Gift of Light
“The earth is the Lord’s
and the fullness thereof.”
Morning opens
in glory each dawn
when ribbons of gold
untie the shadows.
Dew glistens the dales
where silver waters stream
at the foot of mountains
rising in the blush of day.
Joy lends to the offering
through the laughter of lilies…
the embrace of wisteria…
snow dressed pines frolicking on the hills.
Each season, a blessing
to the delights of His presence
born on a brilliance
forever packaged in love.
Today is the anniversary of a very bittersweet day. The day our Lord and Savior was nailed to a Roman cross to bear the sins of all mankind. It was there that two other sinful men were being hung in the same manner as our Lord. That same day, one of those men defended Jesus to the other.
When Jesus finally died, He was placed in a tomb and remained there for three days. Then a miraculous thing happened. He rose!
It didn’t take long for the sacrificial lamb of God to shed the bondage of death. By so doing, he paid the price for your sins and mine to be forever pardoned. The only requirement is to accept and believe the gift that’s been offered.
One of the men who hung on a cross alongside of Jesus believed, and he is with the Lord even now. So it’s never too late to accept the gift of salvation that Jesus bore for all of us.
Remember, on Easter Sunday, we celebrate a RISEN Savior! We can rest assured that we will see Him again when He comes out of the clouds in His glory!
Do you believe?
This Sunday is Palm Sunday. The day when Christ made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a colt where the multitudes laid palm branches and declared, “Hosanna in the Highest!” (Matthew 21:1-11) just as O.T. scripture prophesied. The people buzzed with excitement at what Jesus would do regarding Rome’s tyranny and welcomed him taking the throne. Only that didn’t happen. Jesus did not come to lead a revolution against oppressors—at least, not yet. While the people wanted one thing, they received something else. Jesus was about to change things but it would encompass a broader schematic than merely for the then and now. The changes He made allowed a way for everything to be made right—a redemption and liberation exceeding our expectations.
Today, we have that same mindset as those at the original Palm Sunday in that sometimes we want God to act in a way contrary to His will. It is at these times when we should move beyond the here and now and set our sights in line with His perspective and not our own. When God does act, it’s always a far greater movement than what we can expect or even imagine.
The God of all creation spoke to Abram (later Abraham) here at the tree of Moreh in a little place called Shechem back in the day. The take home message of this relationship for me is that when 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), he had all of humanity in mind.
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”).
I see this journey as 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 man. He made mistakes along the way that served him more trouble than necessary. However, the Lord used even those mistakes to bring about his purposes. Though there is plenty that Abraham did that showed 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.
One thing of particular note that speaks to me is that Abraham stopped at the oak tree of Moreh in Shechem. It is at Moreh (meaning “teacher”) where God first appeared to Abraham and gave him the declaration of His promises. His oracles. Abraham lingered there and fellowshipped with God and erected the first of many alters to him.
The significance for this believer is that when Abraham stopped at the oak tree and rested is where God chose to reveal himself to Abraham. 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 we may hear His voice.
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