GOOD Friday

It is finished! 
John 19:30

Hark! the voice of love and mercy
   Sounds aloud from Calvary;
See! It rends the rocks asunder,
   Shakes the earth, and veils the sky:
      'It is finished!'
Hear the dying Savior cry.
  
'It is finished!' What assurance
   Do the wondrous words afford!
Heavenly blessings without measure
   Flow to us from Christ the Lord:
      'It is finished!'
Saints the dying words record!

Finished all the types and shadows
   Of the ceremonial law,
Finished all that God had promised;
   Death and hell no more shall awe:
       'It is finished!'
Saints, from hence your comfort draw.

Saints and angels shout His praises,
   His great finished work proclaim;
All on earth and all in heaven
   Join to bless Immanuel's name:
        Hallelujah!
Endless glory to the Lamb!
                         Jonathan Evans   1748-1809

If we be dead with Christ, we believe that we 
shall also live with Him. Romans 6:8

       

       

Beholding Him

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of 
the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face 
beholding as in a glass (a mirror) the  glory of the 
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to 
glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18

Reader, there is so much emphasis on works these days
within the church. We are so busy going from one thing
to another that there is not time to sit before Him with
His Word and ponder to Whom we belong. In chapter
three of Corinthians Paul shares how Moses put a veil
over his face so the people did not see the glory fading.
The law is unable to keep anything. As we wait upon
Him in the secret place, abide in His presence, we are
changed into His image from glory to glory. Then we
can go forth and do His work in His power.

Ask Of Me

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, 
ask whatever you will, and it will be given you. 
John 15:7

Reader, I have always had trouble with this verse. Here
are some comments that I found helpful.

In creation God acts sovereignly and alone. But in the 
unfolding of HIs redemptive purposes, He wills it other-
wise. He chooses to unite with Himself human instru-
ments and share with them the excitement of creativity. 
The incarnation is part of the working out of this plan.

In sending His Son to become a man, God revealed in 
a new way His purpose to limit Himself to working in 
and through a relationship with man. The vital, indis-
pensable part of this working relationship is prayer. 
God communicated His will to the Son in the intensive 
exercise of prayer that occupied so many of our Lord's 
nights in desert places.

This brings us to the basic divine principle in prayer--
that God unites His people with Himself in whatever He 
wants to do, first leading them to pray and then giving 
the thing for which He burdened them to pray.

The same principle is taught by the Lord Jesus in His
Upper Room discourse under the symbolism of the vine 
and the branches. Abiding in Him is the condition He 
established for our asking and His acting. What had 
been set up.  Arthur Matthews

You see, reader, it all comes back to one word, "abiding."
Jesus says, "without Him, we can do nothing." I wonder
if when we are judged at the Judgement Seat of Christ,
it will be for what Jesus has done through us, His power
not ours?
It is always about Him.
The judgement is not for sins because those have been
paid for.

His Glorious Indwelling!!!!

We Are Clueless

But as it is written:
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. 
I Corinthians 2:9

Dear Reader, so many confusing things are going
on in our world today--much of the turmoil is
clearly predicted in God's Word in Daniel, Eze-
kiel, Zechariah, Isaiah, to name a few books in
the Old Testament. However, the storms that
blow affect many of us personally. Sometimes
the pressure hardly lifts from day to day. Psalm
90 written by Moses near the end of his life con-
tains these words:

"We finish our years like a sigh...
The days of our lives are seventy years; and if 
by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it 
is soon cut off, and we fly away..."

Dear one, take heart and look at what God has
promised us:

And God will wipe away every tear from their 
eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow,
nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for 
the former things have passed away. Then He
said, "Behold, I make all things new..."
Revelation 21:4, 5

We Rejoice in Hope

...we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have gained access by
faith into this grace in which we now stand...
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1, 2

Every Christian is justified by faith and has peace
with God--therefore he rejoices in hope of the glory
of God. It simply cannot be otherwise. It is true of
you, too. Since Christ has justified you for time and
eternity, since He has established peace between you
and God for time and eternity, then He will also give
you the glory of God when in due time He presents
you with all His own, having neither spot, nor wrin-
kle, nor any such thing. You may look forward to
this day with joyful expectation.  Paol Madsen

Reader, All is due to Christ alone. This is how Paul
knows that the Romans also, though personally un-
known to him, could rejoice in hope of the glory of
God.
REJOICE!  His coming in glory is closer than what
we can comprehend...

