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All is all y'all
Love the Lord your God with ALL YOUR HEART and with ALL YOUR SOUL and with ALL YOUR STRENGTH. These COMMANDMENTS that I give you today are to be UPON YOUR HEARTS. IMPRESS them on your children. TALK about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. TIE them as symbols on your hands and BIND THEM ON YOUR FOREHEADS.Deuteronomy 6:5-8
Hello y'all,
Thought I'd share with you my WORD OF THE DAY. Let me break it down a bit for ya:
Everybody knows that this Scripture is a feel good Scripture. It really sounds harmless enough for encouragement. But take a closer look and you'll find something else. Something our itching ears don't necessarily want to hear.
I was thinking about this for a while, about this "all your this and all your that" business. I came to an irrevocable conclusion that when you've given your ALL... logically speaking, you've maxed out! You've got nothing else to give! Zero! Nada! Zilch! Kapoot! Pfffffffvvvvt! (ooops, scrap that last one please!). Say you've given ALL of your clothes (as opposed to ALL of what's in your closet) to someone, I would expect you to not even wear anything at all at this moment! ALL means ALL (including that underwear you're wearing right now).
Now, before I lose you or myself (and I'm easily prone to doing just that) let me get to my point here already. When God COMMANDED us to give our all (and when you've given ALL of your heart, soul and strength... what else could you possibly have left anyway? Oh, did I hear someone say "the mind"? That's funny! The heart naturally controls the mind so it's in there as well.) He is saying MAX IT OUT ON ME. He doesn't want you to have that "special place" in your heart reserved just for Him. No! He wants THE WHOLE COTTONPICKIN' HEART, for crying out loud!!! And he ain't excluding the veins and those clogged up arteries either, mind you. He doesn't care! He wants the whole thing! As ugly as it is!
Okay, Point #2! You're still with me chief? I looked up the word "Bind" in the dictionary. The description is pretty shocking:
BIND (transitive verb) 1.To tie, secure, fasten, wrap or the like. 2.To bandage, as with wounds. 3.To compel, obligate or unite, as with a sense of moral duty. 4.To place under legal obligation by contract or oath. 5.To make certain or irrevocable.
So, point in case... the Word of God is not an option. We gotta hammer it on people's heads as well as on ours. If you're a disciple, you are under a legal contract... and I'm not talking analogies here either! People need to understand, this is certain and irrevocable and if anyone tries to take things into their own hands, they're committing a crime and we know what happens after that.
Third point. Hang in there, I'm almost done. I also looked up the word IMPRESS (gotta love that word!) and here's what I found:
IMPRESS (tr.v.) 1.To PRODUCE or APPLY WITH PRESSURE 2. To MARK or STAMP with or as if with PRESSURE 3.To AFFECT or INFLUENCE DEEPLY or FORCIBLY. 4.To TRANSMIT A FORCE or MOTION.
I especially like the 4th one. You know what I think, I think it means to take a swing at. It means to drop the "ROCK" on people's head and let them feel the pressure. I think when God said "Impress them on your children", he didn't mean suggest it or request it. I know He meant to drop the anvil on their heads and let them grow tough through the discipline of His Word.
It's good to give out some tough love, you guys. Jesus thought it righteous to turn the tables over because His Father's house was being violated. We should do the same.
When the disciples SAW him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "TAKE courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord if it's you," Peter replied, "TELL ME to come to you on the water." "COME," he said. Then Peter got down OUT of the boat, walked on the water and came TOWARD Jesus.Matthew 14:26-29
Greetings my family,
I hope your day is going great. But if I could just take a moment of your time for me to share with you something that I learned this morning, I would really appreciate it.
I realize how much of a coward I really am. I can't believe I'm in the midst of victory (a long awaited one, if I might add) and here I am feeling anxious... afraid of the water!
What a coincidence though, that today's chapter from "Teach us to Pray" referenced this Scripture. Well, I trimmed it down a bit, actually. But I dug in there and tried to convict myself on the issue of courage and boldness (words I have to re-aqcuaint myself with every single day). And whew...
First of all, I looked up (thank God for Mr. Webster... where would I be without him?) the word TAKE and it's not how we would normally define it. You'll be surprised.
