Revelation 21:4 – 5b “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I will make all things new.’”

Each step became increasingly more challenging. What began as a “level 1 – Easy Trail” had morphed into a “level 3 – Death Defying Mountain Trek.” Obviously, we had not adequately done our research, but chose to rely on the recommendation of the twenty-something-year-old expert hikers we met along the way. The fact that these hikers were fully decked out in the latest and greatest hiking gear in contrast to our simple backpacks holding leaky water bottles, should have been a clue we were out of our league. Yet, off we took, having been assured the view from the top was worth the hike.

Our trek took us over narrow, winding paths, steep ascending and descending trails, slippery rocks, water hazards, and treacherous drop-offs into the great abyss. Scary wildlife of which we could not even identify froze us in our tracks. About mile eight, I greatly doubted any view could be worth the blisters on my feet. (Mental note: pretty sure those expert hikers’ fancy backpacks contained first aid kits.)

Reaching the crest, we sucked in air and immediately froze as we gazed out upon the great expanse. All thought of aching feet disappeared. Then in comical unison we proclaimed: “This view is totally worth the hike!”

Eventually we had to say goodbye to this little piece of heaven and begin our trek down the mountain. The slow descent from the peak offered time for soul-searching and I began to contemplate how indicative this adventure was of our journey on earth. Life here can lead us to deep, dark valleys of hopelessness leaving us too exhausted to climb out. Our encounters with strenuous hardships, illness, grief, pain, loss, and disappointments can leave us doubting whether we will survive. Hazardous temptations can trip us up and we can find ourselves stuck in sin. Or we may choose to follow advice that leads us away from the path God has set for us.

Sisters, our hope is built on the glorious destination at the end of life’s journey. Mortal words cannot begin to describe heaven, but the apostle John assured us what God is preparing is a paradise beyond anything our imagination can conjure up. Let us have no doubt, the view at the top will be totally worth the hike.

Father God, may we keep our eyes on the prize as we journey through this life.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

The story of Gideon is an interesting, action-filled story about a judge who destroyed the Midianites with just 300 men. During his time as judge over Israel, the land had 40 years of rest.

Gideon or Jerubbaal as he was also known,  had 70 sons by his many wives and a son named Abimelech by a concubine. Based on the feelings of the people, they wanted the descendants of Gideon to continue as their judge. Gideon told them that they were to be ruled by God. He would give direction to them. At the death of Gideon, the people turned again to the Baals and worshiped the idols they returned to time and time again.

Judges 9 relates the story of Abimelech’s scheming to lead the people. He didn’t wait for them to name a judge; he went to his mother’s relatives, the people of Shechem, and declared his intentions. He said, “Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over? Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.”

So, the relatives of Abimelech talked with the leaders of Shechem, and the decision was made that he would be the one they would follow. They gave him 70 pieces of silver from the temple of Baal, and Abimelech used the money to hire “worthless and reckless” men to follow him.

His first order of business was to go to his father’s house and kill his brothers. Jotham, the youngest, hid himself and escaped Abimelech’s slaughter. Judges 9:6 says the leaders of Shechem made Abimelech king. Remember that there had been no king in Israel before this, and Abimelech had not been declared a king by God.

When Jotham found out what happened, he went to the top of Mount Gerizim and cried out to the men of Shechem a parable. In the parable, the trees decided to anoint a king over them. They approached the olive tree first. His answer was, “Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?” In other words, he wasn’t interested. They next approached the fig tree. The fig tree answered, “Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?” He wasn’t interested, either. Then they went to the vine who said, “Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?” After this third rejection, the trees went to the bramble. His answer was quite different. He said, “If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.”

Jotham then told them that if they had acted in good faith with integrity, dealt well with the house of Jerubbaal (knowing that he had risk his life for them), and were content with anointing a man that killed 70 men at one time, then they should rejoice in Abimelech. If that was not the case, then let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem; and let fire come out from the leaders and devour Abimelech. Jotham then ran away to save his own life.

