The Cross of Peace

"having made peace through the blood of His cross."
Colossians 1:20b (NKJV)

How can a cross bring peace if Jesus is the One hanging there? At the cross, wickedness was not appeased. Wickedness was confronted. At the cross, sin was not overlooked. At the cross, sin was atoned and paid for. God’s greatest righteousness confronted man’s greatest wickedness, and righteousness won; peace was attained through the blood of the cross. Thank God for the cross! Thank God for Jesus!

Adrian Rogers

Why the Cross?

"Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem" Luke 9:51

Why did Jesus have to die? Why the cross? Why couldn't God just say, "Look, I know you have sinned against Me. It's okay. Never mind. You are all forgiven." The answer is that it doesn't work with His nature and character. God is just. And the justice of God requires that our sins be paid. He could not accept us into fellowship with himself unless the penalty was paid.You see, the cross demonstrates the justice of God. At the cross of Calvary, the love and the justice of God met. Jesus had to go to the cross because humanity is sinful, and there was no other way to bridge the gap between a just and holy God and sinful humanity. The cross was His goal, and it was His destination from the very beginning. He spoke of it frequently.So don't think the cross was a mistake. Don't think that Jesus didn't know it was coming. Jesus, being God, had complete foreknowledge. He was braced for the cross. He knew the cruel and horrendous pain that awaited Him. In fact, Scripture tells us, "He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). He would let nothing or no one deter Him from His course. God said, "My righteous requirements must be met. But I love humanity. And there is no way they can do it on their own. So I must assist them. I must help them." So He sent His only begotten Son to bridge the gap. Jesus came to this earth to purchase back what had been forfeited in the Garden of Eden.

Think about that. This was a daily devotion I received a few years back from Gregg Laurie of Harvest Ministries. Sign up for own daily emails from Harvest.

Reason To Live

A secular song by Hoobastank, is beautifully re-directed to our Savior in this video. The following is taken from a review posted at KaleoChurch.com

The truth is our story is just a small part of a much larger story. It's a story that began with the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve deliberately disobeyed God, this act we call sin brought consequences. Humans went from a close communion with God to being separated.

We all recognize our sinfulness. When we get angry, when we disobey our parents, when we hurt others around us and lie, cheat, steal, you name it, we find a way to do it. Hoobastank, too recognizes this truth, in their new album The Reason the title song, Reason states…

I'm not a perfect person
As many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

We all fall short, we all cannot live and be perfect. We cannot earn our way back to God. We cannot reach out and pursue God on our own. This is where things change. The good news is the story did not end there. God's ultimate story began to unfold. God demonstrated His love, patience, and justice to all mankind.

Knowing that God is perfect in His justice, He requires that sin be dealt with. But because we (humans) cannot pay the price, He sent His Son to be the sacrifice on our own behalf. Jesus died so that we may have life eternal with God. If we accept this price Christ paid on our behalf and are willing to surrender to God our will our self and we put it ‘to death' we can become ‘born again'. We are born again spiritually and become a new creation in Christ. It is at this point that we are restored back into a relationship with the God who created us.

Understanding this story means we recognize that Christ had to come, He had to pay our price with His life. He conquered sin and death once and for all. He was willing to come and let mankind beat him, strip him and brutally murder Him on the cross. He willingly did this, because it was the only way that we could be reconciled with God.

The song continues…
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
That's why I need you to hear

Hoobastank did not intend these lyrics to be directed to Christ, but it is again through the lens of the good news of Christ this song means much more to us. We too have found a reason, a reason to change from who we used to be, to become someone new. We understand that because of our sin, Christ was hurt and we personally put him through the pain and death. But our life will begin anew, and we will have purpose, meaning and hope in knowing we will one day be with our God.
So there we have it, a grand story that our one small story plays a part. Are you willing to search for this? Are you willing to sacrifice yourself to gain everything? To make the ultimate decision so that “all the choices that I make won't end up all for nothing”...

What's Wrong With Dave?

People probably have been asking that question for years. And still are!:-) Sometimes I ask myself that question too. I mean look at the media hype and non-stop coverage of Anna Nicole Smith, of her life and her death. The media is absolutely gone 'yonkers' over this sad life of a misguided woman. She sold out to the world and the world devoured her. She had a 'rock star' status for what? Let's be honest. She was in a way, a prostitute. Now I can't judge, that's God's job, but I'm not blind either. The 'fruits' of her life point back to a rotten tree. But hey, we all have sinned I know. It's just a shame she never discovered, (best that I could tell), the healing power of our awesome God. As far as being concerned, I'm sorry for her death, her little 5-month old daughter orphaned, but I really don't care to hear all about her pitiful life every time I turn the radio or TV on. Are there no HEROS out there anymore? Are these our 21st century icons? Thanks Bill and Monica. Oh yeah, I wouldn't want to leave out Brittany here! What's wrong with me, is it that I don't want to know all the kinky and sad details of her life like the rest of the world wants to know! Yes, it's a tragedy and we should mourn the loss of another human, but to put her up on a pedestal and 'worship' her is just wrong. And behind it all, is the love of money, not the love of God.

Another viewpoint would be American Idol. What is up with that show? Frankly, the name keeps me away. Doesn't the Second Commandment come to mind here? To be honest, I have never watched a single show, only maybe a clip or two that was on the news about the show. So in that light, maybe I am prejudging a bit...maybe-maybe not. I saw in those film clips, hundreds of people standing in a line somewhere, usually raining, snowing, maybe in the middle of a heat wave, all trying desperately to get on this show and my heart breaks with the thought, "Why don't we seek God that way?" Of course the proverb comes to mind here, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV) Now don't misunderstand, I have heard that a lot of good singers have been discovered on this show, but it's just the way it all comes about that bugs me. When I was a kid, they had Ted Mack's Amateur Hour on our 3-channel-only TV. It was, in a way, the same thing, except now it's all about the money and fame, not the God-given talent of the contestants. So what's wrong with Dave, because I don't care if American Idol is on TV tonight? I have had parents upset with us at our Wednesday night Awana (children's Bible club) because we went a little over time with letting their kids out and they were missing American Idol that night!! I'm serious, it was actually spoken by a parent picking up their child one night. So what's wrong with Dave? I have a great desire that all men, women, and children have a everlasting relationship with our Heavenly Father through His only son, Jesus Christ. But I detest the things of the world and with the same breath admit that I can be drawn in to some of them at times. (Thank God for His Holy Spirit who convicts and corrects us!)

So, what's wrong with Dave? You can answer that for yourself, but I can tell you what's 'right' with Dave. My worldview was changed 12 years ago when I met the Lord. And He has been grooming, changing, growing, convicting, comforting, challenging, equipping and preparing me for His service.

The Bible is absolutely clear on which side of the fence a Christian is on.
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV)

This one thing I know -- that I know that I know that I know that I am His. How about you?
I pray so.
God bless.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:12-13 (NKJV) (emphasis mine)

Christmas 24/7/365

Christmas. It's a grand time of year. I wish I was a little kid again every time it rolls around. I loved Christmas as a child. I didn't have a clue how Santa did it, I just believed. As I got older, my belief in Santa changed somewhat, but I still believed. I had it all figured out too, you know, how did he get to every child's house in a 24 hour span? The secret, his elves were disguised as truck drivers! I really believed that! My dad owned a trucking company and so that helped me to come up with my conclusion. Well, that theory lasted a year or two. Then the awful truth finally caught up with me, Santa was my Mama! Dad helped, but Mama did all the sneaky stuff. The great hoax was over. Santa was not real. I have always wondered since then if it is OK to pretend that Santa is real? Especially when I had children of my own. I went along with it, I didn't want to ruin their excitement! Well, Santa isn't real, but the spirit of Christmas is alive. People helping people, giving of their time and resources, reaching out to the needy. Christmas. Christ-mas. It took a long time for me to understand the real meaning of Christmas. Oh I wish I could go back and do it again now that I understand! If I only had faith in Christ as I had in Santa, my life would have been so much better for it. That's exactly what Jesus was referring to in the Bible. In Matthew 8:2-4, " Jesus called a small child over to him and put the child among them. Then he said, "I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." And in John 1:12, "But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God."



Like a child, just believe in and receive Christ! Simple, yet profound. I became "as a child" 11 years ago. Not knowing everything, and still don't, I simply believed in Jesus as the Son of God, that He was born to a virgin, lived a sinless life, died upon a cruel cross as payment for my sins, then was buried, and three days later came back to life to prove He was exactly who He said He was, the Son of God. (see I Cor. 15:3-4)



Since that day, 11 years ago, Christmas has a whole new meaning for me. I know the Christ in Christmas! Santa was a hoax, Christ is Hope. He's the Real Deal. Everyday 'in Christ' is Christmas to a believer. Sadly, most of the world only has 'christmas' once a year. I like to say "Merry Christmas 24/7/365" You can have that too!