NEW LIFE FROM OLD
ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY KATHY BOECHER©
A seed drops,
It burrows and nestles into rich soil,
It springs forth with new life,
Fragile branches at first,
Growing strong with each passing day,
Expanding, stretching, embracing the sky,
Reaching for the face of its Creator,
It bends and twists in the storms of life,
It blossoms and thrives in good times,
It grows stronger in bad times,
It withers, it shrivels, it dies,
But it doesn’t end there,
The circle of life continues,
Watch, observe, delight in God’s hand in it.
Posted in art, Poetry, politics, Uncategorized
Tagged Art & poetry by Kathy Boecher, inspiration & encouragement, New Life
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HAVE THE BIRTH PANGS BEGUN?
When expecting my first child, I had no clue what was about to happen. My body had increased by almost 60 pounds and I thought I was about to give birth to the largest child ever to be born. I’d forgotten what my feet looked like and when I did get a glimpse of them, they too had expanded to about three times their normal size.
I went about my normal daily activities without fear. I was only 22 when these changes were happening. I continued about living as usual, including my daily walk. On the day of labor, I was on my way home from the nearby grocery store when my water broke. I hurried home and called my husband to tell him that maybe a child would be born that day. Even when he arrived home I wasn’t experiencing any pain. By the time we reached the hospital and I was prepared for delivery, the contractions started. My firstborn took only three hours to make her appearance. The pains didn’t become intense until the very end.
Whenever I read the Bible verses in Matthew 24, I’m reminded of those first birth pangs. There will be pain before the world as we know it ends. There will be wars and rumors of war. There will be the noise of violence in every corner of our world. Dissatisfied and enraged voices scream for change. People are divided in their opinions, their beliefs and their politics. Headlines proclaim stories of murders in the streets, in the safety our homes and within our churches and schools. The fierce winds of destructive hurricanes, fires and floods, have destroyed people’s property and lives. It seems this must be the beginning of the end as promised in God’s Word.
When it comes to the state of affairs in the world – this isn’t something new. The world has always experienced violence, hatred, division, intolerance, unnecessary and necessary wars. Today, however, we have access to information regarding all this in an instant. Some respond before getting all the facts while others take a wait and see attitude.
God tells us not to be surprised by these events. It’s like the birthing process. Once we have endured these pangs, new life begins. It may not be on this planet, but we have been promised eternity in heaven when we turn our lives over to the Lord.
Do not be alarmed. Do not let your heart be troubled. All of this must happen before the end result occurs. We have no idea when that will occur, but we know, by God’s communication with us, that the end is coming. With the end of birth pains, comes new life. Let’s turn it over to Him and know that He’s got this!
Posted in End times, Uncategorized
Tagged birth pangs, end of the world, Eternal Life, FAITH
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MY FIRST RUNAWAY
The first time I decided to run away from home was shortly after my only sister was born. You see, I was the firstborn grandchild on both sides of my family, my parents’ firstborn, and the most spoiled child you have ever seen. For almost five years, I ruled the roost and suddenly the roost had been invaded by a child with naturally curly hair and lungs that wouldn’t quit. Her crying was the last straw.
I couldn’t take it anymore, so I packed up my little suitcase with necessities like my umbrella, a box of Kleenex and a quarter. I tied the cord on my chenille bathrobe, donned my slippers and announced to mom and dad that it was nice knowing them and walked out the door. We lived on the top floor of a four story apartment building. I don’t think I got down one flight of stairs before I realized they didn’t even act surprised or say a word. It wasn’t long before I walked back through that door and forgot about running away for a while.
It seemed to be natural behavior for me. I tried it a few times after that to no avail. At one point, my dad offered to help me pack. I guess they were getting used to it by that time. Whenever things weren’t going my way, I thought the best thing to do was escape from the thing that was bugging me. I’d hide in a closet when I didn’t want to confront – especially if I knew I was the cause of the problem.
I wonder how often God has to deal with us in this way. He has His finger on the pulse of every one in His creation. He knows where we are, who we’re with, what we’re up to and how to bring us back home. No matter how hard we try to run away, we can’t escape from God.
most of us like to think that we’re in control. We don’t need anyone’s help – especially someone we can’t see. Our human nature and society tells us we can do things on our own and we alone are responsible for ourselves.
