THURSDAY, DAY 32 OF LENT 2025

John 15:26-27; John 16:1-15

Jesus speaking, "When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father - the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father - he will testify about me. You also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning." And so ends Chapter 15.

John 16:1-3

"I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. They will ban you from the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God. They will do these things because they haven't known the Father or me. But I have told you these things so that when their time comes you will remember I told them to you."

John 16 begins with Jesus warning that some truly rotten stuff is about to happen to his disciples, and he is warning them in advance so the coming events will not make them falter in their faith. And interspersed within this litany of the evil that will come upon them, in subsequent verses Jesus reinforces that they will have the Counselor - the Holy Spirit - with them, and also teaching them that the Holy Spirit will actively convict the world.

John 16:13

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come."

It is important for me to remember that in that moment in +-33 A D this teaching made no sense to Jesus' disciples. They were still looking for the vanquishing conqueror who would rid them of the rule of the Romans and become an earthly king. 

It reminds me that Jesus has all of my days in His hands. He alone knows the future, just as he knew theirs. He warned them in advance - and he has done that with me in the past as well. He wants me to trust him, not be waylaid by circumstances. How easy it is to become immersed in our "present" and forget that he holds both out present and our future in his very capable hands. 

I am also reminded that it is John who will later write down the things he is shown that are prophetic for the end of the world in THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION OF JOHN. In the midst of the journey to the cross - and beyond - the reality of Jesus' first coming and his purpose for coming segue in my mind to his second coming and the end of measured time - and the prophecies of John's last book are conspicuously coming true in our present world. It is time to pay attention! Time is short.

 

WEDNESDAY, DAY 31 OF LENT 2025

John 15:18-27 All of this is in red print, so continues to be John recording for us what Jesus said.

What an amazing privilege to have Jesus' words. He is not just alleged to have said them, he actually did, and the words were very likely written down soon after they were heard. It is obvious to me that the Holy Spirit cemented them in John's mind accurately so they could be shared for the future - for us! 

It is interesting that Jesus has just talked about LOVE and segues in this portion of his communcation to hate. 

"If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. ...  Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. ... They hated me for no reason."

What a contrast to the prior section. 

There is an aspect that is merely an expression of emotional feelings of love and hate, and in that context they are twins. Someone can passionately declare their undying love for another person, and very soon after spew hate for that same person. People use the 'hate' word when they are just angry or upset  in the moment - but underneath, once the drama of that moment subsides, they can readily once again declare their love. It is an emotional word filled to the brim with emotion and the response to hearing it is definitely emotional and elicits an equally emotional response. That kind of love and hate are rooted in 'feelings' that cannot be trusted.

What Jesus is talking about is a much deeper hate - true hatred that is a contempt for the person that is so extreme it would wish them to be dead. It is not a hatred that is mollified by sufficient communication or cured with an understanding explanation and subsequent endearing hug. (That leads me to a bunny trail I must mention....)

Sadly, what we currently see far too often is hate of the latter kind - the kind of hate Jesus warned about: hate so virulent it would wish its opponents to be dead! It is hatred that is fueled by Satan himself.

If we aren't careful, that hatred will consume us.

I love our country. I love that we have the right to express our views and opinions. When views and opinions become protests those protests must remain peaceful. Not taking over buildings, not burning down buildings, not throwing rocks and other projectiles, not looting or destroying property, not burning the flag or torching vehicles, and certainly not putting others' lives in danger.

Peaceful protest is a right - but what has happened over the past few years with cruel rhetoric becoming cruel and dangerous behavior is not peaceful. 

Peaceful protest should remain truly peaceful - like a debate that has rules of courtesy, knowing that we are against a policy, not a person or people, and focusing on that with our words. 

We have a right to speak up for what we believe - peacefully - but we need to get our facts right before we do, and we need to get our information from reliable sources.

 

 

TUESDAY, DAY 30 OF LENT 2025

Today's reading brings me to John 15, beginning at verse 9:

Jesus words shared here are, "As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love."

