I’m sitting here pondering the events of the past day and
all if I can say is “that if it weren't for the Lord!”
Keeping it 100 % y’all, I’m not happy…I watched something
unfold that left me extremely disappointed. I’m disappointed because I got
caught slipping. I extended courtesies and chances to someone that I really
should have been feeding from a long-handled spoon; I say this because I
watched them be hypercritical and judgmental in responses to other situations rather
than seeking to resolve strife. I’m also angry because I am guilty of
bystanding and making no attempt to correct.
Long story short: I just had to unfriend someone that I
thought was like-minded (politics social justice) until I read a post where
they were talking about Baltimore.....the person used the term "you
African Americans" which is synonymous with the bigoted and divisive term
"you people" The person then threatened to use the N word in lieu of
the word thug which they were getting flack for using to describe the rioters.
To add further insult...the person didn't check their racist friends when they
started to go in, stating blatantly racists and biased posts. I initially
attempted to engage all parties involved in conversation, dialogue and open
discourse in order to hopefully educate them about the anger and rage that caused
the riots but it quickly became clear that it was a forum and opportunity to
voice longstanding repressed racist viewpoints…to which I had to say BYE
FELICIA!!!!
I guess I am the latest victim….I was minding my own
business when I got stopped and questioned by Facebook only to find myself in a
choke-hold….a totally innocuous situation results in a death!
So today commute was a mind game…..I was toying with the
words obedience and sacrifice. I came by it because I flashed on 1 Samuel 15:22
“….To obey is better than sacrifice, and
to heed is better than the fat of rams” when the word obey tickertaped
across my brain.
Think about it for a minute….the word obey triggered me because it denotes an authority or an
authoritative figure. Now, I don’t know about you but I enjoy my autonomy when
I’m not talking to or living with my mother or at work. I’m my own boss! I’m
the boss of me! I run this! Right?
Wrong! Dead wrong! As a believer I come under the authority of Christ.
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is
given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Daniel 7:13 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like
a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of
Days and was led into his presence.
Matthew 11:27 "All things have been committed to me
by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the
Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Matthew 26:64 "You have said so," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of
you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the
Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."
Luke 1:33 and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will
never end."
I have choice (free will) in what I say, do and my level of
commitment…but if I truly love God and seek to represent and serve Him my level
of connection and commitment should reflect it. I’m not talking about church
busy work, Bible Study, Choir and all that….I’m talking about a life of reflection
and introspection; not a perfect life. I’m talking about a life impacted and
impacting and yet I still praise!
Now, sacrifice…let’s look at that word for a minute because
it says something very real. Sacrifice in Biblical terms means to give an
offering unto God; burnt or blood. Sacrifice to us in worldly terms means we
temporarily give something up because we’re holding onto a reservation to possibly
return to it (marinate on that for a minute) Ask yourself if your sacrifice is
Biblical?
REAL TALK from KB: Now, please don’t misconstrue what I’m
writing….I by no means condone random acts of violence and looting.
I am a child of the 60’s…my parents were “cautiously” militant
and revolutionary. I use the word cautiously because they knew they had to keep
their jobs but not take oppressive and racist BS policies of oppression. I've
seen and heard a lot of transitions as far as race relations. My parents taught
us to steel our spines and demand our rights without being disrespectful;
learning to be vocal and using “passive resistance” to turn the system against
itself ( a house divided cannot stand)….
I understand the anger and the rage of the young people of
Baltimore….I, myself, kept asking the questions: How many Black men is enough?
How many young Black men have to die and the hands of law enforcement that is
taught to stereotype and profile?
Well, we seemed to have reached the finite number “…the
chickens are coming home to roost” and yet America is still trying to assign
blame rather than do introspection. Our country’s foundation is racism,
bigotry, oppression and subjugation….we cannot solve a problem until we address
its root cause.
To the young folks raging and out of control…..I understand
your anger. I feel the same “burn baby burn” rage about the genocide (don’t be
fooled it is a genocidal practice to execute Black men to stifle the
perpetuation of a race of people) but we must use our heads…….winning a
temporary battle will not win a war!
