Category Archives: New Testament

Learning to Live Alone

Posted on May 2, 2021 | Leave a comment

John 1:1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He existed in the beginning with God.  3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.  4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.  5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. [NLT]

It’s almost a month since my husband was killed.  I have been so blessed and comforted by my family.  They have buffered the reality of my loss with their presence.   They’ve flown in from around the country to help me navigate the unthinkable reality of death with the basics of life; food, activity and the practical and legal details that are now a part of my life.  What was previously “normal” activity has now become a reminder of being alone but they have been the hands-on proof of God’s assurance that is not the case.  One by one they’ve returned to their own homes and this week I finally have to face learning to live alone in mine.

It’s scary because I’ve realized I have never actually lived “alone” before.  I moved from my parents home to my marital home nearly 63 years ago.  I chose this book of John to read and ponder in these next weeks because it was important to my husband and the book of John is where my life of faith began long ago.  I wasn’t physically alone then, but it was the place I first read the words that revealed Jesus gives life that spans all time, circumstances and relationships.  What was true then is still truth now. “The Word already existed…with God… The Word gave life to everything…and the darkness can never extinguish it.”  

Leave a comment

Posted in John, New Testament, Sunday

Tagged , , , ,

By Faith

Posted on April 21, 2021 | Leave a comment

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for…13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. NIV

Hebrews 11 is called the “By Faith” chapter.   Twenty one times it uses that phrase to show the human side of the real life of notable “ancients” elsewhere in the Bible.  The intersection of living by faith and the evidence of real life circumstance was just as mysterious for them as it is for me today as a new widow but they were commended for living “by faith.”  Oswald Chambers said “Believe God is always the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him” so…

I will live by faith believing life is different, but still good
I will live by faith that what I can’t control does not mean I am helpless
I will live by faith that redeems without me knowing all the details
I will live by faith in yet undiscovered reserves of strength
I will “live” by faith that Jesus is nearest to me right now

Leave a comment

Posted in Hebrews, New Testament, Wednesday

Tagged , , ,

Mirror

Posted on April 18, 2021 | Leave a comment

I Corinthians 13:12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. NLT

These are lyrics to a song I wrote many years ago.  I knew they were important to me then.  It was a time when my identity with Jesus was just becoming clear to me and I was so aware, even embarrassed, about what I didn’t know.  All these years later, events have turned those old words into a treasure to remind me God is still “looking” out for me.  I am a new widow.  Jesus has provided an explosion of love through family and friends to help me see myself in this puzzling new role.  There is a new reality in that mirror that is critical for me to see right now.

In the mirror I see
Two eyes looking back at me.
Two eyes trying to see
A picture of what I can be.

That is the “flesh” part of life.  I’m trying to see a “picture of what I can be” without Ken in that mirror but my reflection is clouded with tears…thank God the song goes on…

Won’t you picture God for me my friend?
Won’t you be my mirror when I pretend?
Won’t you help me to see?

There truly is something more than “flesh.”  There is a Spirit of Life that knows I can’t see myself clearly since the death of my husband.  I need someone to “help me to see.”  That is very real right now.  In the midst of unmeasurable pain and grief I have family and friends who are here when my tears distort almost everything I see.  Their physical help, prayers and tenderness are helping me begin to glimpse a new “picture of what I can be.”  I may never remember all they’ve said and done but I will certainly never forget their willingness to “picture God for me,” sometimes unbeknownst to them.  They are showing me the Spirit of Life that assures me there is enough strength, even in grief, to honor the two most important men in my life, Jesus and my husband Ken.” I’ve spoken that phrase many times in the last few days.  One friend responded with “one gave His life FOR you and one gave his life TO you.”  That’s a God-given truth I can “live” with.  Alleluia!

Leave a comment

Posted in 1 Corinthians, New Testament, Reality, Sunday

Tagged , , ,

Perfected

Posted on April 14, 2021 | Leave a comment

2 Corinthians 5:10 & 17
10 for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

One of the mental images I believe the Holy Spirit gave me years ago was about finally meeting Christ face to face before that judgment seat. I’ve only shared it a few times and no one seems as wowed by it as I am. It was certainly meant for me.  But I think it speaks of what the reality of anyone entering into eternal life with Christ will be like.  As believers in Jesus we’re prepared but we’re not perfect.  That moment of meeting is more than a pat on the head with a “well-done,” because life-saving reality requires absolute reality.

