He Wept Twice

Borrowed from http://27.media.tumblr.com/

Twice Jesus was mournful.

Twice his emotions were visible.

Jesus was close to Mary, Martha and Lazarus, two sisters and a brother. In the early part of John 11, Lazarus dies. Jesus goes to the sisters to comfort them. He tells Martha He will raise Lazarus.

And then it hits Him. He already is experiencing Martha's sorrow. He saw Mary crying out. He saw others mourning and lamenting. "He was deeply moved". All this sorry agitated him and make him restless.

He wept.

Silently, He stood with tears flowing down His cheeks.

He hurts when His disciples hurt. He understood their pain. He, too, had possibly lost his father and felt their pain, even when He knew He would make things better very soon.

Jesus sees your pain. He knows those emotions. And today, as your heart and soul may be aching, He sobs. He will help you soon, but now He weeps with you.

A few days later, on the other side of the Mount of Olives, Jesus was riding a donkey. He was entering Jerusalem as a victorious king. People began cutting palm branches and waved them (palm branches to a Jew is like the 'Stars and Stripes' to an American). They placed these political symbols in front of His donkey to walk on. They started chanting an anti-Roman political statement, "Hosanna". The word means "God save us," from Psalms 118:25. These people with their 'flags waving' and demands for him to 'save them' was an appeal to Jesus to remove the Romans. Their statements were near treasonous. Luke's account recalls the Pharisees urging Jesus to make the crowd hush.

He rode a little further. He saw Jerusalem, the city.

He wept, again.

But this time He did not sob streams of tears. This time he cried out load. He mourned. He lamented.

Why?

The people had missed their chance. They were chasing a political idea that would lead to their destruction in 37 years. They were not chasing "what makes for peace," Luke 19:42. They chased politics instead of a spiritual leader.

Jesus hurts for people who miss His point. He cried when people try to gain  peace through sexual immorality, education, money, power, prestige, bragging, or envy. The Devil's ways do not bring peace. Sin in your life makes Him cry for you.

NO THING, NO IDEOLOGY, GIVES PEACE.

Jesus' way gives peace.

• "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace." John 16:33
• "Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1
• "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Romans 8:6
• "Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace..." Romans 14:19
• "For God is not the author of confusion but of peace,..." 1 Corinthians 14:33 
• "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace..." Galatians 5:22
• "...endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:3
• "...and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
• "... having made peace through the blood of His cross." Colossians 1:20
• "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,..." Colossians 3:15
• "Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way." 2 Thessalonians3:16
• "Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." James 3:18

If you are not at peace, your must be following the wrong leader. STOP MAKING JESUS CRY!

I Am Blessed!

Above and beyond having a loving, gracious God and His sacrificial Son, I have a host of things to be thankful for. So, I make my list public in hopes that you, the reader, will be able to identify some of your blessings God has given you, too.

I have a loving, talented woman, who just short of 20 years ago, accepted the engagement ring held in the hands of a teddy bear inside a Christmas-wrapped box. She contines to stick with me through difficult days.

I gladly claim all 5 kids (2 mine; 3 hers). They make life full. 

I get to be 'Papa' to five sweet ones. From the youngest pair (twins) to the 6-year-old I get to love them all.

Our basic little house is warm in winter and cool in summer. It meets all our needs.

I am thankful for the computers that open the internet, with its wealth of information and services.

I thank God every time I ride that Honda VTX1300 and the freedom it brings.

I am grateful for a TV large enough to see every detail without squinting, and Dish HD

I am thankful for being allowed to capture families and friends with my Nikon D40. It is not the 'top of the line', but it does all I need. And to capture images of insects in such detail as to remind me of their maker is satisfying.

To have a small piece of countryside where kids can play baseball, hunt Easter eggs, or shoot fireworks is a great blessing.

To watch my 89-year-old mother functioning independently at her own home is amazing. I know how blessed she and my deceased dad have made my life. God has blessed me.

I have former students come up to me to thank me for giving them hard work, and how share how successful they are becoming because of my classroom demands. They continue to bring satisfaction.

To have a 'Droid' that has a keyboard where I type this blog in the middle of the night, is a rich blessing. And to be able to contact most of my friends and contacts by phone, text, and email from a single device is wonderful.

I have a job that helps me pay my bills.

I have plenty of food.

I drive a old truck that is comfortable and yields 27 mpg. It has its dents and imperfections, but I can get from point A to point B just like people driving their fancy $35K vehicle. I am blessed.

And there has been almost 1350 readers from more than 12 countries who have read these simple blogs. Many have complimented me personally in a variety of methods. I am most appreciative for EVERY reader.

Should I mention my clothes? Reasonable health? 

I won't forger my friends and brothers in the Ukraine, Belarus, China, Zambia, South Africa, and many other countries? 