I am caught there momentarily. God loved His Son so much that He sent Jesus to the cross to die for us. It immediately makes me think of Christians who suffer 'for the Gospel' and causes my mind to wonder about times of deep suffering that people often have to endure in their faith journey...and sometimes because of their faith journey! I know that when we remain in the center of God's will nothing can touch us without God's permission. I know that whatever comes into our path is in God's knowing even if we are Jesus' followers but aren't exactly in the center of God's will in that moment. I know that God appears to use suffering and challenge as a way to nudge His people back to the right path. And I know that sometimes there is no apparent reason for suffering, it just happens. 

I believe that God can use all situations for His ultimate glory, because what I have ascertained is that when people are faithful in the midst of challenge and great difficulty it speaks volumes to others, and when our human condition - whatever that brings - is brought under God's sovereignty God can turn ashes to beauty. It is during those times that most assuredly we must 'keep on keeping on', take one step at a time, combat the darkness with God's truth that He does all things well, He is the potter and I am the clay, and though I can't see an end in sight, He and He alone knows. 

I read those words again and am compelled to see that no matter what the circumstances are that assail me my marching orders are to remain in His love. What if God sends me into difficulty or allows difficulty for a greater purpose? What if it is part of His love for me that will allow me to be more compassionate and understanding so I can reflect his love to others. What if my response to suffering somehow is designed to show his love for others? Today is a grappling day!

Verse 10 says, "If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love." 

And verse 12 defines what that command is: "This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you." And verse 13 adds: "No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends."

Am I willing to lay down my life, my needs, my wants, my desires, my view, for others? Grappling again!

In the subsequent verses Jesus shares with his closest followers that he has chosen them - and that he has appointed them to go and produce fruit, and he reiterates in verse 17, 

"This is what I command you: Love one another." 

It becomes our life challenge to learn how that love is demonstrated as we attempt to follow the Holy Spirit's leading. It is clear the path will not always be smooth or easy, that there will be rough times that are inserted into our journey, but equally clear that even in the rough patches God is with us, is faithful, and will sustain us. After all, we are His vineyard!

MONDAY, DAY 29 OF LENT 2025

John 15:1-8 THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES is the title of this section in my Bible. 

I love that Jesus uses visuals, and that John carefully recorded what Jesus was saying. The people in Jesus' day understood about vines. They grew lots of grapes, and they were familiar with the husbandry required for maintaining those vines. Those responsible for the 'husbandry' of those fields of grape vines had to prune off the dead vines, prune back the healthy ones so they would be more productive, and give them the proper amount of water, nutrition, and care to make it possible for them to reach their highest potential. 

This section of John 15 is entirely in red letters, which means it is Jesus' words. I have excerpted selected verses to address:

"I am the true vine and my father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit."

"Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me."

"I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me."

God is the gardener. Jesus is the main vine. I am one of the smaller vines connected to him. When there are things in my life that are not healthy or productive God prunes those off. As humans, pruning hurts in the moment, but it is the only way for us to be productive. Pruning has a purpose, and that is one of the messages Jesus is providing here.

If we can visualize how an actual field of grape vines looks when it has not been managed - when the vines just grow unchecked, and get filled with deadwood that slows down their usefulness and effective growth, creating only disappointment when it comes to harvest time when the harvesters can see very little was produced - we can equate that to our lives. 

I don't like being pruned, but I know it is only because God loves me enough to want me to be healthy spiritually, healthy enough to grow fruit. 

In other verses in this portion of scripture it talks about those who don't stay connected to the vine. We can do NOTHING without being connected. Lord, bring on the shears! Prune me! Make me a good plant! And I know that you will feed me, water me, provide all the nutrients I need to be a vine that remains connected to you and then - and only then - will I be able to  produce good fruit!

SUNDAY, APRIL 6, THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Only 2 more weeks until our celebration of Resurrection Day! I long for that day to come! 

Very appropriately, my song for today is: IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL, a song especially poignant in troubled times.

 

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL                

Words by Horatio G. Spafford, 1873; Music by Philip P. Bliss, 1876

                       

1.         When peace like a river attendeth my way

            When sorrows like sea billows roll

            Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

            “It is well, it is well with my soul.”

 

Refrain:          It is well with my soul,

                        It is well, it is well with my soul

 

2.         Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come

            Let this blest assurance control

            That Christ has regarded my helpless estate

            And has shed His own blood for my soul.

 

Refrain:          It is well with my soul,

                        It is well, it is well with my soul

 

3.         My sin – oh the bliss of this glorious thought

            My sin – not in part, but the whole

            Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more

            Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord O my soul.

