Jesus gave us all a tremendous gift. He gave us His life in order to save us. I am going to give an account of Jesus' betrayal and death since it is Easter weekend. Jesus died on Good Friday and rose again on Easter. Now, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, so let's start at the beginning.
In John 17, Jesus prays for Himself and His disciples. He prays in verses 4 and 5 this prayer; "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." Later on in the chapter, He prays this for His disciples: "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." (verses 14-19) As you read on, you read a prayer that Jesus prayed for all the believers now and in the future. This is really cool, I think. He thinks of people who were with Him at the time, and those who would be with Him and working for Him in the future!
After Jesus prayed, He and His disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane. Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, came with a group of troops and officers that the chief priests and Pharisees gave to him. Armed with weapons, lanterns and torches, they answered Jesus' question; "Whom are you seeking?" They replied that they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth. He told them it was He, and they fell to the ground! Jesus asked them a second time, and told them that He was the One they were seeking. He told the soldiers to let His disciples go, to fulfill the saying He spoke. (vs 4-9)
Simon Peter, of course was the one who fought the soldiers. He grabbed his sword, and cut off the high priests servant's ear. Jesus was not happy. He rebuked Peter, and was led away by the soldiers.
Jesus had an audience, if you will, with the high priest, and after that was led to Pilate for judgement. Since it was the time of the Passover, Pilate would release one prisoner to the people. He offered to release Jesus to the people, but they wanted the other prisoner, Barabbas. He then asked what he should do to Jesus, and all of the people cried out, "Crucify Him!" Pilate ordered Jesus to be scourged. Then, He was mocked, and sentenced to be crucified.
Jesus died an excruciating death on the cross, and then was laid to rest in a tomb donated by Joseph of Arimathea. The first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. What was amazing was that the stone had been rolled away! She ran to tell the other disciples, and they came running to the tomb. They went in and all of Jesus' burial clothes were lying there. He had risen from the dead! He has conquered evil and the devil and all of our sins! He loved us so much that He came and did that for us! No, it wasn't something He wanted to do, but He still did. HE DID THAT FOR EVERY ONE OF US!!!!! HE LOVES YOU AND HE WANTS YOU TO LOVE HIM AND ACCEPT HIM!!!!! PLEASE DO THAT!!!!! HE LOVES YOU JUST AS YOU ARE!!!!! HE CONQUERED SIN AND DEATH SO THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT!!!!! LOVE HIM... COME TO HIM.... HE WANTS YOU, FLAWS, BROKENNESS, AND SADNESS. JUST COME BEFORE HIM AND GIVE YOURSELF TO HIM. TELL HIM THAT YOU'RE SORRY AND JUST ASK HIM TO HELP YOU AND TO LOVE YOU AND BE WITH YOU. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? HE WILL!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!! HAPPY EASTER!!: )
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Facing the Lions
Most of you have probably at one time or other heard the story of Daniel in the lions den. He had three friends-- Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego who have quite a story too. They loved and served God with all of their heart. The king that ruled at the time was evil; he wanted people to bow down and worship a statue he had made of himself. Daniel's friends, however refused to worship the statue. This was reported to the king, and he called Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego into his presence. He told them, "But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?" (Daniel 3:15)
Shadrach and his friends told the king, "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. BUT IF NOT let it be known to you, O king, that we DO NOT serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." (Daniel 3: 17-18, emphasis mine.)
Can you imagine? Picture three people who work for the king rejecting what he wants! Can't you see the king turning redder and redder with rage as these young men spoke to him without fear or repentance? As soon as they were done speaking, he commanded that the furnace be heated SEVEN TIMES HOTTER THAN NORMAL. This was done quickly, of course. Then, Nebuchadnezzar, the king, ordered some of his mighty men to bind the three and put them in the furnace. (Sidenote: Why would Nebuchadnezzar order mighty men to tie up the three? Was it because of the heat, or his fear? Please share your thoughts with me!:) The mighty men took them to the furnace and threw them in. And guess what? The mighty men were killed because of the heat! How did the three friends make out? Well, lets look at verse 24 and 25 to see what happens.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."
"Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
The king could hardly believe his eyes! He went close to the fire to call them out, and told them that a decree would be made that anyone who did not worship their God would die.
In the end, there are a few things we can learn from this story. (1)Standing up for God will result in blessing; whether evident at the moment or not; (2) we need to serve the One True God, and not whatever comes our way; and (3) God will protect and be with those who love Him. These three young men had a lot of faith, trust, and belief in God. They knew that He would be with them no matter whether He showed Himself at the moment or not. Faith goes a long way. Will you trust Him and give Him yours?
Used NKJV version.
Shadrach and his friends told the king, "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. BUT IF NOT let it be known to you, O king, that we DO NOT serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." (Daniel 3: 17-18, emphasis mine.)
Can you imagine? Picture three people who work for the king rejecting what he wants! Can't you see the king turning redder and redder with rage as these young men spoke to him without fear or repentance? As soon as they were done speaking, he commanded that the furnace be heated SEVEN TIMES HOTTER THAN NORMAL. This was done quickly, of course. Then, Nebuchadnezzar, the king, ordered some of his mighty men to bind the three and put them in the furnace. (Sidenote: Why would Nebuchadnezzar order mighty men to tie up the three? Was it because of the heat, or his fear? Please share your thoughts with me!:) The mighty men took them to the furnace and threw them in. And guess what? The mighty men were killed because of the heat! How did the three friends make out? Well, lets look at verse 24 and 25 to see what happens.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."
"Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
The king could hardly believe his eyes! He went close to the fire to call them out, and told them that a decree would be made that anyone who did not worship their God would die.
In the end, there are a few things we can learn from this story. (1)Standing up for God will result in blessing; whether evident at the moment or not; (2) we need to serve the One True God, and not whatever comes our way; and (3) God will protect and be with those who love Him. These three young men had a lot of faith, trust, and belief in God. They knew that He would be with them no matter whether He showed Himself at the moment or not. Faith goes a long way. Will you trust Him and give Him yours?
Used NKJV version.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Courage
Courage. There are so many different opinions on what it is! Mark Twain says that "courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear--not absence of fear...Consider the flea! incomparably the bravest of all the creatures--if ignorance of fear were courage."
General Geaorge Patton says this; "Courage is fear holding on a minute longer."
Harold Wilson says that "courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're the only one who knows you're scared to death."
A true showing of courage is presented in the Bible. Esther had true courage. She was a young girl chosen to be taken to Xerxes' palace to become his new wife. (Xerxes' wife had shamed him by being defiant; refusing to come and show her beauty to his guests.) Esther went, underwent beauty treatments, and was taken to the king. He fell in love at first sight, and they were wed.
Now, Esther was a Jew. But Mordecai, her uncle who raised her, told her to not reveal that to anyone. She obeyed his instructions-- that is until she was asked to do otherwise.
Haman, the king's right-hand man, hated Mordecai. Why? Mordecai refused to bow to Haman. Mordecai was doing the right thing of course, but it caused trouble still.
Haman devised a plan to have all the Jews annihilated (or killed). He went to the king and told him that there were people who were a threat to the kingdom, got the king's seal and set the decree in motion.
Mordecai told Esther about the plan, and she had to do something. He told her this; " For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
After fasting and praying for three days, she went to the king. Luckily, he welcomed her. She invited him and Haman to dine with her. So, they came. Xerxes asked her what she really wanted; he told her he would give her anything up to half of the kingdom. She asked them to dine with them again the next night. They agreed.
That night, when they were all dining, Xerxes asked her what she really wanted, and told her he would give it to her, up to half of the kingdom. That was the moment of truth--she revealed Haman's plot. The king was so angry that he had to go walk in the garden to cool down. Haman went to the queen, and was so scared he fell on top of her. The king walked in at that moment, and ordered him to be put to death. The proclamation that Haman had put out could not be revoked-- Xerxes fixed that by saying that the Jews could fight to protect themselves when the soldiers came to kill them.
