REMARKABLE

THE MOST REMARKABLE THING

Around this time of year be are drawn to think of the death of Christ.  Without that death there could be no triumphal resurrection morning upon which we base our beliefs and our hope.  That death was one of the most gruesome known to mankind.   In her research my friend found a full description of the Roman process of crucifixion in dreadful detail.  While others were subjected to such torture, the death of Christ was all the more poignant  when we consider that he was innocent of the charges against him. 

This week I have been impressed by something which seems important to recognize:  The most remarkable thing about Christ’s death is that he submitted to it.

Christ, being fully man, felt every blow and insult, and being fully God, could have stopped each one.  That means that unlike the other helpless beings subjected to crucifixion, Christ received each wound knowing he had the power to put an end to his torture and destroy his tormentors.  He was the Lamb, laying down his life, but he was also the Lion, relinquishing his power. 

This is a model of submission that we must never overlook.  When the Word speaks of submission it asks Christian men and women to lay down both their lives and their power in obedience to God for the sake of another.  REMARKABLE!

What's Your Sound?

There is a commercial on TV where a man sits next to his wife negotiating with an automobile salesman for the deal he wants.  When he triumphs (getting exactly what the dealership gives everyone else) his wife leans over and purrs softly, “Good job, Baby.”   You know from his face that this guy feels like a million bucks. 

It reminds me that my friend and teacher, Bishop Larry Jackson, of Raleigh, NC,  says that there is a sound that draws a man to his wife with such intensity that he wants to slay dragons for her.  He says wise women cultivate that sound.  I wasn't quite sure I understood.  And then, there it was! -- In a commercial.

When I discussed this with a group of women one of them commented, “But he hadn’t done anything!”

Exactly!