2018 Lent Day Nine – Judas’ betrayal – 3-3-2023

Lent Devotions
Lent Week Two
We have created a facebook group to follow and discuss, please join! – 40 days of Lent!

Lent Day Nine
Are you a Judas?

MUSIC –
Hymns Mash Up by anthem Lights

Scripture:

Luke 22 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
The Plot to Kill Jesus
22 The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called Passover, was drawing near. 2 The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Him to death, because they were afraid of the people.

3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was numbered among the Twelve. 4 He went away and discussed with the chief priests and temple police how he could hand Him over to them. 5 They were glad and agreed to give him silver.[a] 6 So he accepted the offer and started looking for a good opportunity to betray Him to them when the crowd was not present.

Matthew 26:14-16 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
14 Then one of the Twelve—the man called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” So they weighed out 30 pieces of silver for him. 16 And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray Him.

Mark 14:10-11

Devotion
This comes after the woman anointing Jesus.

Mark 14:4-5 (HCSB)
4 But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this fragrant oil been wasted? 5 For this oil might have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor.” And they began to scold her.

Matthew 26:8-9(HCSB)
8 When the disciples saw it, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor.”

Matthew 26:14(HSCB) Then one of the Twelve—the man called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests

John calls out Judas:

John 12:4-6 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
4 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray Him), said, 5 “Why wasn’t this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii[a] and given to the poor?” 6 He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.

Here’s an interesting picture of Judas.
He’s known to be a thief…and he’s put in charge of the money bag.
Was Jesus surprised? NO!

John 6:70-71 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
70 Jesus replied to them, “Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is the Devil!” 71 He was referring to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son,[a][b] one of the Twelve, because he was going to betray Him.

Satan entered Judas…how does that happen?
In studying Romans, I’ve watched a teaching by Tommy Nelson, Romans, the letter that changed the world. In Romans 3, he points out the progression of the clean man to devolve into the degenerate man.

Romans 3 HCSB
The Whole World Guilty before God(PROGRESSION OF DEGENERATION – note and emphasis mine)
9 What then? Are we any better? Not at all! For we have previously charged that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin,

(ESTATE OF MAN)
10 as it is written:
There is no one righteous, not even one.
(EXTENT OF SIN-MIND, WILL AND HEART)
11 There is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
(EFFECT OF SIN – WHOLE BODY IS CURSED)
12 All have turned away;(FEET)
all alike have become useless.
There is no one who does what is good,(HANDS)
not even one.
(EXPRESSION OF SIN)
13 Their throat is an open grave;
they deceive with their tongues.
Vipers’ venom is under their lips.
14 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and wretchedness are in their paths,
17 and the path of peace they have not known.
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Another part of this goes with Romans 1 – another progression into degeneration:
Romans 1:18-32

The keys in both are these:

Romans 1:21 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened.

Romans 3:18 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.[a]

I don’t believe that Judas was aware of the progression going on in his heart…but Jesus was.

Adam and Eve – did Eve realize that her heart had gone from fully relying on God…to listening to the enemy? Genesis 3
Cain – God gave him the opportunity Genesis 4
Samson – didn’t even realise that the Spirit of God had left him….Judges 13
Ananias was asked by Peter -what has gotten into you? Acts 5

Jesus KNEW that we would be tempted…JESUS KNOWS that we have a tendency to fall backwards if we are not specifically choosing to move forwards.
We just completed a series preached by Pastor Jimmy Knott on Spiritual Growth.
Pastor Jimmy’s Ministry Page
I wish I could make available to you the booklet he and his wife created for figuring out why we are stuck in our walks, what we need to do to get unstuck, and how to MOVE FORWARD in our Spiritual Walk with Jesus.
He explained that we grow on a spiritual continuum – from

Exploring Christ(Seeking) to
Growing in Christ(Little Children) to
Close to Christ(Young Adults) and onto
Christ Centered (Spiritual Fathers and Mothers).

Yes, we move forward, slip back, move between areas…but the movement must be forward, or, we actually we are slipping backward.
Bill Owens – We know that, when it comes to technology and the economy, if you’re not constantly moving forward, then – without a doubt – you’re moving backwards.

Gorbachev – “If you don’t move forward, sooner or later you begin to move backward.”

The progression in Romans 1 & 3 would confirm these quotes.

Jesus pled with the disciples at Gethsemane to Watch and Pray that they not fall into temptation! Matthew 26:41
Jesus told Peter that Satan had a target on his back! Luke 22:321
Paul wrote much about being aware of the enemy’s schemes.

I think the point I take from today’s study is that we have to be watching out to whom we are listening. We’ve looked at making sure we hear God’s voice, and making sure we respond with a yes. Judas had Jesus RIGHT THERE WITH HIM and somehow he got lost in the money.
There’s two more parts to Judas’s story – the betrayal, and then, his total despair ending in suicide. From a trusted disciple, sent out with power to heal, and whose feet were washed by Jesus, to the betrayer of the Lord of Light and Life, to a victim of his own suicide. A sad progression.

Listening to the enemy is death.
It’s what happened to Adam and Eve, they began to die, and an animal had to be slain on their behalf.
It’s what happened to Cain and Abel – Abel dead, and Cain sent away.
It’s what happened to Ananias and Saphira – both struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit.

Even worse, it’s what happened to Samson – not even knowing the Spirit had left him – and his life was destroyed. I do not ever want to be so blind that I don’t even notice that the Spirit of God is no longer with me!

