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, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Love, prayer, Quiet Time, She, Volume 3

Tabitha

Posted on by MaryEllen

adapted from the She study, delighting in the women of the Bible, volume 3, pp 68-69

Today’s Scripture Reading: Acts 9:32-43 and Proverbs 31:10

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”

Proverbs 31:10

Tabitha, also known as Dorcas, is another woman of the Bible who is seldom taught and little known by most. Actually, if you had asked me three weeks ago (before I began looking through this study book) who Tabitha was, I would have told you she was a character from the Bewitched Show.1 It wasn’t until I began reading today’s passage of Scripture that I remembered her story. This Tabitha was not an adorable child who could twitch her nose and make things move or disappear. Instead, she was a New Testament believer known for her good works and kind deeds. These deeds/works are not really elaborated on, but what we do know is that she was specifically known for her good works and acts of love for the poor/needy, particularly the widows (Acts 9:36 & 39).

While Tabitha’s story is told in a mere seven verses, it is one of inspiration and a miraculous restoration of life that led to many more believers in the city of Joppa. It is safe to say that her testimony is far more valuable than rubies. This is made evident when Peter not only responds quickly to the message he received about her passing, but then raises her from the dead.

SHE WAS ALIVE AGAIN, A LIVING TESTIMONY OF THE MIRACULOUS GRACE OF GOD.2

Friends, like Tabitha, our testimonies matter. How we live for God, not only on Sundays or when people are watching, matters. From our words, to our facial expressions, to the things we do for God and for others matter. How we live will either lead people toward God or away from Him. As my pastor preached yesterday,3 “others will know when we have spent time with Jesus”(Acts 4:13).

Every time a person is raised from the dead, it is a stupendous miracle, showing that the God who is Himself the Source of Life has the ability to give life to whom He will—even after death.4

Tabitha serves as an example that faithfulness can lead to great miracles and much fruit, which in this case was other believers5 (Acts 9:42).

Reflections and Application

When others see us, will they see that we have spent time with Jesus? Will they be able to tell that we are faithful followers of Jesus? When they hear or see that we are sick, will they call others in the body of Christ to pray for us? Will the watching world see what Jesus is doing in us and choose to follow him as well?

Faithfulness is a rare quality. How can you/we be more faithful?

The More We Know

How many people were raised from the dead in the Bible?

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bewitched ↩︎
  2. She, delighting in the women of the Bible, volume 3, p 69 ↩︎
  3. Sermon, The Cost of Following, by Pastor David Lemming ↩︎
  4. https://www.gotquestions.org/raised-from-the-dead.html ↩︎
  5. She, delighting in the women of the Bible, volume 3, p 69 ↩︎

https://lmbc.org/media/v5r87c4/the-cost-of-following-part-3

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, prayer, Quiet Time, She, Volume 3

Rhoda

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from the She study, volume 3, pp. 57-58

Today’s Scripture: Acts 12 and Matthew 7:7-8

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

Have you ever been so excited or stunned by something or someone that you reacted differently than expected? That appears to be how it was with Rhoda – today’s woman of the BIble. Did you even know there was a Rhoda in the Bible? – I remember the story of Peter coming to the door of the house unexpectedly, but I did not remember the “damsel,” as the KJV describes her, named Rhoda. Her reaction to Peter’s appearance made me laugh out loud, mostly because I could picture myself reacting the same way.

James is killed, and Peter is imprisoned

12 About that time King Herod laid hands on some from the church to harm them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword. 3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) 4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly praying to God for him. 6 On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. 8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” Peter did so. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.” 9 Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 After they had passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, when at once the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting to happen.”

12 When Peter realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying. 13 When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told them that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 But they said to her, “You’ve lost your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was Peter, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were greatly astonished. 17 He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet and then related how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place.

