The Perfect Lamb

 

     Holy week is here. Walking with Jesus as He willingly makes His way to the cross reminds us of His human agony, His overwhelming suffering, His love for us and His divinity. He overcame death. He fulfilled the law and offers grace. Everything in the Old Testament points to and foreshadows the Redeemer, Jesus. As we begin to understand the richness, the depth, the complexities of the Word of God, we can get a glimpse of His majesty, His timing and His ability to be personally involved in each of our lives.

     As Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem preparing for His death the following Friday, His timing is perfect. The Passover celebration was upon Jerusalem. The sacrificial lambs were being led into town, just as the Lamb of God is entering. Each lamb brought in to be sacrificed for sin has to be scrutinized and found to be without blemish, just as Jesus was scrutinized by the leaders of the day and they found Him with no sin.

     The Passover supper He shared with His disciples included the wine which represented His blood and the unleavened bread to represent His broken body. How beautiful! How astounding! How miraculous! Yeast always signified sin in the Bible. Unleavened bread means bread with no yeast, or the one Holy man with no sin.

      John the Baptist recognized Jesus when He first began His ministry three years earlier.

The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said,”Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1;29

     Let us behold Him this week as we prepare for the Holiest of weeks.

Father in heaven,

Keep us mindful of all that Jesus has done and what He will do at His return. We marvel at the timing, the miraculous way all prophecy has and will be fulfilled and that Your Son, the One with no sin, lived with us, died for us and conquered death to save us.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Delight in One Another

 

     Only immediate family members had visited our home over the time of Covid.  Way too long! My daughter and I hosted a shower for our other daughter on Sunday for the upcoming birth of her beautiful baby girl.

     I delighted in the sights and sounds of good friends and family together in one place. How lucky we are to be able to share in life’s joys and sorrows with people we love. It refreshed my heart.

A generous person will prosper. Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

.      Titus had been struggling. Paul writes of the difference in him because of others in his life.

By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 2 Corinthians 7;13

So we cared for you. Because we cared for you so much, we were delighted to share with you, not only the Gospel of God, but our lives as well. 1 Thessalonians 2:8

     Sharing the Gospel. Sharing life. Let your heart be refreshed by others in your own life. God sends us those we need when we need them most.

Father,

We thank You for the way You bring us together with Your perfect timing.  Keep our eyes open on how we can refresh others. Place in our lives those that need us and those that bring us delight.

In Jesus name,

Amen

A River of Delight

 

     The magnitude and magnificence of our God is impossible to fathom. To imagine the Creator of the universe, the One who placed the stars in the heavens and has counted each one, the One who saved us and knows us so intimately He even counts the number of hairs on our head! How can we help but delight in Him?

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, Your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is Your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, You give them drink from the river of Your delights.  For with You is the fountain of life. In Your light we see light. Psalm 36:5-9

     Read these words of praise to our Lord again. In Him is the fountain of life and it will never run dry, never. Drink from the river of His delights and savor His love. In His light we always find more and more light. He will satisfy your soul.

Lord,

We praise You to the heavens. We drink from the abundant river of Your life-saving water. We delight in You. Thank You for loving us.

Amen

 

Delight in One Another

Delight in His Word

 

     Delve into God’s word. The Scriptures will echo with your own heart. They will counsel, encourage, comfort, convict and yes, delight.

I delight in Your decrees. I will not neglect Your word. Psalm 119:16

Your statutes are my delight. They are my counselors. Psalm 119:24

     Allow God’s word to open your heart each day. He will speak to you with His deep and biding love. Delight in Him and in His holy words for you. He will meet you right where you are, wherever you are going, in whatever circumstances you find yourself, He is there.

Lord,

We thank You for the precious words You give us, for the ways You teach us and move us onto Your path. We take delight in Your word today.

In Jesus name,

Amen    

God Delights in You!

 

     We delighted in our Lord yesterday. Did you know He delights in you? He rejoices over you. He is preparing a place just for you and for me as His beloved, believing children.

The Lord your God is with you, the mighty warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

    Can you just imagine Jesus singing over you with great delight? He loves to witness your trust and faith in Him.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.  Hebrews 11:6

     All He asks of us is to have faith and believe. He is delighted with you! As you make your decisions, as you consider invitations, as you get ready to speak, imagine Jesus delighting over you, and choose the right and true paths of life.

Jesus,

We thank You for Your abundant love for us. We relish Your delight. We long to please You and our Father in heaven. Sing over your children today and watch us grow in faith.

Amen

Delight in God

 

     How about basking in some Godly delight this week? We will discover not only can we delight ourselves in the Lord and His ways, but that HE delights in us! Our faith pleases Him. Our love for Him and praise for Him brings glory to His name, and He loves spending time with us. Delight in your salvation. Delight in His presence. His Holy Spirit lives within you.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

     There is nothing like spending time with our Savior. Fill up on His love and delight each day before you tackle the world. Spring is here. Oh, that feeling of warm sunshine at the tail-end of a Minnesota winter, ahhh. The warmth of the sun does wonders for our mood, for our soul. That eternal light of the Son will do the same. Bask in His glory. Watch for Him to work in your life. He will give you the desires of your heart.

Lord,

Teach us to bask in Your love and light until Your desires become ours. We delight in Your amazing and unending love today.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

Legacies of Love in Christ

 

     Is there someone you want to emulate? A parent, a friend, a movie star, or singer? Someone with tons of money, power or youth? What drives you each day? What are the motives of your heart? All questions worth pursuing.

     The older I get the more I want to be like my father-in-law, Bert, or my friend, Marcia. They represent those who pour out love even when they are suffering, even during struggles. The husband who never complains when his wife no longer recognizes him. He just loves. The friend who cares more about you than about the pain she is in. Those able to sacrifice their own agenda and their own selfish desires to do what Jesus asks.

     The apostle Paul experienced great suffering throughout his life. You can read a list of just some of what he went through in 2 Corinthians 11. Here is what he wrote from his prison cell:

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

     And he also reminds us to rejoice always. Sounds impossible. But with God all things are possible. To show strength in suffering, sacrifice in struggles, wisdom in worry, love in loss. And maybe, just trying to be kind to everyone.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:31-32

When Jesus was asked, which is the greatest commandment?

Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22-38-40

     Good words to meditate on this morning. Be kind. Be compassionate. Love God. Love others. Why? Because Jesus says so. And, oh how the world needs Him.

Dear Lord,

We grumble and criticize and lash out in our human frailty. Teach us how to be kind and loving to each other. Will you show us how today? Let our lives be a legacy of love.

Amen