It has been a while since I blogged. I have been busy writing and listening to God. I don’t won’t to blog to say I do. I want to have something on my heart which I feel the desire to share. Now, I will be honest that is almost daily. But writing it is so different from telling it. We serve an awesome God. I have been studying the Father and realize that every blessing we receive is from the…..
“When Jesus had therefore received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit.” (Jn 19:30, NASB) What did Jesus mean when He said, ‘It is finished.” What was finished? Christ was obviously still physically alive when He said these words. What was finished was that the redemption price for the penalty of our sins was paid in full. Just before these words, the Apostle Matthew writes these words of Jesus,…..
“Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much increase comes by the strength of the ox.” Proverbs 14:4 (NASB) This verse was shared as it applies to relationships. When we interact with people it can get messy. It is not always clean. Yet, we were created for relationships. We need one another. On my grandpa’s farm, we would get up every morning and clean out the animal stalls. The mess did not clean up itself. You cleaned the…..
“But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!’” (Luke 23:18, NASB) My bible study leader made what I consider a profound observation about the punishment of Jesus and the release of Barabbas. Jesus came as a substitute for our sins. He came to pay the penalty for our sin. Even in this final hour, a sinner, Barabbas, was set free while Jesus was sentenced to death. The one who deserved to die…..
“Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” Job 2:9, 10 NASB There are several things I find interesting about these verses, but I wish to only point out two. First, his wife associated his unwillingness…..
“Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For Thou art my praise” (Jeremiah 17:14, NASB). We often think of healing as a physical phenomenon. However, healing of sin is the ultimate healing power of our Lord and Saviour. He heals us of our sins and the damage done by the sins of others. Sin damages souls. Christ’s love heals the damage. And when He heals, it is a complete healing. Just…..
“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” (Zephaniah 3:17) What amazing thoughts…He exults over us with joy; He is quiet in His love toward us; He rejoices over us with shouts of joy. Wow. God rejoices over me with shouts of joy. We get excited when people rejoice with us but God does…..
I have been reflecting on Christ’s birth in the manger. Commentaries have different views on whether it was in a stable or in a room off the stable or… But, they all agree that Jesus was laid in a food trough for the animals. My grandparents owned a farm and I remember what the food troughs looked like after the animals ate. Suffice to say, not a pretty site. And yet, this is where our Lord laid. As I ponder the…..
“You shall have no other Gods before Me.” (Genesis 20:3, NASB). I have been reading about a former actor that has created his own religion and has followers. I am actually baffled that people would follow a religion that was created by man. And yet, unless you follow the Christ of the Bible than you follow a religion created by man. As you reflect on the Christmas season, ponder if you believe as God has called us to believe, or…..
“Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing (I Thessalonians 5:11).” We need to be encouraged and we need to encourage. I use to see it as a weakness in me when I needed the encouragement of others. God designed us to need each other and expects us to encourage one another. My definition of vulnerability was to give someone power to hurt me. Our tender Father is teaching me that when I…..