what He did...

This morning for my homeroom worship I was sharing Isaiah 53 with my students and once again was overwhelmed by what Jesus did for us sinful humans. What exactly He did and what it means surely will be the study for all eternity. The story of salvation. How our Lord could be the only sacrifice that could save us. Elie Wiesel, a survivor of the holocaust, once questioned whether Jesus had suffered enough to understand any hurt. The suffering or more adequately put by Dr. Luke as agony. Agony. An extreme physical and mental pain. Agony that resulted in 'His sweat (becoming) like great drops of blood falling down to the ground' (Luke 22:44). The only  gospel writer to mention this was a doctor. A doctor who would understand and use words used in medical circles. What happened to Jesus in that garden is widely recognised as being an incredibly rare condition referred to as hematidrosis or hemohidrosis. It results, "under conditions of great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can rupture, thus mixing blood with perspiration" (Lumpkin, R. (1978), “The Physical Suffering of Christ,” Journal of Medical Association of Alabama, 47:8-10). In other words, before Jesus suffered more than most before He even got anywhere near the road to Calvary, which included:  three Jewish and three Roman trials, a Roman scourging, beating and mocking, carrying His cross (until too weak), then the ultimate Roman punishment of crucifixion. "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (verse 3). And Jesus did this for me... For you...

"Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows" (verse 4). He still understands any hurt. Any pain. And He's waiting to carry our loads and burdens. Waiting. Willing us to turn to Him. To pray. To talk and share. To give over all that is pushing us to the ground.

Beautiful Things

Recently discovered the band 'Gungor'. Wow so impressed, it's awesome! Check out the video clip below of the song 'Beautiful Things'. What do you think?

Devotional life a bit stale?

Lets face it, our devotional life with God can get a little stale at times. Have you ever found yourself reading the Bible yet getting distracted with thoughts about what you need to accomplish that day? It can happen to all of us at times. One thing that you may like to try to freshen up your Bible reading is find yourself a really great MP3 audio Bible. I totally recommend the 'The Word of Promise' NKJV MP3 Audio Bible. This is not just another audio Bible. It has full orchestra soundtrack backing, dramatized voice acting, sound effects and it's really helping me read the Bible in a fresh way. I'd like to share what I've been doing of late...

Make Bible reading more meaningful:

1. While the audio Bible is playing, read along with the narrater in your own Bible using the same translation (I recommend NKJV).

2. As you come across passages or words that pop out at you, pause the audio and jot down any thoughts, questions, praises, thanks, prayers to God in either a journal or word document on your computer. Not only will this help keep you focused on scripture (you're learning both audibly and visually) but it will also serve to be a big blessing when you look back at all those notes you've taken on the passages of scripture you've read and experienced.

It's something I've been trying out recently and it's really helping my devotional time with God more meaningful and more focused. It may be something you'd like to try out as well.

God Bless, From Eric