Skip to main content

Forgiven





    I love this photo I ordered online. The artist did an amazing job capturing a seen from the TV series, The Chosen. If you have not yet seen it, I highly recommend you do. The creators, writers and actors do an incredible job bringing the Bible to life. This is the actor who plays Jesus and he is holding Mary Magdalene. Mary was demon possessed and Jesus heals her. In the show Mary has tried everything to deal with her battle. She frequents the local bar and is ridiculed by most of the men that hang out there. She is so desperate that she wants to end her life. But Jesus! He walks up to her in the bar, grabs her hand before she can take a drink and says, “This is not for you.”   She has no idea who He is. She flees the bar and He follows her. He goes after her and calls her by her real given name,  He recites the Words from Isaiah that she has put to memory,  “ Mary, Thus says the Lord  who created you, he who formed you, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name and you are mine.’( Isaiah 43:1) Then He grabs her face and holds it close to his and she breaks down in tears.  I lose it in that scene. He frees her and she is drastically transformed. The public no longer recognizes this woman. In fact they ask her. “What happened to you? Why are you different?” She simply says, “I don’t know. I just know that I was one way and now I am completely different and the thing that happened in between was Him”. She knew it was Jesus that changed her. She follows Him from that moment on. 

I can so relate to this. While I wasn’t demon possessed. I was one way and going in the wrong direction. I tried a lot of different things to fight those battles. But Jesus! He grabbed ahold of me, I am completely different. All because of Him and I have been following Him since. Not perfectly. Thankfully, He still loves me and calls me His. 

Jesus is here for the saving. He loves you, He knows you. He calls you by name and when you put your faith in Him, He calls you His. This week we celebrate the death He took for all humankind and we will celebrate on Easter Sunday that He did what He said He would. He rose from the dead, offering us new life in Him. Redeemed. There is no sin He did not die for. There is nothing anyone has done that He won’t forgive. And there is nothing we could ever do to earn more of His love. Who dies for another? Love. Love does. And His name is Jesus. May you truly know Him and how much He loves you. Happy Easter!



Pressing On


photo credit :  https://instagram.com/emilybrookehogan?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 4, 2023 at 10:39 PM

    I haven't had the pleasure of watching the Chosen but I am so hopeful to watch it. Thank you for sharing Connie and for always reminding us how tangible Jesus is. (Right here with us❤️🙏🏻)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Season of Spring

  The mornings are so beautiful right now that I want to soak them in before the scorching heat is in its full glory. The sun comes up shortly after I do this time of year. My favorite thing to do is grab my bible, journal and a cup of coffee and sit out back with Annie while the sun rises. The birds are literally singing, the quail make more of a squawk like sound than a song but I love it.   Occasionally, I will hear an owl on a neighboring rooftop or the party of a pack of coyotes in the distance celebrating their recent conquest. I’m always surprised that these sounds don’t faze Annie one bit. Make no mistake, if the trash truck or other large vehicle drives past our dividing wall she goes absolutely K-9, as if she’s military, saving us from being attacked. Bless her heart.   Spring typically comes early in Phoenix and is somewhat short lived. I often think we go from Winter to Summer with seemingly little time to wear any of the light weight sweaters I have hangi...
2 comments
Read more

Building Bridges

I have a thing about bridges. I love them. I like old rustic bridges no matter how large or small. I like creaky  wooden ones. I like gigantic, historical bridges that connect big cities to quaint little towns. I like walking bridges that get me across a small body of water or over steep, rocky terrain. There is just something about a bridge to me, that says, "Come over, there is something really cool over here and it's worth the trip". Something so much so, that a bridge was necessary and someone invested their time and money to build it. I remember a few years ago on our last trip to San Francisco. We rented bikes and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was amazing! When we got to the other side we were in a quaint little town called Sausalito . We sat outside near the water, in a little cafe and had lunch. The view of the bay was entirely different from this point of view. Not only that you could see the San Francisco skyline and the whole city itself. Definitely wo...
4 comments
Read more

Stupid Dog Part 2

Annie is constantly giving me new material to write about. I keep hearing promise of how she will grow up and the puppy phase will pass. I like the puppy phase in most ways but it's the out of control stupidity that makes me crazy. She can be so sweet and loving in one moment and then the next, it's like someone takes over and she turns into something else. All that training I've been doing with her goes out the window. Literally in this last case.  But when I think about it, it's her natural tendency to be wild and out of control. I mean she's a dog. A hunting dog no less. So why am I surprised when a squirrel, bird or cat walk by the window she goes nuts?  I love having her around. She is a great companion and as a running partner, she gets me out the door most days when I don't want to. She typically follows me around the house watching my every move to see what we will do next. Is a game of frisbee in her near future or some snacking from the kitchen involve...
2 comments
Read more