Bids me come and Die
Remember that song “Oh the wonderful cross”?
The cross bids me to die. To die to who I was before I met Jesus. Sometimes the dying is painful. Sometimes it costs.
But the new after? Unimaginable!
Like a rose bush that has dead all over it. So you cut it right back to the ground. There may be a long time of the bush looking dead, then suddenly a new green shoot. Then another. Soon you are so amazed by the brilliant color and scent you forget the days of death.
When Jesus died the sky went dark. The earth cracked. All of Heaven mourned. There were three terrible days of sorrow and confusion as His body lie in the grave.
Then, day three had a surprise. An empty tomb. Not all realized what had happened. Several did not believe at first. But He was alive. He still is.
His death made a way for me. So I can shed my old self and become who He wants me to be.
They paint the road to Heaven in gold in pictures, but really, it’s painted red.
Jesus blood leads the way. By His blood only are we saved.
So? How about it? Are you ready to leave the old you behind at the foot of the cross?
Category: Jesus
The garden
As we finish this lent season we end on what I feel was the saddest and hardest part of the crucifixion journey. The garden.
The garden was the biggest battle for Jesus. He fought against the human desire to escape and not go through the pain. He fought the fear. We don’t like to think of God as having fear, but Jesus became fully human so He faced the human feelings. If He had not been fully human He could not have died. If He had not been fully God His death would not have saved us. It’s a mystery, but God likes to show His power through wonder.
The garden was a battle field. The devil fighting to keep Jesus away from the cross. Jesus fighting for God’s will to be done. In the end He chose the death. The pain. The shame of that cross. For us. All for me. I could never earn that death. I could never be worth that moment. Yet He still died for my sake. And for yours.
Psalms 42:7 NIV[7] Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
Psalms 42:7 NIV
[7] Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
Growing up in BC I developed a passion for water. Streams, the ocean, waterfalls, rivers, crystal clear lakes. I was always known for being wet. For spending my time in the water. Fully dressed I would run into the water, just happy to be near it. Something about it drew me in. It still does. My college days in Castlegar BC I got into the habit of just having my swim suit with me, because I knew there would be sparkling water and I wouldn’t be able to keep out of it.
God is supposed to be like that for us. A constant draw to be with Him. Closer to Him. Deeper into His presence. As the Psalmist says earlier in this chapter, “when can I go and be with God?” We are meant to hunger after Him in that way. Unable to be far from Him because we desire His presence.
We are supposed to be drawn to Him like a wild animal is drawn to water.
Are we though? When we the last time you desired above all else to be near God?
Take away:
We are supposed to desire God. To walk away drenched by His spirit. But we settle for shallow water, ankle deep only.
Dive in instead. Be lost to the current of His peace and grace. Don’t settle for the shore. Get wet!
Seek Him with passion and love.
Psalms 40:4 NIV
[4] Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.
False gods show up in the most unlikely forms. I discovered during my college days that studying was a false god. I thought I would always succeed if I studied hard enough. I was relentless in studying, panicking if I did not meet my self proclaimed quota. I needed to be reminded that my success and strength come only from God. When I would put my notes away and rest I was honoring Him and acknowledging that He was the one who controlled every outcome.
We rely so heavily on things that are finite. We rely on people, technology, stuff, books. Yet all these things can have errors. The only one who is all knowing and all powerful is God. You really do not want anyone or anything to be placed before Him. Idols are not just offensive to God, they’re also useless. They take up time and thought and give you nothing in return. Trust Jesus. He’s got the answers.
Take away:
False gods and idols show up in the most unexpected places. They take our energy and time and run us down.
We must focus on Jesus instead. Spending time with Him gives us energy, strength, and the ability to keep going.
Watch out for the pit traps in your life, before you fall so deep you can’t get out.
Psalms 38:21 NIV[21] Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God.
Psalms 38:21 NIV
[21] Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God.
There is nothing worse than being forsaken by God. Without Him there is nothing. Yet only one has ever been left by Him, and that one was Jesus. That day on the cross, in the worst suffering a person can endure, Jesus was left to die alone. Our sins. The one you had ten seconds ago, the sin you will have ten years from now, all of it was on Jesus that day and because of that He was forsaken by God. His Father had to turn His face away.
We sometimes feel so pained by life that we wonder what we have done to cause God to leave us. Possibly because that’s easier than thinking that God could possibly let us go through this.
Sometimes bad things happen because the world is broken and God permits them because He has a reason we do not and will not understand. Most things God protects us from though. There are battles for our lives happening ever day without us even knowing it. That thought doesn’t make the pain easier, but maybe it help to make the love of God clearer.
Take away:
God is stronger than the devil, but that does not mean that He is not sometimes delayed from saving us by him. Remember when the demon of Persia way laid the angel of Lord when he was coming tl rescue God’s anointed? It can happen.
When bad things come don’t blame God. Turn to Him. Pray even if you feel cold. Even if you have no answer and never will. Even if your faith is shattered. Keep seeking Him. He will pull you through.
Psalms 37:35 NIV[35] I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
Psalms 37:35 NIV[35] I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
Psalms 37:35 NIV
[35] I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
I wonder of David was thinking of himself when he wrote this. He says he saw this man but he withered away and could not be found even though David looked for him. Perhaps he was thinking of a part of himself which he repented of. Perhaps not.
