One of the most important lessons I have learned in my walk with the Lord is that holding on to an unforgiving attitude can be really harmful! Jesus taught this in the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18:23-35. Peter had asked Jesus how many times we should forgive others; and from what Jesus told him, the answer may be more important than we think.

Jesus told the story of a servant who owed his master a huge debt. In fact, it was so large that even his children’s children would never be able to fully repay it. His family would never be free of the debt. However, when the servant begged for forgiveness, the master showed mercy and canceled his debt in full, setting the man free of his obligation to pay what was owed.

Unfortunately, the newly forgiven servant didn’t show the same mercy to others. When he came upon a man who owed him far less than the debt he’d just been forgiven, he refused to extend the same kind of grace. He had his debtor thrown into prison until all he owed could be paid in full. Naturally, it didn’t take long for the master to hear of what had happened and of how the one who had been forgiven so much had changed so little. Jesus described the master’s reaction in verse 32: “ … the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said. I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
 
Jesus wants us to understand that we who have been forgiven need to also forgive. And He warns that in order to live in the freedom He has given us, we must be willing to show that same forgiveness to others. If we don’t, we will find ourselves in a truly bad place. While those who harmed us go about their lives, we are stuck in pain and distress. Imprisoned by bars of our own making, we become tortured by the situation, unable to escape our own thoughts and move on. Someone has said that refusing to forgive is rather like taking a drink of rat poison and then waiting expectantly for the rat to die. We are the only ones harmed.

Now I know from my own experience that it may seem impossible to forgive those who have wronged us, and the pull to remember and relive the offense is strong. It helps to realize that forgiving someone doesn’t make what they did to you right. And it doesn’t mean that what happened doesn’t matter – it does! But when we are willing to release those who have harmed us to God, though they no longer owe us, they do owe Him; and He is well able to bring them either to repentance or to judgment. We can trust in Romans 12:19: “Vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord”.

Forgiveness is an act of our will. We may not feel forgiving, but we can and must choose to forgive out of obedience to God. Though right feelings will eventually follow right actions, it may take a while to get there. It can be like peeling an onion—dealing with many layers and working through each one with lots of tears! But my encouragement to you is: persevere! Ask God to help you do that which you have no strength to do on your own. You can trust Him with the outcome!

Blessings on your day!
Michele

I have said before that following Christ is a walk of faith and there will certainly be times when we don’t understand why God would have us take the path that He does. There is no greater example in the Scripture than that of Abraham.

After many barren years, Abraham and his wife had a son, just as God had promised them. This boy was Abraham’s hope for the future because God had specifically declared that Abraham would have innumerable descendants through him, this child of promise. Imagine the horror then when God said to Abraham: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love … and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Scripture tells us that Abraham quickly obeyed God and set out at first light, taking his son and some servants with him on the three-day journey to the place God had shown him. However, when he saw the mountain in the distance he told his servants in Genesis 22:5 “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”  Notice how he tells them that both he and his son will return! And when the boy asks, “The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”
 
Now we might think that Abraham was really just trying to be kind by keeping the truth from his child; and yet Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us what had really happened in Abraham’s heart along the journey. It reads, “By faith … he who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through (this child) that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive (his son) back from death.” While he was fully committed to obeying God’s instructions, Abraham did not believe that would be the end of the story. He believed with all his heart that God somehow would be faithful to the promise He had given about his descendants. God would keep His Word, no matter how things might have looked in the moment.

Abraham’s beloved son climbed the mountain with the wood of the altar upon his back. He was laid upon it; and as his father raised the knife to kill his son, a messenger of the Lord stopped him. There in the thicket was a ram caught by its horns, a ram that would be offered instead of the boy. A guiltless sacrifice died in the place of Abraham’s precious son.

The sacrifice that day pointed to Jesus Christ, God’s own Son who would come to die in our place. Thousands of years later, He labored up that very same hill with the wood of His cross on His back. But this time, no messenger intervened to stop the sacrifice. Jesus Christ, innocent of any sin of His own, died a horrible, excruciating death. In doing so, He paid the price for sin and bore the separation from His Father that you and I deserve. Jesus was the guiltless sacrifice offered in our place so that you and I may go free. What Abraham was asked to do God has done. He has offered His only Son.

A Jordanian man once told me that it was ridiculous for me to believe that Jesus is God’s Son, for why would God need a son? And it’s true. God does not need a Son to carry on a generational line as we do. God’s Son came to be a substitute. He came to die on our behalf to set us free and raise us to new life! I hope that you will put your trust in God and in the sacrifice of His one and only Son, Jesus, on the cross.

Blessings,
Michele

There have been times in my life when God hasn’t made total sense when He has either allowed something to happen or said something in His Word that I’ve found difficult to understand. Scripture tells us that we are to walk by faith and not by sight. And I think that those very times when we don’t always see, when His purposes are not plain and all of our questions are not answered presents us with very real opportunities to choose to follow Him or not.

An excellent example of this happens just after Jesus feeds the 5000 in John 6. Having been miraculously fed, thousands of people began to follow Jesus, but they were following Him for what He could give them, not because they believed in Him… That became plain when Jesus told the crowd that He is “… the living bread that came down from heaven” and that “whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” The people were startled and even alarmed, thinking He might be promoting cannibalism! Jesus continued His explanation “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” Here Jesus is likely making a reference to communion, a small meal of bread and wine that Christians celebrate in memory of Christ’s body that was broken and blood that was shed in order to reconcile us to the Father. And while not speaking literally, He is also certainly saying that we have to metabolize His sacrificial death in order to have life. We have to receive it into ourselves and make it a part of our very being.

I have often wondered why Jesus phrased it the way that He did. I mean, surely He could have said it in a different way that would have been easier for the multitude to accept. But I have concluded that He phrased it like this for a reason. Jesus used these tough, hard-to-accept words to winnow out the chaff – to thin out the crowd of those who were following Him for the wrong reasons!

And His words had the desired effect. We are told in verse 66 that because of this many “turned back and no longer followed him.” To those who stayed Jesus said, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” to which “Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

We find ourselves at the same crossroads, the same place of choice when we are faced with things that are difficult to understand. We too have a decision to make. Will we chose to go Christ’s way, to live by His Words even if we don’t understand them completely? Will we continue to focus on Him and follow where He leads, even if the path isn’t always plain? Or will we turn away from Him and go in our own direction? The choice is ours to make!

I may not understand everything Christ says or does; however, I do know that according to God’s Word He has a plan for my life. He wants to prosper me and not harm me, to give me hope and a future, as the prophet Jeremiah said. But to get there, I have to continue to choose His path even when my questions go unanswered in the now. And I do choose to follow Him, not because of what He can give me, but because of all I know Him to be. Who else could I turn to? Only Jesus has the words of eternal life!

