Hebrews 5:9

"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a son, He learned obedience from what He suffered and, once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek." ~Hebrews 5:7-10 (NIV)


"During the days of Jesus' life on earth..." Start to finish, what was He in the habit of doing? "He offered up prayers and petitions." And not in a passive, "oh-I-guess-I-better-pray" sort of way. He did so "with loud cries and tears." That's pretty passionate. To whom did He pray? "To the One who could save Him from death." Why are we not able to keep (and balance) that perspective on a regular (daily) basis? Death is our payment for a life lived on earth... unless, that is, we've placed our trust in the One who can save us. (Have I truly done that? Read on...)
"He was heard because of His reverent submission." He submitted, daily, to the will of His Father... Our Father - God. (John 1:12) "Although He was a son, He learned obedience from what He suffered." Our Father is able to keep us from suffering. Being God's son did not keep bad things from happening to Jesus - and neither will it be so for us. Why? Because we are being made perfect (perfect, in the Bible, is another word for maturity) through our obedience when it's not so easy to obey. And get this... "(Jesus) became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him..."
How will I know if I'm saved? If I believe in Him, I will obey Him. And as one who reverently submits to Him, I'm awarded eternal salvation. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him." And living faith obeys the One in whom we trust. Lord, help me to continue to see with Your eyes, as You mark out the path prepared for me. May I remember Your Word, and live according to the precepts therein. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Psalm 123

I lift up my eyes to You,

to You whose throne is in heaven.

As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the Lord our God,

till He shows us mercy.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us,

for we have endured much contempt.

We have endured much ridicule from the proud,

much contempt from the arrogant.

No more "if only"s

I've decided that there are to be no more "if only"s in my life. I'm going to give thanks, and be content in whatever the day brings. Today was a terrific day. And here, at the end of it, my thought was, "It was great day. It would've been better if..." No more of that. It was a lovely day, from start to finish! In fact, yesterday was the start of this lovely day. My daughter helped me baked pies. Later on, my son and his girlfriend helped prepare yams for 15-20 people! This morning, I set the table for a lovely breakfast... enjoyed breakfast. Then spent the morning finding our way around downtown Seattle to deliver the goodies we'd prepared. I have the most beautiful children (who are not so much children anymore!) Had fun at the movies with my daughter. Then drove up to the Island to spend the remainder of the day with my family. Yes, there are elements that were missing. But, what I was given was fantastic! Thank You, Lord, for taking care of me. Help me to enjoy Your grace as it is given... which is abundantly! Hm. One of Aaron's favorite biblical concepts is that when you're proven with the little things, then you'll be entrusted with more. Let me be content with what I have. To manage it well, and be grateful. Amen.

it's late...

and this is where i get silly. :) so i'm wondering... why is it so hard to trust God sometimes? hmmm... maybe the question is... *when* is it hardest to trust God? my answer is... when people let you down... let you down? hmmm... isn't that all about expectations? so are they really letting me down? or is it just that my expectations are too high? yep... i'm sure that's it. so why can't i learn to recognize that in the moment, rather than letting my emotions rise up inside of me? letting my "self" take control, rather than keeping the Lord on the throne. if the Lord were seated on the throne, how would He have me respond? that's what i've got to remember in that moment. those moments when trust takes a flying leap out the window. ok, Lord... You are there. on the throne. what's next? (thanks for putting up with me. thanks for Your faithfulness to me.)