We Love You

From Frederick Leahy’s The Cross He Bore, a series of powerful meditations on the death of Jesus Christ...

Gethsemane means "the oil press." David could say, "I am like a green olive tree in the house of God" (Psalm 52:8). Israel in her long history could say the same. But the suffering Savior could say it best of all, for there in Gethsemane--the oil press--he was crushed and bruised without mercy. But how and why? How is the sudden and dramatic change of atmosphere to be explained, even in a measure? Christ knew all along the death that awaited him. He had grappled with Satan and his legions more than once. He had repeatedly spoken of his death to his disciples, telling them what that death would accomplish. He had prayed with the utmost confidence in his high priestly prayer (John 17). Why, then, is there this sudden plunge into such awful agony, why this shuddering horror? Why is this fruit of the olive tree so severely crushed? Why does the divine record say that in Gethsemane our Lord BEGAN to be sorrowful, sorrowful in a new and terrible way? Was it not because God began forsaking him then? How else is this sorrow unto death to be understood?

"Jesus wept," but never like this. No previous sorrow of his could match this. At the time of his arrest he declared, "Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?" (John 18:11). That cup was constantly in view as he prayed in Gethsemane. What cup? "THIS CUP"--not some future cup. The cup that was symbolized in the feast (Matt. 26:27,28) was now actual: God was placing it in the Savior's hands and it carried the stench of hell. But stop!

"Gethsemane is not a field of study for our intellect. It is a sanctuary for our faith." Lord, forgive us for the times we have read about Gethsemane with dry eyes. Remind us as we dance upon the revelation of Your amazing grace the price paid for our sins. Remind us each day of your faithfulness revealed on the cross of Calvary as they tortured and mocked our King, and Your Son. Thank you for paying our price, for taking our place Jesus. We love you.

Just say'n....

1) You are saved by God's grace ~ Eph. 2:8-9
2) You stand by God's grace ~ Rom. 5:1-2; Heb. 10:8-12
3) You are commanded to grow in God's grace ~ II Pet. 3:18; Col. 1:9-10
4) Your speech should be controlled by God's grace ~ Col. 4:6; Luke 4:22
5) Grace enables us to be strong in spiritual warfare ~ II Tim. 2:1-5
6) Grace is available from the throne of grace ~ Heb. 4:16
7) Grace is received by the humble and not the proud ~ James 4:6; I Pet. 5:5; I Cor. 15:10; Rom. 15:20-21; Phil. 3:14-17

Instruments

What do we mean when we refer to the term ‘grace’?

Looking into several reference books and dictionaries to see what descriptive terms were used for the word ‘grace’ I found some terms listed…tact, mercy, decency, favor, virtue merit, pardon, enhance, clemency, God’s love, lenience, God’s favor and God’s goodness.

We often speak about God’s grace and mercy. After reading the ‘definitions’, I found myself rethinking just what we mean when we speak about ‘grace’. We
do use the term often when we speak about the good things that happen in our lives.

But the question that if a storm or flood damaged the neighbor’s house and not ours, would we regard that as God’s grace and if so ‘why us and not the neighbor’.

Sometimes when good things occur, we do feel blessed and view it as God’s grace but those feelings are sometimes followed by the question, “why?” What could we have done that deserved this blessing when so many others are suffering?

Well…I wish I could give you an answer, but I find myself mulling over this question time and again, and I must admit, “I just don’t know.” If something really good happens in our lives and we feel so blessed with God’s grace, does it then inspire us to help others? We have been given grace, do we bestow grace upon someone else? Do we provide assistance to another in time of need because we believe that God’s grace provided someone to help us when we were in need?”

If that is part of our motivation to do good, how then would those in so many areas of our country and our world who are in need and suffering know ‘grace’?

Is it only experienced when something good happens in our lives?

Do our acts of loving kindness motivate others to follows suit? If we feel blessed by God’s grace, are we inclined to pass it on to others and by so doing, will God’s grace continue to grow and expand?

Would we consider that our lives do bless others and, if so, could we be instruments to spread God’s grace in our world?

I’ve concluded that you and I can bring God closer to others when we become the instruments that grace the lives of others. Wouldn’t you agree?

A LONG post this time with a commercial at the end!

Birth is not our beginning. Not even conception is our real beginning. In some ineffable way, God has a personal knowledge of the individual that precedes conception. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” This is the strong, intimate, Hebrew word for “know” that is also used to describe sexual intimacy between husband and wife.

“I knew you.” What a beautiful thing for God to say to his children! “I loved you and cared for you in eternity past. I made a personal commitment to you even before you were born.” And what a beautiful thing for parents to say to their children: “God knows you, God loves you, and God has entered into a personal relationship with you.” This verse holds special comfort for mothers who have had miscarriages. It gives hope to parents who have lost children in infancy, and even for women who aborted their own babies. God knew your child, and he knows your child.

We do not choose God before God chooses us. If you want to know who you are, you have to know whose you are. For the Christian, the answer to that question is that you belong to Jesus Christ.

