Month: March 2023

“And I will lead the blind
 in a way that they know not,
in paths that they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
 and I will not forsake them.”

Isaiah 42:16 (RSV)

When I was eighteen, I donated a pint of blood in downtown Chicago one day. I took the El train there and afterward I climbed the stairs to catch the train to take me back home. When I reached the top of the stairs to the El train platform, it seemed that having one less pint of blood in my system, affected the blood flow to the visual parts of my brain. I didn’t pass out, but immediately lost all vision, and it was extremely frightening. I could hear the train coming, and though there were people all around me, I was completely blind, but too proud to ask anyone for help. I decided to feel my way blindly onto the train, hoping my vision would soon return. Thankfully, I walked into the train and not in front of it. I found a seat to sit down and in a few minutes my vision returned. It’s a brief physical example of being led in a path that I was too blind to see. By God’s grace I found my way through the door, and it seems like a metaphor of how God will guide us through unfamiliar paths when we feel blind or helpless. He may be guiding us in some path of our life that is beyond physical blindness. We have all travelled one path together where we felt blind in the past few years, having lived through a world wide pandemic. Most of us have never lived through anything like it, and in that sense we were all blind. Going through something new and unfamiliar is like walking blind. There is always a new fear that comes upon each of us at different times for different reasons. Whatever we fear, or whatever unfamiliar path we feel we are blindly walking on, this scriptural promise is for us. God is saying through this scripture “I will not forsake you, I will guide you and level out those rough places that you are walking through.” God has promised to guide us, light our path and turn the rough places into level ground. However frightening or unfamiliar it may feel, He is the light in our darkness and promised to never forsake us. Jesus, we trust in you to light the darkness, smooth out the rough paths where we walk, because we believe your promise to us through this scripture today. We can walk through everything with you at our side saying, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

(Matthew 28:20) 

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also give us all things with Him?”

Romans 8:32 (RSV)

The supremacy of God is revealed more at the cross than in the creation of the world. Everything we believe is unthinkable without the cross. It is the blood of Jesus that gives us confidence to come to God with assurance of faith.  The all conquering power of God’s love will overcome every obstacle that threatens to separate us from Him. That power manifested itself fully when His own Son was delivered up to death for us. How can we not believe that God, who gave His son for us, would not also give us many other things as well? I thought of this when I was super congested, sneezing and coughing for the first few days after a positive Covid test. I decided I wasn’t going to accept this strain of Covid to just run its full course, but was going to pray for healing in Jesus’ name. I laid my hand on my own chest and thanked Jesus for the healing, which comes through His cross. I decided to unleash the power that is in His precious blood. Later that afternoon I noticed I wasn’t sneezing as often. I also wasn’t coughing as much. By evening I wasn’t as congested as earlier in the day. The way I felt at night was 70% better compared to how I felt in the morning. I was clearly turned the corner in that bout of illness and I believe it was due to the effect of the blood of Jesus. I thanked all those who have sent up prayers for me, and it was those prayers that inspired me to unleash  the fulness of His power. I know that God wants to give us above and beyond what we think or ask, and it’s up to us to believe Him for it and unleash the power of His cross. I turned the corner not only of my illness, but of my faith that day. The truth which inspired me is expressed in this scripture, “How will He not also graciously give us all things?” Turning the corner of our faith is to trust God for “all things” that He has graciously given us through His cross. Today, let us unleash the power in the blood of Jesus for all things, not only to save, but to heal, renew, restore and give us perfect peace in any affliction. Amen

Kissedbythespirit.com

“All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves. For the battle belongs to the Lord, who shall deliver you into our hands.”

