Why Did Jesus Sweat Blood in Gethsemane?

Jesus lived one day at a time, and managed His stress on an hourly basis. He stated many times that His hour had not come (John 2:4, 7:30, 8:20). 

The stress didn’t seem to affect Him until the time had arrived for Him to be betrayed. In the Garden of Gethsemane, His stress level hit its peak because His hour had come. “And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood” (Luke 22:4). Luke describes a condition called hematidrosis, where sweat and blood are mingled in extreme cases of stress.

Jesus always knew He would die for the sins of the world, but you don’t see Him sweating blood every day of His life. That’s because He handled each stressful situation as it came to Him. Stress comes from handling too many responsibilities at once. In our minds, we think about all the duties that we must accomplish, and the stress becomes overwhelming. The answer is to tackle one problem at a time.

Suppose 365 toothpicks represent responsibilities for every day in a year. If you bundle 365 toothpicks together, you won’t be able to break the bundle in half. If you put 30 toothpicks together, which represents one month’s responsibilities, you won’t be able to break them in half either. But if you unbundle the 365 toothpicks and deal with each toothpick one at a time, you’ll be able to break all 365 toothpicks. 

Jesus said, “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time” (Matt. 6:34). That’s how God wants us to live. One day at a time. One hour at a time. One toothpick at a time.

FASCINATING VIDEO: Shocking Evidence About Shroud of Turin

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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
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The Shroud of Turin UPDATE

The Shroud of Turin is a burial cloth containing an image of a scourged and crucified man, which many believe could be the burial cloth of Jesus. No one can explain how the image got onto the cloth, but some have speculated that when Jesus was resurrected, the burse of power transferred the image from His body to the cloth.

In 1988, carbon-14 dating of the Shroud of Turin by three separate laboratories indicated the relic should only be about 700 years old, meaning it couldn’t be the burial cloth of Christ. However, some scholars suggested textiles can easily become contaminated by bacteria and carbon-containing minerals, which would skew the results and show a younger date.

In 2022, a new scientific method known as “Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering,” or WAXS, was used to examine the relic. WAXS is said to be more accurate than C-14 because it measures the actual aging of flax cellulose and converts it to time since manufacture. It dated the Shroud at approximately 2,000 years old. The Italian scientist Dr. Liberato de Caro of Italy’s Institute of Crystallography compared the Shroud with other historical fabrics and it closely matched with a fabric from the siege of Masada in Israel, in 55-74 AD. The findings suggest the shroud originated around the time of Christ, which means it could possibly be the burial cloth of Jesus.

Computer enhanced images reveal that coins were placed over the man’s eyes and the coins were stuck by Pontius Pilate in AD 29-31! For a detailed report CLICK HERE. It was a Jewish custom to close the eyes of their deceased and the placement of coins over their eyelids was a practical way of keeping them shut. These coins prove the Shroud could not be a forgery created by someone centuries later.

Our faith is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and not the Shroud of Turin. But wouldn’t it be interesting if God decided to leave ANOTHER piece of evidence that Jesus rose from the dead?  Click Here to watch 6 MINUTE VIDEO ABOUT SHROUD OF TURIN

Click Here to find out how to know you’re going to heaven.

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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net  

Making the First Move in Peacemaking

A bully approached a little boy. The boy was scared he was about to get beaten up, so he quickly drew a line in the sand. He told the bully, “Step across that line.” The bully stepped over it. With a grin on his face the little boy said, “Now we’re both on the same side!”

Jesus said, “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law, while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge …and you be thrown in prison” (Matt. 5:25). We are usually too slow in resolving conflict, which allows strained relationships to fester and creates painful consequences. Jesus said to make peace with your enemy “quickly” to prevent something worse that could happen to you.  

You might be reluctant to make the first move to reconcile, but God will bless the one who makes the first move in peacemaking. You step over the line—not to fight, but to make peace. “If possible, so far as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men” (Rom. 12:18). Many times reconciliation is not possible, but God says to make an attempt.

If your attempt fails, you can still have peace of mind because you obeyed God, even if your enemy won’t accept you. Sometimes your attempt to make peace will break down the wall of enmity. You may never be reconciled with someone refuses to work out differences. However, your attempt can ease the tensions of a strained relationship, and might even soften your enemy’s heart. 

Imagine if you were “both on the same side.” It might even bring a grin to your face.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net  

Would You Have Passed the Test?

When Crawford Hill was a boy, he applied for a job at a local store. Mr. Peters, the storeowner, told him to go into the attic. “You will find a long, deep box up there,” he said. “Sort through all the junk in the box and separate the things that need to be saved from the things we need to throw away."

Crawford went up the stairs into the hot attic and began sorting through the box. For the next few hours, he separated bent nails from the good ones, and kept everything that was worth salvaging. When he got to the bottom of the box, he noticed a $20 bill laying on the bottom.
 
He scooped it up and ran downstairs, holding it in the air and shouting, "Mr. Peters! Look what I found in the box!" Then he handed it to the store owner. Mr. Peters smiled because he knew he had found a boy to work in his store.
 
