Kissed by the Spirit

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:13-14 (RSV)

I have written before about the eclectic mix of clientele and people who are employed at a certain hair salon that I frequent every 7 weeks. My hairdresser, Rania, is also the owner of a salon which is a total melting pot consisting of Moslems, Orthodox Jews and Christians, most of whom were born somewhere outside of the United States. 

Rania is the kind of person who genuinely loves people and just radiates joy. She treats all people with utmost respect. She is a non religious Moslem, who was born in Jordan. I was surprised to learn that she no longer fasts for Ramadan, saying “fasting makes me too cranky.” Out of her family of four, only her 25 year old son observes the one month Ramadan fast. 

Every time I go to this salon, I am amazed at how they all get along, employees and customers from such different faiths, beliefs and backgrounds, yet all under one roof. They treat each other with a quality of respect, that is so rare in today’s world.

Yesterday, I got to talk to another hair stylist at the salon, whose name is Sylvana. She was born in Iraq, and calls herself Assyrian. She made sure I knew that all Assyrian people are Christians, a minority among the Moslem country of Iraq. Sylvana told me how her people as well as others, suffered under Sadam Hussein’s ruthless, oppressive regime. 

Her family like many others, desired freedom more than anything, and like many others, they planned to flee from Iraq. Sylvana’s family made the decision to leave one day in the early 2,000’s, when she was only eight years old. 

The day her family of four fled the country, they locked the front door of their home, with all of their life’s belongings inside the house. Taking nothing but a backpack on their back, her whole family walked away, leaving their homeland for good.

The family of four separated to avoid suspicion, and each parent took a child with them, as they headed for the border. They reunited later after immigrating to the US. She has been living in the Chicago suburbs since the early 2000’s. Sylvana openly tells her story in detail, and then she ends it by saying that her salvation and her freedom were a gift from her Lord Jesus Christ, to which I replied, “Amen.”

Her outspoken love for her faith amazed me, especially in a workplace surrounded by so many different faith beliefs. The beauty of it is that they all respect one another and work together in peace. That salon is like a small sample of how our world should and could also live and work together in unity and peace. 

One image that stays with me after talking to Sylvana is of her family taking the brave step of leaving all their belongings inside the home they loved, and walking away with nothing but a backpack, and all out of their desire for freedom. I believe most Americans could never imagine doing that, since we have lived with freedom all our lives, and freedom can easily be taken for granted. It leads to cherishing our material things more than our freedom. For those who have been denied freedom, no material things could be worth more than their actual freedom. 

Listening to a story like Sylvana’s and seeing the unity among the melting pot of faiths, all in one place, made me think about what I value most. The salon seems to be living out the words in today’s scripture, reminding us that we are called to freedom in order to serve one another, and fulfill all the laws of the Lord in one word, love. 

Lent is a time to focus on prayer and giving to help others, but most of all it’s a time to reassess what we are cherishing most in our lives. That salon taught me that when we cherish our freedom, we will desire to use that freedom to fulfill God’s will by loving our neighbors as ourself. Freedom gives us the power and opportunity to love. 

Someone once said that we look forward to a day when the power of love will replace the love of power in this world. 

Lord, in whatever we cherish most, help us to put it all in perspective according to Your will. Show us how best to use our freedom for your honor and glory. Amen 

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.”

Romans 5:3-5 (RSV)

When I was a child, my brothers and I were reminded that we were Spartans, especially whenever we skinned a knee or got hurt while playing. My father was from the  region of Greece, known as Sparta. The legendary Spartan warriors were known for being highly resistant to the hardships of war, cold, hunger, thirst or pain. Though it’s partly legend, Spartan children in 650 B.C. were actually trained from an early age to have high endurance to all types of hardships. 

The apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church told them to put on the full armor of God in order to stand firm in the faith. As Spartan soldiers used to strive for physical endurance, Christians strive for the endurance of faith. We stand firm in perseverance of our faith, even during hardship or pain. That makes us veteran survivors in a spiritual army of God. 

