This Easter I am excited, because God has given me a deeper insight into the significance of the Garden of Gethsemane, and a deeper understanding of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It is not only for the remission of sins, and life eternal, but it is about God empowering us to live a Godly life, in an increasingly ungodly world.

The events that took place in the garden of Gethsemane are noteworthy, because our frailty as human beings, and the mercy and power of God are so beautifully displayed. Peter, James, and John were apostles of a high calling, yet they slept for sorrow (Luke 22:45), and a whole band of soldiers fell backwards when Jesus said, “I am he”. John 18:3-6 says that when they came with their torches and weapons to take Jesus, when he said, “I am he”, they went backward and fell on the ground. Mathew 26:47 speaks of this same occurrence. Those young men were actually a great multitude of men, with swords and staves (wooden clubs) (King James Version; James Strong,1992).

Of the four gospels, Mark is the only one who records the appearing of the naked boy. I can only speculate that as the apostles fled the garden of Gethsemane, Mark witnessed this event, (Mark 14:51-52).

“And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth, (fine, bleached linen) cast about his naked body: and the young men laid hold on him: (James Strong, 1992)

And he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.”

I have read many commentaries on this “certain young man”, and there are many speculations as to who he could have been. Some think that he may have been one of the apostles, or someone who lived nearby. Some think that he could have been the proprietor of the garden who was awakened by the noise and threw on a night shirt. Some people even think that he could have been Mark himself. One point that is commonly shared is that, this “linen sheet” or sindon, was especially used for the burial of the dead. According to Matthew Poole’s Commentary, “It was a kind of light cloak frequently worn in hot weather, and in every other place in the new testament where it was used, it refers to the garment or shroud used to cover the bodies of the dead (Poole, 2018).

Since John 18:18 tells us that it was cold, and they made a fire to warm themselves, I seriously doubt that this sindon was a light cloak. I believe that when Jesus said, “I am he”, not only was it so forceful that it knocked his opposition off their feet, but his resurrection power called this young man out of a nearby tomb.

Not only were the events that took place in the garden noteworthy, but the garden itself holds it’s own significance. The word gethsemane comes from two Hebrew words: gat, which means, “a place for pressing oil (or wine)” and shemanim, which means “oils”. In those times an olive press was used to squeeze the juice out of the olive pulp by placing the olive baskets under a very heavy slab of concrete. It drained off into a pit below, where the water and oil were then separated, and the oil was placed into jars of clay (Lann, 2018). He is the potter, we are the clay (Isaiah 45:9; Job 33:6).

I can see the parallel to Jesus and the olive, as the weight of the sins of the world pressed upon him, as he was ultimately crushed, the oil (the Holy Ghost) could now be poured into us. I am also reminded of the words that Jesus spoke in Matthew 9:17, “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the new wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.” We must become as new, born again. We now live under a new covenant, not under the old law. The prophet Jeremiah foretold of this new covenant, which is displayed in the book of Hebrews 8:6-10. Verse ten is a depiction of the infilling of the Spirit, “ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days; saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.”

The 8th chapter of Romans gives a very explicit picture of God’s amazing love for us, and this redemption plan.

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Grace is not a cloak to sin, but through the Spirit we are empowered to live godly.

By this reasoning, he (Paul), has shown that the gospel has accomplished what the law could not do, which is to sanctify (purify) the soul, the destruction of the corrupt passions of our nature, and the recovery of man to God (Henry, 2018; Strong, 1992).

Romans 8:13

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body, ye shall live (Strong, 1992).

If you do not kill sin, it will kill you (Jamieson, 2018).

In the book of Exodus 3:14-15 God said,

I AM THAT I AM:

And God said moreover Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me to you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial (remembrance) unto all generations (James Strong, 1992).

John 5:43

I am come in my Father’s name,

John 6:35

I am the bread of life:

John 8:12

I am the light of the world:

John 10:7

Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

As I pondered on these things, my mind went to the Tabernacle of the old covenant, and the second veil. It was torn from the top to the bottom at the death of our Lord and Savior. According to Edersheime, (1912, p.906) it was sixty feet long, thirty feet high, and as thick as a man’s hand. It excites me to think that as they pierced through his hands, he was piercing through the vail. It did not stay closed like an ending, but it was opened to signify the beginning of a new and a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6).

Hebrews 10:19-23

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.

