Tag: Jesus

In Jesus’ Name We Pray

Have you ever thought of prayers that close with “In Jesus’ Name We Pray, Amen”?  Maybe you close your own prayers that way.

I have to confess that sometimes thoughtful traditions become habits, and there are times that I miss the meaning in the moment of routine. When I stop and really think of these words at the end of my prayer, it’s an awesome reminder that:

          • God is in control
          • Jesus has the power, not us
          • To him be the glory
          • We want our heart and will to be aligned to the Father’s
          • Jesus is our intercessor
          • His name is above all names

When we truly believe in the power that Jesus’ name carries, we call on Him and know he is able. He is able to comfort. He is able to heal. He is able to meet us where we are. He is able to forgive. He is able to change us. He is all powerful, and his name is above all other names. Philippians 2:9-10 tells us:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

So Jesus’ name is above any other name, and there is POWER in his name! The New Testament is filled with examples of disciples praying and doing miracles in Jesus’ name, with faith, and then times when they weren’t. The results were very different. John 14:14, John 16:23-24, 1 John 5:13-15, Acts 19:13-16

This is an awesome encouragement for me to slow down and think about what I’m saying and what’s truly in my heart. What am I really asking for? What are my motives? Do I believe God will answer my prayer? Am I requesting Jesus’ power, by calling on his name?

As we are called to be more Christ-like, studying who he is will help us identify areas of growth. These daily attributes and names of God are amazing!

Jesus was named with the Hebrew origin meaning Jehovah / Yahweh Saves, or God Rescues. This name, chosen by God, is over every other name. And we have access to his power by calling on his name – wow! And when we call on his name, we are declaring that the power is his. The glory is His. None of it is ours! 

Do you have a situation that needs the power of Jesus to intervene? Approach God in faith, knowing and believing that Jesus’ name is above all. Say his name out loud!

Man of Sorrows

Most of us are familiar with the Disney classic Aladdin and the legend of a genie in a magic lamp granting 3 wishes to the person who finds and rubs it, especially with the recent remake and also the emergence of Disney Plus. If there were such a lamp and you were lucky enough to find it, what would you do if you had that much power? Even if you would use that power for something good to change the world and mankind, would it be the first thing you would do with your power? Would you ever even think of helping someone who had directly disobeyed you which hurt you deeply? Much like the fortunate person to find a lamp with a magic genie like Aladdin, God has all power. We know from Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve brought sin into the world by eating from the tree God told them not to and thus directly going against His one direction, God not only immediately provided for them through skins to clothe them (Genesis 3:21) when they realized they were naked only because of their sin, but He also immediately promised a Savior in Genesis 1:15 to help mankind defeat Satan and death and bring us back to Him.

Let me pose another question…..if you made a decision to help save someone who directly hurt you, would you be willing to go through much hardship and pain to do so if you could get the same result without it? God chose to save us and to take the pain upon His Son Jesus. He also chose to do so in the most humbling way possible. Through the prophet Isaiah, God tells us Jesus was a “man of sorrows” in Isaiah 53:3 who was despised and rejected.

Jesus came in to this world the son of a carpenter and young virgin, not a king and queen. Jesus and His family were rejected from the beginning, there was no room at the inn so he was born in a stable, not a castle, and placed in a manger, not a bed. As He became a man, we know nothing about His earthly home leading us to believe it couldn’t have been much. From Scriptures, we know He became hungry and thirsty. He felt the pain of losing a friend in Lazarus and cried. He was rejected by those in His own hometown. He was betrayed and given to the authorities to be killed by one of his 12 closest friends and followers, Judas. The remaining 11 then ran, abandoned Him, and hid when He was captured. One of His other closest friends and followers, Peter, denied he even knew Him. Then, despite seeing His mighty works and raising others from the dead, another of His closest friends, Thomas, refused to believe He was raised and had done what He said He would. In all of this, we have not even mentioned yet He was beaten and tortured to the brink of death and then was executed in one of the most gruesome and painful ways our world has ever known. No doubt He was a “man of sorrows.”

