3 Gifts found in Bible reading - 30DaysThankful - 10

1 - "The Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." 1 Corinthians 11:24

"Thanksgiving proceeds the miracle" - Ann Voskamp

He 'gave thanks' and then was broken. For me. May I partake of the miracle with thanksgiving.

2 - "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" Galatians 3:13

Christ took the most ugly and shameful way to die, and transfixed it.

It was well known in those days [2000 years ago] that to be crucified on a tree was the worst possible death, physically, prolonging death, and culturally, as in, it was reserved for only the most wicked criminals.

Christ Jesus was perfect! He was beautiful! He became sin. He bore all the wicked evil and took on the name 'criminal'. Then He changed it all. He turned the ugly, beautiful. The curse to blessing. The cross as an emblem of shame and repulsion, now is a symbol of ultimate love and true hope.

"I will cling to the old rugged Cross, and exchange it some day for a crown"

 

3 - "Then the same day at evening, ...the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews.." John 20: 19


"What would a disciple have said, thought, and done during the time between Jesus’ burial and his resurrection from the grave? The Bible doesn’t provide much information. John 20:19 includes the most detail: Jesus’ disciples were hiding behind locked doors in fear of further reprisal.
"I suppose I would have done the same. Jesus was brutally murdered by an angry mob. The Roman establishment did nothing to provide security; they carried out his shameful execution. As a disciple, I could have been next. I would have felt duped by all of Jesus’ kingdom talk. 
"On that day, I suppose I would have been cynical about his claims of deity. How is it possible for God to die? He had been clear about going to Jerusalem to do just that, but I would have considered that a metaphor. And surely any talk about him rising from the dead would have been lost in the fog of my grief. So there’s no doubt: I, too, would have been very scared for my own life, hiding in the dark, hurting over the loss of my leader, and hoping not to be the next martyr."
- Pastor Dave Bruskas, Mars Hill Church, 'The Day After Jesus Died'

Those who were there did not know the ultimate outcome of the cross. They had been told. Yes. But they had forgotten.  They relied on there past experience ["when people die, that's the end"], they relied on the natural world ["if the Romans/Jews can kill Him, then none of us are safe"]. They did not fully trust in the words of the Lord, believing that He is NOT restrained by past experience and He is not limited by the natural world. The believers who mourned Christ's death could not see the glory to come.

We too, enduring ugly trials, cannot see the beautiful plan Christ is working in us, we cannot see the ultimate outcome. Instead of looking forward to Truth with faith, we look behind to experience and flesh/natural. We forget. We are cast down.

BUT! We have Christ power living within us, as born again children of God. And we too, like Christ, can transfigure the ugly to beautiful, turn the curse into blessing through giving thanks!


Thankful for the Ugly/Beautiful - Kerry

 
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