HOW HE SPEAKS

Many may wonder how I know that Lord speaks to me or sends me his assurances when I can't audibly hear him with my physical ears.  It's a spiritual thing of the heart.  I just KNOW.

I had a great example of this yesterday after a week of uncertainties and even fears.  And yes, the scripture says to "fear not" many, many times in my Bible.

I was pondering and one of The Girl's favorite scriptures came to mind.  I turned to it and put my cute but aggravating-to-clip bookmark there.  It clips and didn't clip well, so I reclipped it to more pages so it would hold and not slip.  I read the scripture from Proverbs 3:5, 6.  Here it is:

After I had read it and thought a bit about it, I considered one of my own favorites in Isaiah and began to turn to it.  It is Isaiah 41:10, 13.  Here it is:

Notice where the bookmark is clipped.  I didn't move it.  Uh huh.  Coincidence?  Nah.  😁  That would be a witness of the Spirit as often described by a woman at my church.  No coincidence.   He speaks.

Consider....

EASTER EGGS!

While the most important reason we celebrate Easter is Jesus, there's still fun for the children with the egg hunting.  The church had their annual egg hunt on Palm Sunday afternoon after a morning of storms and rain.  The eggs were "hidden" in the parking lot of the church but fun for the kids nonetheless.  The Grandbaby liked the eggs but I found it funny that she would shake them to see if they made a sound with their contents before choosing them.  And, as Peppa Pig, she loves "muddy puddles"!

Easter morning's new tradition at my house is breakfast after the sunrise service.  This year I entertained eleven at my tables.  After the food, I had a few eggs for The Grandbaby to hunt.  These, too, were hidden on the concrete and around the cars as the grass was wet.  The weather was a bit nippy, too, but a good time was had by all.

The Grandbaby plays mostly with vintage toys at my house.  The Fisher Price binoculars around her neck are at least 34 years old.  Just sayin'....She does love them....

This year she was a really big girl...potty-trained AND standing alone in her family picture.

After getting to church, our family took some quick dressed up photos before church began.  The "bracelets" around her wrist are actually ponytail scrunchies that were in a couple of her Easter eggs she found a couple of hours before.  They didn't match the pretty bunny dress, but The Girl has learned which battles to fight.  Scrunchies around the wrist on Easter was not a battle worth fighting, even if they don't match.  Unmatching scrunchies around the wrist on Easter morning don't deter the joy of the resurrection.

It's becoming equally hard for The Poppa and The Grandbaby to provide normal faces during photos but I will keep them both anyways.

Yes, blessings abound this Easter season in so many forms.  Hallelujah, He arose and still reigns!  We still hunted eggs and took family photos.  The new life of the world around us has burst forth this spring season.  I will end with a few pictures that I love of the new spring life.

I. Am. Blessed.

SUNRISE IN THE GARDEN

The Bible says that very early in the morning the first day of the week at the rising of the sun, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the Jesus' tomb..  They were wondering who would roll away the stone for them to anoint the body of Jesus.

The gospel of Matthew says there was a great earthquake for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.  Those guys guarding the tomb, remember them?  They were so afraid that they became as dead men.

The angel said unto the women that he knew they sought Jesus, which was crucified.  The angel said, "He is not here but he is risen as he said".

And that is exactly why we rejoice on this Easter day!  Hallelujah, He Lives!  An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

I learn something new every time I read and study scriptures.  This time, I learned that in that empty tomb, the napkin used on Jesus lay folded.  Tradition has it when the master of the house has a meal, if he leaves the table and leaves his napkin crumpled, he is done eating.   If he leaves it folded, it means he is leaving for a short time and will return to the table.

Yes, the folded napkin means Jesus WILL return just as he has promised!

Rejoice!

"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
 Because He lives, all fear is gone.
 Because I know HE holds the future.
 And life is worth the living just because HE lives!"

MEANWHILE

I find no documentation in the Bible about the day after the crucifixion.  I speculate a lot on things that could have happened.  One of the gospels says that the chief priests told their men to make the tomb as secure as they could.  After all, "the deceiver" said he would rise again.  And, of course, they didn't want the disciples moving Jesus.  They even placed guards at the tomb to watch.  Wonder if they slept like the disciples in the garden?

