Tag: Jesus

The 7 Last Words of Christ | “Mother”

25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:25-27, emphasis added)

Meditation on the Third Word

Of all the words that Jesus spoke that afternoon, this is the one that stands juxtaposed against the others. In the midst of all the suffering and pain that he was experiencing and that was being witnessed by those present, none could have been more devastated that Mary, Jesus’ mother. Mary was the beneficiary of the single greatest revelation of that God has even given. It was to Mary that the Messiah was sent, not merely in word but in actuality. It was within Mary’s womb that the Messiah was conceived and it was from her womb that the salvation of humankind would proceed. And, even now, as Jesus was dying He thinks of her and entrusts her into the hands of his dear friend John. Jesus’ exemplifies for us that earthly responsibilities are not something to be dismissed as life draws to a close. Have you thought of your family and friends in light of your mortality? What would have life for them to remember of you? What would you change if what they may remember is not what you desire? Jesus loved Mary to the end.

Song of Realization

“Mary did you know?” by CeeLo Green

The 7 Last Words of Christ | “Paradise”

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 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.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

Meditation on the Second Word

The promise of eternal life is not something we have to wait for. At the moment that we put our trust in Jesus, He promises that we have entered into the family of God. Too often we make the terrible mistake of thinking that it is our knowledge of Jesus that will matter. No, dear Friends. It is not whether you remember Jesus in those moments of fear, confusion, or despair. What will matter when we are confronted with our own mortality will be if He remembers us. The only thing that causes Jesus to remember us is faith, for “without faith it is impossible to please God” and Jesus, when he returns, will about one thing, “…When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Do you want to be remembered? Then place your faith in Jesus today.

Hymn of Thankfulness

“Just as I Am” by Wintley Phipps

Here is a modern take on the hymn.
“Just as I Am (Oh Come)” by MercyMe

The 7 Last Words of Christ | “Forgive Them”

32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” (Luke 23:32-38)

Meditation on the First Word

From the vantage point of the cross, Jesus’ perspective was crystal clear. He looked at the throngs that encircled Him and the thieves that hung with Him and He spoke the words that only someone who sees the truth o the situation could. It was here on the cross that God’s wrath was meted out with the full weight and fury that sin deserved. But, as God’s wrath landed upon Jesus, what emerged from Jesus’ mouth were words of love. Our ignorance does not remove our responsibility and culpability for our sin, but our ignorance will nto disqualify us from believing in and receiving the grace Christ died to provide and secure. When you wonder, “How can God possibly continue to love me when I fail so badly?” I remind you to look to Jesus and hear these words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Hymn of Worship

“When I Survey The Wondrous Cross”

The Will of God

The will of God.  This is such a difficult and mysterious phrase within the Christian faith.  I think that almost every Christian would say that they want to know what the will of God is for their lives.  But, how can we find it?  How can we discern what God would have us to do? 

Maybe, we should try to find what is already before us.  I think of what Paul told the Roman church:

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. (Romans 14:17-18 ESV)

What Paul appears to imply by this passage is that the will of God is NOT something we do, but rather something we are.  We are to become something new as Paul would tell the Corinthians (2 Cor 5:17).  Could it be that as we become more like Christ and live a Christ-like life we are then “doing” the will of God?  Could the will of God be a changed life living for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31)?

If the will of God is becoming more like Christ, then anything we avoid doing or anything we modify for our own convenience is a move away from God’s will.

I pray that we will strive to become more like Christ as we seek to obey God.

A Perfect Match: A Story of Love and Marriage, In Sickness and in Health

Justin gave to his wife in actuality what most men only give in theory. Justin gave of himself.

I have known this wonderful couple for a long time. The circumstances of life and geography have moved us in different directions. However, we are fortunate to live in a world where technology allows you to keep up with the goings on of anothers life.
Continue reading “A Perfect Match: A Story of Love and Marriage, In Sickness and in Health”

People Aren’t Projects

Do you ever just wonder how you are viewed by other people? Or even recognize the way you view everyone else?

I have realized that over time and as I have gotten older I am more self-conscious of myself, becoming more aware of the ways I act and the words I say. Though in some ways this has been a positive in my life it has also brought about some negatives. Continue reading “People Aren’t Projects”

Abortion and the Death of Sacrificial Love

Over the last couple of days there has been much discussion around a shocking video alleging some despicable practices by Planned Parenthood facilities and personnel. I am not going to provide any further descriptions here, just look it up for yourself. I personally could not believe what I read and therefore could not stomach watching the video. Continue reading “Abortion and the Death of Sacrificial Love”

A “WebMD” Church Cannot Help the Hurting

I have written about this before in other places, however, it is a topic I find myself coming back to and thinking about regularly. It could be due to my love for talent shows. I could also be because of the longing I feel for validation myself.

I do not think that this longing is something far from the thoughts of many people. There is something within each of us hoping, yearning even, for others to receive us with open arms. I do not find this odd or even inappropriate. What I have discovered through my own introspection is that we may have turned our angst and decided to be satisfied by lesser forms of authority. When you are a singer and you want your voice measured you subject yourself to the judges on one of the many talent shows. When you want your cakes/cupcakes tasted or your tattoos​ showcased you put yourself out there and are literally under a microscope with the hope that someone will say, “Yeah, that is pretty amazing”. Those who make it to that stage are few. I often wonder about the countless droves who do not even risk the scrutiny and yet desire the evaluation.
Continue reading “A “WebMD” Church Cannot Help the Hurting”

The Journey of Faith

Over the last several months God has been teaching me about my journey of faith. There are many things to consider when we talk about faith. We have to define it. We have to understand what it is and how we use it. To often I have found that when the church people talk about faith we do not really know how to make sense of it for ourselves. What ends up happening is we recycle the phrases and ideas that have been taught to us. In the end, we have not really made any advancement in our own journey. We can end up feeling stuck.

I totally understand this. When we think about faith what exactly are we thinking about? Is it something that can even be understood? Can it be quantified? Too often I feel that we talk about faith in esoteric language because (1) we do not know what we really want to say, but (2) we are afraid if someone gives an answer that is more concrete than we are comfortable with we will have to change the way we live our lives. Now, I may be the only who thinks like this, but I can’t help and think that others have had similar thoughts.

I am not trying to question anyone’s motives, I am just reflecting on my own experience on this journey with God. The clearer we get on what it means to walk by faith the hard it is to live any other way. Any and every time we are confronted with truth and we know it is truth we become accountable to what we now know.

How would you describe your journey of faith to someone else?

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