On my journey with Jesus I camped in Luke 9 this past week. Jesus is making His way to Jerusalem. It is nearing time for Him to go to the cross. He knows full well what this is going to be. Luke describes it: "When the days drew near for him to be taken up he set his face to go to Jerusalem." Jesus was determined to accomplish what He had come to do - no matter how difficult. The prophet Isaiah tells us that He set his "face like a flint." 50:7. Loved one as you look at Jesus, are you filled with that same resolve? To set your face like flint and press on? When trials come do you ask God to take them away? Of course we can ask Our Heavenly Father to take our trials away. We can bring all our prayer requests to Him - He actually knows our desires and requests better than we do. He loves us and He cares deeply. For some though this is not a request you can ask for. The deed is done - it cannot be reversed. Julius is gone - not even God is going to ...
Posts
Valentine's Day 2013. Sweet memories of Julius. Rushing home from work to go to Date Night at church. Forever romantic, bringing us girls flowers and chocolates. That sweet and gentle smile... Today is another painful "first." Dear Reader, are you in a painful place today? You have read and looked at reminders of valentine's day for weeks now - actually soon after Christmas was over? The world is telling you that if you do not have that special valentine you are somehow the less? Are you feeling ashamed that you have no plans for this evening? You are told that your ultimate goal in life is to be in a relationship - married or engaged? Loved one look at the One who promised to love you and followed up with His promise. He said He loved you so much He was prepared to die for you and He did. He did not hold it against you that you were rebellious and far from Him - He still died for you. Believe Him when He says that He is coming back for you - He is preparing a man...
Tomorrow will be 9 months. Desperate this morning for a word from the Lord, I landed in Luke 9:10. " On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. The apostles had just come back from a missions trip that Jesus had sent them on. He had equipped them with power and authority to heal and to proclaim the kingdom of God. He had also given them specific instructions on how to travel, where to stay, how long to stay etc. And now they are back and the Word says that they told him all they had done. Surely this was a long meeting. There were after all 12 of them. Had they accomplished all that was asked of them? Had they followed all his instructions? Had they spoken out of turn sometimes? Had they doubted His power in their lives? Had they failed sometimes due to lack of faith and their unbelief? Had they been good witnesses in the households they stayed with? Did they resent the task that they were asked to do? Too big for them? Felt alone and fearful? Homesick?...
Reading Luke 8 this morning, from verses 19 to 21: Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” 21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” This was Jesus' earthly family. Why were they not with Him? Did they get complacent? Too exhausting to keep up with Him? Jesus did walk a lot and seems like He covered much ground very fast. It was also very rough terrain sometimes. Did they not like what He was saying? Too convicting? Uncomfortable? Too close to home? A sense of deja vu? Jaded? Bored? Or maybe they thought the rest of the world needed to hear from Him more than they did. They did live with Him for 30 years after all. Of course these are all my own thoughts. But the words "...they could not reach him because of the crowd." really stuck...
Hanging out with Jesus as I promised, I came face to face with His heart of compassion today. In Luke 7, Jesus had just healed the slave of a Roman Officer. "Soon after Jesus went with his disciples to the next village." Luke 7:11 Jesus did not waste time, He was purposeful and intentional. A funeral procession was coming out. He was at the right place at the right time. We are told that the young man who had died was a widow's only son. The widow had lost everything. "When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said." Luke 7:13(NLT) I was so struck with Jesus' heart of compassion for the widow. Possibly the woman was so deep in her grief that she had not even noticed that Jesus was at the village gate. The Word does not mention that she appealed to Him. Jesus' "heart broke" (The Message) to see her grief. He was so moved that He raised her son to life and presented him to her. He alone has power and ...
“ Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband - the Lord Almighty is his name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;..Is 54:5 In this passage the prophet Isaiah is referring to the nation of Israel and to quote Matthew Henry: "Jerusalem had been in the condition of a wife written childless, or a desolate solitary widow; but now it is promised that the city should be replenished..." This was God's promise to them - that He would again be their husband and restore and redeem them. I love the Old Testament and how beautifully the story of the Jews, reflects the journey of our lives and God's unfailing love for us, for me. Your Maker is your husband! To be honest I have quoted this verse to a couple of my friends who have had marriages that did not turn out the way they were ...
I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:13
Christmas morning 2013. On a cruise ship, in the middle of the ocean, far far from home or anything remotely familiar. Nobody wanted to say it, so I did. "Hey girls it is Christmas Day." "Yeah we know" they said. And then there was silence which of course I tried to break again. After a while we talked and remembered - Christmases past. Julius, his big smile, his joy, and enthusiasm. Christmas carols, Handels' Messiah, going to church, reading the Christmas story, opening gifts, the annual family picture with the camera on the tripod, eggnog and traditional Goan Christmas sweets, excited phone calls to India to wish all of the family. Every year he pretended that he did not have a gift for me and every year he surprised me and mostly himself I think. He always had the sweetest most thoughtful gift. Last year he BBQed the turkey to perfection. Julius was a man gifted by God with many talents and in recent times he outshone us in the kitchen. He said a good ...