THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE

        I wish you all a blessed Easter time this year. Have you ever been the “one in the middle,” the one between two others? Perhaps it happened in a family quarrel, a work dispute, or trying to keep two people from physically fighting. Whatever the case, being the one in the middle can be uncomfortable and even dangerous.
        On Good Friday Christians recall that Jesus died on the cross, the Holy One of God between two thieves. That was where He intended to be. On Calvary He was the Divine One between God and humanity, suffering and dying to bring people back to God. From the time of His birth He was destined to be the “Man in the Middle,” the One who would reconcile people and God.

  Two thieves were crucified with Him on Good Friday, but only one recognized the “Man in the Middle.” Most thieves see their surroundings, who is watching them and what is taking place. Both of those thieves knew they belonged on Calvary, but only one realized the “Man in the Middle,” shouldn’t have been here. Despite his hopeless condition, the observant thief didn’t want to die alone. He rebuked the unrepentant thief and reached out to Jesus, the One who did not belong there. Jesus offered him eternal life because of his faith, and He does the same for all who realize they need forgiveness and seek Him in faith.

  Jesus came to earth to be the “Man in the Middle,” the Mediator between God and people. “There is one God, and there is one Mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5) A mediator tries to bring factions to resolution and peace, and no one has done it better than Jesus. “He was put to death for our sins, but raised again for our justification.” (Romans 4:25)

  Sin separates people from God, but Jesus’ resurrection unites us. The resurrection of Jesus is proof He is God’s Son who has done all that is necessary to restore people to God through forgiveness of sins. He is risen indeed!

         

Maybe being the middle is just where God wants you to be.

Rev. Bob Tasler

www.bobtasler.com

GOING ALONG WITH THE CROWD

        “Going along with the crowd” has been a human trait since days of old when hunters discovered a group could take down a large animal faster that one person could alone. Ever since, crowds have gathered to do battle, greet celebrities and push for change they feel is needed to better their lives.
        Yesterday Christians all over the world gathered to remember the day a crowd hailed a young Jewish Rabbi’s entrance into a great city. Jesus of Nazareth rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the transportation of kings who humbled themselves before their people.
        As He rode through the eastern Golden Gate, they cut down branches from palm trees and shouted slogans showing their political wishes. “Hosanna” meant “God save us,” and not from their sins, but from the sins of the government. “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” meant, “Blessed is He who will save us from the Romans.”
        Less than a week later a different crowd was gathered (NOT the same people, despite what preachers may tell you) to call for the young man’s crucifixion. In both cases the crowds seemed for a moment to have gotten their wishes. Later that Sunday, Jesus knocked over cash registers in the Temple Outlets, raising hopes of His followers that maybe, just maybe, this Rabbi would be The One to lead the revolution needed to give them what they wanted. A week later they saw their hopes drain away on a bloody cross as the Good Friday mob believed they had gotten their wishes. Both crowds were wrong.
        People today continue to go along with the crowds. Rallies have been organized over the past months in the never-ending hopes that they could help bring into power someone who would save them from reckless government, terrible past leaders, or dreadful candidates. Modern Hosannas have come to mean, “Blessed is (s)he who will save us from the Beltway.”
        Every night my wife and I do something politically different. We pray for God to bring our nation better leaders, that ones He wants, no matter who they are. We’ve always been able to see how bad the last leaders have been, so we lay on God’s heart our desire that He bring us the leaders He wants for us.

“Blessed is He who will save us from the crowds.”

