more and more. I’m still learning to do that. 


We never arrive at some pinnacle of perfection in this life where nothing ruffles us. But the thing about being an intentional Christian is that we keep learning, keep pressing on, keep growing. His Word is our sword – and our guidebook.

DAY 43 – WAITING FOR PENTECOST

STILL WAITING....

The disciples were not told how long the waiting period would be.  We get to see in retrospect that it was 10 days – but they don’t know that.  It is a good reminder that often we have ‘promises’ we have held onto that have not come to pass.  We, too, are waiting – and we don’t know the timeline. 

That applies to the final moments of history as well….  Sometimes I feel like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Prophecy and the current news mesh so closely….   I want to be with the Lord – but I am not looking forward to the process that will bring that to fruition.  It makes me more poignantly aware that Jesus didn’t look forward to the process with joy either.  He was fully God and fully human.  I am just fully human.  It’s okay.  He knows that I am dust. 

We wait expectantly – and with a modicum of uncertainty – just as they did in +-33 A D.

DAY 42 – WAITING FOR PENTECOST

WAIT!

I am reminded that in those 10 days of waiting between Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost when they no longer had Jesus with them, they didn’t have the coming Holy Spirit’s presence within them either.  The veil had been torn in two at Jesus’ death making direct access to God possible, but without the Holy Spirit affirming, nudging, compelling, they had to rely on memory, faithfulness and hope as their companions. 

We are sooooooo blessed to live now, with complete access to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.  I have walked through periods when I didn’t feel God’s presence and had to just continue putting one foot in front of the other in faithfulness, so I know what that feels like.  God has been very clear in teaching me He wants me to walk by faith not by feeling – but I love when I tangibly feel the Holy Spirit’s presence and do not want to be guilty of taking Him or His presence in my life for granted.   

It is important to recognize that His presence is more than mere emotion.  Emotions can’t be trusted – that’s why Jesus wants us to walk by faith…not by sight, and certainly not by emotions.  Emotions can be wonderful to feel when we are immersed in God’s presence – but emotions can negatively blindside us – and if we live by emotions we are going to be on a constant roller coaster.   The Holy Spirit helps us not let emotion have the last word. 

He truly leads, guides, corrects, cajoles, cautions, admonishes, inspires, energizes, instructs, teaches, encourages, comforts, directs…walks with us.  Works in us, through us, among us, with us. 

Lord, thank you for the Holy Spirit, who allows us to have a personal intimate relationship with You. 


Sorry – I almost forgot!  To honor the timeline of parallel time…we are still waiting! 

DAY 41 – WAITING FOR PENTECOST

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Those are words that we pray – Even so, come, Lord Jesus – but always with a twinge of mixed emotion, because all of us have loved ones we want to see come to know the Lord, and when He comes again, our waiting will be over, but so will their opportunity. 

The other reality is that for those of us who live in countries where it is still safe (for the moment) to be a Christian, we have so many blessings that we hold on to the present.  Many times I have said, “I know my destination, but I am in no rush to get there.”  I know heaven will be even better – but I cling to life on earth.  I experience moments that are painful – but hope is not lost….  I experience hurts both inside and outside my Church, but I am not persecuted – yet – for being a Christian.  Many in other countries are experiencing true persecution.  My news feed this morning alerted me to the senseless slaughter of 22 Christians in Egypt – targeted because of their faith.   It hurts to hear of those who are being martyred for their faith.   I believe in something worth dying for – but they just did!   Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

…..

I wonder precisely what it was like to be in the disciples’ sandals the day after Jesus ascended to Heaven.  They had experienced the full gamut of emotions from the ecstasy of Palm Sunday to the agony of Jesus’ death on a criminal’s cross.  From the assurance of confident hope to the devastation of destructive reality.  And then He came back to life on the third day just as He promised.  (A promise you will recall that they didn’t understand because they were so focused on an earthly kingdom.)

Hope swelled once more.  Surely the Messiah would establish His kingdom on earth!  But no, now He was gone – they watched Him rise into the air and be swallowed up in the clouds.  And His last instruction to them was:  Wait!


And so, we wait….