Free thinkers

Feb 15, 2013

Read Today: Fulfilment of prophecy; John 19:35-37

We know this is true, because it was told by someone who saw it happen. Now you can have faith too.
(Joh 19:35 CEV)

I work for a college. For a long time there was one religious group on campus. They did many events on campus but in all of them they glorified God and Jesus.  Recently another organization asked permission to start another group. They did not see each other as competition but as both fishing is the same pond.

The problem was that having two organizations bothered some people on campus. So they started an organization for others who did not believe in God in any way shape or form, or in any religion. One of the things on the recruitment poster was that ‘free thinkers’ were allowed.

Free thinkers? Does that mean that if I am a Christian I am not a free thinker, that I am corrupted by people telling me what to think?  Yet their whole life is one thought after another given to them by people who are teaching them. No one is a ‘free thinker’, we all are taught by those before us and choose to accept or reject it.

John wrote what he wrote because he was a witness to it, and he wants me to have faith in it also. I am free to accept it or reject it.  God has given me the ability to be a free thinker.  What He put in his Word is there so I can accept it or reject it. I am not forced into believing what His word says, I do so because I believe it to be a true account of what happened. Just like the group on campus I have to accept what has been taught and written is a true account. God has given me the ability to think and choose and I am thankful for that.


Read for next time: Joseph requests body from Pilate; Matthew 27:57-58, Mark 15:42-43, Luke 23:50-52; John 19:38

The blood

Feb 14, 2013

Read Today: Soldier pierces Jesus' side; John 19:33-34

But one of the men made a wound in his side with a spear, and straight away there came out blood and water.
(Joh 19:34 BBE)

The two thieves on either side of Jesus were still alive, but Jesus appeared dead. Still they could not be sure.  So a soldier took it upon himself to use a spear to cut open Jesus. And when he did, blood and water flowed out of Jesus.

The water shows that I am cleansed and have my sins washed away because His broken body was on that cross. The blood represents healing. ‘There is life in the blood’ an old testament verse says.

Tradition says that the soldier who pierced Jesus side had a problem with his eyes. When the blood fell on to him, he was instantly healed. That would be just like both Jesus and God.  The irony of one who was part of the death of Jesus would receive healing from it. I know that every day, I must take the blood upon me, to heal me from the problems of my life. His blood can heal me of any emotional, physical or spiritual problems I may face.


Read for next time: Fulfilment of prophecy; John 19:35-37

Perfect Sacrifice

Feb 13, 2013

Read Today: Request that legs be broken: John 19:31-32

Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him.
(Joh 19:31-32 ESV)

At the time of the Passover, every man was to go the Temple and sacrifice a lamb for his family. It could not be just any lamb, but one that was not damaged in any way. I could not have a bad leg.

As I read this verses I notice that they did not break Jesus legs. The Jews wanted them to because they needed to speed things up. Their law said that someone could not hang from a tree after sundown. Breaking the legs of someone would shorten the life of a person on a cross because they could not force themselves up to take another breath.

So they broke the two legs of the other two but came to Jesus to break His as well.  Today’s verse stops there, but we know that He was dead already and they did not.

As I live my life I know that I fail, that I would have to bring a sacrifice, a perfect sacrifice, to ask for God to forgive my sins. Jesus brought Himself before God as that perfect sacrifice. His legs were not broken. For that I am thankful.

Read for next time: Soldier pierces Jesus' side; John 19:33-34

Sideline faith

November 9, 2012

Women watch from a distance; Matthew 27:55-56, Mark 15:40, Luke 23:49

And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.  (Luk 23:49 ESV)

So much of my life has been on the sidelines. My faith is there, I just do not push it to full activation. So through a lot of my life I sat on the sideline and watch the game of life.  There were many reasons for this. Maybe I was scared of success, or of failure. Maybe I have been hurt by others. Maybe it is both, or other things as well.

Jesus does not call us to be on the sidelines, we are not to follow at a distance. But if I do, I am in the company of many saints who did so themselves. And I am not to judge them for what they are doing, because when I look deep inside myself, I do so also.

