Mary Magdalene Who Served with Gratitude

 On April 9 Christians around the world celebrated Easter, the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus had ministered to thousands in his three years of public ministry, healing untold individuals who had come to him. One of those individuals for whom Jesus had compassion and healed was Mary of Magdala, a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. The Scriptures in Luke 8:2 tell us that Jesus had cast out seven demons from her. Being possessed with seven demons probably made her life tortuous at times. She most likely was full of anger, depression, wild mood swings, with an inability to live a full and happy life. And then one day Jesus passed through her small town and in his love and compassion for her, he declared victory over Satan and his control of her and cast out these demons leaving her a clear-eyed, clear-thinking woman who knew that she had been healed by Divinity.

       Jesus’ healing of Mary was a pivotal moment in her life. She was never the same. She donated the rest of her life, along with some other women of means, to following and supporting

Jesus’s public ministry. We are never told what her means of making money was or if she had ever been married. We do know that Magdala was home to a productive dye works and textile industry. Perhaps she was associated with one of these, but we have no record. Regardless, she along with Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward and Susanna as well as many other women are described as having good reputations and providing for the physical needs of Jesus and his disciples. Mary clearly worshipped Christ and dedicated her life to his ministry

      This was an act of courage. Women in those days were expected to keep their heads covered, be seen in public sparingly and do their domestic duties. To follow and support a rabbi wasn’t just unusual, it was scandalous. Yet, Mary courageously listened to the insults and continued to follow Jesus and help provide financially for his ministry.

     I suggest that the overriding motivation for Mary’s great love for Jesus was that she knew she had been forgiven much. She most likely never forgot her days of existing in misery and agony of spirit and mind, with no hope of getting better. Luke 7: 47 says, “But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” Mary knew that she had been forgiven much and she never
looked back. She courageously followed him, even to the cross, when the apostles had fled. She followed Joseph when he took his body to its tomb.

     After observing the Sabbath, Mary and several other women rose early on the third morning to anoint Jesus’ body with oil and spices. Mark 16:30 tells us they were worrying about  how they were going to roll the stone from the front of the burial cave, only to find upon arrival that the stone was gone and

the grave was fully accessible. Their biggest surprise awaited them there when they discovered that it was empty. The Scriptures tell us they were perplexed. That’s putting it mildly. Why would someone want to steal the body of Jesus? It wasn’t long before angels approached them and reminded them of the words of Jesus that he would be killed but would rise again on the third day. When they reflected, they did remember and ran to tell the eleven apostles and ran right into Jesus himself. They fell at his feet to worship him and he charged them to go and tell the apostles.

     The testimony of women didn’t carry weight in those days.  And true to form, the apostles didn’t believe Mary and the other women. St. Luke tells us that Peter ran to the grave to check for himself. Mary is often mentioned as the first missionary to carry the gospel of the resurrection of Jesus. For sure, Jesus threw cultural mandates overboard and entrusted her with the truth of his resurrection and tasked her with delivering the message to his disciples. Her devotion to Christ earned her the highest honor, respect and delegated responsibility from him.

     Mary of Magdala served Christ out of great gratitude for what he had done for her. She

dedicated her whole life to him. For each of you who have accepted Christ as your Savior, you too, need to take stock of your life and dedicate your life to serving him wholeheartedly. Make him Lord of your life here so that you will live eternally with him when this life is over.

                                                                                      Shari Hervold

                                                                              FNF Bible Teacher

Do you know Jesus? Here's how:

Admit your sins have separated you from God (Psalm 14:1-3: Rom 3:23)

Believe that God did something about your sins through Jesus Christ. (The final Pascal Lamb/Messiah) (Lev. 17:10: Heb 9:19-22.)

Commit yourself to His righteousness by confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior. (Isa 53:5: Col. 1:22) and do it today! (Isa 49:8: 2 Cor 6:2)

Father in Heaven, I'm sorry for the things I've done that are wrong. I am a sinner, forgive me. Thank you for loving me and sending your Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for my sin. Holy Spirit, come into my heart. Jesus, be my Lord and Savior. I give you my life.  Amen

Wow! Did I have to search for this song to match the above... Just click and enjoy the music by Ann Downing singing " Do You Know My Jesus". 

