OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST

 

All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version

          After the Lord God created the heavens and the earth, the seas and dry land, and every animal, He created man in His image. “Then God said, ‘Let Us (the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, all three in One) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;” (Genesis 1:26a). “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7).

          We can clearly establish from these two verses that God created Adam, the first man as a full-grown man from the dust of the ground. Scripture does not tell us how old, or at what stage of life Adam would have been. He did not experience every stage of our human existence as we do. We do get a glimpse as to the age and stage of life Adam might have been when God created Eve (from one of Adam’s ribs) to be Adam’s wife, and to bear children. “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it;…” (Genesis 2:28a).  From this verse, we may conclude that Adam and Eve may have been in their early to mid adulthood, as they were in the child bearing years, although we know that God can cause women to bear children at any age.

       God created man to have a relationship and fellowship with him. God would walk in the garden where He had placed Adam and Eve, in the cool of the day. (See Genesis 3:8). But Adam and Eve sinned and ate of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the very tree God commanded them not to eat of, which broke man’s relationship and fellowship with God. What Adam and Eve did, not only affected them in a negative way, but it affected all of mankind and nature for all time. “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope: because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:20-21). 

        Even though God pronounced consequences on man and nature, the break of relationship with man broke God’s heart to the point where He knew He had to take action. A plan was put in place by, and involving the Trinity. As we had to have a great High Priest who could identify with us at every stage of our human existence, a member of the Trinity had to be willing to take on human form. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary.  

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the city of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  And having come in, the angel said to her (Mary), ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’…And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS…Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you, therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:26-28, 31, 34-35).

        Unlike Adam who God created as a full-grown man, Jesus came into the world as you and I do, being conceived in our mother’s womb, and developing for nine months (in most cases) in darkness. Can you fathom such an incredible thought? The second person of the Trinity, God the Son, would subject Himself to being conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit. As part of the Trinity, He created all things. “For by Him (Jesus) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16-17). Jesus developed for nine months in darkness as all babies do, before coming forth into the world as a helpless baby. He knew what it was like to be totally dependent on others for all His needs. Mary and Joseph took care of Jesus just as they took care of their other children.

      Some of us have read the Christmas story over and over again for years. We may even have it memorized. How many presentations of the Christmas story have we gone to over the years? Yet, have we ever considered the humiliation it took for the Son to leave the glory He had with the Trinity and become a tiny seed in Mary’s womb, being conceived by the Holy Spirit.

      Jesus experienced being a child, playing and being educated with other children. He had to learn the Torah and all the Jewish traditions. Scripture gives us one small glimpse into Jesus’ childhood. One of the Jewish traditions was the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem once a year. When Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph and Mary took Him with them. When it came time to leave after the Passover, Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem to make their way home to Nazareth. When Joseph and Mary could not find Jesus with them, they went back to Jerusalem and found Jesus in the temple. “Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions…So when they (Joseph and Mary) saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.’ And He said to them, ‘Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:46, 48-49).

      Jesus also knew from experience what it was like to be a teenager. He went through purity and all the struggles and challenges that any teenager experiences. Some people question whether or not Jesus knew who He was and what His destiny was. By the way He answered Mary in the Scripture I just quoted above, I believe that Jesus knew His destiny. Yet, until the time came for Jesus to begin His public ministry, He was subject to His parents. Jesus would learn the trade of carpentry from Joseph. “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers, James, Joses, Simon and Judas?” (Matthew 13:55). Jesus worked as a carpenter with Joseph. Jesus knew what it was to work with His hands and to work hard.

       Often, when we think of Jesus, we think of Him coming to earth as a baby, being born and laid in a manger, and all the events that surrounded His birth: the shepherds being visited by angels, the kings and wise men seeing His star. Then we skip over to Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan river. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness being tempted of the devil. Following His time in the wilderness, Jesus began His public ministry for three years. Then came the purpose for which He was destined – to suffer, to die on the Cross for our sin, that we might have a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Then Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the Father’s right hand to be our great High Priest, ever making intercession for us before the Father.

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16).   

        How many times do we skip over these events so quickly, especially as we get ready for this Christmas season without thinking deeply about them? Think about how much it cost the Father to send His Son, whom He loved so passionately, knowing that Jesus would be beaten and die on the Cross. Think of how humiliated Jesus was when He was conceived in Mary’s womb, and entered the world as a helpless baby. After Jesus went through every stage of humanity, He further humbled Himself and died on the Cross for you and I. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of a cross.” (Philippians 2:8).