TAKE (tr.v.) 1.To get into one's possession by force 2.To seize authoritatively; to confiscate 3.To grasp with a hand; to grip. 4. To assume control
These are just a few but I can pretty much conlude right here that God does commands us to be on the offense against our fears. "Take" is such an offensive word after all... I didn't realize that! But the only reason he wants us to take courage is because he is near (If your bodyguard can walk on water, who can you fear?). He's always with us (and I always have to remind myself of this fact, o me of little faith). And when we know that God is near... our response should be: I want to be even nearer. And that's when the real challenge begins because working towards a closer relationship with God usually means work, work and more work. I found three steps towards acheiving this goal via this particular Scripture:
1.TELL HIM --- Do not just ask God to come to you. He already caught up with your boat, he's near! He's done his part. But after you've taken courage (He did ask that you do that one first, didn't he?), TELL him to LET YOU (allow you) to come to him instead. Isn't it us who desires to be near him to begin with? PRAY for work, in other words.
2.GET OUT OF THE BOAT --- We gotta be willing to get off our comfort zones and step out on faith... even if it means leaving our loved ones (old F.G., B.T., disciplers, sectors, etc) behind for the sake of our purpose... and braving the great deep waters of life that most people end up sinking in and left clueless as to why they did.
Side Note: You see, life is like the ocean. You can't just walk on this life without God giving you permission to "COME". This life is God's neck of the woods. YOU GOTTA ASK PERMISSION FIRST!(Psalm 85:7)
3.WALTZ ON THE WATER --- Yes, don't just walk... be confident and have fun doing it. This life should't be a drag! It might be windy and stormy outside but if you just close the curtains and keep your eyes fixed on you GOAL, this life should be a ballroom. (And there's a whole smorgasbord of FOOD too. Yeah! Sushi, anyone?).
"Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but THEY COULD NOT heal him." "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? BRING THE BOY HERE TO ME." Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "WHY couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "Because you have so little faith..."Matthew 17:15-20a
As far as I'm concerned there are demons only God can drive out. Sure we love the sinner but hate the sin but we can only do so much. Sometimes we try to help others until we've run ourselves ragged and later feel that we've done things in vain.
I can picture Jesus here just rolling his eyes around and scratching his head in amazement: "You still don't get it, do ya? Hello!!!!!! I created you and the whole universe, remember? I'm here! I'm God! You come to me! You don't come to no one else!"
We need to come to God for the ultimate rescue action. I think what Jesus is trying to say here is to have faith that ONLY GOD has the solution. We can work our booties off trying to change people's hearts because we "love them" or "care for them" but unless we rely on the fact that ONLY GOD can change hearts, we will only be left with a mystery... "why couldn't we drive it out?"
Besides, if God wants to harden someone's heart, like he did Pharaoh's, hey... he's God, he can do what he wants. Oh, he's unfair, you say? How could you even think that when you know the fact that "his thoughts are not your thoughts and you ways not his way". No, he's not unfair, he's just WAY BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING! Don't bother comprehending, hefe. It ain't logical. It's A GOD THING. I don't understand it, no one does, or ever will... but THAT'S THE POINT! (Please read Romans 9:14-21... very important!)
Let's just have some faith, shall we? After all we don't want to be called "unbelieving" or worse, "perverts" by our own God. If we want the demons gone... we should "bring our boys (and girls) (and heck, ourselves too)" to God and let him do what we, the disciples, couldn't -- solve each other's problems.
Let's pray, shall we?
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself FAIL TO SEE the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."Luke 6:41-42A scenario:
"Brother, I THINK you are not seeing quite clearly. Look, allow me to blow the dust off your eyes."
"Why, thank you my brother. Please, be my guest."
"Alright... here we go!"
........... uh, brother? I'm over here.... no, no, this way. Ooops, careful now. Right here, right here.... Easy, easy now. Hey... where are you going? That's not it! What the......
Hello family,
I've got a little question for ya: Did you ever realize that this guy was just trying to help out? By the tone of his voice, he seems to be pretty nice. He was even respectful enough to call the other guy "brother."
I'm trying to look at it on the other extreme. I'm trying to gain a new (well, it's not really) perspective hoping I could learn something fresh. I understand that Jesus was bringing up a heated issue here, which is "criticalness" but I'm seeing something on a different angle. Something I'm very prone to getting myself into --- THE FAILURE TO SEE (Hold on to that thought for me, will ya... I might forget it!).
Let's examine two things here and try to get a CLUE (yes, that's all we get on this earth, folks), shall we? So, God help us clueless creatures!
