Month: March 2023

“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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“A king sits on a throne of justice, sifting out all sorts of evil with his glance.”

Proverbs 20:8 (ISV)

Everyone has their own opinion of whether Covid was good or bad for us, but I believe it was definitely used as a sifting process. A sifter catches unwanted particles and lets only the purified particles fall through. When flour is sifted, the clumps and impurities are caught in the sifter and the finer, pure flour is what comes through. God allowed things to be removed from our lives during Covid, so that we could turn our attention to what remained after the sifting. Jesus wasn’t referring to sifting flour when He told Peter he was about to be sifted. He was referring to sifting whole kernels of wheat, and that process involves an almost violent shaking. The shaking that separates the chaff from the wheat kernels, is a great shake up that sounds more like the Covid year, than the sifting of flour. Many people became frightened, angry, and confused, over Covid, even after the worst effects of it were behind us. Some people left church after the Covid years and never returned. Some may have left from fear of getting sick and some may have left because it gave them an excuse not to go to church. Others may have become angry, sad or depressed at the difficult circumstances that Covid brought into their lives, like lost jobs, troubled relationships, depression or lost loved ones. Some people can now look back and see hidden blessings during that year, which was my case.
For me the year before Covid was the most difficult year, because it was the year I was caring for my terminally ill husband and became a widow. Covid was a year of solitude and regathering of thoughts for me. I have only been writing meditations since 2020, and between my friends and myself, these meditations are now being sent to over thirty people a day. God removes some things, but then He adds new things to our lives. For me one of those new things was the passion to write. Many doors were closed to us during the Covid years, but God never closes one door without opening others. Some people discovered hidden talents, volunteered for charities, became caregivers, or launched personal businesses they never would have had the courage to do, if not for Covid. God opened many new doors as well as closing others, but everyone was sifted to some degree. During the sifting, Jesus has confidence in us and is available to help us through it. Each of us has had something different sifted out of our lives and removed, while a new blessing arose from the purifying and sifting. God opened many new doors for us. The scripture verse today says a king sits on His throne, sifting out all sorts of evil at a glance.
Some of the things that were shut down during Covid were meant to be removed because they represented impurities, but some things were shut down to make us hunger for more of what is pure and good. Let’s pursue what we truly hunger for deep within, all that is pure, good and pleasing to God.

“My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”

John 18:36 (NAB)

As the Israelites travelled through the wilderness to the promised land, they took with them a tabernacle, which was a revered mobile tent used for worship. It was filled with holy relics and temple items according to all the instructions given to Moses by God. 

Inside the tabernacle, there was a bronze altar with embroidered linens that were made especially to lay over the holy altar. Incense burned, filling the tent with the smoke of a scent made from a special blend of scented powders. 

When Moses entered the tabernacle to speak with God, the presence of a glory cloud would overshadow it. When the people saw the cloud, they bowed in worship. All this reverence and awe surrounded a tabernacle that traveled with them on their journey. 

Fast forward now to the birth of Jesus. The same holy presence of God that dwelled in that tabernacle, fully resided in the infant Jesus. He was not introduced in a glory cloud, but was quietly presented to the world in a common stable. There was no scent of incense surrounding Him, only the scent of barn animals. He was wrapped in cotton swaddling cloths, instead of beautifully embroidered altar linens. His bed was not a bronze coated altar, but a manger filled with straw. No golden candlesticks lit up the dark stable, but the one born there, later called Himself the light of the world. 

Jesus left His kingdom and all His glory in heaven, to be born as a helpless infant. He did it for us, illustrating what true humility is. This world was not His true home, but He resided in it for a brief thirty three years. He was not received by everyone with wonder and awe. Only a few bowed to worship Him while He lived among men. He was scorned, disrespected, falsely accused and constantly criticized for befriending sinners and breaking religious laws. 

Although He had the power to call down a myriad of angels to punish all who were cruel to Him, His mission was to save the world, and not to judge it. He felt out of place at times, and He reminds us that we are not part of this world either. We are resident aliens, because our true citizenship is in heaven. We may also feel out of place at times, so that we can learn the lessons of humility which He chooses to teach us on our journey. 

His church is made up of every ethnic group, speaking every language in the world. Our prayers become the special blend of scented powders that fill His heavenly tabernacle with a fragrant scent of incense. We are sealed and filled with His Spirit, so that He is with us always. 

Lord, as we meditate on how you humbled yourself for us, help us to recognize and embrace every lesson of humility that you are teaching us, as your tabernacles in the world today. 

“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.

“Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.”

