Hope Falls Down

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And after He said this He breathed His last.  Luke 23: 46

Can you recall a time where you were disappointed and felt let down?  You could probably name a few times over the past week or possibly even today.  Put yourselves into the shoes of the disciples and followers that witnessed Jesus' death first hand.  This group had given up everything to follow Christ and now He was dead?  All of the miracles they witnessed, the lives that had been changed; this was how it all ended? 

If He really was the Christ, why didn't He send an army of angels to rescue Him from such a cruel and gruesome death?  How did His mother Mary feel? The baby she had loved and raised was now dead and hanging from a cross? Talk about disappointment....

I am certain in the days between Jesus' crucifixion and His resurrection, the confusion, the hurt, the doubt, and disappointment must have been overwhelming for Jesus' followers.  They must have felt like they had bet the farm and lost it all.  When Jesus took His last breath, His followers must have lost the hope they once had, despite Jesus telling them over and over again that He was 'going away to prepare a place for them'. (John 14:2)

We sometimes overlook the fact that Jesus is always with us when we face disappointment or struggles of our own.  Don't ever let your hope in Him fade away, no matter what it is you are facing.  God will never let you down and He always makes good on His promises.

Paradise

One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at Him saying, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"  But the other rebuked him, saying, "Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  And we rightly so, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."  Luke 23:39-43

On Good Friday, we reflect on and ponder Jesus' death on the cross that served as the ultimate sacrifice to bring salvation.  There is nothing more important, no act of love, service, or anything else that even comes close to comparing to what our perfect Savior endured for us in His final hours and His death that freed us from our bondage to sin.

The above passage of Scripture from the gospel of Luke moves my soul as it reveals the saving power and loving forgiveness of our Savior.  The criminals that were also being crucified at the same time as Jesus had been issued a death sentence for their wrong doings.  Jesus was tried and crucified despite being perfect and innocent.  One of the criminals realized that it was indeed the Messiah, hanging on the cross beside him, and right at the moment of his acceptance, Jesus forgave him and assured him of his eternal destination.

It's hard to understand God's grace sometimes.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  Why do good things happen to bad people?  I don't know, but God loves His creation and that includes every human being on this planet.  He doesn't want only a select few, He wants all of us to join Him in 'paradise' when we leave this earth.  He sent His son to live a blameless and perfect life on this earth and then offered Him as a love sacrifice, a Lamb of God, to take our place and die for our sins.

He took our place on the cross, and only wants us to give Jesus first place in our lives.

Lay Your Weapons Down

God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers.  Matthew 5:11

This Holy week, as we continue to reflect on what Jesus endured His final hours leading up to His death on the cross, can you think of an instance that you suffered for your faith?  I can recall being mocked and ridiculed, having close friends abandon me completely, and have even had threats from loved ones to never bring up matters of faith again if I wanted the relationship to continue.  These were all painful moments that I do not want to rehash, but looking back, it was actually an honor to suffer for Him.

Take encouragement if you are being persecuted for your faith.  There are many other believers that are facing persecution, even death,  just for being followers of Christ.

Persecution helps us to remember and to be grateful for the suffering that Jesus went through to save each one of us.   If you suffer for being a follower of Christ, do you see it as an honor?

It's Not My Cross To Bear

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”  John 12: 20-23

In the above passage of Scripture from the Gospel of John, Jesus paints a beautiful picture of the necessary sacrifice He was about to make on behalf of all of mankind.  The days leading up to the celebration on Easter for a believer are somewhat difficult and painful.  It has to be this way for us to enjoy a deeper experience of  the reality of Jesus’ crucifixion and His resurrection.

After Jesus was brutally flogged and beaten, He was forced by the Roman guards to carry His cross through town and up the hill where He eventually died on the cross.   Many of Jesus’ disciples and followers made the journey with Him on that dark day and we too must make our own personal journey to the foot of the cross as well.  It’s a lonely journey; one that only needs to be made in solitude with Jesus.  As we bring ourselves to the cross, we expose our sinful lives and brokenness, which is the only way we can bear fruit as believers.

We cannot just settle for our salvation.  God has far too many plans for each one of us and things He plans to accomplish through our lives.  This Holy Week, take the painful journey to the cross with Jesus and experience the many blessings that God has in store for you in this life and eternity.

Easy Way Out

Always rejoice, constantly pray, in everything give thanks. For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17


It's strange how things can sometimes take a turn for the worst. Last week, the owner of a large electrical contracting company that I insure died tragically on Wednesday and two days later, the company shut down permanently and now approximately 50 people are without a job. Two young men are mourning the loss of their father as well as a large group of family and friends that attended the funeral service for Bruce Gibson on Monday morning.


During the eulogy, the family and friends in attendance were reminded that Jesus conquered the grave and that Bruce's journey had only just begun. How comforting it is to know that despite any measure of success or amount of failure we experience in this world, those of us who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will live in heaven for all of eternity.


Jesus knew all too well how quickly things could change. He was greeted by a large crowd victoriously waiving palm branches and chanting "Hosanna in the highest" only to have His closest friends abandon Him a few short days later as He was led to a brutal flogging and death on the cross.


He never wavered on following God's will for His life. Jesus knew what He had to do to save us all from certain death and by becoming the atonement for our sins on the cross. Despite the gruesomeness of His crucifixion, He remained in prayer and obediently followed God's will for His life.


This Holy Week, as we reflect on Jesus' death and prepare to celebrate His resurrection on Easter Sunday, remain in prayer and give God thanks despite your circumstances.

Precious and Few

Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow within him. John 7:38


Time is such a precious commodity. Our weekends are normally filled with trying to get chores done around the house, birthday parties, visiting with friends and family, church, Life Group, and multiple trips to either the grocery store or a restaurant. With such an action packed schedule, it can sometimes be hard to find some down time, let alone, quiet time spent with our loving Father.


As weird as it may sound, some of the only waking moments I have to myself are either spent jogging or swimming in the early mornings, and it is during those times that I talk to God.


The truth is that those few moments I spend in conversation with God are the most important of every day. When we spend time with God, His blessings flow into our lives like the streams of living water mentioned in today's passage.


By making time every day to spend with God, we glorify Him by delighting in His presence. We must learn to enjoy Him now and forever!!

Wake Up Dead Man

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...  1 Peter 1:3

Many people will at least agree that Jesus actually lived on this earth and died many years ago. The truth that is hard to swallow for some is that not only did He live and die, but He was resurrected and conquered the grave. Believing in His resurrection is paramount to our identity as believers and to who we are in our Christian faith.

Furthermore, Jesus is the Son of God, who died a gruesome death on the cross for our sins and then lived again victorious over death. What do you believe? Does it make you uncomfortable to hear the word resurrection? Do you believe that only our Creator could return Himself to life again?

True hope is found in Jesus' resurrection. Could you imagine the despair His faithful followers felt during the aftermath of His crucifixion? That same despair and hopelessness must be what it's like to not know that our Savior lives.

As a believer, we can face death with no fear, but understanding that the end of our time on this earth is only the beginning chapter in a book that is written in God's love that will never end. The best is yet to come as we too will conquer death with Jesus!