1) The Speck: When I think of the word "speck", what comes to my mind instantly is a bowlful of pathetic soggy little words like "insignificant", "small", "microscopic", "spot", "tiny", "speck, schmeck", "yuck", "wheat bran" (Hey, Frosted Flakes RULE!), etc...
Nothing to worry about, huh? No biggie! Nothing compared to... well, let's see...
2) The Plank (say that with a really growly low voice): Now, I've read this scripture many times but never have I stopped to deeply meditate on the magnitude of what's being said here... because it already seem pretty straightforward and self-explanatory, don't you think?
Anyway, I looked up (believe it or not, dictionaries are great Bible companions) the word "plank" and this is what I got: Plank (n), a thick, heavy board.
Yikes! I can probably deal with a speck in my eye... but a plank? Hey, if this huge piece of lumber (as opposed to a speck of sawdust) is to block my view, chances are, not only will it cover my eyes up but my whole body as well which would make it totally impossible for me to even see "the big picture"... let alone that petty little speck.
"Uh, excuse me... is somebody out there on the other side? Can somebody help me get this PLANK off my face?" Okay, first of all, we can't see 'cause planks are thick. Second, we need to get them out of our way but the problem is that they're so darn HEAVY too. Yes, kiddies, time to eat our humble pies and get healthy! We need help all the time, bottom line! THE HELP WE GIVE CAN ONLY COME FROM THE HELP WE RECEIVE. We are nothing and have nothing (Genesis 3:19). We are not good (Mark 10:18) and there is no good in us (Romans 3:12). Get help! It's up for grabs!
Now, take a deeper look at the scripture right here. Jesus said YOU got the plank and the OTHER GUY's got the speck.... IT'S NEVER THE OTHER WAY AROUND. Ever wonder why the Twelve seem to be the goofiest characters in the Gospels? Yes, they are because Jesus is trying to make a point of galactic proportions here. He doesn't need no filthy stinkin' logic-hungry wise-crackin' rich geniuses to show his awesome power to the world. He thought, FOOLS can actually do a better job (1 Corinthians 1:18-21). Jesus said he came for the sinner's sake, not for the righteous', the same way doctors are meant for the sick and not for the healthy (Mark 2:17)... that means he's talking to both you and me... and your neighbor's cousin-in-law's long lost friend! Yes, we've all been hypocrites at one point or another (and we still go there at times, don't we?) but, Amen... the Doctor is in! And hopefully, in the end we'll all be cured and get checked out from this nasty smelling hospital called LIFE ON EARTH.
Now, departing tangent # 483... back to my original point: What was it again? Shish! I forgot! Oh well... it'll come back to me...
Anyway, regarding that last thing I was talking about, I just want to add this special side note. Food for thought, if you may: There's only ONE kind of people on this earth: they're called BAD PEOPLE (Sorry to bust your bubbles!). The only difference between people OF the world and people OF the Kingdom is that the latter realizes this FACT. They admit it, they take it seriously, they're broken-hearted about it, they're urgent, and most of all, they understand there's only ONE WAY OUT!!!
Oh, yes... I remember now. My original point: The reason why I'm writing this is because when I read this particular scripture yesterday, it hit me like it never hit me before. Sure I get critical at times. Maybe, I just don't make it very obvious (Tomorrow's Q.T.: Openess) but I can't deny it when my heart is condemning me. Can anybody relate? But what happens more often than not is that I THINK I KNOW BETTER , I THINK I KNOW IT ALL and I THINK I KNOW IT ALREADY. I tend to be overly opinionated at times. I FAIL TO SEE what I need to see because I'm so blinded by this 4 inch thick oak wood wall of sin that's in front of me!!!! It's a deadly trap, kids! Our manual is the Bible, not our brains. I'm trying my best to exclude the words "I think" in my language whenever applicable. It's not easy. Heaven's meaning of "perfection" is "perfection". Earth's meaning of it is "the end of growth". In this life, we can never learn enough, give enough, grow enough, love enough or know enough. When Jesus said "be perfect" (Matthew 5:48) I think (see, there I go again) he simply meant... just make it to Heaven! But it's still a COMMAND though, mind you.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this "book", I know it's ridiculously long but I hope that it will somehow help us all to understand MORE CLEARLY that WE are ALWAYS the ones with the plank in the eyes (and no one ever has the speck) which makes us really NOT see clearly to begin with. If we all have this kind of attitude, this world can truly be a better place not only for us disciples... but also for those remnants who are soon to be part of what I wish to call THE PLANK BRIGADE.
