In Remembrance Of Me

When Jesus celebrated Passover before the crucifixion, He instituted the Eucharist or Holy Communion. Even before, there were those who did not follow Him after He taught that He was the bread of heaven, they just did not understand the spiritual side of it. Though you are eating the representation His body, of the bread and wine of grape juice, there are literal effects. You may have heard it a called transubstantiation.

“This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. ” 1 Corinthians 11:24-26.

While I was and you may have always heard about taking communion unworthily and drinking damnation, He also says they did not rightly discern the body. Communion was a common practice in the early church but over the years people have either been afraid of it or neglected it altogether, not remembering Him, discerning the body or proclaiming His death until He comes.

That is a key here. We are proclaiming His death until He comes. We are remembering and revering His sacrifice and we know that the blood was for remission of sin and is over the doorpost of our hearts. The death angel could not do anything else but pass by. It is still applicable today. Even if you are seeing the doctor and taking medication, need an operation, you can still believe that He died for your salvation and even healing. I cannot tell you to replace what you are doing with Communion but to include it, not in a lack of faith but as a token of it. He understands, He really does, that we believe, and what we are going through. He is the High Priest that is easily touched by infirmity.

Please understand the warning is for unbelievers, willful sinners and continuing sinners, even as believers, I try to keep a repentant heart as I take Communion. We can discern, the wine for blood is the atonement for sin and the bread is His body broken for us, though He had no  broken bones, His bones were out of joint and His skin ripped to the bone. This is the price He paid to redeem us from hell and even more. It was a lot more than a stripe, wound is a better translation.

It is important to remember His sacrifice as you take Communion whether at church or daily at home, proclaim His death until He comes and believe you receive the benefits of His sacrifice, even as you face whatever the problem may be. Jesus literally took our place, and while it is a figurative representation of his body and blood, the healing is very literal, He gives you strength, energy and the sound and renewed mind you need.

So don’t be afraid as He said, just believe and keep that repentant heart. We all do something wrong everyday. That said, if you know you are not going to give up whatever it is even as a believer, I wouldn’t take it. Unbelievers will drink damnation and believers will sleep as He says though it means death. It is a serious and holy practice but not meant to terrify those of us who have loved Him and believed on His name, and in the gift of healing.

It is one way that many have been healed and though it is celebrated as Passover in the Old Testament and New, it is not necessary to have a whole Passover meal, though Messianic Jews and some Christians celebrate, communion does however, as you proclaim His death until He comes remember the complete sacrifice of Isaiah 53.

And Jesus was the only one worthy and to open the Lamb’s Book of Life and it is He makes us righteous. It is in Isaiah 53 and Galatians 3:13, He is the only reason we are worthy, and we must have communion with Jesus. And enter His rest, this is the seventh day of our series, so rest is good and we will talk about that as well.

I asked people to join in partial fast, coffee, dessert, or social media, just give up something. Also to take Communion, and read Isaiah 53 everyday in August. Healing is in Him and I believe He wants it in us. Let’s proclaim His death until He comes.

Rebecca Jones  James Coleman / Unsplash

Words To Ponder

 

Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For He grew up before Him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him,
and no beauty that we should desire Him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Surely He has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced for our transgressions;
He was crushed for our iniquities;
upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with His wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and He was afflicted,
yet He opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so He opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
and as for His generation, who considered
that He was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made His grave with the wicked  ( the garbage pit of fire )
and with a rich man in His death, ( Joseph of Aramathea’s tomb )
although He had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in His mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush Him;
He has put Him to grief;
when His soul makes an offering for guilt,
He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied;
by His knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and He shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many,
and He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because He poured out His soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet He bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

I decided to add this in again, and since I am a wordy who loves to to deep word studies, we will look at words we know or think we do, but how long has it been since we were in school? Right? The Holy Spirit teaches us and helps us remember, but we have to learn first.

