Faithful men

Create your light - home project. Photo credit: Mrs. O

“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” Psalm 37:25

Bishop Henry Luke Orombi’s bible devotions have made rounds on WhatsApp. With simplicity he delves into scripture and expounds the Word of God.

Bunny?

As you may have noted by now, I love commemorating Easter and the events leading up to it.
Easter is the essence of my being – life itself.
Jesus took my blame, my sin, my shame.
He died so I could live.
The tomb is empty and my heart is full of Joy
He is risen!!
He is Alive, I just talked to Him today.

So, I’m musing on this deep stuff - thinking white robes, angels singing, satan- head hung low, coiled up, defeated and feeling like hell.
Then Mich tells me, with a grave look on his face how I must buy him Easter eggs, paint them and fill them with candy for an Easter egg hunt.
Commercials are buzzing;- easter bunnies, easter eggs, easter casseroles - the works.

Errrr… and just what does this rodent like, big eared, furry hopper have to do with Easter?
I’m told; Easter comes at the budding of spring which is synonymous with newness. Rabbits tend to give birth to litter round about now;- eggs are also synonymous with fertility. An ancient tradition started in Germany had Eoster as the goddess of fertility and some how the bunny was her symbol, people said it brought eggs and candy to good kids, kind of like Santa around Christmas.
So, you get the connection or have I confused you? Well at least I hope I did one or the other.

With all the egg hunts going on, birds must be on a serious egg-laying regiment round about now. While Mich gets high on candy, I’m thinking of tactful ways of keeping things in perspective. I want him to know that egg hunts and candy may be fun but Easter is really about Jesus' resurrection.
Thankfully, his dad, his teachers and Sunday school are backing me up.

I found a fascinating egg once, it had a sponge, a nail and a tiny paper scroll with the words INRI inscribed - a powerful statement about Christ’s death and resurrection.
What can I say? I like my Easter revered.


HAPPY EASTER!

Torture in the garden

As I strolled through the park that evening, sobbing my eyes out, my heart felt so tight, like it would explode right then.
My world was falling apart.
I struggled with the fact that Jesus let this happen, leaving me with no comfort but Himself. He didn’t fulfill my dreams. I had planned my life out but He was not following the script.
I was shattered.
In that moment, every thing around was blur, I could hear myself breathe. I felt trapped in a dark room, all other thoughts shut outside.
He had my full attention.

38Then He said to them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that [c]I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me.
39And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire. …
42Again a second time He went away and prayed, My Father, if this cannot pass by unless I drink it, Your will be done. …
44So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, using the same words. …
46Get up, let us be going! See, My betrayer is at hand!
Matthew 26:38-46

Jesus' battle was most tumultuous right here. After all the pleading and anguish, He accepted that His father wasn’t changing the situation. His contention was - making the decision, accepting, surrendering to His fathers plan - after that He was good.

Good Friday is one of favourite religious festivals. As I grow older, my fascination and interest deepens.
The cross, the crown of thorns, the nails in His hands;
All for me!
A battle for my soul.
Christ encountered death and hell in its most horrific form.

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
Matthew 27:50-53
Talk about dynamite;- forget Hollywood, this is what real super hero is made of.

Looking at my situation, this was a light bulb moment.
I let go of my dreams, trading them for His.
The madness of a believer! - giving up what you can't keep to gain what you can't lose.
Salvation is crazy stuff if you think about it, so don't even try using your head.

Oswald Chambers;
… we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration. Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.
If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you.

God had His dreams shuttered when Adam and Eve ate that fruit. The plan for us to busk in the garden of Eden, chilling with Him, flew threw the window.

Then Jesus.

Happy Easter!

The empty tomb

1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

15"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

16Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

17Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!"


30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:1-30
Amen.

He walked the same road

Lately, reading the scriptures brings me so much joy.
There was a time I stuck to the Psalms because they seemed most interesting but now, everything in the bible is fascinating.

Now that we are about to commemorate Christ's death and resurrection, I'm compelled to read again the account as told by John.
It's so interesting and powerful.
Reading how the disciples pledged their lives for Jesus yet when the pressure was on they preferred to sleep and later denied having anything to do with him?!.

Jesus was truly humble,forgiving and loving. Think about the fact that He knew what was going to happen before it did but he never changed a thing. He listened to Peter pledged his life to die at whatever cost yet He knew that the very guy was going to deny Him not once not twice but three times.
He broke bread with Judas Iscariot knowing full well that he was the same fellow going to hand him over to die.
He felt overwhelmed with the task ahead, sweating blood as he prayed in the garden yet the men He had trained and discipled couldn't stay awake to pray with and for Him when He needed them the most. That's really tough.
The peak of it all was when God couldn't look at His very own son because He was covered with our sin. That's sacrifice on God the fathers part and love on God the sons part. It's love on God the fathers part and sacrifice on God the son's part. Since the father and son are one, it's love and sacrifice from all angles.

It's encouraging to know that when people turn their backs on us, when we feel betrayed by loved ones, that Jesus walked the same road and He understands.