The gift of being treasured by the one who sacrificed his life.
The gift of not worrying as the anxious thoughts fly away.
The gift of more grace and praying his kingdom come.
All worry dethrones God
All worrying says that we need to be King
because God is incompetent
When the King really rules your world,
you really don’t need to worry ~Ann VosKamp
Reflecting on Matthew 6:1-31
40 Gifts of Lent 2014
“[Jesus] said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” Matthew 22: 37 – 39
Love of God and love of neighbor are connected. I often forget that connection, especially if my neighbor’s dog barks at the moon all night long and then I must dodge the dog’s “land-mines” walking through my front yard to get the morning paper. There are no lovely feelings or happy thoughts about being neighborly.
Love of God and love of neighbor are connected when nothing but a wall of sheetrock and a thin layer of insulation separates you from the sounds of crying and screaming children over the beat of “thud-thud-thud…thud thud” from a subwoofer. I admit, I would deliberately avoid being neighborly towards them.
In both scenarios, my heart, soul and mind was bent, twisted and misaligned with anger and resentment towards my neighbors. I was also becoming a miserable neighbor for them to live next to. It continued to grow worse until my attitude began to change towards them.
My attitude began to change when I began to focus on God’s love for all of us. And I began to understand that in no way could I be neighborly without loving God first.
And when I gave God first place in my heart, soul and mind, his love enabled me to love my neighbor. Friendships developed and good things began to happen. I stopped to chat a few times every week with the lady who owned the dog and eventually I noticed my yard wasn’t a mine-field any more and the dog was brought inside at night. We became better friends, taking long walks together, with her dog on a leash…talking and doing life together.
We invited the family next door to come over for supper and to bring their kids too. We shared life with them to the point that we became best of friends. And I’m not sure what happened to that subwoofer because I never heard the thuds again. We had our first child while living next door to this family. I will never forget how they were the beautiful example of being neighborly to us.
To love your neighbor as yourself is a gift…this is the meaning of being neighborly.
I am anticipating the arrival of Easter and celebrating the most amazingly good gift I’ve ever received. I want to focus my heart on the fulfilled expectation of Christ’s first coming and the glorious expectation of His second coming. To continue reading, please go here: 40 Gifts of Lent
Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away…” But Jesus said, “They need not go away…” Matthew 14: 15-16
It would not be long before the disciples and the followers of Jesus would experience a very tragic and frightening desolate place that they have never experienced before. They don’t understand what is to come. They only know what they see and feel right then, at that time and place. They become agitated, restless, and worried…even with Jesus standing beside them.
Often we feel that there is no hope in the worst of times, that there is no one that will listen or understands the pangs of fear and anxiety that hurls when the evening approaches. Do not fear when the darkness shuts out the light and you are alone with your thoughts, do not turn away from Jesus to search for comfort elsewhere. He is with you.
If you want to believe but can’t, stop looking inside; go to Jesus and say, “Help me believe.” You will be comforted. You will be satisfied to overflowing.
Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. Matthew 14:19 – 20.
“The provision Christ makes for those who are his is not bare and scanty, but rich and plentiful; an overflowing fullness.” (Matthew Henry)
We should not be surprised when God goes above and beyond all that we would ask or dream.
It’s so much fun to be on the receiving end of good gifts! I am anticipating the arrival of Easter and celebrating the most amazingly good gift I’ve ever received. I want to focus my heart on the fulfilled expectation of Christ’s first coming and the glorious expectation of His second coming. I want to focus on the freedom I have in Christ to overcome strongholds, yet also to gain strength, hope, and peace as I lean into the trials…continue reading here.
You are not a second-class citizen. If you know Christ, He is even now cleansing you and thereby enabling you to approach Him with gladness. Expect your faith to be strengthened. Expect to be touched by Christ. Expect a miraculous healing of your heart.
Take heart, sons and daughters…Jesus is the gift. Come to him, you who are weighted down with grief and suffering and you will find rest for your souls. He is gentle and lowly and he understands everything about you.
Ask him to touch your life. He will stretch out his hand to you.
