By Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty six years was this temple in building, and will thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said(John 2:19-22).
As we consider our Savior, there are three places He could be found that are of utmost meaning to us today. We would certainly do well to remember these places. Let us take a look at each of them.
The first place is Gethsemane — the place of surrender. Hear His words: “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42). Here is where Jesus completely surrendered His will to the will of the Father. We call it “All In.” Jesus set this example for us to follow.
The Apostle Paul stated it plainly, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5). We need to ask ourselves on occasion, “Do I have a mindset that is “All In” for serving my Savior?”
The second place is Golgotha — the place of sacrifice. I Peter 3:18 says: “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” In this “me first” society, this type of selflessness is lacking. As Christians, we must be willing to sacrifice ourselves so that others will come to God. If we are to win souls, it will definitely cost us something.
The third place is the tomb — the place of victory. This is the place where we know Jesus was not finished. His work of building the Kingdom of God continues on through us. “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:57) We face battles, but we have victory here and in the future we have eternal life with Him.
Notice the sequence that we follow. First, we surrender our will to the will of God. Then, we make the sacrifices necessary to truly fulfill His mission. Victory is the result of our surrender and our sacrifice.
Yes, there are three places where the footprints of Jesus can be found. We must remember Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the tomb. We must remember and then we must follow in His footsteps.
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 