Kissed by the Spirit

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NASB)

Everyone can relate to fiery trials at some time in our lives, since we were never promised an easy road to heaven. Instead, Peter tells us that faith is tested as gold is, which is purified through the fire of trials and tribulations. 

Faith that is totally reliant on Jesus, can withstand the intensity of the fire. I can think of several people and friends of faith, who have developed this resilient quality of “golden faith”, through the purifying fire that scripture speaks of. Many are the friends receiving this meditation today. 

I also recall a lady who lived for a few years in the Nursing facility, named Tawana. We used to talk and I remember her interesting life story. Her faith began with a close relationship with her grandmother.  Her grandfather was Bob Jeter, a professional athlete, who played football for both the Chicago Bears and Green Bay packers in the 60’s and 70’s. The foundation of Tawana’s faith was impacted most by her grandmother, Bob Jeter’s wife, who was still living at the age of 100. 

Tawana needed that foundation of faith since she encountered many fiery trials in her lifetime. 

When she was a young wife and mother, her husband stopped after work to have a drink with some friends at a local bar. A stranger walked into the bar that day, pulled out a gun and killed every single person in there. 

That event changed Tawana’s life in one day, as she became a widow, with a three year old boy, while pregnant with twins, who were due any day. The day after her husband’s funeral, Tawana gave birth to boy and a girl twins. The boy twin had a slight heart defect and spent a longer stay in the hospital, but eventually he came home healthy, thanks to many prayers. 

Tawana raised her three children as a single parent, with the help of God and her church family. She told me she could never have made it through those difficult years without her church who kept her lifted up in prayer. Her children never knew their earthly father, but Tawana made sure that they knew their heavenly one. 

Decades later, when her children were adults and caring for their own children, Tawana had a stroke. With physical therapy and the prayers of her friends and family, she recovered without major deficits, and gives God all the praise for her recovery. 

Some years after that, she began to have frequent headaches and was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which was found to be cancerous. 

After undergoing brain surgery and chemotherapy treatment, Tawana was sent to the Nursing Facility for rehabilitation, which is how I met her.

She is the most upbeat, cheerful person who knew everyone in that facility and everyone knew her. No one could imagine all the trials that such a pleasant lady had been through. Though she walks with short shuffling steps, her mind is sharp and her overall health is good. 

On Karaoke day at the Nursing home, she selected the song,

“Oh Happy Day,” and sang it like she was telling her own story of trust in God, who brought her through many fires, believing He will continue to do so.

Tawana’s prayers were answered, and her last check up found her to be cancer free. She was blessed to be discharged from the Nursing home, and go to an assisted living facility on the south side of Chicago, close to her children, her grandmother and grandchildren. 

I learned from Tawana, that total reliance on God, means He will carry us through even the most catastrophic events. When faith is purified, it shines through like polished gold, finding the hope to look for better days to come. The Lord helped Tawana find her better days, and He will do it for us as well. 

Lord, purify our faith to be like gold, making us resilient through all the fiery trials, and restore to us the joy of our salvation. Amen

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Matthew 24:14 (NIV)

Pastor Satish Kumar is the founder of Calvary Temple church, which is the second largest Protestant evangelical church in the world, following one in South Korea. Satish was raised a Hindu and converted to Christianity through a street preacher.

He went on to be educated in England, and was ordained in 2005, when he started a church in Hyderabad, India with only 25 people. 

Fifteen years later, his church has a membership of 400,000. On Sunday there are five Church services beginning at 6:00 am, but people start lining up at 4:30 am. 

Pastor Satish brings an authentic message of the gospel where Christianity has not always been warmly welcomed. Although he faces opposition at times, by radical antichristian groups, his church continues to grow. His sermons are inspiring messages of love, hope, and redemption, with an ongoing work to meet the needs of the community. He never compares, criticizes, or condemns other gods or religions, and his sermons draw people from all faiths.

Pastor Satish’s church uses their annual funds of $434,000 to provide meals for their community. His ministry also offers prayer and healing services, YouTube channels, a hospital, a Bible college, and they provide free funerals for all its members.

Those who attend any church service, swipe an access card each time they enter, so they can be kept in touch with. If anyone misses church, someone will call them to check if they are okay and need anything.

Here is one more amazing fact: Pastor Satish Kumar does not take a regular salary but relies on the church to provide for his family’s needs. No wonder he is respected by people from all religious backgrounds. 