I've said it before and I’ll keep saying it until other
people hear it….we are teaching our kids to live without hope and community. We
need to get back to our “villages” to raise our children. We need to embrace
church. We need to embrace the barber shops. We need to embrace community
organizations. We need to resuscitate the NAACP.
I was re-reading a few Facebook posts and found myself
deleting a few things because I posted them based on a “feeling” or momentary
sentiment; you know, those ever so brief moments in time and emotions that
often lead to a major lapse in judgment. Which leads me to my point,
self-censoring may be one of the hardest things we’ll ever have to learn in
this lifetime.
I once heard someone say that they prayed that their first
response would be the “right” Christ-like response. I can only hope to attain
such a lofty goal; I know I am a work in progress and I am in a state of
constant flux – even when at rest I’m a mental whirlwind. I know I can be a
hothead. I know I can get people told in such a way they’ll have to think about
what I said to them and then get mad later or I can be the exact opposite and
say some things that will go for the immediate kill shot…neither of which is
beneficial to me, the other party, my faith walk or my honor and respect for
the Lord.
Humility is hard when the world continues to hold it up as a
fault, failing or character defect…..here’s how I manage the conflict:
1 Corinthians 13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of
angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And
if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all
knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have
not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I
deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient
and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or
rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or
resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices
with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes
all things, endures all things.
8 Love never
ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease;
as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and
we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial
will pass away.11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like
a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now
we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then
I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith,
hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
IF I HAVE NOT LOVE– because I have love I’m not required to
respond back…I don’t have to belittle others, I don’t have to brag, I don’t have
to keep tabs, I don’t have to hold on to pain….whatever I lose in a translation
or transaction I know Jehovah Jireh… (amen)
Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able
to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
What is your line of thinking? Do you love enough to “walk away”? Please note
that walking away is not as much literal as it is figurative…walk away
literally not to engage in conflict but you have an obligation to pray for that
brother/sister/ situation that took your eyes off the Lord…..call that thing
out and bring it under the authority of God.
REAL TALK from KB: I don’t get bored often. I can be alone,
actually I like to be alone with my thoughts, being alone helps to keep the
creativity flowing. Today, however, I am utterly and completely bored; my thoughts
are fluctuating between action and apathy. I have an undercurrent of anger (don’t
know what the heck that is all about) I guess I’m experiencing what the $5
shrinks call an agitated depression. Whatever it’s called it’s annoying as hell
because I seem to get caught in a line of thinking that brings me back to
square one.
I’m writing about the feeling because I know I’m not the
only one to experience such craziness. I woke up full of energy…I had a great
night’s sleep. I have plans for later in the day but I still have this specter
hanging over me.
I’ll do what I can to get through the day but until then I’ll
keep on wishing…” I wish I would let someone steal my joy!” I know feelings are
temporary ….love and joy are permanent
I haven’t written anything of substance in a while; I've
been taking time out for me, spending time in thought and reflection. I've been
toying with the word studies on both grace and humility. I had to look at some
recent triumphs as well as some MAJOR setbacks and poor choices based on my
imposing self-will over God’s will; more important my ability to confuse and
rationalize the two. I then had to ask myself if I had friends or if I was
courting minions. All of which are very tough question to ask as well as answer…self
examination is NEVER an easy task.
1 Peter 4:3
For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to
do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and
lawless idolatry.
What have I done with my life and myself since I have come
into the knowledge of Christ? What have I done to acknowledge His call and
purpose for my life? Am I living in the flesh? Do I continue to be selfish and
self-serving? There is no one question…each question leads to another they are
all interconnected.
On some levels my answers were less than stellar and
celestial minded. I had to confess a lot of faults and missteps and I had to
repent. I had to look and myself and the company (counsel)I kept and didn't
keep. I had to look at the how’s and why’s of how the situation came to be.
I am by no means a zealot or an extreme fundamentalist. I am
someone who loves God and wants to live an upright life of integrity. I am
someone who wants to be known for their
love, compassion and empathy. I want to be known and remembered as a
person who loved and helped others in/out of season. I want to be known as a
person of faith.
I realize I am human and I am going to miss my mark, often! I
must learn to forgive myself, brush myself off and move on. Please note.....I did not say
forget the lesson
I just finished reading the devotional Crosswalk; I read it and post it every day. Today’s read was really
thought provoking. I read and re-read this morning’s entry and it’s still
resonating with me. I had to ask myself if I was a “ride or die” person and if
I had “ride or die” friends? I had to ask “Does my life reflect Christ enough to
draw genuine and honest connections?” Who shows up when I need help – announced
or unspoken?
These are very difficult questions that beg to be answered
by any believer. I had to look at my current position in life because my answer
from past situations would be dramatically different; allow me to clarify, in
the past I would have any number of ride or die friends. Many people are
willing to align themselves with you when you are willing to compromise your
faith and your integrity to accommodate them wherever they find themselves. I
can no longer accept such a position for myself so the number of people who
would ride or die for me has dwindled considerably…………I am not concerned with
the size of my circle. I am focused on the quality and the integrity of the
people I have in my life. I want people who are going to challenge me
intellectually. I want people who are going to offer words of correction and
challenge for my spiritual maturity and growth. I want people who will support me
and correct me, not enable me, when I give in to the desires of the flesh.
I have a very select group of people who I know love and
support me and who know I am there for them….if I ever gave my word to be in
your corner….I’ll be there hell or high water….in season and
out of season. The word love does not roll from my lips with ease and it is not
taken lightly.
Eros, Phileo and Agape all come with commitment and
responsibility.
noun 1. the mental and moral qualities distinctive
to an individual.
strength and originality in a person's nature.
a person's good reputation.
2. a person in a novel, play, or movie.
a part played by an actor.
a person seen in terms of a particular aspect of character.
an interesting or amusing individual.
car·i·ca·ture ˈkerikÉ™CHÉ™r,ˈkerikəˌCHo͝or/
noun 1. a picture, description, or imitation of a
person or thing in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in
order to create a comic or grotesque effect.
Verb make or give
a comically or grotesquely exaggerated representation of (someone or
something).
Have you ever given any thought or consideration into how
people will see you or remember you? Not asking this question in vanity but as
a way of self-examination and moral inventory…..what is you legacy?
I've been giving this question thought from time to time….some
of the answers have not been so flattering and I've had to make some amends.
About a year ago I reached out to a person from my childhood
on Facebook and their memory of me was that I was one of the people that
terrorized and traumatized him in his youth. My legacy was that I beat him up
over something trivial and he had that memory for 35 or so years: I thank him
for providing me with the opportunity to apologize but the situation made me
think about ; What if I didn't have that opportunity? The person would have
lived their life with a burden that I gave. The situation provided me with yet
another opportunity to pray for and work on change.
We, believers, are ambassadors for what we say we believe;
we may be the only Bible that people read and I am very saddened by the fact
that too many of us are content on being very basic primers. “See God. See God
work. Praise God on Sunday. Live life until next Sunday” The only way that people know you’re a
believer is by the fact that you leave the house on Sunday. What is the outward
manifestation of your faith? What are your works? Do you show love? Do you show
humility?...speaking of humility- that word has been weighing heavily on my
spirit lately ….I can’t wait to write on that subject, but I digress….
Getting back to the point, which in reality, is the question
that I use as my tag line….
Luke 15:18 I will
set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against
heaven and against you.
Acts 12:11 Then Peter came to himself
and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and
rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were
hoping would happen."
I am in transition and flux and I like it but I don’t like
it…..I like it because I know (intellectually) I’m being pulled and stretch to
a higher purpose and calling. Yet, I don’t like it because I’m a creature of
comfort and habit and I don’t like being out of my comfort zone…but I trust
God. When I get stressed about the situation I find myself singing “Where He
leads me I will follow…” Now, if you don’t know this I’m going to share a
secret with you…..you are truly saved when you can sing in the face of adversity.
I have been in major transition for the past 5 ½ years. I've
dealt with cancer, a major loss, emotional peaks and valleys and now I’m in a
place of “getting back to me” You know
when you go through things you lose sight of what really matters. You start
listening to the voices that speak loud but don’t often ring true. You look for
comfort and relief in mysticism and magical thinking as opposed to truth and
hard work; you know work but you hope for the quick relief….