It can be kind of daunting to imagine that someone is watching our every move – following our footsteps – setting the path and direction for our lives – observing our mistakes and unfaithfulness. On the other hand, He is guiding us with His right hand – protecting us from falling into danger – lifting us out of depression and anxiety – holding us through the dark days of temptation – loving us unconditionally.
We can’t run away from God and why would we want to?
MY WRITING JOURNEY
Here it is, January 7th, 2020 – a year I never thought I’d reach, but God had other thoughts. I’ve never seemed to have a problem with writer’s block, but I am an author with “publishing block.” I’ve published one book in my life. It was a self-published book which was mainly intended as a legacy for my family to read some day. The story was and autobiography, mixed with humor and a whole lot of faith. When I got deep into some of the darker parts if my life, I put the work away. It sat for a number of years.
You see, I have this fear of rejection, which shouldn’t be part of the equation when you self-publish. The problem is I also have a fear of investing my meager dollars into something as unreliable as publishing my own work.
So much for my excuses. The truth is I have written a novel. I sweat over this story for a number of years, using all my gifts of developing interesting, conflicted, unusual characters – skill I attained over years of acting and writing plays. I believe characters are everything on both sides of the performing stage. I assumed this would be true in the writing of a book of fiction. I had no trouble defining my characters and their unique situations, but I fell short in the telling of the story. I created more characters than necessary. I fell into a trap of too many side stories which really didn’t pertain to the actual flow of the main theme. I had no idea that such a work would be so all-consuming.
My husband, the artist, assures me that everything is a work in progress. Sometimes we need to tweak or alter our thinking to make the most of it. Sometimes that never happens and we are left to abandoning it for a while. When we come back to it in a few years, our eyes will be fresh and have found the answers we struggled over for so long.
The mentality of finding instant success in our art is really quite a pie in the sky attitude. Yet when we believe in something, we shouldn’t hesitate because of fear of rejection or the loss of a few bucks.
One of my New Year hopes is to finally submit this work to a publisher. For this, I need a good swift kick in the pants or it’s back to the drawing board. In either case, I will never give up.
WORDS OF TRUTH
Our world has been around for between 5 and 6 thousand years. Of course, there are many who would disagree with that statement, but most of them don’t believe in God nor in His creation timeline. Unfortunately, in our history we continue to make many of the same mistakes. We follow old patterns until we realize there are better ways of doing things. We become easy victims to innovation, invention and anything that will make our lives easier, but fail to realize that many of those transformations to our world may cause more trouble than they’re worth.
In a world that is supposed to be evolving, we see just the opposite. We’ve grown dependent on our electronic devices. We can shop from the comfort of our own homes. We have access to everything in the world, just with the click of a finger or a voice control box named Alexa. We, in fact, can control our lives without doing much physical work at all. In our attempt to create ease of doing things, we’ve turned into a nation lacking get up and go and gumption. We sit back in our recliners watching wars unfold, people’s character being judged, lives changed by numbing opioids, tolerance and acceptance of every kind of behavior. We expose ourselves to predatory actions, sex trafficking, kidnapping of young unsuspecting children for that purpose. It would seem that nothing shocks us anymore.
In the meantime our bodies are lacking physical exercise. We lose our ability to communicate face to face with others. We rely only on ourselves and seldom give any thought to God – the only true innovator around.
So what if our infrastructure was invaded? What if this world of twitter dee and twitter dumb were to collapse and we had to do things the old fashioned way again? What if we had no other resource for living other than reaching out to others? What if we turned back to the One who created our planet and every other heavenly body in the universe?
I still believe in the future of our country. I have confidence that the youth of today will pick up the pieces left behind and try to make something from them. Our hope lies with them, so we must give them the tools they need to steady the ship.
God is still at the mast. He’s even given us the perfect handbook showing His plan for us through the Bible. It is His voice, inspired into the pens of average human beings by the Holy Spirit. Maybe it’s time to dust off the Bible, or if you’re so inclined, get an app for that. God’s Word is not only our great heritage, but it tells us how much God loves each and everyone of us. It shows us how to live, to be kind, compassionate and caring for one another. It gives us structure which will last forever, even when the internet fails.