When we have a bad day, week, month, or are in some of the deepest valleys and toughest, most painful seasons of our life, we must remember we have a God and Savior who empathizes, knows, and cares about what we are experiencing because He experienced some form of the same pain. He didn’t have to, but He did. If we think we don’t deserve what we are going through, we can remember Jesus definitely didn’t deserve what He went through…all for us nonetheless. If we now think about the honor, power, and glory of Jesus, we might picture Him on a throne sitting at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, but we can be thankful while He was on this Earth…He was a “man of sorrows”…all for you and for me…so that our pain could be temporary and not eternal.

Kinsman-Redeemer

 

Ruth 3:9 “He said, ‘Who are you?’ And she answered, ‘I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer”.

Who has been a redeemer in your life? Who has taken you out of the darkness? Who has cared for you above all else?

On my worst days, I find myself thinking that I am all alone. In college, I struggled with a high amount of anxiety and depression. I kept seeking and attempting to find something that wasn’t there. I turned to the emptiness of sin to find satisfaction and meaning in my life. At this time, I didn’t depend on God, and I wasn’t searching for Him at all. I had a relationship with God, but I was fighting Him every step of the way.

I asked myself the question above, “Who can redeem me from this place that I am in”? I knew that God was always there for me and cared for me no matter what happened, but at the end of the day, I didn’t think He should. I thought that He shouldn’t love someone like me. I wasn’t good enough to be loved and cared for by a Savior.

Sin is rooted deeply into all of our lives. Our flesh gives into sin naturally. However, there is One thing that can redeem us and save us from this…our kinsman-redeemer Jesus. In the story of Ruth, Ruth’s husband passed away and she was left with her mother-in-law, Naomi. In this time, it was extremely difficult for women to survive without a male family member. The one way one would be able to survive, and flourish was through a kinsman-redeemer. The kinsman redeemer would restore the rights and freedom to oneself. Ruth found herself in one of the worst situations, but then God redeemed her through her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz. Even in our worst situations we can be redeemed.

No matter how we got into a terrible situation, through our own sin or external circumstances, Jesus, our kinsman-redeemer, redeems all of it. For me it was my direct sin and anxiety that brought me to depend on Him. Ruth, however, was given a kinsman-redeemer, Boaz. Jesus paid the ransom that we may be with Him forever!

Home

Today’s Verses:

Psalm 84:3-4 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King, and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.

Psalm 90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.

Home

What do you think of when you think of home? Is it the current house you have been in now for our “stay at home” order? Do you think back to your hometown? What does home look like when you think of Jesus? Do you consider the visible church a home? What about your heart?

For me, I have thought of all these places in the last week.  Growing up, we attended church on occasion.  (North Darien Bible Church – very old photo)It was a safe place to be, and it allowed me to interact with others. Be around people that weren’t fighting.  We never went as a whole family though.  I went to my first Christian camp!  (Circle C Ranch)  Still, what was going on at home and what I heard at church were two different things. (thank you for my memory lane moment) Do you remember the church you grew up in? Is it the same one you still attend?

Thirty-plus years later and in our house now, we have been together daily without the distractions of the worldly race for over a month.  When asked how we are doing, I will say that “I’m trusting in God and His purpose for this time”. Honestly, 90% of the time has been great to be together so much.  The other 10% I’m still dealing with my selfishness and parenting skills. Most of the time has been a blessing.  Devotionals, meals, prayers, life lessons and skills are being discussed and shared. With the fair share of prayers for grace in our parenting.

Together as we grow closer to God through this pandemic I pray we remember the plans Jesus has through this time.

Ephesians 2:10 
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Proverbs 16:9 
9We plan the way we want to live, but only GOD makes us able to live it.

Just this last week at our small group, we discussed devotionals being implemented and shared, family members listening to multiple services in a day, children talking with their parents about getting baptized. Impressive work that God had already planned.

