Having a discussion with my husband this morning about how far he came in his walk with God. We were reminiscing on how he felt about tithing. He once believed like so many others do, tithing is a get rich hustle of the religious institutions to manipulate the vulnerable and faithful. All the while the religious leaders living lavish life style thanks to the faithful congregation, especially those who’s probably living paycheque to paycheque. He was so adamant that I stop giving our hard earned money to a church I was moved by the spirit to start tithing with after ten years of watching on television and then I began on the internet faithfully. I loved very much what the Bishop would preached and it began to influence and motivate my life immensely. Now after eight years of faithfully tithing he’s finally understood through the blessings received, tithing is one of the commandments of God that when obedient it makes our lives so much better. God doesn’t need money or anything and the church that we tithe with also doesn’t need money or anything because it’s well established, a Mega church. When we give it was given back ten fold, in every aspect of our live. The proof was in the before and after effect. We planted our seed in faith, not for wealth, but we wanted to trust God to help others. We also give to various other charities in our community even to animal shelters they also need to be cared for. He learned that freely give, freely you receive. What a man does in secrete God rewards openly.

In the midst of our discussion it came to me, “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” Out of the blue, I knew it all had to do with my husband and the way he’d felt about tithing. And in hearing this in my head I thought, “the stone that the build rejects become the head stone of the corner.” This brought me to the thought of Jesus on the road to Calvary. We always preach about Jesus on the road to Calvary, but forgot that there were two others that walk that road with him. I envisioned Jesus being whipped and struggling to carry the cross like that which is depicted in the scenes on television about his life, death and resurrection. Then I saw what I’ve never even thought of like a picture in my head, Jesus carrying the cross was at the end of the line. The first in line was the wicked thief. The one who said if he was truly the son of God why can’t he help himself. And second was the thief who said, “we deserve what’s happening to us, but this man is innocent and then he perceived to ask Jesus to be in paradise with him. Jesus then replied surely he shall be this day.

Like a picture being played on a screen, so was it for me to see Jesus as he was walking and struggling with the cross he was carrying. Each time he fell, he pick up something in his spirit from the powers of the earth and clothed himself with it and the thief, the second man who stole not for evil, but a necessity for survival conscious of the crowd who was crying and pleading for Jesus kept on looking back at him and became moved by it all. I could see he had a good heart and mind. But the first was just a bitter, full of anger, and wicked person. He didn’t care to live or die, seems more like he gave up in life. He’s resentful, full of hate and could careless about anyone but himself. Not once did he ever look back or cared about the other two death mates. He walked in all his emotions of bitterness to Calvary to lay besides Jesus. Like the devil as he tormented Jesus in life with the likes of the Pharisees, Judas, the temptation in the wilderness and Peter his disciple trying to prevent him from doing the Father’s will, once by saying he shouldn’t go to Jerusalem to suffer many things and then cutting off the ear of the soldier in the garden of Gethsemane. Here’s the devil again trying to mock and torment Jesus as in life as it’s now his death. That’s the reason Jesus had to be crucified with these two who represented humanity in our weakness through temptation.

Jesus fought in the flesh, but had to also conquer the powers and principalities of the earth. His falling down on the way to the cross was the vibration of his spirit letting go into the earth as well as pulling from it. He carried at every step he made to Calvary the weight of the world and all that dwell there in.

Jesus was the last to make it to Calvary, but was the first to die out of all the men. Think on this for a moment, Why? Remember, “the last shall be first and the first…The stone that the builder refused!” For some of us we’re like these two thieves when it comes to the things of God. But just to know that no matter if we’re good or bad, like Jesus between those two so God is with us all, dying to save us. Jesus was carrying even the wicked thief with him to paradise regardless, but unlike the good thief not that day because he didn’t asked, but at the resurrection. Jesus died to set all us sinners free.

I saw in my vision every step Jesus took behind those two men was to pick up after them, cleaning them up. From his falling down to getting up and let’s not forget those in the crowd around him who cried and those who hated. What a burden of emotional torment anyone would have to endure. And the thought in Jesus mind is to love all no matter what and not think to destroy the haters. A love so strong that changed the world to this day. And we ourselves have to do the same, “Wow!” Holy Spirit of truth, revealed the woman who ran to give water to Jesus and Simon who was told to help Jesus carry his cross to Calvary did not do so because Jesus couldn’t fulfill his destiny to make it to the cross as prophesied to die, but to pass on what Jesus has done to some how impute it to man. Like God intervened and said, “Christ isn’t going to bear the cross alone and all the world go free.” We got to take up the cross and just like Simon who helped Jesus, Jesus also will help us carry it. He set an example for all to follow on the road to Calvary. Unlike those who teaches to do what they say, but not what they themselves would do. In other words practice what you preach. Jesus did exactly that!