Woes and Foes

April 3

Last week I received a letter from someone which was filled with pages of the woes of his life and the anger he carries against his foes.  It was exhausting. Earlier that day I had listened to Nancy Leigh DeMoss's radio show about Jesus' triumph on the cross!  She elaborated on Christ's willingness to suffer and how he didn't complain until the end when he said, "I thirst."  DeMoss went on to say that was actually not a complaint, but a necessity (due to dehydration which sets in during crucifixion) to be able to speak his final words.  The wine vinegar doused sponge would lubricate his throat so he could fulfill the Scriptures and exclaim,
"It is finished."

What God called him to earth to do, was now complete and Satan was within days of defeat!

No "woe is me" or belittling words for the enemy, just the completion of a job well done.

"Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled,
Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.'  A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, 
put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.'
With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."
John 19:28-30

I hope my grumbling days are over!

A side note: The photo is a picture of some crosses which have been given to me or purchased over the years. I rarely wear them because as a teenager I wore the small one more as a good luck piece during my competitive tennis days.  My superstitious serving routine was to rub that cross and bounce the ball 3 times before my toss.  Hopefully, people can see Jesus in my heart and I don't need an ornament around my neck to identify me as his.  in total honesty, I'll have to say a tiny tiffany diamond cross is beautiful though. :-)  I"m wearing a different cross each day during Holy Week!