Moments in the life of a Pastor

Walking with God

Category Archives: On The Road To The Cross

Journey with Jesus in His last week on earth


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On The Road To The Cross – Friday

Luke 23:26

26 As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.

To travel to Jerusalem for Passover was the desire of every Jew who lived outside of Judea. And their dedication was evidenced by the distance they traveled to get there. The city of Cyrene was an ancient Greek colony, located on the northeastern coast of present-day Libya, about 900 miles from Jerusalem, and those who made the journey most like made it only a handful of times in their life.
Travel from Cyrene to Jerusalem took a month or more, and was potentially dangerous. So for Simon of Cyrene and others, seeing the city walls coming into view offered relief and a sense of accomplishment.
A Roman soldier pulled him from the crowd, ordering him to carry the cross. Simon must have been mortified. He knew that to carry it would render him unclean, and thus unfit to eat the Passover meal. All those miles he had traveled would have been in vain. Surely anger and fear stirred within him. Anger over a Roman’s authority to ask him to do such a thing, and fear of what would be done to him if he refused to obey. Serving Jesus requires following Him and getting our hands dirty. Jesus said being His disciple would involve denying self taking up our cross daily and following Him (Luke 9:23). We can carry many different kinds of burdens many self inflicted but the ones we carry in the service to the Lord are ones of joy. What burdens are you carrying? Are there things you need to lay down so you can carry your cross?  Simon was seized and forced to carry Christ’s cross if you had been there would they have had to force you? How about today are you serving, taking up your cross and following Jesus willingly or because you have to?  Simon missed the Passover but not the Savior. What a privilage it would have been to carry the cross for Jesus that day it still is, He is passing by would you pick up your cross and follow?


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On The Road To The Cross – Thursday

It’s Time To Serve

John 13:1-17

1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.[a]

 2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

   Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

 10 Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus knew his time was up. He had less than 24 hours, and he knew it. Have you ever thought about what you would do with your last 24 hours? Jesus served, you see service is what we do while we still have time, it is how we show our love “he now showed them the full extent of his love.” Love is not an emotion, it is an action. And the stage for the action of love isn’t in the human heart it’s in the daily grind of living on this dirty planet its found in the washing dirty feet romantic huh!

People get dirty feet and love washes them. Love expresses itself not in grand gestures of heroic proportion, but in menial renderings of humble service. We say we want to be servants of Jesus but are we willing to kneel and humble ourselves before the smelly feet of this world? A world that is desperately in need of cleaning. Time is percious what will you do with it will you like Jesus Serve?