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“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Jesus is With Me In one of the most well-known texts in all of Scripture, we find great comfort from our Lord Jesus. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). There's nothing to fear because Jesus is with me. Knowing Jesus is with me helps me walk through all kinds of valleys. Knowing Jesus is with me helps me overcome every danger, trouble, or misfortune along the way. Knowing Jesus is with me helps me understand there is nothing and no one to fear. Truly! And I know Jesus is always with me because Scripture says that Jesus dwells in my heart through faith (Eph 3:17). I carry Jesus in my heart only because Jesus is the One who holds me in the palm of His hand. He's the One who never lets me go (John 10:28). He’s the One who provides for me, protects me, and preserves me. I am His sheep. He is the True Shepherd of my soul. I hear His voice, and I follow Him. No one can snatch me out of His hand (John 10:28). Jesus is with me forever (Mat 28:20). I never have to rely on my own sheep-like strength for anything, but I can always rely on Jesus for everything since He is the True Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, and The Door of the Sheep. He gives me true rest in green pastures and true refreshment from His living waters (John 7:37-38). He provides me with daily bread for my earthly body and living bread from heaven for my eternal soul (John 6:51). He laid down His life for me so that I may live eternally. My Shepherd gives me everything I need, even His own life on the cross. What more could I want? (Psalm 23:1) Only a Shadow Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. This text doesn’t say that I walk through a valley of death by myself, but it says I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, with the Lord as my Shepherd. I don't walk alone, and although a shadow on my path may look scary, a shadow can't hurt me. Even a shadow of the deadliest weapon, poisonous snake, or ferocious wolf is still only a shadow. With every creeping shadow, I can just keep on walking by because I know Jesus is with me. When I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and follow the sound of His voice, every shadow will soon fade away. The light of Jesus overpowers all darkness and every shadow there is (John 1:5). As much as a shadow of death can't hurt me, neither can death itself. That’s because I believe in Jesus. I am eternally secure in Him. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth, and He is also my personal Savior. Jesus died for me. Jesus defeated death for me when He took my place and died on the cross for me, satisfying God's judgment and wrath against my sins. That’s why right before Jesus died, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus paid my debt in full; a debt so big it would take me longer than eternity to pay for it. It was an impossible debt I owed, but not for my Lord Jesus. He paid it all with His blood (Eph 1:7). Jesus Found Me Not only did Jesus take away all my sins on the cross, but three days later, Jesus rose again from the grave so that by grace through faith in Him, I may live forever. Jesus defeated death and accomplished salvation for me: A free gift by His grace. There’s nothing I did to earn my salvation, and there's nothing I can do to lose it either (John 10:28). Salvation is not by works or by merit. It wasn't like I was wise enough to choose Jesus and eternal life on my own, otherwise I’d really have something to boast about! Jesus even told me that I didn't choose Him, but He chose me and appointed me to bear fruit (John 15:16). And I believe Him. Therefore, the only One I can boast about is my Lord Jesus (1 Cor 1:26-31). I was the one who was lost, not Jesus. As His lost sheep, I didn't go out and find Him, but He went out and found me. And when He did, He gathered me into His arms and carried me close to His heart (Isaiah 40:11). He is the True Shepherd of my soul. In this short life, I may walk through small, medium, and even big valleys of grief, loneliness, sickness, accidents, injuries, uncertainties, failures, loss, and even disasters, but none of these should ever cause me to fear. I know Jesus is in control of everything, and Jesus is with me through them all, big and small. He even walked the deepest and darkest valley there ever was. Jesus walked that valley for me 2,000 years ago when He hung on a cross for me. He walked through the darkest valley of them all, all because He loved me. So truly, there is nothing to fear. Jesus is my Lord, my Savior, and my closest Friend. Jesus is the True Shepherd of my soul. I hear His voice, and I follow Him. Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for sending Your Son Jesus into the world to save me from my sins and gift me with eternal life. Thank You for my repentance and faith in Jesus, the True Shepherd. What a gift. Jesus is with me forever. I praise You for Your saving grace. All glory belongs to Jesus Christ, my Lord & Savior. I pray these things in Jesus's name. Amen. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. John 10:2-4 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:7-9

