Provisions

My favorite name for Jesus is Jehovah-jireh, God who provides. He provides innumerable things for us, His children. “Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam 3:22-23)

The earth rotates on its axis at His command.

He sets in motion our planet, as it revolves around the sun.

The heavens produce rain and sunshine as the Creator wills.

Crops grow and are harvested in due time.

Babies- each one a gift from God- are born and grow because of Him.

He provides shelter for us.

He provides friendships.

Individually, God's children receive what they need from Him. He knows what is best for us. When we pray about our “need” we sometimes get a answer we don't understand. If God doesn't comply with what we ask for, it is for our own good. God sees the big picture; we can only see the here and now. We live in a fast food society. When we want something, we want it NOW. We need to learn to be thankful for what He provides.

Desires

(Psalm 37:4)

What do we want in life? Our answer to this question molds how we view things in its different areas.

In the Bible, King David tells us to 'delight. . . in the Lord, and He will give us the desires of our heart.” In this passage a priority is established. We have to align ourselves with God and His Will first.

Also in the Bible, Matthew writes in Matthew 6:33. “Seek first His kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” This passage tells us our priority should be to seek God and His guidance for all our plans. This takes a bit of discipline on our part.

In order to know God and His Will, we have to spend time with Him through prayer, Bible study, and reading Christian literature–again discipline is required.

Contentment

(Philippians 4:11-13)

We meet someone who has a life filled with hardships but they don't gripe or complain. When they greet you, they actually wear a smile. We often wonder how they can seem so happy. Could they actually be so happy? As we get to know them, we hear it in their voice and find out they are.

What makes them happy is the relationship they have with Jesus Christ. He is their best friend, their Master, and their Savior. They lean on Him for guidance. They have surrendered their will over to God. Whatever happens to them in their lives, God has to okay it and they are content with that.

We have times where we need to learn contentment. By doing this we come to appreciate our lives and what we have. Believers are happy when a neighbor or a friend betters their life's situation. This elation stems from the belief that God is in control.

He Is Risen

(Matthew 28:6)
The angel told the women who approached the Master's tomb. “He is not here, He has risen, just as He said.”

Christianity is the only religion that serves a risen Lord. We don't have a grave we can point to because Jesus Christ arose from the tomb to re-enter His heavenly home.

I remember hearing the story of two first century believers meeting. It goes something like this:
First believer: He is risen.
Second believer: He is risen, indeed.
One year I chose to greet people with whom I worshiped with the words of the first believer. I got different responses-even one young adult man answered with, “Hallelujah.” Only one man, my Sunday School teacher gave the reply I expected.

As we move from Lent through Easter to Pentecost, let's all remember He Is Risen, He Is Risen, Indeed.

Golgotha

What was it like? The place where our Lord was taken to be crucified. We know it was the place for public execution by hanging on a cross. Bible scholars seem to describe it as a pile of rocks. It was called the Place of the Skull. Some say it was because of it's shape.

The crowd gathered that eventful day. What did they see? Could they have seen evidence of earlier crucifixions? Could they smell the stench of dead skin as they taunted Jesus? Would they have cared? Were they so bloodthirsty they would think nothing of this terrible odor?

We really don't dwell on the make-up or the environment of Golgotha. We try to focus on the crucifixion of Jesus and then aim our hearts to the event of three days later. In thinking about the site we might realize just how terrible this time was for Jesus, the sinless one.

The Thieves

(Luke 23:32-43)

Two thieves hung on crosses on either side of Jesus. What do we know about them? One scoffed at Christ while the other defended Him.
Were they friends? Were they partners? Were they related? Were they on a “most wanted” list?

Did they have families? Were their mothers living? What caused them to become theives?

We have recorded evidence of one of them receiving forgiveness for his sins. Jesus promised the repentant one a place in heaven that day. I wonder how this forgiven man felt as God ushered him into heaven.

Sometimes we feel like the thieves on the cross. We choose to submit to Jesus and receive His forgiveness. When our time comes and we enter heaven, how will we feel—humbled, thankful, glad?

The Passover Feast

The Hebrew people, by celebrating the Passover, obeyed God's command. Once a year, the children of Israel observed it because God told them to remember what He did for them when He released them from bondage in Egypt. All men over the age of 12 were required to attend the Passover Feast in Jerusalem.

The scrolls of Moses dictated when and how the festival would be observed each year. Our Lord celebrated Passover the week He went to the cross. Jesus told the disciples what would happen if He went to Jerusalem. His disciples chose to follow Him to the city. The disciples had shown concern for Jesus as He decided to Jerusalem.

During the meal, the Mastet told of His upcoming betrayal. Most of the disciples asked the same question, “Is it I, Lord?” He knew Judas would betray him and turn Him over to the soldiers and chief priests. He told Judas to,”do what you have to do.”