Tag Archives: lent

Grape arbor - green leaves and purple grapes

Lent Day 20 – The True Vine

grapes on the vine with a sunset glow

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. 2 Every 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. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain 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.
  • 2 Every 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.
  • 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be[a] My disciples.
    • Branches are to produce fruit
  • 4 Remain 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
  • 2 Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes,
  •  6 If 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.
  • 4 Remain 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.
  •  7 If 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: 17 But 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, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

Romans 11: 22 Note 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 11:24 For 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 11:20 That 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 28 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

This bears repeating:

Romans 11: 22 Note 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 158 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be[a] My disciples.

Matthew 1323 But 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 3 You 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 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word,27 and 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

~~~~~~~

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:

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.

Older woman with shades of coral in jewelry and sweater, glasses, silver and brown hair.

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.

dove hovering about with blue background

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
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
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.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

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
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
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.
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 6 But 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 1415 If 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 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, ….

Does this “commandments” get repeated?

John 14:21 He 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 14:23 Jesus 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 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 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.

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

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

Colossians 2:10 And 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 1:2 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.

Colossians 115 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For 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.

dove hovering over people

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

~~~~~~~

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:

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.

Older woman with shades of coral in jewelry and sweater, glasses, silver and brown hair.

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.

Bible open to Matthew

Mindfully Meditating on Matthew Chapter 28 or MMM28

Mindfully Meditating on Matthew Chapter Twenty-eight

(c) 2023 M. Christine Wildman

Mindfully Meditating on Matthew Catalogue , the collection of these studies
(First 100 days of 2023, day 57, Feb 26)

Passage Matthew Chapter Twenty-Eight

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.

  • Matthew 28 He is risen
    • Mt 28:1- 10 Mary and Mary head to the tomb
      • After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
      • Earthquake – Angel rolled back the stone
        • 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.
        • 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
        • 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
      • He is not here, for he is risen just as He said. Come see the place where the Lord Lay.Angel Meeting
        • 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
        • 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
        • 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
      • Jesus Meeting and Mission
        •  9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
    • Mt 28:11- 15 Guards told to and paid to lie
      • 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’
    • Mt 28:16- 17 Another Jesus Meeting
      • 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
    • teaching them to observe everything I have commanded. And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.Mt 28:18- 20 All Authority – The Great Commission
      • 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 
      • 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
      • I am with you always even to the end of the age20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

Mindful Meditating

  1. choose a verse,
  2.  set a timer for 5 minutes, or whatever works for you.
  3.  example: Matthew 28:6
  4. repeat to yourself, and at each word, enunciate the next word in the sentence starting with the first word…

example:

  • 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
  • HE is not here; HE has risen, just as HE said.
  • He IS NOT here; He has risen, just as He said.
  • He is not HERE; He has risen, just as He said.
  • He is not here, HE HAS risen, just as He said.

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

He’s Alive – Dolly Parton

Was it a Morning like This? – Sandi Patty

Coloring

Matthew the Book coloring page by Ministry to Children

Jesus is Risen – ColoringHome

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

  1. What do you think about the guards going to the high priests?
    1. The chief priests devised a story to hide the facts.
      1. 2 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,
    2. If they were known to sleep on their watch, they could be killed.
      1. 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
  2. Have you given your life to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that rose from the dead?
    1. several tools are below to help you if you have not.
    2. Call out to Jesus
    3. Repent of your sins
    4. As for forgiveness
    5. and rejoice that you have been given new life.

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

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:

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.

Older woman with shades of coral in jewelry and sweater, glasses, silver and brown hair.

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.

Bible open to Matthew

Mindfully Meditating on Matthew Chapter 26 or MMM26

Mindfully Meditating on Matthew Chapter Twenty-six

(c) 2-23 M. Christine Wildman

Mindfully Meditating on Matthew Catalogue , the collection of these studies
(First 100 days of 2023, day 57, Feb 26)

Passage Matthew Chapter Twenty six

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.

