Resurrection Sunday 2026

I am the Resurrection and the Life, he who believes in me will live even if he dies.” John 11:25 

Resurrection; the promise fulfilled. From death comes life. The seed, fallen into the ground dies and brings forth much fruit unto great joy.  

Prior to the cross Jesus said to his disciples, “you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you, John 16:22.  How that joy is revealed to Mary Magdalene as she clings to Him at the tomb on that resurrection Sunday, John 20:17. 

A hope fulfilled with joy unspeakable, overflows in tears at the appearance of Jesus. 

She clings to Jesus as he tells her to, “go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father and my God and your God.”  

Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly, John 10:10. His birth the beginning, His life demonstrating, His cross the finish and His resurrection achieving a new law of life forever, that sets the believers free from the law of sin and death, Romans 8:1-2. He conquered both sin and death, and now reigns supreme seated at the right hand of the Father.  Our God and Father, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist, is the God of Hope who fills us with all joy and peace in believing that we might abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, 

Today marks a great day of joy and celebration for us, for all that has been purchased through Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection.  

My prayer for each of us, is that this day marks a day of newness of life, a strength and zeal for His purposes, a steadfastness in our pursuit of His presence and an ever increasing display of His glory through our lives. 

He is Risen!  …He is Risen Indeed!!  

Saturday - Passion Week

Jesus is buried ~ 

They [Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, John 19:38-42] laid him in a tomb cut in stone where no one had ever yet been laid. 

It was the day of Preparation and the Sabbath was beginning.  On the Sabbath they [the disciples] rested according to the commandment. Luke 23:54;56.

The only hint the bible gives as to what was now occurring in hearts and minds is from Luke’s Gospel recording of the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, Luke 24:14, as they encounter Jesus on the road. Jesus asked what they were talking about and Cleapos replied, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him, But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” 

Our expectations and interpretations of the words from the Lord give us opportunity to stumble, when and if, they do not occur as we have thought.

This ‘Saturday’ had to hold much reflection, disappointment, fear, doubt; all the natural dynamics we would face in the same type of perceived loss.  While Jesus had told them he would rise from the dead, they have no frame of reference for this, other than perhaps what they’d heard of Lazarus. 

Perhaps this is why Mary returned to the tomb, believing Jesus words, “I am the Resurrection and the Life, He who believes in me shall never die”. Not understanding, but still clinging to a hope, somehow, someway, He will rise again.  

Isn’t that what we all face in the same type of situation, the challenge to continue believing what Jesus has said.  Holding a hope that is fixed upon the reality that it is impossible for God to lie. 

This hope holds us steady through our “Saturdays.”  ‘This is why we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the saviour of all people, and especially of those who believe’….1 Tm 4:40 NIV. 

Good Friday

They have crucified the Lord ….

Following a night of arrest torture and trial, Jesus on this Friday morning, we now call Good, is led away to Golgotha to be crucified.  Our Scriptures today are found in Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 18:28-19:37.

It’s a dichotomy, to call something as horrific as crucification ‘good,’ unless you view it from the lens of God’s provision for every one who would believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, offered up for the remission of our sins and reconciliation back to our God and Father. 

Isaiah 53 paints the most graphic and beautiful prophetic declaration of Jesus’ sacrifice. As we reflect on this Good Friday, let us remember the desire of Jesus to fulfill this prophetic word, Matthew 5:17, because of His great love, Romans 8:31-37. 

Isaiah 53:(ESV) 

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people?

9 And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

…..And yet from Lukes gospels 23:34 we read Jesus saying,” Father forgive them, they no not what they do.” 

Isaiah 53 continued..

10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors.

And thus we proclaim, “Good Friday”.

Maundy Thursday

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

John 13:34  

Maundy Thursday 

Maundy ~ from the Latin, mandatum ~ mandate, commandment.  This day of Holy Week emphasizes Jesus’ relationship with his disciples at the last supper, his high priestly prayer, the agony of the garden, and his arrest. 

According to the Synoptic Gospels, (Matthew, Mark and Luke) the last supper was a Passover meal.  John’s Gospel, chapters 13-18, gives us the most intimate picture of the events on this day and those relationships.  The intensity of the upper room discourse reveals His heart in preparing these men for the coming days.  Be mindful, Jesus has already told them ‘his departure is at hand.’

Those of us who have parented and released children into adulthood understand the desire to make sure that you have equipped them with everything they need to know.  Jesus’ desire was both natural and spiritual holding the understanding of events yet to take place; Judas’ betrayal, Peter’s denial, the disciples returning to fishing, prays in John 17 his great intercessory prayer for them. 

Jesus lived fulfilling the greatest commandment to love God with all his heart, all his soul, all his strength and with all of his mind, and then his neighbor as himself. We understand that this love is still the most important dynamic we as followers of Jesus are to possess and live out.  

