With Longing

Luke 22:14,15  Then at the proper time Jesus and the twelve apostles sat down together at the table.  Jesus said, “I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to eat this passover meal with you before my suffering begins.”

Jesus longed for this day, the day he would break bread with his disciples. Within hours Jesus would be arrested, beaten, and die on a cross.  Scripture says Jesus looked forward to (He longed for) this intimate meal with His disciples.  For in this meal the new covenant is to be remembered for all time.  Jesus broke the bread and said, “This is my body, given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  He took the wine and said, “This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you--an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.”  Luke 22

Within hours Jesus did pour out His blood, Hebrews 9:12 says, “Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves.  He took His own blood, and with it He secured our salvation forever.”   Jesus knew the disciples did not understand what he was doing or what He was saying.   For just after he shared this meal with them they started arguing among themselves as to who would be the greatest in the coming kingdom.  But He also knew that after His death, He would rise out of the grave and then they would understand.  He knew they would be changed men, full of the Holy Spirit.  Then they would remember, and this day and this meal would be remembered forever.  1 Corinthians 11:26  “For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until He comes again.”

As we eat the bread, we too are to remember.  As we drink the wine we too are to announce that he shed His blood for us, that “we are made Holy by His blood.  Our sins have been forgiven, and there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.”  Hebrews 10:18

Easter is a time to remember, blood was shed, a body was given.  We are now free to worship God, we are free from the penalty of sin.  This Easter season as you break bread together--remember. Yes!  He is risen!!

Spring Has Come

Psalm 147:18  “Then, at his command, it all melts.  He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.”

I have found myself complaining lately, sick of the cold weather, tired of looking out the window and seeing ice on the lake.  Each morning I look out the window and see a winters worth of ice, dirt and grime still covering the lake.  I find myself thinking spring will never come.
I woke this morning to find the ice was gone!  The lake had been transformed, winters grip had been released, no snow, no ice, no grime.   Spring was here, Praise the Lord!  Not only had the lake been transformed but so had my attitude, I found myself smiling throughout the day.  Sharing with others that the ice was out on the lake.  Spring has come!  Yet I was thinking I missed something, I did not see the ice go out, it was there the day before, now it was gone.

God works in our lives the same way he worked on the ice.  We find ourselves complaining and focusing on winter, focusing on the grim and problems in our lives.  Wondering if God is listening to our prayers.  Maybe doubting that He cares.   Asking, will spring never come? Yet if we ask Him, if we allow Him.  God will work in our lives.  A little at a time He will change us.  Instead of melting away ice, He will melt away the hardness of our hearts. He will clean away the grime in our lives.  We will wake one day to find that while we were not looking, He will have transformed us.  People will see the beauty of Christ (His Son) reflected in us.  Winter will be gone, spring will have come.  At His command our hearts melt, through the wind and trials of life the ice will thaw.

Are you focusing on winter?  Do you feel spring will never come.  Ephesians 4:23,24 says, “Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes.  You must display a new nature, because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness--righteous, holy, and true.”  Spend some time with God, put your focus on Him, ask Him to change you.   Then while your not looking, one day you will realize God has changed you, all that old stuff, all the grime will be gone.  Winters grip, Satan’s grip will have been released from your life.  You, like the lake will be transformed, you will have a new nature.   You will find yourself smiling throughout your day, you will find yourself telling others how God transformed you, telling others how the ice has thawed.

Pilgrimage To Jerusalem

Psalm 84:5-7  “Happy are those who are strong in the Lord, who set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs, where pools of blessing collect after the rains!  They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.”
“Happy are those who are strong in the Lord.”  The other day I ran into a sister in Christ whom I hadn’t seen in a couple of years.  She gave me an update on her pilgrimage, her life’s journey.  As it turns out she has been fighting a battle with cancer.  It has taken a huge toll on her body, I am sure there has been much weeping.  Yet her eyes had that same sparkle I remembered, her smile was still contagious.  She talked of the Lord and His goodness, “He is not finished with me yet!”  she said.  Her mind is set on Jerusalem. Her eyes are set on Jesus, she is still running the race, she is still letting her light shine for all to see.

In our short conversation she told me of the blessings that have been collecting after and during the rains.  She spoke of new friends God has brought into her life, of still being alive when the doctors spoke otherwise.   What a blessing to see and hear her joy shining through the rain.   I was refreshed by her story.  I was blessed by our short conversation.

We are all on a pilgrimage, the question is, what is your destination?  Where is your mind set?  Luke 9:51 “As the time drew near for His return to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”  Jesus’ pilgrimage to Jerusalem was leading Him straight to the cross, yet he was unwavering in his journey.  He kept on His Father’s path, knowing full well what was waiting for Him there.  He knew that He was paving the way, opening the door so we could follow Him home.

Does this day find you walking through a valley of weeping?  Are the rains washing away your hope?   My prayer is that God will lift you up, that He will show you the way to Jerusalem.  That God will set your feet on His path.   I pray that at the end of your journey you will be able to look back and see many pools of blessings, while standing before God in Jerusalem.