In Hebrew, the word, “Easter,” which refers to the celebration of Jesus’s resurrection, is a transliteration of the Greek word “Pascha,” which is self comment from the Weaver word for Passover -Pasach.
The English word Easter is believed to have or originated from an old English word “Eastre,” was the name of a German goddess of spring and fertility, celebrated around the time of the spring equinox. It was to honor sacrifices that were offered to German godess, during the time of Jesus’s death and resurrection. Why would we want to celebrate a German goddess, in the time of Jesus’s Death and resurrection.
In many non-English speaking countries Easter is still called by the name derived from the term “Pashca,”
The first is connected to what God does -His actions in the world. His acts of mercy, His kindness towards us, His acts of judgment, and most importantly the death and resurrection of Jesus. All of the things reveal His glory.
The second has to do with God’s reputation. God’s fame or His name’s sake, as the Bible puts it. Glory in this sense is connected to who God is.
The third had to do with the beauty of His very being. God’s attributes and characteristics are on display all around us, and He is so incredible that even a word like “glory” falls short of the reality of God’s awesomeness.
These three ways of referring to God’s glory are all connected, and they are connected to us.
Everything was created for God’s glory. That’s why God made it, to show His glory. This means humanity was made to display His awesomeness in all creation, but because of our sin, we fall short of it. Sin is a rejection of the purpose God created us for.
But through faith in Jesus, God gives us the ability to give Him the glory He deserves. As His people, we do this by seeking to know and love Him each day, pointing others to the good things He has done, and giving thanks to Him for how He is working in us and through us for His glory and our good.
Psalm 75 is a good psalm to dig into to learn how to pray because it has a raw, honest flow that mixes gratitude, trust, and handing things over to God. It’s less a formula and more of a vibe you can lean into when you’re talking to God.
It teaches us that we don’t have to curse people, but we can ask for justice to prevail. It’s about trusting God because He’s the one who sorts it all out and gives righteous justice.
Psalm 75 starts by giving God thanks, then leans into trust and then asks God to do what is fair. If we stick with prayer justice will come. It’s less about coming to Him with perfect words, and more about keeping an open line between you and God.
As I’ve studied this scripture this week I’ve learned more insight. In Psalm 75:2-5 God said “At this time I will judge with equity. When the earth totters, and its inhabitants. It is I who keep it steady. I say to the boastful, do not boast, and to the wicked, do not lift up your horn, do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with a stiff neck.”
Here we see a promise, a reassurance, and a warning:
The promise: the promise is that God will judge all men, the wicked and the righteous fairly -with equity.
The reassurance: the reassurance is that when things on earth seems shaky and unstable, God is the steady force which keeps everything from falling apart he will not allow corrupting men to ruin what He needs to sustain.
The warning: the warning was directed towards corrupt who want to exalt themselves and pride and flex their perceived strength, which is a delusion.
Asaph in this Psalm knew that strength wasn’t achieved through the minds of men, but through the power of God.
it is God executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another (Psalm 75:7).
Psalm 75:8 show us a interesting illustration, picturing God holding a cup of foaming wine. God is going to make the wicked drink the entire glass, all the way down to the drags, and it would steal their fate. Think about after you have drank coffee from a percolator and notice the dregs of a percolator coffee and see the fine coffee grounds that settle at the bottom of the cup. The dregs are the unwanted residue of coffee grounds or something that settle at the bottom of the cup or glass. God is saying the foaming wine will seal their fate. I think the true expression of this illustration is probably that the wine was fermented, and the meaning may be that the wrath of God seems to boil like fermenting liquor.
the hottie and corrupt we’re going to have to drink from the cup of God’s wrath. Psalm 75 ends with Asaph worshiping God for his inequitable judgment. God was going to cut off the horn of the wicked and promote His faithful people.
Can you imagine God sitting the most powerful people in the world down at His table -presidents and billionaires forcing them to drink a glass of His wrath against their will. In life, these people obeyed only themselves, they were ruled on earth, but God will sit them down like little children at the dinner table and make them finish what He has put in front of them. All of us must drink from a cup, and God allows us to choose from which cup we drink.
God’s cup of wrath awaits those who refused to submit to Him on earth. But Jesus poured another cup for those who wish to drink from God‘s grace.
He showed us His last supper with His disciples.
“He took the bread and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me,” likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” – Luke 22:19-20 (paraphrased).