I mean, really, if I had been around Jesus during his time on earth, would I be grieving his loss?  I have said before--what about the blind man?   How about the lame man?   What about the father whose daughter died but was brought back to life by Jesus?   How about Jesus' good friend, Lazarus?  Were they grieving?   Was there lots of "talk" about the events of the day before?  Or did folks carry on as if it was just another day?

And what about Barabbas?  Free, free from death that he so greatly deserved.  I liken myself to Barabbas in a sense.  When I believed on Jesus as my Lord and Savior all those years ago, he gave to me the gift of salvation.  Guess one could say I am a Barabbas.

Meanwhile, Sunday's coming.....

Consider.......

CRUCIFIED

The Friday before Easter, or Good Friday as we know it, symbolizes the day Jesus was crucified.

The People had wanted Barabbas and chosen to crucify Jesus instead.  He was scourged (whipped), mocked (was dressed in a scarlet robe), wore a crown of thorns, spit upon, and so many more horrible degrading acts.  Kind of takes bullying to a new level, doesn't it?

A Cyrene names Simon was compelled to carry the cross of Jesus.  They came to Golgatha, meaning the place of a skull, and he was nailed to the cross.  Jesus was the middle man on the cross, having a thief on each side of him.  

About the sixth hour, there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  The sun was darkened and the veil of the temple rent from top to bottom,  and there were earthquakes.  Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," and thus, he gave up the ghost.  (Luke 23:46)

A man named Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus.  He wrapped the body in linen and laid it in a brand new tomb hewn in stone.  

There is so much more that could be told of this sad, dark day but I will leave that for you to read in your Bible on your own.  I never can think of what my Lord endured without feeling pain and sorrow for what he went through.

One of my favorite scriptures from the Old Testament comes from Isaiah 53:3,5,7 and goes like this:

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth."

So God's only begotten Son went to the cross to die for my sins.  God turned his back on him for that time.  

But remember and consider.......a lot can happen in three days......

TRIED

As Jesus returned to his sleeping disciples after praying, Judas and a multitude of armed men came.  As soon as Judas came, he came to Jesus and said, “Master, Master” and kissed him.  The kiss was the sign that the armed ones needed to identify Jesus as their captive.    The guards took Jesus away.

Jesus was taken before the high priest.  Chief priests, elders, and scribes were with him.  They all looked for false witnesses against Jesus but their witnesses couldn’t agree on their testimony.  The high priest asked Jesus, “Are going to say nothing?”   Again, the high priest asked him, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?  Jesus replied, “I am, and ye shall see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.”  The high priest saw no need of more witnesses as he felt Jesus was a liar so Jesus was condemned to death.  Many there begin to spit on Jesus and slap him.

In the meantime, Peter was in the palace with the others in the crowd warming himself at the fire.  One of the maids saw him and said that he had been with Jesus.  Peter denied this.  He moved to the porch and heard the rooster crow.  The maid saw him again and again repeated that he was one of “them”.  Peter denied again.  A little bit later, others saw Peter and said surely he was one of them as he was a Galilean.  Peter began to curse and to swear and said, “I know not the man of whom you speak.”  As soon as the words left his mouth, he remembered what Jesus had said…..and Peter went away and wept.  In spite of his assumed boldness for his Jesus, the sadness at his denial.  Sadly, I often see my denying self in the denying Peter.

In the morning, Jesus was delivered unto Pilate.  Pilate, I believe, would have released Jesus.  I believe he believed in Jesus’ innocence and tried every way he had to release him.  His “out” was that at the “feast”, tradition had it that one prisoner could be released.  Pilate was certain the people would want the release of Jesus, not knowing maybe that the chief priests had stirred the people to want to crucify Jesus.  

Pilate asked the people whether he should release Jesus or Barabbas, a convicted murderer.  The people wanted the release of Barabbas and said, “Crucify Jesus”.  I can almost see the crowd as a rioting crowd.  

Then I think of Barabbas.  As I have said often, I imagine him in his cell, bound, hearing the footsteps of the solders coming for him, thinking his time was come.  Then they open the cell and tell him he is free.  How must he have felt?  Disbelieving, ecstatic, shocked, speechless?  

