The Oil – Part 1 of 3

The oil is a significant symbol and application in our faith. When Jesus came to the Mount of Olives on the night of His betrayal, He was in an olive grove. It was no accident that Jesus was in this particular garden at the time of His arrest. Everything He did on this earth had a purpose and was ordered by His Father. Interestingly, olive trees represent righteousness, and Jesus was surrounded by olive trees. Perhaps Father God wanted the world to know that His Son was the perfect sacrifice, without spot or blemish, fully human, yet without sin.

Also, the garden that Jesus was in was called Gethsemane, which got its name for its olive presses. The process of pressing out the oil from the olives reminds us of the agonizing pressure Jesus went through on that terrible night. He knew what lay ahead of Him. He agonized over it to the point where drops of blood like sweat ran down His brow.

His time in the garden was a prelude to an even more immense agony to come. Once arrested, He was falsely accused and brutally beaten. He was so badly beaten that by the time He began the torturous walk to His own crucifixion, He was described as no longer having the appearance of a man. Isaiah prophesied about this event, and wrote that He was “crushed” and “bruised” for all our wrongdoings.

From olive trees and olive presses, we get olive oil. An interesting fact about olive oil is its healing properties. This is seen in one of the parables that Jesus told. The story was about a man who went on a journey. Along the way he was attacked by ruthless robbers who beat him up and left him for dead. Well, as you probably already know, this is the story of the Good Samaritan. Perhaps you might not recall that after taking pity on the man, the Samaritan dressed his wounds with wine and oil.

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Thankful in Times of Sacrifice – Part 5 of 5

The topic in this series has been thankfulness. Another aspect of giving thanks is offering praise. To praise God when things are going well is easy and necessary. When things aren’t going well, it becomes a sacrifice of praise. In other words, it’s praise that’s offered during difficult times. Those times you don’t feel like praising Him are probably the times you need it most. Praising God is like making an investment, the kind of investment that always brings greater returns.

Praise is dynamic and active, not passive. It brings God’s presence into any situation. Whatever you are facing, God has a plan and a purpose. There is nothing that is uncertain to God. Praising Him allows His glory to shine through the darkness of uncertainty. It also brings freedom from emotional and spiritual bondage.

Praise God even before you see results and in every season of life. You’ll be glad you did!

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Thankful in Times of Sacrifice – Part 4 of 5

If we want the love of God to be real in our lives, then we can’t love material things and comforts more than we love God. Just as He did with the Israelites, God uses the tough things in our lives to test us. He wants to see how much we truly love Him, and He wants to strengthen our spiritual muscles. Therefore, we must be willing to obey and follow God at any cost. Obedience in the littlest of things guarantees a victorious life.

Many Israelites missed out on entering the Promised Land because they weren’t willing to make strategic sacrifices. They wanted good returns without depositing anything. They were on the winning team, but because of their unbelief they did not partner with God, their coach. They did not commit to His ways, nor did they maintain a good attitude.

This is not how a Christian on the winning team should behave. If we sacrifice the right things at the right time, the outcome will benefit us instead of harm us. We actually gain more in the long term when we choose to be obedient instead of giving in to short-term desires.

I took the above photo in 2001 of my husband, Rob, with our baby, Samantha, and Jeremiah and Jessica while on a missions trip to Zambia. It was one of my toughest experiences as a mother, but it was also one of my best. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to check out both my photography blog and my parenting blog. God bless!

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Thankful in Times of Sacrifice – Part 3 of 5


One thing that my husband and I gave up soon after we were married was the TV. We realized that it was a big temptation for us simply to watch whatever was on even if there was nothing worth watching. We realized that we weren’t allowing God to talk to us concerning our free time, so we decided to get rid of the TV.

It wasn’t always easy living without a TV. We had to retrain ourselves on how to get along without it, but the sacrifice paid off as it ceased to be a driving force in our lives. Once we felt we had learned our lesson, we gradually reintroduced TV viewing into our home. Now we carefully choose what we watch and when to watch. My husband even learned that the remote control doesn’t belong to him, and that he could give up watching sports if it was stealing his time with the family.

I’m a firm believer in monitoring what my children spend their time watching, because all shows and movies teach a message. I believe it’s the devil’s ploy to degrade the human race, and he targets our young people because whatever they think about themselves now will often follow them into adulthood. You see, God says we are created in His image (Gen. 1:26). Of course, the devil hates the image of God, and so he’s trying to destroy it in any way he can.

I want my kids raised on the good stuff and not the bad because it influences their values and their attitudes. Just because a cartoon is aimed at children doesn’t mean that its content is good for children. In some cartoons which depict distorted and disfigured human characters there’s a disregard for the sanctity of human life. Values are distorted, and then we wonder why our kids are so negative and struggle with low self-esteem.

We need to be sensitive to what our kids are watching and have discussions about what they are learning. Sometimes my kids are not allowed to watch programs and movies that their friends are watching, but I try to avoid making them feel worse off for it. In some cases the restrictions were lifted once they were older. Whenever I’ve had to put my foot down, I’ve always explained to them why.

It’s important to have alternatives for our children. Over the years we’ve accumulated an extensive collection of children’s videos and DVDs. I want my kids to embrace our values so they can make good choices for themselves when I’m not there to monitor them. I know it’s working because once in a while they eagerly share how they make right choices when I’m not there. If they do break my rules when I’m not around, then it’s on their conscience instead of mine.

You can read my blog post When to Say "Yes" or "No" to TV Programs for more on this topic.

In the above photo, Amanda (at age 1) is watching a Disney Baby Einstein DVD.

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Thankful in Times of Sacrifice – Part 2 of 5

The Israelites, at first, had only manna to eat while in the desert. They were put on a forced fast by God from earthly food. This was God’s way of cleansing them, not only physically, but also spiritually. Sometimes fasting is necessary to get breakthroughs. The Israelites didn’t realize that God was busy freeing them, not only from the visible chains of slavery, but also from invisible ones. They had been corrupted by lusts of the flesh. God cared about every aspect of their lives. He cared about their physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being.

God wants only what’s best for His children. That sometimes includes asking us to sacrifice things that we like. Sometimes we hold on to things that aren’t beneficial to us. Maybe they blessed us for a time, but now that time has come and gone. We have to let go and keep in step with the seasons of our lives if we want to continue to grow. It may mean fasting, or giving something away, or letting go of a bad habit.

If you give up something that you’ve been depending on, it might be necessary that you consciously replace it with something else. A very basic example would be if you give up bad thoughts to replace them with good thoughts. This is especially important in the area of addictions. Otherwise, you might create a void. This can cause more heartache as the devil will tempt you to soothe that emptiness with other destructive desires.

The most important question you can ask yourself regularly is, “What is driving me?” Nothing should have power over you except the Holy Spirit. Anything that takes the place of His authority in your life and masters you is a god to you.

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