A Short Commentary                                                                           04-04-2014

The days leading up to Passover are special for me. The symbolism and foreshadowing of Jesus in this festival blow my mind. It's also a time of reflection for me. I meditate about the cross and the sacrifice that was made for me during this time, and it always seems to have a cleansing effect on my insides; to draw me a little closer to my Savior. That being said,allow me to give you my take on things this week.

Romans 6:5-6 (NASB) ⁵  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
⁶  knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

I spent the wee hours of my off days this week watching some documentaries. Not a lot on T.V. during 1 and 4 A.M. So, I picked a couple that looked interesting to me(maybe not to you though) about the ills that face us in America. Although, they were presented from a worldview that differs from mine somewhat, they had a semblance of objectivity and more importantly to me, sincerity. The producers came across as actually believing what they were saying. Whether they did or not....who knows, but it was good enough for me to keep on watching. They dealt with a wide range of issues, ethical ambiguity in politics, economic inequality, so forth and so on. On the whole, I enjoyed watching both presentations. However, it was what was at the end of both shows that got me to thinking. Both docs put forward a solution for all the ills that are making us sick as a nation. A remedy if you will. As you can imagine, religion and certainly Jesus were not in the mix. What the solutions consisted of aren't important and would take up far too much space and time. Suffice it to say that they were man centered in their essence. All of that led me to look up the above verses. You see that old cliche is true. The world actually is changed one person at a time. The only thing that I can change is ME!

The problem with that change is that it is painful. Look closely at verse 6. It has to do with our old self. Our sin nature. It's in all of us you know. It is provoking to see how God views that nature and His fix for it. He doesn't try to educate it. He doesn't try to analyze it. He makes no allowances for the inequalities it produces. He doesn't try to provide for it or medicate it back to health. Nope. He understands it for what it is and He CRUCIFIES it. You see brothers and sisters, the world and it's wisdom spends trillions of dollars attempting to make things right on the outside; apparently not realizing that it is what is on the INSIDE that needs fixing. And that is the problem isn't it? Why you ask. Because it means that we must embrace the notion that there is a God in heaven; and, in order to please Him we must do things His way. We must yield ourselves to Him and allow Him to guide our lives. The Apsotle Paul put it this way.

1 Corinthians 15:31 (NASB) ³¹  I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
You see Paul speaks about yielding to God on a daily basis. To acknowledge His way of doing things and do them. Perhaps baby steps at first but much more as I keep walking. 

 Galatians 2:20 (NASB) ²⁰  "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Listen, if I want to affect THE world, I start in MY world, and my world starts with ME. During this upcoming season of sacrifice, get alone with God and let Him talk to you. Let Him deal with your "issues." Remember we can't save the world until God saves us. Amen

 Hebrews 12:11 (NASB) ¹¹  All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.



I'll close with a quick story. I will never forget as an 8th grade BBall player the wind sprints that Coach Paye would put us through. If you've ever seen the movie"Miracle", about the 1980 Olympic Hockey team and the sprints they endured, then you have an idea of what I am talking about. We would line up at the of bounds line and he would roll the ball down the court. If anyone could beat the ball then they could hit the showers. Of course, no one ever beat the ball until coach allowed them to beat the ball. I can remember after what seemed an eternity, doubled over,literally sucking air into my lungs those words"beat the ball." And one more time I would run down that court barely able to move my lead filled legs, whispering unmentionables about Coach Paye. Whispering because I didn't have the strength to yell out loud. I mean it was torture. Not just one day, but, everyday we endured this. But, when the season started we could run with anybody and I mean anybody. All the discipline and training yielded a reward. It was worth it in the end. It's all worth it folks.

Psalm 79:13 (NASB) ¹³  So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture Will give thanks to You forever; To all generations we will tell of Your praise.

God Bless