Archives for April 2014

It Is Finished, Post #25

Friday. Ironically, Good Friday it’s called, the darkest day of the year. Friday, April 3, 33AD was the darkest day in history, “His-Story.” It was on Good Friday that Jesus died in a gruesome, horrible crucifixion, fulfilling prophecy, His destiny. Jesus died just for you. Just for me. My fingers tremble and tears fall as I type these words.

It was merely a few hours before, in the middle of the night, that Jesus was arrested and His trials began. This process was against all the rules, especially during Passover.

“Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.” (Matthew 26:56b NIV84).

How lonely Jesus must have felt, yet He was in total control. Imagine how Jesus’ mom Mary felt…

It was before 9am on Friday morning when Pontius Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified and the agonizing climb began to Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, as He carried His cross.

“Here they crucified him, and with him two others–one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: ‘JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS…’ (John 19:18-19 NIV 84).

The criminal on one side of Jesus threw insults at Him asking if He were Christ, why didn’t He save Himself and them? The other criminal feared God and rebuked the other criminal, saying Jesus had not done anything wrong. He humbly said,

“Jesus, remember me when you come into Your Kingdom.’ Jesus answered  him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. ‘ “ (Luke 23:42-43 NIV84).

Like the two criminals, one on each side of Jesus, we are given a choice. Perhaps that’s why there were two criminals being crucified beside Him– not one, not five, but two–because of THE choice.

To accept Jesus as our King of King and Lord of Lords or not.

To ask Jesus to remember you in His Kingdom or not.

To hurl insults at Jesus or honor Jesus with humble praises.

Have you humbly asked for Jesus to remember you as His and to join Him in the paradise of eternal life?

“…Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, He bowed his head and gave up His spirit.” –John 30b NIV84

The Greek word “Telelestai” means “It is finished.” During New Testament times the word “Tetelestai” would have been stamped or written on business documents or receipts to indicate that a bill had been “Paid in Full.”
The connection between this common business transaction stamp and the Ultimate Transaction Jesus accomplished on the cross was conveyed crystal clear in the Gospel of John with Jesus’ words.

Jesus paid a sin debt He did not owe because we owed a sin debt we could not pay.

Thank you, Jesus, for your matchless love and sacred sacrifice. You are the Lamb of God. It is finished.

One of my favorite hymns, “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us,” ends with the following tender, honest revelation. May this question and these words echo in our souls this Easter and each day of our lives.

“Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom.”

Reflect:

–Please try to fathom how deep the Father’s Love is for you. How will you show your gratitude to God? Please comment.

–Which crucified criminal beside Jesus do you relate to?

Renew:

–Read Psalm 22 and compare it to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John story of Jesus death and resurrection.

–“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations…They will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn–for He has done it.” –Psalm 22: 27, 28, 31 NIV 84.

–“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” –Isaiah 53:5-6 NIV84

–“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect.” –1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV 84

Recharge:

–Friday’s here; Sunday’s coming!!!

Resource:

To view a wonderful rendition of “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us,” by Selah, please watch this link: –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKDujmtyAVk

Waved Palms To Pierced Palms, Post #24

Note: So much happened in those few days, few chapters of the Bible between Palm Sunday and Resurrection Day. Too much inspiration for this small blog post.  With that in mind, if you would be so kind as to read two extra “Pure Inspiration” posts this week, one on Good Friday and one on Easter, Resurrection Day, I pray you will be encouraged in your faith.

What a week. What a Holy Week.

Scene 1: The week started out with us waving lush green palm fronds, led by the children parading down the aisle, as we all waved our palms singing “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!”  (Matthew 21: 9b NIV 1984). Palm Sunday is a joyful, respectful celebration of  Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

We are fickle. The same crowd who waved palms at Jesus that Sunday before, yelled “Crucify!” on Good Friday, just five days later. Lord, forgive our two-mindedness, our waffly, indecisive hearts.

Scene 2: Then came Thursday night. Jesus wanted to celebrate Passover with His disciples. During His ministry, including the last days before His horrible death and glorious Resurrection,  Jesus optimized every moment trying to teach, train and empower his dense, yet teachable disciples. What a Leader, the best Leader of all time. Jesus wanted to ensure He conveyed all He could. In His mind and heart, he knew it was the Last Supper.  In our minds and hearts, it was the First Communion, the first Lord’s Supper. He taught His disciples that the bread is “My body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19b NIV 1984) That the wine is His “blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:28 NIV 1984).

How do you feel when you take communion?   Do you take it for granted?  May we prayerfully savor the bread and cup with deep gratitude each time we are blessed to take communion.

Scene 3:  In a poignant scene in John 13 of unconditional love and humility, Jesus stooped down low to wash His disciples’ feet. They didn’t want Him to, mind you. Feet are gross. He was teaching them, sweetly, softly, tenderly, what it means to be a servant leader. To stoop down low to raise others high.  The upside-down leadership pyramid.

“I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” (John 13:16 NIV 1984).

