"Upon This Rock"

"Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever." (Psalms 119:152)

  When it comes to understanding the power of the cross, our hearts must be surrendered to the love of God, because it is God's love that changes us! The majesty of what He demonstrated on the cross was well planned and orchestrated through the ages, down to the very last detail. Talk about a sigh of relief, the big "H" was the sound of Jesus saying, "It is finished!" Listening to Pastor Jon sharing on Jesus' illustration of love, the love for God and love for one another, he talked about vertical love being the love we have for God, and horizontal love being the love we have for one another. Concerning these two commands, loving God and loving others, Jesus said, "On these two commands hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:40) I could not help but picture the cross, with both the vertical and the horizontal beams fastened together, being the symbol of true love! If the Lord was choosing His words correctly, it is more than just a coincidence that He used the word, "hang," to illustrate the manor in which all the laws and the prophets are held up by loving God and others. Remember, testimonies are always plural, and they always speak of laws as divine testimonies. God's testimonies do not change, but they can and will change us! Our heart must be changed, and it is not just changed once and done; it must constantly be changed, continually, and until we ourselves get to give out that same sigh of relief, It is finished! Yes, it is extremely hard to love one another as ourselves, let alone, to love God with all that is within us; but isn't that why Jesus came and died upon the cross, that we might make it based upon His righteousness and not based upon our own? Talk about well planned out! Do you not know that one of the meanings for, "Jacob," is "Heel Catcher?" We do not make it, but for Christ...

"And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God's purpose is that people should fear him. What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again." (Ecclesiastes 3:14-15) NLT