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In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” I Corinthians 11:25

The Greek city of Corinth was a metropolis full of diversity, wealth, prestige and very important to the Roman Empire. Paul traveled to this town, evangelized and established a sizable congregation across all cultural and economic spectrums.  Soon the new believers were beset by immorality, false prophets, factions and abuses in worship. The things God designed to bind believers together in love and strength, became sources of contention and hurt. Paul sent instructions to straighten things out.

The Corinthian church expanded the Lord’s Supper and made it a complete meal. In quick time the social aspect of potluck usurped the sacred act of worship.  Luxurious food was brought for man’s glory and shared with acquaintances of like social status while others of lower economic standing went without being included. In verses 23-30 Paul reteaches the way Jesus modeled the remembrance of the Greatest Act of Love known to man.

Gluttony in the presence of starvation is a problem, but THE issue here is how easily man brings himself to the center of the universe rather than diligently determining that God, at all costs, will remain the sole object of recognition, adoration and gratitude. 

Love,

Gretchen

And He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended Him. Mark 1:13

As prophesied by Isaiah, John came baptizing for the repentance of sins. At this time Jesus came from Nazareth and was baptized. As He came out of the water, Heaven was torn open and the Holy Spirit descended as a dove. God’s voice spoke, “You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.” (verses 1-12)

Following this event Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days, fasted and prayed. This was not a time of serenity. Satan pulled out all the stops in an attempt to end our hope before it ever got started. Jesus prevailed. 

The great questions of theology deal with Holy living and the community relationships of Christians.  There is admittedly some wiggle room that does not make a difference between Heaven and hell. However, in this passage you find Jesus, fully and completely, Son of Man and Son of God. Jesus was indisputably human in every meaning of the word. He lived as we lived, with discomfort and temptation, fought life’s most common battles, remained the sinless servant of all mankind, died a human death, BUT rose again into eternal life, thus removing the power of satan to hold us prisoner to the sorrows of this world.

Have a Great Thursday!

Gretchen

So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to Heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.  Mark 6:40-41

The disciples were exhausted. Jesus was taking them to a quiet, solitary place to rest, but people saw where they were going and got there ahead of them. It was late in the afternoon in the middle of no where. Everyone was tired and hungry but no one wanted to leave. Jesus sent his disciples out to gather what food they could find among those gathered. From thousands of people they collected five loaves and two fish. Plenty to be grateful for and more than enough to satisfy. 

The time was Passover, THE Jewish Holiday!  The multitudes were headed to Jerusalem for the celebration. Due to the plot to kill Him on a prior visit, Jesus and His friends would not be joining in any festivities. Instead, Jesus serves. He does not rebel against His opposition with harsh consequences, nor does He sequester Himself and His supporters and slander the unbeliever. He lovingly feeds the hungry on many levels.

It wasn’t the quality or quantity of resources that determined the outcome. It was the love of the Giver. Take all that you have, lay it at Jesus’ feet and count the baskets full returned. (For the entire miracle read Mark 6:30-44.)

Have a Lovely Day,

Gretchen 

Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are right in Your verdict and justified when You judge. Psalm 51:4

David wrote this Psalm in the aftermath of his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba that ended in a pregnancy and eventually the murder of Bathsheba’s noble and honorable husband Uriah, who happened to be a soldier in David’s army. Through the words of Nathan, God’s prophet, David saw himself as God saw him and was driven to confess and beg for mercy. God forgave and created in him a pure heart (vs. 10).

Our sins, ALL sins are against only one, God.  Do they hurt those we share life with and possibly many we may never know? Yes. But when sins are forgiven they become God’s, and He chooses to dispose of them appropriately and completely.  He will guide you to correct restitution or into ‘pay it forward’ mode. He alone is wise and all knowing and works perfectly in His time and will for our well-being when we follow Him with single hearted determination.

Satan does not like being denied access to our vulnerability so he uses what he has, our shame, memories, and the attitudes and actions of those among us.  Never forget Who’s you are, the ONE that forgave you completely for the sins you committed against Him ONLY.

Love,

Gretchen 

I charge you, to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of out LORD Jesus Christ. I Timothy 6:14

Timothy, an early convert turned missionary, was in Ephesus supervising the choosing and training of church leaders when Paul wrote this letter to him. Paul directs Timothy to resist being sidetracked by trivial things and remain focused on the essentials of Truth. 

There were no seminaries in the early church. Developing pastoral teams could be a challenge when theological debate took precedence over grace and faith. The lure of financial gain was a distraction in addition to the confusion between righteous behavior and empty tradition. Paul’s charge was a faith the guides godliness, love, endurance and gentleness, thus completing righteousness without spot or blame. 

