100 Percent - April 25, 2006 -
I’ve always been pretty cynical when I hear about celebrities and such donating to charities. I mean, it’s awesome that they give so much, and it truly does make a difference. But I always question their heart and motive behind the giving. Sometimes I feel its a publicity thing, where its simply to get their name out there. Other times, I feel like its to shine some good light on them, because of what they are doing. I question whether they do it for the sake of giving or for themselves to be glorified.
Jesus sat at the temple and watched people giving their offerings. The rich men gave so much money. The sound of all the coins hitting the offertory box would have been music to any treasurer’s ears. Everybody knew that they were giving, and that they were giving alot. And then came this poor widow, who quietly approached the offertory plate. She reached into purse, and pulled out 2 coins worth less than a penny, and dropped it in. The hollow sound of that might have made many people laugh. After the never-ending jingling of the coins the rich men gave, this widow had a quiet offering.
But Jesus said that this woman was blessed. He looked at her heart, and saw that she gave everything she had. The rich gave alot out of their wealth, but didn’t give everything. They kept what they wanted for themselves. They gave just enough to get people to think they were doing something great. But this widow, who could have easily kept her two coins to save up for her family without anyone giving a care, gave it to the Lord. God wasn’t looking at the dollar amount given, but the percentage of their lives that they were giving. And only the widow gave 100%.
Sometimes I feel like the widow, only with 2 small coins, that is worth nothing compared to those who have gone before me. I feel like what I have to offer won’t make any noise in the grand scheme of things. I also see all the things that I need personally, and feel like once I’m able to be sufficient for myself, then I can give for others. And other times, I’m get very proud with the talents and gifts that God has given me, and I come off as the rich men. I start to go all out, giving so much in comparison to others, where everybody notices. But I still keep just enough to keep me satisfied.
I need to find that middle ground. The understanding that I really have nothing. The understanding that with my nothing, God can do great things and make a lot of noise. The realization that God knows how much I have, how much I can give, and how much I actually do give. He’s asking for 100% of me. Who am I to sell him short? Take my two coins, Lord. You are my treasure.
Passion Week: (Easter) Sunday - April 16, 2006 -
Plain and simple. If I could give a logical explanation as to why Jesus chose the cross, I would lessen the power of His grace. If I had a reason as to why we deserved to be saved, then salvation could be attained through more than just faith. What we did deserve was to have our flesh torn and our blood spilled. But Jesus, knowing that that wouldn’t unite us all, chose to face that pain Himself.
The amount of sin in our lives outweigh the amount of good we do. If you break one commandment, you’ve broken them all. And the only justice to that is death. Jesus recognized that, and loved us so much that He paid the price. But the story does not end on the cross. Even the cross wouldn’t have as much power if He didn’t rise on the third day. Our hope does not lie in the grave, but on the One who who rose out from the grave, overcoming every pressure and obstacle, and ascended to the throne of heaven. He overcame Hell so we wouldn’t have to.
Jesus is coming again. But for now we live in the present day Friday/Saturday. We live in a world torturing Jesus, disrespecting and falling away from Him. We live in a time of pure evil. But our hope is in the Sunday to come. There will be a time when He comes again, and gathers all the faithful who truly believed in Him. Then He will take them up with Him to paradise.
God created the world in 7 days, and has been preparing Heaven for us for over 2000 years. You think this world is beautiful? We’re living in a garbage can compared to what we’ll see up there. I long to spend eternity with Christ. He is my hope and my salvation, the only reason that I press on everyday. Simply accept and believe…He’s waiting to call you home.
“It’s Friday. Friday. And my Jesus, my Jesus is dead on a tree. But that’s Friday. MmmHmm. But Sunday’s a comin’. Friday? Friday, Mary’s crying her eyes out. Disciples are running in every direction, like sheep with a shepherd. But that’s Friday. Uh-huh, do you hear me? That’s just Friday! Sunday’s a comin’. Friday? Friday, those looking at the world saying, ‘things have been so things shall be, you can’t change nothing in this world! You can’t change nothing in this world, what you trying to do?!’ But they don’t know, uh-uh, they don’t know! It’s only Friday! You see, you see, Sunday’s a comin’! Friday? Oh Friday, them forces had oppressed the poor, keep people down! Them forces have destroyed lives and forces that are in control and think they’re gonna rule, but they don’t know, uh-uh, they don’t know. That it’s only Friday! Friday, oh my people, don’t you know? Sunday’s a comin’! Darkness is gonna rule, sadness is gonna be everywhere, but they don’t know it’s only Friday, they don’t know. Sunday’s a comin’. (pause) FRIIIIDDDDAAAAYYYY!!!!!!”
(and the church yelled back)
“SUNDAY’S A COMIN’!!!!!”
*pastorpaulkim - OIL2006
natemathai |
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Passion Week: (Good) Friday - April 14, 2006 -
Luke 23:32-34, 39-43
“Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals - one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divded up his clothes by casting lots…
…One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’
But the other criminal rebuked him, ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ’since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’
Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’
Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’”
Good Friday consists of Jesus’ trial, his flogging, his mocking, the walk to Golgotha, and his crucifixion. We see Pilate urging the people not to crucify Jesus because there is no charge against him, and we see Peter denying Christ 3 times. Soldiers beat him and mock him, and Simon is forced to help Jesus carry the cross because, physically, Jesus is so weak and bruised.
