Tag Archives: Mourning

The Baton by Sheila and Dad

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Greetings to you this Friday! As we saw in yesterday’s study, “Greetings” is the way Jesus spoke as He appeared in His risen state to Mary Magdalene after her leaving the tomb where His body had been laid to rest.  This is the same Mary out of whom He had driven seven demons. I can just imagine Jesus being happy to be with Mary and having a big grin on His face as he said “Greetings!” How surprised Mary must have been. Wow! What mighty works Jesus had done in her life. No wonder she had such a fond devotion and love for Him! Jesus definitely changes lives! After this encounter with Jesus, Mary then faithfully went and told those who had been with Him and who were now mourning and weeping over His death. I can just imagine how devastating it must have been to these disciples to be in a place of being separated and without their beloved Jesus. Without Jesus, life would be hard going which speaks to my heart that we need to keep going and telling others about Jesus in hopes that they who are weeping and mourning in their lives can have hope! Sometimes in doing so, there are those who will not believe us and that is what happened when Mary first went to the disciples. After Mary, Jesus appeared in a different form to two of His disciples as they were walking in the Country and these two returned and reported it back to the others that they had seen the risen Lord and they didn’t believe the two either. But God doesn’t give up on people easy. He desires that none perish, but that all have repentance. He desires that all have the saving knowledge and good news of Jesus. Because the disciples did not believe Mary’s testimony nor the story of the two disciples, Jesus Himself appeared to the eleven as they were eating. There was only eleven as Judas Iscariot had committed suicide because of the evil one’s influence on him over his perceived failing in life. If only he had been able to learn from his mistake, confess his sin to Jesus and accept His grace, how different his life could have been. Perhaps this is why Jesus was so concerned about Peter’s heart-broken state over his denial of Him. Jesus had already lost one of His loved ones to the enemy and He didn’t want to lose Peter whom He loved. Depression is an awful thing. There is help for depression and if you battle with it, I encourage you to seek out Godly help in overcoming it so that it does not overcome you. You are too loved and precious to our Father to allow physical problems that can cause depression or the evil one to destroy you! Please seek help quickly so that you are healthy.  As Jesus appeared to His disciples while they were eating, He gave them the food of rebuke for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. Ouch! Hmmm. Is this a lesson for me? I’m asking myself what are my fellow believers telling me that I am being stubborn about and refusing to accept? Where in my life am I lacking in faith? After pointing this out to His disciples, He said to them: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. He said that in His name, there would be amazing signs that would accompany those who believe. This is the great commission our Dad has given to us all and we all have part in it! What is my part and what is your part? Maybe you are one who is to physically go into the whole world telling the good news of Jesus and baptizing those who internally place their faith in Him for salvation and are willing to make an external or public confession of their saving faith in Jesus through baptism.  Perhaps your part is to support the one going through prayer, sharing your giftedness in some way or providing financial support that is needed to keep one going out into the world. I encourage us to not be found by Jesus lacking in faith or being stubborn in refusing to believe Him. Yikes!!! Moving ahead to what’s next in the story, we see that after speaking these things, Jesus was taken up into Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of God. The disciples thankfully got His message and faithfully went out and preached everywhere and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His Word by the signs that accompanied the message. Hence, you and I as Dad’s kids received the message. Praise Dad and bless our brothers and sisters before us who faithfully carried the baton of faith to us. What will we now do with it? Hey, Dad has a great idea for us: let’s put on our faith sneakers, take the baton of His good news and run with it in such a way as to bless others and get the prize that waits at the end of the race. Whoohoo!!! On our mark, get set. Well, gonna run. I’m with ya in heart!

Mk 16:9-20; Lk 24:13-53; 1 Co 9:24; He 12:1-3; 2 Pe 3:8-9

 

 

