Imagine you were on the mountain where Jesus was and saw Him on the cross. What would you have done that fateful day? Would you have been like Mary weeping near Him, or like Peter and the other disciples hiding in the massive crowd, paralyzed and hopeless? Or, would you be willing to stand up and say, He is my King!
I often wonder if faced with my faith or death, which would I choose. It doesn't comfort me to think that I would even contemplate what I would do, but until we face that moment, none of us know how we will react. Peter never thought he would deny Christ and I am sure that the Pharisees never thought they would convict an innocent man, and yet, it happened.
During the days of Jesus, women were more like second class citizens. There are countries today that still believe women are below men. But no matter how you look at it, women were at the feet of the cross. They were His faithful and loving disciples and they, with no power, never left his side. Why? For one was His mother, Mary and like all of you who are mothers know, a good mother stays with their child until the end. The other, Mary Magdalene, a women He saved from her sins, who followed Him all His days.
Two women, wishing they could change the course of History and yet, they stood firm, never wavering! I want to be a woman like that. I want to be able to stand in a crowd and confess that I have a Savior and He is the only way to Heaven. I want to believe that my faith will be strong enough if Christ ever puts me in that situation and I hope that if I am ever faced with death over Christ, that I will choose Christ. My desire is to be that faithful and to believe that this life is for a moment.
So, how do we prepare to be that kind of servant? Obviously the disciples had the best training of all, they walked with Him. Scripture shows that they loved Him and believed Him and yet, put to the test, they failed. How do we prepare for our time in History? Are we any different than Peter, Paul, Mary, David or any of the men and women that loved God? No, we are the same. Therefore, we must remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He died for us and we have to ask every day to be strong in Him, so that we can confess our faith, when He calls. We can't keep running! We must stand up and confess with our mouths what we believe and who we believe in! We believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord and that through Him we have peace, understanding, and eternal life. There are no other answers to the equation.
We can't keep looking in the corners of the globe to find our answers. We can't diagnose tomorrow by looking at the sun and the stars. We can only have a full and wonderful life with the knowledge that one day, we will be on our knees in front of Jesus! On that day, I know there will be things I am accountable for but the one thing I want to be able to say--is that I loved Him and tried to follow Him all my days.
The only way we can get to that point is to tell a friend, tell a stranger or tell someone you love, that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the light. Don't let His death on the cross be for naught. We must stand up and realize that this life is not our own, but His!
I have not been put to the test to choose my faith over death and I thank God for that. I do know that I want to be in full relationship with my Lord and because of that; I am asking Him to prepare me to be one of His faithful servants. I want to be in awe daily of the sacrifice He made for me. With that, I want us all to remember what He did for us on that mountain. We are in His season. Let's not forget how tremendously He loved us!
Luke 23: 50-55 NKJV:
Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. That day was the Preparation , and the Sabbath drew near.
And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body laid.
The women followed to prepare the body of our Savior. A good man asked for the body of Jesus and they all put Him in His tomb. The rest ladies is History. Take a moment today to honor our Father for the love and the sacrifice He gave to us. There are many going through fires right now. Your country may be at war, someone you love may be gone, but we must remember that Jesus came and died for us and someday, He will rise again!
My prayer today:
Lord we bow down before You, confessing that we believe that You are the only way to salvation. We come before You knowing that You died on a cross, not for Yourself, but for all of us. We proclaim that we are a sinful people that definitely need a Savior. We ask that You would help us in our daily lives and mold us to be the servants You need for Your kingdom. We want to be woman like Mary, that never left Your side. We are humbled by Your life and the life You gave, so that we would have the freedom to be with You all our days. I come before You and ask that all nations would be able to hear the Gospel and that women everywhere would one day be able to proclaim, You are King! Help us all to reach the masses and give us the strength, daily, to confess that You are the only way to salvation. You are the King of the people and the Lord over life! Give all women across the globe the courage to know You! We desire You in our life and in the lives of our husbands and children. We love You and thank you for this beautiful season. May the Lord of light shine down on all His people this Easter! AMEN
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