Carry On

To continue is to carry on.  Of all that should continue, James wrote, “Let brotherly love continue.” (James 13:1). Together, those four words are blunt and to the point.  It’s God’s love for us that caused Him to send Jesus to redeem us, and it’s that same love that is to continue as a flow through us to others.  One thing is sure – to continue, it must begin; in this case, be an existing action.  In the rest of chapter, James writes of Christian sacrifices pleasing to God.  All these rooted in God’s source and eternal flow of love, which equips us “with everything good” to “do His will … that which is pleasing in His sight.” (13:21).  Do not restrict His Flow – carry on!

The Steady

My friend’s sister is a surgeon, and I’ve heard it said she has incredibly steady hands. I sure want the one operating on me to have steady hands!  In this life, we need steady hands, too.  Jude describes the only true Steady, “Now to Him Who is able to keep you from stumbling …” (Jude 24a).   Storms often come upon us unexpectedly, and like a tempest rock our world.  Circumstances can daze and paralyze us, even cause us to lose our footing.  Nonetheless, there is One with steady hands Who loves deeply and is able and willing to keeps us from falling. Let us yield our way to those steady hands.

The Wait

Our sweet Ella has been counting the days until the beach, anxious for the sand and sea.  Many things make us anxious.  Sometimes it’s tempering what’s ahead with what’s behind.  “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our Blessed Hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ …” (Titus 2:11-13). Heaven is sweet, and sometimes it seems a little sweeter, but nothing comes close to the immeasurable sweetness we will know when one day Christ returns.  Until that gloriously sweet moment, we wait with and in peace, casting all anxieties on Him Who cares for us. He alone makes the wait sweet.

Hold His Hand

As Mr. Bill and I walked last fall on UGA North Campus, a lady stopped us and commented how nice it was to see us holding hands. It seems quite contrary to our nature to be led but David wrote, “… I am continually with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel …” (Psalm 73:23-24).  As a child, I distinctly remember Mama would grab my hand to cross the busy city street.  Oh, the dangers that lurk in life, and oh if we would only purposefully extend a hand to The Father.  He’s ever-present with those who love Him; we do not walk alone.  Hold His hand.

Perfect Words

You know, there’s really nothing perfect outside of God Himself.  Nonetheless, we search for the perfect dress for an occasion or perfect birthday gift when in light of perfection we really just … settle.  Nehemiah seems pretty sure of himself when he described Almighty God: “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God …” (9:32a).  We’re confined to words but the soul is not.  You and I can know God’s greatness, His mightiness, His awesomeness even though we may be limited to words to describe them.  I’d much rather experience these things of God than feel I have to describe them.  Yes, I’ll keep searching for the right words, but mostly I’ll keep seeking The One my words describe.  “But for me it is good to be near God.” Psalm 73:28.

Finding the Pedals

My grandparents gave me my first bicycle – blue and white, with a working headlight.  I remember riding it back and forth down their long dirt drive. The scattering of gravel made it a little tricky, so tricky that a few times I crashed.  I don’t know for sure, but I’m sure someone was watching from the front porch, and I wonder what those episodes looked like.  With hurt pride and skinned knees, I’d push it back to the house, vowing my bike-riding days were over.  In my lifetime, mostly in frustration at myself, I’ve launched quite a few softball bats, slung a number of tennis rackets, slammed a plethora of doors, and even hurled a biscuit at Mr. Bill.  The image of that bike disgustingly dropped to the ground – kickstand ignored – came to my mind several times yesterday as we said a final farewell to Mom.

 

God gave David these profound words: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Strength of my heart and my Portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).  If you have ever looked death in the face, you are instantly aware God never intended it to be like this.  How is it then the soul can sing when comes the naked realization flesh and heart do indeed fail, not just physically but spiritually.  Survival is always a chief motivator, but there’s an end at which we will grasp for help, reach toward strength to continue, for something beyond ourselves.  In his lifetime, David knew what it was to struggle to persevere, rise above pain of both flesh and the spirit.  God makes it clear, I am your Strength. I am your Portion. Not just for now but forever.  Without restraint of body or spirit, Mom is now doing what we all are created to do: glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  She is engaged perfectly and gloriously in what she could only do in part while with us.  She understands the entirety of the fullness of God as Strength and Portion these days. David’s next words are good for each of us: “But for me it is good to be near God.” (V.28).  Near to God – doesn’t that sound like the most perfect place to be!

 

So, the question of this century – what next?  That bike laid there for [what seemed] an eternity.  Eventually, I picked the bike up from the ground, took a seat, found the pedals, took a deep breath and the wheels began to turn.  Slowly at first, with determination and discipline, I found my balance and with the wind in my face, I rode again.  Mom, we haven’t forgotten how to live, we just are bit slow steadying the bike and more than a little apprehensive finding the pedals.  You see, Mom is part of who we are, what we do, and where we are going.  For sure, we’ll lose our balance, miss a turn of the pedals, even swerve and crash but Dad and us-Sustas will ride again, and we will feel the wind in our faces and continue the Legacy gifted to us.  We bow our heads to you, Mom, with deep respect as we … find those pedals.

