Category Archives: LENT

Marching into Mark Chapter Sixteen

Marching into Mark Registry,
the collection of these studies
(First 100 days of 2023, day 90, March 31 )

On Facebook, you can join us at Itty Bitty Bible Study Group.

It doesn’t matter which version you choose. It can be digital or paper. You can use one of those fancy coloring bibles and do a page or coloring along with the passage.

I will mostly do Holman Christian Standard Bible because of their copyright freedoms.

The Images that I use are from Knowing Jesus and are available as downloads in every format that I can imagine for screen savers and wallpapers.

Mark 16 (cross referenced with Matthew 28 and Luke 24)
- Mk 16:1-8 Mary, Mary and Salome at the Tomb
  - Mk 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so they could go and anoint Him. ²Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sunrise.
  - They got there, and the stone was moved
  - a young was there in the tomb, they were alarmed
  - Mk 16⁶“Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been resurrected! He is not here! See the place where they put Him. ⁷But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there just as He told you.’”
  - Mk 16⁸So they went out and started running from the tomb, because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid.
  - THEY SAID NOTHING????
- Mk 16:9-11 Mary Magdalene meets Jesus
  - Mk 16⁹Early on the first day of the week, after He had risen, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had driven seven demons. ¹⁰She went and reported to those who had been with Him, as they were mourning and weeping. ¹¹Yet, when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe it.
- Mk 16:12-13 Men on a country road meet Jesus
  - Mk 16¹²Then after this, He appeared in a different form to two of them walking on their way into the country. ¹³And they went and reported it to the rest, who did not believe them either.
- Mk 16:14 Jesus Appeared to the Eleven
  - Mk 16¹⁴Later, He appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw Him after He had been resurrected.
- Mk 16:15 Great Commission
  - Mk 16¹⁵Then He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.
- Mk 16:16-18 The Christian Life Evidenced
  - Mk 16¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
    - John 3¹⁶For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
    - John 3¹⁸“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
  - ¹⁷And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages;
  - ¹⁸they will pick up snakes;^[b] if they should drink anything deadly, it will never harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”
- Mk 16:19 Jesus Ascends
  - Mk 16¹⁹Then after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
- Mk 16:20 The Apostles’ Ministry Walk
  - Mk 16²⁰And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the accompanying signs.

More discussion about these stories in Mindfully Meditating in Matthew Chapter 28.

A good place to see the four gospels compared is from Synoptic Gospel Parallels.

Mindful Meditating

choose a verse,
set a timer for 5 minutes, or whatever works for you.
example: Mark 16:16
repeat to yourself, and at each word, enunciate the next word in the sentence starting with the first word…

example:

Mk 16¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
WHOEVER believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Whoever BELIEVES and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

and so on. This will cause you to look at the verse more intently, and may have you memorize it before your five minutes are done.

Songs for Meditation

The Easter Song – Keith Green

Then Came the Morning – Sandi Patty and Larnelle Harris

Was It a Morning Like This? – Sandi Patty

This is the Kingdom – Elevation Worship

We Declare that the Kingdom of God is Here – Ron Kenoly

Coloring – I use coloring to help me focus on the fullness of a verse.

Mark Coloring page – Ministry to Children – simple enough to finish in an hour or less

Quick Questions – if you have time, or to think about over the course of the day, and jot down thoughts later. Some thoughts to dig deeper.

What are you going to do with Jesus Resurrected?
1. Answers in Genesis discusses infallible proofs.
2. Crossway discusses this from various other scholars.
3. ReasonstoBelieve discusses a dozen proofs.

Choose to Believe!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links:

Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Naomi’s Heart Ministries
Obed’s House Ministries
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.

Marching into Mark Chapter Fifteen

Marching into Mark Registry,
the collection of these studies
(First 100 days of 2023, day 89, March 30 )

On Facebook, you can join us at Itty Bitty Bible Study Group.

Passage
Mark Chapter Fifteen

It doesn’t matter which version you choose. It can be digital or paper. You can use one of those fancy coloring bibles and do a page or coloring along with the passage.

I will mostly do Holman Christian Standard Bible because of their copyright freedoms.

The Images that I use are from Knowing Jesus and are available as downloads in every format that I can imagine for screen savers and wallpapers.

