THE ULTIMATE SECOND CHANCE

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11.25-26

Years ago in ancient Russian villages, at a time when many children did not survive infancy, it was the custom to have a “mourning hut” at the outskirts of every town. All the women who lost their young children were sent to live in this hut for one full month of solitude and grief. At the end of the month, the hut was set on fire – with the woman still inside. At that point she had to decide whether to live or die. If she came out of the burning hut, this indicated that she was prepared to live her life once again. Then, she would rebuild the hut for the next mother in mourning.

            I find the rebuilding of the hut by the woman is the most striking point of this old story. She was acknowledging that tragedy is a part of life we must accept and for which we must prepare. She was saying, “Sometimes there are happy endings, but life is not going to be filled with them.”

            In our world today, we often set ourselves up to be greatly disappointed. As a culture we readily buy into the theory that we should and can be happy all the time. And if life is not always wonderful then something is wrong with us. After all, aren’t we supposed to be constantly filled with joy! No wonder depression is so prevalent today.       

Even as Christians, we expect the path ahead to be a rosy one. But, just because you are a friend of Jesus does not mean that you will not get your heart broken. After all, who suffered more hardships than Jesus Himself? No, Jesus does not tell us we will be free from life’s tragedies, but He does promise to carry us through them and to always give us another chance.

100 years ago, the famed Polish pianist Arthur Rubinstein was lonely, hungry and in debt, his career as a musician was going nowhere. He felt there was nothing left for him but suicide. His problem was finding a way. He had no gun, no poison, and the idea of jumping out of the window was revolting because, "I might have to go on living with broken arms and legs."

Arthur chose to hang himself with an old belt from his robe. He went into the bathroom, stood on a chair, and secured one end of the belt to an overhead hook. Then he tied the other end around his neck and kicked over the chair. The worn-out belt immediately came apart, and Rubinstein fell to the floor with a crash.

He lay where he had fallen for a long time, weeping. Later, he stumbled outside to the streets of the city and felt the warm sunshine on his eyes. Suddenly, it was as if he were reborn. Later, the legendary pianist would never forget what the experience taught him. He said, "Love life, for better or for worse, without conditions.”

Is there any greater gift than the gift of having another chance at life? That was the gift Jesus gave Lazarus. New life. He said, "I AM the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. . . ." And that is the promise he has given you today. Jesus IS the resurrection and the life – the Ultimate Second Chance.

It does not mean you will not have your heart broken from time to time. But it does mean that you must make a choice, right now, today. Will you stay in your hut and watch it burn around you? Or will you choose to live, come out of your burning hut and help those who are coming down the same road you have traveled? Will you take the second chance that Jesus is giving you? Remember, if you are in Christ neither life nor death will ever defeat you, for the One who raised Lazarus from the dead will give you new life as well.

This Week’s Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for the life you have given me. May I never take what you have given me for granted. I choose to live every day fully awake and alive, acknowledging that each moment is a gift. In good times and in bad, I know you will always be with me, my constant friend and my loving Lord. And through all the pain and broken hearts of life, please make me a stronger servant for you. Amen.

CROSSING THE LINE

As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it.

Luke 19:41

On March 3, 1836, only 183 men remained to defend The Alamo against a huge army led by Santa Anna. Two hours before dusk, the Mexican guns suddenly stopped firing. The end was near.

The Commander of The Alamo, William Travis quickly assembled his men. He told them that no reinforcements were coming. "Our doom is certain," Travis told the tired, beaten men. Then, Travis pulled his sword from its sheath and drew a line in the dirt. He asked every man who was committed to remain in the Alamo, fight and die to cross the line.

Topley Holland was the first man to cross the line. Others quickly followed including Davy Crockett. Another man was Colonel Jim Bowie. He was very sick and unable to cross the line on his own, so he called for help. Four men carried him from his cot and lifted him over the line. On March 6, the Alamo fell. Every man within her walls died.

But, as their lives ended a great new beginning sprang forth. Because of their choice to cross the line, the Republic of Texas was born from their sacrifice.

The moment Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He had crossed the line. The end was near.

This should have been the happiest single day in Jesus' life. Yet, we read that “He wept over” the city. Why? After all, huge Passover crowds had come out to greet Him. So many people, in fact, that the Pharisees murmured, "Look! The whole world has gone after him!" On that first Palm Sunday began it appeared as though Jesus’ preaching ministry would be a huge success.

But Jesus knew better. He knew how disloyal the crowds would become. He knew that when He needed His people the most, they would all forsake Him and run away. This same welcoming crowd would escort Him to the Cross. Today, they were shouting, "Hosanna!" By Friday, they were shouting, "Crucify Him!" In just a few days, Jesus would be arrested, tried, whipped, humiliated, spat upon, cursed at, betrayed, crucified, dead, and buried.

It took less than a week for this Man to be destroyed by betrayal.

