His unfathomable, unfailing love. . .

Last year, God impressed upon me to write about "Easter".  As I was reviewing this blog, I felt that I should share it once again.  This is a personal message to each of us from a very personal God, a personal Savior, Jesus Christ.  Have a very blessed and reflective Easter.  Shalom.

Settling down to complete some post graduate studies (and wishing more that I didn’t have to) my mind easily drifted off to other things, among them the holy season in which we are preparing to celebrate Easter, the most important day in Christian history,  referred to in Acts 12:4. In my study of God’s word, I do find it interesting to note that the word “Easter” that we Christians celebrate is mentioned only this one time in the Bible and only in the King James Version.   Hence, while I am impassioned to write, my very technological mind searches until it finds a satisfactory answer.

My findings indicate that the English word “Easter” is actually the Greek word pascha pronounced pä'-skhä. The paschal sacrifice (which was accustomed to be offered for the people's deliverance of old from Egypt) The paschal lamb, i.e. the lamb the Israelites were accustomed to slay and eat on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan (the first month of their year) in memory of the day on which their fathers, preparing to depart from Egypt, were bidden by God to slay and eat a lamb, and to sprinkle their door posts with its blood, that the destroying angel, seeing the blood, might “pass over” their dwellings; Christ crucified is likened to the slain paschal lamb. [i]

While the actual word “lent” is not found in scripture, it is nonetheless a period marked for observing fasting, repentance, spiritual discipline, and reflection on Jesus Christ, His suffering and His sacrifice. The Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday or 40 days preceding the crucifixion.  I further found that while the Bible does not speak of the custom of Lent, however, the practice of repentance and mourning in ashes is found in 2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:1; Job 2:8; Daniel 9:3; and Matthew 11:21. And, in my book, if anything can turn our thoughts toward Christ and cause us to melt in repentance, having a right view of the Lord, whether a “season” or a “holiday”, then why does it matter what we call it?

Last year, we took our ladies’ Bible study group through an intense study of the Old Testament tabernacle from Israel's exodus from Egypt through the wilderness wanderings to the conquest of Canaan.  I had studied the tabernacle, the duties of the Levite priests, but something deep within stirred when we studied the Passover. . .the time we Christians now refer to as Easter.   When we studied the attitude and the reverence by which the priests had to approach God in the Holy of Holies, the need for their purity of mind, heart, and body in comparison with the way we nonchalantly, when I need Him attitude come to Him today, is such a stark contrast, I am amazed that He ever made a way of escape for us!

And, what a contrast from the Old Testament Passover to the New Testament Passover! It was God’s wrath upon an idolatrous, heathen nation that hardened its heart toward the God of Israel that caused the first Passover in Egypt.  Yet, as we look to the cross, it was His love for mankind magnified through His son that so lovingly, so mercifully lay down His own life, and shed every drop of His precious blood that you and I might not have to face the death angel of the Old Testament Passover, but through His sacrifice have eternal life. 

We are told that he “eagerly desired” (Luke 22:15 ESV) to eat the Passover with his disciples. He wanted to share, once more, this special Jewish meal.  He yearned with all his heart to just one last time celebrate God, His Father, as Savior before He would suffer at the hands of his own a horrific death. Steve Wright stated, “That particular Passover meal was arranged secretly in an upper room. It was that final meal with his friends that has become the model for what we Christians have named the “Lord’s Supper.”

Antithetical to the God who regretted He had made man (“And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” Genesis 6:6 ESV) is our God-man (john 1:1-2), Jesus Christ, who willingly gave up His life so that the mankind he regretted creating would have a final Passover lamb that provided the way to eternal life with Him rather than eternal separation from Him.  His compassion.  His mercy.  His unfathomable, unfailing love. As I pause to remember the events of this Easter season, I pause to always remember that His compassion, His mercy, His unfathomable, unfailing love, saved me, keeps me, reminds me of where He brought me from and where I might have been. Whether it was all of mankind, or just me, or just you – if we were the only people ever in this world, God’s love would still have been poured out for us.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ESV

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 [i] Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon/Concordance

Our Guidance System

Dear Father,  in my  moments of such deep unrest -- moments when I do not know what to ask by reason of the very excess of all my wants,  I have, in these hours, no words for You, no conscious prayers for You. My cries seem purely worldly. I pray only the wings of a dove that I may flee away. Yet all the time You have accepted my unrest as a prayer. You have interpreted my cry for a dove's wings as my cry for You. You have received the nameless longings of my heart as the intercessions of Your Spirit. They are not yet the intercessions of my spirit; I know not what or how to ask. But You know. You know what I ask, my God. You know the names of each need which lies beneath my speechless groans. You know that, because I am made in Your image, I will find rest only in what gives rest to You. Therefore You have counted my unrest to me for righteousness and have called my groanings Your Spirit's prayer. Amen

Colossians 3:15  in the Amplified Bible states: “And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as an umpire continually) in your hearts (deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds in that peaceful state) to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live].”

