One bible story that has been stuck in my head recently is from acts 5, a story about a couple in the early church. There names were Ananias and Sapphira. As it says right before their story, the early church was as one, selling all they had and giving to those in need. Apparently, this couple was struggling to give everything, but they still wanted to look good in the eyes of the church. So, when they sold their land, they didn’t give all of the profit to the church but said that they did. As soon as they lied, they dropped dead. They just died. It kind of doesn’t fit in a new testament that seems to focus on God’s love and grace. However, I think we need to be reminded that God hates sin. It it is completely opposite His nature, who He is. Far too often we look at sin as something insignificant, like white lies. We don’t always see the consequences so we ignore it. Yes God is love. He is graceful and merciful. John 3:16, “For God so loves the world…” In the cross we can see this love poured out. However, we can also see God’s wrath. God is so contrary to sin, so holy, that the cross had to be the punishment. Christ had to take on the sins of the world in a way that we can’t even grasp for the wrath of God to be satisfied. I don’t think we should be living like God is about to strike us down. However, each time we sin, no matter what that sin is, we should remind ourselves what Christ endured for that sin and how great Christ’s love is for us. We should be humbled. I know that I just gloss over my “small” sins way too much, but I pray that next time we mess up, we remember we sin against the one and only God that loves us more than we know.

chargingram:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that …He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

As I have been reading in psalms the last few days, I’ve noticed some repetition. As in the bible and pretty much anything, when something is repeated, it is like a bright neon sign pointing and saying “remember this, it’s important.” In psalms 42 and 43, in just 12 verses, there is a phrase repeated 3 times and a theme enforced. The phrase says this, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” In these psalms, including 41, the psalmist is being tormented, whether by sickness, those around him, or his enemies. The psalmist is in a bad situation. However, the psalmist remembers that his hope is found in God. He remembers that whatever this world does to us, it can’t away our savior, our hope when we put it in him. We all have tough times. We all go through hard things. So what do we turn to when things just aren’t going our way? I know that sometimes I want to rely on myself. I want to be able to find the strength in myself. But I can’t. It just doesn’t work, but I continually find that when I turn to God, He provides the strength and the comfort to get me back on track. In these few psalms, we are reminded that when we put our faith in God, He will be faithful. Whether it is loads of end-of-the-year school work or deep lose, we can depend on him and he will turn our mourning into joy.

After being nudged to read through the crucifixion account today, many things started to pop out at me as I was reflecting upon it. The fulfillment of so much scripture, the humbleness and servant hood of Jesus. Of course it is humbling and amazing to think about. However, what jumped out at me was the attitude of Pilate, who handed Jesus over to the crowd. I’ve always hated him for letting the crucifixion happen and moved past, but this time I realize how many of us can be so easily like him and what that means for our lives. Looking at how Pilate acted, there is one verse that seems to explain his actions. In John 19:12, it says, “From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”” Pilate admits that he finds no fault in Jesus, no reason to crucify. He even wants to release Jesus. However, the crowd attacks him. Pilate is in a high position in government. If Pilate doesn’t do as the crowd says, they will accuse him of treason. So, Pilate had a choice. He could either choose the just and right thing and try and prevent the shedding of innocent blood. Or he could choose to keep his position, his material and worldly things. What was Godly or what was material. Pilate chose to follow the crowd, blaming them since they were he ones that wanted Jesus dead. We all face a similar decision when we here about injustice. When we become conscious of the innocent suffering and the need in this world we can either choose to act and try to stop it or just ignore it and blame those who are directly inflicting the suffering. Sure, we are not all called to dedicate our jobs to stop things like sex trafficking, but we can all do something. We can give financially and pray often, but we can’t just let it happen. This day I hope we all celebrate and remember what God did for us, but we can show God how much we appreciate his love by spreading and showing it to those who are suffering.

Matthew 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ “

This name given to God by Abraham has seem to be popping up alot recently. It basically means God sees or God provides. I’ve been worrying about so many things, probably more than I should be, such as figuring out rooming and housing for next year and having a quiz tomorrow that I’ve start studying for till tonight. However, every time I start worrying, I soon clearly see that God provides. I see that God sees us and is watching over us. As I’ve been reading through the psalms, that also seems to be a theme ever once in a while. In psalm 37, the psalmist points out that even though there is sin and evil in this world, it will not last and that God will not abandon us. In verses 39-40, it says, “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;he is their stronghold in times of trouble. The Lord helps them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.” As these verses point out, life won’t always be easy. There will be times of trouble. However, even in these times God sees us and will provide for us.