Jesus came to die for our sins, that was the plan all along.   John 3:16 says that “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  That includes me, you, and Barabbas.  

Consider…..

AGONY

Jesus and his disciples came to a place called Gethsemane, which is a garden near the foot of the Mount of Olives.  He asked his disciples to wait, then took Peter, James, and John with him a bit farther.  He told them that his soul was “sorrowful” and his heart heavy.  He asked them to sit there and watch. 

Jesus moved on a stone’s throw away and began to pray in earnest.  He asked that if possible, what was ahead be taken away but if not, he expressed his willingness to go forth.   He said, “…not what I will, but what thou wilt.”   One of the gospels say his sweat fell as though it were great drops of blood.  I can’t begin to imagine the anguish he felt.

After praying the first time, Jesus went back to the three disciples that he instructed to “watch” and found them sleeping.  He returned two more times to pray, and would find the disciples sleeping every time he would return after praying.  

I wonder if I would have slept in that dark hour.  I fear I might have.  

I wonder if I “sleep” when I should be watching in my daily life.  I fear I do.

Consider…….

SUPPER WITH FRIENDS

I am so blessed with good friends from different areas of my life.  Friends who care and love me.  Some friends I see often, others not so much.  I even have friends I communicate with that I haven't even met.  I do have one group of friends who have been my friends for 25+ years.  We used to meet monthly for a meal to just talk and visit or celebrate a birthday of a group member.  As we age, we have even gotten busier and it's harder to get together.  I remember many times one of our group would have something troubling them or their family--problems with parents, a spouse, or children and even a cancer diagnosis for one and the death of a spouse for another.  I remember the times when the hearts of all the others would hurt for the person hurting.  There was a certainty that we could confide in each other and trust each other for help and support and even celebration when celebration was the outcome.  I have that with all my friends but I wanted to use this group as a lead in to today's post.  I see Jesus and his disciples kind of like that.

The Passover time had come to Jerusalem.  Jesus wanted to eat the Passover meal with his disciples.  He gave them specific instructions to follow...go into the city, meet a man with a pitcher of water, follow him.  Wherever he goes, ask the owner of the house where the guest chamber is.  He will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared.  Make it ready.  Yes, Jesus knew all.  It was as he said.

Jesus and the twelve disciples came together.  I'm sure there was conversation among them.  Jesus took bread and broke it, telling them to eat as it was his body and he gave them the cup saying it was his blood.  He told to do it in remembrance of him.  Did the disciples understand?  Jesus had been preparing them for the day of his crucifixion but I'm not sure it really registered with them.

It was at this supper that Jesus told the group that one of them would betray him.  Disbelief filled them and the question came from them of "is it me?"    One of the gospels say that Satan entered into Judas again.  Satan does have devices, I say again.  The gospel of John 13:27 says that Jesus said to Judas, "That thou doest, do it quickly."  And it says Judas ran out.

In all four gospels, after the supper, bold Peter told Jesus that he would never leave him and that he would "die for Jesus".  Yeah right.  Jesus told him that before the rooster crowed twice,  Peter will have denied him three times.  A conversation with Peter also contains dialogue that I have found comforting in my own life.  It comes from Luke 22:31-32 and says, "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."  To know the Lord has prayed for me gives me great joy.  I believe what he did for his disciples, he did for me and all those before and after me.

I did find that the gospel of John's account after the supper was different from the other three gospels.    In Chapters 14-16 there is some really good reading of advice and wisdom that Jesus gave his disciples before going to the garden.  Take the time to take a read of that.  It's really good.

Remembrance.  Of Jesus.

Consider.....

BETRAYAL

One of the Webster definitions of "betrayal" is the "violation of a person's trust or confidence".

After Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey, as the Kings did in that day, many of the people in charge saw "red flags" and a threat to their own "jobs", if you will.  Jesus was gaining and gaining popularity with the crowds as he healed the sick, raised the dead, caused the blind to see, and taught the people so much.  The days after he arrived in Jerusalem were filled with teaching by parables.  He was a "celebrity" so to speak.