1 Samuel 17:47 (NAB)

David didn’t know he was going to face a giant, he thought he was bringing lunch boxes to his older brothers, on the battle line. Goliath was 9’9” tall, which was considered a giant for that day. He was wearing a bronze armor and a bronze helmet as he threatened the armies of Israel. His words caused terror and fear among the Israelite army, but when David arrived with the lunch bags, he was provoked by Goliath’s words. He came to a war zone with some bread and cheese, but found that God had another purpose in mind. David heard how the giant taunted his people, and his first response was, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” We all know how it ends, David reached for a stone in his bag and slung it, striking him deep in his forehead. He killed Goliath and the enemy army fled. A young boy carrying a bag of lunch was used by God to inspire faith among a crowd. Where else have we heard a story of a young boy carrying a bag of lunch, which sparked faith among the crowd? The boy, whose lunch Jesus used to feed the multitude, didn’t know when he packed his lunch that day, that he would be used to inspire people’s faith. The boy didn’t even need to say anything, just be there. David brought lunch to his brothers, not expecting that he would kill a giant that day.  Sometimes the most common errand can turn into a faith inspiring moment. We never know how we may inspire faith in someone else who is bound with fear and anxiety. We never know who will be set free from hearing the truth that we speak, as we go through the menial tasks of our day. God may bring us to the right person at the right time, to inspire someone’s faith. Whether it’s one person or many, God does great things through the daily routines of His people. He can use our lunch break, or any other routine in our day, to set us up as examples of faith, even while we may be totally unaware of it. Lord, as we go through our daily routines, help us to share your love and truth with others, so they can be set free from all fear and anxiety. 

“Uphold me according to thy promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for thy statutes continually.”

Psalm 119:116-117

A newborn baby is carried out as the lone survivor of her family. A father continues to hold the hand of his deceased fifteen year old daughter. An entire family is rescued, and several survivor children are carried from the rubble.
These are the scenes and images shown on the nightly world news after the earthquake that killed thousands in Syria and Turkey. Images of loss and destruction are contrasted by images of miraculous saves, and grateful survivors. There are scenes of EMS workers holding up people of all ages, bringing them out of the ruins and into safety. It seems to fit what this scripture verse is saying, “Uphold me that I may live….” EMS workers labored tirelessly to uphold the survivors, so that they can live.
Scenes like this produce a dichotomy of emotions. There is sorrow at the scenes of wreckage and loss, yet gratitude for the lives saved against all odds. As we look at the images, we cannot help but feel sorrow and gratitude at the same time. Maybe the way to deal with extreme sorrow is to find gratitude in it. I remember feeling both extreme sorrow and extreme gratitude at the same time.

There was sorrow in watching a debilitating illness, that was taking my husband’s quality of life. The gratitude was for the constant help and support of friends, family, nurses and therapists. There were many small blessings that came in the form of small details. Finding caregivers who were reliable yet not from an agency, since agency caregivers would have cost twice the price. Nurses, respiratory and physical therapists frequented our house each week.
One day the physical therapist who was sent, was the mother of a boy who was on the youth golf league that my husband once taught. It may have appeared to be a coincidence but I believe it was a blessing sent from God. Gratitude is found in the small things. In whatever sorrow we experience in our lives, if we can find something to be grateful for, it gives us strength. In our gratitude, God upholds us.
The earthquake survivors were upheld physically and rescued to safety. Sometimes we are upheld emotionally through a small blessing or coincidence. In whatever we face, God is there to hold us up through our sorrow, our sickness and our struggles.
Lord, help us find the small things to be grateful for, which you send to uphold and strengthen our spirit.

“For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.”

Matthew 6:32-34 (RSV)

