The (Scientific) Death of Jesus

At the time crucifixion was the “worst” death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet it was even more dreadful for Jesus, because unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion Jesus was to be nailed to the cross by His hands and feet.

Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long.

The nails were driven into His wrist.  Not into His palms as is commonly portrayed. There’s a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder.  The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself so that He could breathe.

Both of His feet were nailed together.  Thus He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross.  Jesus could not support himself with His legs because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His back then using his legs just to continue to breathe.  Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering and the courage.

Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours.

Yes, over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering?  A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding.

He was simply pouring water from his wounds.

From common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side.  But do we realise His wounds were actually made in His body.  A hammer driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped and an even larger nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear.   But before the nails and the spear, Jesus was whipped and beaten.  The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body.  The beating so horrific that His face was torn and his beard ripped from His face.  The crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp.  Most men would not have survived this torture.

He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His wounds.

The human adult body contains about 5 litres of blood.

All these without mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying his own cross for almost 2 kilometres, while the crowd spat in His face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight, only for its higher part, where his hands were nailed).

Accept the reality, the truth that JESUS IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD.

God has plans for you – think about what He experienced to save you. May God bless your life richly!

Tea Time

I’m Having:~

A Rosehip and Hibiscus tea with one sugar, that my son has made for me in my insulated stainless steel cup.

I’m Feeling:~

Elated -

• As my husband has cleaned up all of the autumn leaves from around our home.
• My son has achieved the standard of writing that we were looking for.
• The housework is nearly completed for another week.

and

• My husband’s pain is managed well, now, thanks to a new doctor who was willing to go the extra mile.

On My Mind:~

• My husband’s knee – his pain is much more bearable since we saw another doctor last week, and his quality of life has improved dramatically.
• Our new church building – praying that building will commence soon.
• Homeschooling – sometimes we see learning occuring, but at other times we see a jump in progress that both amazes and astounds us. Praise God that He knows the learning is taking place!

• The independence of Christian schools in South Australia is under threat, after a new Directive B4 was approved after Parliament rose on 8 December, 2009, which reads:

The Family First party is strongly opposed to this new directive, and already, FAMILY FIRST has received a complaint from a Christian school that was told to pull down a poster from their classroom that didn’t meet this requirement.

This is unacceptable, and a serious threat to the freedom and independence of our wonderful Christian Schools in South Australia.

What you can your church or school do?

FAMILY FIRST is steadfast in its opposition to these new rules, and will move to revoke the rule in the next session of Parliament.

1. The South Australian State Election will be held on 20 March, and FAMILY FIRST is asking for your support. The most important thing you can do is help us with your vote – to ensure that   FAMILY FIRST Member (Robert Brokenshire) is  re-elected to the Upper House of State Parliament to fight this new rule.  Along with Dennis Hood (who is not up for re-election this year), this will give us the numbers to challenge the new rule.
2. Please send this message of concern on to your church and school mailing lists so that more people are aware of the concerning new rule.
3. Volunteer to hand out How to Vote cards on Election Day (March 20) for FAMILY FIRST at a polling booth near you. If you are willing to adopt a polling booth for the entire day, or even if you are just able to help for a few hours, please leave your details with the Family First Secretariat (8265-9442).

Thank you for stopping by to enjoy Tea Time with me, and to Ruth from Celebrate Friendship for hosting this wonderful meme. Please drop by to see other wonderful Tea Talks. Hooray – I finally posted Tea Talk on a Thursday – I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!

Nothing Between

This is a 500 word composition that my 13 year old daughter wrote for her Christian Growth PACE. I think that she has done an excellent job of keeping to the subject, and I am really happy with her essay writing skills.The subject matter, Soul-Winning, is one of extreme importance in the life of a Christian.

Soul–Winning

Soul-winning is very important to the life of a Christian, and it is a climax in the victorious life. It is the matter dearest to the heart of God. We are told that Heaven rejoices at the salvation of one sinner. If you want to do what is right and be occupied with what pleases God most, win souls.

Soul-winning is such a worthy goal that it is one of the things that makes life worth living. A great goal can straighten everything out in a young Christian’s life. It is the greatest thing in the world, and has a reward for millions of years to come. The Bible says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). He is wise, not only for this world, but also for the next world to come. The soul-winner has the best opportunity to live a victorious life.

God cares so much for His soul-winners that he places a wall of protection around them. He who does not win souls may be handicapped and give in to temptation. Every branch (Christian) that brings forth fruit is cleansed by the Husbandman (God) so that it can grow more fruit. “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (John 15:2). How dear to God are his soul-winners who bear the burden of Jesus for dying sinners.

When the Israelites entered Canaan, God told them that they were not to use fruit trees for timber, but they were allowed to use oak trees or trees which did not bear fruit. “Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thous shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued” (Deuteronomy 20:20) God meant this as a lesson to the Israelites. God will protect his fruit trees from the destroyer who is turned against unfruitful Christians.

By not winning souls, a Christian is living in disobedience, and is not occupied with the thing that concerns God the most. He is not obeying the Great Commission, and will doubtless fall into other sins. Soul-winning is a protected highway that is blessed for God’s saints. C. A. Tindley wrote a poem about the Christian life.

Nothing between my soul and the Saviour,

Naught of this world’s delusive dream;

I have renounced all sinful pleasure,

Jesus is mine; let nothing between.

Nothing between like worldly pleasure;

Habits of life though harmless they seem,

Must not my heart from Him ever sever,-

He is my all, let nothing between.

Nothing between, e’en many hard trials,

Though the whole world against me convene;

Watching with prayer and much self-denial,

I’ll triumph at last with nothing between.

Nothing between my soul and the Saviour,

So that his blessed face may be seen;

Nothing preventing the least of His favour,

Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.

C. A. Tindley

High Places by Dorothea MacKellar

A Treasury of Favourite Australian Poems by Lloyd O’Neil is a book that we recently bought during one of our op-shopping expeditions, and there are some real gems in it, such as High Places by Dorothea MacKellar. No doubt many of you have heard of Dorothea MacKellar for her rendition of My Country, but I love this poem, and yet, probably few people have heard of this wonderful poem – I love the visual imagery that it provokes.

High Places

My heart turns to the mountains
That I so long have missed,
The blue hills on the sky-line,
Bird-haunted, sunshine kissed;
For in my soul I see them,
The gullies golden-green
Where from the hop-vine tangle
The bellbird chimes unseen.

And higher yet and higher
I want to climb, until
The trees give place to bushes
Wind-shorn and struggling still
For foothold on the corries
Steep-sloping to the sky,
I want to reach the summit
And watch the clouds race by

The clouds that go so quickly
The whole hill seems to lean
I want to breathe in deeply
The cool air, thin and keen.
My heart turns to high places
All men have long adored -
The proud and lonely mountains,
The Altars of the Lord.

Dorothea MacKellar

Question: When is a quiet time not a quiet time?

Answer: when I am trying to spend my quiet time with the Lord, and the rest of the family is engaged in trying to get rid of a four feet long brown snake that has managed to slither its way into the back yard.

The snake was in the side yard, near the house, and when my husband came around from the front yard, he saw it. The snake took off, under the grapevine, and then to the back of the house, where my daughter was just about to open the door to see what all the commotion was all about – I’m glad that she didn’t. I don’t like snakes, let alone welcome them inside.

I was trying to have my quiet time with the Lord, as I usually do each day, but there was no way that I could concentrate on my Bible reading with the rest of the family shouting loudly outside. I managed to reach the back door just in time for my husband to tell me to come and take a look.

This snake was the same one that stole five eggs out of the turkey enclosure, while the turkey was still sitting on them!

Praise God for keeping everybody safe and well, even the turkey.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.