Whatever denomination we are affiliated with, no one can deny that the fruit of the Spirit is manifested in Satish’s ministry. God is doing great things in many parts of the world, and this church ministry is nothing less than a phenomenal move of God.

The bible says that the gospel will be a testimony to all nations in the last days, and it’s happening in a big way in Asia, Africa and South Korea these days.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a message being brought through many Christian denominations, so that it can become a living testimony to all nations. 

Lord, help us to be your hands and feet in the world and to reflect your truth through love. Amen 

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

Galatians 6:2 (RSV)

I once set aside a day to visit my jeweler in Chicago, who sold us our wedding rings. He’s an honest, trustworthy businessman as well as a jewelry designer.

Since I retired in 2023, I intended to visit him one day to turn my wedding band into a cross, and wear it as a necklace, now that arthritis in my knuckles prevents wearing a ring.

About a year after Jon’s accident, after being settled in a Nursing facility, I finally set aside a day to visit the jeweler. His wife who works with him, was in the store that day and we started talking. After sharing my story about Jon’s accident, I learned that she and her husband lost their adult son in a fatal car accident years ago. That explained the large framed portrait of a smiling young man, hanging on the wall of their store. Her son was in his early twenties when he died. Then she leaned closer to whisper that her husband has not spoken about his death, ever since.

The two of us chatted in one corner of the store for a few minutes, sharing our burdens and the similar grief that we had in common, while her husband was  in the back room of the store. The silence about their son, must be hard on both of them after all these years.

After we shared our stories, I realized there is a strange comfort that comes through bearing each other’s burdens as scripture says to do. Two people can still share their grief in silence, but there is something liberating and therapeutic in talking about it.

God sends people to us who are suffering similar tragedies in order for us to share and bear it with them, which is a momentary healing balm for the soul. There is always someone going through a similar trial as ours, to bond and identify with, whether it’s about a medical problem, a divorce, loss of a loved one, the struggles of a caregiver or any other hardship.

There’s no doubt that God brings people together at the right time and place to comfort us in our distress, and infuse our faith with much needed stamina.  

There is a special blessing in the book of James for all those who suffer in some way but persevere:

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)

Lord, help us to always be ready to share and bear each other’s burdens, and give us strength to persevere as we devote our love and trust to you. Amen

“Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 

A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.”

Luke 10:30-33 (NIV)

Both the priest and the Levite in this story, walked on the other side of the road to avoid looking at the man who was beaten and robbed. It requires an attitude of indifference to ignore what is in plain sight and then walk away. 

There are different degrees of indifference, and not all involve a victim of a robbery or a beating. 

A survey once questioned 6,500 college students, to ask whether they believe in God or not. The vast majority answered the same way. “I’m not religious, but I’m spiritual.” That common response made me wonder why they couldn’t just answer with a straightforward “Yes, I believe in God”, or “No, I don’t.” 

To avoid giving a direct answer is just another way of showing indifference. In most cases, an indifferent response is usually not the best one. Indifferent attitudes led to many forms of human suffering throughout history, including slavery, poverty and genocide.

I caught myself being indifferent one day last week at the Nursing home. Many residents have mental health disorders of various kinds, and often display odd behaviors, like one lady who is wheel chair bound, and rolls through the facility every day. She might suddenly stop and approach someone, to loudly curse them out, for no reason, until a staff person comes to take her back to her room. 

I’m going to call her Carla, for privacy reasons. One day last week I brought treats to share with the residents that I know. Instead of carrying the treats in a plastic bag, I decided to use an Aldi shopping bag that day. For some reason, Carla was obsessed with that Aldi shopping bag, and she kept asking me for it. I told her that I needed the bag, but she wouldn’t stop asking. She never resorted to cursing, but I grew tired of her steady nagging, so I sat down at a table, with my back to her, until she finally left the room. 

In the moment of being annoyed by her, I thought of Carla as a stranger, not one of my group of regular friends. I felt no pity for her knowing how verbally unhinged she can become, so I chose to be indifferent to her. While driving home that day, I thought of the Good Samaritan story, and how he had pity on the wounded man. 

I began to feel sorry for ignoring Carla until she went away. I realized that I treated her in the same way that the priest and Levite treated the wounded man in that bible story. Anyone can look and see who the wounded ones are in their plain sight, but  choose to respond with pity or indifference. 

