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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Last Supper: John 13: 1-17, Matthew 26:17-35

John 13

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
The Last Supper
 17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
 18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
 20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.21 And while they were eating, he said,“Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
 23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
 25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
   Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
 31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
   “‘I will strike the shepherd,
   and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[b]
   32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
 33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
   34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered,“this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
 35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.





The first thing that comes to mind is, "EWWWW FEET!!" thehehe  was foot washing some kind of Jewish party game? Ummmmmmm no. In this culture of dusty roads and sandaled feet, it was customary for a servant to wash the guests' feet when they arrived. It was a dirty gross, lowly-job! Sweaty feet= most beautiful thing ever right?!?! NO! Not attractive at all. It points out how humble Jesus us, and shows us his humility. When Jesus wrapped the towel around his waist and  began to perform the task for his disciples, he sent a message to them and to us. If the Son of God himself could serve like that, surely none of us is too good to serve others in whatever way we can.

In the Last Supper passage, here we see the first communion! One thing that came to mind was how we like to give Judas a bad name, for the whole thing, but other disciples did things too. they all had weaknesses. ... Peter had shaky faith, James and John had big tempers, which we learn in Mark 3,  Simon was a zealot(similar to a terrorist) Judas was greedy, and the list of things go on and on. Having seen this, we must realize that we are human, like these apostles were. We have weaknesses, shortfalls, and tempers, and that is normal for a human to have. The difference is how we treat those weaknesses. We will deny/ betray Christ occasionally. How we react to our mistakes is what divides Peter from Judas. Peter denied Christ three times out of fear. Yet he preached the first gospel sermon and was the first to bring the gospel to the Gentiles as well. Judas betrayed Christ out of greed, but only once. He even tried to take back what he did. However, he could not get past his mistake and he committed suicide.

What do you think you would have done?
Anne

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem: Matthew 21: 1-27

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
 1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, 
   ‘See, your king comes to you, 
gentle and riding on a donkey, 
   and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a]

 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
   “Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”
   “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]
   “Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”
 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus at the Temple
 12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[e] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]”
 14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
 16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
   “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

   “‘From the lips of children and infants 
   you, Lord, have called forth your praise’[g]?”

 17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
 18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
 21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
 23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
 24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
   They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
   Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.



This is the Palm Sunday verse. The first thing I noticed  was how humble Jesus' triumphal entry was. He came in on a donkey! A FREAKING DONKEY!!!!! Not a white majestic horse adorned with ornaments. Another thing that stuck out to me was that not many people knew who he was. It made me wonder, what I would do if Jesus were to have come today. I think I might let out a guffaw, Haha who does this psycho think he is? He would have to do a lot to prove himself to me, especially if he looked like a common man. This coming from a believer. What would you guys do? I give so many kudos to those who believed back then, their faith was so strong!

Something else that stuck out to me was the verses about  the fig tree withering (21-22) "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" In my Bible, there was a little blurb about this verse. It basically says that this verse isn't trying to tell you that you will win the lottery if you pray. It is saying the more you believe, the more God will shape your will and your prayers to be in line with his. something I truly need. 

What do you guys think?

Holy Week

Hey guys,

I decided for this week, we would take a break from our 30 days of genuine living... And look at the events that took place from Palm Sunday to Easter.. well back in the day of course!

I hope you all are having an amazing spring break!

Love and miss y'all,
Anne :)

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Sorry! I stink!!

Ladies,

I am sorry I haven't been able to post! I have been really stressed out about 3 exams I have today, starting in approx. 9 hours.



It's 1:38 am, and I decided I should listen to my own advice, that I post on here!!!!!!!! Like I've said tons of times in the past, I am a super control freak.... and when it comes to studying, I am a super monster, ask my roommates :).... So as I'm sitting on my bed, with my macro, stat, and french, books and papers sprawled out... I realized I really need to pray...

First, I googled, Encouraging Bible versus about stress.... and one came up that I really liked.
Philipians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
I really need to work, on being Honest with God and telling him how stressed I am, and then be able to take comfort in him. And at 2 pm tomorrow, you best believe I will be praising him with all my might (you might be able to hear me all the way in Northern Virginia lol!!)


There was another site I found, circleofmoms.com, and the lady who posted on it... said she kept this list of verses in her notebook... and posted some of them around her room... They are all really encouraging...

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Ecclesiastes 7:14
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.

Psalm 51:10 
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Philippians 4:4-7 
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:2 
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Job 2:10 
He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

2 Chronicles 15:4 
But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.

Deuteronomy 8:5 
Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.

Galatians 1:10 
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Lamentations 3:25
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

Hebrews 13:6 
So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Psalm 56:3 
When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

Psalm 57:1
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Isaiah 30:18 
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Matthew 19:26 
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 62:1-2
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

1 Corinthians 15:58 
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

1 Peter 5:6 
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Isaiah 43:2 
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Psalm 121:7-8 
The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Ecclesiastes 3:1
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

James 3:17 
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

2 chronicles 20:12
“…We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."

Joshua 1:9 
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Jeremiah 29:12-13 
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

James 4:10 
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Philippians 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Lamentations 3:57 
You came near when I called you, and you said, "Do not fear."

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 58:9 
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

John 16:33 
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

1 Peter 5:7 
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Mark 9:23 
" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Isaiah 40:31
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Matthew 8:26 
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Jeremiah 31:16 
This is what the LORD says: "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded," declares the LORD.

James 1:2-3 
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Romans 8:28 
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose

Isaiah 33:2 
O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.


As more midterms, exams, and final college decisions come about for you all. I pray that you all will do all right, and take comfort in the Lord. He will be there with you :) 


I love and miss you all!!
Anne





ps. I promise, next week the blog will be updated regularly :)





No more chat box :(

Hey guys!

The chat box wasn't working very well. But have no fear, I figured out how to make it, so you guys can comment on individual days, even if you don't have a google account. So go for it!

~Anne