"...and provide for those who grieve in Zion -
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness
instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of depair..."
Isaiah 61:3a (NIV)
Like the sting of sunburn after a long day at the beach, the heat on my hands stayed for hours. As a treat for my family, I had made Aunt Carol's jalapeno peppers. With the sharp knife and chopping block, I transformed eighteen forest-green peppers into little boats of tasty fun. What I hadn't counted on was that ten minutes of exposure to the pepper's oil on my dry skin produced a burning that lasted hours.
As I looked at my red, cracked hands, I was reminded of another part of me that seemed dry and under-nourished a few months earlier.
My heart had been in bad shape. It had felt like a stone. When I would go to church, I sang the songs but I was just going through the motions. My heart was not truly singing praise to Jesus.
I assumed it was the church. Surely, something had changed. We needed new music; something fresh. But it turned out it wasn't the worship that needed to change; it was me.
I knew I couldn't do this on my own though. I needed to re-discover the oil of gladness mentioned in today's key verse. I decided to get intentional about personally coming into the Lord's presence daily, asking Him to replace my mourning with His gladness and my despair with His garment of praise.
Although I had never stopped reading my Bible and praying, I hadn't really been taking time in God's presence and asking Him to renew my heart.
So I began starting my time with the Lord each day by praising Him. A prayer journal I used gave me several helpful suggestions: repeating His attributes (faithful, loving, kind, etc.), calling out His names (Healer, Provider, Sustainer, etc.), singing hymns or worship songs, and my favorite: reading the Psalms out loud.
Opening my day with praises to my King transformed my heart. Each morning I would start by singing a song; one that turned my thoughts away from me and on to Him. Then I would focus on Jesus' character. Just saying out loud who He was - my hope, stability, and strength - filled my heart with joy. Afterwards, my heart would be reminded that although life can be filled with trials, even monotonous, He was always at work in and through me. Each day He would replace my wearisome heart with His fresh perspective.
After weeks of this new way of experiencing and worshipping Jesus, I found that my outlook through the day was different. Like the oil from the peppers, the lasting effect of His presence is felt in my heart many hours after the exposure.
Dear Lord, help me to enter into Your gates with thanksgiving each day and come into the courts of Your presence with praise. You are good and You deserve my heartfelt worship each day. I love You! In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Daily Smile:
Why was the banana crying?
Two organizations that have closely been monitoring the case and have sources in Iran reported Saturday that Nadarkhani, who went on trial early Saturday, has been released from prison and is at home with his family.
"Thank you to everyone that has supported me with your prayers," Nadarkhani said, according to Present Truth Ministries.
Though acquitted of apostasy, the Iranian pastor was found guilty of evangelizing Muslims. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment but was released because he already served this time.
"We give thanks to God for His deliverance and the answer to our prayers," Jason DeMars, founder of Present Truth Ministries, said in a statement.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide also confirmed the pastor's release.
"We commend the Iranian judiciary for this step, which is a triumph for justice and the rule of law," said CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas. "While we rejoice at this wonderful news, we do not forget hundreds of others who are harassed or unjustly detained on account of their faith, and CSW is committed to continue campaigning until all of Iran's religious minorities are able to enjoy religious freedom as guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is party."
Nadarkhani, pastor in a network of house churches, was arrested on Oct. 13, 2009, after protesting the government's decision to force all children, including his own Christian children, to read the Quran.
He was initially charged for protesting but the charges were later changed to apostasy and evangelism to Muslims. In 2010, he was sentenced to death and the ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court of Iran last year.
According to Islamic Sharia Law, an apostate has three days to recant. The Christian pastor had refused to recant his faith.
Christians around the world have prayed and appealed for Nadarkhani's release. A Twitter campaign advocating for his freedom reached more than 3 million.
