Accused, tried, convicted

“Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:8-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is multiple stories of people that have been wrongly accused. Wrongly convicted. Wrongly served time for things they have not committed. Things that the evidence shows completely that they had nothing to do with. But, because they were in the vicinity or knew of the issue and for a “description” they were accused, tried, and convicted of something that they did not do.

HERE IT IS…

We all have that person that we love so much or a person that loves us so much that they would do this for us. This is exactly what Christ did for us. Just on the fact that he knows us and loved us so much he was accused, tried, and convicted of crimes that he did not commit. But, because he loved us so much and that we have so much we can accomplish in helping others he went and died for us. Just like those other stories. He was not held for long because he rose with all power to be able to help us through this life so that we wouldn’t have to go through what he did.

Living for who

“Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

One of the things I love to do is work out. Go to the gym. Lift weights. Run and be active. One of the things that I do that others probably do is pay attention to who else is in there. I see people lifting more weight than me. See people who look stronger than me. See people who are running longer than I am. It makes me wonder what is it that I am doing wrong? What is it that I am NOT doing that makes me wonder why NOT me.

HERE IT IS…

We tend to wonder in life just how is that other people seem to be stronger than us. People seem to be so much more ahead of us. Is it us? Where did we take a wrong turn. What happen to us? When in actuality it’s none of those things. See those people that may be stronger than us. May have more money than us and seem to be so much further ahead of us when it’s not us at all. We all have made wrong turns even those people ahead of us. God has you where he wants you to be right now. It’s not a punishment. Just like Jesus we are where we at for a specific reason. Your life is testimony for someone else to hear. Jesus died so that we could live. Who are you living for?

Pressing

“But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is an episode of I love Lucy that is my favorite and everyone else’s. The great thing about this episode and particular scene in the show is that it was not scripted. The moment they went to a winery and Lucy was in the pressing floor for the wine and was walking around with another character. As they were walking around stepping on the grapes you could see the juice of the grapes starting to come out.

HERE IT IS…

Sometimes we may feel like those grapes and feel like we are just at the bottom of the barrel. We can feel so pressured and so dismantled and disfigured that we don’t know what to do. Even though we’re being pressed and crushed we have to look at it differently because we are being transformed into something greater. Because as your being crushed and transformed, something that is in you is now coming out and will be used for something greater. What’s in you has to come out. What God has inside of you, you cannot just keep it to yourself. The pressing and crushing is to allow God to make you into who you have been called to be.

Get up!

“But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:5-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As Gideon showed us in the passages from this week, we have to keep pressing keep going keep striving to do and complete the assignment that he has given us. We cannot stop. We cannot give up. We cannot allow anything or anyone to stop us. Your assignment is a tough one, the fact is that your assignment wouldn’t have been given to you if God knew you couldn’t handle it. We have all wanted and even tried to give up and give in but it was because of this scripture that we cannot and he won’t allow us.

HERE IT IS…

Gideon didn’t give up. Paul didn’t give up. Peter didn’t give up. Moses didn’t give up. Noah didn’t and Jesus didn’t. So what gives you the right to give up. Truth be told we have not been that good and God should have given up on us a LONG time ago. But here we are. Still alive. Still moving and breathing. Still being woken up every morning to do what he has called us to do. Giving up is not an option. Giving in is not an option. Laying down is not an option. Because even when Christ laid down he still got up and when he did, he saved the whole world from all there sins. Just imagine who your affecting and who your helping when you get up and keep going?

Don’t give in

“Gideon then crossed the Jordan River with his 300 men, and though exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy. When they reached Succoth, Gideon asked the leaders of the town, “Please give my warriors some food. They are very tired. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” But the officials of Succoth replied, “Catch Zebah and Zalmunna first, and then we will feed your army.””

‭‭Judges‬ ‭8:4-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There was a time in my life where I gave up. There was a time in my life that the pressure all seem to take its toll. I was a single father and it seemed that everything in my life was going the wrong way. Jobless,rent and bills due. It seem that no matter how hard I tried no matter how many job applications no matter who I asked for help all my resources was gone. I was ready to not give up on life but felt that as a father I was failing. I felt that I couldn’t provide the way that a father should. I was ready to do what I thought best.

HERE IT IS…

If I would have given up. If I would have gave in. If I would have stopped after all those doors had closed on me. It would have stopped so many other things that happened after that. The jobs that poured in. The way I was able to see just how great Gods hand moved. When it comes to life it may seem like it will be easier to give up after that last option has run out. It seems easier to just hand everything over. But if you trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding you will see just how great the process will work in your favor. Don’t stop. Don’t give up be cause your last option is not Gods last option.

It’s in the assignment

“Gideon then crossed the Jordan River with his 300 men, and though exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy. When they reached Succoth, Gideon asked the leaders of the town, “Please give my warriors some food. They are very tired. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” But the officials of Succoth replied, “Catch Zebah and Zalmunna first, and then we will feed your army.””