Despise  — to consider of no worth or value, have no respect for, to look down on, hate, loathe, detest, abhor and that is just a few.

Esteem —  to regard highly or favorably; regard with respect or admiration, appreciate and consider.

Stricken — afflicted or overwhelmed by or as if by disease, misfortune, or sorrow, deeply affected, to be struck by something, disabled or incapacitated by something, terror stricken or poverty stricken as an example.

Smitten — to smear or defile, to hit, strike or beat.

Afflicted —  to distress with mental or bodily pain; trouble greatly or grievously: persistent pain or distress.

Transgressions — the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle, to sin.

Iniquities — gross injustice : wickedness, sin or wrong doing, a really unfair or immoral act.

Chastisement — a severe criticism or punishment, to criticize severely; reprimand or rebuke, usually verbal  to purify (archaic).

Oppressed — burdened by abuse of power or authority in a cruel or unjust manner, to press down upon, prevented from having opportunities and freedom.

Offering —- something offered in worship or devotion, an oblation or sacrifice.

Anguish — excruciating or acute distress, suffering, or pain, mental or physical.

Satisfied —  pleased or content, the requirements have been met and nothing more needs to be done, to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs, or demands, to give assurance, convince.

Righteous —- acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin, to be right.

Intercession —  mediation, or a request or prayer in favor of another, to pray for another, act of the heart.

I hope this word study is beneficial. We are all intelligent people but sometimes we gloss over things without thinking or just believing we know the meaning when there is often a much deeper one. That is always true of studying God’s Word and the sacrifice of Christ. It is deep calling to deep, but Isaiah 53 is deep love. And full of words to ponder.

Rebecca Jones    Avel Chuklanov / Unsplash

We Hid Our Faces From Him

Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For He grew up before Him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him,
and no beauty that we should desire Him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Surely He has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced for our transgressions;
He was crushed for our iniquities;
upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with His wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and He was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so He opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
and as for His generation, who considered
that He was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made His grave with the wicked  ( the garbage pit of fire )
and with a rich man in His death, ( Joseph of Aramathea’s tomb )
although He had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in His mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush Him;
He has put him to grief;
when His soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied;
by His knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and He shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many,
and He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because He poured out His soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet He bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

This is our key chapter for this month’s study on healing. I added the ESV version, but please read several translations. But we are first asked who we are going to believe. It is true, are we going to believe the doctor’s report of the sacrifice of Christ? The report that God gives is the authority.

First, let me say, go to the doctor, take medication if you have to. I would never say not to. But keep your faith, let it grow. Realize healing comes in many ways and is sometimes instant, from the hour, as they went. And remember, the woman with the issue of blood, was told to go in peace, her faith made her whole. You will know healing, when you know His peace. John 14:27.

Jesus is described as without form or comeliness, having no beauty about Him, His face was marred beyond recognition. The Hebrew word hadar is used, meaning honor. He was literally unrecognizable as a man. But Isaiah will later record, in 62, that He gives beauty for ashes, and this is true beauty and love. Pure and holy love. My title is from the text that men hid their faces.

He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, the punishment or chastisement for our peace was on Him. And by His stripes or wounds we are healed. I will define these terms better in another post. Jesus suffered so much and we just can’t even fathom it can we? I know He wants us healed more than we want it ourselves even, and we may believe, confess or profess our faith, avoid the negative and still not receive, but don’t get discouraged, help is always on the way and the Great Physician is always in.

His heart was pierced for us, it was broken for us and for ours to be saved and healed. Blood and water flowed out. He was crushed, a reference to the pressing of olives, His Spirit was poured out. Or a wine press, both a type of Holy Spirit. And of course, He wore a crown of thorns, for our peace. He really covered spirit, soul and body. And the soul consists of the mind, will and emotions. This is a chapter I go to often, and there is more to study in Isaiah 53.