OPEN THE BOOK & READ IT!
WHAT AN EPIPHANY
We’re not told how many men came. Undoubtedly there were more than three. Being royalty and educated men they must’ve had a caravan of servants. There were possibly other men of science who were interested in the super nova written about in the ancient scrolls. This star would lead them to Jerusalem and King Herod.
Herod became interested in this impending threat to his own throne. He tricked the men into telling him where the child was born so that he could eliminate every male child under the age of two.
They came from the east and traveled over deserts and mountain ranges. It was probably two years before they arrived. By this time the Son of God and His parents were now living in a house. They must have been surprised to be greeted by these men of wealth, knowledge and power.
We know they carried treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts were most fitting for the king they hoped to find. The gold was representative of his royalty. The frankincense indicated that this king was also God, who should be worshipped as such. Myrrh was an expensive ointment used in the preparation of a body for burial. This final gift would be used when the newborn king was readied for His own interment.
Previously we saw how this child, born in poverty, came to the world for the shepherds, the common people and the poor. Now it’s revealed that He was born for all people. Jesus doesn’t exist for only one class of people. He was born to save the entire world.
God isn’t selective in His forgiveness. It’s available to everyone. His requirements for obeying His law are great – too great for us to handle. We all need a redeemer and Jesus was sent for that very purpose. The poor shepherds in the field knew that as well as the wealthy men who brought their precious gifts to Him. Both groups had incredible news to share with others. After seeing this child, they knew that the Messiah had come to the world to save it. They couldn’t contain their joy so they rapidly spread the news.
Our epiphany should be like that. We have been gifted with the promise of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. That news is way too important to keep to ourselves, especially in a world filled with constant chaos.
Dear, Holy, Father, God, your Christmas gift to the world is the most precious gift we could receive. You sent your own Son, born from the bloodline of King David, to fulfill your covenant with mankind. You alone could provide the perfect atonement for our sins. Thank you for this amazing gift and lead us to share the news that life everlasting awaits those who ask for it. Keep us in that faith even when the world looks hopeless and our divisions widen. Bring us together through the knowledge that Jesus is King of Kings and He reigns over all the world. Amen!
ACTS OF KINDNESS
There are days when I wonder what’s happened to the human spirit. The old fashioned rules – like the Golden Rule – seem all but forgotten. The population of It’s all about me,” seems to dominate and often our children are learning the same bad habits. Simple things like “please” and “thank you” are almost non-existent.
It’s times like that when my attention turns inward. Hey, it’s all about me, right? What I mean is, I have to look beyond others to see if I am just as much at fault as anyone else. It really begins within our own hearts and how much we’re willing to give a part of ourselves away. The thing with kindness is that no matter how much you give away, you’ll always receive twofold in return. That shouldn’t be the reason for doing acts of kindness. It’s just a bonus.
Yesterday, as I joined fifty million others who were restocking their refrigerators and cupboards, I was witness to a sweet act of kindness. Two elderly ladies (older than me) were shopping side by side, each with their own shopping carts. They stopped at the egg section and spent a great deal of time trying to decide what size to buy. I didn’t know there were that many choices. Their carts blocked the aisle and many impatient shoppers rudely pushed their way past them. One woman waited patiently for the women to make their choice. I backed up and continued to shop in a different aisle, opting to return later for my eggs.
I went down a couple more rows and returned to find the same scenario. The two ladies were still trying to decide which eggs to purchase and the patient woman continued to wait. At last, they walked on with their dozen eggs. I’m not sure what size they finally decided on. The patient woman proceeded to grab a dozen and apologized for taking so long. She showed respect to the women. She cared enough not to push her way in. Not only was she kind to them, she took time to be kind to me as well. I truly hope she is blessed with many acts of kindness towards her.
It seems such a little thing to some people – an unnecessary courtesy – an unimportant gesture – yet so important in our relationships with each other. There could be a billion reasons for this lack of kindness which seems to pervade our lives today. Maybe we simply have forgotten how to be nice or how to communicate, but there really is no excuse for not exhibiting a simple act of kindness to those we encounter each day.