In my remorse, I stopped at Aldi on the way home, and bought another bag for myself, so that I could bring Carla the bag that she begged for. 

The next day, Carla rolled into the Day room in her wheelchair, and I walked over and handed her the Aldi bag. Her face lit up and she thanked me, asking, “How much do I owe you?” I told her “nothing.” She was so delighted to have a silly empty bag, and she carries it around with her, every day since. 

I wasn’t aware of my own attitude of indifference, because it’s so easy to avoid certain residents, who exhibit strange behaviors. 

Carla saw treasure in an Aldi bag, and it reminds me of the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Every human person is God’s treasure. The Good Samaritan reminds us that whether people are sick or healthy, every person among us is “one of our own.”

Lord, deliver us from indifference, and open our hearts to see every human person as one of our own. Amen

“Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

John 7:37-38 (NIV)

There were so many significant events in the Old and New Testaments which involved water, from Naaman, who was told to immerse himself seven times in the Jordan River, to be healed of leprosy, to the parting of the sea and freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. In every story about water, there is a mystery and a sign for us to learn from.

Jesus used water throughout His ministry, from His first introduction to the world at His water baptism, to His first miracle at a wedding, changing common water into the finest wine.

After that first miracle, Jesus walked along the coast of the Sea of Galilee, where He met three fishermen, Peter, James and John for the first time, choosing them to be His first and closest disciples.

Then Jesus spoke about living water to a woman who He met at a well, a place rarely visited by men, since mostly women and children gathered water in those days. Jesus purposely waited for that particular woman, since He knew her long before she ever met Him. 

Then there was the time He spoke to the storm, and calmed the wind, while He and His disciples were in a boat, tossed about on the rough stormy sea. 

He healed a paralyzed man who sat beside a pool of water, known for miraculous healing, waiting for someone to help him in the water. 

The list goes on with water, shown as an element associated with our faith. We know that all living beings need water to exist, but Jesus taught that we need His living water not just for this life, but for the life to come.

There is a reason that the first public miracle Jesus did was to transform common water into high quality wine. Salvation is all about transformation, a process that God is doing in each of us through everything we face in our life. We cannot change ourselves, but Jesus uses every opportunity in our lives to transform our hearts from the earthly nature of water to the heavenly nature of rich wine.

Jesus walks with us as He walked along the Sea of Galilee, the day He called His three friends, Peter, James and John.

He hung out at the well one day, in order to speak to one particular woman, and He comes into our lives to personally reveal that He knows us, and invites us to draw closer to Him. Someone once said, “If you were the only person in the world, Jesus would have come just for you.”

Water can also be frightening at times, when storms and winds toss our boat around, causing us to panic. Jesus showed us that He is with us in the boat and He speaks to the violent wind, saying, “Peace, be still.” He wants us to know that He is enough for us, despite any storm we go through.

The paralytic put all his hopes in the “magic healing pool”, waiting thirty eight years, until someone would put him in the water. Jesus healed him, by speaking to him, not through the pool of water, because He is not a magician, but  Lord of Heaven and earth. He heals those who are searching for love and wholeness in all the wrong places.

Jesus gives us His living water, proclaiming that we are chosen, healed, cleansed, delivered, transformed and filled with peace that is beyond all understanding.

Lord, we bring all of our thirst to the well of your living water, as you transform our hearts and minds, from simple water to heavenly wine, rich in faith, hope and love. Amen

“The Lord God will wipe away

the tears from all faces;

The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 25:8-9 (NAB)

This scripture always comes to my mind while watching the news when mass tragedies strike. I thought of it on 9/1/01 on the day the World Trade Center was attacked. I thought of Isaiah’s words again on October 7th, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israeli families, mass murdering civilians in their homes. 

Although 1200 Israelis were killed that day, there was a safe room inside their every home and apartment. A safe room is a fortified shelter with a strong steel door, sealed and impenetrable to chemical attack, fire, bullets and other dangers. 

Since the attack was unexpected, it was a total surprise, and many couldn’t make it into their safe rooms in time. The world watched in horror, helplessly, as news stories unfolded day after day. 

Whenever good news or a story of heroism happens, it’s a relief to hear and share it, since good news is so uncommon these days. There were stories of heroism on 911 and on Oct. 7th, but I remember one story in particular. 