This time has allowed me to notice how much I miss the face-to-face fellowship and praise.  For some reason, my singing doesn’t sound the same?  God is giving us this time home to truly make our houses the church for ourselves and family. In the Bible, the church is always a reference to people, not a place. The church is a body of believers that live out the Gospel in their words and actions. Are we doing that? The church is at its best when people inside the building take Jesus’ message outside the building and serve those they meet. It’s incredible to see how God provides a platform that allowed over 25K watch Easter service.  Amen!

Lastly, think of home and its connection to our Lord, its not a town, house, or building we attend.  The home I pray for is in our hearts.

Has the Lord found a home in your heart?  Jesus left his home in Heaven to make a home in our hearts.  This was Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesians 3, will it be yours today.

Dear Heavenly Father,

1For this reason, I bow my knees and pray to You. 15 It is from You that every family in heaven and on earth has its name. 16 I pray that because of the riches of His shining-greatness, He will make you strong with power in your hearts through the Holy Spirit. 17 I pray that Christ may live in your hearts by faith. I pray that you will be filled with love. 18 I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep His love is. 19 I pray that you will know the love of Christ. His love goes beyond anything we can understand. I pray that you will be filled with God Himself. Amen 

See you at home.

Hiding Place

You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for your word. Psalm 119:114

Hiding place.

In times of hiding, we may experience confusion, fear, doubt, sorrow, anger, loneliness, and so many other emotions. David provides us an awesome example of praising God while he is being protected and waiting.

As as our hearts are on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, I have to wonder about Saturday. Where were all of his followers? Some scattered? Some together? Hiding? What emotions were they experiencing? Were they recounting Jesus’s words of his resurrection? Fearful of what may happen to them next? Mark 16tells us that they had unbelief. Were they confused that Jesus didn’t perform a miracle on the cross and remove himself? Angry at Judas, or even themselves? Luke records that they were all together after the crucifixion. I picture them sitting around a table, in a secret back room, recounting and piecing together his every word and having some “ah ha” moments.

I’m guessing that their hearts and minds were swirling, likely feeling a need for protection and their souls to be comforted, unsure of what to think or do next.

Do you long for your heart to be comforted and are you seeking protection right now? Are you experiencing some of those same emotions during this time of quarantining? From David, to the disciples of Christ, to us today, we all long for the perfect Hiding Place. And God is a great provider!

This Easter will be different for most of us. The church building will be empty – but we can still celebrate that the tomb is empty! Jesus defeated the grave and He is alive! With hearts full and in our homes of protection, we can cheer, sing, and praise the victory over death!

As we “shelter in place” this weekend (and beyond), let’s do it with grateful hearts like David, praising God for who He is. Our protector, our hiding place, our shield. There’s no place I’d rather be than hidden by the Lord.

Echoing Jon’s invitation yesterday, if you don’t have a home church with online services available, please join us this Easter. Gather your household together around your computer and let the miracle of Jesus bring you grace, healing, and peace.  https://www.eastviewonline.church/live-stream

Happy Easter to each of you!

Foundation

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, with Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 3:11

Jesus as our foundation.  This is one of my favorite analogies of who Christ is. Paul goes from planting and being God’s field to the foundation of God’s building(v.9).

I’ve never been a mason.  One summer I in my late teens I helped a family friend put up a new chimney. (I was mainly the person who would carry the bricks and mortar up and down the ladder) When the opportunity arose for me to help with the bricks I often went too fast wanting to get done quicker and thinking about the way I was going to be using the money.  The gentleman I worked with quickly put me in my place about taking my time and the importance of lining up of the bricks.  The importance of the cornerstone. 

This brings me to today, our verse about Jesus being our foundation.  In order to capture more wisdom of this verse, I listened to the sermon called The Judgement of the Believers Work by John MacArthur which helped me to connect all the parts of this section that includes verses 1 Corinthians 3:10-17.

I’ve challenged myself this last week with the question if Jesus is my cornerstone, how am I building the rest of my building?

Back in 2017, BJ wrote specifically about Jesus being our Cornerstone.

