We Were All There

Paul, addressing the Colossian believers, reminds them that they used to live like those who were not believers.

You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. – Colossians 3:7 (NIV)

One of the things that should irk us as followers of Jesus is when we, along with other Christians forget that we were once sinful wretches. We were all there. We were all once doomed to suffer God’s wrath. When we received God’s gracious gift of salvation, it didn’t make us better than anyone else. It changed our status in God’s sight. This wasn’t because we were so special. It is because God is so good. It is because of God, not because of us. We were all sinners doomed to hell. Now we are forgiven sinners bound for Heaven. Let us not look down on those who have yet to receive God’s grace with arrogance and derision. Instead, let us see them with compassion and love. It is not our job to judge and condemn the world. It is our job to share the grace and love that found us.

Goodness And Mercy

Good Thursday morning to you! As David reflected on his fellowship with the Lord, he realized something. This fellowship would never end. Why? Because of God’s love and goodness.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life – Psalm 23:6a (ESV)

The word for mercy is a word that means loyal love. It’s a love that means a faithful covenant kind of love. David’s confidence in God as his Shepherd comes from God’s love and goodness. God is good, my friends. Sometimes that is hard to believe. But when we think about the cross, we can know and believe that God is good. Jesus went to the cross because of God’s goodness and mercy. Bad things happened to Jesus so good things could happen for us. The love of God sent Jesus to the cross. Nothing can change God’s love for you. It is yours all the days of your life. So enjoy His goodness and love today and tomorrow and forever.

A Rescue Mission Of Love

1 John 4:9-10 (NIV)

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

The message of Christmas is more than just angels and mangers, shepherds and magi. The true meaning of Christmas is the story of a rescue mission of love. 1 John 4:9-10 sums it up so well. God sent His Son to die so that we might live. How did He do this? Through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Jesus laid down His life as a human sacrifice to take away the sins of the world. He is the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God. He was miraculously conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit and He lived a perfect life. He was an acceptable and pleasing sacrifice to our Heavenly Father on our behalf. He took our place by taking our punishment. We deserve death and Hell and Jesus died in our place to keep us out of Hell. He faced the full brunt of the wrath of the Father so we wouldn’t have to face it ourselves.

The question is, “Why?” Why leave the throne room of Heaven and the adoration of angelic beings for a manger? Why come to earth knowing that You would be despised and rejected? Why come to earth knowing that You would suffer and die for the sins of humanity? The simple answer is, “Love.” The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus is an expression of and demonstration of the love of God. God’s love is so powerful and compassionate that He sent His only Son to make eternity possible with Him. He would rather die than spend eternity without us. Think about that today as we get closer to Christmas.

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, thank You for Your love that sent Jesus to earth to take away my sins. Thank You for the true meaning of Christmas and for the rescue mission of love Jesus came to fulfill. In His name, amen.

Every Day That Passes

The book of Luke ends with Jesus blessing His disciples and ascending into Heaven.  Luke, also the author of Acts, picked up the story in Acts 1.

 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” – Acts 1:9-11 (NIV)

When Jesus returns, and He will return, He will come back in the same way in which He went – with power and glory.  We must be constantly aware of the fact of Jesus’ return.  When He comes back, will He find faithful followers on the earth?  Will we be faithful to Him in how we live and with how we share His love and grace with the world?  The world needs to hear of Jesus and His love.  They need to know that there is a God who sent His Son to die for their sins.  They need to know that He raised Jesus from the dead and that they can have spiritual blessings of love, joy, peace and hope.  They can have the promise of eternal life with God.  They need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and we are the bearers of this good news.  Every day that passes is another chance for someone to see the Gospel lived out in our lives.  Every day that passes is another opportunity for someone to hear of Jesus’ love.  Every day that passes means that someone is one day closer to standing before the judgment seat of Christ.  Let us take advantage of every opportunity that each day affords to share the love of Jesus with the world.

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, I want an opportunity to share Your love and grace with someone today. Help me to see the opportunities to tell people about Jesus that You will put in my path today. Help me to seize those opportunities that I may be an effective ambassador for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Jesus: The Lamb Of God

John 1:29-34 (NIV)

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

Jesus is the only One who can take away the sins of the world. He is the Chosen One of God to wash away our sinfulness. We are all sinners and have fallen short of God’s glorious plan and purpose for our lives.

We lust and lie.

We cheat and steal.

We injure and kill.

We puff ourselves up with pride and curse others behind their backs.

We are quite wretched and wicked.

But God chose to save us by sending His Son as the unblemished, sacrificial Lamb who can take away the sin of us all.

Don’t think for a moment that any of us deserve it.

From the pastor and the preacher to the parishioners and the pew-sitters to the pagans and the persecutors, none of us are righteous despite our own beliefs that we are somehow deserving of forgiveness.  No one is worthy and yet God desires to forgive us all so that He might have a relationship with us based on grace and mercy.  When you look at the mess we’ve made of His world, you may wonder, “Why would He want anything to do with us at all?” The answer is simple…He loves us. It’s more than simple attraction of infatuation. He chooses to love us in spite of our wickedness. So much so that He did something about it. He became like us so that He could die for us in order to bring us to Himself.

That, my friends, is the perfect love of God expressed in Jesus Christ, His Son.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You for sending Jesus to save me and wash away my sin. I want to live for you today by loving and serving others. I don’t want to take Your love and grace for granted. Forgive me when I do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Not Everyone Is A Child Of God

John 1:9-13 (NIV)

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

 

According to the Apostle John, we are not all God’s children. Those who have received Jesus Christ and believed in His name have the right to become the children of God. John repeats this idea in his first letter. 1 John 3:1-2 (NIV) says:

 

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

 

God has lavished His love on us and has made us His children by love and grace. We are all God’s creation, but we are not all His children.

The good news of the Gospel is that anyone can become a child of God through faith in His Son. It’s not an exclusive club that only a few get to join. Everyone can become a part of this amazing family. Just accept God’s gracious offer of salvation through expressing your faith in Jesus Christ and you will be saved and adopted into His family. 

 

PRAYER: Thank You, God, for adopting me and making me part of Your family as Your child. Help me to spread the good news that everyone can become Your child. The world needs Your love and grace. I want to be a part of sharing it with them. In Jesus’ saving name I pray, amen.

What Is Best

This is what the LORD says–

your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“I am the LORD your God,

who teaches you what is best for you,

who directs you in the way you should go. — Isaiah 48:17 (NIV)

How many times do we doubt God?  We may not doubt His existence or His love, but we doubt that He knows what is best for us.  We can accept the fact that He loves us, but somehow that doesn’t translate to our understanding that He knows what is best or will do what is best for us.  We think that we have to help God out.  We believe that we know what is best for our lives.  We set out on our own and try to control our own destiny.  In reality, we should be learning to trust God again and again and again.

The Hebrew word translated as “best” can also mean “profit” or “benefit”.  In other words, God is working for our benefit.  His commands are for our profit.  His teachings can lead us to the very best of outcomes in our lives.  As the old hymn says, we must “trust and obey.”  I believe that God is constantly calling to us from heaven, “Trust Me.  Trust Me.  Trust Me.”  It is hard to do this because we have short-term memories.  When we are going through the whirlwinds of pain, frustration, worry and fear, we forget that God has always worked it out in the past.  He has delivered us and brought us through.  The good news is that He’ll do it again.  Trust Him.  He knows what is best.  And even better, He’ll do what is best.

PRAYER: Thank You, my Father in Heaven, for having what is best in mind for me at all times.  Thank You for Your Word and thank You for Jesus.  Help me to trust You today.  Amen.