Mark 15 ( Cross Referenced with Matthew 27, Luke 23 and John 18 & 19)
- Mk 15:1- 15 Before Pilate and the crowd
- Mk 1:As soon as it was morning, the chief priests had a meeting with the elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin. After tying Jesus up, they led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate.
- Lent Day 31 – Court Affairs
- Pilate – ARE YOU THE KING OF THE JEWS?
- Jesus – You have said it.
- Accusations
- Mk 15⁵But Jesus still did not answer anything, so Pilate was amazed.
- For Passover, Pilate releases one prisoner
- Mk15⁹So Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the King of the Jews for you?”
- Pilate knew it was a trumped up charge
- Mk 15¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead.
- Mk 15¹²Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the Jews?”
- Mk 15¹³Again they shouted, “Crucify Him!”
- Pilate – WHY?
- Mk 15:14 But they shouted, “Crucify Him!” all the more.
- Mk 15¹⁵Then, willing to gratify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. And after having Jesus flogged,^[b] he handed Him over to be crucified.
- Crowd bowed to Chief Priests, Pilate bowed to crowd, all for false accusations.
- Mk 15:16-20 The Soldiers
- Lent Day 30 – Mocked and Beaten
- Mk 15¹⁶Then the soldiers led Him away into the courtyard (that is, headquarters) and called the whole company together.
- They dressed him up, crafted a crown of thorns, hit him, mocked him.
- Mk 15²⁰When they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the purple robe, put His clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.
- Mk 15:21- 32 Crucifixion
- Mk 15²¹They forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus’ cross. He was Simon, a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
- Watch the Lamb – Ray Boltz
- Golgotha
- Mk 15²⁴Then they crucified Him and divided His clothes, casting lots for them to decide what each would get.
- NINE am
- The King of the Jews
- 2nd Sunday of Lent – Today in Paradise
- Crucified Between Two Criminals
- Mocked
- Mk 15³²Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him were taunting Him.
- Mk 15:33-39 Jesus’ Death
- NOON to THREE
- Mk 15³³When it was noon,^[h] darkness came over the whole land^[i] until three in the afternoon.^[j]
- THREE
- Mk 15³⁴And at three^[k] Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lemá^[l] sabachtháni?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”^[m]
- 3rd Sunday of Lent – Father why hast thou forsaken me
- 1st Sunday of Lent – Father Forgive Them
- 4th Sunday of Lent – I thirst
- Mk 15³⁷But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last.
- Temple Veil torn from the TOP to the bottom
- Mk 15³⁹When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He^[o] breathed His last, he said, “This man really was God’s Son!”^[p]
- Lent Day 8 – Believe
- Mk 15:40-41 The Women
- Mk 15⁴⁰There were also women looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. ⁴¹When He was in Galilee, they would follow Him and help Him. Many other women had come up with Him to Jerusalem.
- Mary that Annoints – Lent day 3
- Mary the Mother of Jesus – Advent Day 19
- Mk 15:42-47 The Burial
- Evening of the Preparation Day – Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the Body
- Wrapped him in fine linen and put him in a cut rock grave.
- He rolled the rock over it
- Mk 15⁴⁷Now Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where He was placed.
- Lent Day 39 – Good Friday
- Lent Day 40 Holy Saturday

More discussion about these stories in Mindfully Meditating on Matthew Chapter 27

A good place to see the four gospels compared is from Synoptic Gospel Parallels.

Mindful Meditating

choose a verse,
set a timer for 5 minutes, or whatever works for you.
example: Mark 15:39
repeat to yourself, and at each word, enunciate the next word in the sentence starting with the first word…

example:

Mk 15³⁹When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He^[o] breathed His last, he said, “This man really was God’s Son!”^[p]
THIS man really was God’s Son!
This MAN really was God’s Son!
This man REALLY was God’s Son!
This man really WAS God’s Son!

and so on. This will cause you to look at the verse more intently, and may have you memorize it before your five minutes are done.

Songs for Meditation

Then Came the Morning – Sandi Patty and Larnelle Harris

Broken and Spilled out – Steve Green

This is the Kingdom – Elevation Worship

We Declare that the Kingdom of God is Here – Ron Kenoly

Coloring – I use coloring to help me focus on the fullness of a verse.

Mark Coloring page – Ministry to Children – simple enough to finish in an hour or less

Jesus on the Cross by Super Coloring

Jesus on the Cross Coloring pages by ColoringHome

Quick Questions – if you have time, or to think about over the course of the day, and jot down thoughts later. Some thoughts to dig deeper.

Who was Pontius Pilate?
1. Crosswalk goes into all of the history of this man, at this time in Christ’s life.
What was crucifixion like? Where did it come from?
1. GotQuestions goes into the details of this horrific death.
What of the Women of the Cross – who were they?
1. Cross Walk discusses the women, Faithful to the end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Ministries
Obed’s House Ministries
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.

Marching into Mark Chapter Fourteen

Marching into Mark Registry,
the collection of these studies
(First 100 days of 2023, day 87, March 28 )

On Facebook, you can join us at Itty Bitty Bible Study Group.

Passage
Mark Chapter Fourteen

It doesn’t matter which version you choose. It can be digital or paper. You can use one of those fancy coloring bibles and do a page or coloring along with the passage.

I will mostly do Holman Christian Standard Bible because of their copyright freedoms.

The Images that I use are from Knowing Jesus and are available as downloads in every format that I can imagine for screen savers and wallpapers.