Acts 12:1-17

Their answer to prayer was literally knocking on the door of the house.1

While I love Rhoda’s reaction, I appreciate even more that the very thing (person) they were praying for was knocking on the door of the house. Yet when they received her report, they thought she was crazy and declared that it must be his angel. However, when they heard the knocking, “they opened the door and were greatly astonished.“

Friends, while this might come across as a slapstick comedy at first, it is real. Peter was captured and awaiting a trial that would most likely result in his death. Prayer warriors were gathered together, praying for him – a prayer that, I imagine, most certainly would have included pleas for his protection and deliverance. Now, he stood knocking at the very door where they were praying. Yet when Rhoda, who recognized his voice, told them he was there, they could not believe it was true. I would dare say, most, if not all, of us may have reacted the same way. Much like Thomas2, they needed to see it to believe it. While this is, of course, human nature, it brought a surge of conviction/reminder to me that when we pray, we are to pray believing and expecting God to answer, we are to watch and wait expectantly, and not doubt. We are to remember His deeds from the past, from speaking the world into place, to parting the Red Sea, to the empty tomb … and all of His miraculous deeds, including the evidence of His hand in our own lives. May we continually stand amazed at the door – astonished – not because we didn’t believe He could do such a great thing, but because we are overwhelmed with the joy we receive when we see His great deeds and experience His response to our prayers.

Rhoda serves as an example of the gladness and joy that we can receive when the Lord answers our persistent prayers.3

Reflection and Application

What evidence of His hand have you seen in your own life?

The More We Know

  1. She, Volume 3 [delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible], pp 57 and 58 ↩︎
  2. John 20:24-29 ↩︎
  3. She, Volume 3 [delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible], p 58 ↩︎

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, She, Volume 3

Rahab, part 2

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from the She study, volume 3, pp. 51-52

By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace.

Hebrews 11:31

Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho, had not only welcomed the spies into her home, hid them, and lied to protect them, but she also professed her faith in their God. God considered this an act of genuine faith and spared her and her family from the destruction that met all the others who lived within the city’s walls. This was the promise the spies had made to her at her profession of faith in God and her request to “be saved” (Joshua 2:12-13).

For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below!

Joshua 2:11

The spies agreed to her request, giving her three conditions:

  • 1) She must distinguish her house from the others by hanging a scarlet rope out of the window so the Israelites would know which home to spare.
  • 2) Her family must be inside the house during the battle; and
  • 3) She must not later turn on the spies.

Rahab agreed to the conditions and sent them safely on their way, and then tied the scarlet cord in the window, a signal of their commitment to her and visible expression of her faith in God

Safely escaping the city, the two spies returned to Joshua and reported that the “whole land was melting with fear.” The Israelites crossed the Jordan into Canaan where they laid siege to the city of Jericho. The city was completely destroyed, and every man, woman, and child in it was killed. Only Rahab and her family were spared. Ultimately, Rahab married Salmon, an Israelite from the tribe of Judah. Her son was Boaz, the husband of Ruth. Joseph, the legal father of Jesus, is her direct descendant.

Gotquestions.org

I love that Scripture gives us details about what happened after the spies escaped. I love that it includes the details of Rahab and her family being spared, and I marvel at how we see that she was saved for a purpose – and what a purpose it was! Rahab was not only spared from certain death but also escaped to safety and married Salmon. Salmon was from the tribe of Judah, whose wife, Tamar, gave birth to Boaz, who grew up to marry Ruth, who gave birth to Obed, who became the father of Jesse, the father of King David, whose royal dynasty leads directly to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad. Psalm 126:3

The More We Know

The cord was not merely a passive marker but a visible expression of Rahab’s faith in God.

Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute from Jericho who, due to her faith, protected two Israelite spies and became a significant figure in the Bible. Often cited as one of the first Gentile converts to worship the God of Israel, she is part of the lineage of Jesus Christ, demonstrating God’s grace to outsiders. (gotquestions.org)


Salmon, the father of Boaz is a significant figure in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, as outlined in the Gospels. He is traditionally believed to have been one of the Israelite spies who married Rahab, the Canaanite woman from Jericho who protected the spies (Joshua 2). This union is a powerful example of God’s grace and the inclusion of Gentiles into the covenant community. Salmon’s marriage to Rahab also highlights the theme of redemption and transformation, as Rahab’s faith led to her becoming part of the lineage of the Messiah. This connection to Rahab is a testament to God’s ability to use unexpected people and circumstances to fulfill His divine purposes.

