Monthly Archives: July 2026

MOLLY AND ME…ABANDONED?

Christian Life, ,

A few weeks ago, Molly, my nine-year-old dachshund, stepped out of line. I scolded her soundly and lectured her on what not to do. She took my rebuke in good grace but, that night, as she lay on my bed…looking at me earnestly with her soft, expressive, brown eyes, I read the words her eyes spoke to me. “Mama,” she said, “if you abandon me, I have no one!”

O, how my heart broke. How true! I am her whole world. I do everything for her. I anticipate her needs. I treat her ailments, sometimes at great cost. I feed her with the best food. I take her for walks. I sacrifice for her. Without me, she is lost. She would die. 

What a message for me as a child of God! Without Jesus, I am nothing. I am lost. I would die. “Jesus, if you abandon me, I have no one!”

Before I left my home of eight years to relocate, going into the unknown, I told the Lord, “Lord Jesus, I will lean my whole weight on you.” …and I have. The first few months of settling into my new home have been a bumpy ride. Without Jesus, I might have given up…but I have leant on Him…and He has not failed me. 

I have His promise, spoken to His disciples before He left them to go to the cross. 

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬

There is no disaster, no worry or concern big enough to separate me from His love. 

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus sent His Spirit to take His place…not just with but in me. 

So, just as I reassured Molly that night, “My Babygirl, as long as I am alive, I will never abandon you,” so, Jesus reassures me that, as long as He is alive, He will never abandon His child…and that means forever. 

GOD STILL SPEAKS…ETERNAL LIFE – 13

Christian Life, ,

I have traveled a long road…seventy years with Jesus. What can I say? 

In Jesus’ high priestly prayer on the eve of His death, He defined for us, for me, the true meaning of eternal life…

“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

…not one day when I die but a powerful reality here and now…in this fallen, broken world…under divine authority and divine supervision. 

Did Peter remember Jesus’ prayer when he concluded his second letter with these words…

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If knowing God…Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…is the essence of eternal life, then, all of life’s experiences…including failure, brokenness, and loss…are the arena in which He reveals Himself as gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and full of covenant love. 

Looking back over seventy years of life…raw, rough, and full of every kind of failure…I can say with utmost confidence that I know Him. I have seen and experienced a tiny fragment of the God who rescued me from self-destruction, loved me in my worst and darkest moments…when I was utterly unlovable…and has been faithful to His Word and to me beyond my wildest imagination.

The God whom I heard about in Sunday School, and read about in His Word, is the God who met me in a marquee tent on 1st April, 1956…raised me from spiritual death to spiritual life, and set my feet on the Way…in Christ…to know Him. 

Do I know Him? Yes and no! I know fragments about Him because He has spoken to me…in my spirit across the span of seventy years…in my ignorance…in my disobedience…and in my feeble efforts to follow Him. 

I knew Him whenever I took a wrong turn and headed in the wrong direction, He gently steered me back to the path. 

I knew Him when He blessed me way more than I could ever deserve. 

I knew Him when He gave me rest from my futile self-effort and reassured me that it was okay just to be me. 

I knew Him when I fell…hard…when He forgave my sin, time and again, picked me up, washed me clean, held me close…and walked on with me…at His side. 

I knew Him through the years of peaceful work in the company of His people…safe and tranquil…as well as the years of labour and learning in the rough and tumble of an evil world.

I know Him now as the God who loves the elderly, who causes me to flourish in the environment He  has chosen for me.  

I know Him when hears my prayers for my wayward family and my suffering nation and the nations of the world, patiently unfolding His plan in mysterious ways that reveal His wisdom and power. 

I know Him when He reassures me that He rules on the earth and that His kingdom is here now, and coming in its fullness when Jesus returns. 

I know Him when I dwell on His goodness, mercy, and favour that have followed me all the days of my life. 

I know Him when I anticipate with great joy the prospect of being with Him forever…my eyes on the glories of the yet unseen that await me and all those who long for His return. 