Imagine how things might change in the course of our lives. Imagine how those simple kindnesses will bless another human being. Imagine how much better our world would be if we simply cared about each other again, rather than putting “me” first.
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Tagged acts of kindness, Golden Rule, love one another
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I’ll be back
Taking a brief hiatus due to health issues. Prayers of thanksgiving, praise and needs for all the wonderful friends I’ve made this past year. May God carry you into the New year and decade with His protection, grace and mercy. Happy New year 🎈🎈
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PONDER THEM IN YOUR HEART
“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”
When I was little I thought the word ponder meant to pound. In a child’s mind it made perfect sense for Mary to treasure the things that were happening and pound them into her heart.
Today I know what that word means, but it makes me think about how children minds work and the innocent faith they have. Mary’s accepting faith is just the kind that God wants from all of us, whether old or young.
As impossible as the story of the first Christmas seems to some, the fact is that it’s true. God conceived a child in Mary so that He could be born human, live as our brother, suffer and hurt just like we do and die. After death He would conquer the devil and rise again to return to His heavenly glory.
Think about it, treasure it and POUND it into your heart.
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LUKE 21 THE END TIMES
READ LUKE 21
Christmas is just around the corner and we’ve almost completed this look at Luke. Jesus has had many things to teach His followers over the past three years – things that will help all of us through the trials of life, give encouragement and hope, support us through times of doubt and help us to grow our faith. It is getting close to the end of His time on earth. Still He has things to share with those who cling to His every word.
In the first few verses He talks about our giving when He notices a poor widow giving her last bit of money to the temple treasury. Jesus knows that she is giving completely out of faith that God will provide for her needs, even though this is all she has. We too should give with such faith. God will never fail us, neither physically, spiritually or monetarily.
His disciples notice the beauty of the temple and all its adornments, so Jesus uses the opportunity to talk about the coming destruction of the building when not a stone will be left unturned. He continues to talk about the end times and the disciples are eager to know more. I believe that we still wonder about the future, because it’s one of those unknowns that causes us to fret. What will it be like? Will everything be destroyed? Will we go to heaven? Will Jesus have mercy on His people?
Jesus tells them that many will follow Him, claiming to be the Messiah. He warns them not to believe those false prophets. He speaks about wars and rumors of wars must happen before the end arrives and even then there will be a while before it happens. He tells of some of the physical signs such as nations rising against nations – earthquakes, pestilence, famine and other natural disasters. There will be persecution against those who follow Christ, but we should arm ourselves with God’s protection and new life is promised for those who believe. This is all part of the coming of the end.
He paints a picture of horrible things happening. The people will become anxious with the anticipation of the terrors yet to be. The heavenly bodies will be shaken and the seas tossed. He tells us not to be afraid even during these horrific events. He will appear in the clouds and we can be assured that our redemption is at hand.
He tells those listening and us as well, that we should be prepared for the end, for we don’t know when it will come. We can do so by staying in the Word of God, following the commandments and believing that God has already forgiven the world from its sins.
Jesus continued to preach at the temple every day. The undercurrent from His enemies was beginning to come to pass. They were plotting against everything He ever said. At night Jesus would retreat to the Mount of Olives for much needed rest and refreshment. Each morning the crowds reassembled and waited to hear what He had to say.
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Tagged end times, FAITH, Jesus, Luke 21 devotion
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![IMG_2680[130].JPG](https://atimetoshare.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/img_2680130.jpg?w=640&h=640)
LUKE 20 – THE PLOT THICKENS
READ LUKE 20
After a triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus continues to preach to the crowds, but there’s a faction that wants to put a stop to what they consider heresy. They’ve had enough of this rabble rouser and are determined to end it. They go along with the crowds and add their questions, raising confusion, but Jesus uses His story telling skills to prove His authority.
In the Parable of the wicked tenants, He foretells His own death. The owner of the land is God the Father. The tenants are those He has rented His land to. They are called to account at the time of harvest to give Him some of the fruits of the vineyards. He sends three of His servants to collect on their contract and each of them is beaten and sent away empty handed. Finally, the owner sends His own Son. The Son referred to here is Jesus. The tenants plot to kill the Son so they can gain the inheritance.