Read for next time: Request that legs be broken: John 19:31-32

Consciousness

November 9, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: Multitude leaves grieving; Luke 23:48

Luke 23:48(ISV)
When all the crowds who had come together for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they beat their breasts and turned back.

They knew what was happening, that a man was being killed. They watched. They saw the darkness fill the sky. They must have agreed with the Roman soldier that this was a good man. Yet the walked away. After the main event was all done, they walked away.

I am sure that it stuck in their heads for a few weeks. How this man who should not have been crucified had been anyway. As their day to day life went on, it slowly moved out of their consciousness.

Sometimes I think my salvation is like that. There are times when it is on the front burner and I am fully aware of all that God has done for me through His son Jesus. Then their are other times, times when the latest video game, TV series, work of the church, whatever it is that dulls my senses through the day to day life of living. I walk away like the people did, and it fades from my consciousness.

God, I ask you to keep the sacrifice of Jesus in my thoughts daily, not to let any thing else take its place. In Jesus name, AMEN

Jesus, an upright man

October 26, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today:Centurion glorifies God; Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47

BBE: Luke 23:47. And when the captain saw what was done, he gave praise to God, saying, Without doubt this was an upright man.

A man who was not Jewish, not part of the people that were suppose to have studied the scriptures to know that the Messiah was coming, he could see what the other could not. He could see that Jesus was a truly upright man.

How come I can not see that in my life. How come I can not see that Jesus is there to help me with all my problems. Why do I struggle with the same problems over and over again?  I am to some degree no better in that respect than the ones who cheered on at Jesus crucifixion. Sure, I have Him as my savior and Lord, but do I let Him guide me in all areas of my life.

Please, help me trust you even more Jesus.


Read for next time: Multitude leaves grieving; Luke 23:48



Sorry for the 3 month away. Life has been crazy busy and I have gone through some emotional ups and downs.  Will try to get back on target here.

Moving out if the tomb

July 14, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today:Saints rise, after Christ's resurrection; Matthew 27:52-53

Matthew 27:52-53 AMP

The tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep in death were raised [to life];  And coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

The people were raised to life when Jesus died on the cross. Something of better or equal value had to be given in exchange for all the lives of all the sinners. How often have I read these words, marveled at what happened, and not noted the next verse.

They could not leave their tombs till Jesus received His resurrected body. They were alive but still in a place of death.

For several years I have been involved in classes at my church that deal with issues of codependency. It may be that the person themselves have an addiction, or it may be someone related to a person with addictive tendencies. They may have anger or trust issues. One thing is clear with all of them. Though they are Christians, they still live in the tombs that codependency brings.

I was that way once myself. Like me, each one of these people will have to learn to leave the tombs and walk in the resurrection that Jesus provides to them. They do this by learning what Christ provided them in the resurrection.

Many choose to stay in the tombs. When the healing gets painful, they do not want to go through it anymore. Moving out of the tomb will mean some pain. It also means that like the saints in our verse, you get to go to the city.  This is done so we can tell others how Jesus can heal.

Read for next time: Centurion glorifies God; Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47

Rocks split

July 13, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today:Earthquake; Matthew  27:51
I have had the experience of being in a few earthquakes, or at least being told that I was in one. I never really felt anything, just was told about it on the news later.  Then one night last fall, I was watching the news after a college football game that had been an upset. I felt the floor of my concrete slab house shake. Things shook like crazy and there was a loud rumble. We found out later it was the largest earthquake that the state of Oklahoma had ever had, and it was half a state away.  While someone from California might not have thought twice about what we experienced it scared me. I can only imagine what it was like to be alive in Jerusalem the day that Jesus gave his life, the earth shook, the rocks split.

BBE: Matthew 27:51. And the curtain of the Temple was parted in two from end to end; and there was an earth-shock; and the rocks were broken;

What was it like? Did they have earthquakes in Israel in those days. I do not know, but I think they did not. Even if they did, the rocks were split open.

Just as the curtain had been torn and man now could approach God directly, the earth opening up showed that gates of hell were now broken and the people who believed in the true God could be set free

Life would never be the same again. And when I learned of what Jesus did for me, my life could never be the same again.