 

Our life should be built only on Him.  As the builder who gets to lay bricks every day I have to remember that one day I will be face to face with Jesus and he will look at my building and have a final judgment. Just looking one verse ahead tells me,

“According to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth on it. But let every man take heed how he buildeth upon it.”

Do I just rush into the day without being in His Word? Do I find weak substitutes in my own desires? What are my motives behind my daily actions and words?  We all believe that Jesus is our foundation.  His Living Word, the Bible, provides us deep footings to align our life.  What kind of building are you building today?

MacArthur said, ” Some people are trying to build their lives on morality, and ethics, and good deeds, and all of these things. But the only foundation for a life and the only foundation for corporate life, which is the church, is Jesus Christ. If that foundation goes, everything falls. ” 

For many years of my life, I didn’t even know my foundation.  Through other believers, friends, family, bible journal writers, and the people of the Church,  you helped point me back to our foundation, Jesus.  He is our foundation, the cornerstone of what each day of our life should be lived on.  I have misplaced some bricks, I’ve placed bricks too fast, I replaced bricks with idols, I laid bricks just to try to impress others.  Every brick I lay should be for Jesus. He is our foundation.  When that final judgment comes God is going to judge our motives,  conduct, and service.  Did I use the gifts He provided me to build upon His foundation His glory or for my own?

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Dear Jesus,

You are our foundation. You have given us your Living Word and it all points to you.  Father, help me to build my life around your foundation and while laying every brick I point it all back to you.  Jesus please help guide and direct us to use the gifts you have provided to us in order to be the hands of feet of You. We love you! Thank you for being our foundation.  Amen

Suffering

Today we explore suffering. Jesus was called the Man of Sorrow and also known as one Familiar with Suffering. It was even foretold in Isaiah 53 that he would be despised, rejected, not esteemed. He would suffer. GREATLY. God perfectly designed Jesus to be fully human and experience all the highs and lows of the physical life. Some of those lows are recounted in John 11:35 when Jesus wept over his friend Lazarus’ death, and in Luke 19:41 when he wept over the city of Jerusalem. A vivid moment of sorrow is in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus is disappointed that the disciples couldn’t stay awake, all the while he is praying and asking his Father to “take the cup from me” if it be His will. He knew the suffering that was going to begin, and he reveals his human emotions, completely aware of what the cross would entail.

Jesus, being fully God, also knew that Lazarus would come back to life, yet he still wept. He also knew the victory he would have over death, defeating the grave, yet he was still sorrowful and troubled. I love how God revealed his heart to us, showing us the full range of emotion. We are created in his image and the sorrow we experience is real.

Jesus’ death on the cross was the ultimate physical suffering, and then he experienced the greatest spiritual suffering when he took on the sins of the entire world and was separated from his Father. He did this for us – so we could be with him forever. Our sin separated him from the Father, and Jesus experienced the loss (Mark 15:34).

Nothing in my life comes close to that level of suffering. It’s hard to even call my experiences “suffering” when thinking of the true suffering that Jesus endured.

When I reflect on the more difficult seasons in my life, even now in hindsight, I have to admit that I wouldn’t choose them. While I have complete faith that God’s perfect will prevails and He will use any suffering I have experienced, I can’t say I’m to the point where I count it all joy, or even pray for tribulations and suffering. I’m so inspired by those that do, and face it so bravely. As God continues to sanctify me, I have confidence that one day I will genuinely rejoice in the scary medical diagnoses, challenging family dynamics, major marital strains, and unexpected deaths.

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Romans 5:3-4

In searching my own heart, I find that I don’t like the lack of control and the unknown that comes with suffering (in addition to the actual suffering part). Sounds pretty obvious, right?