 

Refrain:          It is well with my soul,

                        It is well, it is well with my soul

 

4.         And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight

            The clouds be rolled back as a scroll

            The trumpet shall sound and the Lord shall descend

            “Even so” – it is well with my soul

 

Refrain:          It is well with my soul,

                        It is well, it is well with my soul

 

Tag:                 It is well, it is well with my soul

 

History of It is Well With My Soul

 

Horatio G. Spafford (10/20/1828 – 10/16/1888) was a devoted Christian – and a successful Chicago lawyer.  He is the man who wrote the lyrics to “It is Well With My Soul” – which becomes even more touching when you know the history behind Spafford’s life and the specific story that precipitated his writing the words of this song.

 

The scripture reference is Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

 

The first tragedy in their lives was the death of their son from pneumonia in 1870 at the age of 4.   

 

Then in 1871 the Chicago fire devastated the city. Just prior to that event Spafford had invested extensively in real estate by the shore of Lake Michigan and the disaster decimated his holdings.  

 

Two years after the fire, Horatio Spafford planned a trip to Europe with his family. He wanted a rest for his wife and four daughters, and also to assist Moody and Sankey in one of their evangelistic campaigns in Great Britain. He intended to travel with his family; However, the day in November they were due to depart, Spafford had a last minute business transaction and had to stay behind in Chicago. He sent his wife and four daughters on ahead as scheduled on the S.S. Ville du Havre, expecting to follow in a few days. On November 22, just off the coast of France, the ship with his wife and daughters aboard was struck by the Lockhearn, an English vessel, and sank in few minutes.

 

Spafford's wife survived but all four of their daughters were lost.  When she reached land Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband with two simple words, "Saved alone."  Shortly after, Spafford left by ship and asked the Captain to tell him when they reached the spot where his daughters died, and as he stood out on the deck looking over the rail at their gravesite, the words to this song, so significantly descriptive of his own personal grief – "When sorrows like sea billows roll..." poured from his pen to his notepad.  The verses for the hymn "It is Well with My Soul" was born from his pain – and his abiding faith.  

 

Three more children were born to the Spaffords:  two girls and a boy. In spite of the ponderous personal losses he sustained, Spafford faithfully lived the message that God deserves our praise and worship no matter what our circumstances.

 

 

His original poem had more verses than the ones we are most familiar with. Some of those verses are recorded here: 

 

It Is Well With My Soul   

             

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, [it is well,]

With my soul, [with my soul,]
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.                      Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!                  Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.                         Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!                           Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.                                         Refrain

 

 

Horatio G Spafford

1873

 

SATURDAY, DAY 28 OF LENT 2025

John 14:27-31

We are at the end of Chapter 14. I had to divide my comments on this chapter into sections because there was so much in it that deserved being shared. This portion of the chapter is even more precious in light of what was about to transpire in Jesus' time on earth.

Verse 27 records this statement by Jesus to his disciples:

 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful."

 What a critical message to hear and absorb! Jesus gives us PEACE! It is not a peace the world can give. The world's peace is totally contingent on everything going smoothly, with no disagreements, challenges or ruffled feathers. That is not the peace Jesus was talking about. His peace is inner peace, knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is who he says he is, and that because we trust in him, we are guaranteed an eternity with him. It is internal security of our destination, not able to be unnerved by the realities of the world we live in personally, locally, nationally or globally. My life can have more challenges than I prefer, and I can still have his peace. My state and country and be in upheaval, and I can still have his peace. The world universally can be going totally awry, and I can have his peace. 

All of those things are true, and I have his peace. Inner peace. Knowing my soul is secure in his love because of what he did at the cross! Thank you, Lord, for your peace that passes understanding, that is with us through pain, grief, sorrow, and joy! Thank you!

FRIDAY, DAY 27 OF LENT 2025

John 14: 15-26

What a beautiful portion of information and promises. 

"If you love me you will keep my commands" (vs 15); "The one who has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me" (vs 21); "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word...." (vs 23)

Wow! That's very straightforward! In addition to those verses Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit!

Vs 16: "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth." Vs 26: "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you."