His soul was poured out even to death, back in Gethsemane, it was a struggle not to die there, angels ministered to Him The Lord was satisfied with this offering. And guilt? That has been one the accuser used on me, when I was not guilty of anything, the fact that I prayed intercession and for some bad situations made him take a shot and lumping me in with others who should feel guilt but often did not.

Verse 11 says He made us righteous, it ties in with Galatians 3:13, without His death we would not be righteous. He knew no sin but became sin for us to be righteous. He divides the spoil, what He took back from the devil with many, including us. And He did it without opening His mouth, saying only what needed to be said. The Lord laid it all on Jesus, so why are we hiding our faces from Him?

Rebecca Jones Natalie / Unsplash check out Bible Hub

A Man Of Sorrows

Jesus is described in Isaiah 53, as a man of sorrows. I like studying history, and occasionally, we can read of someone having led a tragic or sorrowful life. Not only men but women.

I have read of people with horrific wounds, some who recovered and went on to do great things. Others, who did not. We have seen people with missing loved ones, not knowing their fate. I wrote a fictional story about a woman locked away because she wanted to marry. It was based on a true one. She was locked away naked in her room for years, even fifteen after the fiancee had died. She was emaciated and died herself after being hospitalized. Her mother also passed away and her brother was never charged with a crime.

We have all heard sorrowful stories of cruelty and abuse. Jesus is called by the prophet, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. He knows better than anyone. He suffered more than anyone because He suffered for all of us, all the consequences  we could have faced as sinners, with no hope of salvation.

Jesus is able to identify with us as frail human beings because He suffered and overcame as one. He is now our High Priest, we are to look to Him as such. Hebrews says He is easily touched by our infirmities. Our sicknesses, weakness and pain. He knows every grief, every sorrow.  There is not a detail of our thoughts or hearts that He does not understand. He may want to change those thoughts and feelings, but He understands.

It was for those who would believe on Him, the children’s sake that He tasted death for us. So why would He not want to heal. When a leper had asked if He was willing, He replied, ” I Am willing. ” I capitalized that because the Great I AM is willing. Jesus uses that I AM about Himself seven times. Though He may be willing save all, all will not be saved. Though He took wounds for all to be healed, all will not be healed. You must believe and hold Him close to your heart, even if appears hopeless, He is our hope. Even if it impossible for us, nothing is for Him. His name is above every name.

He curses cancer at its roots, like the fig tree, depression, fear, every evil work that the enemy sends our way, He wants us to choose to believe that He will destroy it for us. He carried a cross we could not have, and do not have to as sons and daughters of the Most High, accepted into the beloved Jesus by our Father. It pleased Him to offer up His Son to save and heal us, yet, it had to be painful to look away. That sacrifice was too deep to doubt or defy, yet many will.

There is an old song that bemoans the phrase, ” Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. ” Really? Of course they do. We have all had our share and Jesus had so much more of the sorrows and griefs of all of humanity, past, present and future. But Jesus knows it all the more as a man of sorrows.

He took and bore all the grief and shame, sorrows, sin, sicknesses, mental anguish. You cannot imagine it nor I and I have a great imagination. I can’t bear to think of His torments and that He did it for me, it is why I am so determined to let Him heal me and restore me and walk with me, carry me, if necessary, because He will. He will get us where we are going.

We are the sheep gone astray but He is the Good Shepherd who gave His life for His sheep and we need to hear His voice and receive His healing promises and know His peace is a gift. We just took it for granted that God allowed Him to be smitten to save us. But it so much more. He had to sacrifice His beloved Son and look away for us, as Jesus bore horrific punishment.

It was that punishment that exchanged a crown of thorns and mental torment for the gift of His peace. John 14:27. Why are we so ignorant or what God gave up and forced Himself to be pleased with at such horror and suffering, all to redeem lost souls in need of saving? It was for us that He died and rose, and for our healing. The man of sorrows knows grief and the effects of it.  He know the pain and how excruciating it can be, the word itself, means from the cross. Never let your heart grow cold toward Him, even if you have not received, He has not forgotten you, He took your place. And if you have lost someone, consider His mercy.  We just though God allowed Him to be smitten to save us, no dear friends, much more.

