Lessons from Dying Men - The Crucifixion of Jesus and the Two Criminals

Today's Reading:

• Luke 22:54 - 23:43

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Luke 22:54 - 23:43
Today's reading is some of the most difficult parts of the bible to read, as our Savior is tortured and unfairly condemned to die, and ridiculed by the masses.  Jesus is brought before Pilate, the governor of Rome.  It appears that Pilate is a fair judge, for he finds no reason that Jesus should be sentenced to die.  Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who found the same and sent him back to Pilate.  Pilate argued with the crowd that Jesus should not die, yet the crowd insisted on Jesus being crucified. Pilate finally gives up and sentences Jesus to death, for he could not prevail against an angry mob that was determined to destroy.

It used to really trouble and confuse me to understand how an entire crowd of people could viciously insist on crucifying and innocent man.  That confusion was before today's global drive to bring people down and destroy their lives.  No longer are we allowed to make simple mistakes - even as children. It feels like reason has left the world, as people endeavor not only to  destroy the life of someone they disagree with, but to hunt out reasons to be offended and to destroy.  They appear to gain an inner pleasure for each person they take down.  These targeted people are ridiculed all over the internet, picked up by national news, until their face and supposed crime are everywhere.  Companies and employers feel compelled to act - to give people what they want by firing someone for something completely unrelated to work - in order to remain favorable in the people's eyes.  Even Christians attack other Christians for holding onto bible-based beliefs that the world is trying to deter and desensitize us from.  The world feels lost, it feels like it is spinning out of control, while the Lord looks down in sadness of what we have become.  Destroy, sabotage, kill - that is the goal of the world.  There is no longer any doubt that Satan's hand is at large in this world. 

This is paralleled even as Jesus hung on the cross. Jesus hung between two criminals who had been sentenced to death for their crimes. One criminal, even as he hung there under his own sin - a sin worthy of death - ridiculed Jesus! I find this truly preposterous. This man committed crimes so severe that he deserved death, yet even as he was literally dying, he still ridiculed the righteous man, the man who deserved none of this, yet bore it all for people like that criminal. 

The other crucified criminal came to Jesus's defense; he told the other criminal that they deserved to die, yet Jesus did not.  This man asked Jesus to remember him as he came into His kingdom, and Jesus did. Jesus said "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) Even though this man was a criminal, deserving of death, still Jesus welcomed the man into His kingdom, even though the man did not ask until he hung dying on a cross. Jesus is merciful. His mercy extends our understanding completely. We want to hang on, we want to say "Wait! This is not fair! This man never even knew you, he didn't live for you, yet minutes before his death, still you forgive him and welcome him into your kingdom?! It is ours, it is not for people like him." Even those who truly try to live a righteous life - to understand God - cannot comprehend the mercy and the love the Lord has for us.

We all deserve to be hanging on that cross.  We have all sinned, we have all fallen. We are not perfect. The only person in the entire existence of this world who did not deserve to be on that cross was Jesus himself, yet that is exactly why Jesus hung there.  As everyone surrounding Jesus ridiculed Him - as they insisted that if He really were the Messiah, He would not remain hanging there - they lacked understanding.  Jesus was fulfilling His plan for the world - His plan to place himself on that cross for US. For you and me.  For every single person of this earth.  We are not worthy.  We are not even close to worthy!  Jesus died for US - He took our place on the cross, and all you have to do to take it is to truly believe in your heart and ask Jesus.  There's no official prayer. The prayer is in the devotion within your heart. All the second criminal said was "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom" (Luke 23:42) and he was saved. The criminal believed and confessed that Jesus is Lord with that simple statement, and even on his death bed, Jesus welcomed him with open arms. It is never too late -- until you are dead. Many of us do not know when we are on our deathbed. Tomorrow is never guaranteed, nor is there a guarantee that you have that last moment to ask Jesus for forgiveness. So ask it now. Don't let it be too late. Become part of the light of the world, instead of adding to the darkness. Become a beautiful, shining beacon for the Lord. Cut through the darkness.

The Compassion of the Lord

Today's Reading:

• Luke 7:11 - 7:35

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Luke 7:11 - 7:35
Today's passages started out with a bang.  It's funny how often that happens when we are reading about the amazing life of Jesus!  We are told that Jesus was walking along when he intercepted a funeral procession for the only son of a widow.  This widow was very distraught, for her livelihood was now at stake. 

Verses 7:13 - 15 says that the heart of Jesus overflowed with compassion for the woman and so he raised the son from the dead.  That act alone is an amazing miracle, but it's not what I want to focus on.  The words that caught my attention were "overflowing compassion."

How wonderful is it that our Lord -- the creator of billions of people -- can have compassion in His heart for all of us?  That is especially awe inspiring when you think of how often we refuse to have compassion for others, even those that we love.  Yet the Lord has compassion for all of us,even though we don't deserve it.

