Digging Deeper~ Holy Monday

Is. 42:1-9:Isaiah prophecies of Jesus and what he will do when he comes. He will bring righteousness & light to all people including the Gentles. He will provide his people with healing, life and freedom. 

Ps. 36:5-11: A song of praise to God for his faithfulness to preserve those who are upright in their hearts. Beautiful pictures of how God does that such as being as high as the clouds & as deep as the seas. As steadfast as a mountain. He even protects us as we hide in the shadow of his wings. This last one is as a hen would protect her chicks. Lastly he will bring righteousness to all people. 

Heb.. 9:11-15:Speaks of how Jesus was the last and perfect lamb that takes away our sins. 

John 12:1-11: Mary the sister of Lazarus anoints Jesus feet with an expletive ointment. Jesus praises her for doing so & says that she will be remembered for doing so, for she was preparing Jesus' body for burial.In the Old Testament, we we prophecies of what Jesus will do when he comes (Is. 42:1-9; Ps. 36:5-11).But in the New Testament we see how Jesus came and fulfilled those prophecies. Paul reminded Jesus followers that Jesus was the last and perfect lamb that God gave to take away our sin forever (Heb. 9:11-15). In John 12:1-11,we see Mary the sister of Lazarus anointing Jesus' feet with a very expletive ointment to prepare him for burial. You see in their culture this was what they did to the body of some one who had died. When the disciples complained about that Jesus praised her for what she did as she did it in love.  

Challenge of the day:

Today take the time to sit at Jesus feet and give him the sweet smelling ointment of your love and worship. 

Accomplishment of the day: 

How did sitting at Jesus feet and worshiping him help draw you closer to him & prepare you for Easter?

Digging Deeper~ Palm Sunday

Mat. 21:1-11: Jesus had his followers get him a donkey colt & then used it for his ride into Jerusalem where the people sang praises to him. This is what we call Palm Sunday. 

Ps. 118:1-2, 19-29: Sing praises to the Lord who is light and righteousness!

Aww, Palm Sunday! It is the day that Jesus gets the praise that he deserved as the son of God. Can you hear them as they sing, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" But Jesus did not enter Jerusalem as a king on a white horse, but as a righteous servant upon a donkey colt. This is fitting as Jesus himself  said that he came to serve. He was God's divine servant, even though he was the son of God. He would prove this in the next week as he went through arrest, mental & physical beatings, forced to carry a cross to his death on that cross, & the painful separation from God. Why? Because he loved us enough to pay for our healing and sins. But it did not end there. He also rose from the dead! In doing so he made it so that we will not have to fear death ourselves. For if we accept his gift of salvation, we too will live  spiritually with him in heaven after our bodies die. With this in mind we too should raise our voices in praise to Jesus today.

Challenge of the day:

Remember what Jesus was about to do for us this week. Then raise your voice with those from that day in singing, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Accomplishment of the day:

How did singing praises to Jesus prepared you for the coming week?

Digging Deeper~ Welcome to Holy Week

Greeting in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

I want to invite you to the Holy Week! We will start it with Palm Sunday and run until Easter Sunday. 

I pray that as you read through the last days of Christ's life on earth and about what he did to pay for your healing, and salvation that you will feel closer to Jesus. The one who loved you enough to go through torture, pain, separation from God, death for you. Then had victory over death, when he came  back to life. And he did it all because he loves you and wants to spend eternally with you.

Have a spiritual journey with Jesus as you read these verses this Holy week!

Chaplain Toni

Digging Deeper~ Lent Sunday #4

Ez. 37:1-14: God tells Moses how to make the Ark (God's mercy seat). Ps. 130: A prayer of waiting on the Lord for mercy. Rom. 8:6-11: We are to be spiritually minded and not have carnal minds. For life in in Christ, but living in sin is death. But as the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, so It can raise you spiritually from death.  John 11:1-45: Showing mercy to his friends Mary & Martha, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Mercy: It is a trait that God shows to his people. He had Moses build the mercy seat (Ez. 37:1-14), while his people wondered in the wilderness. Why? For he knew that they had a great need to know that God was with them & would forgive their sins. David later wrote a song to God expressing how he waited on God for his mercy when he felt he needed it the most (Ps. 130). God shows us mercy in many ways. One way we see Jesus showing mercy to his friends,  Mary & Martha when their brother Lazarus had died. He brought Lazarus back to life (John 11:1-45). Why was that being merciful to them? Because both women were not married & in their culture single women were to be cared for by a Father or brother for the men were the ones who worked. Women who did not have a man to care for them were very poor. God also is merciful to us spiritually. How is that. Jesus came, died, and roses from the dead to pay for our sins (Rom. 8:6-11). In doing so, he showed mercy to us sinners who were slaves to sin. Because of what Jesus did we can be freed from a carnal & sinful mind. Through Jesus we can have a godly mind. Now that is mercy at it's highest form! Challenge of the week: This week, take the time to think on the freedom that Jesus gave us. Then thank him for that freedom. Above all live in that freedom in Christ. Accomplishment of the week: How did living in your freedom in Christ free you from the bonds of sin?

Digging Deeper~ Lent Sunday 3

1 Sam. 16:1-13:God sends Samuel to Bethlehem to look for Israel's next ruler. Who ends up being a shepherd boy. 

Ps. 23:The Lord is my good shepherd who leads, provides and protects us. 

