Nard…

 Nard… 

I never really knew what nard was, except as described in the Word….expensive, fragrant, used infrequently…I have always imagined that Jesus still smelled of nard at his death and burial…that he carried that scent through all the events from this time forward…

Do we carry the “scent” of Jesus?

John 12: 12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 

3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

The following references were interesting, so included them…make your own conclusions…

What is nard?

https://bibledictionarytoday.com/words/nard/

*****

Practical Ministry Lessons

1. Costly Obedience: Genuine discipleship is measured not by minimal compliance but by lavish surrender. 
2. Fragrance of Christ: Saints are called to spread “the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15). The believer’s life, like spikenard, must be broken to release its scent. 
3. Undivided Affection: Just as nard was kept for a single, climactic use, our primary devotion belongs to the Lord; lesser loyalties find their place only after Him (Matthew 6:33).

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5373.htm

*****

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spikenard

AI summary…

Nard, also known as spikenard, is primarily used as an essential oil and not typically prepared as a food recipe. However, it can be incorporated into various wellness practices and DIY recipes. Here are some ideas for using spikenard essential oil:

1. Relaxing Bath Soak

• Ingredients:

• 1 cup Epsom salt

• 10 drops spikenard essential oil

• Instructions:

• Mix the Epsom salt with the essential oil.

• Add to warm bath water and soak for relaxation.

2. Calming Diffuser Blend

• Ingredients:

• 5 drops spikenard essential oil

• 5 drops lavender essential oil

• Instructions:

• Add the oils to a diffuser with water and enjoy the calming aroma.

3. DIY Massage Oil

• Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons carrier oil (like coconut or jojoba)

• 5 drops spikenard essential oil

• Instructions:

• Mix the oils together and use for a soothing massage.

•

Spikenard is known for its calming properties and can be a wonderful addition to self-care routines

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=spikenard+essential+oil&crid=3G5168N6FQWSN&sprefix=Spikenard%2Caps%2C1446&ref=nb_sb_ss_saint-nlq-prefix_ci_hl-bn-left_1_9

Thank YOU….

At the feet of Jesus…

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=at+the+feet+of+jesus+steven+curtis+chapman

 Trust me?????

I had my day’s list all made out, I thought, ready to get into the activities…

Then two messages changed the whole thing…

Never had a day like that? Ha!

“Well, it is a new day, I have a surprise for you, do you trust me”

“Yes, but sometimes I get scared”…

“Do you really trust me?”

“Where are we going? What are we going to do ?”

“Do you really trust me”?

“Where are we headed?”

“Do you trust me?”

I don’t think I am the only one that asks those questions….if I am the only on, then I have a personal Bible verse….

Proverbs3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

But, there are many trust verses….so I don’t think I am the only one that has “trust” issues!…

Psalm 13: 5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

Psalm 25: 1 In you, Lord my God,
    I put my trust.

Psalm 31: 14 But I trust in you, Lord;

I say , “You are my God..

Psalm 84:12 Lord Almighty,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Thank YOU….

I trust in You…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3YGczmlbV8


    

Beginning and end…

 Beginning and end…

The Word speaks of various seeking Jesus…at first to worship him as the Messiah…the shepherds, the magi, others…

Others were seeking Him not to worship but for death, jealousy…

At the end others still sought him for the exactly the same reasons…

Mothers wept…for their sons…

But, the job was done, and Jesus was victorious both at the beginning of his earthly life…and the end…

Thank YOU l…

Matthew 2:7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Matthew 2: 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

John 11: 55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

John 19: 28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Where I find God…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzl8-_4qzyk

A quiet place,,,

 

A quiet place….

A nearby park, a couch ,  camping, a bed, the ocean, a hilltop….etc, a place we seek as our quiet place…

Jesus chose the village of Ephraim before the turmoil …he knew what was ahead, not years of peace but Passover, celebrations of the getaway from slavery to freedom to the promised land of milk and honey…

How do we prepare for the times ahead?…..do we seek quiet for contemplation or a madhouse of activity…

Jesus knew a battle was coming..he would fight over our souls, the sins  that entrap…death…coming out victorious…fulfilling a promise given ages and ages ago…because he loved us…

Thank YOU …..