Intertwined in those verses are other tidbits that are informative, including Jesus' declaration that he will not leave those who love him as orphans - he will return! Because HE lives, we will live also. What a wonderful portion of both promise and clarity! 

Late yesterday I learned of the passing of a longtime friend. Our kids were primary playmates in their younger years and the memories are numerous! In her case, I cannot cry over her passing - at least not right now. She had Alzheimers and the last time I saw her in August 2023, she did not appear to know me, though she remembered my husband, so perhaps it was just that my name didn't ring a bell. Anyway - that is when I cried my tears. I had lost my friend, but it took until now for her body to give up on living. There is never a good time to say goodbye, but no one would ask her to live in the fog Alzheimer's brings.  Memories of earlier years will keep her alive for all who loved her - and the good thing we all hold onto is knowing where she is. It is a race we all run, and everyone who hears "Well done" as they cross the Finish Line is a winner!

ACKNOWLEDGING APRIL 3, 1953

 

A Good Day to Die

by Lola Rice Cain

 

It was a good day to die

Spring had just brought new life:

Trees were leafing out

Birds were singing

The grass was green

And hope for new beginnings was alive

But not for her

 

It was a good day to die

Life for her had lost meaning

She was unable to see her purpose

She gave up on life prematurely

And in choosing death she gave up on herself

And on my siblings and me

She chose that day as her goodbye

 

It was a good day to die

A day that poured pain into many lives

A day that left sorrow in its wake

A day that would never be forgotten

A day that ended her personal losses

And became the start of ours

A self-absorbed day that is cemented in memory

 

But for her it was apparently a good day to die

And the fallout of her choice?

We’ve become more resilient

We are more tolerant and stronger

Than we would have been

Had we never endured that pain

Still, for us, it was not a good day for her to die

 

 

Written October 31, 2021 in memory of Nellie Nina Scott Rice, mother to Duane, Ken, Lola, and Gary, who committed suicide April 3, 1953, at the age of 37.  Forever missed.  Forever in our hearts.  Forever loved.

 

 

GRIEF

Lola Rice Cain

 

Grief is love poured out as the final act of care

It washes over me in unwelcome waves of sorrow

Subsides momentarily, then blindsides me again and again,

Mercilessly hammering at my consciousness

And intruding into my attempts at slumber.

 

Grief is love in its final earthly form

A painful reenactment of all that came before

It oozes through my every pore

And is the assailant at my heart’s door

It refuses to disappear, but is slowly being subdued.

 

Grief is love unleashed in ways I could never have conceived

And I must allow it its time as there is a time to grieve

Even so, as it flows in and out of my awareness

I find respite in memories that make their way

Through the fog of the pain – and I will live to love. 

 

(Written November 28, 2021) 

Usually my remembrance day of my bio mother's death is limited to April 3. I do not recall what was happening in 2021 that made it pour over, but the October 31 poem makes me think that the November 28 poem was likely connected, but most likely connected to another death that triggered the memory.

THURSDAY, DAY 26 OF LENT 2025

 John 14:12-14 (CSB) states, 

¹² “Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

This is, quite honestly, a passage I trip over. I absolutely do believe that Christ's followers can and do make a huge difference in the world, and that God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, gives many amazing gifts to believers, which are being used for God's glory. 

I also believe that the word translated 'greater' might mislead us - that 'more' might be a better word, with my rationale being that since Jesus returned to the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit, who can be everywhere at once, using many people simultaneously to do God's work on earth. It could also apply to the reality that we have many more years collectively and that God's miraculous works performed in the world through the power of the Holy Spirit - using humans as vessels through whom many of those miracles are made evident - would be 'more.' That would make sense to me.   

In past consideration of this passage, I have wondered if the ''whatever you ask in my name" was conditional on it being something God wanted to do, and allowed a human vessel to participate in so that person could feel used by God. 

I know God performs amazing miracles - but certainly not every time it is believed for and prayed for, so the 'whatever' throws me. Just being transparent! 

It is also worth noting since I am grappling with this again today, that verse 14 is not included in many of the manuscripts, which means it was likely added by a Scribe somewhere along the way who just wanted to reinforce the prior sentence. It doesn't change what was stated - but it is interesting to pay attention to those tidbits in our studying.

