1 Cross + 3 Nails = 4-Given

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The book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” just received a 5 star review from Reader’s Favorite Books, website. You can check it out by going to http://www.readersfavorite.com/review/5735. You will need to scan down just a little. 

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I have another excerpt from the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” It talks about the many people who wear crosses around their necks and never really know the meaning behind them.

Chapter 48

1 Cross + 3 Nails = 4-Given

 

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.

John 3:16

 

Have you ever thought about the cross? It was just a piece of wood. It came from an everyday tree. It was shaped for one purpose: death! Think about the cross you may be wearing, or the one you see during your church service. Have you ever really thought about the pain this one piece of wood caused?

History knows about the cross, and some people have despised it. The cross is worn by millions of people. It is often gold-plated and worn as jewelry—usually not to symbolize what it really means, or to show our faith. But the cross really means dying. A cross was used to punish the guilty. It displayed the offender in front of others so they would “learn a lesson” and not do the same thing. Bottom line: It was a torture device to show the power of the leaders during their time.

People try to ignore the significance of the cross, but they can’t. It is the piece of lumber that makes the biggest claim in the history of man. After all, when Jesus was here on earth, He hung on that cross, claiming to be the Savior for all mankind. He even had the nerve to claim He was God Himself!

Jesus was a carpenter and knew how hard it was to toil each day with his hands and a hammer. He had calluses on His hands even though those hands touched a blind man’s eyes and caused him to see. He used those same calloused hands when He touched a leper and he was healed. He knew what hard work was, and yet He had a tender touch that healed hundreds of people.

This is the God of love brought down to earth in the form of a man—a person with flesh and blood like you and me. Full of hurts. Full of sadness. Full of fear. Didn’t He cry out to God to “take this cup from Me”? Wasn’t He whipped, slapped and spat upon? Didn’t He slowly and painfully walk with that cross on His shoulders knowing that He would soon be hung on it and go through tremendous hurt and suffering? From the cross, didn’t He ask God why He had forsaken Him? Wouldn’t you have a little fear?

So we have the cross ready for the crucifixion. How about those nails? They weren’t tiny nails you’d use to build a birdhouse in the backyard. These were spikes—large nails about five inches long. They crushed the bones and caused pain that was beyond description.

Imagine your fear as they placed your left hand on that cross and get ready to pound that nail through your hand. The mallet comes down, and you scream in pain. But before you can catch your breath, they are nailing your right hand down.

Now that they have you securely part of the cross, they put your feet together, one on top of the other and slam another spike through both of them at once.

Do you feel the pain? Do you get the picture? Can you now relate to the sacrifice that Jesus had to go through so that you wouldn’t have to?

He was hurting, He was in great pain, and He cried out to God, just like you and I would, but He knew what He was doing had to be done for you and me.

He even had to look down and see the soldiers gambling for His clothes. That must have made Him feel even worse. They were at His feet, but they didn’t even know He was the Savior. He didn’t scold them. He didn’t cry out in anguish. He wanted them to know the One whose clothes they were throwing the dice for would come back to give them another chance.

Think of His arms spread out across the cross. Open arms. Arms that will hold you and show you love when we are in heaven.

Think even deeper about a mother watching her son die. Having Mary watch Him die had to cause Jesus another level of pain—perhaps even worse than any whippings or the nails driven through His hands and feet. He gave her one final look and then He said good-bye, handing her over to John’s care. Think of what Mary went through right at the moment He said, “It is finished.” Her son was dead, and she had to watch Him slowly fade away from her.

One final gesture. One more time of showing us how much He loved us. One last effort to tell us to seek Him so we can be with Him in heaven. After all, He died for us so we wouldn’t have to feel the pain. It is that simple. He went through all the torture, pain, aloneness, fear, for each one of us.

The next time you see a cross around someone’s neck or see one on top of a church, think of what Jesus went through so you can have eternal life. Try to see Him on that cross, with the crown of thorns on his head and the crimson blood flowing down His face. He is looking at you, and wants you to know that it is OK. He wants you to know that He did this for you, so that you will have eternal life. It should give you a much stronger feeling of what the cross stands for.

 

This is love: not that we loved God, but the he loves us and  sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:10

 

Further Adventures

Take time each day to thank God for sending His only Son to die for you on the cross. Start out every prayer time, or devotional time, praising God for what He has done for you. The whole meaning of Christianity started with the cross. Think about how the love Jesus flowed out for you through His blood on the cross.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny how some people wear the cross and never know what it means?

