Let Freedom Ring 2020+
Who would have ever thought that a kid from a small town in Texas would try to start a race war in Los Angeles? The folks of Copeville were shocked that one of their boys had committed multiple murders while on drugs. They heard that he had met up with a madman named Manson, who believed the “blacks” would ask him to be their leader, after they rose up in power from killing off “whitie.” Though delusional at best, it was believable to his ardent followers, considering racial tensions in the late 60s. Racism is fertile ground where seeds germinate to bring forth the most undesirable fruit.
“For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:8).
The Boy They Knew…
The Watson boy they knew, grew up without a prejudiced bone in his body. They recalled a boy who made a new soap-box car every 6 months, excelled in sports and worked in his dad’s store, eventually heading out for success. The family was in church every Sunday and a pillar of the community.
"For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:21-22)
A few years ago, a young boy brought the concept of "pay it forward" to the movie screen. He showed by example how the world could be changed if every person who experienced something good would "pay it forward." God had this principle in mind before He even created man by paying His provision forward. He knew that even though Adam & Eve would sin, their seed would eventually change if they could experience His goodness, mercy and unconditional love.
Stinky thinking causes emotional pain. Rather than doing something about our thought life, we choose the lazy way to deal with our pain, by medicating it with drugs, including alcohol. In other words, we choose death instead of LIFE.
In this paper, I shall discuss some of the physical aspects of the passion or suffering of Jesus Christ. We shall follow Him from Gethsemane, through His trial, the scourging, His path along the Via Dolorosa, to His last dying hours on the cross.
King David was anointed of God to deliver Israel from their enemies. He proclaimed:
The Parable of the Sower is a perfect example of "paying it forward." In Matthew 13, the Seed is the Word of God sown into the hearts of people, but only those who understand it are converted and healed (v.15). That is, those who receive Seed on good ground are they who hear the Word and understand it, who indeed bear fruit and produce: some hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty (v.23). For this reason, you are being given the opportunity to "pay [the Seed] forward" a hundredfold.