God’s Love

 “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have LIFE within you." John 6:54

This is certainly very strange and a "mysterium fidei"- a mystery of faith. What I know is Jesus wants us to feed on Him. When we eat our meals, the food becomes a part of us and makes us strong. But when we feed on Jesus, WE become a part of Him! A part of His body, a part of His Church. 

God’s Word is creative and if He says, “Whoever eats this bread will live forever,” we better ask, “What can He mean? How do we eat Him if I want to live forever?” 

If we read it in the original Greek, Jesus uses the word “trogain” which means to GNAW, as a lion would eat the meat off the bones of its prey. “Unless you GNAW me, you will not have life within you.” This was very disgusting to the Jews because they were taught from childhood, from the Law and the Prophets, that they should never eat animal flesh with blood. Many followers left His side at this point. Did Jesus tell them, “Come back! I did not mean what you think! I only meant that you eat me symbolically!”? No! He let them go. 

In many ways the Old Testament prefigured the Holy Eucharist and the first Jewish Christians believed in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. They saw the Eucharist as the new Passover, the new manna from heaven and the new Bread of the Presence. Dr. Brant Pitre lectured about Jesus and the Jewish roots of the Eucharist. One of the points he brought out was that the mystery of the Trinity is foreshadowed in the tabernacle of Moses.

The 3 key symbols in the tabernacle, he said, were the Ark of the Covenant (God the Father), the lamp stand or the menorah with tongues of fire (Holy Spirit), and the gold table with the Bread of the Presence (Jesus). In the Jewish Talmud it says that at Passover, the priest would take the table from the holy place of the temple. And in the midst of the people, the priest would lift up the table with the bread and say, "Behold God's love ❤️ for you."

Thank You Lord for the bread that You give, Your flesh which You sacrificed to give us life and love! And thank You for choosing us to be your instruments to spread Your love to others!!!

The Lord Sees

 

“They gave from their surplus wealth, but she gave from her want, all that she had to live on." Mark 12:44

I can imagine this poor widow in heaven now. Imagine, Jesus pointed her out to the disciples as someone to emulate. She put in a meager 2 small copper coins as her offering, while the wealthy poured in substantial amounts. Jesus said, "She contributed more than all the others who donated to the treasury!" 

What kind of calculator does Jesus have if 2 small copper coins is worth more than ALL the other donations? 1 Samuel 16:8 shows us: "For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 

Others may find us generous but God sees if we have an ulterior motive. After all, we cannot hide anything from Him! 30 year old Chrissy Archibald was one of the people killed in the London Bridge terrorist attack in June 2017. She used to serve in homeless shelters. She is described as kind-hearted and she cared especially about homeless people struggling with addictions. 

Instead of reacting with bitterness and hate, her family decided to spread love and generosity by asking people to remember her by either volunteering or donating to homeless shelters. The hashtags #chrissysentme and #chrissysentyou spread on Twitter.  "Make the world a better place." Many responded with donations and volunteered their time and effort. 

Lord, help us to fight the evil in this world with Your weapons: love, hope, prayers, generosity, truth, and unity. Nothing is impossible with You!

Feed Our Spirit

 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16

Do we really realize that 100% of us, with no exception are going to die? This body which we take so much care of, is decaying, even as we breathe.

St. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:8, "For bodily exercise and discipline is of some value, but Godliness and spiritual training is profitable, has value for all things in every way, for it holds promise for the present but also for the life to come."

I can't help comparing the time we spend for our bodies (bathing, dressing up, applying lotion and make up, eating, taking vitamins and supplements, buying clothes and shoes, exercising, etc.) with the time we spend tending our spirits. Our body is not who we are. When we take care of our body, we are taking care of a temporary thing, a thing that is perishing every second of every day. But when we take care of our spirits, we take care of the eternal.

Jesus, as He was on the cross, called out, "Father, into Your hands, I commit my Spirit." To commit means to entrust for safekeeping. Jesus didn't say, "I commit my body". He knew He would get a brand new one. It was so easy for His Father to recreate His mangled and bloody body, just as He will for us one day.