On October 7th, an Israeli father and husband saw the terrorists approaching his home. He quickly gathered his family into their safe room. Then he called his father, who was a retired General in the Israeli special forces. His elderly father lived nearby and told his son to stay in the safe room, and he was on the way.

His father arrived quickly, was met by terrorists, but after a gunfight, was able to save his son and his family. Although the father was retired and elderly, he never forgot his skills and was able to protect his son and grandchildren that day. 

We also have a safe room to go to, when we need help. Daniel’s vision of Heaven shows God as the Ancient of Days, seated on a throne, and one like the Son of Man who stood near Him, who was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. Jesus, the Son of God is in union with His Father, and when we can call upon Him, He is sent by His Father to help us while we are in our safe room.

Our safe room is a metaphorical, spiritual place to shelter in, during the spiritual assaults of the enemy. When our faith is weak and put to test, we go to our safe room to rebuild our hope, faith and confidence in God. It’s not a physical room, it’s a state of mind that builds up our spirit, as we discern God’s truth from the lies or half truths that come at us. His word is the anchor of our faith, spoken by our Father, the Ancient of Days.

The news divides people instead of unifying them. It gives a partial or incomplete impression of a situation, to give us a negative perspective. Jews and Muslims in Israel are depicted as in constant conflict, but there has always been a peaceful coexistence between the Jewish population and the “Druze and Bedouin Muslims”, who have resided in Israel for decades. 

It is not compulsory for the Druze or Bedouin Muslims to serve in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) but they volunteer and their numbers have increased in the last few years. In spite of the distorted impression given, there always was unity between Muslims and Jews in Israel.

I would never have learned these facts from news reports, but my Jewish friend who lives in Israel, told me about many friendships between Muslims and Jews. He said that Israeli Muslims have lived and worked in unity with Jewish populations for decades. Some IDF officers are Muslim. I fact checked all this on line and it is true. 

Peace comes when we go to our safe room and rethink our perspectives based on the truth, instead of here say or redundant biased news reports. Our safe room is where we stop and remember God’s word and His truth, knowing that there is a remnant of faith filled good people everywhere in this world. We can renew our perspective in our safe room, behind the strong steel doors of God’s truth.

Jesus will physically return one day, but until then, His Spirit is with us in our safe room. He’s the One who will wipe away every tear and comfort those who suffer from the evil in the world. As we seek His truth to live in His peace, He stands beside His Father, the Ancient of Days, until the day He is sent in person to deliver us.

Lord, we call upon you, our ancient Father, hero and savior, while we wait in our safe room, behind the steel doors of your promises. Help us to seek peace until you return. Amen

Twin babies rescued on 10/7/23

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

There are a few miracle stories about George Washington, which  I never heard in grade school or high school. History records an incident in 1755, when George Washington and 86 of his men were caught in an ambush. After the battle, Washington was the only officer who was not shot down off his horse. The next day, he found four bullet holes in his jacket, yet not a single bullet permeated through his clothing to touch his body. He seemed to be protected by divine providence. 

Fifteen years later, an old Indian chief met Washington just to tell him that he personally shot at him seventeen different times, but without success. He told him that Washington was under special protection of the “Great Spirit.”

By the time the British occupation of America ended in 1783, it sadly came with a cost of over 25,000 lives. A peace agreement was finally signed with the thirteen colonies, creating the new born nation of the United States of America.

Washington was called to start a nation, and it was an irrevocable calling for our nation as well as for Washington. To be called by God doesn’t mean that someone is flawless. No person or countries are perfect. A nation, like a person, still has faults to overcome and growth to attain. 

Nations, government institutions and churches are all staffed by flawed human beings, since all have sinned and fall short of God’s standards. With God’s grace, every person and nation is going through a process of growth and transformation.

America has always had a legacy of being a place of refuge and liberty for those fleeing poverty or persecution, and with God’s grace, it will continue to be a refuge. The birth of a nation is like the birth of a human being, it is traumatizing, pain filled, yet at the same time, it is a new beginning with hope for all.

For 250 years, God put courage in the hearts of men and women who bravely stood against the mainstream to defend the freedoms that our nation represents. Some of those people lost their lives in the effort. 

To love a country is to be able to speak out against its flaws or errors of judgement, based on God’s truths which are self evident. The voice of the people make a difference in a nation’s progress. God isn’t finished with any of us yet, and He isn’t finished America either. 