As Jesus is being crucified, they put him in the center of two men who ‘deserve’ to die, two men that are getting just punishment. The soldiers continue to mock him, and continue to shout insults and divide his clothing. Yet, even through all of this, Jesus still has a heart of love. As he is being crucified, he cries out on behalf of these lost people, telling God that they don’t know what they are doing. He claims ignorance on our part so that we could be saved.
Jesus is one of the greatest lawyers ever. We are all on trial before God, and we don’t have any excuse. We are guilty of every charge that is brought against us. God is actually watching us as we commit each one of these sins. And then God calls us and asks us what do we plea, and before we have a chance to respond, Jesus stands up and screams, “IGNORANCE! These people don’t understand the truth. They have been blinded and taught lies, so they don’t realize the magnitude of their actions. Forgive them.” Now, I’ve watched my share of Law&Order, and I’ve seen many people use the insanity plea in order to help out their client. And many times, it worked. But ignorance was never a good excuse. And I’m sure God looked at Jesus and said, “I’m sorry. They deserve to be punished for their actions, and they deserve death.” And any other lawyer would be like, “That sucks. Well, I did what I could, I fought my hardest. I pulled out everything I knew to try to help you, but it just didn’t work.” But Jesus went a different route. He said, “You love these people too much to let them simply die with no hope. I will take the punishment so that they can live. Let my blood be spilled so that everyone who believes can be forgiven. After this, ignorance will no longer be the plea.” And so Jesus went up on that cross on our behalf.
Sometimes, I feel the only people experiencing great emotional distress during the judgment time was the Judge and our Lawyer. Here we are declared guilty, and given the punishment of eternal death. Then out of nowhere, the Lawyer, the Judge’s one and only Son, shouts out that He will take the punishment for us. And we have that initial sense of relief, and then turn away and forget it all. And here we have our Lawyer being beaten and mocked, going down the road we should have traveled, and we don’t see it. And the Judge is watching His Son go through all this pain and torture for us, because they love us. He looks at Christ in His pain and suffering, and then looks at us, and we have our backs turned, living our lives. What disrespect we show both Jesus Christ and God. Yet, even with this, when God looks at us He thinks, “I love them so much, that this is worth it.”
The last verses show one of the criminals realizing his sin and recognizing Christ, and desiring to be with Jesus. and Jesus told him “…today you will be with me in paradise.” I’ve been a skeptic when it comes to people receiving Christ on their deathbeds. Obviously, I personally won’t know until my time comes whether these people truly accepted Jesus. But it makes complete sense as to why they would. With your last breaths, you realize that everything you’ve been living for is coming to an end. You see that whatever you put value to, you aren’t going to have any more. For people being executed, the only hope you have no would be to put your hope in God. Why wouldn’t you accept Christ? And we see that God accepts these “last minute” acceptances. Over and over we read that God doesn’t want anyone to perish, and He chases them to the very end. Nobody who still has breath in them is hopeless.
Jesus went up on that cross for sinners: for liars, for thieves, for prostitutes, for pimps, for drunks, for cheaters, for murderers…for every person who broke even the “smallest” rule in the eyes of man, according to the Bible. At our first moment of being sinful, because of the sin of Adam and Eve, there was nothing we could do to stand before God. Our blood was not pure enough to be in His presence. So Christ chose to take His blood, the purest ever, to wash over us and cleanse us. It only took one drop and He covered humanity; past, present, and future. Yet he overflowed on us so that there would be no question in our minds. The blood has been spilled, forgiveness is flowing. The only question is, will you accept it? Be God’s. Get Saved.
natemathai |
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Passion Week: (Maundy) Thursday - April 13, 2006 -
Luke 22:39-44
“Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you will not fall into temptation.’ He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”
The day before the crucifixion was when Jesus had the last supper with his disciples, gave the warnings of things to come, and then went to pray. The Bible is filled with many prayers, from many different people. But throughout all the ones that I have read, this prayer by Jesus is still one of the most powerful I’ve ever heard.
Jesus is the paradox that was 100% God and 100% man; completely mortal, yet completely divine. Though he had the divinity of God in him, he had self-imposed restrictions of human emotion and physical pain. At this point in his life, he knew that the next day he was going to be flogged and tortured and put on the cross. He knew that the person who would sell him out would be one of the 12 who had been following throughout his ministry. He knew that Peter was going to deny him as he carried the cross, and that all the people who were praising his name one week ago would now be shouting for his death. The few words that were written contain so much power, yet I don’t think it does justice for the agony that Christ was going through at the time.
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” We see the initial cry out to God as his father, as he is seeking the comfort and support that only a father could give. It was the intimate father-son relationship that Christ was clinging to at that moment, the one thing that he needed. Knowing that he would be facing the inevitable in less than 24 hours, he wanted his father. His next cry was for God to “take this cup from me.” Christ’s mortal side was experiencing so much pain both emotionally and physically, that he did not want to go through it. As a man, who would want to put himself through that torture? And as God, he could have easily said the word and the angels would have came down, surrounded him, and taken him back up to heaven. Jesus also said “if you are willing.” Basically seeking his desire to also be the same will as his father in heaven.
