Author: MaryEllen

I am a follower of Christ, on mission for God, fueled by His Word and empowered by His Spirit. My life has been blessed but not perfect, crippled with mistakes but forever changed by His grace.
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, Easter, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

A Day of Lament

Posted on by MaryEllen

As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it.

Luke 19:41

Friends, we have journeyed for weeks now, toward the cross, and we have known this day would come. The day God planned from eternity past, the day His only begotten Son would hang and die for us, sinners, condemned unclean! Yet in this world of animatronics, it is easy to forget that He came not as a spirit or a robotic type creature, but as “fully man”! He came as a baby in a manger – a suffering servant – the son of God, yet sent to earth as the son of a carpenter – sent not to sit on a royal throne and be served but to serve and ultimately to die for the world God so loved. Yet not before He would seek and save those who were lost. For He came to dwell among them, teaching them about the God who saves, and to show them the way to live and the way to eternal life. A life that could only come through death – the death of the spotless, scarificial lamb of God.

Just days before His death, we find Him walking into Jerusalem, weeping as He entered the city.

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

41 But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

Luke 19:41-44

Even as He was being welcomed by the crowd as He rode in on the donkey, the crowd was waving palm branches and shouting, “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest heaven!” Even then, (like us today), He wept for He knew what the leaders and rulers were planning. He knew then what had to be – ‘fully man but fully God,’ -He knew and had come to accomplish it – to redeem the lost, a lost and dying world – a world God had chosen to love and to save through the blood of a lamb – a people who would believe in this man – who was also fully God! He knew the death He would die and the destruction that would come upon this city and its people, and He wept – lamenting that the Jews – “of all people,” would have understood the way to peace! He was that Way, but they had rejected Him. They could not see Him as the rescuer He was, but rather as a threat to be done away with! — So He wept, and continued on the road … the road that led to the Temple…the road that led to Him lamenting their blindness, their lack of understanding, and what would come because of it – not just His own death – but the destruction of Jerusalem – The City of God!

Jesus Clears the Temple

Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. 46 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

47 After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48 But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.

Luke 19:45-48

It was a road that led to His authority being challenged…the road that would lead to the upper room…the washing of feet…the last supper with His disciples…the Garden of Gethsemene and His heartfelt prayer of lament that the Father would “let this cup pass from Him” It was the road that led to…Judas’ betrayal and the arrest that followed…Peter’s denial…the trial… and ultimately the road that ended at the cross, or more appropriately stated today – “On the cross”, where He suffered and bled and died, not as one without feeling, but in agony,1 on a cross of scorn, of sin, and shame meant for us.

Friends, Jesus could have called down 10,000 angels to take Him from the cross – , where He suffered and bled and died, not as one without feeling, but in agony.1 It wasn’t His cross to bear, it was ours – a cross of scorn, of sin, and shame but as a sacrifical lamb led to the slaughter He took our place, our scouraging, our nails, our pain and shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. 49 But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching. – Luke 23:48-49

Prayer of Response

Father this day brings great sorrow to me, a great awareness of Your sacrifice, of Jesus’ suffering, and of my sin. But I do not sorrow as one without hope – but one who knows that Sunday is coming! And so I cry with grateful heart, thank You, God, for loving me. Thank you, Jesus – Lamb of God, for Your tears and Your willingness – even through lamenting – to not turn back but to take my stripes and my wounds and all the torment it must have been. I am forever indebted and forever changed because of Your love and Your obedience to the will of the Father. Amen and amen! – May my life and lips forever tell Your story!2 –

The More We Know

Credits for today’s graphic belong to Susan Hill’s excellent Easter Devotional, “A Savior Is Risen”, p121.

  1. The Medical Aspecs of the Crucifixion ↩︎
  2. I love to tell the Story ↩︎

Dear Reader: If you do not know the story of Jesus, the truths of His Word and the invitation that is open to you to receive salvation through Faith in Jesus, the sacrificial lamb of God – I invite you (urge you) to click on “Know These Truths” and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ ~ the Way, the Truth, and the Life -~ to all who believe.

