Jesus Our Hope

By Cathy Ramsey

 

Life is more enjoyable when you have something to look forward to. It’s like looking forward to Christmas or your birthday or a vacation. Every believer has something to look forward to as well; it is what we call hope. The hope of God’s promise to give us everlasting life.

This big snow helps give us hope that the horrible drought might end and our wildfires this coming summer will be greatly diminished. I’ve been praying for snow and God answered my prayers.

Jesus’s death on the cross gives us the ultimate hope of an eternal life living in the love of God. All we have to do is believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and live our lives immersed in that belief.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 (KJV) – Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.

God’s grace through Jesus Christ gives us hope. God’s mercy gives us hope. We don’t earn or deserve either of these but God loves us so much that His grace and mercy are always there for us.

1 Timothy 1:1-2 (KJV) – Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

From a sermon by Johnny A Palmer, Jr.:

G. F. Watt has a famous painting entitled Hope. It pictures a poor woman against the world. Her eyes are bandaged so she cannot see. In her hand is a harp, but all the strings are broken except one.

Those broken strings represent her shattered expectations, her bitter disappointments. But that last string is the string of hope! She strikes it and a glorious melody rings forth.

In the midst of shattered dreams and bitter disappointments we still have the Lord Jesus Christ – our string of hope.

 

GF Watt's Painting "Hope"

How many times have I felt hopeless, depressed, and lost? A great many times. But eventually, I sense the Holy Spirit’s voice, speaking to me of God’s unending love, forgiveness, and mercy. Without the hope of Jesus Christ, where would we be? I am so blessed and thankful for God’s love and the hope he promises for those of us who believe in Him and His Word.

From Billy Graham:

“For the believer there is hope beyond the grave, because Jesus Christ has opened the door to heaven for us by His death and resurrection.”

“Easter always brings hope to all of us. For the Christian, the Cross tells us that God understands our suffering, for He took upon Himself at the Cross all of our sins and all of our failures and all of our sufferings. Our Lord, on that cross, asked the question, “Why?” “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”  And he received his answer, he knew.  To redeem the world, to save you and me from our sins, to give us assurance that if we died we’re going to heaven. He was saying from the cross, I love you and I know the heartaches and the sorrows and the pain that you feel.

Easter points us beyond the tragedy of the Cross to the hope of the empty tomb. It tells us that there is hope for eternal life for Christ has conquered death. It also tells us that God has triumphed over evil and death and hell. This is our hope and it can be your hope as well.”

Hope is found in the promises God has given us – promises of freedom from sin. We can find so much hope in Scripture through the gift of eternal life made possible through His son, Jesus Christ. No matter what trials, temptations or pain we may suffer, we can always hold onto the hope God extends to us.

Here I am Lord:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b-ocGlQvzM 

More Like Jesus

By Barb Batt

As I enter this next week of Lent, I am trying to listen for God's voice in these current times. I recently heard a Christian song that emphasized my search for God's presence. The name of the song is "Less Like Me" by Zach Williams. I have shared some of the lyrics below.

Oh, I have days I lose the fight

Try my best but just don't get it right

Where I talk a talk that I don't walk

And miss the moments right before my eyes

 

Somebody with a hurt that I could have helped

Somebody with a hand that I could have held

When I just can't see past myself

Lord, help me be

 

A little more like mercy, a little more like grace

A little more like kindness, goodness, love, and faith

A little more like patience, a little more like peace

A little more like Jesus, a little less like me

 

Yeah, there's no denying I have changed

I've been saved from who I used to be

But even at my best, I must confess

I still need help to see the way You see

Sometimes I am so ashamed that I cannot be more giving. After all that Jesus did to save me, I still do not give freely and immediately to others. I get dragged down by the world and its conflicts. I need the Holy Spirit to work in me and through me. I really want to be a little more like Jesus, and a lot less like me.

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.

                                    – God's Little Instruction Book

She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. Proverbs 31:20 (NRSV)

To whom should I give today? Whom can I help? Let me start the day with this question, Lord. If I am asking to be of service, then I cannot ignore the opportunities when they arise. I have looked into needy faces and kept walking. I think too much about such things. My mind asks, "How can I fix someone's life?"