Take care.
It is good for a man to BEAR THE YOKE while he is young. Let him SIT ALONE IN SILENCE for the Lord has laid it on him. Let him BURY HIS FACE IN THE DUST - there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him, and let him be FILLED WITH DISGRACE. For men are NOT cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he WILL show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.Lamentations 3:27-32
Greetings!
It is very comforting to read the WORD. Can anybody relate? Raise your hands please!
For some reason, reading this passage (although reading all of chapter 3 would help even more) this morning for my quiet time put a huge lump on my throat all of a sudden (yeah, that's comforting alright). Allow me a minute of your time to share a simple thought I've gathered this morning. Though I'm sure it's not all that "deep"(whatever that word means) I just thought I've a family who's willing to lend an ear... so, why not?
You see, we all face different situations everyday. Good ones. Bad ones. But one thing's for sure, I found out - we're all bound by yokes of different brands - daily - that make this life seem so restraining. I remember when my mom used to shove strange looking (let alone tasting) veggies down my throat all the time, telling me it's a good thing.
Alrighty then!
I read the book "The Disciplined Life" by Dr. Richard Taylor and he was talking about 'cultivating a sense of responsibility.' He said, "One with a sense of responsibility is one who feels responsible." Ain't that the truth! But who wants that? Me? I just wanted to rock and roll all nite and party everyday! Really. (Okay, enuff singing - it's not in the Kingdom songbook).
Though isn't it God's will that we bear the yoke (Matt 11:29-30), sit alone in silence (Isaiah 53:7, Mark 14:50), bury our faces in the dust (Matt 26:38-39), let them be struck (Matt 5:39, John 19:2-3) and be filled with disgrace (Isaiah 54:4-8). After all, Jesus is our floor model for this kind of stuff ('scuse my lingo).
So why am I complaining then (Lam 3:39)? If Jesus took responsibility (the yoke) for my sins, shouldn't I gratefully accept this yoke as a gift then? A yoke that is way lighter than that of which He took on himself?
Amen. I think it's all good!
And... love those veggies now! Thanks mom.
... This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed...Luke 2:34b-35a
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished."John 19:30a
Good afternoon family,
The epic saga of our Lord was once again premiered on the silver screen of my thoughts during the past few mornings. Catch the matinee, if you will...
There really is no neutral ground when it comes to the cross. It has been said from the
beginning. It's either we believe or we mock. Either we obey or we kill. Either we sit by its foot or we just observe its eerie silhouette from a distance. Yes, we either rise or we fall. And there aren't any exceptions.We all must walk the streets of Jerusalem.
It is written. Jesus is destined to cause all these things. Who am I on this picture then? What category do I belong to now? There's no middle ground. The word "almost" doesn't count. Such a sad word it is, as Max Lucado puts it. It goes along the lines of "nearly," "next time," "just about," "if only," etc... It's about missed opportunities, aborted efforts, fumbled chances, burnt cookies!
There's a marathon going on right now. Would you like to join? It's more than just about finishing the race. It's about winning it too(Phil. 3:14). No place for runners-up around here. It's all or nothing. Remember? Win or lose. Rise or fall.
Are we really in the Kingdom of God? Then shouldn't we all win together? This team should have no room for hypocrites, mediocres, faithless cowards that will slow the pace down. We're going to run until we run out of breath. Just like Jesus, we will drink the cup because more than we fear this cup, we love the hand from which it comes.
Or do we?
Am I ready to lay down my life? Ken Gire, in his book "Intense Moments with the Savior" painted a vivid picture of a God in which we should all be grateful to offer our very lives to...
On that starlit night in Bethlehem, God came to earth to do the one thing he could not do in heaven.
Die.
I find myself asking then... What did I become a disciple for?
We were given a life so that we could give it back as a token of gratitude. It's not easy though. It's a race. A brutal race. And Satan knows that time is short. And there's going to be blood in the ring.
But there is good news. The bloody battle has been fought. And, more importantly, that bloody battle has been won. And the only chance that this blood is ever going to drip on us is when we dare sit at the foot of the cross. But the best part of it is that you will get to hear the sweetest words of hope ever uttered in the history of mankind... "It is finished."
Dare I tell you to NEVER EVER GIVE UP...