KNOW THESE TRUTHS

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Quiet Time, She, Volume 2

The Woman with the Issue of Blood, Part 2

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from: She, Volume 2/pp97-98

Read: Mark 5:25-34

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16 NET

In our previous post, we explored many Scriptures that spoke about the faith of a woman with a bleeding issue. A faith inspired by hearing about Jesus, the man who had healed many people of their infirmities. So certain was she of what she had heard that when she learned where He was, she placed herself in the midst of the crowd that was following Him and worked her way closer and closer to Him, with the hope of being able to simply touch just the edge of His garment. She believed that even that would be enough for her to be healed – and, as we read in Luke 8:44, it was!

After all the doctors and all the money spent and all of the disappointments and growing problems, she touched the hem of His garment, and she knew immediately that she had been healed.

She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak, and at once the bleeding stopped. 

Luke 8:44 NET

Not only did she realize she had been healed, but much to her surprise, and I would imagine (because of the attention it drew to her) some embarrassment, Jesus also knew that someone had touched Him and at their touch power had gone out from Him.

And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

Luke 8:47 KJV

45 Then Jesus asked, “Who was it who touched me?” When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing against you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 When the woman saw that she could not escape notice, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.

Luke 8:45-48 NET

Surely the beauty of this story is that her faith had brought about a miraculous healing, but by following the ‘breadcrumbs’ left by the other writers, we find credible evidence of at least the possibility that through her testimony, others came to Jesus, hoping for the same miraculous touch.

Matthew writes about a time when they had landed in Gennesaret, and “When the people there recognized Jesus, they sent word into all the surrounding area, and they brought all their sick to him. They begged him if they could only touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.” Some commentators speculate that the people may have requested this particular method of healing because they had heard the woman’s story. Friends, regardless of how they knew to ask to touch the hem of His garment, they knew. Regardless of how the woman with the issue of blood had heard enough about Jesus to place her faith in His power, she had heard and believed. The truth and the lesson we must not let pass us by is that it is important to tell others about Jesus. Yes, this means sharing the Gospel, but it also means sharing what He has done in your life, or what you have seen Him do in the lives of others. It’s about sharing the good news that our God changes lives when we call out to Him (or, as in the case of the woman today, reach out to Him) in faith.

Consider this:

Someone told you of your need for Jesus. where would you be if they chose not to share the Good News with you?

She, Volume 2/p98
Reflection and Application
  • Who told you about Jesus?
    • Thank them today.
  • Let’s commit to asking God daily to:
    • show us someone who needs to hear the good news about Jesus
    • help us see them
    • give us courage to stop and share Jesus with them
    • prepare their hearts to receive the message and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
The More We Know

Dear reader, if you do not know Jesus… if you have never put your faith in Him, I invite you to explore “Know These Truths,” where you will discover the Way to everlasting life and an indescribable joy. It is available to all who believe. There is no greater hope for me concerning this website than for God to use it to lead others to Jesus, His only begotten Son, who came to earth so that you might enjoy everlasting life.

Know These Truths
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Quiet Time, She, Volume 2

The Woman With an Issue of Blood, Part 1

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from She, Volume 2/pp95-96

Read: Matthew 9:20-22 and Luke 8:43-48

But a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 For she kept saying to herself, “If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

Matthew 9:20-21 NET

Desperation can cause us to do things we would not usually do; this is the case with today’s woman in the Bible. She is not named, but oh, how we need to know her story, share it with others, and let it affect our faith.

We are not told how she found out about Jesus (Mark 5:27) or how she came to believe that if she could only touch his garment, even the hem of it, she would be healed. Her disease wasn’t one that she could simply walk up to Him in public and talk about. It wasn’t a disease that any doctor or remedy she was given had been able to cure, but it was one on which she had spent all of her money in an attempt to find a cure, only to have the disease grow worse (see Mark 5:25–26).

