Plow Through~

A blessed Good Friday to everyone. 

 

Hebrews 12:2-3 “Keep your eyes on Jesus… He plowed through...”

 

Three GOOD points to ponder:
 

1. Today of all days is a day to think of everything Christ put up with while on earth.  He was mistreated, falsely accused, slandered, verbally and physically abused, and put to death.  There is nothing you have ever gone through that Jesus doesn’t understand. Hebrews 4:15-16 “Jesus is not out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help."

 

2. Jesus plowed through all the testing.  One definition of plow is “an instrument used for pulverizing.”  I love that word – pulverize, which means “reduce to dust or powder – to crush completely.”  Jesus plowed through by prayer, wisdom, and love, ultimately allowing Him to defeat death, have victory, and provide us with hope, inspiration, and eternal life.

 

3. This is the greatest truth we will ever hear: Jesus completely crushed death the moment He rose out of that grave.  And because He did that, we can all call on Him for new beginnings and do-overs in this life.   Most importantly, we invite Him into our hearts so that our souls will never die.  Never ever never!   

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Praise Your high and holy risen name!  You totally get us, and we are grateful because no one on this earth fully understands us.  Thank You that You are always ready to give us the help we need to live this life.  We open our arms wide to receive it!  Thank You that You pulverized death, and one day we will celebrate the glories of a perfect heaven because of Your sacrifice.  We invite Your resurrection power into every area of our life that needs newness, restoration, and health.  We invite You to permanently live in our hearts so we can experience forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  AMEN!

Adrenaline for Our Souls~

Happy Tuesday, dear and beautiful children of God~

 

I woke up this morning to the reminder that today is the one-year anniversary of the Boston bombing.  Somedays the bad news and suffering seem relentless.  And honestly, we do not have to turn on the national news to be reminded of all the junk in life; we’ve all gone through something or are currently in the midst of something.  Our struggles can be small or they can be big.  The point is they are real, and they cause upheaval in our lives.  How are we to cope?  It is not very practical to disengage from life, retreat to a room, cover our head with a lavender-scented pillow, snuggle under a blanket, and wait until the glory.    

 

Hebrews 12:2-3 “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of where He was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - He could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now He’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility He plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”

 

Part one: “Keep your eyes on Jesus!” 

 

We keep our eyes on Him by studying how He lived, and the most important thing He did was pray.

 

He prayed when He was alone, when He was with others, before He ate, before healing others, at His own baptism, in the morning, before walking on the water, and at the Lord’s supper.  He prayed over the little children, in the Garden before the betrayal, and once pulled an all nighter before choosing the 12 disciples.  While being nailed onto the cross He prayed, while suffering on the cross He prayed, and in His dying breath He prayed, “Father, into Your hands I entrust my spirit.”  In fact, He is still praying – right now – for you and for me.  Romans 8:34 “Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”

 

In other words, it’s always a good time to pray – to have a little conversation with our Lord.  This is one of many aspects that “will shoot adrenaline into our souls!” 

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are excited to pray today.  By following Christ’s example, we are strengthening our faith.  We could all use a shot of adrenaline!  Help us plow through.  In His blessed and risen name we pray, AMEN~