I don’t know if you stand at a crossroads today, but I pray that you will accept that God is God and you are not, and believe with all your heart that He can be trusted even when things do not fully make sense.

Blessings,
Michele

I have discovered that many people try to win God’s favor by what they do. They believe that if they’re a good enough person, then surely the scales will go in their favor and God will judge them worthy of life in His presence. The Scriptures tell us about a person who thought that way before he had a face-to-face conversation with Jesus recorded for us in John 3. His name was Nicodemus; and as a Pharisee, he was one of the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Nicodemus was used to working hard to obey everything God had commanded; but try as he might, he was not perfect. The Bible states in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Unfortunately, even the smallest infraction is serious, for we are also told in James 2:10 that “whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” We can’t earn our way to God.

As deeply religious as he was, Nicodemus still knew he was lacking something. Jesus told him that to find the acceptance with God he so desired he needed an entirely new life. God would have to make him a new creation. He would have to be born from above by the Holy Spirit. Thinking Jesus meant a physical rather than a spiritual rebirth, Nicodemus protested that this could never happen! And then Jesus reminded him of an Old Testament event to explain His point. He said: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
 
We read about that snake in the wilderness in the Old Testament book of Numbers 21:4-9. Venomous snakes had come upon the people and all those who were bitten quickly died. They cried out to God to help them as no remedy for the snakes’ poison could be found in the camp of men. Interestingly, God didn’t rid them of the snakes, but rather He gave them a way to be saved in their midst through faith. He told Moses to make a snake out of bronze and put it up on a pole, and He promised that those who looked in faith to it for healing would live. The way to be healed was simple enough, but it had to be a personal act. No one else could look at the bronze serpent for you. You had to look at it for yourself. There was no such thing as “self-help” involved either; for it was by faith alone that new life was given!

Jesus wanted Nicodemus to understand that the story of the bronze serpent was a picture of what He Himself would soon do on the cross, and how those entrapped by that great serpent Satan and afflicted by the poison of sin might look to Jesus lifted up on that cross and live.

God loves all of us so much that He sent His one and only Son to be the cure for sin. We are not saved by our own endeavors. We are saved by faith alone. When we look to Christ’s death on the cross on our behalf, we are healed! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Blessings,
Michele

When we lived in Africa my husband planted a grapevine at the edge of our patio. He hoped the vine would grow up to the roof poles where it would not only produce clusters of delicious grapes but also provide some much-needed shade. The vine did poorly, however; and no matter how carefully we cared for it, it remained more like a weed that never seemed to go anywhere.

At that same time, our dog had puppies which were very difficult to control. One day, one of them decided to take a bite out of the grapevine. I remember seeing him running about with the whole thing trailing from his mouth. All that remained of Colin’s carefully planted and lovingly tended effort was a tiny piece of the stem still poking up above the ground! I was sure that the vine would never recover, and yet that “pruning” was the very thing that caused the vine to flourish! Not only did it survive, it eventually reached the top of the patio and stretched gloriously from pole to pole. The very thing I had been so sure would kill it, actually helped it to grow! I learned a lot from that little grapevine.

And I am evidently in good company because Jesus used the example of a vine to teach us something very important. He tells us in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We’ve all seen what happens when a branch loses its connection to the vine: it withers and becomes useless. Jesus is saying that the same is true for you and me spiritually. If we are to live and bear fruit we must remain connected to Jesus.

Jesus also tells us that God the Father is like the gardener who tends the vine. He removes the withered branches and from time to time He carefully prunes the living ones in order to make them even more fruitful. He reshapes them. He may even cut away seemingly good and necessary parts so that more light and nourishment from the vine can flow. None of that seems pleasant at the time. In fact, it can be rather painful, especially when the purposes aren’t clearly seen; We may even believe the hardship is likely to kill us! But if we are to grow and become all that the Lord wants us to be, we have to be willing to let Him do His work in us. Our loving Father knows exactly what is needed to fuel our growth and fruitfulness. And as we cling more closely to Jesus and His Word to get us through, the pruning actually does accomplish His purpose!

Jesus tells us later in that same chapter of John exactly what that purpose is. He says in verse 16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last…” I love that verse. You know, I often felt very lonely and unwanted as a child. My siblings were all much older and were gone from home through most of my childhood. At school, I was almost always the last one picked when teams were chosen. I still remember how awful that felt! But this verse tells me that Jesus wants me. He has chosen me. He has invited me into friendship with Him. And He has plans for my life that include bearing lasting fruit for His Kingdom! In Him, I have gone from being excluded and unable to being included and enabled! And I want you to know that He has chosen you for all this also! He invites you into sharing His life and living in communion with Him. As we live in that relationship with Christ our Vine, we will be lovingly pruned from time to time by our Heavenly Father for His glory and our good. But as we open our hearts to the life-giving Holy Spirit who flows from Christ through us, we will bear fruit that could never be produced in our own strength. And it will be fruit that will last for all eternity.

Blessings
Michele

Growing up I was taught that you must work hard for everything you get in life; and while that is often true, I have come to realize that it is not always so. The Bible clearly tells us that our own good works cannot get us to heaven, but that’s a hard concept for most people to understand.

As far back as chapter 11 of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, people were trying to get to heaven by their own self-effort. There we are told the people built the tower of Babel out of rebellion against God. This was mankind’s first attempt to get to heaven by the sweat of their own brow and on the strength of their own works; but if you know the story, it did not end well for them and they were unsuccessful! In reality, times haven’t changed. Most people today approach God in the same way. They may not consciously realize it, but they are actually thinking: “If I can only do enough good stuff, then I’ll get to Heaven!” But the Bible teaches that through good works are an important part of the Christian life, our works cannot save us. They cannot earn us a place in God’s presence!

Ephesians 2:8-10 clearly states: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

There is an important progression in this well-known verse. First of all, it starts off with grace — God’s unmerited favor which has been given to us as a gift. We are saved through faith in Christ. When we trust that Jesus has paid our debt with His own bloodshed on the cross and ask for His blood to cover our sin, we are rescued! We are saved, not only from the world and the prince that rules it, but we are also saved from the judgment of God — His wrath. And secondly, it all depends on faith! Remember Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness!

Salvation is the gift of God; a gift is not a true gift if you have to earn it. According to the text this gift is not given based on our own good works or efforts. We cannot earn God’s favor through what we do. Remember those misguided tower-builders in the book of Genesis? However, once we have trusted in Christ and received God’s favor, we will do good works. We will obey His commands and do His will out of gratitude and love – out of adoration for Him. God has prepared acts of service for each of His beloved children to carry out. But make no mistake: we do not work to become children of God. We work because we are children of God and loving children always care about their Father’s concerns, doing what pleases Him! Those who follow Christ will live changed lives, not out of compulsion or legalism, but rather out of gratitude and by the Holy Spirit who works within them.

