The Philistines annoy me.  You can’t read the first several books of the Bible without bumping into them, and just when you think they have taken their ball and gone home, they pop up again.

They remind me of Satan.  How many times have you won a victory over some sin in your life or are making progress on a struggle and he seem to pop out his slimy head with the same old song and dance?

Time and time again he comes to kill us, to steal what is ours, to destroy our hope, and usually (but not always) it’s in the same area of our lives.  Each time we are victorious, but it’s a battle nonetheless.

Protect our hearts, Lord, from the schemes of the enemy and give us victory!

I couldn’t just stop with one post from Joshua 22.  It’s a gold mine.  I’ve got this post up my sleeve and one more that I’ll share with you soon.

With their plunder packed, the Eastern Posse hit the dusty road to home, but before they crossed the Jordan, they decide to build an altar.  It was not just any altar, mind you.  It was “an imposing altar” or as we say in the South, “a biggun” (Joshua 22:10-12).

Apparently, word travels fast in the promised land, and the rest of the Israelites got wind of the altar and immediately jumped to the conclusion that the EPs had lost their minds.  So, they hold a meeting to discuss what to do about the wayward children.

Let us give credit here where credit is due.  The Israelites have been through the wringer many times because of some crazy folks in the family.  If there is one thing that they have learned through their travels, it is that Yahweh does not play when it comes to worshiping other gods or mis-directing worship to Him.  There are specific rules to follow and serious repercussions for not abiding fully to those laws.  So, the Israelites decide to confront their brothers, and behold, the first accountability group is born.

Accountability is tough but necessary.  If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I am a member of an accountability group which was born out of a larger women’s bible study.

Going from a bible study group to an accountability group is taking it to the next level.  It’s like the difference between “going out” and “dating.”

When you’re “going out” with someone everything is laid back and casual.  No time commitments, no serious conversations.  Everything is good and breezy and fun.  That’s how our bible study was pre-accountability.  Everything was easy.  People would float in and out depending on the study we were doing.  Serious conversations happened but rarely.

Then, one night at Donna’s kitchen table as we were patting ourselves on the back for completing another bible study book, we found ourselves smack in the middle of a DTR (Define the Relationship).

DTRs in my opinion are awkward.  In fact, I’m fairly convinced that they embody the very definition of awkward.  If there was a word more awkward than awkward, I would use it, but my vocabulary is not that exhaustive.

So, there we were, stuffed with hamburgers and potato chips, staring a plate of awkward trying to decide if we would take it to the next level of accountability.  We never looked back and I’m so glad we made that commitment.

Folks, we need other believers to keep us honest.  We need safe places to share what is in our hearts and the struggles that we face because this world is messy.  We need people who love us enough to speak truth to us – even when it’s painful – and we need people that will keep our feet firmly planted in His Word and our focus on Him alone because just as it was in the old testament days, there are serious consequences for mis-directing our worship and being disobedient.

Yes, we live under the new covenant of grace, but the God of the OT is the same as the God in the New Testament and the same God we worship today (Hebrews 13:8).  He will not share His glory with anyone or anything (Isaiah 42:8).

If you don’t have an accountability group, pray for God to provide you with one.  Pray for God to surround you with a group of people sold out to Him so that when the world tempts you to bow to the gods of  money, fame, power, prestige, beauty, relationships, work, and possessions, you have people to pick you up and re-direct your worship to Him.

Throughout the years, I have been blessed to have many, many people praying for me and over me.  My twenties were pretty tough and there was a darkness around me that was almost palpable.  I am so thankful for those of you that loved me through some pretty unlovely times, and more importantly thanks be to God for showing me over the last several years the purposes of those struggles.  I am so grateful.

For those of you who battled with me, and continue to do so, I smiled with delight as I pondered Joshua 22:6-8.

Since the Israelites are always wandering somewhere or another, let me take a moment to orientate you to where we are in their journey.   The Israelites have wrapped up their 40 years of desert wandering; God has given them the land he swore to their forefathers, and now it is time for everyone to take a breather from the battles, and rest (Joshua 21:43-44).

Prior to crossing into Canaan, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh asked for their inheritance to be on the east side of the Jordan because the land was good for raising livestock (Numbers 32:1).  For simplicity’s sake (and to keep my fingers from having to type that out) let us refer to them as the “Eastern Posse.”

Moses obliged their request on one condition:  their families could settle there, but the fighting men would battle alongside their brothers until the land west of the Jordan was settled.  All of them said, “Amen,” and it was a done deal.

Fast forward five years and you’ll find yourself in Joshua 22.  Joshua is now in charge of the people and, being the awesome leader that he is, honors Moses’ promise to send the Eastern Posse home to be with their families and get some well-deserved rest.

He sends them on their way with a great amount of wealth (a.k.a plunder, or if you speak Pirate, loot and booty).  Now, don’t miss this:  The EPs gathered plunder when they fought for their brothers.  They took large quantities of livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron and clothes (praise the Lord that clothing is plunder!).

Are you going to battle for someone?  If so, then press on because I believe when we fight alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ, when we petition the throne with them and for them, we get to share in their victories and in their blessings. This is our plunder.

Celebrating victories and the answers God provides with those we love is some of the sweetest plunder we will ever receive.

