Do You Remember Me?

(RLR 2015)

I was surprised when a man as tall as myself stopped me near the bus station in Tala. Unusually tall for a Kenyan, his smile was as wide as the Nile as he asked, “Do you remember me?”

For the record, I am terrible at remembering faces and worse at remembering names, even of those as tall as myself. Many days I struggle remembering who I am. I didn’t have a clue who the man was. He suggested that I might not recognize him with his hat on. Removing the hat from his head didn’t change the emptiness in my head.

My friend excitedly explained, “Oh, this is the man who picked you from the airport the first time you came to Kenya.” After more than 39 hours of sleepless air travel, I barely recalled anything of the first days of my first visit, let alone the man I sat behind as he drove from Nairobi to Kangundo.

He was glad to see me and we shared some small talk in the middle of the main road as pictures were taken.

In Luke 23 we read about the innocent Jesus being crucified between two condemned thieves. These men mocked Jesus as the three of them hung exposed to the jeering crowd. But as the hours passed, one of the thieves had a change of heart and mind about this one condemned for being the King of the Jews. The repentant man urged the other to fear God. They were getting the justice they deserved but Jesus had done nothing wrong.

Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). How deeply thrilling it is to be remembered!

And Jesus said to Him something even better than to be remembered at a future date and time. “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

My friend, if you repent of your sins through believing in Jesus and what He finished through His death on the cross, He will do more than remember you “somewhere over the rainbow.” He’ll be with you today, right where you are.

He Died for His Wife

My Grandparents, Edward and Helen Losli

My grandparents had a wonderful, yet interesting marriage. The last decades of their lives they had what seemed to be a well-timed trade off.

My grandmother had many serious heart ailments and multiple heart surgeries from the time I was old enough to know what those terms meant. But as far as I know, my grandfather was in great health, but that changed as they aged. When my grandmother’s health failed, my grandfather was strong; but when he became ill and incapacitated, she was surprisingly strong.

My grandfather lived for my grandmother, but he didn’t die for her.

The Bible describes the relationship between Christ Jesus and the Church as like that of husband and wife. Yet there is a vast difference between Him and the Church and earthly husbands and wives. Jesus suffered more for the Church than any human husband has ever suffered.

Jesus suffered the loss of all He possessed, surrendering His splendor as Heaven’s born Prince to shelter in the womb of a servant girl. The King became a pauper by choice.

The Glory of God became a helpless Babe, a rough-handed Carpenter, a Suffering Servant and Man of Sorrows. He was humiliated, despised, and crucified between thieves. The Creator who adorned the blackness of space with flickering stars by the word of His power, was crowned with bloody thorns. The Friend to sinners died to make us friends of God.

Without concern for His own welfare, Jesus, the Bridegroom plunged into the ocean depths of the Father’s wrath to become the rescue for His bride.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her (Ephesians 5:25).