Proverbs 4:18-19 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
18 The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
shining brighter and brighter until midday.
19 But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom;
they don’t know what makes them stumble.

Jesus begs us to believe in The Light – as I wrote in Lent day Eight.
Jesus doesn’t want us to stumble, and fall, and die.

Prayer and Worship
Come Thou Fount – by Chris Rice

~~~~~~~

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.

2018 Lent Day Eight – 3/2/2023

Lent Devotions
Lent Week Two
We have created a facebook group to follow and discuss, please join! – 40 days of Lent!

Lent Day Eight
Believe or Not, that is the Question

Music:
I hear Jesus Calling – F. C. Barnes and company
Jesus is Calling – Elevation Worship

Scripture:
John 12:35-50

verses 35-36
35 Jesus answered, “The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light.”

then verses 44-30
44 Then Jesus cried out, “The one who believes in Me believes not in Me, but in Him who sent Me. 45 And the one who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me would not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears My words and doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects Me and doesn’t accept My sayings has this as his judge:[f] The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a command as to what I should say and what I should speak. 50 I know that His command is eternal life. So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”

Devotion
Jesus IS the LIGHT!

John 1:4 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
4 Life was in Him,[a]
and that life was the light of men.

John 3:19 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
19 “This, then, is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

John 8:12 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
The Light of the World
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

In John 12:42-43 we read

42 Nevertheless, many did believe in Him even among the rulers, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, so they would not be banned from the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

John later clarifies this

1 John 1:6 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
6 If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing[a] the truth.

Yesterday, Lent Day Seven, we talked about having ears to hear, and at the end of that post, I stated that a response is expected.

A year ago, I was going through the FIRST verse of Psalm 23 to declare that THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD. This is David’s RESPONSE! He wrote Psalm 23!

From John 12:35-50

35 Jesus answered, “The light will be with you only a little longer.
Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going.
36 While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light.”

Jesus tells them what response is necessary to BECOME SONS OF LIGHT!

Jesus CRIES OUT!

44 Then Jesus cried out, “The one who believes in Me believes not in Me, but in Him who sent Me.
45 And the one who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.
46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me would not remain in darkness.

It’s as if the heart of Christ is breaking as He pleads with us to believe!

Continuing from yesterday’s post on hearing, God WANTS us to HEAR!

Psalm 81:11-13

Micah 6:1-5

Luke 16:31 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”

It is crucial to hear – and then to make a choice.

Joshua 24:15 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
15 But if it doesn’t please you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh.”

IT IS A CHOICE!

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
15 See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.

17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow down to other gods and worship them,
18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not live long in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan.

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,
20 love the Lord your God, obey Him, and remain faithful[c] to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

OUR choice is between Life and Death – Blessing and Curse – life and prosperity, death and adversity. OUR Choice effects not only ourselves, but our descendants – it provides a foundation for their choice!

BELIEVE!

Acts 16:31 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

Our choice AFFECTS THE HOUSEHOLD!

CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH

Romans 10:9-10 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

For more specifics on how to make a choice FOR Life which is the LIGHT of men – Jesus Christ, Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
In honor of Billy Graham who just went home to Jesus today, I am also providing his version of the Plan of salvation

The final piece of today’s passage is from John 12:35-50 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

48 The one who rejects Me and doesn’t accept My sayings has this as his judge: The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
49 For I have not spoken on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a command as to what I should say and what I should speak.
50 I know that His command is eternal life. So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”

We’re back to God speaking – Jesus is His WORD to us. We will not be judged by predestination and election. We will not be judged by who or what we were. We will be judged by the Words that Christ spoke, and I daresay, all of the Words that are contained in the Holy Bible! We will be judged by creation that declares the existence of a creator. We will be judged for whether or not we sought to know him. And, we will be judged by the fact that HE spoke the words, and we chose not to hear, listen, obey or respond. We will be judged on whether we believed or not. There are various quotes in the self help arena. I have no idea of the original author for this one.

Deciding not to decide is a decision in itself.

The thing is, God has made the decision easy for us!
He’s given us the faith!

Matt 17:20, Luke 17:6

Ephesians 2:8-10 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

Hebrews 11 talks of the enormity of this faith! Key verse:

Hebrews 11:6 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.

Hear the Heart Cry of Jesus!

John 12:36 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
36 While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light.” Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them.

Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve!
Choose LIFE – and we know that the life in Jesus is the Light!

John 1:4-5 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
4 Life was in Him,
and that life was the light of men.
5 That light shines in the darkness,
yet the darkness did not overcome[b] it.

CHOOSE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD! Let’s Worship:

All to Jesus I Surrender All – Newsboys
All To Jesus I Surrender – by Casting Crowns

Love Lifted Me – Gaither and Kim Hopper
Your Love lifted Me by Ashmont Hill

~~~~~~~

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.

2018 Lent Day Seven 2/21 The Voice of God 3/1/2023

Lent Devotions
Lent Week Two
We have created a facebook group to follow and discuss, please join! – 40 days of Lent!

Lent Day Seven
The voice of God.

Music
This is My Father’s World by 2nd Chapter of Acts

Animals are trained to respond to voice commands –

Are we?

Scripture:
John 12:20-36

John 12:27-30 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
27 “Now My soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save Me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name!”[a]
Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again!”

