| What is Truth? It seems like most of the time truth is relative- whatever works for me. But is that all? Shouldn't there be a Universal Truth, one that works every time, in every situation?
The Truth is that you are loved. No matter who you are, what you've done or haven't done in your life, no matter the mistakes you've made or the pain you've suffered through, there is One who loves you. This love is perfect and unchanging, unconditional and undeserved.
This love only comes from God. Stick with me here- there is a God and His love for you goes beyond anything you can imagine. He is the only One that will never let you down. All He wants from you is to love Him back.
In fact, He loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die for you. 2,000 years ago, Jesus the Christ of Nazareth crashed onto the scene and started shaking things up. Acknowledged by most as the single most influential person to have ever lived, Jesus came to change lives for the better. His 3 year ministry was packed with miracles. He cast out demons, healed the blind, the deaf, the lame, the sick. He even raised the dead. A Man with such power could have easily let it get to His head, but Christ was the very picture of humility. His entire life was about serving others, even going so far as to wash His disciples feet.
Christ's message was simple: "Forget about yourself and follow Me." How do you follow Christ? Love God, and let your love for Him influence your actions. Live a life of love, reaching out to those in need, always glorifying God, the Father, who created you.
Naturally, Christ's message offended some. It's human nature to make yourself number one. Jesus exposed that the religious leaders of His day did not know the heart of God. They were so wrapped up in their religion, doing everything right on the outside, but their hearts were not seeking God. They were seeking attention and praise from men.
These religious leaders grew to hate Jesus. They devised a plan to have Him killed. Late one night, as Christ was praying in the garden of Gethsemane, a mob of men came and took Him before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council of the day.) They falsely charged Him with blasphemy. They were out for blood, however, and the Sanhedrin had no power to administer the death penalty. They took Jesus to be tried before Pontius Pilate, the leading government official of the area.
Pilate questioned Jesus and found Him to have done no wrong. Hoping to satisfy the bloodthirsty crowd, Pilate sent Jesus to be flogged. He was whipped with a cat of nine tails, a leather whip with pieces of jagged bone and rock tied at the end that tore into the flesh, creating unbearable pain. This however was not good enough, the people wanted Him dead. They shouted "Crucify Him!" again and again until Pilate began to fear a riot. A riot would cost Pilate his job, so in fear, he gave the order for Jesus to be crucified.
On a Friday morning, beaten and bleeding beyond recognition, Jesus was forced to carry the cross He was to be hung on from Jerusalem to Golgotha, the Place of the Skull. This journey was about one third of a mile, and the cross to be carried weighed betweem 75 and 125 pounds. At Golgotha, Christ was nailed to His cross, with massive spikes being driven through His wrists and feet. The spikes in His wrists would have severed the sensorimotor median nerve, causing excruciating pain. Once postitioned uprightly, breathing became a chore. To exhale, Christ would have to lift himself by pushing up from His feet, and pulling up with His shoulders, leaving His full body weight to be supported by His wrists, creating incredible pain.
Having been wrongfully accused of His "crime," Christ had every reason to be bitter and angry, but every word He said was filled with compassion. As this sinless man hung on the cross, He spoke words of love and forgiveness to those around Him, telling the thief hanging beside Him that because of His belief, that night he would join Christ in Paradise. Prior to His death, the sky turned unnaturally black, this was noticed as far away as Rome. Upon His death, there was a violent earthquake, which was felt as far away as Nicaea.
After a Roman soldier drove a spear through Christ's side, to ensure that He was dead, Christ was removed from His cross and taken to a tomb. The tomb was sealed with a massive stone pushed in front of the entrance. Roman soldiers stood watch, making sure that no one stole His body.
Three days later, on a Sunday morning, two women went to the tomb, only to find it empty. There is no way His body could have been taken without the guards noticing, and they would have been extreemely alert, as they could lose their lives if anything happened.
Throughout the next forty days, the resurrected Christ appeared to more than 150 people, encouraging the believers, giving them strength to keep the faith, helping them to believe. After the 40 days, Jesus ascended into heaven, promising to come back for His church when the time came.
Christ did all of this for you. Even if you were the only person on earth to have ever done anything wrong, He would have still died to save you. He loves you more than you can imagine. He wants you to believe in Him so that you can spend eternity in heaven with Him. But He isn't going to force you. You have to acknowledge that He is your Savior, then let Him change you.
Everything I've said here is Truth. If you believe, pray to God about it. Tell Him that you know you've messed up your life and need His forgiveness and restoration. Tell Him that you know Christ died for you and that He is your Savior. Tell Him that you want to live for Him now, no longer chasing selfish ambition. Ask Him to come into your life, filling you with His Holy Spirit, to help you grow in faith.
That is the Truth, and it will set you free. |
