Category: Insights

“”I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear Me,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” (Malachi 3:5, NLT)

“There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians – you are one on Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, NLT)

“Who has believed our message? to whom has the Lord revealed this powerful arm?

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him. He was despised and rejected- a man of sorrows, acquainted with the deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weakness He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And though we thought His troubles were punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word. He was led like a lamb to slaughter. As as sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open His mouth. Unjustly condemned, He was lead away. No one cared that he died without descendant, that his life was cut short in midstream. But He was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and He had never deceived anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; he as put in a rich man’s grave.

But is was the Lord’s good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief. Yet when His life is made an offering for sin, He will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in His hands. (Isaiah 53: 1-10, NLT)

“On this day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover Lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, ‘Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?’

So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: ‘As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. At he house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with My disciples?’ He will take you up to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal. So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

In the evening Jesus returned with the twelve disciples. As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.’

Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, ‘Am I the one?’

He replied, ‘ It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me. For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays Him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born.’

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take it, for this is My body.’

And He took the cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to the, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, ‘This is my blood which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as as sacrifice for many. I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.’

Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Mark 14:12-26, NLT)

“Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave the wold and return to His father. He had loved His disciples during His ministry on earth, and now He loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given Him the authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. He then began to wash the disciples feet, drying them with the towel He had around him.

When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said, to Him, ‘Lord are You going to wash my feet?’

Jesus replied, ‘You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.’

‘No,’ Peter replied, ‘you will never wash my feet!’

Jesus replied, ‘Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to Me.’

Simon Peter said, ‘Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet.

Jesus replied, ‘A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean, but not all of you. ‘ For Jesus knew who would betray Him. That is what He meant when He said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’

After washing their feed, He put on his robe again and sat down and asked, ‘Do you understand what I was doing?’ You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and you are right, because that’s what I am. An since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feed, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important thatn the one who sends the messenger. No that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13: 1-17,NLT)

“Jesus said, ‘Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'”
(Luke 23:34, NLT)

“And Jesus replied, ‘I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.'” (speaking to the thief on the cross who asked him to remember him when He [Jesus]came into his kingdom). (Luke 23:43, NNLT))

“When Jesus saw His mother, standing there the disciple He loved [John], He said to her, ‘Dear woman, here is your son.’ And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.'” (John 20:26-27, NLT)

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At about three o’clock, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eli, El, lema sabachthani?’ which means,’My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?'” [This was the time that Jesus received the sins of the world]. (Matthew 27:45-46, NLT)

“Jesus knew that his mission was now finished and to fulfill the Scripture He said, ‘I am thirsty.'” (John 20:28, NLT

“When Jesus tasted it [the soaked sponge of sour wine], He said, ‘It is finished.'”(John 20:30, NLT)

“Then Jesus shouted, ‘Father, I entrust My spirit into your hands.!’ And with those words, He breathed his last.” (Luke 24:46, NLT)

“Then this message came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, suppose the people of a country were to sin against Me, and I lifted My fist to crush them, cutting off their food supply and sending a famine to destroy both people and animals. Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, their righteousness would save no one but themselves, say the Sovereign Lord.

Or suppose I were to send wild animals to invade the country, kill the people, and make the land too desolate and dangerous to pass through. As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, even it those three men were there, they wouldn’t be able to save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be made desolate.'” (vv. 12-16, NLT)

This is the first Christmas that none of our children and their families live near us. My husband I thought it would be a very sad day but we were wrong. Before opening our presents, my husband found a You Tube channel with continuous Christmas Music, either instrumental or in song. One of my favorites was Sarajevo Christmas by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. We enjoyed various renditions of O Holy Night, Silent Night, and Little Drummer Boy. It was heartwarming and both shed a few tears. Remember of true meaning Christmas – the birth of Jesus Christ and His gift of redemption, salvation and eternal life.

“May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile at you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.” (Numbers 6:vv. 24-26, NLT)

” Lord, have you completely rejected Judah? Do You really hate Jerusalem? Why have You wounded us past all hope of healing. We hoped for peace, but no peace came. We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror. Lord, we confess our wickedness and that of our ancestors, too. We have all sinned against You. For the sake of Your reputation, Lord, do not abandon us. Do not disgrace Your own glorious throne. Please remember us, and do not break Your covenant with us.

Can any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain? Can it fall from the sky by itself? No, You are the One, O Lord, Our God! Only You can do such things. So we will wait for You to help us.” (vv. 19-22, NLT)

“Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that god is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.” (vv. 1-2, NLT)

God Forgives the Repentant
“God says,’Rebuild the road! clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.’ The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One says,’I live in the high and holy place with those who spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.

For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always be angry. I was angry, so I punished these greedy people. I withdrew from them, but they kept going their own stubborn way. I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead then. I will comfort those who mourn, bring words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both hear and far,’ says the Lord, who heals them.

‘But those who still reject Me are like the restless sea, which is never still but continually churns up mud and dirt. There is no peace for the wicked,’ says my God.” (14-21, NLT)