In the Presence of the Cross

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God...For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." 1 Corinthians 1: 18, 2:2

    Recently, in a daily devotional I was reading, the writer marveled at the faithfulness of his Muslim friends who pray five times per day. There was some truth behind his main point that most of us, as Christians, need to strengthen our prayer life, but a red flag was raised for me when he referred to these as "our Muslim siblings." We do not share the same Father.

    The Hagia Sophia, impressive in its Byzantine architecture, is a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. Originally, it had been the Christian Cathedral of Constantinople. In 1453, the city fell to the Ottoman Empire and the building was converted to a mosque. Upon its conversion, the bells and the altar were removed along with all depictions of Jesus. Crosses were plastered over because Muslims cannot pray in the presence of a cross.

    For me, life revolves around this cross. Truth stands on it. Eternity depends on it. All hope is built upon it. Victory was declared upon it. "The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) Had Jesus not gone to Calvary, none of us have a prayer in this world for salvation.

    So it is that I will love the Muslim people, but the only way they will become my siblings is to be adopted into the Family of God through the righteousness of Jesus. Amen; may it be so, by the grace of God.

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14 

Precious

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1: 18, 19

    I've been thinking of my mom today, since this would have been her birthday. I wonder how she's doing in her heavenly home, if she stills sings hymns while doing chores or if she is laughing alongside her Savior as they stroll the golden streets. 

    God blessed my sisters and me with a Christian upbringing. Our parents were never abusive, nor did we experience any impropriety that instilled doubt or fear. The older I get, the more I realize this was not the case for many people who bear scars of abuse, abandonment or trauma. 

    To those I want to say, here's what I know: We are precious to God because we were redeemed by the very blood of His Son. The definition of "precious" is this: Of high cost or worth, valuable, highly esteemed, cherished, dear, beloved. Imagine someone should look at you and ask God, "What'd you pay for that?" He will reply, "That person is priceless to me." We are bought with a price, the priceless lifeblood of Christ.

    In this world, we will have trouble, but the passionate, unconditional love of God far surpasses it all. The Bible says while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We didn't have to clean up our act first so that He would love us. He loves us anyway.

    Even if your own parents forsake you, God never will. Put your trust in the One who is trustworthy. You are his special possession.

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9

Hidden in Plain View

 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you." Jeremiah 29:13

    Don't laugh but, after three years of owning my Buick, I discovered it had a heated steering wheel! Now that the Ohio air has a fall crisp to it, I have been reveling in the luxury of this unexpected gift.

    In the same way, the gracious gift of Jesus is available to us who are in need of the warm radiance of love and forgiveness, as we all are. It's right there in plain view, but sometimes, the stubbornness of our hearts prevent us from accepting it. "Could it really be as easy as this?" we ask, "Don't I have to earn it?"

    The Bible assures us of the nearness of God. 

• "For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11:10
• "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and soul." Deuteronomy 4:29
• "God did this so we would seek him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." Acts 17:27

    God is not hidden; He wants to be found! To see Him, look at all of creation. Open the love letter He sent, found in the pages of the Bible. As soon as we invite Him into our lives, the radiance of the Holy Spirit will warm our hearts like nothing else can do. 

"Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven so that you have to ask, 'Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?' Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, 'Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey it?' No, the word is very near you; it is in your  mouth and in your heart so you may obey it." Deuteronomy 30:11-14

    

A Blessing Named Patricia

 "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families..." Psalm 68: 5, 6

    Do you believe things happen by coincidence or do you detect Divine Providence?

    Leaving the grocery store today, I spied an older-than-me woman sitting alone on a bench in the foyer, wearing a most fetching red hat. So lovely was she that I felt drawn to pay her a compliment on her choice of chapeau. 

    After thanking me, she drew me to her with a concern. Seems she'd been waiting for Lake Tran to pick her up and, though they were usually prompt, the delay caused her to worry. She'd just had a vaccination at the store pharmacy and was anxious to get home. 

    Though I was also anxious to get home, I followed the Spirit's lead and sat down beside her. Within a few moments, we'd solved the problem of the tardy driver, yet the blessing of being beside Patricia bade me to extend my visit. 

    With charming candor, I quickly learned she was a Christian who began her walk with Jesus at the Billy Graham Crusade in Cleveland in 1972. Since then, her love for the Lord has taken her on several mission trips where she earned the nickname "Energizer Bunny" due to her godly enthusiasm. 

    Her brown eyes brimmed with tears as she recounted her trip to the Ukraine some years ago, how lovely the people were and how her heart bleeds for them and the plight they are now enduring under "that bully, Putin." 

    Though she admitted to some degree of dementia, the point was lost on me as she quoted Bible verses without hesitation. She had a working knowledge of the Sword of the Spirit that could only have come from years of use.

     "'Ask and it will be given to you,'" she drew from Matthew chapter seven. "'Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.'" she continued. "I needed help and God sent you to me! You're my guardian angel."

    Abashed, I knew she helped me far more than I did her. Meeting a member of the family of God is like running into an old friend. There's an immediate bond and an undercurrent of love that could only be Divine Providence.

    As we parted ways, we promised to look for each other when we get to the Promised Land. Who knows? Maybe I will even sit beside her once more at the Supper of the Lamb. That would be a blessing.

The Family of God

by Bill Gaither

I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God,

I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood.

Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,

For I'm part of the family, the family of God.