Monthly Archives: January 2025

NEEDS DRIVE US TO OUR KNEES – 1

Prayer, ,

The Old Testament language, originally paleo Hebrew, fascinates me. Paleo Hebrew is a picture language possibly developed from the ancient Phoenician script. The alphabet of paleo Hebrew has 22 picture letters, each letter a picture  conveying an idea the meaning of which is derived from the context. Paleo Hebrew words were usually made up of two pictures, called the parent root, to which more pictures were added to expand its meaning.

The ancient Hebrews were essentially tactile people. They thought, spoke and wrote in  concrete terms, not in abstract ideas. To understand their language and usage, we must distance ourselves from Western abstract expression and view life from their experience of the physical world. In other words, they thought function, not form, that is, what did an object do rather than what did an object look like.

The word, God, for example, was two letters, e and l, “El”. Read from right to left, these two letters, aleph…an ox head, and lamed… a shepherd’s staff, imply strength and authority, hence God was the one who had strength and authority.

I will use this concept to help us understand the meaning of prayer in the Old Covenant.

To cut a very long story short, one of the words for prayer, p, meaning ” mouth”, and l, meaning “a shepherd’s staff”, is “palal”, which implies speaking to the one who has authority.

“This word “palal” also means judgment. In Old Testament times the major judicial decisions were made at the gates and entrance to the city, one reason being it was a broad area and easy for people to gather there. If anyone had a grievance, they would go and “speak to authority” to obtain the justice they were looking for. The ancient Hebrew concept of a “judge” is one who restores life. The goal of one that judges or rules is to bring a pleasant and righteous life to the people….”
https://www.ancient-hebrew.org
article: Ancient Hebrew Words for Prayer

Implied in this word, “palal”, is the idea of “falling down in desperation to address the one who has authority.”

“Another word from the PL root is “pala”. Added to this root is the letter “aleph” which in its original picture form is an ox head meaning “strength”. This word  means “perform” i.e. a great work (performed) as an act of intercession (out of a judgement). It is translated “wonder”, “marvellous”, and “extraordinary” . “Pala” is used primarily with God as its subject, expressing actions that “.. and in our eyes it is amazing! ” Psalm 118:23…

“This certainly lifts our faith to new heights of trust in God for awesome things when we pray.”
https://www.ancient-hebrew.org
article: Ancient Hebrew Words for Prayer

When we put “palal” and “pala” into the context of a sentence, prayer means “to fall down in desperation before the one who has the authority, to entreat the judge for a judgment. He will take action through a “wonderwork” to restore the pray-er to a life that is pleasant and righteous. This will result in wonder and admiration, “and in our eyes it is amazing! ” Psalm 118:23…

The judge’s verdict had to go on to an action which carried out the judgment determined by the pleading. This would result in justice for the one who brought the plea. The judge had the power to do a miracle or wonderwork, something extraordinary that would restore the person to a pleasant and righteous life. This will cause the one who prayed to marvel at the judge.

Now let’s look at the way Jesus used this concept of prayer in a story.

Luke 18:1-5 NLT
[1] “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. [2] “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. [3] A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ [4] The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, [5] but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

The disciples would have understood the parable because the principles of Old Covenant prayer are clear in this story. Jesus drew a contrast between the reluctance of the judge to give the widow a judgment and to act on it and God’s attitude towards His children. He will always respond with a judgment and an action.

Luke 18:6-7 NLT
[6] “Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. [7] Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?”

The third word for prayer, “tefillah”, the most commonly-used word for prayer, adds another dimension to the original parent root. Tefillah is derived from the letters in the parent root, p and l as in  “palal” and “pala”.

To put these words together, prayer (palal) is the act of falling down to plead with the one who had the authority to make a judgment, and who will take action (pala) to ensure that the judgment is carried out to restore the pleasant and righteous life of the pray-er so that he/she moves him towards “tefillah” which is the ultimate purpose for “palal” and “pala”, admiration (worship) of the Judge.

