“This Same Jesus”

“This Same Jesus”                                   


Each day for the past eight days I have posted, on my blog, a few incredible things that happened during Holy Week. We looked at Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, some occurrences in the city, His arrest, death, burial, and resurrection. 


Many people believe He just went straight back to Heaven after God raised Him from the dead. But that’s just not the way it was. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts give highlights of some of the events that occurred during the forty days between His resurrection and ascension. 
  

Let’s look at a few:

-      Luke 24:13-35 – Jesus appeared to two of His followers on the road to Emmaus, having conversation as they walked along. Not recognizing Him, the men told Jesus about the remarkable events that occurred in Jerusalem in the past few days. These events centered around Jesus and the things He said and did and that He had been crucified. 

Jesus then talked about the Christ and explained some things about Himself. When they sat down to eat and Jesus blessed and broke the bread, they recognized Him and then He vanished.


They said to one another, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

-      Luke 24:36–49 – Jesus appeared to His discipled while they were gathered. He said, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and feared they had seen a ghost. He said, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?” He showed them the wounds in His hands and feet and asked, “Do you have any food here?” He demonstrated he was real and could even eat food. 

-      Luke 24:49 and Acts 1, He promised the outpouring of His Spirit which would empower His followers to do miraculous works like He had done.

-      John 20:27-29 – Jesus appeared to Thomas who had doubted He had risen and said, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet have believed.” I especially like this because He’s talking about us. 

-      John 21:1-14 – Beside the Sea of Tiberias, He called out to some of his disciples as they were fishing. When He asked, they told Him they had caught no fish. He told them to cast their net on the other side of the boat and when they did, they got a huge catch. Meanwhile He prepared breakfast for them on the shore. 

-      John 21 - Jesus restored Peter after his shame of denying that He knew Jesus.

At the end of the forty days, His disciples were gathered around and asked Him if He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel.   


He replied, “’It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’” (Acts 1:7-8). 

Artist Lesley James from 

"The Lord Has Need of YOU" by Connie Wohlford

Then as they watched, He was taken up to Heaven. Two angels, dressed in white, stood nearby and said, “’Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:11).


We who are in Christ anticipate His return. Whether we refer to it as That Day or the Day of the Lord, our ultimate hope is in Jesus, and His return when the fullness of time, according to God’s clock, has come. 


I’ll never forget the thrill of standing on the Mount of Olives, looking across the Kedron Valley at Jerusalem, thinking about the ancient prophecy. “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south” Zechariah 14:4.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I encouraged you to read, in your Bible, about the last days of Jesus’ life and the days leading up to His ascension. A lot happened in those few days. Begin your reading at these points: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19:28, John 12:12, Acts 1. Be blessed with me as we learn Jesus. 


In these posts, I’ve used some pictures and quotes from my book titled, The Lord has Need of YOU.* The illustrations are watercolor paintings by artist, Lesley James. 


Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. 


*The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie Wohlford. Copyright Connie Wohlford, 2019, Hoot Books Publishing.

*The Lord Has Need of YOU can be purchased directly from me via email author@conniewohlford.com or through Amazon,  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1687536104/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0


©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

Holy Week: Last Supper, Gethsemane, Betrayal, Arrest

Holy Week: Last Supper, Gethsemane, Betrayal, Arrest      

                                                                      

In my previous Holy Week blog posts we witnessed Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, (Palm Sunday); we saw Him shake things up at the Temple; we rejoiced as He blessed children and healed the afflicted; we heard Him teach about love.  


Now let’s move on to Thursday.


On this day the celebration of Passover began.  (FYI- Today, April 9, 2020, is the first day of Passover.)


“Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, ‘Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?’ And Jesus said, ’Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him. “The Teacher says, ‘My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’”


“So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover. When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. Now as they were eating, He said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.’” (Matthew 26:17-23 NKJV). 

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’   

Illustration by Lesley James from 

The Lord has Need of YOU by Connie Wohlford

“Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’ 


“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Matthew 26:26-30 NKJV). 




Quoting from my book, The Lord Has Need of YOU: 


“That night, in a garden called Gethsemane, Jesus and His disciples, except for Judas, went to pray. 


“Hours passed, the torches burned out, and the disciples all nodded off. But Jesus was still praying. He knew He was facing a lot of pain and suffering.

“In the end, He cried out, ‘Oh, My Father, if it is possible, let there be another way. Nevertheless, not My will but Your will be done.’


“Then all of a sudden, the disciples were jolted awake by the clamoring of swords shattering the quiet night. They staggered to their feet and rubbed their eyes to see what was causing the commotion. 


“Judas led soldiers to Jesus and kissed His cheek to show the soldiers He was the one they wanted. Judas had betrayed his best friend. 


“The muscular soldiers grabbed Jesus and led Him away to face the high priest, Caiaphas. Jesus had been accused of breaking laws.