No greater fulfilment of love can be seen than that of a man who will lay down his life for his friend, John 15:13.  Jesus was the manifestation of the love of God.  

As we focus on the events of this day we see servant leadership displayed as Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, the sharing of communion (his body and blood), the betrayal of Judas, the great teaching about the Holy Spirit, his agony in the garden, and ultimately, the arrest; let us then remember that all of this was driven by an all consuming love for mankind, and let us follow that example, diligently holding love as our greatest pursuit.  

Wednesday - Passion Week

You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified. 

Matthew 26:2 

Wednesday of Passion Week is commonly referred to as ‘Silent Wednesday’ because there is so little written about it.  What we do know in scripture is found in Matthew 26:1-16, Mark 14:1-11 and Luke 22:1-6. What is consistent here is that this day is the day Judas Iscariot agrees to betray Jesus and Jesus is anointed for burial. 

It’s interesting to know the back story of so many seemingly small events. Yet each one prophetically proclaimed and necessary to be fulfilled in order that His resurrection and our redemption could be achieved. 

Matthew 26 begins with Jesus telling his disciples, ‘after two days the Passover is coming and the Son of man will be delivered up to be crucified.’  

This shows His understanding of not only seasons, times, and days, but we will soon see coming ‘the hour’ manifested in Jesus’ activities.  

Marks Gospel chapter 14:1 tells us it is two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the chief priests and the scribes are seeking to arrest and kill Jesus before the feast.  John 11:45-53 gives us insight into their motivation to kill Jesus.   

Meanwhile, Jesus is in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper.  If John 12:1-8 is the same event we learn that Mary, Martha and Lazarus, with the disciples, are all present for a meal.  Mary is the one who pours the oil over Jesus and John records that Judas is  indignant over the wasted expense.  Jesus’ rebuke explains that this was done to anoint his body for burial. (Commentaries vary their opinion on the event being the same because of the difference in the number of days recorded.) Yet the preparation for his burial is the remarkable occurrence in the anointing and begs to consider how this was one woman, in the midst of all these individuals, was the one who clearly believed what Jesus was saying, “I will be crucified in two days.” 

What we must also consider is that something motivated Judas to betray Jesus.  Whether it was as John wrote, “he was a thief and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it,’ signalling greed, or whether it was the sting of the rebuke, something allowed Satan to enter into Judas. 

  “Then Satan entered into Judas… He [Judas] went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad and agreed to give him  money.  So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.”   Luke 22:3-4

“…What will you give me if I deliver him over to you? And they paid him thirty pieces of silver..”. Matthew 16:15
 

Even for a “Silent Wednesday” there is much to consider.

Tuesday - Passion Week

“Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint and I know I will not be put to shame.”

Isaiah 50:7

In reflecting on this particular week of Jesus’ life, we are mindful of how we are to become like Him. “As He is so are we in this world”.  When we reflect on the way Jesus moved through all the rejection, betrayal, pain and death, we are reminded of how we are to respond in every given situation.  While we will never face the intensity of what Jesus suffered, there are many of us who have and will suffer for our faith. 
 

“The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.  If we deny him, he also will deny us.”  2 Timothy 2:11-12

 “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.”  

Philippians 1:29

I’m mindful of what it takes to keep moving forward, knowing that it will cost.  Reading Jesus’ movements through this week are always very sobering for me.  It stirs within me every desire to be as faithful to my assigned purpose as He was to His.  

Tuesday would have been like any other day except Jesus is one day closer to the cross. From Marks Gospel we see Jesus taking every opportunity to teach on this day.  Mark 11:20 begins with the disciples going back into Jerusalem for the day. The cursed fig tree is found withered and Jesus encourages faith in God, prayer and forgiveness.  At the the temple, as he is teaching, his authority is challenged by the religious rulers ~ Mark 11:27-33.  After He observes the widows offering, Jesus leaves the temple, and reading Matthews Gospel, chapter 24 and chapter 25, we see His conversations with the disciples.  Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple, Signs of the End of Age, The parable of the Ten Virgins and The Talents and finishes with his teaching on the Final Judgment.

Matthew 26:1 When Jesus had finished all these saying, she said to his disciples, “you know that after two days the Passover is coming and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

What a note to end your day.    

Monday ~ Passion Week

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, [Jesus] set his face to go to Jerusalem.”

Luke 9:51 ESV

Yesterday we joined with multitudes of Christians celebrating Palm Sunday marking the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem and the beginning of what is commonly termed the Passion Week of Christ.  

His entrance was met with cries of Hosanna to God in the Highest and praises for the one that many believed would deliver them from Roman Rule. 

“Blessed is the King who comes in the camera the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  Luke 19:38


Jesus however knowing what lays before, weeps over the city because they did not know their day of visitation. Luke 19:41-44.  Jesus knowing the prophetic word of Isaiah 53 must yet be fulfilled, understands what awaits Him. 