Do we spend more time taking care of our physical bodies than we do for our true selves, our spirits? Let's take stock of our priorities and remember that if we spend time reading scripture, we are feeding our spirits which will never die.

St. Maximus

 

"If we have died with Him we shall also live with Him. If we persevere we shall also reign with Him." 2 Timothy 2:11-12

This verse reminds me of all the saints who died with Christ, who died as witnesses defending Him. Saints like Maximus the Confessor who is a little known saint. 

St. Maximus left his important post as a court secretary of the Eastern Roman emperor Heraclius I to pursue monastic life. He was far from inconspicuous as a monk however, having been drawn into the political religious controversies of his time. He was arrested three times for believing and teaching that Jesus Christ was the incarnate Son of God, fully human, and fully divine. His tongue was cut off so he might not speak these “heresies” and his right hand was cut off so he may not continue to write. Then he was sent into exile where he soon died. 

Today, it does not cost us much to be Christians. But do we share our faith as much as we can? Can we face Christ as His witness and claim we have died walking with Him?

Stir Into Flame

 “Stir into flame the gift of God bestowed on you when I laid my hands on you." 2 Timothy 1:6

This verse is part of a letter written by Saint Paul to Saint Timothy. I do not know how old Saint Timothy was when he accompanied Saint Paul in his travels but I like to think of him as a young man when he converted to Christianity. Saint Paul baptized and circumcised him.

"Stir into flame the gift of God" can be compared to the Star Wars greeting, "May the Force be with you". Luke Skywalker was told by his mentor, the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, "The Force will be with you. Always." What was the Force in these popular movies? Obi-Wan explained to Luke that the Force was what gives the Jedi his power. It's an energy field that surrounded them and penetrated them. It held the galaxy together. I'm not an expert on Star Wars but the way I see it, when Luke Skywalker was sensitive to the Force, he was able to fight the Dark Side successfully.

We have the Holy Spirit within us. We should be in training like the young Jedis to sense God's presence, movement and guidance in our every day life. There are many dark forces, enemies that seek to turn us away from God. Even our busy schedule can keep us from praying and connecting with God. With the Jedis, the mightier the foe, the more the Jedi had to close their eyes, keep still and connect to the force before the battle. The same with us! The busier we are, the more we should find time to be still, talk to God and listen.

Looking at this gift God bestowed in another way, imagine having an inheritance, a valuable piece of commercial property in New York, a fabulous gem-studded clock by Faberge, or a magnificent painting by Michelangelo. The only thing is we have absolutely no knowledge of it. We did not know about it because we did not bother to read the will outlining our bequest and what we had to do to attain it. 

The gift of the Holy Spirit, which Paul talks about in his letter to Timothy, is a gift Jesus died to give us. It is an amazing legacy, much more precious than anything money can buy. And it is available for anyone! Young, old, rich, poor, someone with a PhD or with no education at all. It is absolutely crazy not to find out how to have this gift for ourselves, and if we have it, to stir it into flame!

Whose Image is on You?

 

“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Mark 12:17

This is one of the most satisfying encounters of Jesus with the Pharisees and Herodians. These people were the trolls of Jesus’ day. They pretended to be righteous and truthful and wise, when all they wanted was to trap Jesus. They asked Him whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not. How we all wish Jesus’ answer was different! 

Back then, their taxes were even more crippling than ours. There was not only the income tax, there were crop taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, emergency taxes, and a tax collector could even stop someone carrying a load to pay taxes on that as well. The taxes and the grain were sent to Rome and it was used to support the lavish lifestyle there. No wonder there were riots because of the taxes imposed on the Jews. 

Jesus’ answer utterly amazed them. He was not trapped. On the contrary, His answer still resonates with us today. It is so dismaying and disheartening to see how our taxes are being wasted, stolen even, by people in government with no conscience. The government borrows billions of pesos with almost no account made of how it was spent. Senate inquiries go around in circles while our people go hungry, lack jobs, adequate health care and good education. 