  • Matthew 26 (cross reference with Mark 14)
    • Mt 26:1-2 Jesus foretells his death – as in very soon
    • Mt 26:3-5 Chief Priests plan to take him – but afraid
      • 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
    • Mt 26:6-13 at Simon the Lepers house
      • a woman comes to anoint Jesus (Mark 14:3-9)
      • disciples complain about misused resources
    • Mt 26:14-16 Judas plans his betrayal
      • 14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.
      • 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
    • Mt 26:17-19 Preparations for Passover meal
    • Mt 26:20-25 Jesus declares betrayal
      • And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
      • 23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.
      • Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
        • Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
        • Jesus KNEW
        • Lent Day 9 Are you a Judas?
    • Mt 26:26-29 The Lord’s Supper or Communion/Passover meal
      • My blood, Poured out for the many for the forgiveness of sinsBread is my body
      • Wine is my blood
      • do this in remembrance of me.
    • Mt 26:30
      • 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
    • Mt 26:31-32 Jesus foretells the denial of the disciples
      • 31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
        • “‘I will strike the shepherd,
              and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[c]
      • reminds them he’ll rise again
        • 32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
    • Mt 26:33-35  Peter’s confession, then Jesus’ foretelling
      • 33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
      • 34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
    • Mt 26:36-45 In the Garden – Jesus Prays
      • 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow[j] —to the point of death.[k] Remain here and stay awake with Me.”
      • Jesus prays three times
        • My Father, if it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me, yet I want your will not mine to be done.My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
        • My Father, if this[n] cannot pass[o] unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
      • Disciples sleep
        • 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He asked Peter, “So, couldn’t you[m] stay awake with Me one hour?
        • watch and pray 43 And He came again and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open.[p]
        • 45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?[q] Look, the time is near. The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.
    • Mt 26:45-56 Jesus’ Arrest – riotous mob
      • 46 Get up; let’s go! See, My betrayer is near.”
      •  While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. A large mob, with swords and clubs, was with him from the chief priests and elders of the people.
      • Betrayed with a kiss
      • Then they came up, took hold of Jesus, and arrested Him. 5
        • One of the disciples cut off the high priest’s slave’s ear
        • 52 Then Jesus told him, “Put your sword back in its place because all who take up a sword will perish by a sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions[s] of angels?
        • 55 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal,[t] to capture Me? Every day I used to sit, teaching in the temple complex, and you didn’t arrest Me.
    • Mt 26:56 – Jesus is deserted
      • Then all the disciples deserted Him and ran away.
    • And the plotted together to seize Jesus by stealthMt 26:57-68 Jesus and the Sanhedrin
      • 59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so they could put Him to death. 60 But they could not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward.
      • 64 “You have said it,”[aa] Jesus told him. “But I tell you, in the future[ab] you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
      • He has blasphemed! … “He deserves death!”
    • Mt 26:69-75 Peter denies Christ three times
      • “You were with Jesus the Galilean too.”
        • 70 But he denied it in front of everyone: “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
        • 72 And again he denied it with an oath, “I don’t know the man!”
        • 74 Then he started to curse[af] and to swear with an oath, “I do not know the man!”
          • Immediately a rooster crowed, 
          • 75 and Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 
          • And he went outside and wept bitterly.
      • Lent day 15 – Dear Peter

Mindful Meditating

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

example:

Today, choose your own scripture verse that helps you meditate on the Last Supper, or the denial of Christ.

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

I am the Bread of Life

Broken and Spilled Out – Steve Green

Coloring

Matthew the Book coloring page by Ministry to Children

Mary Washing Jesus’ feet – the ColoringHome

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

  1. What do you think about the expensive oil being poured out on Jesus’ head?
    1. Your answer
  2. How many women anointed Jesus?
    1. Christianityfaq has some ideas about this.
  3. Have you ever denied Christ?
    1. 1 John 1 & 2

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

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:

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.

Older woman with shades of coral in jewelry and sweater, glasses, silver and brown hair.

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.

EKG heartbeat, straight line, cross, heart alive

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.

EKG Cross heart beat heartI 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!

  1. Light
  2. Firmament of Heaven divided from Earth
  3. Dry land separated from water, plants – first evidence of life
  4. Sun, Moon, Stars – Day and Night
  5. Water Creatures
  6. 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.

green tree with live brancesJesus 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 is my life with tree

