A Devotion from Exodus Ch. 12

CALVARY: THE GREAT BREAKTHROUGH

Happy Memorial Day

We wish to thank all who have fought and are fighting to keep America free. We honor those who paid the supreme price and gave their lives for all of us.
We also honor our Lord Jesus Christ who freed us all from the terrible weight of sin if we will receive Him.
Freedom has never been free and may God help us to always remember that.

PLEASE VISIT ANGIE'S NEW BLOG

Please be sure to visit Angie's new blog which is linked to the left on this cross talk blog. 

You will be blessed by the insight God has given her on the word.

We pray that each of our sites will be a blessing to you and your friends and family.

Don't forget to watch the Len Paxton teaching series Telecast, as seen on TCTV-2 on our pod-cast page at www.acts2618.com

At this time, there are 13 programs available on line.  We believe that you will be blessed.

  To get to Angies blog, go to  http://angiepaxton.wordpress.com

May God richly bless you.  

NEW BOOKLET NOW IN STOCK

Brother Len's new booklet on prayer is now in stock here at the ministry. Please feel free to write or e-mail us as to how  you can obtain your copy[s] today.

This little booklet is easy to read and it doesn't matter if you are brand new to prayer or a seasoned prayer warrior, we feel this will be a blessing to your life.

This comes in a packet of material so contact us for the suggested offering. 

CHECK OUT MY TWO NEW INTERACTIVE BLOGS

Hey there everyone !  Just a word about two new places that God has opened up for us on the web.

We have two new interactive blogs where you can both learn and communicate with us.

You can find them linked on this blog [at the bottom] and at our Cross Focus blog.

One is called "My Personal Blog About the World WE Are Living In."   And the other blog is called " Jesus Can Change Your World."

I am so excited about the responses already. It is very nice to know that God has given us a ton of readers.

At my personal blog, "Len's Observation Point", I talk about varied topics; such as politics, religion, family etc.  On " Jesus Can Change Your World", we do more teaching on Bible subjects.  You can leave comments on both blogs and I urge you to do so. I will post the first few comments on each entry.  You can get to "Jesus Can Change Your World" blog by clicking on the title of this posted entry.

Thank you all so much for visiting our sites often and for supporting this ministry. Together, we can and will make a difference in our world for Jesus.  

THE CUP OF SUFFERING

St. John 18:11 " Then said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ?"

This cup very often points to some kind of suffering. God is in control, even of our suffering. No one likes to suffer. I do not enjoy suffering. I did not wish to be the victim of injustice nor to be apart from my wife and loved ones. I did not wish to hear all of the sad stories of all the broken lives around me.  But God allows the things He allows for a reason; His reason.

God's reasons for allowing suffering in our lives are never for our destruction. Read Romans 8: 18,28.   

When we drink deeply from the cup of God; He is revealed in us and to us. The Glory of God is resident within us and can only be revealed when we come to the end of ourselves.

Sometimes it is as if we must force ourselves to choke down a bitter cup. Why ?  We do it because we believe in the Fathers bigger picture.  You see, your suffering is not your end. Yes, Jesus died on the Cross, but He rose from the dead; thereby making our redemption complete. The suffering is only a part, not the whole. Our completeness is awaiting us on the other side of the storm.

God's purposes for us are always good, no matter where we are today. He has called us to His glory. God has equipped us to rise above any challenge, any struggle, any suffering; and be more like Jesus when we are through to the other side of the storm. Read Romans 8:37.

The purpose of God's intense glory is often to change people &/or circumstances. So, we yield to a cup from our Father. We often do not know the " why", but still we yield to God in the midst of questioning. We echo Jesus words in Gethsemane " Nevertheless, not My will but thine, be done." [ Luke 22: 42].  As Jesus dreaded the coming brief separation from the Father, I too have dreaded my separation from all I know and love. But as I have learned to trust God, He has revealed a little of His glory in my heart and this increases daily. 

We are coming through the storm. We will not die in the storm.

We will drink the cup and although it is bitter; we know that the future God has for us will be filled with His Glory.  Parts of our character may die, but we will experience the resurrection of God's Glory in that area of our lives. The Lord will use the cup to accomplish His purposes and to make us what He desires us to be.

Suffering accomplishes another purpose as well. It often allows us to see some things from the perspective of Christ. If you have never suffered, it is difficult to see things from the perspective of those who do suffer. Jesus bore intense pain and only when I bear intense pain can I even begin to understand something of His thoughts and Love.  Sometimes, I have prayed and told Christ that I couldn't stand much more. He spoke to my heart and said " I know how you feel, I've been there too."  Then I realized that in my suffering I could identify with Jesus in a way I had never known before.  Jesus and I are brothers in suffering and now I can see some things from His perspective.

Times of trial and suffering are never pleasant but God's purpose can & will be accomplished as we learn to respond correctly to the cup that the Father gives us to drink.  We must never lose sight of Christ and Him Crucified. Our victory is through the Cross.

This was originally a partner letter that I wrote during a very difficult time in my life.

Angie and I had suffered betrayal at the hands of people that we cared alot about. It is our prayer that if you are in the midst of any kind of suffering today, that this message will encourage you.  We love you.