As bad as those details sound, add to it “the Jewish Law that declared her to be ceremonially unclean due to her bleeding issue (Leviticus 15:25-27).” Which, as gotquestions.org explains, “meant that she would not have been permitted to enter the temple for Jewish religious ceremonies. According to the Law, anything or anyone she touched became unclean as well. The fact that she was in the crowd pressing around Jesus means that each person who bumped into her would have become unclean, too—including Jesus.” However, as has already been said, desperation can push us to do things we would never do otherwise. Such is the case here. “After twelve years of suffering, she was obviously desperate for a miracle.” So, “When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed’” (Mark 5:27–28).

If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.”

Matthew 9:20 KJV

And so it was, just as she had believed. Scripture bears witness to us that the woman was made whole (Luke 8:47 and Mark 5:30). We could stop there with that testimony and celebrate both her faith and the victory that she experienced because of it. However, I can’t resist sharing the following commentary from gotquestions.org, which offers a wonderful bonus reason to lift our hands in praise for Jesus’ transforming power through her faith.

“As soon as the woman touches Jesus, her bleeding stops and she knows she’s been healed. In an instant, Jesus does what no doctor in twelve years had been able to. This proves the power of Christ, of course, but it also illustrates an important point about Jesus and the Law. In Leviticus 15:31 God says, “You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.” In the Old Testament, the temple was where God dwelt among the Israelites, but in the New Testament, God dwelt among men in the person of Jesus Christ (see John 1:14). Through Jesus the penalties of the Law are reversed, and the contamination of this world had no effect on Christ. The woman did not make Jesus (God’s dwelling) unclean—He made her clean!”

Friends, I don’t know about you, but to that beautiful picture of ‘faith’s glorious victory’ I am shouting a loud amen and hallelujah!

Reflection and Application
  • What was so special about the garment Jesus was wearing?
The More We Know

Join me tomorrow as we look at another example of this woman with the issue of blood. It’s amazing what these women can teach us.

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Quiet Time, She, Volume 2, The Gospel

The True Harlot Mother

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from She, Volume 2/p83-84

Read: 1 Kings 3

If you’ve heard the story, you already know the outcome; if you haven’t, then you may be surprised at the King’s first suggestion and the vastly different reactions of the women. Whether the story is new to you or well-known, we must be careful not to brush it aside as irrelevant to us today. Our circumstances and life choices may never place us in the exact scenario of the two mothers, but throughout our lifetime, we will inevitably face difficult choices – choices that make us choose right from wrong, good or evil, love or hate, gain or loss – and in all of these, we must choose carefully. Our decisions must be made with a heart yielded and committed to God’s glory (the righteous choice), even if it means suffering great loss. After all, Jesus told His disciples (including us): whoever wanted to follow Him would need to deny themselves daily and take up their cross, which, as explained by one commentary1, means to: “accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion (Gal. 2: 20 and 6:14).” This is why Jesus went on to say: “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life because of me will save it” (Luke 9:24).

Solomon could not tell from their words which woman was telling the truth. Instead, he issued a shocking command: “Bring me a sword. . . . Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other”

(1 Kings 3:24–25). 
Reflection and Application
  • Leave a comment below with another example of someone willing to suffer great loss for God’s glory.
The More We Know

The chapter’s final verse notes the effect that Solomon’s unorthodox methods had on the kingdom: “When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice” (1 Kings 3:28). Solomon’s wisdom had been given by God when Solomon requested it (verse 5). The account of Solomon’s handling of the case of the two prostitutes showed that he had indeed been granted wisdom from God. ~ (Got questions.org)

Dear reader, if you do not know Jesus… if you have never professed your faith in Him, I invite you to explore “Know These Truths” where you will discover the Way to everlasting life and an indescribable joy. It is available to all who believe.

