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King of the Jews


posted by Donna

When the eight days were completed for His circumcision, He was named JESUS – the name given by the angel before He was conceived.   Luke 2:21

I think He was named Jesus because He wanted to have a human name we could associate with.  I work in a migrant school in Florida in the winter and invariably I run across several young men named “Jesus” {pronounced Hay-Seuss}.  It is a common name in some parts of the world.  Jesus’ first and favorite name for Himself was “Son of Man.”  It is very apparent He wanted to relate to mankind in many ways and His name certainly reflects that.  To His brothers and sisters and childhood friends, He was just Jesus. To His disciples, He was Jesus, one of several they probably knew by that name, just as He had two disciples named James (the elder and the less) and two Simons, Simon Peter and Simon the Zealot.

But slowly, once His ministry commenced, He began revealing His many names to others.  He said He was the bread of life, living water, the gate, the door, the good shepherd.  He had 100s and 100s of other names that more nearly captured His essence.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.  I, Jesus, have sent My angel to attest these things to you for the churches.  I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star.  Revelation 22:13, 16

During Jesus’ very brief trial before Pontius Pilate then subsequent flogging and mocking and ultimate murder by crucifixion, He was taunted as being the King of the Jews.  Pilate even had a sign lettered and put on the cross for all to see and read: This is Jesus King of the Jews.

Little did they know how right they were.

And lastly, found in Revelation also {19:11-16}, this mysterious, intriguing passage, a great prophecy and what Easter is all about:

Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.  His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on His head were many crowns.  He had a name written that no one knows except Himself.  He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is called the Word of God.  The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen.  From His mouth came a sharp sword, so that with it He might strike the nations.  He will shepherd them with an iron scepter.  He will trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty.  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: King Of kings and Lord of lords.

Jesus, the King of it all.

butterfly (2)

Psalm 84 Part C


posted by Donna

PART A

PART B

PART C:

Psalm 84:10-12

Better a day in Your courts than a thousand anywhere else.

I would rather be at the door of the house of my God than to live in the tents of the wicked. 

For the Lord God is a sun and shield. 

The Lord gives grace and glory;

He does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity. 

Lord of hosts, happy is the person who trusts in You!

 

Have you had a chance to reread Psalm 84?  I hope you will.  It may well become one of your favorites, too.

Imagine choosing to be where God is (His courts, His dwelling place, His altars, His house) more than anyplace else?  That’s a process.  We reside in this world.  In the arms of the one we love, holding one we love, traveling to desired destinations, attending special occasions with family and friends.  All of these seem to have a magnetic attraction over us.  In some instances, that same attraction holds true for forbidden places and people and things.

Not so the psalmist.  He says better is one day with the Almighty than 1000 on your dream vacation. That’s heady stuff.  But when you know that the Lord God is your sun (Could anything live without its warmth and light?  How would your garden grow under perpetual snowy skies, or on the moon?) and shield (your protection, the barrier between you and anything undesirable), when you really know, you just naturally begin to gravitate to His courts more and more.  Once there, you find abundant grace and unexpected glory.  You’re welcomed with loving arms and unconditional acceptance.  Your happiness count elevates because you increasingly trust the Lord of hosts – You want to be with Him.  Your sun (Son) will be a constant; nor will you be unprotected.

Your pre-Easter assignment: Meet Jesus in His dwelling place and sit quietly with Him.  Notice your lovely surroundings in His presence and commune with your Sun and your Shield, thanking Him for His grace and glory.

The next time I enter the pilgrimage through the Valley of Baca, and we all will,  I pray that we run to His place, His Word, His people, His courts, His realm, His words of life.  Let’s take a step toward Him now, and be happy.

 

2 Corinthians 10:1-5


by Charlotte

2 Corinthians 10:1-5

By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you – I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” when away!  I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.   On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Three things struck me about this passage.

1) Paul says he is going to be bold towards the people that think we live by the standards of this world.  That means that I am not to use the world’s standards to measure the worth of things.  I am to use Christ’s example as the scale to weigh the things around me.  Simple as that.  So when the world tells me I am not doing anything important (or rather, when my own thoughts tell me I am not doing anything important), I can refuse that deception with what the Bible says.  And the Bible says that, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is Christ you are serving.” (Col 3:23-24)  And it also says, “‘The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matt. 25:40)  And another one from Mark 10:31 “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

2) Paul says “to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  I like to daydream.  I like to imagine I am doing (or going to do) great things.  Things that will make people step back and say, “Wow, she is A.MAZ.ING.”  I’ve always justified it by saying it helps me get through the mundane part of my life.  I think this part of the passage pretty much blows that theory out of the water.  Maybe if I would meditate on the verses I mentioned above and stop dreaming about being a super hero, I would be more content (and more effective) where I am actually at.  Maybe.  :)