Consider it Pure Joy!

Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, re-
joice! Philippians 4:4

It is a good thing to 'rejoice in the Lord.' Perhaps
you have tried it but seemed to fail at first. Don't
give it a second thought, and forge ahead. Even
when you cannot feel any joy, there is no spring
to your step, nor any comfort or encouragement
in your life, continue to rejoice and 'consider it
pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds,' 
( James 1:2) regard it as joy, delight in it, and God 
will reward your faith. His Holy Spirit will sustain 
you in your bold advance and fill your heart with 
gladness and praise. You will find that your heart 
is exhilarated and refreshed by the fullness within.  
Selected

Be filled with the Spirit...Sing and make music in 
your heart to the Lord. Ephesians 5:18-19

Let us sing even when we don't feel like it, for in this 
way we give wings to heavy feet and turn weariness 
into strength. John Henry Jowett

Reader, do you know that you can sing before the
Lord with tears streaming down your face? Yes,
you can!

A Red Flag

Kept by the power of God. 1Peter 1:5

You have remained true to God under great and in-
tense trials, now beware of the undercurrent. Do not 
be morbidly introspective, looking forward with 
dread, but keep alert; keep your memory  bright be-
fore God. Unguarded strength is double weakness be-
cause that is where the "retired sphere of the leasts"
saps. The Bible characters fell on their strong points,
never on their weak ones. Oswald Chambers

Reader, We let God handle the big problems but we
want to handle the small stuff ourselves. We cannot 
live out the Christian life in victory if we are discon-
nected from the vine. Have you ever said, "Not to
worry, I've got this?" Well, for the Christian it is a
red flag!

Readiness

God called to him...And he said, 'Here am I.'
Exodus 3:4.

Be ready for the sudden surprise visits of God. 
A ready person never needs to get ready--he is 
ready. The burning bush is a symbol of every-
thing that surrounds the person who is ready, 
and it is on fire with the presence of God Him-
self. Oswald Chambers

Reader, we are told to be ready when the call
of God comes to depart this earth where we
will meet our Savior and be forever with the
Lord. All signs point to our leaving soon. I
see in scripture that we are to be alert for His
coming and ready to leave at any moment.
You don't have to pack a bag, but it might be
wise to be reconciled to each person as much
as in your ability, and to forgive.

"Now when these things begin to happen, 
look up and lift up your heads, 
because your redemption draws near."  
Luke 21:28

Check out 'what things' Jesus is speaking about
in that Luke 21.

Do You Love Me?

Breakfast is over and Peter walks with Jesus by the
sea. They talk. You have read the conversation but
probably you have not understood that the word in
Greek for 'love' is not what we translate as love in
English. Here is what Peter heard.

...Oh Simon Peter, son of Jonas, are you Loving
(Agapeo, pure unselfish love) Me greater than
these? He said to Him emphatically Yes, Lord,
You Know that I affectionately love (phileo, bro-
theraly love) You. He said to Him, You must feed
my lambs.

He said to him, again, the second time. Oh Simon
Jonas, are you Loving (agapeo) Me. He said em-
phatically Yes, Oh Lord, You know that I affection-
lately love (phileo) You. He said to him, You must
shepherd My sheep.

He said to him a third time, Oh Simon Peter, do 
you affectionately love (phileo) Me? Peter was 
made grieved, because He spoke to him a third 
time, are you affectionately loving (phileo) Me? 
So then he spoke to Him, Oh Lord, you know all 
things. You know that I affectionately love (phileo) 
You. Jesus said, Feed My sheep. John 21:15-17 
From the Greek translation, The Pure Word.

