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. 

This book reaches out to those who may suffer from anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

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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?

God Promises a Safe Landing, Not a Calm Passage

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“Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” is the featured book n this site. This books reaches out to those who may suffer from anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

This book is on sale right now in the bookstore. Just click on the “bookstore,” tab at the top of this page to check it out.

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This weeks excerpt is called, “God Promises a Safe Landing, Not a Calm Passage.” I talk about all the ailments I have faced and why I feel blessed because of them. We will all face trials and storms. It is how we handle them that counts.

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Chapter 41

 

God Promises a Safe Landing,

Not a Calm Passage

 

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:25–26

 

This earth is a wonderful place to be. God has provided breath-taking beauty and the opportunity to live an abundant life.

I often look in wonder when I see theCascade Mountainsfrom my home inOregon.Mt.Hood,Mt.Jeffersonand the Three Sisters, all still covered with snow, are all in view on clear days. Every time I see them, I think of the awesome power of God, and yet I also see His fine-tuning of our earth for us to enjoy.

He wants us to love our earth and to enjoy our days, but He does not promise us a rose garden. Sometimes we have to face trials and afflictions that put us on the edge of questioning God’s love.

Suffering and pain are everywhere is this world. Why would a loving God allow this? Are we doing something wrong? Are we being punished for some sin we’ve committed? After all, He allowed millions of His own chosen people to be put through torture and death during Hitler’s time. Why would He allow all that to happen?

Pain is no stranger to me. I have faced numerous times when pain and suffering tried to control my life. Let me briefly explain some of the pain God has allowed me to have:

 

  1. A double ruptured hamstring with internal bleeding causing pain down my entire left leg.
  2. Double mumps as a child so bad that at one point I could hardly breathe.
  3. Apnea, so I sleep with a mask that helps me sleep more deeply.
  4. An ulcer that kept me on baby food for a month.
  5. Pneumonia that had me down for long time.
  6. Both ankles badly sprained, severely damaging tendons.
  7. Hearing loss that requires hearing aids in both ears.
  8. Throat constriction so severe that I wear a medical alert bracelet to warn doctors about putting tubes down my throat.
  9. Neck surgery to relieve severe and constant pain in my right arm.
  10. Quadruple cardiac bypass surgery.
  11.  Gall bladder surgery, prompted by severe abdominal pain.
  12.  Back surgery because my spine had narrowed (stenosis) so badly that I had numbness down both legs, including my feet.
  13.  Achilles tendon surgery.
  14.  Skin cancer surgery.
  15.  Most recently the embedding of a pacemaker to keep my heart beating properly.
  16.  Four other minor surgeries.

Nineteen incisions—and counting. (Of course, that doesn’t include the unseen scars from my bouts of depression.) The bright side is that there aren’t too many places left to cut for surgery. (OK! I know there are many more places, but I am trying to trick the doctors who may read this.)

Pain comes knocking at my door, lets itself in and stays—sort of like relatives who say they’re just popping in for the weekend and end up staying for more than a month.

People have asked me how I have managed to stay positive during all the times of discomfort.

What they didn’t realize is that not all days have been positive. I have dealt with depression and my own doubt that God loved me during these times. I am like any other person on this earth. I understand the anxiety and depression that can set in during times of pain.

Even Paul had some hard times with trials. He talks about a “thorn in the flesh.” Perhaps it was some kind of physical ailment.

 

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:8–9

 

I have prayed many times for all the pain to go away, but I sense God saying, “Lean on Me and you will survive.”

Another version of the Bible words the above passage, “My power works best in your weakness.” God uses those who are afflicted to help others who are in similar situations. We can relate to their pain and suffering if we have gone through it. And because of that, they will listen. Another person may try to help, but they do not know the pain. They do not know how depressed a person gets during a time like this.

I can truthfully say to them, “I’ve been there and done that.” What a blessing that is. They’re more willing to talk freely and share their deepest feelings, and I can help them by sharing what God has done for me during similar times.

Once I tried to help a friend who was working through issues I had never faced—nothing even close. His response was that I had no idea what he was going through and to back off. He was right. All I can really do for him is continue to pray for him and be there when he wants to talk. And keep my big mouth shut until then.

The all-time winner for having pain—both physical and mental—has to be Job. He had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, 500 donkeys and many servants to take care of them. In one day:

  1. all of his oxen and donkeys were stolen and all but one of his servants caring for the animals were killed
  2. his sheep and all but one of the servants herding them were destroyed by fire
  3. all his camels were stolen and all but one of the servants tending them were killed by the marauders

“Enough,” we would say. But then a messenger came to tell him that all ten of his children had died when the house they were in collapsed in a windstorm.

Most of us would be yelling at God and wondering why He allowed all of this to happen. But in all of what had happened to Job “did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” (Job1:22).

This infuriated Satan, so he asked God for permission to test Job further by afflicting him physically with “painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head” (Job 2:7). The litany of my pain that I shared in this chapter doesn’t begin to compare to what Job went through.

            Even though his wife suggested he simply curse God and die, Job responded with a question: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job2: 10).

Job went through some depressing times, and even questioned God as most of us would do under similar circumstances. But in the end he never turned away from God. Because of this God gave him back much more than he had before, including children.

The key to all of this is what Job said: “Shall we receive only pleasant things from the hand of God, and never anything unpleasant?”

God is powerful. He could destroy everything in an instant. We expect Him to always protect us from harm and hardships. In the case of Job, God allowed him to be tested, and Job became even stronger in the end.

God allows us to be tested. We should look at pain, suffering and hardships as God’s way to make us stronger, like Job. Through trials, we learn to rely more on God. We sometimes move Him out of our thinking process when everything is going smoothly. So He may use pain to get our attention back on Him.

Many of those who survived concentration camps have said their faith in God became even stronger while they were going through the torture. They had only God to cling to. That was the only way they had been able to stay strong from day to day.

 

Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:5

 

“Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.”

– M. Kathleen Casey

 

Further Adventures

Praise God under the worst situation you are going through, and He will bless you far more than you could ever imagine. Try it and see how He puts His arms around you and holds you through the storm.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny how God is always there no matter what you’re going through?