The Cross looms large in human thought and history. It stands as a magnificent monument to love. But it is also a grim reminder of the cost of sin. The cross brings out both the best and worst in men. It has inspired men to climb the highest roads of sacrifice and nobility, but its existence also reveals the abysmal depths to which men can sink. There would have been no Calvary if there had not, first, been depraved hearts that desired it. Among those who helped make Calvary possible was the anonymous builder of the cross. Who was he??? He is not named in the Bible. But he existed. The cross had a maker! Perhaps he was a master carpenter who used his gifts to craft an engine of torture for One Who was a Carpenter and more. Maybe be had nothing personal against Jesus but was only “Following orders,” “just doing his job”. After it was over maybe he even used one of the following timeworn excuses to justifiy what he did…
1.“A Man Has To Live.” All manner of questionable practices are justified by this excuse. A man puts his business above God, or exploits his employees, or stabs a competitor in the back and then pleads: “A man has to live.” The early Christian, Tertullian, once reproved a fellow Christian for making shrines for heathen temples. The man shrugged his shoulders and said: “It is my business — a man must live.” Whereupon Tertullian responded, “Must you?” Does anyone really have the right to live by making crosses?
2.“If I Didn’t Someone Else Would.” Every black and foul deed imaginable has hidden behind this feeble line. Politicians use it to quiet their anguished conscience when they sell their vote; tavern keepers use it to justify their existence; smut peddlers use it to defend their pornographic empires; and a great many “ordinary” people use it to excuse their shady deals and borderline morality. Surely, the fact that others are willing to make crosses does not justify doing so?
3.“I’m Not Responsible For The Way It Is Used.” A man drinks himself to a stupor and kills a family on the highway and the liquor industry self-righteously insists: “It is not our fault if our product is misused.” Young people feed on violent, obscene song lyrics and video games and then if they act out their murderous impulses by shooting school children or themselves, record moguls and game developers smugly deny any responsibility. Psychologists and law enforcement officials have repeatedly testified concerning the link between pornography and the violent abuse of women and children but the porno-peddlers shrug their shoulders and whine: “We are not to blame if our material falls into the hands of unbalanced people.” This dodge is as old as Cain: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Surely, responsibility to our brother forbids us to construct crosses on which he can be crucified!
Excuses are easy to make. But be sure of this: Those who make them are generally making crosses as well! This is also true: There would be no crucifixions if there were no crosses. — BOBBY DOCKERY Fayetteville, Arkansas
BEAUTIFUL FOOTNOTES
A little boy asked his father what was the highest number he had ever counted. Replying that he didn’t know, the father asked his son his highest number. It was 973. “Why did you stop there?” wondered the father. “Because church was over.” I suspect that you have probably sat through worship services where your mind was focused on something just as trivial rather than on God. It’s easy to let the mind wander. “I can’t wait to see the ball game this afternoon.” “I wonder what we’re having for lunch.” “I never noticed before that the carpet down there is starting to unravel a bit.” Is it any wonder that we so often leave the worship assembly with the feeling that it wasn’t very meaningful? Worship should be a time when we are confronted with the majesty and glory of God. As we reflect on God’s wisdom, we realize how much we need Him in our times of indecision. As we reflect on God’s holiness, we are made aware of our own sinfulness and the need for forgiveness. As we reflect on God’s love, we realize the effort God has gone to make that forgiveness possible. It’s not a ritual we go through every week. It is an opportunity to express our praise to the One Who means more to us than all the earth. As we truly worship and praise God from the heart, we become more aware of how much we want to live close to Him. We leave with the challenge to “be holy as He is holy.” “Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth” — Psalm 96:7-10. — via Findlay church of Christ, Sparta, TN
The five finger prayer is a great way to teach someone to pray, or a good model for anyone to use to pray. Remember, James 5:13-16 teaches us to pray for one another.
When your cup runs over, is it a blessing, or a mess? Is your glass half full or half empty? Do you make difficulties out of your opportunities, or opportunities out of your difficulties? Are you the kind that complains about the noise when opportunity knocks? Do you claim to be an optimist who doubts that being one really helps? 
I’ve wondered, at times, what kind of man this Judas was. What he looked like, how he acted, who his friends were. I guess, I’ve stereotyped him. I’ve always pictured him as a wiry, beady eyed, sly, wormy fellow, pointed beard and all. I’ve pictured him estranged from the other apostles. Friendless. Distant. Probably the result of a broken home. A juvenile delinquent in his youth. Yet I wonder if that is so true. We have no evidence (save Juda’s silence) that would suggest that he was isolated. At the Last Supper, when Jesus said that His betrayer would be at the table with Him, we don’t find the apostles immediately turning to Judas as the logical traitor. No, I think we’ve got Judas pegged wrong. Perhaps he was just the opposite. Instead of sly and wiry, maybe he was robust and jovial. Rather than quiet and introverted, he could have been outgoing and well-meaning. I just don’t know. But for all the things we don’t know about Judas, there is one thing we know for sure: he had no relationship with the Master. He had seen Jesus, but he did not know Him. He had heard Jesus, but he did not understand Him. He had religion, but no relationship. As Satan worked his way around the table in the Upper Room, he needed a special kind of man to betray the Lord. He needed a man who had seen Jesus, but who did not know Him. He needed a man who knew the actions of Jesus, but had missed out on the mission of Jesus. Judas was this man. He knew the empire, but he had never known the MAN. We learn this timeless lesson from the betrayer. Satan’s best tools of destruction are not from outside the church, they are within the church. It will die from corrosion within — from those who bear the name of Jesus but have never met Him, and from those who have religion, but no relationship. Judas bore the cloak of religion, but he never knew the heart of Christ. Let’s make it our goal to know Him — deeply. 
Beautiful Footnotes . . . 
Highland Lakes church of Christ 