Tag: Trust

Whose Hands are Holding your Life?

Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. Luke 23:46 NLT

As Jesus hung on the cross, he spoke to his Father and told him that he was committing his life (his spirit) into his hands, he was placing his trust in the Father to take care of him. He was making that final statement that he trusted him to keep the promise that even in death, his life was not over. As I thought about this, I thought how many times we put our life in the hands of others… and many times ill-placed. Every day we have to trust other people to do what’s right. We also must forgive them when they don’t do what is best for us.

We put our lives and the lives of the ones we love in the hands of teachers and professors. We trust what they are teaching us is factual. I won’t go into how much false information has been given in education, that could be an entirely different blog… or how vulnerable our children are… We put our lives in the hands of other drivers when we get in our cars, when we drive in traffic, or as a passenger, or especially when we ride on public transportation. We put our lives in the hands of chefs or anyone who prepares our food when we eat in restaurants. We put our lives in the hands of our government by the laws that are passed and the people who run it. While some of these may seem fairly innocuous, one of the riskiest is how we put our lives in the hands of doctors and nurses by allowing them to treat us for illnesses or by having surgeries. This is probably one of the ways we give up the most control of what happens to us in our life; but I’m speaking of dally life. Our ultimate decision in giving up control and the most important one is allowing God to have control of our life. Truly committing our life to him and putting our life in his hands, so that he may direct it in the way that is best for us.

Prayer: Father, into your hands, I commit my life. Help me forgive others when they put themselves first. Help me to put others before myself. Show me your ways, so that I am following the correct path. Thank you for your mercy and help me to show mercy to others. Through Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Dignity and Joy

Every time I go to a new doctor, such as a specialist, I have to go through my medical history, which is rather lengthy. Because some of the history requires explanation, personal history also has to be divulged. It leaves me feeling rather ‘exposed’ in more ways than one… Afterwards, the nurse and the doctor make comments that I have been through a tumultuous series of events in my lifetime. (I am not disclosing everything in this story because some of it is deeply personal.) After nine surgeries, an inoperable brain tumor, a near fatal car accident, failed marriages, and many other catastrophes, I suppose I have, but I don’t look at it that way. To me those things are my past, those are things I’ve survived. I see that I am here, I am alive and I am loved. 

As I drove home today, I thought about the reactions I have received over the years, the all too familiar ones, time after time, to my life history. But that is the key – it IS history. And that’s where it should stay – in the archives… only to be brought out when needed for medical examination, not for emotional rumination! Chewing the cud is only beneficial to the cow (a ruminant). 

Today, when the nurse finished with all the questions, she looked at me and shook her head. I wasn’t asking for her pity, I was only answering the questions. I don’t need pity. She said the all-familiar phrase, in her words. “You have really been through so much in your life!” I looked at her, smiled, and gently said “Yes, I have, and God is good! He has brought me through it all! I couldn’t have gone through it without him. I am here and I’m sane and I know I have a purpose in my life. It’s funny when I look back, it’s hard to believe I went through all of that, because I don’t think about it until I have to recount it to a new doctor, then I put it away again, in the past. I focus on today.” She just shook her head again and said “Wow!” then left the room.

Yes, there have been things that could have taken away my dignity. There have been times I have lost family members for lengths of time. I have lost friends over lies that have been told about me. I have lost tens of thousands of dollars because of people I’ve been involved with… I’m not discussing details, Thank you. I don’t hold those things against any of them. I pray they come to know God and the truth. But I made it through by the grace of God and the mercy of friends and family. Any of these circumstances could have stolen my dignity or my joy. But, I would have had to allow my dignity and my joy to be stolen. The only way our dignity or our joy can be taken from us, is that we allow it to happen. I plan to hold on to both and I urge you to do the same!

Then I will hold my head high
    above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
    singing and praising the Lord with music. Psalm 27:6
(my emphasis)

Who is your accuser?

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 (NLT)

Accuse verb def: to charge with crime; to impute guilt or blame. Jesus took accuse out of accuse(r) and left us with His Righteousness. See John 16:9-11

Who is stealing from you?

Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”

Jeshua was a high priest who was standing before an angel of the Lord. What did God say to Satan, the accuser? “I reject your accusations!” If we take this personally, ‘Where are our accusers?!’ See John 8:7-10 They are rebuked when seen through God’s eyes. Nobody or nothing can steal our salvation except who and what we allow! Only the thieves we allow into our house (our temple) can rob us of joy or our relationship with God. We are the burning sticks which have been pulled out of the fire by Jesus Christ’s ultimate sacrifice.

 Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”

But Jesus didn’t stop there. Not only have we been redeemed, he looks past our filthy clothes (our sins) and removes them! Plus he has given us new clothes – a New image! A reflection of God! Who are your accusers? Thoughts? Self? 

Then I said, “They should also place a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by.

Things just get better with God. They placed a covering on his head. As in Ephesians chapter six, we are given the helmet of salvation. What is the helmet of salvation? It is the mind of Christ. It is placed on our heads. It is our responsibility to keep it, by renewing our minds to the Word of God.

Then the angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here.

“If you follow my ways …” We are instructed to follow God (in His way – in His will) and he prepares our paths before us. See Proverbs 3:5-6 

“Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, (which says)* and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.

“Listen…” it says, the Branch is Jesus Christ who bore our sins on the cross. “I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.” Day here is yowm in the Hebrew. I find the definition of day here very insightful. It comes from a root word ewy which means to be hot (in the heat of the day) or from sunrise to sunset. Jesus’ crucifixion only took one day – his sacrifice which gave us a new covenant all occurred in one single day. The trial, the beating, the cross all occurred in the span between sunrise and sunset. See Matthew 27:1 & Matthew 27:45-46 During the light portion of the day, the “light of the world” was squelched but Not destroyed!

“And on that day, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree.” Zechariah 3 (NLT)

The last verse in this passage of Zechariah three talks of the day when we will all follow God in unity of faith. In That day, (when we are unified by the Spirit) we will live peacefully. See Ephesians 4:3 and Ephesians 4:13

I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
      For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
      and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
   I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit
      or a bride with her jewels.
The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world.
      Everyone will praise him!
   His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring,
      with plants springing up everywhere. Isaiah 61:10-11

Prayer: Father, help me to know who I am through your enduring Word. Help me to see myself as you see me and not as any thief sees me. Help me to keep my eyes focused on you. Thank you for your love for me and all of your people, which is everyone. Thank you for a rich and satisfying life! Thank you for my salvation! Amen.

*Added for clarification from other translations.

The song I Am Who You Say I Am by Kelanie Gloeckler captures the essence of what I wrote @ kelanie.com:

I Am Who You Say I Am