But it is we who should be smitten, deeply in love with a Savior deserving of our adoration. For all that He did is recorded in Isaiah 53, and we will dig a little deeper into His love and truth.

Rebecca Jones  Joshua Earl / Unsplash

More From Isaiah 53

There are more things that are told about Jesus in Isaiah 53, He was cut off from the land of the living. Jesus went to hell in our place and took the keys of death, hell and the grave from the enemy.

Imagine, the demons and the devil thinking they had Him now, only for the Holy Spirit to raise Him from the dead. His grave was made among the wicked, did you know that? Jesus was to be thrown in with the other prisoners, even the trash, into the fire pit, hence the phrase, He will not leave my soul in hell. Jesus had to trust His Father. And we know His tomb was new from Joseph of Aramathea.

We also read how He went like a lamb to slaughter, not opening His mouth. I am always amazed at Him holding His peace, saying what needed to be said and no more. There was no guile in Him. He was kind, gentle and loving, but did not mince words.

He never said things just to be hurtful or mean but spoke the truth in love, even referring to people as vipers, and hypocrites. God is love and so is and was Jesus on earth, and the Holy Spirit now. People are easily offended but should take a look at what is being told to them, it is often not to harm but with their best interest at heart and they are just taking wrong.

Jesus is described as a tender root. He was loving and peaceful and yet died the worst imaginable death so that people could be spared the torments of hell for eternity. He was despised and rejected of men. God knows about roots, He wants us to be rooted in faith, but He understands the tender hearts that can break so easily, and yet  if we are not tenderhearted, how could even be His, Jesus took everything on His heart for ours.

To be despised is to have no value or worth. People thought that then and still today they have no need or use for Him and give Him little or no thought, or where they will spend eternity.
Many don’t believe in Him or see Him as a character, or perhaps. Likely, it is still just a preference to wickedness and sin.

But He fulfilled the law and the prophets, and His gospel is peace, His law is love. How you see Jesus is important. If you see Him as Savior, you may be saved and that is all.

If you know salvation is much more including healing and peace, bearing fruit, angelic protection and divine intervention. If you know His promises are true, you will both believe and receive answer to prayer. Again, there is no guile in Him. He was and is not a hater as people believe of Him and Christians, it is just that He knew and now we do the consequences of sin.

I think it would be a great idea to read it everyday, until it is in your spirit. And until peace and healing settle in. I am so glad He carried the cross I never could.

Rebecca Jones    Hugues de Buyer-Mimuere /Unspash

 

Isaiah 53

This is our key chapter for this month’s study on healing. I will just ask you to read it for yourself. But we are first asked who we are going to believe. It is true. are we going to believe the doctor’s report of the sacrifice of Christ?

First, let me say, go to the doctor, take medication if you have to. I would never say not to. But keep your faith, let it grow. Realize healing comes in many ways and is sometimes instant, from the hour, as they went. And remember, the woman with the issue of blood, was told to go in peace, her faith made her whole. You will know healing, when you know His peace. John 14:27.

Jesus is described as without form or comeliness, having no beauty about Him, His face was marred beyond recognition. The Hebrew word hadar is used, meaning honor. He was literally unrecognizable as a man. But Isaiah will later record, in 62, that He gives beauty for ashes, and this is true beauty and love. Pure and holy love.

He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, the punishment or chastisement for our peace was on Him. And by His stripes or wounds we are healed.

His heart was pierced for us, it was broken for us and for ours to be saved and healed. Blood and water flowed out. He was crushed, a reference to the pressing of olives, His Spirit was poured out. Or a wine press, both a type of Holy Spirit. And of course, He wore a crown of thorns, for our peace. He really covered spirit, soul and body. And the soul consists of the mind, will and emotions. This is a chapter I go to often, and there is more to study in Isaiah 53.

