Was He Talking About You?

I love teaching the Bible to first graders. After Easter I was given the privilege of subbing for first grade at my favorite Christian School. The Bible Lesson for the day was about “Doubting Thomas.”

In the first place, I don’t think poor Thomas should have been saddled with that nickname. After all He was not the only one among his peers who doubted in the resurrection of Christ. All of the disciples doubted. Look up Matthew 28:17, Mark 16:11 &13, Luke 24:11, and Luke 24:37 (They even saw Him in person and didn’t believe.) In fact, a few of the women and John were the only ones to believe in His resurrection before He actually appeared before all of them in the upper room.

So now back to the Thomas story.

I started the class with this, “Did you know that there is a place in the Bible where Jesus talked about me?” Their little first grade eyes looked skeptical but no one said anything. “Yes, He was talking about me! I wasn’t even born way back then but He was talking about me.” Still I saw the skepticism.

Then I told the story about Thomas and how he didn’t believe until he actually saw the risen Christ. (At least Thomas believed at first sight and didn’t think He was a ghost like some of the others.)

At that point in the story I said, “The next thing Jesus said to Thomas and the rest of the ones there in the room was when He talked about me.” And their little eyes got a little bigger but still doubtful.

I told them this, “Luke 20:29 Jesus said to him (Thomas), ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ That’s me! I haven’t seen Jesus. I wasn’t in the room when He appeared to them. But I believe that Jesus is alive. I believe He is raised from the Dead. I believe all of what the Bible says and I wasn’t even there! So Jesus was talking about me.”

 Well, you could actually see the unconvinced little faces clear. And some smiles. And some nods. One little boy in the back didn’t even raise his hand but blurted out, “He was talking about me too!”

I said to him, “Really? You haven’t seen the risen Jesus and you still believe?” He nodded. I told him, “Well then He was talking about you too.”

And then I heard a chorus of little voices saying, “He was talking about me. He was talking about me.”

I love that moment when The Word of God becomes real to children.

He was talking about me.

Was He talking about you?

Mercy/Justice

In my “read through the Bible in a year on my cell phone” plan I am struggling. Oh, I am reading on schedule and doing it every day. I am in the book of Joshua and understanding it. The struggle part is that I don’t want to understand.  The author of the book (probably Joshua mostly) is brutally honest. He tells it like it is. And I don’t want to know these things about the character of Almighty God. I’m a “stick your head in the sand” kind of girl.

My Pastor Wade said something Sunday that jerked my head out of the sand. He said, “You really can’t understand or define the term “mercy of God” without understanding and using the term “justice of God.” I’m all about love and grace and mercy from my Abba Father God-friend. But there is more to His character. He is Holy and sinless. He is just and righteous. He holds every human accountable to His standard and when the standard is not met He punishes. Nobody wants to come face to face with this kind of God. No one wants to see His wrath side, especially me.

I was reading in Joshua 7 that after the famous victory in Jericho where the walls fell down and the soldiers didn’t have to lift a finger that God was very specific about what to take and what to destroy. The Bible says that the Children of Israel committed a trespass. God grouped the whole country together over one man, Achan. He took the forbidden by God and kept and hid it. God really was upset with the whole of the community because of this one man. Maybe they knew and kept quiet. Maybe they were as shocked as Joshua when he found out. And it wasn’t until the next battle at Ai that it was all brought out. Ai was a small place and should have been easily defeated. Joshua didn’t even send in all the troops. But, wow, 36 men of the children of Israel died as God’s people retreated in humiliation. Joshua found out from God the why. One of the soldiers didn’t follow God’s order. Someone took the things accursed to God. God said He wouldn’t be with them anymore until the “no no” stuff was destroyed along with the one that took all of it.

And it was Achan. And so Achan and all of His family and possessions had to be destroyed, killed, stoned, and burned. Death was the justification to God for this sin.

I don’t like knowing that God is so exacting. I’d rather know His mercy than His justice. But as My Pastor Wade says, I won’t really understand His mercy until I understand His justice. Death is the justification for sin. This really puts Christ’s death in a greater perspective. The only way I can enjoy a love relationship with God is to bow to the knowledge of the price paid for my sin by Jesus Christ.

Jesus the Son of God placed Himself in front of me when the punishment was handed out for my sin. He took all of the punishment full force intended for me from God the Father.