This past year has taught me so very much about myself and I
am so very grateful to get back to me, my values and my calm
I have a lot on my mind today so I can only hope that this
comes across as a clear, concise and linear thought.
Have you ever been around someone who is impressed with
their own pedigree; reads their own press clippings and seems to be a pitchman
in self-aggrandizement? It gets old listening to the “I’s” doesn't it? I
remember a similar situation from my childhood where a teacher subtly told
someone that they struggled with “I” trouble.
I’m regularly bombarded by people with an inflated ego and
sense of self and I find myself becoming very short and hyper-critical by the
constant bludgeoning. I’m not so silently thinking (my body language gives me
away) “You’re not God” tone it down. Then I start thinking how sad the
individual must be that they have to constantly walk around like a puffer fish…leading
every sentence with their ego. There’s a reason for the quote “Pride goeth
before a fall…”
Philippians 2:3-11 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in
humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look
not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this
mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in
the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness
of men. .
.
James 4:6 But
he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace
to the humble.”
Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be
humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Proverbs 22:4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is
riches and honor and life.
The other thing that I've learned in these situations is
that if I stay and listen too long I too am now caught up; I find myself
getting critical, negative and judgmental.
Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is
no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds
wisdom's instruction.
Keeping it 100 – You don’t have to announce to the world and God what
you have ….He gave it to you! Material things and Earthly talents don’t define
you….the world will always want and demand more…God says His designs don’t need
enhancements. Celebrate who you are and where you are in the moment!
Aretha Franklin broke this song (THINK) out in 1968 and it
had some really interesting lyrics:
People walking around every day, playing games, taking
scores
Trying to make other people lose their minds.
Well be careful, you're gonna lose yours.
I have to say that every single day someone is posting
something on my Facebook page that causes me to pause. I know we all express ourselves
and our faith in different ways and we all have different levels of faith but
there are some things that we need to come together on and really stretch our
faith to a level where we’re able to see and enjoy God in His fullest measure.
One of the things that disturbs me is the pictures of stacks
of money and it being equated with a blessing along with the chain letter
message to send it to people….when did blessings translate to monetary value?
Isn't that the very reason Cain and Abel fought? How does that vein of thinking
line up with 1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love
of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have
wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”?
Matthew 26:11, Deuteronomy
15:11, Mark 14:7
Rich and poor are subjective…..stop thinking of money as God
and happiness….Faith is not a lottery!
Another thing that gets to me is the thought that we are not
meant to endure trials and tribulations….the various Facebook posts “when a
door closes…” Sometimes God places you in a holding pattern, in the dark, in a
period of dormancy for His purposes. It does not mean woe is me thinking and
pity party time….it’s a time to rejoice, read, reflect because He has chosen to
prepare you for another task…..I know it’s hard to enjoy the dark times but
think about the apostles who sang praises in prison. Think about the boys who
danced on the way to the furnace….think about the words “oh death where is thy sting, oh
grave where is thy victory?”
STOP TRYING TO AVOID
YOUR STRUGGLES…..take them in stride; take the opportunity to try to do better…….
I was sitting reading my devotional this morning when it
dawned on me that I have become more preoccupied with reading and writing about
what I've read and learned rather than the act of worshiping the ONE who
provided the knowledge. My worship and time with God has become scripted and
rote. I am more preoccupied with the task than I am with the praise……and I
wonder why I’m in the humdrum's.
Real praise is about forgetting myself and my feelings and
allowing the Holy Spirit to inhabit. Real praise is about me training my mind
to stay on the things of God. Real praise comes about when I can block out
distractions and staying in the moment of praise.
In Hosea 13:6 God says concerning the Israelites “but
when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was
lifted up; therefore they forgot me.”
I thank God for the revelation; I won’t beat myself up about
my lack of focus because I know that I am human and this may not be the last
time that I have to sit with myself and admit that I have been “less than”. I
am not afraid of my frailties.
I was pondering and ruminating on this as I was driving into
work this morning….what drives us to be judge, jury and tour guide for the
outcome? Aren't the first two titles enough?
