LET US KEEP OUR EYES ON CALVARY

LET US KEEP OUR

EYES ON CALVARY!

This is the week after Easter.  The Easter things are put away, and the stores are offering bunnies and decorations half price.  Now people have their eyes on other coming events, Easter is now behind them. But I think of the people out there going to and fro with their lives and their struggles and their hurt and their pain.  And my heart cries out to those who went to church last Sunday, probably as guests.  And they hadn’t been to church since Christmas or maybe a funeral of a loved one or friend.  They heard the good Word of God preached, sang the wonderful Easter hymns, but where is their love for Jesus and the power of the Resurrection? 

Do we just sing about the cross on Sunday, and on Monday our Bibles are put back on the shelf or coffee table to await the next service we may attend?  Or do we reflect back to Calvary every day of the week, all year?  Is there a secret prayer place where we commune with our Lord, and be reminded of the sacrifice He made on that cross?  I, myself, do not want to forget that sacrifice He made for my sins, and I want Him to continually lead me back to Calvary.  How about you? 

LEAD ME TO CALVARY

“King of my life, I crown Thee now, Thine shall the glory be; lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow, lead me to Calvary.

Refrain: Lest I forget Gethsemane, lest I forget Thine agony; lest I forget Thy love for me, lead me to Calvary.

Show me the tomb where Thou wast laid, tenderly mourned and wept; Angels in robes of light guarded Thee while Thou slept.

Let me like Mary, thro’ the gloom, come with a gift for Thee; show me now the empty tomb, lead me to Calvary.

May I be willing, Lord to bear daily my cross for Thee; even Thy cup of grief to share, lead me to Calvary.  (Jennie Evelyn Hussey, 1874-1958)

Yes, my cry is now to crown Him now with my praise, adoration and worship, and give Him all the glory, in case I would forget the thorns upon His brow, so Lord, lead me back to Calvary.

As I pray and praise Him, I ask He remind me of the tomb, where the woman came to mourn and weep, and where Heavenly angels, dressed in robes of light guarded Him as he slept there.  Oh, Lord, lead me back to Calvary.  I ask that of you out there, ask Him to lead you back there, to the cross, and to the place where they laid Him.

“But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.  And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain” John 20:11-12.

And like Mary, I  come through the darkness and gloom of my life, with a sweet gift for Thee, the gift of my life and my service and love for Thee.  So show me now the empty tomb, lead me to Calvary.

And Lord, may I too be willing to bear my cross daily for Thee.  Sometimes those crosses are so heavy to bear.  Sometimes there is a cross of sickness, despair, grief.  May I bear it gladly for Thee.  Sometimes we feel like we just go on again under the heavy load we carry.  But Jesus promises to carry that cross or burden with us. (Matthew 11:28-30).

So my precious friends out there, He calls us daily to look to the cross and be reminded again of the sufferings of our Lord, for me, for you.  But as we are led back to Calvary, let us also remember the empty tomb, and the Angels proclaiming: “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay” Matthew 28:6.

Oh, come back to Calvary, come back to the cross, come back to the wonderful day of Resurrection!  Jesus is alive and seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, but has sent the Holy Spirit to come live within us, teach us and remind us daily of His love, His comfort, and the promise of His soon return.

Oh, let us keep our eyes on Jesus, keep our eyes looking up to Calvary and the supreme sacrifice He made there.  Let us keep daily in our prayer closets, reading His Word, and sharing Jesus with the world around us.  That those around us will also be lead to Calvary, and what a joy someday to see Him face to face, and see those scars on His hands and feet and always be reminded of His great love for us all through eternity.  Praise His Holy Name!

Pastor Sharon