So it comes down to this (whether I want to admit it or not, whether I want to avoid it or not) I can learn the God way or the Achan way. The God way – accept His forgiveness for my sin through Jesus’ death for me. Or the Achan way – try to hide my sin from God and hope He doesn’t find out. (We all know how that will end.)

I’ll take mercy.

 I’ll take forgiveness.

And I will understand the full extent of what mercy and forgiveness means to God because I will understand His justice.

James 2:13    Mercy triumphs over Justice.

Special Shine

I am a self-professed gemstone geek. I (of course) love, love diamonds. But I also love, love the colored gems and the oddball gems. Right now I’m quite taken with labradorite.

Labradorite is a common looking dark gray-green opaque gem. It was first found in Labrador, Canada, hence the name. It doesn’t sound very pretty or appealing and it isn’t. Just an ugly rock. Until….light hits it. Then there is a wonderful display of color.

The effect is so amazing that they gave it a special name; labradoresence. Not very imaginative, but they didn’t ask me. When exposed to light there is an iridescence of green, blue, gold, and peach. It’s rather spectacular in my opinion.

And poor little labradorite is quite like me. I’m not all that. Just an ugly dark rock. Until…the light of the Christ shines on me. Then I display “Christianesence”. Yes, I made up that word.



For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord Ephesians 5:8-10

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,“Awake, O sleeper,and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:13-14


Christians reflect a special shine if we are reflecting the Lord. And that’s just the point. Just as labradorite needs light to expose its beauty so too we need to walk in the light of Christ to show our beauty.

And that is not always easy. We have a tendency to prefer to walk in sin instead of letting His light become visible in us. We are bombarded with worldly temptations that look pretty to us but only reinforce our ugliness.

The first part of chapter 5 Ephesians lists all of our ugliness. But (my friend says take everything after the word “but” and double the emphasis) now we are to recognize what is pleasing to our Lord and walk that way. True Christians should have a Christianesence.

That’s how we should walk,

with a special shine.

Patience Really Is A Virtue

When God wants His child to learn something He will teach it

no matter how His child wants to avoid it.

This is the new lesson I learned today. I’ll admit it, I’m not patient. I like to flit around. I hate to wait in lines. I like to get in and get out.

But sometimes God has another plan for me that makes me have to stop and learn. I had errands today; several little few minutes at a time things to do.

Run to the post office and mail some items. I avoid the local post office for my city and go to another town to do all my postal matters. I know a small post office that makes posting easy. The postal clerk is friendly and helpful and quick. I was in/out, no problem.

Pick up some prescriptions at my local pharmacy. In/out? OK, I went to the drive through first. There were four cars in front so I thought it would be quicker to go in and pick them up. I must admit that I did a lovely three-point turn and slid into a parking place. In/out?

There were only two people in the line. One drop off. Easy. Got him out of the way. One lady picking up one prescription. Easy? Noooooooo. She had a problem because her medicine with insurance went up from $2.00 to $4.00. Really? The kind pharmacist went through all her records and what insurance she had and tried to explain why her medicine went up. Ten minutes later I was waiting for my turn. No in/out.

That’s when I realized that God wanted me to practice a little patience today. I was supposed to not get mad and silently fume. I was supposed to wait. God wanted me to learn this little lesson. And no matter how I tried to avoid it, He wanted me to learn this. This was just a little lesson in patience to maybe get me ready for a bigger lesson in patience.

When I realized that no matter how I tried to avoid my lesson in patience God was going make me learn it, I just had to laugh. There standing in line I laughed (to myself.) And thinking this was all funny made waiting OK.

 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:12-17 

I hope the next time I’m challenged to have patience and bear with another; I will let the peace of God rule and give thanks.

And laugh.

Wow!!!

I have been on a schedule of reading through the Bible in a year as recommended by My Pastor Wade. I must confess I have never done this before. It was my guilty secret. I just couldn’t get through Leviticus, Numbers, or Deuteronomy. I would give up by then. But with our new, and might I add wonderful technology, my Bible on my cell phone has broken it up into manageable pieces weaving Psalms and Proverbs with New Testament passages and Old Testament passages. And I am getting along with this plan just fine. My cell phone even reminds me every day to do my Bible reading. Is this a great thing or what?