I once heard a true story of an 84 year old retired Navy seal, who was a widower living alone in Fort Meyers, Florida. During Hurricane Ian in 2022, the hurricane washed away his home as well as many others in his area. He survived by clinging to his leather sofa, using it as a lifeboat on the rushing waters. 

The 84 year old retired Navy Seal had a cardiac health condition, making the ordeal even more stressful. He was without food or water for 26 hours, floating on his leather sofa, until found by rescue teams. His strength to survive came from tapping into his many years as a Navy Seal, which kept him calm the whole time. 

When he was rescued after 26 hours, he was exhausted and dehydrated but after being checked out at a local hospital, he was discharged in good health.

His son later asked him if he was afraid while waiting to be rescued, and he said he was never afraid because he was trained for this. To the staff at the hospital he may have appeared as an average retired senior, with cardiac health issues, who narrowly escaped drowning, but his self identity was as a veteran Navy Seal, trained to survive rushing waters, hunger, thirst, cold or pain. 

This incredible true story was shared with me by a surgeon I worked with in 2022, because that 84 year old retired Navy Seal is his father. His story touched me because I learned a valuable lesson from it. His father said that endurance is what he was trained for. It was apparent that despite age and poor cardiac health, once a veteran of survival, always a veteran of survival. He is someone that my own father would have called a Spartan. 

I can apply the same idea to being veterans of spiritual survival of the faith, since we’ve all been trained through the many trials that tested our faith over time. We have learned to survive the deep flood waters of spiritual warfare, pain, hunger, thirst or cold. We have been through spiritual hurricanes that rushed in and overflowed our state of comfort and stability, yet we endured by  trusting God through every storm, which prepares us for the next one. 

We are trained veteran survivors of faith in Jesus Christ. When the flood waters rush in, we float on our lifeboat of hope and faith, until the rescue team of Heaven comes to our help. We may be spiritually dehydrated and weary when help arrives, but we have gained the most valuable of all virtues, endurance. 

Without endurance, no other virtue can be sustained without it. Faith, hope or love have little value if they do not “endure” the tests and trials of life.  Endurance, through tribulation, builds character and character brings hope, and we need renewed hope every day. Each one of us is the tested and trained spiritual version of a Navy Seal.

We are all led by the Master of endurance, who is Jesus, and He will always bring us through flood waters with renewed hope and perfect peace. 

Lord, thank you for the endurance that comes through the training of past trials, which leads to the  gain other virtues as well. Amen

LOOK BEHIND YOU

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

Psalm 23:6 (RSV)

In this meditation, I put the picture first, instead of last, because the look on this lamb’s face is worth a thousand words. He seems to be saying, Where is everybody?  Which way is home? Help, I’m lost!

He doesn’t know that his shepherd is right behind him, running to catch him before he wanders deeper into the woods. Goodness and mercy are running behind him, but he just hasn’t realized it yet. 

Just like that lamb, sometimes we are unaware that goodness and mercy is running behind us. There may be times when we feel lost in the woods. Whatever type of woods we are in, the deeper we go, the more we tend to convince ourselves that we are alone, and no one else knows what we are going through, but in reality, Jesus is right behind us.

I remember being lost in the woods when I was four years old. My relatives had a cabin in a wooded area, somewhere in Michigan, and they invited my family to come visit. Somehow I wandered away from the family cabin, and got lost in the woods. Some very kind people in a nearby cabin found me and took me in, and they kept me safe until they found my worried parents. 

We may not get lost in the physical woods, but we can feel the same isolation or loneliness, by being in a place that is far away from all that has been familiar to us. It might be a situation that removes every sense of stability, security or peace. It could be the woods of a deteriorating relationship or a financial burden, or maybe a health scare that leaves us in a dark place, filled with fear. 

We have all been in the woods of some kind, and we all fit the image of that bewildered lamb in the picture, who unknowingly has his good Shepherd running behind him. 

