How Could They?

John 19:1-3 Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” They mocked, as they slapped him across the face.

You read this and sigh and shake your head. How could they slap God in the face? How could they nail a crown of thorns into the head of the Lord of Lords? How could they scourge the back of the God of all Creation? Yet, have you not slapped Me in the face countless times? Have you not abused Me over and over and over again throughout your life? Have you not spit in My face repeatedly? When you deny Me – My holiness, My pureness, My omniscience, My love – when you deny My existence in any way, you do those things. When you disobey what you know to be My Word, My law – you do those things. When you mistreat others and do not minister to those I send to you – you do those things.  You are, at heart, no different than any of these – Jews or Roman. The only real difference is that for them, I was a flesh and blood Man. Their abuse, their gross mistreatment was inflicted on a human body that I indwelled. Your abuse is more nebulous in that you do not physically see Me, you cannot physically touch Me, you do not look into My physical eyes. Yet, the abuse is at its essence the same. The same denial of My Lordship. The same denial of My place in your life. Who am I to you? Do you walk that out in your life? Or do you give it lip service and continue to live as you want to, ignoring Me? Choose. Decide. Submit your life to that decision. If it is to follow Me, to worship Me, to give your life to Me, I will help you. But if it is just lip service, I will – sooner or later – spit you out of My mouth. Hot or cold. Choose. Lukewarm – playing a role that has no real life in your heart or soul – that I will not accept.