A Man of Sorrows

Sir Joseph Noel Paton (1875)

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom men hid their faces he was despised and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3 (ESV)

This verse speaks of Jesus Christ and what he endured at the end of His time here on earth.

The rulers and teachers loathed him and plotted to rid their world of Him. These ‘holy’ men shunned Him, brought trumped-up charges against our LORD.

The truth is, Jesus let himself be dealt with like this because he knew it was His Father’s plan. Yes, He was to take the sorrows of each of us upon Himself. He also took on our regrets and our grief. No one else will ever do this for us.

The Pharisees stirred up the people present in Jerusalem to become a mob bent on ridding their people of this ‘infidel.’ 

At the end of His life on earth, people treated Jesus as if he was a pariah, a persona non- grata.

The last phrase, and we esteemed him not, almost breaks my heart. The people of that time did not value Him. I wonder, do we value Jesus today, as we should? Do we value him when we use language that demeans Him? Do we honor Him when we speak unkindly about someone else? Are we honoring Jesus when we carry a tale and maybe embellish it? What about when we have bad thoughts? One day we will hear from God whether we have been disrespectful to God and to His Son.

Jesus’ Baptism

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,[a] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;  and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son,[b] with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17 (ESV)

In re-reading Max Lucado’s book, 3:16 I came across a section I don’t remember delving into before. Each day for 40 days he takes his readers into a part of Jesus’ life.

The thoughts on Jesus’ baptism intrigued me.

Baptism wasn’t a new practice. It was a required rite for any Gentile to become a Jew. (1)

John thought he should be baptized by Jesus; not the other way around. However, Jesus did get baptized because He was fully human at that point. 

Jesus underwent baptism for us, you and me. This was a prelude to his going to the cross. A friend at church puts it this way: “We owed a debt we can’t pay. He paid a debt He didn’t owe.” 

Do we look at baptism in the right way or have we watered it down? Do we look at it as a sign of an inward life-changing experience or do we look at it as just joining another group?  We who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord should communicate the seriousness of this step in the walk with Christ to those who wish to enter into the Christian life.

1.         Max Lucado, 3:16, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, © 2007 page 150

Listen

He who has an ear, let him listen. Revelation 2:6, 11 (ESV)

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.Revelation 2:17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22 (ESV)

Do you remember your parents saying, “You are not listening!” I do. It was when I was in trouble and they were trying to talk to me about my misbehaving.

I have noticed that in our world today, we have certain people who seem to think they have a say-so in what we believe in our lives. I have felt they were not listening to wise counsel from God.

One recent evening, I read God’s letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor. I also read scriptures that address an issue that faces us. The next morning, my devotional reading for Sunday school was on the word “Listen.” The scripture the author used was Revelation 3:6, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, I really got excited. I re-read the letters to the churches.

    

One point the author, Mr. Hudson, makes is that listening and obedience always go together. My take on this whole exercise is that we have to listen to the LORD and do as He directs us. For me, I need to apply this to my dealings with those around me and with my family as well as those to whom I try to assist in their walk with Jesus.

The name of the devotional book we are studying is Pauses for Pentecost written by Trevor Hudson. It is published by Upper Room Books. The word Listen is the focus for day 39.

                  

Book Review: The Road Home/ Beverly Lewis

Bethany House Publishing Group

Pages: 313

Publisher: Bethany House

I became acquainted with Beverly Lewis’ writings when I worked as a library assistant. I always enjoyed reading her work and tried to anticipate what would happen next in each of her tales.

The Road Home did not disappoint me. From first meeting Lena Rose Schwartz and her siblings, Beverly Lewis engulfed me into the story.

Lena and her siblings had a tragedy befall them that caused the ten of them a lot of grief. Lena had to leave them, hoping to return to them in a short while.

Beverly Lewis allows Lena to grow during her time in a strange place. The other people in the story give Lena the space to grow through helping some of the ‘aged’ people in the community to which she was sent.