Scene 4: Gethsemane. Moments after the Lord’s Supper, Jesus took his three closest disciples, Peter, James and John with him to pray. It is so difficult on my heart to see Jesus’ total transparency when He says, almost begs “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38, NIV 1984).  Sadly, His three most reliable disciples all fell asleep, not even praying on Jesus’ behalf or showing support.  Jesus prayed three different times asking for the cup to be taken away if possible, for God’s will to be done.

Scene 5: Judas betrays Jesus and has Him falsely arrested, in exchange for 30 pieces of silver, just a day’s slave wages.  Jesus was in total control and knew this was God’s will.

Scene 6: Jesus was taken before the Sanhedrin. Even with false witnesses, they couldn’t find evidence to convict Him.

Scene 7: Peter, also known as the “Rock,” denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed, just as Jesus had prophesied to Peter. Peter wept bitterly and repented.

Scene 8: Judas said he had betrayed an innocent man. Notice he didn’t call Him the Messiah or Son of God. Judas still didn’t recognize Jesus’ sovereignty. He threw the silver into the temple, left and sadly hanged himself.  There would have always been an opportunity for him to repent, but Judas didn’t.

Scene 9: Jesus was then brought to Pilate, whose wife knew Jesus was innocent. The chief priest and elders gave the crowd a choice–to release Jesus or the notorious criminal and sinner Barabbas. Pilate thought Jesus would go free. The crowd wanted Barabbas released and yelled “Crucify!” to Jesus.

Guess what Barabbas means? “Son of Abba.” Barabbas means “Son of the Father.” Each of us is a son (or daughter) of the Father. That means all of us. We are Barabbas. Jesus was our substitute.

From the waved palms of the crowd singing “Hosanna!” to the peer pressured crowd crying “Crucify!” on Good Friday morning, resulting in the pierced palms of Jesus’ hands, may we deeply feel the matchless love and sacrifice God has for us, His children….

 Reflect:

–Where do you fit into this Easter story? Please comment.

–What influence does a crowd make on decisions? Is the majority always right?

–Have you considered symbolically washing others’ feet? Are you a servant leader?

Renew:

–“But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” –Matthew 26:64 NIV 1984

–“All the people answered, ‘Let his blood be on us and on our children!'” –Matthew 27:25 NIV 1984

Recharge:

–How may we live more deeply for Jesus and show love to others?

–How will you embolden your Christian faith, even if you aren’t in a crowd or in the majority?

Investing in What You Can’t See, Post #23

So I just had to purchase a new HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) System for my home. Not what I wanted to spend a huge amount of money on—something I really can’t see yet I can feel it…

It was going to be so fun to spend my tax refund money on trips, spa days, paying principal on my mortgage…you get the drift. Sorry to say that’s not the way it worked out.

As a single woman, I don’t ever go up in my attic. Who wants to lug a huge ladder into the hallway, punch the little wooden door and climb up the ladder to the top step just to see darkness up there? Not me, buddy.

So the HVAC guy told me that not only did I need a new outdoor unit and air-handler in the attic, but also I needed all new ductwork. What is wrong with the ductwork I have? He proceeded to show and tell me that it’s all deteriorated, that the reason my electric bills had been so high is that my unit and ductwork are about 20 years old. The analogy he used to describe heating my house was akin to having the oven on with the oven door wide open, wasting valuable energy and resources. Hmmm…

Not wanting to be taken advantage of, I called four companies to receive bids. My mouth fell open when the lowest bid for HVAC and ductwork was $2000 more than I had anticipated. Gulp…

The new system was installed last week. The only way I can easily tell I have a new HVAC system are my cute digital thermostat in my hallway and the new shiny metal gray unit outside my house. Although I don’t go up there, I know that shiny new ductwork is in my attic. It has been transformed and renewed!

You might be asking, “So what?”

As I lay in my bed hearing the click of the heat come on, it occurred to me:  How much do I invest in my faith and my relationship with God, something/Someone I can’t necessarily see, but I can feel?

Through the years, if I had gone up in my attic and inspected the dark, scary places of my house, I could have maintained my ductwork better.

My heart is the same way.  If I don’t examine the dark, scary places in my heart, shed light on my weaknesses (which may include bitterness, resentment and buried memories), intentionally repair them, I will pay the consequences down the road.  The results: I can’t always see the results, but the people around me and I can feel the wonderful difference.   May we examine the HVAC system of our souls and make the investment in what we can’t necessarily see. It will change the atmosphere around us, around our world. Feel the change of heart?

Reflect:

–How can I intentionally inspect,  deep-down, to get what I’m expecting?

–How does your “attic” of the soul look? How is the atmosphere you operate in—too chilly, just right? Invest today in your faith. Please comment.

Renew:

–“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” –Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV 1984)

–“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” –Psalm 51:10 (NIV 1984)

–“May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” –1 Thessalonians 3:13 (NIV 1984)

— “For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” –Hebrews 4:12 (NIV 1984)

Recharge:

What is your plan to “clean up” your soul’s attic and invest in what you can’t see? A few suggestions–1) read a little in your Bible daily (if you never have read it, open it up and start with Proverbs or John); 2) find a Christ-centered church home to attend–Easter is less than two weeks away!; 3) volunteer and serve others; 4) reconcile with a loved one who wounded you or vice versa; 5) Forgive. The possibilities are endless.  Please comment.