How many times have we heard a person on the news say something like, “Our thoughts and prayers are with them.” Are they really? I mean, are they really praying? It sounds nice to say, and it is a wonderful sentiment. It feels good to say those words of comfort. Yet, how often do we follow through and actually pray?
2 Timothy 1:5-6 “I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also. 6 Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.”
If you read the Gospels carefully, you’ll notice that no one enjoyed Easter morning. The greatest day in human history, when the sun rose upon a tomb opened and empty, wasn’t met with a joyful “Alleluia” or shouts of praise. The women at the tomb instead struggled with a mess of emotions. Each evangelist tells the details a little differently, but all of them show that instead of finding answers at the tomb, the women found only questions.
Growing up in Central Illinois I became part of a feud that is prevalent here. I am not talking about the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s, although maybe there are feuds between families in this part of the world. I am talking about the Cubs verses the Cardinals. Baseball season is upon us and the rivalry is out there in full force. I happen to be a Cub fan, which does not necessarily have the biggest fan base around here. With St. Louis being closer than Chicago, the Cardinals manage to gain the most support amongst my fellow Central Illinoisans. But I grew up a Cub fan with my Grandmother and Dad watching the Cubs faithfully.
The mark of a true disciple of Christ is a changed life. If we truly are committed to following Christ and patterning our lives after Him, we will be changed.
A week ago was Good Friday, and then comes Easter. Good Friday is a difficult day for those who love the Lord. It is a day of remembering the great and awful sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross on our behalf. The bible teaches that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sin and that if we put our faith and trust in Him, we will have eternal life. That is the message of John 3: 16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”
I met a friend in college who was ahead of the curve, he already had two sons. Two-year-old twin boys, who were a handful to say the least. Unfortunately, shortly after meeting this friend, he was divorced. His wife maintained custody, but he had the boys every other weekend.
Psalm 78:41-42-41; “Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel. 42 They did not remember His power: the day when He redeemed them from the enemy.”
In the above scriptures we see the nation of Israel turning away from serving God. They were determined to return to Egypt, even after God had brought them out with many signs and wonders. They tempted him again and again and by doing so they limited the Holy One of Israel. In other words, they were setting a limit to the power of God.
One of the most compelling episodes leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion is His moment of struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. At the core of each telling (Matthew 26:36ff, Mark 14:32ff, Luke 39ff) is the petition from the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus very clearly applies this simple request to the difficulty of the cross that stands before Him. So we learn to pray this prayer when God places crosses before us.
How many times daily do you look at your watch? I’m guessing quite a few. We live in the day and age where time seems to be slipping away and we get so impatient about everything. Patience is so difficult in our culture because we feel like we have so many things to do. We are always trying to figure out how to cram more and more things into less and less time. And that means that we allow less and less time for things that are important. We don’t want to waste time because we feel the pressure of all we think we have to get done.
On February 14th we embarked upon the period known as Lent. During Lent Christians all across the globe sacrifice something to symbolize what Christ gave up in His desert testing.
Scriputre says in Luke chapter 4 that Jesus was “led by the Spirit” to go into the wilderness immediately after His baptism.
Luke’s gospel also says he was tempted by the devil for 40 days and he ate nothing during those days. At the end of those days, he was hungry and exhausted and now we find beginning in the 3rd verse of Luke chapter 4 the devil engages in a time of severe testing of Jesus.