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• THE JOURNEY IS OVER (JOURNAL 90)

  3 June, 2016

  If you were to read our journal entry for this day last year, you would read the following Today's instalment… [more]

• JOURNAL 89

  22 May, 2016

  Hi sweetheart, Sometimes I experience periods of “What if…?”. These are times when my mind seems… [more]

• JOURNAL 88

  17 May, 2016

  Hi Darling, Coming home from the hospital with a mechanical device fitted to my chest – a P.E.G. I think it… [more]

• JOURNAL 87

  13 May, 2016

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• JOURNAL 86

  10 May, 2016

  JOURNAL 86 MOTHER’S DAY Hello sweetheart, I haven’t spoken to our children as to… [more]

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• Today's "Moment with Mark" (86)

  15 February, 2013

  "And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it."  (Mark 14:23 NLT)

  There is something present in this Passover that Jesus is celebrating with His disciples that catches me a bit by surprise. It's something that I would not have expected to find in that setting. So I checked to see if the other gospel writers had noted it also. Yes, there it is in Matthew's account. And in Luke? Yes, there it is again. (John didn't record any details about that Passover meal). I also note that Paul mentioned it in 1 Corinthians 11.

  So, what is this mystery ingredient that appears unexpectedly in that room?

  It's "thanksgiving" or "giving thanks".  Jesus gave thanks.

  So, why is that such a surprise to me? Well, think about it for a moment or two.  Jesus is just a few hours from a mock trial in which His words will be twisted by false witnesses. Then will come an agonizing execution. As if that isn't more than enough, one of His disciples is about to leave (or has already left) to betray Him. Meantime, the other disciples had been arguing as to who would be the greatest in the coming Kingdom, even though Jesus had made it clear (or so He thought) that the least would be the greatest. That's hardly the environment for giving thanks!

  But there it is: "......He gave thanks".  I guess I'm surprised because, given the same circumstances, the last thing you would get from me would be 'thanksgiving'!

  Therein lies the challenge. Nothing is going to happen to me today (or any other day for that matter) that comes close to what Jesus faced that night in which He was betrayed. If He could give thanks in that situation and He now lives in me, could He enable me to embrace "an attitude of gratitude" - to give thanks for my circumstances?  The Apostle Paul put it clearly:

  No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  

  (1 Thess 5:18 NLT)