You ask me to be a woman of charity and kindness. My actions to assist another child of God become a part of Your will for that person. You are not calling me to fix her, to make her whole. Only You can do that. My job is to lend a hand along the way.

                                    – One-Minute Prayers for Women

Living in the Moment

By Marilyn Travis

C.S. Lewis wrote, “Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment ‘as to the Lord.’ It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received.”

I have trouble living in the moment. I often make plans for the day/week/month/year, then look back in dismay at how many things I’ve left undone. To remedy the situation, I make new lists and plans! It’s a never-ending cycle. A few weeks ago, those of us who contribute devotionals decided to focus on topics relevant to Lent. I developed a plan, and decided to focus on one aspect of prayer, developing it more each week. It was a beautiful plan – I have not followed it at all! Maybe next year. . . . . WAIT!

At least I caught myself this time!

Jesus teaches us to live moment by moment, day by day. There are many verses I could quote, and I encourage you to delve into a study of what scripture says about the topic. The one verse that really stands out to me today is:

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Each day is a rich and precious gift from God, with new grace and new opportunities. Jesus says that we have only this one day, and we must not be anxious for the day tomorrow. I’m sure Jesus is more interested in my heart and thoughts at this moment than He is in my plan for future devotionals. It is perhaps the greatest lesson I’ve learned this Lenten season. Stop. Spend this moment with Jesus. He is with me always. He will never leave me, never forsake me.

Does this mean I never need to make plans? No, of course not. I just need to follow the advice of C.S. Lewis and never commit my virtue or my happiness to the future. Plans are great, and a useful tool, but I must rely on the Lord alone, moment by moment – not on my plans or lists!

The hymn Day by Day and With Each Passing Moment, written in the 1800’s by Lina Sandell Berg, is lovely and timely. Below is a link for a version by Bryan Gilliland. I usually look for video with beautiful pictures and lyrics, but this has no pictures. I want you to focus on the lyrics. It is a blessing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5DXzz-eECI

God bless you this very moment!

Water of Life

By Donna Winchell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought this was a fascinating question to ponder: When you put a balloon filled with water over a flame such as a candle, why doesn't the balloon pop or burst? …………… If the balloon is filled with water, the heat that the balloon is gaining will dissipate into the water inside, raising the temperature of the water and leaving the balloon surface cool and undamaged. But without water, the balloon starts getting hot – gaining heat from the flame  – quickly heating up, fraying, coming apart and popping.

Water is critical in so many ways. Rivers provide water to homes and farms, and along the way nourish ecosystems – important habitats for plants and animals critical for our survival.

As I thought about the balloon answer, I couldn’t help but focus on the metaphor of water, an important Christian symbol. Water represents life: Christ walked on water; He transformed water into wine; and Christians are baptized with (or in) water, being cleansed and purified.

Jesus taught the Samaritan woman at the well about how the “Water of Life” satisfies completely. The Holy Spirit fills us with eternal life and helps us to worship our Maker as we ought – in Spirit and truth.  

The term "Water of Life" is used in the context of living water and there are specific references in the Book of Revelation (21:6 and 22:1), as well as the Gospel of John. In these references, the term “Water of Life” refers to the Holy Spirit.

Revelation 21 (NIV) ⁶ He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Revelation 22:1 (NIV) Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

John 7 (NIV)

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

The “Water of Life” is for our spiritual well-being. Externally, there is Satan and his fallen angels, tempting us, pushing us to rebel against God. Our temptations, which do not come from God, but are allowed by Him, can lead to sin building up. Without the Holy Spirit we are unable to move forward, for it is He that directs our journey and points us in the right direction. Although Satan will come to us in our weak moments and tell lies, Jesus also showed us how we can defend ourselves by planting our roots in His word and surrendering to the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “… the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give into it”  (NLT).

With the Holy Spirit we have everything. We are not empty nor defeated by temptation; we will yearn to know God better and to let His love flow from inside protecting us; leaving us undamaged.

