Tag Archives: pain

tetelestai

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Tetelestai.

Do you know any Greek words? (Besides gyro!)

As Jesus was hanging on the cross, he spoke this word, tetelestai. See John 19:30

A summary of its definition would be:

“To bring to an end, complete, fulfill, 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).”

As you watch the final video in the Suffering Beyond Belief series, think about that phrase.

Jesus completed something but what, exactly, was it?

 

I hope that this practical and scientific look at the suffering of Jesus has been enlightening.

What he did for us is truly amazing.

Is your faith expanded or emptied?

There will be one more post regarding these videos that will recap all of them. Also, in that post, I will share my personal thoughts about Jesus and the cross.

Thank you.

Cranberry Tea Time: It Is Finished

Flogging

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When you were young(er), did you ever snap someone with a towel?

You know what I am talking about, right?

At the pool or in the locker room, you have a wet towel. After a few spins, it becomes a weapon. You flick the towel and SNAP!, your friend grabs his thigh and screams.

If you hit it just right, you can draw blood.

It sounds mean but we were just having a bit of fun as kids can do.

How to Snap a Towel: 12 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

But I am not talking about snapping a towel here.

Part 3, in my Suffering Beyond Belief series, is about whipping. Specifically, the whipping of Jesus.

 

 

I cannot comprehend the pain, torture, and agony that a person would experience while being flogged. It boggles my mind.

As we see again, Jesus takes all of it. And yet there is more.

You can look for part 4 later this week.

As always, thank you for reading/watching.

Lent, pt. 18

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And with a final burst of strength, she extends her arm with fingers grasping until, finally, they close on cloth. The hem of His garment.

hem3

Instantly, she feels whole. Healed. Yes, the pursuit has wrought victory over pain!

Her faith was champion! She pursued and was now devoted.

What a story! It would be great if we all had success stories like this woman. After so much toil and suffering, the end of that season came and she was healed!

There was Pain for 12 years. Lent, pt 14

This led to Desperation. 

But, because she did not go to Jesus first, a Problem arose. Lent, pt. 15

And she became Disillusioned.

People were in her way. Lent, pt. 16

They were potential Distractions.

Nothing would stop her Pursuit. Lent, pt. 17

Her Determination was strong.

As we finish her story, Jesus speaks and this woman is healed.

What was the Product of this journey? Now, fully healed, she was Devoted to Jesus.

Sure, she may have been frightened because she did not ask permission or even speak to Jesus. She just reached out and grabbed his robe!

All of her fears or misgivings were dismissed after speaking with the Lord.

She became a devoted follower of Jesus. At least I think she did. The bible does not give us her story after this encounter. So dream with me…

When Jesus performed other miracles, she would be in the background affirming that Jesus is really doing this and it is not some magic trick.

Was she at the scene during one of the miraculous feedings? Can you imagine her sharing some bread with a friend and explaining her own healing?

Or, she was witnessing the death of her Lord. As he hung on the cross, she would urge those around her that this man is innocent. He is God! He healed me!

Sure, those are just speculations on my part but it is fun to think about the future when we see the present.

What is Jesus doing right now.? Will your future be affected by your present?

Simply put, are you devoted to Him?

I hope my words can spur you on to devotion.

Whatever phase (pain, problem, people, pursuit, or product) you are in, keep moving! Don’t let the devil win. Jesus already won. Just live it out.

As devoted followers of Jesus, we can change our world. After all, Jesus changed us first!

devoted

 

Lent, pt. 16

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Lent, pt. 14 was about Pain leading to Desperation.

Lent, pt. 15 dealt with the Problem and how it leads to Disillusionment.

This post, Lent, pt. 16, will show us how People can be a Distraction.

Our main character, the woman, was in Pain which led to the Problem.

Verse 27, in Mark 5, notes a turning point for this woman.

“When she heard about Jesus…”

Was it a neighbor? Perhaps Jesus was in her town and she heard the crowd.

How she heard of Jesus is does not really matter. The fact that she did hear of Him is of utmost importance.

Have you heard about Jesus? What an awesome and life-changing story!!!

Read the gospels. They give eye-witness accounts of His life.

Just reading about the life of Jesus could bring change in your own life. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

This woman still had the crowd in front of her. She had People to go through.

The People in this story are the Distractions of life.

Distractions could be:

  • temptations
  • work
  • hobbies
  • laundry
  • spouse
  • relationships
  • church
  • etc.

Just about anything could be a distraction.

If the devil is a magician, he is waving his left hand so we cannot see his right hand doing something else.

I believe that distraction is the biggest tool of Satan. That’s why I listed good things on that list along with the negative things.

If we get distracted, we are not as focused on God. If that happens, the door is now open for greater sin to come into our lives.

The woman in our story was focused though.

“…she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,…”

Meditate on those words. What type of struggle or pain did this woman endure to get to Jesus only to touch is robe?

What will you endure to get to Jesus?

woman with bleeding

Remember, she was desperate.

If you are desperate due to pain, don’t let it become a problem which will disillusion you. Fight your way through the people, which are distractions, until you get to Jesus.

And that is what I want to speak on tomorrow.

What do you call fighting the crowd until you see Jesus? Pursuit.