Lightning rod and the cross

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV)

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Lightning is very powerful. There are a lot of mysteries about lightning, but we understand some simple things about it. Charges build up on clouds in the sky and the force of that charge is so destructively powerful that it has to be directed somewhere, either from cloud to cloud or quite often to the neutral ground. But if a tree or a house or a person is standing between that charged cloud and the ground, the lightning releases all its destructive power on that object. This destructive power can kill people, rip trees apart and start houses on fire. In order to keep our houses and buildings from catching on fire, we install lightning rods with grounding wires on those structures. The lightning strikes the building with all its fury, but instead of damaging the building or starting a fire, the lightning rod absorbs all the energy and directs it safely to the ground. Jesus on the cross was the lightning rod for God’s anger over sin. By sacrificing Himself there, He absorbed all of God’s anger and directed it safely away from us, so that instead of killing us eternally, we could now be comforted by God.

Jesus turned God’s anger away, so that God can now comfort you. That is what Isaiah celebrates in Isaiah 12:1-6: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.”

Dear Lord, we thank You that You were the lightning rod for our sin. We thank You for the special gift that You gave to each of us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

What Are You Doing to Honor the Cross?

I found this and thought it was so good I had to share it:

During the Second World War there was a young boy in a small town who had to go to the drugstore for his mother. As he arrived at the drugstore, he saw a poster on the front window that made a great impression upon him. It was the picture of an American soldier dressed in full battle uniform lying flat on his face, dead in the sands of a South Pacific island. He was lying there with the ocean cradling his body, and at the bottom of the poster was this question: "What have you done for your country today that's worth this soldier dying yesterday?"

Let's change that scene and go outside the city of Jerusalem to a hill called Calvary and ask you to look on a cross and see the Son of God, the Savior, dying for your sins and the sins of the world. Let me ask you the question: "What have you done for Christ today that's worth what He gave for you on Calvary?"

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

-1 Peter 2:24

Dear Lord, We pray that you will help us to make a difference today that will bring honor to what you did on the cross for each of us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Message of the Cross

“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.” Indeed to so many the message of the cross is mocked and ridiculed. Our Savior is cursed and blasphemed. Many are ignoring the redemption plan offered by God in the Bible and attempting to devise another one. Some, who claim to have a heritage in the church, have gone so far as to assert the message of the cross is unneeded in our “enlightened” age.

“But to us who are being saved it, the cross is the power of God.” We rejoice in the cross, which is a demonstration of the love, wisdom and power of God! Its power continues to break the heavy chains of sin and bondage.

Christ died once for all on Calvary’s Cross to redeem fallen mankind. No better plan is needed. The mission of the effective church and faithful Christian is to proclaim the salvation message of the cross through the way we live our lives.

“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”

-1 Corinthians 1:18

Dear Lord, We thank you for the wonderful gift you gave to each of us, all we need to do is to accept it. Lord we pray that we would take that gift and freely share it with those around us. In Jesus’ Name, amen

Playing Games at the Foot of the Cross

You've heard the story many times before

How the soldiers gambled for the robe of the Lord.

Their laughter drowning out the Savior's cry.

Father forgiven and bowed His head and He died.

They were playing games

At the foot of the cross.

So close to His struggle

Yet so far from the cost.

Never feeling the shame

Never sensing the loss.

They were playing games

At the foot of the cross.

We're so quick to judge them and so slow to see

How there games resemble the ones played by you and me

As we fight for position in the church today

While the world goes on dieing with out the Savior's love.

We're just were playing games

At the foot of the cross.

So close to his struggle

Yet so far from the cost.

Never feeling the shame

Never sensing the loss.

They were playing games

At the foot of the cross.

Tonight was a real blessing at church as we listened to the choir share the Easter story in music and drama. The song above really touched my heart. I pray that I won’t just play games but I will do what the Lord wants me to to touch those around me with His love.

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, “They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.

- John 19:23-24

Dear Lord, We thank you for what You did for each of us. We pray that we would not just play games but that we would share your love with those around us and that we would not fight about the things that don’t really matter. In Jesus’ name, Amen