Unstoppable

I have always assumed Jesus was unstoppable. This is evident throughout the Bible. This coming Sunday I am playing around with Luke 13 and our reality of what unstoppable means. Is it T-Mac going in for a dunk?
Opposite of what the world may think, the unstoppable Jesus is the one who would not be stopped to die. His glory was not slamming a ball through a hoop, or becoming Mr./Mrs. President. His glory is shown through the cross in which the sin, death and the devil were defeated. It is amazing to think that this unstoppable Jesus continues to Work through the Holy Spirit. It is this guy who breaks through all our barriers and roadblocks that we put up to stop the benefits of Christ's love to be delivered to us. Unstoppable grace delivered for You...and yet that Grace accomplished at the Cross must still be delivered to you. Often we stop the gift from being delivered to us. Many "greive the Holy Spirit". It is as if some turn the channel micro-seconds before the smashing dunk is delivered.
At times my job would be a lot easier if the gift was not rejectable...
I thank my Lord that His Word worked into my heart the miracle of repentance and the gift of salvation...
The gift which gives us the DNA of our UNSTOPPABLE Lord. And so we play with the Unstoppable.

Under the Weather

I'm Not really "Under the Weather"...but I believe to an extent we all are.
It is interesting that every barbar shop I went to the first words were usually about the weather. "Sure is a hot one today." or " "Close the door...old man winter is tryin' to get in."
Our day to day activities seem to be affected by the weather.
"Should we plan for an outdoors carnival? It might rain."
"Sorry kids, we are not going to Six Flags, it is raining." and the latest one I heard,
"Pastor, you can't come over and visit me. I am snowed in."

Schools out, the pool is open, golf season begins, laid off, catch a cold, overheat, buying an air condition, etc...
It seems as If the weather has a lot to say in anything we do...
I wonder if God works the same way in a person's life?
I think it'd be nice if we had a 5 minute time slot during the evening news for the One who runs all things.

Our Cat Died

Have you ever had a cat die in your washing machine?
I have. Zoe our kitten of about 3 months decided to go for a ride in the Kenmore. It ended in death.
Funny...Yes, but still...hard to believe.

Zero

The score at the beginning of the game
The temperature on the bank sign
The candy bar
Your account Balance
How many friends you have
What your co-workers call you
The time left on the shot clock
The time left in the game...

What Jesus became to make you blessed and holy.

Rain

It is still snowing. But "Rain" was the title of my bible study tonight.

For a few seconds think of one moment you would never want to forget. A moment that might change everything...Like seeing your child be born...or getting married...or hitting the hole in one...or laying in the middle of a field with the warmth of the sun on your face...The first day of school.
Got it? Do you have your moment? OK.

Now it rains. It always seems to rain.
Its like dreaming the greatest dream and getting woke up. You try to go back to sleep and dream it again, but it doesn't work.
Rain. Pounding Rain. Drenched hair rain. Walking like you wet yourself rain.

That's life...isn't it? And it's the rain in our lives that makes us ask questions like. Why God? I thought you loved me. I can't believe in a God who would allow such things to happen.

Tonight's Bible Study we watched a video about a father taking his 1 year old son for a walk around a lake. It started off great. It was "the moment". Then it began to rain. It began to pour. The child began to scream his head off. The child's reality was only the storm. And yet the Father was still there. He was there holding the child whispering in his ear.
"I love you...We will get through this...We are almost there...I love you."

As Christians we often expect to receive blessings like TV preachers talk about. "You will be blessed with earthy wealth as long as you follow the words of scripture."
The reality however, is not blessings that the world considers, but the reality is rain.
The blessing of rain...of storms...of life shattering events...The Cross.
Jesus the cross bearer says,
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23) and again he stresses "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27).

The Christian Life has to do with rain. It has to do with suffering, defeat and weakness - not simply the experience of “glory” as we might like.
Therefore we cling to the Cross - Trusting Christ to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. This is saving Faith.
In ordinary life we still have our problems…yet our crosses are connected to His cross and our resurrections are connected to His Resurrection.

We live life clinging to our loving Father who sent His Son Jesus to endure the storm of sin death and the devil. These are rain showers we do not have to endure for they have been defeated. And the day will come that all rain will cease and we will have "the moment". "The moment" of remembering the rain storm and how our Creator God grasped us close to Him during the storm whispered in our ear.
"I love you...We will get through this...We are almost there...I love you."