Good company brings true happiness!!

(Ps 1:1) Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

The message of this verse is that the company we choose to keep, can affect our happiness. The people we choose to hang around with, befriend, work with, or even marry can impact our happiness.

Be warned by God’s Word about the kind of company that you keep. Those that you choose to hang around with, even casually, can so easily start you down the wrong path. You see, it is a fact of life that the environment we find ourselves in always has an effect on our life. So, take a hard look at your friends.

Let's say your faith life and prayer life and church attendance are not what they should be. If you hang around with people who do not pray and do not go to church, people who make fun of God, or simply never think about Him, your faith life and prayer life and church attendance cannot improve; in fact, they can only get worse. Bad company will result in us disappointing God even more and we will be less joyful and meaningful.

Quoting a well-known proverb, the Apostle Paul tells us that "Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Cor 15:33). Bad friends result in anything other than blessing and happiness.

Blessed, yes happy, many, many times over, are the those who walk in the counsel of the holy, who stand in the way of the righteous, who sit in the seat of worshippers.

Let me also quote from Psalm 119: 63: I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.

Today is Ascension Day!

Today is Ascension Day! May you be blessed and comforted by the faith knowledge that our Head and our King was enthroned in heaven and was given all authority in heaven and earth!

Here follow a few questions and answers, helping us to understand the significance of his glorious rule in heaven.

1. What does “He ascended into heaven” means?
That Christ, in the sight of his disciples, according to his human nature was taken up from the earth into heaven, and continues to be there in a position of divine authority and power until he shall come again to judge the living and the dead.

2. Is Christ then not with as he has promised?
Christ is true man and true God. According to his human nature he is now not on earth but in heaven, but as our God, Saviour and King he is never absent form us!

3. What benefits do we have because Jesus Christ ascended into heaven?
Firstly: He is our Advocate in the presence of his Father in heaven, always praying for us.
Secondly: because he is in heaven as a human being, we know that he as our Head will also take us there.
Thirdly: He sends his Spirit to us by whose power we seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God, and not the things on the earth. The glorious Christ, enthroned in heaven, pours heavenly gifts on us, defending us against all our enemies and protecting us from evil.

Praise the Lord, for He is glorious!
Never shall His promise fail.
Christ has made His saints victorious,
sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation!
Hosts on high, His power proclaim;
Heaven and earth and all creation,
laud and magnify His Name.

Worship, honour, glory, blessing,
Lord, we offer to Your Name.
Young and old, Your praise expressing,
join their Saviour to proclaim.
As the saints in heaven adore You,
we would bow before Your throne,
As Your angels serve before You,
so on earth Your will be done.

Quiet Times (2) - Reflect!

Before I went on leave, I started a new series on practical tips for Quiet Times or personal devotions. While most of us know that we should have them, we often simply don't know how. We also know that we need them and that we need the impact it will have on our lives – yet we struggle to keep up the habit. We do not also see the fruit of personal devotions, because we rush through them and do not have any expectations around them.

Tip#1 was: Always ask God to help you as you have your Quiet Time!

And now Tip#2,today: After we've quieted our soul, praised God, and read His Word, we should always reflect.

Psalms 42:5: Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.

The psalmist, suffering from a “soul that is downcast” in other words “depressed”, has a “talk with his depressed, sad soul”.

My contemplation of what God has to say to me today, always should include a “talk with my soul”, reflection time, – even if I do not feel sad. Whatever the day or the week requires of me, God needs to speak to my soul through his Word in one way or another and I need to make sure that I don't restrain the message by storing it only in my mind, in other words, only dealing with it on an intellectual level. It needs to reach my innermost self – the control centre of my emotions, values, dreams, plans. I ( my thought processes) have to facilitate God speaking to my soul!

The danger is that it can become ego-centric: all about me and what I want and need.
This is why the Psalmist’s talking to "his soul" is helpful. It's a discussion that takes place about my-life-in-the-third-person, in the context of God's Greatness, his Word, his will, his plan and his feelings about me. I should talk to my soul in such a way that I ensure that the Lord is really talking to my soul, and therefore is truly talking to ME!!

Tip#1: Always ask God to help you as you have your Quiet Time!
Tip#2 : After we've quieted our souls, praised God, and read His Word, we should always reflect.

Set your mind on heavenly goals!

Col 3:1-2) ... set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. (2) Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Notice, the Bible tells us we have a choice: setting our hearts on things above or on earthly things. There's always an alternative. Every time you have the opportunity to rid yourself of sin, to receive God's forgiveness and to find strength and renewal in Christ, there is also an opportunity to remain in your sin and misery.