You see, a finisher is not one without wounds or weariness (I got that from ol' Max). If we make it to the end, though victorious, we will end up scarred and bloodied. That's just the nature of the game.
But it will all be worth it in the end. It's worth to feel the pain now, to shed those tears and to tough it out. Because at the finish line, when we finally hear that thunderous standing room applause from the bleachers... we're sure to be greeted by the one who made it there first. Our wounds will be bound, our tears brushed away forever. By his hands.
His pierced hands.
Amen.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood...
1 Peter 2:9a
The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it in his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.
John 19:2-3
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:8
Hello everybody,
Sorry for the intrusion... again. I hope you'll understand. Just like the song goes... I just can't keep it to myself.
The Word, that is.
Anyway, something just dawned on me this past week, and I'd like to share it with you guys real quick, if you don't mind. It's pretty interesting enough to kill time with... I promise. Ha!
We, as disciples, are in fact elevated in the ranks of royalty. Wow! This may sound a little boastful but the Scripture is very clear that we're the true blue-bloods of the spiritual world - the Kingdom of God.
I dig that!
Now, hold on a sec... there's more. Isn't Jesus our King? And the Bible says that our lowly bodies will eventually be transformed into something like his (Phil. 3:20-21). And if on this earth we are to be like him as well, then isn't it apparent that we're bound to wear the crown that he also wore? And guess who does the crowning?
The world.
Now this world does not recognize our royalty. It's the same world that crowned Jesus with diabolical scorn. The same world whose king taught and commanded them to do it. The same world that's losing the spiritual battle because it's too blind to fight. And surprise, surprise... it's the same world we once belonged to.
And the same world we could easily come back to again... AT ANYTIME.
My dear family, we MUST keep this close to our hearts: That every sin we commit is a massive splinter that sinks into the head of the One who loves us the most. That every misdeed of unfaithfulness, disobedience and disbelief is an upper-cut that connects to His tear-soaked, forgiveness-engraved face. That every act of hypocrisy is a purple robe that we ourselves cover His strip-naked, sin-sacrificed body in an abominable form of ridicule.
We are accountable for every drop of blood that oozes out of His innocent but compassionate flesh.
Need I say more of the lashes he arduously withstood from the cruel whip of the Roman sentry? And the malevolent spit of phlegm? How about those dreadful nails? Or maybe even just the echo of those hurled insults. Can you hear them? Those words of insolence? Uh! This undeniable fact ought to fill us with remorse every single morning of our lives.
We do not even deserve to live right now!
Gee, hardly royal, isn't it? The wreath of suffering. The lei of confusion. The garland of mockery. The decoration of disbelief. The crown of a Christian... yes, it's a pain in the head.
And in the heart too.
But just like our King, we too must face our enemies with humility, as they crown us in disdain, in hoping that they would somehow see that we are not of their world... ANYMORE. And that our world is a better place. That it's a place of peace. A place of contentment. A place of forgiveness and of everlasting joy. A place where someday this wreath of thorns will be replaced with one that will adorn us with the Glory that is our Lord (Isaiah 28:5).
Yes, a place where we want them all to be as well.
Now this is where the real royal stuff comes to play. Imagine us all walking on a yellow brick road down the corner of Glory Drive and Eternity Lane. Just strutting our stuff with crowns and robes and all... reminiscing on how the other guy took 3 long years to repent but how we're all just fired up that he did finally. And we're heading down to Abe's coffee shoppe (or Noah's bagels) for some free righteous donuts and the best cafe mocha in the universe (or on the block... by heaven's terms).
Right on!
Of course, this description is nowhere near the point of accuracy (1 Cor. 2:9) but, at the same time, we are also commanded to set our minds on things above (Col. 3:2) (be creative on this one!)... and it's for a very good reason. Because it relieves us of the pain caused by the flaws of life. It is sorta like a spiritual anesthesia, so to speak. Try to imagine outrageous things like these all the time, though more importantly during times of struggles, and I guarantee you, time will fly faster than you can say "I give up!" Next thing you know, you're having latte with big Mo, King Dave, Peter, Paul and Mary and the rest of the gang up there!
And no more cold sharing! Ha! See, there you go...
