Thirstin' for the Word Thursday--Easter Edition

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." (John 7:37b)

Feeling a bit parched? Searching to quench that thirst with an iced tea or Diet Coke? Dive into the Word for real refreshment!I try to be diligent in my Bible reading and am often rewarded by God's speaking to my heart through particular scriptures. I pause and sometimes even write them down. The reflection usually ends there, however. Now, I would like to pursue the verses that God lays on my heart by pondering how He wants me to apply these verses in my life.

Here is what spoke to me this week:

"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."

Acts 2:22-24

Peter spoke these words in his first official sermon, one which resulted in large numbers of conversions. This short passage contains several phrases that speak deeply to me.

Peter says that Jesus was handed over to be crucified by "God's set purpose and foreknowledge." These words boggle my mind as I consider that it was God's overarching plan for His Son to be killed. It was the only way to save us:

For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eteranl life.

John 3:16

The next phrase pierces my heart rather than my mind. "[A]nd you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing him to the cross." No, we were not part of the mob yelling, "Crucify him!" Nor were we one of the unlucky Roman soldiers who hammered the nails through his body to the cross. We were not even one of those who walked by, mocking, "You saved others. Now save yourself!" Yet, our sins bear witness to our responsiblity in Jesus' death.

Early during the Lenten season, I cut two crosses out of construction paper and lots of small colored pieces to make a mosaic on top of the cross. The children glued these on to the crosses, and then I asked them for some examples of sin in their lives. We wrote these sins on the mosaic "tiles," and then hung the crosses up in the playroom/schoolroom. Our sins on the crosses serve as a visual reminder of our participation in Jesus's death.

Although Jesus was killed, "it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." Through Him, it is impossible for death and sin to keep its hold on us! Tomorrow, when we read about Jesus and the empty tomb, we'll cover the sins with paper flowers to show that Jesus covers our sins.

Lord, fill us with the joy that Your disciples felt when they realized that You were raised from the dead! Help us truly to understand what this means for our lives, here on earth and in eternity. Thank You for Your plan to save us, and for Your willingness to humble Yourself and endure unimaginable pain on our behalf. Amen.

So, what verses have spoken to you this Holy Week? Pot those verses on your own blog, along with how you see that God wants you to apply them in your own life. Then, provide your link below so that we can all drink from one another's wells of scripture.

Trust and Timing

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." (John 7:37b)

Feeling a bit parched? Searching to quench that thirst with an iced tea or Diet Coke? Dive into the Word for real refreshment!I try to be diligent in my Bible reading and am often rewarded by God's speaking to my heart through particular scriptures. I pause and sometimes even write them down. The reflection usually ends there, however. Now, I would like to pursue the verses that God lays on my heart by pondering how He wants me to apply these verses in my life.

Here is what spoke to me this week:

So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.
Abishai said to David, "Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear; I won't strike him twice."
But David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord's annointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives," he said, "the Lord himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay hand on the Lord's annointed."
1 Samuel 26:7-11

This passage illustrates why David is called a man after God's own heart. Saul has demonstrated over and over again that he is David's enemy. He has hurled a spear at David and tried to pin him to a wall on multiple occasions. Saul has sent him into battle hoping he would die. He has ordered his son, David's best friend, to bring David to the king so that he could kill him. He has had eighty-five priests killed because one had the audacity to help David by giving him bread and a sword. He utilizes his tremendous army to try to hunt down David and his men. In the midst of these circumstances, David has the perfect opportunity to rid himself of his enemy.

David, however, doesn't take that opportunity. Why not? He has the assurance that God has chosen him to be the king of Israel. In fact, he had been annointed by Samuel years before. He has shown himself ready for the challenge by killing the Philistine giant Goliath when no other Israelite had the courage to do so. He has defeated the Philistines, Israel's great enemies, over and over again. When it is obvious that God has left Saul, "In everything [David] did he had great success, because the Lord was with him" (1 Samuel 18:14).

David had every earthly reason to take Saul's life. In fact, he wouldn't have even had to lift his sword against Saul; Abishai is eager for the job! David, however, has enough trust in God to leave the problem of Saul up to God. He reverences God and those whom God has annointed. He knows that one day he will be king, but he trusts God enough not to force his hand.

Can we say the same thing? I know that there have been many times that I have had little reason to initiate something, and yet I plunged in to attempt to speed up God's timetable. The results were not good.

The next time I am tempted to rush things along, I will remind myself how David trusted God and God's timing.

So, what verses have spoken to you this week? Post those verses on your own blog, along with how you see that God wants you to apply them in your life. Then, provide your link below so that we can drink from one another's wells of scripture.