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)

WEDNESDAY, DAY 13 OF LENT 2025

John 10. What a beautiful picture of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. 

Only thieves and robbers try to get in by climbing over the fence - and their goal is to steal and destroy.

The Shepherd enters through the gate, because the Gatekeeper lets him in - and the Shepherd leads his sheep out to pasture and they follow him because they know his voice. Jesus' repetition of telling those who were in hearing distance of his voice that he is the good shepherd - THE GOOD SHEPHERD - is significant. It takes repetition to get the message across. 

And my favorite part of his being my shepherd is the affirmation that NO ONE can take us away. The thief and robber will try, but we are secure in knowing Jesus keeps us securely in his fold, and when he takes us out of that gate he guides us, protects us, leads us to good pastures. What a beautiful picture! 

TUESDAY, DAY 12 OF LENT 2025

Continuing in John chapter 9: I absolutely love the responses of the man who was healed after he washed off the mud Jesus made with spit from his eyes. He had attested that he was indeed the man who was healed - not a look-alike. Then he was asked by the people he was with, "Then how were your eyes opened?  And he gave a clear, concise answer: "The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed and received my sight."

Instead of being ebulliently grateful and praising God for the miracle, their reaction to that proclamation was to take him to the Pharisees. After all it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud! That was 'work' and work was forbidden. So, he had to repeat himself to the inquiries of the Pharisees: "He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." Some of the Pharisees declared Jesus was not from God 'because he does not keep the Sabbath'. Others queried how a man who is a sinner could do such things. And they were divided. So they asked the healed man's opinion and he replied, "He is a prophet." 

The Jews next interrogation was for the man's parents, because they did not believe him that he had been blind and could now see. The parents admitted he was their son, but they deferred to him for his answer because they were afraid of being ostracized from the Synagogue. And that was a big deal! 

So, a second time they called in the man and basically asked him to lie by declaring Jesus was a sinner. I LOVE his answer. His boldness in the face of their interrogation is inspiring! Verse 25 tells us what he said, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see."

And as they continued to press him for the answer they wanted, He says, (vs30ff): "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." And they threw him out of the synagogue. Wow! What a response! I look forward to meeting this guy in heaven! What a stellar testimony. 

Once I was blind but now I can see! It is the basis for every believer's spiritual journey story.

 

MONDAY, 17TH OF MARCH, THE 11TH DAY OF LENT 2025

I woke up earlier than intended! Took my shower, got dressed, read part of John 9, and left to meet friends to go to a CELEBRATION OF LIFE for a stellar man we went to college with. As with all memorial services, I learned a lot about him that I didn't know, and appreciated the wonderful things said about him by his friends. 

Now, back home, after a long day, I have to write. It will be short. In the early part of John 9 Jesus heals a man born blind. Obviously the view in that day was that if someone was physically impaired it was because of sin. Not so, Jesus said. He was born blind so he could be healed. Not in those words - but that was the point. And then Jesus spat his spit on the ground, mixed it with the dirt to make mud and slathered it on the guy's eyes and told him to go wash it off in the pool of Siloam. The best part of the story is: "So he went...." Well, maybe the best part was that in obeying he was healed! But - what I need to pay attention to is that even though what Jesus did might have seemed preposterous or unnecessary, the man just simply obeyed. I can learn from that! I hope I do! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

SUNDAY MARCH 16 (WAS) THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT (AKA THE 2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER)

I totally forgot to write yesterday! So will just insert that comment and move on! 

We had a wonderful service at church. It was one of two Mission Sundays for this Spring. A group of Samoans sang and played for leading worship - and WOW can they worship! And then we had a wonderful speaker from El Salvador who had an amazing story translated beautifully by another great gal. I came home so refreshed and basking in that joy that I spaced....  It is a good thing I didn't make the commitment to write EVERY day! :)

SATURDAY, DAY 10 OF LENT 2025

John Chapter 8 is today's focus. The first thing to note is that John 6:53 - John 8:11 was not in the original manuscripts, but was added sometime later. It is very characteristic of what I would expect Jesus to do, but we have no way of knowing who added it in later texts. Still, it is one of my favorite stories. A group of seemingly self-righteous pious men come to Jesus forcing the woman they have brought to stand in front of Jesus outside the temple. (It had to be outside or he couldn't have done what he did!) They told Jesus, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do you say?" Their goal was to make Jesus slip up so they could accuse him - but, again, he didn't bite.