Goodness and mercy are more than a shift in our destiny, or the answers to our prayers. It’s more than a thing, it’s a person-it’s Jesus, our shepherd, who is good and merciful, and follows us all the days of our life. We have all been taught to follow Jesus, and we should, but there are times when He follows us, because that’s what Shepherds do for their sheep.

The Lord manifests His goodness and mercy in our lives, in different ways at different times. Sometimes, that goodness and mercy is revealed through others, like the kind people who took me into their cabin, when I was a helpless and lost four year old. 

Even when our faith weakens and we give up hope in moments of crisis, His goodness and mercy still follows us in the dark, wooded trials of our lives, assuring us that He is right there.

Paul wrote “The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) 

Paul was imprisoned when he wrote those words and didn’t know if he would be freed from prison or put to death, but one thing he knew for sure-that Jesus was with him. Jesus is also with us, following us all of our days, if we only look behind.

Lord, whatever we go through, help us to trust that you are always running behind us with goodness and mercy, all the days of our lives. 

Amen

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”

Isaiah 49:15-16 (NIV)

When Isaiah wrote this around 701 B.C., the Israelites were at a critical point in their history, of being taken captive by the brutal Assyrian Empire. All their hopes were shattered, but Isaiah, the prophet inspired by the Holy Spirit, stepped up to speak these memorable words to His people. God reassured them to keep hoping in Him, because His love for us is more enduring than the love of a mother. Then Isaiah said that the Lord has engraved His people in the palms of His hands. 

First, He compares His love to the tenderest of all images, a nursing mother. Then He says that He has engraved His people in the palms of His hands. These are images that emanate from the heart of God, in order to touch our hearts. The Lord wants His people, all who believe in Him, to know that He will never forget us because we are engraved in His hands.

To engrave, pierce or cut into one’s hand seems like a strange way to express love, but when we visualize engraved palms today, we can’t help but think of Jesus and the nails that engraved or pierced the palms of His hands. I wonder if the prophet Isaiah was prophetically hinting of the crucifixion of Jesus, 700 years before He ever entered the world.

An engraving also correlates to a covenant. People have wedding bands and lockets engraved to symbolize a covenant of love. God engraved His commandments into stone tablets, as a covenant between Him and His people, but He went a step further with the new covenant, which was also an engraving. Instead of engraving wedding bands or stone tablets, the engraving was in the body of His son. 

Jesus came to the world with a human body, in whom God could make that scripture in Isaiah, a tangible reality. With His human hands, Jesus touched, gave comfort to and expressed His love to others. He hugged, brought healing and in the end, gave those same hands up for us, which were engraved by nails on a cross.

The words in today’s scripture convey a tender image of God’s love for us, which is parental, unconditional, enduring, and transcending all of our human limitations and frailties. Love is best expressed through sacrifice, and Jesus became our sacrifice, by permanently engraving us in the palms of His hands as well as His feet, forever.

Scripture ironically says that Jesus endured the cross, for the joy that was set before Him. (Hebrews 12:2)

It gave Jesus joy, because He knew in advance of the faith, salvation and restoration of souls, that would result for centuries to come from His suffering on the cross.

The deep scars from His pierced hands and feet remained on His body after His resurrection. Jesus surely could have made His scars  disappear after His resurrection, but He chose to wear His scars forever. His engraved palms are a permanent memorial and visual reminder of the Father’s love for us, as presented in the words of His prophet, Isaiah. 

Since God loves us relentlessly, He never stops pursuing us in order to reconcile and restore as many people that will respond to Him. The engraved hands of Jesus still comfort and heal us today. It’s the greatest expression of God’s love and mercy, which surpasses any relationship of love that ever existed. 

There are times in every believer’s life, when God seems far away, especially during sorrow and grief. We may feel like we are under siege by problems and trials in our lives. Things will happen that cause us to look up and ask, “Lord, are you still there ?” 