“A few hours later, Jesus was handed over to Pontius Pilate, a Roman government official. Pilate brought Jesus before the people and asked them, ‘What do you want me to do with your King?’” * 


Here we are now, on Friday morning. Please check in tomorrow as we continue in Holy Week.

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At the beginning of this week I encouraged you to read, in your Bible, about the last days of Jesus’ life. Quite a bit happened in those few days. I hope you’re doing that. If not, you can start now. Begin your reading at these points: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19:28, and John 12:12. Go ahead and read through to the end of each of the Gospels between now and Easter Sunday. Be blessed with me as we learn Jesus. 


Each day this week, I’m posting a few highlights from those amazing days in history. Also, I’m using some of the pictures and quotes from my book titled, The Lord has Need of YOU.* The illustrations are watercolor paintings by artist, Lesley James. 


Thank you for traveling with me through these extraordinary days. God bless you. 


*The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie Wohlford. Copyright Connie Wohlford, 2019, Hoot Books Publishing.

*The Lord Has Need of YOU can be purchased directly from me via email author@conniewohlford.com or through Amazon,  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1687536104/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0


©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

Holy Week: Jesus Teaches Love

Holy Week: Jesus Teaches Love       


In my last three blog posts we witnessed Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, (Palm Sunday); saw Him shake things up at the Temple; rejoiced as He blessed children and healed the afflicted.  


Now let’s move on with Him into mid-week.


Jesus continued to teach about what the Kingdom of God is like. In parable after parable He illustrated God, His Kingdom, and man’s flawed propensities. He also continued to heal the sick and afflicted, showing love and compassion toward people. Still, the religious leaders wanted Him gone. 


One of the Pharisees, who was a lawyer, approached Jesus and asked, “’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ 


“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’


“’This is the first and great commandment and the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 22:36-40 NKJV).  

Illustration by Lesley James, from 

The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie wohlford

Have you meditated on that passage lately? 


Jesus pointed out that if we would love in the way He described we would be fulfilling all of the Law, which includes the Ten Commandments, and all of the Prophets. We would be fulfilling everything that the statutes of God require. 


Let’s go back to the essence of love. Jesus also said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17 NKJV). 


The center of God’s character is love. God is love. 


Jesus came to Earth because of that love and He was (and is) walking, talking perfect love. In just a couple of days that perfect love would be nailed to a cross as the sacrificial Lamb of God. He would take the punishment we each deserve for the sins we’ve each committed. 


As we approach Resurrection Sunday, lets ponder on that perfect love.


As followers of Jesus—we who are in Christ—lets consider the words of the beloved disciple, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8 NKJV). 


With God’s help, by His Spirit in us, we can love like Jesus. 


This Holy Week, I again want to encourage you to read, in your Bible, about the last days of Jesus’ life. Quite a bit happens in these few days. See for yourself. Begin your reading at these points: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19:28, and John 12:12. Go ahead and read through to the end of each of the Gospels between now and Easter Sunday. Be blessed with me as we learn Jesus. 


Each day this week, I’m posting just a few highlights from those amazing days in history. Also, I’m using some of the pictures and quotes from my book titled, The Lord has Need of YOU.* The illustrations are watercolor paintings by artist, Lesley James. 


Thank you for traveling with me through these extraordinary days. God bless you. 


*The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie Wohlford. Copyright Connie Wohlford, 2019, Hoot Books Publishing.

*The Lord Has Need of YOU can be purchased directly from me via email author@conniewohlford.com or through Amazon,  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1687536104/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

Holy Week: Jesus Heals and Blesses

Holy Week: Jesus Heals and Blesses 
   

In my last two blog posts we witnessed Jesus’ warm and enthusiastic welcome into Jerusalem, (Palm Sunday), and then saw Him shock some folks when He came down on the scoundrels for dishonoring God and the Temple. He had already been annoying the Sanhedrin, Pharisees, and Temple authorities and His latest actions only deepened their anger. 


Let’s now move on with Him further into the temple complex. 


After cleansing the temple, Matthew tells us, “Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant and said to him, ‘Do You hear what these are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes. Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?”’ (Matthew 21:14-16 NKJV). 

Illustration by Lesley James, from 

The Lord Has Need of  YOU, by Connie Wohlford

Speaking of children, Jesus was known to love and respect the young ones. In Matthew 19:13-14, Jesus rebuked His disciples for trying to shoo away children who were brought to Him. Also, He made quite a strong statement, which is recorded in Matthew 18:5-6. “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (NKJV)




One of my very favorite illustrations in my book, The Lord Has Need of YOU, is the one showing Jesus with the children and the crippled man whom He had healed. 


It reads, “Jesus and His disciples walked further into the Temple complex. Blind and crippled people came to Jesus, and He healed them. Several children ran to see Him, and He greeted and blessed each one.”*


According to Matthew, Jesus and His disciples then went to Bethany for the night. Over the next four days they were back and forth between Jerusalem and Bethany, spending most of the daytime in Jerusalem. At night, they probably lodged in the home of their dear friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. 

