A Simple Truth

Here is a very simple truth that many, even most in our culture do not believe. I challenge you to consider if it's true and consider if you believe it.

I have a Creator who Made me, therefore, I am Needed!!

Taylor Mason in Warren

Taylor Mason will be at the Warren Library Theatre on Friday, April 30th at 7 pm.

A Typical Spring Day

If you live in the north, this will be very familiar to you. If you live don't live in a climate like ours, let me describe a somewhat common April day.

Both of these pictures were taken on Saturday, April 10th. On Friday, the 9th, I mowed the lawn in shorts and a t-shirt and I was hot. Saturday morning we woke up and all the ground was covered in snow and we had to clean off our car windows. Then Saturday afternoon we were out in the backyard playing ball once again in shorts. The common expression around here in the spring is, "If you don't like the weather, wait an hour, cuz it will change."

Some of us have lives that seem like Spring in Northwestern PA. Nothing seems to be constant. Every moment the unexpected seems to happen. Wouldn't it be nice if something was constant? If something was rock solid and unchanging?

Well, there is. It is our Lord Jesus Christ. He never changes, never has a bad day and is never in a bad or unpredictable mood. What a comfort to serve a God who truly is the constant in our lives.

I love the weather here, but I am sure glad my mood or life is based on Jesus and not on something ever changing like the weather.

Amazing Love

The Other Criminal

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There were two thieves on the cross with Jesus. The one hurled insults at the Jesus and seemingly lashed out at him. But the other criminal was very different. He looked at Jesus and saw the true savior. He saw an innocent man. He saw a king whose kingdom was not of this world. He saw someone who was on an eternal mission and he wanted to be part of it. He knew that his deeds deserved death, but he somehow knew that Jesus had the answer to even death.

He turned to Jesus and said, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus looked back at him and said, “ I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

It sounds so simple. The criminal recognized that he was a sinner who deserved death. He believed that Jesus was innocent and died for others. He turned to Jesus and trusted in him for his eternity. Jesus’ response was quick and clear. “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

My friends, I encourage you to take another look at Jesus and turn to him. He is the answer to all our problems – including victory over death.

Have an awesome day as you live the Life He has called you to.

The First Criminal

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Jesus was hung on the cross between two criminals. The two guys were both sentenced to die. We are not sure what they did, but it’s safe to assume that it was pretty bad. Similar to Jesus, these two criminals were suffering tremendously. Crucifixion was just plane out bad. Both of them looked at Jesus and each of them saw something entirely different.

One looked at Jesus and hurled insults at him. He told him to save himself and to save them while he was at it. This guy must have had a lot of pent up anger in his life and he was taking it out on Jesus. Jesus did nothing to deserve this guy’s insults. The guy didn’t even know him. But still all of his anger was turned toward Jesus. This criminal’s life was coming to nothing. He was rapidly losing strength, yet he mustered up enough energy to insult Jesus.

I have known people like this. They have many hurts in their life. They are just plane angry, but they don’t know who or what to be angry at, so they take it out on God. The only person who could truly help them; The only person who could understand; they only person who could change their destiny, is the very one that they hurl insults toward.

Don’t be like that criminal on the cross. Don’t turn your anger toward Jesus. Instead, see Jesus like the other criminal did. But we will cover that tomorrow. Have an amazing day as you live the life that God has called you to.

Watch, Sneer, or Mock

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While Jesus hung on the cross there are three groups of people mentioned in Luke 23. People stood watching. Rulers even sneered and soldiers mocked him. These three groups of people at the cross represent many people’s reaction to Jesus today.

The people stood there and watched. They weren’t active in crucifying Jesus. They may have been quite passive - Spectators even. But they still rejected the messiah. Don’t passively ignore and reject the one who is unavoidable.

The rulers looked at him and sneered. They hated him. They were fueled by jealousy because he was messing with what they controlled. In their anger they lashed out at Jesus. Jesus is the King of kings and he rules with perfection. Will you let him rule or will you sneer at him?

The soldiers were also at the cross and they mocked him. Jesus would have been different from everybody else they ever crucified, so they had some fun with him. They thought they were in control of everything. The problem with mocking the Son of God is that he always gets the last laugh.

My question today is: How will you respond to Jesus? Will you just watch? Will you sneer at him? Will you mock him and think he’s a joke? Or will you embrace him as the Son of God?