Jesus asked His questioners to show him the Roman coin, the denarius. “Whose image and inscription is this?” On one side, the face of Tiberius Caesar Augustus was inscribed, on the other, the words, Pontifex Maximus or “Highest Priest”. 

“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” Pay Caesar his taxes even if we do not like what he does with it. We are citizens of two kingdoms. One kingdom, in which we are exiled for a little while, will not last. We are also citizens of an eternal Kingdom. 

Whose image is on us? In Genesis, we read that each one of us, is made in the image and likeness of God. His fingerprint is on us, just as a potter’s fingerprint is on his clay pot. You and I, we belong to Him. Kingdoms come and go. Caesars, no matter how much power they seem to have over our lives, decay and become dust. Let us just follow the instruction in Jeremiah 29:7: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

The Fruit of Service is Peace

 “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:43-45

I am 69 years old already and I still have not learned this very important lesson. To be a servant, one must have the heart of a servant. And no human being better exemplifies that than Mother Teresa who spent her life giving love to the least of God's people.

David Kessler tells one of the nicest stories about how Mother Teresa helped him with his book, "The Needs of the Dying". When he visited India in 1996, he had the opportunity to meet with her when she was told he worked with Elisabeth Kübler Ross, a pioneer in near death studies, and was himself writing a book. He described her as having "kind brown eyes, intensely wrinkled skin, and the warmest of smiles." She treated him like an old friend, and told him that soon she would be dying as well. He said that she talked about God as if He was her dearest, oldest friend, and that she was so looking forward to being with Him. 

Before he left, Mother Teresa asked for his business card and she gave him hers:

The fruit of silence is prayer,

The fruit of prayer is faith,

The fruit of faith is love,

The fruit of love is service,

The fruit of service is peace.

When he finished his book, he sent it to her, and she wrote the most wonderful praise for the book. When he told a friend that he felt he didn't deserve Mother Teresa's good words, his friend said: "So you don’t feel you deserve it. Then here is what you have to do. Spend every day of your life earning that praise.” And that is what David Kessler tries to do. 

If Mother Teresa was able to provoke this man to a life of service, so should we try to spend every day of our life pleasing our Father. 

Lord, may I live my life such that when I meet You face to face, You shall say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Teach me to be a servant like You, Lord.

Let Your Love be Intense

 “Let your love for one another be intense...” 1 Peter 4:8

Saint Peter, at the start of this passage, writes, “The end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and sober-minded so you will be able to pray. Above all, let Your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.” 

There was one night I had the strangest dream about of all things, the end of the world. There was a giant computer screen in the sky that everybody around the world could see, and a woman’s automaton voice was warning of the coming apocalypse. The screen was filled with swirling masses of gas, and a countdown, and lots of other changing images. The strange thing was almost no one was minding it. We were in an amazing theme park, and even if people could hear the countdown, people were running around trying to find the most exciting ride, the best blockbuster attraction. People were laughing, talking to each other, pulling each other to and fro. 

Isn’t that a picture of what’s happening in the world? In the Bible, there are several warnings about the end of the world. It may not happen to everyone at the same time, but for each and everyone of us, the end of the world will come.

We live our lives as if there is no end in sight. But there is a countdown for each of us as surely as there was a visible one in my dream. No doubt God wants us to enjoy ourselves in this beautiful world He gave us, BUT He reminds us to live bearing in mind what is important. “Be serious and sober-minded so you can pray. Love one another intensely. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Use your gifts to serve others. In all things, may God be glorified.”

God’s Love

“ For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

There is so much skepticism in the world. It’s cooler to be a skeptic than to feed our faith. Or perhaps we want to be practical, and really hope and faith are not practical. We can’t touch it or see it. We think we can’t apply reason or critical thinking when it comes to Jesus, if He really can give us enough bread, if He really can guide us, if we really can depend on Him. The list goes on. 

My starting point is always, is He who He claims to be? If He is God, then we should take Him and His words seriously. If He is God and He is not flicking His finger to solve poverty and the huge problems of the world, God does not have to explain to us why He allows it all to continue. If He is God, He has His own reasons! 