When Jesus says that the owner will then come and destroy the evil doers and the Pharisees are outraged. Jesus replies with the words of scripture Psalm 118:22 “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” He follows that verse with His words, “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
As we continue through Luke 20, you can see the undercurrent of indiscretion as the priests and scribes try with all their might to find something wrong in Jesus’ teaching. They asked Him if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. He shows them a coin with Caesar’s image and tells them to render unto Caesar what belongs to him and to God the things that are His. His accusers marvel at His words and become silent.
The Sadducees come at Jesus again with a question about the resurrection and those who have married more than once in this life. He replies by telling them that the world to come will be unlike the world we live in. There will be no marriage. We will be sons and daughters of God and accountable only to Him. The leaders were stunned by His response and said no more.
Jesus talks about who He is by telling them that He is both God & man. Christ as God was David’s Lord, but Christ as man was David’s son. In the presence of the crowd He speaks to His disciples about His accusers. He already knows what they’re up to and He wants His followers to know that will be judged by God for their actions. He tells them to be wary of them.
Jesus is coming closer to the end of His life. His mission is about to be fulfilled. As God, He knew what the future held, yet He remained confident that His sacrifice was necessary. As a man, He must’ve felt overwhelmed by the questions, the accusations, the lies. His words silenced His accusers for the time being, but that would soon change.
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WHO IS THE ANGEL OF THE LORD?
If you’ve ever read, “The Best Christmas Pageant, Ever!” by Barbara Robinson, you’ll remember how the nativity was portrayed by the five Herdman children – the worst kids in town. The only reason they came to Sunday School was for the snacks.
I’ve directed this as a play and found it to be a story which portrays beautifully the best Christmas pagent ever. As with any casting process, the part of Mary is the most important to the girls along with angels. No one wants to be sheep. The boys are stuck with being wise guys, shepherds or the step father of Jesus, Joseph.
Gladys, the youngest of the Herdmans, wanted to play the part of the Angel of the Lord, because she figured it was the best part. After all – out of nowhere – there she was in the middle of everything – Shazam! Kind of like a super hero with magical powers.
It makes me wonder who was the Angel of the Lord anyway? How do you refer to this angel? Do you simply call her “Angel of the Lord.” Do you greet her by saying, “How’s it going, Angel of the Lord?”
As this story unfolds we see a little family who has been deserted by their father and their mother works two jobs to keep them alive. They are well known by the welfare department as well as the police and fire departments. This tight knit group of hooligans is bound together tightly and the Christmas story is new to them, but it kind of fits their lifestyle.
Jesus was born in a difficult time – in poverty – in a time in history filled with sin and corruption. His little family was cast aside by relatives, who thought Mary and Joseph had betrayed their premarital vows of chastity. They had no money, no one to turn to and yet they faithfully carried out the work God.
The tough little rabble rousers want to know all the details about the Christmas story and of course wanted to be the main characters. They even came to the manger carrying gifts – a ham given to them by a kind family was deposited in the manger with great care and honor. They understood what it was all about. Their childlike faith is what we should strive for as we enter this Christmas time.
Angels don’t speak to us today like they did before the Bible was actually written. I believe they are among us though. If you ever run into one, you may not realize who they are until after the fact. If they were to speak to us as the Angel of the Lord spoke to the shepherds, we’d sit up and take notice. Still I wonder what it would be like to talk to the Angel of the Lord.
Someday, I’ll get the chance.
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Tagged Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Childlike faith, Christmas, Jesus
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LUKE 19 – RIDING TO JERUSALEM
READ LUKE 19
As Luke continues His narrative on the life, death and resurrection of Christ, He’s given us a look at the many eye witnesses along the way. There were many that truly believed He was the promised Messiah. The Pharisees and Sadducees looked at Him as an imposter and tried everything in the book to trip Him up. There were the disciples who were still trying to make sense of it and those who were along for a free ride. The fact is, great crowds were coming to see and hear Him.
