At the Cross...

[Of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane] Why was he trembling in that garden, weeping and full of anguish? We can rest assured that he was not a coward about to face Roman soldiers. Instead he was a Savior about to endure divine wrath.

Listen to his words: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." The "cup" is not a reference to a wooden cross; it is a reference to divine judgment. It is the cup of God's wrath.

This is what Jesus is recoiling from in the garden. All God's holy wrath and hatred toward sin and sinners, stored up since the beginning of the world, is about to be poured out on him, and he is sweating blood at the thought of it.

What happened at the Cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus' hands and feet but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon his soul. In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came rushing down like a torrent on Christ himself. Some say, "God looked down and could not bear to see the suffering that the soldiers were inflicting on Jesus, so he turned away." But this is not true. God turned away because he could not bear to see your sin and my sin on his Son.

One preacher described it as if you and I were standing a short hundred yards away from a dam of water ten thousand miles high and ten thousand miles wide. All of a sudden that dam was breached, and a torrential flood of water came crashing toward us. Right before it reached our feet, the ground in front of us opened up and swallowed it all. At the Cross, Christ drank the full cup of the wrath of God, and when he had downed the last drop, he turned the cup over and cried out, "It is finished."

This is the gospel. The just and loving Creator of the universe has looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent his Son, God in the flesh, to bear his wrath against sin on the cross and to show his power over sin in the Resurrection so that all who trust in him will be reconciled to God forever.

- an excerpt Radical, by David Platt

Who Are Your Sheep?

John 14:12-13 The person who trusts me will not only do what I'm doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I've been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I'll do it. That's how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. (Message Translation)

This is bold! I mean this is Jesus talking, telling his disciples that they (we) will do great works, just as he has done during his time on earth. And this comes after he has done things such as giving a blind man the ability to see, and feeding 5,000 from one kid's sack lunch. I think the part that really hit me were his words, "even greater." You see, Jesus knew that he was leaving a world that was still very lost and broken; a world where the majority of people were yet to know the Living God. Even a great deal of those who witnessed Jesus's miracles refused to believe! However, Jesus still had to leave the earth, thus presenting his disciples with a great task. Don't worry though - Jesus had reason for his boldness. He knew that though he had to leave this earth, we would not be left alone. No -- by laying down his life for us, we could receive the Holy Spirit, and therefore never be alone. Now our responsibility is to keep in step with the Spirit and make bold requests of God so that He can work in us - just as He did through Jesus while he was on this earth - and therefore make Himself known.

One part of the book of John that I have loved is that with each of Jesus's miracles the author records, he makes it very clear that Jesus was doing these things for one specific purpose: that people would see and believe in the God that sent him. That should be our purpose in all that we do. That is what Jesus was so boldly calling us to do. I do not think that we need to pray for the ability to turn one lunch into 5,000, but we can pray for the ability and the opportunity to be Jesus to those around us.

Adam's sweet grandmother reminded me that Adam is not the only sheep that needs loving on and tending to - there are so many out there that need a shepard, and Jesus has called us to take on that task in His name.

2 Timothy 1:7 God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible. (The Message)

I guess it's my turn?

Ok, so I have to admit that I didn't really think we would get into the blog world. I mean, who has time for these things? Then I started reading the blogs of my two best friends, Jessica and Angela, and realized that it really is a cool thing - something worth finding time for. And as the hubby said, I think this will be a great tool for us as we begin exploring our new home in CT.

On the note of exploration, we have a lot to do! I mean we dont know anything about the world we are about to dive in to. Adam will have a leg up on me as he has been able to do a little exploration of grocery stores (please pray that we find a good one, seriously), a church (again, please pray) and what not, but we have a ways to go.

One thing you hear a lot of is that the people up north are not as friendly. Though we have heard that this has been known to send native Texans fleeing back to their homeland, it excites me in a way. When I meet someone that seems to have a good heart, I often think, "They have got to know Jesus." Now I know that this isn't always the case, and we all have our good days and bad days, but if we continue to hear about how people are not as nice, and of kids being questioned by other kids for going to church, then there have got to be a lot of people that need Jesus up there! It will be a whole new mission ground for us, and I look forward to it.

I decided to start reading 1 Peter a couple of days ago, and I can't seem to make it past the first chapter - I just want to keep reading it over and over!

6In this [your salvation] you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope full on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

I think there will definitely be trials that accompany our move to CT, but it is all part of the Lord refining us, making us into the Christians that Adam spoke of at the end of his post. He is melting away our impurities and allowing us opportunities to become more like Him, to serve Him, and to proclaim Him. Please pray that He prepares our minds and our hearts for this, and that we can see and seize these opportunities to bring Him glory!

Kelley