It’s a matter of focus, of priority and most of all, a matter of love – do I love God with all my heart and mind.

We can set our minds on earthly things or on heavenly things. We can pursue treasure on earth or treasure in heaven. We can first seek the things of this world - or the kingdom of God and its righteousness.

We have to make a choice between living for God and living to satisfy our sinful nature.
If I am saved, I now live for Jesus. Then we set our hearts and minds “on things above, not on earthly things."

Listen to God's Word in you personal quiet time...

Psalm 119:18: Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
From Luke 24:32-45: 32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

If you look at the passages above they have two things in common: The verb "open" and the fact that "God does it".

We need the help of the Holy Spirit when we come to personal devotions, or as many people call it: “Quiet Times”:

- The Spirit can open our eyes, because we're often too preoccupied to notice Truth.
- The Spirit can open our hearts, because they can be hard.
- The Spirit can open the Scriptures to us, because they are God-breathed and not just human literature.

So.... Tip#1: Always ask God to help you as you have your Quiet Time!

After much thought and many questions around this topic, I decided to share some practical hints around having a daily devotional time. Many people call them Quiet Times. While most of us know that you should have them, they simply don't know how.

WHAT IS QUIET TIME: A simple daily time where we draw near to God.

PURPOSE: To worship God and recalibrate our lives.

ACTIONS: Slow down, Quiet down, Reflect on Truth, Worship and Pray.

KEY VALUES: Simple, Regular, Sustainable and Honest

A typical Quiet Time lasts 10 – 20 minutes and involves:

1. Slow down, stop the racing mind, become aware of God's presence.
2. Pray for God's help to hear Him and His message.
3. Read Scripture (not a book about Scripture – no other book is God inspired, only the Bible. Books about the Bible should be used for Bible study and not for devotions. Just read the Bible, God’s own Word to you, listen what God says - and reflect on it)
4. Reflect on where you are right now, hear what God is saying to your soul. Allow God to open your heart and your eyes.
5. Worship and Pray.

Expect God to speak to you. His Word is God-breathed and his Holy Spirit prefers to speak life into our lives through God’s book! Therefore, remember Tip#1 – Always ask God to help you as you have your Quiet Time!


(Thanks to the Rev Theo Groeneveld whose devotions on this topic gave direction to the thoughts in this series on Quiet Times)

New life by the Spirit, through the Word!

It is God’s plan to bring new life into our lives by the Holy Spirit and through the Word of God. Something mysterious and beautiful happens when we place ourselves under the Word: the Spirit produces faith and makes us born again.

God's people must put themselves under the Word. They must come to God’s place of worship. They must involve themselves in Bible Study. They must set aside a regular time for personal devotions. Our God is almighty. He can do anything. By the Holy Spirit and through the Word he brings life to a sinner whose spirit is dead and dry. He is able to bring his life to the most fallen of saints!

2 Tim. 3: 16& 17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man (and woman) of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Dear Lord, bring me into the glorious life of the risen Christ by your God-breathed Word! Amen.

EASTER SUNDAY: the Lord has risen indeed!

A few women, dear friends of Jesus, were numb with grief and filled with bitter disappointment after his death. They went to the tomb on Sunday morning and found the stone rolled away. They entered the tomb and looked around for the body of Jesus and could not find it.
Scripture tells us "they were wondering about this." They were confused and perplexed and had no idea of what happened - of what was going on.

Two angels appeared to them and told them that Christ has risen. The angels reminded the women of Christ's predictions about the cross and the grave, the crucifixion and the resurrection. "Remember?" they asked. Then they remembered his words and understood what Jesus had said to them: that He must die and must be raised. Then they believed that Jesus truly is alive. (Luke 24:8)

On Easter Sunday the veil is lifted. Finally people can see and believe the message of Christ, the message that: (Lk 24:7) the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.

"Remember how he told you," said the angels. Then the women remembered and understood the full message of salvation. Only then did they believe and their sorrow was changed into joy.

The message of Easter always turns sorrow into joy, death into life, defeat into victory. For the disciples of Christ, Easter was a wonderful, beautiful, exciting surprise.
Surprise, death! Surprise, sin! Surprise, mourning disciples! Surprise, modern man! Surprise! He's alive! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

(Rom 4:25) He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Jesus buried

Today is Maundy Thursday. Maundy literally means “washing feet” and refers to the night when Jesus and the disciples were together for the last time, when he and they stood in the shadow of the cross, when he washed their feet and instituted the Holy Supper.
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On this Thursday night before Good Friday, we traditionally celebrate the “Tenebrae Service”. Tenebrae is the Latin word for darkness. We meet tonight at 19:00 (7pm) at the Centurion West Presbyterian Church for this beautiful and meaningful service with lots of symbolism.

