...by Larry Walker
Those were two pretty powerful messages from Andy this Sunday. The first… coupling our own individual power with the humility that Jesus did. I thought about all the different things I considered myself good at and then prayed on whether or not I was using them for others at all. I also gave consideration as to if I was using these blessings in a humble manner. You know, it’s funny. While I initially would have thought that I was fine on this front, as it turns out, I could be doing a lot better. The troubling thing for me was the “where” I haven’t been implementing God’s blessings… at home, at work, and in the community. I imagine it’s the same for a lot of us. Sometimes we let our frustrations of being a spouse (finances, intimacy, running the kids all over, etc) get in the way of taking these blessings and becoming a better Christ-centered partner. Unfortunately, we can also short change our children. For me, listening has been one of God’s unique powers He has given to me. Here lately, I can’t even count how many opportunities have slipped by to have a great conversation with my daughters because I either have work to get done or because I am so exhausted I am not cognizant enough to give them my ears. Treasured moments that never came to be. Then, I started thinking about these blessings in the workplace. The common posture is to be selfish and only be concerned about your own needs. If we all took the lessons from Philippians 2:1-11, can you imagine what an efficient workplace we’d all have? This also holds true for the community. Usually the last on the list of these four that we’ll do anything about. It’s so easy to get caught up in the other three that our community’s needs often go unexplored. But ask some Suncresters that are actively involved in helping their community and they’ll tell you it’s one of the brightest parts of their lives.
So, what do I do about it? Andy’s second powerful message… simply ask “What are some things you’ve been trying to tell me, but I haven’t been listening?” I need to put my heart in this humble place and listen to the answer. Then, actually act on it. I’m looking forward to what happens next.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Psalms.
The Psalms are writings in the Bible that are very near and dear to my heart. Chances are that they are probably near and dear to your heart too. Psalm 23 is probably one of the most well-known writings of all time, and has provided comfort for millions, if not billions and trillions of people throughout history. Psalm 51 is a writing that resonates deeply with many in times where they make the realization of the weight of their sin or just feel like they’ve messed up in front of God. In a time of deep sorrow and pain several years ago, Psalm 13 became a real comfort to me... I really resonated with the words that David wrote in that time of his life.
The Psalms are a really cool part of the Bible. They report the innermost thoughts, emotions, and goings on in the life of Godly people. In times of pain, the Book of Psalms is probably one of the most comforting sections of the Bible, if for no other reason than that they remind us there are people who have come before in their relationship with God and have experienced the same doubts, fears, concerns, and anxieties. Sometimes, they lead us into praise because of their beautiful language that they use to extol God because of who He is or what He is doing in the life of the writer.
I guess today’s suggestion from me on how to cultivate your relationship with God here is two-fold. Number one, if you’re in a time of trouble, read the Psalms. I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s just something comforting within those pages, no matter where you are in life.
But secondly, I want to encourage you to compose your own psalm. It can be a psalm of thanksgiving, simply thanking God for the awesome stuff that He’s done in your life recently, or maybe even just because of who God is. Maybe your psalm is a lament psalm; something that questions God and asks where He is. One of the things that’s interesting about lament psalms is that they always end with some sort of call to praise. Maybe you need to say to God that you don’t know what He’s up to or what He’s doing. Maybe you need to ask God for a rescue. But no matter what, you need to praise God. That’s how lament psalms work in the Bible.
Read some of the Psalms. Take a look at how they work for yourself. I promise, they’re easy to understand, to read, and to identify with. And then, write your own psalm. For this moment in my life, here’s mine:
The Psalms are a really cool part of the Bible. They report the innermost thoughts, emotions, and goings on in the life of Godly people. In times of pain, the Book of Psalms is probably one of the most comforting sections of the Bible, if for no other reason than that they remind us there are people who have come before in their relationship with God and have experienced the same doubts, fears, concerns, and anxieties. Sometimes, they lead us into praise because of their beautiful language that they use to extol God because of who He is or what He is doing in the life of the writer.
I guess today’s suggestion from me on how to cultivate your relationship with God here is two-fold. Number one, if you’re in a time of trouble, read the Psalms. I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s just something comforting within those pages, no matter where you are in life.