Reader, only God can love with pure unselfish love.
The pain in Peter for his denial of his Lord was
great and when Jesus asked Him to go for a walk
with Him, his heart sank--at least most of us are in
fear after such failure. Peter was totally incapable
of using the agape word in response to Jesus' ques-
tion. It is interesting to me that Jesus came down to
Peter's level in the third question. Denial is such a
terrible thing, but Agape Love Itself, covers and
blots out that which we cannot move. Peter was
given the opportunity to affirm his love for Jesus
three times which matched the three times that he
denied his Lord.

You, dear reader, are loved with pure, unselfish love
just as Peter was. It is only His agape Love within
that is able to love, agapeo, others unselfishly. 

Breakfast

But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood
on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it
was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, "Children,
have you any food?" They answered Him, "No."
And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right 
side of the boat, and you will find some."So they 
cast, and now they were not able to draw it in be-
cause of the multitude of fish. Therefore that dis-
ciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the 
Lord!" 
Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, 
he put on his outer garment and plunged into the 
sea.  John 21:4-7

This scene takes place after the resurrection. The dis-
ciples had seen Jesus a few times and He told them He
would meet them in Galilee. So, off they went, still in
shock over the crucifixion and unsure of anything, es-
pecially the future. Peter was weighed down by his de-
denial and so... they went fishing.
Now when Peter heard that it was the Lord...He 
plunged into the sea. 
This discouraged faint hearted man LOVED His Lord.
He couldn't wait to be with him. However, don't you
think that when He arrived he was speechless? Guess
what the resurrected Jesus was doing?  He was making
breakfast! A warm fire, a hot breakfast on a cold morn-
ing by the sea. So ordinary, so everyday. No trumpets,
no choirs, no pomp--just friends gathered together for
a simple meal.

Reader, this chapter of John moves me almost to tears
every time I read it. The King of Kings, the Creator
of the universe, the resurrected One, is fixing breakfast
on the shores of Galilee where it had all started three
years ago. There is so much in this passage so take
time to ponder it in this glorious resurrection time of
year!

Insights in the Light

While ye have light, believe in the light
John 12:36

We all have moments when we feel better than
our best, and we say--"I feel fit for anything; if 
only I could be like this always." Those mo-
mets are moments of insight which we have to 
live up to when we don't feel like it. We must
bring our commonplace life up to the standard
revealed in the high hour. 

Never allow a feeling which was stirred in you
in the high hour to evaporate. Act immediately,
do something, if only because you would rather
not do it. We have to learn to live in the grey 
day according to what we saw on the mount.
Oswald Chambers

Reader, this blog is an example. After the first
four months I decided I had had enough and I
quit. It soon became apparent that this project
was not my idea. In the grey days I have to go
back to the moment when it was clear that this
was God's plan--not mine. I have been blogging
for six years...

Failure to Pay Attention

But the high places were not taken away out of
Israel; nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect
all his days.  2 Chronicles 15:17

Asa was complete in his external obedience; he was
right in the main but not entirely right. The fact that
it does not matter much to you may mean that it mat-
ters very much to God... Is there something over 
which you have not obeyed? Is there anything in 
your life about which He has caused you to doubt?
Whenever there is doubt, quit immediately, no mat-
ted what it is. Nothing is a mere detail.
Oswald Chambers

Reader, is there anything that God is nagging you
about? Many years ago I got hooked on a "Christian"
Soap Opera. I planned my day around each episode.
There was a check in my spirit but I was stuck and
continued. I went on a retreat with a dear friend who
asked me a question. "Jane, is there anything in your
life that God wants out?' In the silence and stillness
and the darkness of the cabin, I felt a physical pres-
sure on my body. God pinned me down. I quit.

The Living Bible

Today I opened the Living Bible and read through
Isaiah 53 which was written 700 years before the
birth of Jesus Christ.