And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…Matthew 8:3
“I will come and heal him.” Matthew 8:7
He touched her hand…Matthew 8:15
“If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” Matthew 9: 21 – 22
…he went in and took her by the hand… Matthew 9: 25
Then he touched their eyes… Matthew 9:29
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11: 28 – 30 (The Message)
I love the anticipation of celebrating birthdays with my children and grandchildren and can’t wait to gather again with my family and friends around a brightly lit tree at Christmas. My focus for any event or special occasion is mostly on the gift I will buy and then tape it up with all of the wrapping and trimmings to make it a beautiful presentation to give away. I do enjoy watching them rip into the paper and toss the pretty bow without a care to get to the inside of that package.
It’s so much fun to be on the receiving end of good gifts!
I am anticipating the arrival of Easter and celebrating the most amazingly good gift I’ve ever received. I want to focus my heart on the fulfilled expectation of Christ’s first coming and the glorious expectation of His second coming. I want to focus on the freedom I have in Christ to overcome strongholds, yet also to gain strength, hope, and peace as I lean into the trials…continue reading here.
You are the light that shines for the world to see. Matthew 5:14
The gift of God’s son as the light of the world gives life
A darkness has been flooded with light and is no more
His infinite love for us has shattered this darkness
And the flicker of light grows bigger
The gift of life and light to the world cannot be hidden
If your life, by its order, by the way in which you handle pressure, by the way in which you take criticism, by the way in which you treat the people who work under you, if you are like Jesus Christ, the beauty of that is going to show up the reality of the environment. A good light shows you real color, right?
Have you ever noticed that sometimes you pull out a pair of socks, and you can’t tell if they’re blue or black, and you look in one light and you still can’t tell, and you have to come to a good light in order to tell whether it’s blue or black? A real good light shows you the real colors. If you are a Christian walking like Jesus Christ, then the beauty of your life shows everybody around you what is good and what is bad.~Tim Keller, Salt and Light
I love the anticipation of celebrating birthdays with my children and grandchildren and can’t wait to gather again with my family and friends around a brightly lit tree at Christmas. My focus for any event or special occasion is mostly on the gift I will buy and then tape it up with all of the wrapping and trimmings to make it a beautiful presentation to give away. I do enjoy watching them rip into the paper and toss the pretty bow without a care to get to the inside of that package.
It’s so much fun to be on the receiving end of good gifts!
I am anticipating the arrival of Easter and celebrating the most amazingly good gift I’ve ever received. I want to focus my heart on the fulfilled expectation of Christ’s first coming and the glorious expectation of His second coming. I want to focus on the freedom I have in Christ to overcome strongholds, yet also to gain strength, hope, and peace as I lean into the trials.
Lent is usually about giving something up to remember the sufferings and ultimate price that Christ endured on our behalf. But I’m not doing that this year. While I’ll never forget the price Jesus paid to rescue me, I don’t want to give something up in order to remember…to receive inner peace or a personal triumph of going without.
I want to anticipate and receive unexpected gifts during Lent. I want to rip open beautiful presents everyday to discover a different gift inside. When I discovered the link to #theLentChallenge to read the entire New Testament during Lent 2014, I immediately knew, by making this commitment, I would receive (at least) 40 gifts! My heart is bursting at its seams in anticipation for the gifts God will show me.
You are welcome to join me in opening a new gift everyday. It’s not too late to start.
More Grace,
Donna
Here are some of the favorite things that made me smile, laugh, worship, sing, during this Easter season. I hope you enjoy this recap of Easter Favorites 2013. By the way, you know we never stop celebrating Easter! We can’t pack up this day like a used Easter basket filled with torn candy wrappers and plastic colored grass. Easter should cause us to come to grips with the power of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ in a way that is not abstract, but rather touches us in our deepest selves…
Until we experience this love not only intellectually and cognitively, but also in a way that invades and permeates our minds, our affections, and our actions, we are going to lack the joy and power to live the Christian life God intends for us.– Paul Kooistra
“We don’t really NEED anything. I mean, people “need” water and food and stuff to live, but if we die it’s ok because we just go to see God. He says we never REALLY die.” –Colsen Frank, age 6 years
The day had been planned. She wakes up early before the sun has brightened the sky. Her heart is broken. She is weary from grief and each time she closes her eyes, she has the mental images of Jesus being tortured and brutally crucified. There is no rest from her sorrow. Mary is approaching the tomb in the dark hours of the early morning. She sees that the large rock, sealing the tomb where Jesus is buried has been moved! The tomb is opened!
