This Week With Jesus

 

  A while back I read a story of a visiting pastor who attended a men's breakfast in the middle of a rural farming area of the country. The group had asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast. "Lord, I hate buttermilk", the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going. The farmer loudly proclaimed, "Lord, I hate lard." Now the pastor was growing concerned. Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, "And Lord, you know I don't much care for raw white flour". The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn't the only one to feel uncomfortable. Then the farmer added, "But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So,  Lord, when things come up that we don't like, when life gets hard, when we don't understand what you're saying to us, help us to ju

Yesterday we were challenged to change one thing in our life, to be in line with the 10 commandments, and present that sacrifice as a gift to the baby Jesus this Christmas. At first glance at the 10 it seems we have adhered to all and there is nothing much to change anyway. But a deeper look does throw up some interesting deviations. Lets look under the hood.  Take for instance the 2nd commandment. Surely, we do not make nor worship idols. Now when we think of an idol, we envision a man-made figure of wood or stone, or something in nature that we worship. And of course, we do not do that. Merriam Webster defines an idol as - an object of extreme devotion or a representation or symbol of an object of worship. The Oxford dictionary defines it as an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship; the Bible dictionary calls it an image or anything used as an object of worship in place of the true God. In short, anything that takes precedence over God can be an idol. For exam

7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” Matthew 15 Ver 7-9 If we were on trial on our behavior and response to the almighty, GUILTY would surely be the verdict. So, what do we do about this? Here is a great suggestion from Ms. Francis Taylor: "What example do we give others? If we are known as Christians, do our actions proclaim it? We can't take for granted that we are living as Jesus wants us to live if we don't pay attention. Just as in Lent, we are called to a greater sense of reflection, Advent reminds us that this life is not our final home. It can be overwhelming to try to see all of the areas that might need to be improved, so I'm suggesting that we take just one of the Ten Commandments that we might have some trouble with and see what changes we need to make to become more faithful to

                                    Ruth 1:16 “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” Reading the story of Ruth has always been an inspiration. Naomi is devastated, Ruth's decision to tie herself into the hopeless situation of Naomi and her life changing decision to jump from the frying pan into the fire is incomprehensible by today's standard. She faced complete devastation yet became an inspiration for us when we face hard and terrible tragedy or circumstances. Joy Burgess  puts it so well when she says - "When life brings devastation, it’s not easy to hope. It’s hard to have faith. But when things are the most difficult, that’s when we need faith and hope the most. In the moments where life feels like it’s crushing you, start with a little faith. Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidenc

Jonah 2: 7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple". "The loss of a loved one causes deep sorrow; we feel anguish at the thought of separation from the ones we love". This grief, no matter of how long ago, never really goes but get heightened on special occasions and most of all at Christmas. Memories can cause a lot of pain. "Grief piles so high upon our hearts; we feel suffocated and broken. Then we remember our God and His unconditional love; we feel His presence and recall His promise of eternal life. Although it's difficult to be separated today, we know we will be reunited. God never breaks His promises, and our faith brings us hope for a new day". Ms. Francis Taylor Today we have shared this video which was shared by a reader of this blog. We further share it for all those broken-hearted people who may take some comfort.

I'm on the outside looking inside,                                          What do I see?                                          Much confusion, disillusion,                                          Deep inside me. There is a very powerful devotional called God Calling, https://www.twolisteners.org/ , and we recommend you may get it as well. Its supposed to be Jesus speaking to 2 ladies, seemingly getting overwhelmed with life, as many of us are maybe. We suggest you may get it as well. Today's posting is quoted from this book - Devotional of November 28. "To work from large interests, and a desire for great activities and world movements, to the inner circle life with me, is really the wrong way. That is why, so often, through all these activities and interests, a soul finds me, I have to begin our friendship by cutting away ties that bind it to the outer and wider circle. When it has gained strength and learned its lesson in the inner circle, it can then widen its li