Read for next time: Saints rise, after Christ's resurrection; Matthew 27:52-53

Torn Curtain

July 12, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: Temple veil torn from top to bottom; Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45

ESV: Luke 23:45. while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

We read these words and think that it was nothing important. It was a curtain that was hanging and it got torn apart by some unknown quantity. We may even think it was eaten away by moths or something like that.

That is not how it was. This was a thick curtain. I have done theater and I picture to be like the curtain that opens and closes the acts of a play. It allows no light to pass, it is heavy enough that if you were hit with it coming down you would feel it for a few days.

In this case it was that and more. Not only was it one curtain, it was two that were overlapping. It was designed to keep people away from where God’s presence in the temple. Only a priest could go in there, and only after a serious cleansing ritual.

And now, as Jesus died, the curtain is torn. Now there is nothing to keep man from God’s presence.

That is why Jesus came, and died on the cross.

Read for next time: Earthquake; Matthew  27:51

How Jesus died

June 9, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: Jesus bows his head and dies;  Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30

ESV: John 19:30. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, It is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

As strong as Jesus was, physically and spiritually, I do not believe that He was killed. I do not believe it was possible to kill Him at all. I do believe that He had fulfilled all that He was supposed to do and knew this was the time.
Jesus did all He did because He had one idea in mind, salvation for you and me.  Until He had done that He was going to stay alive no matter the pain. What if He had to do something else? Would He still stayed alive. Yes! His love for us was that strong.

Read for next time: Temple veil torn from top to bottom; Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45

Trust

April 14, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: "Into Thy hands I commit my spirit."; Luke 23:46

I can remember when my kids were little, I would hold out my hands when they were up high someplace and scared. I would tell them to jump into my hands, that I would catch them.  Sometimes it would work, sometimes not.  When it did, there was a level of trust built up between us.  Because of that, when other situations would arise,  I could get trust from them much easier.  Why? because a level of trust had already been reached with them.

Think about how much Jesus trusted the Father.

Common: Luke 23:46. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." And having said this, he breathed his last.

This is the ultimate in trust.  Jesus was being killed for something He did not do. He had the sins of all man on Him. The Father had abandoned Him, and yet, He called out and in His last words said, Father, I trust you.

I often have problems letting God fix some of the areas of my life. It is not because I do not believe He can handle it, it is because I do not trust Him to do it my way.  Yet like Jesus, I need to trust God in all areas of my life.  My way may be the right way to do something, but if I am not trusting God in it, then I am not trusting God.  If Jesus can trust Him with all He went through, I can also learn to trust Him in all areas of my life.

Read for next time: Jesus bows his head and dies;  Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30

A loud voice

April 14, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: Jesus cries out; Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46

BBE: Matthew 27:50. And Jesus gave another loud cry, and gave up his spirit.

I will admit that what I am typing today is not original, I heard it in a sermon yesterday and the church I attend.

Stop and think about things for a few minute and you can see something unique in this verse.  Jesus cried out in a loud voice.  A man who was about to die would not cry out with a loud voice, he would barely talk at all.

Jesus was in full control of the time that He was about to die.  It is said that this was the time of the Passover lamb sacrifice and the timing, if accurate, was important, but more important was the fact that Jesus was in control. Too often I have read this and thought that Jesus died at a point when His body could take no more. Further fact that Jesus chose to die for me.

Read for next time: "Into Thy hands I commit my spirit."; Luke 23:46

A final journey begins...

April 14, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: "It is finished."; John 19:30

Weymouth: John 19:30. As soon as Jesus had taken the wine, He said, "It is finished." And then, bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.

I have always read this verse and connected the statement and the giving up of Jesus Spirit as tied to each other.  Another thought came across my mind today.  “It is finished” might not be referring to the death, but to the life that He had to participate in.

They had beat Him, whipped Him, mocked Him, nailed Him to a cross, and as a final insult gave him sour wine to drink as He thirsted.  The time had now come, all prophecy had been fulfilled. It was time to start the final journey.

I have heard many stories about people who have lived long, productive lives.  They die peacefully, with a smile on their faces. They have started on their final journey as well.  Jesus may not have said this in the way I have looked at it for so many years. It may have been a cry of happiness, now that He was on His way to be back with the Father.