But secondly, I want to encourage you to compose your own psalm. It can be a psalm of thanksgiving, simply thanking God for the awesome stuff that He’s done in your life recently, or maybe even just because of who God is. Maybe your psalm is a lament psalm; something that questions God and asks where He is. One of the things that’s interesting about lament psalms is that they always end with some sort of call to praise. Maybe you need to say to God that you don’t know what He’s up to or what He’s doing. Maybe you need to ask God for a rescue. But no matter what, you need to praise God. That’s how lament psalms work in the Bible.
Read some of the Psalms. Take a look at how they work for yourself. I promise, they’re easy to understand, to read, and to identify with. And then, write your own psalm. For this moment in my life, here’s mine:
God I come before You and ask You to move.
I am a person who is bent on living in sin, this I know well.
I run from You. I struggle against You. I forsake You.
But God, I know that I need You... in so many different ways.
I need You to work in my heart... to transform me from the inside out.
Lord, I need You to lead me to You and even then, to lead me to respond to You.
I need You to save me from my sin, from my fears, from my doubts, from myself.
Lord, please come quickly and save Your servant.
Lead me and guide me where You want me to be.
Never let me leave Your side.
Be the rock that upholds me, the One that I cling to,
And the fortress that keeps me safe in the midst of the storm.
Comfort me, guide me, and simply be here for me. Don’t stand far off.
Teach me to worship You, to love You, to hope in You.
In the hour of my greatest need, You came.
You answered my prayer, You made things alright.
For this, I will praise You, and I will testify of Your provision for me.
Continue to provide Lord. Continue to guide and lead me.
Do something awesome in my life
So that I can testify of how awesome You are in front of all people.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Beyond Sunday - TXT: How to Read your Bible: The Gospel
...by Gordon Barker
I am continually amazed at how God uses Sundays to grow and re-center me and how thankful I am that the leaders at Suncrest use their gifts to help me on my way. Sunday was another great example.
Bobby and the worship team leading through one of my favorite songs “Your Grace is Enough”.
The words of Wes’s song “Ancient words ever true, changing me, changing you”.
Greg teaching us how to read the Bible in a more powerful way and Doug following that up with application and challenge.
I want to remember two challenges from Sunday morning; the first one is from Greg in the sermon outline:
What end am I more likely to use as a filter for how I live?
The second challenge came from Doug and Philippians 1:27 “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ”. Doug’s challenge to us was “Is the story of my life worthy of the gospel and inspiring to others?”
These are tough ones. I guess if I am honest I have to answer that I usually let the business of life crowd out the most important things. My filter is probably “personal happiness first and advancing the gospel at times”. Is my life inspiring to others – I hope it is sometimes.
The real challenge for me is to not come away from these realizations defeated, but excited that “He who began the good work in me will carry it on to completion.” That’s God’s promise to me and to you.
I am continually amazed at how God uses Sundays to grow and re-center me and how thankful I am that the leaders at Suncrest use their gifts to help me on my way. Sunday was another great example.
Bobby and the worship team leading through one of my favorite songs “Your Grace is Enough”.
The words of Wes’s song “Ancient words ever true, changing me, changing you”.
Greg teaching us how to read the Bible in a more powerful way and Doug following that up with application and challenge.
I want to remember two challenges from Sunday morning; the first one is from Greg in the sermon outline:
What end am I more likely to use as a filter for how I live?
Personal Happiness or Advancing the Gospel
The second challenge came from Doug and Philippians 1:27 “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ”. Doug’s challenge to us was “Is the story of my life worthy of the gospel and inspiring to others?”
These are tough ones. I guess if I am honest I have to answer that I usually let the business of life crowd out the most important things. My filter is probably “personal happiness first and advancing the gospel at times”. Is my life inspiring to others – I hope it is sometimes.
The real challenge for me is to not come away from these realizations defeated, but excited that “He who began the good work in me will carry it on to completion.” That’s God’s promise to me and to you.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Beyond Sunday - TXT: How to Read your Bible - The Community
...by Randy Parish
Reading the bible I think has lately become just that for me, reading the bible. There is a big difference between reading and studying. Greg put it in perspective when he said the bible is the most owned and the least read book. Most people own at least one copy. I just saw a statistic that said 90+ percent of households own at least one, but only 20% will read all the way through it in their lifetime. What else do we have that everyone owns but no one uses. Some own several copies and may have different translations. I know in our house we have at least 8 different bibles we have gotten over the years. It may sound funny to admit, but I envy the people who actually wear one out from use. The cover is falling off, the pages are marked up and ragged and it’s not from misuse. I see someone teaching from a ragged old bible and I think, man, there is a person that really gets into the word. I have been in a number of read through the bible plans in my life that I have actually completed, but face it, around April or May when you have finally sloughed your way through Numbers and Leviticus and your eyes glaze over, it becomes just something to get through by the end of the year. On the other hand, I do find that no matter how many times I read through the bible, I always find something new I didn’t see before. I am looking forward to this next 8 weeks to help me develop good habits to really dive in and study, not just see the words, on what the bible has to say to me.