The world’s lie has always been that you will be able to get to heaven by your own good intentions and efforts; but God’s truth is that to have life in His presence you need a Savior, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world! He is the One who has paid the debt for sin that you cannot pay yourself! And as we step into a relationship with Jesus, as we are born anew, we begin through the indwelling Holy Spirit to live the life God has planned for us. He has marvelous work for each of us to do in His kingdom. There is much He wants to do in us and through us. The works we do are important because they show our faith in Christ is real and attract others to Him; but they can never earn us a seat at His table. That is His gift to us because of the work of Jesus on the cross!

Bless you!

Michele

There have been several times in my life when I’ve stepped out in obedience to the Lord, acting on something I believed He has said to me, only to have things occur that I really wasn’t expecting. And I know I am not alone in that experience. Many of you reading or hearing this have also had your expectations challenged as you’ve stepped out to follow Jesus by faith. And if you are at all like me when things are different from what we anticipated, it’s very easy to begin to question whether or not we heard Him correctly. We may even begin to doubt His love for us! That’s why what we are told in Mark 4:35-41 is so important.

Jesus had been teaching on the edge of the Sea of Galilee; to better accommodate the crowds He had apparently gotten into a boat in order to teach from there. At the end of the day Jesus “said to His disciples: “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.” I want you to notice that this was Jesus’ idea. The disciples were being obedient to His will when they undertook this journey. But when they were about half-way across the water, “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.”

I can only imagine how terrifying that must’ve been for them all as their tiny boat heaved up and down in the inky darkness. Many of the disciples were fishermen, so they knew the danger they were in. Jesus however, was asleep on a cushion at the back of the boat. As the storm raged, His disciples woke Him, crying out, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” I think their reaction was much like ours in the bewildering circumstances that we face. We wonder if He really cared about us, wouldn’t things be going differently?

In their boat that night, in the midst of the distress and upheaval, Jesus stood and with a simple command calmed the storm. But then He kindly asked them why they’d been so afraid. Why had they not believed His word? After all, He’d said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” He had not said, “Let us go into the middle of the lake to drown.” His purpose was to see them through, not to leave them in the middle of the storm. And He will see you and me through the challenges that come to us as well.

But why did they even have to run into a storm on their journey? Couldn’t the Lord have prevented it and given them plain sailing? The clue is found in verse 41; for even when all was calm, the disciples “were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” They knew the Scriptures of old said that only God Himself could command the wind and the waves. Jesus had used their circumstances to reveal Himself to them in a way they had never seen before. It was because of the storm they began to see Christ for who He really is; they were astonished at His power.

Beloved, when you set off to obey Christ’s commands, know that trials may come and storms may break upon your little boat, too; but that does not necessarily mean you heard God incorrectly. It also doesn’t mean that He does not care. Jesus will come to your aid and calm the storm to a whisper. You will eventually make it through. You will stand with Him on the other side. And you will know more of His power and His love than you ever could have known had the storm not come, or if you had stayed at home.

Blessings,

Michele

Some of the doors God opens are surprising to me. I regularly visit men in a maximum-security prison, where I have the privilege of sharing from God’s Word during chapel meetings. Over the months we’ve developed a friendship as we’ve studied the Word of God together. During a particularly difficult season of my life, following the death of my husband, I shared with them how easy it can be to doubt God’s love when trial after trial piles up.

I told them that the Lord reminded about the Apostle Paul. He was greatly used by God, but he also suffered much, if you read the list of his troubles found in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. But Paul was also the person who said in Romans 8:28 that: “… we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” If you think about that Scripture, it doesn’t say that everything on its own is good, but rather together God uses all things for our good!

I gave the men an illustration. Once as a teenager, having no time to make a cup of coffee before rushing out the door, I decided to eat a handful of raw coffee powder instead! It was terrible!!! Coffee by itself is horrible – it’s only when it is mixed together with the water and sugar that it becomes delicious and helpful! The same is true of the life circumstances we face. On their own they may be terrible; but when mixed together with other things God is doing in our lives, they can bring about great good in the end!

I asked the men if they’d seen that in their own lives and one spoke up. He said, “I have three life sentences without the possibility of parole but after being here for 27 years I got the news that the law had changed and I was now eligible for an interview with the parole board!” He had been excited because he had become a Christ-follower in prison and saw this as God’s gift to him. He was sure he would be released; but when he had his interview, though the board praised him for the way his life had changed in prison, they denied his parole, encouraging him to reapply again in four years! He was devastated.

With all hope gone, he couldn’t understand why God had allowed that to happen. At first, he was angry; but then he decided he would pursue God and trust Him. Then a very interesting thing happened. Men began to approach him saying they could see he was a different man to the one they’d known before and that his reaction to his parole denial had made them realize that Jesus is real and that He is able to change lives! Those men began coming to chapel and are now followers of Christ themselves! They have found freedom in the midst of their prison’s bars.

My friend said: “When the board rejected me, I first thought it was all about me and how God couldn’t love me if He let me be disappointed in that way. But then when the men started coming to me one after another, I realized God was saying that it wasn’t just about me! He was working in their lives and stories too, and He was using me to do it. I can praise God I was denied parole because there are now others who have come to faith because of it and I can say that God does work all things together for the good of those who love Him!”

Let me encourage you to trust Him in your circumstances too. They may be hard, but in God’s hand, they can ultimately be used for His glory and your good!

Bless you!
Michele

December 29th is an anniversary I never look forward to. Seven years ago today Colin stepped into the presence of Jesus. Perhaps you wonder why I would choose this year of all years to publicly remember that, but in Scripture seven is the number of perfection or completion! Though nothing about this journey seems perfect (or complete) I think that it is a milestone that marks both God’s faithfulness and His kindness.

I remember how seven years ago my hands used to tremble each time I had to take to the computer to pay a monthly bill and how even the smallest of decisions seemed to overwhelm me then. Today, I routinely do both of those things without breaking a sweat as I’ve come to appreciate Paul’s words more deeply: “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength”. 

The entire quote comes from Philippians 4:12-14 where Paul acknowledges: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.”

Though my trials have been far different than Paul’s, like him I have come to know that contentment is something to be learned — it does not come naturally to us. It is a gift to be received from God as we fully rely on Him to give us His strength irrespective of our circumstances.

Paul concludes, telling his friends that “it was good of you to share in my troubles” and I want to echo those words today. Many of you have stood with me and this ministry in various ways over the years, and for that I am so grateful. Every encouraging word you have spoken, every prayer you have prayed, every gift you have given as Paul would say in verse 18 and 19: “are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”

I wanted to remember Colin’s wonderful life of humor, steadfastness and servant-leadership on this anniversary, as well as the Lord’s kindness reflected in all of you these past seven years. Thank you. The Lord is faithful. He takes care of His own and just as the Scriptures promise in Luke 1:37 “… no word from God will ever fail.”

