Know That You Know God

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 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. 

1 John 4:7-9 (NIV)

Lately people like to make a heart with two hands. Even soccer/futbol players did it after they scored a goal at the World Cup. As a guy I find it amusing that women love to post stuff about love. Love is this love is that. Love, to many people is a super strong urge or emotion (warm fuzzy) that compels them to attach themselves emotionally to another person and look to them for emotional fulfillment. 

I love my wife and have pretty strong emotions for her. But, if I only loved her when I felt like it our marriage would of failed a long time ago. I learned pretty quickly that love was about choice. Love is giving when I don't particularly feel like. If you know God and know his love you understand the depths of love, true love, what the Bible calls agape love. It is beyond friendship. It is beyond erotic physical love. It is love by choice, love by action. 

My wife kind of got upset with me one time because she noticed that I had written down on my planner to send her a note or buy her a little gift to let her know I loved her. I know she wanted spontaneous but, knowing that spontaneous doesn't do well with busy I chose to make sure I did something to love her. Let me tell you, sometimes the thought doesn't count, only an action will do. You know, actions speak louder than words. 

If we know God, says John, we love. If you don't love, you don't know God. We know what love is like because the love that God has for us was demonstrated by sending his only Son into the world that we might live through him. Get it? Love is giving. Love is action, serving others. 

Father, help us to love not just in word but in our actions. Open our understanding see the opportunities to love you place before us today.  Praise be to you in us today!

Thank You For Laying Down Your Life

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 

John 15:13

Today is Memorial Day, a day of remembrance. A day we honor soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice that we might enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy today. 

The ultimate soldier in the ultimate battle is Jesus Christ. He died for our salvation, to redeem us from sin and death. 

My prayer is that our country honors the death of soldiers who died fighting for our freedom to live and worship in a manner we see best. 

FINISH TOGETHER

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 

1 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)

My oldest son was a long distance runner in high school and college. In high school he was captain of his cross country team. He wasn't the best runner in the league but he fully understood that in cross country it's all about getting more people to finish high together. So, he and his friends started using the slogan "ohana" no one finishes alone. The team took first in league. My son wasn't first as an individual runner but, the team was. The team grew from around thirty kids to over one hundred within a few years because the culture was all about helping each other finish as best as they could. 

My point is that as Christians we should be more concerned about loving others with the same forgiveness, grace, mercy and love that Christ first loved us with than winning any argument, being right about some particular issue or making sure that we have been treated fairly. It is not up to us to change anyone. We are called to love as Christ loved us. 

Father, help us to be thankful for your love toward us and to humbly love each other. Praise be to you in us today!

VINDICATION BY DEATH

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 

  “He committed no sin,and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1 Peter 2:21-25 (NIV)

When Christ was being crucified he entrusted himself to him who judges justly, his father. And we entrust ourselves to Jesus who is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. 

Think about this: Christ entrusted himself to him who judges justly to ensure justice, via the grace to be made possible by his death on the cross, for us. Now this may be hard to hear but, the example we need to follow is dying to ourselves. It's not so much about God vindicating us, but about us being like Christ even when, or especially when, we are suffering unjustly. Trusting God that he has us where he wants us, even when we are being treated unjustly, requires that we die to ourselves. Our need to to live for righteousness where we are at. 

This hits very close to home for me. Actually, it's a bull's eye. Because I can not see the end from the beginning, as God can do, I must die to myself and wait upon him, trusting that he has me where he wants me. It's not where I want to be, but where he wants me. My choice is to live by faith and love others within the circumstances. It's hard. It's killing me. But I entrust myself to the Shepherd and Overseer of my soul.

Father, help us to entrust ourselves to you, the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. Give us a glimpse today. Praise be to you in us today!

IT'S ABOUT GOD

"By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead." Hebrews 11:4 

Sometimes I don't feel like my prayers are being heard. I don't feel like my confession is accepted. Frankly, it's not about me. It is about God's faithfulness. 