Reading the bible I think has lately become just that for me, reading the bible. There is a big difference between reading and studying. Greg put it in perspective when he said the bible is the most owned and the least read book. Most people own at least one copy. I just saw a statistic that said 90+ percent of households own at least one, but only 20% will read all the way through it in their lifetime. What else do we have that everyone owns but no one uses. Some own several copies and may have different translations. I know in our house we have at least 8 different bibles we have gotten over the years. It may sound funny to admit, but I envy the people who actually wear one out from use. The cover is falling off, the pages are marked up and ragged and it’s not from misuse. I see someone teaching from a ragged old bible and I think, man, there is a person that really gets into the word. I have been in a number of read through the bible plans in my life that I have actually completed, but face it, around April or May when you have finally sloughed your way through Numbers and Leviticus and your eyes glaze over, it becomes just something to get through by the end of the year. On the other hand, I do find that no matter how many times I read through the bible, I always find something new I didn’t see before. I am looking forward to this next 8 weeks to help me develop good habits to really dive in and study, not just see the words, on what the bible has to say to me.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
TXT
Well, it’s nothing special, but I thought I’d take some time today to simply reiterate a lot of what Greg talked about in his message on Sunday.
If you weren’t able to join us this week at Suncrest, we’re beginning an 8 week series called “TXT: How to Read Your Bible.” Basically, we just want to come together and learn some basic principles for how we should read the Bible. It’s God’s Word to us... the better we can grab a hold of it and the principles in it, then the better we will be able to live the life that God asks us to live as Christ followers.
This week’s message was an intro message that laid a foundation for a lot of the stuff we’ll be hitting in future weeks. But probably the biggest thing to share on here are the five key principles of reading the Bible that we’ll be talking about of the next weeks.
Context: How does this verse or these verses fit into the passage or book as a whole? Like Greg said on Sunday, we’ve all probably read or heard stories of athletes and celebrities being quoted on something by a reporter that sounds bad. Generally, the comeback is always, “That quote was taken out of context.” Same is true with the Bible. It sounds terrible, but over the years, the Bible has been used to support things ranging from slavery to ethnic cleansing. That happens when people use sections of the Bible out of context. Context is that important.
Author’s Intent: What is the author’s purpose in writing? What are they trying to communicate? It sounds obvious, but this is an important thing we often forget. If you wrote words like eggs, milk, flour, and sugar down on a piece of paper and handed them to me intending for them to be recipe ingredients, but I instead thought it was a grocery list, two very different actions would ensue, right? When we misunderstand someone’s intent, misunderstandings generally happen.
Background: How would knowing the culture, history, or geography of this passage clarify what is being said? This can be as simple as knowing where the heck something is going on (like in the stories of Jesus, where authors frequently talk about He and the disciples moving to places like “Galilee,” the “Jordan River,” etc.). Sometimes background is important because it helps us understand a cultural custom that would have been obvious to the original readers that’s not so obvious to us 2,000 years later. Sometimes it’s simply important because it helps us understand current events of the day, and helps us be able to see what is happening in the lives of the original readers.
Key Words: What words are jumping off the page at me? What words seem to be continually repeated in a section or passage? Words that are frequently repeated tend to espouse key themes in a text. For instance, we’re working through the letter of Philippians throughout this series, and we’ll see the word “joy” and “rejoice” scattered a lot throughout. Not surprisingly, this is a huge theme in the letter as a whole, and should be a theme we walk away with some insights and ideas on.
Genre: How does knowing the genre bring clarity to a particular passage? Greg offered a great example with a newspaper on Sunday. If you’re reading a front-page story from the Associated Press, you’re probably expecting to get just facts. If you’re reading the “Letters to the Editor” section or a story written by a columnist, you should probably brace yourself for some opinion and commentary. If you’re reading an advertisement, you’re probably not expecting a lot of overly honest, truthful claims, but more propaganda encouraging you to buy or do something. Same’s true in the Bible. Some books are poetry. You’ll probably want to read those with more of a figurative lens than say a gospel or history, which are more stories and narratives of events being recounted for us to read about over 2,000 years later.
