Forgive as God has forgiven us.

Listening to one of my favorite podcasts, the speaker mentioned that there doesn't seem to be as much forgiveness dispersed throughout the body of Christ as there should be. Simply making an observation, no harm in that. Listening to his explanation, I began to wonder. Does forgiving a brother or sister in Christ equate trusting them again? This has always intrigued me. Looking in scripture, We see that we ARE to extend forgiveness. I can appreciate that. After all, if God isn't holding our sins against us, why should we hold each other's sins against ourselves?

Death, Burial and Resurrection.

In Matthew 27, we're seeing the crucifixion unfold. We see disciples scattering like sheep. Peter denies Christ, the cock crows, then with great sorrow, Peter realizes that what Jesus foretold was true. Peter knew Jesus to be the Son of God. He confessed this in earlier times. Did it mean anything to him? He denied knowing Who he knew to be God's son. I surmise that none of the disciples knew what was happening. Sure, Jesus told them plainly that he was going to die; yet none of the disciples (except Peter) would even go there. Beyond making sure it wasn't each of them that wasn't going to betray them, they never proceeded any further. Even Judas, realizing that he had betrayed an innocent man (Duh!) tried to give back the money; and when that didn't go well, he hung himself. In hell? Most folks think so. I won't even go there. Judas was part of the plan--SOMEONE had to betray him--it was prophesied. Where was Jesus during the three days after His death and before His resurrection? The idea was that He went to set captives free in the prison/paradise, whatever you want to call it. Judas might've been there. I have no clue. To speculate would be merely to speculate. God has it covered. No need to stress about it.

The Lord's Supper--beautiful picture of the New Covenant!

These scriptures never fail to amaze me. The woman pouring the expensive oil on Jesus. Jesus told the folks that were there, that the reason she did this, was to prepare Him for burial. He knew His time was at hand. Did SHE know the reason she was doing this? Who was she? We're not told. There seems to be gaps in the story--not on God's part, but things that make me want to know more. Why were they in a Leper's house?? Surely he was no longer a leper? Was he one of the 10 that were healed? He now had a house. It was my understanding that all personal belongings were stripped, and lepers cast out of the city.

Judas ticked me off. In verse 14, we're told of Judas going to make a deal with the pharisees. Then in verse 22 he says, "Surely not I, Lord?" Boy, talk about hypocrisy! He knew full good and well it was going to be him! I imagine this was a whispered conversation. I can't imagine Peter would have over heard that, then not have done anything. Not Peter. Humph!

Happy Valentine's Day??

Sitting in front of a fireplace, I'm mesmerized by the sparks dancing around the burning logs like fireflies. Alone in the dark, my world is quiet, the warmth of the fire relaxing me, lulling me to drift off in my thoughts. Cuddled up with my favorite blanket, I appreciate the warmth amid the weird winter weather that has seemingly engulfed half the country. I am alone, but I am safe.

Let GO already!

As I sit here staring at my monitors.. (yes, plural) I contemplate the pros and cons of wiping my laptop clean. Not knowing that much about the hardware of technology, I'm unsure as to what to do. I have to move my backed up files back to the now-fixed laptop, fresh from the "computer garage" and don't know how to do it.

The Romans Road

When I was a young girl, I faithfully boarded the church bus every Sunday to travel to a church that was approximately an hour away. To keep us entertained (as well as to teach us) the wife of our bus driver would often play games with us, such as "Sword drill" The game where a caller would call out a scripture, then the first one to find it would jump up and read. One such Sunday, the group of scriptures she called out, she deemed was the "Romans Road" If we could memorize these scriptures, these would be the ones we would use to evangelize the world. These were the "How to's" of salvation.

He knows my name!

While reading through some of Matthew 6, my heart unexpectedly leapt for joy. Took me by surprise... the truth that dawned on me. Jesus knows MY name! Jesus was warning folks to beware of false prophets, that we'd know them by their fruits.

