Friday, March 26, 2010

3. He Cried Anyway

When Jesus received the letter from Martha and Mary saying that their brother Lazarus was sick, He already knew what He was going to do. While Martha and Mary watched their brother decline, Jesus already knew what He was going to do. I bet those sisters paced the floor and watched the driveway, just waiting for Jesus to arrive... Why wasn’t He coming? When Jesus finally did arrive, Lazarus had been dead four days and though the sisters were hurting deeply, Jesus already knew what He was going to do. He already knew that He was about to turn a funeral into a fiesta! He knew that in just a moment, tears of joy would eclipse tears of despair; and yet, He cried. If I knew I was about to do what He did, I wouldn’t be able to work up any tears, but Jesus did. Why? Because Mary was crying and Jesus loved her and her broken heart. Oh, the depth and tenderness of the heart of God! I love Jesus because He already knows what rapturous joys await us in heaven at the final resurrection and yet, He cries our tears with us now, simply because He loves us.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

2. He's Coming Back For Us


Has your life ever become such a mess that you thought it was hopeless and you sort of wished it was over? Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the problems right in front of you that you wished that you could call a time out or just get air-lifted out of your own life? What if you had a secret that could help you make it through times like that? During Jesus’ last night on earth, His disciples were freaking out. They had left their homes, their families, their friends, their jobs and their whole lives to follow Jesus. They had put all their eggs in this one basket, and now Jesus was about to leave them to go to a place where they couldn’t follow. He saw the fear and panic in their eyes, but He said, “Don’t be troubled.” He had a secret. He was going to make them a place, which meant that He would come back to get them and bring them home with Him. In the midst of what was about to be the hardest night of His life, Jesus’ eyes were focused on a moment in the future He has always been looking forward to. On that dreadful night, He was thinking of us, and how excited He will be to bring us home with Him in the end. He stared straight through the terror of the cross and all of the passing centuries to see the moment where He would come back here for His treasure. That moment will happen. He is going to come back for us. That moment in the future is the secret that can help you get through today. Look straight through your troubles and hope in the promise.

Monday, March 22, 2010

1. He's Not of This World

Dang. Aren’t you just sick of this world?! I gotta tell you, I’m just about over this place. Aren’t you? Aren’t you just so completely tired of everything and everybody being about who is the skinniest, who is the hottest, who is the richest and who is the coolest? All this world cares about is who wins and who has the most money doing it. And look, when wealth and winning are what’s important, real people get pushed aside. This world doesn’t care about your heart. This world cares about the bottom line, period. The problem here is that unless you are the very best at something this world cares about, you don’t feel like you mean anything. According to the world, you only matter if you fit right in to all that material junk. But is that the way it should be? Do people only have value if they look a certain way or kick an inflatable ball really well or drop a cool beat that gets radio play? If only those folks matter, then what about the rest of us? Here’s the deal: this world may never tell you that you have value, but what if that doesn’t really matter? What if the One who invented and crafted this whole universe says that you matter to Him? And what if He said you have value just because He loves you? Well, if that’s true, it changes everything. Jesus made everything that is. He made you and He says you’re valuable and lovable and that you mean everything to Him. Listen to this game-changer Jesus said once: “I am not of this world.” Now, that’s the kind of thing that could set someone free.