May God bless you all,
Michele

It’s a common concern this time of year, isn’t it? How do we maintain our focus on the Lord and the true meaning of Christmas in all the hustle and the bustle of the season? But have you ever really thought about the night that Christ was born? It wasn’t a peaceful time in Judea at all. The Roman government had called for a census which forced everyone back to their ancestral towns. The entire province was in a state of upheaval.

In Bethlehem, which had been King David’s home town, every available room was filled. Not only space, but food was at a premium. Merchants were scurrying about to meet the needs of the many people. Caught up in the commercial opportunities and distracted by the commotions of the moment, I am sure few noticed the unremarkable couple who came into the town.

We all know the story. With the birth of the baby imminent, Mary and Joseph had returned to Bethlehem only to be relegated to a stable instead of the inn; but how appropriate that Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be born in a stable! And the connection with lambs doesn’t end there.

I think it is no accident that the flocks kept on the hillsides surrounding Bethlehem were those special lambs bred for use as sacrifices in Jerusalem’s Temple. Worshippers seeking forgiveness at the Temple would lay their hands on the lamb’s head, transferring their sin to the innocent animal. The innocent would die on behalf of the guilty; and the worshippers would be set free from their guilt and shame, having received the gift of forgiveness.

The shepherds on the hills around Bethlehem would be first to know when one of these sacrificial lambs was born. So it is fitting that, as they watched their flocks that night, an angel appeared and told them: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12) And they left everything to look for the Savior!

Shepherds were a despised group of people. They were considered to be far from God and so were held in contempt. No one would have imagined that God’s favor might rest on them! So why would the Lord entrust the message of Christ’s birth to such as these, if not to prove that this good news, of great joy, is indeed for all people!

As we go into the Christmas season, let me encourage you to purposefully choose not to be like the merchants and innkeepers of Bethlehem, distracted and overwhelmed by the busyness of the season. Let’s not focus on all that has to be done, but rather let us look for the Savior! The King born in a stable – the Lamb of God sent to take away the sin of the world – accepts us as we are! And like the shepherds that night, we will glorify God in the highest because we will come to know His peace and His favor!

Blessings on your day!
Michele

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to you for your partnership with Michele Telfer Ministries. Over the past year, we have seen God to incredible things through this ministry; and His continued expansion of our reach is a direct result of your generous support. Your prayers and giving have an impact for His kingdom - they enable us to share God's Word with more and more people both here at home and abroad.

Thank you for making it possible for us to continue to offer everything we do at absolutely no cost to those seeking to connect with God’s Word. God is extending the cords of our tent, helping us to reach more and more people for Jesus! This would not have been possible without your prayers and your continued support.

Gratefully looking forward ...

• Please pray God’s protection for me, my family, our Board and our many volunteers.
• Pray for upcoming events. I am to speak at a Christmas Tea for Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park on December 5th and a women’s retreat in Missouri in April 2026. There are also other opportunities, but they are still in the planning stages.
• Pray for God to continue to enlarge this ministry and that He would call additional monthly partners to provide the much-needed finances to cover our rapidly growing operating costs, as well as the new opportunities He has placed before us.

We are so grateful for all that God has done — it would not be possible without you!

MICHELE TELFER 
On behalf of all associated with Michele Telfer Ministries

Christmas traditions are certainly different the world over. For example, I grew up in Africa where decorating the outside of your home just wasn’t part of the holiday preparations — at least for our family. The exterior of our old mine house on the Zambian Copperbelt remained its plain, unadorned self as we counted down the days to December 25.

But inside was a different matter. Perhaps it was because I was so small by comparison, but we always seemed to have a massive Christmas tree heavy with tinsel and amazing glass ornaments in the shape of exotic birds and nutcrackers. And when we looked up, there were yards upon yards of brightly colored foil garlands and decorations, mysteriously clinging to the ceiling of every room. My favorite memory is of my dad’s excitement and effort in planning and executing those decorations. He would lay out his elaborately crafted plans on the floor, each one filled with detailed notations in his small handwriting. He was determined that everything would be in just the right place and fit just so. This was his contribution to Christmas — his love-gift to his family!

When we came to America with our own family, we were quite surprised to see Christmas lights and decorations in people’s yards. Lots of them. What was all that about? But we quickly came to enjoy the tradition, especially walking our children through the neighborhoods and seeing who had won the friendly competitions for the brightest or most outlandish display.

I especially liked this new tradition because it reminded me of the words spoken by the prophet Isaiah approximately 700 years before the coming of Christ in that dark Bethlehem stable. God made the promise in Isaiah 9:2: “The people walking in darkness, have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” As we would walk past the displays, it was easy to remember how Christ claimed to be that light in John 8:12 when He said “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life”.

And we gladly took on this new custom. Over the years I’ve watched my husband’s labor of love as he carefully decks our front yard with garlands of lights interspersed with glowing nativity scenes and angels. His devotion reminds me a bit of my father who so lovingly made the necessary preparations for me and my siblings all those years before, half a world away.

Christmas has always been a wonderful expression of the Father’s love and of His active preparation for us to find Him and know Him. He has patiently and carefully worked according to His plan laid out from the beginning:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)

In the fullness of time, as Scripture says, Christ, the light of the world, came to deliver us from the darkness and bring us to God. May you and yours rejoice in that love and light especially this Christmas season!

Blessings on your day,

Michele

I only began to follow Christ in my 20’s. Up until then, I’d lived a life that was very far from the Lord and I’d done things I was not proud of, but after giving my life to Jesus everything changed for me. Perhaps that’s why I love the woman who poured out her jar of perfume on Christ’s feet in Luke 7. She reminds me, of me!

Jesus was eating at the home of Simon, a prominent Pharisee in Galilee. In those days, because people reclined at the table to eat, the first thing a thoughtful host did was order the lowest servant of the household to wash his guests’ feet. But no one had made the effort to do that for Jesus that day. He was still hot and dusty from the journey.

We know little about this nameless woman except that she had “lived a sinful life” in the town. People disapproved of her; but when she heard that Jesus was at the religious teacher’s house, she didn’t hesitate to come to the table with her alabaster jar of perfume. The fact that the fragrance was sealed in an alabaster jar tells us a lot about it. The perfume would have been pure nard, costing up to a year’s wages. The only way it could be accessed was by breaking the neck of the bottle; and once it was opened, the precious contents had to be quickly used up!

Luke 7:38 tells us that: “As she stood behind Jesus at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.”

