T.J.I.F.A

THANK JESUS IT'S FRIDAY AGAIN!
NOVEMBER 15, 2002
PASS IT ON ...& ON...& ON...& ON

SUBJECT: TEAR OF OBEDIENCE

HAVE YOU EVER DONE EVERYTHING RIGHT?  AND YET IT'S WRONG?  THEN MAYBE YOU'LL UNDERSTAND THE OVER ALL CONNOTATIONS OF THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER.  

DON'T PUT ON YOUR SAD FACE, JUST ENJOY...TEAR OF OBEDIENCE.

NOTEWORTHY:

A FEW COMMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR - TRUE E. READYWRITER.

IN THE MIRROR:

THE MIRROR IS EMPTY THIS WEEK, SO TAKE A LONG LOOK.

LOOKING FORWARD

SEE YA NEXT TIME.

TER


Tear of Obedience

Phil.2:8  Jesus Christ was Obedient to the Cross.


Have you ever witnessed a child being hard headed and crying as loud as he could, so that he would attract attention and perhaps embarrass his mother to the point that she will back down and give in to his immediate lustful desire?   If the mother keeps her firm hand and triumphs, you will later notice the sad little child crying real tears because he has lost this battle.    These are the tears of defeat and dire discontent.  This is a harsh and bitter time for the child.

The runner who has run a good race, runs until the end.  When he sees the yellow tape and crosses it first, the emotion is sometimes so overwhelming that you may see a gush of tears as he realizes that he, indeed, has won this race.   These are tears of victory.  The long hours of practice and yielding to special diets has paid off.  

Going to Funerals, you may see many people crying over the loss of a loved one.  These are tears of sadness and mourning for which GOD has promised us that we will be comforted.  Ref. Matt 5:

There is a testimony in 1Samuel 25,  about a man named Nabal, which means ‘foolish', who had ignored   the Kings'  request.  The King had been in the field fighting for Nabal's land which had suffered pilferage from the enemy's army.  I guess that it was customary for the civilians to feed the army.  

When the request was presented Nabal  refused to help the army which had stayed the enemy from his very own land.  The wife of this man, Abigail, heard about her husband's ignorance and quickly made amends by taking him the food  for his army.  It was good that she did because King David was about to take everything from this ignorant and  disobedient man.  When he, Nabal, found that his wife had complied and what a problem he would have had, he drank too much and ten days later he died.  Abigail, now the widow of Nabal, later became the wife of King David.


Jesus came to this earth as The Obedient, Sacrificial Lamb of GOD.  

As He prayed at Gethsemane He perspired great drops of sweat and blood.  He cried to His Father that this cup be passed from Him.     In the final determination He submitted: "Nevertheless, not My will but thine."  And with this He obediently went to the judgement halls which would lead to His sacrificial death on Calvary.  

No-one really knows the prayer that Jesus prayed to His Father on that day. I believe that in that prayer Jesus reviewed every cubic inch of Salvation with His Father.  I believe that in that prayer Jesus was able to look into the Centuries of mass humanity and see our need for Him to die this   righteous, sacrificial death.  Jesus was able to hear the mother's cry out for their children.  He was able to relinquish His temporary body of clay that would feel every lash of the whip and every nail placed into His extremities.  He would feel the rejection from  the people whom He came to  set free.  He would feel the humiliation of, The Cross, and men of power belittling His nobility.
  
A woman on her death bed, her body suffering with cancer and pain asked me, after she had told me her life's story of obedience, "Why is this happening?  I did what they told me to do.  I didn't plan for this.  Why?"  I had no answer for her, except to tell her about our Savior.  She told me that   she knew and had accepted Jesus Christ.  But this situation had been more than what she had expected.  

I remember her because in my life's practice I met many more. In time, as I matured, and my own faith planted itself securely in the Salvation of the Cross, my response to this type of question became more rapid and automatic.  

A man was dying of cancer, and he too, had been obedient, according to his witness.  He told me that he had never run a stop sign, he had never gotten a ticket in all of the years that he had driven.   This man went on and on telling me about how obedient had been ALL of his life.  These boastful acclamation came after I had offered him Salvation through Jesus Christ.  

He continued, that he had voted in every election and paid his taxes and didn't skim or cheat anyone in his life.  Then he asked me a question, "Why do I need Jesus?"  
I attempted to explain the plan of Salvation to him, but was interrupted by another question.  "Have you ever had a ticket?  Do you pay your taxes?"
Before I could even think about such ridiculous questions, he concluded our conversation with, "You don't have to answer!"  

He was convinced that he had the upper hand and that any answer that I would give would be fabricated and couldn't stand against his perfect record.  He then snapped, "When I need Jesus I'll tell you."  

This man made it out of the hospital ...that time.  But six weeks later he returned.  The cancer had predominated his life forces.  He was living on pain medication.  Once again I asked him about his need for Jesus.  He screamed at me, "I'll take any old thing, just get me out of pain."  His medication took him out of pain, and he died twenty four hours later.  

This situation plagued me, so I prayed.  GOD whispered within, "Maybe you weren't the first, but the last to offer this man Salvation."  

A week later I met the nephew of this man and he asked if his uncle had been offered Salvation.  I told him that I had tried twice and he refused it both times.  I told him about his ‘obedient' life's record.  The nephew shed a tear.  He said that he and the rest of the family had tried for years and years to bring him to Jesus, but he refused.  He always reminded them of his spotless record and obedient life.  

If a nephew could be that concerned for his disobedient uncle and shed tears of mournful pain for his uncle's soul, how much more does Jesus care?  And how much more did He suffer seeing the disobedience of Centuries of humanity?   

It's not recorded that Jesus shed any  tears during the time that He carried out His sentence;    However, it's feasible;  It's feasible that above all of the blood, bruises and struggling to carry OUR Cross that Our Savior shed ‘tears of obedience'.  

Obedience to His calling; Obedience to His Father; Obedience  unto death Obedience to Resurrection; Obedience to Eternal Life.  


If you've ever been falsely accused, misinterpreted, misjudged, or misunderstood; If you've ever been persecuted, rejected, ridiculed, or slandered.....    

Then...Remember Jesus!

Looking Forward

See Ya Next Time

TER


Noteworthy: During this Holiday Season, please remember those who have much less than you.  Thanksgiving is a time of sharing and Praising GOD.  It is one of the most wholesome Holiday's that our Nation celebrates.  It is one of the few that everyone can celebrate.   So, don't just EAT, but GIVE.

TER

Just a reminder that the prayer phone is still in operation...770 808 0542 .  You can leave a prayer request or a prayer.  It's for your convenience.  

Don't let the ‘Woes' of the world get you down this wonderful season!  

In The Mirror: