Always Faithful

One of the great truths about the God we serve is that he is faithful. From before the creation of the world, before we were a twinkle in our mother's eye, before the fall, he has faithfully loved us. 

In our struggle with sin Paul reminds us that, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will provide a way out so that you can endure it" (I Corinthians 10:13).

And when we didn't exactly get the victory John says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).

The Lord promised at the fall that the seed of the woman would one day crush the serpents' head. Yesterday was Good Friday and we remembered that Jesus died on the cross, in our place. The enemy thought he had the victory, but tomorrow we remember that Christ rose from the grave, conquering sin and death. Christ fulfilled the promise of the Father, destroying the power of sin and death. That is the foundation of our faith. That is love, that is faithfulness.  

Redemption, Your Hope

Thank you, Lord, for the hope of your unfailing love. Thank you that you don't partially redeem us, you fully redeem us. You didn't send an angel, you didn't send a letter, you came yourself and redeemed us, forgiving all our sins in Christ on the cross. Praise be to you in us today!

Timing Is Everything

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 

Colossians 2:13

Timing is everything. This is especially awesome when we consider our salvation, our adoption into the family of God, and our acceptance into the kingdom. 

God didn't make us alive with Christ after we repented and performed several acts of contrition. The Holy Spirit, the Hound of Heaven, didn't wait for us to confess our sins and faith in Christ before he started drawing us to Christ. Our Heavenly Father didn't see us come bow our heads at some revival, camp, our church service and decide to let us into the family. 

Timing is everything. God choose us first. When we were dead in our sins and the uncircumcision of our flesh he made us alive with Christ. God's grace, his love, his amazing love is shown to us in that we didn't deserve his love yet when we were least deserving he was most gracious and merciful. He forgave us all our sins. 

In the kingdom of God, God's timing is everything. When we were dead in our sins He forgave us all our sins. That's grace, that's God,

that's amazing!

Remember Where You Came From

And God spoke all these words:

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Exodus 20:1-2 NIV

It's funny, in a sad way, how easy it is for us to forget where we came from. Just the the Israelites who just came out of Egypt and God was reminded them not to forget that they were just recently in slavery in Egypt, we sometimes need to remember that we were slaves to sin. 

I am not saying you should dwell or revel in your past. But, sin is a cruel and deceptive master. It desires to have you. In a bad way. Sin may seem good for a season but in the end it only separates you from God and those you love. We need to remember that Jesus is God, who brought us out of sin. Sin is not good. Sin is destructive. 

The Ten Commandment begin with God reminding the Israelites that he, the LORD, is their God and that he is the one who brought them out of Egypt, the land of slavery. We need to remember that he is the LORD our God who brings us out of the slavery of sin. I don't know what that looks like to you, but I do know it is good to remember that you are no longer a slave to sin, but have been set free in Christ. 

He Will Not

He will not always accuse,

   nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve     
   or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

   so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

   so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalms 103:9-12 NIV

God will not always accuse, the enemy does that. 

He will not harbor his anger forever because although he is just, in Christ he is also forgiving.

God does not treat us as our sins deserve. In Christ, we are forgiven. 

Because we are forgiven in Christ he is no seeking to repay us what we deserve. 

Think about that... the depths and riches of his love, can not be understood until we realize, what God does not do. Yes he's forgiving, but don't forget what God does not do...

The Battle Was Won on the Cross

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Romans 7:24-25 NIV

Tomorrow we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every day a battle is waged within us. But every battle has been won on the cross. Today we remember that Christ paid the price so that we might live by faith in him. 

I think we all feel the battle that Paul shares with us in Romans chapter 7. We wish that we could claim the victory and never have to fight the battle again, but, that is just not the way it is. We are called to fight the good fight and remember, every day, that Jesus rescues us from this body of death. Everyday we are reminded of his grace and his mercy, his forgiveness and faithfulness. 

Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!

What Do You Have In Common With Barabbas?

But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.

Luke 23:23-25 NIV

What did Barabbas do to deserve to be set free? Nothing. He didn't deserve to be freed. He deserved to be crucified. 

What did you or I do to deserve salvation? That's right, nothing. 

I wonder what happened to Barabbas? What did he do with the freedom he was giving by Christ's death on the cross? How did he respond? Aren't those the same questions we must ask ourselves?

What are we doing with the freedom we are given by Christ's death on the cross? How are we responding to the grace we have been given in Christ? 

Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for taking my place upon the cross and dying for my sins. Help me to live in your grace and may the love live through me. Praise be to you in us today!

Faith to Forgive

So watch yourselves.“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

Luke 17:3-5 NIV

Sometimes it seems hard to trust God that if we forgive someone that we won't be opening ourselves up for more hurt. Forgiving someone does not make them perfect. Christ forgave my sins, but, I still sin (See I John 1:8-10), even though I try not to. Sin happens. 

