Come Boldly

It is nice to know that our Savior Jesus Christ is still there for us, no matter what the problem or concern. We can come to Him boldly, with confidence that He is there for us. He will not turn away from us. He will not be proud or indignant to us because of His holiness. He will respond to us with compassion and love. Oh, what a Savior!

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need," (Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV).

Easter isn't over. We can keep rejoicing in the knowledge that what Jesus did on the cross was for each one of us. He suffered torture and humiliation for our sake. He was hung upon the cross where He died a human death for our sins. But, then He rose up! On the third day Jesus rose up and walked on earth again so His disciples and all of us could believe.

Though He is not physically with us now, He walks beside us. We can walk with Him through any circumstance. He is always there for us. We can come boldly to Him in our times of need. Come boldly to Him, today and tomorrow. He will come again. Are you ready?

Strength from God's Joy

"Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is sacred to the Lord your God, Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength,"" (Nehemiah 8:9-10 NIV). 

The people were weeping as the Laws were read because they were so far from following them. But, Nehemiah encouraged them to celebrate the renewal of the covenant with God. He told them it was a time to celebrate because the day was holy to God. It was a time to share what you have with others.

We all have celebrations. Perhaps most often for birthdays, sometimes for anniversaries, or retirement parties. We can think of other reasons to have a party and maybe we even share the extra food with others, as Nehemiah suggests. The idea he expresses is to avoid making it a self-centered party. He encourages celebrations that let you be filled with the joy of the Lord for he says that is our strength.

I have a hard time understanding, "for the joy of the Lord is your strength". How is God's joy my strength?  So I went to the commentary and found this statement the helped explain it. "Often when we celebrate and give to others (even when we don't feel like it), we are strengthened spiritually and filled with joy." (NIV Life Application Study Bible).

That makes sense. When we give to others there is an inner joy we feel from doing something good. "For the joy of the Lord is your strength," (Nehemiah 8:10b NIV). After our Easter celebration I sent my granddaughter home with a container of leftover noodles. Perhaps this is an example that Nehemiah is talking about.

Today I will think on these things and allow my soul to feel the Lord's joy.

The Wind

The wind has been fierce this spring. March is supposed to be a windy month and it was. But April has had its own windiness. I don'r remember such wind so often in any spring. Perhaps it has been this way and I just don't remember. I remember my mother never liked the strong winds. So maybe its an old age thing. 

Still, this spring has been exceptional with wind. It seems we've had two or three windy days then one calm one, then two or three windy days again and so on. I'm tired of the wind. Iowa has already had multiple tornados which seems very early. I hope that isn't an indication of what is to come for summer.

"The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave,"(1 King 19:11-13 NIV).

Elijah recognized God's voice in the gentle whisper. God doesn't always speak in powerful ways, but instead He speaks in the quiet whisper that Elijah heard. So it isn't God in the wind necessarily, instead we should listen for God in the quietness of a day. God can speak however He wants to speak but I prefer to think of Him speaking in the quiet moments of life.

Thank you, God for the quiet days without wind. Let them remind me of You and let me listen for Your voice. Amen.

Easter Monday

The celebrating is over. The gathering is complete. The food is mostly eaten. Leftovers remain in the refrigerator. The eggs have all be found. The candy is put away. Easter is over.

The Resurrection is still real. Jesus is alive! He raised from the dead and is alive. He appears to the disciples and Mary Magdalene and the women at the tomb, and a crowd of 500 (1 Corinthians 15:6,7).

"He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself," (Luke 24:25-27 NIV).

"Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in the book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name," (John 20:30-31 NIV).

Blessed is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is risen from the dead! Hallelujah! May we keep singing His praises as we move through our week. Jesus is alive!

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday what a somber day of preparation for what is ahead. It's the day Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples. The scriptures tell that sometime before the Passover a woman anointed Jesus' head with precious perfume as He reclined at the table of Simon the Leper in Bethany. The disciples were outraged at this seemingly wasteful use of the expensive perfume that could have been sold for a generous amount and given to the poor. Jesus explained that the woman had done a beautiful thing to prepare Jesus' body for burial because in just one day He would no longer be with the disciples. Still they didn't get it. (Matthew 26:6-13 NIV).

Meanwhile, Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples, went to the chief priests and asked what they would give him for turning over Jesus to them. They agreed to pay 30 silver coins if Judas would present Jesus to them.

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives," (Matthew 26:26-30 NIV).

Today we know what happened and can understand the significance of Maundy Thursday. Solemnly we remember the holy meal and Christ's preparation for tomorrow. May we spend today remembering what the Lord did for us.

Who Do You Say I Am?

 In this age of Facebook, Twitter, Tictok, and other mass media publications, nearly every service you use sends a survey asking for input on the quality of their employees or work provided. Online stores utilize feedback from customers offering input on the products and the service received. It's the day of online reviews - ranging a multitude of opinions from good to terrible. It may leave your mind spinning as you try to figure out what the real truth is.

Jesus was welcomed to Jerusalem on a donkey and the public response was joyful hosannahs and the waving of palm branches. Public opinion soon changed. Earlier in Christ's ministry, the following occurred. 

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesura Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." (Matthew 16:13-16 NIV).

If only the multitudes could have heard Peter's answer and believed. But that wasn't in God's plan. 

As we move closer to Resurrection Sunday, let us treasure the truth of who Jesus was and is still today.

Try a Little Kindness

I'm a little late getting this written on my laptop today. I hope you don't mind a late day thought. We are visiting family and enjoying the warm temperatures in Virginia. Today was supposed to be rainy but turned out to be 72 degrees and sunny. What a blessing after Iowa's temperamental winter/spring Jeckyl/Hyde attitude. I haven't been able to guess which season Iowa was going to be in for the last month. 

Travel these days is still requiring face masks on public transportation, which I don't mind except for when a five hour flight gets delayed and delayed again before we even take off. The weather in Atlanta was stormy and that's where our plane came from. Then, the rental car company didn't have a car ready for us so we had to wait an hour and the baggage was very slow to arrive. Other than that, it was clear sailing.

We didn't experience any unruly passengers (and tried not to be difficult ourselves). Everyone seemed to wear their mask without complaint. Maybe we were just lucky, but it hasn't been that way on all our travels. People were courteous and patient and their actions were appreciated. 

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity," (Colossians 4:5 NIV).

Traveling provides many opportunities to practice acting nicely and responsibly toward others. We try to use manners and kindness in all our interactions. It makes the snafus of travel less difficult and life goes much more smoothly.

Even if we aren't traveling, may our actions toward outsiders reflect our Christian values. May our days be filled with opportunities to share our kindness with others.

A Psalm for Farmers

This is the season of anticipation for farmers. They must be patient as they wait for the soil to warm. Their equipment is polished and ready. They wait. Just as the old adage says, "April showers bring May flowers,"' the farmers wait for the rains to come and quench the thirst of the drought-parched lands.

We watch as the daffodils and tulips peek their first leaves through the soil. We wait. We watch for buds to come on the trees. We watch as the robins begin to build their nests for eggs as blue as the sky. We see the pelicans stop by local waters and regroup before heading on to their destination.

Gardeners plan their plantings. Oh to have a big garden again. First the onions, lettuce and radishes, then broccoli and peas, then beans, cucumbers and zucchini and finally the tomato plants, of course. There is much more: sweet corn, squash, beets, carrots, potatoes, and okra to name a few. What did I forget? Nasturtiums and marigolds to keep the bugs away. If only my back could stand all the bending.

This psalm tells who is needed to make springtime happen, God.

"You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing," (Psalm 65:9-13 NIV).