Mary Cantell

Apr

30

On the road through life…

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Where did you first get to know the God of all creation?

The Almighty God spoke to Abram (a.k.a. Abraham) at the tree of Moreh in a little place called Shechem back in the day. That’s where God made a covenant with him that he would one day be a father to all nations-–Father Abraham–-and that through his seed, many nations would be blessed.

The journey began when Abram, at God’s leading and with a few historic sidesteps, ended up settling his tent in the land of Canaan between a city called Bethel (“house of God”) and the city of Ai (“ruin”).

This journey can be likened to a prototype of a believer’s time here on the earth. Today, like Abraham, we are also journeying. Our world is the new Canaan and our walk with God finds us traveling here until the day the Lord returns or takes us to our real home. As sojourners, the Lord instructs in his word through the Apostle Paul, that we shouldn’t become too comfortable here in the new Canaan, because it’s really not our permanent home. Although, we do have a clear purpose: to preach in love that God is real and to make Him known.

Along Abraham’s journey, we are reminded that he, like us, was not a perfect being. He made mistakes along the way that served him more trouble than necessary. However, the Lord used even those mistakes to bring about his plans and purposes. Though there is plenty that Abraham did to show his dependence and faithfulness to God, and his journey allowed the Lord to bring him to this place, it was not an overnight experience. Neither is ours. It will take not only a lifetime but most likely an eternity to even mine the depths of all that the Lord has planned for those who love him.

When Abraham stopped at the oak tree and rested is where God chose to reveal himself to Abraham.It was at Moreh (meaning “teacher”) where God first appeared to Abraham and gave him the declaration of His promises. His oracles. Abraham lingered there. He fellowshipped with God and erected the first of many alters to him. It is only by stopping and lingering with the Lord that we, too, will be able to abide in His grace.

May we not hasten past the oak tree of Moreh in our journey while here on earth so that through the storms of life we may hear His still, small yet mighty voice.

Apr

25

Where is your rudder pointed?

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The human tongue is powerful. It’s likened metaphorically to several things including a sword or a ship’s rudder. Able to bless and curse at the same time. Even for the Christian, it’s sometimes difficult to curb what flows from this tiny appendage. If we could control our tongues, we’d be able to control our entire bodies according to the word in the book of James. Oftentimes, in the flesh, we fail.

Those who belong to God have been given another kind of strength that surpasses our flesh. It’s the Holy Spirit. We as believers should always remember we are standing upon a rock, and we need to abide in Him for our strength both in word and in deed.

To meet the hazards of our daily lives, we need to “put on Christ” daily. To love Christ is to emulate him through humility of thought, word, and deed as proof of our love. Sometimes it means sacrificing our own way in order to serve the Master.

Apr

19

His healing stripes…

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Seven hundred years before Jesus endured his final hour, the divinely inspired prophet Isaiah wrote down in precise detail how he would die. Words like pierced, bruised, and crushed all describe the scene brought on by the Jews and Romans on that fateful day, Good Friday. Many would have passed out from only a portion of what Jesus endured. Amazingly, he hung in there through the suffering. All for you and me.

Taking a look at the sacrifice he made, the torture, the humiliation, and how he was mentally and emotionally brought down by the weight of humankind’s sin, it’s mind boggling. What the Lord went through is stirring in the deepest of ways because what he suffered was what we deserved, not him. An innocent lamb led to slaughter. The marvelous mystery of God’s plan to redeem man through the scourges of his son is unfathomable. Though because of this miraculous feat, we are now set free. Set free spiritually from everything that besets our souls forever.

The compassion of God is truly greater than anything we’ll ever come to know. The more we dwell upon the flogging he endured… the stripes upon his back… the nails in his wrists, and the crown of thorns on his head, we more fully can understand the magnitude of his suffering. The greater meaning of it all, we’ll understand in heaven, but for now, we can rest in the truth of God’s word that these things were designed from the beginning for good.

The only remedy for the world’s sickness and disease of sin with all of its manifestations is the Lord. Isaiah tells us: “By His stripes we are healed.” We take medicine for our physical ailments, but the only medicine to cure our souls is the blood of the perfect lamb.

