Well, we made it through Friday and it is Saturday. I hope you can find some time after a busy week to have “sat in yer day”! We all need a little rest at times. Today in Dad’s Word, it is the end of day, evening has come and Jesus, along with the Twelve have arrived at the place Jesus asked the disciples to secure and prepare for their celebration of the Passover meal. They are finally there and it is for these moments that the disciples have worked hard for, knowing it had special purpose. I’m sure they all looked forward to this time of gathering in relaxation with their beloved Jesus with much delight and enthusiasm! While they were reclining at the table, Jesus decided to have a little “heart to heart” talk. He began by saying “I tell you the Truth.” Truth is a good thing and it definitely needs to have some love mixed with it. Jesus then said something like “one of ya will betray me – one who is eating with me.” I can imagine the disciples struggling not to choke on the mouthful of those Words. Wow! I can imagine them thinking “but we are family, why would one of us do that?” What painful Words these must have been for Jesus to speak as I’m sure He loved each of these Twelve deeply and let’s face it, it hurts when someone you love deeply betrays you. What we all desire is unfailing love. He may very well have thought at this moment of the Words of Ps 41:9 that says “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shares my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” The Words Jesus spoke prompted great curiosity amongst the disciples and one by one they all said “Surely not I?” We know from our study a few days ago that the one who betrayed Jesus was Judas. As one by one each of the disciples said “surely not I”, some were saying it with what seems a lack of self confidence, not knowing their fault and being fearful of sinning. However, there was one whom Jesus had identified that said “surely, not I” with a hypocritical attitude of mind, knowing he was himself working to betray Jesus. Judas had opportunity here that he could’ve reversed the sin in his life and changed his life for the better, but he chose to taste the wages of sin (death). Sin has its price and that is one of the points that Jesus is wanting to make as part of this not so great dinner conversation. He then went on to tell them in so many words that He was the Passover Lamb of God, who was without spot or blemish (personal sin) and whose body would be broken and whose blood would be spilled so that the Angel of the Lord would “Passover” the sins of betrayal that all of mankind would commit towards Him because all fall short of the glory of God. So in essence, Jesus took what was hard to swallow and He turned it into a real celebration through His love! What Jesus was really saying in all of this is like “all mankind has betrayed me – one by one and yet, I have loved you all enough to die for you – to give my body to be broken and my blood to be spilled that you can be forgiven, your sins to be remembered no more! Today when we take the cup of wine that symbolizes His shed blood and we eat of the bread that symbolizes His broken body during church services, it is beyond tradition, it is honoring an ongoing request by Jesus that says like “When you eat of the bread and drink of the cup, please remember that I love you and I’m laying down my life for you. Please remember my sacrifice for you, embrace me with faith and anticipate or look forward to my glorious return. To that I say “Whoohoo, whoohoo and more whoohoo!” All of this just makes me want to sing a little song: Oh, happy Day! Oh, happy Day! When Jesus washed, when Jesus washed, He washed my sins away! Oh, happy Day! I’m looking forward to a future wedding supper with the Lamb of God – Jesus. I know it will be a very special time, for a special purpose and a real celebration! Preparations are being made now and I so look forward to that glorious day of His return. I hope this is one glorious day for ya’s as we wait! God bless ~ Sheila
Mk 14:17-26; Ps 41:9; Pr 19:22;Ro 3:23; Jn 3:16; Rev 19:9
Tag Archives: Bread
Celebrating by Sheila and Dad
I’m teamed up with ya for Tuesday! Yesterday we talked about the Christmas morning type of excitement that we have as Dad’s kids as we watch for Jesus’ return to earth and speaking of holidays, today in Dad’s Word, we see the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are just two days away. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill Him. “But not during the Feast, they said or the people may riot.” This was so hypocritical in their thinking. The hearts of the chief priests and teachers of the law should have been focused on the gift of Jesus’ love, grace and provision for their life, but instead their eyes were focused on ways that were destructive to their relationships – with themselves, with God and with the people around them. Their hearts were far away from recognizing the true meaning behind the celebration. This reminds me of an event from a few years ago when someone decided they wanted a Christmas tree. (Christmas being a time of celebrating God with us; God being love.) The person decided to go to a neighbor’s yard and cut the top out of a beautiful pine tree that they had growing there. This was an act so hypocritical to the celebration of God’s love towards one’s neighbor! It was so not right! As we look at the celebration that was about to take place in Mark’s story, we see it was the time of Passover that was a celebration of when the Lord told the Israelites to take the blood of a spotless year-old lamb and paint the blood of it on the outside of their door posts so the Angel of the Lord would pass over the homes of the Hebrews rather than killing their firstborn sons as He did the Egyptians. The chief priests and the teachers of the law didn’t realize it, but Passover was a celebration that pointed to Jesus as the sacrificial lamb whose blood they were about to spill. This would move the Father as the Angel of the Lord to pass over the sins of all mankind instead of bringing the wages of sin upon them which was death. This special remembrance was to be followed by a feasting time of celebrating God’s provision. It included a focus on getting rid of all the yeast in their homes as yeast was symbolic of sin. Jesus was the destroyer or “getting rid” of sin from within the holy temples or homes (the flesh) of all mankind. To those who believe in Him, Jesus is a gift worth celebrating every day, not just during holidays. We need to not let the yeast (Satan’s ways) that begin very small, work their way through us and swell us up with sin. To live lives without the yeast of the enemy is to live lives sincerely based on God’s Truth. It is important to read and speak Truth to our hearts and sometimes just having a fellow sister or brother to talk about it with can make all the difference in how we view life – that it is truly worth celebrating. It can make a big difference in the health of our relationship with our self, God and those around us. As we go through life, may we keep our eyes fixed or focused on His love, grace and provision for us and truly celebrate that within our hearts, not just during holidays, but every day of life. Much love to you all!
Mk 14:1-2; 1 Co 5:6-8; Ex 12:1-30; He 3:13; Ro 6:23
Say What?
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Traveling through Tuesday with ya! Neither of us are alone this day, so I guess we could then say it’s “two’sday”, huh? The disciples are traveling today in a boat with Jesus and I have to chuckle as they remind me so much of me! It is just like me to leave my country home and get almost to town about ten miles away and remember, “oh, great. I forgot my lunch or I forgot this or that.” The disciples realized after they were out in the boat with Jesus that they only had one loaf of bread. I am assuming the one loaf they had was pretty small based on the context of the story and it was not enough to feed them. This really wasn’t a problem with Jesus on board as He could’ve easily provided for them from their small supply as He did the 5,000 and the 4,000 people, but this hadn’t clicked with the disciples yet. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” This left the disciples scratchin’ their heads and I imagine a “deer in the headlights” look, asking “Why did Jesus say that?” They concluded to each other like “Dudes, it is because we have no bread.” Aware of their discussion as Jesus always is in our lives, He responded “Why are you talking no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? Don’t you remember when I broke the five loaves, feeding the 5,000 and also feeding the 4,000? How many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up? When they answered twelve and seven, he said “Do you still not understand?” Ouch!!! The poor disciples again. They were always struggling to get it and I can so understand that ‘cuz they remind me of me again! Can you imagine being Jesus and having so much knowledge and trying to communicate it to these new believers? The God of the Universe who truly is a “know it all” is trying to explain what He knows to His kids who struggled to get it. People can be in different places spiritually and sometimes it can be difficult for them to relate to others. It’s sometimes made more difficult when we use jargon and parables that are not understood. Dad says we all need to be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Jesus desired to teach the disciples, but they struggled to figure out what Jesus was trying to tell them. In this story, He was trying to warn them that there were people who could lead them astray. The disciples thought Jesus’ comment was a different issue. It was one of those difficult situations where Dad worked good through it for the growth of His kids, using it as a teachable moment in their lives just like He does in ours. Ok, in light of this, here’s my new motto if I lack wisdom: “Just ask.” Dad says He gives generously to all who ask without finding fault. He’s so loving and so smart. I wanna be just like Him when I grow up! Well, I better start oaring through this day. Sisterly love to ya’ll! Mk 8:14-21; Eph 4:2-6; Ro 8:28-29; 1 Co 2:1-3:2; Ja 1:2-8
A Crumbling Life
Friday, May 11, 2012
May it be a great Friday for you all today! I’m looking forward to spending the weekend with my daughter who is traveling up from Tucson for this Mother’s Day weekend. It’s a gift! Jesus is traveling again today as I start this day in Daddy’s Word. He has traveled to the vicinity of Tyre and has entered into a house and was hoping to not have attention drawn to Himself as He was wanting to spend some time alone teaching His disciples, yet He couldn’t keep it a secret. As soon as a Greek woman heard He was there, she fell at His feet and begged Him to drive the demon out of her little girl who had been possessed by an evil spirit. He pointed out to her that He had came to feed His disciples first by saying “First let the children eat all they want,” He told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs” meaning she was a Gentile and His mission was to reach the lost sheep of Israel. She replied, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the childrens’ crumbs.” She was pointing out that it wouldn’t take away from whom Jesus was needing to feed. All Jesus had to do is speak the words. He didn’t even need to travel to the girl. Then Jesus told her, “For such a reply you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” She went home and found her child lying on the bed and the demon gone. I say “She da woman!” Even Jesus saw this woman as one setting a great example. She is an inspiration of humility, courage, faith, wisdom and determination to do what it takes to make a difference and she had the right reply for the right moment. Dad’s Word says “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” It is the fruit of wisdom that Dad says is better than fine gold and what it yields surpasses choice silver. This is why I feel it is so important for us as Dad’s kids to keep studying His Word (to be fed the Bread of Life at His table) so that in the right moments, our Father’s Spirit can bring them to our mind to bless others. The more engrained it is in us, the more it just comes out as we interact with others. We could say we end up dropping bread crumbs (tidbits of God’s Word here and there) that feed those who happen to be around us as we do life. Wow! I wouldn’t normally think to say this, but at this moment it seems apt or applicable in the context of being Dad’s kids eating the Bread of His Word that He feeds us to say, “I hope we all have a “crumbling” life” – meaning I hope we all drop tidbits of His wisdom to feed others as we do life. In so doing, it may end up feeding those who are hungry for the Bread of Life that may not necessarily be the people we set our plans on feeding or those we normally focus our ministry efforts towards just as happened to Jesus in this story. It’s just a little food for thought! Well, Dad’s saying to go now, so love to ya’s and safe travels to where life takes ya today! Mk 7:24-30, 9:30-31; Pr 8:12-19, 25:11; Jn 6:25-59