I will end with a story:

Years ago, in Montesano, when I attended the Montesano Presbyterian Church, the Lord gave me a very deep burden for a man in our church. He had just had a heart attack and I prayed diligently for him that he would be healed. A few days later the burden lifted, and I thanked God, believing that the burden lifting meant that the man was healed and would be okay. 

I was shocked to learn that at the time the burden lifted the man died. I was furious with God! I asked him, "Why did you take away the burden if he was not healed?" And God replied, "Death in this life is perfect healing."

He was right. The man was healed - just not the way I expected. Not the way I was praying for. When I feel a burden for someone I remember that lesson. I even told a friend not long ago, "I may not be the one you want praying for you, given my track record!" 

This passage leads me to a bit of a bunny trail and brings me to the bottom line of my faith. Do I trust God even when I don't understand? Yes! Do I believe he is with me through everything? Yes! Do I trust his timing? Even though I don't always appreciate it or understand it, yes! My times are in his hands. So are yours if you've placed your trust in him. We live under his care, and though we don't know the expiration date that is 'invisibly stamped on the bottom of our foot' (as I say), we can trust that God knows, and that we will not leave this earth one day sooner - and when we do have the joy of leaving we will wonder why we wanted so badly to stay!

Back on topic: I believe in God. I believe in miracles. I believe he guides, directs, and nudges us to do his will. I believe if he wants to do a miracle and chooses a human vessel to pray for it, he is the one doing the work, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and God is the one who receives the honor and glory. 

Thank you, Lord, for being a very present God in the lives of those who trust in you!

WEDNESDAY, DAY 25 OF LENT 2025

John 14:1-11 Christian Standard Bible. (My go to is usually the ESV.)

The words leap off the page as I read them, "Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." And then Jesus tells them he is going away to prepare a place for them, and that he will return to get them so they can be where he is - and he says, "You know the way to where I am going."

Thomas challenges that, saying, "We don't know where you are going. How can we know the way?"

Jesus reply to Thomas was, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." And then he proclaims, "If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

Next Philip speaks up, "Lord, show us the Father, and that's enough for us."

And Jesus replies, "Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father...." 

 

Jesus was fully God and fully human. He was the only person of the Trinity who had a physical body, and as such was the only visible appearance of God. Jesus was there at creation in his pre-incarnate state as part of the Triune Godhead, and he became God incarnate when he was born to the virgin, Mary. He lived a perfect life for 33 years, and now he is trying to prepare his disciples for his exit. He is sharing final urgent messages as part of that exit strategy. Exit words of significant importance.  

He clearly tells them that in seeing him they have seen God, which means he is God, but also that he is the only way to God. He talks about his Father, and that they are inseparably joined when he declares, "I am in the Father and the Father is in me." (verses 10 & 11)

Lord, open people's eyes to see you! We need you now, in this crazy world that is plummeting into the abyss. Lord, give us ears to hear, wisdom to understand, and the determination to follow you closely through these troubled times. You alone are TRUTH. You alone are THE WAY. You alone offer us ETERNAL LIFE. Lord, incline hearts to YOU! Amen.

 

 

TUESDAY, DAY 24 OF LENT 2025 (Also April Fools' Day this year)

We begin with John 13:21 today, but in my reading I cannot help that notice a sub-theme: Jesus knew! Jesus knew (13:1) his hour had come. Jesus knew (13:18-27) that Judas was going to betray him. Jesus knew (13:38) that Peter would deny him.

He also knew that Judas, who was obsessed with money, would be paid 30 pieces of silver and then take his own life. And, in stark contrast, that Peter would come back to absolute faith and belief in his Savior, and dedicate his life to serving the Lord, and ultimately die a cruel death. 

Jesus knows. He knows the challenges we will face - and that in facing challenges we can actually become stronger than we ever thought possible. We have a choice. When we falter or fail, we can either give up permanently, or we can run back to Jesus' loving arms, ask and receive his forgiveness, and become encouragers to others who are struggling. 

In John 13:34 Jesus gives his disciples - and by extension, us - a new command:

"...Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

I am aware that there are multiple words that were translated "love" and I was curious to know which one this is. In the process I found yet another word! And I learned that even my basic understanding of various words that are translated as "love" are based on Greek, not Hebrew. 