Read for next time: Jesus cries out; Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46

Sour Grapes

April 13, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: Jesus is offered sour wine on a reed: Matthew 27:47-49, Mark 15:35-36, John  19:29-30

Sour grapes.  The term brings up something that all of us would try to avoid.  Something that is so bad you just want to spit it out of your mouth.

BWE: Mark 15:36. One man ran to get something called a sponge. He made it wet with sour wine and put it on the end of a stick. With it he gave Jesus a drink. He said, ‘We will see if Elijah will come and take him down!’

Here was the man that would save them all and all they could give Him was sour wine, made from grapes. That act was the final rejection of Jesus.  After this He would give it up.  The final thing that was done to Him was an insult.

But who did that to Him?  We can claim that it was some bystander like the Bible says, but really, wasn’t it you and me that did this to him.  Every time I respond in anger to someone, try to cheat someone, try to get my own way, I put that wine on the sponge.  Jesus did that all for me.


Read for next time: "It is finished."; John 19:30

Thirst

April 9, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: "I thirst."; John  19:28


NET: John 19:28. After this Jesus, realizing that by this time everything was completed, said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty!"

Through all that Jesus had been through, not one complaint had been made to the people in charge of His treatment.  Even His last words of abandonment were not a complaint against God but a question as to why.

So now Jesus complains that He is thirsty, why?  The answer is the the scripture itself.  Everything had been completed according to the scripture, except him being fed the vinegar. So He says, ‘I thirst.’

What is interesting is, that Jesus is the Word, and the Word needed to be fulfilled.  Jesus put all this in to the prophecies of His own coming, long before man even came into existence.

We often say to let the Bible interpret the Bible.  Here is a case of God interpreting Himself.


Read for next time: Jesus is offered sour wine on a reed: Matthew 27:47-49, Mark 15:35-36, John  19:29-30

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Abandoned

April 4, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: "Eloi, Eloi, Lamma, Sabachthani"; Matthew  27:46; Mark 15:34

When I was young and in Cub Scouts, I remember going for a hike up the small hill that was in the area, it was part of the Blue Hills in eastern Massachusetts.  We did it every year so we could earn some sort of pin or badge and we did it as a den.  As we climbed up that hill I remember getting a pebble in my shoe. I was near the tail end and stopped on a rock to get it out.  The group moved on and I was sure that I could catch up.  I then got distracted with some bit of nature and next I knew one minute turned to five and I was alone.  I had a bad feeling, it was called abandonment.  I kept going on the path but I was sure they had gone off and left me and I would never see home again.  A few minutes later, I rounded a turn and there was my den. My mom, the den mother, had stopped the group knowing that if I stayed on the path I would be OK. I was happy to see them but I will never forget that fear of abandonment till this day.

As an adult who had become a Christian, I had a troubled relationship with my wife. I felt that God had told me to do something and she was not co-operating. I felt abandoned by God, and decided that it was time for me to move on and make myself happy.  It was a wrong choice, and I learned from it.

Jesus had abandonment issues as well.


BBE: Matthew 27:46. And about the ninth hour Jesus gave a loud cry, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why are you turned away from me?

How did Jesus feel about this situation.  He was not only 100% God, He was 100% man as well.

When He could not sense God the Father, did he feel hopeless and alone like a little boy on a trail, lost?  Did it occur to Him to keep following that trail, knowing that the end was worth it.

Did His flesh kick in and want to tear Himself off the cross and yell, ‘enough, I can not handle this anymore.”  Did He think that He must go on or all that He had done so far, all that pain, would be totally useless.

I can not know what He felt. I can only know what I felt. I can know how it feels to have that feeling of abandonment. I cannot imagine how it felt to Jesus who had been with the Father forever. What a snap that must of been in His brain. I will never know that pain, but I will know that He did it all for me.


Read for next time: "I thirst."; John  19:28

Sacrifice and pleasure

March 9, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: Darkness from 6th to 9th hour; Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45


BWE: Matthew 27:45. About midday, the whole land became dark and stayed dark for three hours.

There was darkness. The light of the sun was made of no affect because the light of the Son was being extinguished.  It was a sacrifice so I could gain heaven.

