Monday Thought – October 31, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.” (Matthew 27:57-61)

Joseph risked a lot by becoming a follower of Jesus. He was a wealthy man and Mark calls him a “prominent member of the Council.” (Mark 15:23) His power, his position, his wealth, his respectability were all at risk by openly showing himself to be a follower of Christ. But Joseph was willing. He wouldn’t be a secret follower of Jesus.

Jesus said that the risk was worth it. Whatever we lose for the sake of the Gospel will be returned many times over. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)

And even more important, if we’re willing to take a public stand for Him, no matter what the risk, He promises to take a stand for us in the presence of the Father! “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33)

There may be risks involved in being a public follower of Jesus, but He’ll see that the benefits always outweigh the risks!

His, by Grace, Steve

Friday Thought – October 28, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ -- which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, ‘He’s calling Elijah.’ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, ‘Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.’ When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:45-54)

Jesus lived uniquely: He spoke with authority. He accepted worship as God. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He exercised power over nature. In many ways, Jesus lived uniquely.

Jesus also died uniquely:

The temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. It was a symbol to say that access to God had been opened to man. Man did not rip the curtain from bottom to top to force his way in, God ripped it from the top down to allow man into His presence.

An earthquake shook the world. This was the first death that caused an earthquake (and the last)! His death shook the very foundations of the world.

Tombs of some of the dead opened and they came out alive. The way to life, eternal life, had been opened by Jesus’ death. These were the first of many who would be raised to eternal life through His death -- including you and me.

Even the soldier at the cross knew there was something powerful about Jesus.

The most unique thing about His death was yet to come. In just a few days His death would be proven temporary!

His, by Grace, Steve

Thursday Thought – October 27, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“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!’ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’’ In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.” (Matthew 27:39-44)

The insults hurled at Jesus while He hung on the cross contained elements of truth. “He saved others, but he can’t save Himself.” He did save others and they knew it. But it wasn’t that He could not save Himself – it was that He would not save Himself! He knew why He was on the cross and despite the pain and torture of what He was going through He kept His resolve to accomplish it.

“The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials.” (2 Peter 2:9) God does know how to rescue those who are His from suffering. He has proven His strength to do it in many ways and at many times. But God does not always rescue His children from suffering, even as He did not rescue Jesus from His suffering. Sometimes what God desires to accomplish can only be accomplished through the suffering of His children.

Jesus willingly went through the suffering because of the “joy set before Him.” (Hebrews 12:2) The joy was found in what God would accomplish through His suffering.

I wonder if we are willing to accomplish God’s will if it means suffering in our own lives? That is the example Jesus set for us to follow.

His, by Grace, Steve

Wednesday Thought – October 26, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.” (Matthew 27:32-38)

Simon, the soldiers, and the two robbers were just bit parts in the greatest drama of all time. They had no idea what was happening that day. They must each have been wrapped up in their own world and their own problems.

Simon was just an innocent bystander. Was he there as part of the crowd calling for Jesus’ death? Was he a curious onlooker wondering what all of the excitement was about? Was he just someone passing by who got caught at the wrong place at the wrong time? Who knows why he was there or whether he left the scene after he’d done his duty without ever realizing what he had been involved in. He probably grumbled the whole way about the interruption to his plans. He was next to the King, carrying His load for Him, and yet Simon may well have never known it.

The soldiers were just doing their jobs. It was a horrible job, executing criminals, but it was their assigned duty. Some of the difficulty was eased by the chance to gamble for the clothes of the executed. Mostly it was just a boring job, filled with cries of agony. Little did they realize that day that the cries they heard came from the Son of God.

Simon and the soldiers were so close to Deity, but they probably never knew it. I wonder how often we miss something God is doing around us because we are so wrapped in our in own world and our own problems?

His, by Grace, Steve

Tuesday Thought – October 25, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, ‘Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: 'Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.’ The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ asked the governor. ‘Barabbas,’ they answered. ‘What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?’ Pilate asked. They all answered, ‘Crucify him!’ ‘Why? What crime has he committed?’ asked Pilate. They shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’” (Matthew 27:15-23)

It was the most horrible miscarriage of justice in the history of the world. An innocent man was to be executed. What made it even worse was that the judge knew the man was innocent and sent him to be executed anyway!

Pilate was a very weak man. He knew there was no evidence against Jesus. His wife had warned him about the innocent man. But Pilate was not willing to make the crowd angry. He relied too much on the support of the crowd in order to keep his position. If the crowd turned against him, Caesar might well remove him from his place, or worse. So, he gave in to what the crowd wanted.

He was on the judge’s seat. A judge who pronounced judgment based upon what the crowd wanted. That’s not the kind of judge I want!

Thank God that we have a Judge who will pay no attention to the crowd. The only voice He’ll listen to is the One who pleads on our behalf!

And remember, the crowd is often wrong. But there is One who will never lead you away from what is right!

His, by Grace, Steve

Monday Thought – October 24, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor. When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’ ‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘That’s your responsibility.’ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.” (Matthew 27:1-5)

As soon as Jesus was condemned to death, Judas realized what a horrible wrong he had committed, an innocent man was going to die. There is something bold and brave and positive about what Judas did then, he went to the leaders of the Jews, returned the coins, and confessed his wrong. Perhaps he was hoping they would realize they had been wrong to condemn Jesus. But the leaders weren’t interested in what was right or wrong, only in taking care of their problem, in getting rid of Jesus.

Failing to set right what he had done wrong, Judas gave up. He gave up trying to help Jesus. He gave up on life. What he had done was too horrible to even go on living!

But it wasn’t! No sin is too great to exceed God’s capacity to forgive. Judas turned to the leaders of the Jews, but they couldn’t help Judas’s problem. Judas wouldn’t turn to the One who could help. If he had, he would have found forgiveness and compassion, not condemnation.

God would have forgiven Judas. No matter what our sin, God will forgive us, too. Don’t despair and run from the only One who can really help. Don’t run from Him, run to Him!

His, by Grace, Steve

Friday Thought – October 21, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“Peter was sitting in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. ‘You also were with Jesus of Galilee,’ she said. He denied it before them all. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, ‘This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ He denied it again, with an oath: ‘I don’t know the man!’ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, ‘Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.’ He began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, ‘I don’t know the man!’ Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ He went outside and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:69-75)

Peter was a brave man. He proved that in the garden when he drew his sword and struck one of those who had come to arrest Jesus. He was willing to fight and die to protect Jesus. He proved it again by following Jesus to the house of the high priest and entering the courtyard to be near Jesus and to see if there was some way he could help.

Why was Peter there? Was he there just to see what would happen to Jesus? Was he there in case there was an opportunity to free Jesus by force? I don’t know, but I do know that he was brave enough to be there, when most of the other apostles were not.

So why did he deny Jesus? His courage failed him when he was actually confronted. Or perhaps he was trying to hide his identity in order to be able to stay near Jesus in case he could be of some help.

Whatever the reasoning behind the denials, they were wrong and when the rooster’s reminder came, Peter knew he had done wrong. It’s never right to deny Jesus. Peter was wrong, even if he was trying to do something right. God won’t have us accomplish something right by doing something wrong!

His, by Grace, Steve