Is it Finished?

When Jesus proclaimed "it is finished" from the cross, he meant His great work was done. He knew He would be resurrected and thus, offer us a new life.

But for us it is not finished; it is the beginning: it's only begun. what does His resurrection mean for us? Does it mean after Easter is done and dusted; we go back to who we were? What does Easter personally mean to each one of us? 

The resurrection signifies a new creation and offers us the possibility of living a new life in Christ. Just as Jesus was raised to new life, we too are called to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). This empowers us to overcome sin, live righteously, and follow Jesus' example of love and service. It means we walk away from our old ways and change our ways to His way. If we truly believe in the resurrection of Christ, we will resurrect Him in our own lives, cleaning it out to make a home for Him.

Becoming more like Christ is a lifelong journey of transformation that involves intentionally aligning our thoughts, actions, and attitudes with His example and teachings and reliance on God's grace.

Such a Change is empowered by the Holy Spirit and therefore, the visible effects of such change is seen as fruits of the Spirit, a collection of nine positive attributes that are evidence of the Holy Spirit's presence in a believer's life. These are - love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23.), in short, a spirit filled life.

Let's explore each of these fruits. 

Love (Agape): This is more than just affection; it's a selfless, unconditional love that seeks the best for others, mirroring God's love for us. It's an active choice to prioritize others. Loving others not to show but in action. Not in intention but in actual delivery.

Joy: This is a deep-seated gladness and contentment that isn't dependent on external circumstances. It's rooted in our relationship with God and the hope we have in Him. Finding hope in God is often deeply personal, shaped by faith, experiences, and reflections.

Peace: This refers to an inner tranquility and a sense of wholeness, even amidst difficulties. It also extends to harmonious relationships with others. Your inner peace will determine outward behavior. 

Forbearance (Patience): This is the ability to remain calm and long-suffering in the face of delays, frustrations, or difficult people. It involves a willingness to endure without getting angry or upset.

Kindness: This is the quality of being gentle, helpful, and considerate towards others. It involves showing compassion and acting with goodwill.

Goodness: This is moral excellence and uprightness. It's a desire to do what is right and honorable in all situations. What we do when no one is looking, is what counts, because God is and God knows. Integrity in personal life, our work and profession. A failure point for many, and one which we need to be very wary of because it can become second nature, being justified as being "street smart". 

Faithfulness: This implies loyalty, trustworthiness, and dependability. It means being reliable in our commitments to God and to others. Again, a major failure point for many, as keeping a commitment made to someone tends to take a back seat when we need to choose between ourselves, our comfort and our convenience. 

Gentleness (Meekness): This is a disposition of humility and mildness. It's not weakness, but rather strength under control, showing consideration for others.

Self-control: This is the ability to manage one's desires and impulses. It involves discipline over our thoughts, words, and actions. Self-Control and discipline is key in our endeavor to change. 

Thus, Easter is not just a historical event we commemorate; it is a living reality that transforms our lives, offering forgiveness, hope, purpose, and the power to live in the light of Christ's victory. It is a chance for us to also start a new life with and through Christ. A new beginning. 

7 Words: 10 Questions

Tomorrow is Good Friday and like all Good Friday’s most churches will call upon their elders to talk about the seven words Jesus spoke from the Cross. But to us, those Seven words raise serious questions about the whole Christian experience and life. Today we will briefly, try and understand what those seven words mean to our lives in practical application, so that when we hear our elders speak tomorrow, we have a perspective relating to our own lives.

1. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

Message: Jesus begins His final moments with a prayer of forgiveness for those who crucified Him. Despite the physical agony and emotional betrayal, He intercedes for humanity, demonstrating His boundless mercy. This prayer reflects the heart of His mission—to bring reconciliation between God and mankind.

Application: Forgiveness is not easy, especially when we are wronged. Yet, Jesus calls us to forgive, even when it feels undeserved. Are we willing to let go of bitterness and extend grace to others?

2. "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)

Message: Jesus offers hope and salvation to the repentant thief, showing that redemption is available to all who turn to Him in faith. This statement underscores the inclusivity of God's grace—no one is beyond His reach.

Application: No matter our past mistakes, we can approach Jesus with a repentant heart and receive His promise of eternal life. Are we ready to trust Him with our future?

3. "Woman, here is your son... Here is your mother." (John 19:26-27)

Message: Even in His suffering, Jesus cares for His mother, ensuring she is cared for by the disciple John. This act of compassion highlights the importance of family and community.

