Return to Me

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. ~John 6:35

The words "he that cometh" in the above verse means to arrive or to return.  If you find yourself hungry and thirsty in your spirit, turn yourself back towards the right direction that leads to your return to Jesus.

Today's Wow Moment

God's kingdom isn't a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness' sake. It's what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you'll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.

This WOW moment was brought to you by the Message Bible, Romans 14:17&18~Keeping it real, one Passage at a time!

He Moves Me

God's love accepts you where you are, but it also leads you to make changes to move you closer to where He is.

Spend time thinking about His Love for you TODAY!

How to Fix Stupid

<sup>One day God will fix stupid.  Here's how.....

I John 1:5-7
5 Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. 6 If we say, "We have fellowship with Him," and walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing [c] the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

The stark contrast of the words "light" and "darkness" intrigued me.  I wanted to know what does it mean that God is light.  And what exactly is the darkness?

So I did some digging and found out that the original Greek word "light" in this verse is φῶς (phōs).  The definition of phos includes the practical idea of anything that emits light, such as a lamp, a star, or fire.  But it is also defined as being "of truth and its knowledge".

Darkness in the above verse is the word σκοτία (skotia/skotos).  Again, the definition includes darkness as in the absence of light, but it too has an additional definition; "of ignorance of divine things, and its associated wickedness".

So light is truth and darkness is ignorance.  Therefore, it would not be inappropriate to sub those words in the above passage, like so:
I John 1:5-7
5 Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is TRUTH, and there is absolutely no IGNORANCE in Him. 6 If we say, "We have fellowship with Him," and walk in IGNORANCE, we are lying and are not practicing [c] the truth. 7 But if we walk in the TRUTH as He Himself is in the TRUTH, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

The same Greek words for light and darkness are found in many verses. Here are a few:

You are all sons of the light (phos, truth) and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness (skotos, ignorance)
1 Thessalonians 5:5

For you were once darkness (skotos, ignorance), but now you are light (phos, truth) in the Lord. Live as children of light (phos, truth).
Ephesians 5:8

BUT HERE'S WHERE IT GETS REALLY COOL!!
Look at Revelations 22:5
There will be no more night*. They will not need the light (phos) of a lamp or the light (phos) of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light**. And they will reign for ever and ever.

*This word "night" is νύξ (nyx) and its definition includes "the time of moral STUPIDITY and darkness".

**This light is NOT "phos".  This is a different light that we will experience when we get to Heaven.  THIS word for light is φωτίζω (phōtizō).  Its definition is "to enlighten, light up, illumine,to bring to light, render evident,to cause something to exist and thus come to light and become clear to all,to enlighten spiritually,to give understanding". It's best summarized by the word ENLIGHTENMENT.

The main truth that we fight to hold on to here on Earth, but will become completely clear in Heaven, is how very much GOD LOVES YOU.
While we are in this life, the enemy of our soul works hard to keep you in the dark.  When we put our faith in Christ, we became children of light or truth--we came to understand an assemblance of God's love.  This truth of God's immense love is something we must actively hold on to and try our best to not allow the darkness of doubt to creep back in.  Our fleshly view of God's love is tainted by our environment, low self esteem, and our finite minds.  However, in Heaven, the truth of His love for each individual will be illuminated straight into all of us without the need to constantly hold onto it, because we will become completely enlightened and the truth will be clear to ALL.</sup>

Holy Guacamole--This is Some Good Stuff!

I know it's a little long, but I had to share this passage taken from The Message Bible.  Hopefully, someone needs to read this today as badly as I did. I took the liberty of underlining the parts that jumped out at me.
Keep It Real,
Angela

Romans 6

The Message (MSG)

When Death Becomes Life

 ^1-3So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!  ^3-5That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country.
 ^6-11Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.
 ^12-14That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.

What Is True Freedom?

 ^15-18So, since we're out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we're free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!  ¹⁹I'm using this freedom language because it's easy to picture. You can readily recall, can't you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God's freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?
 ^20-21As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn't have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you're proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.
 ^22-23But now that you've found you don't have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.

Just a Friendly Reminder

Remember:

It is sometimes easier to believe the lie than to hold on to the truth.  Although it is tempting, don't take the easy way out for it only leads to bondage. 

John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

How Old Are YOU?