Joy in the Pain by Sheila and Dad

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It’s Saturday Family! May your day be saturated with the reality of His presence with ya! In looking at the next section of Mark’s story today, I’m trying to keep a heart of joy, excitement and enthusiasm, but given the story of Jesus’ abuse, I’m struggling. However, in the midst of the darkness of the event transpiring, our Dad gives me light to see the bright side in it all. I share these thoughts with you: After Pilate had Jesus flogged which must have been excrutiating for Jesus, Pilate handed Jesus over to his soldiers to be crucified. Here we have a group of soldiers who had an awful job of putting Jesus to the agonizing death on a cross. How would you like to have that job? Yikes!!! I can imagine it makes pretty much any job look pretty good in comparison. In the right mindset though, the job these soldiers had could have been viewed as carrying out the will of the Father in that it was necessary for Jesus to fulfill Scripture to die on the cross to save all mankind from sin. In that light, it could have been viewed as an honor to be the ones chosen to help Jesus carry out His Father’s work had they truly known who Jesus was. It is said often that laughter is therapy in a life that is difficult. I suppose these soldiers must have needed humor to lighten the pain of what they did for a living, but sadly, their humor was targeted at the expense of a real human being. They at least clothed Him in purple that was truly fitting for a royal King. The soldiers had that part right and their address of Him as the King of Jews was fitting as He was in fact a King and falling to their knees in homage to Him was something I’m sure they will see as the proper position before Jesus when the review button on their lives is played. But the beating of Him, spitting on Him and smacking the crown of thorns into His head and laughing at Him with mockery was far beyond the call to duty. When they had finished with their so called fun, they put His clothes back on Him and led Him to be crucified. The job of crucifying Jesus was a dirty job and someone had to do it. I pity those soldiers for their job, but there has to be more Godly humor than making someone the focal point of mockery and laughter. Dad’s Word says when we point a finger at someone else, there is a finger pointing back at us. I can’t imagine going down in history having treated Jesus as these soldiers did, yet people even today make a mockery of Him and His ways. While these soldiers had a tough, painful job and they sought to find some joy in it, Jesus had an even tougher, painful job as He felt the pain of their sinful humor. He, too, sought to find joy in His circumstance as He fixed His eyes on His Daddy and His great eternal plan to rescue them all from their sin. Their abuse could have actually inspired Him to persevere, knowing what He was going through was bringing their rescue as well as the rescue of many. These soldiers mocked Jesus for His view of Himself as the King of the Jews.  They did not see His Godliness. In so doing, they had fingers pointing back at them as their mindset placed themselves as Kings of authority over Jesus, lacking Godliness in how they treated the one who could rescue them from the wrath their sin deserved. Despite their erroneous attitude and as a result of them doing their job, Jesus paid the price on the cross for the sins of all mankind and now there is a day coming when all of Dad’s kids will laugh with Godly laughter - and they will live without death or mourning or crying or pain. Until then, I’m just happy to be doing life with ya’s!  It just makes me giggle!
Mk 15:16-20; Ro 12:2; Lk 6:21; Rev 21:4

Keeping the Faith by Sheila and Dad

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It’s Saturday and it’s a good day! I’m thankful for many things. Inside the Word today, Jesus and His disciples are leaving the temple when the disciples take note of the massive stones that make up the magnificent building. My Bible notes that some of them were 37-feet long, 12-feet high and 18-feet wide. I imagine the disciples saying something like “Wow! Would you look at the size of those pebbles. Those are impressive! I bet you can’t lift one of those over your head for exercise.” Jesus saw their interest in the stones as an opportunity to tell the disciples that before the coming of the end of the age when the Son of Man would be seen coming in the clouds, many difficult times would be experienced, including all the massive stones of the temple being thrown down. He said there would not be one stone on top of another left. To hear of such hard times and to experience hard times in one’s life can be a “downcast” experience alright. David understood this when he wrote “Why are you downcast, oh my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” Jesus who comforts the downcast, gave these Words of encouragement to His disciples: “He who stands firm to the end will be saved.” This means perseverance in faith will be the evidence of their salvation. Jesus was saying the key to getting through the tough times was to keep the faith! Even David when downcast concluded that he needed to put his hope in the Lord. The author of Hebrews writes that God is not unjust and He will not forget what we have done for Him. He encourages us to show diligence to the end to make our hope sure and to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what was promised. After waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. He was da man! When in a trial, we can usually always look around us and see someone worse off than we are that lends to being thankful we don’t have it worse and Dad’s Word says to keep our eyes fixed on one such as that – Jesus. Jesus endured the cross (Yikes!!!) for the joy set before Him. What joy is in that? The answer is the end promise. Dad said fixing our eyes on Jesus would help us to not grow weary and lose heart. So, what is the end promise? Jesus says He is coming to earth again and bringing His reward with Him. There is a day coming when the dwelling of God will be with His people and He will live with them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away. Everything will be new!” But one thing won’t be – Dad’s Word. He has given us His Word and He will keep it to the very end! John, in the book of Revelation was told to “Write this down, for these Words are trustworthy and true.” In other words, they are set stones! Dad said “He who overcomes will inherit all this and He will be our God and we will be His sons and daughters.” Now to that promise, I’m keeping the faith to the end! Are ya with me?
Mk 13:1-31, He 6:10-12, 15, 12:2-3; Ps 42:5; 2 Co 7:6; Rev 21:3-7, 22:12; Php 4:6-8