Application: How can we show love and care for those around us, especially in times of hardship? Are we attentive to the needs of our loved ones, even in hardship?

4. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)

Message: Jesus cries out in anguish, quoting Psalm 22. This moment reveals the depth of His suffering as He bears the weight of humanity's sin. It also fulfils prophecy, showing that even in despair, God's plan is unfolding.

Application: In moments of pain and doubt, we can cry out to God, knowing He understands our struggles. Are we willing to trust Him, even when we feel abandoned?

5. "I am thirsty." (John 19:28)

Message: Jesus expresses His physical thirst, fulfilling Scripture and revealing His humanity. This statement reminds us that He fully experienced human suffering. When the soldiers offered Him sour wine on a sponge, lifted on a hyssop branch, that act connects to the Passover, where hyssop was used to apply the blood of the lamb. Jesus, the Lamb of God, sheds His blood to save us from sin. 

Application: Are we attentive to the needs of others, both physical and spiritual? How can we serve those who are in need? Do we thirst for God and His righteousness?

6. "It is finished." (John 19:30)

Message: Jesus declares the completion of His mission to redeem humanity. The debt of sin is paid in full, and the path to salvation is opened. This is a triumphant moment, marking the victory of God's plan.

Application: We can live in the freedom and victory of Christ's finished work. Are we embracing the grace and redemption He offers?

7. "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46)

Message: Jesus surrenders His life to the Father, demonstrating trust and obedience. This final statement reflects His unwavering faith and the fulfillment of His earthly mission.

Application: Are we willing to entrust our lives to God, even in the face of uncertainty? How can we live with faith and surrender to His will?

The seven words of Jesus from the cross are a testament to His love, sacrifice, and victory. They call us to forgiveness, faith, compassion, and trust. Tomorrow as we reflect on these words, may they inspire us to live lives that honor His sacrifice and share His love with the world.

Seed By the Wayside

                                                     

Matthew 13:19 "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side".

In the days of old, there was no Bible, no word of God written somewhere. So when God needed to communicate he did so through prophets. They had a calling, were receptive to God's communication through dreams and signs, were blessed with wisdom and knew human nature of those times.

Today, we find all these qualities in Gods word, and hence, just as it was critical to listen to what the prophets said then, it is critical for us to read and understand Gods word now - to gain His wisdom, knowledge and His instruction for our lives.

To do this we need to go beyond just reading the word. We need to read, understand and apply it to our lives.

To read His word is simple - we just need to find and consecrate quiet, unadulterated time to it.

Understanding His word needs some work. In the quoted chapter Jesus Himself asks that question - "have you understood all these things"? That is the importance to be attached to His word. We need to research the background, sometimes check translations, understand the context and references and so on. (For example we may have read Psalms 35 and 91 many times but have to stopped to find out what is a "buckler" and thus how can you ever understand the impact when it says His truth and His helps is like a "shield and buckler"?)

All of this is possible only by dedicating time, patience and is hard work, but above all we need to ask for the wisdom and guidance to understand it from the Holy Spirit. Thus, it may be a good idea to pray for such opening of the eyes and mind by the Holy Spirit before we read.

And then comes the application to our lives. If we have read it and understood it, we will be able to identify, without rationalization or justification, the impact of what we do and ask forgiveness, specifically for those acts of commission or omission we may not even be conscious of, correct them and practice the new way according to His word, so that it gets sowed deep in our hearts and minds.

In the quoted verse, and in the parable, Jesus is talking about exactly this: hearing or reading the word of God and not understanding it can open us up to deceit by Satan. He can misrepresent it (through adulterated doctrine) or minimize the impact of what we have read, through faulty understanding or biases, so that it becomes useless, making us completely vulnerable.

So, if we are in the habit of performing a tick in the box by perfunctory reading, albeit it maybe a daily discipline, understand that it opens us to spiritual danger and becomes a useless exercise. A time wasted. A life without purpose. A shallow understanding. It's better not to read it at all.

So let us not receive "the seed" (Gods word) by "the Wayside" , as a superficial reception, but give His word the honor, understanding, time and Devotion it deserves and demands and ask for the Holy Spirit for give wisdom to understand the word.

Life Changing Reality

A life-changing reality is a profound shift in one's understanding of themselves, the world, or both, leading to a significant alteration in their values, beliefs, and ultimately, their life path. It's not merely a new piece of information, but an experience, insight, or realization that fundamentally alters one's perspective. It is the tipping point, after which one experience triggers change in thought, action and priorities.

