Jesus Clears the Temple

The tables are taking a turn from the triupmhal entry from the day before. When people were shouting praises to the Lord then, today there is some displeasure coming into the picture. They thought Jesus was coming in to be their king and save them from the rulers of the day. He was coming to be their King and to save them but they didn't understand His ways. Seems the children had a better understanding. Their hearts were tender towards the Lord, the way ours should be.

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; and they were sore displeased. And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?"
                                                                                                                            Matthew 21:12-17

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of the Holy Week. This time of the year is such a wonderful time for Christians. Because of the events that happened over 2000 years ago, we have a hope that carries us through life's difficulties and on to an eternity with God our creator. It is a bittersweet time also and as you follow our blog this week you will see why we feel like this. The story tells it all!

"And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethpage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples. Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a great multitude spread their garmets in the way, others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." Matthew 21: 1-11

Almost Persuaded

This morning the Lord has brought the  following Scripture from Matthew 4:8-10 close to my heart. It says "Again, the devil taketh him up to an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."
The picture of Satan that is here is just someone's drawing of what he looks like. We know that the Bible teaches he is dark and evil. Just as Adam and Eve were deceived in the Garden of Eden, we are all just as likely to fall for his ways. You see the devil uses people to entice us away from the Lord's work. Maybe it is the promise of a successful career, financial gain, a coveted position, or any number of seemingly harmless things. Oooh ...but this is where it gets hard. Do you take that attractive offer or do you go back to the feet of Jesus to find your way.
Satan will get at us when we are most vulnerable or the weakest. Never will he try to cause us to stumble when we are strong in the Lord. He knows at that time he is defeated. No he waits...he is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
I am so THANKFUL that when I feel so very weak, my Saviour reaches down and pulls me away from the clutches of Satan's hands. He reminds me that I am His and that He knows what is best for me. He shows His great love for me, and if I WILL CHOOSE to listen to Him, I will find the right way. But woe unto me if I chose the temptation that lies so beautiful before me. There are consequences to those choices that I may not see until I am deep within the pit of despair.
My prayer today is for the Lord to keep me humble, whatever it takes, and that I will see myself clearly through the eyes of Jesus. That is the only place for perfect peace. I NEED to stay close to the Lord because at some point down the road I could be "Almost Persuaded."

Detours

Whenever I see a detour sign I think...Oh No! We are going to have to take a different direction than we planned and we have never been this way before! Have you ever found yourself in that same position? You have only two choices...keep going the same direction, drive through the barricade, hopefully you won't meet the law, or even worse, end up in a big hole. Or you can take the detour and get to your destination safely. The detour isn't so bad after all. You end up seeing something new or discover a business you had heard about but never knew where it was.

Today we had plans to go to church with some friends and go out to lunch to celebrate the sale of our house. We were pretty sure we knew where the church was. Surprise, it was not there and we are sure it didn't move! So we went to a different one than planned and received the message God wanted us to hear. Although we missed our time together, God had different plans.

So our Christian walk runs into detours sometimes. What you thought was a wrong direction actually turned out to be the right direction. Had you kept going your own way disaster would have occurred and you would have missed an awesome blessing from the Lord. So I am thankful for the detours in my life. I know that God has a plan and His way is best.

"For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide unto death." Psalm 48:14

The Christian Life Can Be Like the Birth of a Giraffe

Sometimes our journey as a Christian can feel like the birth of a giraffe. The other day on Christian radio I heard a preacher talk about what birth was like for a giraffe. Because of the risk of predators the mother giraffe stands while her baby is born. It can be a 5-10 ft drop for the new baby, depending on the height of the mother. She kicks at it to get it to take it's first steps. As it's spindly legs try to stand, the mother knocks it down and kicks at it again so it will stand up. She does this over and over again. You are probably wondering why she does this to her precious  little baby. The answer is simple. She knows that in order for it to survive in the wild, it needs to learn to get up and get going. The reason she does this is to make her baby stronger. That is motherly love, giraffe style.

In the Christian life people and circumstances can knock us down and kick us around. If we lay there and don't move we are defeated. But each kick makes us stronger and stronger and able to handle what comes our way in life. God allows this for His ultimate purpose. Those kicks hurt!! But I have come to trust the Lord and know that He loves me and wants to prepare me for some greater things in life that my simple mind can't fathom. So when I get knocked down and feel the kick, I just get up, shake the dust off my feet and keep on going!!

Beside The Still Waters

I love the 23rd Psalm. Many people think of it as a Psalm to read when someone dies. I believe that is a good time to read it, but for me it means life now. Let me share with you.

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
When trying times come into my life, I have found the Lord to be enough. I feel blessed to be living on an island where there are lots of beaches. When I go "beside the still waters...He restoreth my soul.." There is something about the sun, the water, the sound of the gentle ocean wave on the rocks that always recharge me. The Lord uses that desire to "restoreth my soul." What an amazing God we have!

Watching for the Return of Christ

"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows." Mark 13:8

There has been so much in the news lately about all the conflict in the middle east. Now the huge earthquake in Japan and all the sorrows associated with that. Sometimes it almost seems too overwhelming to think about. Then there are the sorrows we face in our own country, and personal lives. Yes, Jesus said this would happen...but I, as well as anyone who has their faith in Jesus Christ knows, this just brings us closer to the time for His return for His people.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Are you ready for Christ's return? Have you accepted Jesus as your Saviour? "..behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2 Don't put it off another day. If you are reading this, God is speaking to YOU. His Word has the answers.

Read Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9-13, Romans 5:1.

Then say this simple prayer: Dear God, I am sorry for my sin. I confess my need for you in my life. Please forgive me and be my Saviour. Come into my heart and life. Help me to be all that you have created me to be. Thank you Lord Jesus, Amen.

Then tell someone, start reading your Bible and attend a Bible believing church!