Divvy it up

Mark 15: ²² And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. ²³ Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it. ²⁴ And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.

²⁵ Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. ²⁶ And the inscription of His accusation was written above:

THE KING OF THE JEWS.

“Can I have that desk mat and the in-box?” Someone had been released from the company so I took the liberty to get some of the goodies left behind. I mean, this person couldn’t use it anyway.

• There were times when I blindly scavenged.
• There were times when I grabbed stuff from those I would never see again in this lifetime.
• There were times when I inherited someone’s junk without remembering their name or what they were about.

“Well that was a short reign… Let’s get HIS stuff” seemed to be the thought as the people cared more about HIS stuff than what HE stood for. Someone tried to give HIM a little comfort by giving HIM wine mingled with myrrh, but there was no comfort for JESUS as HE hung on the cross.

• GOD wants me to focus on HIS blessings daily rather than the stuff I can scavenge.
• GOD wants me to be delighted in HIM rather than the stuff I can acquire.
• GOD wants me to recognize HIM as King in a real way, not as HIS mockers.

Since things did not go as expected, people gave up on JESUS being their King. HIS crime was inscribed as “THE KING OF THE JEWS” so no one would ever try to go against the current government regime. Their hearts were only focused on what they could get, not on who HE was and is. GOD wants me to see who HE was and is and is to come. My future lies in HIS hands.

• Are you focused on getting stuff?
• Are you complaining about someone else’s stuff?
• Will you stop looking at what stuff you have or do not have and look at how GOD wants you to serve people today?

I’M going to be killed

Matthew 26: When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ² “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, ⁴ and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. ⁵ “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

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Nervous and jittery, one friend said to me “I am going to jail.” He had already been sentenced and was supposed to report to the authorities the next day. I was stunned. I had never heard these words before.

• Some news from people can catch me off guard.
• Some news from people can really make me feel helpless.
• Some news from people can throw me off for a long time.

Sometimes I forget that JESUS walked around as a human.  I can only imagine hearing the terrible news coming from another person as they say “In two days I will be killed by the pastors and preachers and church goers”, but that is what happened.

• JESUS says to me “I faced extreme hatred to the point where people wanted to kill ME.”
• JESUS says to me “I faced difficulties, slander and lies about ME.”
• JESUS says to me “I could have stopped those who thought they were in power, but I chose to die for you.”

JESUS knew HE was going to face this horrible day because HE was in constant communication with the FATHER.  HE chose to lay HIS life down for me. I am deeply indebted to HIM.

• Is the death of JESUS real to you?
• Do you sometimes think of JESUS as a fairytale?
• Can you thank JESUS for willingly trying to save you?