I know.  I know.  It’s not Music Monday, it’s Sunday.  But it’s a special Sunday.  It’s Easter Sunday and He is risen!!!  How can we celebrate Easter Sunday without singing praises for the work that Christ accomplished on the cross and through His resurrection?!  Praise Him for “worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Rev. 5:12)

High Noon

High noon in the valley of the shadow
When the deep of the valley was bright
When the mouth of the tomb shouted,
“Glory, the groom is alive”
So long, you wages of sin go on,
Don’t you come back again
I’ve been raised and redeemed;
You’ve lost all your sting
To the victor of the battle at
High noon in the valley
In the valley of the shadow

And the demons, they danced in the darkness
When that last ragged breath left his lungs
And they reveled and howled
At the war that they thought they had won

But then, in the dark of the grave
The stone rolled away
In the still of the dawn on the greatest of days

High noon in the valley of the shadow
When the shadows were shot through with light
When Jesus took in that breath
And shattered all death with his life
Be gone, you wages of sin
Go on, don’t you come back again
I’ve been raised and redeemed
You’ve lost all your sting
To the victor of the battle
High noon in the valley of the shadow

Let the people rejoice
Let the heavens resound
Let the name of Jesus, who sought us
And freed us forever ring out

All praise to the fighter of the night
Who rides on the light
Whose gun is the grace of the God of the sky

High noon in the valley of the shadow
When the shadows were shot through with light
When the mouth of the tomb
Shouted, “Glory, the Groom is alive”
Be gone, you wages of sin
Go on, don’t you come back again
I’ve been raised and redeemed
All praise to the king
The victor of the battle
High noon in the valley
In the valley of the shadow

©Andrew Peterson, “Love and Thunder” 2003

I am enormously grateful that I have never had to watch someone that I loved (or anyone for that matter) die a slow and painful death. But there are all too many people who have.

The gospels tell us that many of those who loved Jesus were watching from a distance as the horrific death of Jesus unfolded on Golgotha. It was a scene that would be seared into their minds and hearts for all of eternity.

Their sadness was overwhelming. The confusion and shock swirling through their minds paralyzing for they mourned, not only the loss of a friend, teacher, master, and son, but they mourned the loss of a dream.

Their dream: that Jesus would be the king of Israel; that he would reign more gloriously and powerfully than any king before him; that they would be in a royal palace one day, vanished as Jesus breathed his last breath and hung lifeless on the cross. How could a dead person reign? Their dream was dead.

But things aren’t always what they seem.

As sundown approached, the grief of those who loved Jesus was cut short by the call of duty. For the Jews, it was the day before the Sabbath. Preparation Day. A day spent gathering what they would need to observe a day of rest. The body of Jesus had to be taken down, prepared for burial and laid in a tomb before sundown. Much work had to be done.

Thankfully, Joseph, a secret believer in Christ and a member of the Jewish Council, stepped up to provide a place for Jesus’ body to lay. Nicodemus, who also was a member of the Jewish Council and one who came previously in secret to Jesus at night, was there to help him. Together, they made the hasty preparations and arrangements and gently wrapped his naked body and laid him in the tomb.

For the women, numb with grief, perhaps the preparations of that afternoon mercifully kept their hands busy so their minds didn’t have to fully process the events of the day. The mercy was short-lived, however, as daylight faded into the stillness of the night and the silence of Saturday.

Forced to rest and reflect, they had only time on their hands to relive in their mind’s eye the tragedy that unfolded before them. They had only time and quietness to think of the hopes they once had and the fear of the unknown.

But things aren’t always what they seem.

To make things worse, they would have gone to temple as members of the Jewish faith. They would’ve walked into the courtyard, with tables over turned and the veil torn in two, and they would listen to the very people who sought the death of Jesus teach them the very law that He fulfilled.

But things aren’t always what they seem.

I’m wondering how many people reading this are mourning the loss of a loved one. How many of you grieve over a dead dream?

Maybe you thought you’d be married by now,
or cured of your illness,
or working at a job that you love.
Maybe you thought you’d have children,
or that your spouse would’ve been faithful,
or that you would have a job by now.

But things aren’t always what they seem.

In his book, God Still Moves Stones, Max Lucado paints the most beautiful picture of hope when he writes about the experience of those who went to the tomb early on Sunday morning.

The God of surprises strikes again…God does that for the faithful. Just when the womb gets too old for babies, Sarai gets pregnant. Just when the failure is too great for grace, David is pardoned. And just when the road is too dark…the angel glows and the Savior shows…

The lesson? Three words. Don’t give up.
Is the trail dark? Don’t sit.
Is the road long? Don’t stop.
Is the night black? Don’t quit.

God is watching. For all you know right at this moment he may be telling the angel to move the stone.

The check may be in the mail.
The apology may be in the making.
The job contract may be on the desk.

Don’t quit. For if you do, you may miss the answer to your prayers.

God still sends angels. And God still moves stones.

Things aren’t always what they seem.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

Good Friday.  It marks the completion of Christ’s work on Earth – at least for a while.  It is a bitter sweet day.  If you have a chance to go to a Good Friday service, I hope that you will attend.  I love this day.  I love it because it re-focuses my life onto the love that Christ has for me.  I used to think that the crucifixion was a corporate sacrifice – done for everyone, but not specifically for me.  However, God has shown me over the last several years that He did, in fact, die specifically for me. 

If you’ve ever had the same feelings, I pray that you will ask God to reveal just how personal His work is to you.  He will show you.  In fact, did you know that in His last prayer before facing betrayal, mockery, flogging, and eventually crucifixion, He prayed for you?  He prays for himself, the disciples, and us.  And “us” includes you as a believer.  What a beautiful example of his personal love for us – He was on His hands and knees praying for us!

Before we walk with Jesus to the cross, let’s go to the Garden of Gethsemane and spend some time observing Christ in prayer.  We know from Matthew, Mark, and Luke that Jesus was in mental anguish.  I can only imagine the emotions that ravaged His human body.  Interestingly, only one gospel gives the specific details of Christ’s prayer.  Maybe you want to climb up in a tree or sit beneath one.  Kneel with me beside Him and listen to His prayer. 