        Jesus Christ came into the world for one main purpose, and that is to draw us back into relationship and fellowship with our Heavenly Father. If you have never trusted Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, you can pray this prayer: “Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sin that I would be cleansed of my sin which I confess to You. I accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord now. Please bring me into a relationship with You. I surrender my life to You now.” If you have a Bible, begin reading the book of John which is the fourth book of the New Testament.

 

                                                 

IN THE SOLITUDE

 

All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.

We live in such a busy and noisy society. We are about to enter the busiest time of year with Christmas around the corner.  Everywhere we go, all we hear is noise, and its going to get noisier. It is often hard to find a quiet place which is free of any distractions. Our whole society thrives on noise. It’s as if we are afraid to be quiet, even for a while. In Psalm 46:10 it says, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” I have now found the perfect time and place to spend time with my Abba Father. I cannot physically get myself up in the morning, but have to wait for the PSW (Personal Support Worker) to come and get me up and ready for the day around 7:30-7:45. Yet I wake up somewhere around 4:30 most mornings. I use that time to spend with my Abba Father before the call bells start ringing with residents needing help, or the PSWs talking to each other in the hallway. I consider the early morning hours as my secret place where my Abba Father is waiting to have fellowship with me. Jesus said, “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Mathew 6:6).

John the Baptist was ordained to be a prophet, the forerunner for Jesus. An angel predicted John’s birth and ministry.

“But the angel said to him (John’s father), ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John…For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb…He will also go before Him (Jesus) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’” (Luke 1:13,15,17).

A description of John the Baptist’s ministry is given as far back as Isaiah, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every high mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth.” (Isaiah 40:3) and is repeated by Luke. “The voice of one crying in the wilderness; Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked place shall be made straight, And the rough ways smooth. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (Luke 3:4-6).    

The angel told Zachariah that John’s ministry would be to turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord. “He was to prepare and make ready a people for the Lord.”

Even though John was ordained to be a prophet from before he was born, he had to spend time in the wilderness so he would know the Lord’s voice for himself. “While Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of the Lord came to John in the wilderness.” (Luke 3:2). Matthew also gives an account of John’s time in the wilderness. “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.” (Matthew 3:1,4).

Scripture does not tell us how long John the Baptist was in the wilderness. But it must have been a while as we are told what he wore and what he ate. John knew the message he was to preach just before Jesus was in the public eye. “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:1). John also baptized many people in the Jordan river as a baptism of repentance. This was to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus Christ.

The Lord always wants to get us alone with Him so we hear His voice clearly. “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:2-3). In the solitude, we can draw close to the Lord and feel His presence. It is so awesome to feel the Lord’s presence. When you are really there in His presence, you do not want it to end, I know I do not. I long for the stillness, for it is in the stillness that we know He is God. I’m not only speaking of a physical stillness, but also of a stillness of our mind and heart. In order to hear what the Lord wants to say, we must be “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5). The Lord cannot speak to us when our minds are racing and our hearts are anxious. The Psalmist said, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10). It is in that same stillness and quiet that the Lord can speak to us. I find those times in His stillness and presence so precious. I never want to leave the Lord’s presence.  

When I was living alone in my apartment and people would come to visit, some would say, “It is so quiet in here.” I would respond, “Yes, that is the way I like it. I can concentrate on what I am doing. I can also feel the stillness of the Lord.”

Jesus Himself knew the importance of spending time in His Father’s presence. After Jesus had been baptized by John, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” (Luke 4:1). Jesus had to experience the temptations of the devil so He could identify with man in his temptations. There is an interesting fact here. Jesus faced all His temptations in the solitude of the wilderness where He was completely alone. Very often, the Lord has to get us alone to test us, especially if He is preparing us for ministry, or for a higher degree of ministry. It was after His time in the wilderness that Jesus began His public ministry. “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.” (Luke 4:14).     

Jesus’ time in the wilderness was not the only time He spent in solitude. He often spent all night in prayer with His Father. “Now it came to pass in those days that He (Jesus) went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:14). There were other times when Jesus would rise early to pray. “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” (Mark 1:35). If Jesus, the Son of God, found it necessary to spend time in the presence of His Father, how much more necessary is it for us to seek out a solitary place to spend time with our Heavenly Father.

As we head into this Christmas season and all the busyness it brings, let us not forget what we are celebrating. The reason that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year is because God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so we could have a relationship with our Father.