Mondays events: Mark 11:12 -19  Jesus leaves Bethany to come back into Jerusalem. He curses the fruitless fig tree and cleanses the temple. Each event holds its own significance and perhaps somehow reflects His weeping over Jerusalem. 

Jesus, having already experienced much rejection and will soon know the betrayal of one of his own, has ‘set his face’ to move forward. 

“Behold I have come to do your will O God as it is written in the scroll of the book.”  Hebrews 10:7

This speaks to me of the volume of His love for the Father and mankind.  That knowing what is set before Him, His face is set to fully embrace all that is to come.

Anointed with the oil of joy, He endures for the joy set before Him.  What joy can there possibly be in the cross except knowing, understanding, and believing your life is a seed that must be sown for the birthing of many others.  

As we go through the days of this week let us be mindful of the power of that love that led Him to suffer on our behalf that we might live with Him.

Sanctified unto Obedience

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:13-16 ESV 

NLT: verses 14-16

 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

Helps Word Studies ~ Sanctification and Holy…..

40 hágios – properly, different (unlike), other ("otherness"), holy; for the believer, 40 (hágios) means "likeness of nature with the Lord" because "different from the world."

The fundamental (core) meaning of 40 (hágios) is "different" – thus a temple in the 1st century was hagios ("holy") because different from other buildings (Wm. Barclay). In the NT, 40 /hágios ("holy") has the "technical" meaning "different from the world" because "like the Lord." 

[40 (hágios) implies something "set apart" and therefore "different(distinguished/distinct)" – i.e. "other," because special to the Lord.]

hagiasmos: Sanctification, holiness, consecration. 

Cognate: 38 hagiasmós (a masculine noun derived from 40 /hágios, "holy") – sanctification (the process of advancing in holiness); use of the believer being progressively transformed by the Lord into His likeness (similarity of nature).  See 40 /hagios ("holy").

God’s work in us is meant to flow through us, touching the lives of others. When Jesus was moved with compassion for the needs of the multitudes, He called and sent out His twelve disciples. He gave them authority and instruction so they could continue the work He had begun. In the same way, we—His body—carry on His work by the power of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness to this life-giving grace.

When Peter wrote to the Jewish exiles scattered throughout Asia Minor, he urged them to prepare their minds and remain sober-minded—to think clearly about their spiritual condition within their circumstances. Why? Because in the midst of adversity, it is easy to lose sight of God’s purposes. Our attention can drift, becoming self-focused, and we can lose awareness of the sanctifying work God is continually doing in us for obedience to Christ.

This reflects the tension Paul describes in Romans 7:

When I want to do good, evil is close at hand. Though I delight in God’s law inwardly, I see another law at work within me, waging war against my mind. “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ. For the law of the Spirit of life has set us free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (Romans 7:21–25; 8:2).

This tension calls us to live sanctified and holy. Sanctification and holiness go hand in hand. We have been set apart unto God, for God—and the outworking of that reality is a life of holiness, a willing agreement with His purpose to use us for His service in every situation. 

To be sober-minded, then, is to remember that there is a God—and it is not us. Our need for Him is constant and essential. As we grow in understanding His holiness, we begin to understand what it means for us to be holy as well.

Ultimately, this is not about human effort, but about trusting that the One who lives within us is at work in us, both to will and to act according to His good pleasure. What He requires, He also graciously empowers by His Spirit of Grace. 

Power To Become

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…..

Acts 1:8 

From Helps Word Studies we learn about this word ‘power’

1411 dýnamis (from 1410 (gdef:1410)/dýnamai, "to be able, have ability") – properly, "ability to perform" (L-N); for the believer, power to achieve through the Lord's inherent ability (power).

"Power through God's ability" (1411/dýnamis) is needed in every scene of life to really grow in sanctification and prepare for heaven (glorification).  1411 (dynamis) is a very important term, used 120 times in the NT.

1411 (dynamis) specifically refers to being enabled by God – i.e. empowered with His ability to do as He directs.  1411/dýnamis ("divine ability") focuses on God's potential (latent) ability which is activated in the believer who receives (obeys) His inbirthed word ("divine persuasion"). 

With this in mind, it is no wonder Paul could proclaim, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The promise of Acts 1:8 reminds us that we have been equipped by the Holy Spirit to do and become everything God has purposed.

For the disciples, this empowering was a secondary experience. The Gospel of John tells us that after His resurrection, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). At that moment they were born again through the regenerating work of the Spirit (see also Titus 3:5). Later, as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit came upon them with power to enable them for witness.

We often refer to this word power as miracle-working power, and rightly so. The rebirth of a human spirit—from death to life—is itself a miracle beyond comprehension. What could be more miraculous than that?