...how few believe it!
Who will listen?
To whom will God reveal his saving power?

In God's eyes he was like a tender green shoot, sprout-
ing from a root in dry and sterile ground. but in our 
eyes there was no attractiveness at all, nothing to make 
us want him. We despised him and rejected him--a man 
of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned 
our backs on him and looked the other way when he 
passed by. He was despised and we didn't care.

Yet it was our grief he bore, our sorrows that weighed 
him down. And we thought his troubles were a punish-
meant from God for his own sins! 
But he was wounded and bruised for our sins. 
He was chastised that we might have peace; 
He was lashed--and we were healed! 
We are the ones who strayed like sheep! 
We, who left God's path to follow our own. 
Yet God laid on him the guilt and sins of every one 
of us...   

And when he sees all that is accomplished by the an-
guish of his soul, he shall be satisfied; and because of 
what he has experienced, my righteous Servant shall 
make many to be counted righteous before God, for he 
shall bear all their sins. Therefore I will give him the 
honors of one who is mighty and great, because he 
poured out his soul unto death. He was counted as a 
sinner, and he bore the sins of many, and he pled with 
God for sinners. Isaiah 53: 1-6; 11,12

Reader, we commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection
of our Lord in just two weeks. It is not too soon to ponder
what our precious Savior did for us when He went to the
cross and became sin for us.

My Part #4

You may wonder, "I believe God loves me but what is my 
part in all of it?"

Here is your answer:

"The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of 

temptations and to reserve the unjust under pun-

ishment for the day of judgement." 2 Peter 2:9

The Lord knows your struggle. He is touched with the 
feelings of your infirmity. To you it looks hopeless--
but God knows exactly when and how he will deliver 
you. Thank God, he didn't leave it up to us! Our part 
is simply to acknowledge that our own efforts are use-
less. We must submit to the Spirit of Christ in us--to 
call upon him in trust, crying out, "Lord, I can't do it, 
but you can. I turn it all over to you."

I want to give you one of the most important passages 
in all the Bible. It concerns this necessity of trusting 
God's love as a means to being delivered.

Behold what manner of love the Father has be-
stowed upon us, that we should be called children 
of God! Therefore the world does not know us, 
because it did not know him. Beloved, now we are 
the children of God; and it has not yet been re-
vealed what we shall be, but we know that when 
he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall 
see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope 
purifies himself, just as He is pure.  (1 John 3:1-3) 

Jesus has the power to purify us. And that power is a-
vailable to us only as we rest in knowing we are chil-
dren of God--that He loves us. You may have spent 
weeks, months, years doing battle for your sin. You 
may have gritted your teeth and promised both God 
and yourself, "I will beat this thing. I will win!" NO! 
Talk to your Father today. Take a look at that life-
sucking habit that holds you, and let faith pour out 
of your heart: "Oh, Lord, my powerful Savior, I know 
you love me. And you have all the power I need. I am 
weak, helpless. But I trust in your power to cast out 
this evil thing. Lord, I need a miracle of deliverance. 
You are going to set me free!"

Then listen for him to speak. When he speaks to you, 
the inevitable result is always peace. Claim your mir-
acle--by the hearing of faith, not by the power of the 
flesh. Your Father loves you. Now love Him back as 
a son or daughter. Amen! David Wilkerson

David Wilkerson wrote The Cross and the Switchblade

many years ago. It is the story of a young preacher
boy that God sent to NYC to preach to the gangs. He
was a country hick and only God could have used him
to minister to and bring to salvation these hardened
teens. He started a ministry called, 'Teen Challenge,'
where many have found Christ, gotten off of drugs and
stayed out of prison. 

Reader, this is the end of the series. If you are just read-
ing the fourth one, go back to #1 and see what you have 

missed. David's message is life changing, because our
God changes our lives--only some Christians don't know
it! Many walk in failure and guilt. I am reminded as I
write these blogs, of God's great power on my behalf.

