The Miracle of Christmas

The Miracle of Christmas

            Today is Christmas Eve.  What better day to reflect on the miracle of Christ’s birth as we prepare our hearts for celebrating tomorrow His first coming to save us all.  The Christmas story.  Many tales have survived through the generations and have been passed down for decades and centuries, but can you think of any other story that has been so widely told and preserved for two thousand and twelve years?  Or any other story that has touched so many lives and continues to move hearts?  To think of how lost our world was before He came on that silent night so long ago.  It humbles me to think of where I would be were it not for Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day.  Think about it.  Where would I be today?  Where would you be?  The miracle of Christmas.

            The streets of Bethlehem were silent that night.  The roads so crowded and bustling during the day with shoppers, travelers, and vendor’s pushcarts were now void of any activity, leaving the city in a cloak of quiet.  Lamplight shone through the upper windows of houses lining the street, movement within casting shadows against the drawn curtains over the window holes.  But on the stone-paved street below came the solemn creak of wheels as a lone burro dutifully pulled along a small cart with its precious cargo.

            Atop its seat sat a young woman well expecting a child.  She caught her breath, and her hand flew to her middle as it came again.  Time was wearing fast.  “Joseph-”

            “I know, Mary.”  The reassuring voice came from the front of the cart where a man was leading the burro quietly along the road.  “Maybe this will be it though.”  He drew the donkey to a halt before a door, and as the hoof beats fell silent, Mary felt the wheels of the cart come to a stop beneath her.  She watched as Joseph stepped up to the doorstep and knocked.  Peering in through the exposed window nearby to where she sat, she saw a crowd of other travelers laughing gaily about a large table filled with dishes of steaming food.  Women bustled in and out of the kitchen off the room, busy with the dinner preparations. 

            Joseph knocked again and waited.  He cast an anxious glance back toward the cart and watched as Mary silently endured the pain of another contraction.  Exhaustion from the long day of travel showed in her face as she met his gaze worriedly.  He forced a weary smile of reassurance.

            The door finally opened.  A burst of the aroma of fresh-baked bread wafted through the doorway and set Joseph’s stomach in a knot of hunger.  It had been such a long journey.  The innkeeper surveyed the fatigued man standing before him on his doorstep.  “Yes?”

            Joseph spoke.  “We’re looking for a place to stay for the night.  You see, we’ve been traveling all day from Nazareth and were hoping you would have-”  

            The man shook his head.  “Sorry, no room left tonight.  You’re not the only one here in town that’s come up to be registered for the census, and I’ve got a full inn this evening,” he explained, motioning over his shoulder to behind him where sounds of laughter, conversation, and merriment came from.

            Desperation struck.  “But, sir, please, can’t you see my wife’s expecting?” Joseph pleaded, indicating to the young woman seated in the cart nearby.  He evened his voice again and met the man’s gaze steadily.  “Please.  Nowhere else has any vacancies, but we need a room.  My wife’s about to have the baby.”

            The innkeeper turned his gaze from the desperate man before him to the young woman in the cart and then back to Joseph.  He nodded.  “All right,” he consented.  “I don’t have a room to offer, but follow me.”  The couple exchanged a glance of relief as the man stepped out into the street and closed the door behind him.  Then as he started down the road, Joseph took hold of the burro’s rope again and led him forward to follow. 

            They made their way around the corner of the inn and to the back of the building where a little wooden hut stood.  The innkeeper stopped before the stable, and Joseph brought the donkey to a halt.  “It isn’t much I know,” the man confessed.  “But you’re welcome to make use of it.”

            Joseph cast a glance up at Mary.  The man was right; it wasn’t much at all, but it was a place to stay at least, though it was a common stable.  Mary gave a slight nod, and Joseph turned back to the innkeeper.  “Thank you.  This will be just fine,” he assured him.

            Their gracious host gave a nod.  “Well, good night to you, and best wishes,” he said kindly.  He handed Joseph the tin lantern he had carried, and then turning back toward the inn, disappeared into the darkness.

            Joseph watched until he was gone from sight and then drawing a deep breath, forced the weary muscles in his body back into motion.  He made his way to the side of the cart, and reached up, helping Mary down as gently as possible.

            She caught her breath again as she landed heavily.

            “Mary, are you all right?”

            She nodded.  “I’m fine,” she assured him, more confidently than she was.  With Joseph’s help, she slowly entered the outbuilding and with some effort, lowered to the bed of fresh hay Joseph arranged for her on the floor away from the penned livestock.  She closed her eyes and leaned back on a hay bale, willing herself strength as a fresh contraction came with a new intensity than those before it. 

            “I’ll be right back,” she heard Joseph whisper.  “I’m going to unload the cart and bring the burro in.”  She gave a weak nod and heard his footsteps grow softer as he stepped outside the stable. 