Acts 1:8  also tells us this power is given so that we may be His witnesses wherever we go. God’s divine ability, imparted to every believer, enables us not only to speak for Him but also to live in a way that reflects Him. It is a transforming power—working within us moment by moment.

Paul understood this well when he wrote, “When I am weak, then I am strong,” because the grace of God was sufficient for him (Romans 5:20; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10). God’s grace supplied what Paul lacked. His strength was made perfect in human weakness.

This truth is encouraging for those who recognize their need for God’s help. None of us lives independently of Him. In reality, we are always witnessing—through our words, our actions, and our attitudes.

In Philippians 4, Paul explained that he had learned how to live in every circumstance—whether in abundance or in need. He had discovered the secret of contentment. That secret was the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, enabling him to face every situation through God’s power.

There is tremendous freedom in learning this secret. When we truly believe that God’s power lives within us, it produces a quiet confidence and a holy boldness. We are able to “stand strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”

To seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness is to continually look to Him for help. It is recognizing that His Spirit is present and ready to enable us in every circumstance.  You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you is not just a theology but the vital reality of our daily lives. 

His Kingdom

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NOT MEAT AND DRINK BUT RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE AND JOY IN THE HOLY GHOST.  

ROMANS 14:17

Righteousness from Helps Word Study ~ 

#1343 dikaiosýnē (from 1349/díkē, "a judicial verdict") – properly, judicial approval (the verdict of approval); in the NT, the approval of God ("divine approval").

1343/dikaiosynē ("divine approval") is the regular NT term used for righteousness ("God's judicial approval").  1343/dikaiosýnē ("the approval of God") refers to what is deemed right by the Lord (i.e. after His examination, what is approved in His eyes).

God's approval (1343/dikaiosýnē, "righteousness") with the believer begins with receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  Doing this changes their status before the Lord – from "condemned" to "divinely-approved."

AND the word ‘’in’ #1722 is ‘en’  (a preposition) – properly, in (inside, within); (figuratively) "in the realm (sphere) of," as in the condition(state) in which something operates from the inside (within).

With that in mind, consider our verse today.

If our life is not right, it cannot hold peace. If it does not hold peace, joy will not be present. When these qualities are absent, we are not operating in the Kingdom of God, nor are we living in the realm of the Holy Spirit.

Where things are right, peace is produced. Where rightness and peace are present, joy follows. These three qualities are worked in us and through us by the leading of the Holy Spirit.  So living in the Kingdom of God begins with establishing what is right.

What is right is always defined by God. Prior to our salvation, we were not right in God’s sight. We were loved, yet unable to enjoy the benefits of union with God as Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.

After accepting Jesus, we read in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that we become new creatures: old things have passed away and all things have become new. Verse 21 goes on to tell us that Jesus was made sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  We are now right in the sight of God because Jesus was, and is, right.

Through His righteousness we now have entrance into His Kingdom — a Kingdom of light. In His Kingdom, righteousness — the place of being right and doing right according to God’s standard — brings us into the peace that has been given to us and is meant to govern our lives.  Where we walk in paths of righteousness, we hold peace.  Where we hold peace in our hearts, joy follows.

The phrase “in the Holy Spirit” frames the entire context of this verse. Righteousness, peace, and joy are the elements that bring us into wholeness — unity with the Father that leads toward oneness — and this always yields rest.  To value and honor the way our Father leads and guides us into these paths of righteousness, for His name’s sake, becomes our pathway of blessing.

Just as we are spirit, soul, and body, so the Kingdom operates within these three, bringing them into wholeness. Together they function like a three-stranded cord. When we separate them, the fruit that comes from their unity is no longer as strong or healthy.

Over the next few weeks, I would like us to consider together the many things we are meant to enjoy, experience, and operate in, through the Holy Spirit as we live in the Kingdom of God.  These are not distant ideals, but realities the Holy Spirit works within us as we learn to walk in the life of the Kingdom.

Over the next few weeks, I would like us to consider together the many things we are meant to enjoy, experience, and live in through the Holy Spirit as we walk in the Kingdom of God. As we look at these truths, my prayer is that we will not only understand them more clearly, but also learn to recognize them at work within us, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us more fully into the life of righteousness, peace, and joy that the Father has prepared for His children.

As He Is

              “…as he is, so are we in this world.”  

                             1 John 4:17 KJV. 

Our verse today hinges on knowing and believing in God's love for us.  This love, which we abide in, gives us confidence to stand before Him without fear of judgment because… ‘as he is so are we in this world.’ 

Following our commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, God’s purpose for our lives is that they be transformed.  He calls us to transformation, not behaviour modification.  

Transformation ultimately modifies our behaviour, and it begins with what we choose to look at: Him and His word. 

Romans tells us we have been predestined to be conformed to the image of His son, Romans 8:28.  From John’s first Epistle, we learn that while we are in the world, we are not ‘of’ it.  Meaning that we do not derive our life from the things that are in this world. 

