Saturday Scriptures with Sahara - Palm Sunday

In Christian tradition, the Sunday before Easter has come to be known as Palm Sunday. This was because people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem by spreading leafy branches on the road before his donkey as he was entering the city at the time of Passover (in the spring) (John 12:13). The cutting of palm branches was usually practiced in the fall, at the Festival of Tabernacles, as part of the construction of the booths (Leviticus 23:40-42).

In Matthew 21:8, we read that some of the crowd showed the same respect by throwing their garments before him; others by cutting down branches of trees, and casting them in the way. John says, (John 12:13), that these branches were branches of the palm-tree. The palm was an emblem of joy and victory. It was used by the Roman soldiers as well as the Jews, as a symbol of peace.

This was the way in which conquerors and princes were often honored. To cast flowers, or garlands, or evergreens, before a warrior who was returning from victory, or a king entering into his kingdom, was a common way of testifying joyful and triumphant feeling.

Many hundreds of years before any of this came to pass, the Scriptures foretold of a Ruler who's Kingdom would never end, One who would bless all nations and lead all nations. Everyone expected a military ruler, like the Judges of old, who would protect Israel and defeat all her enemies.

Instead, Jesus comes out and attacks the existing rulers of Israel, the religious leaders, the Priests, Pharisees and the religious Lawyers. He flaunts His credentials as the true King of Israel, and attacks at the heart of the religious leaders' stronghold…the money.

I don’t think that Jesus’ entry was necessarily a "humble" one as many would like to portray it, but a Royal Entry as the new King of Israel. No one at that time missed the prophetic symbol represented by Jesus' entry on a donkey's colt. He was proclaiming Himself the Messiah, the promised King, who would free Israel and bring everlasting peace.

Although He came meek, full of kindness and compassion to those who were plotting his destruction! He came to deliver up himself into their hands; their king comes to be murdered by his subjects, and to make his death a ransom price for their souls!

The people recognized His gesture and began to shower the road with their blankets and branches. They began to yell praises to Him, which the religious leaders protested. Why would they protest their Messiah? Because they had lofty positions of honor and authority, allowed them by the existing power structure. They enjoyed a good lifestyle and they didn't want a new work of God to mess things up. Jesus' very existence threatened their whole way of living.

Upon his arrival, Jesus removed any doubt the religious leaders had about killing Him. He ushers in a whole new kingdom, a Spiritual Kingdom… but first, He has some unfinished business with the worldly kingdom of Israel.

Scripture readings: Isaiah 62:11; Zechariah 9:9; John 12:4

Let's Pray:

Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

May God Bless You,

Sahara

Bible Study Snacks, Romans 2:1-11

Hi, everyone!

I hope that your week has gone well. As always, I thank you for joining me in another bible study session. We have been studying the Book of Romans for the past few weeks. Today, Our focus will be on Romans Chapter 2, verses 1 thru 11.

It is my sincerest hope that you find these Bible Study Snacks both helpful and spiritually enlightening. Now, before we move on with our study, I’d like to briefly review the scripture that was covered during our previous meeting.

Last week we learned that: The mention of salvation naturally leads to the need for all men to be saved. Paul began to demonstrate this need on the part of the Gentiles. He explained that because of the Gentiles failure to acknowledge the eternal power and divine nature of God as revealed in the world around them, and for their subsequent pride and idolatry, they were exposed to God’s wrath from heaven (Romans 1:18-23).

This wrath manifested itself in God simply letting them reap the fruits of their vanity. By giving them over “to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts,” “to vile passions,” and “to a debased mind,” the result was such corruption that even those who knew better were caught in its clutches (Romans 1:24-32).

Allow me to point out that Romans 2: 1-11 can be divided into two sections:
I. Everyone will be prosecuted. Even the self-righteous are liable for their sins before God. (Romans 2: 1-4)
II. Everyone will be justly prosecuted. Everyone is judged according to his or her works.(Romans 2:5-11)

Let’s pray:

Heavenly father, please guide us as we study your Word today; I pray that our hearts and our minds will be open so that we will not only receive your Gospel, but learn from it as well; you are the Light of the world, Lord, and your Spirit will illuminate our path as we journey through your teachings. In the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Carefully read through Romans 2:1-11. I must stress the word “carefully” here because if you aren’t “careful” you will miss Paul’s point. Paul is continuing to reveal the great need of righteousness among all mankind; Gentiles and Jews. His underlying argument is that all men need the righteousness of Jesus Christ. False teaching enables people to believe they are righteous and do not need the Savior.