One of those eye witnesses was a fellow named Zacchaeus a very rich man, who made his wealth by skimming off the top of the taxes he collected. He wasn’t a very popular man, nor ethical. However, there was something about Jesus he simply couldn’t ignore. He began to walk along with the crowds and heard the words, but couldn’t get a good look at the man. I know how he must’ve felt, because I’ve been short all my life. I know what it’s like to go to a parade and or a show and not be able to see the spectacle, because of the obstacles in front of me.
Zacchaeus climbed a tree and sat in the branches to see Jesus. His words were amazing, but his actual appearance must’ve been even more so to Zacchaeus. When Jesus reached the spot, He told the man to come down from the tree, because He needed to eat at his house that day.
Of course the wagging tongues of Jesus’ enemies accused Him of associating with sinners. We have all sinned, in our thinking, our doing and because sin has been passed down through our DNA like a never ending deformity.
Zacchaeus vowed to pay back all the money he stole from the people fourfold. He promised to give half of his worldly goods to the poor. Jesus acknowledge Zacchaeus’ faith and his lineage. He told the crowd that His mission was to seek and save the lost- which in effect means every one of us.
Jesus continues to press on to Jerusalem. When He reaches Bethpage and Bethany, He sends two of His disciples on ahead. He tells them to find a colt which has never been ridden. They are to untie the colt and bring it to Him. He notes that if anyone asks why they’re taking the colt, they should respond by saying, “The Lord has need of it.” From there on, people laid their cloaks in front of Him – symbolic of the entrance of a king.
Jesus weeps over the city of Jerusalem and those who do not believe He is the true Messiah.
In the final verses of Chapter 19, Jesus becomes incensed with the state of the temple – how the many merchants were prospering by selling sacrifices, and the church leaders also taking a cut. The rage He exhibited showed His humanity. The words He spoke were directly from God. “My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.”
Jesus continued to preach His message of salvation in the temple. The authorities tried to find something to use against Him, but the people were hanging on His every word.
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Tagged Jesus, Luke 19 devotion, The end is near, The walk to Jerusalem
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LIFE IS JUST A BREATH
ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER
My life on this planet is merely a breath,
There isn’t enough time it seems,
No work that I do here will help me face death,
The love of the Christ child redeems.
His sweet little hands reach up from the manger
To touch the face of His mother,
One day those hands will be subject to danger.
Giving His life for another.
We thank you, dear Jesus, for loving us so,
We praise you for what you have done,
You redeemed our salvation and we can go,
To heaven the home you have won.
LUKE 18 – PRAYER, FAITH & DISCIPLESHIP
READ LUKE 18
Earlier in the book of Luke, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray by giving the words of His own prayer. In Luke 18 He talks about the sincerity of our prayers when He gives the example of the Pharisee and Publican. The Publican comes humbly before His God and lays out his thanksgiving, praise and petitions, relying on the blood of God’s mercy. The Pharisee takes credit for his own good deeds and sets himself above the Publican because of it.
Prayers come out of suffering or need, but we can’t approach God by bragging about what we’ve done to deserve an answer. Our salvation is not based on our merit, for if it was, we’d all be doomed to an eternity in hell. Therefore we call on Jesus and His atoning sacrifice which covers us with salvation.
He uses an example of the faith of little children. We should believe as they do, without question. A childlike faith has no strings attached. It is completely dependent on God. That trust in the Word of God as truth will not fail us.
As Jesus continues His ministry, He has more parables for the people. The unjust judge, the rich young ruler and the story of the Pharisee and Publican. He heals a blind man as they near Jericho. He speaks about true discipleship and being willing to give up everything to follow Jesus. His reference to the rich man is too much for the man. His wealth has become more important to him.
Luke 18:24-25 “Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
The crowds are growing. Jesus knows His time on earth is coming to a close. He speaks again of His coming suffering and death, that these things must happen for the purpose of fulfilling God’s plan for our redemption. He would die so we could live forever in paradise along with Him. He spoke the truth as He told them he would be turned over to the Gentiles, flogged, spat upon, treated shamefully and killed. He also spoke of His resurrection, but the disciples didn’t understand a word of it. Their minds were clouded and they couldn’t grasp it at all.