That perfume was her most treasured possession and I can imagine that it might have been part of her hope chest – one of the items she had been saving for the day of her marriage. Perhaps the sinful life she’d lived made that dream of eventual marriage seem impossible; but as she gave up her most valued possession, she was holding nothing back. This small bottle represented all of her hopes and her dreams. All of her tomorrows. When she broke it she released all of her security for the future, lavishing it on this One who had shown her love and concern as no other!

Jesus’ self-righteous host couldn’t understand why He allowed her to touch His feet; for surely as a teacher of teachers, Jesus should have known what kind of woman she was – that she was steeped in sin! What Simon didn’t understand was that despite all of his own good works he needed the forgiveness that only Christ could give just as much as that desperate woman.

Simon had really done nothing for the Lord that evening; but she had served Christ out of gratitude and love, pouring out her very best on the One who was so soon to be poured out for her! She loved much because she had been forgiven much. And the beautiful thing is, Christ not only accepted her gift — He accepted her!

We aren’t told when or how she had heard Christ’s message of forgiveness for those who repent, but we know what she did that day proved what she had believed in her heart. He was her Savior, her Redeemer. He loved her like no other and was willing to forgive her past life.

He is willing to accept you too, just as you are right now. Confess your need for Him, turn away from your sin and He will forgive you. He will love you like no other and give you the true peace you are longing for.

Perhaps you’ve never thought that you could give something to God as this woman did. What do you give the ruler of the universe, the Creator and Sustainer of everything? What gift will you bring? The only gift He truly wants is your repentant heart!

Blessings,
Michele

I was reading an article the other day in which the writer gave a list of parental phrases  and then asked how many of them you recognized from the mouths of your own mother or father. Believe it or not, one of the top responses was: “Stop crying, or I’ll give you something to cry about!” I remember my own parents saying that quite frequently to me and my siblings! And occasionally they used to follow through on their threat! But that’s another story for another day! Now I know that God doesn’t treat us in that way when we are brought to tears.

I have always cried rather easily, both out of happiness and out of sadness. One year my friend Sheryl decided to surprise me with a gift for my birthday. She was an incredible baker and loved to decorate her creations with all sorts of incredible things; so that year she made me a birthday cake in the shape of an oblong tissue box, complete with a thin icing tissue half pulled out of the opening. On it were inscribed the words from Psalm 126:5: “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” For the first time I saw my tears as being a strength rather than a weakness and I realized they counted for something beyond what I saw.

The whole of that Scripture found in Psalm 126:5-6 reads: “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” I know this speaks of us sharing God’s Word with others and watering what we have planted with our tears of intercession; but how wonderful to know that as our heart breaks for what breaks God’s heart, He sees the tears that we cry, they matter to Him, they shall bear fruit in the end, and we shall reap in joy eventually.

Tears in Bible times were always something of great value; and there is evidence of people collecting their tears in a bottle as something precious, sometimes even leaving the vials in the tomb of a departed loved one for whom they had wept. The Scriptures speak of God  valuing the tears we shed in this way. In Psalm 56:8, the psalmist pictures God’s response to our tears, saying,

“You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?”

God sees each tear that you and I cry; and each drop is valuable to Him! Not one of them is wasted – they are stored up in His bottle as something precious! The New King James version of the text speaks of the fact that the tears are in His book; but this is far more meaningful than their mere recording in God’s register. In other translations, this final line is translated: “But God, are they not also blots on Your page?” How lovely to know that the tears I shed form blots on the page that God is writing, as if He is crying with me!

Revelation 7 and 21 tell us that by the time we stand before His throne in Heaven all tears will be gone; but until then, when you are overwhelmed to the point of tears, remember this: God is there with a heart of compassion. He weeps with those of us who weep. Every tear you shed is precious to Him. Each one is remembered by Him and  will be used for His purposes.

Bless you!

Michele

There are times in life when we find ourselves up against things we would far rather not face; and when that happens we may struggle to understand God’s purposes. God has really spoken to me about how to deal with times like that through a passage of Scripture in Mark 4:35-41.

Jesus was on the shores of the Sea of Galilee; and as He often did when the crowds were pressing in, He had spent the day teaching from a fishing boat just off shore. When evening came He said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” They left immediately; but when they were halfway across the lake, a furious storm came up with waves so high they began to break over the boat, causing the fishermen to believe that they were all going to drown! Verse 38 reveals their panic. “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

Isn’t that so like us when we’re feeling swamped or overwhelmed by life? When the unexpected happens we also wonder, “Lord don’t you care about me?” And our enemy is quick to whisper in our ear: “He must be asleep! Surely He is not concerned about you!” But what does Jesus do in this passage of Mark’s Gospel? He responds to His disciples’ cries, speaks to the storm, and brings perfect peace!

There is a lot we can learn from this! The disciples were obedient to Christ’s will. They were carrying out His command to cross the lake; but did that guarantee them a smooth ride? Apparently not! Did His presence in their boat make them incapable of fear? I don’t see any evidence of that either! And that really comforts me! Their experience shows me that even when we follow the Lord and are obedient to His commands, we too may face many things we would far rather not face. There may be times when we are afraid and wonder why things have gone the way they have. We may even question whether we heard Jesus right or not in the first place. Storms will come to all of us; but as we cry out to Him He will come to our aid and He will bring a peace that is no ordinary peace.

If you read the rest of the story in Mark 4 you will find that after Jesus stilled the storm the disciples were amazed and cried out: “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Why did this cause the reaction from them that it did? The Old Testament taught that it was only God Himself who could still a storm to a whisper. When Jesus spoke and the waves obeyed it suddenly became evident to the disciples that Jesus was doing something only God Himself could do! Christ used this trial to reveal Himself to them in a deeper way than He ever had before, and as we call on Him in our time of trial He will not only bring us peace, He will reveal Himself to us in new ways also.

Bless you!

Michele

Acts 4:11-13

I was born in a very small, remote mining town in the middle of the African wilderness. Recently I tried looking for my childhood home on an internet map and even I struggled to find it! When I was growing up our house had seemed so large and so beautiful but when I found the old run-down dwelling on a dusty street it was very different to how I had imagined it. I am a nobody who came from nowhere and yet God took that small girl born into a rather disadvantaged family and He has used her to speak for Him to even some of the most-powerful people half the world away.

Though I might find that surprising, the truth is God delights in doing things like that! He has often used the most unlikely messengers who come from the most obscure places. Elijah, one of the most dynamic men of the Old Testament who spoke God’s message to the most powerful leaders of his day, was according to 1 Kings 17:1, a Tishbite – presumably someone who came from an unknown town of Tishbe in Gilead. Finding his ancestral home on a map today would be even more difficult than finding mine! Yet he was the man God chose to use!

The first people God used to announce the birth of the Savior were shepherds taking care of the flocks in the fields surrounding Bethlehem. In those days Shepherds were some of the lowest people in society. Their word was considered so unreliable that they were not even allowed to give testimony in a court of law and yet how fitting that God chose these men to announce the birth of Christ, who would later be called the Lamb of God, without spot or blemish!

