Breath
I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever!
….Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.
Your unfailing love will last forever.
….Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. Psalm 89:1-2 NLT
John 20:19-23 (<<click here to read the passage)
One Sunday a minister with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face, began by saying, “Dear Lord, without you, we are but dust…” He would have continued but at that moment one very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to her mom and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year-old girl voice, “Mom, what is butt dust?”
Yes, it’s potty humor, but you probably at least smiled a little!
Way back at the beginning we were created. God didn’t just snap His fingers and we appeared. Genesis 2:7 states,
…the Lord God formed [that is, created the body of] man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit]. AMP
There is life in the breath of God. And as the above minister began “we are but dust” and without God breathing into us the breath of life that’s all we would be…dust. We live because God’s breath is in us, whether we acknowledge that fact is beside the point. And that fact is what sets us apart from all other forms of creation.
God declared in Genesis 1:31 that His creation was very good but, as I said, that was just the beginning – God had much more planned for us! His ultimate goal was to bring about our completion and that would come through His Son.
In verse 22 of today’s passage, John wrote,
…he [Jesus] breathed on them [His disciples] and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. v22 NLT [emphasis mine]
My study Bible goes on to say,
…through the breath of Jesus, God imparted eternal, spiritual life. With this inbreathing came the power to do God’s will on earth.*
God’s full intent was to enable us to be like Him in all ways. God planned it all before His creation even came into being.
My favorite verse, Ephesians 1:4, from the Amplified Bible,
…[in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. [emphasis mine]
All praise to our Creator and Redeemer! We are only who and what we are because of His great love!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Nov 15th, 2021, Mon, 7:33 pm
Why Wouldn’t He Smile?
Father, I am so grateful for Your work in my life. Today’s sermon was most certainly a gift from You. May it touch innumerable lives with the message with which You have endued it. Amen.
John 20:19-23 (<<click here to read the passage)
I’ve spoken of this before, but Jesus was most certainly a man who experienced and expressed the entire gamut of human emotion. It’s so easy to picture Him as a person of utmost seriousness. We know He wept. (John 11:35) We know He lashed out in (justified and righteous) anger – numerous times actually. (One click on this list will bring them all up at once – Matthew 6:5, Matthew 12:10, Matthew 19:13-14, Matthew 21:12-17, Matthew 23:25-32, Mark 10:13-16, Mark 12:41-44, Luke 6:7, Luke 13:10-17, John 2:13-17, John 9:16)
It is not recorded in Scripture, but don’t you think that Jesus laughed? Surely, He had to have smiled on many occasions. Children were drawn to Him – and what child wants to be around someone who is always serious and stern. There had to be many occasions when silly things happened or funny stories were shared amongst Himself and His disciples.
In reading through today’s text, I saw the footnote on what Jesus said at the end of verse 19 from the Amplified Bible.
First, the scene needs to be set and the first part of verse 19 does that. This incident took place on the same day that Mary (and the other ladies), Peter, and John had paid a visit to Jesus’ empty tomb. And though they had been told specifically by Mary after her personal encounter with the risen Lord, that Jesus was alive, the disciples were [meeting] behind barred doors for fear of the Jews.
Who knows what all was going through their minds, but they weren’t taking any chances! The Jewish leaders could have been coming after them next! And then suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! NLT
He had not sent a messenger ahead to announce His pending arrival. He didn’t even knock. He just appeared in their midst! And what does He say? “Peace to you.”
The footnote in the Amplified Bible says that statement was a normal Hebrew greeting. And in my mind’s eye, I can see Jesus saying it with the biggest smile on His face. And I wouldn’t be surprised if He had to keep Himself from laughing out loud!
There they were hiding in fear and Jesus pops up right in front of their very eyes and gives them a “Hi, guys! How goes it?” Luke’s Gospel tells that they were startled and frightened. Luke 24:37 NLT
And all along it’s like Jesus is saying, “Hey, it’s me! Why in the world are you boys hiding?”
Oh, He knew what was going on, and really what else was He supposed to say? His, “Peace to you” just broke the ice to get things rolling. He loved them more than they could ever have realized – just as He does us. And He was filled with joy. It was finished! The work He come to do was complete! He was jubilant and wanted them to join Him in His joy! And honestly, why wouldn’t He smile!
Lord Jesus, may we share in Your joy! May it and the love You have for us spill out, splashing all those around us throughout each day of our lives. Amen!
Nov 14th, 2021, Sun, 7:11 pm
Don’t Look for Something Else – Expect Good Things!
…you, O Lord,
….are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
….and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15 NLT
John 20:11-18 (<<click here to read the passage)
Today at the end of my routes, I stopped in the office to say goodbye to our new assistant for our Transportation Director. In the course of our short conversation, I made mention of an individual I know who is dealing with the onset of dementia and that their response to many occurrences in life is that they are the most beautiful ever. My fellow worker quickly responded that that was a wonderful response to life – always having a positive outlook on what, for many of us, has become repetitive and somewhat humdrum.
This morning, Karen and I texted between my routes, and she made comment about the beautiful sunrise this morning and how all the leaves we have down now made for a “pretty orange and yellow carpet” in our yard. As we wrapped up our conversation, she encouraged me to “enjoy God’s artwork” on my route and rounded it out by her love for His “choice of colors”.
Others may not have even looked out to see the beautiful sunrise but may have been distracted by their morning routine. They may have seen the leaves, but they only reminded them of all the work that yet needed doing.