Tonight we will be asked to meditate on the meaning of the suffering of Christ for our lives through an experience that relates to the gloom he faced and endured. The gradual extinguishing of the lights during this service is symbolic of the advancing darkness that came over Jesus: with the flight of the disciples, the bitter hate of his enemies, the looming shadow of the cross. The moments of total darkness during the service recalls the time when he was in the tomb. The relighting of the central candle is a prophecy of Easter so soon to dawn.

On Good Friday we meet again, at 09:30, to remember his crucifixion and death for our sake when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
Looking forward to share this spiritual pilgrimage over the next four days with you!


Devotion for Maundy Thursday.
Jesus is Placed in the Tomb

Luke 23:50-54: Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph… This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.

The burial of Jesus makes it absolutely clear that Jesus really died on the cross. It also explains the place from which Jesus was raised.

The Sabbath was beginning, Luke wrote. Jesus “rested” in the tomb, because all his work of suffering for us was done. It may seem that everything is lost, but he would rise again.
It was on the Friday that he died.
But Sunday is coming…

We died with Christ and our old sinful man is buried with him. A new man, the new day, is imminent.
The resurrection Sunday of our life in Jesus, is soon to dawn.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, we remember that you really died. You experienced the ultimate penalty for our sin, for my sin. Your real death opened up the door for me to experience real life. Faced with such a merciful mystery, I cry: "Amazing love! How can it be, that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?" Amen!

Jesus died on the cross

Luke 23:44-47: It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.”

Because Jesus was innocent, not just of crimes that deserved crucifixion, but of all wrongdoing, he was able to make many righteous by dying for our sins. He became the spotless, atoning sacrifice for all – yes for me.

We should learn of Jesus how to die! The Saviour committed his spirit into the hands of his Father in death, because he, the spotless Lamb of God had been in the Father's hands all through his life!

At death you also can commit your spirit into the hands of God, but only if you have already committed your spirit to God during life. Have you done this? Have you committed your spirit, the control centre of your life, into the hands of God? For only then, at the last hour, are you also able to say, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

Calvary’s mournful mountain climb;
there, adoring at his feet,
mark the miracle of time,
God’s own sacrifice complete;
it is finished, hear Him cry;
learn of Jesus Christ to die.

Ps. Join us tomorrow night (19:00) when we will during the beautiful Tenebrae service, full of symbolism and an emotional experience of Jesus’ suffering and death, learn of Jesus to love God sacrificially and to die in peace.
Also attend the Communion Service on Good Friday (09:30), because the Master said: Do this, until I come again, in remembrance of me.
Then our hearts will be prepared for the joy of Eastertide, the pure bliss of the believer who can sincerely say on Easter Sunday: Jesus has risen indeed!

Jesus on the Cross, His Mother, and His Disciple

John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

This cannot merely be a word to a distressed Mary. A deeper meaning is suggested by the verse that follows: "Later, knowing that all was now completed ..." (vs 28a). These words and actions of Jesus completed the work that the Father has given him to do. Making Mary the mother of the Beloved Disciple and making the Beloved Disciple the son of Mary somehow and in some way completed the work that the Father had sent Jesus to do.

Notice what happens. Jesus is on the cross. Below Him are two of those who still believe in Him. Beneath the cross of Jesus a new family is created. The blood of Christ forms a new home. Through his redemptive work upon the cross Jesus forges a new family of the redeemed. We know it as the Church!

Now you and I should do two things. First, we must praise God for the blessed family of believers formed beneath the cross of Jesus! Second, we must do whatever it takes to make the church into more of what Jesus wants her to be: a family of true believers who loves, cares for, and supports each and every one of us.

Jesus Promises His Kingdom to the crucified Thief

Luke 23:43: One of the criminals who were hanged said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The crosses were only a few feet apart. The Lord immediately heard the cry of the repentant man. Remember the promise of Christ, "whoever comes to me I will never drive away" (Jn 6:37).
We see here that this promise is the truth. The thief asked Jesus to remember him, but Jesus said, "you will be with me."

