You can find Jesus in everything!

The Crimson or Scarlet Worm

 

Psalm 22 (sometimes called the Psalm of the Cross) is a great chapter of the Bible that tells about the suffering and death of Christ 1,000 years before he actually gave his life upon the cross. Verse 1 says, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? …” In the gospels of Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, Jesus cried out the same words while hanging on the cross. In verse 6 of Psalm 22, Jesus says something odd: “But I am a worm, and no man.” What did he mean by saying “I am a worm”? 

Usually in the Bible, the Hebrew word for a worm is “rimmah”, which means a maggot – but the Hebrew word Jesus used here for worm, is TOLA’ATH, which means “Crimson worm” or “Scarlet worm”. Both scarlet and crimson are the colors of blood – deep red.

The Crimson worm [coccus ilicis] is a very special worm that looks more like a grub than a worm. When it is time for the female or mother Crimson worm to have babies (which she does only one time in her life), she finds the trunk of a tree, a wooden fencepost or a stick. She then attaches her body to that wood and makes a hard crimson shell.  She is so strongly and permanently stuck to the wood that the shell can never be removed without tearing her body completely apart and killing her.

The Crimson worm then lays her eggs under her body and the protective shell. When the baby worms (or larvae) hatch, they stay under the shell. Not only does the mother’s body give protection for her babies, but it also provides them with food – the babies feed on the LIVING body of the mother!

After just a few days, when the young worms grow to the point that they are able to take care of themselves, the mother dies. As the mother Crimson worm dies, she oozes a crimson or scarlet red dye which not only stains the wood she is attached to, but also her young children. They are colored scarlet red for the rest of their lives.

After three days, the dead mother Crimson worm’s body loses its crimson color and turns into a white wax which falls to the ground like snow. So what did Jesus mean by saying “I am a worm”? There are a lot of ideas what Jesus might have meant, but nobody really knows for sure. However, it is very interesting that, just like the Crimson worm, Jesus sacrificed or gave up his life on a tree so that his children might be washed with his crimson blood and their sins cleaned white as snow. He died for us, that we might live through him!

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18

By Lanny and Mvjvarilyn John

Walkin in My New Life

This is just a exert from my notes on my devotion of Romans 6 yesterday. I received so much joy and encouragement from reading it this morning I wanted to share it with you all. I hope it brings you closer to my beautiful good heavenly Daddy.

Chapter 6
By baptism we are burried with Jesus and risen again like he was by the glory (dignity, honour, praise and worship) of the Father. Now we are to walk in that NEW life!
We are crucified with Jesus so that the body of sin might be made useless, without effect, totally void, brought to nought, destroyed, abolished, that from that moment onward we will not be slaves to sin! :) Yeah Jesus!
Jesus at one time was dead but now death has no diminion over him, He is alive and forever liveth before the Father! Rachel take into acount, reckon it to be absolute truth and reality for every moment that I am dead indeed to sin! Sin does not have dominion over me because I am walking on the heavenly realm in my new state of life! I am alive unto God and unto God I liveth forever through Jesus Christ my Lord. God forbid that I let sin rule in my physical body that I should obey it's longings and desires. How dare I place any parts of my body next to or beside sin giving them to sin to be used as instruments of unrighteousness. For only the devil can dance to that tune. But I must place my members next and beside the father giving them to him. Presenting myself as alive from the dead and my members to be used as instruments of righteousness that play a song for our King. For sin shall not have dominion over me because I am not under the law but I am under grace Thayer Definition: that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues, benefit, thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), reward.
Now I serve and I am a slave to righteousness which produced holiness (purification) ending in eternal life. What a joy! For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord :) In Jesus I Die, Live, Walk, Dance and play music of righteousness before the Lord in that newness of Life! Thank you Daddy :)

For Those Who "Can't Do It"

Only one life, tis soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last!

I like to think of this year as being my last and constantly ask myself "is this how you want to live your last year?"

I wonder if I mustered with all my might to pull something together in this last year that would make my God pleased how well would I do? We all know it would be pitiful. It would be full of strife, anxiety, selfishness, and a me centered existence! I can't do it and then again neither could Jesus.

Joh 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Jesus is our example. He could not walk by his own strength and wisdom so let us not fool ourselves silly in thinking we can. So there is a great hope for those who come to realize they can't do it. It consists of the spirit of God living and dwelling in you which we receive by faith!
Gal 3:2  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?


However, we must be clean and walk in the light for "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:" 1Jn 1:6
But, do not be discouraged believe on Jesus and Trust Him. For if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1Jn 1:9.  He is your daddy and He knows how to teach his children to walk. Trust Him and continue to rise when you fall! Believe in His grace and walk according to His glorious light! I say let us rise again in faith so that all may know that our God is faithful.

Truly there is only one way and that is by the Spirit. There is only one Hope and that is Jesus' blood. So let us eat of His life. Let us Walk by faith and exchange our pitiful life that "can't do it" for His blessed perfect spirit that can!

For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. Joh 6:55-58 Consume Him and Him alone. Allow Him to be your only bread for the worlds bread will surely clog your system and quench the living water within.

So let us be encouraged Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Therefore,   Quench not the Spirit. 1Th 5:19

I am determined that if this life is going to be of any use to the Kingdom of God it will be only by His wonderful, glorious spirit within. To God be All Glory!

Only one life, tis soon be past, 

Only what's done for Christ will last! 

I Love You All
Rachel Hartman

He is Always Enough!

"'I will no longer fear what the Lord may call me to because I know His love for me and I trust His grace is great enough to carry me through."