Mark 14 ( Cross Referencing with Matt 26 and Luke 22)
- Mk 14:1-2 Timing
- Mindfully Meditating in Matthew 26
- Mk 14:1 After two days it was the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a treacherous way to arrest and kill Him. ²“Not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be rioting among the people.”
- Mk 14:3-9 Anointed
- Mk 14³While He was in Bethany at the house of Simon who had a serious skin disease, as He was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of pure and expensive fragrant oil of nard. She broke the jar and poured it on His head.
- Why wasn’t that sold?
- Mk 14⁶Then Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing for Me. ⁷You always have the poor with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have Me. ⁸She has done what she could; she has anointed My body in advance for burial. ⁹I assure you: Wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”
- Lent Day 3 Mary Annoints Jesus’ Feet
- Mk 14:10-11 Judas decides to Betray Christ
- Lent Day 9 Judas
- Mk 14:12-16 Preparation for Passover
- Mk 14¹³So He sent two of His disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room for Me to eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ ¹⁵He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” ¹⁶So the disciples went out, entered the city, and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
- Just like with the donkey and colt!
- Lent Day 10 – Upper Room Prepared
- Mk 14:17-20 BETRAYAL
- Mk 14²⁰He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping bread with Me in the bowl. ²¹For the Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
- Lent Day 15 Declaration of Judas’ Betrayal
- Mk 14:22-26 The First Lord’s Supper
- Mk 14²²As they were eating, He took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it;^[b] this is My body.”
- Mk 14²³Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He gave it to them, and so they all drank from it. ²⁴He said to them, “This is My blood that establishes the covenant;^[c] it is shed for many.
- Lent Day 11 – Remember
- Lent Day 12 – New Covenant
- Lent Day 13 – The Bread and the Cup
- Mk 14:27-31 Denials Prophesied
- Mk 14³⁰“I assure you,” Jesus said to him, “today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times!”
- Mk 14³¹But he kept insisting, “If I have to die with You, I will never deny You!” And they all said the same thing.
- Mk 14:32-42 Prayer in the Garden
- Most of the disciples are told to pray but left in one spot
- Peter, James and John taken further up, told to pray and stay awake
- Mk 14³⁵Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.
- One: Mk 14³⁷Then He came and found them sleeping. “Simon, are you sleeping?” He asked Peter. “Couldn’t you stay awake one hour?
- Two: Mk 14⁴⁰And He came again and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open.^[j] They did not know what to say to Him.
- Three: Mk 14⁴¹Then He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?
- Mk 14⁴²Get up; let’s go! See—My betrayer is near.”
- Mk 14:43-50 Judas kisses, everyone else runs away.
- Mk 14⁴³While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.
- Judas kisses him to identify him
- Arrested
- Mk14 ⁵⁰Then they all deserted Him and ran away.
- Lent Day 15 – Judas’ Betrayal
- Mk 14:53-65 Courts and Trials
- Mk 14⁵⁵The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but they could find none.
- Mk 14⁵⁹Yet their testimony did not agree even on this.
- Mk 14⁶¹But He kept silent and did not answer anything. Again the high priest questioned Him, “Are You the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
- Mk 14⁶²“I am,” said Jesus, “and all of you^[o] will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
- Mk 14⁶⁴You have heard the blasphemy! What is your decision?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.
- Then he was beaten and mocked
- Lent Day 30 – Mocked and Beaten
- Lent Day 31 – Courts and Trials
- Mk 14:66-72 Peter’s denial
- Mk 14⁶⁶While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s servants came.
- ONE- Mk 14⁶⁸But he denied it: “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about!” Then he went out to the entryway, and a rooster crowed.^[r]
- TWO – Mk 14⁷⁰But again he denied it.
- THREE – Mk 14⁷¹Then he started to curse^[t] and to swear with an oath, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”
- Cock Crowed
- Peter wept
- Lent Day 16 – Dear Peter

More discussion about these stories in Mindfully Meditating in Matthew 26

A good place to see the four gospels compared is from Synoptic Gospel Parallels.

Mindful Meditating

choose a verse,
set a timer for 5 minutes, or whatever works for you.
example: Mark 14:36
repeat to yourself, and at each word, enunciate the next word in the sentence starting with the first word…

example:

Mk 14:36 Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
NEVERTHELESS, not what I will, but what YOU will.
Nevertheless, NOT what I will, but what You will.
Nevertheless, not WHAT I will, but what You will.
Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.

and so on. This will cause you to look at the verse more intently, and may have you memorize it before your five minutes are done.

Songs for Meditation

Broken and Spilled out – Steve Green

This is the Kingdom – Elevation Worship

We Declare that the Kingdom of God is Here – Ron Kenoly

Coloring – I use coloring to help me focus on the fullness of a verse.

Mark Coloring page – Ministry to Children – simple enough to finish in an hour or less

Last Supper Coloring Page – ColoringHome

Quick Questions – if you have time, or to think about over the course of the day, and jot down thoughts later. Some thoughts to dig deeper.