For three years Abimelech ruled over Israel. God was not happy with this self-appointed king, and He caused dissention between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. Another tried to make himself king, but in the end both he and Abimelech were destroyed.

So, what lesson do we learn from this story? When we choose leaders unwisely, giving power to those who do not know God, the results can be nothing but disastrous. When we depend on any ruler more than on our heavenly Father, we will have nothing but heartache.

Abimelech is not the only king that came to a horrific end. King Pharaoh and all of his army were destroyed in the Red Sea. King Herod, because of his self-important attitude, died a horrible death, being eaten by worms. Kings in the time of Daniel lost their kingdoms because of their dependency on themselves.

Times are no different today. Those who stand in places of authority have a grave responsibility, and their best hope for great leadership is to stand in the presence of our Almighty God.

Sandra Oliver

Proverbs 12:18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

I recall frequent childhood scuffles taking place within the Cato household. With six children, a variety of pets and houseguests, and parents who advocated the value of daily chores, opportunities to argue, quarrel, and bicker were abundant. Ruckuses could be boisterous but short-lived due to our parents’ cease-and-desist policy. House rules required an apology from the guilty party, and we quickly learned that all parents are adept at uncovering the guilt party. (An impressive skill since rarely did the guilty party profess guilt.)

Solomon, in all his wisdom, was an expert in household scuffles. Having more wives and children than he could count, (nor possibly recall their names) certainly he witnessed an abundance of strife within his palace walls. In Proverbs 12:18, Solomon compared rash words to wounds made by a sword: piercing, bleeding, and painful. I cannot help but wonder just how many “word-wounds” consumed his day. He knew firsthand the benefits of kind words, for just a few chapters later he wrote, “Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush your spirit.” GNT

Parents need the wisdom of Solomon when it comes to handling word-wars. When fights and arguments erupted on our home-front, the troops were gathered, and apologies required. But not just any old apology would do, only a sincere apology from a truly repentant heart. So, on the occasions when our childish words of, “I’m sorry!” were offered void of sincerity, “Say it like you mean it,” is what we heard.

“Say it like you mean it,” indicates our hearts be engaged in the apology. The sentiments of our words must originate from deep within our souls and spring from a well of compassion within us and not from the shallowness of our lips.

Words are tricky things. We can use them to build each other up or tear each other to pieces. Words can soothe a broken heart or rip a heart asunder. And, we must remember, the tone in which we speak our words is as important as the words we speak. Appropriate words of compassion offered in emptiness and in vain, leave a strain on relationships. My parent’s advice rings true for all mankind, not just rowdy children. If we desire to bring healing to relationships and people, we must engage our hearts and, “Say it like we mean it.”

Father God may our words never fail to bring glory to You.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

Psalm 5:4 “For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.”

Tis the season for all things, “Back to School.” Without a doubt, the outstanding heroes are the teachers. Somehow, they inspire children to greatness, even though those students seemingly lie dormant in the classroom from August to May. From calming angry parents in the pickup line, to disassembling and reassembling copiers faster than a Nascar pit crew, to possessing the telepathy to know which child released the hamster in the classroom, teachers are superheroes.

However, one area in which teachers admittedly struggle is in pairing up roommates for overnight field trips. Certain students simply cannot room together. Perhaps one is a night owl, the other an early bird, or one likes it cold and the other likes it hot, or they argue, and their parents argue, too. Through it all, teachers have proven incompatibility does exist!

Did you know incompatibility is found in scripture? Two of the greatest incompatible conditions are good and evil. Just as with roommates, good and evil simply cannot live together. And, since God is good, evil cannot coexist with Him. If you want proof, check out Psalm 5:4 above.

Consider how evil played out in the life of King Saul. The king was not accustomed to sharing the spotlight. Then a young whipper-snapper named David showed up and killed the big, bad Goliath. Suddenly, David took center stage and Saul was demoted to supporting-actor status. Saul’s insecurity planted jealousy in his heart which grew to fill him with evil. Saul allowed jealousy over David’s popularity to take up residency in his soul, consume his thoughts, and control his actions. Eventually, the evil in Saul’s heart crowded out the spirit of God.