In a parent/child relationship, the child relates to the parent in strikingly different ways throughout each stage of life.

In your relationship with God, how old are you? At what stage of life would you say you are?

How do you relate to God, your Father?

As a child?--Full of awe and faith, not really analyzing much.  A child just accepts what you tell them and goes on with life in full pursuit.  Children enjoy being around their loving parents.  They love to play and laugh and take time to smell the roses.  They have not had much of the pressure of responsibilities or the crush of disappointments and emotional pain.  They just love their Daddy.

As a teenager?--Trying to "find themselves" and usually rebellious.  Teenagers begin to think that their way is better than their Father's.  Teenagers also interpret the actions of a protective parent incorrectly.  They believe their parent is keeping something fun or good from them.  They often feel life is unfair.  They still love their Father, but often stretch (if not bust through) the boundaries of their Father's wishes.

As an adult child?--Settled, mature and enjoying the company of their parents.  In the ideal evolution of a functional family, there is nothing else more satisfying then when adult children and their parents have formed a deep, beautiful relationship.  In these situations, both parties enjoy each other's company.  In spite of the occasional questioning of the actions of the parent, adult children come to know and appreciate the wisdom, love, and guidance that has been there all along.  They are secure in their place in the family.  They now see their Father's desire for a rich, genuine relationship with His child and the child desires to have that relationship also.

 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
2 Peter 3:17-18

What My Bunny Taught Me

This coming Monday is July 4th, our Independence Day, a celebration of our American freedoms. The concept of freedom in Christ was revealed to me by a real life object lesson a few years ago.  It all started when my cousin gave us a bunny.

Bunny came complete with a decent sized wire cage, feeding dish and a water dripper.  Bunny was so soft and cute and would even let you hold him without scratching.  The weather was nice so I placed Bunny on the backyard patio to enjoy the fresh breezes.  From my patio, Bunny could see a fenced in backyard with a beautiful waterfall that spilled into a koi pond. 

Hostas, azaleas, and other foliage abounded.  But Bunny was locked in his cage, which greatly bothered me.  Bunnies were not meant to be held in cages.  They were meant to hop and frolic and twitch and nibble.  So I set Bunny free to live in my backyard.  He was so delighted and I was tickled to see how happy he was.  My kitchen window faced the backyard and I loved looking up from the dishes and seeing Bunny hop back and forth.  Bunny would hop up the waterfall to a favored perch for a sip of water.  He would nibble on my plants.  He would race from one side of the yard to the other for no apparent reason.  He would come up to me when I was in the back yard for a gentle pet and whatever treat I had brought him.  I provided Bunny a perfect world and gave him freedom from his cage.  It was a safe place within the boundaries of the 5 foot high, wooden privacy fence.  Bunny was happy.  I was happy.

Then, Bunny found a small opening under the fence-just enough room for Bunny to wiggle out.  Bunny discovered a whole new, bigger freedom outside my boundary.  Bunny was excited about this new world.  One day, I went to the backyard to enjoy my rabbit but I could not find him anywhere.  Soon, I realized what had happened.  Bunny had left the comfort and security of the freedom I had given him for a different kind of freedom--a freedom without boundaries.  But Bunny didn't comprehend that I could not protect him or provide for him or have a relationship with him outside of my boundaries.  He could be hit by a car or eaten by the neighbor's dog. The fence that once kept us close now separated us.

I set out to find and rescue Bunny.  I was successful and returned Bunny back to his backyard home, but he went straight to the area wherein he had escaped and left again.  Again I retrieved him and attempted to secure the hole under the fence, but now that Bunny knew there was a way out under the boundary, he would dig holes to get out.  What I had provided was no longer deemed to be what was best in his mind.  Finally, I caught Bunny one last time, but this time I had to put him back into his cage, which broke my heart.  I could not bear to see Bunny caged up.  I ended up giving Bunny to the neighbor boy. 

God gives me freedom and wants me to enjoy my freedom in Him.  But He has also set boundaries around this freedom.  These boundaries keep me safe and keep me in relationship with Him.  The "outside" world can look so inviting and glamorous--even logical, but to step outside of God's boundaries means I am moving farther away from Him and signifies my belief that God is holding back from me something I will enjoy.  I have dug out under the fence and crossed God's set boundaries for me--more times than I care to admit.  But after a short while I find myself unfulfilled, bound up, lonely, and longing for God's Presence. 

