Everything that Matters was Nailed to the Cross - Even You.

I was reading a book about how our salvation worked through Jesus' death on the cross. The author said it is mysterious and we won't understand it in this life.

I was telling my husband about this and he said, "I don't see why people don't get it. Jesus died on the cross and the law died on the cross. We are saved because he kept the law, was equal to the law (since he made it) and we can't keep the law so he did it for us."

I was a bit stunned because number one, I'm not a Bible scholar, and number two I had never thought about the law being nailed to the cross. I had heard from my church that it was only the ceremonial law that was nailed to the cross, but my husband showed me that was wrong. All law was nailed to the cross.

So, I was thinking about the 10 Commandments being nailed to the cross and Jesus too and then I remembered what Jesus said about taking up our own cross and following him.

"Then he (Jesus) said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  Luke 9:33

I started studying and I saw that it isn't our own separate cross we take up; we were nailed to Jesus' cross along with him.

 "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20

"But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin."  1John 1:7

Imagine being nailed to the cross with Jesus. His blood would pour out on us.

So, now the 10 Commandments are on the cross, Jesus is on the cross and we are on the cross.

Is anyone else on the cross?  Yes! God the Father and the Holy Spirit were on the cross because they are one. The Father is in Jesus and they are both in the Holy Spirit and they were on the cross there suffering with Jesus in their hearts and minds.

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:19

I read that the law was like a contract signed to buy a house. But you don't have good credit so you get a co-signer. Maybe your parents. Then you decide you can't keep the house. It is too much money, it is too hard to pay and you walk away. The house must be paid for. No getting the bank to forgive that loan, so the co-signer must pay. 

Someone had to pay for the laws of the universe being broken and this is where the hard part comes in, understanding why.  All I know is that the co-signer has the money. You don't; he does. And he is glad to pay it for you! It is a sacrifice for him but he loves you. You can even live in the house- he gives it to you free of charge.

Okay, so this is what I've been thinking about for two days and I'm not sure why, but I love the image of the cross with the broken Commandments, Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit and me hanging there all together with the blood of Jesus covering everything.

When you think about it, everything that really matters in the universe is hanging on the cross.

A Letter.

Heather with her niece.

Awhile ago, I posted something about not getting enough sleep and waking up startled. I don't know if anyone has been praying for me, but ever since that post I have been sleeping deeply and feeling good when I wake up. So, thank you and thank God.

My sister has a girlfriend who has been diagnosed with incurable cancer. Her name is Heather and we all love her as part of our family. Heather is a believer in God, but she was overcome with so many feelings when the doctors gave her this news. A few days ago, I received a letter from her and she told me I could share it here.

"So, I've come to the conclusion that satan is attacking me. He is killing me with cancer. I have told him to do his best. It doesn't matter what he does with this body, he will never get my soul. He is trying to get me to turn from God. He's trying to get me to to get angry and question God. He is trying to get me to turn from God. It isn't going to happen. I say let him do his worse. If I die, then I will be with God and my family who has died before me. My mom had 2 girls who died before I was born, so I will get to meet my sisters. I will get to see my great granny, my aunt Nell and my aunt Betty Jean again. Those 3 women were 3 women I loved more then anything. My cousin had an 11 month old son, Connor, who died. I helped raise him. I will get to see him again. That has made me pretty excited actually. If I don't die, then God has won the battle because satan has lost his grip. Either way I win. What do you think about that?"

Love you,
Heather

I told her I think God and the angels are rejoicing. It is a wonderful thing for a person to accept God's will in their lives and to keep on loving him no matter what happens. This is the path to peace and happiness. This is what Job, Joseph and Daniel did.

We are praying for healing, and God may heal her, we are waiting to see. Meanwhile, we are all trusting God to be with us.

Are You A Fanatical Christian?

Wingchi Poon

Fanatical: filled with excessive and single-minded zeal. Extreme, radical.

If your family or others have ever told you you are a religious fanatic and taking it too far, you are in good company. That is what they said about Jesus. In fact, they said worse things than that. They said he was either insane or demon possessed.

When you think of this, it is amazing that when people saw God on earth they thought he might be insane or the devil himself. 

Jesus said many times, "He who has ears to hear; let him hear."  In other words, not all people can hear the voice of God and respond positively to it. But there are some who have the ears to hear correctly. We should pray for God to open our ears, eyes and heart to understand his words.

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by ! By Satan, prince of demons he is driving out demons.”    Mark 3:20-22

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”    Mark 3:31,32

So, Jesus was in a house and it was full of people. It was so crowded that there was no time or room to stop for lunch and dinner. Many were there who begged to be healed; many just wanted to listen to his words; many were there to find something against him.