Do I know Him? Yes, I do…because He has revealed Himself to me in my short life.  Do I know Him? No, because He is more than time and eternity can ever reveal. 

And so…the prospect of knowing Him stretches before me into the eternity that awaits me and all who love and follow Jesus. 

My eighty-sixth birthday is just around the corner. Will I reach it? I have no idea. One thing I know…God will finish what He started!

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you (me) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Concluded

GOD STILL SPEAKS…INCOMPLETION – 12

Christian Life, ,

My third revelation, at least for this series, is the story of a woman whose love for Jesus almost destroyed her…. but let me not run ahead of myself. 

It’s the story of Mary of Bethany in three parts…she listened…she lost…and she learned!

There was one place outside Jerusalem that became a haven for Jesus…the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus…in Bethany. He and His disciples were always welcome there. The responses of the siblings to His presence were always the same…Martha served…Mary sat…and Lazarus? Not there, it seems!

Mary loved to listen to Jesus. Protocol aside, even among the disciples,  she sat as close to Him as she could…at His feet. She drank in His words…loving His teachings from Torah… absorbing His messages about God’s kingdom…and, despite Martha’s protests, Jesus approved. He gently rebuked Martha for her resentment towards her sister for not sharing her labour in the kitchen. Mary was in the best place, doing the best thing…listening and learning at Jesus’ feet. 

Mary was learning  to love Jesus…passionately…as much as her understanding of Him would allow her. He could do anything. She believed in Him…even when tragedy struck. Her “baby brother”, Lazarus, became deathly sick. Jesus would come and heal him when they called. Of that she was certain. Lazarus would be well again…the crisis behind them…and life would go on with the memory of a miracle under their belt…so she believed. 

It didn’t happen that way. Yes, the sisters did call Jesus…urgently… “Come quickly. Lazarus is dying!”…but He didn’t come. Not then…not the next day…or the next day…until it was too late! Lazarus faded, then took his last breath. Lazarus was gone…and Jesus didn’t come! Why? 

Mary was devastated…shattered…destroyed! She wept until she had no more tears…for Lazarus, but even more…for her own disillusioned, broken heart. She had trusted Jesus…but He didn’t come! Why? Why didn’t He come? Didn’t He care? Where was He? Her entire being shut down. She fell into a dark hole of hopeless despair. 

When Jesus finally arrived…four days later…she didn’t want to look into His face. She didn’t even want to see Him. She shut herself up in her room and refused to come out. Nothing mattered any more. Lazarus was dead…and Jesus didn’t come!

Finally, in her pit of darkness, she heard them calling…” Mary, come! Jesus is calling for you!” She kept hearing the same words, “Mary, come…” until the sound penetrated her thick fog. She moved…slowly at first…and then…she ran…not because she wanted to see Him but because she wanted to tell Him how much He had hurt her. 

Her bitter words of rebuke tumbled from her lips…”If only you had come, my brother would not have died!” In those few words, Mary said it all. “I trusted you but you have destroyed my trust. I listened to you but now…your words are empty and meaningless.  Why did you do this to me…to us?”  

Jesus wept…the shortest verse in the Bible but in it, a world of revelation. Many have offered explanations for Jesus’ reaction…He cried in sympathy with Mary… He wept because the one He loved was dead…and so on. 

However, if we put Jesus’ reaction in context, a different reason emerges. Scripture records three occasions when Jesus wept. He wept over Jerusalem because of what was coming on the city and its people…and they had no idea of what would soon happen.  He wept in Gethsemane…over the ordeal He was facing. Why? Perhaps because He was aware that He of the possibility that He could fail. 

Then He wept in Bethany. 

Each time Jesus wept, it was not about Himself or His own pain. It was grief for another’s suffering. Why? Was it because, if they would only trust Him, His presence would make all the difference? 

On His way to the cross…the heavy crossbeam weighing Him down until He collapsed in the dirt under its weight,  blood dripping from His mashed flesh after the flogging…He stopped…

“A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

No, Jesus did not weep for dead Lazarus. He did not weep for Mary’s loss.  He wept for Mary’s faithlessness. Mary had abandoned the only thing that could have held her steady in her time of sorrow…her trust in Jesus. Instead, she accused Him, blamed Him for her loss, dismissed Him for His failure…and cut herself off from her only hope. 

What does Mary’s reaction to Jesus say to us…to me in any time of testing? This lesson has stuck with me…speaking loud and clear when I face impossible situations…Let Jesus finish what He started!! 

God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit NEVER do anything in my life without a purpose. God is ALWAYS intimately involved in the details of my life. Do I really believe that? If I do, then I must let Him finish what He started before I have an emotional meltdown. 

I think that Jesus wept because Mary put herself into an emotional “black hole” when she could have waited long enough to allow Him to write the whole story…to its conclusion. Bottom line…she did not trust Him. 

Is this not the worst that we can do to God? Unbelief still causes our God sorrow! The Bible is littered with expressions of God’s pain because His people refused to believe Him…refused to obey Him until He finally abandoned them to their enemies. He did it…not because He wanted to punish them…but because He had no other option. 

 If our faith in God is so precious to Him that He tests us repeatedly, surely then we should allow Him to finish what He starts without judging Him before we fall apart when the trial comes. 

“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

To be concluded

GOOD STILL SPEAKS…REVELATION – 11

Christian Life, ,

Revelation…one of the Holy Spirit’s greatest ministries is to reveal Jesus…that we may gaze…contemplate His glory and be changed into His likeness. 

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

And so, in recent days, the Spirit still speaks…not so much to correct my waywardness…

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…but to reveal Jesus to me in ways I could never have discovered without His light.  

I will post again one of those rare and beautiful moments when the Holy Spirit led me deep into the heart of Jesus…not only that I might catch glimpses of His glory but also that His glory might spill over into my life…that I, and those who would learn from Him, might understand His ways and follow Him. 

Something caught my attention as I was pondering on a Scripture verse in Romans 8. I was searching the Scriptures to find out the real meaning of Jesus’ suffering. I had thought, in my ignorance, that what Jesus suffered was the terrible things that happened to Him when He was crucified, but then…the Holy Spirit began to show me from the Bible, that His suffering was much more than that. 

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul’s words puzzled me. What if I never suffer like some people suffer for their faith in Jesus? Does this mean that all the people, like me, who never suffer in this way, will not share in His inheritance or reign with Jesus?

So, I wondered, if I must suffer like Jesus suffered, what did He suffer? 

Then the Holy Spirit began to speak. The first thing He showed me was that Paul didn’t say that we must suffer FOR Jesus. He said that we must suffer WITH Jesus…alongside Him and in the same way.  Our identity and union with Jesus means that we have a part in what He suffered and in the way He suffered. 

This thought led me to the next discovery. How and what did Jesus suffer?

Isaiah prophesied…

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Rejection! He was rejected. He was dismissed and treated as though He were worthless…like rubbish to be thrown into the trash. This is the worst that one person can do to another. They cancelled Him! This must have been the nature of His suffering…so I thought. 

So, was it rejection that caused Jesus’ suffering? No, rejection was not the cause, as the Spirit began to show me, but the trigger…

…could it be that His suffering went deeper than than rejection?

Injustice! Was it injustice to reject Him? Why did they reject Him? Why did they crucify Him?

 Did Jesus suffer injustice? Yes, He did! Injustice of the worst kind because the religious leaders punished Him by crucifying Him for being who He said He was…the Son of God… 

…did He suffer because of injustice …or was it something else?

Jesus could also have responded to injustice in the same way as we do because He was human. He had the same human nature as we have…He could freely have chosen to respond in the right way or the wrong way. 

Hebrews tells us that…

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered…Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬, ‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now we are slowly getting nearer to the real meaning of Jesus’ suffering…not only what He suffered but also when and how He suffered.  When did Jesus suffer? He suffered when He was tempted! His suffering was not about what people did to Him. His suffering was about the way He reacted to what they did to Him. Jesus’ reaction was about revealing what was in Him when He suffered…in His humanity, especially in the way He reacted to injustice. 

