Relabel Yourself | Fuel for the Weekend

God told me to share my faith on Fridays and call it Fuel for the Weekend. It's my desire that the posts I put up on Fridays will give you something to think about, ponder, consider, and reflect on throughout the weekend. If it leads to discussions with your family and friends, even better!

1 CHRONICLES 4:9-10

And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

Many are familiar with this short passage in the Old Testament. It is quoted often, books have been written surrounding this account, but it is worth looking at again. In the middle of the THIS ONE begat THAT ONE and THAT ONE begat THIS ONE.... we see God just carved out a little space to tell us about an honorable and upright man before Him. The man is Jabez.

Jabez literally means He Will Cause Pain. Imagine everyday of your life from birth, when someone called your name, they were literally saying, Hey You That Causes Pain, come here. One Who Will Cause Pain do this or that or the next thing. Everyday of his life was a reminder that he caused his mother pain when she delivered him at birth. Not only did she mark him for life because of the experience she had giving birth to him, but anyone who called him by name was labeling him the same way.

What things has society said about you day after day?

*Not Smart Enough*

*Never Be Tall*

*Least Likely To Succeed*

*Too Tall*

*Too Skinny*

*Clumsy*

*Larger Than Life*

*Broke For Life*

What images do you see that make you think your nose is too big or maybe it seems crooked? Who are you comparing your bank account with? Where are you going for advice when life seems bad and you walk away depressed and discouraged more than before you talked to those people?

Friends, God wants to relabel you. Let's start in the beginning.

GENESIS 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

GENESIS 1:26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

GENESIS 1:27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

GENESIS 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

GENESIS 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

GENESIS 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

GENESIS 1:31 And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Here is what God said about Jabez in 1 Chronicles, that he was more honorable than all his brothers. The one child his mother named HE WILL CAUSE PAIN is the best child she had. In fact, he probably did everything he could to not live up to his name. Meanwhile, his brothers probably caused a great deal of pain to others but they did not have that title. That tells us that what people think of us, including friends and even our own family, is not definitive of who God says we are. God says he is a man of honor and He chose to answer his prayer!

God made us in His image and in His likeness. We look like our Heavenly Father. We are made like Him. That is why the devil hates us. Satan does not like the constant reminder that we are created in the image of God and His identity is seen throughout His created people. Why would he choose to attack our identity so much? Look at our culture in America? From a small, innocent child to an older adult we are being challenged about our identity! Babies are being slaughtered in the womb because the devil has created confusion and chaos about the identity of what a baby is!

God immediately gave us purpose when He created us. He made us males and females to have dominion over the creatures in the sea, the creatures in the air, and creatures on the earth. God blessed the males and females that He created. He made us, gave us purpose, and blessed us. What else does the text say? God gives us an assignment. He wants us to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. God wants us to have babies and fill the earth with His people.

He wants us to subdue the earth, which means to bring it under control. The devil hates that and wants to fight us in this purpose every single day. He wants to bring chaos and confusion and division to the world. You and I, and all of God's people are to bring peace, love, joy, and hope found only in Jesus to the world.

And I love that God gave us food. He provided things to eat that would benefit our body and keep us strong. And what did God say after He created the sun, moon, stars, the ocean, and land? It was good. When He made light and night He said it was good. But after He made humanity, He said it was very good.

Whatever someone else labeled you, does not have to define you. You are who God says you are. You are not less than that and you are not more than that. Apart from God we are nothing. He is our Maker. He is our Creator. He is our God. He is our Heavenly Father and He has a plan and purpose for every single person on the planet. Who does God say you are? I challenge you to spend time this weekend praying and pondering that question. Read the Bible and ask Holy Spirit to show you in the lens of scripture the way God sees you. Do not let anyone call you anything else.

I hope today's post has challenged you to not conform to the ways of this world. We must not become like the world. ROMANS 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.   

Let's strive to be more like Jesus Christ. He is the Great Example and Pattern for us. It is my prayer that something you have read today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 28 | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to Bible Study Wednesday! This year God has pressed upon my heart to study the book of Psalms. Each Wednesday we take a closer look at a new chapter. Today we are going to chapter 28. If you have not done so, please take the time to read through these 9 verses. I will be sharing some thoughts about today's passage and break down this chapter below. Please pray and ask Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to receive everything He has to teach you in today's passage. Let's begin!

Verse 1:

David is praying to God, asking Him to hear his heart's cry. David always begins addressing God. David wants to hear from God. He says if he does not hear from God, he will be like those who have no hope. Today, you and I have hope if we are in Christ Jesus. EPHESIANS 2:11-13 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. David is desiring to be in close fellowship with God. JAMES 4:8 Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye doubleminded.

Verse 2:

David wants God to hear his supplications. Supplication means to ask or beg for something in earnest and in humility. David knows God is Sovereign and in charge. He humbly comes to God begging for him to hear and answer his prayers. We see that Daniel did the same thing. DANIEL 6:11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Sometimes we pray to God with thanksgiving, and other times we ask what we need in humility, and yet other times we come with supplication and thanksgiving because our need is so great. I love that Daniel says it isn't because we are good or holy that we make these supplications, but we ask because You God are so merciful. DANIEL 9:18 O my God, incline Thine ear, and hear; open Thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by Thy name: for we do not present our supplications before Thee for our righteousnesses, but for Thy great mercies. 

Verse 3:

David does not want to be in the same category with the wicked. He has separated himself from those who willfully sin and say one thing but then do another in deceit. David says, "They speak peace to their neighbors but mischief is in their heart. So often in our society we see the same thing coming from political leaders, religious leaders, world leaders, and it needs to stop. God is not pleased with this work and it will not go unpunished. GENESIS 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. You may think that verse could have been written today in 2022. These were the days of Noah. What does the Bible tell us about the days of Noah? LUKE 17:26-30 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Verse 4:

David wants God to punish the wicked. He is asking that they reap what they have sown. JOB 4:8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. GALATIANS 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. This sowing and reaping principle is in God's Word to teach us to not be like the wicked but to sow things in the fertile soil of the Spirit.