29 The crowd standing there heard it and said it was thunder. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him.

30 Jesus responded, “This voice came, not for Me, but for you.

Devotion

When God said something over Jesus, there were some that heard it, some clearly, some as thunder, and some did not. (John 12:27)
When Jesus was baptized some heard thunder, some heard God say “this is my son in whom I am well pleased”(Matt 3:17, Luke 3:22; Mark 1:11 ). Some saw a dove descend.
When Christ was transfigured, and Peter wanted to make tabernacles for Moses and Elijah, God calls out again, and says” This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him. Listen to Him! ” – Matthew 17:5 The disciples heard that and fell on their faces in terror!

Over and over as Jesus was preaching he said “to him who has ears to hear Let Him hear”. Does this mean that God has created some people to be able to hear on other people not to? Is this a designation of predestination and election? Is this saying that only the chosen get to hear, or is this those who have chosen, get to hear?

When God spoke to Moses, Moses said he couldn’t speak and God asked him “who made your tongue?” And Moses didn’t exactly answer!
When Job was spoken to out of the Whirlwind he said “I was speaking but now I won’t.” When Saul was stuck blind on the road to Damascus, he heard the voice saying “Why are you persecuting me?” He heard it so clearly, that he asked Who are you?(Acts 9:5)
These men HEARD the voice of God, and it changed them. Were they chosen or did they have hearts that chose to hear?

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~~~~

GOD SPEAKS TO US! Do we hear?

At creation everything heard the voice of God and responded perfectly. Then sin came into the world and things started to devolve. I completely believe in evolution in the fact that once sin came into the world and when disease and death started happening, things devolved from their original perfection. Creation started being broken and polluted and things didn’t work as they were created to work as they were intended to work. That causes difficulties in the balance of our world. Sin dulls our senses. It mutes our hearing and makes our eyes dim to see and makes us slow to understand.

What makes the difference?
The people standing around Jesus when he was baptized heard different things.
The disciples heard different things when he talked about his upcoming death.
Those at the mount of transfiguration heard and were terrified!
Did they hear different things because some were chosen to hear, and some not?
Or was it because some had wax in their ears?
Some, didn’t have ears to hear at all.

Wax in the ears
I envision the scene in the Shrek movie where Shrek reaches into his ear and pulls out a huge chunk of wax and mold it into a candle to light his dinner table! I’m sure that everyone has had someone in their lives that had to see a doctor because they could not hear, and it was because they had huge build up of wax that was hindering their hearing.

What if we do have wax in our ears and we cannot hear clearly? Does that mean there’s no hope for those with wax in their ears? Absolutely not. What it does mean is that they have a little further to go because they have to cleanse the wax in order that the voice can come through and then the wax does not prevent the washing of the water of the word.

The good thing is that those people actually knew that they heard something and they turned to others and said “we heard a thundering sound, what did you hear?” This is part of the first discipleship program! Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel! If we do have wax in our ears or a waxy coating over our hearts that prevents us to completely hear, we have the opportunity to know that we heard a voice and to seek and to find and to ask those who have heard what they heard and to then apply truth to our lives.

Wax in your ears could be considered the same thing as not cleaning out your heart. An unclean heart separates us from the Father, and deadens our spiritual senses. Some will come to Jesus with a heart that is open and ready and be clean from repentance so that we can receive the creative power of the old being passed away and our own creation made completely new. Others hear something, but they don’t know what they are hearing. It is up to those that can hear to explain it to the others, and to help them to know what was said, and help them to apply the gift of repentance, and clean out their ears so that they can hear the voice of God! To hear that voice and we have to let it wash over us.

Both have to have cleansed their heart(ear = H+ear+T). They HAVE to choose! All are given the call – John 3:16 – but not all choose to hear. All are given the opportunity to recognize there is a God (Romans 2) but not all choose to see.

Wax vs Oil
You put a coating on wood furniture to protect it from water and liquids getting into it. So that the water of disaster such as someone’s spilling something or putting a cup that sweats on this very expensive piece of wood, doesn’t destroy the wood itself.

Wax does prevent the liquids from getting in, it’s cheaper than oil, but it doesn’t actually seep into the wood. Rather, it puts a coating on top of the wood to protect the wood from water damage on the exterior, but it doesn’t nourish the wood. Underneath the wax, the wood becomes dry and brittle and is subject to damage and disease and weakness, which is another aspect of not receiving The Voice or the word.

Oil can be put on wood and nourishes the wood and the oil gives the wood a natural repellent for against water damage. It is more expensive. It needs to be more pure than the wax. We need to use the oil on the wood in order to nourish the wood and then the wood has its own natural repellent against the storms of life. The oil is the Holy Spirit. If wax was placed there first, it has to be removed in order for the oil to penetrate, or there will be NO benefit from putting oil onto the wood. The wax repels the oil.

So the progression is thus:

God the Father speaks, God the Son is the word, God the Holy Spirit is the oil. Our hearts have to hear the voice of God, we need to understand the word of God, and then we need to apply the oil of God so that we can withstand the storms of life. We have to remove the wax from our ears, we have to remove the coating of false protection from our hearts, so that we can hear the voice of God, understand the word of God and apply the Holy Spirit oil which is quickening power. It is God the Father speaking to us, the word of Jesus Christ applied to our hearts that removes the waxy old dead nature and breathes the creative quickening power of the Holy Spirit upon us and we become new creatures able to declare the glory of God.

What about those that CAN’T Hear?
That is too big of a subject for this single blog, but in short, the Bible talks about everyone knowing about the existence of God because of creation(Romans 1:18-22). The puritans believed that Creation preached a gospel that declared 1. The existence of God, 2. The order and design of God, 3. Dignity of self(by wanting to be treated right, naturally), and 4. Conscience (the natural knowledge that to hurt someone is wrong). This ‘bible’ does not lead to salvation, but it does lead to seeking, and everyone is held responsible for this.