You may have picked up in past posts that I dabble in running. The past 25 years, there have been seasons of running for fun, running for health reasons, running socially, or running to reach goals. Each season is different and I’ve enjoyed all of them (and the dry spells). Running to reach goals includes an amount of physical suffering. Runners sometimes call this the pain cave, this place where you are intentionally positioning your body to suffer. And you don’t choose to run hard workouts so the pain lessons or it gets easier, runners choose this so they can endure the suffering longer. This chosen “suffering” is controlled and calculated. There’s an end to it, and you know there will be gains. Runners embrace this suffering in order to achieve goals. This hit me right between the eyes when trying to overlay this chosen suffering to unwanted suffering. Are there certain hard things in your life you’re able to choose, and other hard things you wish you could end?

I love how we are challenged to truly rejoice in suffering! How amazing to be so filled with the Holy Spirit that we choose hard things on this earth! And let’s be honest, any of my suffering is so much different than the true suffering of Christ. God hasn’t given me a calling that lands me in jail, I haven’t been beaten or persecuted for my faith. My experiences can hardly be called suffering or compared to Jesus’s suffering.

So what about you? Where does this topic land on you? Are you praying for trials and rejoicing in suffering? If not, what do you think is holding you back? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Celebrating THE Baby

Three weeks after Christmas, on a day we were putting away some Christmas decorations, our family was studying Hebrews 8. As I was listening to the verses being read, I was overcome with joy of the Good News being described. At the conclusion of the chapter, I shouted HALLELUJAH!, leading to a surprised and puzzled six year old.

This chapter describes Jesus as the new, better, eternal covenant for God’s people! Hallelujah – to God be praised!! As best I could, I explained to my son why this is amazing news for us. God is so merciful!

When we look at Luke 2, our passage for today’s journal entry focuses on Jesus as a baby. He’s born in Bethlehem and the very next thing is the angel and heavenly hosts appear to the shepherds, share the news, and proclaim Glory to God! The shepherds went and found baby Jesus and then they shared this with others and praised God!

Christmas is a season that draws our hearts to the Lord and closer to one another, and is an opportunity to celebrate the Good News of who Jesus is, and how he came to save us. In general, babies represent hope for the future, newness and freshness, the miracle of life. And Jesus as a baby brings us so much more than that. Each year I’m challenged to keep Christmas in our hearts a bit longer, and not let the excitement of the good news be put away when the nativity is carefully packaged back up, when we take down the tree, and all the celebrations are over.

I love the example that the angels and shepherds gave us at the birth of Jesus – they wasted no time in telling others and praising the Lord!  In a few months we will celebrate and remember this perfect and complete gift from God, as Jesus becomes our sacrifice and then defeats the grave. Between now and then, will you join me in keeping the excitement and gratitude of this gift alive? What are some practical ways we can continue to share and worship like the angels and shepherds did? I’d love some ideas from others!

 

 

Savior Baby

Nineteen years ago, Adam Nash was born. His birth was meticulously planned and while his parents always wanted another child, he was brought into the world with an additional purpose: to provide cord blood to his older sister, dying of Fanconi Anaemia. It was a medical success, and since then there have been more children conceived through IVF, carrying specific genetic makeup to provide for sick siblings. Isn’t science mind-blowing? As you can imagine, this brought up a lot of ethical and moral questions. News articles, interviews, books and movies have all followed these cases and told their stories. They’ve coined these genetically designed children as Savior Siblings and Savior Babies.

I’ve only read a few articles, am not an expert or speaking from a specific position. I am so grateful that I’ve never had to weigh options like this to save my child. The articles I’ve read span in language, from “win-win” to “commoditizing children”.

When we come to Luke 1:31-33 we find Mary, being informed that she will give birth to the Son of the Lord God. We don’t know exactly when it was revealed to Mary that this meant he was the Messiah and Savior (Hebrews 10 gives some additional insight). God came to earth, in perfect flesh with a body to make atonement for our sins. The planned Redeemer was born to walk with us, teach us, and die for us.

As we enjoy our Christmas celebrations and see the nativity sets with baby Jesus in the Manger, host Jesus Birthday parties, and rejoice with song and be merry… let’s also remember that He came for one purpose. For you and for me.