When did the prophet Jeremiah start belonging to God? When did God choose him? The prophet was set apart before he was born. While Jeremiah was being carried around in his mother’s womb, God was making preparations for his salvation and his ministry. To set something apart is to sanctify it or to dedicate it to holy service. Long before Jeremiah was born, God chose him and consecrated him for ministry.
God’s choice is not unique to Jeremiah; it is true for every believer. It is true for YOU! This is known as the doctrine of divine election. “You did not choose me,” Jesus said to his disciples, “but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit” (John 15:16a). “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:3-4). This promise is for the whole church. Therefore, it is for the comfort of every Christian. God not only knows you, he chose you; and he did so long before you were ever conceived.

Jeremiah’s life didn't start with Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s salvation didn't start with Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s truth didn't start with Jeremiah. He entered the world in which the essential parts of his existence were already ancient history. So do we.

Every Christian has a calling. There is a general call, of course, to believe in Jesus Christ. But everyone who believes in Christ also has a special calling to a particular sphere of obedience and ministry.

Jeremiah was not just set apart for salvation, he was set apart for vocation. God had work for him to do. The prophet had a mission to accomplish and a message to deliver to his generation.

Jeremiah’s unique appointment was to be a prophet to the nations. God intended his ministry to be international in scope. Part of Jeremiah’s job was to promise God’s grace to the nations, proclaiming, “all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord” (3:17).

What is YOUR appointment? Where is God leading YOU? What is YOUR ministry?

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Sin Is No Match For Grace

The old hymn says it beautifully: “Grace, grace, God’s grace; grace that is greater than all my sin.” (Julia H. Johnston, 1911)

God’s grace is not only great enough to “pardon and cleanse within.” It is so powerful that it can turn the most horrible sin you have ever committed against another, or has ever been committed against you, and make it the slave of his mercy.

Remember what Joseph’s older brothers learned in Genesis 45?

“What do you mean he’s alive?” Jacob had no place to put Rueben’s words. “I know it’s unbelievable, Father,” Rueben replied. “We hardly believe it and we saw him with our own eyes. The Egyptian lord—the one who demanded that we bring Benjamin—it’s Joseph. He’s not only alive, he’s…” Reuben stumbled over the strange sentence. “He’s now ruling Egypt for Pharaoh.”

Whaaaat!!!!!

Jacob squinted skeptically. A son dead for two decades is not easily resurrected. “You are cruel to tell me such a thing unless you have no doubt.”

“I have no doubt, Father. It’s going to take hours to tell you everything. But we spoke with him. We ate with him in his house.”

Simeon couldn’t resist: “He sat us around the table in the order of our births! Before any of us knew who he was! We thought he was a magician!”

“And you should have seen how much food he placed before Benjamin!” joked Zebulun, giving Benjamin’s head an affectionate push.

Reuben continued, “He told us himself, Father: ‘I am your brother, Joseph.’ We responded just like you’re doing now. I thought he was tricking us. But after talking to him for hours there’s no doubt. It’s him. And the first thing he wanted to know was, ‘Is my father still alive?’” (Genesis 45:3).

Jacob’s stony expression didn’t change, though his eyes were wet. He moved them from son to son, lingering on Benjamin. Then back to Reuben. “But you showed me his bloody robe. He was attacked by a wild animal. If he survived, why didn’t he ever come home? Why would he go to Egypt? Joseph would never have forsaken me.”

The moment had come — the one they had dreaded the whole way home. For 22 years they had kept this festering wound of wickedness concealed from their father. But now God had exposed it. Shame bent the heads of nine sons. Judah was the exception. He had asked to break this news to their father. He had led in their sin. He would lead in owning it. “Joseph didn’t forsake you, Father,” said Judah, stepping forward. “He was forsaken. No, worse, he was betrayed.”
Jacob stared at Judah. “Betrayed by whom?” “By his own brothers. Brothers who hated him for having his father’s favor. Brothers who hated him for having God’s favor.” Judah pushed hard the heavy words. “We actually talked of killing him, but decided instead to profit from his demise. We sold him to Ishmaelite traders on their way to Egypt. To my lasting shame, Father, that was my idea — to sell my own brother as a slave. The blood on his robe was goat’s blood. We were the wild animals.”

Jacob sat down. Anger and hope churned together in his soul. The silence was long. Then Judah said, “His dream came true.” Jacob looked up again. “Joseph’s dream; it came true. All eleven of us bowed down before him in Egypt. We sold him into slavery because of this dream, never dreaming ourselves that we were helping fulfill it.”
Rueben added, “Joseph holds no bitterness, Father. You know what he told us? ‘God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God’” (Genesis 45:7-8).

“In fact,” said Judah, “he wants us all to come live near him in Egypt to escape the famine. That’s why we’ve brought all these wagons. He said, ‘You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here’” (Genesis 45:13).

Jacob sat deep in thought for a long time. Then he shook his head and said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die” (Genesis 45:28).
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Note Joseph’s words: “it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Genesis 45:8). Neither treacherous siblings nor a woman’s lust nor the shame of prison nor a cupbearer’s neglect could thwart the purpose of God (Job 42:2) in preserving God’s people (Genesis 45:7) and fulfilling a prophecy given to Abraham (Genesis 15:13). God made evil the slave of his grace.

And he’s doing the same for us. God is doing more good than we can imagine through the most painful experiences of our lives.

If you've sinned know this: your sin is no match for God’s grace.

Today, if you find yourself in a place you do not want to be, take heart, God knows. Stay faithful. In time He will show you that you are at this very place for grace-filled reasons you could never have anticipated.