Romans 10 explains the salvation issue very clearly. I suggest that you read through the whole chapter!
Here is the verse that speaks to the fact that WE need to speak!

14 But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher?

What this shows is that it is the responsibility of those of us that HAVE HEARD to share the gospel with others, to speak in a language they can understand in love, and plant the seeds, so that if they will, they will become a whosoever that believes in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

Mark 16:15-16 King James Version (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Rescue the perishing – Dallas Christian Adult Concert Choir

You need to be careful what you listen to.
Eve listened to the serpent, Adam listened to Eve – neither one took this counsel back to God for clarification! BOOM! No more paradise!

Some sad examples in our lives:

When a new mother is given a child and she hears the voice of motherhood calling her, and yet it is waxed over by pains and hurts and destruction, she may question whether or not she should have this baby.
When a man hears a voice to love a woman but his heart has been waxed over with derogatory music, videos and pictures, his life is tainted with destruction and abuse.
When a person is flooded with societal notions of perfection they cannot attain, and they have only heard that their worth is based upon these standards, they may choose self harm.

These have been trampled down by life experiences. They have listened to false comforts. They were destroyed by the lies they were listening to and how those false voices drowned out the voice of God that calls us all to Him, and to glorify HIM in our bodies, as well as to be loved, cherished, and cared for JUST AS WE ARE!. They need to be healed, and have the hard ground broken up – Hosea 10:12, just as we did. It’s not easy, it is painful, but it can be done. We must remember to listen to the Voice of Truth! It’s the only healing, life giving, resurrecting voice on our planet!

The Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns

Summary?
Who hears? (Luke 8:4-15; Mark 4:1-20; Matthew 13:1-23)

those with soft hearts – clear ears – good soil
those with so-so hearts – wax in their ears – weedy, rocky soil
those with hard hearts – didn’t or can’t hear – trampled soil

God promises to hear our voice, our cry. God speaks to us – will we listen? Will we hear HIS voice?

Let’s worship!
I heard an old old story(Victory in Jesus) by Guy Penrod
I Love to tell the Story – Alan Jackson
I can Hear my Savior Calling – Dallas Christian Adult Concert Choir

~~~~~~~

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.

2018 Lent Day Six – 2/28/2023

Lent Devotions
Lent Week Two
We have created a facebook group to follow and discuss, please join! – 40 days of Lent!

Lent Day Six
Jesus Weeps

For those Tears I died – The Isaacs

If That Isn’t Love – The Blackwood Brothers Quartet

Scripture

Luke 19:41-44 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Jesus’ Love for Jerusalem
41 As He approached and saw the city, He wept over it, 42 saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come on you when your enemies will build an embankment against you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. 44 They will crush you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Because of the refusal of Jerusalem – the Jews – His chosen people – to receive Him, and for what He knew was about to happen.

The ONE that knew He was going to raise Lazarus – wept.

John 11:35 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
35 Jesus wept.

He joined in the grief of those around him.
In Lazarus’s case, He knew that He was going to raise Him from the dead. Some have said, maybe he felt sorry for having to raise Lazarus – he was in a better place! I don’t know. I do know that He joined in the weeping with Mary and Martha.

His compassion for Jerusalem when they had rejected him is nothing short of Divine! He knew He was going to the cross, at their hands. He knew that He was going to carry the sins of all mankind – and still, His compassion demanded that He Forgive.

Charles Spurgeon said:

A Jesus that never wept could never wipe away my tears.

Our High Priest

Hebrews 4:14-16 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

He is our Advocate – by dying on our cross!

1 John 2:1-2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
2 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One. 2 He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.

1 John 4 – the Love of God – in this whole chapter, but here are a few verses I’ve pulled out:

verse 10-11 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the[d] propitiation for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.

verse 15-16 15 Whoever confesses[g] that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

verse 19 We love because He first loved us.

Tears –
God Hears them –

Psalm 6:8

God is touched by them –

Psalm 9:12

God acknowledges them:

Psalm 34:15 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and His ears are open to their cry for help.

AND
God keeps each one!

Psalm 56:8 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
8 You Yourself have recorded my wanderings.[a]
Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your records?

We are different, from those that don’t choose him-

1 John 3:1 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
3 1 Look at how great a love[a] the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him.

God has bestowed upon us His Love, His compassion, His mercy, His grace.
He weeps over us. There are tears of sadness.
He rejoices over us. Don’t we also have tears of joy?
HE LOVES US! And He loved us while we were yet sinners! Oh what a glorious thought!

One last promise:

Psalm 30:5 weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Because He lives(Amen) – by Matt Maher

We were the reason by David Meece

Because He lives – Guy Penrod

~~~~!~~resources~~!~~

I want these to be family activities – therefore, I am going to attempt to give links to free coloring pages. Unfortunately, I cannot find anything about Jesus Wept.
There are other coloring pages at Lent Week Two
~~~~~~~

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.

Building a Lenten Cross

Christi and I started our plans for the Lenten Cross thinking that we would use some pallet boards that we had in the garage. They are thin, rustic and about 5″ across.

Pallet boards

I knew we would have to do layers to get enough thickness. After looking at the boards, I decided they were too brittle and twisted; we wouldn’t be able to get them into a solid sandwich.

A visit to Lowe’s ensued. My original thought here was to use untreated fence boards. Alas, all they had were treated ones. I knew these would not take stain in a way that would achieve the rugged look we wanted. As I was wandering around, I found a 2x6x8 rough sawn cedar board. Perfect!

The cedar board was a solid 2”x5 1/2” which didn’t look quite right with our original plan.

Since I had plenty we made a first try on the following plan

The first layout

The general plan was to

Rip the board to 4 1/2” (this seemed to fit the votive holders about right)
Make the cross bar from 3, 4 1/2” squares (13 1/2” total)
Make the vertical from 5, 4 1/2” squares (22 1/2” total)
I dado’ed the pieces (a bit too deeply) so they would fit together

In the end, this did not look quite balanced. The cross piece seemed stubby and the top pieces (above the cross piece) was too short.

Comparing perspective.

After some puzzling, we decided to add 1” to each end of the cross piece and 1” to the piece above the cross piece. This made the cross piece 4 1/2” x 15 1/2” and the upright 4 1/2” by 24 1/2”. The top of the cross piece was left at 4 1/2”. I cut new pieces and redid the dado (this time getting it the right depth.)

In the following videos, I grooved the board with a circular saw, then cleaned the dado with a router and a stiff putty knife (bought chisels later). It was a matter of using the tools I had. A ‘better’ way would be to use the table saw with a dado head, or I could have done it all with chisels. The best tool is the one you already have that will get the job done.

Once the dado’s were cut, I put some wood glue in the dado, and used 4 deck screws from the back side. I was careful to keep the screws towards the outside of the center so they would not interfere with the insert for the votives.

Back side of the joint (after staining).

For the votive locations we started by centering them on the beams of the cross. Since the piece above the cross beam was still 4 1/2”, we used 4 1/2” for all the vertical and horizontal spacing. Once the centers of the holes were marked, I used a 5/8” Forstner bit to make an initial hole 3/8” deep. We did not need the votive inserts to be snug fitting. I used a 2 5/8” hole saw to mark the outline of the hole for the router. I just eyeballed the depth. I was concerned about the router splintering the cedar or “running away” as I tried to cut the hole. The hole saw did snag the wood a bit and left a somewhat rough edge, but this was ok with the overall look and feel. Once all the holes were outlined, I set the depth on the router and routed out all the holes.

Hole saw on left. Forstner bit on the right.

Clamps are required to keep it from spinning.Now it was Christi’s turn for the stain. She used a vinegar and steel wool solution to distress the wood. This took only a few minutes to dry (winter is the dry season in Florida). I added 4 plastic furniture skids to the bottom of the cross and it was all done!

The bleed over on the back side is just the vinegar and steel wool stain. The back is unstained. Christi bought the votive candles and holders on Amazon

2018 Lent Day Five- 2/27/2023

Lent Devotions
Lent Week Two
We have created a facebook group to follow and discuss, please join! – 40 days of Lent!

Lent Day 5 – Triumphal Entry!
Songs:
Repeating Last week’s hymns!
King of Kings (Majesty) by Jared Cooper
King of Kings (He’s Wonder) – CeCe Winans

Scripture:

Matthew 21:7-11 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
7 They brought the donkey and the colt; then they laid their robes on them, and He sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their robes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.
9 Then the crowds who went ahead of Him and those who followed kept shouting:

Hosanna to the Son of David!
He who comes in the name
of the Lord is the blessed One![a]
Hosanna in the highest heaven!

10 When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee!”

While I did not understand what it meant for someone to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, those of that day certainly did!

Why Palm Branches?

Wikipedia

The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life originating in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world.

and in ancient Egypt represented immortality.

In Judaism, the lulav, a closed frond of the date palm is part of the festival of Sukkot.

Sukkot is the celebration of the ingathering…like Thanksgiving.

The one mentioned in the Book of Exodus is agricultural in nature—”Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end” (Exodus 34:22)

Also:

As stated in Leviticus, it is also intended as a reminiscence of the type of fragile dwellings in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of travel in the desert after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt.

Triple symbolism.

KING entering into Jerusalem – King of Kings and Lord of Lords…Is 9:6
Ingathering – Jesus came to gather in those that had been waiting for HIS sacrifice! In John 6:25-40 He talks about himself being the bread of life, and the Lord gathering those that are His unto Him.
In Matthew 13:24-30 He talks about the church being a field of wheat – and the harvest.
He also talks about the harvest that we are to be working in – John 4:34-38;Matthew 9:35-38
Temporary Tabernacle – and this one is two parts…first, remembering the tents they lived in during the exodus, and 40 years of wandering(because of sin).
and the temporary tabernacle in which Jesus lived…as God man. Otherwise, he could not die on our behalf.
One can also make this about our bodies being temporary tabernacles for God, and the need to dedicate them to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! 1 Cor 6:19-20; Matthew 26:41

Hosanna – what does that mean?
From Bible Study Tools:

Hosanna [N] [E] [H] [S]
Joyful Aramaic exclamation of praise, apparently specific to the major Jewish religious festivals (especially Passover and Tabernacles) in which the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118) was recited. Originally an appeal for deliverance (Heb. hosia na, Please save Psalm 118:25 ), it came in liturgical usage to serve as an expression of joy and praise for deliverance granted or anticipated. When Jesus came to Jerusalem for his final presentation of himself to Israel, the expression came readily to the lips of the Passover crowds.

Those from whose lips “Hosanna” rose that day seem to have looked on Jesus as God’s anointed one from the house of David of whom the prophets had spoken and through whom they hoped that all their messianic expectations would be fulfilled.

There is more at that page, but the thing is, again, that the people were declaring him as their KING!

The leaders also recognized this!

Luke 19:39-40 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
39 Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
40 He answered, “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out!”

This statement echoes John the Baptist, in Matthew 3:1-12. He’s talking about repentance, and vanity, and false security. It’s not because of your father’s faith – it has to be YOUR faith. The mountains and the hills will sing and clap their hands! Isaiah 55:1-12

Do you have Faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, died on the cross for your sins, rose from the dead and sits on the right hand of the Father? Romans 10

If you have, is there anywhere in your life that you need to shore up your temporary tabernacle – dedicated to glorifying HIM in our bodies?

If you have not, Take a few minutes and read this webpage by All About God, and Salvation.

Let’s worship:
Your are Holy (Prince of Peace )- Michael W Smith
Lord of Lords – Hillsong
King of Kings and Lord of Lords – Don Moen

Jesus triumphal entry –
I want these to be family activities – therefore, I am going to attempt to give links to free coloring pages.

Coloring Home
SuperColoring