Rebecca Jones  Fa Barboza / Unsplash

I decided to add Isaiah 53 for you.

Who has believed what he has heard from us? ( report )
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For He grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
He had no form or majesty ( hadar, beauty ) that we should look at Him,
and no beauty that we should desire Him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Surely He has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced for our transgressions;
He was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with His wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and He was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so He opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that He was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made His grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in His death,
although He had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in His mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush Him;
He has put Him to grief;
when His soul makes an offering for guilt,
He shall see His offspring; he shall prolong His days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul He shall see and be satisfied;
by His knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and He shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many,
and He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because He poured out His soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet He bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

This is the English Standard Version.

Awesome August Of Healing

 

While we are going to go through the healing chapter, Isaiah 53, 5 is that verse that is key because of it’s powerful and descriptive view of the suffering of Christ on the cross. When many translations say ” by His stripes ” the phrase, by His wounds translates better to me. It is a deep study, and it was more than the lash or red stripe, the whip known as cat of nine tails was embedded with glass or even bone and Romans were not observing Jewish law. Thirty nine is the given number, forty would bring death. Jesus was both beaten and scourged, it makes me think it may have been more.

2 Corinthians 11:24 is where Paul gives the number of lashes as he was beaten of five occasions by the Jews, not a Roman taskmaster. I can tell you, it was worse than we could ever imagine, the Passion of the Christ is perhaps, not even as violent as the enemies were to Him, and yet it please God, for Him to take our place. How hard it was for Him to look away from the beloved Son. And from Isaiah 53:5 to 2 Peter 1:24, we see the prophetic to the past tense.

He has already finished what it too to bring us healing so let;s start receiving and let’s get studying. If you would like to take Communion with me or do a partial fast in August, feel free to do so. All you have to give up is a cup of coffee, or social media, anything to let Him know you are serious about healing. But please eat sensibly if you are on medication.

Wow! Let’s heat up August with the anointing of the Spirit, and celebrate the end of summer by receiving the healing and peace He wants us to have. We studied from Isaiah about peace to those far and near and I will heal them, but the central verse to our August study is in Isaiah 53, verse 5 says by His wounds we are healed.

In Psalm 129:3, it says that the plowers made deep furrows on His back, more than a stripe right? His wounds went deep to the bone. Isaiah looks to the future and Peter will quote it again, remember, 1 Peter 2:24 says, by His stripes/ wounds we were healed. It is a past tense, something He did once and for all who would believe. Psalm 22 is also prophetic and about the cross, a must read.

Some say healing is not for today, but I know differently and I want you to know too. Jesus suffered intensely more than any of us will and it was a complete sacrifice, wrapping all the Old Testament offerings into one, He was the Passover Lamb.

Teshuvah August 2nd until September 28, the forty days before the high holy days when we are to reflect and seek righteousness. It is a time to repent and turn to God. Including the ten days of awe, the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippor. Jesus still enters the Holy of Holies as our High Priest.

I think it is a wonderful time to study healing, and our peace can carry over, healing is something He died for, let’s look forward to an awesome August. You know, I am just writing and receiving this month, I can pray, but sometimes I need to step back and just get out of God’s way.

Suggested Reading

Isaiah 53
Psalm 22
and 129:3

Look up and journal healing verses.

All the accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection from the Gospels, notice the power He retains after Gethsemane in John.

 

Rebecca Jones    Valerie Elash / Unsplash

Prescriptions For Peace

While many people are preparing recipes for disaster, I thought we could wrap up our peace study with a question and answer session. I read some celebrity answers in book, most were pretty bad, lame or even awful, except for Mother Teresa. So what is the best prescription for peace? Jesus, the Great Physician wrote it.

His peace is a gift. John 14:27

Sow peace if you can, if you can’t, shake the dust and move on.

Blessed are the peacemakers. From the Beatitudes Matthew 5.

Read and study, meditate on His peace.