As we continue on our journey with Jesus this Lent, the final test that Christ faced in the wilderness was one near to the heart of Satan:  temptation of power and glory, pride and violent ambition. But Satan failed in his temptation, because Jesus was armed with the “Water of Life”, the Holy Spirit’s power: 

¹² Jesus replied, “It is also written in the Scriptures, ‘How dare you provoke the Lord your God!’ ”

¹³ That silenced the devil’s harassment for the time being. So he retreated until an opportune time.

¹⁴ Then Jesus, armed with the Holy Spirit’s power, returned to Galilee, and his fame spread throughout the region. ¹⁵ He taught in the synagogues and they glorified him. (John 4:12-14 TPT) 

Jesus' victory gives us victory over the evil forces that still seek to control us, to damage us. The “Water of Life”, the Holy Spirit, dwells within us and empowers us.

 Let’s walk with Jesus in peace, joy, and assurance of His love.

I invite you to take a few minutes this morning to enjoy this short music video:

 “Water of Life”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKMwzE6j5Mw 

The Garden of Gethsemane

By Cathy Ramsey

 

Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane

Luke 22: 39 - 44 (NIV)

39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Matthew 26: 36 – 39 (NIV)

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Mark 14: 32 – 36 (NIV)

32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” 35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible, the hour might pass from him.  36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

 

In Richard Foster’s book, Prayer, he writes about the Prayer of Relinquishment (relinquishing our will to God’s will). The following is an excerpt from his chapter on the Prayer of Relinquishment.

“The School of Gethsemane”

We learn the Prayer of Relinquishment in the school of Gethsemane. Gaze in adoring wonder at the scene. The solitary figure etched against gnarled olive trees. The bloodlike sweat falling to the ground. The human longing: “Let this cup pass.” The final relinquishment: “Not my will but yours be done.” We do well to meditate often on this unparalleled expression of relinquishment. Here we have the incarnate Son praying through his tears and not receiving what he asks. Jesus knew the burden of unanswered prayer. He really did want the cup to pass, and he asked that it would pass. “If you are willing” was his questioning, his wondering. The Father’s will was not yet absolutely clear to him. “Is there any other way?” “Can people be redeemed by some different means?” The answer—no! Andrew Murray writes, “For our sins, He suffered beneath the burden of that unanswered prayer.”

Here we have the complete laying down of human will. The battle cry for us is, “My will be done!” rather than, “Thy will be done!”. We have excellent reasons for the banner of self-will: “Better for me than them to be in control”; “Besides, I would use the power to such good ends.” But in the school of Gethsemane, we learn to distrust whatever is of our own mind, thought and will even though it is not directly sinful. Jesus shows us a more excellent way. The way of helplessness. The way of abandonment. The way of relinquishment. “My will be done” is conquered by “not my will.”

And this prayer is at the end of his chapter:

Oh, Lord, how do I let go when I'm so unsure of things? I'm unsure of your will, and I'm unsure of myself. … That really isn’t the problem at all, is it? The truth of the matter is I hate the very idea of letting go. I really want to be in control. No, I need to be in control. I am afraid to give up control. Heal my fear, Lord.

Richard Foster quotes Andrew Murray in his book:

The Spirit teach me to yield my will entirely to the will of the Father. He opens my ear to wait in great gentleness and teachableness of soul for what the Father has day by day to speak and to teach. He discovers to me how union with God’s will is union with God Himself; how entire surrender to God’s will is the Father’s claim, the Son’s example, and the true blessedness of the soul.

My prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to surrender to your will. Your will, not mine.