‘As he is, so are we in this world,’ signifies that believers now have a position found in Christ. Discovering every spiritual blessing given to us in Christ begins our process of transformation.   We are given His righteousness, His right.ness.  We have been made acceptable in the sight of our Heavenly Father, because Jesus’ blood has cleansed us, sanctified us, and made us Holy.  Jesus’ work has made a way for us to stand before the Father free from fear of judgment. 

‘As He is, so are we in this world,’ places responsibility upon every believer to hold himself accountable to the standards the word of God sets for a believer. Every believer is charged to put off the old man and put on the new man, as Ephesians 4:24 states, who is created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

‘As He is, so are we in this world’ also calls on us to continue His work. From Mark 16: we find signs accompany those who believe in His name.  Believers abide in Him and His words, knowing apart from Him they can do nothing, but with Him, they are able to do all things through the strength He provides.  

In our human need to see and know the love and goodness of God, we, as transformed men and women, become their best opportunity to see Him reflected.  

Good Soliders

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy  2:3. KJV 

• Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. NASB

• Take with me your share of hardship [passing through the difficulties which you are called to endure], like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  AMP 

• When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders.  MESSAGE

The Bible, as the living Word of God, was our primary focus when David and I were born again. Our church was in the midst of a revival, with signs and wonders continually confirming the Word. We learned God’s promises, which enabled us to become overcomers through Jesus Christ.

Encouraged and taught to believe in God through these promises, I began to develop a mindset that assumed God had promised me a life without turmoil, pain, or suffering. My faith was directed toward avoiding anything that looked hard or painful. I leaned on scriptures such as, “No evil shall befall me,” “No plague shall come near my dwelling,” and “My God supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

And all of these scriptures are true—but there is always a fuller application to them.

In other words, God doesn’t necessarily define evilthe way I do. God always supplies all my needs; I may simply expect a different supply than what God knows I need. Sickness is part of this world’s curse, and when my body is not properly cared for, it becomes vulnerable. None of these circumstances mean that God is absent, that He approves of them, or that He is not actively working deliverance for me.

We cannot read the Bible and escape the truth that Jesus and the apostles lived lives marked by adversity and persecution. Paul records a litany of hardships and life-threatening conditions in his letters, reminding us that in this world we will face temptation and trial. Yet in the midst of it all, Paul writes that nothing can separate us from the love of God. He tells us that no temptation has overtaken us except what is common to man, and that God—by His mercy and grace—is faithful to make a way of escape. Therefore, endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

We are called to lift our eyes to the One who is everything we need in our moments of adversity. To endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ is a command for every believer—to remain steadfast in confidence and trust in God. Exhorted to have faith in God, we are strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, knowing and believing that He is at work, perfecting everything that concerns us.

Enduring hardness emphasizes our need to look beyond the things of this world and remember that we are here to please Him. Paul continues his metaphor, explaining that no soldier becomes entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

We strive for the crown that is laid up for us in heaven; therefore, we endure hardness as a good soldier, looking unto Jesus who, for the joy set before Him, endured.  

According To The Will of God

Grace to you and peace from God, our father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:3 ESV

Paul’s prayer draws our attention to the grace and peace that come from God. Here we pause to consider. It will not come from the appetites in the world, for Paul calls this a ‘present evil age’. It was a present evil age when Paul wrote this letter, and it will remain a ‘present evil age’ until Jesus returns. In this world you will have trouble, but we are not of this world, nor do we fashion ourselves by its system. While we live out our earthly time, we are daily reminded of this reality. 

In the now and not yet, Paul calls for our attention to be directed to God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who holds the grace and peace needed. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, ‘where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. Simply meaning, sin is not stronger than the enabling power of God working to keep you from falling into whatever temptation is set before you. But it is by faith that we access this grace and stand in it, as Romans 5 says. The writer of Hebrews tells us to come boldly to the throne of grace receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. 

God is our ‘Boethos’. The one who responds to our cry for Help. 

Our cry must come first, then God responds to it. We must see our need for God. 

If I trust in the arm of flesh, there will be no supernatural power coming to me. These are truths I must continually hold before me. I am not the Saviour. There is no other name given under heaven where mankind is saved - out of, from, this present evil age. 

As our Father, he is moved with compassion. Jesus is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. Grace and peace are to the one who comes to the one who is filled with the power and might to help, and ‘our Father’ as the one who is moved with great love and compassion to save.

We find both the nature and character of God in the very word Father. Ephesians tells us we have been chosen by Him to be adopted into His Family. The James T. Hudson Translation of Ephesians 3 of Paul’s prayer in verses 14-15 reads, ‘ I bow my knees to the Father from whom every family in heaven and earth derives its name and nature.’ 