What Esther did took courage. She won because she because she put her faith in God. She could have been killed for what she did! But God protected her and helped her. He does the same for anyone who asks. Ultimately, TRUE COURAGE COMES FROM GOD! NO ONE OR ANYTHING ELSE CAN PROVIDE THAT FOR US!
General Geaorge Patton says this; "Courage is fear holding on a minute longer."
Harold Wilson says that "courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're the only one who knows you're scared to death."
A true showing of courage is presented in the Bible. Esther had true courage. She was a young girl chosen to be taken to Xerxes' palace to become his new wife. (Xerxes' wife had shamed him by being defiant; refusing to come and show her beauty to his guests.) Esther went, underwent beauty treatments, and was taken to the king. He fell in love at first sight, and they were wed.
Now, Esther was a Jew. But Mordecai, her uncle who raised her, told her to not reveal that to anyone. She obeyed his instructions-- that is until she was asked to do otherwise.
Haman, the king's right-hand man, hated Mordecai. Why? Mordecai refused to bow to Haman. Mordecai was doing the right thing of course, but it caused trouble still.
Haman devised a plan to have all the Jews annihilated (or killed). He went to the king and told him that there were people who were a threat to the kingdom, got the king's seal and set the decree in motion.
Mordecai told Esther about the plan, and she had to do something. He told her this; " For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
After fasting and praying for three days, she went to the king. Luckily, he welcomed her. She invited him and Haman to dine with her. So, they came. Xerxes asked her what she really wanted; he told her he would give her anything up to half of the kingdom. She asked them to dine with them again the next night. They agreed.
That night, when they were all dining, Xerxes asked her what she really wanted, and told her he would give it to her, up to half of the kingdom. That was the moment of truth--she revealed Haman's plot. The king was so angry that he had to go walk in the garden to cool down. Haman went to the queen, and was so scared he fell on top of her. The king walked in at that moment, and ordered him to be put to death. The proclamation that Haman had put out could not be revoked-- Xerxes fixed that by saying that the Jews could fight to protect themselves when the soldiers came to kill them.
What Esther did took courage. She won because she because she put her faith in God. She could have been killed for what she did! But God protected her and helped her. He does the same for anyone who asks. Ultimately, TRUE COURAGE COMES FROM GOD! NO ONE OR ANYTHING ELSE CAN PROVIDE THAT FOR US!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Big giants
Have you ever felt stared down by something that you don't really know how to handle? I am facing that lately, so I do know exactly how it feels!
I watched "Touched by an Angel" last night. I really enjoy watching it because it deals with things that really do happen in people's lives.
Last night, there was a young man on the show who was in the drug dealing business. He had run away from home years ago because people accused him of killing someone. He was found to be not guilty, but he left town just the same. About seven years later, he shows up with his son. His son asked him to read a story to him, and he read him their favorite story; David and Goliath. Both of them felt their were giants in the world, and they didn't really know how to face them. At one point, he calls up his buddies in the business, because he wanted to make money. He took drugs himself which made it easier for him to be in the middle of the business. He didn't realize that he was setting himself up to be caught by the police. He went to the park with his seven year old son, and did the business while his son wasn't looking. It turned out that the so called "drug dealers" were the police. He ran away, and his mother got shot because of him. An angel appeared to him as he was deciding whether to commit suicide or not. After the angel talked to him, he got off the train tracks, and went to the hospital to turn himself in. He told his son that there were Goliaths out there, and he had to face them.
In the end, we all have to face the giants. David did. The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 17 that David, a young boy, faced a giant named Goliath during battle. How was a young boy able to defeat a giant? He put his faith in God, that's how.
David told Saul, the king, not to worry because he would defeat the Philistine. (Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." <verse 32>)
Now picture this; a young boy talking to the king and basically saying, "Don't worry; I've got your back!" That would be like a four year old saying they'll protect the eleven year old from the bullies at school! It is a funny picture!
