Tag: Bible

“Do you know that I am aggressively at work, changing your perception of others? That is one of My main focuses on your path to becoming like Jesus. When I get you to see other people as He did, you will be well on your way to being a useable tool to accomplish My will on the earth. Before you have His heart toward others, all of your actions are tainted by your faulty perceptions and opinions. They are worthless in accomplishing My will. Jesus saw everyone from My perspective from the beginning of creation. His coming to earth was not just “happenstance;” it was an outward expression of Our unity. Long before the sin in mankind was expressed outwardly, even for the very first time, all was prepared to accomplish the work on the cross. We saw your need!

"Have you ever thought of My Words to you and those actions toward you through the centuries - those written and those expressed in the life of Jesus - as the epitome of love? Everything that has been done was done for your benefit from a heart of love. I am bringing your heart to that same place of love. I need you to love others as I do. I want no one to perish, not even your most aggressive enemy. Set a gauge as to how close you are to being in accord with My heart. How much do you love others? I would venture to say that if you were really honest with yourself and with Me, you would find that you have little love toward those in My family, much less toward those who hate you.

"You mutter, judge, and set your face against anyone who does not see as you do. How does that compare to the words of forgiveness that Jesus said from the cross? It is where you must go. It is where I’m taking you, before you are completely usable in My work.”

Luke 23:33-34 NIV 

33) When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals -one on his right, the other on his left.

34) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

 

More than likely the soldier who drove the nails in the hands and feet of Jesus still had the hammer in his hand. It’s possible that the men who vented their demonic aggression toward Him earlier with their whips, followed him to the place of the cross for the satanic thrill of final victory. Some scholars say that some in the jeering crowd, even some of those who only days before called Him the Son of God, spit at Him and gnashed their teeth against Him. In their grief, they hated Him for dying and disappointing their hopes. The religious leaders probably stood off to the side with smirks of prideful power, some possibly already plotting their next juicy bit of learned wisdom to give to their inquiring students.

For everyone there, and for everyone in the future who would laugh at His life, at all that He was, and at His gruesome death, Jesus asked His Father to forgive them. TO FORGIVE THEM! Of all the words that the Son of God could have said, of all the power He could have invoked against those who had murder, rebellion, ridicule, and every other base emotion toward Him in their hearts, He only spoke words of compassionate forgiveness and astounding love. His heart broke for those who killed Him. Even then, in the midst of unimaginable pain and horrifying death, He could only see their desperate need as they wallowed in their sin.

After many years of basking in that same kind of love toward me from my Lord, I probably still would want to call down legions of angels to get those ungrateful, pompous bigots if I had been Him; maybe even jump off that cross and shown everyone who’s really in charge. Why, I would…

Needing Your mercy and forgiveness more than ever, Lord. Please change my heart and how I perceive others, so that You can use me,

Jim Corbett

“Do you understand the heaviness you feel when you labor for others in prayer? Multiply that times every person who ever was or will be born, and you will begin to understand what Jesus went through at the cross. He carried your sin and the sins of all others. All the horrors of darkness were placed upon Him. To bring you to Me, I had to look away from Him, for darkness can have no association with light. Our grief won your freedom.”

Luke 9:23-25 AMP

23) And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].

24) For whoever would preserve his life and save it will lose and destroy it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he will preserve and save it [from the penalty of eternal death].

25) For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and ruins or forfeits (loses) himself?

2 Cor. 5:21 AMP

For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

Galatians 2:20 AMP

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]: it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Ephesians 3:10-12 AMP

10) [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.

11) This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord.

12) In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).

 

The cross! The cross! The cross! The central theme throughout all of creation! Eternity past looked forward to it. Eternity future will look back upon it as pivotal. Angelic creations learn and marvel at its work. Mankind benefits beyond measure. It is why we can even see the need to come to God and have the right to do so.

The cross! Without it there is no hope. Because of it, life can go on as planned by God. It is a place of death that brought us life, an altar of sacrifice that won our freedom, a moment in history that all of history remembers.

The cross! It is where the Innocent was put to death for the guilty by the guilty, who claimed innocence. It is the only accepted ticket to the marriage supper and the key to preparation for it. We must never forget its worth, minimize its importance, or side with those who do. We must take up our cross because Jesus took up His.

Teach me and change me, Lord,

Jim Corbett