This week’s study questions:

1. How does a man condemn himself? (Romans 2: 1-3)
2. What happens to a person who acknowledges (literally: judges) another person’s wrongdoing and then does it to himself? (Romans 2:3)
3. What is the proper response to God’s kindness and patience? (Romans 2:4)
4. How do some people wrongly respond to God’s kindness, forbearance and patience? (Romans 2:4)
5. What are the stubborn and unrepentant people storing up to? (Romans 2:5)
6. How is the Day of Judgment described in verse 5?
7. Please write verse 6 down. It is the standard principle of justice among man and God.
8. What will those doing good and seeking immortality receive? (Romans 2: 7)
9. What will those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth obtain? (Romans 2:8)
10. Does God as Judge treat people differently; for example, because of their background? (Romans 2: 9-11)
11. List at least three changes you desire to take place in your life because of these verses.

Finally, after answering the study questions, read Romans 2:1-11 again. Pause and read each question and verse as many times as you feel necessary. Keep in mind that you might see something new that you overlooked the first time around. As we go along in our studies together, I will pray that God’s message will continue to come through loud and crystal clear to you! The next time we meet, we will study Romans 2:12-29.

Until next time...may God bless you!

Sheri

Always Be Thankful

In the midst of the storm, when the storm-battered vessel was plunging at its four anchors off the coast of Malta, Paul "gave thanks to God in presence of them all" (Acts 27:35). He could do that because he had faith in the word and promise God had given him.

Paul's reasons for gratitude to God cover the whole territory of human life and experience. He gives thanks for:
1) His daily bread (Acts 27:35)
2) Men who have faith in Christ (Rom. 1:8)
3) Deliverance from anxiety (II Cor. 2:14)
4) Deliverance from temptation (Rom. 7:25)
5) The memory of his friends (Phil. 1:3)
6) Kindness in the day of trouble (Acts 28:15)
7) The "unspeakable" gift (II Cor. 9:15)

The Christian should always be thankful, because if he does all in the name of Jesus, the Lord will always be with him, and work out all for good. God is continually loading us with his benefits; we deserve nothing of his kindness; therefore let’s give him thanks for his unearned bounties. That is, that we should be grateful.

This is what God is pleased to require us to perform in the name of the Lord Jesus. In the gift of that Savior he has laid the foundation for that claim, and he requires that we should not be unmindful of the obligation.

For what types of things should we be giving thanks for..? For things temporal, for our beings, and the preservation of them, and for all the mercies of life; for things spiritual, for Christ, and for all spiritual blessings in him; for electing, redeeming, sanctifying, adopting, pardoning, and justifying grace; for a suitability for heaven, and for eternal life itself; for the Gospel, promises, truths, ordinances, and ministry; and this is to be done always, at all times, in times of adversity, desertion, temptation, affliction, and persecution, as well as in prosperity. What is the bottom line here? Thanks should be given to God in every circumstance of life!

I think about the story of the ten lepers whom Jesus met on the way to Jerusalem. These men met him at a distance and asked for pity. Jesus asked them to go show themselves to the priests; curing them of their leprosy as they went along. Of the ten, only one cleansed leper returned to thank Jesus? Why? (Luke 17:11-19)

The following are nine suggested reasons why the nine did not return:

One waited to see if the cure was real.
One waited to see if it would last.
One said he would see Jesus later.
One decided that he had never had leprosy.
One said he would have gotten well anyway.
One gave the glory to the priests.
One said, "O, well, Jesus didn't really do anything."
One said, "Any rabbi could have done it." One said, "I was already much improved."

Similarly, a sense of our spiritual leprosy should make us very humble whenever we draw near to Christ. After all, only one of those men who were healed returned to give thanks. It becomes us, like him, to be very humble in thanksgivings, as well as in prayers. Christ noticed the one who distinguished himself in this way, he was a Samaritan. The others only got the outward cure; he alone got the spiritual blessing.