                                        

UNIQUELY GIFTED

 

All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version of the Bible

              When God created us, He created each one of us very unique and different from anyone else.  There is no one else exactly like you or I. Even twins are different from each other. “For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” (2 Corinthians 12:14-18). We did not choose or place ourselves in the Body of Christ. God knew where He wanted each one of us to be, and what role He wanted us to achieve.    

          Therefore, each of us in the Body of Christ has been given gifts and talents which are to be used to exhort and encourage each other.  Paul speaks of these different gifts throughout his writings.

 ^“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:6-8).

Even if we may have the same ability in terms of talents as another person, the Lord does not expect us to accomplish the same results, as each of us is living with different circumstances. We are the ones who put unrealistic expectations upon ourselves by comparing ourselves with those who we could – in no way – ever measure up to. Paul speaks to this issue in his Epistle to the Corinthian church. “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, are not wise.” (2 Corinthians 10:12).   

          Each of us have been given different abilities, gifts and talents. God, being wise, has chosen who should have what gift, and He has done so according to our natural abilities – the ones He placed within us when He created us. Yet, so often, instead of accepting and using the gift or gifts we have been given to fulfill the Lord’s purpose in our lives, we become distracted by wishing we could be someone else, or do something else. Or we wonder why we were only given one gift when those around us were given more, to do more with.  We say, “I wish I could” instead of saying, “I’m going to do what I can.”   

In the “My Utmost for His Highest Devotional” for January 26, Oswald Chambers makes this statement, “Consecration is the act of continually separating myself from everything except that which God has appointed us to do.”  That statement really struck me, firstly, because it just happened to be on my birthday. It also caused me to think of how God has a specific plan and purpose for our lives, or we would not be alive today.     

How true this is in my own life, as due to complications before and during birth, I could have died. There have also been several times throughout my life when I have come very close to passing away, such as the times my body developed sepsis and went into septic shock. But no matter how serious my condition became, I always came back, even though sometimes it took months before I was back to where I was before I went septic. One of my favorite verses says, “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

          The second thought I had as I read Oswald Chambers’ statement was how we are responsible to live out the life which the Lord has entrusted to us, which includes being faithful to fulfill the calling the Lord has placed upon our lives.  We need to focus on the specific calling and gifts which the Lord has placed in our lives, and push everything else aside.  I know that in this day and age, when we are bombarded by so many things that keep us going in so many different directions, how hard it is to focus on just one or two areas. But I believe this is exactly what Oswald Chambers is saying.  I have often thanked the Lord for my limitations of living in a wheelchair, as it has enabled me to focus on and develop my gift of writing. Today, I live in Long Term Care, which provides activities for the residents to be involved in. If I were to let myself, I could be sidetracked from my calling, by participating in all the different activities which other residents are participating in. But, most of the time, I stay in my room and work on my writing.    

          We all need to learn to walk in our specific callings as Paul tells the Ephesians.  “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10).  The Lord has prepared us with gifts and talents when He created us.  It is our responsibility to use them to their fullest potential.  Paul also encouraged Timothy to “stir up the gift which is in you.” (2 Timothy 1:6).

        Are you using the gifts and talents God gave you? Do you know what they are? Take the time to ask God to find out what special gifts He has placed in your life and then take the first small step to using what God has given you.

PRESSING ON

     The Lord knew the days of our lives which He had planned for us, not only before we were ever thought of by our parents, but even before the foundations of the earth.  The psalmist mentions that the Lord knew us and all the days of our lives before we were born. “My frame was not hidden from You. When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book, they were all written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” (Psalms 139:15-16). Paul also makes mention of the Lord’s foreknowledge of us. “…just as He (the Father) chose us in Him before the foundations of the earth, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” (Ephesians 1:4).

By knowing the days He had ordained for us, the Lord also knew His purposes He had in mind for us to fulfill. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10). We all want to know that we are living and walking in the will of God, day by day. But some Christians would wonder how they can be sure they are doing and fulfilling God’s will and purposes for their lives.