Concealed in the parent root, “pal”, and its child roots “palal” and “pala”, and encapsulated in the noun, “tefillah”, we have a rich and amazing picture of prayer which is a far cry from our impoverished Western philosophical understanding of what prayer is about. Prayer, in its essence, is much more than talking to God. It’s about moving towards God in deep heart communion.

In our next study, we shall put  these concepts of prayer in the Old Covenant into our understanding of New Covenant prayer, enriched with the additions of grace, mercy, and salvation. We must push on until we reach an understanding of how profound prayer in the New Covenant really is.

To be continued…

HE GAVE IT ALL AWAY

Bible Study, ,

Reading the life story of Jesus in the gospels must eventually lead us to one conclusion…He gave away everything He was and everything He had for us.

Now that’s a startling statement!

Let’s examine the “everything” that Jesus gave away.

  1. H e gave away His right to act as God.

Paul wrote,

Philippians 2:6 NIV
[6] “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;…”

Many times, Jesus’ opponents challenged Him to show them evidence of His claim, if He was the Son of God. They ignored the real evidence, first of His revelation of God’s nature by His love for all people, and second, by the source of His miraculous works which they continually questioned.

Matthew 12:22-24, 27-28 NIV
[22] “Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. [23] All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” [24] But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”…
[27] And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges,
[28] But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Jesus didn’t claim to be the souce of His miracles. He claimed obedience to the Father who worked miracles through Him by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ entire life on earth, from conception to resurrection, was through the presence and under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:37-38 NIV
[37] “You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— [38] how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”

  1. As a man, Jesus gave away His right to make His own choices.

David prophesied that the Messiah would live entirely by His obedience to God by His own choice.

Psalms 40:6-8 NLT
[6] You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand— you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings. [7] Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: [8] I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.”

John 5:30 NLT
[30] “I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.”

John 8:29 NLT
[29] And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.”

Even in the darkest moment of His life, Jesus chose to do the Father’s will.

Luke 22:42 NLT
[42] “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

  1. Jesus gave away His time to the sick and needy.

Mark 6:31, 34 NLT
[31] “Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat….
[34] Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

Interruptions never fazed Jesus. He always dropped His own agenda to minister to the people.

  1. Jesus gave away His earthly family connections.

In His youth, Jesus was an obedient son,

Luke 2:51 NLT
[51]” Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.”

… but He cut all ties with His family for the wider family of God’s children when He left home to fulfil His calling as Messiah and Saviour

Mark 3:32-35 NLT
[32] “There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.” [33] Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” [34] Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. [35] Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

He even gave His mother away as a final act of love before He died.

John 19:26-27 NLT
[26] “When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” [27] And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.”

  1. Jesus gave His love, His joy, and His peace to His disciples.

John 15:9 NLT
[9] “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.”

John 15:11 NLT
[11] “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

John 14:27 NLT
[27] “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

  1. Jesus gave His body to the Jews for crucifixion and to the Romans for abuse.

Matthew 27:26 NLT
[26]”So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.”

Isaiah 50:6-7 NLT
[6]”I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting. [7] Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.”

  1. Jesus gave away His reputation, His dignity and His clothing.

Philippians 2:8 NLT
[8]”… he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

John 19:23 NLT
[23]” When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.”

  1. Jesus gave His life blood for the sin of the world.

Matthew 26:27-28 NLT
[27] “And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, [28] for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.”

John 19:34 NLT
[34] “One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.”

  1. Jesus gave away His heart and soul to His people. On the cross He gave His body back to the earth from which it was made and His spirit back to the Father.

Isaiah 53:9 NLT
[9]” He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.”

Luke 23:46 NLT
[46]”Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.”

  1. Jesus had one more thing to give, His righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV
[21] “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Conclusion

2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT
[9] “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.”

Jesus gave away everything He had to give. He kept nothing for Himself. We are His beneficiaries if we believe and give ourselves to Him. We have neither the experience nor the imagination to reveal the extent of His generosity except the promise of His Word.

