Tag: amazed

Following the fourth Wiseman- the upper room
Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · guidance · Jesus · lent · Love · no longer lost · power of God · Prayer · still fighting · True Joy

Following the fourth Wiseman- the upper room

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Our traveler is making his way through the dark and deserted streets of a night where both men and women were afraid of what might come. The Roman’s were searching, convinced someone had stolen the body of the Messiah from the tomb. There was a strict curfew and the deciples were being hunted for questioning. Our traveler is careful to dodge all light from the torches in the city walls as he walks. Suddenly a man bumps into him. They look at each other in fear. Then they realize that they are in safe company. Our traveler recognizes the man as one of the Messiah’s followers. The other man invites him to join him, he is going to meet the other deciples in an upper room. Our traveler happily agrees. When they arrive the room is in a buzz as the deciples discuss excitedly an event that had just taken place.

John 20:19-23 ESV
[19]  On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” [20] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. [21] Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Our traveler is amazed he has so many questions, but to his shock the man with him denies what the others have said. He will not believe unless he sees it with his own eyes. Our traveler places a hand on the man’s shoulder. He had been the exact same before his time spying on the tomb in the garden. The hurt from what he had seen had made him doubtful, this man felt it too. By the looks on the faces of the others, our traveler can see that they too had veen skeptical at one time. But now that they had seen Him they could never doubt again.

When we have had a horrible situation it is easy to doubt that anything good can come from it. Even when we see something similar arise it’s easy to fear because of the past. We have been Thomas. Standing in the upper room full for grief, thinking the pain of loss has driven his friends crazy. Then Jesus appears and puts all the doubts to shame. Jesus is with us in the bad times and the good. We cannot cling to old pain, we must last it go and focus on what Jesus is doing now.  He is always working something new,  for our good.

Following the fourth Wiseman- When the sea is stormy and the Messiah is walking on the waves
Christianity · Devotional · dreams do come true · encouragement · free · guidance · Jesus · lent · Love · no longer lost

Following the fourth Wiseman- When the sea is stormy and the Messiah is walking on the waves

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As he stood on the boat, following the disciples across the sea to the far shore, our traveler felt a gust of wind blow hard in his face. He looked up the sky. He was not a seafarer, yet after so many years of travel he could feel in his skin when a storm was coming. The wind began to grow. He looked at the other boats who had chosen to follow the disciples across the water. Some of them were turning back, others were strapping their gear down. This was going to be a bad one. Our traveler felt his heart sink a little as the captain of his boat began to turn the boat around and head back to shore. The waves began to grow and our traveler quickly strapped himself to a tether line. He looked back as a crack of lighting filled the sky with light. The disciples had not turned back. He was filled with concern as he saw the deeper water their boat was in begin to surge and throw them. He turned,
“Father! Your people are going to drown!” Our traveler shouted out as another wave hit his own boat and threw him to his knees. He clawed his way back up to the side of the boat where he could watch the disciples. Another crack of lightning. He shuddered. A figure had passed by on the waves. He was so close he could reach out and touch Him. The figure looked and smiled at our traveler as he went by. Our traveler gasped. It was Him.
“Messiah! Wait!” Our traveler screamed but his voice was lost in the wind. In desperation he called again. “REMEMBER ME!!”
He watched as his Messiah walked on the waves to His disciples. If only he had the courage to leave the boat and chase after Him. If only.

John 6:16-21 ESV
[16] When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, [17] got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. [18] The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. [19] When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. [20] But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” [21] Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
There will be times when we go ahead without Jesus and we lose sight of Him. The storms then come and we become afraid. Where is He in those storms? Walking across the waves toward you. Even when you walk away from Him, He is walking after you. Just because you left Him does not mean He has left you. He will chase you over the waves and will guide you safely to the shore.

Following the fourth Wiseman- Even from a distance He is close to us
Christianity · Devotional · dreams do come true · encouragement · free · guidance · Jesus · Love · no longer lost · power of God · Prayer · searching · still fighting

Following the fourth Wiseman- Even from a distance He is close to us

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A young child bumps into our traveler on the street. He looks up, his eyes all lit with the joy of play and apologizes before running off. Our traveler smiles and begins to carry on his way when he hears two women speaking.