But it is a good point. Sometimes our former selves did better in this world then our Christian, God following selves.
There may have been better chances for promotion. You may have had more friends. Yet, when you chose Jesus, you died to that person who would fit in those groups. Choosing to leave all past behind you and seek Jesus instead.
We think of the verse about not being upset when the wicked prosper over us, as being about others, but what about who we were before letting Jesus change us. Sometimes we get upset when we think of how well the old us did in this life. Some days we may think unfair that following Jesus better means leaving things behind. But who God is, how He loves us, the way He provides, He is so much greater than anything you could have without Him.
Take away:
The verse above also leads on to say how David sought for the wicked man but could not find him.
When we die to the old us, that person us gone! We may seek them out, but we are better off if we don’t find them.
Psalms 36:9 NIV[9] For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
Psalms 36:9 NIV
[9] For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
In God’s light we see light.
Light is a funny thing. You can be in a room fully lit and have someone turn on a flashlight and you cam see the light from flashlight even though the room isn’t dark. It’s because they are often two kinds of light. The flashlight beam is often a more powerful watt than the one in your ceiling lamp.
We are called to be light to this world, so in a way, we glow. But our light is minimal compared to that of the light of Jesus. We are like glow worms in contrast to the sun, if you compare our light to His.
We need His light for us to be able to shine at all!
He burns within us and shines to those around us through us.
Take away:
God is light. With Him there is no darkness. We are called to also be light. However, in our shining we have to make sure we are staying close to Jesus, because our light comes from Him.
Psalms 35:14 NIV[14] I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.
Psalms 35:14 NIV
[14] I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.
David was never shy about calling for the destruction of his enemies. Yet at the same time he knew his position and God’s. He would call for God to bring them to justice and to destroy them, but he himself treated them as he felt God would want them treated. Now we aren’t speaking of war times or when he fighting to protect his kingdom, we are talking about personal attacks against him. Did David ask God that he would bring to ruin those who spoke maliciously against him? Yes. But then he reminds people that this is God’s job and that he treated those who were against him as a friend. I chose this verse out of the rest in this chapter because I am a ‘rain down fire from Heaven’ person. I would rather see my enemies destroyed before me and be able to walk away satisfied. Which of course is not what God wants.
Instead of seeking justice for myself I have to remember that justice is God’s department, and that I need to heap burning coals of love on those I want to bury in my flower bed, instead of hating them. Which is not fun and really, really hard. But that is what we are called to do. It makes me feel like the people in the beginning of that older sitcom show. “I can change, if I have to, I guess.”
Loving your enemies is really hard, and feel unfair, But God will strengthen you to do so.
Take away:
No one ever said that loving your enemies would be easy, but God makes it possible. Hopefully through how you treat them, they will change.
Psalms 33:18 NIV
[18] But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
God cares for His people.
Read that again.
We hear and repeat those words so often that we forget the meaning. God Himself, care for you.
He watches us and keeps us safe. Even in times of trouble and terror God has us in His hands. Our hope is in the fact that God loves us and will take care of our needs. In truth, and this is hard, God does not always care for our wants. Sometimes He gives us what we want as a gift of love from a Father to a child, but we often we lose faith in Him on the times when He does not give us our wants and we forget the times when He has provided our needs.
I was reminded recently that we can build an alter to God even in the valley. That was really encouraging because I have felt like I am in the valley for a few days now. It’s a “why God?” Instead of a, “but God!” Moment. Then a friend said how she was marking down her blessings because she had seen how much she has, this was after spending two days in emergency not able to get in. But she lives like that. No eyes on the dark clouds, only on the ways to dance in the rain. God has permitted her to go through so much and yet every morning she takes special time to praise Him. I lack so much compared to her. To feel blessed in the middle of your stress may sound like a bumper sticker but it’s a good way to live. God has got you! He has a plan! You may never know why you spent this time in the valley, but God has a reason.
Take away:
Just because you are down does not mean that God has left you. Look around, you will see Him there reaching out His hand. Sometimes God speaks in the sunshine on a day that was supposed to rain. Sometimes He speaks through the laughter, in a time that should have brought pain. Sometimes He speaks in the “caught it just in time,” when you would rather it had not happened at all.
Sometimes the blessings are wrapped like a sugar coating on a pill. Something sweet to take a sting out of the bitter. But God will remind you He is there, you just have to look around.
Psalms 21:13 [13] Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.[13] Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.
Psalms 21:13 NIV
[13] Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.
It is often a pausing moment to read David and remember that he was king. He was king over all of Israel and yet he always, always gave the victory and glory to God.
When we are doing really well, and life is good, and we feel strong, do we still remember to give God the glory? Or do we turn to Him only when we are down and out and looking for a save?
David remembered God in each moment. In direct contrast, Saul turned his back on God and chose his own will and gave himself the glory.
Giving God the throne even when He has let you sit on it for awhile is honestly the smartest decision to make, because He knows what He’s doing and He will guide your life and your “kingdom” better than you ever could, trust me.
Take away:
God give us blessings and can even make us great. But how we treat those blessings will determine how long we are permitted to have them. Do we give them back to God? Or do we claim them and act as though we deserve them and God owed it to us?
How we treat God is very important. Jesus may have come as Prince of Peace, but He is still king of the world, let us not forget that.
Carried in the cross 