God’s ways are far above our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. It is so strange that He chose to come as a baby, a weak human being, dependent on His mother. He was born of the lineage of David, and in Bethlehem. All this was foretold by the prophets Micah and Isaiah. In the Old Testament God gave various signs to watch out for so we could recognize the Messiah when He comes. And some of those prophecies were about how the Messiah would be betrayed and put on trial, beaten and mocked. There are about 300 prophecies in the Old Testament unveiled in the New. 

A mathematician said that the chance of one person fulfilling only 8 of those 300 prophecies is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. 1 person fulfilling 48 prophecies: 1 chance in 10 to the 157th power. Only God could have divinely orchestrated when He would be born, and the events afterwards. One may wonder: WHY? 

LOVE. God SO loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him may not perish but HAVE everlasting life. Let us believe in Him, and His Words, so that one day we will be with Him in the fullness of His crazy awesome plan for us!

The Stone the Builders Rejected

 “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone…” Mark 12:10

Just as Jesus was rejected and scorned, many missionaries through the ages have been tortured, mistreated and even murdered. In Africa, usually a hotbed for martyrdom, the White Fathers (The Society of Missionaries of Africa), established a community of stalwart converts who evangelized with a zeal that outmatched their own. They started evangelizing, instructing and leading new believers that the missionaries could not reach. Many of these young Christians lived and taught in the King’s court.

King Mwanga was no ordinary King. He was a pedophile who preyed on the young men who served him as pages and attendants. The Christians tried to protect these young men from the King’s sexual violence. Joseph Mkasa, a 25 year old Catholic, was the chief steward and was brave enough to confront the King for his actions. He was beheaded and burned in 1885, but not before he proclaimed, “A Christian who gives his life for God is not afraid to die." 

The King then ordered the chief page, Charles Lwanga, to take over Mkasa’s duties. Charles indeed took up Mkasa’s unfinished business by having about a hundred cathecumens baptized by the White Fathers. In anger, the King brought his entire court before him, and separated the Christians from the non-Christians, and ordered that the Christians make a 37 mile trek to Namugongo, where they would be executed. The White Fathers witnessed the courage and joy of these young converts as they marched to their deaths. Charles Lwanga was chosen for a private execution and as he was being burnt, said, “It is as if you are pouring water on me. Please repent and become a Christian like me." June 3 marks the Feast day of St. Charles Lwanga and his companion martyrs. 

In spite of the danger, men and women still go out of their comfort zones to evangelize. Usually, they feel God calling them to preach the good news, they are impelled by an urge bigger than themselves, stronger than their fear. How about us? We are also instructed by Jesus to “go out into the world and preach the good news” (Mark 16:15). We need not fear being tortured or mutilated or beheaded. But are we able to obey Jesus even if we will be rejected or ridiculed just like our Saviour? 

The First Will Be the Last

 "But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Mark 10:31

This verse can also be found in Matthew 19:30, Luke 13:30, and Matthew 20:16. And Jesus means exactly what he says. The thief hanging on the cross beside him must have done terrible things for him to merit the absolute worst punishment, but he received heaven's reward after he repented. That thief received the same eternal fullness of life that Saints Peter, Paul, and Timothy received. The thief just got through that narrow door! We will never know who we will meet when we get to heaven. (We're getting there not because of any good we've done but because God will finish the work He started in us!) 

We can try to think of the most evil person we know, the one who murders people, babies even, the one who goes to a crowded place and plants a bomb, the one who rapes, who deceives, who lies, etc. And then when we see Saint Peter, we can ask him, "Why is that person here? I served God, tried my best to be good, told the truth, and prayed every day! And that person, what did he do?" Saint Peter might answer, "He repented and asked for mercy!" 

It's the same as the workers in the vineyard in the 20th chapter of Matthew. Some worked a full day, others just an hour, and they all got the same wage! There can't, after all, be any more or less of eternal life. And NONE of us deserve the reward of heaven. None! 

Lord Jesus, thank You for paying the price of admission to our eternal home! We will never realize how amazingly incredible our inheritance is until we join you, like the thief beside You on the cross, in Paradise! 