In the simplicity of Paul’s words, it is seriously doubtful that Paul referred to inner peace as an “umpire”. However, it is an analogy with which we can all relate.  My sons played baseball and on warm, summer evenings, we would sit cheering on our teams as the umpire kept an eye on the players/participants making sure that they stayed within certain parameters.  We have an “inner umpire”, the Holy Spirit. It is His job to keep us within the parameters God has established for each of our lives.  He lets us know by an inward perception, by peace or by unrest, whether we are safely pursuing the will of God for our lives or not. 

My son-in-law, in the Navy, is attached to an extremely large aircraft carrier. My brother served, also in the Navy aboard an aircraft carrier. Those mighty ships use an elite, internal guidance system that rivals the enemies of the USA.  The Holy Spirit that dwells within us can be illustrated by those elite internal guidance systems that are commonly used by ships, planes, and spacecraft today.  These mighty vessels all have an inner gyroscope that is based on the magnetic pull of the Earth.  These gyroscopes then send signals to instruments that indicate

altitude, or the position of the vessel.  Pilots, commanders, and helmsmen spend years, decades and thousands of hours training themselves to trust the readings given by the internal gyroscope, not outside reference points.  Many pilots have died because they tried to override their instruments, trying to depend on their human senses in a crisis situation.  The human eye and the inner ear particularly can give false readings leading a pilot, or a helmsman to believe that they are in one position when actually they are in another.  For example, when it is dark, with no light, visible horizon, or outside reference points, a pilot can easily believe that he is right side up when in reality he is upside down.  This has become known as spatial disorientation. 

If a pilot knows that he must choose to believe his instruments over his inner ear, he will be assured of personal safety.  Our inner ear can give us a false reading but the magnetic pull of God’s Earth, even though it may vary ever so slightly at the poles, never gives a false reading.  This fact is relied upon daily and pilots and helmsmen are trained to trust their lives and the lives of their men to this fact.

Our human minds, our outward circumstances, trusted loved ones, however well meaning, can all give wrong guidance that, while it appears to be right, is just like the inner ear of a pilot and can give us a false reading.  The Holy Spirit, however, is our own personal, inner gyroscope based on the magnetic pull of the earth.  He will never give us false reading because His guidance is based on the pull of an omniscient Father, who can be relied upon, trusted and guaranteed to lead us safely to our port, to a safe landing. 

We cannot forget that when the apostle Paul was on his journey to Rome on a prison ship, his “inner gyroscope” or the “inner witness”, the “inner umpire”  - the Holy Spirit was giving him a reading indicating that there was a problem brewing.  He could rely upon this fact even though outwardly everything appeared to be just fine.  The sun was shining and a cool breeze was blowing. The sea was calm - perfect sailing weather but every one of those outside reference points failed.  They turned out to be wrong.  Paul knew that his inner guidance system, the Holy Spirit, his Umpire, was sending him a “signal”, a perception that he felt down in his spirit indicating that they [the ship and its passengers] were heading off in the wrong direction. 

The Holy Spirit still guides Believers in this same way today.  Like me, no doubt, you are recalling times where you decided to override your “gyroscope”, this form of inner guidance and you ended up “shipwrecked”, figuratively speaking.

So many of us make the mistake of always wanting to taking the path of least resistance, allowing others, well-meaning as they may try to be, to guide us when the Holy Spirit wants to guide us directly.  Some (and I am guilty here as well) make the mistake of only looking for “emergency” guidance when a crisis arises.  A crisis is certainly not the time to attempt or try to develop a sensitivity to our inner gyroscope, the “inner witness” of the Holy Spirit. 

Still, there are some who insist that more spectacular forms of supernatural guidance such as voices, dreams, visions, prophecies and angels will come to guide us.  While I DO believe that these supernatural things do exist and God may use these methods to lead believers, I believe that His roadmap (His Word) should be used to align our inner gyroscope since this is not the primary way that the Holy Spirit guides us today.  In my life, the primary way the Holy Spirit leads me is by that “inner witness”, “inner perception” (likened to the “still small voice”), “peace that passes our finite understanding”, or “unrest.” 