Jesus in the Garden (This is the same writer who wrote the cantata the choir sang a couple of years ago. It is very similar to the song in the cantata about Jesus in Gethsemane):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL6A2bICUkc 

Where Prayer Becomes Real

 Submitted by Brooke Momblow

Honestly, I know of no conversation more important, or more direly needed than this one, especially during Lent. Because frankly, prayer, though we know it’s paramount in a life of faith, seems to be something we have all struggled with at some point. We pretended that prayer made sense, but it didn’t. Prayer was dry, boring, and, while we’re being really honest, something we avoided at all cost. Prayer at meals was fine. A quick prayer for others was great. But being with God in the deep realities of life felt like wandering in a desert. After I read their book on prayer, which I couldn’t put down, I’ve been keenly anticipating welcoming my brilliant friends Kyle Strobel and John Coe to the farm’s front porch today. If you have ever longed for the practice of your faith to include an authentic, intimate prayer life or if you have longed for your life to become prayer, I highly recommend their words…

                        Ann Voskamp, The Daily (Good) News Letter

Guest Post by Kyle Strobel

As Margery Williams depicts in her beloved children’s story, The Velveteen Rabbit, the process of becoming “real” often entails a journey we did not expect—a journey that often feels more like being worn out than becoming something new.

But something new is made through this journey of love. This is the reality of prayer. 

As the Skin Horse tells the Velveteen Rabbit in the nursery,

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes. . . . It doesn’t happen at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

Becoming real is a confusing journey that, at times, can hurt.

For Rabbit, it will prove to be a journey of love that meant losing his fur and being made shabby. Yet, even as he appeared shabbier, Rabbit became, in a sense, sturdier.

This is the reality of prayer. It too is a journey that often feels confusing.

We often go looking for answers, for hope, or some sort of acknowledgement of our pain and brokenness, and instead we can often find a relentless silence, a wandering mind, and a body that simply cannot stay awake.

For much of my Christian life, prayer felt like Rabbit’s journey.

It did not seem like prayer was becoming more real. I didn’t seem to be better at it. Prayer was something that I did in obedience, but not in joy. Prayer was often driven by guilt, but it wasn’t fueled by love.

My mistake was to miss that even this was a part of prayer becoming real. I wanted something quick and easy – something that would make the difficulty go away – but the Lord offered love in the midst of my pain, brokenness, loneliness, and struggle.

The Lord offered a journey into the deep places of my heart, where I could discover the truth that the Spirit of the Lord is already in those places, groaning in my soul, beckoning me to follow Him into truth.

Prayer only truly becomes real if it follows the Spirit into these places, discovering His love precisely where we need it.

What this journey of prayer reveals is that it is about the deep in all of us. As the psalmist calls out to God, wondering why God has seemed to forget him, he says, “Deep calls to deep” (Ps. 42:7). Most of us do not know exactly what that means, but we resonate with it. It calls to our souls. It calls to who we really are, to the honest part of us. We know something within us must come out to meet God.

The longer we are Christians, the more we recognize this, maybe even long for it, but are unsure if we are willing to embrace it. Regardless of this uncertainty in ourselves, this journey of prayer is all about love. Only love can guide us into the deep places of our souls, to attend honestly with God in the truth of ourselves before Him. Only love can sustain this honesty in the life of prayer.

My prayers became real once I realized that prayer was not a place to bypass my pain, but enter it.

Once I understood that prayer was not a place to be good, but a place to be honest, I came to see that I was judging my prayers poorly. The path to becoming real – where one’s fur is loved off and where one’s joints become shabby – is the path to being seen and known in the truth of one’s heart.

The Skin Horse notes that once you become real you can no longer become ugly, except to those who don’t understand. 

I’m not sure I would have understood prayer when I was a younger Christian. It would not have seemed good and cleaned up like I assumed all devotion was supposed to be.

But prayer in goodness is not prayer in reality.

The good news is that God knows we don’t know how to pray (Rom 8:26), and has provided a path for our prayer to become real in forgiveness, mercy, and love.

Now, the truth of my heart is the fodder for my prayer. The desires of my heart, the longings in my life, and the struggles I am led into become the place to know God’s presence.

It turns out that the good news is good only as it meets us in reality, and prayer only becomes real in the reality of our lives.

This is where prayer becomes real, and where we know that we are those loved by our heavenly Father.

A Prayer to Refocus

God, I want more of You.

Too often, I choose to pursue momentary things and push You aside. Please forgive me, and change me. I don't want to live a life that isn't focused on You.

As I prepare for Resurrection Sunday, help me to silence the noise in my life. Show me what steps I need to take to refocus my heart, mind, and will on You alone.

Search my heart, and know me. Clean out my life, point out anything that offends You, and make me more like You. Show me the paths that lead to life, and fill me with joy in Your presence.

I love You, and I want to fix my eyes on You.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Waiting With Jesus

By Marilyn Travis

This time of year I often find myself waiting. After the holidays I begin to long for Spring. This year I’m longing for the pandemic to ease because I’m tired of waiting to go to church with everyone and sing in the choir. I miss my grandchildren, and I haven’t seen my aunt, uncle and cousins in over a year.

At this time last year I wrote, on March 13^th, “This is definitely the weirdest time of my life as far as world wide incidents go! Here in the US, Disney has closed its theme parks, professional sports teams are delaying any games, concert venues – closed. We were supposed to attend Alex and Logan’s track meet but it was canceled. The stock market is plunging big time! Everything is on hold for a few weeks in order to slow the spread of the Corona Virus.”

On March 17, 2020 I wrote, “Wow – our world is getting smaller by the day. Restaurants in Denver are now doing take out orders only. Theaters are closing, museums are closing, even some parks are closing. More and more we must stay at home. The shelves in stores are bare, even though the supply line is fine. People are hoarding out of panic – it's crazy! Worst case scenario is this virus crisis will last until June or July – that would be awful, but hopefully people will just accept this temporary event and CALM DOWN!!”

Little did I know a year later we would still be waiting.

This is also a season of spiritual waiting, a time of reflection and prayer. It's an opportunity to spend time with Jesus. I found a great devotional about waiting. It is from a website called Hope on Demand. This entry is entitled, “Moments With Jesus – While You’re Waiting,” August 14, 2020

While You're Waiting...

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. – Psalm 27:14

5…4…3…2…1. 

Beep. Beep. Beep. 

That’s the trio of sound that’s like music to our ears. Time is up. The coffee is ready, the meal has baked, the laundry has dried – the wait is over! And if your stomach tends to talk like mine does, even waiting on the microwave for two minutes and thirty seconds can seem like an eternity. 

Waiting to accomplish day-to-day tasks is a nuisance but waiting for God to move in a situation seems unbearable. Especially in a time like this. It’s easy to trust God when our prayers are answered quickly, but how do we keep patient when waiting doesn’t come with a countdown to completion?

Though we can’t shorten the length of the wait; we can shift our focus in it. We can move our attention from the object of our wait to the author of our faith, fixing our eyes on Jesus. Seeking Him first helps us to rise above the pain and see a greater purpose: 

• Seasons of waiting are a chance for us to openly trust God in all things, helping us to remember Who is truly in control.  
• The wait reminds us of His sufficiency and sovereignty and shows us how to truly depend on Him. In our weakness, we are wrecked. By His strength, we can endure. 
• Life’s pauses are also an opportunity for God to develop our character. They allow Him to prepare us for what is yet to come and keep us humble in the process. 
• Waiting stretches our faith and deepens our relationship with God. As we lay down our agendas and choose to trust His plans, we experience more of His presence in our lives. 
• The wait builds our confidence in Him, allowing us to focus on who He is and what He’s already done in our lives. Reflecting on how God has kept us through all of life’s “yesterdays” assures us that He is holding our “tomorrows.”  

As we’re all reeling from the effects of the pandemic, I can only imagine the frustration of waiting for employment. Or the heartache that accompanies waiting for the healing of a loved one. Or simply the longing for your life’s routine to have some sense of normalcy. But keep trusting that God is orchestrating every detail. His plans always unfold in His perfect timing and He is with you in the wait. And no matter what we endure on this side of heaven, we can wait with hope for the eternal glory that is to come. 

Today, will you choose to shift your focus from the object of your wait to the author of your faith? Will you allow Him to cultivate the plans He has for you? Although it seems like life is standing still, He is working in the wait. May God calm your restless spirit by giving you a peace that transcends all understanding as you trust in Him. While you’re waiting, fix your eyes on Jesus. That is how you wait well.

                                                            – By Chrystal