What did the woman spilling all of her expensive oil represent?
1. Got Questions brings together all four gospels to discuss this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Ministries
Obed’s House Ministries
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.

Lent Day 20 – The True Vine

Image by Felix Wolf from Pixabay

Lent Devotions
Lent Week Three – for Catch up.
Lent Week Four started March 5, 2018, March 23, 2019, and Feb 22, 2023

Lent Day Twenty
The True Vine

Music

You are the Vine – True Vine Music

Scripture Passage

John 15:1-19

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. ²Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.

Devotion

Actually, we are going to discuss John 15:1-19.

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper.
⁵“I am the vine; you are the branches.
- Jesus is speaking, so HE is the true vine.
²Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.
⁸My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be^[a] My disciples.
- Branches are to produce fruit
⁴Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
⁵…The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.
- Branches need to remain in the Vine
²Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes,
⁶If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
- Not remaining in Him is disastrous.
⁴Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
⁷If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.
- There are benefits to remaining in the Vine

How do we ‘get into’ the vine?

Romans 11: ¹⁷But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root^[b] of the olive tree, ¹⁸do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. ²¹For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

Romans 11: ²²Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Romans 11:²⁴For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

Yes, the Romans passages are talking about an olive tree, and the John passage is talking about a Vine, but I believe they are talking about the same concept.

There were those that were part of the Vine/Tree.
The disobeyed/unbelief
The vinedresser, husbandman found other healthy branches
They were grafted in

Now – just as in the John passage, if you don’t remain in the Vine you will be cut out, there is the warning to these branches that if they, the grafts, were to fall into unbelief, they would not be spared the outcome of the natural branches.

Once we are engrafted into the Vine or tree, it is our responsibility to remain in the vine/tree. IT IS OUR CHOICE!

How do we remain in the Vine?

In yesterday’s Lent, Day 19, we looked at how believing was a condition for receiving the Spirit of Truth.

Romans 11:²⁰That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith.

In The Itty Bitty Bible Study Ephesians 2, I talk about how

Ephesians 2⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.

This bears repeating:

Romans 11: ²²Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

We are IN the Vine/Tree because of God’s grace!

We love because HE first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Lent Day 19 talks about how we show our love to God – John 14 ¹⁵“If you love me, keep my commands.

And then, we produce much fruit. John 15⁸My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be^[a] My disciples.

Matthew 13²³But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We have been given the opportunity to be engrafted into the Vine, by grace through faith so that we can do good works and produce much fruit. It’s up to us to stay there – to remain – to abide.

There’s one more point – but I don’t know how to make it fit into this devotion. I do want to point it out. Jesus says:

John 15 ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

YOU ARE ALREADY CLEAN because of the word I have spoken to you!

Ephesians 5:²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶to make her holy, cleansing^[a] her by the washing with water through the word,²⁷and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

This says that husbands should follow Christ’s example, loving the church, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word. If there’s no earthly husband, we have the heavenly Bridegroom that will still wash us, as we go to Him in prayer and study.

Let’s stay engrafted!

Let’s stay clean!