            A few minutes later, the footsteps returned, and Mary opened her eyes to see through the shadows, Joseph enter.  His arms were heavy-laden with supplies from the cart, particularly those he knew they would need in the hours of labor ahead.  Depositing them in a dark corner nearby, he disappeared again and then entered leading the donkey.  Mary watched as he secured the animal in an empty stall.  Then he came and took a seat beside her on the hay where the rays of the lantern drew a circle of light from where it stood on the bale at Mary’s head.  He reached up and with a sigh of exhaustion, slid the head covering from his dark hair, making comfortable for the long evening of anxious waiting.

            The hours of the night slowly wore on.  Mary gritted her teeth and squeezed Joseph’s hand as another wave of pain came.  When would the baby come?  How much longer?  The soft sounds of the livestock grazing in their stalls reached her ears.  The lulling of the oxen, the heavy snort of the horse, the restless shifting of their burro.  She felt Joseph’s carpenter-rough touch against her forehead, tenderly brushing aside the damp tendrils of her hair sticking fast with the beads of sweat.  She opened her eyes to see him bending over her anxiously.  “Joseph, I’m afraid,” she confessed in a weak whisper.  “I don’t know how to do this.”

            “You’ll be fine, Mary,” he assured her gently.  He forced an encouraging smile.  “You’ll make a wonderful mother.”  But fear plagued even his thoughts.  He had helped horses and sheep deliver their young in his time, but this was different.  This was Mary and… and the Son of God.  Was even he ready for this?

All of their careful preparations for this moment, their plans for a peaceful birth at home, were of no use in that unexpected timing.  Even the beautiful cradle he had lovingly built for his new son would stand unoccupied that night in the upper room of their home in Nazareth.  But the Lord’s timing was best, though he couldn’t understand His reasons, he reminded himself as he held Mary’s hand.

            It was well into the night when the sleepy streets of Bethlehem were awoken with sounds once again.  Eager footsteps ran along the road accompanied by the occasional thump of a staff and the bleating of a few wandering sheep that had followed from the flock left behind.  They drew to a stop as the shepherds looked up searchingly to the night sky overhead.  “Where is it?” one asked.  “I can’t see it.”

            Another drew close to the wall of a building lining the street.  He pressed his back against it, straining to see more of the sky that peeked around the corner of the two-story inn.  He stepped out from underneath the archway over the road.  “There it is,” he exclaimed.  “I see it again.  This way.”  He pointed up to where a brilliant star hung in the night sky, its rays shining down and illuminating the dark street with its light brighter than that of any full moon.  The shepherds were off again in their joyful hunt.  They rounded the corner of the inn and then drew to a stop as ahead stood a dark stable.  Inside shone a bright dot of beaming lamplight coming from a lantern, and in its light moved the silhouette of a man.  But above, the bright star rested in the sky and flooded the thatched roof of the meager housing in the glory of its heavenly white light.

            Slowly the shepherds made their way forward and silently entered the stable, awe-struck and speechless in wonder.  The donkey bayed a greeting from his stall.  At their appearance, Joseph straightened from where he bent over a manger, and Mary turned her gaze to them with a tired but welcoming smile.  The shepherds looked to Joseph again, and with a smile, he nodded his permission.  The shepherds felt their throats go dry; no explanation for their entrance would’ve been possible, but no words were needed.  The visitors had miraculously been guided to the little stable, but stranger things had happened within the past months.  For as the angel Gabriel had reminded Mary, nothing is impossible with God.

As Joseph stepped back and returned to Mary’s side, the shepherds stepped forward to crowd around the manger the young father had stood protectively over.  Inside laid a sleeping newborn baby boy swaddled in a homespun blanket, his exposed face still ruddy from birth.  He was a baby… but he was more.  He was perfect, flawless, and beautiful, and as they peered down at him sleeping, it as though all of the glory of the Lord that had shone round them in the fields at the angels’ appearance was manifested there in the form of the babe.  “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people,” the angel had said.  “Today in the town of David a Savior has been borne to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  A Savior had been born.  Jesus the Lamb of God, the Christ child, the perfect Gift to all men.  The Messiah had come.*

 Merry Christmas to all and God bless.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:14

 

 *See the biblical account in Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 1:26-2:20.

 Photo courtesy: www.123rf.com

~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords?  I was struggling to decide what to name my blog.  I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful.  As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments.  They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions.  They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment.  A musician selects his songs according to his audience.  So do we.  Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different.  This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.  Music is a powerful tool.  Use it for His glory.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3

 

 

           

           

             

Judas Iscariot: the Man

Judas Iscariot: the Man

            Welcome back as we begin to go deeper into our study of lessons we can learn from Judas Iscariot.  If you’ve not read the introduction post to the series Judas Iscariot: the Man, the Mistake, & the Message, I encourage you to go back and do so before continuing.