Throughout the entire series, we’ll be working through the book of Philippians in the New Testament. It’s a great book, and I know that I’m looking forward to the insights I’ll be learning over the next few weeks! If you missed on Sunday, crack open your Bible and read Philippians 1:12-30 once each day over the next few days to prep for learning about God’s Word this Sunday!
I’m very excited about what God will be doing in our church over this next season. Hope you are too! Happy reading!
If you weren’t able to join us this week at Suncrest, we’re beginning an 8 week series called “TXT: How to Read Your Bible.” Basically, we just want to come together and learn some basic principles for how we should read the Bible. It’s God’s Word to us... the better we can grab a hold of it and the principles in it, then the better we will be able to live the life that God asks us to live as Christ followers.
This week’s message was an intro message that laid a foundation for a lot of the stuff we’ll be hitting in future weeks. But probably the biggest thing to share on here are the five key principles of reading the Bible that we’ll be talking about of the next weeks.
Context: How does this verse or these verses fit into the passage or book as a whole? Like Greg said on Sunday, we’ve all probably read or heard stories of athletes and celebrities being quoted on something by a reporter that sounds bad. Generally, the comeback is always, “That quote was taken out of context.” Same is true with the Bible. It sounds terrible, but over the years, the Bible has been used to support things ranging from slavery to ethnic cleansing. That happens when people use sections of the Bible out of context. Context is that important.
Author’s Intent: What is the author’s purpose in writing? What are they trying to communicate? It sounds obvious, but this is an important thing we often forget. If you wrote words like eggs, milk, flour, and sugar down on a piece of paper and handed them to me intending for them to be recipe ingredients, but I instead thought it was a grocery list, two very different actions would ensue, right? When we misunderstand someone’s intent, misunderstandings generally happen.
Background: How would knowing the culture, history, or geography of this passage clarify what is being said? This can be as simple as knowing where the heck something is going on (like in the stories of Jesus, where authors frequently talk about He and the disciples moving to places like “Galilee,” the “Jordan River,” etc.). Sometimes background is important because it helps us understand a cultural custom that would have been obvious to the original readers that’s not so obvious to us 2,000 years later. Sometimes it’s simply important because it helps us understand current events of the day, and helps us be able to see what is happening in the lives of the original readers.
Key Words: What words are jumping off the page at me? What words seem to be continually repeated in a section or passage? Words that are frequently repeated tend to espouse key themes in a text. For instance, we’re working through the letter of Philippians throughout this series, and we’ll see the word “joy” and “rejoice” scattered a lot throughout. Not surprisingly, this is a huge theme in the letter as a whole, and should be a theme we walk away with some insights and ideas on.
Genre: How does knowing the genre bring clarity to a particular passage? Greg offered a great example with a newspaper on Sunday. If you’re reading a front-page story from the Associated Press, you’re probably expecting to get just facts. If you’re reading the “Letters to the Editor” section or a story written by a columnist, you should probably brace yourself for some opinion and commentary. If you’re reading an advertisement, you’re probably not expecting a lot of overly honest, truthful claims, but more propaganda encouraging you to buy or do something. Same’s true in the Bible. Some books are poetry. You’ll probably want to read those with more of a figurative lens than say a gospel or history, which are more stories and narratives of events being recounted for us to read about over 2,000 years later.
Throughout the entire series, we’ll be working through the book of Philippians in the New Testament. It’s a great book, and I know that I’m looking forward to the insights I’ll be learning over the next few weeks! If you missed on Sunday, crack open your Bible and read Philippians 1:12-30 once each day over the next few days to prep for learning about God’s Word this Sunday!
I’m very excited about what God will be doing in our church over this next season. Hope you are too! Happy reading!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Beyond Sunday - In the Shadows: Shadow of Hope
...by Kevin DeBraal
I find it hard to fully grasp the meaning of the resurrection. The sheer enormity and world changing impact of the sacrifice that Jesus made is difficult to comprehend and appreciate from my human viewpoint and understanding. God sent his son to suffer and die for our sins so that all who believe can have the hope of eternal life with him. That act seems pretty straightforward until you really think about it.
Do you live in that hope or are you lost in hopelessness?