Worship

I am the Vine – ILP Music

Remain in Me, I am the Vine – Steve Angrisano

~~~~~~~

Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Ministries
Obed’s House Ministries
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.

Lent Day 19 – Promise of a Comforter

Lent Devotions
Lent Week Three – for Catch up.
Lent Week Four started March 5, 2018 and March 23, 2019

Lent Day Nineteen
The Promise of a Comforter

Music

Come Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove – First Congregational Church of LA

Scripture

John 14:15-31
¹⁵If ye love me, keep my commandments.
¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
¹⁷Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
¹⁸I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

white dove with an olive branch in it's mouth

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Devotion

This week we looked at
on Monday, Mansions
Then, The WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.
Tuesday, we looked at THE WAY.
Wednesday, we looked at the TRUTH.
Thursday, we looked at THE LIFE.

But today, we are jumping back to the original plan, and talking about the Promise of a Comforter.

Passage

John 14:15-31
¹⁵If ye love me, keep my commandments.
¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
¹⁷Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
¹⁸I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

First, we need to look at

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

The whole reason for this chapter is that Jesus doesn’t want the disciples hearts to be troubled. He says “LET NOT your hearts be troubled:”

There is something we can do to let not our hearts be troubled – and that is “ye believe in God, believe also in me.”

For us to be comforted, we must do something – BELIEVE!

John 14:1 HCSB – Your heart must not be troubled. Believe^[a] in God; believe also in Me.

“Let” is a verb.

“must not be” is a state of being.

The command is BELIEVE in God, BELIEVE also in Me.

We must believe in order to receive, and I’m not talking about “name it claim it” stuff…I’m talking about the fact that

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 ⁶But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

This gift is to BELIEVERS. Those who chose to live their life by FAITH.

The beginning of our passage is this:

John 14¹⁵If ye love me, keep my commandments.

New Living Translation says it “If you love me, obey my commandments.

Every other version I looked at through www.BibleHub.com said Commandments.

What are the commands of Christ?

We could say the Beatitudes – but I think he was describing character qualities to aim for in the Sermon on the Mount.

Then what?

That brings us back to

John 14:1 Amplified
“Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.

Doesn’t that fit? heart, soul, mind and strength – LOVE – and this being the main outcome of BELIEVING. These are the commands of Christ that I can absolutely say.

There are other things, like telling us to believe. But, he said it. If you love me, keep my commands. So, by faith – we are to love and believe. Yet, there is a condition for the promise:

John 14:1 Believe in, God believe also in me.
John 14:¹⁵If ye love me, keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, ….

Does this “commandments” get repeated?

John 14:²¹He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 14:²³Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

We’ve agreed that the commandments are His great commandments given in Mark 12:30-31 (above). And the promise is that if we keep his commandments, He will send a comforter (vs 16, 17,26 ), He will come to us ( vs 18,21,23,), we shall live (vs 19), have His words brought to our remembrance ( vs 26) and PEACE (vs 27).

John 14:¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; ¹⁷Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Who or What is this Spirit of Truth?

THE MYSTERY

John 14:¹⁷Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 14: ¹⁸I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

John 14:²⁰At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

John 14:²³Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Jesus is hinting at the Triunity of God. Father, Son of Man/Son of God are spoken of in John 14:20 – and a comforter is mentioned in John 14:16.

The Spirit of Truth is part of the Godhead – but that’s another study. GotQuestions discusses the personhood of the Holy Spirit as God in great detail.

So assuming that the Holy Spirit is God – John 14:17 says He dwells with us and in this time, shall be IN us.

Who comes to live in us? THE GODHEAD!

Colossians 2:⁹For in him(Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

In Christ, dwells all the fulness of the Godhead – we know that.

Colossians 2:¹⁰And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

It is NOT unthinkable that the fullness of the Godhead dwells in us through the redeeming work of Christ, and our faith (belief) in Him.

A cool thing is that the power of the Godhead is the very power that existed in the beginning and created everything – CREATION POWER LIVES IN US!

Genesis1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 1:²And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Colossians 1¹⁵The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

What are some of the promises that come as comforts? I’m defining comfort as the freedom from fear.

verse 17 Spirit of Truth – freedom from lies
verse 19 Live eternally – freedom from fear of death
verse 26 Teach all things – freedom from spiritual ignorance
verse 26 bring remembrance – Proverbs 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. – freedom from power of Sin
verse 27 Peace – freedom from fear

Got Questions discusses what the Holy Spirit does – it’s A LOT. HE is a great gift!

The comforter, or The Comforter or The Spirit of Truth. The Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity. The gift is that He will dwell in us and help us, guide us, comfort us and protect us and lead us

Ephesians 4:13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

I wrote about the differences between the works of the flesh and the works of the Spirit in Itty Bitty Bible Study Ephesians 2.

Worship
Come Holy Spirit, Fall Afresh on Me – Maranatha Singers

Spirit Song – Edwin Hatch

Spirit of Our Living God, Fall afresh on Me – Marble Church

Spirit of the Living God – Vertical Worship

Where the Spirit of the Lord is – Hillsong Worship

~~~~~~~

Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Ministries
Obed’s House Ministries
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.

2019 Lent Day 20 – the Way, the Truth, THE LIFE

Lent Devotions
Lent Week Three – for Catch up.
Lent Week Four started March 5, 2018 and March 23, 2019

Lent Day Twenty
The Way, the Truth & The Life John 14:5-14

Music
You are Life by Hillsong

Devotion
The WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.
Tuesday, we looked at THE WAY.
Wednesday, we looked at the TRUTH.
Today, we will look at THE LIFE.

Pastor John Piper has a great sermon about the Life God gives us.

Here is his Easter sermon from 1984, talking about God giving you life in your mortal bodies.

I want to look at Jesus IS THE LIFE.

From BlueLetter Bible, the Outline of the Biblical Usage of this word is this:

life
the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate
every living soul
life
of the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through him both to the hypostatic “logos” and to Christ in whom the “logos” put on human nature
life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.

Websters has these choices:
1a : the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body
c : an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism (see METABOLISM sense 1), growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction
4 : spiritual existence transcending (see TRANSCEND sense 1c) physical death
5a : the period from birth to death

There are 20 entries!
My summary:
Life is being able for growth, reaction to stimuli and reproduction in a human.
Life is a spiritual transcendance of a human and the very nature of God
This is my favorite definition:

life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.

To discuss how Jesus is LIFE, we need to find out where death came from!
Genesis 1

Genesis 1 King James Version (KJV)
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Before God created man, He created, period!

Light
Firmament of Heaven divided from Earth
Dry land separated from water, plants – first evidence of life
Sun, Moon, Stars – Day and Night
Water Creatures
Land creatures and Man

There are various creation theologies.
Back to John Pipers ministry, they provide Creation Theology in 12 points.
Here is a very deep explanation of Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 from Answers in Genesis.
The theological term is creatio ex nihilo, the Latin for “from nothing”.

