Crucifixion

God afternoon and Merry Christmas Family,

I can't seem to get away from this theme but Jesus truly was our example. This means in order to understand how I should function as a Christian all I need do is study His life as written in the Word of God.

I remember when we went as a family to go see the movie The Passion. I felt a bit odd because I didn't really want to cry, though I was struck to the core by the depth of Jesus' suffering for us. Instead I was a grimly elated. Jesus paid it all for me so I wouldn't have to.

I remember thinking, "I'm glad Jesus died. I'm glad He suffered. I'm glad for every stripe, every mocking word, every humiliation He suffered. I'm glad He went to the cross!" I'm still glad.

Oh, how I love my Jesus, but there was no other way for my sin to be paid for. If there was the Father would have told Him. It was either me or Jesus. Am I glad that it was my sin that He had to suffer for? Oh no, but my sin was pretty much a done deal and someone was going to die for it. Again, I am grimly elated and grateful that He was the one.

I say grimly because Jesus died not only for my sin but as an example to me. Somewhere, somehow I will be expected to suffer for someone else. No, my suffering will not pay for their sin. Only Jesus could have done that. But I can, and will be called often, to lay down my life so someone else can have the opportunity to be blessed. So will you dear one.

From giving money away that we wanted to spend on ourselves or actively, generously, and aggressively loving those who treat us badly, we will all encounter these crucifixion moments.

Like Jesus, we will all at once, have a choice and no choice at all. None of us are forced to be nailed to the cross, yet for those who are truly His, how can we do anything else but our Father's will?

The reality is we will love and forgive so many, but the majority will reject the kind sacrifices we make in His name. Yet, we keep taking up our cross for the few, even the ONE, who will see Christ in our willingness to put them before ourselves.

I'm glad He gave up His life for me.

May someone somewhere, somehow, be able to say...

....I'm glad Lauren gave up her life for me.

Stay in Prayer and in the Word and have the best Christmas ever!

Love in our Lord,

Lauren

Passion

God Afternoon Family,

I have an ax to grind if you don't mind.

I'm not too fond of the church's current definition of passion.

There is a popular teaching that says in order to discover God's purpose in your life find out what you have a passion for. This in itself is not wrong but the way most Christians define passion goes something like this,

Whatever you love doing or thinking about...whatever consumes you...whatever makes you feel good...that's your passion.

May I say that is an accurate definition for anything that excites the flesh. I love overeating sweets, staying up late and watching t.v., spending weeks at an expensive resort in Maui doing nothing but being waited on, and buying whatever I want at the mall. This is my passion.

There are 3 times the word passion is used in the Bible. James 5:17 and Acts 14:15 use passion in reference to the natural man and his inclination toward fickle emotions, temptations, and weaknesses.

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. James 5:17 KJV

Acts 1:3 uses the word passion to describe the suffering and death Jesus endured in obedience to the will of His Father.

To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God...Acts 1:3 KJV

The Strong's Concordance defines passion in Acts 1:3 as Sensation or Impression (Usually painful.)

Jesus said His meat (source of strength, satisfaction, fulfillment) was to do His Father's will...even to the point of death. The fact that He wept blood in the garden of Gethsemane and asked His Father to let that particular cup pass from Him, tells me His flesh, in no way, felt good about the suffering He was about to endure. Yet, through prayer, He was strengthened to obey.

In my 14 years of salvation it's a pretty rare occurrence that God tells me to do something that makes me feel good and excites my flesh. Maybe it's just me, but God usually makes me do something I don't want to do. In the long run I'm glad I obeyed but initially I generally find that the will of God for me is not much fun and takes me way out of my comfort zone.

Passion.

There is one thing and one thing only that should satisfy a Christian, that should eat away at us until we are nearly insane, that should consume us until we burn...

To find out and then do the will of the one who died for us...no matter the pain it causes us.

This is passion.
Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work...John 4:34 NLT

Stay in prayer and in the Word!

Love in our Lord,

Lauren