 

The GPS System with God = God’s Prophetic Signs.

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The book “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” just received a five star rating from Reader’s Favorite Books website. Check it out at: http://www.readersfavorite.com/review/5735. You have to go down a little to find it. You can order this book right here on this site for a nice savings.

In the retail stores it is $19.99. But if you order from this site it is only $15.99 plus the shipping is cut in half as well. A total savings of  over $6.00.

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Today I have an actual chapter from the book. We often get lost when we travel and need a GPS to help us find our way. God is also our GPS.

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Chapter 47

 

Need Directions?

 

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

Psalm 37:39

 

Charlotte and I were riding home from the airport with some friends after traveling with them. My friend had aGPS(Global Positioning Satellite) system in his car. Among the hundreds of satellites orbiting the earth (do they have traffic cops up there directing all of these satellites?), at least 24 of them are used just for this purpose.

GPSis the most amazing technology I’ve ever seen. My friend had his set to show every inch we traveled—I mean every inch. You could see the car moving down the I-5 freeway, and it even showed what you might see on either side of the road. It showed a lake coming up on the right, and sure enough there was a lake on the right when we got there. All the way home that device showed me the landscape on either side of the car. I didn’t check to see if it showed where we live, but I’m sure it could have. I definitely felt like “Big brother was watching”!

We also have aGPSsystem with God. It is called God’s Prophetic Signs. Just like we can trust theGPSsystem in our car, we can also trust God to guide us down the right path.

One example of God’s Prophetic Sign—His GPSsystem—is found in Hebrews 9:28: “He [Christ] will appear a second time … to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” It doesn’t say He might appear or that He’s thinking about appearing. It says He will appear—just like that lake appeared along I-5. This is a Prophetic Sign for us to cling to and be waiting for in excitement.

You want some more of God’s Prophetic Signs? Try this one: Numbers 24:6–9: “Like valleys they [the children ofIsrael] spread out … Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted. God brought them out ofEgypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. They devour hostile nations and break their bones in pieces; with their arrows they pierce them. Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse them? May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!”

As I type this,Israelis battlingLebanonbecause the group called Hezbollah kidnapped some of their soldiers. At the same timeIsraelis fighting the Hamas inPalestinebecause they killed some of the Israelite soldiers. There is a full-scale war going on with many people dying each day.Israelbecomes very aggressive when provoked. We were told this clear back in the Old Testament book of Numbers!

Romans15:12says, “And again, Isaiah says, ‘The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.’”

Now let’s go way back to Isaiah and see that, yes it does say in Isaiah 11:10: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse [literally, the Root of Jesse]; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit”—or as another version states it: “will be a banner of salvation to all the world.” The prophecy is about Jesus, who came from the family (root) of Jesse. Certainly Jesus’ life bore fruit, and He became the banner of salvation to all the world.

How’s that for an easyGPSto follow? We will never get lost with such profound words to go by.

Hold on, I’m not done yet. Here are some moreGPSdirections for you from Matthew 24:6–8:

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

Jesus is talking there about what is happening right now—today—in our world. There have been great earthquakes with deadly tsunamis killing thousands in one day. A record amount of hurricanes have pounded our nation, killing many people. There have been wars all over the world—not just between nations, but between political groups within a country. TheMiddle Eastis a battleground every day with conflict inIraq,Afghanistan,Israel,LebanonandPalestine. And there are countries where thousands of people are starving to death each day.

Let’s go back into the Old Testament again and read in Zechariah 12:3, where God says, “I will makeJerusaleman immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.”

As I write this, the whole world is trying to getIsraelto stop bombingLebanon.Israelis not listening. They will not stop until the enemy is destroyed.

Let’s switch gears a little and talk about false prophets and demons. All around us has been a sharp rise in Satan worship, and people who claim to be a messenger from God. Matthew 24:11–12 warned us about this two millennia ago: “And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.”

Sound familiar? Have you read this morning’s paper? Let me just give you some headlines and articles from my paper this morning:

  1. Snipers arrested and charged with two first-degree murders and 13 counts of attempted murder.
  2. A stepfather is charged in the death of a four-year-old boy. The boy had traumatic injuries and had signs of trauma on various parts of his body and head.
  3. Ex-police officer charged with sex abuse.
  4. Angry rioters started fires, broke windows, looted, attacked police and threw rocks. Why? Because a train was late.
  5. A three-year-old boy inTokyo,Japanwas left in an unwanted baby drop box.