You see, my point here is to never ever lose sight of the proverbial BIG PICTURE in our heads and in our hearts. Despite of what's going on in our lives, we MUST always fight to see the big picture. Heaven is the goal, my friends. IMAGINE IT. Take snapshots of it and glue it on the walls of your mind. Life is a pretty tough gig right now, and we desperately need the comfort of hope. The hope for a championship trophy. The hope for a gallantry medal after a war. The hope for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Heck yeah, the hope for a big fat paycheck on the 15th.
Yes, the hope for an eternal crown of righteousness.
Not only for us, but for the rest of the unforgiven world as well... for they know not what they do (just like we were before, remember?)!
Every single morning, even though I pray to have tears in my eyes and be cut by the Word, I also know that those tears are really meant to be just tears of joy that will someday flood my very own jacuzzi in that Room prepared for me (John 14: 2-3).
So I guess it's okay to dream, people. To dream the dream that costs a lifetime of self-denial. The dream that costs a lifetime of surrender. A lifetime of agony. A lifetime of unseen hope. To dream the dream that will someday earn us a crown that will not pierce, but instead, gloriously shine forever.
So dream big. Dream wild. For on that day, the crowning ceremony, held in honor of the ones who longed for His appearing, will be done... this time, by Him who wears a crown himself.
The crown that was meant for us all.
Cool?
Kewl!
Later, knowing that all was now complete, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."
John 19:28
Aloha....mi familia,
Allow me to introduce to you one of the few passages in the Bible that boggled my mind for a long time. John 19:28 is it.
Go ahead and read it again.
Well, sure, a lot of us would claim that this Scripture plainly and simply demonstrates Jesus' full humanity and all that nice and profound stuff. Which is true and precise. Though still, something else in this particular verse seems to be trying to crawl in the dark to find its way into people's hearts. Something that knocks and knocks and knocks. Something begging to be heard.
To be heard. Yes, that's it!
"Hello, can anybody hear me? I've got something very important to tell you. Hear me out or, Father have mercy, y'all be swimmin' in the fiery lake for a very very long time. Trust me, it ain't fun!"
Jesus seems to be struggling with way more than just the writhing physical pain he's feeling up on the cross at this point. It's just minutes before his death. Maybe seconds... who knows?
There's got to be something else. THERE'S GOT TO BE!
Quick!
Take a closer look: The cross is the exclusive pivotal point in the history of mankind. EVER!Three hours of fierce suffering from a God who willingly became human so he could feel and endure the pain that he knew we couldn't. Three hours of torment from the very people he formed from dust so that he could lavish his love on them (1 John 3:1). Three hours in memory of the sins of the world from the very beginning to the very end. In memory of my sins! My own sins.
Three hours.
And within those three hours came the sermon of a lifetime. He has done all kinds of sermons for the past 3 1/2 years of his ministry. Intense ones. Wordy, yes. He's had pulpits of different forms as well. Up on a hill, in a boat, in a leper's house, at the Temple, on a tax collector's dinner table, etc. But this time... this time, his pulpit is the cross. And the title of the sermon? My seven last words.
Three hours. Seven short points. Intense. Quick.
Forgive them... be with me in paradise... Dear woman... Eloi, Eloi! Bam. Bam. Bam.
The fifth one: "I am thirsty."
WHAT?
Okay... what is up with that? If there is one moment in the history of mankind that time needed to freeze over, it is during these 3 intense hours on that Good Friday. Supposedly, seven of the most torrid phrases that ever graced the ears of the human race. Have to listen. Got to listen. MUST listen. But...
I am thirsty?
Let us examine one thing here... let's read the passage again: "Later, knowing that all was now complete, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said,"... Okay, let's stop right here for a second. This part, to be honest, sounds to me like an introduction to some climactic ending. Something so gigantic and so vital that it needs the complete, undivided attention of the entire universe. And guess what? The phrase that follows, "I am thirsty," really does give us the introduction to the big climax that's about to happen very soon. Minutes to go. Seconds perhaps. But no, it's not the wine vinegar-soaked sponge that was the center of attention here. That wasn't the thirst-quenching hero Jesus was begging for to save him. For crying out loud, he knows he'd be dead very soon, why would he care for some earthly liquid now (John 4:13). Just a few more minutes. A few seconds perhaps, then everything would be over with.
OVER WITH! That's it!
Ken Gire explained in his book "Intense Moments with the Savior" that Jesus wants something to drink not so much to quench his thirst as to clear his throat. Why? Because he's got something very important to say. And he wants to make sure everybody hears him clearly. So yes, like I said, Jesus is definitely struggling with something way more than just the physical pain. He's struggling TO BE HEARD!
