“Only where children gather is there any real chance of fun.”
-Mignon McLaughlin
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Fun in Lesotho
Cliff Hanging
I was right on the cliff-edge, ready to fall, when God grabbed and held me. God’s my strength, he’s also my song, and now he’s my salvation. The hand of God has turned the tide! (NIV) Psalm 118:13-14, 15
When you’re out on the edge of the cliff what do you grab hold of? Or who do you grab hold of? Some of us grab for those closest to us, expecting them to somehow have the power (and the desire) to change our circumstances. Some of us dig in deeper, drawing upon our own strength to keep from falling over the edge. Some of us grab hold of anything that relieves our feelings of being out of control. Some reach for the bottle or the pills or the wallet or physical activity…anything to get our minds off the situation.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving:
O Lord, how many times have I been on the cliff-edge? It seems like I specialize on cliff-edges. But, You always grab me and hold me. You have never failed me. You never let me fall. For You truly are the strength of my life. You are the song in my heart, the joy of my life. And You are my salvation. You have imparted Your grace which will sustain me for the rest of my life. Your hand, Your strong right hand, has turned the tide in my life! Father, thank You for all that You are! Amen
God’s Works Are Great!
Great are the works of the LORD; they are studied by all who delight in them. (NAS) Psalm 111:2
All of God’s works are great! Whether big or small – they are great in design, great in size, great in number, great in scope, great in excellence! His works are to be remembered. . . to encourage us, to inspire us, to give us a hope and a future, to be passed down to our children, to confirm God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness. He looks after our daily needs, He is faithful to every promise He has made to us, and every work He performs is done in truth and uprightness. But, God’s greatest work is seen on the cross when He sent redemption to His people. . . as He provided payment for our sins so that we can live with Him in eternity!
Won’t you praise Him now for the great works He has done in your life? Every moment is a work of God, whether He is providing for you, working in you and around you, or giving you your very life! Stop now and make a list of the great works of God and allow your heart to overflow in praise for Him!
Digging Deeper
Clothed In Royal Garments
And he spoke and said to those who were standing before him saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” (NAS) Zechariah 3:4
In Zechariah 3, God gives us a picture of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross. . .
Joshua, the high priest (not the Joshua at Jericho), has returned from captivity in Babylon. He stands before God and Satan in filthy garments. Joshua is representing the sinful people. God is there to judge him. Satan is there to accuse Joshua – he’s like the prosecuting attorney with a seemingly open and shut case. But Joshua has an advocate, Jesus Christ, acting as the defense attorney. Jesus stands at God’s right hand, and silences all the accusations of Satan. Christ has already served the sentence for the peoples’ sin. Instead of condemnation, God removes Joshua’s filthy clothes, symbolizing his sinful nature, and replaces them with clean, rich garments. Joshua is made clean. He is forgiven.
This is what Jesus Christ has done for us. He has already paid the price, on the cross, for our sins. God removes the filthy garments of our sin and clothes us in His righteousness.
God’s desire is that we repent of (or turn away from) our sins and turn to Him. Have you, in faith, turned to God? confessed that you have sinned? and believe that Jesus’ death on the cross is payment for your sins? If not, please don’t waste another day, investigate Jesus Christ. Why not trade in those “old dirty rags” for a set of “clean royal garments” given by the King of Kings?
Mystery and God
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. (NIV) Job 38:4
Are you looking for answers in the midst of difficult circumstances? Asking the questions, but not finding a logical response? More often than not, we must live with unanswered questions and trust God. Here’s what one of my professors at Wheaton College writes about suffering, mystery, and God. . .
“Suffering is sometimes a mystery. We must affirm both the mystery and God. The paradox remained, but now, at least, Job knew that it belonged there — that it is built into the moral and physical orders, and into the very nature of God as He has permitted us humans to perceive Him. In a world where the universal principle is cause/effect, the book of Job reminds us that the principle is a reflection of the mysterious, self-revealing God. It is subsumed under Him, however, and He cannot be subsumed under it. The God-speeches remind us that a Person, not a principle, is Lord.” — C. H. Bullock in “Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books”
Looking for answers? I’d encourage you to cease looking for answers, and instead look to THE ANSWER! A Person, not a principle. It is in God that we can trust regardless of our circumstances!
THE Turning Point
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (NIV) 1 Corinthians 1:18
The work that Christ did on the cross changed the eternal future for millions of people. When we better understand the breadth of Christ’s work, we will be better equipped to communicate that truth to others. Without a good understanding of what Christ did on the cross the implications are lost. . . much like hearing the facts of a news cast 2000 years ago after Christ’s death which could have gone something like this. . .
Good evening. Here’s what’s happened on this Friday in Jerusalem.
A well-known, but controversial religious leader, was sentenced and died today. At 3:00 this afternoon Jesus of Nazareth was pronounced dead from aphixiation due to crucifixion. He was arrested late last night and sentenced by the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, for crimes that at this time are not clear. Along with 2 other criminals, Jesus was led in a procession out of the city to Golgotha, a heavily trafficked intersection outside of Jerusalem.
At about 9AM this morning, Roman soldiers nailed him to the 2 cross beams and elevated the cross for travelers to watch the painful, humiliating death. Around noon an unexplained darkness came over Jerusalem. . . some have reported that it is somehow a religious phenomena related to this Jesus, but the facts of that are not substantiated at this time. The once outspoken Jesus made few comments prior to His death, but did cry out, “It is finished” just prior to breathing His last breathe. Burial services are now underway for this popular religious leader.
In other news, the temple was unusually busy as the Jews celebrated their traditional Passover services today. . .
The Ultimate Act of Love
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (NIV) I John 4:10
God’s reconciling love was demonstrated on the cross through the death of His sinless Son. God initiated the reconciliation. The crucifixion of Jesus was God’s predetermined plan (Acts 2:23) in which every detail of His sacrificial death was precisely planned.
Salvation is God’s predetermined plan:
** This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. (Acts 2:23)
Salvation Is God’s Ultimate Act:
** For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:17)
Salvation Is Grounded in God’s Love:
** The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7)
** “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
** But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
** But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions– it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4)
** This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (I John 4:10)