Like the sting of sunburn after a long day at the beach, the heat on my hands stayed for hours. As a treat for my family, I had made Aunt Carol's jalapeno peppers. With the sharp knife and chopping block, I transformed eighteen forest-green peppers into little boats of tasty fun. What I hadn't counted on was that ten minutes of exposure to the pepper's oil on my dry skin produced a burning that lasted hours.
As I looked at my red, cracked hands, I was reminded of another part of me that seemed dry and under-nourished a few months earlier.
My heart had been in bad shape. It had felt like a stone. When I would go to church, I sang the songs but I was just going through the motions. My heart was not truly singing praise to Jesus.
I assumed it was the church. Surely, something had changed. We needed new music; something fresh. But it turned out it wasn't the worship that needed to change; it was me.
I knew I couldn't do this on my own though. I needed to re-discover the oil of gladness mentioned in today's key verse. I decided to get intentional about personally coming into the Lord's presence daily, asking Him to replace my mourning with His gladness and my despair with His garment of praise.
Although I had never stopped reading my Bible and praying, I hadn't really been taking time in God's presence and asking Him to renew my heart.
So I began starting my time with the Lord each day by praising Him. A prayer journal I used gave me several helpful suggestions: repeating His attributes (faithful, loving, kind, etc.), calling out His names (Healer, Provider, Sustainer, etc.), singing hymns or worship songs, and my favorite: reading the Psalms out loud.
Opening my day with praises to my King transformed my heart. Each morning I would start by singing a song; one that turned my thoughts away from me and on to Him. Then I would focus on Jesus' character. Just saying out loud who He was - my hope, stability, and strength - filled my heart with joy. Afterwards, my heart would be reminded that although life can be filled with trials, even monotonous, He was always at work in and through me. Each day He would replace my wearisome heart with His fresh perspective.
After weeks of this new way of experiencing and worshipping Jesus, I found that my outlook through the day was different. Like the oil from the peppers, the lasting effect of His presence is felt in my heart many hours after the exposure.
Dear Lord, help me to enter into Your gates with thanksgiving each day and come into the courts of Your presence with praise. You are good and You deserve my heartfelt worship each day. I love You! In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Daily Smile:
Why was the banana crying?
Because him and his girlfriend split.
In The News:
Iran Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani Acquitted of Apostasy, Released From Jail
Sat, Sep. 08, 2012 Posted: 09:26 AM EDT
- (Photo: American Center for Law and Justice)Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was arrested in Oct. 2009, and he was eventually charged with apostasy and attempting to evangelize Muslims. Recent reports indicate that he may have received an execution order from Iranian courts for apostasy.
Two organizations that have closely been monitoring the case and have sources in Iran reported Saturday that Nadarkhani, who went on trial early Saturday, has been released from prison and is at home with his family.
"Thank you to everyone that has supported me with your prayers," Nadarkhani said, according to Present Truth Ministries.
Though acquitted of apostasy, the Iranian pastor was found guilty of evangelizing Muslims. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment but was released because he already served this time.
"We give thanks to God for His deliverance and the answer to our prayers," Jason DeMars, founder of Present Truth Ministries, said in a statement.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide also confirmed the pastor's release.
"We commend the Iranian judiciary for this step, which is a triumph for justice and the rule of law," said CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas. "While we rejoice at this wonderful news, we do not forget hundreds of others who are harassed or unjustly detained on account of their faith, and CSW is committed to continue campaigning until all of Iran's religious minorities are able to enjoy religious freedom as guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is party."
Nadarkhani, pastor in a network of house churches, was arrested on Oct. 13, 2009, after protesting the government's decision to force all children, including his own Christian children, to read the Quran.
He was initially charged for protesting but the charges were later changed to apostasy and evangelism to Muslims. In 2010, he was sentenced to death and the ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court of Iran last year.
According to Islamic Sharia Law, an apostate has three days to recant. The Christian pastor had refused to recant his faith.
Christians around the world have prayed and appealed for Nadarkhani's release. A Twitter campaign advocating for his freedom reached more than 3 million.
Lillian Kwon
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