MWB - Leave of Absence

Hello, MWB Friends.  I must take [what I hope is] a brief leave from MWB.

I will greatly appreciate your prayers for my Dad and Sisters as we attend to Mom in [what looks to be] her final days.

Journey to the Cross - Finished

As you plan your evening and weekend, prayerfully consider Jesus’ final twenty-four hours. During the night, He was moved from the garden to Annas to Caiphas to Pilate to Herod then back to Pilate, bound - mocked - severely beaten, and deprived of sleep or rest.  Driven by personal ambition and public outcry, Pilate finally condemns Jesus to death by Roman crucifixion, reserved for the most vile of criminals. The Romans didn't invent crucifixion but perfected it to be a slow, painful, and tortuous way to die.  Terribly weak and in great pain, Jesus began the journey from the Praetorium through the city streets to Golgotha, an established place of crucifixion.  Jesus fell beneath the weight of the horizontal beam of the cross, and Simon of Cyrene was ordered to carry it the rest of the way. Secured to the cross by spikes, Jesus was offered wine mixed with myrrh (gall), a mild analgesic, which He refused.  His open wounds and exposed to insects, birds, and the elements added to His struggle to breathe while soldiers and bystanders taunted Him.  From noon to three o’clock, darkness covered Jerusalem and in one final arduous gasp and cry, those standing nearby would surely have recognized Jesus’ moment of death. The Jewish Sabbath approaching, Joseph of Arimathea, “a good and righteous man,” asked Pilate for Jesus’ body; he wrapped The Savior in linen and laid Him in a new tomb cut from rock “where no one had ever lain.”  Women who had come with Jesus from Galilee witnessed His burial and prepared the customary burial spices and perfumes.  A heavy circular stone was rolled in place to cover entrance to the tomb.  There may have been an eerie silence at the garden tomb but I imagine quite a disturbance in the temple: the Passover lambs had been offered but the temple curtain was torn completely from top to bottom fully exposing the holiest of temple chambers, ONCE AND FOR ALL TIME giving man access to Almighty God through a newly declared and perfect High Priest – Jesus Christ!  We are familiar with the rest of the blessed events – The Father did not forsake His Son and the tomb could not contain The Messiah.  As promised, He rose victorious over death on the third day. Likewise, He will [keep His promise to] come again and take us to the place He has prepared for us to reign victoriously with Him eternally.  Well, we may be living in a world that resembles “Good Friday,” but those who profess Christ are gloriously declared Easter People!  We can and do rejoice in the finished work of Jesus Christ – the Risen Lord!  Hallelujah! Praise the Lamb!

Journey to the Cross - End in Sight

Things that end - paying off a loan, running a marathon, buying diapers, setting a morning alarm. When such things come to an end, we wonder how we endeavored to persevere. What would you do if you knew today was your last day on earth?   Would you overlook the trivial and focus on the important?  Jesus knew His time was short: His he last visit to the temple, His last meal and laughter with close friends, the last time He would need dusty sandals.  Jesus was never distracted from His purpose for coming as the God-man.  One week before His death, He told His disciples, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and He will be raised on the third day.” (Matthew 20:18-19).  Scripture tells us the religious leaders plotted against The Messiah, but let it be clear: Jesus wasn’t walking into a trap!  He arrived on earth on purpose with purpose; His journey to the cross didn’t begin in Bethlehem or Nazareth or Galilee or Jericho.  An eternity before Adam tasted the apple, Jesus knew Calvary was to come.  He always had the end in sight, and the great love He had for us began and sustained Him in the journey.  It’s  the same great love that endures and abounds still until His Redeemed (those who believe) are home with Him in Heaven.  Come on, say it with me – Oh, what a Savior!

