Catching Up

These past few weeks have been very busy. Quite a whirlwind, in fact. We ended March on a fabulous river cruise down the Rhine River through The Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland. 

We have just returned from our J.O.Y. Club trip to the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum in Kentucky. If you haven’t been there yet, add that to your bucket list!

In between, I had Covid. Again. Which meant I spent the Easter weekend quarantined in my bedroom, with Al masking up to bring me food and medicine.

I slept a lot during those quarantine days, since that was all I really felt like doing. When I was awake, since we don’t have a television in our bedroom (by design), I scrolled through Facebook and I spent a lot of time thinking. I didn’t have the energy to read.

But as I was scrolling, and as I was thinking, I came to some conclusions. 

I realized that there are a lot of things I really like that many people don’t. I love classical music. And pipe organs. Traditional choral music. Hymns. Inductive Bible study. Expository preaching. Black Coffee. Dark chocolate. Just to name a few. 

And I also realized that there a lot of things I don’t really care for that other people find appealing. Country music. Jeans with holes in them. Countdown clocks and prerecorded announcements in church. Praise teams. Awards shows. Wine. Avocados. Raisins. Oysters. Just to name a few.

But besides all these (mostly) trivial things, I had a lot of time to just spend thinking about God. Thinking about His love and His grace and His goodness. Thinking about how very blessed I am. Even with my health issues and my limitations, I am a blessed woman. 

And as I sit here in my chair this morning, looking out at the beauty of this spring day, I am reminded again of the goodness of God. 

Each of us could probably make a list of things that frustrate or discourage or aggravate us. But how much better to make a list of all the ways we have been blessed by God. Of all His grace gifts to us.

As I spent time last week being overwhelmed by the enormity of the Ark and by God’s plan and provision, and overwhelmed by God’s perfect design in Creation, I have to pause and give thanks in adoration and wonder. We serve an awesome God.

Why not take some time today to find a quiet spot and reflect on His goodness. His mercy. His love. His grace. 

“For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” (John 1:16 ESV)

Easter Reflections

Yesterday was Celebration Day. Resurrection Day. Yesterday we celebrated that Jesus did exactly what He said He was going to do.

This Resurrection Day was a little different for me. Because I am in Covid quarantine, I celebrated alone. But that gave me the opportunity to do a lot of thinking. A lot of reflecting. And to hear several really good Easter messages. 

The events of Easter are familiar to us. We know what happened that Sunday morning in Jerusalem so many years ago. It's important to know what happened. But it is also important to know why.

We know from the Old Testament than sin was dealt with by a system of sacrifices. But the New Testament tells us that the sacrificial system was not sufficient to restore the relationship between God and man. 

"For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." (Hebrews 10:4)

And so Christ died.

"Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit." (1 Peter 3:18 NASB)

On that Friday of Passover week, Jesus - our Passover Lamb - died to take away the sins of the world.

But He didn't stay dead!

Friday tells us that the sacrifice was offered, the once-for-all payment for sin was made. Sunday tells us that the sacrifice was accepted. And that is the message of the empty tomb. 

The sacrifice has been made. The sacrifice has been accepted. It. Is. Finished.

That's the point of Easter. No matter which translation we read from or which Gospel we read from, the message is the same. And that message is not confined to the Gospels.


"When He [Jesus] had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1:3b NASB)


"But He [Jesus], having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God."
(Hebrews 10:12 NASB)


"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
(Hebrews 12:2 NASB)


What do these verses have in common? He sat down.

What's the significance of that? He sat down because His work is completed. The sacrifice has been made. The sacrifice has been accepted. It. Is. Finished.

Matthew's Gospel tells us that "toward dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave."  There they encountered an angel of the Lord, whose first words to them were "Do not be afraid." (Matthew 28:5 NASB)

The women had arrived at the tomb in despair. But the angel told them not to be afraid, and reminded them that "He is risen, just as He said." (v. 6)

The angel reminded the women that Jesus had done exactly what He said He would do. And that's a good reminder for us as well. It's easy to not be afraid, to believe God, when things are going well. But sometimes we get a little forgetful when the tough times come. 

The crucifixion was not a surprise. The resurrection was not a surprise. God had it all under control. And He has all the current circumstances under control too.

There's one other nugget from this passage for us to keep in mind today. In Matthew 28:8-10, as the women were leaving the tomb, they met Jesus! And what did Jesus say to them? Go tell.