 If we truly believe that the Lord has ordained the days of our lives, and the purpose for us to fulfill during those days, then how would we think or believe that the Lord would allow us to miss His will or let us go astray. In Galatians 5:25, Paul says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Just keep walking and doing what is before you to do, and as you take one step at a time, you will walk right into the will of God, as you have been doing all along. Continue to be led by the Spirit and when it is time to build on what you have been doing all along, or to turn the corner and go in a whole new direction, the Spirit will lead you.  The Lord has given each one of us talents – things which we have been, and are naturally good at. He has done so according to our ability. Jesus told a parable of the talents where a land owner, before he travels to a far country, calls his servants to him, and gives each servant talents. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.” (Matthew 25:14-15). The Master did not give them any instructions as to what the servants were to do with their talents. After receiving the talents from their Master, each servant had to decide what he was going to do with his talent(s). The servants were being forced to step out of their comfort zone and go into uncharted territory. The first two servants took the risk and stepped out to put their Master’s money to good use. By doing so, both servants doubled their Master’s money, even though they were given different amounts according to their ability. But the third servant did not step out into uncharted territory. He was not willing to take a risk and try doing something new, something he had never done before, as the first two servants had done. Matthew 25:18 tells us what the third servant did with the portion of money he was given. “But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.”

Throughout Scripture, the Lord is always challenging His people to leave the comfort zone they have been in, just as the mother eagle stirs her nest when it is time for the eaglets to leave the nest and learn to fly. Yet the mother eagle is there, ready to scoop down and catch them on her wing before they fall to the ground.     

The Lord called Gideon to step out of his comfort zone and save Israel from the Midianites. “The Angel of the Lord appeared to him (Gideon), and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor! Then the Lord turned to him and said, Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have not I sent you?” (Judges 6:12, 14). The Lord found Gideon threshing wheat in the winepress, hiding from the Midianites, the very people to whom the Lord wanted to send him.   But Gideon had doubts and gives the Lord excuses. “So he (Gideon) said to Him, ‘O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’ And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man. Then he (Gideon) said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk to me.” (Judges 6:16-17). The Lord granted Gideon’s request and reassured Gideon that it was His leading. The Lord was not angry with Gideon for asking for a sign, not once, but twice. Then end result was that the Lord saved Israel from the Midianites by Gideon with only three hundred men.    

Have you ever taken a risk and started a new thing? Or have you sensed the Lord leading you to start a new thing, yet you were hesitant to step out in case it wasn’t really the Lord you heard, but yourself. I remember when I experienced this. I was already living in Long Term Care. One night in bed, I had the impression that I should create a Newsletter of my own as a channel to circulate my devotionals. I thought it was the Lord, but wasn’t 100% sure. The next day, I called my life-long friend and told her what came to me the night before. Irene not only encouraged me to go ahead and start my, “Sufficient Grace Newsletter,” but has helped me along the way. From the very first Edition I sent out the response has been overwhelmingly positive. My former church has even posted each devotional on their Facebook page, or has put the link to my blog up. I never expected a response like that, especially as I now live in a different city.

 Take the Lord at His Word. Paul is a person who took the Lord at His Word and kept pressing forward, looking ahead to all that the Lord had for him. “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14). Paul was always willing to go and press on ahead into uncharted territory. Every time he went into a different city to plant a new church, or to preach the gospel at the leading of the Lord, he was entering uncharted territory. Paul was willing to go and press on, even when it meant persecution or being put in prison. At the end of his life, Paul was confident that he had fulfilled the Lord’s purposes in his life that he was able to say, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:6-7).  I pray that when the time comes for the Lord to take me home, I will be able to make a similar statement by God’s sufficient grace.

 The Lord does not want us to waste time looking back, when He has so much more for us to accomplish in Him and for His glory in the future. Let us all be willing to follow Him along the path He has marked out for each one of our lives. Sore like an eagle into the heights of His presence and allow the Father to bring us into uncharted territory with Him where He will overwhelm us with treasures untold. As we press into Him, He will draw us so close that we will be able to hear His every whisper and feel His every heartbeat. I don’t know about you, but that is how close I want to be with my Abba Father.

 

 

                                        By Cindy Mead

FREEDOM TO FAIL

 

 

                                                     

All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.

We often condemn ourselves whenever we fail or make a mistake. We want so much to be perfect that when we do not measure up to our self-imposed standards, we get angry and frustrated, not only at ourselves, but at those around us as well.

The problem which causes this to ourselves is our own high standards.  Many times, we expect ourselves to do that which has been done by others with more experience and maturity. Or, as in my case, I expect myself to accomplish as much as someone who has no physical disability. We fail to make allowances for our own limitations.

Yet the amazing truth that is so clear from Scripture is that even God - who demands that His people be holy as He is holy - has made allowances for us. He has made allowances not only for our sin and failures, but also for our individual situations and limitations. We find an illustration of this in Leviticus 27.  Here we find the Lord setting certain standards and amounts of money the people had to pay in the temple each year in order to be consecrated. A male between twenty and sixty years old had to pay fifty shekels of silver. (verse 3). But then we read of God’s allowances. “But if he is too poor to pay your valuation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall set a value for him; according to the ability of him who vowed, the priest shall value him.” (Leviticus 27:8). 

