A Promise is a Promise

 "'This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,' declares the Lord. 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.'" Jeremiah 31:33

    Marriage is a trip. Two strangers of the opposite sex meet, fall in love and begin a lifelong expedition which takes them all over the place. Sometimes, there are lush Edens of happiness and other times, the two seem to be stuck in the Molasses Swamp of Candyland.

    Pondering traditional marriage vows, when we enter the covenant of holy matrimony, we are vowing "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part." I have not always kept my promises, but I have confessed my brokenness and rejoined the expedition with David, my husband.

    Since marriage is ordained by God, it's no surprise to note that it is fashioned by His covenant of love for us, His people. Our relationship with God is a covenant, a binding agreement between two parties. Both marriage and our walk with Christ involve love, sacrifice, faithfulness, union and a lifelong commitment.

     Picture being the bride of Christ, adorned in His righteous robes, standing solemnly beside Him before the Father, being joined for all eternity for better or for worse. In a voice cloaked by emotion, you vow to love and cherish Him, knowing you can only do so by the help of the Holy Spirit, which He then gives you as you slip on the ring of baptism. His sacred words are then etched upon your heart, your sheer love for Him becomes evident in your life.

    I heard a radio sermon this week given on John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." The preacher encouraged me to replace the words, "the world" with my name in order to grasp the personal invitation. "For God so loved Rachel that He gave..."  

    What if I, in response to this covenant of love, declared, "For Rachel so loved God that she gave..." What would I give? My heart, soul, mind and strength. I would give Him my all.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30

     

Just Five Words

 "The Lord is my Shepherd." Psalm 23:1

    When I was a child, my mom assigned to me the task of memorizing the twenty-third Psalm. What seemed like a chore at the time has become a means of blessing to me the older I get. Though this familiar Psalm is often spoken at funerals, those first five words portray abundant life to me. 

    As I pondered the verse above, I toyed with placing the emphasis on one word at a time, like this:

• The Lord is my Shepherd: Not just any lord, He is the Ancient of Days, the one and only God.
• The Lord is my Shepherd: The Master of the Universe is my King of kings, Almighty God.
• The Lord is my Shepherd: Present tense, not "was" or "will be." In the here and now, He is mine.
• The Lord is my Shepherd: Up close, personal and familiar with all my ways. 
• The Lord is my Shepherd: He leads me and guides me all the days of my life.

    If I am injured, He will stoop down to bind my wounds because He is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. If I drift away, it doesn't matter how many other sheep are in the fold, He will come looking for me. When hunger and thirst assail me, He opens His hand and I am fed. And when the enemy prowls 'round me as a lion, my Victor will rescue me, drawing me close. 

    By believing in just five words, my needs are met for all eternity.

"I am the good Shepherd: I know my sheep and my sheep know me...and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:14

    

A Man Named Matthew

 "As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him." Matthew 9:9

    As Matthew recorded his meeting with Jesus in his gospel account, he must have recalled with great tenderness the moment Jesus saw him - not as a traitorous, despised tax collector - but as a man with a name. That is how God sees each one of us, as valuable and lovable individuals, and we must each decide whether or not we will follow Him.

    Our culture is defined by labels, categories and demographics. Case in point: We bought a new refrigerator a while back. It came with a product registration card which I dutifully set out to complete. The usual questions were represented i.e. name, address, date of purchase; with these I had no qualm. But then the queries sought to lump me into categories that had no connections to my purchase: What level of education did you complete? Do you own your home or rent? How much is your gross income?

    Why did they need to know that? As far as I was concerned, I was just a person in need of cold food. This led me gratefully into the presence of my Lord who sees me as His beloved child. When I was broken, He didn't see a high-school-educated non-hispanic in a low income tax bracket who worked as a bank teller. He saw a soul in need of salvation. He backed up His reliability with His own blood, having written a love letter to me with its scarlet ink in these words from Paul's letter to the Romans:

    "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8: 31, 32

Hands

 "But I trust in you, Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.'" Psalm 31: 14, 15

    Think of everything we do with our hands. From the moment we arise, we are using them to brush our teeth, eat breakfast, drive to work, perform tasks, carry items, flip pages in a book and so on. We use them to convey emotions or to emphasize meaning while we interact with others. Hands can be used for good things or to perpetuate evil. Think of rude gestures or slapping someone or even, God forbid, taking the life of another. 

    Today, I spent time watching the hands of Jesus and all that they did in the Gospels. When visiting Peter's mother-in-law who was ill, Jesus touched her hand and the fever left her. 

    In the middle of his teaching about wineskins, a synagogue leader knelt before Him pleading, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." (Matthew 9:18) The scriptures tell us, "He went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up." (vs. 25) Imagine that? Such simple words to describe something so incredible as a resurrection!

    Parents of little children came to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and to pray for them. (Matt. 19:13) We don't have to be Bible characters to have the benefit of Jesus praying for our little ones. I know He intercedes for us as believers, going to the Father on our behalf. (See Romans 8:34)

    Then there was Peter, who had the faith to step out of the boat in the middle of a tempest on the Sea of Galilee, walking on water toward Jesus. But, fear overtook him and he began to sink. "Lord, save me!" he cried out. "Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him." (Matt. 14:31)

    Jesus did many other wondrous works with his hands as He taught and healed others with divine compassion. But then came the nefarious hands bearing evil intent. 