This text records Jesus instituting the Last Supper, which is a Jeus meal. I like to call it “the meal that heals.” It’s a meal Jesus’s followers can eat to remember His death.
The cup and its contents remind people that He gave on the cross to forgive sins. This is a cup for humble people to remember the humble Savior. We can come to His table willingly to acknowledge our dependence on God.
We all have a choice. Come to the table willingly to drink the sweet cup of God’s grace or be forced to the table to receive a very different drink.
Describe one positive change you have made in your life.
Changing my perspective on life is like flipping a switch in a dim room, everything looks different, even if the furniture stays the same. It’s about altering the facts but you interpret them.
Say you’re stuck in traffic. One lens sees it as a maddening waste of time, that spikes your stress, and your mood tank. Shift the frame, and you will see a chance to breath and listen to something in the radio that you love, it just think. Suddenly, the same delay feels neutral, maybe even useful.
But it’s not just me rattling on there is research the actually backs this up. Studies on cognitive reframing shows it can slash anxiety and depression by repairing how your brain processes setbacks.
It brings on a ripple effect bigger than you would expect. Viewing challenges as growth instead of threats builds resilience, psychologists calls it a “growth mindset,” and it’s linked to better problem-solving and less burnout.
Relationships shift, when seeing flaws in others as human rather than personal attacks which fosters empathy, and cuts conflict. Over time, this habit in perspective compounds. A life that was once heavy with frustration starts to feel light and becomes workable. You will find you don’t have to control the chaos, but you own the lens to change your outcome.
“Think twice before you speak once, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another” -Napoleon Hill
Finding fault with others seems to be a pastime of the ignorant. Understanding that we are meant to praise and lift each other up instead of tearing each other down creates a positive environment where people feel valued, supported, and empowered.
It’s a powerful act of faith and love that fosters a supportive environment that promotes reconciliation, healing, and unity.
Every day I keep my family lifted up in prayer. It’s a routine I’ve kept up on for years. Last night I got the dreaded phone call, that my son had been struck by a moving vehicle while he was walking through a parking lot.
He said a vehicle came out of no where, and the next thing he knew he was on top of the cars hood. He only sustained minor injuries – Praise God.
It’s always important to pray and mention specific needs. Like God’s protection over people. Revelation 5:8 tells us the “golden bowls filled with incense, which are prayers of God’s people. Golden bowls as prayers filled with incense symbolize that prayers of the saints, which are considered precious and pleasing to God.
Overflowing prayers suggest that God is receptive to and values the prayer of His people, and that they are not insignificant.
The fact that God receives these prayers and responds to them signifies that God honors the cries of His people and wants to work for us and through us.
Revelation gives us a fascinating picture of golden bowls filled with our prayers at the throne of God.
Please keep your family and friend lifted up in prayer. It’s a routine really does make a difference.
Our prayers offered in the “Name of Jesus,” delights Him not only has Jesus redeemed us, but He has also redeemed our prayers so that they surround God’s throne and are pleasing to Him.
I think my favorite ways to exercise is hiking and swimming. Two ways I plan on getting back into this spring and summer.
My children are coming on an extended weekend get away to celebrate 36 years of marriage with us.
We are planning on getting some hiking done in southern Nevada. There are a few easy hiking trails that I am comfortable taking. After my knee surgery. It’s time to jump back in and enjoy some dessert beauty.
I’m super excited not only to get away on a weekend end roar trip, and some easy hiking but to have some great family time in the process.
One book I could and do read over and over again is the Holy Bible.
When I first opened the Bible seven years ago I was completely overwhelmed. “How does anyone even understand this stuff?” Were my thoughts. But as I began trying my perspective and intent changed. I prayed and asked God to help me. My pastor suggested I do the Bible opening tactic. I got my Bible, closed my eyes, and opened the Bible. It opened to Psalm 34 when I read, “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in Spirit.” The 17-18th verses. It spoke to me.
As I continued to read I began to notice patterns and recurring themes like redemption, and sacrifice that weaved through the text. With each passage, small details began to jump out at me that connected to things I seemed to be struggling with or going through. And offered comfort and clarity.
Each day I read the Bible no matter how many times. I feel as though God is speaking to me through my reading.