We see in our verse from Galatians 1 Paul’s immersion into the thankfulness of this place and provision we have been given through Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD. We need to hold on to the reality of what God's will is for our lives. 

While we live in this world, we are called to endure and remain steadfast in our commitment to Christ. We live overcoming lives through what Christ has provided, deliverance from the power and dominion of sin, with all the grace, mercy and peace we need daily. 

This is the will of our God and Father, which is why Paul proclaims, to Him be the glory forever and ever. 

Amen. 

Manifest His Name

I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world.

John 17:6 ESV 

We must remember the two-fold purpose of Jesus.  First, to reveal the true nature of the Father (John 14:9; Hebrews 1:3; 1 John 1:2), and then to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). These two realities are always working.

Jesus came to make known to the world the Father,  both His name and His nature. When people ‘know’ me, Jeanne McGrew, and speak my name, they are declaring the essence of who I am, both personality and character. They understand what I believe and how I live.   The more intimate the relationship, the more they would know about Jeanne McGrew as a whole.  

When Jesus declared, 

“I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”  John 17:26…

We then understood that knowing the name of God enables us to abide in God's love.  Not only do we find in John 17:3 that the entrance to eternal life is through the knowledge of God and His son Jesus Christ, but we also now learn that knowing His name enables His love.  

Jesus’ union with the Father continually manifested His name and nature.  Jesus told Philip, He who has seen me has seen the Father, John 14:9.  Every word, every action, was a manifestation of the Father.  Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing.  He only said what He heard the Father say.  This union, driven by the love, was the impacting power of His ministry. 

God is love, and God is good. God is kind.  God is rich in mercy.  God is faithful.  God is a consuming fire.  He is jealous. God is long-suffering.  God is willing.  God is able.  Every aspect of the name and nature of God must be experienced and learned. 

In our pursuit to see Jesus, we come to understand that it is as we behold Him that we are transformed into His image.  It’s easy for us to tell where growth and knowledge are required. It’s the areas we don’t look like Him.   By studying the word and seeing who the Father is and how Jesus portrayed Him, we learn how to be as He is in this world.  

It is as we know the name, we are able to make it known.

See and Believe

For this is the will of my father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:40

This is the will of God, that we should look upon the Son and believe in Him, resulting in eternal life.  Eternal life is not only the quantity of life but the quality of life, beginning with beholding and believing.  Jesus came so that we would have a quality of life filled with every spiritual blessing found in the heavenlies. It is as we see Jesus that we enter into this quality of life, John 14:19, and are enabled to freely give what we have freely received.  

As Jesus was the expression of His Father, we become as He is in this process of beholding. Jesus proclaimed, ‘I and the Father are one.’  ‘He who has seen me has seen the Father.’ Whoever sees me, sees Him who sent me.’   Jesus’ purpose was to manifest the Father.  Our purpose now is to manifest Jesus. 

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers states the following on this passage - 

    “And this is the will of him that sent me.—Read, For this is the will of My Father. (See John 6:39.) The common text has inserted the opening words of these verses. There can be no doubt that the change indicated gives the original           reading, and it will be seen that the relation of “Father” and “Son” is thus preserved.

    Every one which seeth the Son.—We pass here to the individuals who compose the great mass of humanity. It is the divine will that no one should be excluded, but that he may have eternal life (comp. John 3:15; John 5:24): this is the Father’s gift in the person of the Son. The exercise of the mental power to see Him, the reception of Him and trust upon Him: this is man’s acceptance of God’s gift. The word rendered “seeth” means to look upon, to contemplate, and is     the first step towards a true faith.”

From Helps Word Studies the Greek word seeth is defined ~ 

    “2334 theōréō (from 2300 /theáomai, "to gaze, contemplate") – gaze on for the purpose of analyzing(discriminating).

    2334 (theōréō) is the root of the English term "theatre," i.e., where people concentrate on the meaning of an action (performance).”

To ‘see’ Jesus there must be a ‘contemplative gazing’ of scripture, a meditation of the words until there is wisdom and understanding. Much like Joshua 1:8, ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do all according to all that is written in it.  THEN you shall make your way prosperous and THEN you shall have good success. 

It is the transformation process of renewing our minds that enables us to ‘see’ Him as He is and become like Him. We saw that transformation comes from beholding, and we understand that transformation is always done by the power of the Holy Spirit as we yield to His workings.  The Holy Spirit works within us, bringing us into the revelation (wisdom and understanding) of the Father and of His Son.  

This knowledge is eternal life, John 17:3, and eternal life begins for the one who looks upon Jesus and believes in Him. 

Beholding the Lamb

The next day, he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  

John 1:29 ESV 

How we see Jesus is important.  The ‘he’ speaking  in our verse is John the Baptist, the verse goes on to say: 

“‘This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.' I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water that he might be revealed to Israel.’”  “And John bore witness……”

Even as a natural relative, John still had to have Jesus revealed to him as the Messiah.  It was at the baptism of Jesus that John saw what all of Israel watched and waited for; the Spirit descending and resting upon him, and to this, John bore witness.  

