Preparing for Easter ~ Live Deeply in Christ*

1st Sunday of Lent                               

Whatever keeps me from my Bible is my enemy, however harmless it may appear to me. A.W. Tozer

The secular response to Christ - if there is any acknowledgement - is that Christ was a great teacher and a good person. The world says there are no absolute truths, that truth is what you believe to be true. The Holy Scriptures, the foundation of the Christian faith, tells a different story. Christ is the Living Son of God, the willing and sinless sacrifice offered for all the iniquities of humanity. He has always been and will always be. Jesus came in human form to earth to fulfill God's Plan of salvation for mankind. There ARE truths that must be part of our faith statement as Christians. Without these absolute truths, we claim a belief in nothing more than good intentions.

Read 1 John 2:18-29

So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will continue to live in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life He promised us. . . you have received the Holy Spirit and He lives within you. . . For the Spirit teaches you all things, and what He teaches is true. 1 John 2:24,27 NLT

Through careful and continued study of the Scriptures, these truths become more clear. God reveals Himself to us today through the Living Word. The Scriptures are both ancient and living words, telling us the stories of old and using these lessons for today. Our struggles in the world are no different than centuries ago. There was unbelief then and unbelief today. Then - time after time, faith required a bold stance in the face of uncertainty, and today - we must continue to stand boldly in faith to our Creator, Redeemer and King.

Consider this!

• How do believers come to more fully understand the character of God?
• Why does the world dilute and deny the absolute truths in the Scriptures?
• What do you believe about Christ?

Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me. Father, Son and Spirit ~ three in One ~ we cannot understand Perfect Love, but we can accept this Gift by faith. Give us the courage to grow in understanding of the Living Word that we might be light in the darkness. Amen. ~ dho

* 1 John 2:28 The Message - . . . Live deeply in Christ.

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2009 by Donna Oswalt                                          

Preparing for Easter ~ God Calls

The place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet. Fredrick Buechner

We search the world for meaning, for purpose, for reasons. When the world does not offer wanted answers, we wonder if God has forgotten us. If we pray to God for meaning, for purpose, for reasons, and He does not respond as we expect, we doubt that God is listening. We crave more and more of the world's tokens, collecting the trophies of greed and pride, and we are empty. And still, God calls to us and seeks us ~ wherever we are. God has designed a purpose for each of us ~ a place to serve. God abides with us ~ in all times. Perhaps it is we who have forgotten; it is we who are not listening.

Read 1 John 2:12-17

I remind you, dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus' name. . . And a second reminder, dear children: You know the Father from personal experience. . . Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world - wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important - has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from Him.
1 John 2:12-16 The Message

In a growing relationship with God, our wants change. We can respond with greater compassion, with quiet humility, with sincere love. We begin to respond to the Father's love. We search the heart, the mind, the soul for His Presence. We find deep gladness.

Consider this!

• When your deep gladness in God merges with the world's deep hunger, what happens?
• How does a growing personal relationship with God change your wants?
• What are your cravings?

Living Word ~ remain in our hearts ~ guide our thoughts ~ abide with us always. Forgive us when we ignore You. How often we stand at the corner of "Want" and "More," uncertain and unsure! Yet You forgive our selfish ways, call us to a place of deep gladness. Take away our cravings for the world and replace them with cravings for You. Amen. ~ dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2009 by Donna Oswalt                                                                                                                                                              

Preparing for Easter ~ 'love one another'

I live and love in God's peculiar light.                  
Michelangelo 

"To love one another" is to walk in the Light! While we cannot explain God, by faith we demonstrate His love when we love others. To say we live in God's light and act with contradiction - with envy or jealousy, with anger or criticism, with pride or arrogance - we are not being truthful. When our actions offer compassion, peace, joy, humility and generosity, we are living and loving in God's peculiar light.

Read 1 John 2:7-11 

. . . This commandment - to love one another - is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. This commandment is true in Christ and is true among you, because the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining.
1 John 2: 7-8 NLT

The commentary in the Life Application Bible reads as follows:
Christian love is not a feeling but a choice. We can choose to be concerned with people's well-being and teat them with respect, whether or not we feel affection toward them. If we choose to love others, God will help us express our love.