That’s when Jesus answers us, and says, “Look at my hands and my feet, you are engraved there forever.”

Lord, thank you for the memorial scars of your love for us, that you bear in your hands and feet forever. Amen

“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Esther 4:14 ( NIV)

Esther was an orphaned teenager who lived in 5 B.C. in the Persian empire, which is modern day Iran. She changed history and became the heroine of a Jewish holiday, which is celebrated at this time every year, called Purim. 

Last week was a significant week related to the ancient story of Purim and current world events. 

Purim was on March 3rd, this year, and on that day, there was a full blood moon, a lunar eclipse, and headline world news focused on the war in Iran, the exact place where the Purim story originated. 

The signs in the heavens along with the events happening in Iran, remind people of faith that our redemption may be drawing near. We live in ominous times and we should pray not only for peace between nations, but for the peace of God to be in the hearts of people who are trying to survive in all war torn countries. 

Esther was an orphan, raised by her older cousin Mordecai, who was like an uncle to her. The king of Persia frequently re-staffed his harem with new women, and by no choice of her own, Esther was forced to become a member of his harem. Fate may lead people to places they never wanted to be, but scripture shows that if we pray for God’s will to be done, He uses people to bring about a greater good, which may not make sense until later.

Meanwhile, Esther found favor with the king and was promoted from a concubine to a Queen. Despite her new status as royalty, she had no power over the decisions the King made. As was typical in many cultures in history, Persian women were treated as possessions of men. According to Persian tradition, the Queen was not permitted to go before the King unless he first summons her. If she went unsummoned she could be killed.

Mordecai learned of a plot by a man named Haman to destroy the entire Jewish population living in the land. He urged Esther to go to the King and intercede to prevent the genocide of their people. 

Esther was afraid at first, but Mordecai gave her spiritual insight and courage, through inspiring words which have since been printed on T-shirts, mugs, posters and wall plaques. He told Esther that perhaps she has become Queen…

“for such a time as this.”

Esther fasted and prayed, then found the courage to go directly to the King, though not summoned. The King listened and granted her request, and the genocide plot was thwarted. What Esther did was counter cultural and unheard of at the time. She stepped out of her boundaries as a woman to speak up and save many lives. She discovered her first identity was as a daughter of God, which gave her the courage to break tradition and take action. 

As sons and daughters of God, we may be led to do what is counter cultural at times, in order to bring God’s mercy and justice to others. 

There is not one mention of God in the entire book of Esther, but His plan and Presence was evident, as He worked His will through the prayers and insight of Mordecai and Esther.

A theology professor once said, “Women are channels of God’s wisdom, created to give counsel to men and intercede for all.”

I can see this played out in scripture so many times, not only with Esther, but with Abigail who pleaded with David not to shed blood in a moment of anger, when his pride was injured. Deborah, the only female judge in Israelite history, offered spiritual counsel to kings and military generals who sought her advice before they went to war.  Mary Magdalene was the first one at the tomb, and the first eyewitness to see the resurrected Jesus. The apostles didn’t believe her, yet her spiritual maturity was beyond that of her male counterparts. (Mark 16:11)

God gives courage and wisdom to anyone who asks Him for it, whether male or female. Esther broke the mold as a daughter of God, taking action which saved her people from genocide, simply by being a Queen, 

“for such a time as this.”

Today, our King is Jesus, who always welcomes us to approach His throne of grace. Aware of our spiritual identity as sons and daughters of God, we pray, intercede and speak for people, finding courage to relieve the suffering of others, and asking God for justice and mercy for those who need it. 

Lord, help us live in the identity of being your sons and daughters, fulfilling your purpose and doing your will, wherever we are, for such a time as this. Amen

“You are the salt of the earth…”

Matthew 5:13 (RSV)

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16 (RSV)

The right word spoken at the right time can definitely impact a person’s heart, but I have come to realize that some of the biggest impacts are made without words. 

