Thoughts for Holy Wednesday from "His Kindness Year Round"

I fully understand the events of this week had to transpire.  I know it was prophesied in the Old and New Testaments.  But . . . .

It still tugs at my heart to think of the deliberate occurrences of this Holy Week.  Judas, one of His disciples, one of the closest men in Jesus’ circle, betrayed Him, for the price of a slave.  Judas, resentful of Mary’s act of love in opening an expensive container of oil to anoint her Jesus, was seeking the opportunity to hand over the Savior to the authorities.

Luke 23:3-6 “Then satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.  And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.”

Prayerfully, meditating in His Word, your sister in Him,

Robin

Had it not been . . . . from "His Kindness Year Round"

Let me share a little story . . . . .

A few weeks ago, I recalled a remarkable song that caused a powerful experience in my life several years ago . . .  so step back in time a few years . . .

 

A sweet friend introduced me to a ‘homegrown’ (North Carolina) gospel singing group by giving me one of their CDs.  

I was working on a home project, listening to the CD.  I knew there were several difficult circumstances upon the horizon.  I felt deflated, not able to see the end in sight, thinking too strongly in the flesh and my inability to get things accomplished.  Notice, I’m heavily emphasizing how I could not do the tasks set before me.  I wasn’t holding dear the faith in the Lord that HE would accomplish it all; that I was not alone. 

Then, this song began to play.  I literally dropped to my knees and began to cry.  That was one of those eye opener, ‘light bulb’ moments for me.  I will never forget that day.  Whenever I hear this song, the same Holy Spirit that was with me at that moment fully continues to engulf me now in His love and protection and comfort.  Shout it!

Had It Not Been

Just suppose God searched through Heaven,
And couldn't find one willing to be,
The supreme sacrifice that was needed,
That would buy eternal life for you and me

Had it not been for a place called Mount Calvary,
Had it not been for the old rugged cross,
Had it not been for a man called Jesus,
Then forever my soul would be lost

Well I'm so glad He was willing to drink His bitter cup,
Although He prayed "Father let it pass from me",
And I'm so glad He never called Heaven's angels,
From these hands, Pulled the nails that torment me

John 19:17-18a "Carrying the cross by Himself, He went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha).  There they nailed Him to the cross."

Prayerfully, your sister in Him,

Robin

Palm Sunday and the awesome week approaching from "His Kindness Year Round"

I sometimes like to mentally picture Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem . . . .

I see the Lord riding his donkey, as prophesied in the Old Testament. 

Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!  Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!  See, your king comes to you; righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

I imagine the crowd, celebrating His arrival with voices of praise, laying down their garments and palm branches, shouting “Hosanna”!  Ah, at last, their king had arrived to save them.

Meditate on the Word today, in preparation for the magnificent week, Holy Week, to come.

Matthew 21:1-9 “As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her.  Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them and he will send them right away.  This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:  “Say to Daughter Zion, See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.  They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.  A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”  “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”  “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Yes, the Savior has arrived . . . . .

Prayerfully, your sister in Him,

Robin

Reflecting, as we prepare for Palm Sunday, from "His Kindness Year Round"

Loss.  According to one definition from Google:  “the fact or process of losing something or someone; the state or feeling of grief when deprived of someone or something of value.”

I’ve had many people over the years ask how one gets over the loss of a loved one.  My thoughts are we don’t get over a loss, but through it.  You can’t blink and grief is “over”.  We go through different stages of shock or denial; pain and loneliness; sometimes anger.  We go through grief of missing someone and the life that could have been; the memories that could have been. But we continue onward in life, because we don’t have a choice.

There are a few rare exceptions.  Of course, I’m referring to the resurrection of our blessed Redeemer! 

A great many of us may have experienced the feelings, thoughts and emotions – our human soul life – that the disciples and followers of Jesus felt after His crucifixion.  Sadness. Guilt. The ache and emptiness.  Anger. 

But after seeing an empty tomb and finally realizing the Savior lives, they experienced the joy and exaltation of His resurrection!   Their feelings of loss were short lived. 

Folks, unfortunately we don’t have the elation of visiting an empty tomb to find our loved one has had life restored on earth.  I certainly don’t belittle the grief you or I experience because it’s real and it’s painful.  But because of THIS resurrection, we have the opportunity to reunite with our loved ones one glorious day!  As Casting Crowns sing in “Glorious Day”:

“Living He loved me, dying He saved me.

Buried He carried my sins far away.

Rising He justified freely forever

One day He's coming, oh, glorious day,

Oh, glorious day, Glorious day!”

Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have hope; we can accept that we will see our loved ones again . . . . if, during their life, they made the commitment to Him and accepted Him as their Savior. 

Can we turn down His invitation to join Him for eternity, or afford not to deliver His message to others?  NO!

Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

John 3:30-36 “He must increase, but I must decrease. The One Who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The One Who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony. Whoever has accepted His testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.”

Time is progressing quickly.  This is a decision no one can delay until tomorrow. There may not be one.