Verse 5:

In this verse, David gives the results of disbelief in God. Those that do not care for the things of GOD and do not see His hands at work are going to be destroyed. ROMANS 3:3-4 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. Whether humanity believes in God or not does not change who He is. It does not erase Him from existence. Jesus is still God whether we choose to see it or not, but one day all will see and acknowledge Him for who He is. PHILIPPIANS 2:8-11 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name; That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth: And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Verse 6:

God heard David's requests and now David honors God. Friends God is listening to our prayers. He hears us and He answers us according to His Will. He has a purpose and plan for all of us. ECCLESIASTES 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: His desire is to save humanity from our sins and to gather as many sons and daughters as are willing to join His family. You and I are here to help with that purpose. If we do not get some things we ask for, it might be because it would hinder our walk with the Lord. We can be assured He does answer us and we ought to be like David and bless God for doing so.

Verse 7:

David says God is his strength and shield. As a man of war, David understood the value of a shield. He knew how important it was to be strong in battle. Our lives are one battlefield after another and we must draw strength from God and allow Him to protect and shield us from the enemy. David says his heart trusts in God. I am sure David did not trust a great deal of people. His children rebelled against him. His father-in-law tried to kill him. He had a lot of enemies but He trusted God because over the course of his life, David could see God's fingerprints all over his life. David said God helps him and that gave him a reason to rejoice and sing praises to God. Have we appreciated the things God does for us, or are we taking it all for granted? 

Verse 8:

God is not just the source of David's strength. Look at this verse again. It says that for those who are anointed, God is our saving strength. What a beautiful promise. Do you remember when Paul said he was going to get the crown of life? He said it was stored up for him, but not just for him only. No, he said we all get one. 2 TIMOTHY 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing. If we are looking for Jesus to come back with expectancy and jubilee, then we have a crown of righteousness waiting for us as well.

Verse 9:

David's ends the prayer with a final request. Save, bless, feed, and forever lift up those that are Yours God. We belong to God if we are a servant of the Most High God. He will save us, redeem us, bless us, care for us, and meet our every need.

I hope that as you studied today's passage with me that you will see how good God is. He is a loving, protective Father and He wants to be in relationship with every single one of His children. If you have been encouraged please let me know. I appreciate all the feedback. I pray that something I have shared on the blog today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 25 | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to Bible Study Wednesday! This year God has pressed upon my heart to study the book of Psalms. Each Wednesday we take a closer look at a new chapter. Today we are going to chapter 25. If you have not done so, please take the time to read through these 22 verses. I will be sharing some thoughts about today's passage and break down this chapter below. Please pray and ask Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to receive everything He has to teach you in today's passage. Let's begin!

This is another psalm composed by David. This particular psalm is like a prayer that we might pray when we face difficult circumstances and obstacles in our way. Have you ever been there? I know that I am facing some tough situations that have left me shaken to my core. I am fighting with every fiber in my being to just get back to the closeness I once felt with God. I have not turned my back on God and He absolutely will never forsake nor abandon me. But sometimes when He is the closest we may feel Him the least. Did you catch that? Sometimes when He is the absolute closest to us, we may feel His presence the least. He is teaching us to wait and to trust, instead of to fear and run.

Verse 1

I want to sit with verse one for a minute. I do not want to glaze past this key verse. If you want to have a close relationship with God, you can take a literal page from David's book and watch how he speaks to God. Watch how he composes his thoughts and how he makes his requests known. First and foremost David does not go to God with a list of a bunch of complaints. He does not lead with that, in fact, we will watch how he communicates with God, but the key to all of this is to first acknowledge God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy steps.

David says in verse one, "Unto Thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul." David goes straight to God and he says, "God, I lift my soul to You. This is bigger than me. This is smaller than you. You can handle this, God, but I cannot. I lift my soul to You." Have we done that? Believe me when I say that this particular study is more for me, Bridgett, than for you, the reader. I hope you get some revelation and clarity and encouragement from this, but I desperately need this right now.

Jesus said, in Matthew 6:9, "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name." His name is to be revered, respected, hallowed. We are to come to God with humble reverence knowing He is Sovereign. He is God. He is Holy. He is Righteous. He is All Powerful. We must not approach Him the way we speak to our fellow man. He is to be reverenced and respected. David said, "I lift up my soul to You, LORD." He is Jehovah. He is first and He is exalted. We must not forget that. Society tells us Jesus is our personal Savior and then we start putting God in a personal size box. Please do not do that! Yes it requires a personal relationship but it is not to diminish who He is.

Verse 2

Do you trust God? Do you really trust Him to take care of the things going left in your life? You try to do things upright with integrity, but are you allowing Jesus to take the wheel and be in full control of the destiny? Are you trying to manipulate the situation to go in the direction you think it should go? Remember what happened when Sarai gave Abram her handmaid to conceive children with? Sarai grew tired of waiting on God to open her womb so she took matters into her own hands, but it was not what God wanted.

Genesis 16:1 and 3: Now Sarai, Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

God promised to bless Abraham and Sarah with a son in Genesis 17:15-16. Abraham laughed and questioned how a child could be born of him who is 99 years old and Sarah that is 90? He said, "O that Ishmael might live before Thee God." But God said the blessing would not come through Ishmael, but through Isaac that Sarah would bear. Sometimes we get our hands in the mix and muddy the waters. God is trying to do something spectacular and they are not able to comprehend it, so they do not wait well. Could this be our story?

David says in the second verse, I trust You God. Don't let me be ashamed. In other words, he is putting his confidence and steadfast, unwavering faith in God. He is praying that God will not allow David to be put to shame in front of those who are watching him. He is asking for victory over his enemies. The devil is our enemy and he wants us to run in fear and cower when he threatens us. He is a liar and we must run to the shelter, the High Tower, and be saved!