When we seek deeper, more intimate relationships, love must be present. Without this component, there is no evidence of a meaningful relationship with God or between us and another. As we grow spiritually, our love becomes an outward manifestation. God teaches us how to love by example ~ by loving us more than we can even understand love ~ by sending Christ as His Love Offering for us.

Consider this!

• How can the message to 'love one another' be both old and new?
• How does a Christian wander in spiritual darkness?
• How do you love?

Holy One ~ You love us more than words and call us to love each other. The world tells us to love self most but does not love us at all. The contrast of light and darkness shouts! Jesus, the True Light, guide us through this dark world. Help us grow our love in You. Amen. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2009 by Donna Oswalt                                                     

Preparing for Easter ~ Grace-full

The fullness of our heart is expressed in our eyes,
in our touch, in what we write, in what we say, in 
the way we walk, the way we receive, the way we need.
Mother Teresa

We find in Christ the One who speaks our needs to the Father, the One who pleads our case, the One who intercedes for us. Christ is the sacrifice for our sins, the One with whom we are to become intimately connected, the One we are to reflect in our living. Our actions evidence our heart and define our relationship with Christ.

Read 1 John 2:1-6

[Jesus Christ] Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 NASB

Propitiation means atonement, atoning sacrifice; it means GRACE! Jesus became the sacrificial lamb ~ the perfect, unblemished lamb ~ offered for our sins, for our salvation. Christ is the very essence of Amazing Grace. Only through Him can we be made righteous.

Consider this!

• In God's Court, Satan is our Accuser, and Jesus is our Defender. What evidence does Satan have to convict you? Remember - he is seeking the death penalty.
• When you stand before God, what evidence will Jesus have to present on your behalf?
• Will your verdict be "case dismissed"? If so, who paid the penalty for your sins? What was the cost?

Jesus, You are more than an Advocate, You are the Offering. We cannot live the truth of Your Righteousness without Your suffering sacrifice. Teach us to become more and more like You. Amen. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2009 by Donna Oswalt     

                                                                                                                                                         

Preparing for Easter ~ Ash Wednesday

"It’s tough in the desert. It’s bewildering.

It’s destructive. It’s hellish. Yet the testimony
of the Old Testament, and ever more strongly,
of the New, is that out of it comes new growth,
new insight, new certainty that a God of love
is at home among us." Charles Elliott

This day Christians around the world come to His altar to receive the mark of a sinner. It symbolically reminds us that God alone is Sovereign; God alone is Grace. We believers can never find salvation or peace or eternity without Jesus Christ. It is His Forgiveness we need, His Presence we seek, His Love we offer. Today begins a journey of renewal, a time to reflect on our own individual faith-walk.

Read 1 John 1:1-10

If we claim that we experience a shared life with Him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth - we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the Light, God Himself being the Light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin. 1 John 1:6-7 The Message

Consider this!

• Where does the "Light" originate?
• If believers are "forgiven" why do we still stand before God marked as a sinner?
• Does my living reflect Jesus?

Light of the World ~ You have come that we might love. We are sinners, but You are Grace. We confess You are Absolute Truth. Dress us in righteousness, forgiven and redeemed. May our words of living reflect the Word of Life. Amen. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2009 by Donna Oswalt    

Perfectly Designed

Kindled Soul, Holy Fire

The beginning of the Easter season is approaching. I offer the introduction to Kindled Soul, Holy Fire, a book with daily Scriptures, devotions, and prayers that will help you find God's Voice in the preparation of your heart for Easter. ~ dho

If you want to purchase my book, it is available via our website at MangroveMinistries.org or directly from the publisher at ProvidenceHouse.com 

May the fragrance of Christ's Holy Love linger in your soul. ~ dho

Kindled Soul, Holy Fire ~ Copyright 2009 by Donna Oswalt 

Christ's Love

Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything I do.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 The Message

Brandon Heath's song, "Don't Get Comfortable", reminds that Christ's love reaches for each of us, where we are.  His Everlasting Love exceeds more than we can comprehend.  Listen as Brandon sings; read the words.  Where is God moving you? ~ dho

2011 ~ A NEW Year!