I think that is enough to give you the picture. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see that sin is having a free ride right now. These incidents are often met with apathy because we hear these and similar stories every day. The laws so often seem to protect the guilty. Jails are full, so they let criminals free because of lack of space. A large segment of our population has no respect for the law.

People have a tremendous love for money, and we were told that would happen too. In 2 Timothy 3:1–5, it says that among other undesirable traits, people will be lovers of money.

All of the things that are happening in theMiddle Eastand toIsraelspecifically are fulfilling prophecy. God will intervene right at the time He has determined. He still loves His people, and He will not let them suffer more than they can handle. God does that with all of His children.

God has made it perfectly clear how we can become children of god. There are no secret meanings or clues—it’s right there in the open: “Believe in Me and you will be saved.” No further steps are needed.

Take that one step if you haven’t already. You don’t know the day or time that Jesus will come again, but with all of the prophecy that has been fulfilled and is being fulfilled as we speak, things seem to be nearing completion, so I suggest you take that step soon.

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

 

Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that

are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.

By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people.

Romans 16:17–18

 

Further Adventures

I suggest you read Revelation to understand more of the end times. It can be very hard to understand at times. There was a lot I didn’t “get.”

I found one of those “for Dummies” kind of books very helpful. (Yes, a retired teacher still needs education.) It is called: Revelation: God’s Word for Biblically-Inept, by Daymond R. Duck, Copyright 1998 by Starburst, Inc.1

My name could replace the term “biblically-inept” in the series title. Even though I didn’t see my name on the cover, I bought it anyway. It breaks down each chapter and verse of the book of Revelation and puts them into words you and I can understand. It gets very specific about theMiddle East, the Rapture, Armageddon and many other confusing things that will happen in the end times.

I learned a great deal by studying biblical revelation with this book by my side. I highly recommend doing so.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny how people search for meaning of life and what they are on earth for, but they don’t use the one book that tells them everything they need to know?

Jesus is the Light That Knows no Power Failure

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The excerpt today lets us know that we always have a friend no matter what the circumstances may be.

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Chapter 46

 

Jesus Is the Light that Knows No Power Failure

 

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and

by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,

encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

2 Thessalonians 2:16–17

 

Have you heard people say, “I have no one to turn to”? They feel all is lost. What a depressing feeling!

They need to know there is always someone to turn to! God sent us a person who will always listen to us. God loves close encounters with His children. God will listen, and Jesus will listen. Prayer is the way you can talk to them, and God answers prayer. It may not be on the timeline you want, but it is answered.

Your prayer also may be answered in a way that you didn’t expect. God knows what is best for you. He knows every hair on your head. He knows what is bothering you, and He knows what you need. And He will help you make it through whatever crises you may have.

 

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.

Psalm 46:1–2

 

Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust.

Psalm 40:4

 

We always have someone to turn to. We have someone who will always look after us. Jesus is a light that knows no power failure. You know that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb and what a wonderful invention it is. But light bulbs burn out and they have to be replaced.

Jesus does not burn out. He has eternal life. We need to take time each day to thank Him for His protective presence. He is with us wherever we are. In a dark alley. On top of a mountain. Scuba diving in the ocean. In a boat during a storm. When that storm comes in, and everything looks lost, we can find great comfort in knowing that the Lord is always with us.

The disciples thought they were doomed when a huge storm came up while they were out in a boat. (Most of these guys were fishermen and used to storms. So this must have been the “mother of all storms” for them to be so scared.) But Jesus wasn’t worrying much. He was asleep! They woke Him up and begged Him to save their lives. He simply told the sea to calm down, and it obeyed immediately!

Wouldn’t it make sense that if He can calm a sea with only His voice, He can certainly protect us from any harm, including the “storm” we find ourselves in right now. We simply need to turn our worries, fears and anxieties over to Him to enjoy the peace of mind He offers.

 

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Psalm 55:22

 

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Lamentations 3:25–26

 

Further Adventures

Have you been walking in the darkness, running into walls, and not finding your way around? Jesus is the light to show you the way. And when you are a Christian, His light is inside you. He wants you to let His light shine through you. Sort of like the song many of us learned in Sunday school: “This little light of mine, I’m gonna’ let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” Your light could help many people come out of the darkness.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny how we always search for a flashlight in the darkness but the light of Jesus’ love is all we need?