And 3) Paul says the weapons we fight with have “divine power to demolish strongholds”.  Wow!  How cool is that?!?  Put that in your pipe and smoke it.  (Well, maybe that is not quite the right attitude, but still . . . wow!)  “Divine power to demolish strongholds,” I can think about that all day while I clean and cook and care for others.  That and a whole bunch of other passages

About His Business


by Charlotte

There are days when the monotony of my life gets me down.  The redundancy of my daily chores are like chains wrapped around my soul that drag me down and keep me from embracing this life like I’d like to.  Some days I chafe at my ordinary tasks.  “Supper, really?!?  You all want supper?  Again?!?  Didn’t I just cook supper last night?!?  Didn’t I clean that last week?!?  Didn’t I pick that up this morning?!?”

This isn’t the attitude I want to have.  This isn’t the way I want to view my life.  I want to run forth in joy.  To feel the sun on my face and the wind at my back.  I want the abundant life.  The life that makes people wonder what my secret is.  I know the answer to the secret, I just can’t seem to find the wonder and joy that the secret should bring.

I know that the problem is not with my Lord.  I know that His promises are not empty.  He promises the abundant life and so the abundant life must be available to me (John 10:10).  If He is not falling short, I must be.

I was having one of those nights recently.  I had been pretty productive all day and then as I was nearing the homestretch, I rebelled.  I didn’t want to cook . . . again.  I didn’t want to listen to the demands on my time and energy.  Being a home maker was just too dull and boring and I was tired of dull and boring.  I wanted to do something that would wow people and cause them to admire me.

I knew my heart was wrong and so I did something somewhat wise.  I went in my room and prayed.  I confessed that I had a stinky attitude and, more importantly, I confessed that I felt justified in my stinky attitude.  I deserved to have a stinky attitude because I had found myself in this underappreciated business of raising kids.  No one thought that what I did was glamorous or praiseworthy in anyway and, darn it, I was created for something better than this. . . wasn’t I?

I felt sorry for myself while praying for quite a bit.  I prayed that He would help over come my own selfish desire to wallow because, if honesty were to present itself, I liked feeling sorry for myself.

Of course, He was faithful.  Through the clouds that surrounded my soul tiny rays of sun began to stream in.  Bit by bit the light began to shine inspite of my desires contrary.  In that light I heard a still, small voice ask me, “Are you about the King’s business?”

“Excuse me?”

“Are you about the King’s business?  Because if you are, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.  They are just people like you, but if you are about His business, well then, you are doing something pretty special.”

Well, yes…I am about the King’s business (Col 3:23-24).  That’s right.  That’s what I’m doing here.

And with that I went about the business of getting supper.

Redemption


by Charlotte

Recently, I talked about owning your sin.  Today I am going to talk about another pitfall that I find myself in from time to time: self-redemption.

Once I own my sin, once I acknowledge that I did indeed make a mistake, I often times try to make up for it.  I try to redeem myself.  I try to be more disciplined, more aware of my mood, more cautious about the situations I put myself in.  In other words, I try harder to do better.  I try to grit it out in my own strength, but I always end up in the same place I was – fallen to sin once again.

There is not enough strength in me to make sure I don’t sin again.  I can not try hard enough to be perfect and perfection is what is required if I am to be holy in the eyes of God.  Eventually, I will fall again and when I do, if I’ve been using the “try harder” approach, I will be overcome by shame and guilt.  How do I know this?  Because I’ve tried it, and failed, a few thousand times.

The solution is simple, but I must first believe that I can’t redeem myself.  I do indeed need a Redeemer and that Redeemer is Christ.  It is with His strength that I can overcome sin.  I confess my sin to Him and He will provide all I need to over come whatever sin is invading my life and then I will be perfect before God.  Not because my actions are perfect, but because Christ’s strength is perfect.

There is freedom and peace when I relinquish the urge to redeem myself then place my soul in the hands of my Redeemer.  There is only, ultimately, failure if I try to be independent and redeem myself.  Considering the fruit of each action, one would think I’d have learned by now.

Psalm 84 ~ Better is One Day in Your Courts – Part 2


Psalm 84:5 – 9

Happy are the people whose strength is in You,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca,

they make it a source of spring water;

even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings.

They go from strength to strength;

each appears before God in Zion.

 

Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;

listen, God of Jacob.

Consider our shield, God;

look on the face of Your anointed one.