We all know that God is holy and has set certain standards for His people to live up to.  Paul expressed his desire to live up to the Lord’s standards and call on his life. “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14).  From this verse it is evident that Paul understood God has a very unique and individual call upon each person’s life. He has created and called each of us to live out the life we are destined to. You or I cannot measure up to or live the life which the Lord has ordained for another person to live. Nor will we accomplish what someone else will. But our problem comes in when we are constantly comparing ourselves with others and expecting to do what the other person can do. We fail to make allowances for our own limitations and situations, and therefore are constantly getting angry and frustrated with ourselves simply because we have imposed unrealistic expectations upon ourselves. Even God, in all of His perfection and holiness, does not demand this of us. Believe me, I know this from personal experience.

All my life I have been comparing and expecting myself to do and accomplish as much as the person without any physical limitations. I can not, and for years, this was so hard for me to accept. But now, years later, by the grace of God, I do not do this as much anymore. Paul warns believers not to do this to themselves. “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” (2 Corinthians 10:12).

Even the Lord, who is the perfect and holy One, and who commands those who follow Him to be perfect and holy, realizes that we will make mistakes and sin. He remembers that we are just dust and are fallible. “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” (Psalms 103:14). This is the very reason Jesus Christ came – to pay for our sin on the Cross. Today, Jesus continues to make intercession for us before the Father. We have an Advocate with the Father, and the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin as John tells us in 1 John 1 & 2. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:7, 2:2).

Let us give ourselves the same freedom that has been given to us by God. Yes, He is a God of justice who has set standards for us to live up to. But He is also a God of love and mercy who is aware of our individual situations, and has made allowances for our limitations. But even more importantly, God has made a way when we do sin and make mistakes – we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One. So even when we run out of love and patience with ourselves, let us run to our Heavenly Father, and fall into His arms of love as His love is everlasting.

                   

 

 

 

                                                  By Cindy Mead

 

A SWEET AROMA

 It is the desire of every true follower of Jesus Christ to please Him – to be a sweet aroma to Him. But what does it entail to be a sweet (soothing or pleasing) aroma to the Lord? If we take a look back to when the children of Israel were in the wilderness, we see that the Lord gave them specific instructions as to their offerings they were to bring to Him, and how each offering was to be presented. Every offering that was a sweet aroma to the Lord involved burning the offering with fire. “If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord…And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.” (Leviticus 1:3,8).

We see from the example of the Lord’s instructions to the children of Israel that every sacrifice that was a sweet aroma to the Lord involved being burnt on the altar with fire. If you have ever been burnt with fire or any kind of very hot liquid or substance, you know how painful it is. I remember when this happened to me. I was attending a Bible Conference for disabled and able-bodied people. We were in the dining room for our evening snack. My cup of tea had just been poured from the pot. It was steaming hot. When the person next to me moved her arm, it knocked my cup of tea all over my lap. I let out a stream of pain which the entire dining room heard. The Conference nurse and some other people rushed over to me and pulled down my pants right there. As they did, I could see layers of skin peeling off my legs. The nurse rushed me up to the nurse’s station where she dressed the burns and called the Doctor on Call. The Doctor prescribed an ointment and something for pain. My legs were painful for quite some time.

If we are going to be a sweet aroma to the Lord, it is going to involve going through some painful experiences in our lives. “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” (Isaiah 48:10). Notice, it is the Lord Who says, “I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” Some Christians do not believe that the Lord tests His people, but He does. The Lord’s testing can be anything that we are going through. When the Lord says He will test us in the furnace of affliction, that speaks to me of pain and a lot of it. Believe me, I know what its like to be in pain.   

 The Lord always seems to test the people who are already a sweet, or pleasing aroma to Him. For example, take Abraham. He was the first patriate of Israel. The Lord tested him. “Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1).  If there ever was a test for a Jewish family, this was it as Jewish families are very tightly knit together. When the Lord gave Abram this command, it must have torn his heart out, as well as his family’s heart. This is a clear test of who Abram loved more; his family or the Lord. “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10:37). Abram did leave his country and his father’s house and followed the Lord’s leading to the land the Lord had promised him and his descendants after him. But the Lord could not show Abram the land until Lot parted from him. That was Abram’s mistake – taking Lot with him as the Lord did not tell Abram to take anyone with him. After Lot separated from Abram, then the Lord showed him all the land he and his descendants were to inherit. “And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are – northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” (Genesis 13:14).  