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay. Matthew 28:5-6 This I Know Jesus loves me. Jesus died on the cross for me. Jesus rose again from the grave. By grace, I believe in Jesus. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is my Savior. With Jesus, there's nothing to fear. Jesus took away all my sins. Jesus saved me from judgment and hell. Jesus gifted me with eternal life. Jesus is my peace. Jesus is my greatest joy. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I love Jesus, only because Jesus first loved me. (1 John 4:19). Dear Heavenly Father, He is risen! Hallelujah! I praise You for loving me and choosing me before the foundation of the world to hear Jesus' voice, to believe in Jesus, to belong to Jesus, to follow Jesus, to learn from Jesus, to obey Jesus, to have peace in Jesus, to rejoice in Jesus, to praise Jesus, to be in awe of Jesus, and to give Jesus all the glory. He is risen indeed! I serve The Living Jesus Christ, and one day I will live and reign with Him forever in His glorious kingdom with all my brothers and sisters in Christ. The best is always yet to come because Jesus loves me. This I know because Jesus tells me so. All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This I pray all in Jesus' name, amen. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 For consider your calling, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Wrath is cruel. Anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? Proverbs 27:4 Indifference or Hate On Tuesday of Holy Week, the scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees try to corner and entrap Jesus by challenging His teachings and attacking His credibility and character. To no surprise, they fail to find any fault in Him, and Jesus calls them out for being hypocrites (Read Matthew 21:23 - 23:39). In this post, we will talk about three main reasons why the Jewish leaders hated Jesus so much. What stirred up so much anger and hostility toward the One who came to die on the cross and save people from their sins? There are only three types of people in the world. There is the person who believes in Jesus. There is the person who is indifferent about Jesus. And there is the person who hates Jesus. We often find that many people are indifferent about Jesus. However, many are still fairly complimentary toward Him, even though they don’t believe in Him. People often say things like, “I don’t believe Jesus was the Messiah or the Son of God, but I believe He was a good person and a good teacher. He could’ve been a prophet.” We also find that many people react with hostility toward Jesus and the Gospel Truth. In Scripture, these people were called the scribes, Sadducees, and the Pharisees. They hated Jesus so much that they wanted to kill Him (John 5) and stone Him to death (John 8 & 10). Jesus teaches us that murder begins in the heart (Mat 5:21-22), and if uncontrolled, manifests into murderous actions. The Jewish leaders hated Jesus in their hearts, and their hatred was evident by their actions when they plotted to kill Jesus, ultimately crucifying Him on the cross. They had so much hate in their heart for Jesus that they committed the most evil, murderous act this world has ever known. Why did Jewish leaders hate Jesus so much? While there are likely many reasons, here are three main ones: They were jealous of Jesus. Wrath is cruel. Anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? (Proverbs 27:4). Nothing stirs up more hate in the human heart than jealousy. Jesus was popular. He did miracles. He attracted huge crowds who wanted to listen to His every word and care about His every move. Furthermore, while the Pharisees placed heavy burdens on their people and treated them with contempt, Jesus put His arm around tax collectors and ate meals with them. The people felt loved by Jesus while they felt judged by the Pharisees. The Pharisees witnessed multitudes of people flocking to see and listen to Jesus at every opportunity. They were jealous because of His popularity and of His power which was demonstrated through His miracles. They felt exposed by Jesus. Before Jesus’ arrival into the world, the scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees were the ones who thought they set the moral standard for everyone. They sat in the highest seats in the synagogue and were most revered for all their external virtue. But that’s all it was: external. The virtue was only a facade, and Jesus exposed them for their pretense: Jesus said to the crowds and His disciples: “For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. (Mat 23:4-5). And He said to the Jewish rulers, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! (v. 25-26) So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (v 28). (All of Matthew 23 is Jesus calling