The reading goes on to talk about how the Pharisees had rejected Jesus because he didn't act in the manner they thought he should.  They apparently thought that in order to be the Messiah, that Jesus had to act like a king -- wear fancy clothes, dine with the best of the society and religious leaders, live in a palace -- mainly, they wanted Jesus to direct all of his attention on them -- and they wanted him to do so in splendor. 

I am so thankful that our Lord does not act like society.  Our Lord is forgiving, yet our society is condemning.  Our Lord is gracious, yet society is selfish.  Our Lord is filled with compassion, yet society has a cold heart.  Our Lord is filled with love for all, yet as a society we tear each other apart. 

Thank you Lord for being a friend of sinners.  For loving us even when we fall short.  For forgiving us of all the horrid things we do.  For sending Jesus Christ to bridge the gap between your holiness and our sinfulness.  Thank you, Lord for being forever gracious to us.











 

How to Receive What You Pray For

Today’s Reading:
• Mark 11:1 - 26
• Psalm 46 1 - 11

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Mark 11:1 - 26
Jesus tells his disciples that they can move mountains if only they have the faith (11:23).  Jesus says that we will receive what we pray for, as long as three conditions are met:

Condition #1 - Belief Beyond a Doubt (11:23)
Jesus tells us that we must earnestly believe that we pray for will happen, and we can't have a single doubt in our hearts.  This one is a toughie, for sure.  I have absolute faith in the Lord, I have absolute faith the He can do anything.  I have absolute faith in his dominion over Satan.  I have absolute faith in Him.

When it comes to praying, however, I do tend to have doubts.  The biggest part of that is the knowledge that my will and His will do not always converge.  I think I know what I want but the Lord knows better, He knows what I need.  Or perhaps I'm setting my sights too short, and he has something even bigger in mind for me.  Or perhaps the Lord has a lesson He wants me to learn.

So how do I know when to ask for something with the utter belief that it will happen?  Meeting a basic need comes to mind.  An example of that would be feeding, clothing or shelter for me or my family, or money to pay a bill.  Necessities -- because the Lord will provide, plain and simple.

I'm also hard at work at believing in healing, and that it is not the Lord's will that the lives of those who follow them by shortened by sickness and diseases.  The Lord wants us to be healthy, He wants us to be doing His works everyday.  We can't do that if Satan gets in the way.

Another area for me to believe in is protection.  I have to learn to believe that it's the Lord's will to keep my family intact, to protect us from Satan's harm.  This belief, like healing, is fairly new to me also.  So long in my life I've been accustomed to attributing everything that happens as His Will.  And if His Will is harm to my family, then I have to deal with it.  But what I'm realizing now is just because He doesn't stop something, that doesn't mean it's His Will that it happens.  Look at our free will -- there are so many things that humans do that are not the Lord's Will, yet He doesn't stop us from doing those things.

So we have to have belief beyond a doubt that our prayer will be answered.  We certainly can't have that belief beyond a doubt if we are afraid that the Lord doesn't want to help us, doesn't want us to succeed in His works, doesn't want us to be healthy, or doesn't want us to be whole.  Belief beyond a doubt that our prayer will be answered is no easy thing to achieve in my opinion.

Condition #2 - Believe that You Have Received the Thing you Asked For (11:24)
This goes hand in hand with believing beyond a doubt, but it is different.  We have to both believe that the Lord WILL give us what we pray for and that He DID -- in advance of receiving it.

Here we are being told that our prayer will be answered, but that doesn't mean it will be answered right away.  I thought of David when I read this.  All throughout the book of Psalm he is praying for the Lord to deliver him.  He was often dismayed and impatient, but he always had no doubt that the Lord would save him.  But from what I've read, he hit rock bottom before being delivered.  He was at death's door, his enemies almost won.  But the didn't -- the Lord delivered in the end.


Can you imagine keeping absolute faith in deliverance throughout all that David went through?  He was a remarkable man, and an example that just because the Lord said He would give us what we pray for, that doesn't mean it will happen now.  It doesn't mean that things won't get worse before the prayer is answered.  It doesn't mean that you won't hit rock bottom.

It does mean you need to have faith that you have received the thing you have asked for; be it immediately, tomorrow, next month or ten years from now.

Condition #3 -- Forgive Anyone You are Holding a Grudge Against (11:25)
This one kind of comes out of the blue, eh?  The first two conditions have to do with having utter faith, but the third has to do with forgiving others.  And notice it says anyone you are holding a grudge against.  It doesn't say, "forgive those you are holding a grudge against except for those who have severely done you wrong."  No -- we are told to forgive anyone whom we are holding a grudge against.

I think this order is equally as hard as the other two.  I try really hard to forgive people, but I am still holding grudges against others in my heart.  I can't help but think, however, that if I let go of all the little grudges I've held against people, how different a person I would become.  I could be a completely nice and loving person, and the love of Christ would just shine through me.

