I remembered the sermon that pastor Redford preached last month. He described us how the people surrounded the Cross where Jesus was hang looked to him in different ways. He mentioned about soldiers gambling on Jesus' garment, the priests and lawyers mocking and ridiculing, and the angry criminal cursing Jesus as he was slowly dying.
However, there were family and disciples of Jesus watching Jesus dying helplessly and perheps wishing God would release Jesus from such inconceivable pain,suffering, and death. If I were there at Glgotha as a spectator, I probably wish the same thing.
Nevertheless another criminal next to Jesus truly saw him as his Messiah and Savior and asked Jesus to remmember him when He enters into His kingdom (Luke 23:42).
"In order to save them he must remain on the cross and die." (Stott)
In order for Jesus to promise the criminal,"...today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43, Jesus had to die in our place.
Do people know such a sacrifice that Jesus made for them?
For some,cross around their necks means nothing but the fashion statement.
But for those who were agonizing over Christ's broken body and suffering in replace of mine but filled with gratitude of his deliverance and redemption, we can join with Paul saying," May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord," (Gal 6:14)
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I noticed that as a Christian, I may know better- or have been taught- that I have nothing to boast but the cross of Christ. However, on the flip side, I also have a tendency to hide what I do not want to boast about- things I'm ashamed of and things that are painful in me.
I also noticed that in the testimony of some new believers, they came to Christ in a dark and painful, sometimes shameful time in their life. Some found the love of Jesus while going through a miss-carriage, some while overcoming drug or alcohol addiction, or some other hardships. They proudly share these dark and painful times because they want to boast about how they met Jesus. It makes me think of the story of the women at the well and of Nicodemus-
Nicodemus was someone who probably thought he had much to boast about but hiding under the cloak of darkness, goes seeking Jesus at night.
In contrast, the woman at the well goes out in broad day light, under the scorching sun in an effort to hide herself from the world around her but is startled when Jesus approaches her.
I feel I'm like Nicodemus and wonder if other Christians can relate. There are times I feel secure and protected in my "personal" relationship with Christ. But of course I'm not perfect. I get convicted of what's wrong inside me and in my own time I go in search of Jesus and settle matters with Him privately.
However, I wonder if God would be more pleased if I was more like the woman at the well. When she had a personal encounter with the Messiah, she ran to back the world she was hiding from and proclaimed " Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" She no longer cared about what and why she was hiding but was simply eager to boast about her encounter with Jesus.
I guess even seasoned Christians learn to walk closer to God through hardships but I for one am less apt to boast about it. And so, as I'm convicted today, I pray that the Holy Spirit will move and change me so that I will be less concerned about what is shameful and painful inside but to be more concerned about boasting about Christ. As Kwijung shared, He suffered "inconceivable pain,suffering, and death". With Jesus in mind, indeed I have nothing to boast about. So why should I be concerned about hiding ?
I had such a blessed time reading today's text and bible verses...
God has opened my heart to receive the true meaning of the cross. It's no longer just a story in the bible--it's now my testimony. He helped me to see MY name on the cross.
....for God so loved "ME", that He gave his one and only son so "I" will not perish but "I" will have eternal life...
Wow, what a testimony!!
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