The first disciples were fishermen. Jesus could have called those who lived in King’s palaces. He could have called the most gifted scholars in the land but His first choice were these rough men who toiled through the dark night to provide food for the people. He made them fishers of men and they in His power would go on to turn the world upside down! One of my favorite verses in the Scripture is Acts 4:11-13. Peter and John had been brought before the Jewish religious leaders for preaching about Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. People were flocking to hear about Jesus and so these two fishermen were called to give an account. So, Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them: "Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” God used mere fishermen to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the greatest theologians in the land! And their response? Verse 13 tells us: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

God consistently uses the nobodies of this world to proclaim His message! He delights to use people out of obscurity because then the glory really does go to Him for the only explanation for their power is that they have personally encountered the Living God. He has used me and He will use you too! All that it takes is that we spend time in Christ’s presence listening to His voice!

Blessings!

Michele

There are many interactions between Jesus and ordinary people in the Scripture that I find meaningful because they not only show us who Jesus is, but they also reveal His kindness and grace to those who could never measure up to God’s standards in their own strength.
One such encounter was when a certain father brought his son to Christ’s disciples asking that they set him free from the demonic spirit that had plagued him his whole life. The disciples, try as they might, were not able to alleviate the situation and that left the boy’s father shaken and hopeless. But that wasn’t the end of the story – for Jesus suddenly arrived!

The people of that area were overwhelmed with wonder at seeing Christ and they ran to greet Him – all except for that little knot of people gathered around the boy. Upon seeing their distress Christ asked what the trouble was about and the Father told Jesus of his son’s plight and of how he had been tormented his whole life by an evil spirit that in this case, robbed the boy of speech and caused him to have convulsions. The man told Jesus of how the disciples had been unable to help the boy and the father’s conversation with the Lord trailed off as he desperately concluded by saying: “if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

This man had come to the end of himself. The people he had turned to for help had not been able to do anything for him and his boy and now as he stood before the Lord he was hopeless, but he didn’t have anywhere else to turn. Jesus for His part, immediately picked up on the man’s doubt and called him on it saying: ”If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” At which the boy’s father immediately exclaimed: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

This man was so filled with doubt that he even wondered if Christ would be able to help Him – not realizing that Jesus’ had all the power of God at His fingertips. I am touched by the fact that though Jesus challenged him on his attitude, Jesus did not turn and walk away from this exhausted man. And when the father confessed the fact that he had belief and unbelief wrapped up in his heart together, Jesus healed his son!

I know that as we walk with the Lord there are times when we like this man reach the end of ourselves. The people we have hoped would help us have not been able to and as we come to Christ we are not sure that even He can or will hear our cry. At times like that we are to confess our unbelief to Jesus! We can tell Him that we have both trust and doubt mixed up in our hearts at the same time – knowing that our honesty will not offend Him!
When this man confessed the reality of how he felt to Jesus – what did the Lord do? Did Jesus turn away from him and tell him to go work on his faith? Did He ignore the man’s request? Did He harden His heart to the boy? No! Jesus immediately commanded the spirit to leave the boy and gently helped him to his feet – the child was healed, and in a way, so was the father! All of that worry, fear and fatigue just melted away as Jesus did the impossible and met their need!

Don’t be afraid of confessing your difficulties and limitations to the Lord. Be honest about where you are in your walk of faith and ask Him to help you! And surely Jesus will do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20)

May God bless you

Michele

Exodus 17:10-13

There’s a particular story in Exodus 17 that illustrates something I am reminded of every day: we cannot do what we do for the Lord alone. We need others. Let me set the scene. Israel had crossed the Red Sea and was passing through the desert wilderness on their way to Canaan. God miraculously provided water for his thirsty people by instructing Moses to strike a rock with his staff. As you can imagine, this attracted the attention of a group of equally thirsty but ferocious people in the area called the Amalekites; and they quickly attacked the Israelites. Moses sent his protege, Joshua, to the battlefield and then took a position at the top of a nearby hill with the staff of God in his hands — but he didn’t go alone.

Exodus 17:10-13 tells us:  ”So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.  As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.  So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”
This is one of my favorite texts of the Old Testament because it shows how we need one another in the battle. Joshua, as strong as he was, needed Moses’ intercession on his behalf! But Moses also needed the help of others to do what God had called him to do!
Not all of us are called into the thick of battle in the same way that Joshua was, and not all are called to be the “point person” as Moses was that day. However, the victory does not depend on them alone but also upon the Aarons and Hurs in God’s Kingdom — those who will come alongside to lend whatever support is needed to the people God has called to some specific task.

Notice that Aaron and Hur didn’t rush up to Moses and suggest they take turns in raising the staff of God. “Surely, Moses, we can raise our arms too!” No, these humble servants were willing to take the seemingly “lesser” position necessary to see the purposes of God fulfilled. They didn’t take over from Moses — they simply helped him!

I am blessed to have people like that! Friends who with no thought for themselves, come alongside me in the outworking of the ministry God has called me to. These are the vital, unseen ones who partner in the work by ministering to my needs and bolstering me up in prayer. I may not be Moses; but I do know that I could not accomplish any of the things God has called me to do without those who have come alongside to undertake the sometimes less-than-glamorous work of being a support for me!

As the body of Christ, we are made for living and working in community; and for the work of the Lord to go forth, for the enemy to be defeated as God requires, we need to work together. Joshua needed Moses that day; but Moses needed Aaron and Hur. We not only need supportive co-ministers around us, we need to look for ways to be that support for others that God will bring across our paths. To the Aarons and Hurs in my own life – thank you!

Blessings on your day

Michele

The New Testament tells us of a man named Saul. He was a deeply religious man who tried to obey all of God’s commands as well as the traditions of the religious leaders; but he was so focused on religious purity that he had somehow lost sight of God. The followers of Jesus at that time were known as “the Way” because Christ had identified Himself as “the way, the truth and the life” and openly declared that no one could come to God the Father except by Him. Saul hated these Christ-followers and persecuted them mercilessly, even traveling to the city of Damascus to arrest those he could find there. But something stopped him in his tracks. Acts 9:3-6 tells us, “3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Saul was actually blinded by the intensity of the light and had to be led into the city. For three days he was unable to see. He ate and drank nothing, so deep was his grief at realizing who he truly was and what he had actually been doing. But God did not leave him in that condition! The Lord called another of Christ’s disciples, a man by the name of Ananias, to go to Saul and restore his sight. You can understand the hesitation Ananias felt at such a dangerous command. He knew the kind of man Saul had been and what he had come to do; but in obedience to the Lord’s instruction, Ananias went to find the blinded persecutor. Placing his hands on him, Ananias said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” At that very moment, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see. He was immediately baptized as a Christ-follower and went on to become a great preacher and a passionate advocate for Christ, later going by the name Paul.