Verse 3-7

These are David's requests:

*Do not let anyone who waits on You, God be ashamed.

*Let the ones who deal treacherously and sin without a reason be ashamed.

*Show me Your ways, O LORD.
*Teach me Your paths.

*Lead me in Your truth.

*Teach me.

*Remember Your mercies and loving kindnesses.

*Forget my sins from my youth.

*Forget my transgressions.

*According to Your mercy, remember me for Your goodness' sake.

He declares:

*You are the God of my salvation.

*I will wait on You all day.

*Your mercies and loving kindnesses are from eternity.

What does your list look like? David is asking for forgiveness and mercy. He wants to be pardoned and redeemed. He wants to be remembered by God. He wants God to teach him and lead him in God's ways. He knows he cannot do anything on his own. What are we saying to God? What declarations are we making? Are we willing to wait all day on God? Do we long for His salvation, His mercy, and His loving kindness?

Verses 8-10

David goes right into the characteristics of God.

+Good

+Upright

+He teaches sinners the right way to go.

+He guides the humble in justice.

+He teaches the humble the right way to go.

+The paths of the LORD are mercy.

+The truth is for those who keep His covenant.

+The truth is for those who keep His testimonies.

Are you living your life in a way that reflects the righteousness of God? He teaches sinners and the humble. He is not just showing a few people the right way to walk, He teaches everyone. It is up to us individually if we say yes to His ways or yes to our own.

Verses 11

David repents of his sins. He asks God to pardon him for God's name sake. David knows he is not worthy of forgiveness: none of us are. God chooses to forgive us because He loves us that much! Do you have unconfessed sin in your life? Take the time now and ask God to blot it out. Ask Him to cleanse you from all filthiness of the flesh and all unrighteousness.

Verses 12-14

David says that the man who fears God will be taught what way to go. His soul will live at ease and his children shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." The LORD God will share intimately with those that fear Him. He shares secrets others cannot know and He will show them what He has promised them. Are we living in a way that this verse is about us? If not, we can repent like David did, and ask for that connection and partnership that God longs to have with us.

Verses 15-22

David has his eyes on God. If we keep our eyes on Jesus we will not fail. Remember Peter walked on the water with Jesus but the moment he stopped looking at Jesus and looked at his circumstances surrounding him, he began to sink. Matthew 14:29-31 And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous (violent), he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Are you like David with your eyes steadfast on God? Or are you more like Peter and you start out locked on the Master and then you feel the waves and violent wind and you know that it does not make sense for you to be able to walk on water and yet you are, and now confusion and doubt sweeps through your mind? Are you of little faith like Peter who started out well but then began to sense the trouble surrounding him? If you are more like Peter and less like David in this particular instance, just ask for Him to save you and He will immediately pick you up out of your miry clay and will set you in the safety of the boat. He will not leave you stranded. What if Peter did not ask for Jesus to save him? He would have struggled and possibly drowned in the horrible storm. Jesus did not let that happen, but Peter had to ask for His help. Are we still trying to prove that we are tough, or are we willing to stretch our hand out and ask the Master to save us?

Again in verse 20, David asks God to keep his soul because "I put my trust in Thee." He again asks that God not let him be put to shame for trusting in Him. He prays, "Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on Thee." In the waiting we must maintain our integrity and honesty. Though the promise seems to be delayed and we cannot see what God said He would give us, we cannot lose our faith and hope in the only Trustworthy God. We cannot give up in the waiting, but we must continue to trust Him. David ends with, "Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles." Are we asking Him the same thing?

God is a good, good Father. He is going to hear and answer our prayers. We can have confidence of this. 1 JOHN 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us; And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of Him.

I pray that today's Bible study has been a blessing to you. It has been encouraging to me and I really hope it has been the same for you. It is good to find a place in the Bible where someone else was in similar situations and we see their prayers and questions and how God blessed them and answered them. We know we have confidence to ask for things from God that He wants us to have and we will have them. We may have to wait a lot longer than we anticipated and it can feel like we should just give up and walk away, but God is going to come through for us and it will be better than we ever could have imagined it to be.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 24 | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to Bible Study Wednesday! This year God has pressed upon my heart to study the book of Psalms. Each Wednesday we take a closer look at a new chapter. Today we are going to chapter 24. If you have not done so, please take the time to read through these 10 verses. I will be sharing some thoughts about today's passage and break down this chapter below. Please pray and ask Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to receive everything He has to teach you in today's passage. Let's begin!

First of all, I want to mention that I realize this post is going up late. I have been unwell and had to start antibiotics but I want to do this week's Bible study. I apologize for those who may have looked for a Bible study post on Wednesday. I appreciate the prayers of those who have been keeping me in their prayers. Thank you so much!

Verses 1-3

David opens up this psalm with declaring who God is. He owns the earth and everything in it. The whole world belongs to God. He created it and established it and it all belongs to Him. We see similar statements in other Psalms as well as in 1 Corinthians and Genesis.

1 Corinthians 10:26 For the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof.

Psalm 89:11 The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, Thou hast founded them.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Psalm 8:3-4 When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?

David declares the Sovereignty of God and then asks who is able to stand in God's Holy place? Remember when we studied Psalm 15 in April? We see in the verses following what it takes to see God.

Verses 4-6

Psalm 73:1 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

To receive the blessing from God, and righteousness from the God of our salvation, we must have a pure heart, humbleness, and honesty. Anything else will separate us from God. In verse six, David says this is the generation that is seeking God's face. Often in prayer we seek God's hands. We want Him to do something for us, or give us something, or work something out for us. David says the key here is to seek God's face. Seek relationship.

Psalm 27:4, 8 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in His temple. When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.

The key to finding God when we look for Him, is having the right motives. Are we looking for Him because He is our Heavenly Father? Are we desiring to get to know Him better? Are we just desiring to be in His presence? Yes, He wants to answer our prayers, and He wants to bless us, but He also wants fellowship with His children.