Which brings us to the much anticipated climax: The reason why Jesus wants our attention is because he is about to gulp down the last remaining drops of the living water from the cup that the Father had given him in the Garden. And he wants everybody to watch him intently as he pile- drives that painfully-tasting stuff down into his human gut... so that we wouldn't have to; in hoping that "some" might see through his suffering and believe (1 Cor. 9:22). Now he's up to his last shot. That physically sour-tasting water from the cup that he's been slowly sipping in anguish for the past 3 hours. That awful tasting liquid that's suppose to close the curtain of death and open the gift of eternal life for the entire human race. The only water that can quench the thirst for real life; and that can finally bring the long awaited dramatic finale to the epic saga that is the plan of salvation... and more interestingly, the sixth point:
It is finished!
Last point of the sermon: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."(Luke 23:46). The Doctor tells us that he uttered these words in a loud voice. That sounds to me like he gained a bit of, not only his already failing voice, but of strength there also. He was able to muster every single ounce of his might so he could once again knock on heaven's door, hoping it would still open. That left- over strength, my friends, came, most probably from the joy of "obeying his thirst."
I'm serious!
But yes, it's a happy ending, folks... believe it or not. So be not sad. Just obey his thirst. It's good for you... and for Jesus too! And it's also a simple formula, y'know: Suffer=Comfort. Thirst=Quench. Obey=Bless. Death=Life.
May our God continually be merciful on us that he may heal our calloused ears so that we can always hear the sometimes faint whispers that come from the parched throat of our Lord Jesus.
Thank you for reading and have a great day.
TEMPTATIONS - THE AGENDA OF LIFE
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the son of God," he said, "throw yourself DOWN..."
Matthew 4:5-6a
Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come DOWN from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"Matthew 27:39-40
"Welcome to the Jungle, Jesus... it gets worse here everyday!"
Hello everyone,
Doesn't it feel good when we get convicted about something? When we get inspired? When we wake up in the morning to have coffee with our Dad; whenerver he tells us something new for us to cherish throughout the whole day? It feels good when we see our lives change in front of us because of what we're being fed with. But most of all, it feels the greatest when we get to share it with the whole world everytime we receive these undeserved blessings.
How can we not?
Anyway, I would like to share a thought with you today. A simple thought. Most probably, a lot of you might already be acquainted with it, but just in case someone needs to hear it (or hear it again), it would be a great pleasure for me to take some time out and write a few words down to be of help. Hey, it also helps me, y'know...
So here we go: First, I'd like to ask a small favor - that you read the two passages of scripture above a second time and try to envision the parallels between them.
Okay. It's really not that hard to see a lot, obviously. What's in it? Jesus. Human. Satan. Temptation. First try. Last shot. Tough. But of cousre, it didn't work out. Satan lost. Jesus won. Elementary, my dear Watson!
Pretty simple, isn't it? So what's the big deal?
Oh, I just said it.
That's the big deal. Plain and simple. No rocket science. No brain twisters. No voodoo. We can polish the scripture all we want till it's all shiny and slick for everyone to see, or we can rev up its engine already, burn some rubber and start to feel its power in our lives.
Although we can save that thought for another day because that's really not my point right now. My point here, however, deals with the issue of "bad days" & "good days."
So what about it? You say....
Well, lately, I've been hearing about a lot of people having really "bad days." Oh, I remember having those too, y'know... Whoa, whoa, okay, okay... before anyone plans to Fed-Ex a time bomb to my house now, hear me out for a sec, will ya? In case you haven't noticed, I put these words in closed quotations. I don't want to have anything to do with them. Why? Because, I strongly believe, they're not from God. And they're not of God. They're sinful words to verbalize, let alone sinful events to experience.
They're just... bad! Period.
So how about "good days" then, you might ask? Well, they're pretty harmless, to be honest. Oh, how so irritatingly and pathetically redundant though! Ha!
Now, think about Jesus for a second, and how he would always talk about the future. His future. His not-so-good-looking future. "The Son of Man must be handed over to be crucified..." You know... stuff like that. Then he would always rebuke his disciples for not understanding that these events were written and were bound to happen, and that "the Son of Man came for this very reason." You see, it's pretty obvious that Jesus knows what he's getting himself into. He's been in heaven a long time before... just kicking back and just looking down at the craziness of this world. But he wasn't yet in the game then. He was still up in the bleachers just rooting for us (or by the bench, coaching us... rather).