By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

And having an high priest over the house of God;

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled (rendered) from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed (the whole person) with pure water (James Strong, 1992).

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

References

Henry, M. (2018, March 28). biblehub.com>commentaries>8-10-17. Retrieved from Bible Hub: biblehub.com

James Strong, S. L. (1992). Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible. World Bible Publishers, Inc.

Jamieson, F. (2018, March 28). biblehub.com>commentaries>8-10-17. Retrieved from Bible Hub: biblehub.com

Lann, R. V. (2018). Gesthemane and The Olive Press. Retrieved from That the World May Know: http://www.thattheworldmayknow.com

Poole, M. (2018, March 28). biblehub.com>commontaries>8-10-17. Retrieved from Bible Hub: biblehub.com

Rev. Alfred Edersheim, M. A., & PH.D. (1912). The LIfe and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Volume 2. New York: Longmanns, Green, and Co. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=VJUHAAAAQAAJ&dq=edersheim+life+and+times&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=RFC7S_yqI4TcM4eauM0H&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBUQ6AEwBA#v=snippet&q=of%20the%20thickness%20of%20the%20palm%20of%20the%20h

It has been a month since my last post. I have been going through a lot lately, so much as to feel that I don’t have the strength to go on. Ephesians 6:12 says, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” I guess that the enemy would like to take me out. ” Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy:when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me” (Micah7:7-8) .

Sometimes we all sit in darkness, not understanding why we experience some of the things that we go through in this life. It is such a comfort to know that when I cry out, He hears me, so I will wait. Jonah said (Jonah 2:2), “I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and He heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heard-est my voice. This kind of faith does not come easy. It is born through many trials. It is true, “you can’t have a testimony without a test”.

It seems like the mind-set of a hard childhood set me out on a road that lead to destruction. It was like a snow-ball effect. I made one mistake after another. This disastrous path combined with the depression that I carried, even from childhood were a bad mix. The enemy has tried to take me out several times. I know that this is true, because God said it through tongues and interpretation. ” the enemy has tried to take you out several times, but I intervened on your behalf, and I will do it again.” Some of the most powerful words that God spoke over me were, ” The enemy has spoken death over you, but I Speak life.” I know that He loves me. He loves me to the extent that if I am being hurt, not only will He intervene on my behalf, but He will get so angry, that He will thunder loud enough to shake the whole earth! You could rightly call me a Daddy’s girl.

In my flesh I feel as though I am a vase that has been broken and glued back together so many times that my purpose is limited. I can sit on a shelf and hold artificial flowers, but I can’t hold water. In my spirit, I soar when I read the 18th Psalm. Verse 19 says, ” He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me because He delighted in me,” (I am free from the past now). For by thee I have run through a troop (plowed through a troop); and by my God have I leaped over a wall. It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect (32). He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places (33) ( He equips me to climb the mountains and reach the high places). Though hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip (36). He even widened the path under my feet, so I would no fall!

Many years ago I was living a quiet, and peaceful lifestyle. Life was not perfect, but God had provided a peaceful environment for me to live in. In the process of trying to help someone that I love, who was battling an alcohol addiction, my peaceful atmosphere turned into a place of abuse. Before I knew it, I was living in retreat, in the back bedroom.

I will never forget the day that I had gone into retreat, when all at once, and out of nowhere, it thundered so loud that it felt like the whole earth was shaking! I looked upward and said out-loud, “God, are you angry“. I can’t explain it, it just felt like that. John 10:16 says, “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me“.

I also remember how excited I was when I testified at church about how that God had confirmed this to me in His word. 2 Samuel 22:8, ” Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because He was wroth.” Verse 14 goes on to say, “ The Lord thundered from heaven, and the most high uttered his voice.”

Those are words of praise from King David, (“a man after God’s own heart”). They can also be found in the 18th Psalm. they were written after God had given David the victory, not only over Goliath, but all of his enemies, including the Philistines and Saul.

As time passed, I began to notice that there are many places in the Bible that refer to God speaking with the sound of thunder. In Exodus 9:22, the Lord sent hail and thunder upon the land of Egypt. Exodus 19:16-18 speaks of God coming down to mount Sinai. There were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the sound of the trumpet was so loud that all of the people in the camp trembled. The whole mountain shook and quaked. Revelation 14:1-2 also speaks of a voice of great thunder. These are just a few of the scriptures where thunder is mentioned, but in summary of these, I think it is more than right to say that, “Our God is a God of Thunder!”

