Holy Week: Jesus Did It For You!

Think on this...

And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. Matthew 27:29-50


Jesus did that for you!

It's Holy Week: Obedient Unto Death

Today, let's look at what happened when the men came to arrest Jesus.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.

And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place:

for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.

Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees,

cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.

Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him,

went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?

They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he.

And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.

 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye?

And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he:

 if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:

That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake,

Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it,

and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear.

The servant's name was Malchus.

Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath:

the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,

And led him away...

John 18:1-13a

Jesus remained obedient in what the Lord had ordained for Him to do. Just moments before this passage happened, Jesus had been praying asking God if it was really His will for Jesus to die. When Jesus knew that there was no other way, He chose to be obedient to the Lord's will.

He went forward and asked the crowd who they were looking for. Jesus did not try to hide or be deceitful. He boldly went forward in the path God had laid out for Him. Even when Peter tried to fight back, Jesus chose to willingly give Himself up in order to obey the Father.

What has God asked you to do that you are struggling with? Remembering Jesus' great sacrifice, is what God asking you really too much for you? Jesus was obedient to lay down His life, and He was blessed to be exalted higher than all. What blessings are you holding back because of your disobedience?

Check It Out!

Hey Everyone!

My blog entry for EmpowerMoments was posted today.

I talked about Peninnah and taming the tongue.

Don't know who she is? What to find out more?

Click here to read the post!

Wednesday's Word: Do You Love Him?

Today's Word looks at some of the last teachings of Jesus before He went to the cross.

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

"I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.

“I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me,

so that the world will know that I love the Father.

John 14:23-30a (NLT)

 

A couple of questions after reading this:

 

- From Jesus' words, do you really love Him?

- Are you following the teaching of the Holy Spirit?

- Have you embraced your gift of true peace?

 

Let these words ring in your spirit as you go about your day today. Think about your walk with Christ and whether it reflects what He has spoken in this passage.

Holy Week: Servanthood

In continuation of our reflection of the events leading up to Jesus' crucifixion, let's look at a moment from His Passover meal with the disciples:

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

John 13:3-17

Here, we learn that accepting Jesus as our Lord and Teacher, we are to follow the example that He set for us. Jesus was willing to perform the lowliest act of servanthood for His disciples. He got on His hands and knees, picked up their dirty feet, and washed them.

If our God can do such a thing for us, how much more should we be willing to serve those around us? Meditate on this word as you go about your day today. Ask the Lord to create in you a servant's heart. Be willing to serve those around you allowing Christ's example to be your guide.

It's Holy Week!

Yesterday was the beginning of Holy Week in the body of Christ. We are now remembering week leading up to Christ's death on the cross. It is a time for us to remember His great sacrifice. It's a time to remember the great love that purchased our salvation.

So, this week, I want to focus on God's Word concerning Christ's sacrifice. Today, let's look at Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem:

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the king of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;

see, your king is coming,

seated on a donkey’s colt.” 

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign,

went out to meet him.

John 12:12-18

I am always amazed at how from Jesus' birth to His death, His life consistently fulfilled the prophecies in the scriptures. Even a verse speaking of the Messiah arriving on a colt - not a noble steed - came to pass. Here, Jesus is greeted by the people as a king. He is praised and exalted as the king of Israel.   I also find it interesting that those who witnessed Lazarus' resurrection were the ones passing the word that Jesus was in town. Imagine them saying, "The one who can even overcome death is coming into town!"   Not many days later, Jesus would show what overcoming death really looked like.

Thanksgiving Friday!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Rejoice in The Lord always, and again I say rejoice!

Today I'm thankful for the word of the Lord. I'm away at a conference being blessed immensely. God is teaching us about the mind, and I'm soaking it up! I love learning new things about God. Thank you, Father, for revelation!

I'm also thankful for God's healing power. I'm standing believing God for healing for one of my friends. He is still healing people today! Thank you, Lord, for health and wholeness!

What has God blessed you in this week? What's your current testimony? Give The Lord a praise!