out the scribes and Pharisees) In reality, Jesus was the perfect moral standard as the Truth incarnate, while the Pharisees were only a counterfeit. Nothing exposes a counterfeit more than the presence of the genuine. When someone can’t attack the truth, they attack the credibility and character of the truth-teller, and that’s exactly what the Pharisees do to Jesus. They felt threatened by Him so they attacked Him, even though there was nothing to attack. The Pharisees were exposed by Jesus’ authenticity as He walked with true righteousness and holiness, and He spoke the truth in love. It doesn’t take brilliant discernment to tell the difference between the real and the counterfeit, in anything, especially when the two are lined up next to each other. While Jesus is the reason Christians rejoice because of His perfect righteousness, it made the Pharisees hate Him because He exposed them for what they truly were: fakes and phonies, self-righteous with empty words and unchanged hearts. The truth in Jesus didn't transform their hearts but exposed their unchanged status of condemnation. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son (John 3:18). They were afraid of Jesus. We know there can be no faith when there's fear. The two can't coexist. The Pharisees were full of fear. They weren’t afraid of Jesus' judgment and eternal wrath (what they should’ve truly feared). Rather, they were afraid of what would happen to their wordly status and power on Earth. They were in a high position of power and authority and didn’t want to lose that prestige. They feared the Romans too. They were afraid that Jesus would somehow lead an insurrection and cause a revolt against Rome, which would bring war and death to them. Their fear blinded them and drove them to do everything they could to get rid of Jesus...eventually leading to the cross. Their own hate blinded them to the Truth, who literally stood right in front of them: Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. They couldn't see His truth, grace, and glory because they had no faith. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). It made no sense why the Jewish leaders hated Jesus so much, but that's what sin is. It's nonsense. They hated Him without a cause. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated Me without a cause' (John 15:25). They surround me with hateful words and attack me without a cause (Psalm 109:3). Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for loving the world so much that You sent Your only Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. When Jesus died on the cross, He died for me too. When Jesus was raised from the dead, He was raised for me too. Father, thank You for choosing me before the foundation of the world, thank You Jesus for making the way possible for me to be saved, and thank You Holy Spirit for leading me in the Truth and guaranteeing my entrance into Your Heavenly Kingdom. All glory belongs to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! In Jesus' name I pray Amen. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. Matthew 15:18-20 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. John 3:16-21

Custom Drawings Our pets are special gifts from God. I believe the Lord sends them into our lives to help teach us about patience, kindness, gentleness, humility, and love. Even though our little guys are only with us for a short season in the light of eternity, they leave a lasting pawprint on our hearts! Our pets are part of our family. One day I believe we will see them again because the Bible says that God will make all things new (Revelation 21:5), and we know that He is good, kind, and rich in mercy. He understands how much we love our pets, and He is their Creator; He loves them the most. I believe we will see them again on the other side of eternity. All glory to God for our four-legged creatures. What a gift they are! ​ If you're interested in a custom drawing of your pet, reach out to me for pricing and more details here . Browse Jenna's Pet Portfolio See More To view more of my art, visit: Artist Collections

Custom Drawings Our pets are special gifts from God. I believe the Lord sends them into our lives to help teach us about patience, kindness, gentleness, humility, and love. Even though our little guys are only with us for a short season in the light of eternity, they leave a lasting pawprint on our hearts! Our pets are part of our family. One day I believe we will see them again because the Bible says that God will make all things new (Revelation 21:5), and we know that He is good, kind, and rich in mercy. He understands how much we love our pets, and He is their Creator; He loves them the most. I believe we will see them again on the other side of eternity. All glory to God for our four-legged creatures. What a gift they are! ​ If you're interested in a custom drawing of your pet, reach out to me for pricing and more details here . ​ Browse Jenna's Pet Portfolio To view more of my art, visit: Artist Collections