The old junk box was just a test. He had filled the box with nails, screws, and other items to test his faithfulness—to see if he would work in the hot attic without complaining, even though he didn't understand the purpose for the job. He planted the $20 bill at the bottom of the box to test his honesty. If he didn't report finding the money, he knew he couldn't be trusted with the cash register. Crawford passed the test. Years later Mr. Peters retired and turned his business over to Crawford to manage. (Making Today Count for Eternity, p.45-46)
 
Did you know that you are sorting through a junk box at your job? You are sorting through the box whenever you’re faced with a difficulty. God is watching to see if you'll be faithful and honest, especially when you don't understand why you are going through it. Remember, it's a test. It's only a test.
 
I hope you'll hear your Master say, "Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master." (Matt. 25:21)
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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net  Twitter: @KentCrockett
www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Do You Need to Make Restitution?

A Manhattan, Kansas cable company received $300 in cash in the mail, along with an unsigned letter from a man apologizing for his actions and asking forgiveness. The letter-writer said when he was a sophomore at Kansas State University, he had pirated cable TV from an upstairs apartment.
 
He wrote, “I didn’t fully consider at the time how we were cheating your cable company out of revenues” and that he wanted to commit himself to the teachings of the Bible. The $300 was restitution for the cable TV signals he had taken without paying.
 
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector in Israel and became rich by swindling people out of their money (Luke 19:1-10). One day he heard Jesus was coming to Jericho, so he climbed a tree to see over the crowd. Jesus looked up, called him by name and said He wanted to stay at his house. Zacchaeus told Jesus, “Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much” (Luke 19:8). Notice that Jesus did not tell him to do this. Zacchaeus decided on his own to make things right.
 
Restitution is God’s way of paying back to the rightful owner what was lost, stolen, or damaged. The restitution amount wasn’t equal to the crime, but often much more than the amount taken. The book of Exodus speaks about making restitution for a variety of situations. If a thief stole an ox and killed it, he had to pay back five times as much. If he stole a sheep, he had to pay back four times as much (Exodus 22:1).
 
If you’ve stolen something or damaged someone’s property, God will show you how much to pay. It will relieve your guilt, heal a relationship, and will be pleasing to the Lord.
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BIBLE STUDY:  Answers to Theological Questions
 
PREVIEW Kent’s new book Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals
CLICK HERE to read 28 devotionals (January 1-28)
 
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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net  Twitter: @KentCrockett
www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

All Things Are Possible With God

In 2011, fourteen-year old Taylor Hale suffered a brain hemorrhage due to a severe head injury. Doctors fought to save Taylor’s life, but her brain sank part way into her spinal column. Her brain “had turned to mush” and she was declared brain-dead. Doctors told her parents that no one comes back from that. Arrangements were made to take her off life support and discuss organ donation.
 
That afternoon, Jeff Stickel, a chiropractor and friend of Taylor’s parents, visited the hospital and asked if he could pray for her. They agreed. He put his hands on her neck and prayed for God to heal her, then he left. Later that afternoon, doctors turned off the life support that had helped her breathe since the accident.
 
Then something unexpected happened. Taylor struggled to take a breath under her own power. The medical staff reconnected her on life support. As the day went on, Taylor’s brain activity began to increase. She opened her eyes and moved her fingers and toes. The doctors told her parents they had no medical explanation for what was happening to her.
 
Taylor miraculously recovered, learned to walk again, and graduated from high school (see the before and after picture). But she did lose memory of her childhood and doesn’t remember the accident. Nevertheless, her recovery is nothing short of a modern-day miracle.
 
Doctors can’t explain what happened, but what about that prayer by Jeff Stickel right before they turned off the life support? Could that have something to do with it? No doubt about it. Jesus said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God” (Luke 18:27)

WANT TO READ MORE AMAZING STORIES?  
PREVIEW Kent’s new book Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals
CLICK HERE to read 28 devotionals (January 1-28)
 
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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
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Enjoy Life—Even if You've Been Wronged

A man watched a boy skating down the sidewalk on one skate. He said, “Don’t you know that you’re supposed to skate on two skates?” The boy told him, “Someone stole my other skate and that’s why I’m skating on just one skate.”
As the man walked away, the boy yelled, “Hey Mister, did you know that you can still have a lot of fun on just one skate?”
 
When someone wrongs you, it’s natural to get upset at that person. But you can’t be angry and enjoy life at the same time. That’s one reason why Jesus said, “Whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either” (Luke 6:29). Your happiness is more valuable than a coat, or a shirt, or a skate. God doesn’t want you to lose your joy just because someone took something away from you.
 
The early Christians kept their joy when their property was seized because they believed God would make it up to them. “You … accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better and lasting possession (Heb. 10:34).
 
Jesus doesn’t want us so attached to “stuff” that it affects our attitude. He said to “lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great” (Luke 6:35). If your neighbor borrowed your shovel but moved away and never returned it, don’t lose your joy over a shovel. Trust what Jesus said and consider it as an investment in your heavenly reward.
 
Remember this the next time someone mistreats you. If you’ll keep a joyful attitude, God will more than make up whatever you lost. And don’t forget to keep having fun on that one skate.
 
PREVIEW Kent’s new book Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals
      CLICK HERE to read 28 devotionals (January 1-28)

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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net  Twitter: @KentCrockett
www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com