Have you ever been asked, “How’s your day going?”  Of course you have.  A greeting card I have says, “The wagon is broken, the fence needs mendin’, the still’s gone dry, the cattle need tendin’, the cowpokes are singin’ a lonesome ol’ song—since your saddle’s been empty, just everything’s wrong!!” But 99.9% of the time, even when nothing goes right, we are committed to going on.  Why? The human spirit seems to have a resiliency, a willingness to hang tough until the next experiences with good things come along.  We often “live” for memorable times with our spouses, our children, our grandchildren, careers, vacations, financial successes.

Yet, there are those whose strength is in the Lord.  He sustains us.  We have a deep spiritual need, almost a hunger, for time with Him.  We long and yearn for the courts of the Lord.  To be in His house despite the many setbacks and stumbling blocks, despite the Valley of Baca, which represents weeping and troubles and suffering and tears. Charles Spurgeon says: “We grow as we advance if heaven be our goal.  If we spend our strength in God’s ways, we shall find it increase. (www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps084.htm)

Like spring water which surges with snowmelt and pre-summer rains, our fortitude expands as we abide in Him.  And when summer passes and dry autumn days persist, even then we retain resolve as a result of the Almighty’s power working in us.  Our trials can actually become our spiritual muscles, our God-barometer, telling us from whence (or from Whom) our strength is derived.  The journey may be laborious but the pilgrimage is promising and we can actually whistle while we work when, as we traverse the Valley of Weeping, we fix our eyes ahead to His dwelling place. And imagine ourselves residing there.

Does going from strength to strength appeal to you?  The psalmist actually gives us the words to pray: Lord God of hosts (military forces consisting of God’s angels, sometimes including the sun, moon, and stars), hear my prayer; listen, God of Jacob.  Consider our shield, God; look on the face of Your anointed one. It is possible to go from strength to strength (Remind yourselves on the days when the wagon is broken and the fence needs mendin’.).

I want to take this pilgrimage. I want to find my strength in the God of Jacob.  Where I will find happiness.  He was faithful then and He’ll be faithful now. He looks on my face. Habbakuk said it differently but the same:

Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will triumph in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!  Yahweh my Lord is my strength. (3:17-19)

 

I happily concur!

A Verse (Or Four) For Me


by Charlotte

This post is for me.  It is to remind myself of what God has done in my life.  A stone from the middle of the Jordan, if you will.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3  Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands.  He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

This passage is from Moses’ last speech to the Isrealites before he died and they entered the Promised Land.  The same giants still lived in the Promised Land as were there forty years before, but this generation is ready.  They have been fed by God for forty years, eating manna and drinking water from the rock.  They have camped and moved as the Lord bid them for forty years.  For forty years they have relied solely on the Lord and now He is telling them why He did this to them.  They thought it was punishment for not obeying Him the first time He told them to take the Promised Land, but now (after forty years) He tells them that it was to search their hearts so that He might know if they would keep His commands.  And to teach them humility.

I wonder if they had a light bulb moment as Moses spoke those words.  Like, “Oh, now I get it.  We had to live like this for forty years so that we would know that we aren’t entering the Promised Land in our own strength.  It all makes sense now.”  Or if they just heard “blah blah blah blah” as I did the first several times I read it.

Moses goes on to say:

Deuteronomy 8:16-18 He [God] gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never knowm, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.  You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”  But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today. 

Forty years of eating manna so that it might go well with them and they not forget the LORD their God when they entered the Promised Land.  Small price to pay, if you ask me.

Psalm 84 – Better is one day in Your courts, Part 1


posted by Donna

Psalm 84 is an interesting psalm on numerous levels.  I hope you’ll visit it often.

How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord of hosts. 

I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.

Even a sparrow finds a home, and a swallow, a nest for herself where she places her young – near Your altars, Lord of hosts, My King and my God.

How happy are those who reside in Your house, who praise You continually. {1 – 4}

It begins with a compliment: How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord God Almighty.  How does the psalmist know that?  Isn’t that like us admiring our friend’s interior decorating yet we’ve never seen their house?  Or was the writer telling God He has good taste? “Like what You’ve done with the place, Lord of hosts.  Nice universe.  Great cloud placement.  Maybe a tad overboard on the celestial splashes.  Where did You find that color sunrise?  I’ve been looking for a pastel that subtle.”  Well, hopefully we would never speak so flippantly to the Master Creator of the universe.  He deserves our reverential awe as in Psalm 2:11 {Serve the Lord with reverential awe, and rejoice with trembling.}.

But…..

He wants to be so intimate with us that we are familiar with His dwelling place.  He wants us to visit often. As His honored guest.  And be endeared to it.  How? By studying His Word so diligently we know all the places to go to hear all about it.  He wants us to long and to yearn for His courts.  Is that one place {of many} we might seek the presence of the Lord God Almighty?  In His courts?  His appointed place?  Is it plural because there are so many?  Is it any place where we might enjoy His divine presence? I’m there now. Could it be our places of genuine worship of Him?  I was there earlier today.