Some Christians have no choose in the matter as to whether or not they are going to pay the price to be a sweet aroma to the Lord as suffering and pain just seems to be forced upon them. May I use myself as an example here? I was born with Cerebral Palsy and am confined to a wheelchair. The only choice I had was how I was going to react to the situation. I could react positively and be thankful for all that I am able to do, such as being able to type with one finger, and therefore I’m able to serve the Lord and His people with my writing. Or I could have reacted negatively because I couldn’t do as much as others and just waste my days away. There was a time when I used to feel sorry for myself because I could not do what others could. But as time progressed, I choose to react positively and spend my days writing. I pray every morning that I would please my Heavenly Father that day.

There are many Biblical examples of people having negative situations forced upon them and they reacted positively. Remember when Joseph’s brothers sold him into Egypt? He could have complained and became bitter. But instead, Joseph remained positive and was a slave to Potiphar. When Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph, Potiphar trusted Joseph with all his affairs. That tells us that Joseph was a sweet aroma to the Lord. 

 Daniel and his three friends were brought from Judea to serve King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. While they were there, King Nebuchadnezzar made a decree saying that whoever did not fall down and worship the gold image at the sound of all the musical instruments, which the King had made, would be cast into the fiery furnace. (see Daniel 3:4-6). The Chaldeans accused Daniel and his friends for not bowing down to the image before the King. When King Nebuchadnezzar heard this, he brought the Jewish men before him and asked if this report was true. When Daniel’s friends told the King it was true, the King commanded certain mighty men to heat the furnace seven times hotter, then to bind the three Jewish men and throw them in the furnace. When the King looked into the furnace, he saw four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire. The fourth man looked like the Son of God. The King then called the men out of the fire. When they came forth from the fire, the three men did not even smell like smoke and their hair wasn’t even singed. (see Daniel 3:24-27). These three men remained positive even though they were thrown into the furnace. I am sure they were a sweet aroma to the Lord.

We have all read of how much Paul suffered as he served the Lord with a positive attitude. He did not let his tribulations deter him from serving the Lord, or change his positive outlook on life. When Paul had his thorn in the flesh, he did ask the Lord to remove it three times, but when the Lord responded by saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul responded positively, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Not only did Paul have a thorn in the flesh, but he was being put in prison numerous times for preaching the gospel. He did not waste his prison times. He used these times to write epistles to the churches he had founded. These same epistles are still teaching and exhorting Churches and Christians 2000 years later. Paul faced many tribulations, of which he could have become bitter. But instead, Paul remained positive in each situation. I am sure his responses to his situations must have been a sweet aroma to the Lord.

Even Peter says in his First epistle, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trials which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you.” (1 Peter 4:12). Trials are not a choice, they are a given in the Christian life. Whenever we are placed in negative situations, whether temporary or permanent, we can choose to either react negatively or positively. By reacting positively, we will be a sweet aroma to the Lord.

LIVING WHERE YOU ARE

 

          

 Are you living where you are today? Or do you wish you were somewhere else or even someone else? So often we have our eyes focused in the past, or on the future, that we miss what the Lord wants to do in and through our lives in the present moment. When our eyes are anywhere else but in the present moment, we are wasting time as we are not fully engaged in what the Lord wants us to be doing right now. I’m not saying that you can’t think or dream about what you desire in the future. Just don’t let it take up all of your time and attention. The Lord tells us that if we delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart. Maybe you don’t like where you are at the moment, and you are so sure the Lord is going to change your situation, you aren’t making any effort to put down roots. You are even questioning why you are there.

Apparently, the children of Israel were going through the same thing when the Lord caused them to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. The Lord says in Jeremiah 29:4, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:” It was the Lord who caused Israel to be carried away captive. Do not believe people who say that the Lord would never cause His people to be in captivity in some form or another because we see the Lord doing this to His people, especially those who were greatly used, all through Scripture.