God’s Plan

 “He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” Genesis 3:15

God’s words to Eve, the first woman, is very enigmatic, but when you look at the whole panorama of God’s plan from Genesis to Revelation, we can understand it better. As St. Augustine once observed, “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.” 

Adam and Eve sinned and Eve said the “nahash”, the literal translation of which is serpent dragon, had tricked her. God then warned the “nahash”, “Because you have done this...I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” 

In Hebrew we see the word נָחָשׁ (nahash), and according to the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, “Throughout the Old Testament nahash is used to refer to powerful, even gigantic, evil creatures. Isaiah calls the nahash a sea dragon, the great Leviathan (see Isaiah 27:1). Job also uses nahash to depict terrible sea monsters (see Job 26:13).”

From the first book of the Bible, if we go to the last book, Revelation, we meet the “nahash” again (chapter 12). This same horrible, fierce serpent dragon with seven heads and ten horns intimidates a woman clothed with the sun about to give birth. The “nahash” was just so ready to devour the offspring of the woman. But was he able to? No. The offspring was snatched away from the “nahash” and was caught up to God. 

The “nahash” still intimidates us into submission, like it did the first woman. It deceives, feeds lies and misinformation so that we will disobey God, and not only that, follow what the “nahash” says. But it cannot frustrate God’s plans and purposes. Let us rejoice and meditate on God’s Word so we can understand God’s declaration of war on the “nahash” who wants to devour all of us! 

Stir Into Flame

 “When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” Acts 2:1-4

I did not realize that what occurred in Acts 2 was repeated in Acts chapter 4.  Believers who were gathered in one place were filled with the Holy Spirit.  This means that "Pentecost", a feast commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ did not happen just once, but probably several times.  

Pentecost is the old Greek and Latin name for the Jewish harvest festival, or Festival of Weeks which can be found in the Hebrew Bible. It is also called the Day of the First Fruits. As Pentecost is also known as the birthday of the Church, it is really the day of the first fruits of the Church. In 2 Timothy 1 verse 6, Saint Paul urges Timothy to "kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands."  "To stir into flame" is another translation of this verse.  I remember the first time I was laid hands on. Nothing happened.  I was too interested in the noise and activity that was happening around me.  People were speaking in tongues, and falling over chairs, and wailing.  

I went to several Life in the Spirit seminars after that. It is all right for us to keep wanting to get an infilling of the Spirit. It is all right for us to ask to be laid hands on, prayed over. Just as God breathed on Adam, that "dead" body into life, and the Holy Spirit breathed into the "dead" body of the Church in Acts, so we too can keep asking Jesus to breathe His Spirit into us, that we may not be ineffective in our work as His people.  There is not a single person that God can't use if we have His Spirit in us! 

A Future and a Hope

 “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.” John 21:25

Ever since this line was written by St. John the Apostle, the youngest of Jesus’ twelve disciples, so much more has been added to what Jesus did, and is continuing to do in  men’s lives. He can take a messed up life and turn it into a masterpiece. Jesus has changed many a man and woman from a worm into a butterfly. He is not a magician, but He can turn a stony heart into a compassionate one full of forgiveness and love. The key is rejecting sin, accepting Him as Lord and following Him. With the Jesus, every life is of intrinsic worth, every one a diamond in the rough. He will not turn anyone away. There is hope for everyone, even a man who murders without compunction, steals millions from the government treasury, curses and lies with every breath. 

Who is not interested in finding riches? I wake up every morning because I know I will encounter the one true Saviour, the One who can turn the dross of hardship and trials into gold. He is the only one who can give meaning and purpose to our lives. Even if what is happening in the world right now doesn’t make sense, if we offer all our doubts, fears and questions to Jesus, He can assure us with His eternal words of hope. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) 

Every morning when I wake up, I read the timeless words in the Bible, and discover how “the New Testament is concealed in the Old, just as the Old Testament is revealed and fulfilled by the New.” (St. Augustine) If we do not study the Bible, how will we discover the precious things hidden in it? I have heard so many couples share about how God intervened in their marriage. God has transformed relationships filled with quarreling, bitterness and hopelessness into marriages with a shared purpose and an outpouring of gratefulness.

