Love your enemies. I didn’t say it, Jesus says to love those who persecute us. He gives us the free will to do that. He never said it was easy. He never said the we would feel like it. So you can choose to love your enemies even though you don’t feel like it. It’s humbling to love someone who has hurt you. We are no better than anyone else. Think, if you have hurt someone, how would you want to be treated? If you are sorry for what you did, you’d want to be forgiven. Jesus forgives and loves unconditionally.
Happy Valentine’s Day!!! The verse today reflects God’s love for us. He sacrificed His Son to die on the cross and Jesus willingly sacrificed His life for us while we were still sinners. He didn’t wait for us to get our act together, He didn’t wait for us to measure up, because He knows we never can. But through Him, through His sacrifice we can have forgiveness.
Valentine’s Day is just a few weeks away and February is a great time to set aside time to let our loved ones how much we love them. We can show love in so many ways, by holding a door open for the person behind us, by asking to do an errand for neighbor or by just giving someone a hug who is having a hard day. Love is about doing the right thing no matter the cost. Jesus loved us so much He sacrificed His life for us on the cross. Love means so much more when a sacrifice has been made.
A new year, a new song. What new song is God placing on your heart. Maybe it’s song you just haven’t heard or sung in while, maybe it’s a song by someone you haven’t of before or maybe it’s one you have written yourself. God wants us to sing to Him. I struggle with that at times. As the song goes, “I’m gonna sing in the middle of the storm.” (Raise a Hallelujah – Bethel Music). Have you tried to sing in the storm? It’s not the easiest but it can be the most rewarding.
The Artist’s Right Hand, Drawn by Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617)
The drawing of the is hand is thought to be the right hand of the artist, Hendrick Goltzius. It could also be the hand of the man Jesus healed in the synagogue – Mark 3:1-6. The only similarity in the drawing and in scripture is there is a man with a withered hand in both. A little back story to what happened to the artist Hendrick Goltzius; according to his friend and biographer Karel van Mander (1548-1606), Hendrick fell into the fire place most likely trying to break his fall with both his hands. His mother tired to nurse him back to health but his hands never healed properly and was in constant pain. Thirty years later Goltzius drew what is possibly his own right hand. He may have had rough dexterity to draw with his left hand.
Here in scripture, Mark 3;1-6, where we don’t have a back story to how this man’s hand become withered we do know that Jesus heals it. And the fact He did it on the sabbath, that’s another blog post.
And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
Mark 3:1-6 KJV
There was a word in this passage that stuck out to me; stretch. So I investigated. Strong’s Concordance G1614 – ekteinō, to stretch out, stretch forth. Made sense to me, seemed pretty straight forward. But as I continued to search I came across Acts 4:30 – “By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus
Stretching here in Acts 4:30 -The following I found on the same page under the Thayer’s Greek Lexicon heading “ἀγκύρας, properly, to carry forward [R. V. lay out] the cable to which the anchor is fastened,(my emphasis) i. e. to cast anchor [“the idea of extending the cables runs into that of carrying out and dropping the anchors” The cable to which the anchor is fastened. Say what?!
“While You stretch out Your hand to cure and to perform signs and wonders through the authority and by the power of the name of Your holy Child andServant Jesus.” (Amplified Bible Classic Editions, emphasis mine). It hit me. Jesus invites us to reach out to Him, to stretch out our hands to Him for healing, for salvation, for a relationship with Him And that hand is “the cable to which the anchor is fastened.” Hebrew 6:19 – “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; …” (KJV). Jesus, our anchor, is at the other end of that cable.
The Kedge anchor is a real anchor (there’s a story behind the name of this blog, but that’s another blog post too) and kedging is a nautical term; “to draw (a vessel) along by hauling in on the cable of a light anchor that has been dropped at some distance from it, or (of a vessel) to be drawn in this fashion.” Do you see it? That withered hand is us, broken, sinful and in need of healing. Jesus has His hand reaching out to us. We just have to reach out and grasp hold of His hand, the Hand, the cable, that is fastened to the Anchor. Jesus is our hope, “an anchor for our soul, both sure and steadfast…”
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Last week’s verse spoke of a new heaven and a new earth in the book of Revelation 21:1. The book of Isaiah tells us that former things will pass away and God will tell us first.
Meeting Jesus in the clouds is our only hope. We will meet Him in the clouds, He will rescue us. He is coming for His bride, are you ready?
Happy Monday! Hope the New Year is starting off on a good note. There are many people struggling today and the New Year may not look hopeful. But there is always hope. There is always Hope in Jesus!!! These free downloadable coloring pages are to help you memorize scripture. Take some time this week to slow down and be a little creative. Play some worship music as you color and just meditate on God’s goodness.
One thing that gives me hope is that one day this crazy, fallen world will pass away and a new heaven and new earth will take it’s place. Amen!
If you are enjoying these coloring pages, please share and like. Print a few extra and give them to your friends and family. If you are able to leave some in the break room at work. I know that can be a little tricky in some places. Be blessed!
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe another year has gone by. But I am thankful time marches on because each new day we are being recreated by God. By reading His word daily and memorizing scripture we are reNEWing our minds. (Romans 12:2)
Happy Monday! Hope these coloring pages have helped in memorizing scripture. As we embark on a new year my hope for this blog and these coloring pages is that not only will it help you to hide God’s word in your heart (Psalm 119:11) but it would bring a little curiosity to your memorizing. Is there a particular word that stands out to you in a verse? Research it. Look it up, read it in other versions, read a commentary on the verse. There are so many websites and resources to guide you deeper in God’s word. Jesus is the Light of this world and the Light of Life. He just wants you close to Him and reading scripture is just one way to do that.
Merry Christmas! I hope this blog post finds you and yours well. It’s been a wild ride the past few years but we know God is sovereign and will reign forevermore. Take time out to relax, unwind and reflect on the birth of Jesus as you color today’s free downloadable coloring page. Grab a cup of hot cocoa or tea put on some Christmas music as you reflect on how God orchestrated everything, down to last detail. God is in the details. He loves you!
The Kedge Anchor 
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