~~~~~~~

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 2018 Week Two(2023 dates)

What is LENT? (a link to all of the LENT devotions)
Wikipedia has a very complete explanation for many of the christian denominations that observe LENT.
Short and simple, it’s making oneself prepared through humility to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is the Christian equivalent to Passover for the Jews.
We’ve created a facebook group to follow and discuss, please join us! – 40 days of Lent!

2018 Lent dates – week two(2023 dates)
2/27 – Orthodox Clean Monday

5 – (2/27) Triumphal entry – John 12:12-19; Luke 19:35-40 palm branch
6 – (2/28) Jesus Weeps Luke 19:41-44 tear
7 – (3/1) Voice of God – Listen- John 12:20-36 gold for glory
8 – (3/2) Believe and confess or refuse – John 12:35-50 –
9 – (3/3) Judas’s decision to betray Christ. Luke 22:1-5 piece of silver
10 -(3/4) Upper Room prepared Mk 14:12, Luke 22:7-13 small table?
(3/5) Second of Lent – SUNDAY WORSHIP – REMEMBER THE RESURRECTION “Today in Paradise”

Our Lenten cross in progress.

I want these to be family activities, therefore, I’m going to list a few free coloring page websites here:

~~~~~~~

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.

First Sunday Of Lent 2018

First Sunday of Lent –
If you are doing the Lenten Cross – light all of the candles – because, the light is still in the world.

If just candles – here’s another view:

Lenten Cross Instructions

Lent Week One

We have created a facebook group to follow and discuss, please join! – 40 days of Lent!

Songs
Whiter Than Snow – Joslin Grove Choral Society
White as Snow/Nothing But the Blood -Maranatha Vocal Band

Scripture

Luke 23:34 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
[34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”][a] And they divided His clothes and cast lots.

Devotion
Picture this, Jesus has been beaten, pommeled, actually, nailed to a cross, and he’s dying a horrible, painful, slow tortuous death. What’s the first words out of his mouth?

“Father Forgive them, for they know not what they do!”

In my Itty Bitty Bible Study on Obadiah, I talked about the fact that God DOES judge those that do things against his chosen…even when they are messing up! Jesus hadn’t messed up.

Psalm 105:15 says that we are to not touch the Lord’s annointed.
JESUS IS GOD’S UBER ANOINTED ONE!

Christian Apologetic explains why David did not take too kindly to the Amalekite finishing off Saul!

2 Samuel 1:13-16 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13 David inquired of the young man who had brought him the report, “Where are you from?”
“I’m the son of a foreigner,” he said. “I’m an Amalekite.”
14 David questioned him, “How is it that you were not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”
15 Then David summoned one of his servants and said, “Come here and kill him!” The servant struck him, and he died.
16 For David had said to the Amalekite, “Your blood is on your own head because your own mouth testified against you by saying, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

Saul was David’s bitter enemy! David took killing the Lord’s anointed seriously.

HOW MUCH SO THE GOD OF CREATION WOULD TAKE SERIOUSLY CREATION KILLING HIS OWN SON???
I put out there, that if Jesus had NOT asked God to forgive us, God would have wiped out the whole bunch. There are examples where God did just this! Elijah, Noah, and others. God’s enemies even killed themselves. Jesus was praying for mercy upon those that were playing their part in His death, burial and resurrection.

He was also giving us an amazing lesson in forgiveness!(1 Peter 2:20-23)

Love your enemies

Matthew 5:44-45 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
44 But I tell you, love your enemies[a] and pray for those who[b] persecute you, 45 so that you may be[c] sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Bless them

Luke 6:27-28 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Love Your Enemies
27 “But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (also Romans 12:14)

Forgive them!

Matthew 6:12 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

The Lord’s prayer…it is a double edged sword….

Matthew 6:14-15 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
14 “For if you forgive people their wrongdoing,[a] your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don’t forgive people,[b] your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.[c]

Luke gets a bit more specific:

Luke 6:37 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)Do Not Judge
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Jesus expalined it even moreso with the parable of the unforgiving servant.

Matthew 18:21-35

When Jesus said “Father Forgive them” – He asked for mercy upon all of those of us that were his enemy at that time.
He loved us, while we were yet sinners – enemies of God! (Romans 5:6-8)
He blessed us with redemption – while we were enemies to God!
He Forgave us!
Jesus prevented another flood, like in Noah’s day, by transferring his right to revenge into forgiveness!
To Be Like Jesus is to Forgive, Love and Bless, even our enemies.

Do you need to confess your sins? I do!
Psalm 51

Last year, I was confronted with How Long Bitter! I just re-read that. It fits here as well!

And, WHY did Jesus go to the cross? ME! YOU! – Our sins sent him to the cross. He declares us forgiven! Let’s NEVER forget that!

For worshipful meditation:
Forgiveness – Matthew West(and check out the story behind this on youtube!)
Forgiven – David Crowder
Forgive Us – For King and Country
That’s How you Forgive – Shane and Shane
More than Drops in the Ocean – Hawk Nelson

Tomorrow starts Lent Week Two

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 4 – 2/17 -riding the donkey

Lent Week One

We have created a facebook group to follow and discuss, please join! – 40 days of Lent!

Lent Day 4 – donkey!

King of Kings (Majesty) by Jared Cooper
King of Kings (He’s Wonder) – CeCe Winans

I think everyone knows the childrens Bible song –

King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Glory – Hallelujah 2x
Jesus, Prince of Peace, Glory, Hallelujah – 2x

I could not find an official youtube video – so, for this one, you are on your own!

These songs probably give away the focus on the donkey!

