His Life

 

On Palm Sunday, a friend texted me the inspirational graphic shown here. It prompted me to re-read chapters 21-28 in the Gospel of Matthew, which tell how Jesus spent the last week of His life. I was struck afresh at how focused He stayed while knowing death awaited Him.

On Sunday of what is now known as Holy Week, excited crowds lined the road and cheered as He approached the city. But their euphoria and loyalty faded before Thursday. Key leaders who had rejected Him continued to do and say things that turned that fickle crowd against Him and led to His arrest and crucifixion.

Despite the chaos, Jesus chose to stay visible rather than hide out. For example, He went to the temple that Monday. And when He saw people buying and selling, Jesus became so angry that they had made His Father’s house “a den of thieves” that He turned over the tables of the "money changers." 

Even as people plotted against Him, He continued to teach His disciples, to weep over Jerusalem, to spend quality time with those closest to Him, and to pray for them (and for you and me), as well as for Himself. 

During that week, one of His closest disciples betrayed Him.

 Another one denied even knowing Him. 

He was falsely accused. 

The crowd clamored for the release of a known criminal instead of Him, the sinless Son of God. 

He was taunted, tortured, and humiliated. 

As He suffered unimaginable agony, while also feeling forsaken by God, He prayed, “Father, forgive them. They do not understand what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

As I reflected on how He lived and how He died — fully obedient to the Father, fully willing to give His life so that others may come into a right relationship with God — I thanked God for Jesus. 

I also pondered this question: How closely does my life align with His?

A Demonstrated Love

Through the years, I’ve happily taken hundreds (perhaps thousands) of photos of birds of all sizes and species in their natural habitats. Even so, I’m not as “smitten” with birds as birders are. For example, avid bird watchers have extensive knowledge of birds and can identify them by sight and/or by sound—and can even mimic their vocalizations.

Bluebird in my neighbor's yard

But Mr. Al Larson, whom I’d very much like to meet, takes his love of birds, particularly bluebirds, a giant step beyond that of avid birders and photographers. He DOES something to help the birds survive and thrive! In the video* I watched on YouTube, Mr. Larson, age 97, was still building nesting houses for the bluebirds. At the time the video was made, he’d built and placed over 350 nest boxes, many of which he continues to monitor. He estimates he's helped over 40,000 nestlings. Thus, he’s affectionately and widely known as “The Birdman of Idaho.”

As I watched the video again and again, I realized that many of us who profess to “love” birds actually do very little to help them. Mr. Larson, on the other hand, demonstrates his love for them by quietly and faithfully taking actions to benefit them. 

As I thought about that, I remembered that the Bible says that when we love someone, we are to do more than just talk about how much we love them. Like Mr. Larson, we are to do something that demonstrates our love. That's what God did when He sent His Son to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. You see, we’re all sinners, even the best of us, and no matter how good we try to be, we can never, by our own efforts, be good enough to be invited into the presence of the Holy God. Thankfully, God saw our plight and then demonstrated His great love for us by making a way for us to live in His presence for all eternity. God sent Jesus, His Beloved Son, to earth to die in our place, to undergo the punishment (death) we deserved. Once we accept God’s gracious gift (Jesus’ payment of our sin debt), then God not only forgives our sins but He also adopts us into His family! As His holy and deeply-loved children, we get to love Him and enjoy Him—now and throughout all eternity.

Amazingly, God did all this for us even when we weren’t seeking for Him any more than the bluebirds are seeking for Mr. Larson. But God, like Mr. Larson, looked through the lens of love and found a way to save us. Oh, how grateful we should be!

Sadly, not everyone accepts God’s gracious gift. I can’t understand why they wouldn’t, can you? Why, even the bluebirds are wise enough to accept Mr. Larson’s gift. They just happily settle into the safe home he lovingly provides for them. Shouldn’t we receive God’s gift to us?

*Click here to watch the video about Mr. Larson: https://vimeo.com/350127646

Scriptures referred to in this post:

John 3:16

Romans 3:10

Romans 5:8

Romans 6:23

Romans 10:9, 20

Ephesians 1:4

Ephesians 2:8-10

1 John 1:9

1 John 3:18

1 John 4:19

From God—with love

Pass It On!

A good friend gave me a "Giving Plate" for Christmas. I'd never seen one before, but I like it. 

Apparently, I'm supposed to place a delicious cake or cookies or other treats on it and pass it on to someone else, along with instructions to enjoy the goodies and then refill the plate before passing it along to someone else.

According to the words on the plate, "With each new sharing with its

gift, the love and blessings grow." Hence, the instructions to "...fill it up and pass it on."

That "Giving Plate"  reminds me of an experience I had years ago. Each time my friend brought home-cooked dinners to my family and me during the weeks I was on strict bedrest in order to keep from going into early labor, I thanked her.

One evening, I said, "I can never repay you for your kindness!"

She smiled and said, "You don't have to repay me. Just pass it on."

Her words have lingered with me these past 40 years, and I have tried to do as she said. 

As I reflect on that, I realize that I can (and should!) pass on much more than sweet treats and homecooked meals. Nothing is more important to pass on to others than the Gospel, the Good News that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16, NKJV). 

It is the birth of God's Son that we celebrate, especially during the Christmas season. Those of us who have received God's gracious gift surely ought to tell others how they, too, can receive it. That's the BEST gift to pass on.

Seemingly Small

I enjoy reading about how God uses seemingly small acts of obedience to accomplish far more than we ever dreamed would happen. The “back story” to the hymn, I’m a Child of the King, proves that.

