Tag: #obedience

OBEDIENCE GROWTH

It is encouraging to see how God recently provided me with another opportunity for growth. The best part is learning to walk in obedience and trusting God to provide what is needed to carry out His will. It is a testament to God’s power and the strength He provides to do things I never dreamed I could or would do. There is great freedom in it.

One January day, while running errands, I saw an email with the title “Guest Speaker” and a person’s name I did not know. Somehow I knew it was going to be a request for a speaking engagement, something that has been outside my comfort zone as an introverted writer. But my attitude was one of saying, “Okay, Lord. I know you are bringing this to me, so I will do it,” as I glanced quickly through the email. That attitude alone is progress for me! Continue reading “OBEDIENCE GROWTH”

RESURRECTION APPEARANCES

Hello, my fellow pilgrims!  Are you excited to see where our adventures on day 7 of our Holy Land pilgrimage will take us? I continue to pray the places and scriptures come alive so you personally experience the fifth gospel.  Try to take a few minutes to pause, think about, and answer the reflection questions you will find along the way. Enjoy today’s sights, my dear reader, as we will conclude our pilgrimage next week~

 

We ended last week with hearing Mary Magdalene, the first person who saw the Risen Christ, proclaim:

Come experience a couple more Risen Jesus sightings.

 

Our first stop today is to the Church of the Resurrection in Abu Ghosh, one of four possible sites believed to have been referenced in the Bible story of “On the Road to Emmaus.” The exact location became lost in the early Christian era and was made more difficult from conflicting distance calculations mentioned in Luke’s gospel. This is a 12th century, echo-like sounding church that has wall and ceiling paintings (frescoes) remaining from the Crusaders. Notice that there are no faces on the people in the paintings. The Muslims who took over the region had a strict rule of depicting no images of humans in their art. It was seen as a violation of the commandment to not make any graven images. Continue reading “RESURRECTION APPEARANCES”

SACRIFICE

Does it seem like your faith, trust, and love of God are tested almost daily?  How well do you fare in obedience to the Lord?  God provides a great example for us in the man Abraham.  It is powerful to see how Abraham’s obedience foreshadows Jesus’ obedience to God in one particular story.

 

Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.  “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”  “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”  –Genesis 22:1-2  (NLT) 

Abraham and Sarah were barren and childless until they were in their 90’s, way past childbearing years, when God blessed them with the gift of Isaac.  After waiting so long for a child, imagine you hear God say to offer that child as a burnt offering to the Lord. Would you be obedient? Continue reading “SACRIFICE”

AGONY OF SUFFERING

Does it bring you comfort to realize Mary, the mother of Jesus, understands what it is like to watch a loved one suffer and endure trials in this life?  Her heart must have broken seeing Jesus beaten, scourged, and left to die hanging on a cross.   Mary watched first-hand the agony of suffering Jesus endured for your sins and mine.

In thinking about Mary, it brought to mind many I know who are experiencing the agony of suffering with their children.  They are watching them deal with cancer treatments, mental illness, making life choices, and heart issues at a young age.  We all have those we know dealing with the agony of suffering. Continue reading “AGONY OF SUFFERING”

SAYING YES

How often does God call us to step out in faith in our Christian ministry, to say yes to further His kingdom?

How often are we obedient to those little promptings the Holy Spirit gives us?

How willing are you to challenge yourself, doing something out of your comfort zone, to say yes to a new adventure in your faith journey or ministry?

 

I was reflecting on these questions because of two occurrences this past week.  One was my book launch where I shared about the making of God’s Presence Illuminated:  Treasured Thoughts to Inspire Hope and Light, and the other was from a Bible study on the book of Jonah. Continue reading “SAYING YES”

OBEDIENCE

Jesus chose to model the ultimate act of obedience to God, His Father, for YOU… And me!!

Isn’t that a powerful thought to reflect on especially as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter in the coming week? Continue reading “OBEDIENCE”