Monthly Archives: March 2018

A Word in Season

Looking back on my childhood, I remember Easter as being a favorite holiday. The snow had melted, flowers were popping out of the ground and we were shedding our heavy winter clothing. My mother always made us new “Easter” outfits. I remember one year my mother just finished making me a new outfit, a beautiful lavender and white suit. We headed out to the stores to purchase a hat and shoes to match. My sister had a pink outfit designed and made by my mother. I couldn’t wait till Easter Sunday church service to wear my new outfit.

There were many preparations involving food. Every year we made coconut eggs dipped in chocolate, my favorite. I could often be found dipping my finger into the coconut mix.

Wait a minute! There is something wrong here. Isn’t this the time of year that we focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus? Let’s stop and think a little deeper.

Distracted by Many Things
When I was younger, many things distracted me at “Easter” time. The church my family was affiliated with had many preparations in the weeks before Easter. We met regularly as a group to remember the sufferings of Jesus in His betrayal, trials and crucifixion. There was much talk of His glorious resurrection.

One would think that my heart and mind would have been spiritually focused to praise God as I remembered the sacrifice of Jesus and His resurrection. However, I have to say, while I did give that thought, I was very distracted by other preparations.

My mother was an excellent seamstress, and every year, out of a very generous heart, she would make beautiful Easter outfits for my sister and me. I can remember many of the suits, dresses, even springtime coats. The materials were beautiful pastel colors expertly sewn. I remember one year a beautiful dress with a matching cape. There were, of course, hats with ribbons and flowers, and also shoes to match. I couldn’t wait to go to the Easter church service to wear my new outfit.

In addition to an outfit, we always received an Easter basket full of delicious treats. One year the whole basket was made of chocolate!

This is a sad commentary on my spiritual state. It wasn’t until years later that I began to value the sacrifice of Jesus not only at the time of Easter but daily.

Look Inside
While I grew up around the story of Jesus and had inclinations to spiritual matters of the heart, I was often distracted by things of the world and my “self.” As I began to read the Bible I began to see what my state really was before God.

No one wants to talk about sin today. It is considered an unsophisticated, antiquated topic associated with fire and brimstone preachers in gospel meeting tents.

The truth is when I began to see my sin, the depth and breadth of my sinful nature, then I began to understand and appreciate the sacrifice, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  To this day, when I see my sin, this principle holds the same for me.

Look to Jesus
At this time of year, when people are in some way thinking of Jesus, make a decision to avoid distractions of the holiday and family plans. Take some time to meditate on Jesus and His sacrifice and what it means to you. If you dare, I encourage you to pray and ask God to show you your sin and your sinful nature.

But don’t stop at your sin, because without looking to God our sin is depressing. Look upon the cross at the sacrificial Lamb, at His death and resurrection. Meditate on some of the passages below. These truths will focus your heart on Jesus, and remind you of the true blessings we have received from His death and resurrection.

Be Still and Know

“God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that
in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”  2 Corinthians 5:21

“He himself bore our sins” in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by His wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

“Long ago, even before He made the world, God chose us to be His very own through what Christ would do for us; He decided then to make us holy in His eyes, without a single fault—
we who stand before Him covered with His love. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us.
And He did this because He wanted to!” Ephesians 1:4-5 (TLB)

“… For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by faith…”  Romans 3:23-25a

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!”  Rom. 5:10

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And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Revelation 5:9

Treasures Within

I grew up in a region of our country where anthracite coal beds formed, because of this there were many different types of rocks around the area.

As a young girl one of my favorite places to go was the community pool and playground because rising up around this area were step-like hills with trees and wildflowers on them. I would love to climb and play on these hills. It was here that I found many “rock treasures.” Among these were: sparkling rocks glittery on the outside; some with quartz crystals attached; some thin and clear like with layers like mica; some striated orange and gray. Of course I found the expected, shale and slate. I always felt like I was finding treasure.

The most amazing find was a small, ordinary looking rock that when cracked open it had beautiful crystal structures inside it. I later found out those rocks are called geodes.

Empty Spaces Transformed
According to an article I read, geodes are rocks that have an empty space inside them.  As it rains or as various water sources flow through pores on the rock to the inside, over time, crystals from the various minerals in the water form and transform the rock into a beautiful and valuable gem.
Purple GeodeDifferent elements can affect the color of the crystal. For example trace elements of manganese can cause a pink crystal, while iron can cause purple. Heat is another factor of change. Heat can cause the purple crystal to turn to yellow or citrine. Geodes are a beautiful works of God.

Treasures Within
Geodes remind me of how God transforms us. In a sense we are God’s true geodes who reflect His glory and His image. God takes my empty soul,my rocky hard heart, my fleshly self and transforms me into His radiance. Consider these truths about what God is doing in us.

Transforming
2 Cor. 3:18 tells us that God is transforming us from our fleshly self into His image, into the image of His character and glory. The word transform (metamorphoó) means to change into another form. So God is working in us to change our inner fleshly nature into the essence of His character that we would have the same excellence that shines in Christ.

 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who
is the Spirit.”  2 Cor. 3:18 (ESV)

Conforming
In Romans 8:29 we read the truth that God is conforming us to the image of His Son.
The word conform (symmorphos) implies a changing to make similar to or the same as. We are being changed from the inside, much like the geode, to be like Jesus. We are being fashioned into the likeness of Jesus character.

 “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.”Romans 8:29

Filling
We are self oriented. We are fleshly and prone to follow our fleshly nature. God changes, transforms and conforms us to His image. God fills us with His Spirit, with His nature with His fullness.  This is astounding but it is true. This truth is reflected in several places in scripture.

In Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians he points to this truth in verse 19.
“… so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”  Ephesians 3:17-19

In Ephesians 4:13, Paul points to the truth that the whole church, the body of Christ, is being brought to be the fullness of Jesus. So even in the church with all our different strengths, weaknesses, agreements and disagreements, the goal of God our Father is to bring the church into the fullness of Jesus.

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4: 11-13

Christ in You
These truths deserve more intense study, deep consideration and prayer as to what they mean to us. They express God’s true intention towards us. In closing, consider this:

“. . . the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:26-27

Faith and Authority-The One and Only Series-2

A fierce gale arose upon the sea. The winds where howling and the waves were tossing the sturdy fishing boat around like a toy. Waves were breaking over the boat with such intensity that seasoned fishermen were crying out in fear and panic. The One who was asleep in the stern awakened to cries for help. He stood up in the heaving boat and spoke to the wind and the sea, telling them to be silent and still. Immediately, there was calm.

This account in Mark 4:35-39 provides a glimpse of the emotion and wonder of the disciples as they witnessed the supremacy and the authority of Jesus.

In a recent blog entry, we referenced the supremacy of Jesus Christ as described in Col. 1:15-20, and we looked at snapshots of the power of Jesus in gospel accounts. We are going to look at a few more examples of this to encourage our faith.

His Wonders Lead to Faith
Numerous passages in the Old Testament reveal how important it is for us to sit up and pay attention to the wonders of God. One such passage is Psalm 106:7.

In Psalm 106: 7, the psalmist relates the failure of Israel to “consider” the wonders of God which led them to be unfaithful to God.

“Our fathers when they were in Egypt did not consider Your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of Your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea …” Ps. 106:7

“Consider” means to think about; give attention to; take it into their mind and heart and connect it to their faith. They did not give weight or value to the wonders God performed, and this led them to be unfaithful to God.

It is important for us to look at the signs and wonders that Jesus performed and to connect them to the supremacy of Jesus that we read of in Col. 1:15-20.

For the purpose of this writing we will focus on Col. 1:16-17, which emphasizes Jesus’s authority and supremacy over all things.
“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Authority over Essence
We can read about the signs and wonders that Jesus did in all four gospels. In amazing show of Jesus authority recorded in John 2:1-11, Jesus changed water into wine at a wedding feast at Cana. He changed the essence of water H20 into wine with a basic chemical composition of CH3CH2OH.

In this one action Jesus shows us that He has the power and authority to change the internal natures and or essences.

When I take time to “consider” this wonder, to give it the value and the weight it
deserves, I begin to understand that knowing this truth about Jesus’s authority gives me hope for my life.

The fact that Jesus changed water into wine at a wedding feast 2000+ years ago gives you and me hope. While this sign in itself shows the glory of God and who Jesus is and it was intended to produce faith in the apostles (John 2: 11), it does the same for us; it shows us who Jesus is and produces faith in us. (“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
John 20:31)

Authority to Change Me
Considering this wonder more deeply shows me that Jesus has the authority to change me. He has the authority to help me make lasting changes in my character that I thought were impossible for me. Weaknesses and failings that I considered were just me, a part of my temperament or a non erasable scar of my life experience.

Jesus changes me into a new creation.
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…” 2 Cor. 5:16-18

He can change my prideful self into a humble soul. He can change my tendency to be fearful and deceitful into being courageous and truthful.

Scripture uses terms such as transform; restore; regenerate; renew; new heart, new creation, etc. All these are associated with the authority of Jesus to affect the nature and essence of a being or thing.

In fact scripture says that when we believe in Him as the Son of God and step out to obey Him, He begins transforming us into what we were always meant to be in relation to Him.
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord (Jesus), are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Cor. 3:18

A Closing Prayer
God, Most High, open the eyes of our heart and help us understand more truly who
Jesus is and to grasp what His power and authority mean to our everyday life and our faith. May we see Jesus for who He is and honor Him.