Know These Truths
  1. Biblegateway.com sn Only Luke mentions taking up one’s cross daily. To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14. ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Quiet Time, She, Volume 2

The Widow with Two Mites

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from She, Volume 2/pp89-90

Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4

While there is much we can learn from the story of the widow and her two mites, two things stood out to me the most. First, as gotquestions.org points out, “God sees what man overlooks. The big gifts in the temple were surely noticed by people; that’s probably what the disciples were watching. But Jesus saw what no one else did: He saw the humble gift of a poor widow. This was the gift that Jesus thought worthy of comment; this was the gift that the disciples needed to be aware of. The other gifts in the treasury that day made a lot of noise as they jingled into the receptacles, but the widow’s mites were heard in heaven.”

God sees what man overlooks.

Got questions.org

The widow mentioned by Mark and Luke is used by Christ to teach the disciples the difference of giving from your wealth and giving from your poverty. In other words there is more value in giving two small coins when you have nothing left to give and giving “large sums” with an abundance left over. Borrowing again from gotquestions.org, “The difference is one of proportion. The rich were giving large sums, but they still retained their fortunes; the widow “put in everything—all she had to live on” (Mark 12:44). Hers was a true sacrifice; the rich had not begun to give to the level of her sacrifice.

“Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God – which is your reasonable service.”

Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ ‭NET‬‬

 “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on” (Mark 12:43–44; cf. Luke 21:1–4).

The widow with two mites serves as an example of how any sacrifice for Christ does not go unnoticed by Him.

She, Volume 2//90

Friends, let’s ask Jesus to help us see as He sees and to make much of even the smallest things done for or given in His name. May our gifts and works for God be ones of faith and sacrifice, rather than those born of duty or seeking notice.

Reflection and Application

  • What has the widow taught you?

Posted in Conversations With God, God is good, Uncategorized

So Much More to Say

Posted on by MaryEllen

Father, You are good – blessing me with the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit – through whom You have not only sealed me as Your own and fulfilled Your promise to always be with me, but You also made a way to communicate with me.

There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future.

You are good to speak TRUTH and in Your omniscient power, You know what to say and when I need to hear it.

I am blessed that You, the Most High God, would want to speak with me; and even greater is the blessing to know the depth of Your desire to make it happen meant sending Christ – Your only begotten Son – to live in human flesh and die in my place on a cross of shame.

To say that “You are good” does not begin to convey Who You are nor what You have done – for truly – Your greatness no one can fathom!

Surely, God, Your Name is great and greatly to be praised! And at the Name of Jesus, Your Son, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue will confess that He is Lord! And this to Your glory – my Father and my God! Amen and amen!

Posted in Bible study, Conversations With God, From the Insideout, God is good

God’s Goodness through His Word

Posted on by MaryEllen

Father, You are good! You are kind and gracious to call us into Your Presence and to give us Your Word and Your Spirit that we might hear from You and know You and Your will. And in doing so – we are forever changed!

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Rom 10:17

We are saved by Your Word! We are built up and sanctified by It – changed and set apart for You.

Now I entrust you to God and to the Word of His grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those He has set apart for Himself. Acts 20:32

Knowing It protects us.

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. Ps 119:11

My child pay attention to what i say. Listen carefully to My words, for they are life to those who find them and healing to their whole body. Prov 4:20-22

Your Spirit teaches It to us and counsels us with It and by It we are convicted and made right.

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to You. John 14:26

Father, no matter what else I forget and no matter how deaf or blind I may continue to become – please – never let me fail to remember Your Word or to hear Your voice or to follow where It leads. In Jesus’ powerful name – amen and amen!

Posted in From the Insideout, God is good

Celebration of Life

Posted on by MaryEllen

God you are good! You have, this day, blessed me with 57 years of life🎉 This number represents more than years of life though – it is a reminder that …

  • through FAITH in Jesus Christ, I have known you as my God for 51 years – and
  • for 30 years I have been GROWING in the knowledge of Your grace and of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ ❤️ and in the nurture and admonition of Your amazing, never failing LOVE!

So while I celebrate and am deeply thankful another year of life today – my greater celebration is in You!

  • I bow in worship and celebrate who You are and that You made Yourself known to me!
  • I bless Your Name – Name above all Names – and celebrate being adopted into Your family and known as a child of God!
  • I praise You for all that you have done for me for 57 years – and celebrate my salvation 51 years ago – and Your mercy to bring me to a fuller understanding of Your Grace and to grow me up in the nurture and admonition of Your Love over the past 30 years!