            In my last post, I gave you a little recap of some of the main points the Bible tells us about this man’s life, and I mentioned that Judas was the keeper of the Twelve’s money bag.  Judas was in charge of the funds.  But what I didn’t mention is that Judas had a money problem.

            Let’s take a close look at the passage of Scripture when Jesus was anointed at Bethany just before the part in the story when Judas agrees to betray Jesus. 

            It was afternoon in the city of Bethany, the hometown of Jesus’ friends Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.  The late sunlight scorched down upon the dirt streets outside, hardening it like clay until it cracked, but inside the house of Simon the Leper, dinner guests sat about a table.  It was cool indoors out of the heat of the day and all were in good temperament.  Lively conversation was exchanged around as dishes of food were passed from hand to hand while Martha’s willing hands voluntarily helped with the meal preparations.  It was a grand feast.  Among those at the table sat Lazarus and the twelve disciples.  And at the head of the table was the most important guest of all, the guest of honor… Jesus. 

            Toward the end of the meal, Mary stole away from the kitchen where she was working with her sister and brought forth a pint of pure nard, the dearly expensive perfume she had secretly admired on the wooden shelf of one of the stores in the village for so long.  Entering the dining room of the house where the men were reclining around the table, satisfied after the meal, she made her way to the head of the table where one of the men sat.  But he wasn’t just a man.  Mary knew that.

            Quietly she took a seat on the earthen floor at his feet, her favorite place.  To just sit and listen to his words.  But this time she sat not to listen but to serve.  She had heard that Jesus had predicted his time of death would come, and though she knew not when, something within her told her she should wait no longer to show her love and gratitude for the man, the friend of her family.  So with heart beating fast and fully conscious of all of the eyes turned upon her in wonder, she broke the alabaster jar she carried in her hands and poured its contents on Jesus’ feet.  The rays of sunlight shining in from the windows fell across his wet feet as the light dappled patterns across the floor on which Mary sat, and drawing her long hair forward from beneath her head covering, she bent and began wiping his feet with her hair.  The brittle leather of his sandals grew soft again, infused with the perfume as her hair passed over them.

            The men reclining around the table still looked on, and silence lingered in the room at her action.  No one spoke at first, not even Jesus.  But at the far end of the table, one of the twelve disciples watched critically, the woman’s beautiful display of humility hardening further his calloused heart.  As she began wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair, he could finally take it no longer.  “Why this waste?” he objected indignantly.  Judas rose to his feet as he spoke, motioning to the woman seated at Jesus’ feet.  “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?  It was worth a year’s wages.”  But his heart was not thinking of those in need but of the money the perfume had cost.

            At his angry voice, Martha appeared from the kitchen, dishtowel in hand, and listened from the doorway while Mary’s cheeks burned hot with embarrassment, and in shame, she bent her head to hide the painful blushes, keeping her gaze lowered to Jesus’ wet feet.

            But then Jesus spoke, and at his voice, all turned their eyes upon him.  His words had a way of commanding attention.  “Leave her alone.  Why are you bothering her?” he confronted the disciple.  “She has done a beautiful thing to me.  The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want.  But you will not always have me,” he reminded them all.  “She did what she could.  It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.  She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial,” he explained.  “I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” 

And at the conclusion of his words, all was silent again.  No one ventured to speak.  Not even Judas dared to further protest with a contradiction.  But as he glanced around the table at the faces lowered to the leftover scraps on their plates in the uncomfortable moment, humiliation caused his face to flush and resentment arose.  He quietly took his seat again without a further remark, but in his heart, anger burned against the man at the head of the table.  Over and over in his memory, he replayed the man’s public rebuke of him, boiling, seething, as he nursed the wounds of his hurt pride.  But he spoke not another word.*

The Gospel of Matthew tells us that the disciples were indignant and questioning the woman’s action; the Gospel of Mark tells us that some of those present were the ones upset over the anointing and rebuking the woman harshly.  But it’s in the disciple John’s account that we learn that the woman anointing Jesus’ feet with perfume was Mary and that the protestor was Judas Iscariot.  It’s also in his account of the event that we’re told of Judas’s money problem, and his later actions concerning the payment he accepted for betraying Jesus confirms this statement.  Take a look at John 12:6: “But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?  It was worth a year’s wages.’  He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”  Like I said, a serious money problem.  Judas seemingly was a lover of money.

When we think of a “lover of money,” we oftentimes think of a tight-fisted miser, a cheapskate, a get-rich-quick money-grabber.  But a love of money doesn’t always come in the form of an Ebenezer Scrooge.  More often, it comes so subtly, we don’t even recognize its existence.

Judas’s comment reveals materialism.  He was thinking more of the cost of the perfume than of the spiritual significance of Mary’s action.  We live in a very selfish world, don’t we?  Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, was a stark reminder to me of this truth.  Hectic running about Christmas shopping, big heaps of brilliantly-wrapped packages piled high, the credit card being swiped left and right… it’s all come to be accepted as the “mood” of the season.  But Christmas isn’t about a “mood”; it’s about a spirit, and that spirit is the celebration of the greatest Gift of all.  And that Gift wasn’t a thing- it wasn’t an iPhone 5 stuffed in a fuzzy red stocking.  It was a person- a Baby; it was mercy, grace, salvation… love.  Hope for all mankind.  The best things in life aren’t things.  Materialism isn’t what life is about.

The Bible has a lot to say about the love of money.  I encourage you to look the word money up in your Bible encyclopedia if you have one or if not, to look on Google for Bible verses about money.  Here are just a few.  Some are well-known; others I had never encountered before.  “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.  This too is meaningless.” (Ecc 5:10)  “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1Ti 6:7, 9&10)  “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Heb 13:5)

Sometimes a love of money can present itself in disguise though.  Judas’s comment sounded perfectly natural and his reasoning logical.  He had a good point.  So what was wrong with his objection?  The heart behind it.  His motive was wrong.  Although the basis of his protest- concern for the poor- was valid, he had the wrong perspective.  Sometimes a love of money can disguise itself beneath the cloak of good intentions and legitimate concerns.  First Samuel tells us that “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1Sa 16:7)  Clearly, motives are important to God, so therefore, should we not take care to evaluate our motives and judge them honestly according to His Word?

Furthermore, in the Gospel of John, remember we’re told that Judas “did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”  But whose money bag was that?  It was Jesus’ and his twelve disciples’.  The money they used for their ministry.  Therefore, essentially, Judas was stealing from Jesus.  How many times I wonder though do we rob from Jesus, keeping for ourselves what belongs to Him.  In reality, all we “own” belongs to Him.  But, true, like the hottest media devices on the market, some areas are more frequently abused than others.  Robbery occurs more commonly in some areas than others, like tithes and offerings for example, service, praise, time with Him even… a trip-up point in my own life, I admit, amidst those busy days and full schedules.       

And lastly, Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair.  First Corinthians says that a woman’s long hair is her glory (1Co 11:15), and yet Mary used it to dry Jesus’ feet.  In contrast to a materialistic heart like Judas’s, we see that a humble heart like Mary’s is prized and applauded by Jesus.  In addition to monetary gifts, do we go above and beyond in our giving to Christ?  Are we willing, friends, to sacrifice our own pride and glory for His service?

In this holiday season particularly, it’s so easy to get caught up in the rush of our self-centered, materialistic world, but let’s guard our hearts against the contagious Judas outlook.  Money isn’t necessarily bad; it’d be difficult in our world to survive without it.  God understands that, but the Bible does say, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” (1Ti 6:10)  Note though that it doesn’t say it’s the root of all kinds of evil, as the verse is often misquoted, but only a root.  Still it’s a root though.  Let’s rid our hearts from any sprouting seeds of greed that are about to germinate into a rapidly-growing weedy system.  The love of money is easier to exterminate before it finds ripe soil in a materialistic heart.  Sadly, it found its way into Judas’s heart and, as we’ll see, impacted the entire course of his life.

 

“No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.”  Matthew 6:24

 

*A note of clarification: as I expounded the few verses of Scripture into the narrative above, I took some liberties.  The Bible does not give us minor details nor does it describe for us the emotions of the people involved in the story of Jesus’ anointing at Bethany, but in this narrative and likewise in those in succeeding posts in this series, all facts expressly stated in the Bible will never be distorted, nor will there ever be any dialogue other than that which has been written in the biblical account.  I encourage you to read the passage for yourself in Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:1-11, and John 12:1-11.  I combined the accounts of all three in the narrative.

           

** Note: Looking for some new Christmas songs to help you get in the Christmas spirit and align your focus on the true Reason for the Season?  Check out two of my favorites: The Night Before Christmas by Brandon Heath and Asleep In the Hay by Jonny Diaz. 

Also, many of you will remember my former project horse Sterling, whom I was training and had used as an illustration in my blog posts Lesson from Sterling, Thoroughly Thoroughbred, Out of Control, and Time to Say Goodbye.  You’ll also remember from Time to Say Goodbye that Sterling had been sold back in early October to a family with triplet daughters.  I had said then that “people pass in and out of lives every day… or sometimes, animals.”  Well, Sterling has passed back into my life again.  After rearing or taking off with one of the girls- we’re not sure exactly what happened- the girl fell, received a minor concussion, and Sterling was returned to the farm.  Fortunately, the girl is fine now.  This past Wednesday though, a week from today, I chose to ride him again and resume my training of him.  Am I crazy?  Maybe so. :)  It reminds me of God’s grace and makes me so thankful though that His love is great enough to still embrace us even when we rebel against His will.  Okay, that was a bonus devotional. 