Read John 17:1-26

Jesus starts with a prayer for God to be glorified through Him, “Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you” (v.17).  The focus is on God’s glory.  Then, he prays for the disciples, some of which were slumbering not far from where he kneeled.  He prays for the protection and sanctification of the disciples, saying, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (v.15).  Then, he prays for you: “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world” (v. 24). 

Hallelujah!  He wants to be with you and for you to see God’s glory!

Let’s look at Christ’s glory.  Few movies have moved me more than “The Passion of the Christ.”  I sob through the entire movie.  I remember the first time I watched it; I could barely look at the screen.  I was about to leave the theater when I felt the heaviness of God’s hand hold me firmly in my seat.  “Nikol, sit and watch.  I did this for you.”  That’s when I was almost to the point of wailing.  While it’s difficult, I watch this movie every Easter.  It certainly puts things into perspective. 

I could spend a week talking about the last few hours of Christ’s life.  While I hate to hit the fast forward button, let’s move to the cross.  Beaten and broken for your sins, Jesus is nailed to the cross.  Ever hear it put like that before?  Kind of takes your breath away, doesn’t it?  It was an agonizing death.  Stare up at the cross.  Hear His labored breathing.  Watch His bloodied and broken body rise and fall as He prepares to breath his last breathe.   And as you look at the God of the universe nailed to a cross remember…he did it for you.

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before the fall.”  Proverbs 16:18

Read Luke 22:7-38

Today is Maundy Thursday, and our journey becomes more somber.  I just returned from my church’s Maundy Thursday service.  What an experience!  As I sit to write about the events that are about to unfold, my mind is swimming.  This morning, I planned to write about Judas, but as my day progressed, I was led in a different direction. Don’t get me wrong, Judas’ story is an important one.  We hear a lot about him around this time of year, and most people can relate, though on a much smaller scale, to being betrayed by a loved one.  But have you ever wondered about the other disciples and what they were experiencing?

We learn in Luke 22 that Jesus sends two disciples ahead of Him to Jerusalem to prepare for the Passover meal.   Aren’t you curious who He sent?  If I can keep my wits about me when I get to Heaven, that is one of those questions I plan to ask the Lord.  In this instance, we don’t have to guess which disciples were chosen, Luke tells us.  John and Simon Peter were chosen specifically for this task.  Jesus knew what he was doing when he chose these two.   There was a lot of work that went into preparing the Passover meal:  the lamb had to be roasted; bitter herbs prepared; and bread made.  Beth Moore observes that John and Peter were the only disciples that referred to Jesus as the Lamb.  I chuckled thinking about a couple of manly men trying to plan and cook a celebratory meal.  How many men plan and cook Christmas dinner for the family?  No offense guys, I’m not too worried about the lamb.  Men have been blessed with the unique ability to cook when fire is involved! 

Not only did the meal have to be prepared, but the table had to be set.  Oh, wait!  Where’s the table?  Before John and Peter could prepare the meal, they had to find a place to eat it.  Notice their response to Jesus, “Where do you want us to prepare for it?”  They don’t complain; they don’t waver.  Jesus says, and they do.  But what I like most about their response is they ask him how He wants them to carry out His plans.  It demonstrates complete confidence and dependence on God’s direction.  Oh, if we could be so wise when Jesus asks us to do something that we would simply turn it back to Him and ask how to do it and then trust that He’ll provide! 

I am so encouraged that Jesus doesn’t leave them to figure it out on their own.  He tells them precisely what do to in verses 10-12, and similar to the story of how the disciples found the donkey, so it is with the disciples finding the room to celebrate the Passover.  Now, keep in mind that earlier in our study, we learned that there are potentially millions of Jews in town for the Passover celebration.  Ever tried to get a hotel room in a city when something big is going on?  Good luck with that!  Maybe Peter and John were daunted at the seemingly impossible task of finding a place for the meal.  But, isn’t it just like Jehovah Jireh to tell us to do something seemingly impossible and then miraculously provide the resources in order for us to accomplish it?  Why?  So that He gets every bit of the glory!  It’s all of Him and none of us!  Unlike the day of His birth when there was no room for Him in the inn, this time there was a room and it was completely furnished!  God not only meets the need but exceeds it!  

After the Maundy Thursday service, I went out with some of my friends to dinner.  I couldn’t help but be reminded of Jesus and His disciples eating their last meal together.  The disciples knew something was about to happen, they just hadn’t fully realized it yet.  I’m sure they chatted about the events of the last few days.  I can hear Bartholomew saying, “Hey Philip!  What was your favorite parable?”  Or maybe James kidded Matthew about how smelly his feet were before Jesus washed them.  Can’t you see Jesus laughing at a joke Thomas may have said?  I wonder if for a few moments Jesus was able to look past what lay before him and enjoy fellowship and laughter with His friends. 

Maybe they reminisced about the look on the little boy’s face when the fish and bread multiplied, or how good the perfume smelled when Mary anointed Jesus with oil. 

As the evening passed, the mood became more somber.  We see the shift in the mood after Jesus poured the wine and broke the bread.  The disciples begin bickering about who was the greatest.  Remember, Jesus had just told them that he was going to suffer and be betrayed, but they turn the focus back to themselves!  There is nothing like pride to put a damper on things and take our focus off of God.  Solomon warns us in Proverbs about the dangers of pride. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before the fall” (Proverbs 16:18).  We are about to see this very verse lived out specifically in the life of Peter.  If a good dose of pride takes our focus off of God, we can rest assured that a good dose of humility will bring us crawling back.   

