One Solitary Life - Jesus Christ

I love the essay below. Jesus Christ will always have a positive effect on mankind.

One Solitary Life

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter’s shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never had an army. He never

two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself.

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Over two thousand years have come and gone, and today He is a centrepiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that of all the armies that ever marched; of all the navies that were ever built; of all the parliaments that ever sat; of all the kings that ever reigned, put together, none has affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.

Jesus Christ

Snow

As I write, we have had the second fall of snow in two weeks. Unusual in March but what intrigued me was how accurate the weather forecasters have been. Still, many people did not heed the warnings and have got stuck in the snow! There have been some wonderful scenes, particularly where the snow has drifted.

Under the old railway bridge at Tremar there have been icicles at least 300mm long. But for all its beauty, it causes a lot of disruption. Hopefully by the time you are reading this, the snow will be gone and spring will be well and truly here.

The Easter season is all about change. On Palm Sunday it seemed that everyone loved Jesus. I am sure his disciples must have thought He was about to become King.

By Thursday night everything had changed. Judas had realised that Jesus would never be an earthly King. It was time for him to cut his losses and run. “How much will you give me,” he asked the Jewish leaders, “if I help you arrest Him?”

By Friday Jesus was dying on a cruel wooden cross and the disciples had run away.

By Sunday the disciples had given up, but the women were still wanting to be near him, so they went to the tomb to anoint his body. When they arrived, they were amazed to find that he was not there! He was alive. It is hard to believe that anyone could come back from the dead, but if He really is the Son of God, nothing is too difficult for Him.

Jesus has given us many promises and he asks us to listen and follow. Are we willing to take notice of Him? The rewards will be great!

May you and your family have a Happy Easter.

Perseverance

Life has many ups and downs. There are times when we all feel like giving up, but it is at those times that it is important to keep going - to persevere no matter how difficult it may be.

We are in the period of Lent when we remember Jesu’s sufferings on the cross. It is interesting to note that a few months before his crucifixion it was said of him, “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem”. Luke 9 v 51. His main focus was in fulfilling his God-ordained mission and nothing was going to deter him from accomplishing that task. During those ’few months’ - he stayed at Zacchaeus house; healed blind Bartimaeus; raised Lazarus from the dead; told some of his best loved parables like The Good Samaritan, The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Lost Son. Yet his focus was clear, – “We are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of man will be fulfilled. He will be turned over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again”. Luke 18 v 31 – 33. Jesus clearly understood what was ahead for him. He never tried to shirk his responsibility and because He loved us so much he willingly allowed himself to be crucified. Even when his closest disciples ran away he still persevered to the very end.

As Holy Week approaches, let us be even more thankful for the great sacrifice that Jesus made. He did it so that our own rebellion and selfishness could be forgiven.

Remember whatever you are facing, He said, ”I will be with you always”. That promise is for you and me, but we have a choice. We can believe Him or push him away and go it alone. Personally, in my life sometimes I have believed and at other times I’ve pushed him away. The lesson I have learned is that things turn out much better when I follow Him.

May you all know His great love surrounding you and your family during the Easter season.