He had crossed the line. But, as His life ended a great new beginning sprang forth.

He shed His blood for us. And now He draws a line in the sand and asks you to cross over to His side. Make no mistake, if you choose Jesus, you will need to make a very special kind of commitment. Now is the time.

As we approach Easter, will you cross the line to the Cross of Christ?

This week’s prayer

Dear Lord, I offer my eternal thanks for your Son Jesus Christ. He died for me so that I may spend eternity in your glorious presence. Please guide me so that I will not take lightly my commitment to Jesus. Help me to live a Jesus kind of sacrifice. Amen.

IT'S NOT YOUR JOB

"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts."

I Corinthians 4:5

Joel Hemphill, a great southern gospel songwriter, wrote a hit song in the 1970's called "He's Still Working On Me.” It went like this:

"There really ought to be a sign upon my heart,
'Don’t Judge Me Yet There's An Unfinished Part'.
But I’ll be perfect just according to his plan,
Fashioned by the Master's loving hand."

Some Christians spend a lot of time judging others. I find it ironic that while we are supposed to proclaim the “good news” of the gospel, we often turn unbelievers away by our own bad news in the form of harsh criticism and judgment. After looking at how judgmental we can be, they might say to themselves: "If that’s Christianity, then I don’t want any part of it." Why do we push others away from Christ instead of allowing them to see the Christian qualities in us that bring us true peace and joy?

I’m afraid when we get to heaven, some of us are going to have a lot of explaining to do. Yes, as saved sinners our sins are forgotten, but the Bible promises that we will stand before God to discuss the good and bad in our lives.

So what are we to do? Without exception, Jesus tells us that that we should not judge no matter what. He tells us, "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with measure you use, it will be measured you." You see, Jesus knew the dangers of one person judging another. He knew the damage we could do to His ministry if people saw Christians judging everyone. Maybe that’s why some of His strongest warnings concerned judgment. "Why," He said, "do you look at a speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

He is reminding us that we can’t look at others unless we look at them through our own mistakes, failures, and sins. By doing this, He knows that we will be less inclined to judge and more inclined to forgive and love.

You see, none of us is where we need to be in our relationship with Christ. Yet, the Lord does not judge us the same way we judge others. When God looks at your life, He looks first at your heart and not your mistakes!

This week, remember how Joel Hemphill finished his song:

"In the mirror of his word, reflections that I see.
Make me wonder why he never gave up on me.
But he loves me as I am and helps me when I pray.
Remember, He’s the potter, I’m the clay."

This Week’s Prayer

Oh Lord, I want to promise you that I will never judge again. I know your command is to love and forgive, never to judge. I know how painful it is when others judge me. Please give me the disciple to follow all your commands, but especially the command to never judge others. My heart’s desire is to bring others the good news of your Son Jesus. This is my passion and purpose. Set my eyes upon this one, singular goal, Lord. And allow me to see the things I must correct in myself and no one else. Amen.

ALL YOU CAN

“And He saw a certain poor widow putting in two mites.

So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all;

for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God,

but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

Luke 21:2-4

Today, a widow is not destined to a life of poverty when her husband passes away. But in the days of the Bible, widows without families to provide for them were left to beg on the streets for a living. The widow Jesus observed was pennies away from being absolutely destitute. He knew she had given all that she had, reserving nothing for herself.

The mite was the lowest valued coin in the Hebrew culture of the day. It was worth less than a fraction of a penny. It was certainly no match for the large offerings given by the wealthy or even those who were struggling, but surviving.

That is an essential point. This woman had no way to survive; yet she gave.

That is why Jesus was so touched. He was not focused on the amount of money, but by the depth of her giving – from a place of poverty.

In his lifetime, the great theologian, John Wesley, traveled 250,000 miles on horseback, averaging twenty miles a day for forty years. He preached 4,000 sermons, produced 400 books, and learned ten languages. At 83 years old, he was annoyed that he could not write more than 15 hours a day without hurting his eyes. At 86, he was ashamed he could not preach more than twice a day. He complained in his diary that there was an increasing tendency to just lie in bed quite late – all the way until 5:30 in the morning!

Like the widow who gave only two mites, John Wesley gave everything of himself.

And that is the beauty of giving to God. It is not the amount of money we can afford to give. The Lord loves you. That is why He desires most for you to give of yourself, no matter who you are, what you do or how much you have.

This is what makes you so important to God’s Kingdom. You have something the Lord needs you – just you – to give. You have a unique and vital role to play in the story of the gospel. Now is the time for you to step up and give your best. Why? Because Jesus needs you . . . and so do all the people whose life your's will touch.

This Week’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to give and do my best for You. Please show me the opportunities to do Your will every day. Do not hide my eyes from those in need. I know there is something I can do today to change someone’s life – even if it’s just a little. Guide me to those people, show me their wounds and worries. Give me the strength to encourage them and provide them with hope through Your Word and Your love. Amen.