I’m sure it was shocking to Peter when Jesus tells him, “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” (v 31)  The word “you” used here is plural.  Satan had asked permission to sift all the disciples like wheat.  He continues, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.” (v 32)  The word for “you” in this passage is pointing specifically to Peter.  Jesus prayed specifically for Peter’s faith not to fail.  After all, God would use Peter to build His church.  Notice that Satan has to ask God for permission to touch those that belong to Him.  Nothing comes to us that He hasn’t allowed.  While our times of sifting are uncomfortable and difficult, we should find comfort in knowing that God has allowed it!  Beth Moore writes, “Christ will not grant the devil permission to do anything that can’t be used for God’s glory and our good – if we let it.”[i]

Beth Moore also notes the differences between our faith being tested and a time of sifting.  Being sifted is an “all out onslaught by the enemy to destroy you and make you quit.”  Have you ever experienced a time like this in your life?  I’m not sure that everyone requires the pain of sifting, but I do believe that those people that are a threat to Satan, those that can give the most glory to God, are sifted.  If you go through or have gone through a season of sifting, I hope you are comforted in knowing that Jesus prays for your faith not to fail. 

Moore also goes on to say that while Satan’s plan is to “make a mockery by showing us to be all chaff and not wheat,” God’s purpose in sifting is to “shake out the real from the unreal, the trash from the true.”  God can use everything, including the devil, as He pleases to accomplish His glorious plan.  “May God use it so thoroughly that the enemy ends up being sorry he ever asked permission.” [ii]

Jesus continues the conversation with Peter, “…and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (v.32).   The key word here is “when.”  Not “if” but “when.”  Notice that Christ doesn’t just tell Peter that he’s praying for him, but he also tells him that he is going to survive the sifting.  Please allow me one more reference to Beth Moore.  “From falling, Peter was about to learn how to stand…Christ didn’t want to take the leader out of Simon Peter.  He just wanted to take the Simon Peter out of the leader.”[iii]   And so Peter’s humiliation returns him to His Father, strong enough to help others.  A time of sifting takes away our pride and brings us back to the cross so we can stand, in order to help others when they fall. 

“We live by faith, not by sight.”  2 Corinthians 5:7

Read John 12:20-50

Let’s continue in the footsteps of Jesus along the path that leads to the cross.  The gospels are full of the teachings of Jesus in the temple, and those He taught privately to His disciples in the days following His entry into Jerusalem.  It’s hard to tell the exact timeline of events leading to the crucifixion after He entered the city.  Matthew’s account is by far the most detailed, taking 228 verses to document Christ’s movements.  Luke is second with 120 verses, followed by Mark’s 113 verses.  I was particularly intrigued by John’s account of the days leading up to the Last Supper.  He sprinted through the triumphant entry to the Last Supper in only 38 verses!  John takes us through a couple of unique interactions Jesus had first with the Gentiles, and then with the Jews. 

The Gentiles (John 12:20-36)

Some Greeks who were in town for the festivities came to Philip asking for some face-to-face time with Christ.  They wanted not only to get a glimpse of Him but they wanted to experience Him.  They wanted to have a conversation and get to know Him.  So, they network a bit.  They approach Philip, and knowing they can catch more flies with honey, they call him “Sir” to show Him respect, and then they get right to the point.  “We would like to see Jesus” (v. 21).  I love Matthew Henry’s observation on this event: “…the great desire of our souls should be to see Jesus; to have our acquaintance with Him increased, our dependence on Him encouraged, our conformity to Him carried on; to see Him as ours, to keep up communion with Him, and derive communications of grace from him: we miss of our end in coming if we do not see Jesus.”[i]  Oh, precious Savior, I pray that we would continually have this attitude when we approach you.  May all of our energies be focused, not on this world because it is not our home, but on knowing and experiencing You.  I pray that we have a special encounter with You during this Holy Week. 

Philip listens to the request and discusses it with Andrew.  They both agree to approach Jesus.  Jesus doesn’t really answer them, but it’s evident that He begins to have a conversation with the Gentiles.  Jesus is clearly addressing a crowd in verse 30.  Maybe he just couldn’t resist two or more of His children coming to Him with a request (see Matthew 18:19).  Jesus reveals His death to the crowd beginning with, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”  That is certainly an interesting way to look at being beaten, spit on, stripped naked and nailed to a cross.  But “what we see as disgraceful humiliation, Jesus saw as being glorified.”[ii]

What would our world be like if we looked at humiliating or frustrating circumstances and considered it as glorifying to God?  That’s a pretty radical concept, but isn’t that what Paul meant in 2 Corinthians 4:17 when he wrote, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all”?  Ponder Matthew Henry’s comments for a moment:  “Christ was now troubled; now in sorrow, now in fear, now for a season; but it would not be so always, it would not be so long. The same is the comfort of Christians in their troubles; they are but for a moment, and will be turned into joy.”[iii]

Jesus then begins relating His death to that of a wheat seed.  I did some reading on the lifecycle of a seed.  You would think that I would remember this from my “Organic Gardening” class at Auburn (yes, it’s a real class and yes, I took it).  Despite my higher education in gardening, my thumb is so black that I could kill a fake plant.  I discovered in my exhaustive research on the internet that only when a plant dies can it release a seed to the ground to produce offspring.  In addition, a seed’s outer shell has to be buried in the ground, softened by water, and eventually peeled away before the life inside can begin to grow and blossom.  So, when Jesus’ body died and was buried, it enabled Him to produce spiritual seed.  There are so many spiritual correlations that I can get from this one analogy, but I’ll move on.  I do encourage you to meditate on this passage and ask God to reveal something new to you. 

