Grains of Sand

troymccomas.wordpress.com (Google Images) Pilate might have thought that somehow he had been able to wiggle his way out of assuming guilt for the death of Jesus, but now matter how carefully he washed his hands on that terrible day, other blood stains could not be removed. You see, Pilate had been responsible for many deaths during his reign as Rome’s representative in Jerusalem.  He might have excused his actions as simply “doing his duty.” After all, governors held the right of life and death in their hands as part of their mandate to preserve order. Absolution from guilt in those cases could be argued. But maybe not. In Luke 13:1-9, in the midst of one of His discourses, some Galileans brought Pilate to Jesus’ attention. They reminded Jesus that Pilate had sent his soldiers to kill some citizens of Galilee while they were in the Temple offering their sacrifices. Holy places were supposedly sacrosanct, untouchable. Pilate’s actions labeled him as the worst of the worst. The a...

“ For many are invited, but few are chosen ” –Matthew 22:14, NIV. This much-quoted phrase used to cause me some consternation. However, a careful examination of the context quickly put that concern to rest. You see, this phrase has often been used to defend a particular interpretation that some people use in trying to convince their listeners that God arbitrarily decides who gets saved and who doesn't. Look at the context. Jesus is telling a kingdom story (Matthew 22:1-14). A certain king is celebrating his son’s wedding but the guests he has invited (representing Israel) all have excuses for not attending. In fact, the invited guests went so far as to abuse the king’s messengers. That was a grave insult–when the king issued an invitation, it was definitely not “politically correct” to refuse it. There were nasty consequences (22:7). Then the king sent his servants out to invite “ anyone you find ” on the streets (representing the Gentiles and anyone else). The passage says t...

Amy Deanne at http://the160acrewoods.com/ is hosting Word-Filled Wednesday today. Thanks Amy Deanne. Visit her blog for more photos and thoughts for today. My verse for today is: " Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved " —Acts 4:12. The light breaks through the dark clouds of sin as the repentant heart opens itself to the forgiveness that comes only through Christ. Blessings.

We stand in front of the store display, weighing the pros and cons of buying what we see before us. Do we, or don't we? Is it, or isn't it, necessary? Can we afford to have it? Can we afford not to have it? Jesus never promised that following Him would be easy. We should have guessed that from the fact that providing our salvation cost Him everything. The gift of salvation is free. As Titus writes: " …he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy " (Titus 3:5). Paul says: " For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord " (Romans 6:23). Matthew records a warning from the Lord about the cost of following Him. Though the gift is free, the living out of the new life we gain from it might cost us relationships, earthly rewards, and quite possibly our lives. (Matthew 34-39). But to be accepted by the Father is worth any price. Listen to these solemn words: " Whoever ac...