Grace and Peace

There were three crosses on Golgotha outside the city of Jerusalem .  The three crosses were all made the same way.  The method of execution for the three men who hung on them was standard fare for the Roman soldiers in charge of the proceedings.  Yet, there was a vast difference in the occupants of those three crosses.

The man on one of the outer crosses mocked Jesus (the man in the middle) in his hour of humiliation and shame.  He was a shameless criminal, coarsened and hardened in crime.  Even the nearness of his own death couldn’t restrain the blasphemies from his lips.  He saw Jesus and heard him pray, “Father, forgive them.”  He saw that Jesus, even in death, was more concerned for others than himself (as demonstrated by asking John to care for his mother).  Yet in the face of all that, the thief had no regard for the Saviour and continued to hurl insults at Jesus.  "Aren’t you the Christ?  Save yourself and us!"  He was bitter, spurning the good even on the day of his dying, and cursing his way to hell in the most solemn hour of all history.  The rebel wouldn’t learn even with one foot in the grave.  He was in the unique position of dying beside the Saviour of the world.  He had the chance even then of receiving forgiveness, but he threw it away.  His was the cross of rebellion and his rebellion was final and irrevocable.  The thief made his last choice in life and its results would be for ever.

The man on the other outer cross (a comrade in crime with the other man) said to his partner that their condemnation was fully deserved, but that Jesus had committed no crime.  This man is the repentant thief.  We know no more about him than the other criminal.  Although they were both being punished for their crimes, he was different for he was able to recognize that Jesus was no common criminal like themselves.  Something in the way that Jesus conducted himself must have convicted the thief of his own sinfulness as opposed to the righteousness of Jesus.  Make no mistake, the second thief was a guilty criminal who had probably done much evil, yet faced with what he saw in the man on the middle cross, he chose the fear of God over curses and that was the beginning of his turn toward Christ.  No one is beyond hope of redemption that still has some fear of God. As he thought about the fundamental issues of life and death, of right and wrong, faith rose in his soul and he blurted out his appeal, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."  It was a plea which didn’t fall on deaf ears.  The response was immediate. "I tell you the truth," Jesus said, "Today you will be with me in paradise."  Jesus promised the repentant sinner not only everlasting life, but a place of a companionship with Jesus.  The cross of Repentance teaches that the way of salvation is wondrously simple.  It reminds us that the worst sinner may be saved.  The cross of repentance speaks of hope and assurance, but that was only made possible by the man on the cross in the middle.

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.  John 10:17-18 (English Standard Version)

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (English Standard Version)

It was as our substitute that he suffered and died.  The basis for our redemption is the shedding of his blood.  The sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed towards this once and for all effective sacrifice.  Evil did its worst on Calvary .  Wicked hands took and crucified the Lord of life, but when man’s rebellion against God reached its limit, the grace of God shone through in all its splendor.

Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
   Look and see
if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
   which was brought upon me,
which the LORD inflicted
   on the day of his fierce anger.

Lamentations 1:12 (English Standard Version)

"When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy." -- Corrie Ten Boom

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.  (Ephesians 6:10-18 ESV)

I just listened to President Bush's press conference...WOW!  I have never been more proud of President Bush for telling it like it is and finally standing up to our congressional leaders gone insane.  After the House passed its bill (to fund the war with lots of crazy "pork barrel" funding amendments and a call for the removal of US troops) and the Senate tries to "one up" the House, we need our President to step out and set the record straight.  If the course of action the Congress prefers is followed, it will be a great victory for our enemies (the terrorists) and our troops will be the ones who stand to loose.

I communicated with one of our troops in Iraq by Instant Messenger the day after the House vote.  He told me the news had spread among his comrades-at-arms and they were pretty angry.  I don't blame them.  Our troops want to win, but it seems many of our politicians are set on defeat.

President Bush is not a particularly good speaker.  He looks kind of quirky.  His voice can grate on you. With all that being said, I believe he is a fine President.  He is not a "media darling," but I believe that he always does what he thinks is in the best interest of this country.  I believe he is a patriot and not a politician.  He may be stubborn...but that ain't all bad!  You want someone who is tenacious and focused when he is about the business of hunting down and stopping people who want to ruin your way of life.  And make no mistake about it, there are enemies, foreign and domestic, who want to bring America down.