This is what lighting up a life and salting the world is all about.

Light can be seen, but not heard. Someone can leave an impression on us even when no words are spoken.

Salt flavors and preserves by mingling it with food, just as we mingle with people God sends our way. No one sees the salt once it is mingled in the food, just as someone leaves an impression on us, even if we have very little in common with them. After mingling, their salt touches our life, as perhaps we have touched theirs. 

I remember someone whose light and salt was left with me, when I once had a faithless, empty heart. During my senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to participate in a new work-study program. Based on what our future career interests were, we worked after school, at a part time job, related to our field of interest. I was interested in advertising art at the time, and was excited to be 

hired to work part time in the advertising department of a major department store in downtown Chicago. 

In those days, stores posted their advertisements in the newspaper each day, using hand drawn illustrations that depicted the clothing being advertised for the week. 

I was hired to model and pose in clothing for the two artists in the advertising department. They drew the sketches that would appear in illustrations for the newspaper ads. At seventeen years old, I couldn’t ask for a more interesting after school job. 

One of the artists, named Ruth, was a single woman in her forties who lived with her mother. She was soft spoken, with a gentle spirit and a kind demeanor. We chatted as I posed in each outfit, while she sketched me. I learned that she and her mother were very involved in their church. At the time I had no interest in God or going to church. 

Ruth never talked to me about Jesus or God, but she seemed to radiate a genuine peace, which left an impression on me. If she had spoken to me about Jesus, I probably wouldn’t have listened, since my heart was closed to God or religion at the time. 

Salt and light can truly remain and leave an impact on someone without using words. In looking back, something about Ruth stayed with me subconsciously, after leaving that job and going on to college. A year or two later, I experienced a turning point of faith, discovering the peace in forgiveness and surrendering my life to Jesus. Even though Ruth never talked to me about God, I’m pretty sure she talked to God about me. 

God created people to mingle with each other and to shine His light, even though we may be totally unaware of how God is using us to be light and salt in our tiny corner of the world. 

I was briefly acquainted in college with a young man I shared a class with. Yoshi was born in Japan, and brought up in the Buddhist faith. One day we got on the subject of God, when I was in a very enthusiastic phase of my faith and I shared what I believed about Jesus. Yoshi was interested enough to visit a few of the campus bible studies I attended. As time went on, we went different directions and I never saw Yoshi again. 

Fifty years later, Yoshi crossed paths with a relative of mine while visiting a church that he pastors. As Yoshi told the pastor his story of finding the grace of being forgiven by Jesus, and that he never found fulfillment in the teachings of Buddhism, he mentioned my name as a person who influenced his decision to become Christian. He is now married and has practiced his Christian faith all these years. 

A few days later, the pastor, who is a distant relative, called to tell me about Yoshi’s visit and his conversion story. I thanked him for telling me, since I never knew that Yoshi was so touched by the Christian faith, or that I was a part of his faith story. 

As I was once impacted by Ruth, Yoshi was impacted by me, and the Holy Spirit does the rest of the work. Whether we use words or not, salt and light have a way of leaving a subtle but profound effect on others. Thank God for His Holy Spirit who brings the conviction of truth to every soul.

Lord, thank you for all those who impacted our desire to draw closer to you, and make us light and salt in the lives of others, who cross our paths each day. Amen

“But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.” Exodus 2:3 (NIV)

The woman described in these passages of Exodus was Jochebed, who was from a family lineage of priests, of the tribe of Levi. Her name isn’t mentioned in the early chapters of the story, but we learn from genealogies, that she was the birth mother of Moses, and a woman of great faith.

There is no mention in this story of God ever once speaking audibly to Jochebed, who decided to hide her three month old baby in order to keep him alive. She received no dreams, no visions, no audible instructions and no angel visits from heaven, to help save her baby from Pharaoh’s cruel decree, ordering the killing of every Hebrew infant male.