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Quiet Time, She, Volume 3

Rahab, part 1

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from the She study, volume 3, pp. 49-50

Today’s Scriptures: Joshua 2:1-15; Genesis 12:3

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse that curseth thee and in thee: shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 12:3

When Joshua sent two men to spy out Jericho, we are told that they went into the house of a prostitute named Rahab, whose house was on the town wall. To help explain why/how the spies came to be in the house of a prostitute, gotquestions.org offers this insightful explanation:

It may seem strange that the spies found refuge in the house of a prostitute—what were they, people of God, doing there? The answer may be quite simple. To state the obvious, perhaps the spies were seeking the services of a prostitute. There is another possible explanation, however. The house of a harlot was probably a good place to avoid detection—a couple of travelers entering such a house would probably not arouse much suspicion. The spies, seeking anonymity, figured a house of prostitution would be a good place to find it. Also, Rahab’s house was situated on the city wall (Joshua 2:15), providing an escape route. As it turned out, the spies’ choice of a hiding place was God-ordained.

God gives us so many wonderful examples of His timeless and boundless grace through the people He saves and chooses to use throughout His Word. Rahab is definitely one of these living illustrations. We find her story in Joshua chapters 2 and 6 as well as in Matthew 1:5, Hebrews 11:31, and James 2:25. Each time she is mentioned, we are pointed to her faith, and in three of those passages, the author notes not only her faith but things she did because of her faith. In the Joshua 2 account, Rahab:

  • hid the men in a safe place
  • lied to protect the men when men from the town came searching for them
  • made her faith known to them
  • sought protection for herself and her family, and
  • when it was safe, she safely let them down through the window

She serves as an example that when we bless the people of God, He will bless us in return.

She, delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible, p50

Like Gomer in the book of Hosea, Rahab is among my favorite stories because of how God’s grace is revealed to and through her. Notice, for instance, one of my favorite passages in this story: “9 And she said unto the men, ‘I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.’”

Friends, may we make sure others hear what God is doing in our lives and in the world around us ~ so that, like Rahab, they might declare their faith and be saved.

The More We Know

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) – There is no one, not even a prostitute, beyond the saving grace of our God.

If you have questions about how you can be saved and what it means, I invite you to read “Know These Truths,” where you will find why and how – and the promised hope that Rahab received.

Know These Truths
Posted in From the Insideout, Bible study, Devotion, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Quiet Time, She, Volume 3

Rachel

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from the Bible Study: She, delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible, pp 43-44

Today’s Scripture: Genesis 30 & 35 and 2 Corinthians 4:17

 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

2 Corinthians 4:17

A Season of Barrenness

In our previous post, we looked at the life of Leah, Rachel’s older sister, who was:

  • deceitfully given in marriage to the man Rachel was promised to
  • delivered six sons to Jacob, while Rachel remained barren

As today’s study journal points out, Rachel was much like Sarah, Jacob’s grandmother, who took matters into her own hands rather than waiting on the Lord to provide, Genesis 30:3-6. Because of this, she ended up with two sons by Bilah, her handmaiden.

Rachel was the one whom Jacob loved, yet she had not bare him any children.

She, delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible, p43

Friends, like Rachel, I have experienced barrenness. For eight long years, I longed for a child. For eight long years, I waited – patiently at first, but over the years, patience turned to impatience, bitterness toward God, and resentment of any of my friends (and for that matter, strangers) who became pregnant before me. Bitterness turned to anger, and anger resulted in a broken relationship with God and the alienation/loss of once treasured friends; and yes, like Rachel, I blamed and resented my husband. Little did I know that God was using all of the brokenness through those eight long years to lead me right where He wanted me to be – slowly but surely to the way of restoration and blessing. First with Him, then with friendships – old and new – and eventually to the daughters I would have.

“After that trial of waiting, God remembered Rachel and gave her children.” 1

Rachel gave birth to Joseph and died shortly after giving birth to Benjamin, the last of Jacob’s sons.

Rachel serves as an example that what we seek and eventually find may end in sorrow, but God always has a purpose and will for our lives.

She, delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible, p44

Reflection and Application

Reflect on the years of your life. How has the Lord used sorrow in your life for your good and His glory?

The More We Know

Read the full story of Rachel (and Leah), which is found in the Book of Genesis, primarily in chapters 29 through 35. It details their marriage to Jacob, their intense rivalry, and the birth of the children who became the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel, including key events such as Laban’s deception.

Know These Truths
  1. She, delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible, p43 (and Genesis 30:22) ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, Journey Through The Word, She, Volume 3

Leah

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from She, Delighting in the Examples of the Women of the Bible, pp23 -24

Today’s Scripture: Genesis 29; 1 Samuel 16:7; Proverbs 31:30

“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”

Proverbs 31:30

Leah was the daughter of Laban, the sister of Rachel (who we will look at tomorrow), the first wife of Jacob, and the mother of seven of Jacob’s children – including Judah.

