Thursday, November 30, 2017

A Fly's Story



I am a fly upon the cross
I saw him suffer, I saw his loss
I witnessed his courage
His sweat, his tears, his love
This God-man from this earth and from above

His agony was palpable
His pain beyond measure
They cruelly mocked him
His robe was their treasure

I heard him cry out
"Father forgive them they know not what they do."
Surely this man was innocent - he died for you.

I am a fly upon the cross
I saw him die, I saw his loss
Three days later, I traveled to his grave
He was not there, the stone had rolled away

I am a fly with a story
Of Jesus the Lord of Glory

He is the Way, the Truth, the Life
All who follow gain His sight

He is the Savior of Mankind
But who am I?
I'm just a fly

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Thanksgiving

In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18
Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.  Psalm 106:1
It is God’s perfect will for us to give Him thanks.  When we do this, we align ourselves with His purposes.  We have so much to thank God for.  Foremost on this list is the fact that He sent Jesus to die in our place.  His sacrifice bought our salvation and with it untold blessings besides. 
I am reminded of the time that Jesus prayed for ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). 
 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”  And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.
One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?  Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”  And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”
All ten were told to go to the priests to be ceremonially declared clean.   As they went, they were cleansed from their leprosy but only one returned to give thanks.  It’s possible that when he returned, he was not only cleansed of his disease, he was healed from the debilitating effects of it, which means that if he had lost fingers or toes or any other body part these were restored. 
At the very least, the man’s thankful return to Jesus enabled him to know the Savior in a deeper way then the other nine.
When we give thanks from a genuinely grateful heart, God blesses us in ways He wouldn’t have if we remained silent.

Let’s not just celebrate Thanksgiving one day of the year, let’s make thanksgiving our lifestyle.Thank