Acts 8:28-29.  (NAB)

An angel spoke to Philip, telling him to go down the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. As Philip headed down that road, he noticed a royal chariot. The Eunuch riding in the chariot was the treasurer for the Queen of Ethiopia, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah in his chariot. The Holy Spirit told Philip to run up to the chariot. Philip ran to catch up to him and when he came alongside him, he asked if he understood what he was reading. The eunuch immediately invited Philip to join him and explain the prophet Isaiah’s writing to him. Philip began to share his faith, teaching him how the prophecies of Isaiah, pointed to the Messiah, who was in fact, Jesus. During that brief ride, the Ethiopian man became a Christian convert, and asked to be baptized, so Philip baptized Him and then they went their two separate ways.
Sometimes God briefly diverts our plans and we end up somewhere we never planned to be. He may lead us to a person for only a brief time, but for a special purpose.
Many years ago I was visiting a Vineyard church and someone invited me to attend an Alpha group in a church member’s home. I went to the Alpha meeting and met a lady there, who was also a first time visitor, named Teddy. I found out she lived only two blocks away from me, and we became friends. I would pick her up and bring her to church services and Alpha meetings.
Teddy had a serious health problem, but was searching for meaning and hope in her life. When I met her, she was in remission from colon cancer but recently learned it had spread to her liver. We spent many good times together, going to Alpha meetings, church services, and even dancing in Greek town on weekends. I saw her transform, as she found peace and strength through a deeper relationship with Jesus. Her faith upheld her during all the ups and downs of that difficult period in her life. It was a very brief friendship, because the cancer in her liver quickly progressed and she passed away within the year that I met her.
I think about our short but vibrant friendship, and how she solidified her faith. That brief friendship was my “chariot” experience, because I feel like I jumped into Teddy’s chariot and took a short ride with her, doing my small part to make her chariot ride more purposeful. All that she really needed and longed for at that time in her life was satisfied through a deeper relationship with Jesus, and the brief friendship that we shared.
Teddy found an inner peace to help her continue on her life journey, until she was called into the loving arms of Jesus. Whatever chariot God leads us to climb into is always in sync with His perfect timing. Is there a chariot that the Spirit is directing you too?

Lord, lead us to the chariots where we might briefly share our faith with someone, according to the perfect timing you have planned for all of our lives.

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:19 (NIV)

I remember browsing through my grandmother’s scrapbook as a child, full of photos of people who were important in her life, even though I didn’t know all of them. She had a shrine of photos dedicated to her son, a Purple Heart Marine, who died in WW2. She also kept a letter from the Marine chaplain who wrote her to say that he knew her son and praised him as a man of faith. He died trying to save a fellow Marine, and though I never knew my heroic uncle, it felt like I did, through my grandmother’s scrapbook. 

A scrapbook is special to the one who puts it together, but even more meaningful when it is shared with others. My grandmother was able to share and keep the memory of her son alive through her cherished scrapbook.  

Mary had a place in her heart where she stored every cherished memory of Jesus’ life. She had her own mental scrapbook of memories, miracles, conversations and images that she treasured along the way. When Mary and Joseph searched for twelve year old Jesus and found Him in the temple, He told His parents He had to be in His father’s house. Mary treasured moments like that one in her heart. 

We may have our own memories of how we searched for and found Jesus. We recall events and meaningful moments when He impacted our life, which we treasure in the scrapbook of our hearts. A scrapbook has a twofold purpose, it’s a comforting reflection for the one who keeps it, but it contains memories that were meant to be shared with others. Just as my grandmother helped me to feel as if I knew an uncle I never met, we have a scrapbook of memories of Jesus treasured in our heart, to share with those who do not know Him.

In sharing our treasured memories of Jesus, we might help someone else to come to know Him better too. 

Whatever treasured memories we share with others today, will continue to bless and comfort many more people tomorrow. 

Lord, we honor the memories of all our loved ones who are in the scrapbook of our hearts, and we also pray that we can share and reflect your memory as a divine and living presence to others. Amen

John C. Cooper, my uncle, WWII Purple Heart war hero, died in Iwo Jima July 10,1945

Me with my grandmother

“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”

2 Samuel 9:7 (NIV)

Mephibosheth, a little boy born into the royal family of King Saul, became crippled from a fall at five years old. His family was killed in the war and he became a disabled orphan. The wealth and land that was his by inheritance, was taken over by the enemy, leaving him handicapped, orphaned and homeless. A family friend cared for him in their home in a city called Lodebar. It was a place of desolation and the word, Lodebar, literally translates to “nothing”.
Mephibosheth was living in the land of Nothing as a nobody, having gone from prince to pauper, all through a series of events he had no control of. Anyone who has lost family, income, health, home or their sense of self worth can probably relate to the misfortune of this young boy. Little did he know that God saw his suffering and was going to turn things around and bring restoration to his life.
About eight years later, during peacetime, after David became King, he desired to show kindness to any surviving relatives of his deceased friend, Jonathan. He learned that Jonathan had a crippled son, and he sent the search party out to find him. Mephibosheth was found in Lodebar, and brought to the King’s palace. King David restored all that belonged to him by inheritance. He was adopted and lived with King David’s royal family for the rest of his life. His life went from prince, to pauper, and back to royal prince again.
God is our good King, who seeks us out when we are existing in a land of Nothing. He has prepared a place for us in His palace with His family, and calls us His own sons and daughters. He restores our lost fortunes, giving us an inheritance through Christ. He looks beyond our spiritual lameness and gives us spiritual self esteem. He knows what we have lost and asks “How can I reveal My kindness to you?  David did it all out of love for his friend, Jonathan. God loves us and shows us mercy through His beloved son, Jesus. No one has to remain in Lodebar, and He has sent out a search party to find anyone who thinks they are nothing or forgotten. He desires to make us part of His royal family and to live in relationship with Him through Jesus. He is a God of grace and restoration who turns lives around for the good.
Whatever condition we are in, God calls us to eternal glory through Christ, promising to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us.