1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT
[9]… “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

“POOR ME”, THE DEATH OF RESPONSIBILITY

Christian Life, ,

Genesis 3:12 NLT
[12] “The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

It all began in the garden of Eden, this refusal to take responsibility for doing wrong! It’s also a disease so universal that EVERYONE tries to wriggle out of taking responsibility by blaming someone or something else. This attitude is embedded in the nature we inherited from Adam.

This “blame game” is also responsible for an entire industry in the medical field. This “industry” falls under the category of “disorders”, medical diagnoses treatable by therapy and medication! Now, not every disorder is incorrectly diagnosed. Some disorders are triggered by crises or unfortunate circumstances, for example, flashbacks that happen after some traumatic experience.

However, there are many disorders that are self-inflicted. Many mental health issues happen when people refuse to take responsibility for their bad behaviour. Instead of owning up and putting right, they hide behind what mother/father/sibling/teacher/friend…did to them twenty, thirty, forty years ago.

The real diagnosis is a “victim mentality”, for which doctors and medication have no cure. Strangely enough, the Bible calls mental illness “sin”. Why is it sin? Sin is the fruit of unbelief. Unbelief in what?

God created humans to live in union with Him. We are His offspring, created in His image. He is in charge of every detail of our lives and takes responsibility for us if we trust Him.

Acts of the Apostles 17:25-26, 28 NLT
[25]”…He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. [26] From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries…
[28] For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ “

He is our life-source. Living in harmony with God and His ways provides peace, protection, and provision, and dispels worry and anxiety. Through our ongoing trust in Jesus who gives us access to the Father by His death, we can experience every situation in life, good or bad, in the confidence that God allows or does nothing in our lives outside of His perfect love. Nothing can separate us from His love.

Such confidence, called faith in Jesus, allows us to live “care-free lives in the care of God”. When issues arise, we can turn to Him for help and solutions instead of blaming someone else for our troubles.

Trouble is that most people in the world throughout the ages have decided to leave God out of their lives. They treat Him as an enemy, run from Him, and try to manage their lives without Him. The result is a mess. To use an age-old expression, “they fly by the seat of their pants.”

(Some people go so far as to dabble in the forbidden realm of evil spirits. Unfortunately, Satan messes with their brains when they are hooked. No this is a real problem when it comes to mental health. They can be and some are given over to the complete control of evil spirits leading to bizarre and seriously criminal behaviour).

Playing the “blame game” robs people of real-life solutions. If therapy and medication do not fix the “disorders” sin produces…and by sin I mean the things people think, say, and do to suit themselves that produce fear, guilt, and shame, is there any real solution?

Humans complicate what God has made simple. His medical textbook, the Bible, has the only real, effective solutions because He made us and He wrote the book.

What must we do with the sin that produces guilt, shame, and fear?

1 John 1:8-9 NLT
[8] “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. [9] But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

Blaming someone else for what we have said or done won’t cut it. Coming clean with God is the only effective solution. This means taking responsibility! “Yes, God you are right. I said it, I did it, I am guilty as charged.” That’s simple enough, isn’t it? The only cost to us is the humility to admit our guilt and the honesty to take responsibility for what we did.

God’s response to our confession is astonishing. Three things happen when we take responsibility.

  1. We acknowledge God. We acknowledge that we are accountable to Him for our behaviour. “If we confess our sins to Him…”
  2. We call our behaviour what it is…sin! Not mistakes, not blunders, not anything else but…sin, and sin is always against God first, whoever we might harm by our actions.

Psalms 51:4 NLT
[4] “Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.”

  1. God responds to our honest confession by wiping the slate clean. He forgives, cleanses, and chooses to forget what we have done.

Isaiah 43:25 NLT
[25] “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”

Think of that! When God has finished with your sin, you can start again, no past to haunt you!

What must we do with the emotions sin produces?

Paul has another simple solution.

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
[6]”Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and THANK HIM for all he has done. [7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Worry and anxiety are also part of the sin we must confess. Worry and anxiety block our way to the Father. We must get rid of them through honest confession. Again, “come clean with God.” These emotions are also the fruit of unbelief.