Saul tried to arm David with his armour in order to protect him. After all, his brothers were all fighting in the war, and they wouldn't even go and fight the Philistine! But it didn't fit David. Instead of putting his faith in armour, David put in in God; after all, he knew God was in control of everything anyway! So he decided to use his slingshot; the tool he worked best with. He then went to a river, got five smooth stones for his slingshot, and went to fight the Philistine. David told the giant he would defeat him, and the giant,of course, didn't believe him; he wanted things done the hard way. One shot from David's sling, and BAM! The giant was killed when it hit his forehead. The giant was down!
What I am trying to say in all of this is that it doesn't matter how big or how small you are; all that matters is whether you have faith that God will help you overcome the giants in your life. Because if you have faith, He will help you overcome them; just wait and see!
A little side note; David became a king later on. He didn't always make good choices, no. But God loved him likes He loves you and me. David is even in the genealogy of Jesus! That is pretty cool, I think!
For further study on what we need to have courage, refer to the following:
Psalm 27:14
Psalm 30:5
Isaiah 43:2
I Peter 4:12-13
Romans 8:38-39
Isaiah 41:10
Philippians 4:13
There are plenty more verses on the subject--if you want references, just leave a comment, and I'll put them on for you. God bless!;D
I watched "Touched by an Angel" last night. I really enjoy watching it because it deals with things that really do happen in people's lives.
Last night, there was a young man on the show who was in the drug dealing business. He had run away from home years ago because people accused him of killing someone. He was found to be not guilty, but he left town just the same. About seven years later, he shows up with his son. His son asked him to read a story to him, and he read him their favorite story; David and Goliath. Both of them felt their were giants in the world, and they didn't really know how to face them. At one point, he calls up his buddies in the business, because he wanted to make money. He took drugs himself which made it easier for him to be in the middle of the business. He didn't realize that he was setting himself up to be caught by the police. He went to the park with his seven year old son, and did the business while his son wasn't looking. It turned out that the so called "drug dealers" were the police. He ran away, and his mother got shot because of him. An angel appeared to him as he was deciding whether to commit suicide or not. After the angel talked to him, he got off the train tracks, and went to the hospital to turn himself in. He told his son that there were Goliaths out there, and he had to face them.
In the end, we all have to face the giants. David did. The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 17 that David, a young boy, faced a giant named Goliath during battle. How was a young boy able to defeat a giant? He put his faith in God, that's how.
David told Saul, the king, not to worry because he would defeat the Philistine. (Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." <verse 32>)
Now picture this; a young boy talking to the king and basically saying, "Don't worry; I've got your back!" That would be like a four year old saying they'll protect the eleven year old from the bullies at school! It is a funny picture!
Saul tried to arm David with his armour in order to protect him. After all, his brothers were all fighting in the war, and they wouldn't even go and fight the Philistine! But it didn't fit David. Instead of putting his faith in armour, David put in in God; after all, he knew God was in control of everything anyway! So he decided to use his slingshot; the tool he worked best with. He then went to a river, got five smooth stones for his slingshot, and went to fight the Philistine. David told the giant he would defeat him, and the giant,of course, didn't believe him; he wanted things done the hard way. One shot from David's sling, and BAM! The giant was killed when it hit his forehead. The giant was down!
What I am trying to say in all of this is that it doesn't matter how big or how small you are; all that matters is whether you have faith that God will help you overcome the giants in your life. Because if you have faith, He will help you overcome them; just wait and see!
A little side note; David became a king later on. He didn't always make good choices, no. But God loved him likes He loves you and me. David is even in the genealogy of Jesus! That is pretty cool, I think!
For further study on what we need to have courage, refer to the following:
Psalm 27:14
Psalm 30:5
Isaiah 43:2
I Peter 4:12-13
Romans 8:38-39
Isaiah 41:10
Philippians 4:13
There are plenty more verses on the subject--if you want references, just leave a comment, and I'll put them on for you. God bless!;D
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