So, friend, stop and ponder a few hard truths about evil. It will grow if we allow it to remain in our hearts. It will eat away at our desire to be who God planned us to be. And, eventually, as with Saul, the Spirit of God will depart from us. So, friend, if your desire is to possess God’s Spirit, flee from evil, for God simply does not co-exist with it.

Father God, fill our hearts to overflowing with your love, leaving us no room for any sort of evil.

Blessings

Rita Cochrane

Matthew 28:6 “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

Mary Magdalene made her way toward her Savior’s tomb. The beauty of the sunrise seemed absurd, for in her mind, all time had ceased at the cross. Pain was nothing new to her, but the ache in her heart was unprecedented. Gruesome nightmares robbed her sleep and if not for the adrenaline of the past few days, she would have been unable to place one foot in front of the other. How could the Pharisees profess a godly faith yet pronounce such unspeakable tortures upon another human? What she had witnessed at the cross could never be un-seen. It would haunt her the remainder of her life.

Oh, how Mary Magdalene had loved Jesus. He had restored her life from the demons that once controlled her. Out of gratitude, Mary Magdalene had dedicated her life to serving Him.

How ironic, she thought, for a garden to become the Savior’s final resting place. It held such contrast to the horrific hill of Golgotha where he took his final breath on the cross. She also considered the irony of her mission, for she would soon anoint the lifeless body of Jesus with precious oils. However, this time, no insults would be hurled from the disciples as they had previously done, for they were nowhere to be found.

As daylight lit the sky, Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb and stopped in her tracks. The tomb where the body of her precious Jesus once lay, was empty.

Hopelessness, anguish, and desperation momentarily filled her . . . that is, until she turned to encounter her risen Savior.

Dear Sisters, what Mary Magdalene could not visualize within the hopelessness of an empty tomb was the eternal, everlasting Hope born from a Risen Savior – a hope reaching to all generations to come.

That empty tomb stands today as the manifestation of Jesus’ love for us. When He chose death on the cross, He gifted us eternal hope. So sweet Sisters, just how will we live in response to so great a sacrifice?

Father God, help my life reflect the glory of the empty tomb.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

Read the familiar story of Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb from Matthew 28. If we were to live in honor of so great a sacrifice, what would our lives resemble? What changes might we need to make?

I hear this expression often. We usually use it to confirm that we have done exactly what someone else has done, but we also use it say we have made the same mistake again.

We should learn from our mistakes, but more often than not we repeat a habit, mistake, or sin that we have committed before. We are no different than those who have lived before us. Peter is a perfect example of repeating what he did before—saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing, and being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

We start with Matthew 14. We find the disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. It was between 3 and 6 AM. They look out across the water and see a figure moving toward them. I have been on the Sea of Galilee, and I can only imagine how the disciples must have felt. They are quick to surmise that the figure is a ghost. Matthew says that they were afraid. When the figure begins walking toward them, they are terrified.

Jesus, knowing their fear, calls out to them, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid”. Peter says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water”. Notice Peter’s condition for leaving the boat—“If it is you”. He is expressing doubt even when the Lord says, “Come.”

So, Peter gets out of the boat; and he walks on the water, heading toward Jesus. Then the typical Sea of Galilee weather stirs up the wind; Peter becomes afraid, and he begins to sink. As he is floundering in the water, he calls out, “Lord, save me”. Jesus immediately takes hold of Peter, but Jesus next words must sting as He says, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

The second time Peter said the wrong thing is found in Matthew 18. Jesus has been talking about being humble and facing temptations. He tells the parable of the lost sheep which leads into His instructions about dealing with a brother that has sinned against you. At the end of the parable, Peter wants to know how often he has to forgive a brother who has sin against him. He even offers Jesus a number—seven times. Jesus’ reply was probably outrageous to Peter, since seven was the number that represented perfection under Jewish law. The Jewish Rabbis held that forgiveness must be extended to one who confessed his fault to three repetitions (B. W. Johnson commentary). Jesus then tells the story of the unforgiving servant.