Thanksgiving is a powerful way to melt worry and anxiety. We neutralise our worries when we focus on God’s goodness and faithfulness. God will always do the best for us. God will always keep His promises. Thanksgiving re-establishes our trust in God which produces a new emotion…PEACE.

Worry and anxiety cannot coexist with God’s peace. When we offload our worry and anxiety on Him, He replaces them with His peace, a powerful safeguard against the effects of trouble and adversity.

The differences between human efforts and God’s way to treat these “disorders” are twofold.

  1. Human solutions are complicated and ineffective. All the therapy and medication in the world can never deal with sin.

God’s solution is simple and fool-proof. Confess your sin and God will forgive you, cleanse you, and forget everything you ever did.

  1. Human solutions are long-term and expensive, requiring possible hospitalisation in a psychiatric facility or many sessions with a therapist plus months of expensive medication…all to no avail.

God’s way costs no money. Confession and repentance only need honesty and humility; thanksgiving transforms the mind and attitude, and the results are instantaneous, outstanding, and permanent.

So…

John 8:31-32, 34-36 NLT
[31]”Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”…
[34] Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. [35] A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

So, what’s the problem? Why not believe what Jesus said, do what He says, and enjoy a life of peace and the inner freedom that comes from not having to carry the burden of guilt, shame, and fear that sin lays on us!

MOLLY AND ME – PSYCHOLOGY

Christian Life, ,

As we grow older, I am learning that Molly is a walking book on “dog psychology”, written in dog language! The more we live together, the less I understand her.

I recently had Covid, again, which pushed me into bouts of coughing so violent that I thought I would surely burst something. Whether Molly thought I was “barking” at her or not, I don’t know, but she distanced herself from me, mostly tail down, and became almost a recluse. In response to this “threat” she refused to eat, drink, even go to the toilet unless it was desperately urgent. Her usual requests for me to pick her up and put her on my chair with me faded away. She spent most of her days isolating herself on her bed in the bedroom.

Now that I have recovered, few of her old habits and gestures of affection have returned. She sometimes behaves as though I am her enemy.

Now, Molly has many physical challenges, mostly the result of her allergy to grass…and wheat…and her sensitivity to some foods. I try to do the best I can for her, take her to the vet when necessary, (which she hates), carefully monitor what I feed her, (which means no more “human” treats), and treat her ailments with sprays, creams and lotions, which she mostly tolerates.

Medication, for Molly, is an intolerable no-no. I have to fool her in the most ingenious ways to get anything she needs to help her down her throat without force. Sometimes, she see through my schemes, digs in her heels and turns her head away in disdain.

We are now at the point where she prefers to sleep on my dirty laundry in the kitchen, waiting to go into the washing machine, than in my bed!

The sum total is, the more I try to help her overcome her problems, the more suspicious she becomes of me. She does not appreciate the value of “tough love”.

Now, I know that Molly’s reactions have to do with her “dog-ness” and her limited understanding of my ways. The best I can do is reassure her of my love and and try to show her that I love her in the ways I treat her.

Molly reminds me so much of myself and my old attitudes to God. How often in the past I have turned away, thinking that God has failed me instead of trusting His love, no matter what.

Jeremiah almost lost his prophetic calling because of the same attitude. Despite his faithfulness to deliver God’s Word to his people, and God’s promise to protect him, the people hated and persecuted him, and refused to believe his warnings. He suffered all kinds of torments at their hands.

Jeremiah complained to the Lord that His promise of protection was like a dried-up water source.

Jeremiah 15:15-18 NLT
[15] Then I said, “Lord, you know what’s happening to me. Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors! Please give me time; don’t let me die young. It’s for your sake that I am suffering. [16] When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. [17] I never joined the people in their merry feasts. I sat alone because your hand was on me. I was filled with indignation at their sins. [18] Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry.”

God responded with sobering words.

Jeremiah 15:19 NLT
[19] “This is how the Lord responds: “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!”

In fact, God was saying to Jeremiah, “If you don’t take back your words, you can no longer be my prophet!”

That’s drastic!