Here is a brief bio of David Wilkerson
https://worldchallenge.org/david-wilkerson

Power Through Love #3

The greatest release of power and faith possible
is to be totally convinced God loves you.

In all things we are more than conquerors 
through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37

In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor 
uncircumcision avails anything, but faith 
working through love.  Gal 5:6

In these two verses, Paul connects our victory
with God's love for us. Indeed, this whole
concept of sanctification is all about love.

Paul says the life of Christ was released in
him through a faith that worked by love:
I have been crucified with Christ; 
it is no longer I who live, 
but Christ lives in me; 
and the life which I now live by the faith 
of the Son of God, who loved me and gave 
Himself for me.  Galatians 2:20 (Darby)

Paul also says this:
God loved you even when you were 
dead in sins. 
And now that you trust his love, 
he gives you resurrection power. 
But God, 
who is rich in mercy, 
because of His great love with which He
loved us, 
even when we were dead in trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ. 
Eph 2:4,5
David Wilkerson
worldchallenge.org--get the whole paper!

Reader, if we could but grasp the unconditional
love of God, the word, "why" would disappear
from our vocabulary.

We see through a glass darkly, 
but then face to face. 1 Cor 13:12

My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is perfected in weakness.
2 Cor 12:9

He Lives Within #2

Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is
in you?  (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Jesus is the only victor over sin, flesh and the devil.
And God sends forth the Spirit of this mighty warrior
to be our sanctifier.  Do you think God would justify
us but then leave us totally powerless against the prin-
cipalities and the powers of darkness? Do you think 
he says to us, "I consider your righteous by your faith 
in the accomplished work of my Son, Now, go--resist 
sin and fight the devil as best you can. I'll give you cre-
dit for good effort?" No, never!

Christ did not do battle with the devil, defeat him, re-
turn to the Father and then quit on us. He did not 
merely say, "I did my part. Now, you do yours." No,
our blessed Savior ascended to heaven with a blood-
stained banner of total victory over all the power of
the enemy. His spirit empowers us in all battles with
the flesh and the devil. "Now to him who is able to
do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask 
or think, according to the power that works in us. 
(Ephesians 3:20.)

We reign in life only when we allow the Spirit of Christ
to live his life in and through us. "For if you live ac-
cording to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit 
you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
(Rom 8:13) All power over sin, flesh and the devil lies
in the indwelling Spirit of Christ: 
"That he would grant you, according to his riches 
in glory, to be strengthened with might through his 
Spirit in the inner man."  (Eph 3:16)
David Wilkerson
worldchallenge.org

Reader, ponder these scriptures--and then rest in the
finished work of the cross!

The Gift of Righteousness #1

For if by the one man's offense death reigned 
through one, much more those who receive 
abundance of grace and the of the gift of 
righteousness will reign through the One, 
Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:17

Sanctification is the Spirit of Christ in us...Plainly
stated: God has already made us 'just' (or right) in 
His eyes, and that is a wonderful holiness. But now 
He is bringing this holiness down to our practical 
lives. This is the work of the Spirit of Christ in us--
to conform us to what God already sees us to be.

In the verse above, the Greek word for 'reign' means
'to rule from a foundation of power.' When Paul talks
about 'reigning in life,' he's talking about having ru-
ling power over sin--not just in heaven but in this life.
We are to reign over every demonic power, every lust,
every principality that comes against us. That is true
sanctification.

Yet another powerful truth is contained in this verse:
'Those who receive abundance of grace and the 
gift of righteousness'. Here Paul called righteousness 
a gift. It is something given to you, put in your posses-
sion--something you can feel and touch. 
David Wilkerson
worldchallenge.org

Reader, we recently received a newsletter from the
Pulpit Series put out by Gary Wilkerson. It is so full
of truth that I want to share it with you bit by bit.
Through Jesus Christ we are given an ABUNDANCE
OF GRACE and the GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!
WOW!