The discussion of Jesus’ death opens up a door for Christ to talk about those who focus on things that are worldly and those that focus on eternity (vs. 25-26).  To paraphrase, if you love your life on Earth what you get is separation from God.  If you hate your earthly life and focus on spiritual things, you will have community with God.  For Jesus says, “…where I am, my servant also will be.  My Father will honor the one who serves me” (v. 26).  Your seat as a child of God is waiting right next to Jesus at the right hand of God.  I don’t know about you, but that is certainly something to get excited about!  We get to rub elbows with the Almighty and sit on thrones in God’s presence! 

We transition from Jesus talking about His death to realizing the time was at hand.  “Now my heart is troubled…” (v. 27) Jesus begins.  How sad those words are to me.  Jesus knew the torture and agony he was going to have to endure, but He rejoiced in the fact that “for this very reason” he came to us.  Jesus was reaching the culmination of His purpose on Earth:  to save us from our sins so that God could live within us. 

I can see Jesus looking toward heaven, arms raised and saying, “Father, glorify Your name!”  I love God’s response in this scene.   He says, “I have glorified [My Name] and will glorify [My Name] again.”(v. 28) [emphasis mine].  He doesn’t whisper it to Jesus, he shouts it out loud.  The voice was so loud that it was described as thunder.  In fact, God’s voice is described as thunder multiple times in the book of Revelation.  Jesus makes sure that the crowd understands why God spoke aloud — for our benefit.  While some described it as thunder, others described it as a voice, but not the voice of God, but of an angel.  Seeing that the angels are God’s messengers, perhaps they understood that it was from God, or perhaps not.  Note that God’s voice is only recognizable to His true followers (see John 10:14).  Do you hear God’s voice?  Sometimes it’s a whisper and sometimes it’s a shout, but make no mistake, he does speak, we just have to stop and listen. 

The Jews (John 12:37-50)

After Jesus addressed the Gentiles, He left them and hid.  John then begins to talk about the Jews.  He begins, “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe Him.” (v 37)  Seeing isn’t believing.  Sometimes we think it would be easier to believe if we could see it and touch it; however, the Jews had the knowledge and all the evidence they needed, but they refused to see.  He had just healed some beggars in the temple right before their eyes, but they were so stubborn in their unbelief that it blinded them to the Truth.  Matthew Henry writes, “…every new miracle confirmed the reality of what went before” but they were so stubborn that they “would not” believe.[iv]  They were in denial.  Can you relate?  Is there a time in your life where you clung stubbornly to something that it blinded you to the reality of the situation?   May we be careful not to get so set in our ways that we miss God revealing His Truth to us! 

The next few verses are so exciting to me.  John quotes Isaiah’s prophecy in verse 40 that “He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn…”  This sounds oddly similar to the experience that Moses had with Pharaoh when he was assisting God in rescuing Israel from the slavery of the Egyptians.  If you aren’t familiar with the story, you might want to take a look at Exodus 5-13.  There were times when Pharaoh hardened his own heart (stubbornness) and there were times when God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.  Now, I don’t understand all of it, but I do know that God can do whatever he chooses.  Isaiah 46:10 says, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”  Matthew Henry’s commentary gives a good argument for why men harden their own hearts, “The reason why men believe not the report of the gospel is because the arm of the Lord is not revealed to them, that is, because they do not acquaint themselves with, and submit themselves to, the grace of God; they do not experimentally know the virtue and fellowship of Christ’s death and resurrection, in which the arm of the Lord is revealed. They saw Christ’s miracles, but did not see the arm of the Lord revealed in them.” [v]

You are probably wondering why these verses excited me.  I’m excited because this means that God has chosen us as His children!  He chose to reveal Himself to us.  He opened our hearts so we would see Him as He really is.  We believe in Him only because He called us.  It’s true.  He picked us out before the creation of the world.  Read Psalm 139.  There is no one like you.  Never has been and never will be.  Jesus picked you!  Not everyone makes the cut.  I can’t think of one good reason why he would pick me.  But I do know that He picked me so that I could glorify His kingdom and His name.  What an honor we have and what a responsibility!

John then marks the last public appearance of Jesus (other than His trial and crucifixion).  What were the last words Jesus speaks to the public?  They were pleading words!  “Then Jesus cried out…” (v 44) Doesn’t your heart break to hear this?  He gives them every opportunity, every evidence of who He is, and then, the Son of God, pleads with them.  But He also levels with them.  He comes right out and says, “When he [a believer] looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.”  It’s like He’s saying everything but, “Hey.  Heads up, I’m God in case you haven’t figured it out.  I’m the King you’ve been waiting for.  When you look at me, you are looking at God.”   Then, he tells them what happens to those that don’t believe.  They will be judged on the last day by the very words they have chosen not to hear. 

So, what was Jesus’ last sentence in public before His “trial?”  Of course, they were words pointing to the Father, “I know His commands lead to eternal life.  So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” 

May our actions and words always point to the Father so that we cry out, “Father, glorify Your name!”

So, imagine you are Jesus.  It’s the morning.  You’re headed to Jerusalem with your friends for another day of teaching.  (Maybe you are hoping those pesky merchants are smart enough to stay away from the temple that day.)  You’ve got another busy day ahead of you.   You decide to eat while you travel.  In this day and age, I’m sure we can relate.  There isn’t a McDonald’s® on this exit, so you grab something convenient on the road.  As you are walking you see a fig tree with leaves (sort of like a modern day billboard for Burger King®).  You head toward it because where there are leaves, there should be fruit, right?  You get to the tree and notice there is no fruit!  “Then He said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’” (v. 19).  In Mark 11:21, Peter refers to what Jesus said as a “curse.”  The origin of the word used here is kataraomai which means, “curse, doom, imprecate evil upon” (Strong’s G26720). So, Jesus doomed the tree to be fruitless and die!  Wow.  That’s strong. 