Someone must have told his mother and brothers what Jesus was doing. How he was breaking the Sabbath and preaching new and radical ideas. Perhaps they were told the rulers of the church were already plotting to kill him. They became upset and worried, so they all went to that city and house to force Jesus to come home. He would be safe at home. They could hide him away in the house if he had gone crazy.  Mary must have felt afraid for Jesus.

As far as we know, Jesus refused to see his family, he said his true family was his disciples and followers. “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Surrounded by God.

Jerusalem Valley

Photo by:  http://shankbone.org/

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.

Psalm 125:2

I love the image of God surrounding me. It makes me feel protected and loved. One of my favorite verses is the one just below, Psalm 3:3, because he not only surrounds me but when my head is bowed in sorrow or defeat. he lifts it up! 

But you, Lord, are a shield around me,

my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

I call out to the Lord,

and he answers me from his holy mountain.

Psalm 3:3,4

You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7

Many are the woes of the wicked,

but the Lord’s unfailing love

surrounds the one who trusts in him.

Psalm 32:10

Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Psalm 5:12

For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

Psalm 34:7

Surrounded by God.

Jerusalem Valley

Photo by:  http://shankbone.org/

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.

Psalm 125:2

I love the image of God surrounding me. It makes me feel protected and loved. One of my favorite verses is the one just below, Psalm 3:3, because he not only surrounds me but when my head is bowed in sorrow or defeat. he lifts it up! 

But you, Lord, are a shield around me,

my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

I call out to the Lord,

and he answers me from his holy mountain.

Psalm 3:3,4

You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7

Many are the woes of the wicked,

but the Lord’s unfailing love

surrounds the one who trusts in him.

Psalm 32:10

Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Psalm 5:12

For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

Psalm 34:7

Nightmares.

Every night, for the past year or so, I wake up startled as soon as I fall asleep. I wake up fully alert and hungry. I'm trying not to eat late at night, but tonight I cooked myself eggs and cheese in the hope protein won't pack on the pounds.

I think I know why this happens. All my life I have had nightmares; now, I guess my brain is telling me, "Don't go to sleep. You will have horrible dreams." Thank you, brain. Thanks a lot; you are only making me feel worse. I long for sleep.

The dreams used to be about my father. Dreams like a horror story. Waking up screaming, shaking and terrified. Dreams of a sexual nature. Dreams of him driving me in a bus and looking like a maniac. After therapy, I finally dreamed I was driving the bus and not him. That made me feel good.

The latest dreams are about a woman who is choking a baby or child to keep it quiet. Very upsetting. Sometimes the woman is me, as it was last night. I told my husband there was something around the baby's neck while I was trying to give it a bottle. I couldn't see what it was that was choking her. Sometimes the woman is someone else. I know the dreams mean for me to keep quiet. Don't tell anyone.

The little girl inside me says, "No one loves you." The teenager inside me says, "No one loves you." But the adult now says, "God loves me, my husband loves me, my children love me, my grandchildren love me and my mother, who is still alive at 89, loves me. But the adult has a hard time controlling the young ones. They don't listen to me. They don't believe me.

Why am I writing about this? I don't know. I probably want pity. Maybe though, I think it might be that I can't tell many people about this; it would just upset them. My family doesn't read my blog, so I can say anything here and get it off my chest. Yes, I tell my husband my dreams, but it doesn't seem enough. I want someone to understand what I go through every single day of my life. How I have to fight to want to even live in this world.

God has given me the will to fight. I quote scripture when I feel bad and I am immediately helped. I can then go through the day with some joy. Sometimes lots of joy, praise God. If I didn't have God, I'd have nothing. He, "gives me songs in the night." He gives me hope. He is, "the God of all hope." He gives me strength, "God is the strength of my life."

Father of all Good.

Photo by: NASA

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."  James 1:17

This verse is saying that every good thing we see happening in the world is from God. When we see people helping others - that is from God. When we see healing, whether from a scraped knee or cancer - that is from God. When we see an animal save a human - that is from God. Those who don't believe in God have no idea how much they owe him for the good in their lives.

This verse calls God the "Father of lights." What a beautiful name. Some say this could mean the stars in the heavens as in, "The Father of the stars." And he is that, since he created them. Others say it means all light: wisdom, truth, etc. But the next verse seems to justify calling God the "Father of the stars," because it speaks of the sun, moon and stars.

"With whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." The stars are eclipsed. The sun has spots. It's shadow moves along the earth. There are nova (stars exploding) and super nova happening all through the cosmos. The moon has its phases. The stars grow old, change in the growing and eventually die out.

God is not like that. He does not shift and change. He is who he is forever and ever. He is dependable. We don't need to wonder how he is feeling today. Good mood? Bad mood? No, God is love. He has always been love and ever will be. He looks on you with love, the love of a mother to her child. 

"Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me."  Isaiah 49:15,16

May the Father of the Stars shine in our hearts and may his name be written in the palms of our hands.