This is my vision of absolute reality,  I am wrapped in Jesus’s arms,  prepared for eternity…but first…I see my life for the first time through Christ’s eyes, like a movie.  Frankly some of what I have to see makes me weep tears of sadness that I missed the mark so many times.  But they are not tears of guilt or punishment, they are the final cleansing.  They are the tears of purification.  There in Christ’s arms, preparation turns into perfection; the purification of the heart, soul, mind and strength that knows the absolute reality of life and love that will last all of eternity.

In my own grief since Ken’s unexpected death, only last Friday morning that image comforts me in a new way.  This time it was my husband wrapped in Jesus’s arms being loved and assured that his preparation in life is now the absolute reality of the purification of his heart, soul, mind and strength.  He is loved by Jesus and perfect, forever.   There’s a newer memory that comforts me too, something Ken repeated only last Thursday evening, Jesus Loves Me, This I know.  I can easily imagine Ken singing that simple song he believed was the essence of his Faith, that next morning wrapped in Jesus’s arms, knowing he was right all along.

Leave a comment

Posted in 2 Corinthians, Assurance, New Testament, Wednesday

Tagged , ,

The Crescendo of a New Beginning

Posted on April 7, 2021 | Leave a comment
A reminder for myself today, originally Posted on March 30, 2016

John 19:28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Jesus’ words “It is finished” are an important reality of our life in Christ. I thought about their importance to the personal drama of my own “first” Easter with Jesus. It felt so big, so dramatic, so epic…and so complete…but it had just barely begun.

I wonder why it’s so easy to look at epic moments in our life of faith as finales when beginning right there on that cross, our hope lies in exactly the opposite being true. That’s the truth of Jesus words “It is finished.” Easter was not an epic finale but The Crescendo of a New Beginning.

Leave a comment

Posted in John, New Testament, Remember, Wednesday

Tagged , , ,

The Way, The Truth, The Life

Posted on April 4, 2021 | Leave a comment

Luke 24
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.  15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.  17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

 

Preparation has been completed
Jesus is Risen!

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is earthshakingly dramatic. It’s the most critical part of our life of faith.  That’s BIG!  Our hearts are filled all those BIG things today; Praise, Gratitude and Alleluia’s. This is the Day the Lord has made!  This is the day that ends weeks of participating in self-directed “remembering” to focus on celebrating Easter 2021.  Jesus described Himself as the way, the truth and the life. That was a bold declaration for a man who knew death was ahead of Him.  The resurrection was God’s bold declaration that Jesus’s description was truth. 

There is another quiet part of the resurrection of Jesus that we need to remember and celebrate too: Jesus’s post-resurrection encounters with His friends.  They were revelations of Himself speaking peace to calm their fears, reassurance to dispel their doubts, guidance to direct their futures and giving them His trust that would empower them to live IN their faith.  It’s the quiet part of the resurrection that continues beyond this Easter celebration.  The Way of crucifixion is Jesus quietly providing access to a new beginning as they ”walk along.”  The Truth of  “discussing” healed scars is testimony of resurrecting love that can quiet hurting hearts.  The Life “together” with Jesus is the quiet part of trust; He is alive IN every part of faith for every day of every week AND this Easter morning.  That’s BIG!  Alleluia!

Jesus, the Way, the Truth, the Life has the final word this Easter…
“What are you discussing “together” as you walk along?”

Leave a comment

Posted in Easter, New Testament, Sunday

Tagged , , , , ,

You Must Follow Me

Posted on March 31, 2021 | Leave a comment

John 21
18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”)
21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

>§§§>

One of the most important lessons the “heroes” of the Bible teach us is that Jesus loves, and puts His trust in, people who aren’t perfect.  Those Biblical giants also show us the effects of human nature on our relationship with Jesus by example.  My next sentence changed after an early morning review of a question asked last Sunday; “What would it take for you to believe in Jesus Christ as the King? a  

I was going to write “I think it’s pretty safe to assume Peter’s recognition of his need resulted in growth and faith.”  Instead it’s become the far more complex option “I think it’s pretty safe to assume Peter’s recognition of Jesus resulted in his need for growth and faith.” 

The first option infers that Peter’s recent vows were all it took to overcome his human nature and result in growth and faith.  The second version is God’s truth that Jesus’s choice for Peter was a relationship with Him that would overcome human nature and make Peter’s vows a reality of growth and faith.  Salvation is the Lords, but human nature is a challenge that lasts a lifetime.