On another note, as I post this, my parents and I are off again, this time driving down to Florida for our annual family Christmas gathering.  I’m looking forward to happy times with family and making good memories and pray you all are taking the time to enjoy quality-time with your loved ones this holiday season as well, blog-readers. 

 

 Photo courtesy: www.123rf.com

 

 ~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords?  I was struggling to decide what to name my blog.  I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful.  As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments.  They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions.  They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment.  A musician selects his songs according to his audience.  So do we.  Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different.  This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.  Music is a powerful tool.  Use it for His glory.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judas Iscariot: the Man, the Mistake, & the Message

Judas Iscariot: the Man, the Mistake, & the Message

            Hello, everyone!  Fellow Americans, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, spending time with friends and family, and to my international readers, I hope you had a beautiful day of thanksgiving!

            I know many of you have been anticipating this post, so I’m pleased to announce that this is the first in our Judas Iscariot series as we study a few aspects of this man, his mistake, and the message it holds for each of us.  True, a holiday post series would probably be more appropriate for this time of the season, but since I always do things different anyways, we’re going to go ahead and try to squeeze this series in before Christmas.

            All right, now we all probably have some basic understanding of who Judas Iscariot was, but since it’s so important that we’re all on the same page, let’s begin our study with a quick recap of what the Bible tells us about this guy.  We know he was one of the twelve disciples, and although the Bible doesn’t tell us what his occupation was before he became a disciple, we do know that he was in charge of the money bag of the group.  If he was chosen as the treasurer, he obviously knew how to handle money, so we can take a guess that maybe he used to be the equivalent to a modern-day accountant or banker.  Unfortunately, we don’t know if Judas was married and had a family of his own or not.  Throughout the course of the Gospels, Judas actually isn’t really mentioned much, but at the end of each as the time of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion approaches, this man comes to light in a very significant- but not exactly favorable- role. 

All throughout Jesus’ ministry here on earth, the chief priests and elders of the church never really liked Him.  In any good story, the bad guys and the good guys are always at odds, and in this story, they had long been scheming how to arrest Jesus and kill Him.  So after Mary, Lazarus’s sister, had anointed Jesus’ feet at Bethany, Judas went to the chief priests and agreed to betray Jesus and turn Him over to them for the reward of thirty silver coins.  During the Last Supper, Judas played off his back-stabbing plan pretty well for it brewing just under the surface.  The other disciples didn’t even suspect a thing, he faked it off so well… but Jesus knew.  Judas left the supper and went to the chief priests, and the group later barged in on Jesus and the other disciples as they were praying in the garden of Gethsemane.  With a kiss of greeting to Jesus, Judas secretly indicated to the crowd that the man standing before him was Jesus, the one to be apprehended.  The story goes on, and Jesus was arrested and taken away to undergo an obstacle course of judicial trials and physical torment before He paid the ultimate sacrifice in His death on the cross.  In the meantime, Judas watched as Jesus was bound and taken to Governor Pilate and “when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse.” (Mt 27:3)  Judas goes down to the temple and tries to make things right again and reverse his actions by returning the reward money.  But it’s too late.  The damage had already been wrought.  The chief priests and elders told him, “That’s your responsibility.”  Judas threw the reward money into the temple anyways and left.  The last we see of Judas is his tragic death when he hangs himself.

From this recap, I think we can all agree that Jesus is the hero of the story and that Judas is one of the villains.  To put it another way, Judas is the guy with the black hat that ends up turning on the rest of the group and shooting the Boss in the back.  But if we all think of him as being such a rotten guy for betraying Jesus, why am I devoting a whole series of posts to studying him then?  Well, because we all have a little Judas in us at some time or another.  You may protest, “I’m not a traitor!” but in reality, Judas’s faults aren’t so very different from our own.

I’ve never liked Judas’s part in the story of Jesus’ crucifixion.  Even as a little girl, his story always made me sad.  I always felt sorry for him in a way.  But as I was doing some research for this series, I realized that my sentiments and opinions aren’t shared by everyone.  In fact, Judas Iscariot is actually a fairly controversial figure, I learned.  You may not agree with my opinions on everything concerning Judas, but that’s perfectly all right.  Everyone is entitled to his own opinion.  But if you do have a different perspective, please feel free to leave me a comment and share your opinion with me and the other readers here.  I’d love to hear your take on the subject!  Additionally, as a disclaimer, I’m no expert on Bible history, so if you’re a Bible scholar and you find that any of my facts are wrong, please let me know so I can include a correction in my following posts.