Why injustice?

Why injustice? Injustice is the one thing that arouses our urge to retaliate. Everything inside us revolts against unjust treatment. “That’s not fair!” and hit back.  We retaliate because the other person treats us as worthless, has no regard for who we are… that we are people of worth, created in God’s image. 

This truth reaches deep into our souls, and affects us right from the moment someone says or does something unfair…even and especially in our early childhood. A child instinctively revolts!  A careless, unthinking comment can damage a child for life even if no harm is intended. 

Something like “You can do better…” when a child produces something imperfect, can cause a child to believe that the person was meaning, “You are not good enough,” or even, “You are not wanted.” From that moment on, a child might react to any words or actions that trigger the same belief even if the words are not true. Nasty words, rebellious actions, unruly behaviour…tell the story of retaliation against words or whatever has made them feel rejected by unfair treatment.  

People retaliate against injustice by punishing everyone around them, and especially those nearest to them…by bad attitudes and bad behaviour…or punishing themselves by actions and behaviour that cause harm to themselves. 

Think about it! A careless comment to a young child spoken even without intention to wound, can be a deep hurt that lodges in the soul and colours everything that is said to or about him/her. From that moment on, the child behaves, and usually overreacts, in a way that retaliates to the perceived hurt. Everything is viewed through the original wound. 

“You can do better,” is interpreted as, “You are not good enough…” or “You are imperfect,” or ”I reject you because you don’t measure up to my standard.” Whatever the statement, it is filtered through, “You can do better.”

So, we come to the issue of Jesus’ attitude to retaliation. His life was peppered with rejection. How did He react? Did He defend Himself? Did He hit back? Did He take revenge? No! He refused to retaliate to injustice. He practised self-control…self restraint. He said “No!” to the temptation to vindicate Himself by punishing Himself or others…and therein lies the temptation and the suffering. He always spoke the truth, not out of emotion or out of what others thought or said about Him, but out of who He knew He was…the Son of God. 

Consider these words that preceded Jesus’ greatest act of humility as the Son of God. He did the opposite of what any of us would do. 

“Jesus knew that the Father had given him 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. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Only someone who knew who he was could do that!

Imagine how difficult it must have been for Him to stay silent during His trial, when His judges accused Him of blasphemy and many other trumped-up charges. He had every reason to defend Himself, but He did not. Before the Sanhedrin…before Pilate…

“Then the high priest stood up before the others and asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus was silent and made no reply….”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭60‬-‭62‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?” But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

He only responded to the one question He was obliged to answer…and He did so with the truth that sealed His fate. 

“Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I Am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Mark 14:62-62 NLT

Jesus answered this question…not in defence but in testimony. I AM! That was the last straw for His accusers. 

“Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!” Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us,” they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭63‬-‭65‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Peter summed up Jesus’ attitude throughout His trial. Jesus was not looking for a way to wriggle out of His predicament. He willingly submitted to the Father’s purpose because He was a son who always submitted to and obeyed the Father… and because He knew the outcome. How He reacted to injustice during His last hours was a testimony to His victory over sin in all its forms, throughout His life. 

Peter holds up Jesus’ example as a pattern for believers to follow…the only and effective way to respond to injustice…

“But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”

This is the way we suffer with Jesus, by adopting His attitude and doing what He did. 

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬-‭24‬

The key to the victory over the onslaught to our identity depends on which way we are looking. Inwardly…we are insulted…we retaliate. Upward…we are untouched. We entrust to the Father the right and power to take revenge because He is just

and He will act for us. 

Paul affirms Peter’s counsel with a 

command…

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭19‬, ‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Only by grace and through the power of His Spirit can we follow Jesus’ example. Retaliating to injustice has set the world on fire…everywhere! Refusing to retaliate stops the downward process in its tracks and puts the fire out. 