Life is to be lived in the knowledge that Christ will return someday. At that moment the only thing that will matter is your faith, evidenced in the things you did.

Love,

Gretchen

Finally, be strong in the LORD and in His mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

This is the introduction to the full armor of God, the means by which we ourselves will survive Satan’s onslaught.

Written from house arrest in Rome, this letter reads more like a sermon than a correspondence. In it, Paul calls for unity and harmony among believers. Christians must be different than the world. The church, struggling with false profits, opposing theologies, prejudices and anything else satan can devise to destroy, is given specific instructions on how christians should respond to the world around. First and foremost, God’s power in the life of a Christian is evidenced in our relationship with those around us.

The fight is on. We may be saved, but that won’t stop satan from attempting to hobble our good works in the name of Christ Jesus. The enemy has forces we are unprepared to recognize and oppose without the strength and power of Heaven’s armor.  

Victory is not a casual, coincidental event. It is fought and won by the stronger, wiser contender.  Be that warrior! 

Watch out Satan, Here I Come!

Gretchen

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from His own work, just as God did from His. Hebrews 4:9-10

There was a mass exodus, thousands departed slavery and headed toward the promise of rest. God led Moses, Moses led the people. Along the way God gave this new nation boundaries for successful national and interpersonal living. Obedience was a problem and the great cost was the forfeit of rest.  

The Promised Land was a gift, a place secured by God for His chosen nation. The audience of this letter, Hebrews, knew an entire generation of those led by Moses did not reach God’s rest. Like those sojourners of old, these Christians had seen the miraculous power of God, but seeing isn’t doing, and failure to trust and obey would cost them too. 

When God put linear time into creation He planned rest. Set apart from six twenty-four hour days, day seven is for the nurture of an intimate relationship between you and your Creator/Redeemer.  Not only does God say to take your rest, but we must grant rest to all others.  In turn, no one has the right to rob your rest on this Holy Day of Sabbath. Take your rest, it is God’s gift, and His command.

Friday’s here but Sunday’s comin’,

Gretchen

Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34

For over two years Jesus’ disciples traveled with Him and watched as He served, loved and healed the world’s broken. They have seen Jesus’ miraculous power and know that He is the Son of God, but the time has come for Jesus to complete His mission, to die and rise again, removing every threat against man’s soul.  

It’s time to prepare those who follow Jesus for what is to come. Jesus speaks of the cross for the first time. This cross takes a living breathing mortal and exchanges it for a Savior. We have a cross too. In it we lose our lives to this world and find the spirit of hope, victory and eternal life.  

Obedience to man’s laws and traditions will not do what the cross did. Jesus surrendered Himself to the cross. To deny one’s self is to put others first! All that God created us to be is found in the footsteps of our Savior, loving until we die of it. 

Love,

Gretchen

Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15

Christ became one with man, sharing in our temptations, sorrows, joys………..even the pain of death. His objective? To destroy the devil’s power over us. Sin separates us from God and satan loves an isolated victim. When cut off from hope, complete control, bondage and eventually, total destruction is an easy feat. Jesus came to close the space between God and man, drawing us near and breaking sin’s grasp. When He died and rose again, death became irrelevant.  He is not dead and neither will we be. 

Here on earth, we have strength and resource to overcome our demons because Jesus, not the devil, had the final word……life!  As for eternity? Satan will continue to be the prince of darkness while we join Jesus in Heaven’s glory.  

We can become like Jesus because Jesus took on our nature to prepare the way to God’s glory.  The immediacy is something to get excited about because eternal life begins the moment your faith takes you to God’s throne for forgiveness and reconciliation.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday,

Gretchen

Although I am less than the least of all the LORD’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ. Ephesians 3:8

Humanity is unworthy! We are selfish, egocentric, sinful in every way!  We can’t help ourselves. Paul himself was an intolerant, Jewish, traditionalist who persecuted Christians. Then he encountered Grace and the kindness of an all loving God. This hope Paul found compelled him to spread the Good News and write thirteen letters that became books in the Bible.  

The man most Biblical scholars credit with spreading Christianity across an estimated 10,000 miles, was just a sinner saved by grace.  He was not charismatic, (beaten numerous times, whipped, stoned and run out of various towns,) neither was he an eloquent talker, HE WAS A RELENTLESS DOER! 

Paul found that laws and traditions were empty without love.  Love manifested itself in the perfect sacrifice, Jesus, The Christ. Paul could not help but share the treasure he found with others, regardless of cost to his own comfort. You and I are recipients of the Word he carried throughout the world. 

Be relentless with the boundless Riches of Christ!

Gretchen