Apr

12

No red carpet… though he’s a star above stars

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At Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem days before his crucifixion, there was great excitement. He came down from the Mount of Olives on a donkey. The people were moved, though some wondered who he was. They laid down their cloaks and garments in his path and waved palm branches, signifying, to them, the liberation they thought was on the horizon. No pomp and circumstance, just the shouts and acclamation of the commoners, who sang and shouted, “Hosanna to God in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

The chief priests and Pharisees were anything but pleased. They thought peoples’ exultation toward Jesus would be their loss.

As Jesus approached the city, he was disheartened to the point of weeping because he knew the imminent suffering that was to befall the people. This day was among the last before his crucifixion. Had the people of Jerusalem truly understood what Jesus was all about, he would have saved them all. Yet they chose their own way, which brought about their ruin. Sadly, even the apostles were not aware of the prophecies being fulfilled, nor did they understand that Jesus was approaching a heavenly rather than an earthly coronation.

Apr

02

Jesus, a living hope

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What we may go through on earth–the struggles and trials in the storms of life–we’ve yet to suffer like Jesus. That God would send him to earth is beyond remarkable. For him to humble himself to the point of death for mankind, even death on a cross, is truly unfathomable. The mental, physical, and emotional agony endured is beyond comprehension. That he would even leave heaven to do so is superlative to anything we could even imagine.

On the day they cruelly hung Jesus on the Roman cross, his reaction to those who put him there was not spiteful but just the opposite. He asked his father to “forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Despite his agony, Jesus’ concern was not for himself but for the forgiveness of those who hated and despised Him. Even as they pounded nails into his flesh, his heart bled for them.

One can only imagine the surprise of Mary and Salome three days later when they went to Jesus’ tomb and found it empty. How vexing for Satan to know that his plan to thwart Jesus was in vain. The final enemy of death has been vanquished forever through our Lord.

He overcame death and through Jesus, we do also. Jesus is alive. We serve a risen savior. There is no longer any sting of death for those who believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

 

Mar

21

Just another holiday?

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Holidays come and go. They’re just days, really. Though as a kid, we thought differently. At twelve-years-old, I was allowed to stay up to see the clock strike midnight on New Year’s eve. With all of the anticipation about the the new year, I was seriously disillusioned that there wasn’t more when the minute hand and the hour hand both hit twelve. Then at one minute after twelve, aside from a few pots and pans still banging outside, the dark hour became no more exciting than the fact that it was time to go to bed.

But not all holidays are alike.  Above and beyond, most people would probably say Christmas is their favorite holiday. Of course, this holiday is special because of Jesus’ miraculous incarnate birth. But there’s something to be said for Easter.

Of all the special holy days and traditions we ascribe to as part of our faith, there is none more significant to the Christian belief than Easter. Christ’s rising from the dead is significant in light of the fact that it is the fulcrum upon which our faith hinges. If he didn’t rise from the dead, to what purpose would our adherence to Jesus lie?

While honoring Christ would be a noble pursuit, even then, if he weren’t truly God in nature, then what has been proposed through the prophets and the Lord himself would be a lie. If Jesus didn’t die and rise to life again, then we who are believers in scripture are the most foolish. What’s more, we would still be dead in our sins.

Jesus’ death is significant for several reasons:  1) It defeats any and all of Satan’s arsenal to harm what is justified and protected by the Lord. 2) It demonstrates the power and glory of the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. 3) It shows the humility by which our God emptied himself in every conceivable way to prove to his creation how much he loves us.

While we celebrate our glorious Jesus every day in our hearts, soon we will commemorate his resurrection on Easter Sunday. His birth was miraculous, his rising from the dead, even more so.

 

Mar

12

So where is Jesus in all this?

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A brother in Christ recently posted a link from a New York Times article about the apparent mass exodus of black people from white evangelical churches. In my opinion, the NYT is a purveyor of indoctrination more so over fact, but that did not stop me from reading the story. After reading it twice, I ventured to share my thoughts about the story.

My initial question was:  So where is Jesus in all of this?

The comebacks were kind and measured, with most in the conversation asking the same question. My thinking to leave the conversation with the question in the air would have been prudent. Though in the name of Christian apologetics, I felt there was more to say. After praying that God would be with my mouth I proceeded to ask a second question:  Is this a spiritual argument or a political one? 🙂

Things remained cordial until I defended the truth as I saw it by quoting scripture. Then came the attacks. It didn’t take long before someone’s ire rose and I was verbally shut down.