The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (Roman’s 11:29) 

Whether it is a nation that is called into being or an individual who is called to stand for something, that calling is irrevocable and lasts forever.

Someone once said, “God doesn’t call the qualified, but He qualifies those He calls.” He shed His grace on this nation as well as on all of us. He qualifies us to follow Him as we are, and we do so with all of our flaws or weaknesses. 

His power is made perfect through our weakness, which is what grace is all about. 

Lord, thank you for shedding your grace and mercy upon us. We ask that you bless this nation with unity and justice for all. Amen

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ALL!

“Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are.”

John 17:11 (NAB)

Wherever there is unity, God is present, and where there is division, the devil is. John, the apostle who clung to Jesus, was with Him when He prayed a final prayer, before His arrest and forthcoming death. Jesus prayed that all who believe in Him would be one, just as He and His Father are one. He asked His Father to keep us one, in His name. Why was this prayer so important to Jesus, before leaving the world? 

It’s actually more important to be united in a common love and faith in Christ, than to win arguments and be right. Jesus knew in advance, all the divisions and disagreements among church denominations, political parties, and nations that would eventually develop. There are divisions in different areas, but Jesus prayed specifically for His church and the unity they should have in His name.

Knowing He was going to leave the world physically, and soon return to Heaven, Jesus prayed not only for His own generation, but for the future generations like us today. He knew then, just as we know from history, that unity would be a very rare commodity in the world. 

Throughout biblical history, God, the Father, seldom spoke audibly, but when He did, it is recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. They all wrote about the day a voice was audibly heard from the sky, when Jesus was baptized by His cousin, John. 

The voice of God said, 

“This is My beloved Son, listen to Him.” 

If there’s one thing that God considered worth speaking out loud about, it was to tell the world to listen to His Son. It’s probably the most important message that the Creator ever gave us.

So God, the Father, spoke His last audible words by pointing to Jesus, and Jesus prayed His last prayer on earth, asking that we would be united as one. To hear the Father, is to listen to Jesus, who prayed that we keep the bond of unity through His love and in His name.

We cannot do it without God’s help.  Jesus said that those who were forgiven much, will love much. The reason we are able to love at all, is because God first loved us. Once we know how much we are loved by God, He asks us to take the next step and  imitate that “love, which covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

Putting all differences aside, and resisting the divisions among church denominations or political opinions that divide us, we pursue what Jesus prayed for, to be one in a common love for Him. We forgive, resisting all the divisions of the devil, and pursue unity in Jesus’ name, which makes us one bright shining light in the world, to become the answer to Jesus’ last prayer. 

Lord, unify us in your love so that we may shine for you in this world and live according to your last and final prayer. Amen

“For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.”

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (RSV)

On the topic of momentary afflictions, I recently read a story about a man named Michael Mencer from New Jersey. As a boy he had vision problems and headaches that started around the age of seven. He was diagnosed with Juvenile Macular degeneration, a rare but incurable eye disease. His eyesight was 20/400, and he was never able to look straight ahead, because his eyes permanently deviated to the side. His mother prayed for him every day to be cured.

One day, when school was out, his 3rd grade teacher at the Catholic school he attended, handed him a prayer card and a memento coin as a token reminder that she was praying for him, and to encourage him to pray and trust God for healing. 

On the way home, Michael tried to read the words on the prayer card but it was too hard for him to read, with his flawed vision. While walking home from school, he glanced once more at the prayer card and suddenly, he could see and read it perfectly. 

When he came home, he walked directly to his mother and handed her the prayer card and the coin his teacher gave him. His mother noticed in that moment that his eyes looked different, and were not deviated to the side, but bright and sparkling as he looked directly at her. Michael was completely and miraculously healed that day. 

His mother took him to his ophthalmologist, who examined him and confirmed that his vision was 20/20. He sent him to other specialists, who examined him with his medical records, and they all agreed that he was cured, although it was medically unexplainable. 

Michael’s friends and family describe him as a quiet, caring, and humble man of faith, who didn’t complain about anything. At 30 years old, Michael was diagnosed with cancer. He never married, never had children, and was in and out of hospitals for the treatment of cancer, for the rest of his life. He passed away at 61 after complications from surgery.