The challenge of Easter for us is the same as it was on that first Easter morning. Go and tell. Because once you have met Jesus, you just have to tell somebody!

The news of Easter is the best news ever! Even though we live in a world that doesn't know or care about the news of Easter, we still have the same responsibility to tell. The same commission.

A great price was paid for us, and with that price comes great responsibility!


"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." 
(1 Corinthians 15:56-58 NASB)

From Top To Bottom

 

  

Yesterday was Good Friday, the day Christ Jesus died. The day He paid the price for your sins and mine, for the sins of the whole world.

"And Jesus cried out with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit."  (Matthew 27:50 ESV)

On that day, according to the Gospel of Matthew, another important event occurred. “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom." (Matthew 27:51 ESV)

In those days there was a temple in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount, in the place where the Dome of the Rock now stands. That temple had been constructed according to the pattern given by God in the Old Testament. There was an outer court where the altar was located. There was a Holy Place, which contained the altar of incense, the table of showbread, and the golden lampstand. And there was the Holy of Holies, where the Mercy Seat was, on the Ark of the Covenant.

The Holy Place was separated from the Holy of Holies by a heavy curtain. sometimes called a veil. This veil was more than twenty yards high and more than four inches thick. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement.

But on Crucifixion Friday, that heavy curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom!  

What's the significance of that?

"Through His own blood, [Jesus] entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption." (Hebrews 9:12 NASB)

"Therefore we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh." (Hebrews 10:19-20 NASB)

Because the veil was torn, because Jesus gave His life for us, we can now go directly into the Holy of Holies. We now have access, through Christ, directly to the Father! All because of what Jesus did for us!

Because it is true that the veil was torn, and because it is true that we can now confidently enter the holy place, and because of what Jesus accomplished for us, what are we to do?

We are to draw near: "Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith."  (Hebrews 10:22 NASB)

We are to hold fast: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."  (Hebrews 10:23 NASB)

We are to consider: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24 NASB)

We are to encourage: "Encouraging one another."  (Hebrews 10:25 NASB)

We are to assemble together: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together….” (Hebrews 10:25 NASB)

The veil was torn.

It was torn from top to bottom. That means it was not torn by man, but by God.  

The veil prevented men from access to the Holy of Holies, the symbol of the place where God dwelt.

The veil was torn, allowing access to the Holy of Holies. It was torn at the precise moment that Christ died on that cross.

Christ's death allows us access into the Holy of Holies! Christ's death allows us into relationship with God the Father through the blood of Christ the Son.

And that is a reason to celebrate! Not just on Good Friday or on Easter Sunday. But every day!

Because of Jesus, we can boldly approach the throne of God!  Hallelujah!

Now Is The Time.

What did you think when you read that title?

Depending on your age, you may have remembered a typing class, and typing (again, and again, and again….) the phrase "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country."  Or you may have thought of some other oft-repeated phrase from some other season of your life. If you Google that phrase - now is the time -  you'll actually get more than 3.9 million results. Amazing, isn't it?

When you read the title, your mind might possibly have immediately gone to a worship song. "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship" is a song that has been sung in worship services for a number of years now.  And when we sing that, we often mean something like this:  "It's Sunday morning so it's time to go and worship."  In fact, I think that is usually what we mean.

But is worship limited to a time slot on Sunday morning? Or on Saturday, if that's when you meet together to worship. Is worship limited to any particular time slot?

Could we not just as easily sing (or say) now is the time to worship at any time during the week? On Thursday morning in the shower? Or on Monday morning doing the laundry? Or on Friday evening when we pick up the pizza for dinner?

Take the shower as an example. Here in the US, we take water for granted. We assume that every time we turn a faucet, water will come out. We assume that there will always be plenty of water whenever and wherever we might need or want it. But I, for one, can testify that that is not always the case.

When we moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina some years ago, it was a time of drought. Extreme drought. Or whatever is the worst category of drought. It was very dry. During one of the first years we lived there, we only had about six inches of rain for the entire year! We have already had far more than that this year, and we're only in March! During those drought years, on more than one occasion, our spring (our primary water supply) dried up. So, I turned a faucet and guess what I got. Nothing. Not a single drop.  

Having lived through those experiences, I no longer take water for granted. Even the experience of standing in a shower is a time of thanksgiving. And as I express my thanks to my Heavenly Father for the water that comes through the showerhead, I am worshipping. Giving thanks is one way to express our worship. So, even the shower time can become "time to worship".