Rev. Bob Tasler
www.bobtasler.com

JESUS THE ROCK

        Jesus lived in a land of rocks and stones, so He used word pictures that remind us of this. He is the “cornerstone” for believers, but to unbelievers He is a “stumbling block.” He even re-named His disciple Simon “petra” to show he would become a rock of faith.
        My wife and I live our summers on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. To the east is the arid, flat Colorado land of ranches and farms, and in the west are the mountains. Those of us living there, from Denver north to Ft. Collins, and south to Colorado Springs, are close to the mighty Rocky Mountains.
        Nearly every spring a few people driving in the mountains undergo the shattering experience of having pieces of a mountain fall on them. These large rocks have been dislodged by frost and fall on the roadway, sometimes smashing cars and injuring or even killing the occupants. Spring driving in the Rockies can be risky.
        When God offers us a place in His Kingdom by faith in Jesus Christ, we can do no better than accept His gracious gift. Refusing it is fatal. Jesus warns us in Matthew 21:44 that if we resist God’s grace, the Rock of Salvation will crush us. Strong words are necessary to warn people of imminent spiritual danger. Failing to heed God’s road signs leads us to destruction.
        Jesus died and rose again to give us a place in God’s eternal Kingdom. The alternative place is unthinkable, and unless we heed His warning we will miss God’s joy and end up in Satan’s domain. He is the true Rock of our salvation.
        Jesus Himself told us in Matthew 7:24, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 9:33, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.”
        Do you think people take Satan and hell seriously these days? Do they understand what it means to reject Jesus? Do you?

"Jesus is the Rock of my salvation, and His banner over me is love."

Rev. Bob Tasler
www.bobtasler.com

DEALING WITH YOUR DOUBTS

        Everyone has doubts, especially about God. To experience times of doubt about God or our relationship to Him is part of being human. Doubt is a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something. We can’t see God, so we wonder if He really exists. We may see His hand in creation, yet feelings of uncertainty may sneak into our thoughts. Human beings seek more proof. We’d like to be certain.
        So, is doubt sinful? True, doubt can show a stubborn pride if we insist on having proof for everything. Yet we live every day without proof. We turn on our electronics and expect they will work. After all, they worked yesterday. We live with our loved ones believing they will act or feel about us today as they did yesterday. Yes, if we hear or see something different, we might wonder. Even wondering can be a form of doubt, but it’s not necessarily sinful. It all depends on whether we pridefully demand proof.
        Some doubts are like temptations. They come to us through images, thoughts or words and it’s hard to stop them. Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that temptation is common to all people, but God will give us a way to overcome it if we let Him. I believe we can say the same about doubts.
        Remember how Jesus prayed in the Garden if there was another way to accomplish salvation? What He saw coming was terribly painful and He prayed for another way. Was that temptation or even doubt? Whatever the case, we know His Father didn’t condemn Him for it.
        Luther once said temptations are like birds flying overhead. You can’t stop them from doing that, but you should stop them from making a nest in your hair. I believe the same can be said about the occasional doubts that creep into our thoughts. It’s only when we insist there must be proof for everything that we betray our sinful pride.
        In a sermon yesterday I heard the pastor say if doubts keep troubling us we’d better deal with them. He gave three principles to do this: 1) Recognize that we all have doubts. Don’t run from them or think having them makes us less Christian. 2) Deal with doubt through God’s Word. Address your doubts using the Bible and God will help you clarify those uncertainties. 3) Doubts are overcome by a person, not by a situation. Jesus is that Person. He helps us deal with our doubts in a beneficial way. But don’t expect doubts to disappear just because things change.
        Don't be afraid of doubt. The greatest of God’s servants had doubts, and God helped them get through to the other side, the place of more certainty and Godly peace of mind.

“Have mercy on those who doubt.” (Jude 1:22)

Rev. Bob Tasler
www.bobtasler.com

LIFE IS BETTER THAN WE THINK

        It’s Leap Year today, another reason to wonder about the universe, including the slight wobble in the earth’s revolution around the sun that causes us to have an extra day on our calendars every four years. We needn’t worry about this since there’s nothing we can do to change it. People didn’t cause it.
        I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if there’s an article out there saying we did. There is the growing trend to warn us about dangers lurking everywhere, global warming, overpopulation, water shortage, racism, obesity, identity theft, illegal aliens, sexual predators, economic failure, energy shortages, transfats, etc., etc. And these are all our fault, they say.
        Hearing such topics every day would make a newcomer to our planet think life on earth is on the brink of extinction. But this is far from true. People of the world live better today than at any time in history.
        Life was not better in the days of the horse and buggy. There were far worse examples of war and genocide during the Middle Ages or even in the early 1900’s. Diseases decimated population as recently as 100 years ago, and wars destroyed cultures almost as fast as they arose.
        We have it far better today than we think. People have more time on their hands, presumably to tell us of gloom and doom. In any other age, we’d have been too busy chopping wood, working fifteen hour days, and applying home remedies just to stay alive. Today’s news travels fast. We know instantly what’s happening everywhere, so we’re prone to panic.
        Since mankind sinned in the Garden of Eden, people have always lived with potential danger. Note that none of those dangers listed above are about the spiritual or eternal, despite the face that unbelief does bring eternal death and destruction. But the soul that trusts Christ as Lord is not in eternal danger. Faith in Christ is the door to eternal life.
        Jesus once said, “Fear not those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Jesus came to dispel human fear, but some people seem to prefer creating and living in it.
        Rather than crying out in fear, today trust in Jesus and turn your fears over to Him. Let Him carry your burdens, whether real or imagined, and He will bring you safely through this abundant life unto your eternal home.