What about sight? Smell? Taste? Touch? Hearing? 

How can I forget all my teachers in grade school, high school, Harding, Henderson, Southern Arkansas, Cossatot? 

What about the members of the Prescott Church of Christ?

Shall I forget the multitude of people in Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri who have listened to sermons and talks over the last 39 years? 

And all my Alpha Omega brothers, who still love to be together, shall not be forgotten.

I am thankful for tears. Many have been like screams to God because I need his help. He heard them and answered.

Have you been reminded of your blessings?

I know this has been good for me. To shed a few tears and wipe my nose while making this list reminds me of the countless ways I have been blessed.

Is it any wonder that when I blow my head on Thursday near that big turkey and mass of 'fixins', that my eyes will be drowning in liquid joy? And all I will be able to say is...

THANK YOU, GOD!

Essential for Being an Authority

A couple of years ago while working on my masters degree I did a 50+ page report on a four-day school week as a way for school districts to save substantial money. I spent weeks pouring over the academic research papers (super-boring), looking at tables, graphs, and other pictorial representations of findings. I even visited with the only superintendent to have successfully attempted a shortened week in Arkansas.

My extensive work gained me an "A+", compliments from my professor, and a suggestion I submit it to several academic journals for publication. If my paper was published I would be classified as an expert on the subject, qualified to travel all over the nation, and a professional speaker on the financial benefits of the shortened school week. I feel I am an authority on this tiny piece of academia.

Let's suppose YOU need to convince members of the local school board on a single method to save them scads of money. You have heard of the savings generated by the shorter school week. You can have only one person come in. Which would you chose? Would you chose me, or would you bring in a likable, experienced, successful, "4-day school week" superintendent? Anyone in their right mind will pick the superintendent. Why? He has authority based on experienced, not the type of authority based on what others have written.

Jesus had 'experiential' authority. He was with the Father in creation. He helped make man. He was with the Father when Moses received the 10 commandments, when Joshua crossed the Jordan, and when the walls fell at Jericho. Was he with the Father when the Jews stopped serving God? Was he involved in sending the Jews away to Babylon? Did he assist Nehemiah in re-constructing Jerusalem's wall? So, with all his dealings with man BEFORE he came to earth, he knows what mankind needs. He has experience!

The authority of the scribes during Jesus time on earth was like my kind of authority. They cited and quoted the works of many great Rabbis. They knew what had been written, and could report to the people what they knew. But they had no first-hand successful experience. It was an ineffective kind of authority. 

Is it any wonder people have always preferred to listen to Jesus?

Standing for ...

The Scene. Saturday, it was very hot under bright sun in Shreveport, Louisiana. Sweat pouring from the 30 PGR members holding American Flags in honor and respect. A green tent covered 15 chairs on green AstroTurf. In front was a two foot tall stand, also covered with AstroTurf. A small granite-looking box (1'x1'x1.5') with shiny brass handles was on the stand. An Air Force Color Guard, holding a folded American flag, stood at parade rest a few feet away. The collared-preacher read from the Bible and a prayer book. He allows a few moments for family or friends to eulogize the Air Force Colonel, whom we will call 'Col. Matt'.

The Speaker. A tall Polynesian man stepped forward. He spoke of the joy in becoming a friend of the cancer-ravaged Col. Matt. They cried over their 'dark' days, and laughed heartily and frequently at their better days.

"A few days ago while I was with Col. Matt, a man I didn't know walked into the Colonel's hospital room, and quietly stood at the foot of the bed. Without speaking, but with tremendous effort, Col. Matt summoned all his strength, enduring intense pain, swung his feet off the bed. I moved to catch him, but he waved me off with his hand and a stern look. With the last ounce of strength he gather himself, braced against his bed, and stood up. Col. Matt said, 'I would not stand for a General or the President of the United States. This is the only man I will stand for. He is my brother.'"

The dark Polynesian choked up, but continued, "No matter how believe in God, stand for something important. Make something worthy of your greatest efforts. Honor it. Stand for it."

I could see most PGR members. I could tell they were struggling with the same lump in their throat that I had.

The Struggle: Somethings are worth 'standing for.'  I want to honor my country by standing when the American flag passes. I want to 'stand up' for quality education. I want to 'stand up' for the young and innocent. I want to 'stand up' for individual efforts toward top quality.

Mostly I want to practice standing up for Jesus. I want to practice standing up for His type of mercy, kindness, compassion, love, etc. I want to 'stand up' in defense of my brothers in Christ. I want to stand up and be counted as one of his faithful disciples. These are some of what I want to do. Therein is my struggle: I must fulfill these 'wants'.

What will you stand for?

Tell us what you will stand for. In the comment box below, write down three (or more)  things, in addition to Jesus, you would stand for. Let's see what is important to the readers of this blog. This could be fun.

And tell your friends about this blog.