Our family has been doing a daily devotion together of the Names of Jesus. He’s the Way, the Root of David, the Good Shepard, the Alpha and Omega, to name a few of the twenty-nine name. As we’ve been reading about each of these, I’m humbled at the fullness of Jesus as a human and all the while coming with the purpose to reunite me with God. To secure my eternity in heaven through the redemption of my sins. The picture of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying to his Father to take the cup from him shows his flesh. The fully human side of Jesus knew the suffering he would endure on the cross. He was born that night in the stable, completely aware of the physical and emotional anguish he would go through.

Baby Jesus in the manger, is our Guide, our Friend, our Healer, He was born to be our Savior and our Sacrifice.

Plot Twist

There’s a man I know, and from early on in childhood he loved to learn. He was so fascinated by facts and figuring things out, that his parents couldn’t keep up with him. For his 5thbirthday, he asked for notebooks and pencils so he could take notes about his favorite topics. He was one of those kids that asked endless  why and how questions. In adolescence, he became especially curious about science and the human body. As he got older, he studied and learned as much as he could, eventually going to medical school and becoming a physician. He was a well-respected doctor in his field, when suddenly his life took an unexpected turn.

Plot twist – he becomes an author!

And I don’t even know if he wanted to make this change, but one thing led to another and he found himself meticulously documenting, describing, and getting everything written down that he could. His love for medicine didn’t wain, but he was so pre-occupied with this project, that practicing medicine became secondary.  He went from saving lives to writing about people’s lives, becoming a biographer and historian. He wasn’t sure why he, a doctor, was supposed to walk away from his practice and become an author, nor did he know the impact this change in direction would have. Nonetheless, he went.

He became one of the most successful, sought after authors in the world. EVER. There’s only two other authors that are more successful than him, by the world’s standards.

Meet Luke.

Biographer of Jesus and also the Apostles of the early church. His ‘project’ was advancing the gospel through truth-telling. Facts, documentation, historical accounts of salvation through Jesus.

We really know so little about Luke, and the first two paragraphs above describe my guess of what his life may have been like. Since he was such a humble servant, he kept the focus where the Holy Spirit led him: the gospel of Jesus. While we don’t have the details on his background or conversion, we do know the most important thing about him – he was a follower of Jesus. He was highly educated and trained as a physician, with great attention to detail and fact gathering. Christian tradition holds that he also drew and painted to go along with the books he wrote. He is also the largest contributor to the New Testament (Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles), only surpassed in the Old Testament by Moses and Ezra. The Bible was written by God, and these writers were called to get the words on the page. What an amazing testimony through his faith and obedience, Luke influenced generations and generations to come.  The Bible is the most read, purchased, or copied book ever in history, and Luke was one of the top three leading writers!

One of the few and final pieces of information we have recorded about Luke is from Paul’s second and final letter to Timothy. In Chapter four he notes that only Luke is still with him in the ministry, as all of his other ministry partners have scattered. This is believed to be the last letter that Paul wrote, and he was killed shortly after.

Luke seemed so focused and impassioned to advance the gospel, that his own life, career, desires were in the background. From the outside looking in, it seems like a major life change and plot twist, and Luke doesn’t even mention it!

This is so inspiring to me, someone who likes to be on a path and moving toward a certain direction. When the “plot twists” in my life come, I usually make my thoughts on it pretty well-known. Why??? When I break it all down, the goals are the same, no matter how God decides to get me there: Salvation and glorifying God. Whether that’s through motherhood, being a physician or author, being a friend, sharing the gospel with a stranger… what may feel like a plot twist in my world, is just God’s way of accomplishing his ultimate goal. Is God calling you to something that feels like a big plot twist?

If you have time this week, do some digging and get inspired by Luke. I loved reading in my study Bible about his writing style, where he’s mentioned, etc. You can find Paul’s two other brief mentions of him in Colossians 4 and Philemon 1. It was also special to read how Luke and Matthew’s accounts of Jesus’s birth come together and bring the real event to life.