How can I make Molly understand that I love her enough to treat her in ways that seem cruel to her? I must apply medication, like cold sprays or creams to her skin to relieve her itch; I must get medicine down her throat to treat her ailments; I must take her to the vet for help…all things she hates but are for her good. Somehow, I must keep her trust so that she understands that I love her, but how? She can’t see the bigger picture. She interprets my help as “harm”.

Despite my reassurances of love, she is suspicious of me and withdraws.

As a human, I have a greater capacity to understand God’s ways than Molly does mine. His Word constantly reminds and assures me that His love underpins all He does.
Nothing in heaven or on earth can ever separate me from that love.

Romans 8:35 NLT
[35] “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?”

It’s the love of God in all its length, breadth, depth, and height that prompts Him to persevere with His plan to recreate in me the image of His Son, despite the cost to me in pain and suffering. The rewards are out if this world!

I have no such lofty designs for Molly, but I do want her to have the happiest and most comfortable life possible while we are together. It’s up to her to respond to my love for her or not.

Why don’t I, then trust God’s love for me in all His dealings because He has already shown me the bigger picture in His Word?

I thinks it’s embedded deep in our old human nature not to trust God. It’s the old enmity just under the surface. Only His persistent grace and unfailing love will convince us and lead us to trust Him no matter what, even when He has to “treat” us with various remedies for our sin.

So, though I can’t change Molly’s reservations because she is canine and I am human, I can respond to God’s love because He made me in His image. The more I choose to trust Him despite appearances, the more real His love becomes to me.

What an honour to be a child of God!

GOD’S “GLIDESLOPE”, THE CROSS

Christian Life, ,

I love to watch “Air Crash Investigations” on DSTV. I enjoy the process of unravelling the cause or causes of malfunctions or even pilots’ errors that lead to disaster, and to the development of safer flying.

In the process of watching these episodes, I learn so much about flying that I can almost pilot a commercial plane! Well, not really!
Aparrently, the most dangerous part of flight is in the takeoff and landing of the plane. Two skilled pilots must monitor one another to ensure that they configure their aircraft for getting safely into the air and back on the ground. One omission or error can end in a horrific crash.

It’s fascinating to understand  how much radio, together with radar, plays a major part in flying an aeroplane. Air Traffic Controllers (ATC), via radio, keep pilots in contact with the ground from start to finish, tracking and guiding them to their destination, protecting them from midair collisions, helping them in emergencies, and so much more.

Radio also plays a vital part in keeping the aircraft flying on course and landing safely at the correct destination. Pilots get their direction both from the ATC and from a series of “way points”, radio signals from the ground that plot the course to their destination. Pilots receive warning signals from the information the plane receives from radio signals, for example, too close to the ground, too close to another aircraft, etc.

A fascinating part of radio signal guidance systems, for me, is what is called the “glideslope”. An instrument on the instrument panel in the cockpit, a digital display in the form of a cross, picks up radio signals from radio beams in the ground and guides the aircraft down onto the runway. The horizontal beam on the display shows the pilot where his plane is in relation to the ground and the perpendicular beam where his plane is in relation to the runway. By a series of radio signals at decreasing altitudes from the ground, the pilot can safely land the plane as he keeps the two digital beams on his instrument panel perfectly aligned in the form of a cross.

What a picture of the cross of Jesus in our lives! The cross is God’s “glideslope”, guiding us safely to our destination in glory.

Our glideslope is Jesus. He is the radio beam we lock onto by faith that brings us safely home. To ever reach our eternal “runway”, we must align our lives with the cross.

The cross of Jesus plays many parts in our lives. It is the foundation of our salvation; the remedy for sin, past present, and future; death to our old sin nature; the centre and core of our earthly lives; and our security on judgment day.

Let’s examine some of the functions of God’s “glideslope” that keeps us on course and lands us safely in glory.

1. The cross is the foundation of our salvation.

Isaiah 53:5-6NLT
[5] “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. [6] All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”

Unfolding before him in a prophetic vision, Isaiah saw the cross in all its gory detail…God’s Ebed Yahweh, His Messiah, suffering and dying for the sin of His people.