As you might have guessed, this was just an introductory post to the series.  Next time we’ll get into the heart of the lessons, but this time, I wanted to sum up for you what we know from the Bible about Judas because we’re going to be taking these details one at a time in the upcoming posts and it’s important that we keep in mind the basics of what we’re told about him.  I’m so excited about sharing with you all what the Lord’s revealed to me through this man’s life.  Good stuff that I don’t think you’ll want to miss.  I hope you’ll check back in and join me on this journey. 

 

~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords?  I was struggling to decide what to name my blog.  I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful.  As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments.  They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions.  They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment.  A musician selects his songs according to his audience.  So do we.  Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different.  This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.  Music is a powerful tool.  Use it for His glory.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3

 

Loving or In Love?

Loving or In Love?

 

            All right, let me begin by asking you a question: “Is there a difference between loving and being in love?”  Of course there is, right?  I love my parents, my sisters, my best friend, but I’m not in love with any of them.  Being “in love” implies a romantic attraction between a man and a woman, a deep, passionate, head-over-heels kind of love.  So now that we agree on that, let me ask you another question: “Are you in love with Jesus?”  If you’re like me, you’d probably reply, “Definitely,” without any hesitation, but I advise you not to answer too hastily.

           

           We all go through seasons in our spiritual life… at least I hope you do.  Times of learning and growing, times of lessons.  In the season I’m in right now, the Lord’s been teaching me about love.  About loving Him and as a byproduct, loving others.

            I grew up in a Christian household, and I’m so grateful for that, but as a result, I never truly experienced that “wow” moment at God’s unconditional love.  He never really awed me.  I never really felt that new-believer’s enthusiasm, that experience of being so on fire for God and excited about Him and the things He loves.  I grew up going to church every Sunday, I was familiar with Bible stories before I could even read, and when I learned, I was reading my own little Bible for myself.  With that said, I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior at a very early age, before I even really felt the weight of my own sins and realized how badly I was in need of Him.  As a child, my relationship with Christ was viewing Him as my security of going to Heaven when I die, of the Giver of all the blessings I had in my life, and He was who we prayed to before eating and before going to sleep.

            As I got older, in my preteen and early teenage years, my conception of God began to deepen a little.  As I struggled with my self-esteem and self-worth (if you’ve not read my testimony about that, see the post titled More Beautiful You), I began to view Jesus as my best friend.  I began to see Him more clearly for who He is, and like everyone does in hard times, I grew very close to Him in that season.  As I grew older, I began to see just how much in need of Him I truly was, how badly I needed His grace to cover my sins and how desperately I needed His strength to live for Him every day.  I saw Him wearing the hats of all of His many names… all but one.  The Bridegroom.  I could never get my arms around that one.

            So you see, I’ve loved Jesus my whole life… but now, He’s teaching me to love Him differently.  I grew up hearing the story of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.  There’s nothing new about that story to me.  But recently, as I’ve been preparing for my Judas post series, I opened my Bible to the four Gospels again.  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  I admit it had been a very long time since I had been in these four books.  But as I began reading again this story I’ve known since childhood, something began to happen.  I was truly… wowed.  Jesus awed me for the first time.  I began going back and reading the beginning and middle of the Gospels again, reading about the life and ministry of Jesus as He walked on this earth, and you know what?  I found myself so engrossed in reading about this Man that I couldn’t put the Book down.  I would open the Bible just to read a little or to look something up, and the next thing I would know, I was running behind schedule because I had lingered in its pages too long.  For the first time, I was truly beginning to see the character of Jesus Himself as I began to read with a mature understanding about His time here in my everyday world.  I found myself not just loving Him, but learning to fall in love with Him.

            It’s a beautiful thing to love Jesus, but I think it’s even more beautiful to be in love with Him.  In fact, I believe it’s His desire and will for us to not just love Him but to fall in love with Him.  In His Word, we see the Church as Christ’s bride and Himself as the bridegroom.  That was not coincidental.  If you’ve ever seen a bride and a groom together, there’s no mistaking that they’re in love with each other.  It’s obvious, and that’s how Jesus wants it to be with us.  “A new commandment I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn 13:34&35)  The world will know us by our love for others and by our love for Christ.   