I am sure there are some who will read this and say that it is the rant of a Republican who is frustrated that his party is out of power.  I assure you that is not my problem.  My problem with our political system is that it has devolved to 30 second sound bites and photo ops that are all about enhancing the image of the individual or furthering some cockeyed social/political agenda.  It has become image over substance...the party system over patriotism.  If we do not pull out of this downward spiral, I fear for our country's long term viability.

Is Frank right?  Should "My Way" really be our national anthem?  Could it be that we are obsessed with "having it our way" in everything from our food to our relationships with others?  If so, is there any wonder why we find ourselves surrounded by strife?

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (James 4:1-3 ESV)

As a parent of young adults in college, I often wonder what my offspring are doing at school. I suppose every parent is concerned about "Junior" (or even "Juniorette") when they leave home. Here is some surprising news from the college campus that might make you a bit more optimistic about college age students and their life away from home:

Nonstop Prayer Hits College Campuses in Tents

The Christian Post reports that 24/7 prayer tents are becoming the latest venue for Christian students on college campuses to bring light to those searching. At the University of Arizona, students have led an unbroken prayer chain since last month. "I guess we feel like there's a lot at this campus that really needs to be prayed for," Andy Hall, a freshman involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, told the the university's student newspaper. "I feel like the campus is kind of a place of darkness and that the power of God can help. There are a lot of people who are hurting; there are a lot of people who are lost.” InterVarsity is one of nine UA Christian groups engaging in 40 days of 24-hour prayer until Easter. The tent is open to anyone who wants to pray. Students at UCLA recently finished a similar prayer chain with a 12-hour tent pitched on campus. There are 23 groups around the world participating in 24-7 prayers at this time.

It might also interest you to know that great movements of God (revivals) have often started among young people and always start with prayer.

Do you ever get angry?  OK, that's a foolish question...of course you do...and so do I.  Over the last month, an ongoing letter exchange with a contentious person has been a minor irritant.  With each caustic inquiry, we have delivered a kind response.  But today's letter was too much and I was angry.

I rushed in to my keyboard to pound out a scathing reply and while I was doing that I realized that was a bad idea.  So I deleted some of the more belligerent passages and made it sound a bit kinder...but my irritation with the person still came through loud and clear.  After all enough is enough!

With the finished product printed and in my hand, I had another thought...this isn't how a follower of Christ should act.  So once again I returned to the keyboard and patiently typed out a reply to the inquirer detailing the information that was the point of contention.  With the writing of that note, I also breathed a prayer that this would satisfy the person and that some how they would be able to find peace with my response.  Life is to short to be embittered and angry.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1 English Standard Version)

Think about this fact, man had never flown when 1900 AD rolled around.  Yet now we can fly around the world and into outer space.   We have made great technological advances and we are pretty smug about how smart and self sufficient we are.  But as we've gotten smarter and more advanced, we have not gotten any better.  Frankly, we can sin as readily as ever and communicate about it with 21st Century technology (al la YouTube, et al)!

We've got a problem technology can't touch! And by the way, some other commonly suggested solutions won't help either.

A. Education won't fix our problem.  Improving the mind doesn't necessarily touch the heart.

B. Self-improvement won't fix our problem. There are more self-improvement programs out there than there are people who need improvement, it seems. We have a cure for whatever ails you; all you need to do is plunk down the money, and this video series or that book will fix you.  Right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

C. Government won't fix our problem.  Don't get me started about the government.  Have they fixed anything in recent years without creating more problems than they solve.

The solutions offered above are wrong.  We arrive at those wrong solutions because we begin by misdiagnosing our problem. The basic problem with us is sin, and the answer is found in Jesus. The solution to the problems that plague mankind, and I don't care what they are, begins with the fear of God and with people coming into relationship with Jesus Christ!  The solution begins with the cross of Jesus Christ and goes through an empty tomb.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (English Standard Version)

Yesterday, the Jacksonville Daily News featured an article which revealed details about tainted pet foods that can be dangerous if not lethal to cats and dogs.  I admit that the news caused me quite a bit of concern as I pondered the possibility that in feeding Jake, Gabby, and Terrance I had unknowingly poisoned them.  I quickly went to the website mentioned in the article to see if our pet's food was on the "bad list."  To our relief, it was not.

Truth is; I like my pets.  I like them a lot.  Pets are cool.  In celebration of that fact, I am pleased to introduce you to Nora the concert cat.