In the face of such devotion, David was so overwhelmed he could not drink the water. Instead, he poured it out as a sacrificial offering to God.
Jesus said this: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Yet His own love was immeasurably greater. He died not only for his friends, but also for His enemies.
As for us—for you and for me—His sacrifice still stands. Let us not forget it.
Believing Impossible Things
March 01
There is an incident in the book Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll where the White Queen is trying to get Alice to believe that she is 101 years, 5 months, and a day old. Alice cannot accept that, so the Queen tells her to draw a long breath, shut her eyes, and try. “There’s no use trying,” said Alice. “One can’t believe impossible things.”
The Queen responds, “Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”1
When we watch athletic events, such as the Olympics, that require great skill, the competitors seem to do impossible things. They are, of course, not doing the impossible but stretching the limits of the possible through better training and better equipment.
When Jesus was on the Mountain of Transfiguration with three of His apostles, the rest of the twelve were down below, working with the crowd that nearly always followed the Master. In the crowd were a father and his epileptic son. The son was continually racked by terrible seizures. The father brought his boy to those nine apostles for healing, but they couldn’t heal him. Later, the apostles asked Jesus why they had been unable to cure the boy. Jesus replied: “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you’ ” (Matthew 17:20).
Have you moved many mountains lately . . . mountains of doubt . . . mountains of fear . . . mountains of frustration . . . mountains of stress?
As Jesus puts it on another occasion: “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” You and God.
Then Jesus Came
March 02
What a difference the coming of one single person has made in the life of the world.
Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type in the 15th century and made the widespread publishing of books (and knowledge) possible. Thomas Edison’s coming made possible the phonograph, incandescent lamp, and many other inventions. Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. Ludwig Van Beethoven gave the world such magnificent musical works. The list goes on and on.
Then, of course, in our own lives are individuals who have made a difference to us—family members, friends, mentors etc.
Then there’s Jesus.
In Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate, there was a pool called Bethesda, whose waters held healing properties briefly when agitated. Alongside many of the disabled, there was a man so crippled that he could never make it to the healing waters in time. He had been an invalid for 38 years. Then Jesus came.
Lazarus, beloved brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany, was desperately sick. A friend of many in the community, Lazarus was deeply mourned by all, especially his beloved sisters, when he suddenly passed away.
Then Jesus came.
On the evening of the first Easter day, a little group of Christian disciples huddled in a Jerusalem home . . . doors locked in fear. They were uncertain, perplexed, and confused.
Then Jesus came.
“The Son of Man,” Jesus said of himself, “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
He came and He did.
Against Wind and Tide
March 03
There’s an impression being spread in some Christian circles that being a Christian guarantees you a somewhat lavish, carefree lifestyle . . . in short almost all your troubles are over. The whole idea is bothersome because it bears hardly any resemblance to a cross and smacks of conformity to the world rather than to the One who said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
Jesus indeed indicates that we are likely to receive no applause at all from those on the streets of life. The apostle John quotes Him: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18–19). Not much applause there. A little later Jesus adds: “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20b).
Just before his crucifixion, Jesus said: “In this world you will have trouble.” Then he gave this promise: “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b).
God does not promise that life will be a bed of roses, free from trials, without any pain. But He does promise strength to overcome. Annie Johnson Flint’s poetry, which became the words for the hymn “What God Hath Promised,” tells us about some of God’s promises. The first verses and refrain are as follows:
God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower–strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.2
Our Duty
March 04
Lord Baden Powell, as is well known, founded the Boy Scouts organization. To be a Scout, a boy must promise, on his honor, to do his duty to both God and country, to help others at every opportunity, and to obey the Scout law. Lord Baden Powell chose a fine motto for the Scouts: “Be prepared” is a fine precept indeed, even for those of us who are quite a bit older.
It is rather unfortunate, I think, that the whole concept of duty seems to be out of favor in so many quarters in our day and age. Duty, of course, carries with it the idea of responsibility and obligation, and somehow many feel that they don’t owe anything—even to God.
If we think about it, we owe a great deal to our God. He is our Creator. He made us. God supplies us the very air we breathe—the sunshine, the rain, the fertile soil.
With familiar phrases, the final chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes also speaks of a word that is prominent in the code of the Boy Scouts—duty: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them’” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). And we find these words in verse 13 of the same chapter: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man.”
Like good Boy Scouts, we have a duty to our Heavenly Father.
Cocoons