Galatians 5:1 says, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Through Bunny I learned a valuable lesson of my freedom within the boundaries that God has set.  When I convince myself that my way is better than His and leave the safe haven of my freedom within His boundaries, He-in His perfect grace-retrieves me (when I realize I was wrong) and puts me back where I belong, in relationship with Him.  When will my flesh truly accept that His ways are best?

This weekend, reflect on your freedom in Christ.  What does it mean to you?  Do you see the incredible freedoms you have to live, love and enjoy life? All that is required for true happiness is provided within the safe boundaries of a relationship with your Creator and Savior.

The last time I saw Bunny, he was in the neighbor's garage...in his cage.

Eternal Importance

Circumstances are not eternal, but your relationship with Christ is.  The only things you can take with you into your next life are loved ones who have accepted Christ.  Focus on what really matters.

Afraid of The Lord's Prayer??

Looking at familiar passages of Scripture in different translations is a great way to get a fresh perspective. The Message Bible seeks to take the original words of the Bible and translate them into our most modern jargon.  While my favorite translation is the NIV, I like to look to The Message for an interesting take and modern commentary on God's Word.

Today I read Matthew 6 from The Message Bible and therein is found "The Lord's Prayer".  This was Jesus' example of how our prayers should be simple and sincere before God.

 ^7-13"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

   Our Father in heaven,
   Reveal who you are.
   Set the world right;
   Do what's best— as above, so below.
   Keep us alive with three square meals.
   Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
   Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
   You're in charge!
   You can do anything you want!
   You're ablaze in beauty!
      Yes. Yes. Yes.

Notice how it rephrases "Thine is the power" with "You can do anything you want!".

I decided to pray this prayer this morning and something strange happened to me when I got to that line, "You can do anything you want!"  I was surprised that I actually choked on those words and felt fear come up in me.  I was fine with the line before, You're in charge--that was comforting.  And the line after about His beauty, I totally agree.  But I hesitated on agreeing that God can do anything He wants because of the fear of what would that give God permission to do (as if He needs my permission).  This revealed to me that I don't quite have a true grasp of His love and perfect character.  I hope my heart and mind will come to the place of fully trusting that God wants me to have my best, most abundant life. 

Puppy Potty Training

After months of my then 9 year old begging, my husband and I conceded and decided to get her a puppy.  She wanted a dog so bad and we felt we were robbing her childhood of something potentially precious if we did not at least give it a try.  So we began to keep our eye out for a "good" one.  Then we saw this little guy and I must admit, I was smitten with his cuteness.  I mean, look at him......

I have heard it said that God purposely made baby animals cute so that we would be drawn to take care of them.  Well, it worked.  So I set out immediately to house break this little creature as quickly as possible.  I read up on the Internet for potty training strategies.  I posted a schedule and rules of the house to help our little guy, whom my daughter named Hershey, be successful in this venture.  From what I read on the Internet, this should take 2, 3 weeks tops.

Two or three weeks turned into two or three months and I started getting very frustrated. I am a very task oriented person, so the fact that I could not check "Housebreak Hershey" off my to do list made me feel like I failure.  What was I doing wrong?  Or perhaps there was something wrong with this particular dog that made him unable to understand what I wanted from him. Were we EVER going to have a housebroken dog?

About that time, my cousin who has experience with dogs, gave me a wonderful piece of advice.  He said, when you bring a puppy home, plan on the housebreaking to take about a year.  Doesn't seem like life changing words, but for me, it took the stress out of the situation and reset my mental state.  I no longer felt like a failure.  I changed my to do list entry from "Housebreak Hershey" to "Have Hershey housebroken within a year".  It was such a relief because I knew this unpleasant situation was going to come to an end at some point.  There was nothing "wrong" with me or Hershey. We will get through this and have a potty trained dog.

That simple statement, "plan on it taking a year", changed my perspective of what I assumed was my failure.  Jesus also told us to "plan on" something.  He told us to plan on His return.  Like my cousin, He even gave us a time frame--He said He would return "quickly".  I have wondered how could He say He would return "quickly" when its been thousands of years since He said that.  The reason is this; once He does return, all of our time on earth will seem like but a vapor in comparison to eternity.

2 Corinthians 2:17 says this, For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Do you know why women agree to get pregnant even though there will be much pain and discomfort?  Because they know they will only be miserable for no more than nine months and then it will be over.  Could you imagine if when you got pregnant you had no idea when, if ever, the baby will be ready to be born.  I don't think I could mentally handle that.  Knowing that the hard times will come to an end within a certain time frame helps us handle most anything. 

So Jesus told us to plan on His return and that He would come back quickly.  We can handle this life.  We can put our pain, discomfort, and perceived failures in the perspective of our eternity with Him.  Plan on Him coming back quickly.

It has been just over a year now since Hershey came into our home and I am happy to announce he is 99% housebroken and a wonderful addition to our family.

One Sign of "REAL" Spiritual Growth

 

You want to live right before others, not because of what others will think of you, but because of what others will think of the God you claim to serve.

Voice in My Head

The inspiration behind this blog is encouraging Christians to be "real" to each other and to God.  The more we face up to who we really are, the more we see our need for the grace, love, and mercy of a perfect Father. 

I have been battling the voice of doubt in my head.  It tells me that I am not worthy to impart any Biblical truth to anyone.  I do not hold a PHD in theology.  Furthermore, I sin.  Daily.  What if people examine my life as a result of this blog and see my flaws?  Who am I to be used by God to bring encouragement to others?

Well, who I am is this:  I am a sinful person who has accepted the gift of forgiveness from my sins that was offered to me through the blood Jesus shed on the cross.  This forgiveness cancels the punishment of my sins.  I have faith that His blood has redeemed me (or bought me back) and I now belong to Him, flaws and all.  His love for me draws me into a relationship with Him and I love Him more each day.  As my love for Him increases, I want to obey and please Him. 

I am also a person who, from time to time, is impressed with a particular scripture or thought and as a result I am driven, compelled even, to share that thought or revelation with others.  If I believe I belong to Him and I believe the Holy Spirit is inspiring me to share something with others, THAT is what makes me worthy.

   "It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."
John 4:23-24, The Message

It's who you ARE, not who you WERE.  It's about being honest in your need for Him.  None of us are worthy.  If we were worthy on our own, Jesus died for nothing.

So in summary: I sin.  I ask for forgiveness and try to be more like Jesus.  I occasionally get impressed to share things that are laid on my heart in hopes someone will be encouraged or enlightened because of it.  If that happens, all glory to God.  I am less than nothing without Him.....seriously.

There, now maybe the voice in my head will shut up.

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Make the Grade

As this school year is winding down, teachers will be preparing the final report cards for each student.  Report cards are a way of giving some kind of measurement to the progress and aptitude of  an individual.  My devotional this week presented an interesting thought.  When I was in school, it would have been nice if my friends could have given me my grades or even better, if I could have graded myself.  There have been times with my own kids that I wish I could have given them their grades.  But alas, the grades must come from the teacher.

At the end of your day, do you ever reflect and give yourself a grade?  Maybe you had a particularly productive day.  For me that would mean, the house is spotless, the children are clean and homework is done, the family is digesting the delicious meal that I prepared, and everyone in the house is getting along.  That would be an A+ day to me.  Or perhaps I had received several complements on a given day.  My boss tells me I am doing a great job.  My friends say nice things about my children.  My husband comments that I am more beautiful than ever and my kids express to me their love.  That would certainly feel like an A+ day.
But the truth is this; just like it was in school, neither my friends, family, nor I, can really give an accurate grade to my day. 

Consider this writing of Paul in 1 Corinthians 4
¹ A person should consider us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of God's mysteries. ² In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one be found faithful. ³ It is of little importance that I should be evaluated by you or by a human court. In fact, I don't even evaluate myself. ⁴ For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. The One who evaluates me is the Lord. ⁵ Therefore don't judge anything prematurely, before the Lord comes, who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.

God is the only One who can truly place a grade on your day and on your life!  And what is it based on?  The intentions of your heart.  The last verse says that if my heart is in the right place with Him, I will receive praise from God!! That is both relieving and scary.  It is a relief because we are free from the bondage of the opinion of others (and ourselves), but scary because it forces us to evaluate the intentions behind what we do.  Everything we do, we should do out of love for our Savior and gratitude for the mercy and grace that salvation affords.  Just as we must follow the college professor's agenda to be successful in our learning, we cannot expect to set aside God's agenda for our day and then hope that He is pleased with our progress in our daily walk with Him.

Today, look to the Supreme Teacher for His agenda.  Then, look only to Him to grade your day.  Do not let your conscience be falsely clear as a result of being dulled down.  But also, do not be overly burdened by unnecessary guilt.  Only God can determine what makes for a spiritually productive day.  And it has a lot more to do with what we "do" do, rather than what we "don't" do.

And by the way, this is one learning institution from which we never graduate.

I HATE LOSING STUFF!

Such is my personality that I get very upset when I lose something--I mean, really upset.  I am sure it has to do with a deep seeded control issue.  I lost something important this morning.  It was a book.  I know that doesn't sound so devastating, but tucked into the book were important papers.  Regardless of the value, being unable to locate an item is a very unwelcome interruption to my day.  When I went to retrieve it from where I believed it to be, I could not find it.  Concern quickly turned into panic.  Frustation arose in me to the point of tears as I searched everywhere my book possibly could be.  I HATE LOSING STUFF!

I determined to skip my morning devotions; afterall, I was much too distracted and upset to focus on the Bible and prayer. (Although I was praying a rather angry prayer that God would help me find my book.)  Then I received a text from my dad.  Now, my dad takes the time each morning to send his kids a short text of either a Bible verse or an inspirational truth.  Today's text was (are you ready for this?)  "Don't let a problem become an excuse."  Well, talk about a word in due season.  So, I sat down with my Bible and my Sunday School material that I use for my morning devotions and began to force my mind to focus on Ezra, rather than my lost item. 

Wouldn't you know, about five minutes into my study time, my husband calls from work.  He decided to look in his car one more time after we had already scoured it over three times before he left this morning.  But this time, he was lead to move the driver seat all the way forward and there, under the seat, was my book.

God has such a cool way of speaking to us.  He used a lost book and a text from my dad to remind me that although I am not always in control, He is, and I need to chill out and continue to do the right thing. 

What did God say to you today?

Seeing Is Believing

Around Easter time every year, most Christian are drawn to re-read and reflect on the Resurrection of Jesus.  I have spent some time over the last few weeks pondering John 20.  The theme of this chapter seems to be what was seen.  In verse 1, Mary Magdalene "saw" the stone was rolled away.  In verse 5, John "looked" at the empty grave clothes and verse 6, Peter also "saw" the neatly folded strips of linen and the folded burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. 

At least two more times, the chapter refers to seeing.  In verses 8, and 11, both Mary and John saw an empty tomb.  The impact of the empty tomb must have been tremendous.  As hard as it was to watch their beloved Savior die, how much more upsetting was it now to not know where His body has gone.  But what struck me is the differences in their reactions to what they saw.  The account says, Mary saw and wept.  But John saw and believed.  Two people, both very much impacted by the life and love of the Son of God, both in the same situation, both given the same realization, but two very different responses.

To Mary, the empty tomb meant confusion, grief, desperation--even to the point that she seemed unfazed by the appearance of angels and later did not recognize Jesus, Himself. 

The Bible says John saw and believed, even though he did not understand (verse 9).  To him, the empty tomb meant hope--hope that something great has happened or will be the result of what has happened.  He believed that Jesus was in control of this situation, therefore, John was at peace with what he saw.

This past Sunday, my Sunday School teacher said the following profound statement, almost as an afterthought (she probably doesn't even remember saying it because it was said off the cuff), but as soon as she said it, it got my attention and I wrote it down.  She said, "It is more important to believe than to understand".  Let that settle for a minute.  We always want to understand what has happened, what is going to happen, what is the result of what has happened.  We want to understand why an event was allowed to rock our world.  We want to understand how long are we going to be affected by this event.  But John, when given the same information as Mary, SAW AND BELIEVED, without understanding.

When our world experiences a personal earthquake, be it a tremor (flat tire) or massive 8.9-magnitude quake, like the one that hit northeast Japan on Friday, March 11, 2011 (sudden death of loved one), we can choose to  be wrought with confusion and desperation, demanding God to help us understand "why" and "what does this mean".  Or we can see and believe that God is in control, we are in His Hands, and we can trust Him.

If Only I Had Known

This past Sunday was known as Palm Sunday and my pastor, appropriately enough, preached from Luke 19:28-44, which is the account of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem upon a donkey.  Assuming you are familiar with this story, I want to share with you the one verse that leaped out at me as never before--verse 42, "(Jesus) said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace'".  The statement absolutely pierced my heart. 

The Amplified Bible says it this way;
⁴²Exclaiming, Would that you had known personally, even at least in this your day, the things that make for peace (for ^[j]freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin and upon which your peace--your ^[k]security, safety, prosperity, and happiness--depends)!

I cannot get this thought out of my head, two days later.  The Bible says in the previous verse that Jesus was looking over Jerusalem and wept as He made this statement.  My mind can almost visualize Jesus, standing over the span of my life, weeping over the temporary things that I have chased in pursuit of peace.  Jesus says to me, Angela, had you only known what would really bring you peace. 

I love the definition of peace that the Amplified Bible offers--freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin.  What an incredible deceiver Satan is!  How is it that he is able to package the very thing that leads us to distress as what will bring us peace?

SIN -> DISTRESS -> ABSENCE OF PEACE

JESUS CHRIST -> FREEDOM FROM SIN -> NO DISTRESS -> PEACE

John Lennon encouraged us to "Give Peace A Chance".  But the only true peace (freedom from distress) will be found in a life resolved to reject sin and embrace Jesus.

Caution: Road Narrows Ahead

<sup>You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate.  The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.  But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Matthew 7:13-14, New Living Translation

I have been accused of being too "closed minded".  I was told I need to open my mind to be more accepting of other viewpoints and methods of spiritual nourishment.  Seems like, as far as society is concerned, the road to Heaven gets more and more broad as we get more and more enlightened. 

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, the Life.  No man comes to the Father, but by Me".  I am so glad those words were recorded.  Otherwise, we might question if there are different paths to the Father.

I recently saw Valerie Bertinelli on an interview show.  She referred often to how many bad things she had done in her 20's.  And now, in her 50's, she is striving to be "a really good person" to make up for those bad things so that she can go to Heaven.  Can you imagine depending on yourself for eternal life? 

Jesus paved the road to the Father.  The verse above mentions this road being difficult.  Don't confuse this with unpleasant or a life with no fun.  Rather, picture salmon, swimming upstream, doing what they must to procreate and continue the life cycle.  Is it easy to swim upstream? No.  Would it be easier to go with the current? Yes.  But going with the flow is not what the salmon was destined to do.  It must take the path of greatest resistance and in so doing, it finds life and purpose.  Our path is difficult due to the pressures of living in the world, but stay on the narrow path, we must. 

If you have also been labeled "closed minded", be glad that you are on the narrow road, the only road that leads to Heaven.</sup>

Epic Fail

Seems like a new buzz word I hear my kids saying is, "Fail".  If I try to tell a joke and it flops they very flatly declare, "fail".  Or if we are playing basketball in the driveway and I shoot an airball--"fail".  I have even noticed myself saying it.  If you really mess up then the dry, sarcastic label gets taken up a notch to "epic fail".

Have you ever had an "epic failure", spiritually speaking?  Now, I am not talking about times in your walk with God when you have gotten lazy and apathetic and "little" sins crept up and became a part of your everyday living.  And I am not referring to the accidental sins.  I am referring to the times when you were moving forward in your relationship with Christ.  Times when you look forward to your daily devotions.  Times when you feel like you are on the right track, the track that leads you closer to Jesus.  And then--BLAM! From out of nowhere you look up and realize you just did a terrible sin and committed an "epic failure".  I have been in this situation and it was quite derailing.  It happened at a time when I was reading the Word and praying daily.  I was excited about going to church again.  I was actively pursuing a more holy lifestyle.  I was moving forward.

Then I failed.  I was presented with an opportunity to do a great thing for God and for my testimony, and I failed.  Here's the weird thing: earlier in the day, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and warned me about this very sin and that I was headed toward it if I was not careful.  Guess what I did in response.  Pray? No,  I brushed off His conviction.  The exact nature of my sin is not important, but suffice to say, I hurt myself and my Savior.  In the days following my failure, I must have asked God for forgiveness every few minutes.  I sought out the forgiveness of close to me.  But forgiving myself--that was a different story.  I felt like such a joke because I was supposed to be on the right track.  I was supposed to be "on fire" again.  And here I am, knocked down and bruised.  All my own doing.
While dealing with this guilt one morning, my devotions were from 1 Peter.  Peter's book is so deep and rich and mature.  As my devotions came to a close, my eyes glanced up at the top of the page of my Bible onto the name Peter.  Immediately, I thought of Peter's "epic failure", his denial of even knowing Jesus, when Jesus needed him most.  My mind began racing.  If anyone should have been "close to the Lord" you would think it would have been someone who had the previlege of LITERALLY walking with Jesus in the flesh.  He had touched Jesus, heard the words come out of His mouth, seen His mighty acts first hand.  Peter was even one of the three disciples that Jesus was especially close to.
They were best friends.

Then my mind remembered, Peter was also warned beforehand that he was going to fail.  Hours prior Jesus told Peter, You will deny me three times before the rooster crows.  What was Peter's reaction?  Never, Lord!  Then in the garden Jesus warned Peter, Pray because the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.  But Peter slept instead of praying.  I have no stones to throw at Peter.  I am quite sure these men were absolutely exhausted.  But then Jesus was arrested.  Peter had his loyalty to Jesus put to the ultimate test.  He had a chance to be a hero.  He could have stood trial beside the Man who radically changed his life.  But he failed.  He failed by lying.  And when the rooster crowed, he remembered Jesus' warning.  Peter was instantly devasted by his failure. He ran out of the courtyard and wept bitterly.

I looked through the Gospels and did not see a reference to Peter at the Crucifixion.  I believe the guilt of his failure was too much to bear in the presence of the One whom he failed.  He had no defense.  He had no excuse.  The last moment he shared with Jesus before Jesus died was the call of the rooster, the confirmation of his failure.  As subject to human emotions, I imagine Peter had to wonder how could Jesus possibly forgive him?

The Holy Spirit revealed some things to me that morning as I raced through the four Gospels looking for clues about how Peter got over this failure and onto becoming a leader in the new Church.  Remember how mature and stable he sounds in his book of the Bible?

Three main points have come into focus for me.
1. JESUS KNEW PETER WOULD FAIL, BUT INVESTED IN HIM ANYWAY
The warning that Peter received earlier in the day tells me that Jesus knew Peter would fail, but yet loved him and called him to be great anyway.  Peter's failure had not surprised Jesus.  In fact, Jesus knew Peter would fail when they met three years prior.  But Jesus invested in him anyway.


2. JESUS STILL WANTED TO USE PETER FOR GREAT THINGS
After Jesus resurrected, He appeared to the diciples a few times.  The most beautiful of these encounters was the breakfast on the beach.  The disciples were fishing early in the morning when Jesus appeared on the shore and recomended they throw their nets to the other side to get a good catch.  When Peter realized it was Jesus, he jumped in the water and swam for shore, as compulsive as ever.  They all had a meal over a fire and afterwards we see the beautiful reinstatement of Peter.
John 21
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
   “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
   He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
   Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Feed my sheep."


Three times Jesus asked Peter, do you love me?  When Jesus asked a third time Peter was offended.  I can see his flushing cheeks and his desparate eyes as he declared, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”  Through his own confession, Peter received assurance that Jesus knew Peter loved Him, even though he had failed Him. And yes, Jesus still wanted him to accomplish great things for the Kingdom. PETER WASN'T CALLED BECAUSE OF HIS PERFECTION, HE WAS CALLED BECAUSE OF HIS PURPOSE!

3. JESUS WANTS US TO GET UP AND KEEP GOING
I found it so interesting that one of the last things Jesus said directly to Peter before ascending into Heaven was, "Follow me". Wasn't that also the first words Peter had heard Jesus speak to him?  "Follow me."  You would think after 3 years together Peter would not need to be reminded of the most basic element of being a Christian: following Jesus.  But apparently Peter (and all of us) from the first day we accept Jesus to our last day on Earth need to be reminded to just follow Jesus.  It is like a marathon.  If you fall down, don't stay down.  Get up!  Dust off and get back in the pursuit of the leader.  At least you were off the couch and in the race to start with.  You can still finish the race and receive the prize.  If you keep going.