Have You Been To The Cross Lately?

 Friday, April 3, 2015

 "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside  every encumbrance and the sin which so easily enables us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, setting our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2).

 Hey Gang: I sense I need to rephrase that question and ask, "Have you been to the Cross in the last thirty seconds?"  I have always had the feeling that repetition is effective for about a week, and then I tend to be negligent to follow through.  I am plagued with several ailments that require medication every day and if I do not take the correct dosage prescribed, I pay the piper; but yet I still tend to forget. 

 Now, I realize we might have five people in a circle and ask them to define repetitious, and we would get six to eight definitions.  My simple mind tends to define it as ‘disciplining oneself to do a certain thing in an on-going basis for my own good.’ 

 We have been commanded by the Lord to go to the cross daily.  Why?  We each may have our own reason why this trip is suggested by the Lord.  I suspect He knows our attention span may be only day-long, but after that even the most focused tend to lose focus.  I tend to feel the Muslim’s and Jews are more disciplined in their prayers then we Christians.  Note, I said disciplined to pray, I did not include who they pray to, or for what. 

 The Jews pray three times a day and point their prayers towards Jerusalem; the Muslims pray five times a day and point their prayers toward Mecca.  But as has been pointed out by many writers, the prayers are repetitious and have lost their meaning.

 I would be remiss if I did not tell you that repetition can also be good, if you are a disciplined person and stay the course.  It is very obvious that, if we are diligent in our repetitio, if our repetition is anchored on the Word and a personal relationship with Yeshua, it is then that we can grow in the Lord and in the Word. 

 Soooo, as you ponder this question, you might ask yourself, “Is my relationship with the Father is based on vain repetitions or is there salad, and soup, and meat and potatoes and even desert in your prayer life?”   There are many, even believers, who say, look around you, prayer does not do any good; but ask yourself what this world would look like if there were no prayers sent to the heavenlies by God's people.   The world is going to find out, when Christ comes and takes His children home to be with him throughout Eternity.  Make sure you are firmly implanted in Lord's hands and your name is recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life.  You do not want to be here after Jesus comes and collects His sheep and takes them to His exceedingly greener pastures.

 Blessings,  

Gramps