I can see the woman standing there in front of him, disheveled because of being caught in the act and brought as they found her, ashamed, her eyes cast down, waiting.... And Jesus bent down and started writing in the dirt. The men persisted in their questioning, so Jesus stood up, looked them in the eyes and said, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." Then he bent down again and continued writing.... The result was that from the eldest to the youngest, the men went away, until Jesus and the woman were the only ones left. Then, and only then, he spoke to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, Lord." And Jesus lovingly said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."

This is the Jesus I know. Loving, forgiving, tender.

As for the men who brought her to Jesus, I have always wondered why it is only the woman who was  brought. What about the man? That seems patently unfair.

In the rest of Chapter 8, Jesus begins (verse 12) by declaring he is the Light of the World! And he is! He alone is TRUTH, and as long as we are completely aligned with him we are bathed in that Light. Darkness can come near us, but it cannot overwhelm us. And when we are following Jesus we have the opportunity reflect his light to others. May it be so! 

For the unbeliever this is a hard chapter, but it isn't meant to condemn. It is meant to convict and allow introspection. It allows us to see through Jesus' eyes, and hear TRUTH. Sometimes truth hurts, and sometimes it seems harsh. In this case, if the truth is heard, it will save souls!

FRIDAY, DAY 9 OF LENT 2025

We spent a few days in Chapter 6 of John. Today: Chapter 7.

We learn in this chapter that Jesus' brothers wanted him to go to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles and make himself known so he could get public acknowledgement. Instead, he waited until halfway through the Festival - which lasted 8 days. The Feast of Tabernacles, AKA The Feast of Booths was an annual celebration honoring the time of their ancestors living in shelters in the desert for 40 years under Moses' leadership after they escaped from Egypt. It is still practiced today. Annually, each Fall on the prescribed days, the Jewish faithful build outside shelters and live in them as a memorial celebration. It is an annual event that is part of the outline for Christ's return, and God is all about timing!

Jesus was also all about timing. He knew that the Chief Priests and Pharisees wanted to kill him - and he knew it wasn't yet time. What stands out to me most saliently in their discussions and arguments about him was that they didn't even ask him where he was born. They knew that their Scriptures said the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem and they were caught up in believing he was from Galilee, so couldn't be the Messiah. All they had to do is ask! They could have asked him. They could have gone to Nazareth and interviewed his mother. They didn't do either! They jumped to a wrong conclusion and it deterred them from knowing the ONE who is, was, and always will be TRUTH. 

I don't have to look far to see that happening in our world. The news media proves it daily! I also recognize that I can too easily jump to conclusions! My line about that is: "Sometimes that is the only exercise I get!" 

This time reading through John I am seeing very clearly that many people who were intrigued by Jesus never came to know him as Savior. And those in authority who could have and should have done their due diligence in finding out more about him failed. They had such an amazing firsthand opportunity and they blew it. On the other hand, we are also given an amazing opportunity to know Jesus because of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not leave us alone. He walks with us through every circumstance if we let him. 

Lord, renew your Spirit in me!

THURSDAY, DAY 8 OF LENT 2025

We are still in Chapter 6 of the book of John! The barley loaves donated by the boy "yesterday" must have been delicious bread! Jesus fed a massive crowd with them and they wanted more! They also clearly paid attention to his whereabouts! They knew he didn't get in the boat with his disciples. They knew there was no other boat but that one. And they set out on what was likely a several mile hike to find him. Jesus didn't tell them he had walked on the water to the boat. He didn't answer their question about when he got to Capernaum. What he did was use 'bread' as a teaching moment, declaring himself to be the bread of life.

In verse 28, they ask him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Verse 29, Jesus answer was "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." and clearly the miracle of the feeding over  5000 the day before wasn't enough for them to believe, so they asked for another sign!

Jesus reiterated that he is the BREAD OF LIFE in verse 35, verse 51, & verse 58. And in between he shared with them - and ultimately with all who read God's Word - the basics of God's wonderful plan of salvation, and that no person comes to Jesus unless the Father draws that person to him. 

