Isaiah 53

He was declared innocent and condemned to die.

So much power behind that statement, wouldn't you say?

If He had been declared guilty then He wouldn't have been worthy.

Again, something to stop and absorb.

It amazes me how every step of the way, imagery is given that goes beyond the first glance. Does it really matter that Jesus died on Passover? Yes, it does. Does it mean anything that Simon carried His cross? Again, yes. What about Pilate finding Him innocent three times and even Herod agreeing? Or the kiss in the garden? The rich man's grave, the intensity of the scourging, the disappearance of His followers, the salvation of the thief. All these things add a depth to the crucifixion that goes beyond understanding and provides a lifetime worth of study and meditation.

Can we ever fully grasp what happened that day?

To end our study we read through Isaiah 53. Powerful. The details of the crucifixion come to life when you see the prophecy concerning the Suffering Messiah lived out through Jesus' life.

And to make things more complicated, verse 10 haunts my thoughts: "But the Lord was pleased to crush Him..." Motivation. Plan. Execution. Pleasure.

Wow.

God's plan of redemption and restoration is not simply one of many options in this world to bring salvation to man. The cross is the ONLY option. Nothing compares. If you're not convinced, then spend more time in His Word and ask His Spirit to open your eyes. There is nothing simplistic about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and to put it on the same level as Buddhism, Islam or any other man-made, idol-worshipping, Satan-contrived religion that excludes the identity transfer of the Son of God and replaces it with works and purgatory is disgusting at best.

Jesus alone is the only way to God, for He is God.

How's that for a Friday morning rant?

Thank you, Jesus, for the cross. Thank you for the price you paid for us. For giving up your life to save the lost. Thank you, Jesus, for the cross.

In Preparation for Tuesday's Study

Psalm 62

My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They delight in falsehood;
They bless with their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. Selah.

My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie;
In the balances they go up;
They are together lighter than breath.
Do not trust in oppression
And do not vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.
Once God has spoken;
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God;
And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord,
For You recompense a man according to his work.

Sorry, but I just can't let this one pass...

I try not to be political in my blogging but sometimes we need to stand up. Oh, trust me, I'll still be Biblical.

Today President Obama suggested to Israel that they return to the pre-1967 war border and give a substantial portion of their land to "Palestine." This is an historical request - one that has never been made or suggested in the history of America - at least not this boldly.

For those of you who know me, I do take this personally...probably more personally than my genetics may warrant, but let me live in my fantasy world. All this to say, whether or not I am Jewish, I love Israel and I love the Jewish people.

Why? you ask.

Well, here are a few reasons:

1. They are God's chosen nation

2. Jesus was Jewish

3. I have dear friends in Israel

4. They are God's chosen nation (did I say that already?)

5. I love to cheer for the underdogs and they fall in that category

6. They have a rich heritage with the Lord

7. I have been grafted into their Patriarch's line

8. God said He would bless those who bless the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and that He would curse those who curse the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 12:3) and, selfish as I am, I choose God's blessing

9. I know the end of the story and they survive and win because...

10. ...they are God's chosen nation

Back in 2009, I read a historical review of disasters that hit America shortly after they pressured Israel to give up land. Here is the list:

http://bibletopics.com/biblestudy/119.htm

I am not a harbinger of doom - I may have a bit of conspiracy theory-itis - but if Genesis 12:3 is true and the facts in that list are accurate, then brace yourself folks, because we deserve a pounding for what our president just said.

For the record, I stand with Israel and agree with Netanyahu's statement, "...the viability of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of the viability of the one and only Jewish state."

Hang on to your land, Israel.

You win in the end.

Grace

Tidbit:

Part 1 - Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that EVERY intent of the thoughts of his heart was ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY. (Gen. 6:5)

Part 2 - But Noah found FAVOR in the eyes of the Lord. (Gen. 6:8)

Part 3 - Noah was a RIGHTEOUS man, BLAMELESS in his time; Noah WALKED with God. (Gen. 6:9)

Notice the progression - first, the whole earth is completely and utterly evil. Then Noah finds favor with God. Then Noah is recorded to be a righteous man.

If the order went like this: Evil world, Righteous Noah, Noah finds favor with God - that would make sense to us because we'd say, well, of course Noah found favor, he was righteous.

But that's not the order. The order is (once again): Evil world. Finding favor. Being righteous.

The word favor means grace. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. God chose to graciously continue life on earth through Noah. God's choice and then Noah is righteous. Even though the sacrifice of Jesus would not occur for another 5,000 years, God applied that future sacrifice to Noah's account, showed him grace and made him righteous.

This is the story of all believers. This is the order of all of our salvations.

ONLY EVIL

GOD GRACIOUS

US RIGHTEOUS

Get it? Got it? Good...gotta run...

A Handful of Pictures...

Hi, friends! Just thought I'd throw up some new pictures from the past few weeks. The girls have been in Florida for the last week and they come home today - oh...my...goodness, were they missed! So...enjoy!

This was from Easter Day - three sets of twins...all related in one way or another...

And of course, their favorite pastime...napping...

...and more napping...

This was during Carolyn's shower we had here at the house - the twins were dressed the same as grandma! I told everyone that they called me and were like, "What are you wearing, Grandma?" It's almost like camouflage - can you see the baby I'm holding?

This is my daughter, Alex's, handiwork...

More sleeping...

And I just love this picture...so precious and pink!

Why is May so busy?

"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-- A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up..." Ecclesiastes 3:1-3

The chapter continues on listing out the various events of life, implying that at the appointed time, certain things occur or are accomplished. Apparently, the month of May is not the appointed time for me to blog! Between wrapping up Bible study, the continued plowing through of material for next year's study and the finishing up of the church building project, please forgive me if my blog rests for a bit.

Don't worry, I'll be back - I just need to get this off my plate for the time being, so that I can effectively use my time to do what I believe God has called me to do with excellence for His glory!

That being said, I doubt I'll be completely dormant - you will find some verses here, as well as pictures of my granddaughters...these things don't take the effort that blogging does.

I love you all - stay in the Word and continue to set your mind on the things above...

Fun at Grandma's House

Yesterday I got to play with the girls here at the house. Norah has a great tee shirt on - apparently Ashley had a shirt that mentioned her affection for Grandpa but had a minor explosion that sent the outfit to the laundry before Grandpa could see it...such is life!

Here is Ashley playing on the play mat. Sorry my phone focussed on the bar, but you can still see her precious face. The girls are amazing on the play mat. They will lay and play for...well, once they played for 90 minutes without fussing one bit! 90 minutes! It was incredible! Mary told me that she thinks because they don't feel like they are alone, they don't fuss during playtime...I think she's on to something...

And finally, Grandma Lori asked that I take this one at church. I think it was to show how cute the grandfathers are, parading around their prize possessions, but I want to show who hogs the most time with the girls...yep, caught red-handed! Look at that expression of sheer delight on Dave's babies' face. And Randy has a mini-thinker in his arms - I'd love to tell you who they are holding but I can't see which had her bracelet on which wrist...yes, I am still struggling to tell them apart....oh, well!