To truly appreciate the story of Leah and see God’s hand in her story, I believe it is helpful to understand how she came to be the wife of Jacob1.

Leah serves as an example that God does not look on our outward appearance, but rather He looks upon our hearts.

She, Delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible, p24

“Leah’s first mention in the Bible comes in the story of Jacob. After Jacob tricked his father and stole his brother’s birthright (Genesis 27:1–29), he was forced to flee to the home of his uncle Laban in Harran. There, Jacob fell in love with Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel. Leah, being the older daughter, should have been the first to marry, unfortunately, she was homely, whereas Rachel was beautiful (Genesis 29:17). Because of his love for Rachel, Jacob made a deal with Laban to work seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage.”2

At the end of the seven years, as promised, Laban gave Jacob his daughter in marriage. However, because of cultural protocols of the day, Laban deceived Jacob and gave him Leah in place of Rachel. From there, Leah’s story unfolds, and we see God’s sovereign plan play out on the pages of Scripture (Genesis 29:30-31). It was a plan that included Leah giving birth to six of Jacob’s sons—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. From Leah’s line, through Judah, would come the prophesied Messiah.

Scripture makes it clear that Leah was not the one Jacob wanted (Genesis 29:16-18), for he loved Rachel more than he loved Leah ( Genesis 29:30). Nonetheless, Leah became:

  • Jacob’s unplanned first wife. We know Jacob did not appreciate this, but I can’t help wondering how Leah felt about this. Was she happy that her father had carried out the cultural demands of the day? Or, was she embarrassed, sad, or even angry to be married to someone who did not want to be married to her? Did she feel bad for her sister or vindicated to have her rights as the first daughter?

She also became:

  • The first to give birth to Jacob’s children. For “when the LORD saw that Leah was barren, He opened her womb: but Rachel was barren” Genesis 29:31.

God Sees the Heart

“Jacob may have loved Rachel more because of her outward beauty, but it was Leah whose inner beauty allowed God to choose her to birth the son of Jacob from whose line Jesus Christ came.” While Leah may have suffered the pain of being “second choice, the Lord chose to use her in a great way for His glory.”3

“…for the LORD seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

Knowing the full story of Jacob, when I read this portion of Leah’s story, I can’t help but think of the saying, “what goes around comes around.” I’m not at all saying this is what happened, but as Jacob’s deception cost Esau his birthright, Laban’s deception has now robbed Jacob of the ‘love of his life,’ at least for a short period of time. Apparently, the same cultural norms of the day that allowed Laban to justify his deception also allowed him to give Rachel to Jacob as soon as Leah’s bridal week was over. – YIKES! I cannot imagine living under such customs, nor can I help wondering how Leah and Rachel felt. Were they angry, hurt, embarrassed, or simply happy to be married?

Application and Reflection

How can you apply Leah’s character to your life?

The More We Know

  1. Who was Jacob in the Bible?  ↩︎
  2. Gotguestions.org,Who was Leah in the Bible ↩︎
  3. She, Delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible, p23 ↩︎

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Quiet Time, She, Volume 3

Gomer

Posted on by MaryEllen

adapted from She, Delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible/volume 3, pp17-18

Read: Hosea 2 and 3 (note, while this may seem a lot of reading, it is a beautiful love story you won’t want to miss)

“Therefore, I will soon fence her in with thorns;
I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.

Hosea 2:6

Gomer has long been one of my favorite women of the Bible. I first met her not through Bible study but through a novel written by Francine Rivers. The novel is called “Redeeming Love“. A story written to tell what I believe are the two most beautiful love stories of all time. One between a man (Hosea, the servant of the Lord) and a woman (Gomer, the adulterer), and the other between God (who loves Israel with an everlasting love) and Israel (God’s chosen people who continually chase after the other gods of the world).

Gomer’s story was instrumental in helping me to understand not only the deep relational love of God but His marvelous, life-changing mercy and grace. I have read both the book of Hosea and the novel version, Redeeming Love, more times than I can count – and am convinced that Christianity is more than a religion – it is about having a genuine and meaningful relationship with God; not just a god but the true and living God who pursues His people with a faithful and personal love. He is broken-hearted when we forsake Him for other gods, yet relentlessly loves and pursues us.