It is shocking to me that some of the people who pursued Jesus out of curiosity didn't ever accept him, and he knew that even as he spoke to them in the words John records for us in this chapter. That was a turning point for many, and precipitates one of my most cherished responses from impetuous Peter! 

After so many turned away from following him, Jesus turned to the twelve and asked, "Do you want to go away from me as well?" And  Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

Thank you, Peter! That is a foundational truth of our faith! Even when things get hard - and they do - there is no one else or nothing else we can turn to but Jesus. He has the words of eternal life! This is just the preparation period before eternity begins!

As the Lord reminded me after 9/11: Keep on keeping on. Occupy until I come! And everything going on in our world points to that being very soon!

WEDNESDAY, DAY 7 OF LENT 2025

We are still in Chapter 6 of the book of John. We join the narrative at Verse 16. When evening came the disciples decided to head back to home base, so they got in a boat headed for Capernaum. The wind came up, not unusual on the Sea, but unwelcome, as it made the sea rough and the rowing challenging. They were 3 or 4 miles into the journey, according to the text, when Jesus appeared to them walking on the water. They were frightened! But Jesus said, "It is I; don't be afraid." 

The Bible accounts come to life in a new way once you've been to Israel and have the terrain and logistics of the trip clearly in mind. I have had the joy of going to Israel 2 times. I have been on a boat on Lake Galilee, experienced a little storm on our journey to Tiberias that day, and thus experiencing how quickly storms can come up and whip the surface of the sea into whitecaps. I've been to Capernaum (Capharnum is the sign we saw) and the words of the Bible come alive with all of that in my visual imagery.

We need to hear those words just as clearly in our most challenging moments: "It is I. Don't be afraid."

Lord, thank you for being with us, no matter what comes. 

Postscript: One more tidbit about being in Israel: Being present there, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt (because it resonated to my core) that Jerusalem was the absolute center of the world. I know that Satan fights against Israel because of that. Not only is it the center of the world, it is the center of God's heart, where he placed his Name! 

I also know with equal certainty that the Lord honors those who honor Israel. If America or any other nation goes against Israel, they are going against God, and he will punish those who do.

TUESDAY, DAY 6 OF LENT 2025

My chapter for today was John 6, but after beginning reading I realized I couldn't choose just one small segment and ignore the rest of the chapter, so I decided on a "change of plans" alteration. Instead of commenting on only one thing in each chapter, I will just divide the chapters up when there is more than one thing I want to address. Works for me! 

The first portion of John 6 relates the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. Jesus was on the far side of the lake - a lake knows variously as Galilee, Genessaret, Tiberias, Kinnaret. And he had a following of people who were apparently so intent on hearing him, that they didn't think ahead that they might get hungry. Only one young boy had a lunch along with him - 5 small barley loaves and 2 fish. 

I wish we could hear the dialogue that ensued when Andrew (presumably) asked the boy if he'd be willing to give his lunch to Jesus to see what he could do with it. The disciples had witnessed the results of Jesus turning water jars full of water into fine wine, so why not fish and barley rolls into lunch for 5000? It could have crossed their minds, but whether it did  or not, they obeyed in anticipation when Jesus instructed them to have the people sit down. It is believed that the numbering of the 5000 was "men only" so in reality it was potentially a much larger crowd. No matter. Five loaves and 2 cooked fish fed all that were present - and afterward Jesus instructed his disciples to gather all of the leftovers, and they accumulated twelve baskets of leftover fragments of the impromptu picnic lunch.

And people believed! Their inclination was to make him King, but he didn't come to be an earthly king with an earthly kingdom, so he withdrew to the mountain by himself. 

This is one of the earliest stories we learn as children in Sunday School. It is a foundational witness to the reality that God can do ANYTHING! And it is instructive to my faith - that when something seems insurmountable, HE has a plan! 

