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It Was Me
Luke 22:47-23:34 I watched him in the garden Greet his friend there with a kiss Silent as he was led away Though the soldiers had much to say Against him I watched him in the courtyard Afraid they’d take him too With fear he denied he was a friend On his courage he could not depend Anymore I watched them in the temple courts As they accused and lied and screamed They cursed him for all the right he’d done I watched them as they beat him And put thorns upon his head “Crucify Him! He says he’s his father’s son!” I watched them as they led him Up the…
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The Briefing
Jesus, the Man While Jesus was unquestionably “fully human” and “fully God”, we must recognize that being fully human did, in fact, bring significant limitations. While Jesus was clearly connected to God, it was also a requirement of his humanity to be disconnected from God at the same time. Jesus received his power from the Father, but Jesus admitted that there were things the Father knew that were hidden from the Son: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Mark 13:32 While in human form, Jesus was not the Father, and had the requirement of…
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Jesus, Rescue Me!
How many times has Jesus called out to me and asked me to climb out of the boat? And how many of those times he asked, did I? But in the times I did, I was amazed at how easily I could do things I didn’t think I could do; things I could only do with Jesus leading. He makes me bold, and gives me the power to do such great things. But too often, when I stop moving towards Jesus, I am given the opportunity to look around and see the reality of the world around me, and the waves seem so much higher than they did before. One…
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Holding On
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Mark 8:34-35 A number years ago, it was easy. Everything I thought I knew had been wrong, and Jesus showed me—gave me—a new way: His way. It made so much sense, and life seemed simpler then. The kids were young with minimal activities, and I had just discovered God’s awesome power and love. So I was “all in” in those days. Whatever God asked through his Word or the…
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What Have I Done?
Matthew 26-Present What have I done? This man has done nothing wrong Yet I’ve betrayed him into the hands of men He stands condemned though he was innocent all along I can’t live with the pain What have I done? I claimed not to have known you I did just what I promised I wouldn’t do What kind of friend is concerned only for himself? My Lord, please forgive me You’ve done nothing wrong! Except be a friend to those who needed love You took a stand to show the world the truth they never knew You took the burden of our sin and you gave us all A chance…
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The Spirit of Choice
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious . . . But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:19, 22-23 Have you ever wondered why you never seem to have an abundance of the aforementioned “fruits?” Why do we find that these promised blessings are always just out of reach, while we continue to struggle with that ol’ sinful nature, never quite seeming to grasp all of that wonderful fruit? They are sometimes referred to as the “gifts” of the Spirit, but, while this is somewhat true Hebrews 2:4, that’s not the…
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Scattered Truth
Luke 8:4-15 It gets tossed along the busy streets Where every kind of bird and insect feed Trampled underfoot and turned to dust The hungry find their fill Yet they remain unsatisfied It often lands upon the gravel road A place that’s rough where the rain hardly falls There’s no place for the roots to grow The child finds the sugar It’s sweet but does not endure Sometimes it’s forced to grow among the shadows Of the prickly-pear or the thorns of a pretty rose Cut off by the others growing there It starves for attention And silently passes away But once in awhile it falls in a lovely place…
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Unforgivable
I know it wasn’t me you considered As you hung there on that cross In death you won sweet victory, Bringing home so many who were lost But I’ve been left behind to suffer And to pay for all I’ve done I’ve sinned too greatly against you, Not worthy to be called your son What I’ve done is unforgivable, even for you, O God My sin is greater than your love could ever be We shall always be at odds I know I’m unforgivable and I must pay the price Cast me aside and forget me, Lord Just ignore my silent cries I can’t accept this gift you bring For…
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The Truth About Independence
Let me start by sharing an observation. And that’s that children seek not independence, but “the freedom to act according to emotion without fear of consequence.” As adults, given the gifts of increasing responsibility, we know that independence is a great responsibility. As adults, not as children in grown-up bodies, we understand that we have established “the responsibility to act in accordance with the law with fear and consequence.” Yay Independence! Some days, we’d really rather someone just told us what to do for awhile . . . Still, it is often difficult to understand that independence is not the requirement to handle all your problems on your own, or…
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Run Free
“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32 So many demand freedom, but don’t understand its meaning. Freedom means to be at “liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint; exemption from external control, interference, regulation; the power to determine action without restraint.” — Dictionary.com When the founding fathers spoke of freedom, and carved it into parchment, their freedom was from the control, interference and regulation of the throne of England. They were not slaves, but already free men, who wanted to govern their own lives and families. But in their success, they formed a government that now intrudes in…
