Monday, October 5, 2015
A glimpse in time. Standing at the cross.
Have you ever suddenly been hit by a physical feeling or vision of something that you knew about, as if you were actually there? This morning as I went about fixing my coffee, my mind paused on the thought of those poor people who were executed by the gunman for saying they were a Christian. Then as my thoughts progressed, I thought of the thief on the cross who knew he was guilty and yet realized that Jesus was not and who He really was. It was then as I thought about that that I felt the total impact and shock of what it must have felt like as the nail was pounded through His hands and I heard the groan of pain and misery as they nailed Jesus to the cross. It was as if I was actually standing there seeing it up close and in person. A glimpse in time so to speak. It almost sent me to my knees. I accepted Jesus as my Savoir many years ago. But it never hit me so hard until today of what it must have felt like to be crucified. The magnitude of what He did for me and all who believe in Him was overwhelming to say the least. It made me weep with sorrow at the horrors of it. But it also made me cry with joy at knowing He was raised after three days and completed the work that enables us to be reconciled to God and go to heaven when we die. Those people who died for their faith knew that they would step into eternity and see Jesus who shed His own blood on that cross so we might be saved.What strong faith it took . Would we be as strong in our faith? Maybe it is time to think about what it really cost for us to be a Christian. It cost God His Son Jesus. Those groans I heard this morning were not because of the pain He suffered. It was because the sins of mankind were laid upon Him. Jesus knew no sin. He was perfect and all those sins were laid upon Him so even God could not look upon His own son. Jesus could have any time stopped the crucifixion but He willingly laid down His own life so we might have our sin debt paid . The wages of sin are death. Spiritual death and separation from God whom cannot look upon anything that is not holy. That is the gift of salvation. If you ever notice when they talk about salvation, it is called a gift. The reason is that God offers it to us, but we have to choose to accept it. When we believe what Jesus did for us is true and confess that we need Him and accept what He did in our behalf those sins are covered by the blood and remembered no more. We are then new creatures in Christ. We are free from the curse of Adam. We are given a fresh start and a new life in Christ. Is it easy, no but it is amazing knowing that you have been adopted into God's family as a son or daughter. Having a personal relationship with Jesus is wonderful.Words alone cannot describe it. But this is something you have to experience yourself. You will never know what it truly is or benefit from other people's experiences. It is knowing that should you ever be put in a position that declaring your faith in Jesus is going to cost you your life, you boldly say I am a CHRISTIAN ! Because you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you know your name is written in the book of life.
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I know this is not a post that will generate many comments. I did not have a huge long vision or anything. I simply had a moment that I could see and hear the horror of what happened. It happened very fast and I felt like I had been transported just for a moment back in time. I saw a hand being nailed and heard the groan then it was over. I was back to being aware of being in the kitchen. It was if God allowed my soul to see just a glimpse of what Jesus did for us. It really shook me up. This was not the first time God had allowed me to experience this phenomenon. It has happened twice before. Both times seemed longer. The first was when I was going through some very difficult times and I felt the Spirit embrace me so to speak. I felt totally enveloped and it was such a peaceful feeling. I could not see anything. I could hear the church bells ringing down the road. And the second time was when my sister was dying and I could not be with her. I prayed for God to allow me to speak to her one more time. We had always been close. But after praying to God, He linked us so we could say goodbye. I told her I loved her and she told me that everything was going to be alright and she loved me too. Then she told me that she had to go. It was about 30 minutes later my dad called and told me she had passed away. God allowed me to speak to her one more time before He took her home. These instances have nothing to do with what I can do. Only what God can do. Our God is almighty, all powerful and time is not a barrier for Him. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. It seems that the closer I draw to Him, the more He makes Himself known unto me.
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