                                                                                      

As Palm Sunday approaches and we begin the esteemed Holy Week, the last week of Christ’s life on earth before His crucifixion, remember the reason for the season; your life depends on it.

Prayerfully, your sister in Him,

Robin

Let's Surrender All . . . . from "His Kindness Year Round"

Several old hymns have come to mind of late.  One of these hymns surfaced as I was reading a book written by a Christian minister.  The particular chapter was emphasizing the great obedience Abraham exhibited when surrendering his son to God as a sacrifice.  The author wrote of our need to give up things which prevent us from having the Lord in complete ownership of our lives.

What is your object or emotion or thought that comes before the Lord?  What is it you just can’t seem to do without, therefore, rising above our Savior?

Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

We need to put the Father before any material items, but also should relinquish thoughts and emotions which could endanger our relationship with Him.  This includes fear or doubt or guilt or worry or insecurity or selfishness, or __________ (fill in the blank).  Surrender all.  Not a multiple choice, pick and choose what you’d like to give to Him and what you want to embrace for yourself.  ALL. 

Even after surrendering to Him, if you pick it up again, give it back!  Surrender it again, and again, and again, as many times as necessary.  Anything which causes a distance in the relationship of our love, obedience, trust and faith in the Father should be abandoned. 

As we celebrate this Resurrection season, release and give all to Him.  Jesus surrendered His life for us, as sinners.

All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

Refrain:
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

Joshua 24:15 “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Prayerfully, your sister in Him,

Robin

Where He Leads Me . . . . from "His Kindness Year Round"

I’m enjoying the reflection, the meditation in the Word, the prayer time spent this Lent season with the Lord. It’s amazing the knowledge we gain and understanding we receive when taking some of our busy time and focusing on God.  Ah, the Resurrection season is my favorite time of year!

I’ve had many old hymns upon my mind recently.  One hymn written by Ernest W. Blandy in the late 1800’s has these words as the refrain:

“Where He leads me I will follow;

Where He leads me I will follow;

Where He leads me I will follow;

I’ll go with Him, with Him, all the way.”

The song wasn’t written in the joyful sense of following Jesus through the flower gardens of life. Instead, if we glance at the four verses of the hymn, verse one implies when you hear your Savior calling, are you willing to “Take thy cross and follow, follow me.”?  Jesus is asking if you will go with Him, follow Him, through the joys and the trials.  Not one or the other, but both.  We can’t pick and choose what we will do for Him and what we won’t.

The second verse states “I’ll go with Him through the garden”, meaning the Garden of Gethsemane the evening He and a few disciples went to pray.  Will you go with Him?  If so, will you pray with Him, or fall asleep? 

Verse three affirms “I’ll go with Him through the judgment”.  This doesn’t refer to our judgment by Jesus, but the judgment He endured, His trial, before His crucifixion.  Would you go with Him through the judgment, or deny knowing Him?

As the refrain reiterates, “I’ll go with Him, with Him, all the way.”  I’ll go with Him through the garden; I’ll go with Him through the judgment.  “Where He leads me, I will follow, I’ll go with Him, with Him, all the way.”  Not only days we ‘feel’ like it.  Not only days in which we have nothing else to do.  Not only days He’s seeking something we think is easy or pleasurable.  But everyday.  Through it all.

And verse four – oh what a victorious few lines, “He will give me grace and glory, and go with me all the way”.  Shout it!  He is supernatural and will give us grace and glory and be with us all the time and all the way!

As we reflect this Resurrection season, remember Jesus came to this earth to teach us and save us, to sacrifice His life for us, to be our Lord and Savior! 

He wants us to follow Him through it all, giving us the promise of His grace and glory on earth and in Heaven.  But He wants us to follow Him, wherever He leads us.  Trust in Him, and follow.

Romans 8:14 “Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.”

Prayerfully, striving to follow Him, your sister,

Robin

Laughter . . . . from "His Kindness Year Round"

Laughter.  It’s a happy word.  And even happier when you’ve experienced it.

I had the opportunity to view the website of a female comedian.  I’ll rephrase that and elaborate; a charming, southern, North Carolina native (former Miss North Carolina) comedian who presents good, clean humor.  Wahoo – how often can you use those three words – good – clean – humor – in the same sentence! 

I sat back, listened and laughed!  I yearn for more laughter! 

On occasion, (at least weekly) I’ll ask someone or a group of people to say something or to do something to make me laugh.  It’s always a successful request.  Thank you for the laughs!

Sometimes the seriousness of day to day life in our world can be daunting.  As we accomplish other priorities in our busy schedules, take time to laugh.

Genesis 21:6 “Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

Proverbs 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”

Luke 6:21 “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”

Check out comedian Jeanne Robertson at www.jeannerobertson.com and laugh!

(GOTTA listen to the one about bungee jumping!!! And sleeping in tubes!!!  And, etc.!!!)

Prayerfully, your sister in Him,

Robin