Now it was time for her to put her faith into action, as she prayed and toiled before choosing between two options. She could either keep hiding her baby at home, risking that he might be found and murdered, or take the risk of putting him in a waterproof papyrus basket to float down the Nile River. She couldn’t hide him any longer, so she entrusted his destiny to God and chose the latter.

The Nile River was filled with poisonous spiders, crocodiles and deadly mosquitos, but Jochebed decided to risk all those natural threats, rather than take a chance on the evil that Pharaoh could do to her son. 

Jochebed’s name translates to “God’s glory,” and she believed God would bring glory out of the entire situation. Without receiving any visits, visions or voices from heaven, Jochebed took action based on her own faith instincts. In an act of courage and selflessness, Jochebed put her baby into that basket, and sent him down the Nile, praying and trusting God to lead him to whatever his destiny would be.

Her baby was found in the basket by a compassionate princess who received him as a gift and raised him as her own son, in the royal palace. She named him Moses and through providential events, the princess hired Jochebed, to nurse him until he was weaned. 

We all face situations that require courage to trust in God even when we don’t receive any direct answers from Him. Sometimes we need to take immediate action, and at other times, we have no control and no action that we can take, except to be still and know that God is with us. In times like these, it is our faith instincts that rise up within us and lead us to trust in God. 

While Jochebed hid her baby for three months, she prayed for a way to keep him alive in a world of turmoil and injustice, where she was a mere slave. The day she stood on the bank of the Nile, she had already followed her faith instincts, and released him into the care of an invisible God. She watched her baby crying in that basket, floating down the river, her heart, though courageous, was still breaking. Trusting God and turning faith into action, may not spare us from heartbreak, but hope reminds us that it isn’t the end of the story. 

God answered Jochebed’s prayer, far beyond her expectations, since He had a greater plan for him. We all know the story of Moses, but despite how the movies depict the story, after he was weaned, there’s no biblical account of Moses ever being reunited with his birth mother again. Sometimes the closure that we seek in this world, is delayed until we get to Heaven. 

Jochebed was not the only Jewish mother in history, who gave her baby up to save his life. There was another time in history, during the Holocaust, when many mothers did the same, entrusting their children’s lives to someone else who could save them. Many children were adopted and raised in another country by another family, but not all birth mothers were able to reunite with them.

There have been courageous mothers throughout history like Jochebed, who followed their faith instincts, took action and believed that their child’s destiny was in God’s hands.

God is still a rewarder of those who diligently trust in Him. Throughout generations, we entrust the care of our children as well as our loved ones to God. Sometimes we do it by relinquishing our control, learning to be still and trust God’s greater plan, and like Jochebed, we are led by our own faith instincts. 

We pray, take action and then leave everything in the hands of an invisible God, as our loved ones journey along in their own papyrus basket of destiny. 

Lord, show us when to put our faith instincts into action so that we may trust and glorify you through every situation. Amen

“Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me.”

Hebrews 10:5 (RSV)

God, the Father, deliberately planned to send us a Savior who would have a human body of flesh and blood. God sent the Holy Spirit to overshadow Mary’s womb and a body was created from her DNA, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The eternal Word became flesh and inherited many of her traits and physical features. Jesus probably resembled His mother, and had her blood type. So there He was, the visible Son of God, fully divine because of the Holy Spirit and fully human because of the mother God created to bear Him. God deserves praise for the miracle of the incarnation. 

After God’s Son was clothed in a human body, with that body, He touched and saved the world. The body that God gave Him, served a twofold purpose, to save us, and to express God’s love for us. 

Most of the miraculous healings Jesus performed, involved Him touching others or being touched by others. Every miracle Jesus did could have been done by the Spirit of an invisible God, but He chose to do it through His son. The body of Jesus made it possible for people to personally encounter Him physically. 