It only took a few verses between Peter’s vows and Jesus’s responses for Peter’s human nature to kick back in with his defensive response in verse 21; “Lord, what about him?”  My mind is blown by how easily human nature can become our baseline of growth and faith.   But my heart is relieved to remember by the Grace of God we recognize that what it would take to believe in Jesus Christ as the King – is a resurrection!

a Pastor David Camera, River Oaks Presbyterian, Lake Mary, FL

Leave a comment

Posted in John, Lent, New Testament, Wednesday

Tagged , ,

Strength, Peace, Joy for Palm Sunday

Posted on March 28, 2021 | Leave a comment

John 21
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Real life has provided me an opportunity to remember how wide the separation between what I believe and what my response to circumstances can be.  Today I feel like Peter, sputtering my assurances to justify my lack of strength, peace and joy even at the same time I’m convinced of my own repentance.  It’s a mystery isn’t it? 

Even a life of faith and absolute commitment has moments when facing your own brokenness is a harsh reality.  I’ve read these verses countless times before but today Peter’s attempt to reassure Jesus of his love has become more real because it seems like mine too. “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”  

Simon Peter knew the harsh reality of his brokenness. The intensity of his words is almost tangible as he responds to Jesus taking him through that progression of the same question over and over; “do you love me?”  Jesus could just as easily have said “I forgive you.”  Peter would have expected that forgiveness, and been comforted…but Jesus had something more to give Peter during that early morning confrontation of vows and responses.  There was one thing that would ultimately forgive Peter’s lack of strength, comfort his loss of peace and restore his joy too.

Jesus’s gave Peter His trust!
…knowing Peter would complete his vows of love and
 “feed my lambs…take care of my sheep…feed my sheep.”

Leave a comment

Posted in John, Lent, New Testament, Sunday

Tagged , , , ,

Lord, Provider, Risen

Posted on March 24, 2021 | Leave a comment

John 21
1Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way:
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”
12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.
14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. 

These verses seem very familiar.  Jesus is providing a meal of fish and bread, but the details are very different than the feeding of thousands. There is not a massive crowd involved in this scene.  The servants then, are the receivers now.  Now it’s a small group of tired and hungry men in a boat returning from a long night of fishing with only an empty net and a man on the shore cooking a breakfast of fish and bread.  

Maybe it was the unfamiliar circumstances or just the distance between them “but the disciples did not realize it was Jesus.”  These men had been “caught” and taught by Jesus but now there’s this “recognition” issue.  It’s easy to understand the physical presence of Jesus on that beach was unexpected but were they already losing their sense of intimacy with Him too?  I wonder about that.  “This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.”

Most of these fishermen/disciples would have seen the Risen Jesus with their own eyes at least once before this moment.  But it took the filling of that empty net to trigger the memory of “the disciple whom Jesus loved” to recognize “It is the Lord!”  The most overlooked mystery of faith may well be that “None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord”  because of what they remembered.

That seems like an object lesson for why we set aside these 40 days of Lent.  We need to know and remember “WHO” Jesus is, not just that He IS, in order to have an intimate relationship with Him.  Intimacy with Jesus is the byproduct of remembering what He’s already done so even in the most the unexpected circumstances of life we’re able to recognize His presence.

Leave a comment

Posted in 1 John, John, Lent, New Testament, Wednesday

Tagged , , , ,

Grace, Ransom, Healer

Posted on March 21, 2021 | Leave a comment

John 20:
25…But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Ransom; a payment for the release of a prisoner

Thomas shared a real-time relationship with Jesus, but all these centuries later the nickname “doubting” is still the first thing we remember about him. “Doubting is a nickname that doesn’t really fit because as the verses show, in that moment he was absolutely certain.  “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 

Each heart of those friends closest to Jesus had been wounded by the betrayal that led to Jesus’s death.  For Thomas that wound had festered into doubt.  Some of the disciples had seen Jesus, but not him. “Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  Then Jesus singled out Thomas.  

The beauty of this story is that Thomas’s doubts have became incidental.  Jesus showed Thomas the scars of His own wounds one-by-one for a specific purpose; that his wounded heart might be ransomed from doubt and healed.  That makes scars the most important point of this story. 

Wounds often leave a scar and healed scars still have a purpose for friends of Jesus today.  Scars can tell a story of healing that has the power to ransom someone else’s doubt and lead them to repentance.  Scars are not to be wasted.   They are the evidence that Jesus heals wounded hearts and gives them a sign to share of the resurrecting love of God Almighty,  Alleluia!

Leave a comment

Posted in John, Lent, New Testament, Sunday

Tagged , , ,