Verses 7-10

Verses seven and nine are mirror verses of each other, as are verses eight and ten. Let's look at the first pair. These fraternal twin verses are referring to the ushering in of God's glory. It is a descriptive picture of gates and doors opening and welcoming the King of Glory.

Haggai 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

The last fraternal twin verses ask who is this King of glory? David says, The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle, the LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Amen! He is!!

Revelation 19:13-16 And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Friends the day is coming when we will see Jesus. We may see Him as Righteous Judge and hear the scariest sentence in the world, "Depart from Me, I do not know you." We may see Him as Righteous Judge and Savior as He declares, "Enter in, well done, good and faithful servant." We will see Jesus one way or another. For God's people, this Bible study is exciting and we are ready to hail our King Jesus! We are ready to cast our crowns at His feet in gratitude for all that He has done for us and all the things He brought us through.

If you are not a part of God's family, and do not allow Him to direct your steps, and plan your future, you can change that! Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. He will forgive you of your sins and He will seal you to be His child forever! Trust in Him and accept the gift of salvation that cannot be purchased or earned. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, so we can go free today. Have you trusted in Jesus? I hope you will!

Thank you all for understanding about the delay in the blog posts. I am trying to get things worked out so the delays will be less frequent. I am thankful for all of you who read my blog and study with me each week. It is a blessing and I appreciate you all so much. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

APRIL FOOL'S | Fuel For The Weekend

Welcome to the end of another week. We have entered a new month as well. The first quarter of this year has literally flown by and if you blinked, you just might have missed it!! Today is a holiday, though it does not get a lot of attention. No candy is marketed for the holiday, no rush to buy gifts and exchange them, and no party will be planned around it. Rather, it is a day of practical jokes and pranks. I am talking about April Fool's Day. I once heard that atheists complained that they had no holiday to celebrate and so this day is made for them. PSALM 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

I was taught in school about the Big Bang Theory and how the world in all its beauty and splendor came from gas explosions in the atmosphere. When I challenged what made the gases no one could answer me. It seems they are content in believing that gases always were, atoms have no beginning or ending. It sounds like they are confused. God has no beginning and no ending. He is infinite. Our finite minds cannot wrap around a God who always was, who is, and always will be. We live in the realm of time. It takes a great deal of faith to believe the human body just came to be because of some cosmic blast. Our minds are such complicated things that even science has yet to tap into all the intricacies of it. We are intelligent beings, able to reason, to think, to choose, and you will never be able to convince me that we are some miracle of the elements. There is absolutely no way!

GENESIS 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. It takes faith to believe that God created the heaven and the earth and all that is in it. If you read the first few chapters of Genesis the Word of God declares that God made everything. He speaks to the Word, which is Jesus, and they created man in their image. GENESIS 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. The devil did not like that and so he tricked Adam and Eve into sinning and we were separated from God. Sin entered in. The good news is that Jesus' blood atoned us. ROMANS 5:10-12, 19 (10)For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (11)And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the atonement. (12)Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (19)For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.

PSALM 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell in therein. This is very clear to me. The message is that God owns the earth and everything in it; the world and those that live in it. Many choose to believe that universe is a power in and of itself. They have such great faith in something like that but cannot wrap their head around the Truth that God created all that we see, every man, woman, boy, girl, bird, animal, plant, tree, everything! It definitely takes a lot more faith to believe that deception than it is to put your trust in God our Creator.

JOHN 1:1-5, 10-14 (1)In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2)The same was in the beginning with God. (3)All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. (4)In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. (5)And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (10)He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. (11)He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. (12)But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name; (13)Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (14)And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Jesus is the Word made flesh. He was with God in the beginning when God created the world. We know this because of verse ten. He was in the world, and the world was made by HIM! The world He created did not know Him and His chosen people did not receive Him. From the moment He was born, the enemy tried to kill Jesus. They had no room for Him in the Inn and they had no room for Him in their hearts.

There are two camps of people in God's eyes: the righteous, and the ungodly. The ones who trust in God and put their faith in Him are the righteous. They that look to God's Word as a guide for their thoughts and behavior. The ungodly are the fools who say there is no God. PSALM 1:1-6 (1)Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (2)But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. (3)And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (4)The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. (5)Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (6)For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. I did an entire Bible study on this first chapter of Psalms and you can read that by clicking HERE.

In closing, I will share the words of Joshua in the Old Testament. The people were facing a choice. Today we face the same choice. We must make up our minds and settle it in our hearts whom we will serve. JOSHUA 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. The choice is the same today: You can choose the idols your ancestors worshiped. You can choose the god of money, fortune, and fame that are in the land we live in today. Or you can choose the God of heaven who made all of creation. You must decide for yourself. No one can make up your mind for you. As for the Owens' household; Paul, Bridgett, Kadesia, and Javan will serve the LORD.

I pray you choose Life. Jesus is Life. There is no other way to get to God. JOHN 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me. As you embark on another weekend, I pray that you will make the decision to follow Jesus. If you already are a servant of the LORD MOST HIGH then I pray you will share the Gospel with others and use this silly holiday as an opportunity to share your faith. God is a loving, good Father and He wants all of His children to be with Him for eternity. Let's not miss heaven for the world!

May something I shared on this blog today be strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 8 | Bible Study Wednesday

 

This year, 2022, God has been taking us through the Psalms each week. I have learned so much in the past 7 weeks. What a tremendous privilege it is to study with you all. Some of you have shared with me things you are learning and ways you are growing and it absolutely thrills my soul to hear it! To God be all the glory! If you have not done so, please take a moment to read through Psalm chapter eight. It is only 9 verses long and it is so encouraging!

Verse 1 David begins and ends this chapter with a proclamation of how great God's name is. He says, "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!" What a way to begin this passage. We need to acknowledge how excellent God is before we start listing our requests and before we ask Him for anything. Let's first just brag on how awesome our Great God Jehovah really is! What a wonderful God we serve. He is wonderful!

Verse 2 I really like how the New Living Translation says this: "You have taught children and infants to tell of Your strength, silencing Your enemies and all who oppose You." Isn't that so good? Even little children will speak of God's goodness. Remember what Jesus said about becoming like children? Matthew 18:3 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven." Jesus said we must be like little children to enter into heaven. Why? Because children are quick to believe what grown ups tell them. Their little minds are open and ready to receive what you tell them. They have faith. They are also quick to forgive and let go of petty arguments quickly. Have you ever watched children playing together? They start arguing over a toy and one is crying and the other is mad and then before you know it they are back in the sandbox playing and laughing like nothing ever happened. Little children like to brag on their parents, too. "My daddy is so strong. My mommy is so pretty." We need to brag on our Heavenly Father. "My Father is so awesome He makes stars and planets and all of creation! My Daddy loves me so much He has angels protecting me wherever I go." Let's get excited about sharing the goodness of our Heavenly Father!

Verses 3-8 David starts looking around at what all God made and He just has to proclaim how great our God is. He sees the stars and the sun and moon. He knows it was no accident. God ordered it to be so and it is so. And who are we as humanity that God should even pay attention to us? Yet, God in His great love for us has perfected every detail of our lives. It says he is crowned with glory and honor. Hebrews 2:6-10 says, "But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." 

We were created in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, Let us make man in Our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." And when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we become re-created. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

This is an encouraging word today! God has given us dominion and authority because He alone has all power and dominion over everything! Every evil spirit has to obey God and every wicked principality and power must be in subjection to Him. We can choose to join David in the first verse and again in Verse 9 in proclaiming, "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!"

Thank you for joining me this week to study this encouraging chapter. God is on the move. I had a few glitches trying to get this up, but God came through and reminded me of what He wanted me to share earlier today. I am so thankful I serve a God who can even help me fix my computer, amen?!

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

The Flood: Cause, Warning, Provision | Fuel For The Weekend

Many Christians have heard about Noah and the Ark. We color pictures in Sunday school while we learn about a big flood filling the earth and Noah and the animals are saved. We often hear it so much when we are growing up that we never actually read the Bible for ourselves to see what happened in Genesis chapter six. Today we are going to look at the cause for the flood, the warning God gave, and the provision He made for Noah and his family and all of the animals.

The Cause

We know that God always wanted His people to marry within their culture. He was very clear in Deuteronomy 7:1-4 "When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly." We read in the first few verses of this chapter that they were intermingling with other nations, marrying and giving in marriage to pagan nations. It was causing them to do things that God was not pleased with. Genesis 6:5-6 "And God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD (the LORD was sorry) that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart." The cause of the flood was men's wickedness. It grieved God's heart that He ever made men and put them on the earth. From the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, it was chaos, confusion, and violence everywhere God looked. He had His hand upon the people and they kept rejecting Him and disobeying Him. Violence filled the earth and wickedness reigned supreme. It made God so sorry He made mankind that He decided to destroy His own creation. I cannot imagine how wicked things were to make God say that. I know He is long-suffering with our generation and how far removed society is from God and His ways now. It must have been difficult for Noah and his family to live in that kind of environment.

The Warning

God made a decision that He would destroy humanity. Genesis 6:7 "And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them." The Bible goes on to say that Noah was found blameless in his generations and walked with God. Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. God looked at the earth filled with violence and corruption and it grieved Him. Genesis 6:13 "And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth." God has warned Noah because He loves Noah. Noah was found to be an upright man, doing good, and following after God. God is a loving and merciful Father and He does not desire for Noah and his family to die, so He makes provision for them.

The Provision

God gave Noah specific measurements and directions about how to build an ark of gopher wood. He even explained what He was going to do to destroy everything in the earth. He gave Noah a promise in Genesis 6:18 "But with thee will I establish My covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee." God and Noah were in covenant agreement now. They were partners in saving Noah and his wife, their sons and their wives and the animals God told Noah to bring with him. God told Noah what animals to bring and how many. He told him to bring food for himself, his family, and the animals. And in the last verse of this chapter we read what Noah did with God's instructions. Genesis 6:22 "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he."

What about you? What about me? Are we doing things according to all that God has commanded of us? Do we live life on our own terms and base decisions on what we think is best instead of trusting God to know what is best? Noah found grace in God's sight because he was willing to listen and obey God when He told him what to do. Are we getting alone with God to listen to what He is telling us? Are we reading the Bible daily so we know what to do and what not to do?

People on the earth in that day were doing whatever was popular. They followed each other instead of God. They served idols and false gods. They had no desire to live a disciplined life to please God, but Noah was different. He was a leader, not a follower, except when it came to following hard after God. We must be like Noah. We must not allow the culture we live in to dictate what we do. We must not let the fashion industry, the news, or social media tell us what to do and how to live. Instead, open up the pages of God's Word and let Him show you His will for your life. Things always turn out so much better when I yield to the Will of God. instead of trying to figure things out on my own.

This weekend as we head into a potential icy, winter storm situation again, here in southern Indiana, I am going to meditate on God's Word. I want to remember the cause for the Flood and the warning God had given, and the provision He made for Noah and his family and the animals. When God gives us specific instructions, trust and believe He will also make a way for you and me to do everything He told us to do. It seems so hard to wrap my mind around how Noah gathered all those animals into the Ark, but God helped Noah and gave him wisdom on how to get the animals to trust him and to follow him. God made the gopher wood available in the quantity Noah needed. The more we put our hand to the plow and keep working the row in front of us, God will continue to bless our efforts and provide everything we need.

I hope something I shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 6 | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible Study. This year we have started studying the book of Psalms. We are working our way through this delightful book in the center of the Bible. It is found in the Old Testament and in it we find psalms written by Moses, David, and Solomon. Chapter six in Psalms is a Psalm of David. It is the first of seven penitential psalms. These penitential psalms were recognized by the ancient church as dealing primarily with sin and forgiveness of sin. If you have not taken the time to read these 10 verses, please take the time to do so. Feel free to take notes, cross-reference verses and study this further on your own. Let's begin.

