It's Not Just Another Friday

In honor of Good Friday, I ask that we all take a minute to reflect on the importance of this day. In addition to thinking about all Christ went through to save us, I ask that you also think about everything He gave up when he entered this world as a baby. Here are just a few that the girls in my small group came up with:

• Jesus gave up sitting on the right hand of His father.
  
• Jesus gave up living in perfection. He is pure and without sin, but when he came to earth, he was thrown into a society ruled by hate, deceit, and immorality. I can only imagine how a blameless man would feel when entwined in a sinful place.
  
• Jesus gave up control for a time. Yes, He has the angles at His beck and call, and yes, He has the power to do miracles. However, for all of His child and adolescent life, he had no authority. He was helpless in the since that He depended on his earthly parents for provide for him.

Jesus Christ gave up all of these things, to walk the earth for 33 years and to be tortured, beaten, mocked, and crucified… for US. He didn’t have to do that; He choose to. He loved us that much. The Lord rescued us from an evil death and adopted us into His family. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” Romans 8:17.

 

I challenge you to always remember this act of love and to stand in awe of the Almighty God who saved us from our sins.

Where Is the Fear

In the last 2,000 years, the world has come a long way in terms of traditions, technology, and customs. A few days ago, I was thinking about how “Christians” have changed throughout the centuries. Today, the church focuses on bigger and better services and exponential increases in membership. This in itself is harmless, but the problem arrives in how they attempt to achieve these goals. It seems that in a world of major natural disasters and nuclear threats between countries, people are searching for a “happy-go-lucky” type of faith. And for the most part that’s just what they’ve gotten. Pastors shy away from the hard sermons taught in the Bible and only focus on the miracles preformed or the successful spreading of the name of Christ. Once again all of this is great, but it’s not the whole story.


Have you ever stopped to think of just how great the Lord’s power is?

The people of the Bible reached out to God with fear and trembling. The last part of Philippians 2:12 says, “… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” In all honestly, how often do we fear God? The word fear has two meanings: to be scared or anxious; and to revere in awe. For the first definition, we have lost that fear of the Lord. We are taught that everything is going to be just peachy when you accept Christ into your heart and that God is always so pleased with your life. But that’s not it. As Christians we are held to a higher standard, so we should fear Lord as one in authority. We should fear falling into temptation which causes the Lord to be disappointed with us. For the second definition, being in awe of the Lord can seem so practiced and that’s not how it was made to work. This past weekend my soul was overflowing in awe of God through music and conversation. Let me tell you, it was probably one of the best weekends for my heart that I’ve ever experienced. Why have we lost that desire to give God all the awe he deserves?

Come to the Lord with fear and trembling; humbling yourself before Him. I promise you won’t regret it.