When Jesus disclosed to His disciples what lay ahead for Him, Peter was outraged, rebuking Him for such unthinkable words. Jesus, in turn, rebuked Peter because death on the cross had to be. Even in His final hours, He bowed to the will of the Father and submitted to suffering without protest.

1 Peter 2:22-23 NLT
[22] “He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. [23] He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”

Only though faith in what Jesus did on the cross can we connect with the glideslope that takes us to the Father.

John 14:6 NLT
[6] “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

2. The cross is the remedy for sin.

Romans 5:1 NLT
[1] “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

There can only be peace with God when the debt of our sin has been paid and the barrier removed.

Romans 4:25 NLT
[25]”He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.”

John 19:30 NLT
[30]”When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

“Paid in full!” were Jesus’ last words before He died. Through the cross, all our sin was forever blotted out, removed from God’s sight and obliterated from His memory.

Hebrews 8:12 NLT
[12] “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

3. The cross is death to our old nature.

So, although sin and its penalty are gone, done away with through the cross…what of our old nature and sin’s power over us?

Romans 6:1-7 NLT
[1]”Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? [2] Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? [3] Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? [4] For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. [5] Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. [6] We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. [7] For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.”

God has not removed our old sin nature from us with its relentless pull towards sin but…He has given us the way to subdue it through our union with Jesus in His death. Our role us to put to death our fleshly desires so that we can share in Christ’s holiness.

God’s “glideslope”, the cross of Jesus, motivates and empowers us to stay on course and follow the “radio signals” that lead us to a safe landing.

Romans 8:12-13 NLT
[12] “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. [13] For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.”

4. The cross is the centre and core of our earthly lives.

Galatians 6:14 NLT
[14] “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.”

Paul used God’s glideslope to keep him on track as he navigated his way to the Father. His eyes on the cross, the horizontal beam showing him where he was in relation to the world and the perpendicular beam his relation to Jesus, kept his eyes of the world and it’s allutements. He was able to stay on track and in balance in all “weathers” and in all circumstances.

5. The cross is our security on judgment day.

God’s wrath against sin was satisfied when Jesus died on the cross. This act is called “propitiation”.

“The word propitiation carries the basic idea of appeasement or satisfaction, specifically toward God. Propitiation is a two-part act that involves appeasing the wrath of an offended person and being reconciled to him.”

https://gotquestions.org, article “What is propitiation”

1 John 2:1-2 NLT
[1] “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. [2] He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”

1 John 2:2 KJV
[2]”and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Hebrews 9:27-28 NLT
[27] “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, [28] so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.”

John 5:24 NLT
[24]  “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”

Romans 8:1-2 NLT
[1] “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. [2] And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”

John 3:16-18 NLT
[16]  “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. [17] God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. [18]  “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.”

How reassuring is God’s Word, that those who believe in Jesus will never come into God’s judgment because God has already laid all our sun on Jesus and judged all sin on the cross.

What better way to celebrate the “glideslope” of the cross and to follow its directions than in the words of a great hymn…

1. Beneath the cross of Jesus
  I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty Rock
  Within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness,
  A rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat,
  And the burden of the day.

2. Oh, safe and happy shelter!
  Oh, refuge tried and sweet!
Oh, trysting place where heaven’s love
  And heaven’s justice meet.
As to the holy patriarch
  That wondrous dream was given,
So is my Savior by the cross
  A ladder up to heaven.

3. There lies beneath its shadow,
  But on the farther side,
The darkness of an awful grave
  That gapes both deep and wide;
And there between us stands the cross,
  Two arms outstretched to save,
Like a watchman set to guard the way
  From that eternal grave.

4. Upon that cross of Jesus
  Mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One,
  Who suffered there for me;
And from my smitten heart, with tears,
  Two wonders I confess,
The wonders of His glorious love,
  And my own worthlessness.

5. I take, O cross, thy shadow
  For my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than
  The sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by,
  To know no gain nor loss,
My sinful self my only shame,
  My glory all the cross.

https://hymnary.org
Author: Elizabeth Cecelia Clephane, 1830-1869