The hands of Jesus…boldly touching the leper…patting the little child…tenderly holding the sick. The hands of our Savior…mixing dirt and His spit to wipe on a blind man’s eyes…breaking up bread and fish to feed the crowds…taking the hand of a dead girl and commanding her back to life. His hands quickly catching Peter as he’s sinking in the water from fear. The hands of Jesus are a testament to His life and His Walk on the Earth…they bear witness to all He was and did. But it’s those exquisitely hideous nail-scared hands of our Lord that bear the real and vivid testament to us all today…those gapping, wounded hands showing graphically just how far He would go to save us from our sins.
Author: kezha1
A Christian mother, grandmother, and retired nurse living in Illinois. Called into a ministry of encouraging others to find their ultimate plan and purpose in life through Christ.
Isaiah 26:10 ” Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord.”
The Lord’s kindness and mercy is extended to all…it is us who turn away, not Him. It is us who look with disdain on His grace, never taking into consideration what it will cost us in the end. Romans 2:4 says, ” Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience – not realizing that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance?”
I Corinthians 1:5 ” For in Him you have been enriched in every way – in all your speaking and in all your knowledge…”
The Lord would say to you…Do not waste you time lamenting for things you do not have…for talents or gifts I have not given you. Rather, use what I have given you. Use the talents, gifts and passions I have placed uniquely in you, and do not limit Me. Do not limit My working through you. Use what you have. You need nothing else. You lack nothing I have not already placed in you. Do not limit Me in Your life. Trust Me, and you will never lack… for lacking is not of Me…as is fear and anxiety. Trust Me.
II Thessalonians 3: 13 ” And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.”
Perseverance…to continue steadfastly, especially in something that is difficult or tedious. This verse exhorts us to not give in to trouble, or to become exasperated by difficulty. We are to persist…not losing heart and giving in to discouragement. As I’ve heard it said somewhere before…When you’re at the end of your rope…tie a big “God” shaped knot, and hang on!
Romans 10:13 ” for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Everyone’s journey to the Cross is different and unique. It may be after a long and deliberate search, it may be in the middle of a terrible crisis… but the good news is regardless of how we reach that point, as soon as we call upon the mighty name of Jesus – He’s there! His hand is ever reaching…His ears are ever pricked for our voice. All we need to do is call – He will do the rest.
Job 28:28 “…the fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and shun evil is understanding.”
To stand in awe of the sovereignty of God and all He is…to revere His power and authority…to understand totally where you would be without Him…that is the start of true wisdom. Wisdom is not a gift given to you, it must be obtained by walking out your life…day by day…situation by situation…trial by trial. And through this learning experience, we start to discern what is good for us, and what is bad. We learn to turn away from what is wicked and in the process gain invaluable insight into who our Savior really is.
Mark 9: 23-24 ” Jesus said, ‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘ I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’ “
We all want to be that Super-Saint who stands firm in their trust and faith in the Lord…but there are times when even the mightiest of us have our confidence shaken. In this story, a father has brought his sick son to the Disciples to be healed, but they were unable, so now Jesus is assuring him that the boy can be made well. The father in his fear and frustration says…I want to trust you Jesus, but I’m lacking in confidence to wholly trust Your power and authority over this…please help me! Jesus did not berate or belittle the father for his honesty, but rather He reached out and healed the boy, and in the process enabled the father to defeat and triumph over his unbelief.
Jeremiah 10:5 ” Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”
Just like the scarecrow you put up in the garden…” Man-made gods are no gods at all.” (Acts 19:26). That funny looking old scarecrow may fool the birds for a little while, but pretty soon they’re sitting on its shoulder and ignoring it’s purpose. Any god that man has made is worthless…it can’t move, walk or talk…it can’t do evil, but it has no real benefit either. The scarecrow hanging in the melon patch, as with any other man-made gods, will never save you from your sins, or love you unconditionally, or heal your body from disease. No, there is only one…and His name is Jesus.
Revelation 22:17 ” The Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! Whoever is thristy, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”
Whoever…a simple pronoun, but in this verse it makes such a tremendous impact. Whoever, is every person, no matter who they are, or where they’ve come from, that may receive this free gift of eternal life. Our Lord is continually wooing and calling those who are willing to receive this living water…He makes no distinction…He holds no prejudice….Whoever is just that to Him, whoever. Maybe you’ve been praying for a “whoever”, wondering if they’ll ever give their heart to the Lord…know that the Lord is saying to them, Come! … And that He’ll never give up.
II Samuel 11:1 ” In the Spring, at the time when Kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the King’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.”
It was the right time that Rulers would go out to war…but King David stayed at home. Instead of being with all his fellow soldiers and comrades, he remained in Jerusalem. Satan has a way of picking us off when we are weak, tired and isolated. He knows that as long as we are with fellow Believers, doing what we should be doing, it’s hard to entice us into sin…but get us alone and feeling exhausted and weak, and we’re easy targets. The great King David was no exception…by staying in Jerusalem rather than going out with all his troops, he fell into sin with Bathsheba.
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