I urge you to turn to Jesus in repentance and in faith. We know the power of Christ the Saviour. Even then, even there dying in pain, he had the power to redeem from hell and open the gates of Paradise. Never doubt the ability of our Saviour to save you. If a dying Saviour could save so powerfully, how powerful is a Saviour who rose from death in triumph, never more to die!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your mercy. Thank you for hearing my cries and responding, remembering even me. Thank you for the promise I have of Paradise beyond this life. In your presence there will be fullness of joy. Amen.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES AT THE CENTURION WEST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH:
Maundy Thursday 9 April – Tenebrae Service at 19:00
Good Friday 10 April – Communion Service, English at 09:30

EASTER SUNDAY SERVICE - 12 April, 09:30!You are challenged to complete the pilgrimage from Thursday night to Sunday Morning by attending all the services and see what the Lord will do to help you grow spiritually, being more intimate in your walk with Him, from day to day!!
All who desire to worship Christ, following Him on the way of the cross, are more than welcome to join us!!!

(186 Aletta Ave, Raslouw, Centurion, South Africa)

Jesus Crucified!

Luke 23: 33 : When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.

Jesus was crucified at "the place that is called The Skull". The other Gospels mention that it was called Golgotha, the Greek transliteration of an Aramaic word that means "skull." We get the English word "Calvary" by way of the Latin “calvariae locum”, which also means place of the skull.

Jesus died for my sins. The death of Jesus really happened, in a real place at a real time. There the Lord of Glory suffered and died for the sins of the world - and for my own sins. I yearn to experience the truth of Jesus’ death more profoundly. The images of the Via Dolorosa invite me to follow Jesus to the cross, that I may experience deeper gratitude for the blessings I can so easily take for granted.

Prayer: Gracious Lord, how can I ever thank you for dying on the cross for me? Your death has given me life. Your sacrifice has led to my blessing. Yet I confess that I can sometimes take your death for granted, forgetting what you did for me and neglecting its significance. Forgive me, Lord. And even though I can't go to the actual place of your crucifixion, may the reality of your sacrifice presses itself upon my mind and flood my heart. All praise to you, merciful Lord, for your cross! Amen.

Jesus meets women on his way to Calvary

Luke 23:27- 28 A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

Jesus did not die as a helpless victim of Roman or Jewish injustice. He chose to die on the cross in faithfulness to the Father's will and to bear the sin of the world. If anyone is to blame for the death of Jesus, we are, because we have sinned. Thus in looking upon Jesus' death, we join the women of Jerusalem in weeping, not for Jesus, but for ourselves. In the death of Jesus we see what we deserve, and we rightly feel appalled.

Prayer: May my weeping over the suffering of Jesus be the result of my sorrow over my own sin that caused your pain. Turn it to joy when I recognize the majesty of your mercy. Amen

Simon of Cyrene helped to carry the cross

Luke 23:26: As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.

Jesus beckons to us, calling us to take up our cross, offering abundant life in return. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. (Luke 9:23-24).

Self denial and losing our lives for the sake of the cause of Christ may be the hardest call on our lives. But the truth is, it carries the most awesome promise: that I will see glorious realization with Christ in glory – and my life will be saved for all eternity.

Prayer
Dear Lord, I am also to take up the cross and follow you. I sometimes resist this call, even though I know that in dying to myself, I find true life in you. So help me, Lord, to carry my cross and to give my life away, so that I might receive the abundant life of your kingdom. Amen.

Jesus takes up the cross

For quite some time Jesus had predicted his suffering and death. The first time came right after Peter confessed him to be the Messiah. Jesus responded: "The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised" (Luke 9:22).

Even though the Roman soldiers led Jesus out to crucify him, they were only doing what he had said they would do.

So, though "they led him out to crucify him,"(Mark 15:20) Jesus was no passive victim. Jesus took up his cross and walked to Golgotha, because he had chosen the way of suffering. He believed this was the will of God, the way by which he would realize his messianic destiny. Jesus chose to suffer and die so that he might fulfil Isaiah's vision of the Suffering Servant of God, the one who was "despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity." As this Servant, Jesus "has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases."

Be blessed as you accept in faith that Jesus was “wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed". (Isaiah 53:3-5).

Prayer:
Dear Lord, you chose the cross. The Jewish leaders accused you, Pilate sentenced you and Roman soldiers led you to Golgotha. But they were simply working out what God had willed and you, Lord Jesus, had freely and painfully chosen.