What a transformation we see in the life of Saul! That encounter on the Damascus road changed him completely and brought him into a relationship with the very person he had been so against: Jesus! When those scales fell from his eyes he could see in a spiritual sense what he had not been able to before; and he dedicated his life to sharing the very good news that he had once been determined to stamp out! Saul had been sincere and devoted in his early beliefs; but he must have known deep in his heart that no matter how hard he tried to be perfect, he could never be right with God. He would later say that he considered all his legalistic accomplishments as rubbish compared to knowing Christ.

I am so thankful that God does not treat us as our sins deserve. He is the God of second chances, and He is willing to give all of us a new life that we could never have imagined possible if we will simply ask Him who He really is, just as Saul did. This new life of love and relationship with Him does not depend on our own legalistic righteousness — our own efforts to win His approval — but rather it rests on what Christ has done for us in reconciling us to the Father through His death on the cross. Truly He is the Way, the Truth and the Life!

Blessings on your day,

Michele

After we have placed our faith in Christ, God calls us to die to self and live for Him. That’s what Paul means when he says in Romans 12:1 that “in view of God’s mercy” to us we are to offer our “bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” and that this is our “true and proper worship” of Him. It is as we continually die to our selfish desires and live according to Christ’s will that we will be holy and pleasing to Him. The real worship of God isn’t just something that happens in Church on a Sunday – it is part of everything we do in every part of our day!

What Paul is asking for here is an intentional change in the way that we live! And he goes on to reveal in verse 2 that God does not want us to “conform any longer to the pattern of this world”. In other words, we are no longer to match our lives to the fashion of the world around us – we cannot live as we once did.

We cannot live as chameleons either — going back and forth between the two worlds, trying to blend in to each one. Rather, Paul calls us to a different life which is the natural outworking of a renewed mind. For as we submit more and more to Christ’s authority we will begin to think like Him. The more time we spend in His Word and then acting upon what it says, the more we will be able to know God’s good, pleasing and perfect will. With Christ at the center of our lives we shall be transformed from the inside out!

I want you to think for a moment about what influences you most in your daily life. What absorbs your time? Shapes your thoughts? Motivates you? In our modern world there seem to be so many “voices” crying for our attention. We can get news and opinions of every kind from literally thousands of sources. We have endless opportunities to educate, amuse, entertain or even numb ourselves — all at the touch of a button or the swipe of a finger. And while there may be nothing wrong with being well-informed or up-to-date, we have to assess what all this information is doing to us. Because it does affect us. Are these worldly voices shaping our lives more than they ought to? Are we more focused on the “pattern of this world” than we are on God and His Word?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that to live for God we have to withdraw from the world entirely, but He may be asking us to change our priorities! We may need to sacrifice some of the things that used to influence us the most and replace them with whatever connects us to the voice of God! We should be being shaped by His voice, not the clamor of the world. Of course, it begins with His Word and with prayer. But there are countless resources out there that will build you up spiritually, help you focus on God’s Kingdom and connect you with others who love Him and serve Him. Let me encourage you to spend more time each day focused on those things. You won’t regret a moment spent with Him.

May God bless you

Michele

John 18:39-40

At Passover God’s judgement passed over every door that was covered by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. The Apostle Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed and in a similar way, every individual who has prayed for the blood of Jesus to cover them, will be spared God’s judgement also for Christ has become our substitute. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 Paul put it this way: “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is the great exchange! This is the only way man can be reconciled to God in Heaven!

Hebrews 9:22 affirms what the Old Testament taught, that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” and today it is the shed blood of Jesus Christ that pays the debt we owe! This is why Jesus can say in John 14:6: “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.”. And Acts 4:12 confirms that: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

There is a perfect illustration of what Jesus has done on our behalf found in the pages of John 18:39-40. The religious leaders brought Jesus to Pilate and asked that He be put to death, but sensing how dangerous the situation was, Pilate did not want to be responsible for what happened to Jesus. As he struggled over what to do Pilate tried to think of a way he could prevent Christ’s death. At Passover it was customary for the Romans to release a prisoner to the crowds, as an act of benevolence and so Pilate offered them the choice between Jesus and a robber by the name of Barabbas. Actually, Luke’s account of the event in Luke 23 gives the additional information that Barabbas was a revolutionary who was also guilty of murder. Pilate was sure that the crowd would choose to release Jesus and condemn the evil Barabbas, but that was not the case! Stirred up by the religious leaders the crowd screamed for Christ to be crucified and for Barabbas to be released!

In this we see a perfect picture of salvation by grace! On the one hand is the King of Glory, perfect with no fault of His own; on the other this wicked lawbreaker. Though not deserving of death, Christ will die so the guilty one might go free! Barabbas is the embodiment of all of us! According to God’s standards each of us, like Barabbas stand worthy of death, but Christ the innocent one, has died in our place so that we might be released from the judgment against us. It is a blessing to me to realize that Barabbas’ name meant: “son of the father” because as we are set free by Christ’s sacrifice we too become children of God the Father.

We are never told if Barabbas lived up to his name. No one knows of what became of him after he was released, but his story clearly shows us that the lawbreaker’s salvation depended on Christ taking his place on the cross. Christ can be your substitute too. He will take the punishment for your sin upon Himself so that you might go free. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Blessings on you day!

Michele

After what has turned out to be a very difficult week, I am left thinking about how the deepest wounds so often come by the hand of a friend. There have been several instances in my life when relationships I was so sure about have not worked out at all as I envisaged, but I am comforted by the realization that Jesus perfectly understands how I feel — for He Himself has suffered in this very way. As I look upon Christ’s nail-pierced hands and bleeding side, I ask Him, ‘Lord, What are these wounds on your body?’ He answers, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’ (Zechariah 13:6) Yes, Jesus knows what it is like to be deeply wounded by others. In fact, He endured the worst kind of betrayal and rejection; but His suffering was part of God’s plan to bring about the greatest of all blessings – the purchase of our salvation! The Scriptures tell us that by His wounds we have been healed.

The hard part for us, of course, is being Christ-like in the midst of unfair treatment; but I am reminded and challenged by Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper the night before He was crucified.

John 13:1-5 tells us: “Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”

Do you see that nothing escaped His notice that night? Jesus knew that the hour of His death had come. He knew what was in the heart of His betrayer, Judas Iscariot. He knew His other followers would soon abandon and even deny Him. But “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” Jesus also knew His authority, that “all things were under his power.” He knew where He had come from and where He was going, that nothing He was going to face was outside of God’s purpose and will — no matter the human agencies involved. And so in true humility, with no thought for Himself, He took on the very nature of a servant and made Himself nothing, performing the most menial of tasks for the very friends who would wound Him. His body would soon be broken on the cross, but His heart was already broken for those He loved so deeply.

