"Sweet Release"

 "Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better." (Ecclesiastes 7:3 KJV)

  "That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!" (2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NLT)

 As I have said before, and I will say it again: We must look for the message of the cross throughout the Scriptures, because it is always going to be somewhere, somehow. Like, did you know why Balaam was not able to curse the children of Israel, as the king Moad kept telling him to look down on them from all sorts of different directions? Because they were marching through the wilderness in the form of a cross! 

 Imagine what that might have looked like, as a few million people were grouped together, the tribe of Levi in the middle, and all the other tribes formed front, back, and side-to-side, marching down below, as Balaam kept blessing them, when he was asked to curse them. The cross of Christ is more than just a symbol of sorrow and pain; it is the power of God to Salvation! 

 Anywho! As I was preparing for this verse, I thought about the message it is giving, thinking about how long it has been since I really had a good cry. I am not talking about a couple of tears, because I can get that from watching a movie, as I feel touched by something that might hit close to home. We really need to stop and think about the cross, how hard it must have been, the complete humility and pain that Jesus felt, as He hung there, sacrificing His life for our sins! 

 Compare that to your sin, or sins, which seem to weigh you down, and let that sink in for a moment...

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin." (Hebrews 12:1-4 NLT)