By Gobel Brockman
This week I Googled the question, 'How many religions are in the world?', and the link I checked basically said, 'there are too many to know for sure.' But it listed 22 as making up the majority of worldwide adherents. One thing I hear occasionally is something along the lines of 'Aren't all religions just different paths to the same God?' Not according to Jesus. In John 14:6 He made a pretty bold statement: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me." Jesus is saying He was - and is - the ONLY way to have hope in God. What gives Him the right to say that? And what gives Christianity the right to say we're right, and everyone else is wrong?
Three words - THE EMPTY TOMB. Jesus Christ is the only one that has defeated death. Jesus is one of two things; He's either the biggest liar and fraud that has ever walked this earth, or He's exactly who He said He was. The empty tomb proved which one. The story is told that Napolean was once asked, 'Do you believe Jesus rose from the dead?' His response was something like this: "Yes, and I'll tell you why. You can say his name to kings, and they know THEY'RE in the presence of royalty. You can say his name to peasants and immediately see their eyes fill with hope. Yes, Jesus is alive, for dead men don't command that much respect."
Jesus is alive!! May this Easter season renew our hope and faith in what He's done for us.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
One Week To Go
By Gobel Brockman
Imagine it's your last week on Earth. Now imagine that you know it will be filled with confrontation, rejection, betrayal, physical pain, and ultimately, death. Now imagine that your Heavenly Father not only knows this beforehand, but it's actually his will for your last week. How would you handle that? How would I handle that?
Welcome to Palm Sunday.
Jesus entered Jerusalem knowing what lied ahead of Him. He knew it when He opened blinded eyes, healed lepers, raised the dead, and gave hope to the rejected. He knew when He called out the Pharisees for their hypocrisy they would soon get their 'revenge'. And He never ran from it, He embraced it. Why? The Scripture says that "...for the joy that was before Him He endured the cross..." What joy could there be in that? Knowing that humanity could now be saved? I'm sure of that. But I think the bigger reason was just doing His Father's will. What a lesson for us. How often do we bemoan our 'fate', not realizing the joy that is before us in our Father's will. Even when we know in the 'here & now' it will be difficult, may we recognize it's for a bigger purpose.
Thank God Jesus did.
Imagine it's your last week on Earth. Now imagine that you know it will be filled with confrontation, rejection, betrayal, physical pain, and ultimately, death. Now imagine that your Heavenly Father not only knows this beforehand, but it's actually his will for your last week. How would you handle that? How would I handle that?
Welcome to Palm Sunday.
Jesus entered Jerusalem knowing what lied ahead of Him. He knew it when He opened blinded eyes, healed lepers, raised the dead, and gave hope to the rejected. He knew when He called out the Pharisees for their hypocrisy they would soon get their 'revenge'. And He never ran from it, He embraced it. Why? The Scripture says that "...for the joy that was before Him He endured the cross..." What joy could there be in that? Knowing that humanity could now be saved? I'm sure of that. But I think the bigger reason was just doing His Father's will. What a lesson for us. How often do we bemoan our 'fate', not realizing the joy that is before us in our Father's will. Even when we know in the 'here & now' it will be difficult, may we recognize it's for a bigger purpose.
Thank God Jesus did.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Like a Vapor...
By Gobel Brockman
Yesterday (as I write this) was my 23rd anniversary of working for the US Postal Service. As I was thinking about it, I was remembering my first day on the job. 8 hours of sitting in a room listening to people talk. Eight. Hours. Nothing but talking. Blech.
But as I thought about it, it didn't seem like 23 years ago. Time has flown by. When I was a kid a remember someone telling me that the older you get, the faster time goes. Wise words indeed. In the book of James it says that "...our lives are but a vapor...". I'm seeing that more and more. I watch my children who, not too long ago I was carrying in my arms, now carry on with their adult lives. All of this got me to thinking - we only get one chance at this life, and it's disappearing a little more each day. What am I doing with the opportunities that God has given me to accomplish something for His purposes? What are you doing with yours?
The Bible says in the book of Hebrews that "It is appointed unto man to die once, then the judgement." A sobering thought. How we spend our short lives on this earth will soon be judged by the God that gave us that life. When you think about that, remember this: THIS life is but a vapor, eternity is a different story.
Yesterday (as I write this) was my 23rd anniversary of working for the US Postal Service. As I was thinking about it, I was remembering my first day on the job. 8 hours of sitting in a room listening to people talk. Eight. Hours. Nothing but talking. Blech.
But as I thought about it, it didn't seem like 23 years ago. Time has flown by. When I was a kid a remember someone telling me that the older you get, the faster time goes. Wise words indeed. In the book of James it says that "...our lives are but a vapor...". I'm seeing that more and more. I watch my children who, not too long ago I was carrying in my arms, now carry on with their adult lives. All of this got me to thinking - we only get one chance at this life, and it's disappearing a little more each day. What am I doing with the opportunities that God has given me to accomplish something for His purposes? What are you doing with yours?
The Bible says in the book of Hebrews that "It is appointed unto man to die once, then the judgement." A sobering thought. How we spend our short lives on this earth will soon be judged by the God that gave us that life. When you think about that, remember this: THIS life is but a vapor, eternity is a different story.
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