Beholding Jesus as the Lamb of God takes us into a greater understanding of our redemption and salvation.  Israel looked and waited for their Messiah.  The one who would save and deliver them from their enemies.  They understood the sacrificial lamb offering atoned for their sins.  

To have Jesus proclaimed as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world was a revelation that had to be received and believed in order to benefit.  To understand the condition and nature of sin is to realise the need for a Saviour.  There is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.   Salvation is in none other.  Acts 4:12.  

We see in that when Jesus appeared, he was not exactly what they are expecting. Isn’t this our dynamic today as believers?  There are things we have yet to see and learn about Jesus as we meet our daily experiences.  Life doesn’t always live up to our expectations, and we could stumble.  Like John the Baptist in Matthew 11:3, questioning, “Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another?”  This question from the one who bore witness to the Spirit descending and the Father affirming should not amaze us.  We face the same doubts when our experiences challenge our beliefs. Losing our awareness of the only one who can truly save us, is a step towards another for salvation. 

Beholding the Lamb as the one given by God to take away sin, gives us the daily assurance that we have been made right in the sight of God.   We are now able to come before Him without shame, guilt, or condemnation. Jesus became sin, 2 Corinthians 5:21, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Not by works that we have done, Titus 3:5, but only by the gift of His son. 

Who among us does not need to be continually reminded of these truths; thus, we must, Behold the Lamb of God. 

Beholding

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the image from one degree of glory to another.  For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 3:18

In our need and desire to see Jesus, beholding is required.  The interlinear Greek shows the word ‘beholding’ as “beholding in a mirror”.  

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance defines the word katoptrízō—a compound of kata and a derivative of optanomai—as “to mirror oneself; to see reflected (figuratively),” that is, to behold as in a glass.

The Topical Lexicon states:

“The verb denotes the action of looking into, and thereby reflecting, a mirror. The idea combines receptive contemplation and responsive radiation. The spectator does not merely gaze; the spectator becomes a living mirror, receiving and giving back the glory viewed. Thus, it captures both beholding and displaying.”

Paul’s exhortation in this passage reminds us of the veil Moses wore (Exodus 34), which is now removed when one turns to the Lord, as explained in 2 Corinthians 3:14–16.

It is beholding that first transforms us and then causes us to reflect His glory.

As we behold Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, we begin to enter into all that His redemption provides. This is foreshadowed with the bronze serpent lifted on a pole, through which healing came to the children of Israel.

By beholding Jesus in the Gospels, we see the very nature and character of God that we are called to put on. Becoming as He is in this world is Christ revealed in and through us—the hope of glory.

Beholding the One seated at the right hand of the Father enables us to administer His Kingdom from heaven to earth, both in prayer and in active service.

Beholding Him as the One whose eyes are like flames of fire allows the purging of all chaff. His feet refined by fire cause us to pause and examine our ways. The sword that proceeds from His mouth challenges us to guard our words and equips us to speak only His. His white hair speaks of eternity—He reigns forever and ever.

We desire to see and reveal Him, but transformation begins with…beholding

We would see Jesus

…“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

JOHN 12:21 ESV

Peter tells us that we are to hold an answer for everyone who asks about our hope (1 Peter 3:15). We live with this responsibility, knowing we must be ready to respond to such a request, as seen in today’s Scripture.

This verse suggests two foundational truths: first, every person needs to see Jesus; and second, since Jesus is no longer physically present on earth, we now bear the responsibility of reflecting Him faithfully to others.

These Greeks approached Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, and asked to see Jesus. I find it particularly interesting that Philip went to Andrew, and together they went to tell Jesus. We aren’t told much more about this interaction, but we can learn that, as disciples, we have a responsibility to lead others to Jesus, and to do so, we must see Him rightly. 

From Scripture, we are continually reminded to look unto Jesus. Knowing that Jesus was first the Word and then the Word made flesh, we understand that we now “see” Him primarily through the words He spoke and the words written about Him.  We behold Him as we read Holy Scripture. We become what we behold. 

This makes Paul’s prayer from Ephesians 1 vital for us each day in our ongoing desire to see Jesus.  We ‘see’ through the eyes of revelation, birthed by His Spirit according to Ephesians 1:17, ‘The Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him’.  It is first and foremost a spiritual working in the heart of man to illuminate the soul.  

Jesus said in Matthew 6:22, ‘the eye is the lamp of the body, if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive] your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts].’ Amplified Translation. 