J.R.R, Tolkien ~
Still round the corner there may wait,
a new road, or a secret gait.


Tolkien, known for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was very influential in leading C.S. Lewis, known for his Narnia series, to Christianity. Both professors of literature at Oxford in England, their interest in writing mythical stories became a common bond. British author Colin Duriez writes of these men's influences on each other and on the world of literature. Combining "reason and imagination" with the Gospel message was key. Encouragement and support for each other and their crafts defined a lengthy friendship.


In thinking about "reason and imagination" being necessary components for their stories, I find a lesson for all Christians. God created our minds for both reason and imagination.  It is logic that helps us organize our thoughts, filter information, discern truth.  It is imagination that allows us to wonder about the unknown, to believe in things unseen, to dream, to hope!


This is a new year, another opportunity to be more for Christ, to step through our comfort zones and into new possibilities for Him.  Consider this prayer as you begin again ~


I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  


And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.


Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:16-21 NIV


Reason and imagination, logic and dreams, faith and hope . . . let this year be one of holy discernment and more, one that surpasses knowledge and more than all we ask or imagine! May God's power be at work in you in 2011. ~ dho

Unexpected Rewards!

As we open our hearts at Christmas to the anticipation of celebrating the birth of our Savior, the familiar rituals and traditions of the season bring us comfort.  Through these remembrances we once again discover the joyful music, the special recipes, the fragrant smells, and the excitement of giving! But all too often we fill the moments with so much that we don't leave room for the Savior.


Panera Bread Company has a new slogan to go with its MyPanera card: Rewarding You In Unexpected Ways!  Each time I see it I am reminded of Christmas and the unexpected ways that God reached out to a broken, dark world.  God sent Holy Light into our darkness, just as He had promised; yet, no one really expected that Jesus would come as a baby.  The shepherds in the field the night of Jesus' birth found themselves surprised by the unexpected angels and their announcement.  In time, even His own disciples thought Jesus would become an earthly ruler.  They did not expect Him to be crucified and were equally awed by His resurrection.  It was in God's unexpected ways that salvation entered the world bringing Light and Hope.  


God's unexpected ways continue today.  Scripture reminds that God's ways are not our ways.  How often we plan and decide, order and prepare ~ expect God to intervene in a particular way!  How often are we surprised by the actual outcomes?  How often are we perplexed by the unexpected ways of God?  The one thing that is always sure ~ the Holy One will always respond and provide for all our needs. 


Oswald Chambers writes: Always be in a state of expectancy, and see that you leave room for God to come in as He likes.  In this season that celebrates the unexpected ways of God, let us be open to His ways.  Prepare Him room to come into your moments as He likes.  
Merry Christmas and Happy Unexpected God-Ways in 2011!  ~ dho

Casting Crowns - I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day Live

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

With Gratitude!

Many places of business have lighted message signs in front advertising products or offering seasonal greetings.  Just the other day I passed one.  In the time that I approached and passed it, I only had time to read 2 consecutive thoughts of several.  The ones I read: Do you know the symptoms?   Happy Thanksgiving!.

My thoughts wander to the "symtoms" of a "Happy Thanksgiving". How do you know if you are having a "Happy Thanksgiving"?  There are at least three symptoms that came to mind: gathering - abundance - gratitude.  Often we find ourselves making arrangements to gather together to share time during Thanksgiving.  It is a holiday shared by all Americans and not specific to religion.  Families gather, sometimes traveling great distances to spend time with each other.  Food is gathered and prepared, and special meals are shared.  In this I find abundance ~ of provision and of time shared to reflect upon the blessings of life. While focusing on our blessings, it is easier to be thankful.  But are these really the symptoms of a Happy Thanksgiving?

Our plans often get in the way, often draw our attention away from God. Gathering together with God, spending time being nourished by His carefully prepared Word feeds the soul. In these times, we find the abundance of God's goodness and grace; we find blessings beyond need.  Surrounded by such provision, the heart must acknowledge Our Sustainer, and with gratitude - whisper and shout - Baruch Hashem Adonai! Blessed be the Name of the Lord!


