Posted by Posted in Bible, faith, God, Jesus, the cross

Every Scar A Story

Scars.

Lots of people have them. I have two or three myself.

Scars tell stories and young boys especailly love to tell the stories related to thier scars.

All the accidents, risks and daring episodes that make those scars are great stories.

I have two scars from stichs I got when I was three. My aunt was whizzing us around on a merry-go-round and daring lil’ Priscilla decided to go no hands and I flew off, breaking my arm.

I relish telling the story including all the ice cream, balloons and goodies that came with an emergency room visit.

Oh and the story about how I sang “When I Am Afraid I Will Trust In You” by Steve Green right before my surgery is a good one.

I have another scar on my wrist that I got when a dog scratched me because I wasn’t petting him enough. 🙂

Whether it be a bicycle accident, broken arm, or running into a brick wall every scar has a story, a unique, fun-to-brag-on kind of story.

The greatest scars of all are the ones Jesus has though. Now thats a story.

God (the God who created heaven and earth and everything else..yep that God) sent His only son down to earth because after Adam sinned we all lived in sin and were not worthy of eternal life with Him.

So this son incarnated and became a human, was brougt into the world through a young teen virgin, Mary and grew up as a poor carpenters son.

He then calls petty fishermen to be His disciples teaching them about the kingdom of God and proclaiming Himself as the son of God. He worked miracles and was absolutely perfect!

Well, the Pharisees didn’t like that one bit so they plotted to destroy Him and they finally got their chance after the Passover thanks to Judas Iscariot- one of Jesus’ disciples who betrayed Him.

Jesus was unfairly accused (remember He is perfect), beaten, mocked and scorned. Pontius Pilate was scared of the people even though he thought Jesus was innocent so he delivered him to be crucified.

The Son of God crucified? How could this happen? Well actually, His death was the reason Christ came into the world. He paid the perfect sacrifice so that now we can be called children of God if we trust in His perfect name.

Wow, thats a story. And Jesus got some scars to prove it.

He had scars from the nails pierced in His hands.

He had scars in His side from when the soldiers stabbed Him to make sure He was dead.

Best. Story. Ever. Oh.. and its real.

But it doesn’t end there.

Jesus was placed in a grave and three days later some women came to put incense on his body. Surprise, surprise, he wasn’t there.

Jesus had risen from the dead, defeating death forever.

But not all the disciples believed when Mary Magdalene, the young witness told the story.

Thomas- one of the disciples- didn’t believe it. He said….

” Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

John 20:25b

Then Jesus showed up.

He told Thomas this:

“Put your finger here, and see my hands, and put out your hand and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve but believe.”

John 20:27

Those scars saved the world.

Those scars saved you.

Those scars saved me.

All of a sudden my epic-fly-off-the-merry-go-round scars don’t seem so cool anymore.

“He himself bore our sins on his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

1 Peter 3:24

So next time you start boasting about your scrapes, bumps and scars remember His scars.

Boast in his scars….. because they saved the world.

Thanks be to the scars of Christ,
Priscilla

Posted by Posted in army training, Bible, character, faith, God, Jesus, Living for God

Army Training- 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Here is a verse to strengthen and encourage you as you fight your good fight of faith.

“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the prescence of many witnesses. I charge you in the prescence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time- he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”

1 Timothy 6:11-16

I hope this verse encouraged you to pursue godliness, fight your fight of faith and trust and worship your King of kings and Lord of lords.

Keep fighting!

Priscilla

Posted by Posted in Bible, faith, God, Jesus, Living for God, words

Remember Your Freedom

Sometimes we can forget the true extent of our freedom in
Christ. The reality is that if you have turned from your sins and trusted in Jesus you are free from sin, forever. I want you to convince you of this incredible truth through Bible verses. Lets embark on this search about freedom in Christ together.

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
John 8:36

Freeindeed. I think this is key. It doesn’t say just free, it says free indeed or really, truly free. If Jesus sets you free you are really free. It is not the superficial freedom the world offers us, it is true, real freedom.

“Now the Lord is Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.”
2 Corinthians 3:17

When we are walking with the Lord we have peace, love, and freedom! The Lord is all of those things.

So this freedom is not everyones. It is only if you trust in Jesus for your sins. Before you do that you are a slave to sin, you are under the burden of sin and you are a captive to it. Every unbeliever lives with a burden, just like Christian in “Pilgrim’s Progress”. Only when you reach the cross will you become free from that burden.