He let His feet get washed with a woman’s tears of gratitude. He allowed His head to be lovingly bathed in a costly, fragrant oil. His arms held little children on His lap, talking and laughing with them. With His body, God became very approachable and comfortable to all. He engaged with friends and strangers, hugging, laughing, putting His arms around them, warmly touching all who were with Him. 

God intended for His son to be more than a leader or a public speaker, He intended to draw people close to His heart, using  physical touch. With His hands He touched the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, the tongue of the mute and they were all restored. He touched the hand of a little dead girl, and she rose from the dead. He touched lepers, who were alienated and touched by no one, and they were all healed. 

His hands did more than heal physically, they healed mentally and spiritually, transforming lives, and changing calloused hearts. He healed and delivered the oppressed and broken, drawing certain ones to become His own disciples. When someone was touched by Jesus, they were never the same, which has not changed in the lives of people today. 

Without having a human body, these moments of touching, feeling, healing and setting free, would not be as beautiful. His hands brought so much love, joy, wholeness and healing, and His feet walked toward all those who were forgotten or cast out. He resisted the proud and haughty, but gave grace to the humble. 

The hands and feet that changed so many lives, were eventually pierced with nails. The head that searched for the least among us, was crowned with thorns. God, the Father prepared His body for us, to express His own heart through the human body of His son. Divine planning was invested in every detail. 

In other words, Jesus’ body was God’s love letter to us in the flesh. His greatest expression of love, and His desire for intimacy was written through everything Jesus said and did. A love letter requires a response and God is patiently waiting for many more responses. 

We may have missed out in being among those who physically enjoyed a hug or a touch by Jesus, since we weren’t there, but the same love, mercy and grace is available to us now. He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and is spiritually still touching people today. 

Lord, thank you for all the thought, love and planning you put into preparing the body of Jesus just for us. Amen

“Only think of me when all is well with you, and please do me the great favor of mentioning me to Pharaoh, to get me out of this place.”

Genesis 40:14 (NAB)

Anyone who feels that life has dealt them many unfair and unjust circumstances, should read the life of Joseph. His hardships began when he was abducted as a teenager and thrown into a cistern by his own brothers. He was then sold into slavery to some Egyptian slave traders who were passing by. 

Joseph was sold as a household slave to a master who treated him fairly, until his wife attempted to seduce Joseph. When he refused her advances, she falsely accused him of rape, which got him sent him to prison, which was more of a dungeon in those days. 

Joseph did time for a crime he never committed, but he had a stellar reputation during his incarceration. While in prison, he developed many friendships and earned the respect of all the prisoners and the jailers. 

The cupbearer was near the end of his prison sentence and was soon to be released, so Joseph asked him to speak to Pharaoh on his behalf, when he returns to the palace. He promised to do so, but after he was released, he completely forgot about Joseph.

For days, weeks and months, Joseph was hoping and praying that the cupbearer would speak to Pharaoh on his behalf, but he didn’t. Joseph faced so much injustice but he never lost hope  because he believed that God never forgets anyone. 

Two long years passed since Joseph was in prison, but God’s timing was perfect. Pharaoh had a very disturbing dream one night and asked the cupbearer if he knew of anyone with a gift of interpreting dreams. He suddenly remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. 

Joseph’s breakthrough moment finally came, since Joseph had a gift of receiving supernatural knowledge and interpreting dreams was one way that he used it. Pharaoh did not tell Joseph what he dreamed, but required Joseph to tell him and then interpret it. 

The Lord gave Joseph all he needed to know and he told Pharaoh his dream and what it meant. Pharaoh was impressed and not only freed Joseph, but promoted him to second in command over the entire nation of Egypt. 

One of Joseph’s predictions was that a drought was coming and to stock grain for seven years so that there would be sustenance for all of Egypt when the famine hit. 

His grain storage plan saved the lives of many in Egypt, while prospering the nation after selling grain to all the surrounding lands during a famine. 

If we study Joseph’s life and all the injustices he suffered, we learn that the years he spent in the dungeon were not lost years, but years of preparation. Nothing is lost when we entrust our lives to God, because all things work for our good when we love God. 

