From My Heart

Luke 20:14-20 "When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, 'I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.' After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, 'Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.' And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." After his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus began to have some confrontations with the religious leaders during which, they began to plot his death. He also experienced some teachable moments with the disciples as he neared the end of his life and ministry on earth. As time grew short, they came together to celebrate what would be their last earthly Passover. During a trad...

Ephesians 2:4-5 "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." Today was Palm Sunday - the day when Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowds around him. In just a few short hours, the scene would change dramatically and by the end of the week, He would be dead. As we move through the holy week prior to Easter, we need to look introspectively at why Jesus did what He did. I think we know all the pat answers, but do we really realize what put Him on that cross? Did you know that your sin nailed Jesus to the cross just as surely as that of Hitler, or Nero, or Osama bin Laden? There are no degrees of sin with God and Romans tells us clearly that all have sinned and come short of His glory. As we have been reading the Bible through since January, most of us have finished Leviticus and Numbers and are plowing through Deuteronomy...

I Samuel 7:12 "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far has the Lord helped us'." The activity in this verse took place after a couple of significant events in the life of Israel. First, the Ark of the Covenant had been captured for a time by the Philistines and it had been returned to them. Then, about 20 years later, the Philistines were gathering to attack the Israelites. I love that in verse 10 it says that the Lord thundered loudly before the Philistines and scared them so badly that the Israelites defeated them without incident. God helped them. Has something been taken from you? Doesn't have to be a material possession. Maybe its your self confidence, maybe its a relationship that needs to be restored, maybe you have lost something materially. God will help you. Do you feel that the enemy is attacking? Are you so scared of something that you can't move? God will help you. God has already...

2 Corinthians 2:14 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him." Do you have a favorite fragrance that you like to wear? Perhaps you have a "signature scent" - one that friends and family recognize without even seeing you. Maybe you have a memory that is tied to a particular fragrance..the smell of a loved one who rocked you as a child, the smell of a favorite dish cooking that reminds you of family gatherings, or maybe even the scent of a certain flower that tells you spring has arrived. In ancient Rome, when a rival was defeated, the kings would display their spoils of war to the public along with the burning of much incense.To those who were in the "triumphal procession" the incense represented  the smell of victory. What kind of "signature scent" are you wearing for Christ? Paul says that the aroma of Christ should be spreading to the ...

Today, I have little of my own to say. Over the past week, there has been a song that I can't get out of my head. Mainly, because three little girls kept singing it! It seems my daughter in law has a CD with "Revelation Song" on it and my granddaughters have decided it is one of their favorite songs - so they sang it this past week over and over...and over...and over. Tonight, as I thought about the scripture the song was derived from I realized, that is exactly what the angels aroung the throne were doing - singing His praise over and over again. The words to the song are from the book of Revelation. The title alone implies that God was revealing something about Himself to us. I'm just not sure we really get it...His holiness...His majesty...His glory. The rest of today's entry will be song lyrics and scripture. I would encourage you to meditate on the characteristics of God revealed in them and worship Him for who He is. "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God ...

Luke 10:21 "At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said 'I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed it to little children. Yes, Father, this was for Your good pleasure .'" How often does God reveal Himself to us and we just think it seems too simple? We think there must be some hidden message, a deeper meaning. Sometimes, we make our faith too complicated. We think we are being "wise and learned" when we over analyze every detail, but Jesus said more than once that we needed to come to Him as children. This past week, while we were vacationing together, my daughter in law asked my 4 year old granddaughter if she knew what sin was. "Yes", she replied, "It's when you do something bad. It's what the devil wants you to do because he wants to steal your prize." This was the 4 year old version of John 10:10a: "The thief comes t...