I love to learn new things! Because the word in Hebrew is written in figures instead of using a familiar-looking alphabet, the word will be written in English differently depending on who the interpreter is, but on Bible Hub, the spelling used is 'agapate', translated "you should love." This type of love is a moral mandate to care for each other. It is action, not emotion. It is putting others needs on the same level as our own, looking out for others' interests, not just our own. Seeing a need, filling that need. 

Needs are not merely financial, though too  often we equate need with financial struggle, but someone can be wealthy and have emotional, physical, or spiritual needs, and 'need' to have others come alongside. Being sensitive to when that is the case is an alert provided by the Holy Spirit. Love one another! It doesn't sound optional, does it? 

Jesus needed that love from Peter, but in Jesus' deepest pain, Peter denied and deserted him. Thank God that is not the end of Peter's story - and thank God, that when I have failed miserably, it was not the end of my story either. Thank you, Lord, for your amazing grace!

 

 

MONDAY, DAY 23 OF LENT 2025

John 13:1-20

Happy Monday! That is not an oxymoron! 

Because of where we are in the book of John, we will be considering events in 2025 ahead of their parallel time for +-33 A D. Today we review Jesus' washing the disciples feet. It was a teaching tool for him - and an object lesson for what he wanted them to learn most about being his follower and future leaders.

Jesus and his disciples are having what will later be referred to as "The Last Supper" and Jesus chose that timing to wash his disciples' feet. It was customary for a host to provide water and a towel to rinse off visitor's feet before they entered his/her home. That courtesy was usually done by a household servant. At this final Passover supper Jesus and his disciples were gathered in a borrowed room, and I am assuming that instead of one of the disciples taking that role, Jesus did. 

It was only in that setting that he could model what it meant to have humility and serve. I love this picture. He, fully God, took off his outer garment, knelt at each disciples' feet - even at the feet of Judas Iscariot - and washed each man's feet with water and then dried their feet with a towel. Initially Peter protested, but Jesus' response made him quickly reconsider. He truly wanted all Jesus had to offer. He just felt unworthy to have the Master be in a servant's role. 

That was the point. He, Jesus - Rabbi, Master, Lord, One with God - took on the role of a servant to show them the way to be a leader. It is through service. No one will ever be better than the Master. We are to mimic his model. This is a really powerful passage. Another building block to build our life on.

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT 2025

A college friend I am in a group chat with shared a wonderful old song on our queue this morning I had a different song in mind for today - but I am going to use the one she brought to the group's attention.

HE GIVETH MORE GRACE by Annie Johnson Flint, 1941

 

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater

He sendeth more strength when the labors increase

To added affliction He addeth His mercy

To multiplied trials, His multiplied Peace

 

Refrain:

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure

His power has no boundary known unto men

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again

 

When we have exhausted our store of endurance

When our strength has failed ere the day is half done

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources

Our Father’s full giving is only begun

 

Refrain:

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure

His power has no boundary known unto men

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again

 

And a 3^rd verse I had never heard before, but found when I was researching the author online:

Fear not that Thy need shall exceed His provision

Our God ever yearns His resources to share

Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing

The Father both thee and thy load will upbear

 

Refrain:

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure

His power has no boundary known unto men

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again

___________________________________

And as radio personality Paul Harvey used to say,  "Now for the rest of the story...."

 

Annie Johnson was born on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1866. in Vineland, New Jersey. 3 years later, little Annie lost her mother, who died as she gave birth to Annie's little sister. Her father had an incurable disease, and willed his children to the Flint family, who brought the girls up in the Baptist faith. Annie was saved in a Revival Meeting when she was 8 years old, and online there is a list of 17 songs that she wrote, with HE GIVETH MORE GRACE being the only one familiar to me. (Of the 17 songs she authored, 2 were in Spanish, and one was in Chinese.) She will not know until Heaven how her song touched others over a span of many years. 

 

That is food for thought! Neither will we. 

 

For example, one Sunday School teacher influenced Billy Graham. Every person who followed Jesus  because of his ministry is a credit to her faithfulness. 

 

Being faithful in the face of challenge is what faith is all about. It's easy to have faith when everything is going smoothly. True faith is where the rubber hits the road, and we have to stand for what we believe in the face of challenges. And like the song so aptly encapsulates, God is with us in those times. He promised!

 

 

 

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!