More and more I realize that if our country, our communities, our businesses, our families are to survive victoriously, it will be hugely because God is continuing to take care of it all. 

This is what Jesus continues to do in this world. Let us put our lives, our dreams, our plans, our gifts and talents, and our challenges, in His hands. He is more than able. “If I can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

The Example of the Saints

 “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against Paul and asked that he be condemned.” Acts 25:13-15

It's hard for me, as a woman, to even think of following the example of Saint Paul. I can't see myself in his shoes. He was a tireless traveler. He encountered numerous hardships and was imprisoned about 4 times for a total of 5-6 years! He was a resolute man, patient beyond measure, courageous, and I don't think he regretted his decision to follow Christ even once! Here he is being accused by the chief priests and elders of the Jews of serious crimes they could not prove. 

But I do like looking to other saints to imitate, to learn from them, to see how they ran the race victoriously. I love Saint Therese of Lisieux for the simple, hidden life she led. She wrote, "What matters in life," she wrote, "is not great deeds, but great love." Like Mother Teresa, she did ordinary things with great love. Even when she was sick in bed, she was able to serve God by interceding. She saw herself as a beautiful flower in God's garden. Then there's Brother Lawrence who said, "The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer." For those of us who are constantly busy with the things of this world, he is an example of a man who could constantly practice the presence of God, whatever task he was doing, whether it be cleaning the floor or washing dishes in the monastery.

Then there's one of my favorite stories of Mother Teresa. While on the way to a grand party, she stopped to talk to a beggar. When she was fetched, because she tarried too long, she asked, "Can't you see I am talking to Christ?" She saw the faces of the poor, when most of us just pass them by. Yes, we need constant reminders, and saints with their frames like us, can show us it is not impossible to imitate Christ!

Path to Life

 “You will show me the path to life...” Psalm 16:11

I was thinking it would be foolish of me to follow someone along a dark path if that person hadn’t been there before. It would be even more foolhardy if that person did not have a lamp to light the way. What if there was a cliff on the side, or snakes or a boulder about to fall. In many ways, we live in a dark, uncertain world. There are many pitfalls and the future is certainly unknown. If there is a guide who offers to show us the way, and who knows the future, we should accept his help!

Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life. What’s more, He knows the way to heaven because He is the only one who has come down from heaven. In John 3:11, Jesus claimed, “We speak about what we know, and we testify about what we have seen.” Why should we believe Him? More than 300 prophecies in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the New Testament. No other man can claim that. It is exciting to see how events in the Old Testament foreshadow what Jesus said and did in the gospels. 

Lord Jesus, I trust You to lead me along my faith journey. Thank You for showing me the path to life, and being ever before me!

Unity

 

 "...that they may be one, as We are one- I living in them, You living in Me..." John 17:21

Jesus' ways are really far above our ways! Imagine desiring to be one with us! Jesus prayed for us to be united with Him, and with each other. And He prayed this just before He knew He was going to be arrested and taken away. He said,"I pray for those who will believe in Me..."- that's you and me! He wants this so much for us, for us to be united! Why?

Because we can't move forward without unity. We can't grow. Just like in any organization. If there is so much competition between departments and internal conflict, if there is no cooperation, people will not want to work together, won't even want to talk to each other!

I thank God for our family business! I remember when I was young, I was speaking to someone whose family had a business, and she said she would never want to be part of it! She and her parents could never see eye to eye!

Unity and cooperation were at work in our business more than discord or conflict. My brother, sisters and I always enjoyed working together whether it was molding new figurines, making decoupage, or fixing up a new branch. Each one of us did what we knew best. My sister Meldy and niece Elyse were usually directing where to put what and our staff were following and working hard. Peggy would be hanging the frames and plaques on the walls. My brother Robert would paint on the glass windows or the back wall of the counter. I was usually coordinating with the admin and our contractor to make sure we could open. And we were successful! While we were fixing, customers would knock on the glass doors, pleading to come in and buy! We were selling before we even officially opened!