 Remember Moses. The Lord caused him to be captive in the wilderness for forty years with nothing or no one around him but his father in law’s sheep. The Lord knew what He was preparing Moses for – to lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, but Moses didn’t know until the end of that time in the wilderness. The Lord often puts us in situations to prepare us for His purposes but without telling us what those purposes are. Sometimes we may think we know what those purposes are, but in the end, we find we were wrong.  All Moses knew was that day after day, he was in the desert with a flock of sheep who couldn’t talk to him, and he couldn’t talk to. Moses must have wondered why he was there. But, despite his not knowing, Moses was faithful in leading and taking care of the sheep right up until the day the Lord appeared to him and revealed what he was to do.

Remember Joseph. He was sold into captivity by his own brothers. He eventually found himself in Potiphar’s house in Egypt. All was going along alright until Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him and he got put in prison. Like Moses, Joseph did not know that the Lord was preparing him to sit on the throne of Egypt, be second in authority and be used to save many people alive during a seven-year famine.

 Another person who was taken captive by the Spirit was Jesus Himself. “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” (Luke 4:1). During His forty days in the wilderness Jesus faced three temptations of Satan. He had to face these temptations so Jesus would be able to identify with man – those He would be ministering to. In Luke 4:14 it says, “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and the news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.” It was Jesus time in the wilderness which prepared Him for His earthly ministry.

  I think all of us, at some point in our lives can recall times when we have been in a place where we were sure the Lord must have put us there, as left to ourselves, we would not be there. In fact, we would have never left where we were. If someone would have told me a few years ago I would be living in Long Term Care, and actually be content here and be thriving in what the Lord has called me to do, I would not have believed it, but here I am and I’m doing better than I have been in a long time. We would have missed what the Lord had planned to do in and through our lives had we not followed His leading. Then the person or people the Lord wanted you to minister to would have never had their needs met. Allow me to give you a personal example. When it was first suggested that I should be living in Long Term Care, I honestly did not know how I felt about it. But if I hadn’t come here, the roommate I had for the first year, before the Lord provided me with a private room, would never have heard the gospel before her time comes to pass away. Yes, there was a price to pay as she screams a lot. As she could not ring the call bell herself, I watched out for her. Even after I moved into LTC I wasn’t sure that this was where the Lord had put me until about eight months later. One day in the Fall, I had my music on while working on the computer and looking at the beautiful Fall colours. That was when I knew this was where the Lord put me.

  The children of Israel must have been wondering whether or not living in Babylon was to be temporary or permanent. The Lord speaks to these captives and says, “Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so they may bear sons and daughters – that you may be increased there, and not diminished.” (Jeremiah 29:6-7). It sounds like the Lord is telling the captives that they are going to be in Babylon for a long while. They were to live in Babylon as if it was home. They were to build their houses to live in and plant gardens to eat from. Those were their immediate needs taken care of. But the Lord goes beyond their immediate needs and tells them to raise families in that land as well. This sounds like the Lord is telling them that they were going be there for quite a while. It must have been hard for these captives to get used to a new culture and language, and even new food.

These captives must have been thinking, “We are captives here in Babylon. We want out of this situation as soon as possible – we weren’t planning to put down roots and stay for any great length of time.” But the Lord had other plans for them. He even told the captives that they would be in Babylon for seventy years. Can you imagine being told that you had to stay in a strange land for that long? The captives were probably saying, “Why so long? We are going to miss all the traditions we grew up with, everything that makes us who we are, the children of Israel.” Yet the Lord encourages them to go on with their lives right there in Babylon, and I believe that would mean to go on and celebrate all their traditions just as if they were still in Israel.

But the Lord assures the children of Israel that the captivity would not last forever, it would come to an end, not in their timing, but in the Lord’s timing. “For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.” (Jeremiah 29:10). The Lord’s timing is always much different than ours. The way you tell which timing is ours, and which is the Lord’s. Ours is always the fast track while the Lord’s is the slower pace. Even when we think we can’t handle the situation we are in any longer, the Lord still seems to take His time in providing a way of escape. Even though the Lord seems to take His time, He will not forget us or the good word He has promised to perform toward us. Just keep believing the Lord to fulfill all that He has promised to do and more. The next verse says, “For I know the thoughts I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11). Whenever we are in seemingly hopeless situations, we need hope that the situation will change. Without such hope, we can become discouraged, or even depressed. In the four years I lived in Barrie, I was depressed as the building I lived in was isolated in the sense that there was nothing close enough to the building that I could wheel to. I was so depressed, I tried to re-apply to the building I had moved from in Burlington. But we have a faithful Father who always keeps His promises towards His children no matter how long He seems to take. In 1 Corinthians, it says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” Just keep being faithful in doing what the Lord has called and anointed you to do and He will be faithful to reward you.