To the amazment of the disciples, the tree whithered and died.  So, they asked what Jesus already knew they would ask, “How did the fig tree whither so quickly?”(Matthew 21:20)  Bless their hearts, they just didn’t get it!  They had seen Him feed 5,000 people with a few loaves and fish.  They had witnessed Him walking on water.  They had seen Him calm the storms.  They had witnessed time and time again God’s mighty hand, but they hadn’t fully grasped that Jesus was not just a man, but God; the King of Kings. 

While this story only lasts for a few verses there is a wealth of knowledge that we can gain from it.  The commentary in my Bible brings weaves together this story with the overturned tables in the temple(Life Application Study Bible).  “Just as the fig tree looked good from a distance but was fruitless on close examination, so the temple looked impressive at first glance, but its sacrifices and other activities were hollow because they were not done to worship God sincerely.  If you only have faith without putting it to work in your life, you are like the fig tree that withered and died because it bore no fruit.  Genuine faith means bearing fruit for God’s kingdom. “

Don’t you love how God uses the ordinary everyday things to teach us?  This time is no exception.  The disciples asked how the tree withered so quickly.  Jesus could have responded with, “Because I’m God and I said so.” Or, “Are you kidding?  Have you not learned anything from the time I’ve spent with you?  Really?”  Praise the Lord that he doesn’t respond that way!  I love that Jesus doesn’t really tell them why it withered but He empowers them by explaining that they have the power to do it too!  And He doesn’t stop there!  Not only does He tell them they share the same power, but He equips them, “…if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea’, and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”   I feel like screaming a big “Amen!” 

Now, before we get all crazy and start praying for all kinds of things, let’s remember from this example the power of our prayers.  We have the power to curse and the power to build up.  We have the power to uplift or the power to destroy.  May we never be flippant about the prayers we pray, but may we never doubt that if we are praying for God’s glory, know that He will not disappoint.  In fact, it will likely be more glorious than we could’ve ever imagined.   Please don’t misunderstand me.  I don’t subscribe to prosperity gospel.  It’s not all name and claim it.  There are seasons for everything.  There are seasons of pruning; seasons of growth; seasons of happiness; seasons of sadness; seasons for planting; seasons for harvesting; and seasons of abundance.  They all serve one purpose and that is to glorify God.  We may not see it now, but we will. 

God recently revealed to me that this is a year of abundance for me, and what a journey it’s been and it’s only March!  I’ve struggled for many years, due mostly out of my inability to get out of my own head and get into God’s Word.  What changed?  I started making it my top priority to spend time in God’s presence.  I sit and pray, or read scripture.  Sometimes I even sing.  It is the sweetest part of my day and has transformed my life.  I begin my day focused on Jesus.  We sit and chat.  I tell Him, “Good morning, Lord” each day.  For those of you that know me, that may not surprise you.  For those of you that don’t, let’s just say that I’m a goofy girl.  But I’m a goofy girl that loves the Lord.  I live each day in the hopes that God will throw me a “bread crumb” because those bread crumbs are more precious to me than gold!  It’s humbling and exciting and is absolutely the greatest joy that I’ve experienced. 

While I have been blessed with so much this year and know that more is yet to come, my greatest blessing is hearing God speak to me.  My favorite thing that He whispered to me is, “Do you see why I couldn’t give you what you wanted?  Do you see?  You asked for so little and I wanted to give you so much!”  How often do we pray for God to fulfill a desire for something that we want and when He doesn’t provide what we think the answer should be, we jump to the conclusion that our prayers have gone unanswered?  Child, don’t you see?  You ask for so little and He wants to give you so much!  God wants to bless us.  He wants us to bear fruit because it glorifies Him (John 15:8)! Most of the time, we simply get in the way of the blessings that He wants so much to give us.

While God wants to bless us, it does require some effort on our part.  First, we have to be Christians.  Second, we have to submit our request to God.  Third, we have to check our motives, and fourth, we have to step out in bold faith.  It takes bold faith to tell a mountain to go throw itself into the sea.  Notice that Jesus says, “IF you have faith and do not doubt…IF you believe” [emphasis mine].  Basically, if we ask for little and expect little that might be exactly what we end up with because “according to your faith it will be done to you” (Matthew 9:29).  May we always expect God’s glory to be more than we ever imagined!

As I was reading over the scriptures that follow the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, I became focused on what Jesus did immediately after His entry. 

Read Luke 19:45-48.     

Jesus gets down to business! The first thing He does when He reaches Jerusalem is go directly to the temple and cleanse it.  He not only removes the merchants, as Luke notes, but He overturns the tables and the benches where the merchants are doing business (Matthew 21:12).  He is upset that the temple, HIS temple; is being defiled in such a way.  After all, this is the place where people commune with God.  It is where His Father dwells.  It is His home away from Home.  It is the place where he will spend His last week on Earth teaching those who come to hear Him.