The symbolism that Greg used regarding the boulder being moved from the grave and the stone representing the seemingly insurmountable struggles we all have, made me reflect on what “stones” I have. What hopeless feelings I have had when I have thought there was nothing I could do to change my situation. Is there anyone that has not experienced the weight of an insurmountable problem, the hopelessness that accompanies it, the lost feeling and the search for a way out?
I keep coming back to two of the verses Greg used.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
Luke 18:27
Instead of futile searches for solutions to hopeless situations, I need to look to the Lord and trust Him and His life changing power.
When Greg used the stone to break the mirror that listed all the hopeless situations, it reminded me of God’s power to change our hopeless dilemmas. What is your “stone”? That struggle that you deal with every day that seems so big and unsolvable. The insurmountable “I can’t fix this problem”. The only solution is Jesus. He is the only one with the power to change your hopelessness. Belief in Jesus Christ, the sacrifice He made for you and that with Him anything is possible is the key.
Stop trying to beat your issues on your own and turn to the Lord, He has the power!
I find it hard to fully grasp the meaning of the resurrection. The sheer enormity and world changing impact of the sacrifice that Jesus made is difficult to comprehend and appreciate from my human viewpoint and understanding. God sent his son to suffer and die for our sins so that all who believe can have the hope of eternal life with him. That act seems pretty straightforward until you really think about it.
Do you live in that hope or are you lost in hopelessness?
The symbolism that Greg used regarding the boulder being moved from the grave and the stone representing the seemingly insurmountable struggles we all have, made me reflect on what “stones” I have. What hopeless feelings I have had when I have thought there was nothing I could do to change my situation. Is there anyone that has not experienced the weight of an insurmountable problem, the hopelessness that accompanies it, the lost feeling and the search for a way out?
I keep coming back to two of the verses Greg used.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
Luke 18:27
Instead of futile searches for solutions to hopeless situations, I need to look to the Lord and trust Him and His life changing power.
When Greg used the stone to break the mirror that listed all the hopeless situations, it reminded me of God’s power to change our hopeless dilemmas. What is your “stone”? That struggle that you deal with every day that seems so big and unsolvable. The insurmountable “I can’t fix this problem”. The only solution is Jesus. He is the only one with the power to change your hopelessness. Belief in Jesus Christ, the sacrifice He made for you and that with Him anything is possible is the key.
Stop trying to beat your issues on your own and turn to the Lord, He has the power!
The Greatest Cultivator.
Raise your hand if you enjoy tough times.
Yeah, I didn’t think any of you would respond in the affirmative to that question. And you know what? I think that’s okay. I mean, trials are tough. Difficult. That’s part of the meaning of the word. If trials were easy experiences to go through, then they wouldn’t be trying, would they?
But I think that in my life as a Christ follower, I am deeply desiring within my soul to go to the next level. I feel like over the past few years I’ve been stagnated spiritually, as if I’ve hit a wall. I want to go further. Deeper. I want to love God as much as a human being possibly can. So in order to do that, I’ve been praying consistently for God to grow me. I prayed for God to look inside my heart and help me deal with my stuff; the stuff that I know is probably in there stopping me from growing, but also know that I need to deal with and overcome in order to deepen my relationship with Jesus.
And through that, you know what I’m discovering? It’s the unpleasant truth that the greatest cultivator of our relationship with Jesus is trial.
If you were here for one of our Easter weekend services, you heard Greg allude to it early on in the day. In order to experience deeper joy, deeper satisfaction, deeper fulfillment, we oftentimes need to go through valley experiences that can be difficult. I think that I always knew that, but it’s one thing to know something and another to really know it. Experience it. Live it.
Yesterday, I read in Luke 21:12-13 and came across this verse where Jesus talks to His disciples about trials that are to come in their lives after He is gone:
If you couldn’t tell by my awesome underlining skills, that last phrase is the one that really stood out to me and struck me. Jesus is essentially telling His disciples that in the midst of difficulty, trial, despair, tough times... that is their opportunity to bear witness to the God that lives inside of them. That is the time when they will have an opportunity to talk about and demonstrate the work of God that is happening in their hearts, minds, and souls.
I think the same is true for us. I don’t necessarily grow or change or even get a chance to always see the work that God is doing in me when things are great, easy, whatever. Instead, it is in the dirt, grime, and messiness of life that I get a chance to bear witness to what God is doing in me, and to even get an opportunity to grow in that process.
