Jesus Prays for Us

During Jesus' last days with His friends, He knew which one would deny Him and which one would betray Him. He knew His friends would scatter, each to his own place. He said to Peter,

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you. Luke 22:31

We all face Satan at some time or other in our lives, but we can be comforted knowing Jesus prays for us. We are not left alone on earth to defend ourselves. God gave us His word to inspire and encourage us. He gave His only Son for the forgiveness of our sins.

Has Satan knocked on your door? Tempted you beyond what you feel capable of resisting? Say the powerful name of Jesus and trust Him to lead you away from darkness and into His light. He loves you, my friend.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for recording in Your Word that you pray for us. After you prayed for Peter, he became the rock of the early church. Strengthen us in our walk to live our lives pleasing to you. Amen.

Unforgiveness the Size of a Mulberry Tree?

Did you know that the number one killer of human life in America is unforgiveness? The very thing man has the most problems with is the reason Jesus came.God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Jesus had strong words about unforgiveness. He said, Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him (Luke 17:3-4). Think about it. If someone hurt me seven times in one day, and asked me seven times to forgive him, I would find it very difficult. What about you?

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith" (John 17:5).

Jesus replied, If you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted into the sea,' and it will obey you (John 17:6). Check this out.  A mustard seed is the tiniest of all plant seeds and a mulberry tree grows to be over thirty feet. Its roots go down deep into the ground and become as large as the tree. It survives in just about any climate. Like unforgiveness, the mulberry tree grows on very little. It doesn't take much for the pain of someone's words or actions against us to grow into unforgiveness, which grows into holding grudges, which grows into bitterness. Out of control, unforgiveness dries up our bones and makes us sick physically and spiritually. Without forgiveness, our bitterness can lead to disease, malice or murder. 

We don't have to be sick with unforgiveness. With a tiny faith, we can trust Jesus to help us forgive others as He forgave us. Is there someone you need to forgive? Don't let it fester inside you until it's out of control. Jesus came to set you free from this kind of suffering.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for forgiveness. Help us to share your love and forgiveness in our world. Amen.

Servant of All

Have you heard hurtful words from someone you love? Have you said the hurtful words? I've done both. The last time my mom was in my house I said terrible things to her. As soon as I said them, I wanted to take them back. It was too late. The damage was done. The pain was real. Time and again I called her on the phone. "Hi Mom. It's me. I called to say I love you."

She responded with, "I love you too," but hardly said another word.

One day my sister, Montie, called to tell me our mother was dying. She said, "Mama asked where her Susie was."

Tears welled up in my soul. The woman who didn't seem to forgive me wanted to see me? I left my home in California to go to her bedside in a South Texas hospital. When Mama saw me her face brightened. "I'm glad you came," she smiled.

I spent a few days with her. She, Montie, and I read our favorite Bible stories and sang the old hymns. "We've come a long way," Mama said. I knew she spoke of her visit to my home. Tears trailed down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry I was disrespectful to you. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you. I love you." The wall of conflict fell between us. What joy! What peace!

Another time my husband and I received the hurtful words. Resentment filled John's heart. I prayed for forgiveness and reconciliation. "I don't want to forgive. I don't want it fixed," he said. Still I prayed. I prayed for five years.

Easter is all about forgiveness, and today I am thankful that God answered the prayer for  reconciliation of a family relationship. The wall between John and his daughter fell down. Yesterday the woman who is a top executive where she works cooked the most delicious ham dinner I've ever tasted for her dad and brought it from the bay area to our home in Sacramento. She served us like we were royalty. Reflections of yesterday remind me of what Jesus did when He washed the disciples' feet.  He told His friends, "If I, your Lord, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." John 13:14.

Foot washing is an example of service. In Mark 9:35 Jesus said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." Jesus, in His humility, was servant of all, and as we believe and trust Him,  we become more like Him. We become His hands and feet, His light and life in a dark world.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for what you did on the cross to bring us forgiveness and peace. Thank you for answered prayer and restored relationships. Thank you for your love that penetrates resentment and pain. We love you. Amen.

Don't Forget!

Jesus' last supper here on earth with His close circle of friends was the Passover meal, a celebration all Jews enjoyed because of its reflection on their freedom from slavery in Egypt. He knew it was the last time He would eat before His suffering.

On the last day for the people on death row, they get to pick whatever they want to eat. For some it's a steak and for others it's ice cream. Jesus had other things on His mind. He instituted our communion service with the twelve. He said of the bread, "This is my body broken for you. Eat this in remembrance of me," and of the wine, "This is my blood poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins." It sounds so formal to me, but I think He meant to say, "Don't forget me! Don't forget why!" He said to His followers, ". . . Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20).  He wanted them to tell about the crucifixion, burial and resurrection for they are the power of our faith. Because His followers obeyed, we can know the truth today and have a relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I would love to see the mural in Dallas, Texas that depicts the resurrection of Jesus by artist, Ron DeCianni. The Son rising from the grave and pushing back the stone, His eyes on the Father. The keys of sin, death and hell on His belt. Because He is victorious, we can trust Him to carry us to where He is. That is our hope. That's what Easter is all about.

This video is a must-see to appreciate the painting that took more than two years' work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yABivU-AKQ

May God bless your Easter with His love and presence.

What If Bad Bible Girls Could Talk to Us

Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn From Them is the best Bible study I've ever read. Each bad girl in the Bible is preceded by a contemporary tale of a woman with a similar story. It wasn't hard to figure out who I would soon meet.

Before I read the book I didn't know what bad girls could teach me, but Liz Curtis Higgs wrote in such a frank and honest way that I saw myself in each of the ten bad Bible girls. Great humor and emotion kept me engaged so that I could hardly put the book down. Each bad girl had a choice to embrace God's love and forgiveness or reject it.

I am praying with Liz that her readers will accept the love and share it with others so more people will come to repentance, forgivenes and eternal life. The book is available in hard cover, paper back and Kindle on Amazon.

Do This in Remembrance of Me

Jesus was with His closest friends the evening before His betrayal, suffering, and crucifixion. He knew the mockery of hearings, the spitting and ridicule He would endure that night. So while He was with His friends He washed their feet and treasured every moment with them. Although He tried to tell them what was to come, He knew they didn't get it.

I can imagine Jesus saying to them, "Don't forget me. Don't forget why. Don't forget to do this. Don't forget how much I love you. Don't forget that I'll always be with you." He told these things to ordinary men who finally got it, men who would tell others how much Jesus loved them and how much He did to forgive them so they could have eternal life with Him.

Today the words, "Do this in remembrance of Me" took on a deeper meaning for me when I saw Jesus at the table with His friends for the Last Supper. Self-examination penetrated my soul as I heard God's word, humbled myself and surrendered into His presence.

Oh God, forgive me for trying to live my life (again) on my own strength. Open my eyes to see the wonders of You, Your word and presence every day. I love you. Amen.