paid Archives – Sonshine's Journal

The one who has been fully restored now passes on the torch to us with words of wisdom. As Christ told him “when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old…” Peter is now in advanced age as he writes and seeks to pass on to us the vital words of wisdom he learned on that seashore experience that we too might carry the torch to the world.

Jesus had three tasks for Peter and they are the same three tasks for us as well: Feed “MY” Sheep, Shepherd “MY” Sheep, Tend “MY” flock. This task encompasses and challenges our “Do you love ME?” question. To fulfill these words, Peter reminds us that we are anointed, “chosen, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by being set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling with Jesus Christ’s blood.” It has come with a price and that price is the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. Just as Jesus faced the trial we too will face trials but each one will “show the proven character of our faith, which is much more valuable than gold – gold that is tested by fire…”

Even though we do not, like Peter, see the risen Christ face to face, yet we believe and because of that we love him. We love him for he bore our sins on that cross and paid our ransom fee for entrance into the Most Holy Place and thus we rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy. This is the Christian walk of faith which leads to our attaining the goal of our faith – the salvation of our souls.

One last piece of wisdom from Peter: “like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct,”

Beloved, you are special this day because of the price Christ paid for your salvation. You were “chosen before the foundation of the world, that you would be holy and blameless before Him” [Eph 1:4]. He has inscribed your name upon His nail pierced palms so that you might carry the torch of His love to His flock. Do you love ME rings forth in our ears. Will you as the chosen, elected, called, step up the task that He has prepared for you?

We all have times when we can recall “where we were” when something of significance happened. As we read John 19, the Apostle John shares with us his recollection of the day when holiness was triumphant over evil. John shares with us “where he was” on that fateful day when the words of Simeon must have come flooding back to the heart of Mary: Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, [Luke 2]

As we read John 19 and see the ugliness of sin in all of its horror we recall these words of Jesus: “hated by everyone because of my name….yet a time is coming when the one who kills you will think he is offering service to God.” The religious leaders fulfilled those words when they cried: “crucify him, crucify him.” But, what man plans for evil God turns to good. Jesus endured that we might see God’s plan and purpose for the redemption of man. Act 2:23 this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles…thus fulfilling John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”…so that the truth of Acts 4:12 might be ours to claim: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

In the midst of this horror, John focuses our attention on Christ, and along with the other gospel writers, shares the last words heard from the lips of our Savior:

Father, Forgive them, they know not what they do…

[to the thief] Today you shall be with me in paradise…

[to Mary] Woman, behold your son and [to John] behold your mother…

My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?…

I thirst…

It is finished…

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit…

From there, John turns our attention to the small band of persistent faithful followers as they and he become witnesses to this scene. It was this tenacity, this indefatigable belief in Jesus as THE CHRIST that carried them to this point in time. John 19:25 “Now standing beside Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene…and the disciple whom he loved standing there,” This scene would be forever etched in John’s memory as the turning point of his faith, the turning point of seeing God’s plan fulfilled…but as of yet he did not understand the full scope.

And then John turns our attention to the two secret disciples who stepped out of the darkness into the light. They had not been strong enough to stand in life but Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus became the ministering servants to the body of our Lord in his death. What they paid in the earthly price for their stand against the Sanhedrin is not known but it was a small price for what they gained in eternal rewards. “Whoever, then, acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven.” [Matt 10]

Where were you when you realized the price paid for your sin?

Tag: paid

“Chosen ..Elected…Called”

Where Were You…The Apostle John’s Reflections….