I think she reacted like I would have…with panic! Confusion! Doubt! Unbelief!…continue reading
[PDF or Free eBook] There’s nothing intrinsically holy about particular days, but for most of church history Christians have set aside eight days between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday for solemn focus (Romans 14:5–6). This string of days provides an annual interval for us to focus intently on the greatest events in human history, the acts of our Savior Jesus Christ. “Fix your gaze steadily on him,” John Piper writes of Holy Week, “as he loves you to the uttermost.”
Easter Opener 2012 from North Point Media on Vimeo.
The day had been planned. She wakes up early before the sun has brightened the sky. Her heart is broken. She is weary from grief and each time she closes her eyes, she has the mental images of Jesus being tortured and brutally crucified. There is no rest from her sorrow. Mary is approaching the tomb in the dark hours of the early morning. She sees that the large rock, sealing the tomb where Jesus is buried has been moved! The tomb is opened!
I think she reacted like I would have…with panic! Confusion! Doubt! Unbelief!
Based on what she saw, she quickly surmised that, “They have taken his body away!” Mary completely forgot what Jesus promised he would do on the third day. She turns and quickly runs to find her friends. I imagine her running on a dirt path as fast as she possibly could, stumbling over rocks, tired, sweaty and breathless. Her friends, Peter and John listened as she told them, “They have taken his body away!” and they too ran quickly to see for themselves.
Peter and John looked inside the tomb…they went inside the tomb and they believed. They saw with their eyes and they believed that Jesus rose from the dead. Even though they did not fully understand the things Jesus had told them before, they truly believed. They didn’t let doubt or unbelief cloud their vision. They believed that Jesus rose again from the dead, even if they could not totally grasp or understand all of it.
This is what I think… the stone that sealed the tomb was rolled away not for Jesus to get out but for us to look in!
I imagine them walking away from the tomb quite dumb founded but with a heightened adrenaline surge to do something! What ever that something was, is most likely what they were talking about as they walked away and left Mary alone at the tomb.
Alone, so she thought. Crying and somewhat timid, she walked over to the tomb. I don’t think I would have been brave enough to go inside a burial chamber either and would have done the same thing as Mary. Bend over, poke my head inside for a quick look-see! I’m sure her heart was beating fast. I wonder if she bumped her head at the opening of the tomb upon seeing two angels! They proceeded to ask her why she was crying. “They have taken his body away!”
Mary saw the same thing as Peter and John. No, actually she saw more than they did. Mary had a conversation with two angels! Yet, Mary continued to make the wrong assumption and incorrect accusations. Mary doubted. She doubted and did not believe because she didn’t stop to think about the words Jesus had said to her before. Mary believed Jesus then, but she was not believing now.
And then she turns around and sees…a gardener? No, it is Jesus but because her mind is clouded with doubt and unbelief, she does not recognize her beloved. He asks her the same question and she proceeds to plead with “the gardener” to tell her where Jesus’ body has been taken. She still doesn’t see.
Instead of answering her question, Jesus said her name, “Mary.”
I love this! Jesus called Mary by her name! She immediately recognizes Jesus. She knows his voice. She hears him. She sees him. Mary believes! Jesus tells her to go…and she runs (much faster now, I imagine) to tell the others, “I have seen the Lord!”
This is what I think… Jesus speaks in to her unbelief. Jesus paid the ultimate price for her unbelief.
I think it’s okay and good to look inside the empty tomb over and over again. Whenever I doubt that God loves me, I look inside that empty tomb. Whenever I doubt that I can trust God no matter what, I look inside that empty tomb. And when I don’t believe, I cry for Him to help my unbelief while asking Him to forgive me for that unbelief. Jesus paid the ultimate price for that!
It is Easter morning, already! Let’s celebrate again and again! Let’s run and tell others, “I have seen the Lord!”
The Resurrection
20 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her,“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,“Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
Donna Harris‑More Grace 