* O don't own any rights to these songs. It's for entertainment and worship songs only.

                                   

                                           "Whom Shall I Fear" by Chris Tomlin

                                             

Anna Who Persevered

 One of the definitions for persevere in the dictionary is to persist in an undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition or discouragement. In other words, no matter what, you don’t give up until you have reached your goal. In the book of Luke in the New Testament we read about a woman who persevered for many decades. This portion of Scripture tells how Jesus’ earthly parents brought him to the temple to consecrate him to God and offer a sacrifice as prescribed by the Law. Then verse 36 says the few words written about her: The prophet Anna was also there in the temple… In her youth she had been married for seven years but her husband died. And now she was 84 years old. Night and day she served God in the temple by praying and often going without eating. At this time (referring to when Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus were there) Anna came in and praised God. She spoke about the child Jesus to everyone who hoped for Jerusalem to be set free.

            We learn from this small section of Scripture that she spent about 60 years of her life in the temple. Yet, did you know that she wasn’t admitted entrance to the actual temple? That’s because women were forbidden access to that. There was an inner court which was divided into two sections, one of which was the Women’s Court. So, despite being relegated to the court for women, nothing could discourage Anna’s total devotion to and love for God.

            Day after day, Anna joined other women who devoted themselves in continual service to the temple. Here she prayed to God continually for the coming of the Messiah and waited longingly for his appearance day in day out, month in month out, year in year out for over 60 years. And then one day the miracle happened! It started as an ordinary day and then she heard the words of Simeon after he had taken the baby Jesus in his arms saying, “Lord, I am your servant, and now I can die in peace  because you have kept your promise to me. With my own eyes I have seen what you have done to save your people, and foreign nations will also see this,” (vs 28-30).

             Then when Anna saw him in the arms of his parents, she recognized the Christ who was only about 6 weeks old. This was spirit connecting with spirit, ladies. She knew that she was in the presence of the promised Messiah because the God who resided in the child Christ connected with the spirit of God that resided in her. Isn’t that amazing and perhaps the great miracle in this story.

            Anna demonstrated great perseverance in spite of the restrictions placed on her. Ladies, be an Anna! Don’t let anything restrict your devotion to God and what it is He has placed in your heart to do. Not the fact that you are now a widow, no past mistakes, failures or sins, no life situation, and no cultural norms that might make it difficult. I don’t know your individual situations but I want to leave you with some that come to my mind:

• Persevere in relationships which are troubled. Many may think things are always going to be the way they are. That person is never going to change. I encourage you to not give up – persevere in showing love and kindness to them and persevere in praying for God to work in them.
• Persevere in getting that business taken care of which has become a headache and you just want to “throw in the towel.” Perhaps it’s of a legal nature, a medical nature, or a personal goal you’ve set for yourself. It could be a job you want to pursue, or completing an educational goal which you sidelined years ago.
• Persevere in getting over the intense grief of losing your husband. I’m not suggesting that grief is wrong or that you shouldn’t feel sadness. But some of you may be clinging to your grief and aren’t willing to move on by finding new avenues to pursue and interests to develop.
• Persevere through aches and pains that come with aging. There may be some of you who stay inside more than you should and draw back from joining in family, community or church activities. I encourage you to persevere through the general malaise that affects us all as we age and live life to its fullest.

The Scriptures encourage us with the truth that in God’s timing we shall reap what we have sown if we do not give up. So keep persevering and God will honor your faith and your steadfastness!

Bible Message By:  Shari Hervold

P.S. Happy Birthday Shari.  May God bless you on this your special day. 

🎂🎂🎂

Do you know Jesus...Here's how:

Admit your sins have separated you from God (Psalm 14:1-3: Rom 3:23)

Believe that God did something about your sins through Jesus Christ. (The final Pascal Lamb/Messiah) (Lev. 17:10: Heb 9:19-22.)