There are many things that I look forward to writing about, but my pen is lead by prayer. I would never want to appear as a puffed up person. I just don’t want to be that wicked servant who buried her one talent in the sand, (Matt. 25:14-30).

As I was in the process of reading the book of Luke, I came to the last verse in chapter 14, and I could not continue on. For days I would pick up my Bible, but I could not read forward. As I meditated on these scriptures, It felt like Jesus was encouraging me to live a sold out life, no matter who thinks that I am a fanatic. The last words in these scriptures are, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear”.

In these last days, I hear a lot of teachings on prosperity, (seed faith, plant a seed expect a harvest), but I fear that this takes away from the simplicity that is in Christ, (2Cor. 11:3). This is a dangerous teaching. What if things in this life never change? This is not what knowing Christ is about. We should be rich toward God (Luke 12:15-23). What about the many things that the apostle Paul and many others suffered? When they became weak, God became strong inside of them. As I was reading in  Luke 14, verses 26-35, I see the call to carry my cross, no matter what the cost. Have we considered the possible cost, and still chose Christ? Do we love Him most of all?

In the last two verses of this chapter in Luke, I found it interesting that salt that has lost it’s flavor is not even fit to throw on a pile of poop. Yes, that is what it says. Do you have ears to hear?

I did a word study on salt, and found that not only was it used in food for humans and animals, it was also used to throw on the dunghill to speed up the decomposition of dung (poop). More interesting than that, Lev. 2:13 states that, “every grain offering of yours moreover, ye shall season with salt”, which is called “the salt of your covenant with your God “. Salt was the symbol of a covenant, and the salt of the sacrifice was symbolic of self surrender to the Lord, and a repellent of hypocrisy and sin.

I think that this was an encouraging word from the Lord. No matter if the world see’s us sold out Christians as fanatics, God see’s us as salt that has not lost it’s flavor. We are in covenant with a God that is more real than a rainbow! He is our God, and we are His people! We have counted the cost, and still chose Christ. We understand that the disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord (Matt. 10:24). In this world we will suffer persecution.

Help us Lord that we would not become lukewarm (Rev. 3:16). Please widen the path under our feet, lest we fall (Psalm 18:36). It is by your strength that we stand. Amen

As I pondered about the domain name for this blog site, I wanted a name that meant something to me. The significance of myheartburnswithinme is in Luke 24: 13-32, verse 32 states, ” Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us, and while he opened to us  the scriptures.”

I spent so many years of my life in a dark and lonely place. I just wanted the Lord to take me home. Many times I even asked Him, ” why don’t you ever take me?”. I now believe in all of my heart, that He had a thing to teach me. That thing is, ” it’s not about just living and dying, but it is about the journey.” I’m not saying that everyday is an easy day. I am saying that even when I am facing a trial, there is an excitement in my spirit to see what God will do today.

This reminds of Mark 8:14-22, Jesus asked his disciples, ” When I brake five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up?”, and they said seven. In verse 21, He asks them, ” How is it that ye don’t understand?”. As I wake up each day, and behold all of the great and mighty things that God has done for me, ” how could it be that I would not understand”?

I have come to realize that my peace-of-mind is my biggest asset. This is a peace that the world cannot give. I am reminded in John 14:27 that I do not have to be afraid, Jesus has left his peace with me. I know that in this world, I will have tribulation, but I do have good cheer, because my life is hid in Christ and He has overcome this world (John 16:33). Amen, (which means, so be it)

There are many great, and awesome things that God has done for me. Many times he has moved on my behalf, and I have even seen miracles. These things have grown my faith, and made my journey an exciting and happy one. It is my hope that others will find enjoyment as I reflect on those memories, and reach ahead to the future. Life really is about the journey.

This is my first post, and I am very excited to have a space to share the strength, excitement, joy, and peace that I find in reading the word of God.  It is my heartfelt hope that others may find encouragement in these words.

I have been told that I am a pillar of strength. I feel quite the contrary. People that know me well, are amazed that my elevator still goes up, and the lights are still on. The truth is, the word of God has rescued me. It is like fire shut up in my bones. This reminds me of a passage in the book of Luke, where Jesus speaks of a reed shaken in the wind. This is a representation of someone who is dense (dimly lit), and spiritually weak. It was not a representation of John, and it is not a representation of me. John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” What did they think that they would see?