            My lesson for this season of my spiritual walk is to learn to love.  I’m truly getting that new believer’s zeal for the first time as I’m finally beginning to grasp just how great God’s love is.  I’ve always known He loved me; I’ve been a follower of Him since childhood.  But I never really knew, I never really understood the magnitude of it… but I do now, and it never ceases to amaze me just how much He loves me.  He loves us… and He loves you.  Who knows that love is contagious though?  As I’m falling in love with Jesus, that love is overflowing and I’m finding that He is teaching me how to love others as He loves them.  To see people through His eyes and to love them unconditionally no matter their situation, no matter what kind of person they are, no matter what they may have done to me.  I can now say that I’m a people-lover.  I love people now, as the whole of humanity and as individuals, because I love with the love of Christ in me.  And yes, that even means you, my blog-readers.  I feel there’s someone out there who’s going to read this blog and needs to hear this message, so if that’s you, I want to reaffirm this truth in your heart and in your mind:  I don’t know what you’re going through and I don’t know your situation in life, but I know of two people who love you no matter what, no matter where you find yourself today.  I love you, and most importantly, Jesus loves you.  We both love you and care about your life and your future.  I can’t be with you where you are, but Jesus can.  He’s always with you, friend, no matter where you are.  He’s with you in all of your blunders, in all of your mistakes, in those moments when you give into temptation, He’s at your side and sees it all.  But despite all of our bruises, burdens, and falls, He still loves you and He still loves me even with all of our faults.  How great is the love of God, my friend.

            The Bible is filled with passages talking about love.  Clearly, love is important to God.  In Mark 12:28-34, we read of a particular encounter of Jesus with a teacher of the law.  It says that the man asked Jesus, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”  “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”  There is no commandment greater than these.  Why did Jesus call these two commandments about love the greatest of them all?  Because all stems from a love of God.  If you love God, He’ll help you learn to love people as He does.  And if you love people, you begin to see life through the eyes of Christ and live life with the hands of love.  And honestly, I believe it all begins when we can learn to not only love Jesus but to fall in love with Him, because it’s then that our conception of love begins to change, our relationship with Him deepens, and we truly grasp how great His love is for us personally and for all of humanity.  In response to Jesus’ words, the teacher of the law said this: “‘Well said, teacher,’ the man replied.  ‘You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.  To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’  When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’”  Friends, when we can grasp the depth of God’s love, we have drawn very near to His heart.  For our God is a God of love.  

            Another passage I want to share with you all takes place when Jesus is praying at the Last Supper.  Now if you’re like me, you probably usually skip over this part because it’s a little long, but take the time to read this prayer if you haven’t in a while.  In this passage, Jesus has just prayed for Himself and for His disciples, and now He goes on to pray for all believers- for you and me.  I won’t cite the whole prayer for you because it’s several verses long, but here’s what He says amidst it: “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (v. 23)  Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”  (John 17:23, 25&26)  Jesus is praying here that God’s love may be in us and that His love may unify us- the Church, the body of believers- so that we can share His love with the world.  How though can we share the love of God with the world if we can’t grasp its greatness and entirety?

            On a solemn note of recognition, we live in a sinful world with a lot of problems, don’t we?  Rape, fornication, adultery, pornography, prostitution, illegitimate pregnancies…  One commonality in them all is the action of looking for love and fulfillment in the wrong place.  We were created with a need to love and be loved in return; we were designed with that desire for romantic love and intimacy in a man-woman relationship.  That desire is perfectly normal and there’s certainly nothing wrong with feeling that need.  It’s God-given and God-planned.  But how often I wonder do we enter into relationships with the expectation of having that void we feel miraculously fulfilled.  A healthy and God-ordained relationship with your spouse, your boyfriend, or girlfriend is a gift from the Lord, but relationships will always bring some disappointments to your expectations.  Why?  Because we are all imperfect human beings.  Your complete and total fulfillment for love and intimacy will ultimately not come from romantic attachments, although they are the Lord’s way of providing for future generations and likewise enhancing your life with close companionship.  But there is One who can bring you total fulfillment and offer His love wholly, devotedly, and entirely faithfully.  Who better knows how to satisfy your deepest desires for love than the One who gave you those very desires?  Intimacy between a man and a woman is a desire that is a very real part of each of us, but a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ can fulfill that desire better than any human being walking on the face of this earth can.  Falling in love with Him is better than even the best love story the greatest author in the world could write.  We ask ourselves how the Apostle Paul could find such contentment in his singlehood and rejoice in his state of celibacy.  Maybe he learned that there’s a love far more fulfilling to his desire than the love any human could ever give.  The world is looking for love in all the wrong places, and it’s our responsibility to provide them with the treasure of their hunt, to turn them to the One who understands their desires best and can fulfill their deepest needs for love better than anyone.    