This is the theological position I believe.
and here’s a few verses to back my belief up, though others will have verses that back up their theology.

Hebrews 11:3 King James Version (KJV)
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

John 1:3 King James Version (KJV)
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Why do I believe this?
1. In the Beginning – God.
Out of His creative character, and because only HE can create matter(First Law of Thermodynamics and the Law of Conservation of Mass Energy) God Created.
Nothing was made without him is the rephrasing of without him was not anything made that was made.
2. God is eternal, therefore, within Him resides ETERNAL life. Ps 90 All About God – Eternal God.
3.All beings with a spirit are Eternal or Immortal, but only God is without beginning or end. Daniel 12:2-3, All About God’s writing about is the Human soul mortal or immortal?
4. The order of Creation sets up the stage for LIFE on earth!
5. Man was not alive until God breathed life into him. Genesis 2:7
6. In the midst of the Garden there was a tree of life.
7. In the midst of the Garden there was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:9

What happened? SIN
I’ve written about Adam and Eve on many instances, but my favorite is An Inconvenient Truth.

Short story:
Eve listened to the Serpent
Adam listened to Eve
God found out.
animal had to be killed to pay the price so they would not have to die.
At that point, death entered the world.
Cain killing Abel was the first murder.
and it goes down hill from there…
UNTIL

Jesus is born.
Eve had been given a promise.

Genesis 2:15
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

They did not have to suffer physical death instantly as the judgement of their disobedience demanded, but something had to. A sacrificial animal. The precursor to Jesus Christ, the sacrificial Lamb.
Here’s where you can learn more:

I am that I am – a statement of Life, complete existence in Himself – THIS IS THE FIRST NAME GOD GAVE HIMSELF.

Only HE who HAS can give to he who has not.

John 10:10 King James Version (KJV)
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Back to Genesis –

Genesis 3
22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Because of the disobedience, they were driven out of Paradise.
They were forbidden to eat of the Tree of Life!
We are in the midst of a study called Freedom created by The Church of the Highlands. I highly recommend it, to get a new and fresh look at the Trees from the Garden.

To eat of the Tree of Life would have meant that they would forever live in their sin. God prevented that.

Jesus is the Rod of Jesse – like a tree. Is 11:1-2
Jesus is the Branch – like a tree. Zech 6:12
Jesus is the Vine – a plant. John 15
Hebrews 11:17-24 talks about being grafted into the tree of the family of God.
Romans 6 talks about being dead to sin and alive to Christ.

When we are saved, the old man dies – the death payment for our sins, and the new man comes alive – the Life bestowed upon us for being IN CHRIST!

Acts 17:28 New International Version (NIV)
28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[b]

The interesting thing here is that Paul is talking to the people of Athens – and is quoting their own poet, who was speaking of THE UNKNOWN GOD. They knew there was some power that was in everything – and Paul declares Him as the God of Creation, who sent His son so that we could KNOW HIM!

Jesus broke down the walls that separated us from the Tree of Life!
In Jesus, WE HAVE LIFE!

That is worth celebrating!