‭‭Judges‬ ‭8:4-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When your on assignment from God this is when people want to leave. When your on assignment from God this is how your life changes because your circle starts to change. When your in need it seems no one is there. When you have something that needs to be taken care of that’s when people seem to be scarce. In this particular scripture Gideon was in need and he wasn’t asking for himself it was all of his men. They have been going and in need of help and the only ones that could help wouldn’t.

HERE IT IS…

I believe this is where God places you in a place where you only have to depend on him. This is where the only thing you need to do is rely and trust him. Because even though friends forsake you. God is there. Even when family is not there. God is there. Even when you have a need that needs to be fulfilled. God is the provider. Trust Gods plan and allow him to work in your life. Allow God to be the one who shows you what it is he has for you. Rely on God. After all the assignment was given by God not by man. So everything you need is in the assignment.

He has your back

“Gideon then crossed the Jordan River with his 300 men, and though exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy. When they reached Succoth, Gideon asked the leaders of the town, “Please give my warriors some food. They are very tired. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.””

‭‭Judges‬ ‭8:4-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have come to realize that when gives you an assignment. Everyone will not be able to understand or comprehend what or how or when God gave you what to do. I also have come to realize that not everyone will be excited and will want to assist you in anything. Here Gideon has already had to cut his men down to 300 and has to go chase his enemy. When he comes upon someone that he thought would help him they wanted to know what was in it for them. Even when God will bless them for helping you they want it now.

HERE IT IS…

God has your back even when no one else will. You may not see it. You feel that you will need help now. You may be tired and weary from going on. God is still there. No matter what it is or what it may be. God will always create a place and a way for you to accomplish what he gave you to do. Tired. Fatigued. Needing a rest. God will provide to you everything that you need in the accomplishment of his assigned task. Keep going he has your back. Keep moving he has your back. Don’t stop because God has your back.

Endurance

“Gideon then crossed the Jordan River with his 300 men, and though exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy.”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭8:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Playing any sport can be exhausting. Sometimes and depending on what sport and team you may have to play multiple positions. I can remember playing football and having to play in a whole game with little to no rest. Going from kickoff or kick off return. Offense to defense. Punt and punt return. It was hard but it was in those moments of being exhausted and weak and tired that there was something inside of me that dig deep and found more strength and energy to fight on. The whole idea was to win the game.

HERE IT IS…

In life there will be times like these that you May feel exhausted. Times where it feels that you can’t go on. Times that you feel its time to rest. The Bible says that the race is not given to the swift nor the strong but to them that endure till the end. Even though your tired. Your winded and fatigued. Your sleepy and weak. That’s when you have to dig deep and look deep and see that this will end in your victory. This will end in your being on top. This battle is going to be given to you. Don’t stop. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Keep pushing. Keep going. It’s going to workout for your good.

Fully healed

“Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

That moment when Jesus touches you and healed you. That moment where it seemed like you were blind and couldn’t see. That moment when the master laid his hands on you and all pain and blockage and issues were gone. That moment where you felt a release from bondage. Do you remember? These brothers waited for there opportunity to have Jesus come there way so they could make so much noise that he had no choice but to come see what all the commotion was about. They heard he was coming. They used what they had. Then, they followed after being healed.

HERE IT IS…

Sometimes we use God as a spiritual vending machine. We come to him when we are in need. We just want something for the moment just to get us by. Nothing fulfilling nothing with substance. But, we use him for what we need at the moment. Just enough to buy us time. Then when the problem comes back we come back. Where these brothers waited for the opportunity to be fully fed and fully provided for that healed all issues. And followed him. Don’t use God as a vending machine for the moment. Come to him and allow him to be able to fully heal you. Then follow him and never go hungry again.

Open your mouth and talk

“When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

One thing that I have learned to do is go to the doctor. As a man the stigma is that men don’t like to go. If they do go they go only because they are pressured into doing it. Which in turns makes it to be an in and out trip for us. We go in because we have to. We sit on the table because we have to. We talk when we have to. And we leave as soon as possible. We don’t tell the doctor about that feeling we had that lasted about a week that no one knows about. Or how we got dizzy standing up a few times. We keep it to ourselves because we are “men”.

HERE IT IS…

These 2 men are the best examples that we can have. As they are sitting on the side waiting for their chance to go to Jesus’s free clinic. When they call out to the doctor he comes in their room and ask what do you want me to do for you? Instead of being quiet they tell him, we want to see. I just believe that these men were focused on the man issue of seeing that they didn’t realize what Jesus was about to do was heal everything in their life all because they opened they’re mouth and told him what’s wrong. Out of the one thing they were asking him to fix. Jesus changed their whole life. What do you want God to do for you?