If you were to look at Rembrandt’s painting of The Three Crosses, your attention would be drawn first to the center Cross on which Jesus died. Then as you would look at the crowd gathered around the foot of that Cross, you’d be impressed by the various facial expressions and actions of the people involved in the awful crime of crucifying the Son of God. Finally, your eyes would drift to the edge of the painting and catch sight of another figure, almost hidden in the shadows. Art critics say this is a representation of Rembrandt himself, for he recognized that by his sins he helped nail Jesus to the Cross.

–       Author unknown

Here’s how the hymn writer put it:

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, were you there when they crucified my Lord?
(Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble) tremble 

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Well, were you there when the stone was rolled away?
Were you there when the stone was rolled away?
(Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble) tremble
Were you there when the stone was rolled away?

Were you there?

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Do you have any experience with the Cross?

Think about it.

Gary

My old missionary friend who has been a support of our ministry for over 45 years wrote the following:

Yesterday, I held a beautiful baby tree swallow (fully formed and feathered) that did not survive the heat wave of the day. Two siblings did and this morning flew off with the mother.

As I reflect on death, I struggle with the words of the Psalmist and those of the Apostle Paul on the subject. I ask, “Father, I read their thoughts, but why all the pain in my heart?” Ultimately, I’m taken to the cross. I hear Christ cry out, “My God, my God!” He also uttered the word, “Father!” I know of the judicial act, where the Just died for the unjust. Then I see a relationship… I am His to be sheltered, to be healed, to be delivered from the last enemy of my life. How precious those truths are also.

For several days I used a sprinkler to cool down the tree swallow’s birdhouse nest in the hottest part of the day. Amazingly, the mother knew why and was not disturbed, and at times, would just be there by me on a branch, waiting for the ladder to be taken down. She would then continue her feeding. I think we sense certain angels of mercy and the Holy Spirit at times like these in our lives to face those hours when death comes our way. Two baby swallows are flying high this morning. That other little, precious life is in my care to lay to rest. I know the Father saw and cared. “Oh, my God, and my Father!”

Matthew 10:29-30
Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.

Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Thanks, Al. The rest of you folks think about it.

Gary

Passion and Purity, Elizabeth Elliot, Revell, 1984, p. 43

The first date Jim (Elliot) asked me for was to a missionary meeting at Moody Church in Chicago, late in April. Not surprising that he would choose an event like this rather than a concert or dinner out. The speaker was one of the daughters of the famous missionary to Africa C.T. Studd. She told of her father’s last hours. He lay on his cot, gazing around the little hut and at his few possessions. “I wish I had something to leave to each of you,” he said to the handful of people present, “but I gave it all to Jesus long ago.”

Passion and Purity, Elizabeth Elliot, Revell, 1984, p. 43

We are all giving something to someone and in the end, we will have a tally of our service. The Lord described it as talents and tells of a real loser. He hid what the Lord provided for him to invest.

Matthew 25:24-28

“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

Think about it and give life everything you have.

Gary

What makes you angry?

What makes your spouse angry?

What makes your parents angry?

What makes your employer angry?

What makes your minister angry?

What makes the UPS driver angry?

Does God get angry? He sure does.

Numbers 11:1

And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

Do you complain?  God gets angry and you don’t want God angry at you.

Think about it.

Gary

Theologian Martin Marty wrote this: One critic said he had gone to many churches and heard the preacher say, “Don’t try to impress God with your works.” or “Don’t attempt to please God with your merits.” or “Don’t try to keep the rules and regulations and thus win your way.” He looked around at nearly slumbering collections of utterly casual Christians and wondered, “Who’s trying?” 

2 Peter 1:8-9 addresses the subject:

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Stay awake and give it some thought.

Gary

Erma Bombeck offered some good advice to those graduates of Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina. At the Commencement Ceremonies, Ms. Bombeck gave some good maternal counsel, “Don’t confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other.” (The Houston Chronicle, May 1991, p. 2) IOWJUL91

The Bible has a lot to say about success:

Joshua 1:8

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Ecclesiastes 10:10   

If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.

There is a time-proven stone that can sharpen your old ax, and it is the Word of God. Rest your head against it and let it do its work.

Give it some thought.

Gary

He was my brother and a combat-marine at the age of eighteen. They dropped those young boys off near the DMZ by helicopter. Immediately the North Vietnamese rockets came down. He was wounded but didn’t lose consciousness. The sensation of blood pulsating from his back was evident. Out of nowhere, a young African-American medic appeared and pulled him into a depression to shield from further injury. Medical helicopters approached under fire and he was thrown into one.

In that field that day, there were no hyphenated names, only marines trying to get home again. My brother didn’t know that hero but was forever grateful he was there. This marine turned seventy-four in May because of that medic.

How many unknown individuals do we owe our lives to?

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

They went on before so that you could go on today.

Give it some thought.

Gary