Give us Barrabas!

Easter Sunday was yesterday and it was such a joyous day! A wonderful time for rejoicing and celebrating what Jesus did for those who believe and will believe in Him. Christians around the world gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Easter is also a day filled with much tradition and religious activity. Much like the days when Jesus walked the Earth, there were those who were so blinded by their religious pride that they could not believe nor bring themselves to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah. Matthew 27: 16-23 is an example of the depths of this unbelief. Men who thought they were doing their religious duty actually gave up the Messiah to be crucified. This is what religious activity will do to a person. Pilate had asked the Jews if they wanted Jesus, who had done nothing wrong in Pilate's eyes, to be released or if they wanted the notorious murderer Barrabas released to them. They cried out with such passion that they wanted the murderer released to them. Then with great zeal they shouted for Jesus to be crucified.

It has always boggled my mind to think of the Jews and their religious leaders who cried for a murder. These devout Jews crucified the Messiah. The sad fact of the matter is that we continue to crucify the Savior to this very day. Everyday we have choices to make and often times people will ask for Barrabas. How incredible! We prefer a murderer in our midst. I believe that when people today would willfully choose to have Barrabas over Christ, they are worse than the Pharisee's of Jesus' day. We have thousands of years of Christian history, we have the apostle's acts, we have Pauls' letters. All of these things are there for us to know that Jesus is the Messiah.

As I stated, Easter is a joyous day yet I found myself troubled as I sat in church. I looked around at people that we rarely see and it gave me such an un-easy feeling. People show up to church twice a year and feel like everything is okay. They feel that they and God are just fine and dandy because they came to church on Easter Sunday. How far from the truth. We today have a form of religion. We are becoming just like the Pharisee's. We can't follow Jesus because He asks of more that two Sunday's a year. He asks for our life! I ask you to ponder this today. Do you want Jesus or would you have Barrabas?

A Living Sacrifice

I read the following story during my morning devotional and felt very moved and convicted by it. I thought you all might enjoy it as well.

There was a young girl named Mary and she suffered from a rare disease. She was at the point of death and the only hope of saving her life was through a blood transfusion. She had a rare type of blood and the only match that could be found was her little brother Johnny. The doctor sat down with Johnny and explained that his sister was seek and that if Johnny would give her his blood that she could live. Johnny sat there pondering what was being asked of him and the doctor saw his lip quiver and tears begin to well up in his eyes. The boy looked up to the doctor and said that he would do it. The doctors were relieved and immediately began the transfusion. With the two children hooked together the process began. The doctors could see Mary's condition improving as the blood entered her body. At this moment Johnny looked at the doctor and asked, “when am I going to die." The young man in those few moments as he pondered his decision made up his mind once and for all that he was going to give his life to save his sister.

The question was posed at the end of the devotion have we committed ourselves to serve Jesus with this same devotion? Would we serve him to the point of death like the apostles in Acts? Could we be beaten yet still rejoice and praise God? This is what He asks of us. This is the cost of serving. Jesus did this very act for us and I believe he asks for nothing less in return. Paul said that we should "Offer our bodies as a living sacrifice...this is your reasonable service." (Paraphrased) Romans 12:1 I hope y'all enjoy this! Happy Easter!

A Living Sacrifice

Everyday it seems that God is speaking to me about things in my life or revealing to me new insights into his scripture. Usually I write all of these thoughts down in my trusty notebook. Lately, I have had the desire to share these insights with others. I believe these thoughts could benefit other believers and those who are not. I will be un-apologetic about my beliefs. We are not to conform to this world but to be transformed.
I titled this blog A Living Sacrifice. I do this because Paul urged us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. He then makes another outstanding statement. he says, "this is our reasonable service." Can you believe this guy? It is my reasonable service to offer my entire body as a sacrifice to God? The answer is yes. This is a very difficult thing to do. This is what we are called on to do. Give our bodies which is the most precious thing we have, to God. I believe the Bible tells us how to do this. I try to do this daily and am not always successful. My goal is to weekly post Bible studies and insights into God's word that will serve as an encouragement to other believers. I hope by reading this you will be convicted, blessed and encouraged. God Bless!