Charles Spurgeon

What the Son Endured

What the Son Endured

"Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse."

Deuteronomy 21:23

The pain and humility Jesus physically suffered leading up to his death was a mere warm-up to the real dread he faced. As he hung on the cross, he began to feel a foreign sensation. Somewhere during those hours that his body was impaled, an earthly, foul odor must have wafted, not around his nose, but in his heart. He felt dirty. Human wickedness began to crawl upon his spotless being - the living excrement from our souls. The apple of the Father's eye began to turn brown with the rot of our sin.

From heaven, the Father roused himself like a lion disturbed, shook his mane, and must have roared against the shriveling remnant of a man hanging on a cross. Never has the Son seen the Father look at him so, never felt even the least of His hot breath. It was the wrath of God being poured out like hot oil on the wounded heart of the Son of Man. And the Father watched as his heart's treasure, the mirror-image of himself sank drowning into raw, liquid sin. Jehovah's stored rage against humankind exploded in a single direction. The Trinity had planned it. The Son endured it. The Spirit enabled him. The Father rejected the Son whom he loved; the God-man from Nazareth, perished.

This is who asks you to trust him when he calls you to suffer. This is the One who asks you to obey him when it's hard, when your flesh is itching to have a little worldly candy. This is the One who asks you to honor him when you face tough choices. Jesus Christ bore the wrath of hell so that you might enjoy a home in heaven with him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Celebrate this marvelous gift as you reflect on Easter Sunday.

Father, thank you for giving me the gift of your Son. May my life be to the praise of Your glory!

From the devotional Pearls of Great Price, by Joni Eareckson Tada, April 2

The Passion of the Christ

The Passion of the Christ

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:17

When I saw the movie The Passion of the Christ, I was struck by the brute cruelty with which the soldiers treated Jesus. Like a bunch of poorly paid drunken legionnaires, they couldn't wait to take out all their frustrations on who they thought was a stupid, luckless Jew. They beat and abused him mercilessly.

The face that Moses had begged to see - was forbidden to see - was slapped bloody (Exodus 33:19-20). The thorns that God had sent to curse the earth's rebellion now twisted around his brow. The back of Jesus' legs felt the whip - soon the body of the Savior would look like a plowed Judean field. By the time the spitting is through, more saliva is on Jesus than in him. When the soldiers raised the mallet to sink the spikes into Jesus' hands, it occurred to me that the Son of God whom they were crucifying was the very One sustaining their lives! Someone must sustain their lives minute by minute, for no man has this power on his own. Who supplies breath to his lungs? Who gives energy to his cells? Who holds a man's molecules together? Only by the Son do "all things hold together" Colossians 1:17. How amazing, how incomprensible that the Son, the victim, is granting breath and being to his own executioners!

Close your eyes and think deeply on the things you just read. Consider so great a Savior who would submit himself to such torture ... for your salvation. Think of the cost and sacrifice involved in Jesus' crucifixion. Then, commit afresh and anew to live on a higher, more sanctified level as you trust and obey him with new resolve. Praise your Savior for granting you breath and being, as well as life eternal.

Dear Savior, I am awestruck that you did not turn away from the cross, but traveled the road to Calvary for me. May my life today reflect my love and devotion to you.

From The Pearl of Great Price Devotional, April 1
Joni Eareckson Tada



Changeless

Changeless by Roy Lessin

I am the Lord, I do not change. Malachi 3:6 AMP

God has changed His methods, but His mind, never! God did not begin to love man when Jesus came. Jesus came to roll back the curtain and show man the heart that was eternal, the love that was always there. Christianity is not God’s alteration of attitude toward man. –G. Campbell Morgan

God never changes. Why? He doesn’t need to. He is perfect—without flaw, error, inconsistency, mistake, or poor judgment. God is not moody. He doesn’t have good moods and bad moods. God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11), and He shows forth His lovingkindness every morning and His faithfulness every night (Psalm 92:2) to those who seek His mercies. He is always righteous. His goodness, His purity, His holy nature, His justice, and His character are eternal.

Knowing God is changeless means you can fully trust Him and wholly obey Him:

You can believe God like Abraham because He is the same God;
You can praise Him like David because He is the same God;
You can worship Him like Isaiah because He is the same God;
You can cry out to Him like Moses because He is the same God;
You can serve Him like Ezra because He is the same God;
You can pray like Hannah because He is the same God;
You can surrender to Him like Ruth because He is the same God;
You can proclaim Him like Paul because He is the same God;
You can obey Him like Mary because He is the same God;
You can love Him like John because He is the same God.

*Thanks to John Scherdt for sending this*

Devotional

Nothing between my soul and my Savior,

Naught of this world’s delusive dream;

I have renounced all sinful pleasure;

Jesus is mine, there’s nothing between.

Nothing between, like worldly pleasure;

Habits of life, though harmless they seem;

Must not my heart from Him ever sever;

He is my all, there’s nothing between

Nothing between, like pride or station;

Self or friends shall not intervene;

Though it may cost me much tribulation,

I am resolved, there’s nothing between.

Nothing between, e’en many hard trials,

Though the whole world against me convene;

Watching with prayer and much self denial,

I’ll triumph at last, there’s nothing between.
-Charles Albert Tindley-

EVERYONE INFLUENCES SOMEONE. Paul warned the Philippians about the enemies of the cross in Phil. 3:18. We influence others, but who influences you? Beware of the wrong crowd, worldly values, peer pressure that leads us away from the Lord. May NOTHING ever come between you and your Savior.

Prayer requests:
That we would all heed the counsel of Paul and safeguard our relationship with the Lord.
That we would apply that to our marriages as well. May two become one in all ways with nothing between.
That we would apply that to our immediate families - protect your children from ungodly influences.
That our children at college and at their employments would be able to discern good and bad influences. We are to be lights in the world to point others to Christ. Satan would like nothing more than to extinguish that light.

Paul takes this warning very serious - He gave it in Phil 3:2 and now again in Phil 3:18 & 19. THEY are the ENEMIES OF THE CROSS. Paul wept as he issued the warning. Please heed it for your own well being.
God bless.

Vaya con dios.
John Scherdt