 

 

                                                  

JESUS CONFINED HIMSELF

 

   (All Scripture is taken from the NKJV)  

The main purpose God created man was to have fellowship with him. God would fellowship with Adam in the cool of the day. Adam and Eve had the freedom to eat of all the trees in the Garden of Eden, except one. God commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  But man disobeyed God’s commandment and ate of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Man’s act of disobedience forever severed his fellowship with God, along with having long term consequences for the entire human race throughout history, not only for mankind, but for all of creation.  “Because creation itself will be delivered from the corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation labours in pain until now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the Spirit groan within ourselves eagerly waiting for the redemption of our bodies.”  (Romans 8:22-24). 

When man disobeyed God’s commandment, and severed his fellowship with his Creator, it broke God’s heart to the point where He knew He had to do something to bring man back into fellowship with Him.  Even though it was man who sinned, it was God who took action. 

Imagine with me, God having a conference with the Trinity - God the Father, God the Son (who is Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. They are three in one, and all shared the same glory.  God the Father asks, “Who will go down to earth and redeem man so mankind can once again be in fellowship with Us?”  God the Son (Jesus) replied, “I will go and be a Man and bring people back to Us by dying for them and cleansing people of their sin with My precious blood.” The Holy Spirit also answered, “I will be the One who will convict people of sin.”

We are told in Galatians that Jesus was born of a woman. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.” (Galatians 4:4). Jesus emptied Himself of all the glory and attributes He had known with the Trinity up until that point.  “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not think it robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself a bondservant coming in the form of man". When Jesus subjected Himself to become human, He experienced all the limitations that we do. It was as if Jesus willingly confined Himself and became disabled because, as a Man, He had limitations He never had in glory with the Trinity. If God had given me a choice between being able-bodied or disabled, I would have chosen to be able-bodied. Yet Jesus had a choice.  He was dependent on Joseph and Mary for all His needs as a baby and a young child. When Jesus was twelve years old, Jesus was subject to Joseph and Mary until He started His public ministry. (see Luke 2:51).  Can you fathom the thought that the God of the universe would come to earth and confine Himself to a human body, giving up all the glory He had known for all eternity? As Jesus was about to face the Cross, we find His High Priestly prayer in John 17. In it He says, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself with the glory I had with You before the world was.” (John 17:4-5). For years I wondered how Jesus could identify with me as a disabled person until I realized this truth.  In Hebrews it tells us that Jesus, as our High Priest identified with us in all points. “Seeing that we have a great High Priest, Jesus the Son of God; who has passed through the heavens; let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses (being disabled), but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, and find mercy in our time of need.”  (Hebrews 4:14-16). When I think about this, I know that Jesus knows what it is like to be confined in a body which did not allow Him to do all that He wanted to do all the time, such as being in more than one place at the same time, like He could before He became a Man.  My body stops me from doing all I would like to be able to do, and was able to do when I was younger, such as crawl and transfer myself in and out of bed, etc.  Jesus can not only identify with my disability because He willingly confined Himself to a human body, but also because He lives within me each and every day of my life.  I truly do have a High Priest who can identify with me.  What an incredible thought! 

I don’t know if you are, but I am completely overwhelmed at the thought that the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, would willingly confine Himself to a human body to redeem man from sin to bring us back into fellowship with God the Father, all because of His deep love for us.  To bring this down to terms we might better relate to, it would be as if a completely able-bodied person willingly became disabled, not being able to do anything for themselves, therefore being dependent on others for their every need.

 God the Father loved mankind with such an infinitely deep love that He willingly gave His Son to die on the Cross for our sin so man would have eternal life by accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17).

Not only did God the Father have to be willing to send Jesus to die on the Cross, but Jesus Himself had to be willing to die a sacrificial death to bring us back into fellowship with the Father. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and becoming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8).

Jesus not only died, but rose again, and sits at the right hand of the Father, ever making intercession for us. “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25).

As we celebrate Easter, and all that Jesus went through, the mocking, the beating as well as His death on the Cross, and His resurrection, all to bring us back into fellowship with the Father, I’m wondering if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and to cleanse you from sin, so you can have fellowship with God the Father. If you desire to accept Jesus into your heart, pray this prayer: “Father, I thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross to cleanse me from sin, and by rising from the dead, Jesus brings me into fellowship with You. I invite Jesus into my life to be my Lord and Savior. I surrender my life to You. In Jesus name, Amen.”  If you have a Bible, start reading John, the fourth book in the New Testament.