The special twelve, his disciples, had so much opportunity to learn more and more from him.  Most people who know the "story" know that Judas was the disciple who betrayed Jesus.  As I was reading these portions of scripture about Judas, I don't find him mentioned a great deal in the scriptures.  Honestly, I think for the most part, he learned all the other eleven disciples learned.  It's in the gospel of Mark (Mark 22:3) that the Word says that "Satan entered into Judas".  This leads me to believe that Judas was probably an okay disciple until this but that's strictly my opinion.

He went to the chief priests and scribes after Satan entered into him and they made a plot of the perfect way to "get" Jesus.  Judas traded with them for 30 pieces of silver.  My Bible says that is $3840.  Huh.  Satan has a way of using greed to "slay" us often.  Satan has many devices.

Anyways, the deal was made.

I often consider the what if Judas had not betrayed Jesus?  Was this the plan for Judas all along?  If he had made a better choice and choice to continue to follow, would Jesus have gone to the cross?  I feel He would have, otherwise, the divine plan wouldn't have happened and we would be forever lost.  It was Judas who made the deal.

Then my thoughts go to my own life and am I some days a Judas?  Do I betray the Lord in my "disciple life"?  Do you?

It's some food for thought as Passion Week continues.

Consider.....

PALMS OF PRAISE!

Palm Sunday is here!

An Easter card I designed this year had a simple message on the back.  It said, "He came. He healed.  He comforted.  He loved.  He suffered.  He died.  The story didn't end there for HE arose and brought salvation for us all!  Hallelujah!

I was thinking about how the Bible doesn't document Jesus' life between the time of his being found in the temple at age 12 until his baptizing by John when he was roughly thirty years old.  I would imagine that during those unspoken-about years, he lived what we call a fairly normal life for that day and time.   I often wonder how it would have been to have lived during the same time as Jesus.  Today it hit me that I have experienced all these things I wrote about on my Easter card.

He came.....I experience his birth every Christmas and never forget the REAL meaning of that season.

He healed....Many times in my life I have felt his healing of my body and my mind and even my Spirit.

He comforted....Can I even number the times my spirit has been sad and my heart weary?  Times when I had no answers for troubles of magnitude.....yes, He allows me time after time to just lay my head over in his lap and be comforted.

He loved....I see and feel his love in his creation, in his gifts to me in the form of family and friends, and his blessings to me that are too many to count.

He suffered....Oh how my heart hurts when I read of what He went through for my sins.

He died....And that horrible death on the cross that had to be....HIS Father's plan.

But oh so thankfully, He did not stay in that borrowed tomb but arose on that third day, just as He said.  And because I believe ALL of it, I rejoice because salvation in Him is MINE!

On this Palm Sunday, I offer my "palms" of praise to HIM for all HE is!  Hosannah!

EASTER WEEK!

It's one more day until Palm Sunday and what we consider the beginning of Easter week.  Here's a list of my Easter scriptures I enjoy reading and pondering the week ahead.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem.....Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19
The Last Supper with the twelve....Matt. 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:3-39; John 13
Sold out....Matt 26: 1-16;  Mark 14:1-2, 10-11:  Luke 22:1-6
In the Garden....Matthew 26:36-56; Mark14: 32-52; Luke 22:39-53; John 17, 18:1-11
Guilty?.....Matthew 26:57-75; Mark14:53-72;  Luke 22:54-71; John 18:12-27
A Dark Day....Matthew 27:1-66; Mark 15:1-47; Luke 23; John 18:28-42
The Tomb....Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20

STANDING FIRM

I can't believe I have been so busy that I have not posted thoughts in almost a month.  Mercy, I need to improve!

It's been a busy month and so much has happened in life that I won't bore you with all the details.  I thought as a person aged and got slower in most areas, that life became that way.  It's not happened to me yet.  Does that mean I'm not aging?  I doubt it.  I think it means I am slower and can't accomplish nearly as much.  Yes, I have lofty goals and ideas in my mind but many simply stay right there.  In my mind.

As I type this, sadly, Auburn lost in the final four's first game.  I won't get started on that.  I'm not a firm sports fan but I do believe in fair play. And I do support the orange and blue as it's The Son-In-Law's alma mater and favorite team.  Plus, I do understand basketball.   Maybe they can come back next year.

