GOOD FRIDAY THOUGHTS

When you have no one and life is not working out, you have a choice. Many turn to despair, depression, drugs, or anything else that will "temporarily" take the thought of the pain away. However, the pain will still be there when they wake up. The majority of people reject God for three reasons. 

     One, they're not in need of a Savior (in their mind anyway). Nothing too bad has ever happened to "them" in life. There's no need for a savior because they feel fine without Jesus. Nevertheless, mark my words... "One day you will need him and you will want Him." 

     The second reason is, life has not been good for some and it's hit them hard through unhealthy choices or maybe they have always had a hard life. Their mechanism for coping is to drown themselves in something that will detract the pain or the thought of facing another day. It's the easy way out, yet, the results are devastating. Unfortunately, these people don't realize that time is the biggest teller of truth and reality hits harder than we think. Subsequently, the results are detrimental. Turning back they see all that has taken place and say, "oh well, I'm in deep... Can't fix it now... Might as well live it up." 

     The third reason is pride and self-righteousness. Some people are so self righteous that they're blind to the frailty of their human life. They don't humbly recognize that they put their pants on like every other human... (One foot at a time.) The notion of an all powerful creator is stubbornly dismissed as they willingly reject moral absolutes and the authority of God. In their eyes He's intruding. Man made religions are put in place to aid them in feeling exceptionally pompous. They renounce correction from anyone, and the truth is sadly disregarded. 

     The Pharisees of Jesus' day were bloated with religion. They were blackhearted snakes, keeping everyday common people from approaching God. Jesus said they were whitewashed tombs filled with dead bones. A prestiges young, rich ruler came to Jesus wanting to follow Him. Nevertheless, when Jesus said, "sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow me," the young, rich ruler went away because he was unwilling to relinquish his riches and happily follow the Savior. Jesus said, "What does it profit a man if he gains everything in this life, yet loses his own soul?" In other words, what is more important in this life than eternity? The statistics on death are pretty impressive. One out of every one persons die. None of us are promised tomorrow. FAITH is in each of us to an extent, otherwise we would never leave our front doors. Our every breath depends on God and many don't even know it. 

     What is the purpose of trying to live a good life if all there is to life is eating, drinking, marriage, and then death? If I'm simply existing... Why get up? Is there a reason to live with authenticity or purpose? 

      Years ago I had no where to turn. The devil had gotten the best of me and had ravished my family. The world was going a million miles an hour and all around me, friends were over-dosing, having one night stands, getting abortions, arrested for DUI's, or dying in car accidents. I myself was empty to the point of suicide. I was drinking myself into oblivion, stopping strangers for their numbers, and without a care in the world, living for myself. Everyone that was successful looked at me as if I was a lost cause. 

       God captured my heart right where I was, revealing to me that Jesus, (His only Son) was crucified on a cross for me. He ransomed me from sin, myself, and the roaring, ruthless world, that is under the sway of Satan, who had hell as an eternal plan for me. Amazingly, God in His mercy... Knocked on the door of my heart and asked if He could enter into my life and be the Lord. On my bed 18 years ago, while tears streamed down my face in a dark room, I asked if Jesus to fix my life. I know I'd be dead or in deep trouble if I would have tried to go any further without Him. I would have been that person on the news. The most hated mom in America or certainly in prison or dead. 

     God didn't kick any doors down. He's such a gentleman and waits for us to open the door of our hearts. He doesn't ask us to clean the house first. He comes in and begins cleaning our deepest, darkest closets. The fears, anxieties, past failures, hurts, and all the humiliation that goes along with trying to fix our lives. No one is perfect and that is why we need a perfect savior. It's as simple as saying, "Jesus, Forgive me a sinner. Help me do this thing called life because I can't do this by myself. Take over, give me a new start, new life, and I will follow your lead for the rest of my life into eternity. In your name I ask this. Amen

PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO BELOW 

Sam Jones, an evangelist of the past century, said that the cross was a symbol...a symbol of God's heartbreak over a world that has gone astray. It was the culmination of a very costly love which God had for humankind and for you as an individual; and it is here that we can come and find forgiveness; and the blazing fire of love kindled there can set you on fire when its sparks fall on the dryness of your heart and life.
-The cross also represents what should happen to our lives when we are brought into confrontation with the message of Good Friday. Paul put it like this: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). The cross represents both death and life-death to sin, life to righteousness; death to self, life to the spirit; death to my carnal desires, life to the indwelling presence of His Spirit changing me into His image.- Harold Sala