I Now Live

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

Galatians 2:20 NIV

I now live... I live by faith. I live by faith in the love of Christ who gave himself for me. 

Paul, in effect, is telling us, by his example, to live as crucified men and women who are alive in Christ. I take that as my flesh, my sinful nature is crucified with Christ but my spiritual nature is alive with Christ. This is so deep I know I can't do it justice, but, I can remember that as I approach this day I approach it from not just the cross, where my sins are forgiven, but also from the empty tomb where I am resurrected to a new life in Christ. I live by faith in this body until I am made fully new. 

Not a Warm Fuzzy Post

A little while ago I saw this article on line about a guy who thought he was pretty tough, apparently, so he called out a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter online, repeatedly. After a while the fighter offered to meet the guy and fight. They met and off course the MMA fighter easily beat the living snot out of the online big mouth. I have no idea why this normal guy thought he could take on a real MMA fighter, but, arrogance can get you into a lot of trouble. 

I think many people today want to set themselves up as equal with God and sort of call him out on the basis of how they see reality. Atheists love to set up their version of what they think the Bible teaches or how they choose to view reality as the obvious way to see things. I find the fact that atheists want to blame the God they don't believe in and choose not to obey, for all the results of those choices. 

God is Sovereign and he does what he wants. He is also just and merciful.  Romans 9 reminds us that God has his plan and he will do what is right because he is Sovereign Lord. I don't fully understand God's will or his ways, but, I do understand that he is Sovereign Lord over everything and I am not. He does what he wants, not what I want. He is not a cosmic Santa Claus giving me everything I want just because I say a magic prayer. He has given all people a choice to believe in him and recognize him as Sovereign Lord. Some think they will stand before him and list their grievances and all that they perceive as unjust and God will be unable to answer. Remember the online bigmouth. 

This is not a warm fuzzy post. This is a check. Check myself. Check yourself. God sent his One and Only Son to die on our place, for our sins. Then, with his power, raised Christ from the dead. No other so-called god, messiah, savior or religious leader has an empty tomb. To be blunt: if you can't die and raise yourself from the grave, your not God Almighty, Sovereign Lord. 

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!

Why is Good Friday Good?

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were

raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Matthew 27:50-53 NIV

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Hebrews 12:2 NIV

Good Friday is good because we remember that Christ died for us. The resurrection has meaning because of the crucifixion. The work of the crucifixion is validated in the resurrection. Today we remember and thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for dying for our sins. He died so that we may live...thank you, Jesus.  

Just Believe

Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Mark 5:36 NIV

I get it. I would be afraid to believe. I would worry about getting my hopes up. Think about it. From the moment the bearer of bad news came to him until Jesus took the synagogue ruler and his wife and went into the room with their daughter, everyone around them was telling them it was hopeless, don't expect Jesus to do anything. 

Jesus only told him to not be afraid, only believe. 

I'm going to ask you a question that I want you to take a moment to wait upon the Lord for the answer. What have you been told is dead in your life, that Jesus wants to say, "Arise"?

A Little Prayer for Power

and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above...

Ephesians 1:19-21a (NIV)

Father, you raised Jesus from the dead, showing your incomparably great power, show that power in our lives! Resurrect our passion to follow you, our marriages and our witness in this world. Awaken your Spirit within us to love as you have loved us! Praise be to you in us today!

Do You Feel God Has Forsaken You?

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;

   you are the one Israel praises. 

In you our ancestors put their trust;

   they trusted and you delivered them. 

To you they cried out and were saved;

   in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

Psalms 22:3-5 (NIV)

Since I was in college I try to read the Psalms on a daily basis to help myself remember the attributes of God. After getting married and having kids I try to share the verse and attribute with my family at dinner. A couple of nights ago I read verses one and two of Psalm 22 and my youngest son remarked, "That's what Jesus said." So we got to talk about Jesus dying on the cross to save us from our sins. 

Verses three through five remind us that even in the midst of what seems like a cataclysmically awful situation, God is enthroned. Whatever David was going through when he wrote this he felt like God had forsaken him. Yet he reminds himself that even in the worst of circumstances God is enthroned. 

Christ was being crucified while he said this. He was about to breathe his last breath.  To his disciples, the leaders of the people and the Romans it looked like that would be the end of the so-called Messiah. But, Christ knew the end from the beginning and that his death meant our salvation and redemption. The enemy thought he had won, that he had stopped God's plan to redeem the world. He was wrong. Instead of death Christ became the sacrifice and God showed his power by raising Christ from the dead. 

Doesn't Paul teach us that dying to self and living for Christ is at the heart of the Christian life (see Romans 6 and Philippians 3)? Maybe you feel a part of your life dying. Perhaps you are in a situation where you see no way out. Or your circumstances put you in a place where you feel forsaken, even by God. I know how that feels. More importantly Christ knows how that seems and feels. The truth and good news is that he is still God and sits enthroned as the Holy One. He is interceding on our behalf. I don't know what he is going to do ,or how he will do it,  I just know he said if we trust in him we will be delivered, saved and not disappointed. 

Father, we cry out to you! Hear our prayers and deliver us. we trust in you and you alone! Praise be to you in us today.

FIGHT, FINISH, FAITH: II Timothy 4:7

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." II Timothy 4:7

Fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith. There it is, three checks to make sure you are on track.

Are you fighting the good fight? Think about that...the good fight. There are many bad fights out there. I think back on most of the battles I have had over the years and I doubt if I would get into it about many at this time. They just wouldn't be a good, as in worthwhile  fight.  There are some things that you must fight for and there is no way to avoid it unless you totally cave into the world. What was Paul's good fight? Sharing the gospel and building up churches. 

Are you setting yourself up to finish the race? When I first gave my life to Christ I guess thought that Christ's second coming would be within a few years. I still believe Christ could come at any time, I just realize that he is very patient and there are many yet to be saved. My place is to run this race like he might come today or the day after I die. Either way, I run for  Christ and to Christ.

Are you keeping the faith? Not a faith, the faith. Faith in Christ, in his death, resurrection, intercession and return. Faith in his faithfulness, his unfailing love, his grace, mercy and forgiveness. Faith in his absolute sovereignty. He alone is God. 

Father, help us to fight the good fight, to finish the race, and to keep the faith. Praise be to you in us today!

GO BACK TO THE CROSS: II Timothy 2:8

"Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel." II Timothy 2:8

Many moons ago I was talking with a graduate student who was a Muslim. I was just out of high school. The conversation had begun to spin out of control. My mom had told me that whenever you get into a discussion with someone, particularly from another "faith" (or cult) to just keep going back to the cross. He kept wanting to say that Jesus was just a prophet, I would remind him that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. Mohammed did not. If he did not understand something he would say something about leaving it to the prophets. The central issue which he wanted to avoid at all costs was that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, the gospel. 

You know, that are a lot of things to learn from the Bible. There is a lot you can benefit from studying apologetics, yet, it is always going to boil down to this: Jesus died for our sins and rose again from the dead.

Father, thank you for Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Praise be to you in us today!