lbvo

saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ

[🍊🍊Capt'n Cornjuice🥃🥃 @BoCamaro]

So I watched "The Passion of the Christ" last night. And I am on my back deck tonight thinking.

Think about this.

In the movie, they have beaten him to near death and when they first take him to his cross, Jesus clings to it, and the thief chastised him for embracing his own cross. Mocking him for doing so.

Then Christ gave all he had to carry that cross which weighed as much as him.. They beat him while he did. It came to the point that his physical body couldn't carry it any longer, so a man was ordered to carry it with him. Yet Christ still clung to the cross.

Do you know why?

Because he knew at the other end of that short journey was OUR freedom. Not his.... OURS..... with every single step, with every drop of blood, with every single tear, he knew he was one moment closer to being at the right hand of the Father and his mission complete to free us all.

The man embraced the cross. Begged God to forgive the men nailing him to it. Begged God to forgive those that had beaten him with whips and canes and hammered a crown of thorns on his head.

He embraced it all.... for US......

And now, when times get hard and life gets even slightly uncomfortable, we claim that "God isn't listening and won't take my burden" as if we even know what a real burden is...

How many times would we cling to the proverbial cross for another and suffer as he did to free them from the pain? Would we ever do it at all? Maybe for our own child? Maybe?

As you lay down tonight, pray a prayer of thanks. Not for the normal things. Not tonight. Tonight, pray a special prayer of thanks that he held on to that cross and carried it as far as his mortal body would allow... because that took more dedication than any of us could give for anyone.

By the time you wake up in the morning, he will have risen, 2000 years ago. He will have beat death. 2000 years ago, all the sin you and I will ever commit was paid for because he clung to that cross like it was a lifeline.... not for him... But for you and me.

[Bill Mitchell @mitchellvii]

I mean, my God, I think Israel is the only reliable ally we have!

It seems like the entire EU is completely wimped out.

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@leonscdy No. the stuttering is excessive, some would be fine but these producers went overboard

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@Survivor_Uganda Seriously

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@Bigdaddyvinz_ Just realized this dude was in haunting of hill house 🤣

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@PubWanghaf @grok put a chick on it and make her lame and gay

[zerohedge @zerohedge]

New Woke Star Trek "Starfleet Academy" Series Is An Embarrassing Critical Failure https://t.co/2wYQLGWHqF

[DiscussingFilm @DiscussingFilm]

Kathleen Kennedy is officially leaving Lucasfilm after 14 years.

This will be her last week as head of the studio

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@AmericaPapaBear

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@TheCriticalDri2 As much as I disliked Lucas during the prequel era he is a much better filmmaker and storyteller. And Kathleen Kennedy along with Disney just completely lost sight of the depth of their IP. That's the real tradegy.

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@TheCriticalDri2 It's actually so bad, it's something my son's and I discuss on a regular basis. It's not even that the ip is now woke, it's that the Nuance of filmmaking and storytelling was completely lost on Kathleen Kennedy JJ Abrams and Ryan Johnson.

[The Biblical Man @Biblicalman]

Joseph of Arimathea took down a corpse.

Hands still sticky with blood.

Skin already cold.

Touched death. Held it. Wrapped it.

Became ceremonially unclean for Passover.

For a dead man.

Here's what most Christians miss about the burial of Jesus:

Joseph was a wealthy man. A member of the Sanhedrin. A respected Jew.

And Passover was 3 hours away.

The holiest day of the year.

But he climbed Golgotha anyway.

Jewish law was clear:

Touch a dead body = unclean for 7 days.

Can't worship. Can't celebrate. Can't enter the temple.

Joseph knew this.

He'd spent his entire life following these laws.

But Jesus was still hanging on that cross.

Picture it:

The crowds are gone. The soldiers drunk. The women weeping.

Joseph approaches Pilate—the man who just murdered his Lord—and asks permission.

"Can I have the body?"

Pilate grants it.

Now Joseph has to actually DO it.

He walks to Golgotha.

Blood-soaked dirt. The smell of death. Three crosses against the sky.

Jesus in the middle.

Still.

Finally still.

Joseph climbs the ladder.

Grabs the first nail.

Pulls.

Feel the weight of that moment.

God's body in your arms.

The blood isn't dry yet.

It stains his expensive robes.

His hands.

Under his fingernails.

He can taste the iron in the air.

This is what obedience looks like.

Messy. Expensive. Permanent.

Nicodemus shows up.

Another secret disciple. Another Sanhedrin member.

He brings 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes.

That's about $150,000 worth of burial spices in today's money.

Two wealthy men. Two cowards until now.

Finally brave when it's already too late.

They work fast.

Sabbath is coming. They have maybe 3 hours.

Wrap the body. Pour the spices. Seal the tomb.

The sun is setting.

Joseph is now officially unclean.

Can't celebrate Passover tomorrow.

Can't enter the temple for a week.

Think about what he just gave up:

His ceremonial purity.

His Passover celebration.

His reputation (everyone saw him bury a "blasphemer").

His position (the Sanhedrin won't forget this).

His safety (Romans might come for disciples next).

All for a dead man.

But here's what most Christians miss:

Joseph didn't do this expecting resurrection.

He did it expecting NOTHING.

Jesus was dead. Gone. Finished.

This wasn't faith in resurrection.

This was love for a corpse.

That's the part that wrecks me.

Joseph touched death—literally—knowing it meant giving up everything.

Not because Jesus promised him anything.

But because Jesus deserved honor even in death.

Modern Christianity wants clean obedience.

Safe obedience.

Obedience that doesn't cost you Passover.

But Joseph shows us something different:

True discipleship gets your hands dirty.

You want to follow Jesus?

Then stop avoiding the messy parts.

Stop waiting for clean opportunities.

Stop demanding that obedience be convenient.

Joseph climbed Golgotha when everyone else went home.

He wrapped a corpse when he could've stayed clean.

He missed the holiest day of his life to honor a dead "criminal."

He risked everything when there was no visible reward.

That's not religion.

That's worship.

The twist?

Three days later, that tomb was empty.

Joseph gave his grave to Jesus.

Jesus left it empty.

Forever.

Joseph thought he was burying God.

He was actually setting the stage for resurrection.

Your messy obedience?

God's using it too.

Even when you can't see it.

So here's the question:

What are you avoiding because it's too messy?

What obedience are you postponing because it's inconvenient?

What grave are you unwilling to give?

Joseph of Arimathea held death in his arms.

Got blood on his hands.

Missed Passover.

Lost his reputation.

And earned his name in all four Gospels.

Religion says "stay clean."

Discipleship says "get dirty."

Joseph chose discipleship.

What are you choosing?

—TBM

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@matt_vanswol Are you just now finding out about this?

[The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee]

Behavioral Scientists Now Believe Feminists Are Always Angry Because They Don't Have A Man To Tell Them To Calm Down https://t.co/vz3uvZVnXG

[Jon 🔬 @JonnyMicro]

This makes me uncomfortable

[Darwin to Jesus @darwintojesus]

Most people don’t want the truth.

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@nicksortor That's different lol

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@siegfriedmuell Dance off bro!

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@zerohedge Pretty sure Trump is causing to volatility on purpose to get the fed to do what he wants...

[lbvo @LarryBaileyVO]

@MiddleearthMixr How do people not understand economics??? Nikes gross margin is close to 100% due to low wages and the ACTUAL cost of the materials used. If they have to pay higher wages to produce their product they must adjust their margin, which they obviously have room in it...