In our gathering, let's be sure to set a place for the Holy One.  In our abundance, let's focus on The Source of all goodness and blessings.  In our gratitude, let's remember The Giver of all good things and respond with gratitude.  Baruch Hashem Adonai! Blessed be the Name of the Lord.  Are these your symptoms of a Happy Thanksgiving?  If so, then every day will be a day to celebrate Thanksgiving. ~dho

Hallelujah! Give Thanks to GOD

                           Psalm 111
Hallelujah! I give thanks to GOD with everything I've got--
Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation.

GOD's works are so great, worth
A lifetime of study--endless enjoyment!

Splendor and beauty mark his craft;
His generosity never gives out.

His miracles are his memorial--
This GOD of Grace, this GOD of Love.

He gave food to those who fear him,
He remembered to keep his ancient promise.

He proved to his people that he could do what he said:
Hand them the nations on a platter--a gift!


He manufactures truth and justice;
All his products are guaranteed to last--

Never out--of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof.
All that he makes and does is honest and true:


He paid the ransom for his people,
He ordered his Covenant kept forever.
He's so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.


The good life begins in the fear of GOD-
Do that and you'll know the blessing of GOD.
His Hallelujah lasts forever!

The Message

In The Desert

[God] found him out in the wilderness in an empty, windswept wasteland.  He threw His arms around him, lavished attention on him, guarding him as the apple of His eye."
Deuteronomy 32:10 The Message

God always knows where His children are, where we rest, where we run.  God knows when we strive, when we struggle.  He hears us when we sing and when we shout.  On the mountain or in the valley, in the forest or in the desert, God knows where we are and what we need.  He is both Protector and Provider.

Holy Lord of all,
Let me feel Your loving arms around me; help me know Your Unfailing Love.  Amen. ~dho

New Clothes

Consider these words from Colossians, chapter 3 from The Message:

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it.  Pursue the things over which Christ presides.  Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed in the things right in front of you.  Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ . . . See things from His perspective.

            Your old life is dead . . . your real life . . . is with Christ in God.  He is your life . . . [so] be content with obscurity, like Christ.

And that means killing off everything connected with [the old life] . . . a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. 

You’re done with that old life.  It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes . . . Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe.  Every item in your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with His label on it.  All the old fashions are now obsolete . . . From now on everyone is defined in Christ.

            So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you:  compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline.  Be even tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. . .

            And regardless of what else you put on, wear love.  It’s your basic, all-purpose garment.  Never be without it. .  . let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other . . . Let the Word of Christ – The Message – have the run of the house.  Give it plenty of room in your lives . . . And sing, sing your hearts out to God!  Let every detail in your life – words, actions, whatever – be done in the name of Jesus, thanking God . . . every step of the way.        from Colossians 3 (The Message)

Adonai ~

You are Lord; You are Father and Son and Holy Spirit, Creator and Redeemer and Counselor.  You are above us and below us, to our left and to our right, before us and behind us. You surround us with abundant blessings, and we are humbled by such generous gifts.  You are in everything and everything comes from You.

 You see our hearts and our motivations, see all that we conceal from the world.  You know our selfish ambitions, our pretentious vanities, our deceitful words.  You hold our deepest fears, our greatest disappointments, our darkest thoughts.  Behind our masks, we struggle with loneliness.  Beside our idols, we long for more. Beneath our veiled hearts, we cry out loud.  And You?  In exchange for what we bring, You offer real forgiveness, real love, real life.  You are Grace and everything happens through You.

You choose us for real life, a life defined in Christ.  You reform our minds, renew our hearts, refresh our spirits.  Taking holy threads of faith and hope and love, You weave a robe of righteousness adorned with purity and holiness.  You wrap us in this exquisite tapestry, every detail shouts of Your majesty.  You are Perfect Love and everything ends up in You.    

