March 25, 2008
This morning I was thinking
again about this Sunday, which was resurrection day. I was thinking about Jesus
dying on the cross and the events that lead up to it.
Late the night before or
early that very morning, His closest friends had all sworn to stand by Him to
the death. Yet they couldn’t stay awake through the hours of His agonized
prayer and they ran away denying they ever knew Him.
None of us likes to be
rejected or betrayed. When it comes from close friends, family or our brothers
and sisters in Christ, the pain seems especially intense. There is something
devastating about being rejected by those closest to us; by those we trust the
most. Jesus knew that pain fully.
I’d love to say that
those in the church are perfect and will never let you down, but that would be
either blindly idealistic or an outright lie. The church is full of people and
people do let each other down.
The head of the church,
Jesus, is perfect and will never turn away. We must always be careful not to
confuse the people in the church with the head.
Jesus warned the disciples
that they would betray Him, but they didn’t believe or understand until it had
already happened. What a glorious feeling it must have been some days later when
He reappeared and they realized that He knew in advance, yet He still loved them
and forgave them!
He [Jesus] said to them,
"How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then
enter his glory?" Luke 24:25-26 NIV
Are you carrying the wounds
of being betrayed? Are you carrying the scars of being the betrayer? Perhaps
this is the day to make amends, to offer and ask for forgiveness.
Have you been betrayed? Do
you find it difficult to trust again? There is someone you can turn to who will
NEVER let you down, one who is always faithful. Turn to a personal relationship
with Jesus.
You
can begin the relationship by saying a prayer along the lines of:
Dear
God:
I
have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I need
your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your
life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again.
Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord.
Amen
Darrel
Mason