“For freedom Christ has set us free, stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1

You never think about it that way do you. If you forget the freedom you have and feel guilty and ashamed you are bending to the yoke of slavery! Christ paid the price for your freedom. He gave it to you!

“There is therefore now no comdemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of Life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2

Notice the words “in Christ Jesus”. We need to make sure that we keep our eyes on Him and remember that He is the only one that we can go to for that freedom.

Now I wanted to post the bridge of a song called “Man of Sorrows” by Hillsong. It explains the truth of this freedom in a very joyful, thankful way and I love it. Here you go.

Now my debt is paid
It is paid in full
By the precious blood
That my Jesus spilled

Now the curse of sin
Has no hold on me
Whom the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed

Isn’t that truth amazing? Lets keep going.

Once we place our trust in God we are actually still slaves…..but to God and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, right?

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.”
Romans 6:22

So we are slaves still, but to God and that is a even better than being free by ourself.

“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover up for evil but living as servants of God.”
1 Peter 2:16

So living as a free people is the same thing as living as servants of God! Anything with God is better than anything else that isn’t.

Our freedom really has some power. This isn’t just like a ‘yeah yeah I am free, woo hoo!’ Its more like….

“I shall walk in a wide place because I have followed your precepts.”
Psalm 119:45

“You who were once alienated, hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you, holy and blameless and above reproach.”
Colossians 1:21-22

“Creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption, and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
Romans 8:21

Yes, you heard me right, this freedom makes us children of God, above reproach before Him and walking on wide ways!

However, we must be careful with this freedom and gaurd it closely. We must not use this freedom that was freely given to us for wrong.

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an oppurtunity of the flesh but through love, serve one another.”
Galatians 5:13

“Out of my distress, I called on the Lord and He set me free.”
Psalm 118:5

“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has annointed me, to bring good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”
Isaiah 61:1

We are to use our freedom to love oneanother, proclaim liberty (Jesus’s liberty) to the captives and in our distress, call to the Lord and He will make us free.

I hope that after hearing these amazing truths from the word of God you would see that if you are in Christ you have freedom. Freedom with power.

This freedom keeps you from condemnation.

This freedom makes you a slave to God, not sin.

This freedom gives you the boldness and power to go proclaim that liberty to those still in bondage.

This freedom is God’s power in you.

So don’t keep quiet, shout it from the rooftops, yell it through the mountains, proclaim it from any high place.

YOU ARE FREE!!!

Freed by Christ,
Priscilla

Posted by Posted in army training, Bible, faith, Jesus

Army Training- Colossians 2: 13-15

Here is some more word of God to strengthen you and help you fight your battles today!

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all of our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.”

Colossians 2: 13-15

Posted by Posted in faith, God, Jesus

The Incarnation: Why I Love It

The incarnation of Jesus is something humans can not wrap their minds around. As hard as you try. How could Jesus be fully God and fully man? But think about it, would you want it any other way? Here is why I love the incarnation and its mind bogglingness.

1. Jesus was fully God.
If Jesus was NOT fully God how could I trust HIm? How could I believe Him? Humans die and fail and there has never been a human in my life who has not sinned or failed. How could I trust in a God who was part human. Jesus has to be fully God. Because He was fully God, He never sinned and He had a perfect life. Because He was a perfect man, He was able to be our perfect sacrifice. Think about this, if Jesus was NOT fully God and He had sinned even just a little, He would not have been able to be our perfect sacrifice. And we would have lived in our sin and death forever. One more point: I could/would not believe in a God who I can fathom. I don’t want God to be able to be achieved in my thoughts. Because Jesus was not just fully human but fully God I can not fathom Him. He is better/above anything I can imagine. I am sooooooo glad that Jesus was fully God.

2. Jesus was fully man.
Just as Jesus had to be perfect (fully God) to be able to die for us, He also had to be perfectly human to be able to die for us. God can’t die. God is holy and He can’t look on sin. However, since Jesus was fully human also, He could come to us in our sin and live with us and then die as our perfect sacrifice. I love imagining how Jesus came down to us. He was fully human and He could relate to us in our lives. He came not to be served but to serve. I love how Jesus was fully human.

Let me know your thoughts.

Priscilla