Smile and enjoy the day. It’s not nearly as bad as some people say.

STAND FIRM IN THE LORD

        When I was a small child, a huge cottonwood tree fell over in our pasture during a terrific windstorm. That seemingly strong tree had stood alone for decades, but that day it fell. A close examination revealed a rotting center that had been weakening the tree. Although its exterior looked strong and healthy, that tree had been slowly dying.
        Cleaning up after a fallen tree is a fairly easy matter. You cut it up and haul it away. But what about a fallen life? What do we do when a human life collapses? Unlike that solitary tree, most people don’t live alone, but in a world of interdependence. We mingle in each other’s lives, inter-twine our roots and come to depend on each other. How do we deal with a life that has collapsed?
        Some of us don’t let ourselves be known. We may seem fine to others, but we don’t let people know the real person inside. An unhealthy habit, a bad dependency or a small but deadly sin grows within us, and like a tiny bug it attacks our heart. If kept secret or if it is excused by others, it weakens the heart and soul.
        When a collapse occurs, and everyone around feels the damage, family, friends, church members and associates. And the damage lingers, often for years. Thanks be to God there is hope for this. God repairs a damaged life if we invite Him to do so.
        A large Lutheran Church in Phoenix has weekly “Celebrate Recovery” meetings that help with drug, alcohol and all sorts of dependencies. Each Friday evening over two hundred area men, women and youth meet for dinner and a joyful worship service. Then they go to their meetings and work on a recovery only Jesus can give them.
        Jesus said in Luke 5:31, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” If you know of someone in danger by “hidden” sin, let them know you care, and try to find them a place where they can begin their recovery with Jesus’ help.

“That is how you are able to stand firm in the Lord.” (Philippians 4:1)

SEEING WITH THE EYES OF JESUS

Dear friends,
        My wife loves to go shopping and I often go with her, sometimes to help pick out something, and most often to carry what she has bought. It’s enjoyable so long as it doesn’t take too long. Or cost too much!
        A large clothing chain store near us has an annual sale on January 1 with very low prices, so one year we went. The packed parking lot told me this was no ordinary sale. Inside we joined hundreds of eager shoppers as they ravaged racks of tops, slacks, jackets and anything else men and women like to purchase on sale days.
        The clerks at the register were having a heyday. Their hands flying, removing hangers, flashing price tags over the laser price readers and stuffing treasures into bags as fast as they could. People grabbed and bought things they’d passed up before, because the prices were so low. One of the clerks told me that sale helped make his monthly sales quota. He wished they did it every month, not once a year.
        At one point my wife handed me a blouse on a hanger and told me to go stand over by a men’s table while she shopped. I was dressed fairly neatly and the table held several mannequins, so I decided to become one! I stood up straight, hung the item she’d given me on my collar and looked straight forward, not moving a muscle. A few people looked at me and smiled, and a couple of women actually came up to look at my outfit before they realized I was alive. It was great fun and it passed the time quickly!
        Sometimes people treat others like mannequins. We notice them there, but don’t really look at them or take them seriously. We don’t bump into them, but we don’t talk to them either. To us they’re just standing there like imitation people, store mannequins.
         But Jesus sees us all as real people. "Love one another," He said, "as I have loved you." (John 13:34) He looks at us and knows what is in our hearts. He wants us to trust Him and rely on His guidance. He also wants us to treat each other as the valued persons God has placed in our lives.

Today try seeing other people with the eyes of Jesus.

Rev. Bob Tasler
www.bobtasler.com