Earlier in the week someone said something that just didn't
sit right with me..so I went back to talk to them about what they said. As I
discussed the situation I was reminded of the scene from the Wizard of Oz where
the Wizard is exposed; there was a lot of noise and blustering. All I could
think was WOW!!!
We are so invested in being right, proving that we are right
and one upsmanship that we forget to see the process. What is actually going on
IN THE PROCESS! Is the situation
that we've uncovered changing? Is the person learning from the situation? Is
the situation changing you? Can you see that there an opportunity for you to
practice humility in the situation? All too often we develop “I” trouble and
situations become about you. We tend to judge situation based on our experiences
and then use our wounded pride to batter people into submission.
We tend to play tennis on both side of the net when we don’t
step back to look at the process…..oh, you can do it for a little while but I
guarantee that you will soon grow tired and get frustrated ….step out, step
back and trust the process!
a lack of decisiveness or commitment resulting from a
failure to make a choice between alternatives.
We like to use the term “mixed messages” but trust and
believe that the message is not mixed; the message is loud and clear. The
message screams that “I am being manipulative and I am using you!” Many of us
like to operate in the gray areas until the other party catches on and then we
play dumb or blame the other person for the chaos that ensues. We have to stop
giving character defects and poor behaviors a pass and call the stuff out.
Hebrews 4:2 For we also have
had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they
heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those
who obeyed.
Matthew 15:7-8 "You
hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME
WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.…
Luke 6:46-47 "Why do you
call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? "Everyone who comes
to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:…
If the person gets angry then they are letting you know how
they value you. If you’re the person and you want to get better, listen with
your heart and make the changes. Many of us have to confess, repent and
apologize.
Mixed messages are indicative of a heart problem…the heart
is far from God!
Luke 24: 4- 6 …While
they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in
dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces
to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among
the dead? "He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to
you while He was still in Galilee,…
I was reading my devotionals this morning and this passage
hit me hard; more specific, the question “why do you seek the living one among
the dead?” I did not take the question
in the context of the crucifixion. I
applied the question to my personal life and I was seriously taken aback
because I had to really look at the question. I seem to attract/be attracted
people who are emotionally unavailable – looking among the dead. I tend to
trigger the verbally abusive character defect in a person’s nature – looking among
the dead. I tend to settle for whatever emotional crumbs someone is willing to
throw me – looking among the dead. I try too hard to “fix” people – looking among
the dead….
The enemy uses all of these things to take my focus off God;
all of these things are my Gethsemane.
Keep in mind that Gethsemane is the place
where you come face to face with sin. The place of final temptation. Gethsemane
is also the gateway to a new life……….
Everyone love’s a holiday; a day off from work and a day to
relax. I was just thinking about this past Friday to the coming Sunday.
Everyone is American on the 4th of July and everyone is Irish on St.
Patrick’s Day but not everyone knows about Easter and what it SHOULD mean to
believers. More important the how and why’s of having a generation of people
who have limited beliefs or no belief construct at all.
Easter is not about new clothes, eggs, the Easter bunny,
etc…yet believer give these mixed messages to the world. The churches overflow
with people who only “show up” for this holiday.
I’m reminded of a story conveyed to me where a man and his
son were in the supermarket and the boy was bombarded with the brightly
decorated “Easter aisle.” The boy asked his father what Easter was and the man
told his son “that’s when people celebrate some zombie called Jesus.” How could
the little boy think of God any way else when someone he loved and trusted
tells him such a story? Which leads me to my thought for today….what stories do
we tell ourselves that either allow us to deny the existence of God or to serve
Him in such a limited capacity?
John 19: 1 – 42
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers
twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in
a purple robe. 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king
of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.
4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews
gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I
find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is
the man!”
6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw
him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”
But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As
for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”
7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and
according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of
God.”
8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more
afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come
from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you
refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to
free you or to crucify you?”
11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over
me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me
over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the
Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of
Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat
down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in
Aramaic is Gabbatha).14 It was the day of Preparation of the
Passover; it was about noon.
“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away!
Crucify him!”
“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be
crucified.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying
his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is
called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two
others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the
cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. 20 Many
of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near
the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and
Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not
write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the
Jews.”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have
written.”
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his
clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the
undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top
to bottom.