Jerusalem was a hot spot of activity around the time of the Passover.  I’ve read commentaries that estimate the number of Jews who would travel to Jerusalem for the Passover was in the millions.  David Guzik reports that the priests and merchants conspired together to ensure sacrifices were “approved” sacrifices.  In addition, there was a temple tax that all the young men were required to pay.  The payment had to be in the form of “temple currency,” and the exchange rates were outrageous.  Did I mention that the high priests took a portion of the exchange rate and the sales?  So, when Jesus drove the merchants out, I’m sure neither they nor the high priests were pleased with His actions, but the temple had to be cleansed of all that was not holy so that Jesus could teach there.[i]

I was reminded of a previous study of the temple and the Passover.  God gave specific instruction to Moses that for seven days prior to Passover, the Israelites were not to eat anything containing yeast.  In fact, God forbade them to even be around yeast at all, and commanded them to remove all yeast from their homes.  Modern day Jews still practice this tradition.  They give their house a good cleansing before Passover and remove all the yeast.  So, what’s the big deal with yeast?  In Matthew 16:6, Jesus likens the false teachings and hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees to that of yeast.  It only takes a little yeast to spread throughout bread.  This is why the Jews remove all the yeast in their houses.  They believe the yeast represents sin.

So, what does all this mean?  Just as the temple had to be cleansed of all its unholiness so that people could hear from the Lord, sometimes we need a good cleansing before we can hear from God.  Just as Jesus removed the evil from the temple, so also, because we are temples where the Holy Spirit dwells, we must cleanse ourselves by confessing and repenting of our sins.  Think about your life and what distracts you from God.  What keeps you from spending time in His presence?  Is there anything in your life that creates so much noise that you cannot hear God’s voice?  If so, maybe it’s time to do a little cleansing. 

I recently had my house cleaned.  It had accumulated years of dog hair and dust.  No matter how often I tried, I was never able to thoroughly clean it.  I became overwhelmed with all the dirt and dust.  I was disgusted with it and with myself for not maintaining it better.  The day I got my house cleaned I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders.  I breathed easier.  I enjoyed my house again.

Maybe it’s time to let the Holy Spirit do a little house cleaning.  We can’t do it ourselves because we get so overwhelmed with our own dirtiness.  We might try to tidy up every now and then, but it’s never enough because we cannot do it ourselves.  But when we ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse our lives, it makes us breathe easier and enjoy our life as His children.  David Guzik writes, “We do love Jesus; and we want to praise Him; yet we must also allow His cleansing presence in our lives.  If He wants to turn over some tables in our hearts, so be it.” [ii]

“…what I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned that I will do.”  Isaiah 46:11

 Today is the beginning of Holy Week.  This is my favorite time of the year.  What’s not to love?  It’s the beginning of beautiful spring weather, new dresses, and the best part:  it marks the beginning of the celebration of Christ’s fulfillment of prophecy; His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. 

Oh, my precious Jesus.  I am so thankful that you died on the cross for my sins so that You could not only dwell with me, but You could dwell within me.  While I don’t understand the intricacies of how this is possible, I stand amazed that You would even want to be in my presence. 

Last year Maundy Thursday was new to me.  This year, I’ve felt compelled to dig into the days that led up to it.  So, I started studying the significance of Palm Sunday. 

Our focus as a church is usually Easter Sunday, Good Friday and, for some, Maundy Thursday.  I’m curious as to what led up to those days.   What did Christ experience when he began to journey toward Jerusalem?  Being fully God, He was very much aware of the agonizing death that lay before Him, but because He was fully man, He would experience stress, fear, anxiety, and pain.  How did He reconciled the conflicting emotions?

I wonder if, in His humanness, He thought, “How did I get here? What am I doing?”  I’ve had those very feelings when going into a dangerous or perceivedly dreadful situation.  I have looked up to the Heavens and said, “LORD, how in the world did I get here?”  But nothing that I have experienced could help me imagine what those last five days of Jesus’ human life were like. 

Imagine yourself as Christ on that journey to Jerusalem.  Imagine knowing your whole life that you would have to sacrifice yourself.  Imagine, as the years go by, knowing that you were getting closer and closer to that end (or beginning).  Maybe, because He knew what lay ahead, He looked forward to being home again and spending time with His Dad. Reunited at last!  Maybe, because He was fully man, He dreaded the pain, the suffering, the mocking, the humiliation, the loneliness, and the guilt of having all the weight of the sins of the world on His shoulders.  He knew exactly what lay before Him but yet, he loved me (and you) so much that to spend eternity with us, He would choose to endure it.  He thought I was worth it.  He thinks you are worth it. 

Can you see it?  Can you picture it in your mind’s eye?

Read Mark 11:1-11 

Why did Jesus instruct the two disciples to go into the town and get the donkey?  Jesus could’ve done it Himself, right?  When you look at the passage, as usual, God is the God of details and tells them specifically what is going to happen.  He told them to go into the town and predicted 1)  they would find a colt tied just inside the city gate (v.2) and 2) the townspeople would question what they were doing (v.3).  He even told them exactly what to say when they were questioned.

We find out a few verses later that it happened exactly the way Jesus said it would.  I have to wonder if perhaps that is why it’s included.  I’m sure there are other reasons that I haven’t discovered yet, but maybe Jesus told them to do this in order to, once again, provide the disciples with evidence that what He says about the future is going to happen.  Nothing can thwart it.   Nothing!  He knew that a few hours later he would tell them about what was going to happen to Him on the cross and the days that followed.  He knew they would need this experience as reassurance when he was gone that He really did know what He was talking about.  They could believe His words to be true because He had proved it in the past.

How patient God is with us when we don’t understand the first, second or third time He tells us something, and how slow we are to believe when He does reveal something.  Believe Him and trust Him when He says, “…what I have said that I will bring about; what I have planned that I will do.” Isaiah 46:11.

