He was Thinking of You

The other night, I heard a radio talk show host put out the question of why Jesus was killed.  He hinted that He hinted that He committed an ancient version of “suicide by cop.”  The Son of God could have saved Himself.  He did not, so He must be a common -criminal like the two thieves who shared the same fate.

Clearly the guy misunderstood.  Jesus was in control. The Universe waited to hear Him command, the angels to come to smite his tormentors and rescue Him, order the sticks and stones to pelt them to death, or call wild animals to kill His captors and free Him
He did not do any of those things.  He willingly gave his life as an act of love for mankind. It was His father’s will and though the cup was heavy, he lifted it up.

He went to His death and they put Him in a borrowed tomb.  On the third day, they found the stone in front of the tomb rolled away and the tomb empty.  Jesus overcame the sting of death, the death that results from the sting of sin that started in the garden.

He sacrificed Himself but when they whipped Him, He thought of you. When he   hung on the cross with nail pierced hands and feet, He thought of you. When they slashed Him with a sword, He thought of you.  This is love, to sacrifice your life for someone else.

He died because He loves you. All you need to do to receive that love is to reach out and ask for it. He is waiting and thinking of you.  Ask Him in now.  Happy Easter!!

Do you Know Who Jesus Is?

Chapter 12 of the Gospel of John in the New Testament tells of some exciting events. 

We learn that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.  People saw that happen and the news spread quickly. People came from surrounding areas in order to see Jesus and assure themselves that; indeed, Jesus called him from his tomb.

¹⁷ The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.

¹⁸ For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.

They turned away from the priests because of it and turned toward Jesus. They knew that he raised people from the dead and that he is the Son of God.

 ¹⁹ The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? Behold, the world is gone after him.

Jesus borrowed a donkey colt and rode into the city upon its back.

 When Jesus approached the city, they made him welcome.  They 13 ^"Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to 

meet him, and cried, “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

²⁰ And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:

Two Greeks, Phillip, and Andrew desired him, saying, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”

²³ And Jesus answered them, saying, “the hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.”

^24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

^25 “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”

^26 “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.”

These men witnessed or heard about the miracles Jesus performed.  They believed and welcomed him with rejoicing and laid down palm fronds to cushion his pathway. They knew who Jesus was. 

Do you know who Jesus is? If not, try to find Him. Open your heart because He is waiting for you today. 

March 24 is Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. 

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Image: Palm Sunday-WikiMediaCommons-Public Domain

Image: Jesus rides into Jerusalem-WikiMediaCommons-Public Domain

Do you have Hope?

Wednesday noontime found Edna serving food to students in a local school lunchroom.  She served with her typical cheery attitude.  She loved the children and they loved her. Suddenly, she suffered a massive heart attack and died. Just like that, she was gone.

That afternoon, as the news of her death began circulating on the Internet and phone, her friends reeled in stunned disbelief and denial. “How is this possible?” they asked. Some thought for a few seconds that it must be a dismal joke.

We rejoiced as the evils of this world ended for her and said our goodbyes to her. Most of the church family told her they would see her later, as they held the hope of seeing her again.

We know, that we know, that we know where Edna will be for eternity.  At some point, she made a decision to follow Christ and gain entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven to live with Him there forever. She will reunite with her two children who left this earth ahead of her, and other relatives gone to the ages.

She will not experience sadness, despair, pain, illness, or death.

Do you have this hope?

Many people do not have this hope.  They heard the salvation message and rejected it. They face God’s judgment, a fearful thing not to be trifled with by anyone.  Others currently reject the good news but it is not too late for them. They can say yes to Jesus and begin a new life in him.

Edna went quickly. People die suddenly every day, every hour.  There may be no time to decide to accept Christ as death looms near.  However, you can make that decision now. You can let Christ fill you with eternal hope.  You can say yes now.

What do you choose?  Do you want the eternal life with God or do you choose judgment and eternal death?

Image-Edna, my friend.

We've Been Robbed!

Treasures in Heaven

Did someone ever invade your space? Did you like it? I knew immediately when I came home from errands that someone had been there. Things were moved, out of place.  I saw a couple of wastebaskets knocked over.

Next, I needed to see what, if anything, the intruder took. The TV still remained.  It is a pitiful analog TV hooked up to one of those converter boxes.  The laptop still sat on the desk. The keyboard is broken, and jerry-rigged with an alternate keyboard.  So, no treasure there.

Some jewelry is missing.  One side of the jewel box is empty.  I can’t find my cross on a chain, a gift from a friend. I need to figure out what else is gone. 

The rest of the place matched the pattern. No real treasure anywhere in it.  I have great treasure but not in this house, not in the last house, and not in any future earthly house.  It is safe from thieves, rust, rot, and other dangers.

Matthew 6:20-21

King James Version (KJV)

²⁰ But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

My treasure is safe from the vagaries of the world. It still hurts to know that someone tromped around our space. Stuff happens. We really can’t count on anything in this world.  We can count on the promises of God if we put our trust and faith in Him. The real treasures wait for us.  

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Image Public.Domain.Images.com

Our Thoughts are Important

Lately, I have wondered if our thoughts really matter.  After all, I reasoned, thoughts are part of our secret life and no one is really affected by them. How would the ravings of our imaginations, our secret wishes and desires, and the private rage or love we hold for another really matter? I started searching for answers and found them in the Bible.

In His word, God gives us two important clues about why what we think really does matter.

Proverbs 23:7 KJV For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

Our thoughts become things, our reality. Our words have creative power. When we think on evil things we open the door for Satan to enter in and bring evil, destructive things into our lives. We give him a foothold and he takes every opportunity. He wants us to think things that give him the power to bring us down to his level.

The result is the same pride and disobedience that caused original sin in the Garden of Eden. It still lives in the hearts of men and women today.

Creative Power

God had a thought and created the universe and everything in it. We see an amazing collection of plants and animals, mountains and rivers, and those who believe will enjoy His heavenly realms in the fullness of time. 

He made us in His image so we are creative.  We cannot make Orion or an ocean but our creative powers are shown in many other ways. We can write beautiful poetry, build a house, or decorate a cake because we thought of it and He gave us that creative spark.

If we dwell on what is lovely and holy, then we draw more of these things into our existence. We become what we think.  We draw in the kind of things we think about.

God's Thoughts

We find the second clue in Isaiah. 

Isaiah 55.8 KJV For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

We cannot know God’s thoughts.  I am sure he does not think the kind of stuff that passes through my mind. His thoughts are Holy and the Bible says we see through a mirror darkly.

Some day He may reveal His thoughts to us. Until then, we can think on the things of God, words of life and love.  Or we can think the thoughts of Satan and bring evil and vileness into our lives. The choice is up to us. I found the answer to my question.

Image of elephants is in the common domain

Bible verses from BibleGateway.com King James Version of the Bible.