Again, about two years later, Jesus wants to wash the disciples’ feet.

Another recorded “been there, done that, got the T-shirt moment came at the arrest of Jesus and shortly thereafter in John 12. Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem is behind Him. He speaks about His impending death, though the disciples do not understand it. They now move to an upper room to celebrate the Passover. Normally, the host would have washed the feet of all those present; but that had not happened. So, Jesus removes His outer garments, takes a towel, pours water in a bowl, and begins to wash the disciples’ feet.

Peter, is the one to speak up. “Lord, do you wash my feet? You shall never wash my fee.”

Peter’s heart is probably in the right place, but his tone suggests an aggravation that his Lord would consider washing the feet of the disciples. Jesus then tells Peter, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me”. Now Peter is all in, even declaring that he will lay down his life for Jesus.

The last of our examples is found in all four gospels. Peter appears to attempt to kill Malchus. Maybe he just wants to scare the mob away, but that isn’t likely considering the number of soldiers that came to take Jesus. After Malchus is healed, Jesus is taken to His trials. Peter follows at a distance. There is another disciple who follows as well—one who is known to the high priest. He speaks with the servant girl who is tending the door, and then he brings Peter in. The amazing thing about this particular story is that the servants and officers are warming themselves by a fire, and Peter was with them.

Three times someone asks him if he knows Jesus or is one of his followers. Three times Peter denies that he knows or is in any way associated with Jesus. When the rooster crows, Peter gets “the look”. You know, the one that says, “Been there, done that, got the T-shirt”. Peter has been there before; saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing, and being with the wrong crowd.

What do we learn? All of us have done things we wish we had never done. We have all made the same mistakes more than once. We need to look at Peter’s mistakes and not just see what he could have done differently. We need to profit from his mistakes and from our own. We should try, through prayer and a study of God’s Word, to learn to avoid the same mistakes.

Sandra Oliver

Psalm 19:7 “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.”

Are any of you sweet women out there in desperate need of rest? I ask because it seems our lives revolve around relentless schedules with to-do lists surpassing the hours in our day. “Time flies when you are having fun,” rings true, but I have determined time flies even on the stinky days. It was the writer of James who phrased this in a bit more civilized manner when he described life as a vapor, appearing for a little time, only to vanish away.

Jesus, in His humanity, was an expert on time-exhaustion. His earthly ministry was filled with fast paced obligations that left both His body and soul depleted. But Jesus’ deity knew the cure for physical and spiritual exhaustion: solitude with the Father. So, in Mark 6:31 when the disciples’ physical bodies needed to slow and their spiritual souls needed to refuel, Jesus instructed them. . .

              “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Jesus’ prescription for refueling your body and soul is to leave behind all the frantic comings and goings, find a quiet place, and invite Him into your stillness. There, far from the noise of the world, the voice of Jesus would be heard and sweet rest for body and soul received.

This exhaustion-cure is a hard pill for us to swallow. Distractions monopolize our moments. Spilled milk on the floor, the telemarketer on the phone, an empty refrigerator, and so much more, consume our day! Removing ourselves from chaos to seek quietness with Jesus is no easy task. More often than not, we allow the important things in life to be trumped by unanticipated emergencies.

King David, who was known for constant chaos, found refreshing, renewing, and restorative peace in God’s Word (Psalm 19), and so can we. A body, soul, and mind at rest with Christ allow us to stamp a godly perspective on any issue. Solitary time with our Savior refuels us and enables us to minister to others in crisis. Time alone in God’s Word sharpens our priorities, allowing us to focus on what is important while dealing with what is urgent.