Verse 1 David opens the prayer up with a plea for mercy. He is requesting God not to reprimand him when the LORD is angry. It has been said that correcting a child when one is angry will cause that child to become bitter and angry, too. If one has an opportunity to cool off, then they can reason with the child and the child will then learn the lesson and hopefully not do it again. David is asking God not to correct him in God's hot displeasure. This is David acknowledging that he had sinned. He is not pleading innocent. He is not making excuses. He just wants God to be gentle with him right now.

The Bible tells us God corrects those He loves. Proverbs 3:12 "For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."

Verse 2 David asks God for mercy. He tells God, "I am weak." Now that David admits to sinning, he can see that he was operating in the flesh and our flesh is always weak. Do you remember when Jesus was talking to Peter? They were in the garden of Gethsemane and Jesus was going to be crucified. It was just a short time before Jesus was arrested. Peter wanted to die with Jesus but now Peter gives in to slumber in the garden when he should have been watching Jesus and praying with Him. In Matthew 26:41, Jesus said, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." We all know that Peter denied Christ three times right after Jesus was arrested. David recognizes his flesh is weak. 

David says his bones are "sore vexed" which literally means his "entire being" were vexed. Hebrews thought such suffering was connected directly with sin. This then would indicate David is begging for mercy because he is asking for forgiveness of sin.

Verse 3 Have you ever wondered how long you would suffer? Did you ever ask God, "How long?" David is sorrowful over the wrong he had done. He feels that separation from God because sin always separates us from our Holy Father. He longs to feel close to God again. It is not just a plea for God's pardon, but he longs to have that fellowship again. David wants God to mend their broken relationship. 

Verse 4 David asks God to return to him. David was a man of worship. He loved God and was devoted to God but that did not give him a pass on sin. He still had to confess it to God and allow God to cleanse him and set him back in right standing. David says "Save me for your loving kindnesses sake." He is calling out God's character now. David is saying in essence, "God I need you to save me. I know you are kind and loving and merciful. Please let me feel Your presence again."

Verse 5 This verse is interesting. David begins to talk about death and dying. Sin always leads to death. Remember in the garden of Eden when God told Adam not to eat the fruit of a specific tree? Genesis 2:15-17, "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." The reason they died the day they ate of it was it immediately separated them from God. Sin always creates a schism between us and God. They did not die immediately upon one bite of the fruit, but they did begin to die because of the separation of sin. Disobedience is a sin and they willfully disobeyed God. They heard what God said and knew what the instructions were, but when they heard another voice that sounded more appealing they went with the decision to do what they wanted to do. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

James 1:15 tells us when sin is finished it brings forth death. David is making a case for his forgiveness. He tells God that when we die we no longer remember God. We are not able to praise God in the grave. We can no longer thank God for what He has done and is doing when we die.  In Psalm 115:17 it reads, "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence." David is basically saying that he wants fellowship again with God, so he can praise and worship God like he had before.

Verse 6 David is not just sorry that he has sinned against God, he is sorrowful. He has been covering his bed with tears. He is exhausted from the groaning and grief he feels. He has been wrestling with this for a while. He is weary. He wants God to be merciful to him and deliver him. Can you feel the wrestling he is going through in the spirit? He wants to be reconnected with God.

Verse 7 David continues to speak of his grief and how it is affecting him. In another Psalm, David shares his heart about how he is feeling. Psalm 31:9 "Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul, and my belly (body)." This grief in verse seven is overtaking his whole being. He does not want to live without God's fellowship.

Verse 8 David begins to speak to the sinners around him. He is telling them to leave him alone. He no longer wants to be a part of what they are doing. Sometimes we have to cut ties with people. Sometimes we have to separate ourselves from workers of iniquity. If we continue to spend time with them and learn their ways, it will not be long before we find ourselves separated from God. 2 Corinthians 6:18-18, "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

Verse 9 David says, "God heard my prayer of repentance and He has forgiven me." He knows God received his prayer. He knows God is listening. He wants us all to be saved and repent from our sinful ways. God wants to save all of us from the destruction of doing whatever we want. Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Just because something is popular or it looks like a lot of people are doing it, does not mean it is Biblical or pleasing to God. We must pray and ask God to help us know what to do and how to do it. Many will find the wide gate and the broad way to hell. The straight gate and narrow path that leads to life is less crowded. Not as many people want to sacrifice anything for God. Not many are willing to stand out or be different in an effort to be closer to God.

Verse 10 Victory at last! David has received God's pardon. He is forgiven. He is cleansed. David prays all his enemies will be ashamed and greatly troubled. He says they will turn around and suddenly feel ashamed. We know the devil is our enemy. When God forgives us in His grace and loving kindness, we know the enemy is angry and has no choice but to turn around and run. He is no match for God and he never will be. James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

The Bible tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness," according to 1 John 1:9. We are all imperfect human beings. No one goes through this life without sinning. We read in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." If you have sin in your life, please tell God. He already knows. Just tell Him what you have done and ask Him to forgive you. The Bible promises you will be forgiven and He will put you back in right standing with Him again. He longs to be in relationship with His children. Be like David, and admit you have sinned and ask God to forgive you, and just like God forgave David; He will also forgive you.

I hope you have enjoyed today's Bible study. It is such a blessing to dig deep into the Scriptures and break the Bread with you all. Share today's blog post with someone you think could benefit from today's lesson. Feel free to leave a comment below, or you can email me if you would rather do that. I appreciate all the feedback and kind words you all share with me. Have a blessed day!