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

~~~~~~~

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:

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.

Older woman with shades of coral in jewelry and sweater, glasses, silver and brown hair.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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

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.

2018 Lent Day 40 – Holy Saturday – 3/31

Holy Saturday – Lent Day 40
Lent Devotions
Lent Week Six started March 19
Lent Week Seven started with Palm Sunday, March 25.
These will be updated as the blogs are posted.

I’m so sorry for the delay – thank you for your patience with me as we prepare to move!

The day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Scripture
Each passage adds a little something to the preparation, but Matthew talks about the guards.

Matthew 27:62-66 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
The Closely Guarded Tomb
62 The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive He said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 Therefore give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come, steal Him, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ Then the last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “You have[a] a guard of soldiers,”[b] Pilate told them. “Go and make it as secure as you know how.” 66 Then they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting the guard.[c]

Mark 15:42-47
Luke 23:50-56
John 19:31-42

Devotion
Holy Saturday
This is the day that is traditionally remembered as Christ being in the grave, and setting the captives free from the chains of death.

Here is a little bit from Wikipedia’s be about Christ descending into hell

Got questions says a little more about Holy Saturday.

The day of memory is very much a day of the Catholic Church, and therefore that would be where you would go to find more information.

My blogging friends have been busy this week, focusing upon Our Lord.
I’ve included a couple I thought were pertinent to Saturday…

Melinda Just wrote about the Shock of the Cross in a very insightful post.

I’m repeating Grace Waves The Final Promise again – as well as The Nails are Gone. Both of these really touched my heart, and helped me to see a bit of this weekend differently.

There were many people that were waiting between the cross and the resurrection.
The Mary s
The Apostles – What now?
Peter – will he forgive me?
The family – many thoughts
The Centurian…what just happened?
The two priests – Nicodemas and Joseph of Arimethia – are we sure?
and those that killed him!

Everyone had their own story…everyone had their Friday night suffering….and everyone was going to have Sunday morning.

The question is – what was Sunday morning going to reveal?

The Gospel Coalition provides this video of Sunday’s comin'(transcript is at this link)

Sunday’s Coming! from CTR Memphis on Vimeo.

 
Saturday is a day of waiting….

Psalm 27 ends with wait on the Lord, and be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart.
I say to you now…that if you are waiting for your resurrection morning…read all of Psalm 27 – and be encouraged!

Isaiah 40:31 King James Version (KJV)
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

A search for wait on the lord will give you plenty of meditative options. If not, then, try Be Still! 😉

Remember – He hasn’t quit…and won’t quit,until He’s finished!

Philippians 1:6 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
6 I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you[a] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

If they gave up on Saturday, they would have missed Sunday!

Music and Prayer
Wait on the Lord – Joyous Celebration
Wait on the Lord – Maranatha

and, here’s my Lent Channel on Youtube

May your Day be blessed with thoughts of Jesus, and the Knowledge that HE LOVED YOU SO MUCH THAT HE DIED FOR YOU!

 

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

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.

2018 Lent – Good Friday – 3/30

Lent Day 39 Good Friday

My Lenten Candles for Good Friday –

Lent Devotions
Lent Week Six started March 19
Lent Week Seven started with Palm Sunday, March 25.
These will be updated as the blogs are posted.

I’m so sorry for the delay – thank you for your patience with me as we prepare to move!

I’ve included two cards that I’ve created over the years for celebrating resurrection – you may print them and share them.
Music is listed later.

Scripture

Devotion

Ever since I was little and heard the story every year about Good Friday and that this was the day that we celebrated or remembered that Christ died on a cross, I often wondered why is it called Good Friday? I mean, seriously, Jesus had a very bad day!
Peter, James and John had a very bad day!
I think there were three Mary’s at the cross, and they were having a very bad day!
The only one that was having a good day could possibly be the thief on the cross that confessed his sins and asked Jesus to remember him and was promised while on the cross as he’s about to die that he would be with him in Paradise that day! That would be a good day!

I have nothing to say that has not already been said about Good Friday. Therefore, I’m just going to share my ways of celebrating! Of remembering.  So here are some of my favorite things to do remember the sacrifice that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave me 2018 years ago.

I often like to watch one of the movies that have been created about Christ’s life. I have favorites for Christmas and I have some favorites for the Good Friday and Easter

You can search for all sorts of these….just beware, you need to keep your bible handy!

I also like to take some time in the morning, since that’s traditionally when we remember the cross, and based on the timeline we’re given in Scripture, and spend quiet time focusing on the fullness of the sacrifice he’s given.

Sometimes, I choose to fast.

This year, I will be traveling with my husband, and I am sure that we will take time to remember and to give God thanks and Glory wherever we are.

Some blogs for meditation

What do all of these women and blog posts have in common? They Love the Lord Jesus, and are focusing on sharing that love through scripture, their giftings, and the word!

On top of these, I’m going to list my favorite music for contemplation and worship for Good Friday.
these first ones really get me….
Didn’t he – Randy Matthews
Watch the Lamb – Ray Botz
The Hammer – Ray Botz
Broken and Spilled Out – Steve Green
The Old Rugged Cross – Jim Nabors

Via dolorosa has a special place in my heart as my daughter Anna and I sang it together one year with the second verse her singing in English and me singing in Spanish.

and to the promise….
I’ll Rise Again – Dallas Holm
Behold the Lamb – Keith and Kristyn Getty
Jesus paid it all – Newsboys
we shall always be with the Lord – Ellie Holcomb

Prayer
Man of Sorrows – Ellie Holcomb

Some other music resources:
Salt of the sound has a listing of 28 songs,
They also have a lent set and an Easter set at their website.
Jesus walk has a great list that includes hymns
This worship together link includes Crowder’s forgiven, Chris tomlin’s God of Calvary and Hillsong’s Grace to Grace

My HEart
Jesus Rainbow –

Jesus Rainbow Poem

Jelly Beans –

Jelly Bean Poem

For years, as an Episcopalian, it was my obligation to attend Good Friday Mass.
Some Churches have Good Friday vigils.
Our church here in Orlando Florida have a mission work they are doing on Good Friday.
Whatever you can find to do to honor the Lord by your own sacrifice as a thank you, do it as unto the Lord!

If you do not understand the meaning behind this ghastly remembrance, I’d recommend that you go back up to Angel’s blog post about why, or check out one of these two 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.

“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.