Sisters, life-crises are here to stay. How we deal with them is our choice to make. Gratefully, Jesus shared the prescription: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Father God, help us seek quiet time alone with You.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

Life’s a flurry right now of Polishing the Pulpit prep. (https://polishingthepulpit.com/) If you’re reading and you are a regular, I can’t wait to hug your neck. If you are a digger, I can’t wait to wrap up the amazing (amazing, because it’s from Scripture) Comfort study and I’m way excited about kicking off our 2023-24 study from one of those large rooms at PTP on Saturday at 12:30. I mean I cannot wait! I’m working hard on the little things that make the study fun. If you have never been to PTP, remember there are a couple of “free” days when you can come try it on for size. But I can already tell you, it fits. You will never want to miss it again. It’s worth the wait, worth the money, worth the pretty big hassle of getting every child and aged person on board for as much of it as possible!

There are hugs to go around at PTP!

So today, in honor of PTP anticipation, here’s an excerpt from an upcoming lesson by Hannah Colley. It’a lesson about keeping our commitments to Jesus Christ. This part is so deeply in my heart as we finish up 2023 and, as we prayerfully move toward even more blessed times as a family, as a congregation, as a church–as we move toward heaven!

Hannah says this:

When you feel alone, remember Joseph. Remember to hold fast to what you know is true—That God is on his throne and He has a plan for your life, even if you can’t see it.

But also, find comfort in the fact that we as Christians have an incredible advantage that Joseph didn’t have, and that is His church. I mean this when I say that I truly do not know how I would have made it through the past couple of years without the encouragement and support of the Lord’s church. Many of you helped carry me through the darkest days of my life. To outsiders looking in, it is shocking to see how God’s people come together to help people that aren’t even blood relatives. But that’s because the blood of Christ has made us family. We were never meant to survive the trials of this life alone. God gave us this community, this family of disciples, to “bear one another’s burdens”—that’s how we fulfill the law of Christ.

I’m so thankful for those who “fulfill”…incredibly thankful. I cannot wait to see many of you at this grand reunion we call PTP. But, oh!… That other reunion! If you have to miss PTP it’s sad. But, if you have to miss that other reunion, it’s the ultimate eternal tragedy! Let’s help each other get there!

Hannah Colley

About three weeks ago I discovered a bird’s nest at the top of a column on our front porch. We have put up barriers to keep the birds from nesting there, but the barrier did not work this time. The nest was constructed before I discovered it, and I didn’t have the heart to tear it down.

We have watched each day at the activity of the swallows that have invaded our porch, and I have had to carefully go out to water plants in the evening. It wasn’t too much of a problem for the first few days, but now I have to watch carefully or be attacked by a flock of these beautiful little birds. They can fly about 31 miles an hour, and you can imagine how that feels with eight or ten of these birds whizzing by you, one right after the other.

One day last week, I watched from our window as several birds flew in and around the column. It must have been the “birthday” of the babies. Soon after, mother and father were diligently taking turns feeding their little ones.

This whole bird experience made me think of God’s command to the Jews. In Deuteronomy, 6 it is clear the commandments, statutes, and judgments were given for the people to obey. They were to obey ALL of them; but not only were they to obey them, their sons and son’s sons were to obey them “all the days of their life” so their lives would be prolonged. In obeying these commandments, they would increase in the land which God had promised them.

In verses 7-10, the people are told how to pass these commandments on. “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” In other words, the teaching of God’s Word was to be constant.

The constant feeding and care of baby birds is the kind of diligent feeding of our Lord’s commandments to our own children that God wants. Because the devil is diligently bombarding us and our children with lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and the pride of life (First John 2:16), we had better be diligent in our teaching of the gospel because it is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16).

The first century church showed this kind of diligent teaching. Acts 5:42 says that they did not stop teaching that Christ is Jesus. Our world today needs to know that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and salvation comes only through obedience to His Word.

As the swallows diligently feed and care for their newborn and for one another, may we feed and care for our children by teaching them God’s commandments.

Sandra Oliver