Faith, trusts God to be Sovereign over even the damage of sin in our lives. Our sin and the sin of others, intentional and accidental. 

Father, give us the faith to forgive and trust you with what happens. 

What Do You Want Blotted Out From Your Life?

Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to you unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
   blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
   and cleanse me from my sin.
Psalm 51:1-2

David was definitely a sinner. This Psalm is not a Psalm of praise. It is not just a plea for forgiveness, it's a cry from David to God asking God to remove the guilt of the sin he had committed. He knew he sinned. He realized the devastation his actions had produced. He wanted God to blot out his transgressions,  wash away all his iniquity and cleanse him from his sins. 

Not to justify or minimize any sin, but to emphasize the mercy of God I want us to remember that we are all sinners. Haven't we all wished that God would blot out some things - sin - from our lives. 

The amazing thing is that even though David did reap some negative things, the Lord still completed his purposes. The Messianic line  still prevailed and Christ was still born, died for our sins and rose again. 

You may want God to blot something out of your life. The truth is, God will accomplish his will because he is Sovereign, merciful, his love is unfailing and he has great compassion toward you! 

Your Hands Are Dirty, So What?

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean', but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean'.”

Matthew 15:10-11 NIV

Jesus has an amazing way of taking things straight to the heart of the matter. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were concerned about seeking God outwardly. They were focused on the disciples eating without washing their hands because that was a tradition of the elders. A tradition of the elders is not a commandment, it's a rule created by the religious leaders to try and keep people from breaking the commandments. 

Jesus then explained it further by saying, "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'" ( Matthew 15:18-20) So, we should be concerned with more about our hearts than our hands. (Yes, I do wash my hands before eating. Except when camping, working construction or otherwise away from soap and water.) 

I can wash my hands all I want and that will not keep me from sinning. The only thing that I know of that will wash my heart is the forgiveness of my sins by the death of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Whose Clothes Are You Wearing?

The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes."
   Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you." Zechariah 3:4

This is such a great picture of the grace of God. Because of sin we are filthy. The reality being that we can't clothe or clean ourselves. He takes away our sin and clothes us in his righteousness. In I Corinthians 1:30 Paul reminds us that the work of Christ on the cross makes Christ our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 

Take a moment to remember that your sins are forgiven and you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ Jesus, the Lord. 

Do You Have a Forgiveness Plan?

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:10-12 (NIV)

Sometimes perspective is everything. Seeing God's love only from the time we encounter him is just a partial picture of the reality of his love for us in Christ. 

I first saw my wife while greeting at church. I saw her come in a week or so later and thought maybe she might go by the church bookstore after the service. So, I went by there to "look at some books" after church and lo and behold she came in with a friend. I made my way over to her and struck up a conversation, trying to not look to obvious. 

After we had dated for awhile she shared with me her perspective. Apparently she told a long time friend of hers that she had see this guy who smiled at her funny or something at church. They decided that I might drop by the book store and guess what? I was there.

If we only think of our relationship with God from the time we first were confronted with the gospel we won't fully appreciate the depth of his love for us. God loved us before the beginning of time, before we were even a twinkle in our mama's eye, before we loved him. Here's the other part of the equation we often overlook. He knew we would rebel and sin so, he planned for it and chose to send his Son to die for our sins. 

We all are sinners. Everybody sins. We all hurt each other. Since God deals with our sin in foresight, knowing he will have to forgive us, we should do the same for each other. Do you get that? Plan to be forgiving. Know you will have to be forgiven. Remember, in Christ God has forgiven you. 

Father, thank you that even though you knew we would rebel and sin against you chose to send your Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins we would commit. Help us to love each other in the same way. Praise be to you in us today!

Faith Is Not a Second Chance

As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

1 John 2:24-25 (NIV)

I remember when I first gave my life to Christ. I knew that my salvation was all about Jesus. Although I had attended church virtually my whole life I recognized that something was definitely missing. 

One of the well meaning but false teachings I had to overcome was that in Christ we have a second chance. What that turns into is that we have a second chance to be good enough. Of course we can never be good enough because our best, our righteousness is at best filthy rags. God does not give you a second chance to be good enough. That would be salvations by works. He gives you salvation by faith. He offers you forgiveness in Jesus Christ. 

Your work is to remain in Jesus. In a sense this is like driving a car in a race. You have to finish the race in the car, you can't get out of the car and walk across the finish line. In the same way, you don't spend your life having faith in Christ as your Savior and Lord and then finish in your own righteousness. What I heard from the beginning of my life in Christ was that it was all about Jesus, he is my righteousness, holiness and redemption (I Corinthians 1:30). That never changes. That is the good news, the gospel. 

If you have gotten out of Christ, get back in Christ. Remain in him. Remember to remain in Christ is to live by faith in his finished work on the cross. 