We cannot do Gomer justice with this one short look at her, but I hope to journey through her story over the summer. For now, I will borrow from the study journal of Delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible/volume 3, pp17-18, and give you the bullet point version of Gomer’s story:

  • She left her husband, and suffered the consequences.
  • She left her Hosea, but he loved her still.
  • He redeemed her back to himself.
  • She is a picture of the nation of Israel that was separated from Judah, but she is also a picture of us.
  • Gomer serves as an example of how Jesus Christ loves us and wants to redeem us.

It struck me as I was working through this section of the journal that for Gomer, adultery meant running away, trading her relationship with Hosea for relationships with other men. But I have learned this isn’t the sole definition of adultery – for believers, for me, and perhaps even you – it happens whenever we have choose to forsake our relationship with God for one or more relationships with the gods of this world.

Friends, as Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 6:20, we have been bought with the high price of Jesus’ blood, and so we are to glorify God with our bodies. We are to pursue Him with a faithful love that turns neither to the right nor to the left but stays close to Him. We can do this in a number of ways:

  • Prayer and staying in His Word are vital to a healthy relationship. (James 4:8)
  • Keeping our eyes and minds on Him so that we are not easily swayed by the enemy and other loves of this world. (James 4:8; Isa 26:3; Philip 4:6-8; 1 Peter 5:8)
  • Seeking to please and honor Him in all that we do and say. (Colossians 3:17)

do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

May this be the way we live, surrendered to loving God with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength… living and loving like Jesus… and faithfully walking in the Spirit

The More We Know

How has Jesus redeemed us?

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, She, Volume 3

Elizabeth

Posted on by MaryEllen

adapted from the She study, volume 3, pp11-12

You will show me the way of life,
    granting me the joy of your presence
    and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Psalm 16:11

Elizabeth is a well-known woman of the Bible. She is a beautiful example of faith and of the fullness of joy in the presence of the Lord. We find her story in Luke, chapter 1, verses 5-80, where we learn that she was the wife of Zachariah, the prophet, and she was very old when she conceived. She was also the cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is this part of her story that we will focus on today.

Not long after Mary learned that she was pregnant with Jesus, the Son of God, she traveled to visit her cousin Elizabeth in Judea. Let’s stop and marvel for a minute at the contrast of the miracles God had worked in both women. Mary, a young, unmarried virgin, has just learned that she has become pregnant through immaculate conception, while Elizabeth, who was described as ‘barren and very old’ in Luke 1:7, is now six months pregnant. I can’t help but notice how their stories accentuate the beautiful truth that: “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 

Luke 1:35-36

While I love the entire story of Elizabeth and Mary, I particularly appreciate the beauty of Elizabeth and her baby when Mary arrived.

39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

Luke 1:39-45

Elizabeth was clearly overwhelmed at Mary’s arrival, but it was more than excitement to see Mary. Scripture says that it was because “at the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s baby leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” This was evident by Elizabeth’s “glad cry and exclamation to Mary,” that “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.” Elizabeth goes on to question why she is so honored to be visited by the “mother of her Lord.” What a moving and beautiful example of how the joy we find in the presence of the Lord our God affects those around us.

Experience and Application

Friends, I know that I share (or perhaps overshare) various stories of how God has worked in my life – so forgive me if you have heard this too many times. However, I cannot read this story without remembering my own experience with being unable to conceive for eight long and often torturous years. While I realize this in no way compares to the number of years that Elizabeth waited, it did offer me a similar experience as God restored a joy that had long been stifled by life’s sorrows and disappointments. For it was during my pregnancy and the birth of my first daughter that God sent several “Elizabeth’s” to me who poured out encouragement and joy by feeding my soul and mind with the Word that I had somewhat tuned out for years because of my disappointment in myself and in God. The pregnancy itself brought a sense of joy because I had hoped so long for it, but through the joy of godly friendships, He began doing the work of changing me from the Insideout and when that baby girl was born and they held her up to me – I knew my life would never be the same … not only because I had been blessed with a child but because I was filled with an awareness of His Presence in me.

“May we all seek to be an Elizabeth to someone else.”

She, Volume 3, p12

The More We Know

  • Who is an Elizabeth in your life?
  • Who was Elizabeth’s Son?
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