One thing has struck me with a “WOW” as I am going through Numbers. It is the numbers of sacrifices required of God’s people. I mean on this certain day for this certain week at this certain time of year; sacrifice 13 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, and 1 goat for a sin offering. On the second day: 12 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 goat for a sin offering. Day 3: 11 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 goat for a sin offering. Day 4: 10 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 goat for a sin offering. Day 5: 9 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 goat for a sin offering. Day 6: 8 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 goat for a sin offering. Day 7: 7 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 goat for a sin offering. Day 8: 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 male lambs, 1 goat for a sin offering. And this is just offerings for one of the many yearly appointed calendar events.

What astounds me is the sheer number of animals required to be killed and offered for the atonement for the people’s sins. And then when it is coupled with the New Testament account of the crucifixion of Christ as a final replacement for sin’s atonement, I can only humbly bow in thanks for His sacrifice for my sins.  

  

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet. For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrew 10:11-14




To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen. Rev.1:5-7

Thanks be to Jesus the Christ my Savior and Redeemer and the atonement for my sin.

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

WOW

Can’t wait to sing with the choir on Easter Sunday!!!

It Is Time to Be Careful

My nephew says he already doesn’t like 2015. Hey, it’s only been three months. He has had some struggles and disappointments this year but there are still 9 months left. 

When I heard he said that it surprised me. I thought 2015 had been alright for me so far. I feel like I’ve finally come out from under a cloud while climbing out of a slippery deep pit with all my skin peeled off and raw nerves exposed. The last decade has been kind of awful. I’m beginning to feel like the Children of Israel when they entered the Promised Land after years in the wilderness. I’m beginning to feel like the end of the book of Job instead of the beginning.

But I realized I’m in a very dangerous place. This place of ease. This place of no imminent vulnerability. This place of not needing to rely on God for every minute of the day.

Moses had something to say to the people before they crossed over into the easy land “flowing with milk and honey”.

Deuteronomy 8:11- 18

But this is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.  For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful!  Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.  Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good.  He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’  Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful.

Yes, this goes for me too. Be careful. Don’t forget to depend on the Lord. Even when things are now going my way and I don’t need anything, remember why. God has given me everything I need. He brought me through the worst time of my life. I came out of it with my faith in Him stronger and my dependence greater. I was broken hearted and shattered and He put me back together. I was terrified of the future and He gave me strength to face the next day. I was stripped of everything that I thought gave me security and He comforted and protected me. He did all of this because of His great love for me, little old unimportant me. He did this so that I can never say, “I did this with my own strength and energy.” He did this for me with His strength and power. And He sustains me daily with this authority. Remember this. Don’t get so comfortable that I think I don’t need Him just as much as I needed Him in the worst of times.

Yes, it’s time for me to be careful.

Yes, it’s time to remember from where my strength comes.

Yes, it’s time, more than ever before, to depend on my Lord and savior Jesus Christ; the God who sustains.

All Nations Praise the Lord

As a country, we have gone through a lot in our brief history. We have fought for religious freedom from our very beginning. We have fought for freedom from oppression outside of our country and even for racial freedom among ourselves. As I watched on TV part of “The Freedom March” from Selma, Alabama I realized how we have overcome 50 years’ worth of obstacles for racial freedom. But I was telling another woman of a different race that in the past fifty years we have come so far and yet there is still room for improvement for all races of our nation’s citizens to be accepted. She said she wondered if this will ever actually happen. I replied as long as humans are involved it won’t. And she agreed.

But if we, as a nation, will humble ourselves before the God who made us and praise Him, He will inhabit our nation. If we, as a nation, with hold the truths of the Bible as our truth standard (as we did in the beginning of our nation); we will be blessed by God. 

As people were walking across the historic bridge I was praying for this miracle of races just getting along with each other for our nation and the world. But I didn’t just pray for “world peace” like a Miss America contestant. I know that if humans get in the way we will never get there. But there will be a Day of unity. We will all come together in agreement as we bow before God. We all will have to admit that God is the God of creation and therefore Lord of all. We will have to admit His truth is, was, and always will be the only truth. I remembered these verses:

Praise the LORD, all nations!

Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD! Psalm 117

“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.” Rev. 15:3-4

Someday we will all get along; every race, every diversity, and every world government. Every people group will come together and worship our Lord God in unity and agreement of who He is. Until then we’ll struggle with our little steps toward harmony and agreement. We will disagree with what should and should not “under God” be a part of our nation’s history and world’s history

.

Christians will harken to the eternal truth of the Bible.

Non-Christians will harken to present popular truth.

WE won’t get there on our own.

It’s not “We shall overcome.”

It’s HE shall overcome!