To consider Him in, and through every moment, is to accept that Jesus is everything we have need of at all times.  Jesus has been made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.  To abide with Him is to experience the life He is within His Kingdom. We experience His righteousness, peace, and joy through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

John the Baptist announced, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”.  Isaiah prophesied, “Behold my servant whom I uphold, my chosen in whom my soul delights.”  We are to look upon and consider the One who endured the cross, became sin, defeated death, rose again, and is crowned and seated as Lord of Lords, and King of Kings.  

The Jesus we behold must become the Jesus others see—living and working through our lives—so that our words carry power and demonstration, drawing others into His family and fellowship within His Kingdom.

It is Written of Me

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

Hebrews 10:5-7 ESV

I’ve thought much about purpose over the past months and as we move into a New Year, I continue to be mindful of pressing into purpose. The Apostle Paul purposed to leave behind all things that could hinder pursuit of his upward call in Christ and so, we too, journey into this New Year with a press in our pursuit of His purposes. 

We see from our passage today the understanding we all must hold, found in the words of Jesus Christ.  Andrew Murray writes there are two necessary, foundational, principles found in The Word that we must embrace: ‘a body you have prepared for me’ and ‘I have come to do your will O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ 

Every day our lives hold purpose, and as long as we are drawing breathe there is opportunity to achieve it. As we live by the understanding that we have been bought with a price, and so are no longer our own, we can begin to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. (1 Cor. 6:19; Rms.12:1.)  Without this understanding we struggle to embrace the humility necessary to submit our will.  Yet it was Jesus’ willingness to present his body that provided us sanctification, (Hebrews 10:10).

We should all live with this same kind of press unto purpose.  Not our own spiritual ‘to do’ lists but those that we have discovered through the same process Jesus has shown us. When he declared “Behold I have come to do your will O God,” he found daily opportunity to be tempted into his own way and will.  His submission, in all ways, was in alignment with what had been written in the scroll of the book. This makes me mindful of the days that have been written for us, (Psalm 139:16). 

Jesus’ own words following the presentation of His body to submit to the will of our Father was His way of life.  His separation to this was seen in all of his acts of obedience.  We learn through his prayer, taught to his disciples, the preeminence of pursuing His will. We intimately see his agony of soul in the garden as he wrestles with his will.  

As we begin 2026 I realize again how important ‘presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1), becomes, not only for the sake of others but the ordained good works of our life hanging on the willingness of our yielded obedience.  In the yielding to His purpose, we find His blessings.  

May it be said by all of us ~ You have given me a body to offer, look, I have come to do your will o God.  

Perfected Love

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us …’

1 John 3:16

We all understand the adage, "you can’t give what you don’t have.”  At times in our lives, I'm sure we have all struggled to know and believe the love God has for us. Our experiences in life are meant to lead us to the knowledge of His love, and to the acknowledgment of the work He has done making us accepted in the beloved. 

We know many things that we don’t believe.  Believing is generally about accepting something as true or real.  We can only learn and believe love by the actions of others.  

John's conclusion of our verse today reads, ’and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers…’  This isn’t intended to be gender-specific, but rather the concept of loving those within the family of God.  For God so loved the world….and we are commanded to love even as He has loved us. That goes beyond our natural family and environment.

When we hold to the world's culture, we are taught and encouraged to embrace the god of self.  The love we are told to know and learn is a self-sacrificing love that involves time, money, and effort.  This love we are learning is not self-seeking.  

 Greed is the essence of idolatry.  Excess of self is always seen through greed, if we accept the definition of greed as an intense, selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food. It is in these natural appetites that we face the question of how laying down our lives affects us.     

We commonly think that hate is the opposite of love, but in reality, it is fear.  Hatred is something we wrap in an effort to protect ourselves.  Hatred is secondary to the primary response of fear.  It is only, I say again, it is only the love of God that has the ability to dispel fear and its torment.  

The Apostle John went on to write in His first epistle, 1 John 4:16,

We have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.  God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. 17: By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because a he is so also are we in this world. 18: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts our fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. He who fears has not been perfected* in love.

Perfected from Helps Word Study is teleios; to complete, i.e. (literally) accomplish, or (figuratively) consummate (in character) -- consecrate, finish, fulfil, make) perfect. Cognate: 5048 teleióō – to consummate, reaching the end-stage, i.e., working through the entire process (stages) to reach the final phase (conclusion). [This root (tel-) means "reaching the end (aim)." It is well-illustrated with the old pirate's telescope, unfolding (extending out) one stage at a time to function at full-strength (capacity effectiveness).]

It is the freedom from fear that eliminates our need to consider ourselves before obeying God.  

Concluding our scripture today, John writes a strong measurement followed by instruction in 1 John 3:17.

 If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?  Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.  

John went on to write in 1 John 4:19, ‘we shall know we are of the truth and our hearts are reassured before him,’ because we have the world's good and see the need and give into it with open heart and open hands, even as we are aware of what it will cost us.  

This is a perfected love.  In this perfection, especially in this season, let us endeavour to be someone's great experience of God's love.