Tag Archives: Jesus

Chronicles, the 2nd

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If you recall, the first post in Chronicles of Calvary, is about Simon.

Simon was ordered to carry the cross of Jesus. You can read about him here.

Surveying the Cross” Simon of Cyrene – Daily Encouragement

Let’s move on to the second person in these Chronicles.

The centurion at the cross would have been the soldier in charge of the executions. It was his duty to make sure that all was in order and finally, that the prisoners would perish.

In Mark 15, the centurion at the crucifixion plays a prominent roll. Here are a few verses:

37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, c he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

40Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, d and Salome. 

41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

42It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 

43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 

44Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 

45When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 

The Long Good Friday: The Story of Longinus the Centurion | The Inglorius Padre Steve's World

I bolded (is that the right word?) the verses that reference the centurion.

In 39, he made a proclamation. He was fortunate enough to be present at the most important moment in the history of the world. I think that he knew who that man was, hanging there on the cross.

Verse 45 tells us that he made a pronouncement. Pilate, the Roman ruler, wanted to know for sure, that Jesus had died. The centurion was responsible for that knowledge.

Isn’t it cool that we can learn from the centurion?

We can proclaim that Jesus is God’s son. He was divine and human while he lived on earth. That is information that we can confidently shout from the tallest mountain. Proclaim it today!

We can also pronounce that Jesus died…and is risen! Our faith is for nothing if Jesus never died. Because only in death, can he be risen. And that, is what Easter is all about.

Tomorrow’s post will compare the two thieves that were crucified with Jesus. God bless!

H.E.L.P. part 4

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This past week has been uplifting. I am going to share some experiences with you but in order to protect the individuals involved, I am calling them Friend.

But before I do, here are links to the earlier posts in this series. This post, H.E.L.P. part 4, will be the final post.

Consider the Source

H.E.L.P.

H.E.L.P. part 2

H.E.L.P. part 3

Alright, back to this week. As I have been discussing God’s help in our lives, I experienced that help first hand. Here are some events that showed me how God decided to help me this week.

Friend 1 – told me that my family’s return to church (we have been going back to church in person instead of watching online for two weeks now) makes it feel “normal” again

Friend 2 – came over with his chainsaw and helped me cut wood for the fireplace

Friend 3 – gave me a hug

Friend 4 – asked me how my novel is coming along (yes, I am writing a novel but I am not ready to share it with the general public)

Friend 5 – sought out my advice on some board games he was thinking of purchasing

Friend 6 (and his wife) – had my wife and I over for dinner

These are real examples of how my day was brightened or I was encouraged in my faith. I had divine help this past week and it came in the form of People

H – Holy Spirit

E – Ekklesia

L – Logos or Library

P – People

Have you ever had a person step into your world, at just the right moment, to lift your spirit?

Did you ever need a word of encouragement only to have your best friend call you?

It seems that Jesus is often disguised in human form.

In fact, the Word tells us that “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” John 1:14 NIV

God knew that we, as humans, could not comprehend the Divine. We needed flesh and blood.

Jesus was flesh and blood. And so are the people around us. And God uses them to help us.

So, to wrap up this little journey into divine help, we can know that God wants to and is able to help us whenever we need help. The question, then, is not a question of ‘will’ but ‘how’ will that help arrive.

Friends, stick close to Jesus. Look for Him and He will H.E.L.P.

God bless you!

Until next week!

H.E.L.P. part 3

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Welcome to Terrific Thursday!

This week has been an abnormal week for me. Sometimes it feels nice to mix things up though.

Along with my week, I have been debating on which word to use for the letter L.

Click here to catch up with the first two posts if you are confused.

When you have two choices and both are good, how do you choose?

Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew?

Swiss or Cheddar?

How do you choose?!?!

3 Ways to Choose Between Two Things - wikiHow

So, in light of this minor dilemna, I will not choose one or the other.

Both words will win!

H – Holy Spirit

E – Ekklesia

L – Logos or Library

P –

In John 1, we see this word Logos. Not english Logos but greek Logos. Both ekklesia and logos are greek words.

Logos is simply defined as a word (as embodying an idea), a statement, a speech.

But we can take it a step further.

A word, being the expression of a thought; is preeminently used of Christ, expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit.

This definition comes from here.

And now let’s connect this to the idea of God helping us.

God gives a word about Jesus, which is the expression of His thoughts, thus aiding us in our walk.

God uses Logos to reveal to us what He is thinking! The God of the Universe, Creator of all things is giving us a glimpse of His thought process. Wow!

The other word is Library. Right away, this seems to be no nearly as exciting as Logos but hang on. Let me show you something.

There are over 170 million items in the Library of Congress. Here is the website.

It is the largest library in the world.

With that in mind, let’s look at one more verse from John.

John 21:25 says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” NIV

Understanding the magnitude of this means that Jesus is now the largest library in the world!

We could never exhaust the resource of Jesus.

So whether you prefer Logos or Library, it does not matter.

Both bring us to Jesus and He is the ultimate resource.

If you need help today, call on the name of Jesus. There, you will be satisfied.

Clone?

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Happy Wednesday! Hope this midweek day is great. (That felt like a weird sentence to type.)

As for posting every Tuesday, well, I forgot yesterday. No worries.

Before I get into the post, thank you for the recent followers. It is nice to get feedback in the forms of “liked” and “…is now following your blog.”

Now to the the best two minutes of your day.

I am reading a book entitled In His Image. This is book one of three called The Christ Clone Trilogy. Here is a link to the books. The artwork is newer than the copy I have but it is still the same book.

This is the version I own.

It is a fiction story. The author puts a note at the beginning describing how he is writing the story.

I am not going into the theology of cloning Christ (if that is even possible?). Nor do I want to spoil a good book.

Synopsis: A person is cloned from living cells that were found on the Shroud of Turin during a scientific research event. That is all I will say about the book.

Image result for clones of jesus

What the book has done for me is that it has planted a thought in my brain.

That thought is the basis for this post. So here you go…

Isn’t the goal of following Jesus to become more like Jesus?

I teach biology. The amount of DNA in our cells is staggering. All the variety is part of God’s plan. So my thought is not becoming like Jesus in a physical way.

I am talking about the unseen things of life.

  • The way I respond to crisis.
  • My reaction to my wife or kids when I am stressed.
  • How well (or not well) did I treat my coworkers.
  • My driving.
  • My work ethic.
  • When I am alone, what am I doing.

These, and many more that you could list, are the things that make me like Jesus.

And the good part is that He will help us!

Being like Jesus is the goal. And God has graciously given us everything we need to accomplish this goal. It is up to us if we decide to use the assistance.

For me, I fall short everyday. But with God, all things are possible!

So go out there and be a Christ Clone today!

Next week, come back to read more about the “help” that God gives us.

Truly This Man…the end.

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Welcome to my blog. This post contains the second half of a short story. Please click here, Truly This Man…the beginning, to read the first half. Thank you!

“And now we have come to the crux of the matter. The source of your unbelief. You don’t believe that I am God. Yer we are speaking face to face and you are blind. What do you make of all this?”

“I don’t know. In the last two minutes, my mind has been doing backflips. You say that I have a purpose?! That you have given me a second chance?! What do I do now?”

“I love you. My world is broken and dark without you. You mean everything to me. This is my message. It is only and specifically, a message of love. Do you believe this?”

“Jesus, I do believe you. Ever since I saw you with the crowds, I sensed that something was different. I just didn’t know how different. I just don’t know if I can commit to you being the Son of God.”

“For God (my father) so loved the world, (that includes you) that he gave his one and only Son, (that would be me) that whoever (you, right now, at this moment) believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Now, do you understand and believe?”

“YES! Jesus, my lord, I believe in you and commit my life to you. It all is clear now! Although my eyes are dark, the eyes of my heart have seen the light! I do believe!”

“And now you see your purpose, the reason I brought you here, don’t you?”

“Sir, sir! He is already dead. His legs need not be broken.”

Jesus, I see you hanging there on death’s doorstep. You have changed my life. I understand my purpose. And now, as you breathe your last breath, I will praise and glorify you. You are my all in all.

“Truly, this man was the Son of God!”

Thanks again for joining me here. I hope this little story has boosted your faith.

After all, God has given us all second chances.

See you next week.