OK.  Y’all are gonna think I’m nuts, but let’s be honest, that wouldn’t be anything new.  Please don’t think that I am weird-er than you already think I am, but I just got the best e-mail.  This e-mail made my soul rejoice!  Seriously.   An I-want-to-do-a-happy-dance rejoicing. 

What was this mysterious e-mail and who sent it?  This is the part where y’all will think that I am weird.  It was from Robyn and it was about Holy Week 2011. 

Yes, Peeps, that is right, an email about Holy Week made me want to do a happy dance.  You see, I get excited about Holy Week the way children get excited about Christmas.  And I am not exaggerating. 

Over the last few years, I have been enormously blessed beyond words that my dear, sweet friend, Robyn loves the Easter season as much as I do, and it’s become quite a tradition for us to plan out our Holy Week by service hopping.  We go all out.  I’m talking Maundy Thursday service, Good Friday services (plural – meaning more than one), and a Saturday viewing of the Passion of the Christ (Robyn sits this one out, but it is a tradition for me to weep uncontrollably as the cruxifiction unfolds).  All these services culminate in an Easter blow-out celebration at church where my heart is full and my soul is glad. 

Last year, our bible study girls came along with us as we service hopped the week away.   As we were planning the activities last year, Robyn threw out, unbeknownst to her, a challenge when she said that the most wonderful Easter she could remember was a time when her pastor wrote a day-by-day devotion for Holy Week.  Now, I’m no pastor, but I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than writing down my reflections as the week progressed.  Over the course of holy week, I sent out an e-mail devotion.  This year, I’ll share those same reflections on the blog starting on Palm Sunday. 

My prayer is that God will use these reflections to show you His unimaginable love for you and that you might catch a glimpse of His Glory!

“I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”  – Isaiah 61:10

Sometimes I forget that the people from the Bible actually lived. Movies and television have warped my mind to think of things fictitiously first. That default mentality crosses over into my bible reading where I consciously and intentionally have to remind myself of one truth: these were real people experiencing a real God.

These are not characters on a screen.  They were flesh and blood; bone and breathe. I forget sometimes that their feet hurt from walking and their bellies sometimes gurgled. I forget that they got colds or that they sometimes woke up on the wrong side of the pallet.

They put their tunics on every morning one sleeve at a time.
They argued with their spouses and yelled at their children.
They experienced fear and discouragement.
They even had ugly-girl laughs.

Not only do I forget that they were real people, but sometimes I forget that the God to whom they spoke is the same God whom we speak with today.

Wait.
Stop.
Don’t let that sentence slip haphazardly from your mind.  Let it pierce your soul.

When you pray…you are standing before the same God that Moses stood before in the Tabernacle.
When you sing…you are praising the same God that David praised with his harp.
When you cry out…you are crying out to the same God that Jesus cried out to on the cross.

How can we live our lives knowing that simple truth and not be changed forever?

Recently, a dear friend recounted a story from her work.  She observed, much to her discomfort, a lady correcting a man in her office.  The lady was not being rude or unprofessional; she was simply teaching an employee how to do his job with excellence. 

My indescribably compassionate friend, felt uncomfortable as she watched the scene unfold before her.  So, she stepped into the conversation in an attempt to alleviate the tension and discomfort.

The lady very politely looked at my friend, smiled and said something to the effect of, “Sit down.  I wasn’t talking to you.  I need to do this because he needs to learn.”

All of a sudden, I became very aware of how – in our limited understanding – we step in to “help” someone when God is trying to teach them a lesson.   

It is human nature to step in when someone is uncomfortable, embarrassed or hurting.  But sometimes that is not our role. 

At times, God’s role for us is to simply love them through whatever situation they are in; lead them to Him to find the answer; and listen as they work through the situation.

Yes.  Sometimes God calls us to step in and help, but before we jump in to save the day, let us make sure that God is not going to smile at us and say, “Sit down, Child.  I am not talking to you.  This is something she needs to learn.”

“For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! – Isaiah 64:4

I like to wonder through the Bible.  Not wander.  Wonder.  

I wonder if Eve thought the apple from the tree of knowledge tasted good.  Did it taste like chocolate?  Because I would be seriously disappointed if I gave up my life and doomed humanity to eternal hell if it tasted like the apples we have now.   What a bummer. 

I wonder if Noah got tired of cleaning up after the animals, or if Sarai ever thought she needed to check Abram into the Wack Shack because he kept talking about this son they were going to have…when they were ninety!

I really started to wonder why David did not kill Saul when he had the chance.  David had a chance to kill him not once, but twice! 

In 1 Samuel 24, we pick up at David’s second chance to kill Saul.  He and his friend, Abishai, sneak into Saul’s camp.  They tiptoe past 3,000 armed men and stand beside Saul while he is fast sleep.  A spear sits beside Saul’s head.  Just one strike of that spear and David could ascend to his rightful place on the throne. 

When David had the opportunity to take matters into His own hands, he didn’t.   As he stood among 3,000 men who could have killed him in a split second — and without a moment’s pause – David did the unfathomable.

David chose instead to make an impression that Saul would carry with him for the rest of his life:  He waited on God’s timing.  He chose God’s way and God’s plan.  David trusted God to fight his battles for him, and he respected God’s decision to keep Saul as king.

I wonder if Saul thought about how close he came to death. 
I wonder if he ever slept in peace again. 
I wonder what he thought of his “big” army when he realized how close David came to taking his life. 
I wonder.
I wonder if I was in the same position if I would take the high road.
I wonder if I would wait on God.
I wonder if I would resist the temptation to take what was mine in my timing, and instead allow God to gift it to me personally, in His timing.
I wonder.