More often that not, the emphasis in "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship" is placed on the word worship.  And there's nothing wrong with that. But let's shift the emphasis. Instead of what, let's put the emphasis on when.  

Not just on Sunday morning.
Not just at some other "appointed" time.

Now.
Now is the time to worship.
Right now.
Right where you are.
Right in the middle of what you are doing.

Press the "pause" button in your life for a minute. Look around. Focus on where you are and with whom and what you are doing and why.

And give thanks to God.....

for the place,
and the circumstances,
and the activity,
and the reason.

That very act - pausing and giving thanks - is an act of worship. Of acknowledging the Giver of all good things. Of acknowledging His worth. Of giving credit where credit is due. Thanksgiving is one of the ways we express our worship.

Maybe you're at work. Be thankful that you have work to go to.
Maybe you're doing laundry. Or picking up toys or dirty clothes. Be thankful for the clothes and the family who dirtied them. Maybe you're taking a break from meal preparation for a little computer time. Be thankful for the food you are preparing, for the privilege of preparing it, for the electricity and the kitchen equipment to prepare it, that you had finances to purchase the food.........and the list could go on.  

Too often, I'm afraid, we just go through the activities of life on "auto-pilot" and miss out on so many opportunities for worship.  

So that's the challenge for the day. Slow down and pay attention. Look for all the "grace gifts" from your Heavenly Father that are part of your day. And give Him thanks.

Don't wait for Sunday.

Now is the time to worship!

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.........Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion.  Bless the LORD, O my soul!"    (Psalm 103:1-5, 21-22 ESV)

Feeling Nostalgic

I’ve  been feeling very nostalgic lately. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and there's more to look back on. Whatever the reason, I’ve been traveling down memory lane a lot lately.

My nostalgia has me thinking a lot about my parents. They have been gone from this life for a while now, but I still miss them. How I would love one more visit, one more conversation, one more hug.......

I miss the twinkle in my mother's eye. I miss her calming presence, and her sense of what was "appropriate" (a favorite word!). I miss my daddy's sense of humor, his big laugh, and his jokes (even the ones I had heard hundreds of times!). I miss spending time with them and talking with them on the phone and sharing a meal together. I just miss them.

I am so very thankful for my parents. For the godly legacy they left behind. For their love for the Lord and for His Word and for His Church. For their love of people. For their generous spirits. I'm so very thankful.

From the very outset of my married life, I never lived in the same town as my parents. I never had that privilege, as so many others do. It was always at least a hundred, and sometimes more than a thousand, miles to where my parents were. So we talked on the phone. Even occasionally wrote letters. (That really dates me, doesn't it!)

Those phone calls were always on the weekend. Back in the days before cell phones and free long distance, in the days when long distance rates were cheaper after five and on the weekend, that's when we talked. On Saturday mornings. And later, when we moved to Colorado and had time zone differences to contend with, we talked on Sunday afternoons. How I miss those conversations. Time to catch up. To laugh. To talk about nothing in particular. To talk about what was important. How I would love to hear the sound of their voices.

We have so many more ways to communicate these days than we did back then. But I'm not sure that all those avenues of communication have helped us communicate better. Life these days is so busy, and we're so enamored with all our technology, that people are often forgetting what is really important. We have lots of ways to communicate, but we don't really communicate very often. Or very well. At least that's how it seems to me as I'm getting older and feeling nostalgic.

I miss my parents. I miss being able to pick up the phone and have a chat. A week never went by without at least one phone call, and in their later years, many more. But I have wonderful memories. And lots of pictures. This is one of my favorites.

"Honor your father and your mother."  (Exodus 20:12 ESV)

Prone to Complain

"Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it. Mount of Thy redeeming love."

(words Robert Robinson; music, Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music)

"Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" is one of my favorite hymns. Perhaps you love it too. I've been thinking about that hymn this morning, particularly a line in the third verse. That line says, "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love."

The "prone to wander" line leads me to recall the time the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness, after they had left Egypt and before they entered the Promised Land. We're often "prone to criticize" the Israelites for their wanderings, yet we often "wander" as well, don't we? We're not always prompt in our obedience to what the Lord tells us to do, which can leave us wandering pretty aimlessly through life.

But today as I have been thinking about that line from the hymn, I've been thinking we could rewrite the line as "prone to complain". The Israelites complained a lot on their journey through the wilderness. They complained about the food. Or more accurately, the lack of all the good food they had enjoyed in Egypt. (I guess they forgot the part about being slaves!) They complained about the dust. And about having no water. Complain, complain, complain.