    Three times, Jesus solemnly spoke to His disciples about what lay ahead: "When they came together in Galilee, He said to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.'" (Matt. 17: 22, 23) 

    At the Last Supper, after having had his feet washed by our Lord, Judas was the one who dipped his hand into the bowl, indicating he was the one who would betray Jesus. As a result, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners." (Matt. 26:45)

    Our hearts are rent asunder when we read what the soldiers did with their hands: "They they spit in His face and struck Him with their fists. Others slapped Him and said, 'Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?'" (Matt. 26: 67, 68) "They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand. Then they knelt in front of Him and mocked Him." (Matt. 27: 28, 29)

    It has been said that we, as followers of Christ, are His hands and feet. Am I using my hands to soothe, direct or otherwise minister to those in need around me? Or are my fists balled in obstinance, refusing to let the love flow from a generous heart? Will I willingly wash feet, pray for children or reach out a helping hand to those who are perishing? 

    He took the nails for me; what shall I do for Him?

"Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop doubting and believe." John 20:27

    

Loving Lavishly

 "See what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1

    The verse above says God "lavished" His love on us. Wanting to know more, I looked up the word "lavish." It means "very generous or liberal in giving or spending, extravagantly so; prodigal." That word "prodigal" reminded me of Jesus' parable about The Prodigal Son so I looked up that word, too. It's definition is "exceedingly or recklessly wasteful, extremely generous; lavish, profuse."

    Lavish, indeed! "You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows." (Psalm 23) "Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." (Malachi 3) "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap." (Luke 6)

    Have I loved Jesus in return as He has loved me? 

    My heartfelt prayer this Lenten season is that I love Jesus with the same abandon as did this woman in the gospel of Mark:

    "While He was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head." Some present were indignant about this perceived "waste" of perfume, which was worth about a year's wages. 

    In response to this, Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me...She did what she could." (Mark 14: 6, 8)

    The woman broke the jar so there was no going back, no effort could be made to save some perfume for herself. She went all in, publicly, undeniably, extravagantly. As the aroma filled the air and poured out into the streets, her love for Christ became common knowledge. Indeed, Jesus had said that "wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her." (Mark 14:9)

    Oh, Jesus, who has loved me so lavishly that You laid down your life for me, may I spare no expense, may I never think twice about how it looks to anyone else, but may I just love you wastefully, recklessly, extremely so! I want to be remembered for doing something beautiful for You! Grant me a grateful heart so I will do whatever I can for You. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, worth all I have to give, which will never be enough.

"What language shall I borrow 

To thank Thee, dearest Friend,

For this Thy dying sorrow,

Thy pity without end?

Oh, make me Thine forever!

And should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never,

Outlive my love for Thee."

-from the hymn, "O Sacred Head Now Wounded"

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What's more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them as garbage..." Philippians 3: 7, 8

He'll Leave the Light on for You

 "Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your Presence?...If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You." Psalm 139: 7, 11

    When I was a child, I feared being alone especially at night. Because my older sisters were closer in age, they shared a room while I had one of my own. While this might seem ideal to some, it was a bane to me. I sought reassurance each night as darkness settled upon me like a damp blanket. 

    "What time is it?' I'd call out to Mother. "Nine o'clock," came the tired reply. "Now go to sleep." 

    I'd try to converse with my siblings across the hall, a temporary fix. Finally, I was given a radio to dispel the deepening gloom of loneliness.

    As I grew in body and faith, securely sealed by the Spirit, I viewed the Presence of Christ in me as a flashlight that would cast light into the unknown as I entered its realm. Yet, the more I learned about the omnipresence of our God, I have had to revise my view. He is not merely a light that comes with me; He has gone on before me, turning on all the lights along the way!

    Upon the exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel had His glorious Presence with them in their wilderness: "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night." (Exodus 13:21) 

   Since the cross and the empty tomb, God has gone one better than the pillars - His very Spirit resides in me, closer than my own heart. No person or no thing can ever turn off the Light.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5

    

Believing is Seeing

 "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Luke 24:34

    Easter is approaching. I can tell by the pastel proliferation of bunnies and eggs at Home Goods, among other places. Have you ever asked yourself what lies beneath the cutesy accoutrements of this spring season? If we peer through the smoke screen with which Satan has obscured the truth, what will we find? 

    An empty tomb. Jesus lives and Satan doesn't want you to know that! Otherwise, you would live in victory. 

    How do I know that Jesus lives if I wasn't there to see it for myself? I have proof. Just as in the verse above, I can declare, "It is true! The Lord has risen." Here's how I know:

    Dementia shrouded my father's mind during the last year and a half of his life. Anyone who has witnessed the slow decline caused by this disease can testify to the sadness and frustration involved. It was especially cruel for my mom whose husband did not know her after sixty-two years of marriage. The mental limitations combined with the physical ailments took their toll and, toward the end, my dad was admitted to a nursing home.

    One Sunday afternoon, my sisters called me from there. "Rachel, you need to come down here (to the nursing home)," they implored. "We are here with mom." 

    Fearing the worst, I went with some measure of trepidation. But do you know what happened? The same Jesus, who rebuked the raging sea for the disciples, calmed the storm of dementia for a few hours that afternoon. My father, so fine and so brave, was back as he used to be!  Just as if he had returned from a long trip, we were excited to speak with him. When I hugged him, he told me one of his favorite corny jokes which was, "A woman should be an armful, never a handful." 

    When our joyous reunion ended, the cloud of confusion returned. Three days later, Jesus called him home. 

    As the hymn goes, "I know that my Redeemer lives; What comfort this sweet sentence gives." Who but the One who has been given all authority in heaven and earth, could perform such a feat? But a Savior who has authority over life and death, who loves me so much that He would grant me one last time with my father, this is my Jesus, my Redeemer who lives. And I am a witness.

"God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses." Acts 2:32