Pain

Matthew 26:48 NKJV — Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.”

When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.
Matthew 27:29‭-‬31 NKJV

Mark 15:15 NKJV — So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.

Just three portions of scripture, but they contain such incredible pain.

He was betrayed for money by one of his closest friends.

Jesus was beaten after being questioned by the religious leaders. Luke 22:64

He was scourged and beaten by the Roman guards.

He was hanged on a tree and yet had done nothing wrong.

Jesus knew pain and suffering.

And incredible as it is, the truth is He chose it to save mankind.

Thus pain and suffering was the short term cost, but the long term gain was life eternal.

For those who are called by His name, let us take heart when dealing with pain and suffering.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to  be  compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18 NKJV

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1‭-‬2 NKJV

Pain and suffering are part of this life and Jesus experienced an enormous measure.

But the hope we have in heaven is sweeter by this understanding of the cost to Christ.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Psalms 34:19 NKJV

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and  be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:3‭-‬4 NKJV

Dear Reader, whatever pain, suffering, or fear you may be walking in or struggling with this day, I pray you realize this world is not the end and for those who put their trust in Jesus Christ there is a marvelous hope, heaven and eternal life.

Pain is difficult, but it doesn’t have to be permanent.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your sacrifice. Thank You for being our payment for sin and death. Lord, thank You for suffering and experiencing pain to save us. Lord, please continue to help each one of us to look to You in all things. To realize nothing is beyond Your touch if we will simply surrender it to You. Lord, no matter the future, or the ways of this world, thank You for being our rock, our shelter, our provision. You alone are worthy of praise. You alone are the One Who saves. You alone are the security for both this life and eternity. Thank You. Amen.

December 9

Today prayer:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:1‭-‬5 NKJV

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for coming to Earth and teaching us about Yourself. Thank You for being truth and the Word. Lord, I know all things are in Your hands and You can be trusted. Lord, from my perspective I can not understand all that happens, but I do know nothing is outside of Your understanding or direction. Thank You for always being in control, even when things seem opposite to us. Thank You for being truth. How great and mighty You are! How blessed we are to know You even a little. To have Your Word as our guide. To have breath each moment. To be given life eternal through Your sacrifice! I praise Your Holy name, Lord Jesus and I thank You for every detail. Thank You for being God born of a virgin, man who is Truth, and the perfect sacrifice for every sin and to top it off, You rose again defeating death and sin and the enemy all at once. Praise be to Your glorious name, Jesus!

Who may abide…?

Lord , who may abide in Your tabernacle?

Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

He who walks uprightly,

And works righteousness,

And speaks the truth in his heart;

He who does not backbite with his tongue,

Nor does evil to his neighbor,

Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;

In whose eyes a vile person is despised,

But he honors those who fear the Lord ;

He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

He who does not put out his money at usury,

Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

Psalms 15:1‭-‬5 NKJV

I want to dwell with the Lord.

My heart wants to live with God each and every day.

And I can!

Through Jesus’s sacrifice, my salvation is secure.

The Holy Spirit resides in me, giving me my heart’s desire of dwelling with the Lord.

Of course I still long to be physically present with Him, but that time will come.

In the interim, I look to scripture daily as my guide and direction for the fruit of a life surrendered before Him.

Therefore, I love these verses.

Words of guidance: walk uprightly, work righteousness, speak truth in my heart, be careful of my words, be cautious with my speech.

Words of comfort: “He who does these things shall never be moved.”

My physical place of residence has changed many times, but my spiritual dwelling with the Lord is secure.

John 10:28 NKJV — “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

What comfort!

To know my soul is safe in the hand of Jesus.

Thus I dwell in today as His bondservant, dead to my personal short-sighted dreams and alive in Christ and His plans for me.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for Your Word. How great and wonderful it is to live daily for You and with You in my life! How great a comfort and assurance there is from knowing nothing on this earth can snatch my life from Your hand. Lord, I am Your humble servant, do with me as You see fit. My life was nothing before You and I know it is only through Your sacrifice that I find salvation and safety. This day is Yours. Please help me to walk in Your ways, keeping Your Word, living unto You in all things. Lord, please put a guard on my lips, that I might not sin against You. Please place a hedge of protection around my mind, that my thoughts might be only truth. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

October 23

Today’s prayer:

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34‭-‬38 NKJV

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for truth. Lord, I never want to be ashamed of You, nor do I want You to be ashamed of me. Lord, I want to live as losing this life and gaining eternal life with You in heaven. Lord Jesus, it is not easy to understand how to handle each circumstance, but I thank You for showing me the way. Thank You for always being faithful and walking with me through it all. Thank You for shining Your light of truth into my life. Lord, not my will be done, but Thine. Teach me what Your plans are for today and help me not grow too eager to look into tomorrow, for each day has enough trouble of it’s own. Thank You for always being my safety and refuge in times of trouble. Lord, please help me to trust You with everything today. Thank You for Your unending love. Amen.

Raining

I awoke to the sound of thunder.

I dashed out in my nightgown, robe, and Anne’s flip-flops.

I’d neglected bringing in a few things last night and rain wouldn’t do them any good.

Thankfully, it had just begun to sprinkle.

By the time I was back in my bedroom it was raining hard.

I opened the curtains to watch it come down.

I love the rain.

Something has mixed inside of me.

My childhood spent in the desert, my experiences of little or no water, and my love of plants has created a deep appreciation for rain.

An appreciation for both the physical benefits and the Biblical lessons.

It reminds me of what Jesus has done for me.

First, He cleansed me from sin with His sacrifice.

Second, He is continually washing away the stain of sin upon my heart and mind. He renews my soul through His Word and His truths.

Third, He is constantly growing me. His presence in my life has been more than just a “regular watering” plants need to thrive. He has poured into me so much that I natural want to pour out into others.

Truly, a well of life.

John 4:14 NKJV — “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

I praise God for He reigns in my life.

His faithfulness is everlasting and His truth is endures to all generations.

“Thank You, Jesus, for rain.”