Title: Who does not take his cross
How many are willing to take their religion to the place of execution? How many are even aware that Christianity involves self-denial, and even exposure to death?
A true disciple is given the privilege of going the same way with the Lord, of carrying his own cross to the place of sacrifice, thereby drawing praise from the Savior who had carried a heavier load on his shoulders.
Title: He is not here
Where are we in relation to where the Lord Jesus is?
Let us not forget that the Lord had represented us at his resurrection, so our lives might be evocative of his while he was still on earth, and carry the same message of repentance and expectation on the kingdom.
Having risen with him in triumph, have we occupied our hearts with heavenly affections as well? The world may look for us in the cave of darkness, but will not find us there, except for the strips of linen lying by themselves.
Title: About the sixth hour
The Savior had no good thing, no help, facing death on the cross:
The final struggle with sin was fought in darkness, to give evil full advantage; the narcotic turned down; the Lamb silent and immobile; twelve legions of angels held back.
The searing pain was at its apex.
But the gates of hell trembled, as the last ebb of life drained from the Crucified, at that final shout of victory for the death that brought us eternal life.
Title: For God so loved the world
Has anyone loved you this much?
Show me someone who has loved you to the point of death, and I’ll show you the Savior whose purpose in coming down from heaven was to suffer torture in spirit and body for the very people who had hated him.
Such love, that the recipients of this affection are lifted up to a newness of being, where the only future is goodness and life everlasting.
Title: God saw all that he had made
The cause and reason for creation was God.
We exist for God, and it is our duty to maintain the beauty and moral direction of our lives, as befitting a creature fashioned after the image of Deity, and also preserve the integrity of nature and the wealth
Therefore, nothing should be considered “good enough,” unless it is “good enough” for God.
Title: The nail marks in his hands
Some scars are meant to remain.
Some scars are meant to be remembered.
And if we are to grasp it in seeking the Lord, being in His presence, it has to be by way of His suffering, not by what we regard are the advantages obtained from an insincere act of worship, because we do not have due claim to have seen the Lord in a most personal degree but for our disposition to undergo the same torture, even a shameful death, when demanded of us in evidence to our faith.
Title: Like a fleeting shadow
Man, at his best, is a helpless, rebellious, and frightened creature. Just when he thinks he is increasing in knowledge and advancing in technology, he is actually just going around in circles, revolving around his pride and self-confidence, losing every foot he gains, and finding himself again and again at the beginning of his dreams.
And unless he puts his confidence in God, he will remain trapped in the cesspit of humanism, and God will not stoop down from his abode and extend his hand to rescue and protect him [man] from himself.
The Lord Jesus has no value in monetary terms.
Any attempt to fix an amount in finding, worshiping, or serving him will be rejected outright. In the economy of God, values come as obedience, holiness, and selfless dedication to the welfare of others.
And these are the things the world is not willing give.
Title: He takes nothing from his labor
Matter deteriorates, decays, takes on another form, but the essence of it, if utilized for the good of others, the promotion of the gospel, the advancement of the kingdom of God, adorns the spirit, as one departs to come face to face with the Author and Keeper of life.
Title: Love the Lord your God
We claim love for God? If love for neighbor is love for self, the love that God requires is more than love for self. In fact, in that affection and reverence, the self is lost, the commandments, if not observed for the pleasure of God, are lost, and not only is God heralded as one, but he becomes first in all things. So now the thought longs for God, the heart beats for God, the soul thirsts for God.
Title: Good and faithful servant
God’s approval considers not the sophistication of our lives.
It will always be on the intention of the heart, what flows out of the heart that would glorify God, and places the self in its proper perspective: that it would go the way of all the earth and be forgotten by those who would follow after.
Title: As evening approached
The apostles were unprepared for the death of their Master. They never saw it coming. They had two swords, but none of the elements necessary for a decent burial.
They had ample warning, but they failed to understand that the kingdom would be ushered in by a sacrifice, and not defended by the sword.
Title: I am not ashamed of the gospel
We should rather be ashamed of ourselves because of the gospel.
The gospel is the good news on the sacrifice in righteousness, which we did not possess, and was put into effect in our lives by grace through faith, which we did not possess either.
The final sacrifice on the cross by the Lord Jesus has conquered all shame and fear, and would not disappoint of the hope that all that has been promised will be fulfilled, even eternal life.
Title: Men who have risked their lives
These men did not put their lives on the line so we would have it easy with our Christianity today. But that is what is happening: the church is preaching a politically correct message of blessing upon blessing, neglecting to open the door to the possibility of suffering for the gospel.
If there is a time in the history of salvation, when persecution will be upon the church, it is in the years prior to the return of the Lord Jesus, and that is where we find ourselves now. The conflict may not seem obvious to the untrained eye because we are trying to avoid a direct confrontation with the world by conforming to its standards, which should not be the case.
We must learn from the example of those who have walked ahead of us on the old beaten path leading from the foot of
Title: My kingdom
A kingdom is only as good as its king. Jesus’ kingdom is greater because it is not a kingdom that rules by war or claims any temporal grandeur by conquest of territory or the spoils of combat. On earth, a kingdom defines its king; he derives his power from it. Jesus defines his kingdom. It is spiritual. It derives its glory from Him.
Title: Words of eternal life
Christianity is an experiential journey into the unknown, the unseen. But in all the mystery, a rustic straightforwardness pervades the landscape of truth and holiness.
We do not acknowledge eternal life because it contains all the good things that please the senses, but because it was delivered with power and the knowledge of temporal existence that only Deity can simplify for a mind that cannot conceive it on its own.
Title: Men who have risked their lives
The atmosphere surrounding the communication of the gospel was marked by persecutions, dangers, floggings, imprisonment, even death at the hands of those who opposed the message of peace.
But this has been lost in our times, when the good news is presented only as a message of good things. Let us not forget the difficult past of the gospel, lest we receive not the fullness of it.
Title: Pray continually
God deserves our persistent prayers in showing our total confidence in Him as the source of all good things in every aspect of our lives, and because our reliance on Him on the temporal side of things, when communicated, is answered in a manner that transcends the physical laws that govern space and time, and draws on the possibilities of omnipotence and the willingness of the Lord to respond to our entreaties according to His will.
Can we deduce from the fact that since every natural occurrence on earth is influenced by the orchestrated symphony of planetary motion and our location in the universe, that only He who is the keeper of matter and space, the One who holds the elements together and who has control of particles on the outermost fringes of the cosmos, can be in command of the wind and the waves without disrupting the harmony of creation?