Father, thank you for salvation, that we can live by faith in Christ. Help us to walk by faith in Christ, to remain in him. 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!

The Simplicity and Depth of Love

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness;  he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

I John 2:9-11

The simplicity and the depth of what the Apostle John said is amazing. On the surface he points out the simple difference between hating and loving. Below the surface he reminds us that hating our brother blinds us. 

One of the things that impresses me about my pastor is that he gets along with other pastors and has a deep partnership with so many in the community. Let's be honest, loving some people is not easy. But, the issue is that Jesus loved us, when we didn't love him and we are supposed to love some people even when they don't love us. The simplicity is that the question to ask about how we deal with others is: Is it in love? When you think the other person is in the wrong do you respond in love? When you are in a hurry do you wait in love? Think about how often God waits for you, is patient with you, tells you the same thing again and forgives you. 

The love of God is simple in its' truth and deep in its' application. Hate others and be blinded by the darkness. Love others and walk in the light. 

Father, help us to live in the light as you are in the light. Praise be to you in us today!

Look At Christ, Not Your Sin

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have on who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world. 

I John 2:1-2 

John says it pretty much like it is: We don't want to sin, but sometimes (maybe more often than we like) we do sin. That is just the way it is. The good news is that God has even this weakness covered in Christ. 

The goal is to have fellowship with Christ and each other. Christ's blood purifies us, not our management of sin. We were not saved so that we can have another chance at not sinning. This is a truth that we must understand. Christ did not die on the cross for just the sins we committed before knowing him. He died for ALL our sins. Yes. All. He died to purify us from "all unrighteousness". 

Think about this: if you are concentrating on your sin, even it is in an attempt to not sin, you are still focusing on yourself. 

We are called to walk in the light, to have fellowship with Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. 

I am not condoning sin or saying we shouldn't acknowledge our sin. But, if we focus on our sin, and dwell on our sinfulness, sin is still controlling us. In contrast to this is the joy and thankfulness of being forgiven and the fellowship of living in the light of Christ. Then we are not focused on ourselves but on Christ and others in Christ.

Father, help us to live in the light as you are in light and to have fellowship with one another. Praise be to you in us today!

Face It, You Sin

   If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

   My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 1:8-2:2 (NIV)

Facing up to our own sinfulness can be very humbling. The question is not if we are going to sin or even when will we sin. The issue is what do we do when we sin. We confess. Jesus in his perfect faithfulness forgives us and purifies us. Just like a baby in diapers can't clean him/herself, we can't purify our own sin. we confess, Christ cleans. That is God's grace. 

The truth is that Jesus did not die just for our sins, he was the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. I have this friend at work. He needs to know God's grace. I can see it. I know he loves his wife and daughter, but he still needs Jesus. Jesus died for him too and I have been able to tell him, in normal conversations of God's love and forgiveness. 

That is the two sided beauty of the gospel. We are forgiven and we get to share that forgiveness with others. 

Father, forgive our sins. Share you love through us. Praise be to you in us today!

What's Your Anguish?

But what can I say? 
   He has spoken to me, 
   and he himself has done this.
I will walk humbly all my years
   because of this anguish of my soul.
Lord, by such things people live;
   and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
   and let me live.
Surely it was for my benefit 
   that I suffered such anguish.
In your love you kept me
   from the pit of destruction;
you have put all my sins
   behind your back.
Isaiah 38:15-17 (NIV)

I don't know about you, but sometimes (well, most of the time) I don't know what God is doing. I mean, I know his ultimate goal is to shape me into the image of his son, Jesus Christ. It's just specifically, at the moment I don't often "see" what God is about. I have to take it by faith that he is working all things out for my good.

King Hezekiah was suffering from a life threatening illness when he cried out to God. God answered and healed him. It was after he was healed that he could say that it was for his benefit that he suffered such anguish. It humbled him. And humility is when we see ourselves correctly or truthfully before God. 

You may be going through some form of anguish. I am. Like Hezekiah we can only call out upon God and seek him. He will keep us from the pit of destruction and put all our sins behind his back. 

Father, hear our prayers and see our anguish. Praise be to you in us today!

Just the Cross

It's just the cross of Christ I see,

  not my sin, he died for me.

It's just his mercy that I need,

  no work I do can set me free.

It's just His grace that abounds for all to see,

  that can even use a man like me.

The chief of sinners is what I be,

  and yet his love abounds in me.

                             By D. Grant 

Does God Hear Your Prayers?

Praise be to God,
   who has not rejected my prayer
   or withheld his love from me!
Psalms 66:20 (NIV)

God's love is amazing. If one of my children does something wrong  I will not stay upset too long. And even when I am really angry with them I still have a father's love. How much more does God love us, even when we sin? He loved us enough to send his one and only Son to die for our sins! That love has not changed. His compassion continues! His mercies never fail! It's about his faithfulness and that is why we are thankful!