When they were little, my kids loved glow sticks; but we all know that a glow stick isn’t any good until it’s been snapped. It can only shine in a dark place when it’s been broken! We’re a bit like that too, aren’t we? We want to be a witness for Christ, to share His light and love with the world around us — yet it often takes being broken by the trials of life to shine the brightest for Christ! Surely, if Jesus suffered, we will too? After all, no servant is greater than his master. And when, like Him, we endure injury at the hand of a friend, He comes to us with a loving embrace, whispering that He understands and that yes, even in this He has a purpose and a plan for us!

Blessings on your day!

Michele

When I became a follower of Christ, a very simple Scripture found in Romans 10:9-11 helped me to understand what must be done in order to be saved. It says, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That seems so simple doesn’t it? And there is a part of us that wonders if that’s really all there is to it.

Paul declares that those who want to belong to God must first of all be willing to confess that Jesus Christ is their Lord, and actually that is no small thing! The Greek word that Paul used here for Lord is “KURIOS” and it was filled with great significance! It was not only used of one who was master over another – it was actually the title given to all Roman Emperors of that time. Additionally, the Greeks placed this word KURIOS or “Lord” before each of their gods’ names; so, to give this title of “Lord” to Christ, meant that Jesus was not only above all other gods that mankind had chosen to worship, He was also above Caesar himself! And that’s a powerful statement. seeing as Paul was writing to the church of Rome who lived directly under the Emperor’s authority!

Perhaps even more importantly, when the Hebrew Old Testament Scriptures had been translated into Greek, the word KURIOS, or Lord, was used instead of the divine name of God that was so Holy it could not even be spoken. Thus, when we confess Jesus as KURIOS (Lord), we are in fact acknowledging that Christ is the eternal, all-holy God Himself and we are taking our place under Him as one who belongs to Him. He is our Master, our ruler and He is superior to every other ruler known to man! The prophet Isaiah prophesied about this in Isaiah 9:6 when he spoke of some of the names that Jesus would be known by: “And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Another vital element in being saved is that we must believe in our hearts that Jesus has risen from the dead and that He is alive forevermore. Christ’s resurrection is essential to our faith because it not only proves that sin and death have been conquered, but it makes it possible for us to know Him in a living relationship! We do not merely know about Christ, as an historical figure who lived in the past. As His followers, we are able to have a relationship with Him in the present because He is alive! He lives in us and we live in Him.

Paul points out a third element — that though we believe with our hearts, our spoken confession is important. The world around us needs to know whose side we’re on – we must be willing to proclaim that we are His – and that will certainly take courage! It was not easy for believers living in Rome in those days. It required real trust in God for them to openly align themselves with Jesus. It is often difficult for many of us today, too; but God’s Word encourages us, affirming that “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” When Christ returns, our faith will be vindicated and we will share in His glory!

May God bless you
Michele

My husband and I enjoyed many safaris together while we lived in Africa. We had a four-wheel-drive vehicle; we had all the necessary gear for such excursions (tents and coolers and cookstoves and such); and we had maps for where we were going – so why not head off into the wilderness alone? Among other things, those journeys taught me a lot about the need for prayer, because we very soon learned that maps, even good ones, will only take you so far! We always seemed to come across roads (or game trails masquerading as roads) that weren’t on our maps! When coming to these places, we used to joke, “Well, all roads lead somewhere!”

I think life is like that, don’t you? There are many times when we are faced with choices but are unsure of the right path to take. I learned fairly quickly that it’s better to ask God for directions at the outset, rather than half-way down the track! But even when we do that, there will be times when we might doubt the way we’ve taken because it’s more difficult than we anticipated — it winds about or has unexpected obstacles along the way. What I have also come to understand over time is that God is just as concerned about our journey as He is about our ultimate destination. Those meandering routes in the African bush taught me a lot about looking to God for help. They taught me to depend on His Word and His promises for encouragement all along the way!

One of the Scriptures so meaningful to me in this regard comes from Job 23:8-12. Job was a man who had endured the most difficult of journeys of life. At one point, he lost everything — not only his material goods, but all of his children as well. His friends couldn’t comfort him. Even his own wife suggested that he “curse God and die”! Job wasn’t just struggling to make sense of life; he was desperately looking for God. Listen to his words:

8  “But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

Job may not have known where God was: but God knew where Job was. He knew exactly the path Job was walking, and He had a glorious purpose awaiting at the end.

There will be days for all of us when we struggle to determine the path, and though we look to the east, to the north or to the south, we cannot discern God’s presence. My encouragement to you is to be like Job. Follow God closely and don’t turn away from Him. Get to know His Word; treasure what He says more than your daily bread, knowing that even when the path diverges, even when the path to take is uncertain, He knows the way that you take and will use even that road for your ultimate good. Yes, He is interested in your journey as much as your destination; and though you may temporarily lose sight of Him, He has not lost sight of you!

Blessings on your day!
Michele

Have you ever struggled to hear the Lord (or, feel close to God)? Ever struggled to really know what it is that He’s saying to you?

Perhaps the first question we should really ask is, Do you even think that there is a God? And if you do, do you believe that He speaks to people today? Or do you think He is pretty much uninterested and uninvolved in the concerns and cares of people like us?

If we are honest, most of us long to know there is a God who cares and is reaching out to us. The trouble is, we don’t know how to talk to Him, much less hear from Him. When it comes to spiritual things, we actually feel quite like the person we’re going to meet today in the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 7:31-37 tells us…

“Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to Him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Him to place his hand on the man.
 
After He took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!” ). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more He did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (NIV)

This is one of many miracles of healing Jesus performed during His earthly ministry. Blind people received their sight, lame people were raised to walk, lepers were cleansed of their disease and restored to their homes and families. It’s interesting to note that not every healing happened in the same way. Some people were healed by His touch. Some were healed simply from a word He spoke. Some miracles were performed quite publicly; some were not.

I love this story especially because it is one of those more quiet miracles. Did you see that Jesus took the man apart from the crowd, touched him and healed him? The miraculous often happens in an intimate moment with Christ, when we are alone with Him and our hearts are turned to Him without distraction. That’s when He speaks to us individually, making Himself known, healing our wounds, opening our ears to His voice, and putting His words on our tongues that we might share His grace and beauty with others.

We feel so desperate at times to “hear the Lord” or to be able to “speak His truth” to others; and yet we are so often unwilling to do what it takes to really seek Him! He so desires that we come away with Him to those quiet places. The challenge is, am I willing to allow Him to take me aside, away from the noise of the crowd, so that He can heal my spiritual deafness and put His words on my tongue? May we always be willing to do so.

Blessings on your day,
Michele