Eph. 5:8-14: Ye are the children of light live as life that shows God's light through you to those around you.

John 9:1-41: Jesus tells his followers that as long as he was in the world , he was the light of the world. Then he heals a blind man to prove it.

After King Saul  who was the peoples choice dies. He sends Samuel to Bethlehem to find and anoint God's choice for the next king of Israel. After looking at 11 of Jessie's sons and finding them not God's choose.  David the youngest is brought before him. God tells Samuel that that is his choose and Samuel anoints him to become king. David was a Shepherd at this time (1 Sam. 16:1-13). In doing this God made it possible for David to be the Father of the lineage that Jesus would come out of. After David becomes King he has his songs written down. One of these songs is Psalms 23. In this Psalm David is showing how God is the good shepherd. 

Later when Jesus had come to earth & was ministering to the world he told his followers that he was the light of the world as long as he was in the world. Then he gives sign to a man who was blind to prove it. Why because it showed as he had taken the blind man out of darkness, he could take them out of spiritual darkness. (John 9:1-41). After Jesus left the world, Paul reminds Jesus followers that they were now to be children of light.He went on to explain what that took (Eph. 5:8-14).

David was used to lay down the lineage that his son Jesus would come out of. Why? Because he understood what it was to be a leader. How? by being a shepherd of sheep when he was young. God later had him be the leader of men. We see that as we read the words he wrote in the 23rd Psalms. 

Jesus came to lead his people out of the spiritual darkness they were in by being the light of the world that would lead people spiritually out of darkness while he was on earth. Before he left he told his followers that they were now to be lights to the world through him. Then Paul reminds Christians that they are now to be children of that light. When we are children we will lead people out of spiritual darkness by shinning the light to the path that leads to Jesus. 

For only Jesus can lead people out of spiritual darkness. 

Digging Deeper~ Lent Sunday 2

Ex. 17:1-7: The children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of sin. They were in Raphidim where there was no water. The people complained to Moses. Moses went to God for help. God told Moses that he was to take his rod, go with the elders and go to Horeb. There God would stand in front of Moses as a rock. Moses was to struck the rock. Moses did so, and water came from the rock which was God. This was symbolic of Jesus being struck before he was put on the cross.  Ps. 95: A song of praise to God who is the rock of our salvation. Then David reminded God's people why their people was made to go through the wilderness & how God helped them while they were there. Rom. 5:1-11: Because we are justified though faith through Jesus Christ, remember that the trials we go through will only make us grow stronger spiritually.  John 4:5-42: Jesus meets a woman at the well in Samaria. He tells her about herself & tells her that he is living water. When he is done she goes and tells the people of the town about Jesus.  During this time of Lent, let us remember that we would not be able to be able to become children of God if Jesus had not died on the cross and rose for us. These verses  remind us of this fact. You see Jesus was the rock that Moses struck that gave his people water in the wilderness. He is also the rock of our salvation & living water only comes from him.  Challenge of the week: This week, take the time to think about how your life would be like before Jesus saved you. Think about what Jesus went through to save you & how your life has changed sin then.  Then thank him for doing so.  Take the time to tell someone else about what Jesus did and how it can save them too.  Accomplishment of the week: So how did this weeks challenge draw you or someone else closer to God?

Digging Deeper~ Ash Wedmesday

Joel 2:1-2,12-17: a call to God's people to blow a trumpet and call for a fast upon the land as they come to God to confess their sins. 

Is. 58:1-12: God calls a fast to free the sins of man from him and to feed, clothe & help the poor.

Ps. 51:1-17: A prayer for forgiveness for sins.

2 Cor. 5:20b-6:10:Paul instructs the Christians of Corinth how to act. We need to live such a godly life that no one can use us as an excuse to not follow Jesus. No matter what happens to us. 

Mat. 6:1-6, 16-21: Jesus instructs his followers on how to act when they give to the poor, pray, and fast.

Ash Wednesday is the day we stop and look at how sinful we are. Then go to God asking Him to forgive us of all our sins. It is the day that many go on some type of fast until Easter Sunday. Some people fast a type of food like sweet foods, or unhealthy foods. Some ever will do a total fast. Other people will fast from things that bring them pleasure like TV, Internet, games, books...

The main idea is to take ourselves away from our normal life for 40 days and sit down with God and get our minds,hearts & souls right with God again. We

do this so that we will be able to live a more godly life. And in doing so, we  cleanse ourselves & make God proud of us.It is believed that you should pray during what would have been your meal time. 

The 2ed thing that we are to do during this time with God is to give to the poor. In this way, we free ourselves from our greediness & help lift them out of their need during this holy time. The people of old gave the food that they would have eaten if they had not been fasting. I believe that we can also give other things that we see that the poor needs like clothes and the likes. Doing this can help us let go of material things that can bind us to the love of things. 

Challenge of the day & lent season:

Sit down with God and ask him what you need to give up for the next 40 days, so that you can spend time more time with God. Ask God to forgive you for your love of whatever has come between you and HIM.Give away whatever God tells you to give & spend more time with God in prayer. 

Accomplishment of the day:

What have you and God decided that you should give up or do during this lent season? When the season is over come back and write what doing so accomplished in you spiritually.