While at a church function one night, I was able to get my anxious mind off my own issues, and focus on spiritual things. I happened to speak to a lady there, who I had not seen in many weeks. She is a widow, only older than me, except she is battling cancer. She told me the cancer pills she needs, cost $2,000 a week, but that she has been able to accrue a plentiful supply as free samples from pharmaceutical companies. So far she has not had to buy any of her costly pills. I was glad to see how God took care of her. She went on to share with me what her total monthly income is, and I was even more amazed that she manages to make ends meet, living alone and caring for herself with all the effects of cancer. Her whole demeanor is a pillar of emotional strength, and she is so independent for her age. While she shared the details relating to her health and finances, it occurred to me that God was speaking to me through her. She explained her situation not as someone seeking pity, but as one who is simply walking by faith in all aspects of her life. Before parting, we discussed meeting for lunch one day, and then she calmly walked back to her car, limping with her cane. After that conversation, I knew God was speaking to me about a particular anxiety that I was struggling with over the past two weeks. It all started with signing a contract to sell my home, and the futile search for a smaller one to buy. My whole motive was to lower my cost of living for retirement later this year. It’s obvious that she has much more to be anxious about, than I do, yet she was living in perfect peace. God gave her the grace of total reliance on Him. She has an aura of strength, and I know that God wants us all to live in that same grace. I suddenly felt that God was speaking to me through her, saying “ Stop your worrying, I will take care of you.” I knew He wanted me to hear her story, which is probably the reason she shared many private details with me that I would never ask about. Character and strength are developed after surviving the many tests and trials of adversity. When we are faced with a new kind of trial, it means God is producing a new kind of character trait within us. He did it in her and He is doing it in all of us. I have been asking God recently to speak to me, ease all my confusion and give me direction. He has answered my prayer, by speaking to me through various people, but last night was crystal clear. She was unaware, but He spoke to me through her. After sleeping on it, God is saying, “stay in your home, it’s not the time to leave.” Good always comes out of our tests and trials, and I’m sure God is doing something good in me through this experience. It’s the home I love, and the Holy Spirit is giving me peace of mind with clear direction to stop worrying and stay, because my Father in heaven knows everything I need both today and tomorrow and He will take of me.

“I will restore to you the years
which the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.”

Joel 2:25. (RSV)

These words in the book of Joel, have meaning for anyone who has ever felt the effects of the locust eating away at something in your life, your health, your family or a purpose you are called to fulfill. God promises to restore whatever the locusts have eaten. The bible is full of metaphoric examples of ways that the locusts eat away at things. Those stories in the bible are so much like real life, and we can see the same family dynamics and relationship problems existing today. Scripture talks about imperfect parents, dysfunctional sons and daughters, flawed spouses and a lot of bad things happening to good people. Some have suffered emotionally, which reminds me of Jacob’s life. Jacob fell in love with Rachel, and expected to receive her as his wife on the wedding night, but her father tricked him and gave him her sister Leah instead. Jacob was deceived by his father in law, and after revising his agreement with him, he had to work seven more years until he was allowed to marry Rachel, who was the love of his life. After all that, she became his wife, and gave birth to Joseph, but died giving birth to Benjamin. Jacob waited so long to marry her, and then she died in childbirth. Jacob lost many years that he could have had with his beloved Rachel. With all the years that the locusts had eaten in Jacob’s lifetime, the most painful for him was the loss of his son Joseph, Rachel’s first born. Jacob was deceived by his own sons, who lied to him and told him Joseph was killed by a wild animal, when his brothers actually tossed him in a hole, where slave traders found him, and sold him as a household slave. Joseph never saw his father or brothers for decades, as he was falsely accused as a household slave and spent some years in jail. Through his gifts of wisdom and dream interpretation, he was finally promoted to a high place in Egyptian government. For decades Jacob mourned for his first born son, Joseph, thinking he was dead. The twists and turns of providence led to a miraculous family reunion, decades later, all because of a great famine that spread across the land. God brought all these disjointed family members back together and restored the relationships between them all. God can use famines, pandemics and droughts to bring about something positive, because He is a restorer of things that were lost. He brings life to what was once dead, makes wholeness out of brokenness, and shines His light in our darkness. With so many “why me?” moments in Joseph’s life, he readily forgave his brothers when he saw them again after all those years. God reunited the family and for Jacob, it was as if Joseph was raised from the dead. He was able to see all of his sons together and reunited again.  God restored the years that the locusts had eaten in Joseph’s life as well as in his father, Jacob. The gospels also give examples of those who suffered with debilitating illnesses for years, who finally found restoration through Jesus. With all the different ways that people suffer because of the years that the locust has eaten, Jesus told them that their faith has made them whole. As we think about where the locusts have eaten in our own lives, we turn to the God of providence and restoration. We trust God’s word that He will restore and renew all that was lost in our lives, because He said “I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten.” He heals broken hearts, heals bodies and minds, reunites families, and restores relationships. Lord, we believe you are a God who can heal, restore and renew all that was once eaten by the locusts, and we thank you in faith for the miraculous restoration that you are planning for us. Amen

“Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.“

John 16:24

When we think we’ve lost our joy, we may be mistaking joy for happiness. Happiness is conditional, depending on external relationships and circumstances. Joy is unconditional and based on a relationship with God. Jesus didn’t say He will give us joy, He said He would make our joy complete. He indicated that it is through our asking and receiving, that our joy is made complete. It’s not the things we receive that complete our joy, since we all know people with a lot of things, who are still not joyful. Through asking and receiving over time, we allow God into our inner life and maintain a tried and true relationship with Him.  Through our relationship with Him, faith reaps reward, and we learn to trust and wait for the other answers. Our joy becomes complete in knowing God and being known by Him, more than in receiving answers. The joy Jesus talked about is beyond temporal happiness. People were happy after being healed, the disciples were happy that the demons were subject to them, and there is great happiness in overcoming external evil, but Jesus was speaking of something deeper and more lasting than happiness. The prophet Nehemiah told us the joy of the Lord is our strength. There is an inner strength that cannot be derived from the happiness of everything going our way. The apostles and early Christians were betrayed by friends and family, thrown to the lions, beheaded and killed just for believing in Jesus. Things didn’t go their way, but their most valuable asset was their inner strength, a deep joy of knowing Jesus was in it with them. Before Peter was martyred, he told the early church to rejoice in their trials with indescribable joy, full of glory. Maybe this was the joy Jesus was talking about. It’s a joy that gives us strength, and comes from knowing He is with us. It resides in each of us who have maintained a relationship with Jesus. If you search, you’ll find this complete joy is within you. It developed through your many hardships and trials, and is evident when you can pause and say, 

“I know whom I have believed in, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.”

(2 Timothy 1:12) 

Lord, thank you for the deeper, lasting joy that is residing in us through a relationship with you. Help us to discern shallow happiness from the deep abiding joy of your Presence, who is forever with us. Amen

“David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

1 Samuel 17:45 (NIV)

Using a slingshot was one of David’s natural gifts, but it required a supernatural gift of faith and courage to boldly approach the Philistine giant, Goliath. David refused to wear heavy armor or to even carry a spear. He walked up to Goliath with a few stones and a slingshot, all because he believed in a God who was on the side of his chosen people. Most of the Israelites were terrified of Goliath, but in David, God saw someone who had more faith than fear. There are many giants in the world today, and many things to fear, but God is looking for some Davids, who believe they are a part of something bigger. In spite of our failures, fears and insecurities, we can rise to become giant slayers. We are a part of the church of Christ, and He said that nothing will prevail against His church. We may not have warrior skills or fancy weapons, but like David, we stand in the name of the Lord Almighty, who we now know is Jesus, and He leads us to victory. David never saw himself as a chosen person, but as a part of the chosen people, and there’s a difference. His courage to face that giant came from knowing he was a part of God’s chosen people. His motive to defeat Goliath was not to bring honor to himself, but to bring honor and praise to the God of his people. We are the people of God, and we also walk in faith, not fear. We are a part of the church of Jesus Christ. We may stumble and fall, but we will rise up again. David had some serious moral downfalls in his lifetime, but he was also sensitive enough to receive correction and repent of his sin. Whenever he fell, he rose again after every downfall. Just like David, we know who we are in Christ, and when we fail, the mercy of Jesus draws us back to our place in His church. With courage we face every giant in Jesus’ name, because we trust His authority and power. We are a church full of Davids, flawed, but forever rising again and slaying every giant for the glory of God. 

“Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him. “

James 1:12 (RSV)

Whatever version of the Bible is read, this scripture doesn’t change. It says there is a crown of life for believers who love God and keep their faith during the testing and trials of life. Bible scholars may have different understandings of what the crown implies, whether it’s a literal gold crown or a symbol of eternal happiness in heaven. Whatever it is, they do agree that it means persevering faith in tough times will be rewarded. God’s eye roams the earth, looking for those who love Him and continue trusting in Him during times of adversity. God doesn’t cause suffering, but He promises to be near to those who are going through it. (Psalm 34:18) 

Jesus spoke to the thief dying on the cross next to Him, assuring him that he would be in heaven. It proves that the mercy of God is available to anyone, even in those minutes before death. He is near to those in critical care units of hospitals in their last minutes of life. He is near to the one who is in a crisis in the waiting room, whose loved one is in surgery after a major trauma. He is near to the parent whose child lies terminally ill in the pediatric intensive care unit. Wherever a heart is breaking, God is near to that person in a unique and intimate way. 

He loves all people with the same unconditional, self giving love, but He also desires a relationship with each one of us. I always wonder what God is trying to say to someone during an intense trial in their life, after witnessing some very sad stories over the years, working in a hospital. 

If God were to speak personally to each one, today’s scripture gives us a clue of what He would say. 

He would tell them to keep their faith in Him, trust Him with all their heart, and that He is always there. 

A crown of life is in store for those who love God and persistently keep their faith in Him. We all need a faith that helps us face intense trials and sorrows head on, not a faith that escapes from it, or tries to explain it away. 

Christianity is the only answer for finding perseverance under trials. Eastern religions teach meditation to escape difficult realities, and they believe that bad karma causes the tragedies in life. Only the Christian faith teaches that God loves us and will work all things together for our good. We can find strength in suffering through faith in Christ. Jesus became a man, who suffered and died for us, and there is no human misery that He has not experienced Himself.

Peter, James, John and Paul all wrote something about crowns being given to reward those who are faithful until death. 

Today’s scripture can be summed up as follows: Those who love God, trust Him, and those who trust Him, continue to believe and obey even when life gets hard. In the end, persevering faith will be rewarded. We can do all things through Christ, knowing that He first loved us, and works all things together for our good. 

Lord, show us how we can love you more, and help us to persevere with enduring faith by uniting ourselves closer to you, through the trials and hardships of life. Amen

 

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“So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.”

Matthew 27:66 (NIV)

The Pharisees feared rumors of resurrection and asked Pilate to help secure Jesus’ tomb, so Pilate granted their request to appoint a guard at the entrance. They further secured it by stretching a cord across the large stone, then they packed clay over each end of the cord, and put a wax seal over the clay, the seal of Roman government authority. These extreme measures to keep the tomb untouched appeared to work until the third day, when the earth quaked, angels came down, rolled away the stone and broke all the seals. There is no power known to man like the resurrection power of Jesus. No government seals of authority, armed guard or massive stone would prevent God from finishing His salvation plan for us. A split second blast of life giving power resurrected the body of Jesus, leaving only His grave clothes lying in that tomb.
The analysis of the shroud of Turin by scientists gives us a hint of that blast of resurrection power. Other bodies wrapped in grave clothes never left an image on the cloth from the inside out, as the shroud of Turin has. It’s been determined that the image was not painted on by man. In a documentary, scientists described the image as if made by an ultraviolet light of a single wavelength, that nothing can reproduce today. We don’t have to agree on the credibility of the shroud, but we can agree that His resurrection came from the same source who said, “Let there be light” and there was light. The resurrection of Jesus changed the destiny of all mankind, and His life giving power is available to everyone who believes in Him today. Every breakthrough in our journey of faith is derived from that same source of resurrection power. He frees us from anything that entombs us, meeting us where we are, in whatever kind of tomb we are in. The cord of fear that once held us is now broken. The clay seals of doubt crumble into dust. No longer do the previous powers and principalities have any power over us. The seal of Jesus is on each of us who believe and He overpowers any previous authority that kept us down. God didn’t send His powerful resurrection blast of life into the body of Jesus just to create an exciting Easter story. He did it to raise us all up, who believe in Him. There is an old Irish gospel hymn that says “You raise me up to be more than I can be.”  He is raising us up to be more than we have ever been before.
This is your resurrection morning to receive the power Jesus has given you. He is not looking at your past mistakes, because you have also left your grave clothes behind in the tomb. He raises us up to new beginnings, and invites us to be all that we can be, through His resurrection power. Glory to our risen Lord.