Don't Worry; Be Happy

Okay, so that's not quite how Matthew 6 reads. Well, towards the end, it DOES tell us to not be anxious for anything. Don't worry about life, what we'll eat and drink , what we'll wear--just plain and simply don't worry. I worry about this passage some (yes, a definite pun intended ;)). When does "not worry" become frivolous? I know of a married couple, he spends as if there's no tomorrow. "I'm not worried about tomorrow. Aren't we told not to worry about tomorrow?" Then, the wife, worries about every dime that gets spent. "We don't really need that, do we?" On one hand, it might be nice to make sure we're good stewards of our paychecks, and see that our bills are paid, but on the other hand, it's perfectly okay to spend some money on toys every now and again, isn't it? When does being a tightwad (how else can I say it?) become a demonstration in a faithless mindset (that God WON'T provide for us) and when does a free spender become a demonstration of irresponsibility? A friend of mine once shared this thought: God indeed feeds the birds of the air, but He doesn't throw the food in the nest! How true.
Don't worry, be happy--and responsible.

He forgives me, he forgives me not, he forgives me, he forgives me not...

....for if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly father will forgive you. But if you don't forgive men when they sin against you, your father in Heaven will not forgive you" Jesus is quoted as saying to the people within earshot. In reading this, a thought came to me...

Word of God, Speak

...Word of God Speak, let it pour down like rain...the words to this song by Mercy Me have found their way into my head and have been running on looping for about a week now. God certainly has His plans. I think it's ironic. I'd not heard that song until a few days ago, thanks to my oldest son who introduced it to me. Then, I find out that the praise team is singing that at church Sunday. Word of God speak to me. God is reminding me that it is He Who hold us, comforts us, and encourages us. Why? Simply out of His great love for us. Sure, He uses us to accomplishes His plans of comfort and encouragement, but make no mistake--our encouragement comes from Him, not each other. Here of late, I've been encouraged from within to "take every thought captive, and make it obedient to Christ" (II Corinthians10:5).

Who Are These Women?

Who Are These Women?

Good question. Who are these women and why are they listed in the genealogy of Jesus? Not only are they women listed, but they're women who had somewhat of a shady past. Well, Ruth didn't--poor ole gal simply wasn't Jewish. She was--heaven forbid.. a Moabite. What's all the fuss? Jump over to this guys' blog and see what's said!

Blessings

Forgiveness =salvation?

".......and we know that he received God's forgiveness 4 or 5 years ago...." the message read on our family forum. The sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach would not go away, even after I deleted the post from my inbox. I'd heard of this before---people thinking forgiveness equated salvation, but surely not in my family! We knew better...didn't we?

Do You Understand the Words Coming Out of My Mouth?

The morning greeted me with ponderings about the Old Testament prophets. I wonder if the Old Testament prophets really understood what God was telling them, or merely doing as they were told. Isaiah, as we know, is the most notable prophet that spoke of the coming of the Savior. Isaiah and his son are talking with Ahaz, and trying to encourage him to not be afraid of the enemies. The enemies want to conquer and divide, but God said it wasn't to happen. Ahaz was told to ask for a sign, but he wouldn't do it. Isaiah basically says, "Fine then! I'll tell you anyway" and so goes the prophecy of a virgin giving birth to a son, and it even speaks of Christ eating curds and honey! In that day also, the land that once gave abundance in vegetation, would be over taken with briars and thorns. He even foretold what Jesus would be eating! (as well as others in that time), as well as to the geographical make up!

Christmas time is here...

So goes the song. Everywhere in town, you see signs of the holiday. The department stores have the old familiar Christmas Carols piped through their loud system; the charity santas are in front of the stores ringing their bells; and shoppers are struggling to smile. I tend to feel like Charlie Brown sometimes. Sure, I enjoy watching the Christmas lights as much as the next person; and I feel an 'awww how precious!" when I see a live Nativity displayed by children of the local church. However, I also feel a sense of... fakeness? Where is all this "love and joy, peace to you, and to you your wassail too!" throughout the year? Maybe I'm just getting older. I just don't enjoy the hustle and bustle like I used to. Yes, I'm grateful for the babe in a manger, but I have to wonder.... do people realize this same babe that we "awwww! how precious!" is the same person that 33 years later, had screams of "CRUCIFY HIM!!" hurled at him?

Revelation: a revelation of Jesus; not end times

While listening to my favorite podcast, I had a 'wow' moment. The caller was wondering about the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation. One of the simple, so-obvious-I-missed-it statements that one of the hosts made was simply, "Revelation is the revelation of Jesus; not of the end times." Jesus is who is revealed, not the exact date of His returning. Sure, we're told what to expect, but it's more of a "don't let this get you down". Jesus is already victorious over sin and death.
Remember: The Lamb Wins