This is a book that I could not put down for very long. I had to see how Lena Rose would do in various roles in which she found herself. She missed her family and her home community terribly. However, she was able to touch lives in her ‘new’ community.

I would recommend this author and her books to anyone who likes to read Christian fiction, Amish stories, or stories that have romance in them.

I was given a free copy of this book, The Road Home, by Bethany House Publishers. All they asked me to do was to give an honest review.

   

Let Us Endure

bigriverracing.com

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

Who makes up that cloud of witnesses? The writer of Hebrews has listed the persons in the “Faith Hall of Fame” in chapter 11. Also, those saintly people, living in heaven, with whom you have worshipped comprise a section of our cloud of witnesses.

let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely,

 What does this mean to us as children of God? It could mean that we have to give over to God the heartache and the heaviness we feel about our sin and the sin done to us. Sometimes the heartache is intense and we feel as if we will crumble under just because it happened.

let us run with endurance the race that is before us

Have you watched some running? We used to have a neighbor who took up running. Every night, He would sprint down our street and around the corner. A few minutes later, he would return. Anyone watching him knew he was concentrating on what he was doing. I admire runners, they have to stay with the program in order to excel.  

looking to Jesus, the founder, and perfecter of our faith,

As children of God, we have to look to the LORD in order to gain ground when we an issue vexes us. When we look to those around us to solve the problem or try to fix it ourselves, we don’t allow Jesus to work in the circumstance.

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,

Jesus looked beyond the cross, enduring its agony for you and for me. He knew He would return to His home in Heaven.

and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Our Savior resides in heaven, assisting His Father. He intercedes for us when we sin and seek God’s forgiveness.

As we walk through our Christian lives, Jesus walks with us. The witnesses in heaven, those who have gone before us, as well as those saints Paul mentions in Hebrews 11 all watch as we make decisions and learn how to overcome the bad issues we face.

I am taking a break from blogging. I will be back on Monday, May 14.

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

contemplativesintheworld.blogspot.com

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:11-14 (ESV)

The Pharisee: Full of himself, prideful, smug, our pastor calls them “the ‘look-at-ME’s.’” This man by tooting his own horn showed no respect before God.

The Tax Collector: Looked down upon by the community, humbled himself before God. He recognized he was a sinner. He asked for God’s mercy.

Luke tells us that the tax collector, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified.

Have I been a Pharisee? Yes, at one time or another in my life, I believe I have been. Have I admitted I was a sinner? Yes, when my words do not please God. When I have bad thoughts about another person or a situation.

Why did Luke say the tax collector, considered by the community as a thief, go home justified? God saw his heart and heard his pleas and saw him ‘just-as-if-I (he)’d’ not sinned. God forgave him--the tax collector.

God forgives each of us our sins when we humble ourselves and ask for His mercy. He does this because of His grace for us.

Abba Father: Please help us to humble ourselves when we come before You. Please forgive us our sins and speak words of kindness into our ears. Guide us as we strive to live for You in this fallen world. In the name of Jesus’ I pray. Amen.    

Book Review: The Psalms of Asaph:

Amazon.com

Struggling with Unanswered Prayer, Unfulfilled Promises, and Unpunished Evil

By James N. Watkins

Publisher: Bold Vision Books

Page count: 209

            James Watkins from Hope and Humor blog has explored the writings of Asaph in reference some hard questions of the Christian life.

Jim gives scriptural evidence that Asaph, a chief musician in David’s court, experienced times of doubt (Psalm 73.)

He uses his expertise to explore the writings of Asaph with examples from the Bible, from well-known Christian writers, from his own life experience, and from people he knows personally.

This book would benefit anyone who searches for answers to the deeper issues of prayer that seem to vex them.

The Psalms of Asaph is well-written and thoroughly researched. I believe it would be an asset to anyone’s personal library.

I found a study guide for small groups on his website, Psalms of Asaph study guide

I purchased this book myself. I chose to review it and give an unbiased review.