3/18/2008
<br>Author: Devin Pickard
<br>Title: How much longer do you have?
<br><br>What would you be doing right now if you knew this was the last week of your life?  What if you knew that your days on this earth had dwindled down to just a few precious hours?  I dare say you would not be sitting where you are right now wasting time reading my ramblings.  I would imagine that most of us would not be too concerned at this point about the economy, the state of the union or even the state of the Church.  The concerns of most of us would probably be narrowed down to just a couple of things....the condition of our soul and the comfort of our loved ones.  We would not want to step on the other side of eternity without having made amends with our Creator nor would we want to stand before a just God without having given or accepted forgiveness from those around us who were owed such.  We would make it a priority to tell those who we love the very thing they should hear every day.  Those things physical would no longer hold us captive.  We would not be concerned anymore with cars, clothes, homes or keeping up with the Jones’s.  All of a sudden, simplicity would take its proper place back in our lives again.  Each second would be worth more than gold....each sunset worth more than a Picasso.  Life would be as it should be....it would be lived.<br><br>If the past is any indication of the future, church buildings the world over will be filled to capacity this coming Sunday.  Easter, or Pascha, as some call it, will bring the general population out in droves.  There will probably not be a pulpit filled that doesn’t echo the message of the risen Savior and his last week as a man among men.  In reading the gospel accounts of the final days of Jesus, it is difficult to miss the human tendencies displayed by this lamb being lead to the slaughter....namely His desire to follow the will of his Heavenly Father and his determination to spend his final moments on earth with those whom he cherished the most.  You see, even though he could change water into wine and breathe life back into the dead, Jesus was much like you and I.  In the end, all he wanted....all he needed....was comfort and compassion.  In the end, he wanted to be surrounded by those who cared about him the most.<br><br>The most important thing you and I need to realize today is the fact that we may not be here tomorrow.  You might be walking through the Garden of Gethsemane right now and not even know it.  The events of life may be circling around you in the shadows ready to lead to your physical destruction much like the Romans leading Jesus to the cross.  Let us treat each minute as if though we would be standing before God the next.  Let us daily seek out those who may be walking the Via Dolorosa toward their own Golgotha.  Remember, you probably won’t see those folks carrying a cross....or at least a wooden one.<br><br>“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here;           HE HAS RISEN, just as he said”  (Matthew 28:5-6)<br><br><br>Go the extra mile - Devin                                               <br><br>