Until it was time for him to join in so he could grab the trophy for us losers. Boy, were we trailing behind big time!
"Good to have you in the court Captain!"
"But... You're in the jungle, Jesus... you're gonna die!"
The two passages above represents the whole agenda of life. It is, in fact, the story of life itself. Check it out: if life was a movie, there could only be two kinds of ending: either you'll feel great about it or you'll get ticked! But these passages explain the whole reason why we live this life of a disciple. Well, isn't the whole reason really - to love and obey God, you might ask? Yes, it is... but I don't want to get religious now so pardon me if I just cut to the chase and get real. Jesus didn't come down to earth to learn to love and obey God. He's divine enough to know that. And he's done that way before he came down here. He came to show us that loving and obeying God, even though it's the whole duty of man (Ecc.12:13), takes a lot of work (Mark 10:45). However, he also wants us to know it's completely possible! It's not because it's hard to love and obey God or that we're just not normally programmed to do it but because - Satan always tells us so! Hey, Adam & Eve were doing great in thier relationship with God, being innocent of evil and all - until Satan tapped them on the back, remember?
"Uh, 'scuse me... how ya doin'? Pleased to meet you... won't you guess my name..."
It's what we call - temptations! He messes things up. He blinds us of the fact that loving and obeying God is the EASIEST and most comforting thing to do in the whole world. And that's why Jesus came down - to plug our itching ears and save us from the boiling lava of lies that flows endlessly out of his mouth. Though Satan cannot harm us physically. We've read about that in Job 1 & 2. He can only whisper in our ears and it's up to us whether we will listen or not.
So what's the deal with this "bad days" dilemma then? Well, before I get to that, let me just set the record straight here: when we're struggling (even when we're struggling really hard), it doesn't necessarily mean we're having a "bad day." That's really up to us to decide. Struggling is a good thing. And we better be struggling coz if not, we should be asking ourselves, then, whether or not we're really growing as disciples. So struggling is good... however, losing the struggle (giving in to temptation) is what's bad. Really bad! You see, everytime we experience a "bad day," it only means we have listened to Satan's cooing (or should I say, hissing?). As far as I know God only made seven days... and not one of them was named "bad." In fact, according to him, every single one of them was good (Gen. 1:31). Be careful, then, not to make bad what God has made good.
So wait a minute... hey, stuff happens, man? Yeah... and we should know better! But that doesn't give us a slightest reason to get spiritually bummed out either. "Therefore, do not worry..." remember? There is no valid reason for any of us to "GET DOWN" about anything. Not even our sins! No, not even! From the very beginning of Jesus' ministry (right after his baptism) all the way up to his last dying breath, Satan's one and only objective was to bring him DOWN! Take him DOWN. Get him DOWN. Pin him DOWN.
"Look... but don't touch!"
All he could do, though, was to ask Jesus to do it himself... to make him do it because he couldn't.
We cannot blame Satan (or anyone, or anything) for the circumstances in our lives. Everything was meant to happen the way it should (...but this, too, shall pass.). We just need to take responsibility for our own choices. After all, Satan's only doing his job. We should do ours too!
Also, that is why grace is so important to understand because, if not, we will lose our grip on the fact that God loves us more that we can ever sin! I believe that "good days" and "bad days" are all man-made predicaments. We're all familiar with Romans 8:28 which talks about God working for the good of those who love him. That means, if only we do not worry but seek his kingdom and his righteousness first, all the goods and bads of this life will eventually sum up to a really good ending.
Funny, I'm still trying to picture Jesus saying... "man, yesterday was brutal!" or "well, I've seen better days!" I'm sorry, but that is just NOT the God we serve! It's obvious that he's had frustrations and those typical human emotions we all go through... but I'm dead sure he knows that it's all good. He knows that the day of his journey on the road to Calvary would be the greatest day ever. That the mightiest pain he'll ever feel would be the doorway to eternal comfort. That conquering the temptations of getting (coming) DOWN from his cross would keep him reigning on top of this world. That the moment he utters his last words "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit," would be the time for him to claim the biggest, tallest and most glorious trophy ever won. Our trophy...
... y'know, that thing he's hangin' on.
Jesus... Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the pearls (!?) are pretty.
TAKE... ME... HOME!
Page last updated: 3/7/98
Songs From The Closet ©1997