~Bridgett Owens

In the Garden | Wednesday Bible Study

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! I love this holiday. Our family tradition is to make cookies, cake, or cupcakes with green frosting and then we talk about what the holiday means. I love everything about Ireland, shamrocks, and rainbows. I don't believe in luck. I know we are blessed. I don't believe in leprechauns or magical creatures. I do believe the rainbow is a sign of God's promise and the real pot of gold is knowing He loves us! I think of three leaf clovers and am reminded of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. But today I want us to study a different topic. I want us to study John 20. There's a lot to unpack so let's begin!

John 20:1-2 (1)The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. (2)Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him.

Let's take a look at what has already happened. Jesus has been brutally crucified at Golgotha, The thieves on either side of Jesus had not yet died so the soldiers came and broke their legs. Jesus was dead so they did not break His legs. One soldier took a spear and pierced our Lord's side; blood and water flowed. There was no doubt Jesus was dead. 

One of Jesus's secret disciples, Joseph of Arimathaea had begged Pilate for the body of Jesus and Pilate granted him permission. Nicodemus, another secret disciple of the Lord, brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes and the two men wound the body of Jesus in these spices and linen grave clothes according to the Jewish tradition of burial. 

John 19:41-42 says, "Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand." In this garden was a new grave that no one had ever used before. The grave was nearby so they chose to lay the body of Jesus there.

Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Jesus and other women had gone with spices to the garden tomb that held Jesus' body. They may have gone while it was still dark so they were not seen. This was a very tumultuous time.

Jesus was so young, only 33 years old. He had loved well, taught well, healed well, and forgiven well even on the cross. The Bible tells us Jesus' back looked like an open plowed field and now these women who have suffered shock and grief like none other are going in mourning and deep sadness to anoint the body of Jesus with these special spices but when they got there they were in for a shock!

Pilate had ordered soldiers to place a boulder at the entrance of the tomb. Soldiers stood guard to make sure the tomb was not disturbed. Pilate knew Jesus said in three days He would rise again and they wanted to prevent anything from happening that might cause people to believe in Jesus and lead to a revolt. They hoped that since He was dead things would settle down and people would forget about the things Jesus taught.

There were no soldiers standing guard when the women arrived and the stone was rolled back. They did not see the body of Jesus. What must have been in their minds? Grief, shock, anger, disbelief, fear! Any of those emotions and maybe all of them could have flooded their minds. What have they done with Jesus? Where is He? What is going on? Hadn't they done enough when they crucified Him? Is this some cruel joke? Where is Jesus?

Mary Magdalene ran to Simon Peter and the disciple Jesus loved. She must have felt panic rise in her throat as she told them what she saw and what she did not see. She told the men that someone had taken Jesus's body but she did not know where.

Sometimes in our own lives we think things will be one way, and as we walk in grief, pain, and loss we believe that nothing could feel worse than what we are going through, until we encounter another set of circumstances that leaves us reeling. I can understand the fear and uncertainty that must have filled their thoughts. The confusion and questions that started to form. Who did this? Why? Where is Jesus now? What could be done about it?

John 20:3-10 (3)Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. (4)So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. (5)And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. (6)Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie. (7)And the napkin, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. (8)Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. (9)For as yet they knew not the scripture that He must rise again from the dead. (10)Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

The two men run to the grave. They didn't believe Mary. There was no way it could be possible. They saw Jesus die on the cross. They saw the tortured body hanging there and heard His cry to the Father as He gave up His Spirit. They knew He was buried with a stone rolled in front and guards at the entrance. 

Peter lagged a little behind the other disciple but once at the grave he went straight to the place Jesus should be laying. He wasn't there. The grave clothes were in one spot in a bunch but the napkin that would was around Jesus's head was folded neatly in a different place. Who would have taken the time to fold the napkin? If this was the job of a grave robber, why wasn't the linen clothes and the napkin all in a pile together?

The significance of the napkin and grave clothes was steeped in Jewish tradition. According to Citizen Times, the Jewish boys would set up a meal for the master and they would wait, out of sight, for the master to finish eating. If the master left the table the servant would know they could clean up if the napkin was wadded and tossed aside. This meant, "I'm finished." The grave clothes indicated what Jesus had declared on the cross, "It is finished!" (John 19:30)

If the master needed to leave the table but was not done eating, the napkin would be folded and the servant would know not to disturb anything on the table. The folded napkin implied, "I'm coming back!" And so we realize the folded napkin was Jesus telling us that He is coming back!

John 20:11-16 (11)But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, (12)And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. (13)And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him. (14)And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. (15)Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away. (16)Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

To recap, Peter and the other disciple left and Mary stayed behind. She was crying. The grief was more than she could take because she did not know where Jesus was. Sometimes in our grief and pain, we can honestly question where is God. We may wonder are we supposed to suffer alone? The answer is no. Jesus knows how we feel and He is with us in our suffering, offering a way of escape. She stooped down to look in the grave one more time. Sometimes we get so low and we have no hope but we think maybe I need to look again. Maybe He is near!

Mary looked inside the grave, the place of death, the shattered dreams and hopes, and she saw two angels dressed in white. They were not in dark mourning clothes because He was no longer there. One sat at the head and another at the feet. It was to let her know Jesus was resurrected but she didn't see it. 

In her grief and despair, she did not even realize she was speaking to angels. She was so distraught and undone that she could not even be comforted at their presence. They asked her why she was crying. She said it was because someone took her Lord away and she doesn't know where they put Him. She doesn't even ask them if they knew anything about it. Have you ever had such despair and loss that you miss important clues that God is in the midst of your circumstances? Have you been so upset that even those who are there to console you are unrecognizable?

Mary stopped looking in the tomb: the place of death. She stopped looking at the finality of everything she hoped for and believed in. She turned around and saw Jesus, but she did not even know it. When tragedy strikes in our lives, and we have more questions than answers, and we feel lost and hopeless: Jesus is there. He comes to our rescue and if we will turn around we will encounter Jesus.

Jesus asked her the very same thing the angels had. She thought he was the gardener. She is in the garden after all: a place where things bloom, blossom, flourish, and thrive; a place of beauty, hope, and peace. She did not recognize his voice in that moment. Sometimes God will take us into a place of transformation that is so incredible, we do not immediately recognize what we see and hear. 

