Casting Crowns – Song Dive

Nobody

The next entry for my Blog is Nobody, which was written by Bernhard Herms, Douglas Williams, John Mark Hall, Leonard Williams, Matthew West, and Melvin Williams. It was first released August 13, 2019. A link to Casting Crowns singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Why You ever chose me
Has always been a mystery
All my life, I’ve been told I belong
At the end of a line
With all the other Not-Quites
With all the Never-Get-It-Rights
But it turns out they are the ones You were looking for
All this time

‘Cause I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody
All about Somebody who saved my soul
Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus

Moses had stage fright
And David brought a rock to a sword fight
You picked twelve outsiders nobody would’ve chosen
And You changed the world
Well, the moral of the story is
Everybody’s got a purpose
So when I hear that devil start talking to me, saying
“Who do you think you are?” I say

I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody
All about Somebody who saved my soul
Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus

So let me go down, down, down in history
As another blood-bought faithful member of the family
And if they all forget my name, well, that’s fine with me
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus
So let me go down, down, down in history (go down in history)
As another blood-bought faithful member of the family
(It’s all I ever wanna be) And if they all forget my name, well, that’s fine with me
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus, yeah

I’m just a nobody (nobody)
Trying to tell everybody
All about Somebody
Who saved my soul (oh, saved my, saved my soul)
Ever since You rescued me
You gave my heart a song to sing (you gave me a song to sing)
I’m living for the world to see
Nobody but Jesus (nobody but You, Lord)
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus

I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus

I believe perhaps that the majority of us are described in the first verse of this song. How many times have you just felt completely invisible when you were trying so hard to be seen? We dreaded the times when it was time to choose teams. The biggest, strongest, and most handsome guys were always chosen first, unfortunately I did not meet the criteria I mentioned for guys. It seemed as if the most beautiful and popular girls were always selected first. Once the cream of the crop was selected, then people like me were finally picked. Sometimes I may have been picked in the middle of the group and sometimes I was last. Of course there were other times when maybe I didn’t get selected at all. The above could apply to sports, plays, choirs, other group activities such as groups getting together just to socialize, or to life in general. Every year in the Christmas holiday season, the animated movie Rudolph comes on TV, and of course there is the song about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. One verse in the song states,

All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games.

I realize it may be somewhat juvenile to use this song in my example, but doesn’t it seem to fit the scenarios I described above? Probably all of us end up in this situation at sometime in our lives, we become a member of the Not Quites and Never Get it Right Club. As I shared the above, I hope I didn’t cause you to recall any painful memories.

The heart of this song is the fact that we are the ones that Jesus was looking for when he came to be with us so long ago. We are the reasons God sent his only son to die for us. Maybe most of us have been lifetime members of this “nobody” class and Jesus came to offer us one gift, the gift of eternal life and his acceptance forever. He wanted to bring this eternal joy to all who were willing to accept him. The song asked the question, why did Jesus ever choose us and be willing to die for us; after all; we are the ones who were never first. Think about where Jesus taught, he taught in the fields and along the coasts more than he taught in the towns and cities. He wanted people from all walks of life to hear of his promise and let them know that his arms reached out to everyone, not just the select few who didn’t feel as if they needed him. He really asks us to do two things. First, the absolute was to accept him as our personal Lord and savior, the second was to spread his word throughout the world. He wants everyone to feel loved and wants each of us to feel as if we are at the front of the line; we are no longer the ones at the end of the line. Jesus sees us as a circle where everyone is equal, no one is above another.

Jesus wants to let everyone know there is no such person as a “nobody” in his eyes. His love goes to everyone all the time, the lines with beginning and end are gone, we are part of the circle that has no beginning and no end and can expand every minute of every day. Jesus is always in the middle within reach of every single soul. As we learn what life should be all about, we no longer care who is physically first or last, we are just glad they are here and listening to the teaching of God’s word. As we step into the ever growing circle of the followers of Jesus, our burdens become lighter. We find this in the book of Matthew 11:28-30. “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Some of the greatest heroes in the bible were just normal people like you and I. Moses, the shepherd, was scared to speak in front of the Egyptian Pharoah, so God sent Aaron to go with him and speak for him when he was trying to lead the Israelites out of bondage. David was just a very young shepherd and God chose him to battle the giant and guided him to only take his sling, while the giant carried a spear that was probably bigger than David. God chose Noah to build an ark and save his family. Although others were invited to join, they just laughed at Noah and his family. Their laughter stopped once the floods came and Noah was setting sail. God chose the lowly shepherds to be some of the first to see the baby Jesus lying in a manger. Jesus chose twelve disciples from all walks of life, none were famous and most were fishermen just living from day to day. Some were unliked, some were hot headed, but Jesus took them regardless of their background. Take a second to think about how these disciples carried forward his message and helped change the world. All of these people were people like you and I, all nobodies, it is just that they dedicated their lives to Jesus and spreading his love to everyone they came in contact with.

