Lent Words Day 20: Soul ~ Guest Ellen Etzler

As we continue our journey through Lent I am excited to have Ellen Etzler present our guest post today. I met Ellen online at the beginning of the Advent Words challenge. I am always so enthralled when Ellen adds her study insights to her art posts when she shares in the group. She digs deep into the Word and joyfully shares it with all of us! Ellen is an incredible artist, especially her faces. If you follow Ellen on Instagram you witnesses her 30 days of faces in January, which was incredible! Make sure you check out Ellen's website ellenetzlerart.com and follow her on Instagram @ellenetzler.

Thank you Ellen for being our guest today!

A SOUL in Shadow

by Ellen Etzler

David spent a lot of time in the wilderness learning to trust and worship God. Many times he was fleeing those who wanted to take his life. He was a man who had the wealth of...

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Lent Words Day 18: Temptation

Our words over the past few days have led us through Matthew's Gospel account of the Temptation of Jesus  -  Wilderness, Bread, and today, Temptation. And we will conclude the journey through this passage tomorrow with the word Worship.

Today's Lent Word is Temptation.

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

    and they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Matthew 4:5-7

The temptations of Jesus that we witness in Matthew 4:1-11 tell us about who Jesus is by the temptations the devil tests Him with, and by how Jesus responds. Some observations about the first few verses of this passage before we see the first temptation:

• We are told in verse 1 that Jesus was led into the desert (wilderness) by the Spirit. The same Spirit who appeared at Jesus' baptism in Matthew 3:13-17.
• He was led into the desert by the Spirit for the purpose of being tempted or tested by the devil.
• He had fasted for forty days and nights and was hungry.

Being hungry is where the devil begins his testing. He tries to get Jesus to meet his own needs by selfishly using His divine power. "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Mt. 4:3. It was not in Jesus' nature to use what He possessed divinely for his own personal gain. Jesus was always about doing the will of the Father and using His own Deity for that purpose. He responds to the devil, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

In the next temptation the devil uses Scripture to tempt Jesus to prove His Deity. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

    and they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Mt. 4:5-6

He tries to tempt Jesus to test God. But Jesus replies, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Mt. 4:7

Our passage tomorrow will look at the third temptation Jesus faced where the devil tried to lure him away from worshiping God. 

Author Ruth Haley Barton uses the temptations of Jesus as a way to examine ourselves during Lent:

"A true Lenten journey demands that we take a clear-eyed look at our lives and wonder, Where am I tempted to  “turn these stones into bread”—using whatever gifts and powers God has given me to secure my own survival?  Where am I putting God to the test—disregarding human limitations in order to prove something to others—and expecting him to come to my rescue time and time again?    When, where and how am I tempted to worship the outward trappings of success rather than seeking the inner authority that comes from worshipping God and serving him only?"

As we face temptations ourselves, whether in the Lent season as we struggle with fasting, or in life as we face trials, we can rest in Jesus who also faced temptation. Like Jesus, we can stand on God's word and His promise that we can trust in Him. God is faithful.

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

1 Corinthians 10:13

Lent Words Day 16: Wilderness

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry."

Matthew 4:1-2

The practice of the Lenten season of fasting for 40 days is modeled after Jesus' time in the wilderness. Kris Camealy, in her book Holey, Wholly, Holy: A Lenten Journey of Refinement, says,

"The significance of the 40 days most commonly reminds us of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness before the beginning of His short ministry on earth. As the church reflects on Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness, we are called to practice our faith in ways that stretch and bend us beyond what is comfortable."

In the Bible there are two major stories of time in the wilderness: the one in the Gospels of Jesus' time of temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13). The other is the story of the Israelites 40 years in the desert (wilderness), as Deuteronomy 8:2 says, it was a time when God humbled and tested His people "in order to know what is in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands". What is significant about these wilderness times is that we are told in both accounts that these were times led by God. Wilderness times in the Bible are a time of preparation, a time of overcoming temptation. Author Jenny Phillips, in her book Jesus and Wilderness, says,

"The wilderness of the Bible is a liminal space—an in-between place where ordinary life is suspended, identity shifts, and new possibilities emerge. Through the experiences of the Israelites in exile, we learn that while the Biblical wilderness is a place of danger, temptation and chaos, it is also a place for solitude, nourishment, and revelation from God. These themes emerge again in Jesus’ journey into the wilderness, tying his identity to that of his Hebrew ancestors."

During the Lenten season, as we fast and seek God, we symbolically follow Christ into the wilderness. We voluntarily enter into a time of wilderness living. 

Again from author Kris Camealy:

"As the church is traditionally stripped for the Lenten season, so we, too, find ourselves naked before the Lord, shamed by our awareness of our weaknesses, constant stumbling, and self-righteousness. Jesus suffered all varieties of temptation in the wilderness, and as such, His faithfulness to the Father and His God-nature were put to test. Because He knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), He endured a trial that we could never possibly endure apart from Him. On the cross He took on our shame, and His shame becomes our glory as we allow Him to clothe us in Himself. In different ways, God tests our faithfulness. He refines us through trial and suffering so that when we emerge, we might better reflect His glory to the world."

Author Ruth Haley Barton says this of wilderness on her blog, transforming center.org:

"Oftentimes we think of wilderness as being a harsh and punishing place; however, it can also be a place where we find clarity, discover inner strength, and experience the salvation that comes from God alone. It can be a place where we experience God's steadfast love."