We come before this altar with servant hearts.  Solitude surrounds us. Prayers rise to You, our Adonai ~ prayers of hope and possibility, prayers of thanksgiving and songs of praise.  You are in every detail!  Defined in Christ, our souls are made new, for one purpose, for Your Glory!  You are the Central Force that draws our hearts together, for one purpose, for Your Glory!   Let everything ~ everything ~ speak of Your Glory!  In the name of Jesus, the Beloved, Amen.    ~dho

Shalom

The Hebrew word shalom means "completeness, peace, ease" according to Strong's Dictionary.  In Psalm 29:11 we read:

The Lord will give strength to His people;

The Lord will bless His people with peace.

This peace is shalom; it is completeness that is found only in God.  In the midst of storms and difficulties, the tendency is to doubt and waiver, despair and wonder if God is really there, if God is near.  Throughout Scripture we are told that our strength is from God.  In Nehemiah 8:10 we read "the joy of the Lord is your strength."  In God we find the peace, the ease our spirits seek.  Madeleine L'Engle's words point out that peace is not freedom from pain but quiet endurance.  Made in God's image, He desires to reside in each of us.  His Presence is our peace.  Shalom. ~dho

Peace is not placidity:  peace is

The power to endure the megatron of pain

With joy, the silent thunder of release,

The ordering of Love.  Peace is the atom's start,

The primal image:

God within the heart.  ~Madeleine L'Engle

Infused by Grace

some words from William Wordsworth:

"And I have felt
A presence that distrubs me with a joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns."

These words from 1 Thessalonians 3, verses 11-13 in The Message, express the soul's knowing of the Presence of God, of His strength and grace infused through the lives of those who share Christ and into the lives of others:

May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus . . . pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, . . . May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God . . .

Praying that each of you recognizes the presence of the Light that infuses the soul! ~dho

Our Anchor

Spring is in full bloom, and the Easter season is complete!  Yesterday we celebrated our Risen Savior!  I read this Scripture today and it continues to speak to these last weeks of soul-preparation and soul-renewal.  These Living Words define our hope ~ our Hope, Jesus.

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil is Jesus Christ, Redeemer of all!
Hebrews 6:19 NKJV

Our Anchor is secure in the very presence of God ~ this Holy of Holies now a place for us to seek God, the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, behind the veil. ~dho

Grace ~ EASTER Sunday

Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you." But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.

And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?  Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."

When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?" So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.  And He took it and ate in their presence. 

Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 

Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 

And you are witnesses of these things.  Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you . . ."

And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen. 

Luke 24:44-53 NKJV

As believers, we are to be witnesses for Jesus.  Just as He commissioned His followers Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you, we must go. And we must go in worship and in joy and in praise for the Promise of God is everlasting.  GRACE ~ the incalculable, immutable, incomprehensible Promise of God ~ is ours!

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Take the Promise of God into the world ~ in worship and in joy and in praise! ~dho

Silence ~ Lent 2010

Later, Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus. (Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus, because he was afraid of some of the leaders.) Pilate gave his permission, so Joseph came and took Jesus' body away. Nicodemus, who earlier had come to Jesus at night, went with Joseph. He brought about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes. These two men took Jesus' body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth, which is how they bury the dead. In the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb that had never been used before. The men laid Jesus in that tomb because it was nearby, and they were preparing to start their Sabbath day.

John 19:38-42 NCV

Buried in an empty, borrowed tomb, Jesus' body lay surrounded by darkness in the silence of earth. Separated from the Father by death, Jesus' body lay in the stillness. The Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and nothing more can be done but honor the Sabbath.

Scripture does not say anything about this Sabbath Day. We learn nothing more about Jesus on the day after His crucifixion. As His followers go about their worship this particular Sabbath, one can only imagine the many recollections and questions that filled their minds. There is silence in the Word of God on this day!

Our sacrifice of praise ~
In the silences of life, meditate on the assurance and the glory of God ~ because you know what tomorrow brings! ~dho

Confession ~ Good Friday

Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly the Man was the Son of God!"
Mark 15:38 NKJV

Today we must look to the cross of suffering that Jesus endured as a ransom for our sin.  Until that day, the Jewish people, the Chosen of God, worshiped Jehovah with blood sacrifices and burnt offerings.  At the time Jesus breathed His last breath and died, the High Priest sacrificed the unblemished lamb, preparing for the sin offering of Passover.  Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies to place the blood offering on the Mercy seat for forgiveness of sins. 

