To Any Length!
Yesterday on our way home from school we got behind a school bus. We were about 5th in line and the bus was moving very slowly. We got to an area where two different neighborhoods branched off of the road that we were traveling and the bus stopped. A mom, who was parked on the edge of the road near the first neighborhood, went to the bus and retrieved a very small child and took him to her car.
The door closed and the bus continued driving very slowly. By this time several more cars had accumulated behind us. Suddenly, out of the second neighborhood this blue car came speeding past all of us... bus and all! She got in front of the school bus, stopped her car, got out of the car and ran back to the bus.
Her baby was on that bus!! Girlfriend did not care who's world was inconvenienced or which laws were broken... she was getting that baby off of that bus! She took him, his gigantic book bag and another bag and ran to her car. People began honking their horns and becoming very agitated. She did NOT care! She had her baby and she was not concerned about anyone or anything else!
When we love someone or something so much we will go to any length to make sure it is taken care of! We will stop traffic, we will break laws, we will cause others to be angry, we will take a stand! None of that matters when we are responsible for another human life.
This is EXACTLY what Jesus did. He came in a manger, and as a baby, made an insecure king very angry. He stopped the plans of many rulers in both the government and the church. According to the Pharisees, He broke laws (remember picking wheat on the Sabbath? What about healing on the Sabbath?).
Jesus did everything that He did because He is responsible for another human life. During his life on earth he did what he had to do at the time for the sake of the lives of those who physically saw and touched Him.
On the cross He was responsible in a far greater way. Without His sacrifice every one of us would be in hell. Actually millions of human lives throughout history would be. Including me. Including you.
To what length do we go for Him? I know that if my baby had been on that bus I probably would have done the same thing that the mom did... in the face of potential danger and the frustration of others I would have taken a stand for my girl. But, what do I do every day to stand for Jesus?
It says in Matthew 10:22, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."
You know, one time I was shopping in a store for a red shirt. I needed it for the Celebrate America program at church. A lady asked me if she could help me and I told her what I was looking for. She asked if it was for something special.
Do you know what I said? "Oh, I am in this THING at my church and we just need a brightly colored shirt!"
WHAT IN THE WORLD? "This THING at my church!" I said it with such disrespect and it sounded like I was dreading it. That could have been my opportunity to invite the lady to church or at least ask if she attended a church anywhere! I could have used that as an opportunity to take a stand and at least plant a seed, but NOOOOOOO I had to act like church was something that I am MADE to do. I LOVE church! My flesh totally took over and my wanting to fit into the world spoke loud and clear!!
Matthew 10:32-33 says "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."
This Christmas I will say "Merry Christmas!" to whomever I wish! I will discuss our church's celebration with total strangers. I will not be afraid to go to any length to take a stand for my faith and my Father!
He came, took a stand and died for me!!!
What about you? What decisions do you need to make about your stand for Jesus?Shopping for Christmas puts us in many opportunities to share our faith with our community. Working and being with family puts us in close proximity to others all year round! Let's decide that we will not stop sharing His love with others! Or maybe we just need to start!
Take a stand my sisters... go to any length!!
The door closed and the bus continued driving very slowly. By this time several more cars had accumulated behind us. Suddenly, out of the second neighborhood this blue car came speeding past all of us... bus and all! She got in front of the school bus, stopped her car, got out of the car and ran back to the bus.
Her baby was on that bus!! Girlfriend did not care who's world was inconvenienced or which laws were broken... she was getting that baby off of that bus! She took him, his gigantic book bag and another bag and ran to her car. People began honking their horns and becoming very agitated. She did NOT care! She had her baby and she was not concerned about anyone or anything else!
When we love someone or something so much we will go to any length to make sure it is taken care of! We will stop traffic, we will break laws, we will cause others to be angry, we will take a stand! None of that matters when we are responsible for another human life.
This is EXACTLY what Jesus did. He came in a manger, and as a baby, made an insecure king very angry. He stopped the plans of many rulers in both the government and the church. According to the Pharisees, He broke laws (remember picking wheat on the Sabbath? What about healing on the Sabbath?).
Jesus did everything that He did because He is responsible for another human life. During his life on earth he did what he had to do at the time for the sake of the lives of those who physically saw and touched Him.
On the cross He was responsible in a far greater way. Without His sacrifice every one of us would be in hell. Actually millions of human lives throughout history would be. Including me. Including you.
To what length do we go for Him? I know that if my baby had been on that bus I probably would have done the same thing that the mom did... in the face of potential danger and the frustration of others I would have taken a stand for my girl. But, what do I do every day to stand for Jesus?
It says in Matthew 10:22, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."
You know, one time I was shopping in a store for a red shirt. I needed it for the Celebrate America program at church. A lady asked me if she could help me and I told her what I was looking for. She asked if it was for something special.
Do you know what I said? "Oh, I am in this THING at my church and we just need a brightly colored shirt!"
WHAT IN THE WORLD? "This THING at my church!" I said it with such disrespect and it sounded like I was dreading it. That could have been my opportunity to invite the lady to church or at least ask if she attended a church anywhere! I could have used that as an opportunity to take a stand and at least plant a seed, but NOOOOOOO I had to act like church was something that I am MADE to do. I LOVE church! My flesh totally took over and my wanting to fit into the world spoke loud and clear!!
Matthew 10:32-33 says "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."
This Christmas I will say "Merry Christmas!" to whomever I wish! I will discuss our church's celebration with total strangers. I will not be afraid to go to any length to take a stand for my faith and my Father!
He came, took a stand and died for me!!!
What about you? What decisions do you need to make about your stand for Jesus?Shopping for Christmas puts us in many opportunities to share our faith with our community. Working and being with family puts us in close proximity to others all year round! Let's decide that we will not stop sharing His love with others! Or maybe we just need to start!
Take a stand my sisters... go to any length!!
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