Commit - yourself to His righteous by confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior. (Isa 53:5: Col. 1:22) and do it today! (Isa 49:8: 2 Cor 6:2)

Father in Heaven, I'm sorry for the things I've done that are wrong: I am a sinner: forgive me. Thank you for loving me and sending your Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for my sin. Holy Spirit, come into my heart: Jesus be my Lord and Savior. I give You my life.  Amen

                                       Who You Say I Am by Hillside Worshipers 

      (I don't own any rights to this song. It is for entertainment and worship song only)

The Best Way to Share God's Love With Others

 We Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14. It’s a day set aside particularly for sweethearts and husbands and wives to affirm their affections for each other with flowers, jewelry, an evening out at a favorite restaurant or other expressions of love. It’s not limited to these two groups of individuals: school children exchange cards and Valentine’s Day parties are common. It’s a day when anyone can show special love for the people in their lives. As Christians we are commanded to love, not just our families or friends, but even our enemies. One of the greatest things that we can do to show our love for Jesus is to demonstrate love to others.

In I Timothy 6:18, we read these words: Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good deeds and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. (NLT) Paul is writing to Timothy, his son in the faith, and instructing him on what he should be teaching to the church in Ephesus. Someone, upon reading this verse, remarked that it is telling us to enjoy being a blessing to others for in so doing we are laying up eternal riches that will far exceed any sacrifice we may make down here.

As I contemplated this verse in reference to widows and, always seeking to inform my writings with biblical examples, I thought of Dorcus, whose story is recorded in Acts 9:36-42.  She was a follower of Jesus and was known for her good deeds, especially to widows. As you know, widows were often left destitute with no means of support, dependent on the largess of the

local community or synagogue. Joppa, the town where she lived, was a seaport town which housed many widows and their families as the small wooden boats popular in that day weren’t particularly seaworthy, especially if a storm caught them far away from shore, and many sailors perished at sea. Dorcus was a woman who knew her talents and she shared that gift to minister to the needy in Joppa. Her main tool was a sewing needle. This was many years before even the crudest sewing machine was invented. It was tedious work, yet day in and day out she ministered to the needs of the destitute, demonstrating her love for God and for them with each stitch.       

God created each of us with abilities that are imbedded in our DNA. Out of these various talents can come good works that we can use to help and bless others. You see, whatever you can do, God wants you to use it to be His channel of grace to others. A nurse in our church volunteered to assist me in hospital visits because she knew I hesitated because of my lack of medical information. She regularly assisted the wife of an ALS patient in our church, helping her move him and change his bedding, etc.  She’s retired and was under no obligation

to do either, but her love for Christ and others was her motivation. She’s storing up treasures in Heaven by so doing. Dotti Ackerman, founder of Friends Needing Friends, has a gift of organization and a heart to help widows. Twelve years ago when she relocated to Florida from New Jersey she started a new chapter. So, happy 11^th anniversary to the Florida chapter. You are a blessing to many with your talents and abilities, not the least of which are your other team members there in Florida. Sometimes just a warm greeting and sweet smile is all it takes to make someone’s day brighter. And never forget that all of us love a genuine compliment now and then. They can serve to encourage us and lift our spirits. It only cost a few extra seconds of your time which we can all afford.

 What talents do you possess? Where do you see a need in your community, church, or family? What can you do to meet those needs? Both Dorcas’s and Dotti’s legacies to each of us is one of not just possessing a skill, but using it to bless others, all the while being Christ’s hands extended. So, think about how you can demonstrate Christ’s love to someone and then go and do it. You will be storing up treasures for yourself in Heaven.

Message by Shari Hervold
Friends Needing Friends International Widow Ministry

Do you know Jesus...Here's how:

Admit your sins have separated you from God (Psalm 14:1-3: Rom 3:23)

Believe that God did something about your sins through Jesus Christ. (The final Pascal Lamb/Messiah) (Lev. 17:10: Heb 9:19-22.)

