Why Do We Call It Good Friday?

All four of the Gospels give us information on the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have often found it interesting that only two of them give an account of His birth, though when you consider the writers and their target audiences, you understand why. None of them tell us when He was born, just that He was. While they all let us know that He arose on Sunday, the first day of the week, there has always been some discussion as to whether He was crucified on Weds, Thurs, or Friday. For many years, most have accepted that Friday was the day that He offered Himself as the sacrificial lamb, slain for the sins of all mankind. As a result, it has been called "Good Friday". Like so many other things in life it just depends upon how you look at it. For us to look at Jesus dying, unmercifully on the cross and to hear Him cry out "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?", it doesn't seem like it was a very good day. But, Heb 12:2 tells us that "...Who, for the joy that was before Him, endured the cross...". When you consider that this plan of salvation for man was already laid out before the foundations of the world (I Peter 1:18-20) and Omniscient God, Jesus Christ, knew what He was going to have to endure, it makes it all the more amazing just how much He loved you and me. Maybe it shouldn't be called Good Friday, but rather "Great Friday". Of course, it isn't good at all if you ignore it and stand in judgement some day.

Why Don't We Listen?

Matt 17:5b says "...this is my beloved son in whom I am well plesased, hear ye Him".

Anita and I were talking with a lady a couple of weeks ago and when she heard that I am the pastor at Victory Baptist Church, she paused for a moment and said "I just got a packet of information from your Church on my door the other day". That, of course, was because we had some faithful servants out distributing them in her area. She followed up that statement with "I think someone is trying to tell me something". I agreed with her and invited her to join us for our special day that was coming up. She agreed to come, but when that day arrived, she didn't. Now, I remind you that it was not me that said someone was talking to her - she said it. In other words, she knew that God was trying to tell her something and had a very good idea as to what that something was. Yet, she did not listen. Now, before we get all pious and speak ill of her, we must ask ourselves how many times we have heard from God and did not listen? I remember when our kids were still around the house and occasionally I would call for one of them. Maybe, it was because they were busy or maybe it was because they just didn't want to answer the call, but I would get no response. I would call again, this time a little louder, and sometimes again even louder. Sometimes, I would need to go get them and when that happened, it wasn't a pretty sight. Here is my point - we really don't want God to have to do something drastic to get our attention, do we? When He speaks, pay very close attention. It is important.

He's Still Working On Me

There is a wonderful song, that has been sung mostly by kids, that reminds us that God is still working on us. II Cor 5:17 says "Therefore, If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new". I don't know about you, but to me that is some exciting news. A couple of years ago, we purchased a house that had an unfinished basement. The previous owners had put a bed and some furniture down there and used one side of it as if it were finished. It worked okay, just didn't look all that good. Because of a variety of reasons, we did much the same thing when we bought the house. Now, we have begun the renovation and we are seeing just how much work there is to it. I wish I could say that it is going smoothly, but sometimes, my wife and I have different ideas as to what needs to be done and how to go about doing it. Thanks to some help from friends, who know just how to do it, the basement is beginning to take shape. Now, I know you aren't interested in what our house looks like, so I'm not going to add any pictures. But, there is a reason for this illustration. As a Christian, I have been "bought with a price" (I Cor 6:20) and the new owner, God, is making drastic changes and just like with the basement, He and I don't always agree on when and how these changes need to be made. But, ultimately, I always find out that His ideas are far better than mine. Just like the process of remodeling the basement, it takes time and sometimes I get in a hurry, but when it is finished, it will be worth the wait. I am aware that the remodel of my life will never be complete here on earth, when I get to Heaven, it will all be for His honor and glory.

My Religious First Aid Kit

Do you have a first aid kit in your home? car? at work? Most people have, at least. some band aides or antiseptic ointment close by for emergencies. And that is a good thing. It shows a real understanding that there is definitely a possibility of something going wrong. You see, life isn't always peaches and cream. But, you also need to know how to use the items in your first aide kit or they are of no value to you whatsoever. A lot of people have a spiritual first aide kit where they keep God. They are confident that most days everything is going to be just fine. But, there are also going to be those days when tragedy strikes and they need help. Like the band aide, they want Jesus to stay tucked away out of sight in a cabinet somewhere. But, when they need Him, they expect Him to come to the rescue and bail them out of the situation, that they most likely got them selves into. A situation, that had they consulted God's Word for guidance, they probably would not have gotten into in the first place. The Psalmist David said "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". Psa 119:105 Rest assured, God will always be there for you, but, He would much rather be there with you. After all, He knows what He has planned for you and what He wants to accomplish in you. It is OK to have a "spiritual first aide kit", just don't put the Great Physician in it.

Whatcha looking at?

As I was driving down the road I noticed a saying on a local church sign that I thought was pretty good. I think I'll wait a few months before I put it on our sign though. Anyway, it got me to thinking about how we face the situations in life. The statement went something like this - sorrow looks back, worry looks around and hope looks up. There is certainly a lot of truth in those few words. From that simple statement we can determine what we are looking at by how we feel. If life's event has brought tragedy into your life and sorrow grips your soul then it is time to quit looking back at the past. There is nothing that you can do about it anyway. If worry seems to surround you on every side then it is time to take you focus off of the problem so that you can see the solution. If you are in need of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation, then it is time to simply tilt your head skyward and look toward the heavens. Not only will you see the beauty of the heavens, but you will also see the grandeur of the the Almighty. The Apostle Paul, in writing to the church in Ephesus (Eph 2:12), tells us that before we were saved we had no hope. That is a horrible place to be. But, now that we have Omnipotent God dwelling within us, (I John 4:4) we face no foe that can defeat us. There is hope on every turn - but not if you are looking back in sorrow or around in worry. So, the questions arise once again, watcha lookin at?