My friend, I was reminded, had a wonderfully positive outlook on life. My wife had a like mindset in our earlier conversation. In both cases, they were looking for and embraced the beauty before them. And when they looked, they saw.
In today’s text, Mary Magdalene “was standing outside the tomb sobbing” v11 AMP She spoke with two angels dressed in white inside the tomb and it didn’t even phase her. Any other time in Scripture when someone interacted with an angle there was fear or at least some response of great humility. She didn’t even seem to know who and what they were. When she turned around and saw Jesus standing there her reaction was the same. She thought He was the gardener.
She was looking for Jesus’ body and in her extreme state of grief, she didn’t recognize Him because she wasn’t looking for Him – at least not in the state in which she saw Him. She didn’t expect him to be alive.
Both the angels and Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” vs13,15 AMP
A source I discovered online said that when Jesus repeated the question the angels asked, He reinforced for us as readers that the joy that should be experienced is absent here. In other words, by asking her, “Why are you crying?” He is saying that there is no reason to cry. Or better yet that she’s crying because she has lost her Lord and Savior, but He is standing right in front of her!
He says her name and recognition dawns on her. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). v16 NLT
My source goes on to say, “Often in life, good things come our way, but we do not recognize them because we do not expect them or we are looking for something else.” *
My friend and my wife both expected to see the beauty that God gives us in this life, and they found it. That’s not always our first go-to, but we really should strive to make it so! Lord Jesus, open our eyes to the joy that should be experienced. It’s all around us!
Nov 11th, 2021, Thurs, 6:11 pm
A Lightbulb Appeared!
A very foggy morning turned into a beautiful day! Thank You, Father, for Your many blessings!
John 20:1-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
The origins of phrases and colloquialisms in culture are very interesting. Some go back hundreds of years while some are far more recent in their beginnings.
For example, how did the lightbulb become associated with a new idea? With a little Google searching, I find out! First of all, Thomas Edison didn’t invent the lightbulb, but he basically perfected it into something usable. That was in the late 1870s.
We have to jump a few years ahead to the 1920s. Even then, in the silent-film era, cartoons were a popular form of entertainment. Felix the Cat was at the top of the list, predating Mickey Mouse by more than a decade. And it was Felix who cemented the notion of a light bulb as a new idea.
When Felix was thinking, symbols and letters would sometimes appear over his head, and he would often use them as props: question marks became ladders, and musical notes became vehicles. It was in these symbolic images that we first see the light bulb used to represent a new idea.*
Pretty cool!
Throughout his Gospel, he never mentions himself by name, but the Apostle John was the “other” disciple in these verses of Scripture. He had been with Jesus from the beginning and was His close associate and friend. He heard and saw just about everything that Jesus did. And you will remember that time and time again, Jesus laid out what would happen to Himself. He was very clear, but it just never seemed to register with His followers, John included. But in these two verses, the proverbial light bulb glowed to life above John’s head!
Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. John 20:8-9 NLT
With all they had been through John finally saw and believed! He finally understood what Scripture, and Jesus in turn, had been saying all along! When God’s plan had been laid out in its entirety, it finally clicked for John. Peter was a little slower on the draw. Luke’s Gospel says that Peter “…peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.” Luke 24:12b NLT
But eventually, Peter too believed the truth of Who Jesus was and what He had come to do.
Lord Jesus may each of us have that “aha!” moment where the light bulb appears over our heads, and we too see and believe! And just as importantly, may we be diligent at pointing others to You, so they can believe as well. Amen!
*from a post on Medium.com
Nov 10th, 2021, Wed, 8:41 pm
A Way When It Seems There Is No Way
Father, thank You for Your direction throughout this day. I was glad I was able to accomplish some out-of-the-norm tasks. Work went well too! Thank You for Your impact even in the normal stuff of life!
John 20:1-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
There seem to be so many obstacles in our lives in getting to where we want or need to be. Some of course are just the way things are done.
You can’t be a concert pianist just because you want to be. It takes hours and hours of practice and devotion to develop the skills necessary…and if you do not have any gifting in that area, your efforts will be for naught.
Successful relationships don’t just happen. It takes dedication on the part of both parties, a willingness to forgive, and many other components to have fulfilling and genuine interaction with those close to us.
Other times, the things we desire just are not meant to be. Many couples yearn for a child, and for numerous reasons, that cannot be the case. But I have seen adoption bring great joy to both parent and child.
Sometimes, no matter how hard we work at it, we cannot achieve professional goals in life. Businesses fail. Promotions go to others. Grand dreams stagnate and we are left with nothing to show for all our efforts.
A note in my Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation got me thinking. Concerning verse 1…
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. NLT
…it said,
The stone was not rolled away from the entrance to the tomb so Jesus could get out. He could have left easily without moving the stone. It was rolled away so others could get in and see that Jesus was gone. (Emphasis mine.)
Mark’s Gospel tells us that the large stone concerned the women who went to anoint Jesus’ body after the Sabbath.
On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” Mark 16:3 NLT
It was an obstacle they could not overcome in their own strength…but God took care of it for them! Matthew’s Gospel tells us,
Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. Matthew 28:2 NLT
How many times do obstacles in life stop us in our tracks? There are mountains that we feel are unconquerable and so we give up. Yes, there are some things we are not meant to have or pursue even. But…what if that is not the case but God is just waiting to “roll the stone away” for us?
Oh, ye of little faith! Call upon God to do what only God can do! As the saying goes, God will make a way when it seems there is no way. And don’t forget, the stone wasn’t rolled away for Jesus to get out, it was so others could get in!
Nov 9th, 2021, Tues, 7:15 pm