“It’s so wonderful to see him running like that again.” Says one woman.

“Yes. He’s such a nice boy. Polite and thoughtful. If he had not made it it would have crushed his family.” Replies the other.

“But how he lived is the amazing part. I heard that he was blessed by that man who is traveling and healing people.”

“Yes. And He did not even come to the house.”

Our traveler walks over to the two women and asks them if they would be willing to tell him what they had heard?

John 4:46-53 ESV
[46] So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. [47] When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. [48] So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” [49] The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” [50] Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. [51] As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. [52] So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” [53] The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household.

Our traveler smiles, thanks the women and walks away. He has healed someone. He was not even close by and He healed this child. Our traveler shakes his head, he is always so close and yet still he can’t seem to catch up to the Messiah.

We think that Jesus has to be physically present to preform miracles. We feel at times that if we do not feel Him close by He is not there to help us. But that is never true. Jesus is as close as the mention of His name. We do not have to lay hands on a person for our prayers to make a difference, because Jesus is with all of us, always. Jesus loves us. He can heal and save even if we are not near the person we are praying for, and even if we do not feel His presence, He is always right here! What a savior He is.

Following the fourth Wiseman- John 3:16
Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · guidance · Jesus · lent · Love · no longer lost · power of God · searching · still fighting · The Bible · True Joy

Following the fourth Wiseman- John 3:16

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We find Our traveler sitting on the beach today. His eyes are looking at the clear water and the way the breeze moves it, but they are not focused on that. His mind has full control over him, he has heard words from His Messiah through a passerby. The words were nothing he had ever experienced before, and he now can do nothing but sit and think on them.

John 3:16-21 ESV
[16]  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. [19] And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. [20] For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. [21] But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

What was your first thought when you read this verse for the very first time? For God so loved the world. He have us Jesus. We wouldn’t give our place in a Tim’s lineup to people, and God gave us who are so unworthy, His Son. He sent Jesus to save the world. God knew what Jesus had to say would be hard to swallow. He know that people would feel like they were being condemned to death by how narrow the path is, so Jesus reminded us that He came to save the world. He is the light. Yes, the path is narrow, but it is possible for those who know and love Jesus. Run to the Light. Run toward Jesus. This verse, John 3:16-21 is the whole gospel in a nut shell. Jesus came to save us because He loves us and we weren’t making it on our own. He came to be a light to show us the way. The only way to Heaven is by knowing and loving Jesus. Those who love their sin will hate Jesus and will hate those who love Him. But Jesus will continue to shine bright, so even those who once hated Him can come to love Him. Those who love Him, walk in light.
We quote John 3:16 to the place where it’s almost over used. Non Christians quote it as a joke. Athletes put it on their jerseys (which is wonderful). It’s written in the air by sky writers during big events. We hear it all the time. But do we take it in? How do we feel? How did you feel when you first read this verse? Do you still feel like that? Our traveler is lost in his thoughts of overwhelm because of the mesmerizing words. Do these words still overwhelm us? Or have we forgotten how precious they are?

It so began
Christmas · Devotional · encouragement · Jesus · Love · power of God · True Joy

It so began

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God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s pow’r
When we were gone astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

God rest ye merry gentlemen has been around for so long most of us can sing it by heart. But have we ever stopped to read the lyrics? Even the first verse on its own is so powerful. Christ was born to save us all from Satan’s power. It’s true, but we forget it. We get caught up in everything else that we forget why Jesus came. I forget which speaker said it, and if you remember feel free to let me know, but one minister said that the first great miracle was not at the cross, but in the manger. We did a play as children once where the angels were standing around taking about Jesus being born on earth, and the angels were saying, “but He will take His power with Him won’t He? He won’t be all human… right?”
And another angel said, “He is taking His power with Him, but yes He will be all human.”
“He will be all human… and all God?”
“Yes.”
“Wow!”
“Yes.”
The angels went on to discuss what Jesus would go through as a man on earth right up to His death. The angels were enraged that people would even think of killing the son of God. But then they also knew that it had to happen and that He would be coming back again.
All of it, from the wine at the wedding to the upper room, began in the Manger. So that we could all be saved from the claws of the devil. So God rest ye merry people, because Jesus has come to save us.