When entertaining guests or those who drop by, we might sit at the kitchen table or around the living room but we might also stroll through the garden or out to a field or a barn.  We might sit on the porch or the patio or take a walk on a country lane by our house or to the nearest coffee shop if we live in town.  We can meet with God in any or all of those places, just as we do our earthly friends.  He wants us to.  He desires that our soul yearns, even faints, for His courts, His presence, His altars.

Charles Spurgeon says to be the guests of God, enjoying the hospitalities of heaven, set apart for holy work, screened from a noisy world, and familiar with sacred things – why this is surely the choicest heritage a son of man can possess. (www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps084.htm).

Like the sparrow, most of us have homes, or if not, like the swallow, most of us at least have a “nest”, a room, somewhere.  God knows where you live.  He wants you to be HIS guest, where HE lives, and He hopes you’ll be happy there.  He is always close by if you let Him be. So go to His Word daily and watch that yearning grow.

 

 

Cream Rises 25 ~ Those Giants


by Charlotte

I am in a ladies’ Bible study on Friday mornings.  We are learning about creating peace in the home.  Most of it is really good, but there are some things that my little defiant spirit finds to rebel at.  Take, for example, that we were to memorize a verse for the next week.  I didn’t want to be bothered.  I knew it would be beneficial, but I just couldn’t muster up the desire.  Finally, on Friday morning I opened my Bible to look over the verse I was supposed to memorize, but I couldn’t remember which one.  I knew it was one in Psalm 95, so I read the whole psalm hoping that the verse I was supposed to memorize would jump out at me.  Well, a verse did stand out. It just wasn’t the one I was supposed to memorize.  In fact, the verse says, “Today, if you will hear His voice: ‘Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness…. “

The verse goes on from there…

When your fathers tested Me;
They tried Me, though they saw My work.
10 For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’”  (NKJV)

The lesson continued.   While reading through the book of Hebrews a week later I came to chapter 3, specifically verses 7 – 11 which say:

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’”[a]

Hmm . . . Do you think maybe I should memorize Psalm 95:9-11?  :)

I have been mulling these verses over and over in my mind for a couple of weeks now because clearly they are for me at this time in my life.  I have thought about the rebellion in the wilderness, when the Israelites refused to go into the Promised Land because they were afraid of the giants.  They were afraid of the giants even though they had seen some of God’smost incredible miracles ever seen by anyone.  They had seen the signs and wonders in Egypt that allowed them to be free.  They had walked through the Red Sea on dry ground.  They had heard the voice of God at Mount Sinai.  They had walked with the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day.  Yet, they were afraid of the giants.  “Though they saw My work,”  they actually saw the power of God and still they feared the giants.

It would be easy to say what a bunch of silly people those Israelites were, but I know my own heart all too well.  I know I have seen the work of God.  I have seen Him heal my daughter’s bladder.  I have seen Him keep her health steady even though her heart still doesn’t work properly.  I have seen Him soften the hearts of angry people and change the weather for the benefit of those who have called on Him.  I know that He is a big God and I know that nothing is beyond His power.  But sometimes those giants look really big and my faith sometimes is not.

So what’s a girl to do?  Do I grab my boot straps and try to muster up the courage to face those giants?  Mmm . . . no.  I fall down on my knees and I pray, “Oh, Lord, help my unbelief.”  I admit that I can’t do it and ask Him for the faith of Joshua and Caleb.  And He is faithful.  He will give me all I need to face those giants.  How do I know?  I know because the Bible says so (Mark 9:20-26, Matt. 7:7, and many other places) which is all the proof I need.

So next time you are looking at the Promised Land in front of you but are afraid to enter in because of the giants, remember He is willing to give you the faith to fight those giants, if you will just ask.

 

Cream Rises 24


posted by Donna

Psalm 97:11, 12

Light dawns for the righteous, gladness for the upright in heart. Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, and praise His holy name.

What a beautiful picture of Who You are, Lord.  A magnificent sunrise that You prepare for those who love You, those who choose You, those who emulate You. You give light and gladness ~ we sure could use more of both in this hard world.  I have photographed hundreds of sunrises, time the sun rises above the horizon introduced by pinks and blues then heralded with oranges and reds until a fiery ball finally peeks out and light dawns.

From Maine to California, from Florida to Idaho, from Canada to Mexico, even Ireland, Scotland England and Wales. But no matter how many I was fortunate enough to witness, there are far more I missed. Further proof that He is God and we are not. He can watch a sunrise in Bali or North Korea or Italy or Kuwait, all in the same moment.  And for the righteous all over the world, light dawns and so does gladness. So be glad, all you who praise His holy name, you who call Him Abba Father, Beloved Son, Comforter Spirit.

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