His ending prayer is what gets me the most. “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus first brought his own request and desire and everything his heart was feeling…he was not ashamed or fearful to bring what he had before God in prayer. But when all was said and done, Jesus’ true desire was to have God’s will complete. Basically, if his desire to remove the pain was not God’s will, then he would face whatever he had to. Now there’s a heart of love, a heart chasing after God. It’s a hard that truly has the kingdom in mind.
Jesus sacrificed his life for us, though his mortal flesh did not desire to go through it. It was purely because he loved us and desired for God’s will to be done. So many times I don’t want to push myself to sacrifice even a little bit for God’s kingdom. I’m so selfish. If there’s opposition or pain or anything, I want to just get up and leave. I cry out, “Lord, take it away! I don’t want it!” And I see nothing wrong with that, because there’s no reason to hide my heart from the one who sees into the depths of my soul. But it is clear that I don’t truly desire the heart of God. It’s so difficult for me to pray “not my will but yours be done.” That’s total surrender. That’s accepting that I know nothing, and God knows everything. That’s giving up complete control. And sometimes, I just can’t do it.
But praise God that Jesus was 100% God. He surrendered himself to the ultimate will of God so that we can have eternal life. He chose God’s will over his own fleshly desires. If Christ were anything like me, the world would still be destined for hell. Praise God that Christ is not like me.
But pray that I learn to be more like Christ.
Torn flesh and spilled blood…poured out for the forgiveness of sins…AMEN.
natemathai |
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Passion Week: Wednesday - April 12, 2006 -
The Bible doesn’t specifically mention what happened on this day, but it’s assumed that Jesus probably stayed in Bethany with His disciples. With that being said, I figured I might just do a quick post dealing with Lent again.
In a couple of days the Lenten season will be complete. Everyone will go back to eating meat, watching ESPN, devouring chocolate, and anything else they gave up. The question I ask is was the last 40 days truly a fast or a feast?
Fasting in and of itself doesn’t really do much spiritually. If we fast for the sake of fasting, we are simply testing our own will power. It turns into a game of “I really want it, but I’m strong enough to fight it. This is hard, but at least I’m not doing it.” All our focus becomes directed at the things we are fasting from, and we feel proud or accomplished when we overcome those desires. But in reality, the last 40 days are supposed to be a time of feasting. A time when we feast on the Word of God. In every moment when we feel a desire to return to what we fasted from, at every point we feel tempted or compelled to break the fast, we should be fulfilling ourselves with the Lord. Otherwise, there’s really no point in fasting…especially during Easter.
I feel many people “fast” during Lent because that’s just what you’re supposed to do. For most of my life I never fasted during Lent, mainly because I didn’t recognize the importance of fasting. I felt that people never really had the right motives, and it turned into simply a 40 day wait before they could indulge in their guilty pleasures again. Only over the past few years has it hit me that “even though others might have the wrong heart in things, I can redeem my own motives for the glory of God.” And since food has never been a huge issue for me, I’ve been fasting more from items of entertainment, such as ESPN or TV. What I’ve realized is that as time progresses, I simply lose the desire for those things. I recognize they aren’t a necessity for me, and I don’t long for them or desire to partake in it as often. Overall, that sounds good. But the problem is that once I reach that point, since I don’t have that strong desire, I don’t have the “reason” to be fulfilled by the Word of God, since I didn’t really fast from something that left me empty.
There are moments in my life when the Word of God seems so new and alive, and when I feel so much power in it. And there are other times it just looks repetitive and usual. Satan uses the “regularity” of Scripture to pull me away from the Word. And then he uses my personal pride in not being so addicted to worldly things to feel content with my current situation, and not long for anything greater. It’s a struggle and a battle to be consistent in studying the Word and meeting regularly with God. It’s a discipline that I can’t say I truly have together.
Many times, Jesus compared Christian life to that of building a house or growing a tree. He said that it needed a firm foundation or else it would be uprooted or washed away once troubles and torrents hit. And sometimes, the only way to make sure you have that foundation is through repetitive work. Digging a hole might seem very mundane over time, but the deeper you dig, the stronger your foundation will be. In the same way, reading the Word and praying might seem so simple and feel so old at times, but it’s disciplines like that that will keep you standing firm when strong problems arise.
As the Lenten season comes to a close, I know that I did grow closer to God during this time, but I know I didn’t chase Him as I should have. I can say right now that I have a stronger desire and passion to know God more. But once Sunday comes, will I give it up? Does my fast become my feast, and vice versa? Will I put God to the side again and indulge on chocolate, ESPN, meat, etc.? I sure hope not. The cross of Christ was not meant to be remembered just on Easter Sunday. That cross symbolizes my forgiveness for every sin. So with every sin, I need to return to the cross. Even though He’s risen, the blood continues to flow to wash me white as snow. Praise the Lord.
natemathai |
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