WHY A DONKEY???
quoted from Got Questions – why would a King ride a donkey:

In the ancient Middle Eastern world, leaders rode horses if they rode to war, but donkeys if they came in peace. First Kings 1:33 mentions Solomon riding a donkey on the day he was recognized as the new king of Israel. Other instances of leaders riding donkeys are Judges 5:10; 10:4; 12:14; and 2 Samuel 16:2.
The mention of a donkey in Zechariah 9:9-10 fits the description of a king who would be “righteous and having salvation, gentle.” Rather than riding to conquer, this king would enter in peace.

Jesus did NOT come as a ruling King, but as Prince of Peace – to pay the price to set HIS people free, so that WE could enter in to HIS Kingdom!

Scripture:

Luke 19:28-35 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
The Triumphal Entry
28 When He had said these things, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29 As He approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of the disciples
30 and said, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.
31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 So those who were sent left and found it just as He had told them. 33 As they were untying the young donkey, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the donkey?”
34 “The Lord needs it,” they said.
35 Then they brought it to Jesus, and after throwing their robes on the donkey, they helped Jesus get on it.

Matthew gives us a bit of an explaination:

Matthew 21:4-5 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
4 This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
5 Tell Daughter Zion,
“Look, your King is coming to you,
gentle, and mounted on a donkey,
even on a colt,
the foal of a beast of burden.”[a]

Remember that Jesus had said that he had nothing…foxes have dens but I have no where to lie my head.
But when he was in need of something – it was provided! Without question! Notice that they were told “if you are asked, just say ‘The Lord needs it’ and they will give it to you.” That is exactly how it happened!

I am so thankful for the explanation that Jesus was on a donkey BECAUSE he was a KING coming in PEACE. This was the KING’S triumphal entry. We’ll discuss more of the triumphal entry on Lent day 5(the Monday after Lenten Sunday 1)

He came IN PEACE – not as a warrior.

John 14:27 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Jesus’ Gift of Peace
27 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.

Prince of Peace is WHO HE is – and we can look back to the great Christmas verse to see of what kind of King he was going to come:

Isaiah 9:6-7 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
6 For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on His shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 The dominion will be vast,
and its prosperity will never end.
He will reign on the throne of David
and over his kingdom,
to establish and sustain it
with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.

Christmas is the beginning of the Resurrection Sunday story! He has always been King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but his Kingdom had no citizens – until HE came down, lived as a man, and died as GOD on our behalf – Psalm 68:18 talks about him ascending and taking captives with him. I’m not sure of the theology here, but I think that these captives were the ones that were waiting in Abraham’s bosom for Jesus to come and pay the price – and when he ascended – the work was done, and they were ushered into the presence of GOD!

He is our PEACE – Ephesians 2:14 is talking about reconciling two people groups – but even more so, Christ reconciled us – tore down the dividing wall between US and our HOLY GOD!
He preached Peace to US! Ephesians 2:17

I wrote about Peace in Advent #17. He gives us PEACE because HE IS PEACE!

Our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, entered into the city, knowing that HE was going to purchase OUR Peace with God by dying on a cross. That is worth praising Him for!

Let’s worship:
Your are Holy (Prince of Peace )- Michael W Smith
Lord of Lords – Hillsong
King of Kings and Lord of Lords – Don Moen

I want these to be family activities – therefore, I am going to attempt to give links to free coloring pages. Bible Kinds Fun Zone has a set of Palm Sunday color pages, with a cute donkey! Free to print for your family!

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

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Jonah – Chapter 4 and summary

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!) The conversation ends February 17th.

Jonah 4

Let’s take a look at Jonah – now that God has delivered the repentant Ninevites!

Jonah 4:1-4 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
4: 1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious. 2 He prayed to the Lord: “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to become angry, rich in faithful love, and One who relents from sending disaster. 3 And now, Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 The Lord asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Why is Jonah mad at God?
because he’s merciful,
compassionate,
slow to anger,
rich in faithful love,
relents from sending disaster?

Or is it because he’s embarrassed?

I read several things about Jonah. One was that his parents were killed by Ninevites. I don’t know about that.
The basic temperature of the Jewish people was that they wanted revenge on the Ninevites!
And, if you want revenge, you won’t appreciate mercy!

I was asked by someone recently if I had forgiven my abuser.
I said yes.
I was then asked, do you want them in heaven?
I said – YES…that’s the fullness of forgiveness! That’s forgiving as Christ forgave!
She was one that had been abused.
She confessed that she had no desire to pray for her abuser to be in heaven.
She also confessed that I had changed her opinion, or at least, made her think about it.

Let’s look at that.
What was I when Jesus died on the cross?
wicked, horrible ungodly sinner that had no desire to honor God in my heart.

What was I before Jesus came to die on the cross?
same

What was I before I asked Jesus into my heart?
same

Is my sin so much worse than that of my abuser?
I don’t think so.
And, there is a very convicting verse, at least, it’s convicting for me:
Matthew 6:15
No matter what version you read this in, the message is the same. If you want forgiveness – you have to forgive!

The Lord’s prayer says forgive us our trespasses AS WE FORGIVE those that trespass against us! well, that as word….I want to have as much forgiveness as is possible…and therefore, I do not want to withhold any from anyone.

And yet, I do.
my husband – sometimes.
my friends – sometimes.
myself – many many, many times…but I’m not sure how that fits in here.

Jonah did not like that God forgave…and I wonder if Jonah had forgiven.
If it was embarrassment, that, itself, would be an issue that would need to be reflected upon!

Next, Jonah goes off in a huff.

Jonah 4:5-9 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
5 Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city.
6 Then the Lord God appointed a plant, and it grew up to provide shade over Jonah’s head to ease his discomfort. Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant.
7 When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.

8 As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down so much on Jonah’s head that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.”

9 Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“Yes,” he replied. “It is right. I’m angry enough to die!”

Even as Jonah is off in a huff…God is gracious enough to provide Jonah shelter as he waits to see if something is going to happen to the city. Jonah is pleased with the plant. There is no mention of appreciation given, just being pleased.

The next morning, God sends a worm…that attacks the plant. He follows that with scorching heat. Now, Jonah blames God! Jonah wishes for his own death. BECAUSE OF A TREE? A WORM? A HOT SUN? No – I believe this goes back to his whole image of himself as a prophet of God.

What is the source of embarrassment? Pride.

1 John 2:16 King James Version (KJV)
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

In his embarrassment, he doesn’t even realize that he is railing AGAINST GOD!

I know…I’ve been there.
My story –
We left me just having gotten discharged – and the question is, what did I do about my disobedience? I stayed in San Diego, of course! I moved in with two sailors, took care of their house and meals, and hosted the dungeons and dragon meets on weekends with them. I tried to get a job – anywhere. I even fell in love with my orthodox Jewish roommate, much to the dismay of the other roommate that was in love with me. I kept kosher for him! I was declared the best Jewish wife material, but his marriage to another had been arranged. (If anyone is wondering, no, I did not sleep with either of them…but that didn’t mean that I was walking in holiness. Nor that I was pure. It was very complicated!)

Where was my repentance? Where was my turning? Where was my obedience to God? Sorely lacking, I’m afraid. In fact, the reason that I finally got a train ticket back home to Ohio was because the Jewish man said that he could not marry me. I made that decision in anger and pain, again, not in repentance.

I railed at God that He did not give me a job in San Diego!
I railed at God that He did not allow me to marry this Jewish man that I thought I loved.
I railed at God that He would not let me stay in San Diego!

I was embarrassed to go back to Ohio and tell everyone that I had disobeyed God, and joined the Navy, lost a scholarship, and, since one of my aunts told me that if nothing else, I should at least find a sailor to marry or not come back…I mess that up, as well.

I didn’t focus on the fact that God had done exactly as I had asked him! He allowed them to confirm something was wrong, but to not do surgery.
Once I got back to Ohio, with some therapy and chiropractic care, I was able to function in a recreation position. I didn’t think to thank God for that.
I’ve struggled for years about the whole veteran position, and whether I should apply for benefits.
It didn’t take me too long to start giving God the praise for my healing, but, it took me years to let go of the dream of being in the Navy.

I found out years later why God protected me from being into the Navy in 1979-1985. I was told by a recruiter that well over 75% of the women that went on the first ocean going ships came down pregnant, whether they wanted to or not. Read that however you will. God protected me. God answered me. God loved me enough to not let me continue down the path towards my destruction.

Jonah – God’s still trying to get a handle on his heart!

Jonah 4:10-11 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
10 So the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night.
11 Should I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals?”

ZING!!!

Jonah cared more about the plant than he did about the salvation and deliverance of Nineveh.

There are so many people groups that do not have the gospel…and there are so many people that possibly live just down the road from you, or on your way to work, or at work, or downtown in your town homeless, that do not have the gospel.

Some people talk about first world problems.
When I don’t have the filtered cold water to drink, I have to remind myself that there are those in the world that do not have filtered water…some that don’t even have unfiltered water!
When I complain about being tossed around between doctors to figure out what is going on with my health, I need to remember that there are those that don’t have the opportunity to go to ONE doctor!
When I don’t like the food in my refrigerator because I don’t feel like Aidell’s chicken sausage today, I need to remember that there are those that are scrounging around garbage dumps, looking for a morsel to eat.

I don’t want to be like Jonah…but I can’t judge him too harshly.

One thing that troubles me is this…Jonah is left as a cliff hanger.
We don’t know if he changed his tune, if he turned on God, or even, did he take his own life?

What we do know is this. If you are reading this, you are alive. Time’s not up for you!
YOU can turn your heart towards God, and ask him to give you a soft heart towards others, and a strong heart towards HIM. Don’t wait until you end up inside a fish…or a navy infirmary!

~~~~~~~

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.

The Wildberry Patch

Be Engrafted into the VINE to produce Eternal Fruit