Double fisted Faith is used to describe unwavering faith that clings to God’s promises, even in difficult times, with both hands. It signifies a belief that is both active and steadfast trusting in God’s power and promises, regardless of circumstances.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had it when king Nebuchadnezzar told them to bow before his golden image. Because they wouldn’t worship his golden image Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown into a den of lions. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego told them to bow king, “We have no need to answer you in this matter” (Daniel 3:16). They didn’t need to defend themselves before the king. The God who they served would save them, and He would rescue them from the king’s power.
But even if He didn’t, they wanted to make it clear that would never serve other gods or worship a golden statue. (Daniel 3:16-18). God is God and that’s enough. And that’s enough.
We need to be in a place where we believe God will save us, even if He doesn’t. God is God, and that is enough.
If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?
I would be a quiet reserved person who enjoys my peaceful life, that avoids danger an every turn. Yet I have a hidden streak of courage. I have a fierce desire for to go new places and see new things. My silence isn’t shyness, it becomes a mask for my reckless and courageous soul.
It can be hard to hope in God at times. We live in an evil uncertain world.
Who doesn’t face personal uncertainty? People lose their jobs or retire every day. Our homes need maintenance -where is the money going to come from? And if you have children or grandchildren, you always carry them in your heart. So how do we not struggle with fear of the future?
How do we find hope in God?
We have an enemy (Satan) who wants to rob us of hope, but God assures us in His Word we have a bright future.
God gives us incredible promises to give us hope for the future, both in this life and especially the next.
Hope in God because He has Good Plans For You
“For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future” – Jeremiah 29:11
God has specific wonderful plans for each of his children. He has a plan for you, and it is a plan for good. Plans for your joy. Plans for a future and a hope.
And no one can thwart those plans. They are according to His purpose, and nothing in heaven or earth to stop God‘s purpose. I don’t know how or when God will work out His
We can hope in God because He has promised that He will do good for us in the future. Hoping God, because unlike our plans, His good plans cannot be stopped.
We serve the God of hope, and our hope is not in this life alone. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we also have hope of eternal life. God‘s plans are for today, tomorrow, and eternal life.
Hope in God because you will see His goodness.
“I am still confident of this, I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord” -Psalm 27:13-14
God promises believers that we will see His goodness in this life. We can certainly see his goodness in heaven, but we will see it here as well.
God answer his prayers and meets our needs. We will experience his joy, and see Him work in others.
Don’t give up. Keep hoping and waiting for the Lord‘s perfect timing. Be strong and take courage in your heart. You won’t be disappointed. The Holy Spirit will fill you with joy and peace as you trust God to show His goodness to you.
Hope In The Lord because He Will Fulfill His Purpose For You.
“The Lord will fulfill that which concerns me, your loving kindness, Lord, endures forever. Don’t forsake the works of your own hands” -Psalm 138:8
It’s difficult sometime when we think we might be missing God’s will for our life. But God promises that He has a purpose for each of our lives and He will fulfill it. In this we can have great hope.
Hope in Godbecause He will complete what He started.
“For your partnership in furtherance of the Good News from the first day until now, being confident this very h that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Yeshua the Messiah” -Philippians 1:6
God finishes what He starts. When God saved you, He began an incredibly good work in you to transform you into the likeness of Jesus.
Everything you go through, good and bad, is controlled by His sovereign hand to conform you to Jesus. He won’t fail. There won’t be any “unfinished” believer in heaven. God works in each of our lives every day. If God has started a good, powerful working you, then He certainly will bring it to completion.
Hope in Jesus because He will establish your plans.
“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” -Proverbs 16:3
Maybe you don’t know where you’re going in life. But if you seek the Lord, you can have hope He will establish your plans as He has promised. There are many times in our lives we cannot personally bring our own plans to pass. But God is the one who will bring your plans to pass.
Hope in God because He will lead you.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you” Psalm 32:8
God Himself, is the One who controls all things. He is a God of infinite wisdom, and will personally counsel you with His eye upon you if you allow Him to. Who could hope for more than that.
We have pets for companionship. But the ones we have depend on a lot of personal facries.
There are no best or worst pet. Dogs are usually for people who want loyalty, interaction, or a buddy to get them outside.
Cats are more independent, and more low maintenance and are good if you prefer a quieter vibe. They are very chill and won’t demand our schedule to bend for them.
No matter what animal you prefer it’s all about which animal we match with.
From Pity to Praise 