03.31.10
Posted in Bible at 1:42 am by Administrator
In the 7th chapter of the book of Mark, Jesus healed a man that was deaf and mute. After He had done so the crowd was completely astonished and they said “He has done everything well!”
What wonderful words with which to sum up the life and mission of the Messiah!
Isaiah 53 tells us distinctly about the greatest mission that was ever accomplished by one who Himself, being Majesty, put it aside to take on the form of a servant, that He may pay the ultimate price for people that He loved so dearly: you and I.
“He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised, and we esteemed him not. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with his stripes we are healed. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”
Philippians 2:5-8 tells us; “Have this mind amongst yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Christ’s mission was one of love, humility and obedience. Every aspect of His life on this earth was not just for our benefit as far as salvation is concerned, but also for our benefit as far as living is concerned. He paved the way for us. We have seen His personality. We have seen His methods. We have seen His example. Christ’s purpose, His conception, His birth, His ministry, His miracles, His teachings, His example, His worship, His humility, His suffering, His crucifixion, His death and His resurrection ; they were all done for us- His followers, those who believe in Him.
He felt joy, sadness, apprehension, pain and relief. During difficult and trying moments, He did the same thing that he asks us to do today; He prayed. Then He withdrew and prayed some more!Every lesson he taught, every parable, every person he healed, restored, or raised, every person he saved, lifted up or converted, He did it for us, and He did it well. Christ, being of God, lived as a man, to show man how to live for God
As the end of Lent comes upon us and we try to follow in the footsteps of Christ leading up to the resurrection, the only thing that makes the thought of His agony bearable is the sure knowledge that He was raised on the third day and He lives!
This is a time for reflection. This is a time for connection. We need to withdraw to that ‘Mount of Olives’ and connect with our Savior. We need to envision His torment, His degradation, the piercing of every single thorn in that crown that was placed on His head, the sting of the whip that lashed His exposed flesh, every painful footstep that was taken under the weight of the cross that He carried, and the searing pain in His hands where the nails were driven through as He was crucified on that cross. Being able to identify with his suffering should only make us more appreciative of the grace that was given to us through that suffering.
Our Savior glorified God by accomplishing that which was given Him to do. He submitted completely to the will of the Father. He is the son with whom the Father is well pleased. And it pleased the Lord to raise Him up and seat Him at His right hand where He reigns forever and ever.
Christ came, He lived, He loved, He gave His life for us and gave us hope for salvation. He has done all things well and unto Him be all praise, glory and adoration!!!!!!!
Our Redeemer lives and we wait in joyful anticipation for when He will come to take His faithful home. May we all be counted amongst the faithful in the name of the resurrected Jesus…Amen.
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
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03.17.10
Posted in Bible at 7:46 am by Administrator
While he was a prisoner in Rome, Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians. He had never visited them before but he heard that they had received the good news of Jesus Christ. So he wrote this very encouraging letter to them, assuring them that Jesus was indeed the visible image of the invisible God and that they were to hold on to the truth of the promise of salvation that they received when they received the gospel. He also instructed them on godly living and the importance of prayer. Paul then ended the letter with this seemingly simple statement, he said “remember my chains”.
Though he was in prison, Paul continued to do that which he had been called to do. More so, he did it with the same zeal that he would had he been free. In verse 3 of Colossians 4, Paul said “and pray for us too that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”
Throughout the New Testament, Christ tells us that we, His followers, will face persecution for the proclamation of His gospel, this was because He too faced persecution for the proclamation of that same gospel. This persecution will come in various forms and in various degrees of severity, but Paul is encouraging us that it was the spirit of God working in him that fueled and motivated him. So this is why, even though he was in prison, he continued to preach the gospel and he continued to pray that God would create new avenues and opportunities by which he could convey the message of Christ clearly and boldly. Whether in chains, or whether he was free; whether he was in hiding or whether he was in the open, whether he was being threatened or whether he was being encouraged. Paul had no intentions of putting his ministry on hold until he was released from prison.
So he asked the Colossians to remember where he was, not so they could feel sorry for him, but so that when they read his words they could realize that not even chains could keep him from making sure that they who had received the word of Christ so wholeheartedly, did not get led astray.
The image of an imprisoned Paul still praying, preaching and seeking new and effective ways of preaching the undiluted word of God should serve as a motivation for we Christians today. Not only should we expect obstruction, resistance and animosity when we evangelize, we should not let them deter the message. Matthew 11:12 tells us that the kingdom of heaven suffers much violence and the violent take it by force.
Our zeal for Christ should be evident in our service, despite whatever hardships might accompany that service, but we can rest assured that as long as we abide in Christ, the same spirit that worked in Him, will empower us also.
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
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03.02.10
Posted in Bible at 5:11 pm by Administrator
The general theme for many of the writings leading up to Resurrection Sunday is reflection.
When I say reflection I don’t mean the process of looking in a mirror to examine ones’ appearance; because being a follower of Christ is not about our appearance to the world, but about the appearance of Christ in us; what I mean is reflection from a Christian perspective; which is the process of self-examination. This process however does have a twist because as Christians we really do not examine ourselves. It is the spirit of God within us that does this examination. We are however only able to benefit from the process if we yield to that spirit.
Today I ask, is our service to God all about Him? Or is it about appearances?
Are we worshiping with our mouths and our hearts are far from Him?
Do we only come to God when we need something from Him or do we come because we simply need Him?
Are our tears because we have not received what we’ve been asking for or do we weep because we are so full of emotion for Him that tears are the only way that we can express our joy and love?
Are we in church because it’s routine or are we in church because we have no desire to be anywhere else?
I listened to a song today that I have heard many time before, but today I heard it as I have never heard it before.
The chorus says:
I’ll bring you more than a song, for a song in itself is not what you have required
You search much deeper within, that the way things appear, you’re looking into my heart
I’m coming back to the heart of worship, It’s all about you, Jesus
I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it, it’s all about you, Jesus.
If we have made our worship more about how it will look to people, than how it looks to God, then it’s time to come back to the Heart of worship.
If we have made our worship about being part of following the crowd and not about a personal relationship with Christ, then we need to come back to the Heart of worship.
If we have made our worship about being afraid of what we won’t have without God, as opposed to what we will have with God, then we need to come back to the Heart of worship.
If we have made our worship about just throwing around the word ‘saved’ yet there is no transformation, then we need to come back to the Heart of worship.
If we have made our worship about seeing our own image in the mirror instead of seeing the image of Christ, then we need to come back to the Heart of worship.
If our worship is not ALL about Jesus, everything He is, everything that He did, and everything that He continues to do for us, then we need to come back to the Heart of worship.
May the Almighty God of compassion, with whom nothing is impossible, teach us how to truly worship Him. Amen.
Please share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
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