I think of people that I meet that are impossible not to like, because you can just tell they radiate love and acceptance.  I want to be that person, and these verses give me even more reason to strive to become that person that I know is inside me, because Jesus is inside me.  I just have to channel him instead of suppress him. 

It's a lot of work to be able to receive anything we pray for.  But Jesus says it is there for us to achieve.  It gives me many things to strive for, with a powerful promise at the end.  I want to work on these things, I want to do it so I can keep me and my family protected and healthy so that we might long serve the Lord on this earth.  I want to do it because I know in the process it will change my core being and help to draw others to the Lord.  It's a LOT to work towards, but the reward is immeasurable. 

Psalm 46:1 - 11
This is a glorious Psalm that talks about the protection of the Lord. The descendants of Korah say that they are unafraid of the things of this world. Even though the Earth quakes and the mountains crumble into the sea, they have the Lord on their side, and He will keep them safe.  Ultimate belief that the Lord will protect the well being of His people.  It goes along quite nicely with the reading in Mark today, doesn't it?

Forgiving Others; Walking Through the Valley of Death

Today’s Reading:
• Matthew 18:21 - 19:12
• Psalm 23:1 - 6

Matthew 18:21 - 19:12
Today's reading opens up with Peter asking Jesus just how many times a man should forgive another.  Jesus told Peter that the number was an astonishing 70 times 7 (18:22).  Jesus then tells Peter a story about a king who forgave his servant of a tremendous debt, only for the servant to turn around and throw another servant into jail for a much smaller debt.  The king heard about this and got angry because his servant refused to forgive another for the exact same thing he was just forgiven for.  The king's servant was thrown in jail.

Forgiving one another is a tremendous task and just saying the words doesn't account for anything.  Jesus says we must forgive from our hearts (18:35).  There are people in my life that have done me and my family some terrible wrongs.  I am certain that I am not the only person on this Earth who has had people seriously sin against them.  How do we get past that? 

I know that there are things that I am not yet past.  I do make a conscious effort to release the anger, but even though I'm not as angry anymore it doesn't mean that I have been able to forgive them yet.  How can we turn to the Lord and ask forgiveness for our sins, yet still hold our forgiveness from others?  I think this one takes a lot of praying, self reflection, and a lifetime to truly master.

Psalm 23:1 - 6
This is a very well known Psalm.  It is a favorite because of how well it demonstrates the comfort and protection of being with the Lord.  It tells of how the Lord protects us and meets our needs.  The Lord is with us -- regardless of what happens on this Earth, regardless of what happens to our bodies, regardless of who hurts us and regardless of how we die. 

This life we live is a split second in a time span that ranges all eternity.  It is brief and it is filled with suffering; but irrespective of all of that, the Lord is there to walk us through the end -- through the valley of death.

Do Unto Others as You Would Have Them Do Unto You

Today’s Reading:

• Matthew 6:25-7:14
  
• Psalm 8:1-9

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Matthew 6:25-7:14
This passage began with a warning not to worry about having food, money and clothes, for the Lord will provide. I have mixed feelings about this. I feel that the Lord is providing for me already – I have a good job, and this job allows me to pay my bills, buy a house, save for college and retirement. I’m thinking of the future, but using the resources God gave me to fund it.

I know people, on the other hand, who will spend every dime he or she has, often before paying the bills. Then those people will cry that “God will provide.” But isn’t He already providing them with the means to live? If I squandered all the resources I’m given to provide for myself and my family, I wouldn’t expect God to bail me out later.  Now, if I had nothing, if something happened and I became broke, I would trust God to provide. But God is already providing me, isn’t he?

The second part of the reading contains the all-important verse 7:12:

 “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” 

 Isn’t that a fabulous verse, I mean really? How can you expect forgiveness from your sins if you don’t forgive others for theirs? And these passages say exactly that!

 “The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged (7:2).

 Now I’m awfully critical of people, and I know I need work there to avoid “judging” people. But I don’t judge people for their sins. Who am I to say what they did is right or wrong? Who are they to say the same of me? It is God’s job to judge our sins. And I do try -- truly -- to forgive those who wrong me. I know it does no good to hold a grudge. Sometimes it takes a while for me to let go, and it surely isn’t easy, but I do try my best.

My problem is I sometimes think back, and thinking about it causes angry emotions to arise. Even though I’ve long gotten over it, quit “punishing” the offending party for whatever it was, it can still cause me to be privately upset. I don’t know what to do about it. Am I truly forgiving the person then? How can I just make those emotions disappear? Do I just refuse to think about it, would that be good enough? Or must I feel peace in my heart when I think on the situation?  

Psalm 8:1-9
This psalm brings up a strong point: that we humans are but “mere mortals” (8:4), yet the Lord made us in his own image, and put us in charge of everything he created. Isn’t that an awesome, spectacular privilege?  I only hope that someday I can be worthy of the honor bestowed upon me as a human who has been put on this earth by God.