Friday,
April 21, 2023
When Julius Caesar
crossed the Rubicon river in 49BC he was returning from battlefield victories
in Gaul (modern France), in response to the Roman senate’s summons and order to
disband his army. By Roman law it was a
capital crime to lead any army into Rome.
Caesar carefully considered the consequences, and conferred with his
officers. According to the Roman
historian Suetonius, Caesar remarked, “Even yet we may draw back, but once
cross yon little bridge, and the whole issue is with the sword.” Caesar is reported to have concluded the risk
was worth taking and said: Let the
die be cast…he led his men across the river.[1]
Julius Caesar led a
thousand soldiers across a bridge to begin a five-year civil war, culminating
in the crowning of Julius as Rome’s dictator for life…albeit a life shortened
by daggers. How you come to power is, at
least connected, and often the basis upon how your power ends. Caesar was a warrior at heart, and brought
the sword to everything he did. His
power was achieved by fear-producing threats, killing, and treachery; his
eventual demise was the fruit of that sword.
Fast-forward fifty
years and the cradle in Bethlehem was the crossing of another, vastly different
and ultimately-important Rubicon, the point of no return for Heaven’s
lamb. Crossing that river to Calvary’s
hill also declared war…on the Gates of Hell.
This war would not be fought with swords, or legions of flesh and blood,
but rather the sword of the Spirit, and allegiance to the blood of the Lamb.
Moses asked a vital
question of the people of God…who is on the Lord’s side? The issue of
faith has always been (and still is) decided by a Rubicon question. To be a believer, one who trusts fully in
Jesus Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and second coming, is to cross
faith’s river with hope ONLY in Him. And that kind of trust is a point of no
return. It shuts the back door
of choices, and throws wide the door of moving forward – the bridge burning
behind you. For those who choose to
trust Christ loosely, keeping ties with the old life, and options open,
Scripture has a warning:
But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.” At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:64-68
For You Today
There are about 2,500 devotional
posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions
library. To dig deeper explore
some of these: Yahweh and The Marriage of Belief &
Behavior and The Sacrifice of Self-Control
Title Image: via Pixabay.com Images without citation are in
public domain.
Unless noted, Scripture quoted
from The New Living Translation©
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