Yes, Jesus' way is best! Unity is powerful and the enemy knows this. That's why he tries so hard to frustrate any plans for unity and cooperation! That's why we need God's Spirit to unify us!

Perfect

 “Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” John 17:3

"And this is the promise He made us: Eternal Life,” we read in 1 John 2:25.

To live happily ever after, isn't that what any bride wants on her wedding day? I forget which husband on my Facebook feed said that his wife was the perfect gift for an imperfect man, but I thought it was a beautiful sentiment. 

I read 1 John 2:25 about God's promise to us and I thought about marriage, and how God’s promise of eternal life to us is a covenant like marriage. He put a ring on my finger, just as another father put a ring on the prodigal son's finger. A PERFECT GIFT FOR IMPERFECT ME! I do not deserve it, I can never earn it, but God desires to give me eternal life, to be together forever.

There are many things that God does that I do not deserve. He gives me a beautiful wedding dress to replace the rags of my sin and shame. He washes me clean by forgiving me time and time again like Hosea forgave his harlot wife. Sometimes, because I pray every day, and contribute to different causes and do other good deeds, I think I am in right standing with God. I am complacent and un-needy. But I am as far from holiness and righteousness as the east is from the west! And yet, Jesus, my bridegroom takes me by the hand, and walks me down the aisle, and says, "Yes, I do. I do die for this precious one. I do promise to give her eternal life with Me and My Father in My Kingdom." 

That is the perfect ending and beginning, and the best part is it is NO fairy tale! 

Take Courage

 

"In the world, you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." John 16:33

My sisters and I have an intercessory list where we enumerate all those who have asked for prayers, and even those who have not. It is quite long and getting longer all the time. 

There are so many babies and children on our list who are seriously sick.  Then there are those with different kinds of cancer, a father who has been bedridden for 8 years, young people with serious mental health issues. I can go on and on and I don’t even have to look far as I am also dealing with a complex health condition. 

Oh, lots of challenges and trials assail us from all sides. But Jesus said , “Take Courage." Bring it along with you! Do not leave it behind!

Take Hope! Take Perseverance! Take all that you need... after all, Jesus is with us on  the journey, and He said that He will never leave us! 

Plant Seeds

 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations...” Matthew 28:19

In 2006, I was dismayed to find that I could not remember anything about the scripture I read and meditated on during my prayer time early in the morning. I decided to embellish the Bible verses with cuttings from a magazine, just to make it stand out visually on my journal. From collage, I eventually started doodling, drawing and painting. Then I discovered painting on my Bible. I have three Bibles with my paintings in them. Ever since my surgery in December 2019, I have found it easier to do digital painting on my iPad with Procreate. What a journey it has been! 

God also gave me the assignment to post my meditations on my blog in 2009. I did not know where it would take me. From my blog, I went on to post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumbler and Google plus which has since disappeared from cyberspace. I have been doing this almost every day for years now. Some days, I feel like I am partnering with God on a mission. I know I would never have been able to do this on my own! No way! Every day I am pleasantly surprised. 

Do I think I am following Jesus’ command to all of us to “make disciples of all nations”? Undoubtedly! But first and foremost, I realize I am preaching to myself! I read in my daily meditation guide, “The Anawim Way” sometime ago- “The first person whom we must ‘make a disciple’ is ourselves. One must be a disciple before one can make a disciple. We cannot give what we do not have...Becoming a disciple is a life-long process, part of which involves witnessing to others about Jesus. The more we give Him to others, the more we grow in Him ourselves.”

When we share about Jesus, we fall in with this long line of “witnesses”, going back to a ragtaggle bunch of fishermen who did not know what they were doing at first. Jesus gave them the power of the Holy Spirit, just as He gives us that same power today. But we have this great advantage over those fishermen! We have technology, and we can reach so many more people around the world than they could. Let us plug into the amazing power of Jesus and use all the tools available to us to give Him to others, and grow in Him ourselves!