24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another.
“Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
This happened that the scripture might be
fulfilled that said,
“They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”
So this is what the soldiers did.
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his
mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary
Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple
whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your
son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From
that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
The Death of Jesus
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been
finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus
said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there,
so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant,
and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink,
Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave
up his spirit.
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next
day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the
bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have
the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore
came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and
then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found
that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead,
one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden
flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given
testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth,
and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things
happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones
will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look
on the one they have pierced.”
The Burial of Jesus
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body
of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared
the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body
away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier
had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes,
about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them
wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance
with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was
crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one
had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of
Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
I am not a fundamentalist; I do not dare presume or
assume that everyone has to believe what
I believe but what I do know is that there is a power greater than ourselves
that makes the “whole thing” ( life) work.
I approach my faith like an insurance/assurance policy:
Insurance, in that I rather have a policy and invest in the plan and not need
it than to have a crisis and not have it; assurance in that I've tried and
tested the God I serve and He has always come through and shown love to me even
when I am utterly unfaithful to Him. I challenge you to give thought to the
following as you enjoy the holiday….
John 3:16-17 New International Version (NIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
I am full…..yeah I know that there are some of you that will
say “You got that right KB…you are full of ____” because you don’t like
something I've said or something I've done. All that aside…I’m full because the
Lord gave me a word today…
I read a lot. I read history, biographies and most important
I read many books on Scripture and apologetics (knowing what you believe and
why you believe it). I have been focused on the story of the resurrection and
what it means to have a Godly character.
My mama taught me to treat people how I would want people to treat me
and for the most part I do; my character defect is that I sometimes cannot
separate what that individual has done or said to me and I will grumble or do a
little less than what I know I can do for them…which brings me to my point – YOUR ACTIONS
AND YOUR WORDS REVEAL YOUR CHARACTER
My sister and I were recently talking about God and the
things of God…my conversations usually lead to something spiritual in between
laughing and having a good time with my friends, but my sister mentioned something
she heard Kim Kardashian say (we both cracked up at the fact that she was
quoting a Kardashian) but the woman said “Life is meant to be happy” and that
quote right there set off a marvelous conversation about how many of us view
life. WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU HAVE A RIGHT
TO HAPPINESS?!!
Romans 5:3-5 – “More than that, we rejoice in our
sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces
character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who
has been given to us.”
NOTE the word suffering…God knows that our character and the
sin nature produces suffering. How we respond to it shows our character.
Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control; against such things there is no law.”
True character is shown in how you act in any
situation. Actions speak louder than words in many circumstances and you
and I have to be vigilant against the
attack of the enemy so that when hard times come our way we can still exhibit
the fruits of the spirit in word and deed. How can we shine for Jesus if
we are showing the world darkness through our actions?
1 John 4:8 – “Anyone who does not love does not know God,
because God is love.”
Your own character has a voice and speaks louder than you
give it credit for: How do you treat those around you? Do you love
them or retaliate against them? Are you one of those people who are only nice
to people when they are doing your bidding or meeting a need?
Romans 13:14 – “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make
no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
Does your character speak so loud that you can’t or won’t
quiet it?! When you sin, you are actually making provision for your
flesh. Have you ever thought about that? You are providing the
means necessary to carry out the sins you want to commit.
Matthew 12:35 – “The good person out of his good treasure
brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth
evil.”
This verse speaks for itself. Take some time and think
about how you are living your life. Are you making an effort daily to be
a blessing to those around you or a stumbling block?
What is the content of your character?
Is it wrapped as a marvelous gift or is it in a bio-hazard package?
Psalm 127:1-2 Unless
the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand
watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to
eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.
I thought of this scripture because I am thinking about a
situation where someone entered into something full steam ahead with no plan…this
person only knew that they had a safety net of good friends. I only give this
matter a brief thought because it’s not impacting me other than it gives me
reason to think about the many, many, many times that I have entered into things where I didn't think twice, plan or most important consult God and I can say
that I have always, always, always had disastrous results because I relied
solely on my feelings….you know those things that constantly change?
Now if I am relying on something that is in a constant state
of flux…how in the world can I expect permanence?