John 9:25 states: “He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”

This verse reflects the testimony of a man who was healed by Jesus, emphasizing the transformative power of faith and healing. The context of this verse highlights the man's acknowledgment of his previous blindness and newfound sight, symbolizing spiritual awakening and understanding.

The blind man in this story went through such a change when he experienced a life changing reality: Jesus. And he could not deny Him because he could not deny his own miraculous healing.

Another life changing moment and reality is written about in John 8, 1-11. What would that woman have felt when she saw Jesus at work? While the then law stated that both - the man and woman caught in adultery were to be stoned, here she alone was being made a scapegoat in the politics of the Pharisees.    Jesus was and is life changing. 

But the ultimate life changing reality is the resurrection of Jesus because it empowers us to change and transform into a new life.  It changed the world and changed us.

Can you think of one life changing reality that you experienced?

One reader of this blog wrote - 

"For me it was experiencing the time of Covid. It made me realize that God's protection and provision surrounded me, not just in Covid times, but, thinking back, it was present at each moment and each stage of my life. That reality and it's realization changed me forever".

In this Holy Week, review your situations in life: were any of them life changing? Will, or did, the crucifixion of Christ alter anything? Will the Risen Christ change anything? 

Or, come Monday, it will be "Business as Usual"? 

Sunday Quotes

 

Every time we deny ourselves in order to serve someone else, we grow in Christ." ~ David Jeremiah

"Faith is not limited to affirming the existence of God. No, faith tells us that God loves us and demands a loving response. This response is given through love for human beings, and that is what we mean by a commitment to God and to our neighbor." ~ Gustavo Gutiérrez

"Even the best of Christians are troubled by the question, "Why does an almighty God send, or at least allow, suffering?" When you are nagged by thoughts like this, say to yourself, "I am still in elementary school. When I graduate from the university of Christian life, I will understand His ways better and doubts will cease." ~ Richard Wurmbrand

"It is my desire, in the office of a Christian minister, to do nothing which I cannot do with my whole heart. Having said this, I have said all." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents." ~ George Orwell

"As Christians, I challenge you. Have a great aim - have a high standard - make Jesus your ideal...make Him an ideal not merely to be admired but also to be followed." ~ Eric Liddell

"To be a Christian is to be a theologian-a student of God and his will. The contemporary disdain for theological content and emphasis on self-image and emotions were not shared by the apostolic church." ~ R. C. Sproul

"We are not alone.  Even now there are thousands of beings in heaven watching what is going on down here—a ‘great cloud of witnesses,’ the Scripture says.  It reminds me that there is so much more to our existence than what we can see.  What we do reverberates through the heavens and into eternity." ~ Francis Chan

"In the poor and outcast we see Christ’s face; by loving and helping the poor, we love and serve Christ." ~ Pope Francis

"Many Christians and Christian leaders have been neutralized by the love of money and materialism. The homage paid to affluence becomes a burden that saps our energy as well as our love for God and other people...Like Jesus and Paul, we can learn to be content with what we have, living modestly in order that we may give liberally to the work of the kingdom and to meet the needs of others." ~ John Wimber

"You cannot acquire the gift of peace if by your anger you destroy the peace of the Lord." ~ Pope Gregory I

"There is a danger in the word someday when what it means is “not this day.”...The scriptures make the danger of delay clear. It is that we may discover that we have run out of time. The God who gives us each day as a treasure will require an accounting. We will weep, and He will weep, if we have intended to repent and to serve Him in tomorrows which never came or have dreamt of yesterdays where the opportunity to act was past. This day is a precious gift of God. The thought “Someday I will” can be a thief of the opportunities of time and the blessings of eternity." ~ Henry B. Eyring

"God gave me emotions so I could experience life, not destroy it" ~ Lysa TerKeurst

"There is no such thing as low-cost Christianity. Following Jesus means swimming against the tide, renouncing evil and selfishness" ~ Pope Francis

"Faith is reacting positively to a negative situation." ~ Robert H. Schuller

"To be a Christian, you can’t go with the flow. You have to go by the Word of God." ~ Jim Cymbala

"God hates the LUKEWARM GOSPEL OF HALF-TRUTHS that is now spreading over the Globe. This gospel says, 'Just believe in Jesus and you'll be Saved. There's nothing more to it.' It ignores the Whole Counsel of God, which speaks of Repenting from former Sins, of Taking up your Cross, of being conformed to the Image of Christ by the refining work of the Holy Spirit. It is totally silent about the Reality of Hell and an After-Death Judgment." ~ David Wilkerson