So no matter where you are today reading this, if you are in a tough time, I humbly pray that you will use it as a chance to cultivate your relationship with Jesus. It certainly isn’t easy. But then again, true growth never is.
Yeah, I didn’t think any of you would respond in the affirmative to that question. And you know what? I think that’s okay. I mean, trials are tough. Difficult. That’s part of the meaning of the word. If trials were easy experiences to go through, then they wouldn’t be trying, would they?
But I think that in my life as a Christ follower, I am deeply desiring within my soul to go to the next level. I feel like over the past few years I’ve been stagnated spiritually, as if I’ve hit a wall. I want to go further. Deeper. I want to love God as much as a human being possibly can. So in order to do that, I’ve been praying consistently for God to grow me. I prayed for God to look inside my heart and help me deal with my stuff; the stuff that I know is probably in there stopping me from growing, but also know that I need to deal with and overcome in order to deepen my relationship with Jesus.
And through that, you know what I’m discovering? It’s the unpleasant truth that the greatest cultivator of our relationship with Jesus is trial.
If you were here for one of our Easter weekend services, you heard Greg allude to it early on in the day. In order to experience deeper joy, deeper satisfaction, deeper fulfillment, we oftentimes need to go through valley experiences that can be difficult. I think that I always knew that, but it’s one thing to know something and another to really know it. Experience it. Live it.
Yesterday, I read in Luke 21:12-13 and came across this verse where Jesus talks to His disciples about trials that are to come in their lives after He is gone:
But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.
If you couldn’t tell by my awesome underlining skills, that last phrase is the one that really stood out to me and struck me. Jesus is essentially telling His disciples that in the midst of difficulty, trial, despair, tough times... that is their opportunity to bear witness to the God that lives inside of them. That is the time when they will have an opportunity to talk about and demonstrate the work of God that is happening in their hearts, minds, and souls.
I think the same is true for us. I don’t necessarily grow or change or even get a chance to always see the work that God is doing in me when things are great, easy, whatever. Instead, it is in the dirt, grime, and messiness of life that I get a chance to bear witness to what God is doing in me, and to even get an opportunity to grow in that process.
So no matter where you are today reading this, if you are in a tough time, I humbly pray that you will use it as a chance to cultivate your relationship with Jesus. It certainly isn’t easy. But then again, true growth never is.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Beyond Sunday - In the Shadows: Shadow of Confusion
...by Beka Jackson
When I was young, my church did an Easter Cantata every year. There was one song one year that I remember above all the rest. The people were circling around Jesus and Barabbas and they were shouting "Barabbas! Barabbas! Now unto us release Barabbas!" Pilate circled around the outside singing some really cool counter melody about his struggle to release one of the two men. It was moving as a child and moving still as I think back to it.
Strange how those same people who cheered and praised Jesus as He paraded into Jerusalem were shouting his death only a few days later. How could they have so easily forgotten? Surely I wouldn't have been one of those people. I would've followed Jesus all the way. Never denying Him or pleading for His crucifixion.
Yet this past weekend, I offered my praise to Him. I sang words of love and commitment; meant every bit of it with my entire meaning. And today, with that same mouth I find myself using less love-filled words as I sin. And then I remember the words of Isaiah:
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6)
It’s a nice thought to assume I would be one those people that was faithful to the end. To think that I would be right there with Mary, weeping at Jesus' death. But so often I prove that may not have been the case.
When I was young, my church did an Easter Cantata every year. There was one song one year that I remember above all the rest. The people were circling around Jesus and Barabbas and they were shouting "Barabbas! Barabbas! Now unto us release Barabbas!" Pilate circled around the outside singing some really cool counter melody about his struggle to release one of the two men. It was moving as a child and moving still as I think back to it.
Strange how those same people who cheered and praised Jesus as He paraded into Jerusalem were shouting his death only a few days later. How could they have so easily forgotten? Surely I wouldn't have been one of those people. I would've followed Jesus all the way. Never denying Him or pleading for His crucifixion.
Yet this past weekend, I offered my praise to Him. I sang words of love and commitment; meant every bit of it with my entire meaning. And today, with that same mouth I find myself using less love-filled words as I sin. And then I remember the words of Isaiah:
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6)
It’s a nice thought to assume I would be one those people that was faithful to the end. To think that I would be right there with Mary, weeping at Jesus' death. But so often I prove that may not have been the case.
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