Rest in His peace.

Find your quiet place.

Make time for Jesus, pursue the Prince of Peace.

You can ask your family and friends what is their prescription for peace. Here are some of my suggestions. Please leave a comment.

I hope you have enjoyed our study. I am including a PDF here of July, It may vary a little. Free to use, just leave my name.

Rebecca Jones Kate Hliznitsova /Unsplash

The Peace Of July

His Peace, Received.

As we near the end of our study on peace, I though it would be nice just to recap a little. You can never have too much peace. Our foundational verse is John 14:27.  And His peace is a gift I can promise you that. As I write this, there is another wrinkle being tossed my direction and you know what, His peace is right here.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27, from the New Living translation. Although, I do like the ” Peace, I leave unto ones and my peace I give you. ”

There is nothing like His peace. I mentioned that He has dealt with me about peace for over a couple of years. I have to admit that my peace had really been challenged but no more. Not today, devil! Or any day! His peace is my gift and I lay hold to it anytime something starts to bother me.

I want my mind to be focused and stayed or fixed on Him, not the problem, but the answer. Let’s take a look at what Isaiah says…..Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. Isaiah 26:3 What better place for you mind to be than on Jesus when the bills pile up, sickness strikes or you are worn out?

Then there is the beautiful Isaiah 57:19, Peace to him who afar off and peace to him who is near, and I will heal him. Isaiah was a prophet who was happily married but even when his wife died, he was not allowed to mourn. I suppose his calling was to keep prophesying and move on. I’m sure that took peace.

And then there is the verse from Isaiah 53, that we will study about next month. Jesus wore that crown of thorns for my peace and yours. No wonder, it passes understanding. Thick, two inch thorns that were wound tightly and place on His head. No doubt, an already beaten and bloodied Lord, was blinded and perhaps had to wipe the blood away even to carry the cross into more pain and punishment.

I see Him suffering, so I would not have to. Can you? It is why I am so interested in absorbing His peace and telling others about it.  It is why I know that by His wounds we are healed. I hope to portray Christ in words, the horror that He endured for peace and healing.

Keep studying His peace and receiving it, we all have His gift as believers and we have to receive it daily in our walk with Him. It is not something that we can take lightly or ignore as we live in the troubled last days, our hearts will not be troubled as long as we have His peace.

Rebecca Jones pexels or unsplash, I will try to find the photographer’s name.

 

Peace Loving

We are familiar with the verse about the last days in the Bible where people are lovers of pleasure and of themselves more than God. While I have found that to be true, even having been told that you only have one life you might as well have fun, ( if you call drugs, jail, losing custody of children and being homeless fun ) I can assure you peace is better.

I have had so many things happen to me that I did not expect in serving Christ. I was not a missionary or at least there in a hostile country, but that verse holds true here in the States, as people go their way. I found myself relying more and more on His peace. John 14:27.

So many are concerned with the pandemic, financial crisis and other cares, but there are those who go on seeking their own satisfaction and not finding it, because Jesus is truly the only one who can satisfy the soul. I would advise believers to cling to the gift of His peace, if life appears to be a struggle or even a battlefield, He is might to save and a might warrior, God’s name in the Old Testament is El Gibbor, meaning just that. He gave Jesus the name above them all, all the names of God rolled into one and especially, the Prince of Peace.

I pray Psalm 91 protection over us and that we are able to receive the gift of peace as we walk through our lives in expectation of His return. I pray for a safe and happy summer, with lots of joy and fun, but with the Lord’s presence always close by.

And no matter what comes, whether it is illness, worry, a low bank account, or something unexpected even spiritual warfare, angels are working for you, God the Holy Spirit resides in you, and Jesus overcame so we could, that is peace, peace the world does not have or offer.

I love Jesus for what He has done for me but more so for His sacrifice, He saw me before I ever existed and called my name, and I desire, meditate on, and love His peace.

Rebecca Jones  Thiago Miranda / Unsplash