It's the American way, isn't it?  Complain about everything! We are a complaining people. We complain about the weather. And the traffic. About politicians. About everything. And particularly on this week after Daylight Savings Time has jerked us forward an hour, we're all a little cranky and perhaps more prone to complain than ususal.

But it isn't just "those people" who are complainers. I know I find myself often doing the same thing.  Complaining instead of being grateful. Shame on me. Shame on us. We Americans are such whiners! Why is that? Why are we such complainers? Why are we never content, but always finding something else to complain about? It's too hot. It's too cold. It rains too much. It never rains. And on and on we go.

We aren't born with a "contentment gene". Contentment is a learned behavior. The Apostle Paul didn't say "I am content." He said, " I have learned to be content." (Philippians 4:11 NASB)

How do we learn that kind of contentment? In the same way as we learn anything else. By practice.  By repetition. By focus.  Focusing on the reasons we have to be grateful, rather than on the reasons we have for complaining.

This morning my Bible reading led me to this verse: "For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace." (John 1:16). Today would be a very good day to stop our (my) whining and complaining, and to begin focusing on the grace we have received. Today would be a very good day to stop complaining and start being thankful. Today would be a good day to start learning to be content. 

It's a good way to "tune our hearts to sing His grace".  A good way to change focus away from complaining and toward contentment.

Why not begin learning today?

"I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content......In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me."  (Philippians 4:11-13 ESV)

Celebrating Answered Prayer

Sunday was the birthday of our firstborn son. Birthdays are a time for celebration, but Brian’s birthday is a celebration of much more than celebrating him, as important as that is. It is also a celebration of God's faithfulness. Each year when Brian's birthday comes around I am reminded once again of how God answers prayer.

You see, many years ago I was a young married woman who wanted very much to be a mother. Yet I remained childless. And month after month, as it became obvious that conception had not taken place and no baby was on the way, I became more and more despondent. Doctor's were not optimistic that I would ever conceive. My husband and I longed to be parents, but it seemed that was not going to happen. Doctors recommend we consider adoption.

During this challenging period of my life, I turned to the Scriptures and became very familiar with the story of Hannah. I had been familiar with Hannah since childhood, but back then my focus had always been on Samuel, the son God blessed Hannah with. As I think back on it now, perhaps we should have given Brian a different name - Samuel.

In 1 Samuel we read these words: "She (Hannah) was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly." (1 Samuel 1:10 ESV)

I related to Hannah. I was distressed. I wept bitterly. I prayed. Oh, how I prayed!

Even so, months passed and no baby was on the way. So I began to pray Hannah's prayer.

"O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the afflictions of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life." (1 Samuel 1:11 ESV)

That was my prayer. While I may not have prayed those exact words, that was the prayer of my heart. And just as He did for Hannah, God heard my prayer and answered. Just as we were about to initiate adoption proceedings, we learned that God had answered my prayer! Several months later, a few weeks ahead of schedule, I gave birth to a son! And a few years after that, our second son was born.

When Brian was born, I prayed Hannah's prayer again. This time it was a prayer of thanksgiving. And I prayed it again three years later when Brandon was born.

"For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me the petition that I made to Him. My heart exults in the LORD." (1 Samuel 1:27; 1 Samuel 2:1 ESV)

Hannah's story, and mine, taught me a few life lessons. First and foremost, I learned that God is sovereign. I learned that God is in control. Doctor's are wonderful, but they don't have all the answers. They are, after all, only human. 

This experience continues to remind me that God hears and answers prayer. The answer may not always be what we want or expect, although in this case, for me, it certainly was. But even if the answer is different than what we hope for or expect, God always answers our prayers. And His answers are always best. Because He is God.

Another life lesson from this experience is persistence. I learned to keep on praying. To never give up. My prayer wasn't answered the first time I prayed it. Or the second. I prayed for months. I continued to pray. I prayed without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). My answer came after I continued to pray, not knowing when the answer would come, but knowing and believing that God would answer.

Through it all, I learned a lot about the character of God. About His faithfulness. About His love. About His sovereignty. About His trustworthiness. These are lessons I have never forgotten. Now that I am no longer a young woman, these lessons remain core beliefs for my life. God is sovereign. God answers prayer. God's ways are always best. God's timing is always perfect. God can be trusted.

My sons are now grown men with sons of their own. Every time I look at them, and every time I celebrate their birthdays, I are reminded once again that God answer's prayer.