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Gleanings From The Word

Tag: Christian living

  • Time is slipping by

    Make the most of it

    Time seems to be flying. It’s already nearing the end of August, and the schools will be starting up in a few weeks. The robins and other birds are beginning to flock up in preparation for their migration south. 

    The fruit trees are heavily laden, and you can see windfall apples wherever there are apple trees. The yellow jackets are getting more aggressive and swarm around anything resembling food, making barbeques and picnics a bit more challenging. We are starting to see the early turning leaves on some trees.

    School supplies are back in stores now. The giant Halloween store that pops up yearly in a vacant spot has already opened. Good luck if you need to replace a piece of summer clothing. Heavy jackets, anyone?

    Time passes. It is a simple fact of this life. Sometimes, it seems to race by, and other times, it creeps ever so slowly, but the clock just keeps ticking. I saw a photo of a child I saw recently as a newborn; she’s a teenager! How is that even possible?

    Time is a priceless commodity, which means that over the years, I have squandered great wealth by unwise use of it.

    We are given very few days to live this life, and none know how many except the Lord (and He isn’t telling).

    Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. James 4:13-14 ESV

    Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man! What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Psalm 89:47-48 ESV

    All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV

    God has given us days to work and days to rest. He gives us seasons of great energy in our youth and seasons of less ability in our more senior years.

    The Lord has given us two incredible gifts. He has given us life itself and the opportunity to glorify God in that life.

    Make the most of it.

    Kevin

    Right belief or right living?

    You matter at your local church

    The Standoff – who wins?

    Jesus tells us to count the cost

    Times change but God doesn’t

    SUMMARY

    Watching the seasons turn reminded me how fast our days actually go, and how easy it is to waste time we can’t get back. Life is short and none of us know how many days we have — so let’s not waste the ones we’ve been given.

    TAKEAWAY

    The turning season — birds flocking, fading summer clothes, early leaves — is a vivid picture of how fast time moves

    Scripture (James 4:13-14, Psalm 89:47-48, 1 Peter 1:24-25) describes our life as a mist and grass that withers, while God’s word alone endures forever

    God has given us two gifts — life itself and the opportunity to glorify Him in it — so the call is to steward the days we’re given

  • Seven Sayings of Christ on the Cross

    Part 1 of a devotional series

    Crucifixion by Rembrant - classic Chrsitian art

    Today’s classic Christian art piece is Rembrandt’s depiction of the crucifixion. Today, we begin looking at the so-called “Seven Sayings on the Cross,” or, as it is sometimes called, the “Seven Words of Jesus on the Cross.”

    Seven words, or sayings, were recorded as being said by Jesus while on the cross. Each of them is profound, although we typically skip over them. They have occupied the minds of many theologians and pastors, and numerous books have been written on them.

    There have been more deaths than could be counted since the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, but there has only been one like this. Jesus’ death is unique. Hundreds of thousands (or more) of people died by crucifixion, but Jesus’ death stands alone. Untold people have been innocent of the crimes they were killed for, but only Jesus was sinless and totally innocent.

    Mankind and the powers of darkness did their worst to keep the light from shining because they love the dark. The very act they used for the vilest of purposes was orchestrated by God to work the opposite. They chose to silence Jesus. His death glorifies God and proclaims the saving truth of the gospel for all who seek the light.

    In their mocking, Jew and Gentile alike called him “King of the Jews,” all the while missing that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was in their presence.

    Jesus was raised from the dead, but the Scriptures also record that truth for others. The difference is that Jesus did not stay dead.

    Indeed, humankind’s wisdom and ways are not God’s wisdom and ways. A peasant boy, born in a subjugated country not much more than a tiny Roman colony, was killed horrifically… not the way the world would script the origins of the Savior of the world.

    Every word spoken by Jesus, as recorded by the gospel writers, is packed full of meaning. A mere handful of phrases spoken in a time of unbelievable agony, with each and every word spoken for a purpose and with power.

    Jesus had the power to lay down His life or pick it up; the full power of the Godhead was available to Him. He could have spoken nonstop or not spoken at all. The fact that He is sovereign over all things, including his pain-filled utterances, should cause us to pay close attention to the words He chose to speak. 

    Church history has typically named the sayings (albeit with some variance) as follows…

    The Word of Forgiveness 

    And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Luke 23:34a ESV

    The Word of Salvation 

    … he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43 ESV

    The Word of Affection

    … standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” John 19:25-26 ESV

    The Word of Anguish  

    And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46 ESV

    The Word of Suffering

    After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” John 19:28 ESV

    The Word of Victory 

    When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.  John 19:30 ESV

    The Word of Contentment

    Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:46 ESV

    These sayings are a few short sentences, not many words at all, even less in the original Greek manuscripts. Still, they are profound and worth meditating on. Each one tells us something about the very heart of God.

    Tomorrow, we will begin with the words of forgiveness.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    We are walking through the setting for the Seven Sayings, seven brief but weighty statements Jesus spoke from the cross. Though only a handful of words, each one reveals something of the heart of God and deserves our full attention.

    TAKEAWAY

    Jesus’ death is utterly unique in history, He was the only truly innocent, sinless man to die this way

    What men and the powers of darkness meant for evil, God orchestrated for good, using the cross to glorify Himself and reveal the gospel

    Jesus was sovereign over His own suffering, so the words He chose to speak while dying carry deliberate weight and purpose

    YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

    The Seven Sayings – Introduction

    The gospel – The best news ever

    God revealed – why no one has a valid excuse