Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and He gathered them together for the Last Supper and some of the most powerful and insightful teaching of His life. Jesus knew what was ahead for Him so He explained as much as He could to the disciples. Still, they could not understand until much later. 

The prophet Jeremiah, called "the weeping prophet", shares his great grief over the judgment for the sins of his people, in the book of Lamentations. Yet he remembers the hope he has in God's faithfulness. Like Jeremiah, we can trust God to hear our cries for help, each day. When we place our trust in God we can be confident of the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him," (Lamentations 3:21-24 NIV). 

The book of John is filled with the truth of Jesus Christ, God's eternal Son. To read John's account of the Upper Room with Jesus, read John 13-17. I can almost hear Jesus' tears as He prepares to leave his disciples.

"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it," (John 14:11-14 NIV).

Father God, fill me with Your Holy Spirit this day and guide me with Your faithfulness. I ask for "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!" For great is Thy faithfulness! Help me follow Jesus' example and His teachings in all that I do and say, I pray in Jesus' Holy Name. Amen.

All For My Sake

It has always been a mystery to me. How the same people who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem by spreading cloaks and palm branches on the road, and shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David!," could quickly turn against Jesus and cry "Crucify Him!". (Matthew 21:9b, Matthew 27:22b NIV).

I'd like to think they were different groups of people, but all the events of this Holy Week were foretold by the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before:

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 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 53:3-6 NIV).

Oh, God of Awe and Wonder, I just realized howYour heart was breaking as Your Son, Jesus, took all of my transgressions and my iniquities to the cross. All of Jesus' pain and suffering was because of my sin and shame. Lord, how can I thank You enough for the sacrifice of Your Son for my sake? I know I can't, but I dedicate my life to You. Use me, Lord, however You desire. I pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Worship in Spirit and in Truth

The story about Jesus and the woman at the well is often preached about because it contains so many important ideas that Jesus shared in this one conversation. Jesus was just beginning his ministry. He took a short cut through Samaria where a mixed race of Assyrians and Jews lived. As a pure Jew, Jesus would have been taught to hate Samarians.

However, this is Jesus we are talking about. He had no reason to hate anyone. It was noon. Most women gathered water from the well in the morning or evening. This woman was probably avoiding others due to her dark reputation. Jesus was probably tired and thirsty. But He shared with this woman that there was a living water that would forever quench her thirst for God.

The woman recognized that Jesus was special. She says he must be a prophet so she asks him why she must worship in Jerusalem, as the Jews believed, not on the mountain where their fathers worshiped. Jesus explained that one day she would worship the Father anywhere.

""Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he," (John 4:23-26 NIV).

Jesus tells us that it doesn't matter where we are when we worship, but how we worship that is important. We should ask ourselves if our worship to God is genuine and true. Do we call on the Holy Spirit to guide our worship?

Oh, God, fill me today with Your Spirit. Teach me. Pray for me. Love me. Help me understand what it means to worship You, O Holy One. I humble myself before You and worship You in Spirit and in truth. I pray in the name for Jesus. Amen.

Jesus is the Only Way

Easter is less than two weeks away. I try to imagine what Jesus is walking through during this time before his resurrection. Jesus had so little time left to finish preparing His disciples to carry on His message. The Son of God performed miracles, spoke with wisdom and lived as an example for all to follow.

The book of John was written by the apostle John to prove, without a doubt, that those who believe in Jesus, the Son of God, have found the only way to eternal life. 

Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit who lives in us to help and guide us when we believe. 

Jesus taught about prayer by praying for Himself, for his Disciples, and for future believers. That is us! Jesus prayed for those who believe in Him because of reading the Word. He told his disciples to pray using His holy name.

"For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him," (John 3:34-36 NIV).

Thank You, O God, for sending Your Son to live among us, to teach us Your way, and to show us Your love. We call on You, in the name of Jesus, to be with us today. Walk with us through our daily trials, speak to us through the Holy Spirit and help us to listen to what You say. We believe in You, Jesus, and we pray in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Savior of the World

Yesterday I realized that I don't have the Easter decorations out yet. There are only two weeks until Easter!  I am really behind. Over the years I have gathered small figurines, mostly of sheep, that say things like: "He Arose", "Hallelujah", "He Lives"...

Of course there are the brightly colored eggs and baskets, with little stuffed rabbit, chick, lamb and duck. Nothing fancy, but it is the little figurines with Easter messages that I like the most. I used to hang plastic eggs on the tree in the front yard. I liked seeing the colorful reminder of Easter. I feel bad for those who only know the Easter bunny, candy, and Easter egg hunt part of the holiday.

Easter is so much more! We were condemned to death by our sins until Jesus came to save us! He walked this earth, teaching us how to live and to believe in Him (Jesus is God). Jesus spent His final days teaching His disciples to follow Him.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him," (John 3:16-17 NIV).

Heavenly Father, help me focus on You this Easter. Remind me of all that Jesus did while He was here, living among sinners. Thank You for sending Your Son to save me from all the wrongs in my life. Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to guide me through my days. Help me to listen carefully. Lord, I put my trust and confidence in You. I pray in the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.

The Lord is my Rock

Good Morning Friends,

Iowa is cold and bitter, again. The wind has been howling all night but now the snow is frozen to the ground. It is still blowing mightily but the snow has moved on to the east. 

"David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said, The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior--" (2 Samuel 22:1-3 NIV).

This song of praise was written by David following one of his successful battles. God was with David through many battles because he was dependent upon the Lord. He loved the Lord and worshiped Him through words and music. Even after he sinned, David was convicted by the prophet Nathan and paid dearly for his sin. But, David returned to worship God with this song.

We can sing these words of David every day, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliver; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior"!

Lord God, I come to You, trusting in You alone, for today and for my future. I know You are my rock. My fortress. My deliverer. My shield. My stronghold. My Savior! Thank You, God, for being more to me than I can even imagine. No matter what is going on in my life, I can count on You to be there for me. I pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Our Inspiration

What was the last thing you were inspired to do? Bake a cake? Sew a quilt? Design a scrapbook or photo album? Paint a picture? Teach a child? Plan a flower bed or vegetable garden? Organize a closet? Prepare a meal?

Most of us are free to do whatever we feel like doing, whenever we desire to do it. Retirees especially.

Can you imagine being in jail? I cannot. Living alone in a cell that is certainly simple, and I imagine it being cold and dark. Yet, Paul wrote many of his letters of encouragement while he was in prison. He was inspired by God to write down all the things he wanted believers to know about following Jesus. Paul wrote to equip believers to strengthen their faith and to be inspired to do good.

"All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work,"                         (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV).

The more I study the Word, the more I admire the work and life of Paul. I imagine him writing feverishly in the corner of a cell, sending out letters to churches and individuals so they would be ready to carry on his mission after his life ended. Paul must have wondered every day if this was the day he would face death.

Oh, God, so holy and righteous, we are humbled to come before You because You are so great! We thank You for giving us the Word to help us grow into Christians who do good work. Lord, help us see the opportunities to spread the saving news of Jesus Christ. Inspire us today to do good. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.