The weather was cool in Guwahati this morning.
My wife was taking care of her flowers. As I went over and asked the name of
this one; she said "It's called Good Friday".
Many years ago, Tony Campolo preached his famous sermon
titled, "It's Friday but Sunday's coming"!
Campolo is one of my favorite preachers. Some have
questioned his biblical convictions lately. But I cannot question his love for
God and people; especially what God in Christ has done for the lost and the outcast.
The religious Christians appeared to be more
concerned about being right than being loving. But in Christ, God has opened
the door for us to be right and loving at the same time.
Apart from Christ, there is no way we can ever be right on
our own and neither can we be loving. But the ones that are lost and outcast
will not respond to our rightness alone. Rightness without love always smells
like self-righteousness. Self-righteousness always chases people away from the
Cross.
Even the godless Google names its weekly meetings
"TGIF" in which they encourage and refresh one another. But the
self-righteous Christians turn Good Friday into a bad Friday.
Are you hurt and traumatized by self-righteous Christians?
Don't lose hope. See, the flower is beautiful but it has its own fair share of
troubles. I asked my wife, "why is it called Good Friday?" She said,
"Because it has thorns".
Life may have given you some thorns but Sunday's coming.
Jesus took care of our thorns and thistles. The ground is now no longer cursed.
Jesus has removed the curse of thorns and thistles. We now live under the
blessings of Abraham! Jesus bore the thorns so that we can enjoy the flowers!!
In Galatians 3, Paul said "13 Christ redeemed us from
the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is
everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing
given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by
faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."
Let's be ready to bask in the beauty of Christ on Sunday
because Sunday's coming!
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