When I am about to make a major life-affecting decision, and something on the inside is telling me “no, no, no” or “now is not the time”, or simply to “back off”, I try to remember how the ships and the airplanes rely on the inner gyroscopes and pray that I would take heed to my inner perception, my inner witness of the Holy Spirit. God’s guiding.  He never fails. -RLS

Don't Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle

The magic of Christmas comes to all of us in different ways: in the putting up of the tree, drinking hot cocoa with little marshmallows, singing carols, seeing the lights, visiting Santa, baking goodies for our loved ones and neighbors, and giving to those in need. And, of course, and most importantly, celebrating the birth of our Savior. I used to love, when my children were small, how the most exciting thing to them was to hear about baby Jesus and knowing it was HIS birthday.

Looking at this season through the eyes of a child is probably the smartest thing we can do to put ourselves in the right frame of mind for Christmas. As adults we all know the meaning of Christmas, and know that that is where we should be focusing, but no one else is going to get the tree up, do the baking, finish the Christmas shopping, make sure family pictures are taken, get Christmas cards out, buy presents for the teachers, PLUS manage the day to day household tasks, and worry about how we are going to pay for all this ho ho ho without buying anything on  credit! SO how do we make sure that, as we create the Christmas magic for those around us, we actually get to feel it too, and how can we keep our tinsel from getting in a tangle.

When it’s the week before Christmas and it’s impossible to find a parking spot at the mall, the grocery store is packed with all the crazies preparing for a house full of company, it’s pretty easy to get your tinsel all tangled.  We want everything to be just right.  We are so busy being “Martha” that we can’t seem to find time to be Mary; we can’t seem to find the time to get our tinsel untangled. 

May I encourage you this blessed season to take a moment and remember the real reason for the season.  So what if your peanut butter blossoms lost the kisses, your Christmas tree is a little crooked and the cookies have too many sprinkles from a little helper.  And so what if you don't get your Christmas cards out until New Years – just so you have time to truly enjoy the magic of this Christmas season and truly celebrate our Savior's birth!  So, please try not to get your tinsel in a tangle and remember if you do, just tie a knot in it and hang on.

Please let me share with you scripture from Matthew 6:25-34 taken from The Message. . .paraphrased (by me):

^25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t get your tinsel in a tangle [fuss] about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and untangled [unfettered], not tangled in [tied down] to a job description, untangled [careless] in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

^27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—getting your tinsel in a tangle - do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, and worrying about your tinsel, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

^30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, don’t get your tinsel in a tangle, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works, get their tinsel in a tangle and fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t get your tinsel in a tangle! Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

³⁴ “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get your tinsel in a tangle about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. “

Have a very blessed and merry Christmas.  May you have a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous new year and whatever you do, remember: DON’T GET YOUR TINSEL IN A TANGLE!!!

It's Not About You. . .

"It’s not about you!"  I remember the first time I read those words in Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life.  For some reason in this first week of Advent, I thought of those words.  

Throughout history, Israel anticipated the coming of their Messiah. The Old Testament contains more than 400 scriptures and prophecies outlining the birth of this Messiah, His life, His death, His resurrection, and His return. It was always God’s plan to redeem His people, since the beginning when Adam and Eve chose a life sin over a life of abundance. God declared His plan to His prophets over many centuries and continues to fulfill His Word even now.  So, you see, it's about "Him".

"Prepare the way of the Lord" serves as a main theme of Advent.  As we are hustling about, buying, making, baking, partying, and anticipating Christmas, most importantly, we should not neglect to prepare our hearts for Jesus, who came as "the light of the world." His light penetrated a darkened world. His light provided the opportunity for all to see their Messiah, to accept their Messiah as the hope of their future. 

Since the 7th century A.D., Christians have included the celebration of Advent in their Christmas preparations.  "Advent" originates from the Latin word advenio which means coming to. Advent is the time when we, as believers, focus on Christ coming to the world.  With a twofold purpose, Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas.  First, it prepares us for the celebration of the birth of Christ and second, it reminds us that we wait eagerly for the return of our Messiah, Jesus, in glory. 

Today, more than ever before, we need to have our hearts prepared in such a way as we await the return of Christ, that we can breathe the words and mean them, “come quickly Lord Jesus!” As you are preparing your Christmas, take time to read and to learn more about what God’s Word reveals about Christ's return and the significance of world events as they unfold before us.

Be ready. Be watchful. Be prepared. The Light of the world has come and will surely come again.  Father God, let the light of Christ shine through our lives so that we may glorify you in all that we do and help us to walk in the light of the Lord and in the truth of your Word. Amen.

"The birth of Christ is the central event in the history of the earth -- the very thing the whole story has been about." -- C.S. Lewis