Worship
I am the Vine by John Michael Talbot
Now my Lifesong Sings by Casting Crowns
LifeSong by Casting Crowns
In Him We Live and Move and Have our Being

~~~~~~~

Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Ministries
Obed’s House Ministries
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.

2019 Lent Day 19 – The Way, THE TRUTH, The Life

Lent Devotions
Lent Week Three – for Catch up.
Lent Week Four started March 5, 2018

Lent Day Nineteen
The Way, the Truth & The Life John 14:5-14

Music
Song of Truth by Mark Shelton & Jonathan Malone

Scripture
John 14:6 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Devotion
The WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.
Yesterday, we looked at THE WAY.
Today, we’re going to look at the TRUTH.

Jesus says he is the TRUTH, but what is truth?

From Websters Dictionary
Definition of truth (Entry 1 of 2)
1a(1) : the body of real things, events, and facts : ACTUALITY
(2) : the state of being the case : FACT
(3) often capitalized : a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality
b : a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true
truths of thermodynamics
c : the body of true statements and propositions
2a: the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality
b chiefly British : TRUE sense 2
c : fidelity to an original or to a standard
3a : sincerity in action, character, and utterance
b archaic : FIDELITY, CONSTANCY

Blueletter Bible explains the Biblical usage in this outline
objectively

what is true in any matter under consideration
truly, in truth, according to truth
of a truth, in reality, in fact, certainly
what is true in things appertaining to God and the duties of man, moral and religious truth
in the greatest latitude
the true notions of God which are open to human reason without his supernatural intervention
the truth as taught in the Christian religion, respecting God and the execution of his purposes through Christ, and respecting the duties of man, opposing alike to the superstitions of the Gentiles and the inventions of the Jews, and the corrupt opinions and precepts of false teachers even among Christians

Strongs G225 simplified says this:
I. objectively;
1. universally, what is true in any matter under consideration (opposed to what is feigned, fictitious, false):

John 1:14 & 17 says

John 1:14-17 King James Version (KJV)
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

- - Jesus says He is the Truth.
  - John describes Him as bringing Truth.
  - The Religious leaders told him that he taught the truth in Mt 22:16, Mk 12:14, and Luke 20:21.
  - Jesus tells us that
    
    John 8:32 King James Version (KJV)
    32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
  - Jesus says we should do truth in John 3:21
  - Jesus says we need to worship God in Spirit and in Truth in John 4:24
  - Jesus prays about us being sanctified by the truth in John 17:17
    
    John 17:17 King James Version (KJV)
    17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
  - Jesus says to the Father – THY word is TRUTH!

Is Truth a Who? What? How?

Thing or Action – Our Salvation

Ephesians 1:13 King James Version (KJV)
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Action – Our responsibility to obey – Galatians 3:1 and 5:7

Thing – Part of our Armor! Loins girt about with Truth! Eph 6:14

Person or Character – God is not a liar – therefore God is true: – Titus 1:2, Heb 6:18 and

Numbers 23:19 King James Version (KJV)
19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

In fact, Hebrews 6:18 says that it is an immutable thing…God cannot lie! Part of His Character!

Person – Jesus promises a comforter…the Spirit of Truth! John 15:26,

John 14:17 King James Version (KJV)
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Person – The Spirit of Truth is our Teacher.

John 16:13 King James Version (KJV)
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Who is this comforter? The Holy Spirit, the third person in the God head! For more info on the Tri-unity of God, Lent Day 7

Jesus is the Truth
God’s Word is True.
Jesus is the Word.
We are sanctified by the Word.
Jesus is God
God cannot lie.
The Holy Spirit is God.
The Holy Spirit is Truth
The Holy Spirit is the comforter that Jesus sends back to teach us all things of TRUTH!

What are the “doing” parts?
Part One – teachings – The Holy Spirit is guiding us into all truth…because Jesus promised that

John 8:32 King James Version (KJV)
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Part Two – actions

So that we can gird our loins with TRUTH.
So that we will not be deceived by the enemy.
So that we will be set free from the lies that surround us.

How can this be a concept, a person, thing and an action at the same time?

By Faith, we Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ – TRUTH as a person.
God’s heart is that all will come to the knowledge of truth – 1 Tim 2:4 – TRUTH as a concept to be taught.
We are told to obey the truth in Galatians – TRUTH as a concept and action.
We are told to gird our loins with TRUTH – TRUTH as a noun

God is only known in spirit and in truth. He is OTHER. This is a whole study unto itself. The thing is, that we believe it because God said it, and we trust His Words. It is because HE is. It is by faith, through grace.

Ephesians 2:8 King James Version (KJV)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Romans 10:9 King James Version (KJV)
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

The opposite of truth is deceit.
I don’t want to list these verses, and fill up this blog, but, for further study, here is a list of scriptures about deceit from Bible Study Tools.

Colossians 3:9-10 King James Version (KJV)
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Deceit is part of the old man – the man without the resurrection power of Jesus Christ in their lives.
Remember, we are known by our fruit!

Jesus is the TRUTH – and by allowing him to enter into our lives, and make us new, set free from the old man, we are back in relationship with the God who Is TRUE, and we can be filled with the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will guide us into all truth!

In that light, we can
Psalm 37:3-6 King James Version (KJV)
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Truth is God, Godly and Godliness.
For more – Itty Bitty Bible Study Titus Ambassadors

Worship
Voice of Truth
Stronger by Hillsong

Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Ministries
Obed’s House Ministries
Project Based Missions, Global
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.
Compassion

2018 Lent Day 18 – 3/6 – THE WAY, The Truth & The Life

Lent Devotions
Lent Week Three – for Catch up.
Lent Week Four started March 5, 2018

Lent Day Eighteen
The Way, the Truth & The Life John 14:5-14

Music
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life

Scripture
John 14:6 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Devotion
The WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.

THE WAY
It really starts with verse 1:

John 14:1-14 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
The Way to the Father
14 “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.
2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you.
3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.
4 You know the way to where I am going.”
5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jesus was trying to comfort them….”let not your heart be troubled”.

HOW?
“Believe in God, believe also in me.”
In Lent Day Eight, we discussed how he placed the choice before them…that HE cried out, and almost begs them to choose Him!
It is the basis of our salvation – Acts 16:31 – to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved!

He tells them that he is going to prepare a place for them…as I wrote about in Day Seventeen, Many Mansions.

Dear Thomas, so honest and transparent…”we don’t know where you’re going…how can we know the way!”

In lent Day Seven, we discussed the Tri-unity of God – His unity in plurality. Here, Jesus reminds them that He and the Father are one, as he stated in John 10:30.

This is NEW to the Jewish religion – that God is One in Three.
Here is a quote from Day Seven:

In the beginning God spoke let there be light.(Genesis 1) God’s voice is the source of creation – The Father

In the Beginning – the spirit hovered over the face of the waters – The Holy Spirit.

In the Beginning was the word and the Word was God and the Word was with God – Jesus (John 1) All things were created through Him,
and apart from Him not one thing was created
that has been created.

We know that God’s voice spoke words. We know that the word of God is Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus Christ was part of the creative power in the beginning. We know that God moves upon water as The Holy Spirit, in the beginning. We have a Triune God to manifest himself in Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Three distinct personalities in one complete person. Several times, when God speaks, the fullness of the Godhead is displayed.