On this day, when Jesus died, the curtain of the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom.  The Scriptures do not say what happened to the High Priest or the blood of the slain Passover lamb. We are not told the thoughts of the High Priest who witnessed the torn curtain that represented a veil between sinful man and the Holy God.  Until this moment, the High Priest would have taken the blood sacrifice into the Holy of Holies as an offering for the forgiveness of sins for God's people, but now, the altar of the Lord was exposed.

These historic religious customs tell the God-story of Jesus, a Perfect Lamb slain for the forgivenss of sin.  The once veiled Holy of Holies, the Presence of God, is now revealed.  To all who seek a relationship with God, Grace is given through Jesus, the True High Priest.  What remains?  Our confession, "Truly the Man was the Son of God!"

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Who will you share the God-story of Jesus with today? ~dho

Betrayal ~ Maundy Thursday 2010

Maunday Thursday services celebrate the giving of the Lord's Supper to the Disciples of Jesus, but the evening of fellowship and teaching and prayer ends in betrayal.  As Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, leads the arresting soldiers to Him.  He identifies Jesus with a kiss ~ a kiss of betrayal.  Perhaps the ultimate betrayal always comes from someone close to our inner circle.

And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.  Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man.  Seize Him and lead Him away under guard."

And when he came, he went up to Him at once and said, "Rabbi!" And he kissed Him.  And they laid hands on him and seized Him.
Mark 14:43-46 ESV

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Let your tears celebrate the Bread and the Wine ~ like Oswald Chambers wrote many, many times, "Be the broken bread and poured out wine." ~dho

Plot ~ Lent 2010

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put [Jesus] to death, for they feared the people.
Luke 22:1-2 ESV

These religious leaders plotted to kill Jesus, the Son of God, yet they feared the people.  How like them we are ~ plotting to have our own way, to do our own thing and do it the way we want.  How like them we are ~ choosing a path that does not give God glory and worrying about what "people" will think.

As Passover drew near, a very special time for remembrance, they were not preparing for their own feast, rather they were scheming to take Jesus out of the picture.  How like them we are ~ instead of preparing our hearts to celebrate the Risen Savior, we busy ourselves with Spring's garden needs, a new wardrobe, trips to the beach, gifts for Easter baskets, and Summer's plans. Today, the world still schemes and plots to take Jesus out of Easter, and we are its accomplices.

Our sacrifice of praise ~
In the busy schedules, remember Who this celebration praises! Put "Good Friday" and "Easter Sunday" back into your Spring Break. ~dho

Works ~ Lent 2010

We thank You, God, we thank You -
Your Name is our favorite word;
Your mighty works are all we talk about.
Psalm 75:1 The Message

Unfortunately, this does not often reflect our lives.  We simply do not talk about God's mighty works on a daily basis.  The world denies and contradicts the character of God, and we silently disagree.  The world boasts and mocks the holiness of Jesus, and we look down and away, quietly shaking our head in disbelief.  If our hearts are thank-full and our souls grace-full and our minds wonder-full, while the world continues to shun God, we should begin to speak about His mighty works ~ all the time!

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Tell someone of God's mighty works in your life ~ tell your God-story! ~dho

Encourage ~ Lent 2010

May the God of hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
Romans 15:13 The Message

I read a modern-day parable:
"Some time ago, an advertisement appeared in which the devil was putting his tools up for sale.  On the day of public inspection, each one of his tools: Hatred, Envy, Jealousy, Doubt, Lying, Pride, and so on, was marked with its selling price.  Set apart, however, from all the rest, was a harmless-looking tool, well-worn, but priced very high - it was discouragement!

Someone asked the devil, "Why is that one priced so high?"  He replied, "Ah, that one is more useful to me than all the rest.  With it I can pry open a heart and enter, when I cannot get near with any other tool.  Once inside, I can lead the person any way I choose.  The tool is very worn because I use it on almost everyone, since few people know it belongs to me."

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Encourage someone today!  ~dho