It is also important to note that God used many people who were people we may have never chosen based on their background. God knew their strengths and did not hold their weaknesses against them when he accepted them as one of his own.

David had an affair
Peter, a disciple, had a temper
Noah got drunk
The apostle Paul was a murderer
Sara was impatient and had Abraham father a child with another woman
Jonah ran from God and was swallowed by a whale
Thomas was a doubter.

In the book of Romans 5:8, we are told that God loves us even though we continue to do the wrong things. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He does not judge us on our past, he accepts us for our future. All we have to do is accept him and the sacrifice of his son.

As you take time to digest the words to this song, you should begin to realize that there is no one more important than you in the eyes of God. We are all equal and what we physically own or what we have accomplished in our lives doesn’t really mean a lot to him. What is important to him is that we start reaching out to everyone around us to make sure they do not feel like a nobody with no hope. Our mission is to make sure everyone understands there is no such person as a nobody, that Jesus loves us all and we are all equal. For those of you who are used to being the best, the brightest, the most talented, and the most beautiful; realize that God gave you these qualities. Many people with these qualities have already accepted Christ, but I surmise there are a lot who still have more faith in themselves than they have in God. If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal savior, then the time for that is now, tomorrow could be too late since tomorrow is never promised to any of us.

Doesn’t it feel great to be a nobody?

Click to Hear Casting Crowns Sing Nobody

Make Room in Your Heart

The next entry for my Blog is Make Room in Your Heart, which was written by John Mark Hall and Matt Maher. It was first released in 2017. A link to Matt Mayer and Casting Crowns singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

A family hiding from the storm
Found no place at the keeper’s door
It was for this a Child was born
To save a world so cold and hollow

The sleeping town, they did not know
That lying in a manger low
A Savior King who had no home
Has come to heal our sorrows

Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart
For God to write His story?

Shepherds counting sheep at night
Do not fear the glory light
You are precious in His sight
God has come to raise the lowly

Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart
For God to write His story?

You can come as you are
But it may set you apart
When you make room in your heart
And trade your dreams for His glory
Make room in your heart
Make room in your heart

Mother holds the promise tight
Every wrong will be made right
The road is straight, the burden’s light
For in His hands, He holds tomorrow

Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart
For God to write His story?

You can come as you are
But it may set you apart
When you make room in your heart
And trade your dreams for His glory
Make room in your heart
Make room in your heart

Make room in your heart
Make room in your heart

This song asks a challenging question, one that all of us should take the time to consider how we would respond. The core of the story comes from the bible and is found in the book of Luke chapter 2. As the holy family sought shelter from the storms of life and the threat of losing their yet to be born son, they found no place for him to be born. The only place available for him to be born was in a manger filled with hay, basically it was a feeding trough for horses and cattle. This is where our savior, Jesus, the Son of God was born. It is hard to imagine that the son of God, the one person who had come to save the world, would be born in this way. The keeper of the inn nor the people of the local town of Bethlehem had any idea of what was transpiring nor how the world would be changed forever. We are also told in Luke 2, that the shepherds were the first to visit Jesus. They were told about the birth by angels who directed them to Bethlehem. Just imagine the shock they experienced when angels appeared to them to deliver the message! I guess it was only fitting that the shepherds were some of the first ones to see Jesus since they spend their lives out in the fields and away from other people and the tents they had were perhaps their only home. The good news is that this was all part of God’s plan, his son was perfect in every way, and it only seems right for him to be born away from all of the sin in the cold hard world that he was coming into to offer salvation.

Jesus came to offer the gift of eternal life to everyone, not just a single group of people, not to just one country, but to the entire world. His color, his birthplace, his language were irrelevant; only his message and his sacrifice should be the focus for all of us. The chorus of this song asks the question that we must all take time to address, “Is there room in your heart for God to write his story?” I think most of us would answer with, “well of course there is.” Now I would like for you to take a few minutes and let the question really sink in before you respond. I understand that you carry love in your heart for your family and your friends, hopefully this is true for all of us. What about your passions outside of your family and friends, what dominates your thoughts and what is on your mind most often? You may spend more time thinking about your job, your next vacation, a sporting event, etc. than you do about your faith. Assuming everything you think about is what you really carry in your heart, is there truly room for God and his story? I am not suggesting you stop thinking about the other things in your life, I think the song is asking whether or not you are willing to give God equal time in your heart. God wants you to always keep his son and his sacrifice in your hearts. All of these things can coexist in your heart, but something has to have a priority. Shouldn’t that priority be God since he is the one offering you eternal life by accepting his son? Nothing else in your heart can offer you eternal life. I am not suggesting in any way that the other things in your heart are wrong, I am only saying that God should always be first in your heart as well and get the attention he deserves. We all make our choices as to what our priorities in life are and what we want to keep in our heart, but God can help us to keep our priorities in order. We find this promise in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

It is great to want a family, to do well in your career, and to enjoy life; there is nothing wrong with these dreams and aspirations. As you take a moment to reflect on who you hope to be and your personal goals, are you merely thinking about the time you have on this earth? Maybe you will have a long life, or you could pass away tomorrow; none of us have that answer. Do you ever take the time to think about an eternal life, the one that Jesus came to offer to us? He gives us hope of being reunited with our loved ones who also accepted him, once our earthly life is over. Maybe you need to take time to focus on your dreams and determine what your dreams coming to fruition would mean to you, and then compare your earthly dreams coming true to the gift of eternal life. Yes, you can still have a wonderful family, you can still have professional ambitions, and you can still enjoy other things in life; but if you want eternal life; you must make room in your heart for God to write his story.

If you have not done so already, please take the time to make sure you have room in your heart for God and then accept his promise of eternal life by accepting his sacrifice of his son so you can have eternal life.

Click to Hear Matt Maher and Casting Crowns Sing Make Room

Praise You in This Storm

The next entry for my Blog is Praise You in This Storm, which was written by Bernie Herms and John Mark Hall. It was first released in August 30, 2005. A link to the Casting Crowns singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Praise You in This Storm

I was sure by now
God, You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say, “Amen” and it’s still raining

Well, as the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I’ll raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
And raised me up again
But my strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You?

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I’ll raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The maker of Heaven and Earth

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?

And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

And though my heart is torn (though my heart is torn)
I’ll praise You in this storm (praise You in this storm)

I don’t know about you, but I love to sit on my porch and watch a thunderstorm roll in. The thunder and the rain seem to bring a peace to my soul and also a new shade of green and color to all of the flowers and trees around me. Everything looks so clean and fresh once the storm passes. Unfortunately, most of us probably get caught up in the storms of life, which are not quite so pleasant. The lightning, the pouring rain, and rumbling thunder seem to come into our lives for a season and disrupt our joy and happiness. The time gradually comes when we are in the center of our storm and are not sure how much longer we can withstand the darkness that comes with the storm. This song provides a good description of what we all endure, but it also tells us that God hasn’t deserted us; he is in the midst of the storm with us and is there to give us strength, hope, and comfort as the world crashes down around us. Sometimes there are trials we have to face and challenges we have to overcome, but we must keep our faith in God. We anxiously await him to step in and stop the storm, but there are things we have to sometimes endure in life that help us to become the people God wants us to be. What is important is that we realize that God is always there and through it all, we must keep our eyes on God and thank for him for being with us during these troublesome storms. As we struggle to keep our focus on God, we suddenly hear that quiet voice that tells us we are not alone. He is there to remind us that no matter what we may have done to be in this storm; his mercy and his love will surround us. We should thank God as we feel his presence and feel his arms wrap around us.

The chorus reminds us to praise God through the stormy days and the sunny days of our life. God is the only being who can be with us wherever we go. He knows every tear we have shed because he holds those tears in his hand, to show his love for us. Although we may feel alone and deserted by everyone we know and our heart is breaking; God has never left us, nor will he. So, no matter the power and darkness of the storm, he is there and should be praised for never leaving our side.

Have you ever been outside in a powerful wind and tried to walk into that wind? You sort of struggle along just to get to your destination, but it takes away all of your energy. We wonder if we can even make it to our destination. As we fight through the headwinds in life, God is there to help pull us along and to pick us up when we stumble and cry out. We can’t see God, but he is there even if we can’t see him. As our strength gives way and the battle of life continues, he is there to carry us when we can no longer put one foot in front of another. One of the greatest men in the Christian bible, David, often faced overwhelming challenges in his life. He wrote this in Psalm 121, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” This should be a great encouragement for all of us. This is a promise that applies to all of those who believe in God and have accepted his son as their personal savior. Perhaps the even better news is that God never sleeps and is with us every hour of every day.

As we are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” He alone deserves our faith, love, and trust.

Are you in the midst of a storm today and just struggling to find your way? If so, have you reached out to the only one who can help you find light in your life again?

Click to Hear Casting Crowns Sing Praise You in this Storm

God of All My Days

The next entry for my Blog is God of All My Days, which was written by Mark Hall and Jason Ingram. It was first released by Casting Crowns in 2016. A link to Casting Crowns singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

God of All My Days

I came to You with my heart in pieces
And found the God with healing in His hands
I turned to You, put everything behind me
And found the God who makes all things new
I looked to You, drowning in my questions
And found the God who holds all wisdom
And I trusted You and stepped out on the ocean
You caught my hand among the waves
‘Cause You’re the God of all my days

Each step I take
You make a way
And I will give You all my praise
My seasons change, You stay the same
You’re the God of all my days

I ran from You, I wandered in the shadows
And found a God who relentlessly pursues
I hid from You, haunted by my failure
And found the God whose grace still covers me
I fell on You when I was at my weakest
And found the God, the lifter of my head
And I’ve worshiped You
And felt You right beside me
You’re the reason that I sing
‘Cause You’re the God of all my days

Each step I take
You make a way
And I will give You all my praise
My seasons change, You stay the same
You’re the God of all my days

In my worry, God You are my stillness
In my searching, God You are my answers
In my blindness, God You are my vision
In my bondage, God You are my freedom
In my weakness, God You are my power
You’re the reason that I sing
‘Cause You’re the God of all my days

Each step I take
You make a way
And I will give You all my praise
My seasons change, You stay the same
You’re the God of all my days

In my blindness, God You are my vision
And in my bondage, God You are my freedom
All my days

Have you ever had one of those OOPS moments when you broke something and it seemingly shattered into a gazillion pieces? Maybe it was an antique, maybe a valuable piece of pottery, a special heirloom, or maybe just someone’s extra special coffee cup. How did you feel when this happened, knowing there was nothing you could do about what happened? This sort of thing happens to your heart as well. Maybe you feel as if life has dealt you a bad hand and no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to come out of that deep dark abyss. Perhaps you feel this way because of relationship issues, losing a loved one, family problems, job problems, or maybe addiction problems. You begin to feel as if your heart is never going to be whole again and that there will never be joy in your life again. I believe all of the above is the core of where this song begins.

The only way we can have a healed heart is to put our lives into the hands of Christ, since only he can heal our shattered heart and help us keep going. It is true we will still have those painful memories and the scars of life, but putting our hearts in his hands allows us to have hope for the future. We have a fresh start on the future as he forgives our past. He gives us something to look forward to; an eternity with him and all of our fellow believers. We all live a life of unanswered questions, we want to know why, when, how, what if…….. These questions are all part of our daily lives and we don’t have the answers, but the good news is that God knows the answers to all of our questions. Part of our daily prayers should be asking God questions about whatever is on our mind. Sometimes we get answers to some questions right away and other times God brings us peace until he is ready to answer our question. Only he has the wisdom we need and the ability to overcome our impatience, if we just completely rely on him. I realize this is easier said than done because of our human nature, but try putting all of your questions and anxieties in his hands and experience his love and his peace.

The writer describes us as being in an ocean and we are struggling just to survive. This ocean pounding with waves, represents the struggles of life and they tend to suck us down every single day. As we cry out to God, hold out our hand to God, and give him our life; he grabs our hand and pulls us out of the waves. All of a sudden our life on that daily stormy ocean shifts to life on a peaceful lake. The wavy days are still out there as we forget our way, but God will always be there to put us back on the calm waters if we just reach out to him. He is the God of all of our days and is with us every day of our life even when we are ignoring him and forgetting about him.

No matter where we are physically, mentally, or emotionally God is there with us to hold our hand and guide us down the right path. Only he knows the right path for us and only he can keep us on the path where we belong. Everyday, our lives change in some way as we experience new events that impact us. We also go through stages of life such as youth, marriage, children, grandchildren, retirement, loss of a loved one; yet God is there to help us through every phase of our life and the troubles we face each step along the way. We constantly change over the course of our life, but God never changes. We lose our focus and we lose our way, but God is always laser focused on our path and on our journey; he knows the future of each of us. As the writer states, we should praise him every step of the way.

We spend a lot of our lives just running away from God. We are ashamed because of the things we have done; we are ashamed of not praying as we should, and we feel weak if we can’t handle things on our own. There are times when we are so disappointed in ourselves and who we have become. What we fail to realize is that God has never turned his back on us and that he stays with us and keeps holding out his open arms to us; he never ever gives up on us and never holds our failures over our heads. He only asks that we love him and accept his son as our personal savior. As bad as we have been or as neglectful we have been in our relationship with God; his overwhelming love for us never changes. He is always there to help us lift our heads and look ahead to the future instead of the past, knowing that he will never leave us or forsake us. We worship God because he is the only one who never lets us down, who forgives and forgets all of our wrongdoings, and the only one who can give us eternal life. Have you ever sung a Christian song or hymn and all of sudden you can just feel the presence and love of God? I get chills just thinking about those times when I strongly sense the presence of my Lord, there is no other experience like it. Psalm 98:4-6 encourages to sing, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn, shout for joy before the Lord, the King.” A lot of us may say we can’t sing, but keep in mind that it is the Lord who gave us our voice and our talents and all of our songs are music to him.

Take a close look at the last verse of the song which gives us examples of when we need God and what he gives us as we call out to him. If you listen to the song via the link below, listen with your heart as you are reminded of what God has for us. The list of what he gives can never be captured in a Blog, a book, a library or a song. He gives us peace, the answers we seek, light in the darkness, freedom from the bondage of the dark world, and power that we cannot begin to fully comprehend. Isaiah 40:31 reminds us of what God can do in our lives if we only let him: “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

He is not just the God of our past, our good days, and our bad days; he is God of all of our days from the day we were born and for eternity.

Click to Hear Casting Crowns Sing God of All My Days

Glorious Day

The next entry for my Blog is Glorious Day by Casting Crowns and first released in 2011. The original lyrics were written in 1910 by John Wilbur Chapman and the song was titled One Day and the initial verse melody was created by Michael Bleecker and updated by Mark Hall. A link to Casting Crowns performing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Glorious Day

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

Chorus

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

Chorus

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One bringing
My Savior Jesus is mine

Chorus

The song starts out with heaven rejoicing and singing the praises of Jesus. I can’t even begin to fathom what that sounds like, but can just imagine everyone’s heart bursting with joy. Up until the coming of Christ, the angels were the only ones who could see the deep dark atmosphere of sin that covered the earth, God’s creation. I am sure the angels were sad every time they looked upon this world and saw how Satan was destroying God’s perfect creation. A light began shining through this darkness, it was the birth of Jesus, God’s only son. Not only was the birth of Jesus a miracle, but being born of a virgin was another miracle. I guess that in reality, neither of these events was necessarily a miracle since God is able to do all things. We may call it a miracle, but God calls it love. God had been teaching his people through strong examples, leaders, and prophets since the time he created us; but he decided we needed a perfect example of the life we should we live as his children. What better way to do this than to send his perfect son to bring us not only his love, but to take away the darkness of sin through his love and promise of eternity. The word of God was brought to life in Jesus

The chorus puts into simple words what Jesus did for all who are willing to accept him. He lived and walked among us and showed us how much the father loved us. He died to save us from a life of hopelessness and to give us eternal life. He was buried after his death on the cross and took all of our past, current, and future sins away forever. He rose from the dead and showed us his power over the grave and that he could not be conquered by death. By rising from the dead, he showed us that he has the power to return again and he promised us he would return to take everyone to their eternal home. Yes, what a glorious day it was and will be again.

The supporters of sin, the haters of Christ, decided the way to take care of God’s example was to make him an example of their own. What better way than to have Jesus suffer the same death as so many of the other criminals; let him die on the cross with others who have committed crimes. After his beatings and humiliation, they took him to Golgotha, to die on the cross. Golgotha is on a main thoroughfare leading into Jerusalem, so everyone who entered the city through the Damascus gate would be able to see Jesus and the criminals hanging on the cross. These displays of torture and punishment helped the Romans rule through fear as people witnessed the penalty of breaking the law. Jesus had been laughed at, he had been beaten, he had been rejected, and he had been mocked; but with his dying breath he honored his commitment to die for us. As the hands that wielded the power of God were nailed to the cross and the life of Jesus faded away, our sins went with him. Every moment of his life led up to this one event, which brought us eternal life. All we have to do is accept him as our Lord and savior. Little did the Romans know that their actions were all a part of God’s glorious plan.

On the third day of being in the tomb; the world discovered that neither the cross, nor death, nor a tomb could destroy God’s son. The great stone had been rolled away from the tomb and Christ proved that he would indeed rise from the dead, just as he said. We find his promise in Matthew 20:17-19, “Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” He walked this earth again after his death and the people in the city saw him as did his followers. They could see him, touch him, and hear him speak. These same people also got to see him ascend into heaven as he returned to the father’s side; Satan had no power over the son of God.

The good news is that Jesus told us he will return and there will be a trumpet announcing his coming. We find this promise in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
The whole world will know of the return of Jesus as the skies light up with his glory. He will come to take us home to the place he has prepared for us, just as he promised in John 14:1-3. What a wonderful day that will be, as we join the family of God in our eternal home.

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