As I was writing these words – a song from many years back started playing in my mind – And will be my song of celebration today 🎶

Listen to my birthday song

Posted in Uncategorized

Good Reminders

Posted on by MaryEllen

Do you ever wake to thoughts of the past that stir up regrets or to thoughts of the future that stir up fears? This morning was one of those mornings for me.

As I lay there, struggling with the ‘if onlys’ of the past and the ‘what ifs’ of the future – God, in His goodness, prodded me with His Spirit – reminding me (speaking words right into my very soul, it seemed) to fix my thoughts on Him. He was specific, reminding me that this is the day that the Lord has made and I should rejoice and be glad in it. He whispered, Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. I quickly rose in the strength of the reminders – knowing they were words of life and victory over the enemy’s attempt to steal and kill and destroy – but found myself still trying to shake off the regrets and fears that had been stirred up – unfortunately, they didn’t shake off like sand but stuck like caked-on dirt. He rescued me though with one final word – PEACE – reminding me that those who trust in Him and fix their thoughts on Him are kept in perfect peace. With that I was able to move forward free from the debris of fears and regrets and finding myself in worship and awe of God’s goodness. 

As I spent time in the wonder and worship of what had just transpired I looked up the reference He had whispered about Jesus being the author and finisher of my faith – curious as to why that one for this situation and I found these words preceding those: 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down (i.e. Fears and regrets) especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us fixing our eyes on Jesus … Hebrews 12:1-2

Familiar words for sure, hidden away but not thought of or quoted for a while now – but certainly putting into deeper perspective the beauty of how God uses His Spirit and His Word in our lives. 

…the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26

My child pay attention to what I say, listen carefully to My words. Don’t lose sight of them, for they are life to those who find them and healing to their whole body. Proverbs 4:20-22

Prayer: Father, You are good and in Your goodness You have won the battle over the thoughts of regrets and fear that plagued my mind. When You are for us what can stand against us? So, it is in gladness I have risen up to meet this day and it is with thanksgiving that I fix my eyes on Christ, the author and finisher of my faith, and through whom I find forgiveness and renewed strength. It is with steadfast HOPE that I entrust – not just this day – but all the days of my future, whether here on earth or in heaven with You. Yes God, You are good and I praise You for Your Presence in my life and for the work of Your Spirit to remind me of everything You have said. You are a good good Father! It’s who You are and You are mine because of my faith in Jesus Christ. I know You are working all things together for the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose – and in this TRUTH I find PEACE. Thank you for intimately knowing every detail of my life, for knowing the words I needed to hear this morning and for speaking them into me. Is it any wonder that I love and trust You? For surely I have tasted and seen that You are Good! 

Blessings – from the Inside Out 💕

Posted in Uncategorized

How Do We Choose?

Posted on by MaryEllen

I am currently doing the Love God Greatly study on Joshua. This morning’s scripture was from Joshua 13:1-8 and Isaiah 66:3-4 and lead me to these thoughts …

  • Our choices matter to Him
  • We put ourselves and our relationship with Him in great jeopardy when we choose our own ways over His
  • The same is true when we attempt to align His will with ours or come up with a combination of the two instead of fully aligning our will with His
  • When He calls He wants us to answer
  • When He speaks He wants us to listen

My child pay attention to what I say, listen carefully to My words. Don’t lose sight of them for they bring life to those who find them … Proverbs 4:20-22

In this world we will face situations everyday where we must choose our way or His. The question is how do we consistently make the right choice?

As children of God and joint-heirs with Christ we must be careful and intentional with our choices. We must strive to faithfully make God – His Word and Spirit – our guide and priority over what we see and feel and desire.

His will, His pleasure, His ways … should be our utmost criteria.

cri·te·ri·on

noun

plural noun: criteria – a principle or standard by which something may be judged or decided.

From the InsideOut 💕

Borderline Believers