John 11:54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples

“It represents a place of refuge and preparation, highlighting the humanity of Jesus as He sought solitude and time with His disciples before facing the culmination of His earthly mission.”

“By withdrawing to Ephraim, Jesus ensured that His ultimate sacrifice would occur according to God's sovereign plan, during the Passover in Jerusalem.”

“In summary, Ephraim serves as a testament to Jesus' strategic movements during His ministry, reflecting His awareness of the political and religious climate of His time. It highlights the tension between Jesus and the Jewish authorities and underscores the divine orchestration of events leading to the fulfillment of His redemptive work.”

https://biblehub.com/topical/naves/e/ephraim--a_city_in_the_territory_of_ephraim--jesus_escapes_to,_from_the_persecution_of_caiaphas.htm

“The city of Ephraim, while not as frequently mentioned as other biblical locations, holds theological significance in the narrative of Jesus' ministry. It represents a place of refuge and preparation, highlighting the humanity of Jesus as He sought solitude and time with His disciples before facing the culmination of His earthly mission. The retreat to Ephraim underscores the tension between Jesus' growing popularity and the increasing opposition from religious authorities.

Furthermore, Ephraim's association with the tribe of Ephraim connects it to the broader narrative of Israel's history and God's covenant promises. The tribe of Ephraim, as part of the northern kingdom of Israel, played a significant role in the unfolding account of God's people, often symbolizing both blessing and waywardness.

In summary, the city of Ephraim serves as a geographical and theological waypoint in the biblical narrative, offering insights into the life and ministry of Jesus and the historical context of the tribe of Ephraim. Its mention in Scripture invites reflection on themes of refuge, preparation, and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan.”

https://biblehub.com/topical/naves/e/ephraim--a_city_in_the_territory_of_ephraim.htm#google_vignette

https://christholdfast.org/places-in-the-bible/ephraim-city-in-the-bible/

Quiet place…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KicY80RKBtQ

Intrigue….

 Intrigue….

My children read books that had several story lines….”if this happened, would you choose a,b, c for the next chapter…” each choice would lead to another group of choices and then this or that would lead to another conclusion…

I was thinking about those books this morning, reading in John…the Bible is a book of intrigue…

John 11: 45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

We read the Word from a distance, seeing how various historical things happened….we see some of the behind the scenes…like the plotting, the prophecies being fulfilled,  what people talked about, etc…

Why Moses was saved in the basket, the working of the angels, the puzzle pieces/the chess movements of nations …and so on.

God is not playing a game however…He has a purpose for everything He does…from the Creation to the end times, the Revelations…Eternity…

Will we choose to believe or be the “tattletales” who caused such rifts  and lies for their own good…?

It is just interesting how He moves…and He is still working in our lives and times to come..how do we fit into the final plan…

Thank YOU, that You know the eternal plans…

These are the days of Elijah…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca9LnzJnpjQ&list=RDca9LnzJnpjQ&start_radio=1

 And the shortest Bible verse is…..?

John   11:35…Jesus wept…

Some say He wept because of the peoples’ unbelief, while others say He wept because of his friends were sorrowing…

Luke 19: 41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

There are several places in the old and New Testaments that speak of weeping…

Joseph weeping at the reuniting with his father and brothers, a joyous weeping…

The women at the tomb, seeing Jesus, a joyous weeping…Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, a sad weeping…

We hear the words…”why are you crying?”…and someone will reply.   “Oh, it is happy tears”…

Or later the same question…with a different answer, “oh they are so sad “….

With “Jesus wept”…he could have been overcome with sorrow for his friends…bothered that the sister lost their brother, or he had lost his dear friend…

But, only he knew that he was able to raise Lazarus from the dead even after four days…

it shows me that Jesus will weep with us in our sorrow…he care, he comforts…

Thank YOU…

Lazarus, come forth…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKb5U8LHRZI

Reading…

 Reading….

The other day I got a quick message from one of my grandchildren…

“ just finished reading all the way through the Bible”…

What a priceless privilege  to know that…I know others have done it and hopefully more will do it…but, I pray that a hunger for the Word  will touch their souls all their lives…

Thank YOU….

Psalm 19:9b-11 The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.

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

Word of God Speak….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PbUNhbeBZM