I have not written in a long while because I have not had anything to say. I thought it better to keep my mouth shut. So now I will do my best to write what I so desire to share.

Yesterday during my devotions the Lord brought this verse before me. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.  Heb 12:1

I prayed the Lord would open my eyes to the wights in my life. I knew there were some because my heart was not in complete unity with the Lord however, I could not pin point what they were.
I continued my day by going to a wonderful church service. The Lord convicted me of many things and continued to try my heart. But there was still something I was missing. I then received a bunch of notes from my Ellerslie sisters. When it got handed to me I strangly could not hold back my tears. "Maybe I got to little of sleep" I thought to myself while I searched for the reason of my emotions. I soon realized it was because of the love I felt by all of them and ultimately by my God that tears where flowing. I thought of my favorite quote by Corrie Ten Boom "Nothing is too great for Gods power and nothing is too small for His love!"  My week had been very trying and was tired and worn down by that Sunday morning. The Lord was softening my heart and opening my eyes. Yet He was not done with me. That evening I went to listen to the Rosen family speak about their trip to Mexico. There I saw the need of so many people and the sacrifice it took to meet their needs. Instead of being full of compassion and desire to spread Gods love I was tempted by my comfort and pleasure and looked at the cost of such a life. God in his faithfulness opened my dim eyes and I began to see what I was missing. I began to find what was wrong. I began to realize that I had fear of  giving some things up. I had made things to complicated and looked only to my ability. I had left faith in the gutter. I began to see Gods grace in ever situation. The fear of the future dimed and the power of God was made clear. The Lord pin pointed it for me. He showed me I had no need to fear what He may call me to because His love for me and His grace that enables me is more then enough! Later that evening I expressed my concern about a situation to my brother Philip. He said with joy on his face "Don't you believe the spirit will lead you?". Well of course I though to myself :) He continued to remind me of the time Paul was extorting the Romans saying he feared lest they lose the simplicity of Christ. Now I could see now I had it. It was not about what I had to give up NO it was about simply trusting and believing in my Gods great Grace and love! He is always enough just believe Him!

This is What I Want

I was reading about a man from China named Brother Yun. He had heard about God from his mother who knew very little about Jesus. He begin to desire greatly for a bible and was told if he fasted and prayed the Lord would give him one. For forty days he fasted until an angel gave him the Word of God. It became his treasure and one desire. After reading through the whole bible He begin to memorize a chapter a day. All he desired was the truth of God! He soon realized He needed the Holy Spirit so he asked by faith and received it. At age 16 he became Gods witness in China leading thousands to Christ simply by preaching what he knew, the word of God. As I read His story my soul cried out "I want what this man has". As I cried out to God for more of Him in my life this blog came together.

Luke 14:26 - 27  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.   And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:33  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.


Have you counted the cost? Or is Christianity only a side dish on your plate? Have we been so fooled to believe that the All Glorious King of Kings so humbled himself to take the penalty of our rebellion against Him so that we might continue to busy ourselves in the affairs of this world? Have we forgotten the price of love and sacrifice the Lord paid for our salvation and lives? Have we forgotten that now we are the temples of GOD? The very dwelling place of the Creator! Our bodies the house of the Living GOD!!

Let everyone who calls themselves Christians allow the Lord to search his heart.
            Have you forsaken all?

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ--the righteousness from God based on faith.  My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,   (Php 3:7-10)

Lord would your search our hearts for what we have held on to and claimed as our own? Would you empty our hearts of vain ambition and self love? Oh return unto us a pure love for your presence and truth. Oh take not thy Holy Spirit from me for without you there is no life for you are life!! Restore unto your people the Joy of your salvation and lead us to forsake all for the sake of our ALL in ALL.

May you be filled with the Holy Spirit and live all to Christ!
Rachel Hartman

Focused

I was spending some time in God's creation focusing on small details like a single leaf and a blade of grass. I was reminded of the fact that when our eyes are focused on something everything else around it becomes a blur. I soon realized that Yahweh was trying to teach me a lesson. The simple question came to my mind. "Rachel where is your focus?". It became clear to me that when my eyes are focused on my self, my comfort, my ideas, my circumstances, my pain etc. I cannot see Christ clearly and He becomes only a blur. I become full of my worries, fears, self gratification, selfishness and anxiety.  Even if I am still faced in the right direction even if my gaze is right next to Him if I put my energy in focusing on something else I cannot see Him clearly. We must keep our focused on Him alone day by day moment by moment. As our eyes are focused on Him He will become are all, our satisfaction. He will replace our worries, fears, selfishness, anxiety and fill us with Himself!


2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 


Sever me from myself that I may be grateful to you;
may I perish to myself that I may be safe in you;
may I die to myself that I may live in you;
may I wither to myself that I may blossom in you;
may I be emptied of myself that I may abound in you;
may I be nothing to myself that I may be all to you.
By: Desiderius Erasmus 1469-1536



May the King get the reward of 
His sufferings in our lives!


With Love,
Rachel Hartman

To My Beloved

My Beloved! my Savior, my Sacrifice, my Supplier, my Daddy, my All, my Life. Unto you I dedicate this blog. May the words I write be written according to your glorious truth. May they be used to encourage your saints and bring glory to your name. Keep my hands from writing for my own ambition and gain.  You are exceeding greater then we can comprehend! Nothing is too great for your power and nothing is too small for your love. Oh would you grant us believing hearts! May not one drop of your precious blood be waisted for you are more then worthy to receive the reward of your suffering. To you my Mighty Man! To you my Jewel of great price! To you my Beloved!