Christine's Blog – March 2012 Archive (21)

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country and laid on him the cross to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed Him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for Him.  Luke 23.26 and following. . .…

The biblical accounts from Luke 23 and Matthew 27:

When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had wanted to see him; in fact, he was hoping to see him perform some sort of miracle. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave no answer. The…

We left Jesus standing before the Sanhedrin, with Caiaphas saying, 'We don't need any more witnesses; we heard all we need to hear,' planning to send Jesus to Pilate, governor of Judah.

There is no doubt that this was the most famous and the…

And so Jesus departs from the Upper Room . . . and begins the quiet march toward his arrest.  He returns again this night to the Mount of Olives, and stops in the garden that we hold so dear, the Garden of Gethsemane.  We watch as Jesus prays to his Father, about the agony that is soon to come upon him …    Luke 22.39-46…

Isn't it ironic. . .

An old man turned ninety-eight

He won the lottery and died the next day…

At sundown of that same day, thirteen men met to celebrate the Passover in a great gray hall, in an upper room in a house on Mount Zion, in the northeast corner of Jerusalem. In the tall-roofed chamber, with heavy beams holding up the ceiling, the only furnishings were rattan divans and a long oaken table, on which tall candles were burning.  The flickering flames played upon the sturdy…

It is Passover time, so the city is teeming with people.  All Jewish males over the age of 12 are required to come for the festival, which is followed by a seven-day celebration called the Festival of Unleavened Bread—two celebrations.  [Jews from all over the Roman Empire converge on Jerusalem to celebrate these most important…

Just before we turn the page, take a look in your rearview mirror, at some of the great things we have learned from James’ inspiration:

-…

God is good . . . all the time.  James 5.13 – 20.

James concludes his letter discussing the power of prayer, and prompting believers to go after those who have walked away from the truths of God.  Take a look:

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy?…

Do you feel it?  Do you sense it?  The end is near . . . of the book of James, I mean.  He sure packed his letter with wisdom for the first-century Jewish converts to Christianity, but it has such terrific application for our lives two thousand years later.  So remarkable!  God’s Word does not go out of style because people…

Jesus is coming soon.   James 5.7-9

With the stroke of the pen, James switches his attention back to the Jewish Christians scattered abroad~  Pay attention as these three short verses have much to say to us.  "Be patient, then, brothers [and…

Don’t be talking about my money, James.  James 5.1-6

Googled “tis a difficult saying, who can abide it?” because that is the only way I could think to start today’s Morning Briefing . . . funny thing that— ‘guess what came up?  Try it -…

The Inner Struggle  -  James 4.17

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.…

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”  As…

What does God speak to you…

from these next few verses in James?

 Pray with me, Friends—“Dear Lord, it is…

Good Day.

“Don't speak evil against one another, my brothers and sisters. If you criticize each other and condemn each other, then you are criticizing and condemning God's law. But you are not a judge who can decide whether the law is right or wrong. Your job is to obey it.…

Grammar classes were always my favorite . . . I liked diagramming sentences--breaking the parts of speech into little branches and trees.  Later, as an English teacher, I liked teaching my students to diagram sentences, so that they too would better understand the rules of language grammar. Today's lesson: verbs.    …

Good Day to you.

Keep in mind – “All Scripture is God-breathed,”¹ penned by “holy men of God,”² as we read James’ next shocking words—written to the Jewish converts he was teaching . . .…