I can smell it, life is returning
Christianity · encouragement · free · Jesus · lent · Love · power of God · searching · The Bible · True Joy

I can smell it, life is returning

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I can smell it coming, life is returning.

Walking through the grove of blue spruce trees in our yard I took a deep breath. The past several months of winter, the air burned and smelled like snow; today my senses were filled with warm scent of pine. It was faint, but it was there. Little by little the trees were coming back to life. I know pine trees don’t go fully dormant during the winter like Birch or Poplar, so they are usually the first you notice a difference in during Spring. Yet that doesn’t change the joy of having the trees start to show sign of winter ending.
Yesterday Jesus was killed and buried. Today He was busy preparing for tomorrow. His body lie in a stone tomb, yet His Spirit was working on the Father’s plan. He wasn’t up and walking about yet today, but there was something stirring, life was returning. Lewis would speak of it as the other world or realm and that is how I will speak of it also. We couldn’t see or hear anything happening here on Earth during the middle day of Holy Week weekend, yet in the other world- the one our souls belong to- there was a great awakening of souls who had lied in death for many years awaiting their savior to come and take the keys from the devil and bring them home. Jesus’s death and resurrection was always planned, God didn’t suddenly go, ‘oh no! The world is really bad I need to send someone to save them!’ He knew all along what would happen and was ready for it. Today was a busy day for Jesus, and though his body lay dead in the tomb, life was preparing to return to it.

Beneath His feet
Christianity · Devotional · Jesus · lent · power of God · searching · The Bible · True Joy

Beneath His feet

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If I were the sandals beneath His feet.

If I were the sandals beneath His feet, oh the places I would go. I would step into the Temple and hear Him teach the crowd. I would walk along the Jordan and see fish fill a boat. I would come too close for comfort to lepers and not fear their disease. I would see the lame man walk and watch the blind man see. Would I undstand His parables? Would I question who He was? Or would I know just be being near Him that He was God’s only son? I would stand upon a hill top and see the devil face to face. I would hear Jesus refuse to bow to sin. I would be stained by the sweat of donkeys. I would taste the sweet dew of morning on garden grass. I would be made wet by His tears. I would hear Him pray for all of us left. I would stand on a platform and watch a crooked trial. I would be hit by His blood, and strain to hear His defense. I would weep when He said nothing to free Himself. I would be gambled for at the foot of a cross. I would be shaken as the Vail was torn. I would break deep down as I realized He was gone. Then I would be far away from Him. I would be stuck on the feet of a Roman soldier. Then I would spend a long night outside a tomb and be terrified as the big stone rolled away. I would cry for joy as I watched the feet I knew so well and loved so dear walk past me in a glow I could not explain. I would hear from the soldiers later that He had been seen around, appearing before those He loved. Then I would see Him no longer. But I had heard Him say that He would return someday. I long for that day. The day when at His feet I might remain.
If only I were the sandals beneath His feet.

Lent devotional 22
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · guidance · J.R.R.Tolkien · Jesus · lent · searching · The Bible · True Joy

Lent devotional 22

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Petra-

The first people to inhabit Petra were Nomads called the Nebataeans. When they first found the rock Fortress they used it as a stronghold for their families and their merchandise. Later they gained control of the central incense and spice trade; and then, due to necessity, began using Petra as a Market Hub because it was located conveniently between Asia and Arabia. We know about these people and what they did and how they lived because of detailed, yet sometimes hard to decipher, wall “journals”. Scribes had etched into the stone walls a history of the nomads who first inhabited here. When and how these people were driven out, or simply chose to leave, is vague. Later in the Kingdom years, the city belonged to the Edomites who we know from their battles with Saul and David. It has been suggested by Scholars that the Fortress / Safe Haven of Petra fell to ruin because Edom gave aid to Nebuchadnezzar when he destroyed Jerusalem. It is believed that in Jeremiah 49:16,

You have been deceived by the fear you inspire in others and by your own pride. You live in a rock fortress and control the mountain heights. But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles, I will bring you crashing down,” says the Lord .
Jeremiah 49:16 NLT

God is speaking of Petra or Sela. Now the once-vibrant city lies as a reminder of what happens to those who harm God’s people. This city makes me think of Helm’s Deep from Lord of the Rings. Helms Deep was assumed to be a fortress where you could hide in times of attack; a place to keep your goods and your valuables so they wouldn’t be stolen by Raiders, and yet it wasn’t powerful enough to protect the people. In the end it was just a stone building waiting to crumble. Petra was seen as a fortress not only by the nomads who discovered it but also by the Edomites who conquered it later. But the stone Fortress was turned into nothing but a reminder of the devastation of God’s hand. He claimed he would make Edom like Sodom and Gomorrah. And he did. All Edom did was aid Babylon, but they aided Babylon when Babylon was besieging God’s holy city and God’s people and that was a mistake. God will never leave your battles unfinished, you may never even see it happen, but someday the stronghold your enemies hid in as they attacked you will lay empty as a sign of what God has done for you.

Footnotes :
American Natural History Museum
NLT
Got questions- answers to Bible questions 

No God, that is the way it’s written.
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · dreams do come true · encouragement · free · Jesus · searching · True Joy

No God, that is the way it’s written.

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God was walking through His Church one day and decided to ask people about their favorite Bible verses and why they liked them. It wasn’t that He didn’t already know the answer, just that He wanted to have His people tell Him themselves. God smiled as He spoke with different people and saw the mix of emotions on their faces as they explained why their favorite verse was their favorite. Out of the corner of God’s eye He spotted a man that He knew was simply there to put in his necessary hour of Church before going on with his week. God smiled sadly and went over to the man. 

“Hello my child,” God said as He approached. The man bristled and nodded a greeting. God tried again, “how have you been? I’ve not heard from you lately.”
The man shrugged and mumbled that he was fine.
God smiled, “tell me, what is your favorite scripture?” God knew, but wanted an opening to discuss it with the man.
Irritated the man looked at God, “I can do all things. That’s my favorite verse.”
God tilted His head, “go on.”
“What?” The man growled.
“Go on and finish the verse.”
“That is the verse.”
God shook His head, “you’re missing part of it.”
“No I’m not! That’s how it’s written!”
The argument began to draw attention, embarrassed, the man walked away and left the building.
Back in his own house the man sat with his arms crossed, still angry about earlier. Suddenly his couch dipped down as another body sat on it. The man looked to see God sitting next to him. Startled, the man exclaimed, “what are you doing here! Don’t you have a Church to lead?”
God smiled, “but you are here.”
“So what? I’m just one person.”
God nodded, “but you are the one who needs me most right now.”
The man scowled, “why was I wrong about the scripture earlier? I quoted it right.”
“Yes, but you left out the most important part.
‘I can do all things, through Christ who gives me strength-  Phillipians 4:13.
You left me out of the verse, just as you’ve left me out of your life.”
The man un-crossed his arms and looked at his shoes, “I was wrong God. I can’t do all things on my own.”
God put both arms around the man and drew him into a deep hug, “but you have me my son.  You never need to do things on your own. Just trust me.”

Standing in the blaze
Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · Jesus · searching

Standing in the blaze

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The flames will only make me stronger-Zeno

People often call the testing of God, “going through fire.”
Actually bad things in general are often called tests of fire too.
Right now it feels like the whole world is burning, being tested by fire.
One of my absolute favorite novel characters ends up in a burning building. You guessed it. Even though he is not the main hero he ends up having to save everyone from the collapsing, burning building. When the others argue about leaving him behind to be engulfed by fire he responds with: “don’t worry. The flames will only make me stronger.”
For those who are wondering, no, he does not die. Though badly burned, he makes it out alive.
Do we live like that? Do we see our “flames” as something that only makes us stronger?
I know that I don’t. Though the power and beauty of fire is nice at a distance, walking through that fire is not something to be called, “enjoyable”.   But just because you hate it, and just because it hurts doesn’t mean that God isn’t making you stronger through it.
During these difficult times I challenge you to read through the story of the three Hebrew boys, pick the verse that most speaks to you, and put it up someplace in your home to remind you that the flames will make you stronger.
Daniel 3