Commit - yourself to His righteous by confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior. (Isa 53:5: Col. 1:22) and do it today! (Isa 49:8: 2 Cor 6:2)

Father in Heaven, I'm sorry for the things I've done that are wrong: I am a sinner: forgive me. Thank you for loving me and sending your Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for my sin. Holy Spirit, come into my heart: Jesus be my Lord and Savior. I give You my life.  Amen

 

                           Special Music by Don Moen. One hour Playlist with Lyrics.

          I don't own any rights to this song. It's for entertainment and worship songs only. 

FOCUS, Before Making Decisions in the New Year

 

I don’t have to tell a widow that the loss of your husband threw your whole life out of focus.
Initially, you most likely walked around in a daze, in shock and grief. There was so much paperwork to do, agencies to contact, decisions to be made with no partner to aid in all of this. Some of you had help and support from children and some decisions were made prior to his death. Still, you found yourself alone in your grief and maintaining a clear focus was most difficult for you. You may still, at times, find it difficult to do so weeks, months or years later.

While focusing and giving full attention to the ordinary decisions in life is important, it is even more important that you learn to turn your focus toward God before stepping out into the newness of life that God has for you now. Recall with me the story of Esther from the Bible. The Jews were set to be annihilated and Esther, as queen, was asked by her uncle to go to the king and intercede on their behalf. However, there was a law that stated that even the
queen didn’t go into the king’s presence without being summoned and if the king didn’t raise his golden  scepter to her, she would be put to death. Queen Esther informed her Uncle

Mordecai that 30 days had passed since the king had summoned her. Eventually Esther realized that God had her in the kingdom at just this time to intercede for her people, but still she didn’t just march right in. She asked her uncle to gather the Jews in the area to fast and pray for her for three days and she then declared that she and her maids would do the same. (Esther 4) Her entire focus was on God and seeing his guidance and protection. Esther is just one of many in the Bible who, before stepping out into the “unknown,” turned their focus on God and His leading,

As a widow, your life has been totally altered; it will never be the same. You will be getting advice from many sources and most of them well-intentioned. I encourage you to listen well and weigh that advice, but don’t make a move until you turn your focus to God. Why? It is only God who has the whole picture of your life. It is only He who can truly lead you into the path that is best for you. You can be totally secure knowing that He has your best interests at heart. Keep in mind these words, 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take, (Proverbs 3:5-6).

As you pray, you might want to make a list as options come to your mind. Look over your list 

to see if anything on it clearly violates any principles found in God’s Word. Eliminate those as they won’t be in God’s plan for you. You now have a realistic picture of your options to help

you make a responsible, God-honoring decision. If the focus of your heart has been to please God, taking into account Biblical principle along with any wise counsel you may have received, I suggest that you are ready to step out with the full confidence that God will work out His purposes through that decision. God alone knows the decisions you will face in 2023 and I encourage you to keep these guidelines in mind for both small and large decisions.

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to begin to focus on Jesus and His love for you. We have just come through the Christmas season where we commemorated His birth and all of the miracles surrounding it, but we serve a risen Savior who died for our sins and lives to be a present help in our lives here on earth. 

The new year looms on the horizon, but with your focus on God and His will, you can face it unafraid. Happy New Year to each of you!

Message by Shari Hervold
Friends Needing Friends International Widow Ministry

"Through It All"  by Marshall Hall & Lynda Randle

I don't own any rights to this song. It's for entertainment and worship song only.

Do you know Jesus...Here's how:

Admit your sins have separated you from God (Psalm 14:1-3: Rom 3:23)

Believe that God did something about your sins through Jesus Christ. (The final Pascal Lamb/Messiah) (Lev. 17:10: Heb 9:19-22.)

Commit - yourself to His righteous by confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior. (Isa 53:5: Col. 1:22) and do it today! (Isa 49:8: 2 Cor 6:2)

Father in Heaven, I'm sorry for the things I've done that are wrong: I am a sinner: forgive me. Thank you for loving me and sending your Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for my sin. Holy Spirit, come into my heart: Jesus be my Lord and Savior. I give You my life.  Amen