Worthy Words

Do you remember ever being invited to a picnic? The one who invited you told you something like, "Bring what you want to eat and we'll furnish the tea." Now as it happened, the day of the picnic you got home late from work. All you had to pack for your meal was just one dried up old piece of bologna and just enough mustard in the jar so that it got all over your knuckles when you tried to scoop it out of the jar—and two stale pieces of bread — the heals. S-o-o-o-o-o-o you made just a bologna sandwich, wrapped it in wax paper, put it in a brown paper bag and went to the picnic. When it came time to eat, there you sat at the end of the table you opened the brown paper bag and took out your pitiful bologna sandwich. Now the family sitting right next to you had a real spread. The wife was a great cook and had worked all day preparing the meal. She made fried chicken, baked beans, potato salad, green beans, home make rolls, sliced tomatoes, pickles, olives...

Easter Sunday is the most significant day in history. Were it not for Easter, our world would be unrecognizably different. Because of Easter, because of the resurrection, we know that Jesus is who he claimed to be. He is who the Bible says he is—God in the flesh. He has power over death and he has the power to change your life. Jesus died the worst possible death a man can die. He was ridiculed, mocked, spat upon, beaten, stripped and hung on a cross—the ultimate humiliation for a Jew. [Galatians 3:13] The end of his life ran just the opposite of what everyone expected would happen when the Jewish Messiah appeared. They believed the Messiah would usher in a political kingdom. Instead, they watched him become the ultimate victim. For most people it was unthinkable that God would be behind the events of Jesus' death. However, God was up to something — he had a plan. The death of Jesus would pay for the sins of the world. Through his death, all of creation would be reconciled to God....

Temptation is inevitable. Even respectable people are tempted. Even people who are Spirit-led are tempted. As a Christ-follower you can expect it. We have a tendency to think, when we face temptation, that God must have abandoned us or there must be something wrong with us, or else we wouldn't be experiencing temptation in our lives. Even Jesus was tempted when alone in the desert by the devil—Matthew 4:1. Temptation is inevitable, but it doesn't come from God. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. (James 1:13) God's purpose is not to tempt us, but to give us power over temptation. Did you get that? Please realize more times than not temptation often follows a "peak" experience in our lives. Doesn't make sense, does it? But that's what often happens in our lives. After a peak experience, we often find ourselves alone in the desert. When things are goin...