As I read his story, I wondered why such a wonderful story of healing   would end a life at the age of 61, but his story didn’t end, because it is still talked about, inspiring people everywhere. It’s natural to ask why God did not heal Michael of his cancer, just as He healed his macular degeneration. It’s hard to find the answer but God’s thoughts are above our thoughts. Paul reminds us not to focus on the things that are seen but on the things that are unseen. 

Michael had 53 years to live his life with healed eyes and 20/20 vision. He was a humble witness of God’s love, kindness, and His power to heal today. He lived in contentment and humility, in spite of his cancer. His story of healing still touches many people, including the medical personnel who treated him.

Sometimes the rewards and blessings that God has for those who believe, are not just for this temporary life. Some rewards are waiting to be given on the other side of eternity. God always has a deeper purpose for us, in any trial we face in this life. We may never fully understand His ways, but He cares about every detail of our being. 

Paul said that “slight momentary afflictions prepare us for an eternal glory that is beyond comparison.” Paul refers to the troubles of this life as momentary, in comparison to eternity. 

True success is not measured by the rewards we are able to see, like longevity or prosperity in one’s life. Paul reminds us not keep looking at what is seen but to focus on things that are unseen, like the rewards to be received in eternity. It’s why Jesus told us to store up eternal treasures that can never be destroyed.

Lord, increase our faith to trust not only in what we see but what cannot be seen, and to store up treasures that will endure for eternity. Amen

“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.”

Acts 9: 17-18 (NIV)

Scripture has many examples of people who recognized Jesus, for the first time or in a new way as if for the first time. Paul was blinded while hearing Jesus speak to him on the road. When Ananias prayed for him, three days later, scales fell off his eyes and he could see physically as well as spiritually. He was converted and was baptized. 

The disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized Jesus after His resurrection, in the breaking of the bread. They were amazed and their hearts burned with passion while Jesus spoke to them. 

Thomas doubted that Jesus rose from the dead until Jesus appeared to him, telling him to feel the wounds in his hands and His side. Thomas felt and declared, “My Lord and my God!”

The very first person to enter Heaven, by listening to Jesus, was a criminal with a death sentence. The thief on the cross recognized Jesus as Lord simply by looking at Him and asking for mercy. 

It’s interesting that the thief never heard Jesus preach, never read the prophets’ writings, or even confessed his sins. He just knew that he was a sinner and Jesus was Lord. He asked for mercy and Jesus responded, telling him that he would be with Him in paradise. His scales came off while he was nailed to his cross. 

The woman caught in adultery recognized Jesus to be the embodiment of God’s compassion and mercy. He saved her from having her life cut short, and simply told her to go and sin no more. 

There will always be something that happens in our lives, that make the scales fall off our eyes helping us to see Jesus, as if for the first time.

I think my scales fell off when I was nineteen years old. I believed in God and Jesus as a child in Sunday school, but a lot happens between the age of six and nineteen. I never gave Jesus much thought during those years, but I know now, that He was pursuing me all along.

I was influenced by film media at the time, in my search for deeper meaning in life. A TV show that I watched, called Kung Fu, was about a loner type of man who seemed to find wisdom through eastern philosophy. I used to watch that show and literally take notes of all his quotes and wise sayings. 

Then I saw the movie, “Poseidon Adventure”, and the final scene where a minister gave his life to save the survivors of a sinking cruise ship, really impacted me. The Lord was starting to reveal Himself to me through these things, as I wondered to myself, who would ever give their life to save people ?

There was a spiritual hunger in my heart at that time, and the Lord saw it. He reached out to me through the timing of a few events and a book I was reading. The scales finally fell off my eyes one day, as I prayed in my living room. I felt the love of God flowing over me and for the first time in my life, I was overwhelmed by Jesus, His love, forgiveness, crucifixion and resurrection.

At nineteen, I made Him the Lord of my life which doesn’t mean I lived perfectly ever since. I made many bad decisions and was prone to wander, but Jesus kept running after me like a good Shepherd, who runs after the wandering sheep. My relationship with Him deepened over time and through every hardship, He kept drawing me closer. 

We all have moments in life of recognizing Jesus in a new way, as the scales fall off our eyes, like Paul, the disciples on the Emmaus road, Thomas, the thief on the cross, and the woman caught in adultery. It is in those moments that His grace overshadows us, and we recognize Jesus in a way we never have before.

Lord, draw us all closer to you, removing the scales from our eyes so that we may recognize you in any way that you choose to show yourself to us. Amen