Jesus

Making The Ladder Fit

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To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22 ESV

A friend of ours told us a story about how his elderly father asked him to put a ladder into his tool shed. The problem was not that they didn’t want to help but that the shed was just too small.  No matter how they turned and twisted the ladder it wouldn’t go all the way in. But all through the struggle dad kept insisting that they keep trying! The message of about Jesus is a lot like that ladder. It is long enough to reach all the way to heaven but we need to present it in a way that fits into the shed.

Between the Coronavirus, cancelled church services and protest marches, people have a lot of stuff going on in their lives. We need to catch their attention in a hurry. A lot can be said about the shallowness of comments on Twitter but I love that it forces us to get to the point. In the same way if the gospel is going to be heard then we need to cut out unnecessary words; make a clear point and do it creatively. We have the best news in the universe – the love of God in Jesus Christ. There is nothing even remotely boring about His forgiveness or gift of salvation and eternal life. We just need to ask God for a way to share it that will be like a ladder short enough to fit into every heart!

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Meeting Jesus

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His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire. Revelation 1:14 KJV

On the first Easter Sunday, Mary Magdalene met Jesus outside of the tomb. Jesus was right there, but until He revealed himself to her she thought He was just the gardener. What is Jesus really like? What would it be like to meet with Jesus? John the Apostle says of his own unexpected meeting with Jesus on the Island of Patmos. Imagine how John felt! How do we relate to a God with flaming eyes that see into the deepest places of our soul? When John first saw Jesus he tells us that he fell down in a dead faint!

body of water near mountain

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It was too overwhelming seeing Jesus even for a moment! But Jesus came and put out his hand to touch John and said:

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: Revelation 1:17 KJV

Jesus knows every detail of our lives, and He wants us to know Him. Easter Sunday means finding Jesus is not only alive, but alive and wanting us to know Him. Are you waiting outside a tomb of dying hopes and wondering where Jesus is today? The message of Easter is that He will come just when we least expect. He knows all about us and He is waiting to come and change our lives forever! What a wonderful Risen Lord! What a Savior we have waiting for us again this Easter!

The Donkey Waited

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Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.  Matthew 21:1-2 NKJV

Some days I feel a lot the donkey in this story. Everyone else had something important to do but the donkey. I hate to wait because it makes me feel helpless. But just like the donkey, waiting gives God time to accomplish His plans on His schedule.

horse on field

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First, the donkey waited quietly. Imagine what might have happened if the disciples came and found the donkey and its colt wildly tugging at the ropes tying them. Just as the disciples were looking for gentle beasts that would be useful for their master, so God is looking for hearts quietly waiting for His call.

Second the donkeys had to be ready to go. I wonder if the donkey had bucked and kicked as it was untied if it would have been brought it to Jesus. Isn’t that sometimes the way we sometimes react when called to do something new?

Last of all, because they waited they were brought to Jesus. Like the donkey, we are not forgotten or rejected. Instead, we are like a restaurant table that has been reserved for the master’s use. When He comes we must be ready and waiting. We must be willing for Him to show us where to go because we will only get where Jesus is leading when we are ready to wait where He has put us till He calls.