~~~~Theology of the Trinity on Wikipedia, Answers in Genesis, Desiring God, and possibly my favorite – The Gospel Coalition~~~~

The WAY is to believe in the fullness of the Godhead! And, Jesus prepared the way for us, through His death, burial and resurrection! If you have questions on that concept, there are links in my signature!

Worship & Praise
What a Savior – Laura Story
One Way – Hillsong

The next few days will be about the Truth and the Life!

Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Ministries
Obed’s House Ministries
Project Based Missions, Global
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.
Compassion

HE IS RISEN – a Resurrection Message from me

I’m not sure how this will work, but I want to try to share a message with you that the Lord gave me this morning as I was preparing for a sunrise Bible study on my porch.

https://www.facebook.com/mary.wildman.733/videos/2044181839136970/

For worship, music, and prayers – Please go to my Easter post – and rejoice with me!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Ministries
Obed’s House Ministries
Project Based Missions, Global
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.
Compassion

RESURRECTION SUNDAY! HE IS RISEN! 4/1

He is risen INDEED!

I cannot do more than share scripture and to Sing Praise! Hallelujah! I do have a video message to share He Is Risen

THE LIGHT HAS COME BACK INTO THE WORLD! DEATH COULD NOT HOLD HIM!

My traditional Resurrection Sunday:

My Now Resurrection Celebration!

In Christ Alone – Worship Video
Up From the Grave He Arose

For Your Pleasure and Worship:
A collection of Resurrection Scriptures from Bible Study Tools!
My Easter YouTube Channel

Jesus Rainbow – a gift to you!

Jesus Rainbow Poem

Let’s worship!

Luke 24:1-12 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)Resurrection Morning
24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they[a] came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. 5 So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground.[b]

“Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. 6 “He is not here, but He has been resurrected! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’?” 8 And they remembered His words.

9 Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. 10 Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them were telling the apostles these things. 11 But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. When he stooped to look in, he saw only the linen cloths.[c] So he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Let’s Sing Praise!

John 20:11-18 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord
11 But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus’ body had been lying. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus.

15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve removed Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.”

16 Jesus said, “Mary.”

Turning around, she said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!”[a]—which means “Teacher.”

17 “Don’t cling to Me,” Jesus told her, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father—to My God and your God.”

18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what[b] He had said to her.

I’ve just seen Jesus – Sandi Patty and Larnelle Harris

Devotion
Phyllis Sather shares a John Piper Sermon on The Most Spectacular Sin Ever Committed. WOW! You can read more from Phyllis at Write the Vision.

My Friend Patty Hessler Scott shares some very inspiring thoughts about Good Friday – Please take a listen. You can see more of Patty at Hearts Homeward.

Early Sunday morning, God spoke to me as I prepared for my own sunrise service at home. He Is Risen!

This year, the Resurrection Sunday occurs very close to the Jewish Celebration of Passover…similar to the year Christ was crucified. I explained the Sabbaths surrounding Christ’s death on Maundy Thursday. In honor of the Jewish roots of our Resurrection Sunday – here’s a bit of Jewish flavor!

Yeshua – Messianic Passover Song!
Yeshua HaMashia

You can Print this off to color!

Let’s Rejoice!

God was not surprised…He had a plan!
He was born to Die – Shane and Shane

There is purpose for all ofus!
If that isn’t Love – the Nelsons

If you have never had the Risen Christ come into your life and make you new….PLEASE check out these links!
Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation

And then, you can join in with this song, and KNOW that it is REAL for YOUR!
It is Well With My soul – Worship Video

THIS IS CHRISTIANITY! THIS IS SALVATION! THIS IS JOY UNSPEAKABLE!
That My God would die for me, while I was yet a sinner.
And He did the same for you, and you, and YOU, and YOU!

May You be filled with Jesus Christ today!
Because He Lives – Matt Maher
He Lives – Chris Tomlin

He Is Risen!
He is Risen, Indeed!

I Serve a Risen Savior – Adam Jackson

In Christ I Rise!
Resurrection Power – Chris Tomlin

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Ministries
Obed’s House Ministries
Project Based Missions, Global
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.
Compassion

The Wildberry Patch

Be Engrafted into the VINE to produce Eternal Fruit

Category Archives: LENT

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