How can I thank you for this costly choice? Because you took up the cross, I can take up life in all of its fullness. Because you were led to die, I can be led into the eternal life. Because you carried my sin, I can enjoy forgiveness. How good you are to me, dear Lord, my Saviour!
Amen.

Jesus crowned with thorns!

And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face - John 19:2 & 3

What cruel irony! Jesus finally received the words he deserved: "Hail, King of the Jews!"
What incomprehensible irony! Jesus, the true king of Israel, endured the pain and mockery of the crown of thorns as part of his humiliation for us and our salvation. What was the result of his torture?

Paul puts it this way in Philippians 2:5-11:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Because Jesus humbled himself, because he endured humiliation, including the crown of thorns, God exalted him to the highest place. For Jesus, the path to glory as King of kings included the path of disgrace. Because he wore the crown of thorns, Jesus received from his Father the crown of universal worship and adoration.

Simply page through the Bible, or newspaper, and you will see that Christians are not being dragged out of their sad circumstances in order to receive salvation. It is in the mud and dirt of our humanity that Christ came. In the mess of a cattle shed Christ was born among labour pains and stresses of life. He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death. He was crowned with thorns to represent us before the throne of mercy, as we struggle to be humane, even Christ-like, in a chaotic, cruel world.

When we look at all that Christ has done for us on the Via Dolorosa and the many ways that he has gone against our earthly expectations, we begin to see that honouring, loving and worshipping the thorn-crowned King is appropriate. Christ is King in the manger, when he is mocked and scorned, on the cross, in the grave, and in our messy lives.

He is a King crowned with a thorny bush, to convince us of his strength amidst our own scorn, ridicule and pain.
When we begin to see strength in perceived weakness and calamity, we are able to see our true eternal King: saving, redeeming, delivering his people amidst every perceivable situation.

PrayerGracious, merciful Lord, how hard it is to read of the abuse you suffered even prior to your crucifixion. I can't even begin to imagine what you felt physically, emotionally and especially in your soul. What can I say in response but "Thank You" for walking the path of grief, suffering and shame for my sake. You took the abuse that I deserved, and gave me your glory in return.
Help me, dear Lord, to always honour you as my King in all that I do. May my words and deeds reflect your sovereignty, celebrate your glory and venerate your love.
Amen.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES AT THE CENTURION WEST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH:Sunday 5 April – Palm Sunday celebrations
Maundy Thursday 9 April – Tenebrae Service at 19:00
Good Friday 10 April – Communion Service, English at 09:30

(186 Aletta Ave, Raslouw, Centurion, South Africa)

Jesus sentenced

Pontius Pilate is a paradigm of the person who fails to take responsibility for his actions. Pilate issued the verdict that sent Jesus to the cross. Yet he did so in a way to appear innocent of the blood of Jesus. He did not take responsibility for what he had done.

Matthew 27:23-24 “What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"

How often do we blame our sins on others? How often do we fail to take responsibility, preferring to hold others responsible for whom we are: the way we were raised, society for mistreating us, the weaknesses of church people, our unfair boss, or spouse or even our kids?

When blaming others when I do wrong, I won't confess what I have done as sin. This will keep me from experiencing the grace of God, enjoying the fullness of God's forgiveness.

When tempted to be like Pilate, we will do well to remember these verses from 1 John: 1: 8 - 10
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Don't try to wash your hands of what you have done wrong. Be blessed when you tell God the truth about your sins, and experience his forgiveness through Christ Jesus.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to acknowledge my sins, both to myself and to you, rather than justifying myself through immature and pointless excuses and defences. By your Spirit, guide me to see clearly where I have missed your mark, that I may confess truly and experience the forgiveness you offer in Christ Jesus. My hands will only be clean, Lord, when I am washed in the blood of the Lamb! Amen.

Only by grace I'm saved

Only by grace I’m saved!

Washed with the blood of Christ,
cleansed with his Spirit’s flame,
only by grace was called to live,
and only by grace, I came!

Only by grace I live,
only by grace restored.
Only by grace my faith is real:
I’m only by grace adored!

Only by grace I love,
only by grace believe,
and by the Spirit’s gracious work,
a trusting heart receive!

Jesus has made me whole,
into God’s heart engraved.
Father who chose me – praise the Lord -
yes, only by grace I’m saved!


Lyrics by Andries - Copy Right Reserved
Sung to “Breathe on me, Breath of God - see Songs of Fellowship 51.

