And they brought Him to a place called Golgotha…and they crucified Him. (Mark 15:23a,24a)

All four gospels give an account of Jesus’ last earthly hours. As you read His final words, take some time to think about all He had suffered just before He spoke them. In the garden, sweating blood as He anticipated the agony of what lay ahead. The betrayal of His closest friends. Merciless beatings, severe enough in and of themselves to have caused His death. Scorn from those, who just days earlier, had honored and praised Him as their king. The humiliation of being mocked, spit upon, and stripped naked. The torture of of being nailed to a cross. And finally, the horrific pain of taking the sin of all mankind upon His sinless body.

Read Jesus’ words again. Do you see it?

At His height of suffering, Jesus prays for the ones who drove the nails into His feet and hands.

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

In the midst of His agony, He offers eternal assurance to a repentant man.

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

He ignores His horrific pain, to insure His Mother will be cared for.

“Woman, behold, your son!” “Behold, your mother!”

It is only after He has seen to the needs of others that He turns His attention to His own suffering.

“I thirst.”

It must have been the full weight of the sin of all mankind that caused Jesus to cry out desperately to His Father.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus’ pleas were heard. The veil was torn as He declared, once and for all…

“It is finished”

Nothing more to be done. Nothing else needed. The Lamb had been slain, the blood had been shed. All the requirements fulfilled.

Then, final words, final assurance.

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”

To anyone who has ever stood by the bed of a loved one as they took their final breath, these are words of comfort. They promise us that He who knit us in our Mother’s womb is there, waiting to receive our spirit. These words confirm that Jesus has defeated death. We can have confidence that His spirit, having returned to the Father, will live eternally and so will ours. In this final statement, we have God’s ultimate promise and our ultimate hope.

At no other time in recorded scripture do we see Jesus’ humanity so evidently revealed. In the final hours at Calvary, we see Jesus, fully God, fully man. The One who knew no sin, became the embodiment of sin.

Seven statements from the cross. Parting thoughts. Thoughts for you and me.

Blessings,
~Sandra

©️2014/2020 Sandra Bivens Smith

Father, never let us forget what the Easter season is really about. Keep us mindful of the horrors of the cross and the sufferings we have been spared because Jesus suffered for us. Always remind us that even in His final hours, we were never far from Jesus’ thoughts. Above all, place deep within our minds the truth of the victory that was won for us that day at Calvary; and deep within our hearts a desire to share the message with those who remain lost. Amen.

In Jesus’ last words, we have the entire gospel message. The message of forgiveness, eternal life, love for one another, His righteousness imparted to us. It is a message important enough for Jesus to die for; shouldn’t it be important enough for us to live for?

Christ died so we can live. His sacrifice at Calvary is for everyone who will come and follow Him. Have you made that commitment? Have you knelt at the foot of the cross and surrendered your heart to the One Who died for your sins? If you haven’t, there will never be a better time than now.

All you need to do is pray:

Confess to Jesus that you are a sinner who needs salvation. Believe in your heart that He is only One who can save you. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins. Surrender your life and your will to Him. Ask Him give you a new heart, and a new spirit

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

When all I can see are my circumstances ➖

“Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind. For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.” Psalm 26:2-3

This past weekend over 140 women came together for the Heart2Heart Key Keeper Conference. It was my honor to have been a part of such an exciting and inspiring event.

All week the weather forecast had been for mild weather which greatly encouraged us, especially considering February in North Carolina is a most unpredictable month weather wise. Friday afternoon, as we worked to get the final details in place we became a little concerned by the darkened sky. We imagined all those women arriving in the middle of a thunder storm. The conference was scheduled to start at 6:00 PM Friday; just before the first women began to arrive, God moved back the storm clouds and replaced them with a magnificent rainbow! As we looked up at it, we were overwhelmed by its beauty and the promise it held.

Throughout the months leading up to the conference, God not only met every need, He exceeded every one. From speakers to session leaders, volunteers to vendors, attendees, finances, encouragers, supporters…at every turn and every challenge, God provided! In Philippians 4:19 Paul writes “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” And so He did.

Are you under some storm cloud in your own life? If you are feeling afraid, uncertain, defeated? If you need the hope and promise of a rainbow to get you through, talk to Jesus about. He says He will supply ALL your need according to HIS riches in glory. And so He will.

I would love to share some highlights from the conference with you. You can check out the photos along testimonies from some of the attendees on the Hear2HeartWomen.org website.

~Sandra

Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:3-4)

As I was meditating on this passage this morning, it occurred to me that these words might be the key to the apparent disappearance of man’s moral compass.

“I don’t care what people think of me”. How often have you heard or even spoken those words? It is a common and acceptable (even encouraged) attitude these days to be indifferent to what others think of us. It hasn’t always been so. There was a time when it was important to us that others regard us as a person of character. A time when one’s reputation was a cherished possession. Many business deals were sealed by a handshake because a man’s word was his bond.

Just to be clear, I am not talking here about being “man pleasers”, quite the opposite. I am talking about being image bearers.

Isn’t that what King Solomon is saying in the above Proverb? The words “bind” and “write ” imply a permanence; a joining together, making fast, engraving. As Christ followers, we are to have a pattern of living that reflects the image of Christ. Christ who is gentle and kind (Matthew 11:29). Christ who is Truth (John 14:6). And, as Solomon says, when we make His life, His nature, our pattern, we will not only find favor with God but with man as well.

As Christians we must always be mindful that when we took the name of Christ, we became, to the eyes of the world, a reflection of Him. As the scriptures put it, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Pause and think for a minute about the implications and gravity of what that means.

My final thought on the subject: [In Christ] It is not what I do that determines who I am, rather it is who I am that determines what I do.

Sandra

I hear a lot about wanting to get back to the classic hymns of our fathers. How badly we need the message they have for us; I agree. Having said that, I can also make a case for the praise music many of us worship with today.

The key word here is WORSHIP.

What is worship? I find that worship, both the act and the experience, is often interpreted differently for each individual. And that is fine, we each have our unique method for the time we spend with the Lord. But, what I feel led to talk about this morning is corporate worship. The time when we come together as one in the Body of Christ.

Recently I was privileged to be a part of a study on the book of Joshua. There is a familiar passage in chapter 24 in which Joshua challenges the people to choose who they would serve. In the verse prior to that challenge I noticed some points; points that are key to worship.

First of all, Joshua says “fear the LORD”. (Revere, stand in awe of) recognizing the power of God.

Joshua says “serve the LORD”. (Bondage to, enslave, service) recognizing the authority of God. Joshua goes on to tell the people to put away the foreign gods that their fathers “served” beyond the Jordan. The word “serve” here also means worship.

Joshua says ” serve Him in sincerity. (Complete, whole, perfect, without spot) recognizing the holiness of God.

Joshua said “serve Him in faithfulness (Firm, sure, truth) recognizing the jealousy of God.

Joshua says ” choose”. And so must we all.

Joshua in his sermon is echoing the message of Moses in Deutoronomy 10:12

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul”.

Worship then is not about the music, it’s not about the church decor or who is sitting next to you. It’s not even about the preacher. Worship is not about the externals but rather the internals. Worship – true, sincere worship – is not about us, it’s about Christ. Just as Moses spoke serve (worship) the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

I want to close by sharing with you words from a song by Michael W. Smith that inspired me to write this post.

~Sandra