Tag: jesus

Last words… lasting words

photo credit: https://velocitychurch.life

I’m not sure what prompted the reminiscing… but earlier this week I started thinking about words or phrases I associate with certain people:

  • Things just keep perking along! (my mom — whenever we would call to check in on her)
  • I can put you in the canoe and give you oars… but you have to do the paddling. (my dad — as I left home after graduating from university for a job on the other side of America)
  • Blameless??? What does “blameless” look like??? (Nicole K. — during a Bible study years ago)
  • You can’t be your husband’s Holy Spirit! (Linda D. — in a study on marriage when I was a relatively young bride)
  • “Praise the Lord!” is a command… so tell God what you’re praising Him for! (Myrna A. — at a conference for college students at my first job)
  • We can’t live in a “what if” world. (my husband — shortly after we got married)
  • Only two things last forever: God’s Word and man’s soul. We want to invest our lives in those things. (my husband again — when we were newlyweds)
  • Sometimes you just need a good cry. (my sister — when we were teenagers)

Thinking of those words and phrases brought to mind some important things that Jesus said…

We’re entering into what is often referred to as Holy Week: the period of time encompassing when Jesus triumphantly entered into Jerusalem riding a donkey (Palm Sunday), the Last Supper (when He celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples and then was betrayed by one of them), the Crucifixion (what is referred to as Good Friday), and then Easter (the day He was resurrected from the dead). Significant events. And so what He had to say during that period — His last words — is vitally important for those of us who are Christ followers.

Last words… lasting words.

Imagine what it would be like for YOU if you knew you only had a limited amount of time — just a few days — with those with whom you’re closest. How would knowing that impact what you would say? do?

Jesus gathered those He was closest to — His twelve disciples — for a meal. That’s not so unusual. But what He did during the meal was VERY unusual. Shocking even. He assumed the role of a servant and began to wash the feet of His followers. In that day and that culture, when walking was the main mode of transportation and wearing sandals the preferred footwear, a person’s feet would get dusty and sweaty when walking from Point A to Point B. The lowliest of jobs was that of the servant who would be tasked with washing the feet of those entering one’s home.

Just a few days before, Jesus had been hailed as a king. Now… He was washing feet. By doing this, He was communicating a powerful message to the twelve and subsequently to us: we who have placed our faith, our trust in Jesus have been totally washed/made clean. But periodically, we need to have our feet washed… to be cleansed of the sins that creep into our lives.

His actions also spoke loudly of what it means to be a leader… by being a servant. Being willing to stoop down, be inconvenienced. Being willing to be misunderstood.

Another thing Jesus did during His last days was pray for His followers — both those who were physically present with Him and those of us who now are embracing Him as our Saviour. His final plea was that we would be unified and reflect His love to the world in which we live.

I do not ask for these only [the twelve who were present], but also for those who will believe in Me through their word [us], that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.

Jesus in John 17: 20-22

There were other last words… lasting words that Jesus shared those final days (you can read them in the New Testament: John chapters 13-17). But for now, I’m focusing on and mulling over these two examples and how they impact my life: being a servant and living in harmony with others/reflecting God’s love to those in my sphere of influence.

Take time this next week to reflect on who Jesus is and what difference He makes in your life. And may we encourage one another to heed those last words… lasting words. By doing so, may we have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

Worship??? IN the waiting???

photo credit: krazyinlove.com

There’s nothing like putting something in black and white for all the world to see — at least those who read this blog — that makes one… well, I guess the best word is accountable. Accountable to put into practice the lessons I talked about last time, lessons based on learning to wait… and wait well.

All week I’ve been mulling over something I shared at the very end of the post, the words from a song…

… I will worship in the waiting
when I cannot see the end…

“Waiting” by Healing Place Worship

Worship in the waiting.

Worship??? IN the waiting??? How in the world is that possible??? If I’m not mistaken, this hints at a major change in attitude as much as anything. Yikes.

Earlier this week I was reading in the Psalms — and wouldn’t you know, waiting was mentioned yet again!

I waited patiently for the Lord;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40: 1-3

Waiting patiently was not done in vain, but rather resulted in action. God heard! He responded! The outcome was being lifted out of the difficult circumstances the writer was in. AND having a new song, a hymn of praise, put in his heart.

I’d call that a major shift in attitude! Instead of bemoaning whatever was causing him to wait, instead of being critical or questioning or discontent, the writer patiently waited for God… and it paid off! That shift also encouraged others: those who saw what had happened in the writer’s experience also put their trust in God.

I had a text exchange earlier this morning with a dear friend who is thousands of miles away. She had had a heart attack a week ago and was back in the hospital. I asked how her anxiety level was… and she responded with brutal honesty how hard this has been. How confusing. How unfair (since she’s always been fit, eaten sensibly, etc.). How she felt her body had betrayed her.

What struck me with her honesty and vulnerability was how that stripped away any pretense, any trying-to-be-spiritual-when-your-heart-is-breaking-and-your-mind-is-reeling attitude. Like the psalmist, her crying out to God, waiting for Him in the midst of uncertainty and very real fears opened the door for God to use her in what I’m sure was an unexpected way — helping me to see some things more clearly:

  • The importance of living each day to the fullest. Jesus put it this way: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own.” (Matthew 6: 34)
  • The importance of verbalizing appreciation NOW… when the opportunity presents itself. “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it is in your power to act.” (Proverbs 3: 27)
  • The importance of recognizing that our days ARE numbered… and that they are in God’s loving hands. “The length of our days is seventy years — or eighty, if we have the strength… Teach us to number our days aright…” (Psalm 90: 10, 12)

My friend shared that her new life verse is

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but GOD is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Psalm 73: 26

That, my friends, is how we worship in the waiting… by having our focus on Someone who is greater than whatever we’re going through, Someone who loves us and is eagerly waiting for us to call out to Him.

So… yet another tutorial on waiting. Another reminder that we need each other and that together we can have joy in the journey of this thing we call “Life!”