Journey to the Cross - Jesus' Darkness

Tucked away in the darkness there is a supply of light bulbs. Little thought is given to these priceless things until that sudden last flash of  one-gone-bad.  Jesus’ final week was eventful and prospered God’s kingdom: using parables, prayer, a righteous display of emotions, personal and quiet moments with His closest friends.  The sudden turn of popular opinion surely perplexed His followers, then one of His inner circle: “And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. They were glad and agreed to give him money. So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.” (Luke 22:3-6).  My dating curfew was 11:00, right up until the day I married, and it was my parents’ general opinion nothing good happened after that time of night.  Well, the same thing can be said of darkness.  Luke wrote Judas “went away” – far enough from Jesus and the other disciples to do Satan’s work. Matthew Henry writes of this passage, “It is hard to say whether more mischief is done to Christ’s kingdom, by the power of its open enemies, or by the treachery of its pretended friends; but without the latter, its enemies could not do so much evil as they do.” The plot to betray and arrest Jesus was set into motion, and even as He shared a last intimate meal with the men closest to Him, Jesus knew “the hand of the one betraying” was present. What a somber walk it must have been from Jerusalem to Gethsemane to pray.  There in the darkness of the garden, Jesus struggled with redemption’s price – the cross set before Him.  What more would the darkness bring: friends who would not stay awake to pray with Him and one of His closest yet to betray Him. It was a dark time in the life of Christ: betrayal by friends, a lonely walk back up Zion’s hill, the mockery of a trial, beatings and cursing’s, a cold dark pit.  The darkness would continue – He knew – with the darkest moment to come when The Father would look away from the terrible weight of sin He would bear.  Yet!  In the darkest moments of the Savior’s life, God did His greatest work: Satan crushed! Death put to death!  Light wins over darkness!  Will you say it with me: Oh, what a Savior!

Journey to the Cross - The Savior's Tears

Oh, the times of spilled milk or tea or juice!  Long before sippy cups parents were driven to madness or tears when faced with the almost-certainty that someone would spill their drink.  It only makes sense Jesus’ last visit to Jerusalem would be an emotional one, but those traveling with Jesus must have been surprised at the intensity of His tears as He neared the city.  “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it.” (Luke 19:41).  With joy, I remember the breathtaking sight of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.  The Savior, however, did not share these same emotions; instead of rejoicing, Jesus wept.  These were not peaceful tears; the Greek word here (klaio) translates as weeping openly such as overtakes a person.  Why the tears?  Was the Savior fearing what was to come – the pain of suffering, death?  No!  Jesus said, “Eternal peace was within your reach and you turned it down. Now it is too late … You have rejected the opportunity God offered you.” (Luke 19:42-43).  The Messiah didn’t weep without cause, nor was His weeping a slight matter.  He didn’t weep for Himself but for the souls heavy with sin, rejecting the present Salvation.  Oh, the Peace we often forfeit – Oh, the needless pain we bear!  Dear friend, when were you last grieved over your sin, bringing real tears?  Jesus knew the extent to which He would be poured out for mankind AND He knew how we would at times dishonor and disgrace God’s precious act of redemption.  Consider it – why would Christ not be grieved?  Why would He not weep?  If we could but understand the depth of God’s Great Love for us, we would weep also.  His tears, His agony, His passion would not end until He took His rightful seat next to The Father.  Oh, what a Savior!

 

Journey to the Cross - A Clean Temple

Sometimes after a meal out, Mr. Bill and I need to walk it off. After entering Jerusalem on Sunday, the first day of Passover week, Jesus went to the temple.  Mark gives us a noteworthy account of Jesus’ late-day visit, “Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.” (Mark 11:11)  Interestingly, there’s no record of Jesus worshipping or reading the law or teaching – only a [seemingly] thoughtful walk-through, a survey of the goings-on in His House.   What temple images do you suppose replayed in The Lord’s mind during that evening and night?  What angered Him to the point He went back the next day to overturn tables and drive greedy merchants from their places of business? (Matthew 21:11).  Perhaps it was the same thing that anger Him today: things that interfere with His children drawing near to Him.  Jesus said, “ … true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him … they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24).  You see, it’s the heart that is the seat of God in a Believer’s life; it’s the LORD’S temple with which He refuses to share with another.  There’s place for only One in the heart of man – God Himself.   All else must be overturned and driven out!  What does God see when He surveys  our hearts?  With mere days remaining before His death, Jesus found it necessary to radically cleanse the temple – surely, it was important.  In the same way, we should allow Him to search our hearts and free us of all that hinders intimacy with The Father and worship of  The Christ Who  redeemed us.  Oh, what a Savior!

Journey to the Cross: Great Faith

What can be more disappointing than a healthy fruit tree that refuses to produce fruit!  For me, it’s stopping in the produce department, eager to purchase a big beautiful Golden Delicious apple and … no apples.  On Monday of Jesus’ final week, as He walked with the disciples to Jerusalem, they passed a healthy [looking] fig tree. “… He went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And He said to it, ‘May no fruit ever come from you again!’ And the fig tree withered at once.” (Matthew 21:19).  The disciples observed and responded, I suspect, much the same we would have: huh?  Lukewarm faith – it’s what Jesus faced His whole ministry: complaints of eating on the wrong day, healing on the wrong day, forgiving the wrong people, eating with the wrong people, paying attention to children.  Faith lacking evidence – a fruitless fruit tree. Just as fruit trees should produce fruit, Christians should be effective in the expression of their faith. On a Galilee hillside, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world … Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).  He describes great faith – faith on display, productive, effective, evident.  I find it particularly interesting this would be one of Jesus’ final teachings before the cross, before He laid His all down in display of such great and endearing love.  Oh, what a Savior!