In the past month, I have also taken a fall in the yard after helping The Husband with some yard cleanup.  Right, doing yard cleanup is rare for me but it was a pretty day, I thought I would help. No good deed goes unpunished.  I feel literally flat on my face, bruised my nose, scratched my glasses, and sored up my already sore muscles.  But...I recovered.  Obviously, I was not standing firm in the yard.  😞

However, as I type this, I can report to you some happy news.  After a spring break week of potty training that began quite shaky, The Grandbaby has been dry for close to a week now.   Amazing, especially with the drama that has happened with this specific training.  Where do toddler girls learn the girl drama?  Wow.  The Grandbaby stayed with me on Monday as she always does.  She had not mastered the technique very well this past Monday.  It put her in such a bad mood so Monday became a very long day.  She only played with 2 puzzles all day long.  The rest of the time she was "cold", didn't want to go potty, and just wanted to sit in my lap.  Which is all right but I have to move every now and then.  I even offered to put her a quilt on the living room floor and let her and her dolls lay there for television watching but she told me "Neema, I need somebody big to lay with me".  Well, this Neema can't get up and down off the floor.  (See the second paragraph of this post.)   Near the end of the day, her disposition improved a bit.  I was sitting in "my" chair with her sitting beside me doing the two puzzles as she likes to do.  She began to sing.  There's nothing that gets my heart as much as hearing a little one sing.  She cut loose with "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound...that saved a wrench like me...I once was"--and then she made up her own remaining words, doing the high and low notes (or in her world, loud and soft means high and low).  No one had taught her Amazing Grace, she had just heard it at church and remembered, at least the first two lines.  Not bad for a three year old.  Then I did ask her to stand in front of me and sing it again so I could record it and she did.  This Neema tried hard not to cave from her firmness in the pottying just because The Grandbaby gave a wonderful sweet rendition of Amazing Grace.  It was really hard to stand firm.  Now I'm happy to report that The Grandbaby is mastering the technique more and more and more with each passing day and I think she's beginning to really like the concept.

Standing firm in areas of strong belief and in moral life can sometimes be very hard when it really shouldn't be.  Maybe that comes with age, too.  I'm still learning how to stand firm.  Does it mean just staying away from the problem or does it mean approaching it head on?

I had a situation that put me to really thinking and considering on Tuesday.  A neighboring older couple have been dealing with the husband's illness now for quite a few years.  He has been treated in various ways for cancer.  A recent surgery made them very hopeful.   These Christian folks pray and trust and believe in the Lord for their best.  He received bad news from his recent surgery....the doctors feel his cancer has morphed into another kind.  Instead of the hopeful feeling given to them after surgery, it was a complete turnaround.  Then I heard of another friend's husband who had cancer and some treatments and he got a good report that garnered praise from them.  She said to me,  "God is so good".  So I began to consider, was God only good to the couple with the good news and not good to the couple with the bad news?  Both couples are believers in Him.  After my consideration, I decided He was good to both.  It all involves faith and trust.  No matter what one is going through, the Lord has promised the same to us all.  He will meet our needs in times of plenty and in want.  He will never leave or forsake us.  He will love us unconditionally.  He will do so much more.  More.  So yes, He's good to both and He's good to all of us.  We pray according to His will and His will is perfect.  Sometimes that's hard to grasp in any situation, but we can stand firm in Him.

As I considered this morning, it occurred to me also that this Sunday is Palm Sunday which begins the week leading to my most celebrated day of the year, Easter!  Hallelujah, He arose!  I'm going to try to begin some writing for the whole week as I have done in the past.  It may involve some of the same thoughts I've had in the past, but I encourage you all to begin reading about that week leading up to the resurrection.  The Girl made me a t-shirt that I have been wearing several times this past week.  I love it!  It speaks volumes.  Here's a picture...

The first day I wore it, I thought to myself, what would I say if someone asks me what it means?  I got a huge blessing just thinking that I have loved Jesus my whole life, believed in him for salvation 54 years ago, and proven Him over and over and over.  I would tell them simply about Jesus.  I have come way too far with faith in Him to change my thinking and believing now.  He is a part of ME!  I will stand firm.

So tune back in next week and use the week to remember and put what Jesus did for us in your "rememory" (as The Grandbaby says).  And remember to stand firm!

Consider.