PALM SUNDAY

Jack Zavada, writing for --About Christianity dot com--, did a very nice piece back in 2014 providing a brief overview of the significance of Palm Sunday as the Holy week begins.

Won't you join me in returning to that time in our minds and hearts and witness the triumphal entry of our Lord, our King into Jerusalem, just days before His death.

[Scripture References: MT 21:1-11, MK 11:1-11, LK 19:28-44, JN 12:12-19]

Jack Zavada writes:

Jesus Christwas on his way to Jerusalem, knowing full well that this trip would end in his sacrificial deathfor the sin of humanity. He sent two disciples ahead to the village of Bethphage, about a mile away from the city at the foot of the Mount of Olives. He told them to look for a donkey tied by a house, with its unbroken colt next to it. Jesus instructed the disciplesto tell the owners of the animal that "The Lord has need of it." (Luke 19:31, )

The men found the donkey, brought it and its colt to Jesus, and placed their cloaks on the colt. Jesus sat on the young donkey and slowly, humbly, made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

In his path, people threw their cloaks on the ground and put palm brancheson the road before him. Others waved palm branches in the air. Large Passovercrowds surrounded Jesus, shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:9, )

By that time the commotion was spreading through the entire city. Many of the Galilean disciples had earlier seen Jesus raise Lazarusfrom the dead. Undoubtedly they were spreading the news of that miracle.

The Pharisees, who were jealous of Jesus and afraid of the Romans, said: "'Teacher, rebuke your disciples.' He answered, 'I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.'" (Luke 19:39-40, )

Points of Interest from the Triumphal Entry Story:

• When he told the disciples to get the donkey, Jesus referred to himself as 'The Lord,' a definite proclamation of his divinity.

• By riding into Jerusalem on a the colt of a donkey, Jesus fulfilled an ancient prophecyin Zechariah 9:9: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." [This was the only instance in the Gospels in which Jesus rode an animal.]

• Throwing cloaks in the path of someone was an act of homage and submission. The people were recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah.

• The people's cries of 'Hosanna' came from Psalm 118:25-26. Hosanna means "save now." Despite what Jesus had foretold about his mission, the people were looking for a military Messiah who would overthrow the Romans and restore Israel's independence.

Question for Reflection About the Palm Sunday Story:

The crowds refused to see Jesus as he truly was, placing their personal desires on him instead. Who is Jesus for you? Is he someone whom you want to satisfy your selfish wants and goals, or is he Lord and Master who gave up his life to save you from your sins?

(Sources: The New Compact Bible Dictionary, edited by T. Alton Bryant; New Bible Commentary, edited by G.J. Wenham, J.A. Motyer, D.A. Carson, and R.T. France; and the , Crossway Bibles.)

Have you read your Bible today?

PALM SUNDAY

Jack Zavada, writing for --About Christianity dot com--, did a very nice piece back in 2014 providing a brief overview of the significance of Palm Sunday as the Holy week begins.

Won't you join me in returning to that time in our minds and hearts and witness the triumphal entry of our Lord, our King into Jerusalem, just days before His death.

[Scripture References: MT 21:1-11, MK 11:1-11, LK 19:28-44, JN 12:12-19]

Jack Zavada writes:

Jesus Christ was on his way to Jerusalem, knowing full well that this trip would end in his sacrificial death for the sin of humanity. He sent two disciples ahead to the village of Bethphage, about a mile away from the city at the foot of the Mount of Olives. He told them to look for a donkey tied by a house, with its unbroken colt next to it. Jesus instructed the disciples to tell the owners of the animal that "The Lord has need of it." (Luke 19:31, )

The men found the donkey, brought it and its colt to Jesus, and placed their cloaks on the colt. Jesus sat on the young donkey and slowly, humbly, made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

In his path, people threw their cloaks on the ground and put palm branches on the road before him. Others waved palm branches in the air. Large Passover crowds surrounded Jesus, shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:9, )

By that time the commotion was spreading through the entire city. Many of the Galilean disciples had earlier seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead. Undoubtedly they were spreading the news of that miracle.

The Pharisees, who were jealous of Jesus and afraid of the Romans, said: "'Teacher, rebuke your disciples.' He answered, 'I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.'" (Luke 19:39-40, )

Points of Interest from the Triumphal Entry Story:

• When he told the disciples to get the donkey, Jesus referred to himself as 'The Lord,' a definite proclamation of his divinity.

• By riding into Jerusalem on a the colt of a donkey, Jesus fulfilled an ancient prophecy in Zechariah 9:9: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." [This was the only instance in the Gospels in which Jesus rode an animal.]

• Throwing cloaks in the path of someone was an act of homage and submission. The people were recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah.

• The people's cries of 'Hosanna' came from Psalm 118:25-26. Hosanna means "save now." Despite what Jesus had foretold about his mission, the people were looking for a military Messiah who would overthrow the Romans and restore Israel's independence.

Question for Reflection About the Palm Sunday Story:

The crowds refused to see Jesus as he truly was, placing their personal desires on him instead. Who is Jesus for you? Is he someone whom you want to satisfy your selfish wants and goals, or is he Lord and Master who gave up his life to save you from your sins?

(Sources: The New Compact Bible Dictionary, edited by T. Alton Bryant; New Bible Commentary, edited by G.J. Wenham, J.A. Motyer, D.A. Carson, and R.T. France; and the , Crossway Bibles.)

Have you read your Bible today?

Dust to Dust,  she is now home.



http://thislifeilive.com/dust-to-dust/



Have you read your Bible today?

Dust to Dust,  she is now home.



http://thislifeilive.com/dust-to-dust/



Have you read your Bible today?

BECOMING LIKE CHILDREN

When the Lord repeats Himself on a specific topic, and does so multiple times, the reader needs to pay close attention to what is being said. Such is the instruction from Jesus in Matthew Chapter 18:

(Mat 18:2) And He called a child to Himself and set him before them,

(Mat 18:3) and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

(Mat 18:4) "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

This directive is repeated twice more in Mark 10:15 and Luke 18:17. Three times, Jesus says that we must “become like children” if we are to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. What precisely are we to do in order that we “become like children”?

My wife, some friends and a few close family members have often accused me of being a child. “Don't be such a child”, one of them once said to me. Well GOSH! If I am not like a child, I won't get into heaven!! Brother,..... I said to myself,..... I don't think that is what our Lord means.

Young children are not programmed with all the CAN'TS and IMPOSSIBLES that hamper the faith of adults. Through the eyes of a child, everything is possible. Nothing is impossible. The way our Father likes it!

(Luk 1:37) "For nothing will be impossible with God."

There is a helpless, simple, trusting attitude that God finds so endearing in His children. It is through those who foster that “Child Like” faith that the Holy Spirit does some of His best work. He wants us to rely on Him, not on ourselves.

Children are also extremely humble. They don't know what they don't know and readily accept that which they cannot see, feel, taste, or hear. If they can think it, it can become real in the youthful mind. We old-timers really have to work hard to develop that beautiful child-like faith in acceptance of God's grace.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John & Paul all saw Jesus in the flesh. They lived with Him and touched Him and still had faith issues. The children, however, readily accepted Jesus, and believed fully from the start. That is the part that “Big People” need to relearn. Revisit your childhood again. Be youthful in your thoughts. Believe with all your heart. Know that He is with you in all you do. You are, after all, a CHILD of God!

Have you read your Bible today?

[All scripture in this blog posting is NASB]

BECOMING LIKE CHILDREN

When the Lord repeats Himself on a specific topic, and does so multiple times, the reader needs to pay close attention to what is being said. Such is the instruction from Jesus in Matthew Chapter 18:

(Mat 18:2) And He called a child to Himself and set him before them,

(Mat 18:3) and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

(Mat 18:4) "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

This directive is repeated twice more in Mark 10:15 and Luke 18:17. Three times, Jesus says that we must “become like children” if we are to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. What precisely are we to do in order that we “become like children”?

My wife, some friends and a few close family members have often accused me of being a child. “Don't be such a child”, one of them once said to me. Well GOSH! If I am not like a child, I won't get into heaven!! Brother,..... I said to myself,..... I don't think that is what our Lord means.

Young children are not programmed with all the CAN'TS and IMPOSSIBLES that hamper the faith of adults. Through the eyes of a child, everything is possible. Nothing is impossible. The way our Father likes it!

(Luk 1:37) "For nothing will be impossible with God."

There is a helpless, simple, trusting attitude that God finds so endearing in His children. It is through those who foster that “Child Like” faith that the Holy Spirit does some of His best work. He wants us to rely on Him, not on ourselves.

Children are also extremely humble. They don't know what they don't know and readily accept that which they cannot see, feel, taste, or hear. If they can think it, it can become real in the youthful mind. We old-timers really have to work hard to develop that beautiful child-like faith in acceptance of God's grace.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John & Paul all saw Jesus in the flesh. They lived with Him and touched Him and still had faith issues. The children, however, readily accepted Jesus, and believed fully from the start. That is the part that “Big People” need to relearn. Revisit your childhood again. Be youthful in your thoughts. Believe with all your heart. Know that He is with you in all you do. You are, after all, a CHILD of God!

Have you read your Bible today?

[All scripture in this blog posting is NASB]

LAST KISS

In 1964 J. Frank Wilson recorded a record titled Last Kiss. It was a substantial hit then and a classic yet today. Wilson's recording, although based on real events, was not penned by Wilson but by Wayne Cochran who wrote of the actual events in 1941 of the deaths of two of his friends.

Today, Rory Feek documents his very personal walk in the last remaining hours of his bride's time on earth. Joey has closed her eyes and she, the baby, family members and Rory have exchanged their last kiss. The link below will take you to his blog, his words, his memories, his pain, and his joy in Christ, and his tribute to a beautiful and talented woman who is ready to go home;

http://thislifeilive.com/one-last-kiss/

Please take a moment to visit this site, and share with Rory the station at which we all, each of us will eventually disembark.

Have you read your Bible today?

LAST KISS

In 1964 J. Frank Wilson recorded a record titled Last Kiss. It was a substantial hit then and a classic yet today. Wilson's recording, although based on real events, was not penned by Wilson but by Wayne Cochran who wrote of the actual events in 1941 of the deaths of two of his friends.

Today, Rory Feek documents his very personal walk in the last remaining hours of his bride's time on earth. Joey has closed her eyes and she, the baby, family members and Rory have exchanged their last kiss. The link below will take you to his blog, his words, his memories, his pain, and his joy in Christ, and his tribute to a beautiful and talented woman who is ready to go home;

http://thislifeilive.com/one-last-kiss/

Please take a moment to visit this site, and share with Rory the station at which we all, each of us will eventually disembark.

Have you read your Bible today?