Illustration by Lesley James, from 

The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie Wohlford

In my book, it’s described this way: “For the next few days, Jesus stayed in the area of Jerusalem, spending much time in the Temple. People listened to Him teach about God and were amazed at His wisdom and His power to heal the sick. The crowds loved to listen to His stories, which helped them understand what the Kingdom of God is like.


“But some of the Jewish leaders were jealous and angry because many of their fellow Jews chose to Follow Jesus.”*  


Tension was building among the Jewish leaders and their disdain for Jesus was growing. Jesus was well aware of their feelings as well as their scheming to kill Him.


As in my previous posts in this Holy Week, I want to encourage you to read in your Bible about the last few days of Jesus’ life. This phase of Jesus’ time on earth begins with His Triumphal Entry, known as Palm Sunday. I posted about that Sunday and on Monday about Him disrupting the temple merchants. If you didn’t read those, I invite you to do so. 


Quite a bit happens in these few days. See for yourself. Begin your reading at these points: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19:28, and John 12:12. Go ahead and read through to the end of each of the Gospels between now and Easter Sunday. Be blessed with me as we learn Jesus. 


Each day this week, I’m posting just a few highlights from those amazing days in history. Also, I’m using some of the pictures and quotes from my book titled, The Lord has Need of YOU.* The illustrations are watercolor paintings by artist, Lesley James.


Thank you for traveling with me through these amazing days. God bless you. 


*The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie Wohlford. Copyright Connie Wohlford, 2019, Hoot Books Publishing.

*The Lord Has Need of YOU can be purchased directly from me via email author@conniewohlford.com or through Amazon,  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1687536104/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0


©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

Instead of giving up something for Lent, how about...

Instead of giving up something for Lent, how about...

Okay, so a couple days ago was Ash Wednesday. I heard people talk about what they would be giving up as a sacrifice to show their devotion to God. A biggie this year—and almost every year—is abstaining from eating chocolate. Others include all sweets, coffee, carbs, cigarettes and all manner of worldly pleasures.

Well, how about, for Lent this year, we give. No, I didn’t leave a word off—I simply said we give. How about we give something to God—something that would please Him—something that shows our love and devotion to Him—something sacrificial.

Perhaps our something could reflect Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV): “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Would such a personal sacrifice not please God more than giving up chocolate? Would it not show sincere love and devotion to our Heavenly Father?

What would a living sacrifice look like? The Biblical idea of a sacrifice was the offering of an animal to God as an act of worship. So when Paul spoke of a “living sacrifice” he was taking it to a personal level.

Paul was urging us to offer ourselves instead of killing an animal. He even said that giving ourselves, physically, to God is a reasonable act of worship.

In doing so, Paul wants us to not be conformed—shaped or influenced—by this world and its worldly systems. Instead we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

We can all agree there is much in the world that can contaminate our lives and our minds. Instead of allowing ourselves to slip into conformity with the negatives in the world, Paul advises that we be transformed into what is good, acceptable and in the perfect will of God.

In order to accomplish this we must make a conscious effort to renew our minds. Most anything that takes a conscious effort requires some degree of sacrifice. 

What do you think God would like for you to offer up to Him as a living sacrifice during this Lenten season?

Perhaps you haven’t opened your Bible for a while or at least not on a regular basis. Maybe you don’t even own one. Since Bible reading and study is essential for getting to know God well, I suggest this just might be something that would please God and show love for Him. The sacrifice of getting up 15-30 minutes earlier in the morning to spend time with your Creator and in His Word can bring great personal benefits and really make Him smile. 

Or, maybe you haven’t been to church for a while. No doubt getting involved with the body of Christ will please God. Yes, getting up and out to attend a Christian service involves personal sacrifice but the benefits are innumerable and, again will put a smile on your Heavenly Father’s face. 

Okay, so you’re in the Word and are active in a local church—Hallelujah for that! Sincerely ask God what He would have you offer to Him as your living sacrifice during this special season. 

God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). Let’s each listen for His answer and then follow through and present ourselves holy and acceptable to God in a beautiful act of worship. Considering all He has done for us, it is but a small thing. He is worthy of all praise and glory and honor.

 

So while you’re enjoying your chocolate that you didn’t need to give up after all—take some of it to treat an elderly person who needs a touch of love. Give of yourself to that lonely person or to the single mom who would like to go grocery shopping without her kids for a change. 

Don’t get me wrong. If God is telling you to fast or give up chocolate, by all means, do so. But, in addition, you might want to ask Him how He wants you to be a living sacrifice while preparing for Holy Week.

 

Feel free to share your Lenten experiences as a comment below.

©Copyright 2017 Connie Wohlford