SATURDAY, DAY 16 OF LENT 2025

John 11:47-53 reports the rationalization for "killing Jesus" and in this conversation Caiaphas declares that it would be better for one man to die for the country than for all of them to "lose their position - and even their country." What he said was prophetic - but the idea didn't originate with him. It originated with God. It is wonderful to be able to see the master plan when we look at it in the rear view mirror. We know the end of the story - and we know it all had to fall in place in God's timing. 

But - what is tumbling around in my brain most saliently is that they were under Roman rule, and they obviously very clearly knew that! Yet just a few chapters ago, in John 8, when they argued with Jesus (with their limited perspective and erroneous view) they claimed in John 8:33 that they had never been slaves of anyone.  Seriously? They were under the rule of the Romans at that point, and their people historically had been enslaved multiple times. 

The account in John 8 is a very interesting read. They were arguing from two totally different perspectives, yet the truths Jesus left for us are amazing and provide us building blocks for our Christian faith. I love Verse 8:58 that records Jesus statement to them: "Before Abraham was I am." Before he received his earthly name, Jesus (actually Yeshua) lived in heaven. He was "I AM", God! And he chose to come to earth to redeem us from Sin - to be the one and only sacrifice that could satisfy the debt that was created when Adam and Eve sinned. What an amazing God. The God who sees me, knows me - and loved me anyway. It is impossible to grasp the expanse of God's Agape love!

 

FRIDAY, DAY 15 OF LENT 2025

Continuing in John 11: Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after he was in the tomb for 4 days! When he called Lazarus from the tomb after the stone was rolled away, Lazarus shuffled out, bound from head to toe in strips of cloth, with a cloth over his face. That was their custom. (And we will soon see that done with Jesus' body as well.) 

Verse 45 provides us a segue to what happened next! Many of the Jews there that day believed in Jesus because of what he just did - that they saw with their own eyes, after hearing Jesus in a booming outdoor voice command Lazarus to come forth. He didn't have to be loud, but he had to be sure the people heard - for their sake, not God's. Verse 46 continues: 'But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done' - and their response was to plot to kill him! 

So after all the good things he had done, and John names some of them....: 

1. John 2. His first miracle of turning water into wine. Not just a few bottles, but I have heard it said the estimate  was likely 120 - 180 gallons!

2. John 4. "emotional and spiritual healing" for the Samaritan woman

3. John 4:46. Healing the official's son - long distance, I might add!

4. John 5. Healing the man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been blind, lame, and paralyzed for 38 years 

5. John 6. Feeding the 5,000+ from 5 loaves and two small fish, with 12 baskets full left over. 

6. Also John 6. Walking on water from shore to the disciples in the middle of the lake - and calming the storm

7. John 9. Healing the man blind from birth by Jesus making mud with his spit and dabbing it on the man's eyes, and telling him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam

After that, in John 10:32 Jesus asked the Jews who intended to stone him, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these works are you stoning me?" (He eluded their grasp.)

8. John 11. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. 

...and their response was, as I said, to hatch a plan to kill him. Heartbreaking!

It is really HARD to imagine, or is it, when we look at our own world today. Lord, have mercy!  

John 11:25-26 states, Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die...."And of course we know he was talking about ETERNAL life. And then - after weeping - he raised Lazarus from the dead!

THURSDAY, DAY 14 OF LENT 2025

John 11. I am intrigued by the account John writes in comparison to what Jesus actually already knew. John writes from his perspective, but it is clear that Jesus knew all along that Lazarus had died, and he intentionally waited to go to Bethany so God's majesty could be revealed. 

Even so, Jesus felt all the human feelings and the pain that his friends were experiencing in what they believed was a final goodbye, and he wept. He already knew he was going to bring Lazarus back from the dead, and he wept. 

How awesome it is to know we have a loving Savior who feels our pain, shares our sorrows, grieves with us. Jesus wept with those who thought they had lost Lazarus permanently - and he weeps with us!  

He also gives us HOPE for when we will be resurrected to eternal life with him. No matter what our "illness" or age that takes us from this life, his words are still true: "This illness does not lead to death." Yes, this cocoon stage of our body will end in physical death, but all who  believe in Jesus as their Savior are saved from eternal death - which is separation from God for all eternity. Thank God for that confidence. 

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ 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. (Romans 8:37-39)