Dear, Lord, give me the faith of a child to accept the wonderful truth of your mission here on earth. You overcame death and rose again so we could be washed clean of our sins. Help me to share that wonderful news with others and give them the same peace and joy we receive during this Advent time. Come again quickly, Jesus. AMEN!
PLEASE, DON’T STEAL MY JOY!
Every mother who sees her first born child experiences a myriad of emotions. For most of us the word “joy” comes to mind. She counts fingers and toes, holds the baby close to her breast and experiences the ecstasy of this new life.
It was that way for Mary, the mother of Jesus. Though she’d spent this latter part of her pregnancy, traveling over rough terrain on the back of a donkey, her discomfort disappeared at the sight of her newborn child. Her husband, Joseph, must’ve had such mixed feelings at the time, but the fulfillment of the angel’s words resonated in his mind as this tiny baby made His appearance.
Their travels were prompted by a census ordered by Caesar August. At the time, the world as they knew it, was under the control of Rome. The timing of all of this was part of God’s plan of salvation. There was unrest among the people. Not much different than the world today, they were looking for someone to rescue them.
Today we face troubling times as well. We sit at the dawn of a sad day in history as an American president faces a vote for impeachment. Everything about this is enough to bring a person to his knees, begging for it to be over. It comes at the most blessed of seasons, when we celebrate the birth of the King of Kings. My heart is so sad, that this has taken the spotlight in our country. People are angry. They are divided. They are frustrated, unsure, undecided and have lost the joy usually associated with this time of year.
“I know that my Redeemer lives,” said Job after suffering loss after loss. We likewise must rekindle that precious thought into our minds. Jesus came to the world as a little baby. He was subject to all kinds of peril in those early months and throughout His existence, yet as He lay quietly in a manger full of hay, peace and joy entered the world. His birth is our promise of eternal life. No one can take that from us.
Tongues will wag today. Truth will be challenged. Many have already made up their minds and many have been coerced into the popular way of thinking. Yet, “I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27.
Dear, Holy, God, I ask that you watch over the events of today and give the government, which you’ve established, the wisdom to do what is right. Whatever happens, remind me always that you are in control of all things and you know what is best for us. In the name of your dear Son, Jesus, I pray. Amen!
LUKE 17 – FORGIVENESS, FAITH, COMPASSION & END TIMES
READ LUKE 17
Isn’t it wonderful to be forgiven by God? All of our sins have been paid for by the sacrifice made on the cross. Our redemption was made evident when Christ overcame death and gave us the promise of eternity with Him. The gift of forgiveness gives us complete freedom.
How different we feel when we must forgive another human being. Our minds are filled with anger, feelings of being abused or insulted and not wanting anything to do with the one who has wronged us..
In Luke 17 Jesus tells us that temptations surely will come our way, but we must take care not to be the one causing someone else to be tempted. He says,
“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
I have never enjoyed confrontation. Whenever I’ve been involved in it, I feel horrible. If someone has wronged me, I find it difficult to forgive. I think that is the human nature in us. However, if we don’t find it in our hearts to forgive another person, we’re not only putting them in a bad place, but the wounds will fester and surely end the friendship or relationship. Remembering the freedom we feel knowing God has forgiven us should be the impetus to forgive others.
The disciples asked Jesus how they could increase their faith. Jesus answered by using the example of the mustard seed. This minute seed will grow into a huge tree some day, just as a small amount of faith will continue to mature. That little bit of faith will, in time, become strong enough to move mountains.
Jesus also talks about humility when he refers to the unworthy servant. A servant is required to do certain things, because it is his job. As humble servants of our Holy God, we also are required to live a certain way, follow the commandments and do His work, because we now serve Him.
In the parable of the ten lepers, only one returns to thank Jesus for healing him. This man is a Samaritan – an enemy of the Jews – yet he knew the compassion Jesus showed him. We don’t know what happened to the other nine, but this one took the time to give thanks for his healing.
In the final verses of the chapter, Jesus talks about His own suffering and death, the kingdom of God, and signs of the last days. We all need to prepare for those final days. He compared the time to that of Noah. I guess we haven’t yet reached that time of deprivation and falling from grace, but it is coming soon. Be ready!
Posted in Advent, Uncategorized
Tagged compassion, FAITH, forgiveness, last days
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