As we travel though this season of following in Jesus' steps through the wilderness, may we take comfort that God uses these times to shape us and form us into His holy people. May we see clearly our call to reflect His glory to the world and know that this wilderness time is beneficial to our souls and to our calling. And in this wilderness time, may we find clarity, discover inner strength, experience God's salvation and His steadfast love.

Join us for Lent Words 2018 -  A Creative Challenge Through the Season of Lent. More about it in this post. There is also a private Facebook group for the Lent challenge:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LentWords/

Lent Words Day 13: Atonement

"God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—"

Romans 3:25

Webster's dictionary defines atonement as: "Reparation (making amends for, payment for) an offense or injury; reparation for sin; the reconciliation of God and humankind through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ." Synonyms for atonement are: Penance, redemption, amends, payment, propitiation, restitution.

In the Old Testament the shed blood of sacrificial animals as offerings brought about atonement. The animal substituted, took the place of the person's sin. In the New Testament the shed blood of Jesus on the cross brought atonement, once and for all (Hebrews 10:12). We see this description of atonement in today's passage in Romans 3:25. Let's look at it in its context. Romans 3:21-26:

"21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."

I'm just going to walk through this passage as I would when I study it and let it speak for itself - with a few notes for definition's sake.

A righteousness apart from the law (works done to earn God's favor) has been revealed - 
a righteousness that is given by God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. 
ALL of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 
And ALL are justified (made right, made righteous) freely - through no work or standing of their own - we are made right with God by God's grace through the redemption (deliverance from our sin) that came by Jesus Christ. 
You see, God presented (offered, gave up) Jesus Christ as an atonement (payment for our sins) through the shedding of His blood, which is to be received (it is a gift) by faith. 
He did this to show (reveal, make known) His righteousness, because in his forbearance (refraining from enforcing the payment of a debt, overlooking for the time being) he had left  the sins committed beforehand unpunished - He did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just (righteous, virtuous) and the one who justifies (makes righteous) those who have faith in Jesus.

Jesus took our place as a sacrifice of atonement for our sin. Jesus paid it all, once and for all.

Lent Words Day 9: Guest Post by Bernice Hopper

Today's Lent Word is Compassion.

Today's post is written by Bernice Hopper. Bernice and I met a number of years ago online through a class she was leading through her blog. Bernice was one of the first women I met who was also combining her faith with her art journaling. We have journeyed together in the online world through the founding of the His Kingdom Come community in 2015, various guest posts on each other's blogs, and currently we are co-leading an online group on Facebook with Valerie Sjodin called Everyday Journals and Living Your Word for the Year. In addition to our online friendship we have had a number of opportunities to be together in person taking small road trips and creating our own personal retreats. Please visit Bernice on her blog Newly Creative.

Read Psalm 103:8-14 1 Peter 1:8-9

My church doesn’t follow the church calendar very much apart from Christmas and Easter. So apart from having pancakes as close to Shrove Tuesday as I can, I really don’t have much experience of following a Lenten tradition. However I feel that the word Mary chose for today – compassion – is

a year long, lifetime word. A bit like the ‘A dog is not just for Christmas’ campaign, I believe compassion is not just for Lent’.

God is a God of compassion. One of His names is Rakhum which is sometimes translated as Merciful God but can also be translated as Compassionate God.

In Deuteronomy 4:31 (NASB) we are told ‘For the LORD your God is a compassionate God;He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which Heswore to them’.

Psalm 103:8 (NIV) describes God this way: ‘The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love’.

Throughout the Old Testament we see God showing compassion to His people. We see people struggling through hard times but God always shows compassion and comes to their rescue. And then the most spectacular rescue of all is Jesus dying on the Cross for us. I find it really hard to grasp the depth of compassion God felt for us that He sent his Son to die for us. I could hardly bear to see my son hurt in any way and nothing that happened to him compared with what Jesus did for us.

We often use other words for compassion: pity, sympathy, feeling, empathy, understanding, care, concern, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, soft-heartedness, warm-heartedness, warmth, love, brotherly love, tenderness, gentleness, mercy, tolerance, consideration,kindness, humanity, kind-heartedness, benevolence.

But when we feel compassion (or any of those other words we use) we need to do something. We can give money to aid charities and think that is enough. But we need to act. We can show compassion in the way we live our lives, in the way we speak to and about people and in the way we pray.

We are made in God’s image so compassion is a trait we should embrace. 1 Peter 3:8 (TPT) says

‘Now, this is the goal: to live in harmony with one another and demonstrate affectionate love, sympathy, and kindness toward other believers. Let humility describe who you are as you dearly

love one another’.

Everyone needs compassion.

Mighty to Save https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lab0SHGXkA

I have been following along with Mary's Lent Words and writing one verse each day in my EveryDay Journal.

Join Our Inspirational Facebook Group

Bernice Hopper, Valerie Sjodin and I are using one journal to record events, experiences and relationships and  to explore our word’s meaning in visual and fun ways. We are each blogging about our experiences and our art. If you would like to connect with others about creatively organizing your word, your ideas, thoughts, prayers, events, or your projects all in one journal, you are invited to join our Facebook group: Everyday Journals – Living Your Word of the Year.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/203309083575277/

Hashtags on Instagram: #everydayjournals2018, #livingyourword2018

Check out the other blogs:

Bernice: http://www.newlycreative.com/

Valerie: https://valeriesjodin.com/blog/

Also, join us for Lent Words 2018 -  A Creative Challenge Through the Season of Lent. More about it in this post. There is  a private Facebook group for the Lent challenge:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LentWords/