Maybe you’re like me and you love Jesus, but you just can’t get your arms around the bride and bridegroom relationship.  You just aren’t in love with Him like that.  Maybe you consider it’s weird to even think of Jesus fulfilling your romantic desires.  But if He’s everything we need and if we’re created with those desires, how can He can not?  Brothers in Christ, honestly, this relationship is probably going to be particularly difficult for you to grasp, especially since being part of the body of believers, you’re on the bride side of the relationship.  I know it would be hard for me at least if I was a guy.  But I can promise you, if you can get this, it will be well worth the effort and it will make all the difference in the world in your life.  Trust me, I’m speaking from experience.  I encourage each of you, readers, to search your hearts and examine your love for Christ.  Ask yourself the question I posed to you earlier: “Are you in love with Jesus?”  Or do you just love Him?  Be honest with yourself.  If you find in your heart that you have never experienced that stirring love for Him within you, I encourage you to bring out your Bible and turn to the four Gospels and just begin to read.  It doesn’t matter where in the books you begin, just start reading.  I don’t think there’s any better way to fall in love with Jesus than to see Him living, breathing, and moving in your own world.  And if that person struggling to grasp the greatness of God’s love for him personally is you, know that I wrote this post for you with you in mind.  Be assured that I’m praying for you, and I love you even as Jesus loves all of us.  You are special- uniquely created- and you are loved. 

             Falling in love with Jesus is taking your spiritual relationship to another level.  Friends, this is so important to get.  I can’t stress how much of an impact this will have on your life and your relationships if you can learn to fall in love with Jesus and see Him as the bridegroom of your life.  This I truly believe is the key to living your life to the fullest extent that He wants you to live it by viewing life in the light of His love.  I can talk on and on about how great and how incredible His love is, but unless you experience it for yourself, all of my words are simply… words.  Maybe you have experienced this before, but the love has grown cold and stale over time.  The excitement has waxed old.  Love needs continuous nurturing to survive.  It needs communication and quality time.  Maybe it’s time to enter into His presence and rekindle the love that once was.  Maybe a lovers’ rendezvous with your Bridegroom is long overdue.  Allow Him to captivate your heart and hold it prisoner, friends.  It’s safe in His hands, and He yearns to own it.  He deserves it.  Dare to fall in love with Jesus, and I promise you, you will not be disappointed in His love you find in return.  Don’t just be content loving Him, but allow Him to lavish His immense love on you as you fall in love with Him in return.  Yes, it’s deep; yes, it’s passionate and fulfilling, holy and pure; and yes, you’ll be head-over-heels before you know it for this Hero of the world.  He is not restoring unto me “the joy of my salvation”; He is teaching me the full joy of it… and it’s more beautiful than anyone could imagine.  I want that for each of you, and it’s my fervent prayer and desire that you learn to fall in love with Him just as I have and am still continuing to.  Let’s not grow drowsy and fall asleep unprepared for our Lord’s long-anticipated return like the five foolish virgins did in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25.  The Bridegroom will be coming for His bride.  Let Him not find a bride who is out of love and out of touch with Him… who has forsaken her first love. (Rev 2:4)

 

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:13

 

*Speaking of spending quality time with Christ, my three favorite places for a Jesus rendezvous is my church, within the pages of my Bible, and in my bed.  I love lying in my bed, putting on some music, and simply enjoying Him and allowing Him to delight in me.  Yes, He does delight in you.  “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight.” (Isa 42:1)  A favorite song of mine to listen to in those moments is called Your Love by Brandon Heath.  I love the reminder of its lyrics that no matter where we are or where we’ve been, that God’s love is the most important thing that really matters in the end.  It never fails… the song’s powerful truth always makes me close my eyes and lift my hands to Heaven.  Another two great songs about Christ’s love is Love Is Here by Tenth Avenue North and You Saw Me by Hillsong Live.  His love is always enough, isn’t it, blog-reader friends?

 

*Additionally, I received word concerning the novel contest I had entered back in July 2012.  My book didn’t make it to the second round entrants, but I want to thank each of you that supported me in your prayers.  Please continue to keep the situation in your prayers as I take the next step to getting the powerful message of this book into your hands, readers, and search for a literary agent after the holidays.  And to the second round winners should you be reading this, my heart-felt congratulations to you, my best wishes for your success in the remainder of the contest, and may the Lord bless your literary career.

 

*And still furthermore, I know many of you are probably curious as to what my cousin and I decided to buy from the World Vision catalogue (see my post title Missionary Moment).  To answer your question, we decided to use our $75 combined, in addition to the $50 my parents are going to contribute, to give $50 to help save girls from a life of prostitution and $75 to buy a goat for a family this Christmas.  Again, if you’d like to learn more about World Vision and their mission, check out their website at donate.worldvision.org. 

 

 Photo courtesy: www.123rf.com

 

~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords?  I was struggling to decide what to name my blog.  I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful.  As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments.  They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions.  They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment.  A musician selects his songs according to his audience.  So do we.  Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different.  This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.  Music is a powerful tool.  Use it for His glory.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3