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Monday 18 March 2024

Make way for the King

 Make way for the King


Entering into the great city of Peace

Jerusalem

The Rabbi from the Galilee rode on a donkey

A young colt

just as Zechariah foretold

The true followers threw down cloaks and palm leaves

shouts of praise recognizing the King

Filled the air

The sounds of which 

the Pharisees couldn't bear

Even today thousands of years later

The true followers of The King

will fill the air with prayers and praises

and the Pharisees can't stand it

Until they too

became the blind who now can see

By grace became free


The King He is

His followers will sing praise

Their eyes opened by grace

Hoping and praying for the blind

That they too might experience the grace

for their blind hearts to see

and join the chorus of the redeemed



Riana Odendaal

March 2024


(Picture credit: Pinterest)


Wednesday 6 March 2024

Seamless tunic

 Seamless tunic


An idol-believing Roman soldier cast lots 
for Your seamless tunic
Naked You hung on the cross
bearing my sin, shame and guilt
mine and that of the whole world, on you were pinned
Though not everyone admits their own sin

The veil to the Most Holy Place were torn
Your sacrifice placed on the mercy seat
for our lives you plead

Now we who believe and confess You are the Messiah
The Son of God
The King, the One who paid the perfect Sacrifice
Yes, even the Roman soldier who believed,
Wear a seamless tunic that you gave us
a Righteous Robe
and our sins are covered by Your blood

Hallelujah! 


Riana Odendaal
March 2024









Friday 1 March 2024

Fig leaves

 Fig leaves


Sinners we are

Our conscience tells us it must be fixed

We try and cover up

fig leaves and more fig leaves stitched

But The Rabbi says fig leaves won't cut it

And made a sacrifice to cover His followers


The Rabbi, 

just weeks before His own Prophesied sacrificial death

Cursed the fig tree

He is The Sacrifice that doesn't just cover us

But TAKES AWAY our sin

cleanses us completely

and We can walk again with our Rabbi Yeshua in the Garden


A fig tree's leaves won't cover you

But the blood of Jesus Messiah will cleanse you completely

Come to Him


Riana Odendaal

February 2024


(Scripture references: Gen 3; Mark 11: 12-14; John 1: 29: 1 John 1:9)






Wednesday 18 October 2023

Shalom

 Shalom


Finances, bills, work, diseases, 
strained relationships, frustrations, news 
and whatever else, you name it. 
Anxious thoughts fly around in my mind
like the missiles in the middle east
perhaps in your mind too.
I try to look for peace
positive thinking
planning
......     to no avail.

But in praying to the One who is in Control
Who knows me
Who sees me
and you too
He hides me under His wings
and The Divine Iron Dome shoots down
all my anxious-missile thoughts
I receive peace 
Peace that passes the world's understanding
Peace despite the circumstances

The Prince of Peace
Jesus Messiah
the true and only source of peace
lasting peace
peace despite the trials and troubles


John 14:27
Peace I leave with you
My peace I give to you, not as the world gives, do I give to you
let not your heart be troubled, 
neither let it be afraid


Also referenced: 
Psalm 56: 3-4
Psalm 27: 1
Psalm 91


Riana Odendaal
October 2023


(Picture credit: Pinterest)



Thursday 31 August 2023

The Trinity

 The Trinity


Over the years I have heard, and I am sure you have too, soooo many different ways of trying to explain the trinity. All of them fall short. Anything and any way we try to explain God will fall short. If we can fully explain God, then well how divine is He then?  We will never 100% understand His ways, but we can try and find ways to explain. At the end of the day He is the One who helps us understand and believe that which we should understand and believe. 


The below explaining of the trinity I read in a book that a missionary wrote, who was in Afghanistan for several years, until she had to flee the country, in fact her Muslim neighbours asked her to leave as they heard what was being planned for her, and they were fearing for her life. 

In the land of Blue Burqas Kate McCord


It is probably one of the best explanations on the trinity that I have heard, but of course it is not perfect. It will also fall terribly short amongst people that believe in nature worship and such like things.  

But anyways here goes: 

The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son - Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. 

This can be likened to God the Father being the sun. The light that the sun gives is Jesus, and the warmth that the sun gives the Holy Spirit. It all comes from the sun, but different. 


Of course the sun is a created thing by God, but we can use the metaphor to try and explain. 


John 16:4 - 15     ESV

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning,  because I was with you. 5But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

(Sunset and Sunrise Photos credit: Riana Odendaal) 


Thursday 17 August 2023

His Righteous Robe

 His Righteous Robe



An invitation to a wedding
The Venue: Paradise
The Dress Code: 
A Righteous Robe
All I can offer 
no matter how good I think it is
it is still only filthy rags
Graciously my Older Brother
Offers me
I can wear His Righteous Robe
my filthy rags nailed to a rugged cross

We can only wear His Righteous Robe
anything we can conjure up on our own
is full of the filth of our own sins
saturated with pride
and can never measure up

Make sure you are wearing His Robe
to the Wedding



Riana Odendaal
August 2023


Reference: 
Isaiah 64
Isaiah 61: 10



Monday 14 August 2023

Of Donkeys and Angels, and Prophecies

Of Donkeys and Angels, and Prophecies


 A pagan king panics

Sends for the gentile prophet

that lives near the Euphrates

Please come

"No:

We beg you please come

"Yes"

A conversation between the donkey and An Angel

A conversation between the donkey and the prophet

Eyes opened

Don't you dare say anything other than MY WORDS

These are My Chosen Nation

I AM their protector

You cannot curse them

Understood


Bulls and oxen are sacrificed

Ordered by Balak

But sacrificed to whom?

Balaam received words

But not to the liking of his requestor

Finally a prophecy of A Star

A Messiah that will come

Balak still don't like it

But what he doesn't realize (yet)

Is one day he will give account 

to this same prophesied Messiah


Don't be like Balak, or like Balaam

Listen and obey Yahweh

Before your donkey needs to tell you



Riana Odendaal

August 2023



Reference: 

Number 22-24

Deuteronomy 23: 4b-5.