So, why do some people speak and behave in cruel and unjust ways towards others? They are inadvertently giving evidence to their own deep hurt that festers inside themselves, and shows on the outside that their lives are poisoned by their own unresolved rejection. 

What is the solution? Cut off the root by honest confession to God and the choice to trust Him for vindication… and the flow of poison will cease. 

Do not retaliate! Retaliation in all its forms…anger, bitterness inside or revenge outside, will effectively disqualify you from inheriting the nature of Jesus when you see Him face to face. Confirm His nature being formed in you in this life by entrusting yourself to Him who judges justly. Then you will receive your inheritance in the life to come…the glory of Jesus!

There it is! Shining the light on Jesus, the Holy Spirit revealed to me one of the deepest insights into the character of Jesus I have ever understood… and one of the hardest lessons for me to learn…that I might also share in His suffering…and the glory…and the inheritance to follow. 

To be continued

GOD STILL SPEAKS…THE SPIRIT MY TEACHER – 10

Bible Study, ,

“But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Perhaps the most profound lesson I am learning is that the Holy Spirit is the supreme teacher. In the early years of my Christian life…and even deep into my walk with the Lord…I have lent on writers, teachers, and preachers to show me the way…but now, in recent days, I am learning to ask the questions that have led me to hear the truth from the Spirit Himself. 

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Holy Spirit uses Scripture to interpret Scripture. He leads through the Word to unlock some of the precious truths hidden in this book. This was just what Jesus did when He  taught the two heart-broken disciples on the way home to Emmaus about Himself. 

“Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These “Bible studies”, led by the Holy Spirit, are laying down for me a solid path on which to walk…the reassurances of God’s truth that steady me as I move towards the “Sonrise”…and, most of all, insights into the person of Jesus Himself. 

As much as God’s spoken word redirected me when I needed them, I treasure the truths the Holy Spirit reveals in the quiet moments when He walks me through the written word. 

Allow me, to conclude my story, to share with you a few of these  revelations. What I am describing to you is the Holy Spirit, the Teacher, at work in me. 

One morning, as I was reading through 1 Corinthians 2, something stirred in me when I read these words…

“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Scriptures? Where had I read these words in the Old Testament? What did they mean?  

I found the reference in Isaiah…

“For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭64‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I noticed a difference in the wording between “Those who love Him…” and “those who wait for Him…” So. I looked up the meaning of the word “wait” in the OT reference. The Hebrew word for “wait” contains in it the idea of “piercing”. 

I puzzled over that one. How do “love” and “wait” meaning “piercing” connect in these two references?  

My mind, prompted by the Spirit, traveled to another Scripture in the Old Testament…

“But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭21‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In this ancient ritual, love and piercing were closely connected. A slave who loved his master, who chose to serve his master for life rather to than go free, would be pierced as a permanent mark of belonging. 

Now, back to Paul’s words…God has prepared wonderful things “for those who love Him”…not “those whom He loves”! Was that deliberate? Was Paul referring to the practice of piercing a slave’s ear as a sign of belonging? If so, in what way have we, Jesus’ followers, been pierced?

Isaiah’s prophecy specifically states that the Servant of Yahweh would be pierced for our transgressions. 

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.”

‭‭John‬ ‭19‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There it is! What could be clearer? He took our place. Everything that men did to Him was for us. Just as we were crucified “in Him”, so we were “pierced” in Him. 

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What is the significance of this revelation?

It’s about belonging. Since we have been pierced in Him, we belong to Him. 

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT

“God’s very own possession”…guaranteed because we have been pierced. We love Him. We belong to Him. Everything God has prepared for us is ours because we are His possession…forever. 

Belonging also has another significance. When we belong to Jesus, we also reflect the nature of the one to whom we belong. Family members resemble one another, copy and follow one another. As Jesus’ own purchased possession, the Holy Spirit begins to reproduce His likeness in us. 

What a reassurance for me as I near the end of my journey!

To be continued