Forgetting What is Behind

...One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and 
straining toward what is ahead, I press toward 
the goal to win the prize for which God has called 
me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:13-14

It is never wise to live in the past. There are, indeed,
some uses of our past which are helpful, which bring
blessing. We should remember past mercies, that we
may have confidence in new needs or trials in the
future. We should remember past comforts, that there
may be stars in our sky when night comes again. 

But while there are these true uses of memory, we 
should guard against living in the past. We should 
draw out our life's inspirations not from memory, but 
from hope; not from what is gone, but from what is yet 
to come. Forgetting the things which are behind, we 
should reach forward to those things which are before.

Reader, to live in the past is to, perhaps, lose hope for
the future. Jesus said He could "do nothing because of
their unbelief. " It is especially difficult when one faces
loss. We become grounded, turkeys instead of eagles.
Our eyes should be on the goal...to win the prize for
which God has called me heavenward. Paul wrote
these words from prison while facing death. 

Wonder

For God so loved the world, that he gave His only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life.  
John 3:16

Tell me what it means to perish, and enable me to
grasp the thought of a life that is eternal. Measure
for me the abyss of man's wickedness and guilt dur-
ing all the ages of his black and hateful history, that 
I may realize in some degree what that world is 
which God loved. Then, pausing for a moment in 
wonder at the thought that such a world could be 
loved at all, hasten on to speak of love that gave the 
Son. And when you have enabled me to know this 
love which cannot be known, for it passes knowledge, 
press on still and tell me of the sacrifice by which it 
has measured and proved itself--His Son, His Only-
begotten Son. 

And when you have achieved this, I turn again to the 
words of Christ, and I read that it was GOD who so 
loved the world, and I crave to know Who and What 
God is. When I come to know that it was GOD who 
loved, that GOD was the giver, and GOD's Son the 
gift, I stand as a wondering worshipper in the pre-
sence of the Infinite, and confess that such knowledge 
is too high for me.     Sir Robert Anderson

Reader, John 3:16 is one of the first verses learned in
childhood. But it is not a verse for children, but for the
one who desires to press into the God who loved the
Cosmos, Satan's world, so much that He gave His all.
One thing is missing in the Christian world today:
WONDER. We can be so glib, thoughtless even, when
it comes to the Holy things of the Spirit.

He Sees; He Knows; He Cares

Your heavenly Father knows.
Matthew 6:32

A visitor at a school for the deaf was writing ques-
tions on the board for the children. Soon he wrote:
"Why has God made me able to hear and speak,
and made you deaf?"

The shocking sentence hit the children like a cruel
slap on the face. They sat paralyzed, pondering the
dreadful word, "why?" And then a little girl arose.

With her lip trembling and her eyes swimming with
tears, she walked straight to the board. Picking up 
the chalk, she wrote with a steady hand these pre-
cious words."Yes, Father, for this was your good 
pleasure." (Matt 11:26) What a reply! It reaches up 
and claims an eternal truth upon which the most ma-
ture believer, and even the youngest child of God, 
may securely rest--the truth that God is your Father.

I still believe that a day of understanding will come 
for each of us, however far away it may be. We will 
understand as we see the tragedies that today darken 
and dampen the presence of heaven for us take their 
proper place in God's great plan--a plan so overwhel-
ming, magnificent and joyful, we will laugh with 
wonder and delight. Arthur Christopher Bacon

Reader, we prayed for the persecuted church today.
Every Believer must look at life from the perspective
of eternity--which is forever...

Whoever Serves Me

Whoever serves me must follow; and where I am,
my servant also will be. My Father will honor the
one who serves Me. John 12:26

Precious words! May they be engraved on our hearts,
forever. Then shall we be steady in our course, and
effective in our service. We shall not be distracted or
unhinged by the thoughts and opinions of men.

It may happen that we shall get very few to understand 
us or sympathize with us--few to approve or appreciate 
our work. It matters not. The Master knows all about it. 
C H Mackintosh

Reader, I get into trouble when I look for approval from
others! He will honor us, but it may not be until heaven.
I can wait...