Seek Ye First

Posted on by James Lindquist

With Jesus as understood, a personal hero of mine Trey Gowdy [1], spoke at a Texas church a few days before the Fourth of July 2020. His message touched my heart and was the best message I had ever heard from any pulpit, anywhere. His closing was simple, but profound. He spoke of the Declaration of Independence namely, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

During the Pursuit of happiness section, he told the congregation of meeting two nuns at the airport. After talking with them, he deduced that they did not have much but they were the most content and joyful people he had ever met and were living out a verse in the Bible.

v33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. [Matthew 6:33 KJV]

“…all these things shall be added unto you.” This was a powerful message. If it does not bring tears to your eyes, check your pulse. 😊 I expected nothing less from Trey, and I was not disappointed. He suggested we read the Beatitudes [2]. “Blessed… Are.” Like Trey, I was ashamed of how few of them I could check off. I encourage you to read them as well. I guarantee you; you will all be emotionally hit by his message. If ever there was a message for today, this is the one. If it is even possible, I have a new respect for the man. I knew he was a believer, but preach? (I will post a link below to the churches Youtube channel. I encourage you to watch it for a huge blessing.)

Lord, in these trying times, help us to paint the picture of the rest of our lives. Help us to identify the name of our prison. We are tired of living there. We rely on you Lord to guide us away from the spirit of familiarity. And like Red in the Shawshank Redemption, help us to function once we are outside the gate of our prison. We have lost our way Lord and need your guidance back into your plans for our lives. I pray not only for the leaders of our land but for all leaders of the world, at every level that they will legislate morality and common sense. Lord, we thank you for this wonderful gift of America. Please forgive us for mistreating that gift in these last days. Father, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In the precious name of your son, Jesus, AMEN.

The Son will set you free. [3]
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[1] Search on YouTube < Special guest speaker | former U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy >
[2] Matthew 5:3-12
[3] John 8:36

Why hast thou forsaken me?

Posted on by James Lindquist

<h4>Mark 15:34</h4>

<p>There has been one specific Scripture that has always puzzled me, and that is Mark 15:34</p>

<p>Mark 15:34<br />

<span style=”font-weight:bold; font-style: italic;“>In the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” (which is, being interpreted, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”</span>).</p>

<p>It would appear that out of Jesus’s own mouth,  the Father had rejected Christ because of the sin He had taken on, from the entire world for all eternity</p>

<p>Now, if the Father rejected His own son because of sin, what chance did I have? I was doomed. There must be something I didn’t understand. As it turns out, there is. </p>

<p>What this Scripture is saying, is, Christ was giving His last lesson while on the Cross. He wanted to drive His mission here on earth,  home.  A lesson that would resonate throughout eternity.</p>

<p>When Christ wanted to reference a Scripture, He couldn’t reference book, chapter,  verse.There were none [1]. He had to quote the verse. Christ was referencing Psalm 22.</p> 

<p>Those Hebrew folks near the Cross would have known exactly what He was teaching. Hebrews had much of Scripture memorized. Jesus didn’t even need to quote the entire verse. Jesus taught them and us right up until the end.</p>

<p>Prayer<br />

Mark 15:34 KJV<br />

Thank you Lord for dying for my sins. Thank you for being that worm (tola[2]) that was crushed for us. Thanks for making our sins of scarlet(tola[2]) and crimson (tola[2]) as white as snow. 

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[1] Verse numbers weren’t added until the Vulgate in 1555. The first English Bible to enter verse numbers was the 1599 Geneva Bible.<br />

[2] The Hebrew word for “worm” and “crimson” is tola.<br />