Harriet Buell wrote the words one Sunday while she was walking home from church. She submitted the song for publication. It was printed in the February 1, 1877, issue of the Northern Christian Advocate.

Six years later, when Peter Bilhorn was doing evangelistic work among the cowboys in the West, he and his traveling companions were traveling up the Missouri River on their way to Bismarck. When they stopped at Blunt one Sunday morning to unload freight, a crowd of men and boys came down to the wharf. Mr. Bilhorn took his little organ and went on the wharf-boat to sing a few songs, including I’m a Child of the King.  

He thought nothing more of it, but that was not the end of the story, as Mr. Bilhorn discovered the day he sang that same song in Rev. Moody’s church in Chicago. Afterward, a man in the back of the house stood up and talked about having heard that same song in Blunt, Dakota, two years ago. Although he was then an unsaved man, the song set him to thinking. He decided to accept Christ and was studying for the ministry.

As I reflected on that back story, I felt amazed at the wonderful ways God had used each person’s obedience. The woman, whose heart was filled with gratitude over being a “child of the King,” felt compelled to express her thoughts and to submit them to an editor who chose to publish them. Mr. Bilhorn somehow discovered the song and chose to sing it to the crowd of men and boys. At least one of them chose to believe the Good News that was shared in the simple, yet profound, words penned by Ms. Buell, words  that had finally reached him after having been passed along from person to person.

Dear Reader, since we never know how God will use us to help spread the Good News to those who do not yet know there is a God who loves them and wants to forgive them of their sins and to bring them into His family, may we eagerly do everything, even the seemingly small things, that the Holy Spirit of God prompts us to do. God will take our little and make it much!

Loving and Telling the Old, Old Story

The Sunday our congregation sang the hymn I Love to Tell the Story, I thought, Well, I surely do!

For example, when I’m writing (columns, articles, blog posts, greeting card messages) or when I'm conversing with friends, I often mention the same Bible verses again and again. I used to fret a bit about such repetition until I realized that although I am reiterating the old, old story of Jesus and His love, I’m telling about new circumstances in which I’ve experienced the reality of His love and am now, hopefully, enlightening and/or encouraging others by telling them about it.

As Katherine Hankey, writer of that beloved hymn, said,

I love to tell the story;

‘Tis pleasant to repeat

What seems each time I tell it,

More wonderfully sweet:

And, Dear Reader, it’s crucial that you and I tell others about Jesus and His love, since, as the hymn says,

For some have never heard

The message of salvation

From God’s own holy Word.

One of many Bible verses displayed in
Guido Gardens in Metter, Georgia

Thus, I am not ashamed of repeating scriptural truths. I pray that God will continue to allow me to sincerely tell the old, old story again and again--in fresh ways—so that others may also know it, believe it, love it, and tell it.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, 

for it is the power of God for salvation 

to everyone who believes…

~The Apostle Paul 

(Romans 1:16, English Standard Version)

He is Risen!

"The Empty Tomb" at Guido Gardens in Metter, GA

Jesus Is Buried

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Mark 15: 42-47, New Living Translation

Jesus Is Risen

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"

Mark 16:1-7, New Living Translation

In the Clouds

 As I viewed the tops of the clouds through the window of the plane, I felt such awe over the Creator's handiwork; and then I thought, "The God who made all this wonder made me, too!" That prompted me to humbly ask, as did the writer of Psalm 8:4, "What is mankind...what am I...that You, O God, are mindful of us?" 

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God writes the Gospel
not in the Bible alone,
but also on trees,
and in the flowers
and clouds
and stars.
~Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Seeking Nourishment

One morning I took my new mirrorless camera out on our deck to photograph hummingbirds. As always, I was awed by the speed of the thumb-sized birds as they zipped, zipped, zipped here and there, sometimes stopping only a second or two to take a quick sip of the homemade nectar (1 part white sugar to 4 parts water) my husband had poured into the feeders. Sometimes the hummingbirds swarmed the feeder--10 or more at a time. At other times, there'd be only one or two feasting at each feeder, which allowed them to sit longer and sip the life-giving fuel their tiny bodies needed. 

According to what I read on several Internet sites, the sugar water is only a part of their daily nutritional needs. They also need the protein that's found in soft-bodied bugs and spiders, which hummers eat throughout the day. Hummingbirds, like all of God’s creatures, instinctively search for the food they need to survive—and thrive. Thus, they spend much of their day in search of nourishment.

Since we humans also know that our bodies need food to sustain life, we, like they, wisely seek it throughout the day. Sadly, we are not that smart when it comes to feeding our souls! We go for days, weeks, or even years without seeking spiritual food, which is found abundantly in God's Word.

His Word not only nourishes our soul but is also sweet to our taste, if we truly love the Lord and His Word. Such sweetness causes us to long for it more than honey (or a delectable dessert). Because we delight in the doctrines of grace, the glorious truths of the Gospel, and the assurances of His love and of His presence with us, we eagerly turn to the Bible again and again. And if we’ve memorized Scripture, then we can have a sweet feast anytime (and anywhere!) we want to.

How sweet are Your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

~Psalm 119:103

The Transformation

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside, and scoops out all the yucky stuff—including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.

Note: The above short story has been passed around (via e-mail) for several years. But after a friend sent it to me, I thought I’d post it, along with this photo of a pumpkin my grandson (Michael, age 4) and I carved a few weeks ago. Perhaps the next time you and I see a jack-o-lantern, it will remind us, not of evil, but of what God, through His Son, has done for us.