Just a little aside, a friend sent me a  cute little visual about PEACE, LOVE & JOY. It was the first thing on my mind this morning. Peace - yes I have internal peace. Check. Love - yes I love deeply and that is intact. Check. Joy....  That's a bit harder in the face of huge challenges that would try to knock me off my feet.... And then God reminded me that true joy is simply choosing Jesus every day. "The Joy of the Lord is my strength" simply means that having the Lord in my life equates to Joy, a joy that the world cannot understand, and it doesn't equate to feeling, but to practice and intentionality. I CHOOSE Joy. I choose Jesus. Even in the challenges. Even in the storm. He is enough!

MONDAY, DAY 5 OF LENT 2025

 My chapter for today is John 5. We are still very early in observing Jesus' 3 years of ministry and already - after the 3rd miracle John records [1- Water into wine; 2 - Healing the son of an official from Capernaum (without even going to see him!) and now #3 - ), with this miracle being healing a man by the pool of Bethesda, the Jews wanted to kill him. In reality it wasn't just because he healed a man, but because Jesus called God his Father, making himself equal with God.

But, seriously, wouldn't common sense have informed them to take another look! This man had been an invalid for 38 years! Wouldn't that have informed the Jews that if he were healed on that particular day, that the one who healed him had just performed a miracle - and wouldn't that have been cause for piquing their interest instead of their ire? 

I love that Jesus asked the man, "Do you want to be healed? In essence he asks all of humanity that: do you want to be healed? And the greatest healing of all is salvation and thereby a changed life that alters our eternal destination. And it only comes through Jesus! Verse 24 reiterates that: "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." We didn't earn it. We don't deserve it. It is only God's grace poured out on us through the shed blood of Jesus Christ - and most people in his lifetime refused to accept him! 

John 5 lays out a treatise for belief - but most will reject him, even today. 

The most important question any of us will ever respond to is: What will you do with Jesus? He doesn't promise us life on earth will be easy, but he does promise an eternal life with him that will be phenomenal! 

And while we are here, he promises to walk with us through everything. No matter what! I can't imagine life without him!

 

THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EASTER, LENT 2025

In 2018 when I adapted my 2010 Blog entries to create a book I realized I had too many entries for the "40" days of Lent. My research at that point taught me that Sundays are not included in those 40 days. Instead, each Sunday was "a Sunday of Easter", so today begins that acknowledgment.

Yesterday I shared a little about 'the woman at the well'. For my entry today I merely want to share the lyrics to a song I used to sing as special music about that woman. Sadly, I don't have the song in my possession, don't recall the author or performer's name, and cannot locate it online, so if you know the answers to those unknowns, please let me know! I would love to give credit where credit is due!

A stranger to me, he said he knew me. 

Then he described the state of my life; how could it be?

He had no vessel. How could he draw water?

But he spoke of more than I had hoped for -

"This water is yours!"

 

     Come see this man. Come taste the water.

     He knows you thirst. He knows you hurt. He understands.

     Look in his eyes. See his compassion.

     He's never far from where you are. Come see this man. 

 

To any who will choose joy for sorrow

This water is free. Come taste and see that he is good.

Come if you're fainting, in need of refreshing. 

In your desert place, one glimpse of his face,

You're thirsty no more!

 

     Come see this man. Come taste the water.

     He knows you thirst. He knows you hurt. He understands.

     Look in his eyes. See his compassion.

     He's never far from where you are. Come see this man. 

He's never far from where you are..... Come see this man!

 

Another song inspired by the story of the woman at the well - one that I sang in my youth - is this one:

 

Like the woman at the well I was seeking

for things that did not satisfy

And then I heard my Savior speaking, 

"Draw from this well that never shall run dry!"

 

     Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord, 

     Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.

     Bread of heaven, feed me 'til I want no more

     Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole. 

This song has other verses, but the first verse is the one I remember best.

I relate to that woman at the well. Do you? 

 

SATURDAY, DAY 4 OF LENT, 2025

 My chapter for today was John 4. The very first account in the chapter is of the Samaritan woman - the "woman at the well". I love, love, love this story! From this perspective, I do not see it as an accidental "just happening to go through Samaria on the way to Galilee", but a Divine Appointment. Today I paid attention to a portion of the conversation that I had not noticed before. In reporting the story, John states that the Samaritan woman asked Jesus if he was greater than Jacob. Jesus didn't take the bait. Answering that question in that timing could have diverted them away from what his intention was in engaging her in conversation. But - eventually actually he did give her the answer by stating that he, the one talking to her, was the Messiah! 