If you have learned anything from all of this, it should be to: ALWAYS be thankful for God's benefits, and ALWAYS express your thanks!

Scriptural readings: Acts 27:35; 2 Co 1:11; Acts 28:15; Eph 5:20.

Let us pray... Lord, there are marvelous things that I do not know nor can I comprehend. Lord, things that happen in my life, and things that happen in my friends lives. Lord, I desire to be thankful, to appreciate everything that comes across my path. Lord, I thank You for mercy, for the hunger for righteousness, for forgiveness, for purity, for providing for my needs. Lord, so often life hurts, I get angry -- upset, I do not understand, yet Lord You ask me to be thankful for everything, and have faith; thank you. Amen

Bless you always!

T.J.

Anger Is Not An Option!

You've heard of road rage, but have you heard of "sidewalk rage"?

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reported that, apparently "fast-walkers" feel hostility towards "slow-walkers" (which includes smokers, cell phone users, people with bags, children, and pregnant women). At its most extreme, sidewalk rage can signal a psychiatric condition known as "intermittent explosive disorder"—as in "get out of my way, or I'll plow you over."

On Facebook, there's even a group called "I Secretly Want to Punch Slow Walking People in the Back of the Head." (It's not worth visiting the site, but in case you're curious, as of 3-7-11 it had over 18,000 members.)

Signs of a "sidewalk rager" include muttering or bumping into others; hogging a walking lane; and giving a "mean face" to slow walkers.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is centered around God's love for, and through us. We can’t tolerate anger in our lives. Anger brings physical, emotional and social damages. These affect not only our own lives, but others as well. All these serious consequences point to our urgency of the gospel of Christ's love.

Does anger play a significant role in your life? Ask yourself the following questions:

When was the last time you lost your temper?
Did you ever physically hurt someone through your anger?
What are some of the phrases that you use when angry?
Have you ever apologized for your anger?
What relationships are being stressed because of unresolved anger?

Perhaps an examination of some consequences of anger might help motivate those with a spirit of anger to rid themselves of it. Let’s take a look:

Anger is unacceptable before God. We can never accomplish God's ways with anger. James 1:19-20
Anger leads to more anger. If you think your anger is bad now, it will get worse unless you take a strong course of action. Proverbs 10:12
Anger becomes addictive. Angry people don’t simply change. Proverbs 19:19 Anger leads to hostility and potential lawsuits. Anger easily leads to stressful situations and extra expenses that otherwise could have been avoided. Matthew 5:25
Anger always needs reconciliation. Anger produces strained relationships which must be solved before we go on in our spiritual lives. Matthew 5:23
Anger always needs restoration. Angry people are constantly hurting people and causing offenses. Proverbs 14:17

Any way you look at it, anger is simply not good for us. The American Tract Society Bible Dictionary describes anger as "a violent emotion of a painful nature, sometimes arising spontaneously upon just occasion, but usually characterized in the Bible as a great sin." (Matthew 5:22; Ephesians 4:31; Colossians 3:8)

An author for Reader's Digest writes how he studied the Amish people in preparation for an article on them. In his observation at the school yard, he noted that the children never screamed or yelled. This amazed him. He spoke to the schoolmaster. He remarked how he had not once heard an Amish child yell, and asked why the schoolmaster thought that was so. The schoolmaster replied, "Well, have you ever heard an Amish adult yell?" Ecclesiastes 7:9 tells us, "control your temper, for anger labels you a fool." This might be some pretty good advice for some of us to follow!

Let’s pray...

Lord God, please forgive me when I have not used self-control because of my anger. In my life and in the lives of those I love, please bring healing and restoration to the areas which have been damaged or hurt because of anger. Search my heart! Speak to me! Help me become still when my emotions feel out of control. Help me not to sin in my anger, but use this energy instead to work through problems in a constructive way. Likewise, help these others on my heart learn to manage their anger in a godly way. In the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed day!

Sarah

A Basket of Plenty

You might not give a lot of thought to the simple basket. Baskets have been used through the centuries by countless people for a variety of reasons. Although it is basic in design, its functional usefulness has left an indelible mark on human lives. The Bible also gives us many examples of how various types of baskets were used in ancient times.

Four kinds of "baskets" come to view in the Old Testament under the Hebrew names, dudh, Tene', cal and kelubh. They were variously made of willow, rush, palm-leaf, etc., and were used for various purposes, domestic and agricultural, for instance, in gathering and serving fruit, collecting alms in kind for the poor, etc. Some had handles, others lids, some both, others neither.

Dudh was probably a generic term for various kinds of baskets. It was probably the "basket" in which the Israelites in Egypt carried the clay for bricks (compare Psalm 81:6 where it is used as a symbol of Egyptian bondage), and such as the Egyptians themselves used for that purpose, probably a large, shallow basket, made of wicker-work.

The commonest basket in use in Old Testament times was the cal. It was the "basket" in which the court-baker of Egypt carried about his confectionery on his head (Genesis 40:16). It was made in later times at least of peeled willows, or palm leaves, and was sometimes at least large and flat like the canistrum of the Romans, and, like it, was used for carrying bread and other articles of food (Genesis 40:16; Judges 6:19).

The Tene' was a large, deep basket, in which grain and other products of garden or field were carried home, and kept (Deuteronomy 28:5,17), in which the first-fruits were preserved (Deuteronomy 26:2), and the tithes transported to the sanctuary (Deuteronomy 26:2 f).

The term kelubh, found in Amos 8:1 for a "fruit-basket," is used in Jeremiah 5:27 ("cage") for a bird-cage. But it is not at all unreasonable to suppose that a coarsely woven basket with a cover would be used by a fowler to carry home his feathered captives.

In the New Testament interest centers in two kinds of "basket," distinguished by the evangelists in their accounts of the feeding of the 5,000 and of the 4,000, called in Greek kophinos and spuris.

The kophinos (Matthew 14:20; Mark 6:43; Luke 9:17; John 6:13) may be confidently identified with the kuphta' of the Mishna which was provided with a cord for a handle by means of which it could be carried on the back with such provisions as the disciples on the occasions under consideration would naturally have with them.

The sphuris or spuris (Matthew 15:37; Mark 8:8) we may be sure, from its being used in letting Paul down from the wall at Damascus (Acts 9:25, etc.), was considerably larger than the kophinos and quite different in shape and uses.

Finally, there is yet another kind of basket that I have not mentioned, but is important in our daily lives, I am sure that it is quite familiar to all of you. It is the wastebasket. Wastebaskets are numerous. You find them in school, in the office, at home and at church. They hold the things we don't want, or are through using. Once in a great while we might unintentionally throw something valuable into the wastebasket.

A lowly wastebasket probably wouldn't have received as much attention as the previously mentioned baskets in Biblical times. After all, that's where garbage or trash is placed before being disposed of. But, let me leave you with this thought... Wouldn't it be nice if we could throw some of our words, acts of unkindness, and even many of our bad habits into the wastebasket and never use them again?

May God bless you!

Myree

The Spirit of Apathy

What would you say is the greatest enemy of the Christian faith? Many of us would point to Satan, or to the moral decline of our nation, or to society's influences that diminish the role of God, as our greatest enemies. However, I believe that our most dangerous threat doesn't come from outside the faith. Instead, our greatest enemy is complacency and apathy in the hearts of believers. Apathy is the enemy that is destroying the church.

A man once sat down with a pastor and said, "I'm considering joining your church. I want you to know I don't have time to attend regularly or do any work for the church. My talents are kept busy elsewhere, and I won't give any specific amount of money. The pastor said, "Sir, the church you want to join is down on the corner." The man said, "But there's no church on the corner." The pastor said, "Yes, there is. It's the old First Church." The man said, "But it's been closed for years." The pastor said, "That's the only kind of church that needs your kind of commitment."

The spirit of apathy has to be the most destructive thing I can think of when it comes to our daily lives. It causes us to be depressed, stunts our spiritual growth, and drains our energy. It is one of those things where if we are not careful it can completely take over our lives.

Apathy can affect all areas of a person's life, from the value placed on health, nutrition and exercise, to time spent with family, to cleanliness of the home, to the condition of ones financial state, to ones responsibility to their fellow man, the church and to God Himself. We have become apathetic towards the one person who gave us life, hope and a reason to live. We have forgotten whom we are to be pleasing.

So, what can we do to change this feeling of "church complacency and apathy?" If I may, I would like to offer a couple of suggestions:

First, to avoid living complacent and apathetic spiritual lives, we must make a commitment. As Christians, we must not only make a decision to follow Jesus, we must commit our lives to Him. When a person makes a commitment in the New Testament, it is a fully devoted commitment. We cannot be partially committed, or sort of committed. We are either committed or not committed.

Second, to avoid living complacent and apathetic spiritual lives, we must recapture our zeal for spiritual living. Zeal is an enthusiastic and diligent pursuit of God and His will. We should be so excited and thrilled to be children of God, that we crave and desire to fervently serve Him every day of our lives. Amen! In (Jn. 2:12-25), Jesus became upset with some people who were turning God’s House into a market place, so He drove them all out of the temple courts. He got rid of the sin and corruption that were polluting God’s House. It was Jesus' Zeal for God and spiritual living that motivated Him to cleanse the temple.

I wonder how many of us, after seeing the sin and corruption in the temple courts, would have just walked on by and did nothing? I wonder how many of us would have just ignored the situation because we didn’t have an interest or a desire to deal with it? Just as Jesus was zealous for spiritual living and for the things of God, we must be zealous as well.

Scripture Readings: Acts 5:42; Romans 12:11; Psalm 42:1,2; John 2:17

The Bible says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Have a blessed day!

Jennifer

Keep Knocking!

When William Carey had succeeded in establishing his pioneer missionary work in India, his supporters in England sent him an assistant, a Mr. Ward, who was a printer by trade. Soon they were turning out printed portions of the Bible for distribution among the natives. Carey spent many years learning the language and wrote grammars and dictionaries for the use of his successors.

One day while Carey was away from his station, a disastrous fire broke out and completely destroyed the building, the presses, many printed Bibles and, worst of all, the manuscripts, grammars and dictionaries on which Carey had spent so much time.

When Mr. Carey returned, his servants told him of the loss. Without a word of despair or anger he knelt down and thanked God that he had the strength to do the work all over again. He started immediately, not wasting a moment in idle despair and before his death he duplicated his first achievements and produced far better work than he had done formerly.

Thousands, in this world, have lost all—including the very house over their head—and many who know the Lord have gone on, in faith, seeking to serve Him in and through it all. When sudden disaster and loss come to God's people, He again proves His all-sufficiency. Having Him, all else is as rubbish. Let us be completely occupied with Him and His glories.

God encourages us to come to him for our every need. We shouldn't despair if God does not answer our prayers immediately, he will in due time, if we continue to pray. He often hears prayers and grants blessings even "long after" they appear to be unanswered or withheld. He does not promise to give blessings "at once." He promises only that he will do it, or "will answer" prayer.

Why does He often cause us wait? He tries our faith. He might leave us to persevere for months or even years, until we "feel" entirely our dependence on him, until we see that we can obtain the blessing in no other way, and until we are "prepared" to receive it.

Often we aren't prepared to receive it when we ask for it at first. We may be proud, or have no just sense of our dependence, or we would not value the blessing, or it may "at that time" not be best for us to obtain it.

However, all of these blessings our heavenly Father is more than ready to give to every one that asks for them, like an indulgent parent gives food to a hungry child. And this is the advantage of the prayer of faith, that it quiets and establishes the heart in God. We should go to Him again and again, until the prayer is heard, and God grants what we ask of him. (Luke 11:9-10) Perserverance in prayer, and persistence in faith will always get God's attention!

Scripture Readings: 2 Corinthians 6:4; 2 Corinthians 8:7; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; Luke 11:8

Let us pray:

Father, You bless those who revere Your name and delight in Your commands. In the midst of inner turmoil or outer conflict I will not be shaken for my heart remains steadfast trusting in You and Your overall plan for my life. I want to remain firmly grounded as I overcome the daily obstacles common to all who live on earth. Help me to learn the valuable lessons along the way as I press on toward the goal for which You have called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Amen.

May God Bless You,

Robyn