A Prayer for the Heart

But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Luke 8:15 NIV

Father, I pray that my heart would be noble, honest and good so that I may hear Your word and obey it. May Your word find root within me and produce an abundant and fruitful crop of righteousness. 

Do You Have Hope?

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. 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. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

1 John 3:1-3 (NIV)

OK, I admit it. I have, on occasion, paid a dollar for a lotto ticket, just for the dream or hope of having enough money to put my kids through college. (Yes, and buy a Porsche.) I also remember greeting people at church as they came in and seeing my wife for the first time . I hoped to see her again. After church a week or so later I saw her again. After the service I went to the church bookstore hoping she might go by there. She did. We met, we dated, we got married and have four great kids. That is a hope fulfilled. 

Knowing Christ and hoping in him is more than just a dream like winning the lotto. Knowing Christ and hoping in him is more powerful than even the strongest love we can have as humans. Our hope in Christ purifies us. Sin always corrupts and pollutes us, physically and spiritually (on the outside and the inside).

Knowing Christ and hoping in him is an eternal experience. Eternity is not a ray, starting at one point and then continuing on forever. Eternity is the  past, the present and the future connected. Salvation is not just that Christ forgives our past sins. Salvation is more than the removal of our past transgressions and even the sins of the present. Knowing Christ as Savior and Lord is knowing that he forgives us all our sins (past, present and future) so we can enjoy his purity. Remember, in a marriage purity is not abstinence, rather, purity is faithfulness to your spouse. 

Knowing Christ, hoping in him is not just refraining from sin. Our hope is in the love of God that he lavished on us by making us his children. My hope, as God's child, is knowing that the Sovereign Lord of the universe has unfailing love for me and in Christ I am his child. 

Father, help us to purify ourselves by our hope in Christ, to live in his love. Thank you for you love for us in Christ. Praise be to you in us today!

Repelling and Remaining in Christ

   And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 

   If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

1 John 2:28-29 (NIV)

My youngest son and I went on a zip-line adventure a few weekends ago. It was a blast! The tour also featured a few rappelling sections. I have to tell you that feeling of leaning out backwards just freaks me out. I could tell it made my son feel a bit unsure too. You just have to trust the guides are not going to ask you to do something you can't do.  

Now we know that the Father is not going to ask us to do something we can't do by faith. Remaining or abiding in Christ is not dependant on my righteousness. But, remaining or abiding in Christ produces the fruit of righteousness. Living by faith in Christ's as my righteousness, is remaining in him. I sometimes get the paralysis of analysis. For example in this case I realize my own sinfulness to the point that even if I do the right thing I probably do it with self serving motives. The truth is that God is not asking me (you) to be perfect, he is asking me (you) to act in faith that he will work all things for the good. 

Yes I was a bit unsure when I leaned back to repel down that tree, hanging in mid air, but the rope held and I repelled down to the next landing. In the same way acting in faith sometimes puts us out in midair trusting that the Lord will keep us from falling. Love as best you can and trust Christ to do what he died and rose again to do, make us children of God righteous in him. 

Father, though our sins be a scarlet and our righteousness like filthy rags, you make us righteous in Christ. Thank you and praise be to you in us today!

How To Be Mature in Christ

I am writing to you, dear children,
   because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
I am writing to you, fathers,
   because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
   because you have overcome the evil one. 
I write to you, dear children,
   because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
   because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
   because you are strong,
   and the word of God lives in you,
   and you have overcome the evil one.
1 John 2:12-14 (NIV)

Where are you at in your relationship with God? John reminds us that knowing that our sins are forgiven is the basis of our relationship and the purpose is to know God, him who is from the beginning. There will be battles along the way and we will need the word of God to live in us and to be strong in the Lord and overcome the evil one. 

Where are you at in your relationship with God? Are you a little child just learning that your sins are forgiven? Are you a young man/ woman learning to be strong in the word of God and, by faith, overcoming the evil one? Are you a father/ mother who knows him who is from the beginning? 

What I get from this is that the basis of my relationship with God is the forgiveness of my sins by Christ's death on the cross. I progress in my relationship with Christ through the study of the word of God and the applications of its' truths applied by faith in the daily battles where I need to overcome the evil one. I mature and rest in my faith as I learn that knowing God and making him known is my true purpose in life. 

Father, help us to press on toward maturity. Reveal you forgiveness to us. Give us strength to overcome the evil one. And help us to know you, the Eternal Sovereign Lord. Praise be to you in us today!

A FEW GOOD THINGS

Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion; 
     to you our vows will be fulfilled. 
You who answer prayer,
     to you all people will come. 
When we were overwhelmed by sins,
     you forgave our transgressions. 
Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
     of your holy temple.
Psalms 65:1-4 (NIV) 

God is good. He hears our prayers, forgives our transgressions, brings us near to live in his courts, and fills us with the good things of his house. 

So, if you have a need, pray because he hears.

If you have sinned, confess your sins because he forgives your sins in Christ.

If you feel distant from God, draw near to him because he draw us near to him.

Father, thank you for these good things you give us. Praise be to you in us today!

Do You Have a Right to Not Be Merciful?

"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement!" James 2:12-13

I am a very imperfect person. That is not offered up as an excuse. When I sin, I sin. No one made me sin. I sinned. I do not want to sin. I try to seek God on a daily basis through prayer and Bible study. But, sometimes I still sin. And I don't think I am really any different that anyone who might read this. 

We all sin. That means that I need mercy, and you need mercy. My wife needs mercy. Anyone I deal with needs mercy.

These verses are not about legalism they are about forgiveness and freedom because of the mercy of God shown to us in Christ Jesus. What they are about is a serious self-check about understanding the mercy of God. Matthew 6:14-15 stresses, 

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." 

I boils down to this: we are merciful to others because God is merciful to us. We don't have a right to NOT be merciful. 

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." 

Ephesians 2:4-5

Question of the day? Who do I need to be merciful to today? How is God showing me mercy today?

Father, thank you for your mercy to me! Help me to be merciful to others! Praise be to you in us today!

DRAW NEAR TO GOD

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:19-22

Sports teams love to have little catch phrases to keep themselves focused. The school I work at has the motto, "Make it matter!" to encourage everyone to always do their best. I think "let us draw near to God" is a pretty good reminder for Christians. 

Whatever is or has been going on in you life, "Draw near to God". Because of the tremendous sacrifice of Christ on our behalf, "Draw near to God". Because you want to know God more, on a deeper basis, "Draw near to God". Because your wife and kids need you to be their spiritual leader, "Draw near to God". Mostly, because in Christ God is drawing us near to himself, "Draw near to God"! 

Spirit of the Living God, help us to draw near to you. Praise be to you in us today!