This causes me to think about my sacrifices.  My sacrifices are made so that someone else can receive happiness.  If there is not enough money and the kids want to go out to eat, I will take a smaller portion so that they can enjoy the time. When my daughter was little she used to love to play Uno, a game I did not care for. Because of my love for her, I would sacrifice my time so that she could be happy.

What happiness could be gained from Jesus sacrifice I wondered. God was not pleases with putting sin on His Son. The followers of Jesus were not happy at all that He was dying on the cross.

The happiness came from what has happened. All men can now enter into salvation and relationship with the Father.  If that sacrifice had not been made, we would all be dammed to hell. I am thankful that the sacrifice was made.

Read for next time: "Eloi, Eloi, Lamma, Sabachthani"; Matthew  27:46; Mark 15:34

Last minute conversions

March 8, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: "…you will be with me in Paradise."; Luke  23:43

The third of the recorded words that Christ spoke from the cross.


NET: Luke 23:43. And Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."


My daughter asked me a few years ago if she would see grandpa in heaven as she never knew him. He died many years before she was born.

I paused and thought before I said anything. My dad, if he had accepted Jesus certainly did not live the life of a Christian. He was an alcoholic who was only sober when he was in the hospital, and sometimes I wondered if he was then. On his last visit they told him he would die if he kept drinking, and he said I can not give up living to live.  He died two weeks later, in his recliner, a drink by his side.

Maybe somewhere deep inside, something that someone said came back to him that night and caused him to turn to Jesus and ask for forgiveness. I do not know. I only know that if he did, then like the thief on the cross, he would see Jesus in paradise that day.  I do not put down death bed conversions, Jesus died for people who put it off to the end just like He did for me. I can only think about how much richer and fuller both his life and my children’s lives would be if Grandpa was still alive today.

So my answer to her was I do not know. I can only hope that he is.

Read for next time: Darkness from 6th to 9th hour; Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45

March 7, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: One robber rebukes the other; Luke 23:40-41


ESV: Luke Chapter 23
[40] But the other rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? [41] And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.

In chapter 5 of his book ‘The Father Heart of God’, Floyd McClung Jr. tells one of the results of having pride in a person’s life:

Pride does not usually admit wrong or personal responsibility. When it does, it excuses it or explains it away, and there is no sorrow for the wrong done.

It is pretty clear that one thief on the cross had no pride at this point in time.  While the first one railed an complained to Jesus asking for what he felt he was entitled to, the second one took responsibility for his actions. He said, what I did was wrong, and what you did Jesus was nothing.  I stand before you with no excuses, give me the punishment that I deserve.

In dealing with people I sometimes get angry for what would appear to be no reason at all.  After the fact I realize this and will apologize, but will say something else like ‘I am the one responsible for my anger, but the actions that you did are what led to my anger.’  While I am taking responsible for my failure, I am also trying to point out the failure in the other person. I am trying to be their god and point out their failure.  I need to step out of the way and let God be God and not me.  I need to stop and just say ‘I am sorry’ and then shut up.  I need to say to myself it is my fault and try harder to not go there again.

Like the thief on the cross, I need to take responsibility for all my actions.  A hard lesson to learn, one I hope that I can learn well.


Read for next time: "…you will be with me in Paradise."; Luke  23:43

Choices

February 23, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: Robbers mock Jesus; Matthew 27:44, Mark 15:32; Luke 23:39


ESV: Luke 23:39. One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!

How hard it must have been for Jesus. He come to seek the lost and save them. Now He is on the cross as are two real thieves. I assume they would be the type Jesus was sent to.
They are telling Him to save them. He has a choice, save them or save mankind.

A class I have been in this week has been on prodigal children.  Sometimes tough choices have to be made. In helping a prodigal child you can hurt them. To give in to their needs can be the worst thing you can do.  You do not give them the choice to fix themselves.

Jesus could have done the thing they had asked. He would have ruined our chance of salvation. He also would have removed their choice to ask for forgiveness.

When offered choices I need stop and think about them them. Often the choice I will have to make is an uncomfortable one. I need to learn to make the tough choices. Jesus did.



Read for next time: One robber rebukes the other; Luke 23:40-41