In the online discussion, I attempted to share my thoughts about the woman in the story and what may have caused her to want to leave her primarily white evangelical church. The fact that she suddenly didn’t feel welcome coincidentally after the 2016 election sent up a red flag for me. She did not undergo any overt ostracism or persecution.  She just did not want to stay there. I wonder if it’s because her candidate did not win the election? Our discussion swayed into politics–the politics of “social justice,” diversity, multiculturalism, and racism.

In my purview, I go to church to worship the Lord and not to have my ears tickled. It’s really not about me or what color the person next to me is; it’s about worship, evangelism, and encouraging others. It’s not about ourselves and how we feel when we walk out of there. Church is not about getting high on the entertaining music. That’s not church, that’s a party.

Unfortunately, Satan is alive and well in churches. He hates them and will use any means possible to disassemble and divide, cause friction and animosity–subtly or otherwise.

As the discussion continued, they didn’t see a kernel of truth to my assessments nor anything I said. They had no cogent reply than to espouse their viewpoints, shame and silence me before labeling me a racist.

So I believe I answered my own initial question. This wasn’t about Jesus at all.

 

Mar

07

Fan or Follower

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No doubt, the 2018 Superbowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles have a large following. They spend money on season tickets, fervently rally for them at games, and talk about them, praise, and promote them at every turn. When the Eagles lose a football game, the true followers—the dyed-in-the-wool ones—are devastated. Their whole lives and identity hang in the balance of their beloved team. There are others, though, who are merely fair weather friends, who glom on only when the team is winning.

In the Lord’s time on earth, when Jesus invited Peter and Paul and the rest of the disciples to be his followers, they went. They gave up their plans and laid them aside to follow Jesus—literally and figuratively. Would you have been one of them?

Today, there are many who claim the name of Christianity. Of course, I’m a Christian, they say. I go to church! Not being a Jew, a Hindu, or a Muslim… Christianity is the demographic some claim for lack of any other. But going to church does not a Christian necessarily make. When someone is a true follower of Christianity, he aligns his will to the one he’s following. Not merely jumping on the bandwagon of fandom, true followers abide through thick and thin, no matter the tide or season. They lay down their lives, as many have, for the sake of the Lord and the Gospel.

In Matthew 7: 21-23, the Lord said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven…  Did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.”

Feb

26

Hope springs eternal…

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What is your source of hope? Is it in your material abundance? Intellect? Your fine house, car or bank account? These are all good things in and of themselves, but how long does that new car scent last? Or the house stand? Our abundance today may be our scarcity tomorrow.

Despite Jeriemiah’s grief after King Nebuchadnezzar’s army ravaged Jerusalem and killed many Israelites, he directed his thoughts toward God (Lam. 3:21-24): “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

The world is passing away. Through all of the evil and mayhem stemming from the actions of the lost and sinful who have no hope, we need to continue keeping steadfast and holding onto our true anchor of hope—our Lord and Savior. And it’s only in the power of the Holy Spirit that true joy is fulfilled in us.

The Lord says not to put our trust in riches or even in our fellow man, for he will often let us down. The only sure thing we can rely on is the Lord. Jeremiah says, “The Lord is my portion… therefore, I have hope in Him.”

In Christ alone we have peace, hope, and joy that doesn’t just have to trickle down to us; he is the fullness of all we need… the fount of all blessings today and forever.

 

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Feb

22

Divine healing…

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In chapter five of James, he writes to a struggling people who are weighed down by adversity and hardship. He encourages them to proactively seek restoration—both to God and to each other. Falling into the temptation of doubting God’s purposes and to blame him is not difficult to do, and James is advocating the power of prayer rather than a negative response to their trials.

When we turn a blind eye to God, we suffer. The sufferings can take the form of pride, egoism, judgment, and even sickness. Prayer is the intercessor through Jesus that brings results, particularly if the one who prays is convicted of his own sin. James assures that prayers will make the sick person well . . . the Lord will raise him up . . . he will be forgiven . . . so that you may be healed.

The sickness spoken of is not always a physical ailment. The verb is translated in Greek (astheneo) and means “weak or “weary.” The people in James are spiritually weak and are encouraged to call for the elders—the spiritually strong. The Lord promises to restore and raise up the sick person spiritually.

The concept of being healed can have a spiritual sense with the verb, iaomai, as in 1 Peter 2:24, which refers to Isaiah 53, although James recognizes a possible combination of illness and sin. The vision he is sharing is for both the physical and spiritual healing of their lives. “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”