Cain just brought some of his stuff. Abel brought the fat portions from the firstborn of his flock. Abel sees the first thing his efforts produce and acknowledges it comes from God. I kind of get the picture that for Cain he just sort of grabs some stuff on the way to church as an afterthought. A little convicting. 

We need to remember, God gives us everything we have, even the ability to work, to produce and to provide for our families. For that I we should always be grateful.

Father, thank you for your faithfulness and graciousness. Praise be to you in us today!

ONCE IS ENOUGH

"But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away  with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Hebrews 9:26b-28

I think the point is not sinless perfection on our part (see I John) but the completeness of our salvation and the removal of sins guilt and control. 

There is a story of a wealthy man who was purchasing a Rolls-Royce car. At that time Rolls-Royce did not list it's horsepower. The buyer asked what the horsepower was and the only answer he received was, "Adequate." He even wrote to the company's main offices and each person's answer was always, "Adequate."  

The message is that no matter the depth of our need of his forgiveness, mercy and grace, Christ's death covers the need. A matter of fact, his grace is more than adequate it is all sufficient. Christ's death was enough. 

Jesus, thank you for dying for our sins and sacrificing yourself in our place. Thank you that you will come again! Praise be to you in us today!

GET YOUR CONSCIENCE CLEAN

"How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences  from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God." Hebrews 9:14 

You know when you have been sick and you take a shower, you feel a little better, at least for a little while? You're still sick, though, because you need to heal from the inside out. 

Christ's death on the cross deals with sin from the inside out. The author of Hebrews is hammering home the message that offerings before Christ were not complete and only a hint of what was to come in Christ. Under the law the offering of a goat or bull would deal with sin outwardly, never able to reach the heart. The sacrifice of Christ deals with sin from the inner man out. 

The point is that Christ's sacrifice changes our hearts to desire to serve God, not sin.  Sin wants to keep us captive under guilt, Christ has freed us with grace. We sinned, yes, but he died in our place. His blood covers our sins eternally in the Most Holy place in heaven. Christ's continuing work cleanses our consciences that we may serve him! That is good news! That is the gospel!

Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ for cleansing our consciences that we may serve you! Praise be to you in us today! 

ONCE AND FOR ALL, DONE!

"Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once and for all when he offered himself." Hebrews 7:27

Every now and then I'll notice an extra charge on my visa card and think, "I didn't buy anything, what's that for?" It's a renewal fee for my blog or something. High priests had to offer sacrifices for themselves and for the people. Because they themselves were sinners just like everyone else. Kind of like that renewal fee, they had to offer sacrifices day after day. The debt was never paid in full. 

Jesus, who being holy,blameless, pure, set apart from sinners and exalted above the heavens, does not need to do that. He sacrificed himself, once and for all. Paid. That means, our sins are dealt with, once and for all. His death was for all our sins. That means our past, present and future. All our sins were in the future to Christ when he died upon the cross. From our perspective we our sins are in the past, present or future. Not to God. The sacrifice has been paid. Once for all. Done.

Father, thank you that you are my high priest. Thank you that you dealt with my sin, once for all. Done. Praise be to you in us today!

HARD THANKS

"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, 
     and he prepares the way
     so that I may show him the salvation of God."
 Psalm 50:23

Sometimes faith means thanking God when you don't feel like it. 

I think that when I can't see God working in my life, but, by faith acknowledge that his ways are not my ways, and that he alone is God and knows what is best for me and my family, and thank him for being my God, my Father and my Friend, then God is glorified.

There are times when I don't get what God is doing. That does not mean God is messing up. No, God is God whether I see him or understand his workings in my life. He does what he wants to do and what he knows is best not what I think is best. He is God, I am not. 

Thanks and praise be to God who works all thinks our for my good and for your good. 

Praise be to you in us today! 

Thank you for the sacrifice...

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Jesus Christ gave the greatest sacrifice and gives the greatest freedom. Those who follow that example are remembered today.

Thank you, Father, for the men and women of this country who have given their lives that we may enjoy the freedom to worship you as we see fit. 

The Gettysburg Address: 
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. - Abraham Lincoln