He met her where she was. Revealed more to her than she told him. Because of that she believed. And - she became one of the very first evangelist/ missionaries by going back to her town where people did know her past, and sharing the good news! 

In their era, Jews didn't talk to Samaritans. And certainly not a Jewish man speaking to a Samaritan woman. But Jesus did! 5 husbands and the man she was living with now was not her husband. No problem. Man looks on the outward appearance. God looks on the heart. She had sought love in all the wrong places, and now she met love personified. I love, love, love this story! 

There is a lot more in this chapter, but I have vowed to keep my posts this year short!

FRIDAY, DAY 3 OF LENT 2025

My daily Bible reading for today was John 3. What a magnificent chapter! 

We "read" the reminder that Nicodemus believed in Jesus - and that he came to him by night. We aren't told that Nicodemus did that because he was concerned about what others of his sect would think, but it is an easy presumption. 

And in the context of Jesus' explanation to Nicodemus, we have what I believe to be the most recognizable verse in the Bible - John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life (followed by 3:17:) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. (From memory - I suspect it is closest to the NIV!) 

What an amazing God! That he would love his created beings - even me -  so much that he would take on human form by being born of a virgin, and then live life as a human for 33 years and become known to humanity before being crucified, dying on a cross to be the final sacrifice ever needed to redeem his created. There is a lot we cannot fathom in that story, but once we know HIM and learn to trust him, we just know that we know....  He is TRUTH! He loves us! He walks with us, guiding and directing us if we let him. AMAZING! He wants a relationship with every person who accepts him!

 If I "so love" what does that look like in the world I live in? That's a huge question!

THURSDAY, DAY 2 of LENT 2025

Oh my goodness. I left out the ellipsis in yesterday's entry.  Genesis begins "In the beginning God..." and I related the beginning of John 1 to the first words of Genesis, but in John it actually states, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."  If I were to connect the two appropriately I needed the ellipsis:  In the beginning...God. 

Interestingly, the verses beyond the ellipsis are equally foundational to our faith in Jesus - affirming Jesus for being whom he claimed to be: "All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (ESV) The pre-incarnate Jesus (before He was birthed into this world and given that name) was part of the Trinity, and was God, Creator. It's hard to wrap our finite minds around that - but the Holy Spirit made that reality clear to John, and John started his book with that truth.

My chapter for today was John 2. In John 2, we learn of Jesus' first miracle: turning water into wine so that the bridal couple - particularly, the groom - did not experience embarrassment by running out of wine. And Jesus didn't skimp on the volume or the quality of the wine. That one miracle cemented his disciples' belief in Him. 

The miracle that cemented my faith in God was in the Fall of 1970 when he saved my baby I was pregnant with from being miscarried. It is part of my testimony! I prayed and said, "God, I don't know if you really exist, but if you do, and if you will save my baby I will recommit my life to you." The bleeding stopped. God saved my baby, and he saved me! And through it all since that day, I am fully committed to faith in Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

What about you? What is your defining moment that propelled you to absolute commitment? 

ASH WEDNESDAY 2025

 I have not committed (yet) to write every day during Lent - but I at least have to start!

 My Bible Reading for today was John 1. In the beginning God....  Just like Genesis 1:1, an affirmation that God is the Creator, that He was there in the beginning, and is with us still. And one of the joys of the Lenten journey is that we know the end of the story! We know that no man has seen God at any time - but that Jesus made the Father known to us by God Himself taking on flesh and coming to be born as a baby so we could relate to Him. So - even if we come broken, battered, bruised...God is here with us.

It was touching to see several people on T V today with ashes smeared across their foreheads - honoring the day: the beginning of Lent! 

For each of us - whether we observe that tradition or not - I pray this will be a wonderful time of reflection and renewal.

If you do not have a Lenten journey reading plan, one option is to purchase an online version of the book, LEAD ME TO THE CROSS by Lola Rice Cain, on Amazon. Or, just choose a couple of books of the Gospels to read throughout the 40 days, and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. That is the most profitable option. One on one with God. I highly recommend that as a discipline.