Peter denies Jesus

Luke 22: 56 - 57 Then a servant-girl, seeing Peter in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”

Why did Peter deny Jesus? He was one of the first to follow Jesus, leaving so much behind to walk the uncertain road of discipleship. He had seen mighty wonders as his Teacher and Friend healed the sick, cast out demons, and even raised the dead. Peter had even walked on water for a few brief moments. So why did Peter, of all people, deny Jesus? Because he was afraid.

Fear startles us in the middle of the night and keep us awake for hours. It prevents us from reaching for our dreams or from reaching out to others in love. Fear cripples our souls and binds our hearts. It locks us in prison and throws away the key.

Peter was afraid and understandably so. All that he had hoped seemed to be crumbling before Him. The One he believed to be the Messiah, the Saviour of Israel, was now arrested. Jesus’ death seemed certain. Moreover, seeing his powerful Master so helpless must have confused Peter. Why did the One with the power to still the storm not use that power now? And if Jesus was helpless to defend himself, what did that mean for Peter? How could he escape a fate like that of Jesus: arrest, abuse, and perhaps execution?

I can understand what this might have been like for Peter, because I also have experienced the blinding blast of fear. If Peter felt anything like what I felt some gloomy days in my life, then I can understand why he denied Jesus. In saying this, I am not defending his behaviour. Not at all. What Peter did was wrong. But I can understand what he might have been feeling, and why he did something that he later found so horrifying and inexcusable. Fear has the power to make us do or say what we later regret.

Though you and I might not deny Jesus in such a blatant way as Peter did, I do suggest that we indeed deny him in less obvious ways, because of fear. Have you ever sensed that the Lord was urging you to do something for his sake, but you did not, because you were afraid? You must know what it's like to downplay the significance of your faith in a conversation, because you were afraid of what people might think of you? Have you ever let fear keep you from experiencing the fullness of life in Christ? Being filled with the Spirit may sound frightfully strange: can I really trust God so much that I fully surrender to his will and plan for me, his work and my calling?

What is the remedy for such fear?
It is in trusting God, believing the Word of Christ. It is in knowing what divine love is, because of what Jesus did for me on the Via Dolorosa, the way of grief. 1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We don't conquer fear through rationalization or mind-control. We overcome fear by leaning more fully into the loving care of God, knowing that he will never let us go.

Prayer: Forgive me, dear Lord, when I let fear get in the way of my relationship with you. Forgive me for all the times I have fallen short in my discipleship, because I've been afraid. Forgive me for failing to trust you when you've proven yourself to be completely worthy of my trust. Amen.


O sacred head with grief weighed down,
with thorny bush your only crown!
How pale you are, abused and scorned,
your countenance, now blood adorned!

What shall I say, dear heavenly Friend?
Your shame and suffering, I cannot mend!
But let me never faithless be,
your dying love – it was for me!

O sacred Christ, so cruelly crowned –
no greater love nor mercy found.
O Jesus let me worship thee,
so scorned, so mocked on Calvary!

Jesus condemned by the Jewish Council

Luke 22: 66-69: When day came, the assembly of the elders (the Jewish Sanhedrin), both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought Jesus to their council. They said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” He replied, “If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I question you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

Jesus was condemned by the Sanhedrin, because he claimed to be the Messiah who would share in the glory and the power of God!

Only days earlier Jesus had made a mess of the temple, interrupting its sacrifices and labelling it as a "den of robbers." So, Jesus was seen by the Jewish officials to be speaking negatively about God himself. The temple was after all the place where God had chosen to dwell. How could he be the promised “Son of Man”?

In his trial, Jesus claimed that he would be "seated at the right hand of the power of God". This was perceived by the council, beginning with the high priest, as clear evidence of Jesus’ blasphemy. This activist, temple-destroyer, and troublemaker was as far as the Sanhedrin was concerned, an obvious liar and blasphemer.

We, like the Sanhedrin, also get things confused.
We tend to limit the saving work of God’s Messiah to our personal salvation only, rather than the transformation of the whole universe and all of life by Jesus to whom was given all authority in heaven and on earth.

Yet, we are blessed, when we as followers of Jesus who acknowledge him as personal Saviour, seek to do the works of his kingdom, expecting the reign of God to occupy all of our world, looking forward to the day when it will be completed. In the words of Revelation 11:15, put to music in Handel's Messiah, we should celebrate the fact that:
The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ,And he shall reign for ever and ever and ever. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, help me to understand what it means when I confess you as the Christ, the Anointed of God and glorious King of everything. May this confession lead me to a life of complete faithful discipleship in everything I do. Let your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. And let this happen in my life today! Amen