She feels hope spring into her heart. She doesn't tell Him why she is crying. She has hope and she says if you know where they took Him, please take me to Jesus. There is something about being in the presence of God that you just need to be where Jesus is. You have hope. You don't rehearse your problems. You request something from Him because you have hope that it just may happen.

She must have turned aside looking for Jesus. He says her name: Mary. That is all He has to say to us. He simply says our name and immediately we know! We know the voice of our sweet Shepherd and immediately the problems, worries, doubts, and fears all fade away. Mary knew the gardener was Jesus! 

Rabboni means teacher and she was respecting Him. She could have called Him a thousand different things but she chose to call Him teacher! 

John 20:17-18 (17)Jesus saith unto her, Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God. (18)Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her.

Mary Magdalene started to embrace Him, but He could not let her do that yet. He sends her back with a message. She was to go back and tell the others the incredible news that Jesus is alive! It must have been all she could do to not run and cling to Him; so thankful and grateful to see Him again.

John 20:19-23 (19)Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. (20)And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. (21)Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father has sent Me, even so send I you. (22)And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost; (23)Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Imagine the mixture of emotions. Relief, gladness, joy, peace, hope all springing up in the hearts of all who saw Him. He enters with a blessing of peace. His sudden presence in the room must have startled them. The door was shut and secure.

Jesus offers proof that He is the same Jesus who took the nails in His hands and feet and the spear pierced side. He was wounded for our transgressions. He spoke peace to them again; the nail scarred hands and pierced side must have reminded them of the cruel way He died just a few days prior. The emotions still so raw, and so He gave them His peace. He then breathed on them and gave them His Spirit. He empowered them to forgive or retain sins. What a special view we have of the Savior. He has been resurrected and now He empowers His disciples to do a special work for Him. Can you imagine the celebration?

Jesus gives us His peace, too. No matter what we are going through, He will speak peace over us and breathe His precious Spirit over us. We have Holy Spirit inside us leading us, guiding us, and comforting us.

John 20:24-29 (24)But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. (25)The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe. (26)And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. (27)Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing. (28)And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God. (29)Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Thomas had not been with the others when Jesus came to them and breathed His Spirit on them. The others told him what they experienced but Thomas did not have the faith to believe it. He remembered the Lord being crucified. 

The circumstances may not match what others are telling you. Maybe you have praying family or friends and they are telling you Jesus can help. Maybe you are reading this blog and I am telling you Jesus is a way-maker, a promise keeper, a hope giver, a healer, a friend that is closer than a brother and it may not feel like that's true. Maybe you struggle with having enough faith to believe God is going to do everything He said He would do. Friend, don't be like doubting Thomas. He said he would doubt unless he was able to have proof he could actually touch and see. He did not believe hear-say; it seemed too outrageous, too impossible. Friend, don't doubt; only believe.

Eight days passed and Thomas had no encounter with Jesus. Day after day he never saw Jesus face to face. He may have replayed the conversation over in his mind. Maybe he hoped they were telling the truth but he just couldn't believe it for himself.

Eight is the number of new beginnings. He gave Thomas a fresh start. Eight days later He revealed Himself to all the disciples and spoke directly to Thomas to feel the wounds in His hands and shove his hand into His side. Thomas was face to face with Jesus and declared My Lord and My God. 

One day all will proclaim My Lord and My God, but not all will enter heaven because they wanted to see it before they believed it. Look what Jesus said to Thomas. He told him to believe and not doubt. He said you believe because you see it, but blessed are those who believe and cannot see. He is talking about us. We cannot see Jesus in the natural right now. We cannot touch His nail scarred hands and feet. We cannot see the holes where the sword pierced His side or the thorns were shoved into His precious head. We can choose to believe anyway.

Maybe things are really bad. You may have lost your job, lost a loved one, had sickness and a bad diagnosis yourself, but Jesus is with you! He loves you. He will help you through the tough seasons. He will carry you through the grief. Maybe you received bad news and feel like it's out of your hands to fix it. Give it to Jesus and He will fix it for you!

John 20:30-31 (30)And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: (31)But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing ye might have life through His name.

What a precious end to this chapter. For us, it is not really the end, but simply the beginning. We read about the events at the empty tomb to remind us that whatever grave markers are in front of us, we still have hope when we have Jesus. We may have lost some things in the past year, but God is walking with us. He sent His only Son Jesus to die for our sins and then raised Him from the dead so you and I can have life through Jesus. 

I know the waiting season can be so long. The winter season is so hard with death, frozen dreams, impossible circumstances, loss, grief, pain, discomfort, and sorrow, but spring is coming! The ground will thaw. Everything the enemy stole from you will be returned in better condition than it was taken. God is a giver and a lover. He is a good, good Father and He cares about us. He tells us to cast our cares on Him because He cares about us. (1 Peter 5:7)

Next month is Resurrection Day! We celebrate the grave could not hold our Savior. Jesus is alive! But let this truth be ours every single day! No power is stronger than the power of God. Is Jesus in your heart? Is your heart His home? Have you called on His name? Have you believed in Him? If you haven't, now is the time!

Are you struggling in your faith? Is the season you are going through hard and long and feels like it never will end? Take hope in knowing Jesus is with you.

He loves you.

He helps you.

He protects you.

He equips you.

He provides for you.

He wants to fix what is broken and all we have to do is ask and believe He will do it.

Genesis 2:8-9 (8)And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden: and there He put the man whom He had formed. (9)And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

It all began in the garden of Eden. Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane before He was arrested. He was buried in a garden near the place He died. Jesus appeared as a gardener after the resurrection. We are still in a beautiful garden, tended to by the Master. He plants us, waters us, makes us grow and thrive, and when we have done everything we needed to do, He gently removes us from this earthly garden and takes us Home.  

I hope something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens