Pondering Week One - Jesus the One and Only

In this introductory section, Beth sets the stage for the birth of the Christ child. She describes the 400 year period in between the Old Testament and the New Testament as being a time where God was silent in His communication with the Jews. The hearts of the people were "hard as flint" and they would not listen. They commanded the prophets not to prophesy, they did not want to hear God's voice instructing them how to live.

How many times I have done just that... I did not want to hear God's voice because I knew He would convict me to stop some behavior that I did not want to stop. So I picked and chose what I wanted to listen to, or just stopped listening all together. How I must grieve (notice I am using present tense...) the heart of God.

Anyway, since they stopped listening, God stopped talking. For 400 years. And the silence was deafening for these people who defined themselves by their ability to hear the voice of God. The silence created an incredible insecurity in them, which gave birth to legalism... they needed some boundaries within which to conduct themselves, since the Lord, who had always guided them, was silent. I thought this perspective was very interesting, thinking of the hundreds of laws the Pharisees set forth to direct the Jews on how to live... contrast that with the 10 Commandments that God gave...

But though it appeared that God was silent and inactive, He continued to work for the fruition of His merciful plans for us...

The silence produced in the Jews a thirst, a hunger for the Word of God. God, in His wisdom, withheld that which was essential to their abundant life, to make them aware of how much they needed it, craved it...

This whole idea of creating a thirst in their hearts for the Truth, for the Word of God, reminds me of something I learned when I was in Israel a couple years ago.

Part of our tour was a trip to a biblical botanical garden, where they had all the plants mentioned in scripture. At one of our stops through the garden, our tour guide described the citron tree - which is like a large lemon - and requires lots of water. It is one of the symbols of the Feast of the Tabernacles, a festival which is centered around praying for rain. She reminded us that when God gave the Israelites the Promised Land, He told them, "The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven... So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today - to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul - then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil." (Deut. 11:10-11, 13-14) What the Lord is telling them is that when they were in Egypt, the fertile soil pretty much irrigated itself, yet in the Promised Land, they would be completely dependent upon Him for sending rain in its season. The Festival of the Tabernacles, or Succoth, takes place in October. It is a time where they celebrate the harvest. And it is a time where they pray for the autumn rains. Think about this - they have had no rain since the springtime. The water they are living on at this point has been sitting in the cisterns for several months. It is stale and still water. They need the autumn rains to fill up their cisterns with fresh water. Add this next bit to the equation: when Jesus first spoke about his living water, it was the last day of the Feast of the Tabernacles. Scripture says (John 7:37-38), "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of LIVING WATER will flow from within him." This was certainly symbolism that the Jewish people, who were thirsty after months of summer, for fresh, clean water, would understand in a flash. Jesus was offering them fresh, pure, living water, of which, if they chose to believe, to drink, they would never be thirsty again (John 4:14).

Did that hit you like it hit me? It made me cry, it was symbolism that I felt in my gut. I really understood what Jesus was saying for the first time!

Don't you love getting the cultural perspective on the scripture? Doesn't it breathe freshness into your understanding of the Word? Doesn't it help you to understand a little better how much the Lord God, the Creator of the Universe, loves YOU?

So tying this back into our lessons this week... :-), God's silence, like the dearth of rain over the summer, created in the Israelites a hunger, a thirst for Him, for His Living Water, for His One and Only Son... Jesus.

Well, I guess this week's lessons certainly sent me down a few rabbit trails! But they all lead back to our Awesome, Amazing, Loving, Ever-faithful Savior! Amen!

Please let us know where the lesson or where this blog post led you... we would love to hear what you are thinking, where the Lord is leading you!

Praying that you are discovering that Jesus truly is the One and Only...

My King by S.M. Lockeridge

The Bible says my King is a seven-way King:
He’s the King of the Jews – that’s a racial King.
He’s the King of Israel – that’s a national King.
He’s the King of Righteousness.
He’s the King of the Ages.
He’s the King of Heaven.
He’s the King of Glory.
He’s the King of Kings and He’s the Lord of Lords.
That’s my King.
….Well, I wonder, do you know Him?
David said, “The heavens declare the glory
of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork”
My King is a sovereign King – no means of measure can define His limitless love.
No farseeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of his shoreless supplies.
No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings.
He’s enduringly strong.
He’s entirely sincere.
He’s eternally steadfast.
He’s immortally graceful.
He’s imperially powerful.
He’s impartially merciful.
….Do you know Him?
He’s the greatest phenomenon that has
ever crossed the horizon of this world.
He’s God’s son.
He’s the sinner’s Saviour.
He’s the centrepiece of civilisation.
He stands in the solitude of Himself.
He’s august and He’s unique.
He’s unparalleled, He’s unprecedented.
He’s the loftiest idea in literature.
He’s the highest personality in philosophy.
He is the supreme problem in higher criticism.
He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology.
He’s the core and necessity for spiritual religion.
He’s the miracle of the age, yes, He is.
He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him.
He’s the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Saviour.
….I wonder if you know Him today?
He supplies strength for the weak.
He’s available for the tempted and the tried.
He sympathises and He saves.
He strengthens and sustains.
He guards and He guides.
He heals the sick.
He cleanses the lepers.
He forgives sinners.
He discharges debtors.
He delivers the captives.
He defends the feeble.
He blesses the young.
He serves the unfortunate.
He regards the aged.
He rewards the diligent and
He beautifies the meek.
….I wonder if you know Him?
Well, this is my King.
He is the King!
He is the key to knowledge.
He’s the wellspring of wisdom.
He’s the doorway of deliverance.
He’s the pathway of peace.
He’s the roadway of righteousness.
He’s the highway of holiness.
He’s the gateway of glory.
….Do you know Him
Well, His office is manifold.
His promise is sure.
His life is matchless.
His goodness is limitless.
His mercy is everlasting.
His love never changes.
His Word is enough.
His grace is sufficient.
His reign is righteous and
His yoke is easy and
His burden is light.
I wish I could describe Him to you.
But He’s indescribable – Yea! Yea! Yea!
He’s indescribable – Yes He is! He’s God.
He’s indescribable.
He’s incomprehensible.
He’s invincible,
He’s irresistible.
Well, you can’t get Him out of your mind.
You can’t get Him off your hand.
You can’t outlive Him and
You can’t live without Him.
Well, the Pharisees couldn’t stand Him,
but they found out they couldn’t stop Him.
Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him.
The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree.
Herod couldn’t kill Him.
Death couldn’t handle Him.
The grave couldn’t hold Him. Yea!
That’s my King!
That’s my King! Yea!
And Thine is the Kingdom and the power
and the glory forever and ever and ever and ever.
How long is that?
And ever and ever.
And when you get through all the forevers, then Amen!
GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY! AMEN! AMEN!

And God Showed Up...

What an incredible Discovery Women event we had this morning. We've been praying over all the details of this event for months, praying that God would bring the ladies, praying for each one who would come, praying for our speaker, Kay Moll, and inviting the Holy Spirit to join us. Well, not only did the Lord show up, but He brought a record number of women with Him!

Kay Moll is an amazing and powerful speaker. And she is more beautiful every time I see her, the epitome of 2 Cor. 3:18 and we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. She shines so brightly for Him.

Some key notes/quotes:
*Our contentment should not be based on what we have but on who HE is!
*Kay shared a story where a woman told a speaker all about her troubles, thinking that she would get sympathy and a "poor thing" attitude. After listening to her, the speaker instead told her, "and then there's Jesus.... "
*"Lord, cover me, extend the mantle of your garment over me, cover me with your grace, Lord, because you are my nearest kinsman".

Kay also shared a powerful picture of "My King", based on the sermon by S.M. Lockeridge. I will print the words for you in the next post.


Many thank yous to everyone who helped to make this day happen!

You Need to Know ...

That you can subscribe to this blog, so you will know every time there is a new post! If you look up at the address line where you typed the address of the blog, there is a little orange square with rounded lines in it. If you click on that, it will subscribe you! Simple as pie, and you will not have to worry about missing any of the exciting happenings in Women's Ministry at Discovery Church!

Something New!

Ladies, I don't know if you are aware of this, but we have a team of women who, prior to each event, pray for the event, and for each woman who will attend the event. It has always been our desire to cover each of these special times and each woman in prayer, that hearts would be soft and ears prepared to hear the message God has designed through our time together.

We recently decided, though, to involve each of you in the preparation process! For this upcoming event on September 13th, please take a few moments before Saturday to read/pray/meditate through the following scriptures:
Philippians 4:10-11
2 Corinthians 1:2-11
2 Corinthians 12:7-10

After the event, we will be following up periodically with questions posted here or sent to your email or home, questions that are hopefully thought-provoking and help you to continue to apply the truths shared by Kay Moll and to grow your EveryDay Faith.

Can't wait to see you at Discovery Church on Saturday the 13th!