After college, I traveled for three weeks in Europe with a high school buddy and took this photo of the Swiss Alps. Our Creator produced a master piece when He made the Swiss Alps. Thinking about this photo, I’m reminded of the song Greatness of Our God by Newsboys. Some of the lyrics go like the following:

In awesome wonder,
He reigns forever.
No one can stop Him;
His power is endless
And He lives within us.

As we continue the adventurous journey today through the book of Mark, we see in Mark 15:16-32 that Jesus didn’t try to affect the outcome of the trial but let nature take its course. In so doing, He was on the way to fulfilling His purpose on the Cross. Jesus would face pain and humiliation as the soldiers put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him (v. 17). They struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Then after mocking Jesus, they led him out to crucify Him (v. 20).

While being crucified, those who passed by hurled insults at Jesus and made fun of Him because he did not come down from the cross to save himself (v. 30). The soldiers and people misunderstood what “seeing and believing” is all about. They were not patient until the finish much like criticizing a painting before the final draft has been completed. What is ironical is that Jesus would ultimately save himself and today He saves you and me too!

I’m reminded of a trilogy of movies that came out in the late 1980’s called “Back to the Future”. In “Back to the Future Part II”, Marty and Doc traveled to the future to prevent Marty’s son from sabotaging the family’s future. While in the future, Marty bought a sports almanac that had all the sports scores. He bought it so he could use the historical record and place bets on games when he got back into the present. Our almanac on life is the Bible and it tells us what will happen and who will win.

The take away in today’s passage is that when facing difficulty, don’t get discouraged but remain optimistic. The Bible tells us who wins so place your bet on Jesus, be inspired by how Jesus suffered and ultimately became victorious, don’t get angry, don’t blame others for current difficulties, or worry but have hope and claim a bright future.

Lord, you have a future that is more awesome than we could ever imagine. Today you are with us to carry out Your purpose in our life. This purpose is a great adventure and each day we build memories that we will see forever and a bright future because we see your awesome wonder and believe in Your greatness that brings victory. Amen.