Joseph sets the example for anyone who has ever been betrayed by loved ones, falsely accused, unjustly incarcerated or simply forgotten.  

God always was, is and will be our greatest hope, because He never forgets anyone. Joseph shows us that we can trust God even if everyone else has disappointed us. Joseph foreshadowed Jesus, in forgiving all who mistreated him.

When Joseph was finally reunited with his brothers and his elderly father, there was only love between them all. Joseph’s life proves that years spent in waiting for God’s justice are a preparation period for better days to come. 

All things work together for good, to those who love the Lord. If we learn anything from Joseph, it’s that we don’t need an itinerary for our destination in life, when we live life, knowing God is our driver.

Lord, give us the patience to wait and the faith to trust your timing. Guard our hearts from bitterness, so that we may forgive and bless others as Joseph did. Amen 

“If I forget you, Jerusalem,

 may my right hand forget its skill.”

Psalm 137:5 (NIV)

For a moment, forget about all the wars and violence in the Middle East,  past or present, in order to meditate on what Jerusalem has meant to all believers throughout the centuries. In other words, let’s recenter ourselves on our Jerusalem state of mind. 

“Yerushalayim,” as pronounced in Hebrew, means “Foundation of peace.”  It’s the physical place on earth, where the story of salvation all began. God connected with mankind in a way that He never did before, when Jesus became the incarnate, final sacrifice for our atonement, bringing true peace to all who believe in Him.

Jerusalem was known for the great temple built by King Solomon 967 years before Jesus came into the world. Solomon prayed, asking God to grant the prayer requests of all who prayed facing the temple in Jerusalem. (1 Kings 8:29-30)

To this day, people pray facing east, toward the site of the only remnant of that temple, still standing in Jerusalem today, called the Western wall. 

We no longer need to stand at the temple site or look toward the east when we pray, because the first step to a Jerusalem state of mind is knowing that we have someone greater than the temple, living within us. So we pray from wherever we are, asking everything in Jesus’ name, just as He told us to do.

Jerusalem is also the place where Jesus wept over those who were unwilling to be gathered to Him. A Jerusalem state of mind empathizes with God’s love and laments over those who reject Him. 

(Matthew 23:37-39)

On His way to Jerusalem, ten lepers approached Jesus, begging Him to heal their leprosy. Jesus healed all ten of the lepers, yet only one leper returned to Jesus, bowing down in worship, to thank Him. 

In a Jerusalem state of mind, we think like that one leper who returns to God in gratitude to worship and thank Him.

A person’s destiny can change for the better, in an instant, like the woman who had a twelve year hemorrhage, but was instantly healed with one touch of Jesus’ garment. Others lived in bondage for years, until Jesus rebuked their demons and set them free. A Jerusalem state of mind recalls every turning point in our lives when we were touched by Jesus, and set free from years of suffering or guilt. 

Jerusalem is a place of beginnings and endings, where Jesus ate the last supper, but talked about a new heaven and a new earth. It’s where we received the first installment of the hope and promise of our own bodily resurrection one day. A Jerusalem state of mind is the spiritual place where our faith and our choices today, determine the rewards of our eternal destiny.

When we try too hard to fit into this present world, Jerusalem reminds us that our true citizenship is in the heaven. (Philippians 3:20)

Until then, we center ourselves on a Jerusalem state of mind, which is as near to us as our right hand. 

We can never forget the lessons of Jerusalem or the words that Jesus spoke, saying, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” A Jerusalem state of mind is where we find our rest in Jesus. It’s where we express our gratitude for how He loves, heals and forgives us, recalling those turning points when He touched our life and set us free. Then, like that one leper, we keep returning to bow before Him, in thanksgiving and praise. 

Lord, as we center ourselves on our Jerusalem state of mind, help us to find our rest in you, filled with faith and gratitude, as we remember all the ways you have touched our life and set us free. Amen