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Grateful to be Thankful

Today’s Reading:  Leviticus 8; Psalm 9; Proverbs 23; 1 Thessalonians 2

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1

How many times do we say thank you throughout your day?  Some of our thank you’s can just role right of the tongue possibly without eye contact with the person you are talking with. Other times saying thank you can bring you to your knees with tears of joy.  Whether your thank you’s are out-loud or part of a prayer how often are they said with your whole heart?

Psalm 9:1 is a convicting and inspiring verse for me. I know, personally I have been at both ends of the spectrum with my use of saying “thank you“.  Examples can include; the everyday exchanges of small talk thank you ( E.g. How are you today? Good, thank you!). A joyful, open arms, heartfelt, eye watering,  thank you that you have with God for your significant other when you find out they are alright after a scare, for your child and wife while in labor, (and every instance that comes after that where your child or spouse requires serious medical attention) a family member uniting with their another family after time away of not seeing each other, a mother who loses one of her twins during pregnancy and thankfully prays for the health of the other. The thank you share when hearing or seeing testimonies of a people who’s lives have been changed through God. We have so much to be thankful for, we just need to stop and recognize and recount these blessings.

God has provided a life for us that deserves a whole hearted “thank you”.  Everyday is different and whatever way you spend your hours, minutes,  and seconds in a day, everything deserves praise and thanksgiving. It’s so easy just gloss over the amazing deeds He provides like we deserve them? God wants us to be thankful, He has provided and will provide all our trials and joyful moments. Our challenge is one of being whole hearted in being thankful during these times.  I often take what we have for granite without taking more time to recount His wonderful deeds. In our prayer life you may have been taught the acronym A.C.T.S or P.R.A.I.S.E pattern for praying.  This was recently discussed in our small group and reminded me about giving thanks during each of our prayers.  ACTS stands for Adoration, Confirmation, Thanksgiving, and Supplementation. PRAISE stands for Praise, Repentance, Ask, Intercede, Speak, Enjoy. Both patterns require us to thank God for who He is and all He has done. Whether you use either one or neither format for praying God has purposely put people and events that deserve whole heart thank you’s  in our journey towards an eternal destination with Him.  He has a reason for everything.

Here are a few verses to highlight verses that refer to giving thanks or being thankful.

Numbers 11:4-6 4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat!5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” (just like the Israelites are we grateful for what God has given us or are we always thinking about what we would like to have? Some situations God puts us in helps develop an attitude of being grateful)

1 Chronicles 16:8-34 David’s Song of Thanks – (a continuous part of life)

Psalm 86:12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

Psalm 92:1-2 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, (all day long!)

Psalm 138: 1-3 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. 3 On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased. (in all areas of life)

Luke 17:16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. (demonstrated by the Leper)

Ephesians 5:20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (for God’s strength)

Colossians 3:16 And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (increasing your thankfulness)

1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (how to give thanks in everything)

Hebrews 12:28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, (we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken)

Dear God,

We lovingly thank you for all you do. You love us and have given a grace we don’t deserve. Lord I pray you will lead us along the path you want us to take giving us the recognition to pause and recount your amazing blessings you fill our day with. Help me to live in balance and not chase after things that are not of your will. Help us to think of you every time we say Thank You and lift up your name knowing its all in your hands.  God thank you for your Son Jesus and providing us with the Word to guide us along this journey to an eternal destiny that is with you.

Amen

 

 

 

Reward

Today’s Readings: Leviticus 7, Psalms 7-8, Proverbs 22, 1 Thessalonians 1

Once again, as I prepared for today’s bible reflection I was determined to write something about Leviticus. Just as when we were reading Exodus, I’m sort of yearning to connect those ancient stories with my everyday life. So, as I slogged through Leviticus 7 and read some commentary from my study bible I was pretty sure that I could apply that lesson of discipline, sacrifice and commitment to the Lord. Then on my way to 1 Thessalonians, I was literally taken down by Proverbs 22. I’ve had a “flat tire” outside 22 Proverbs Street all week! When you look at today’s scriptures collectively, they intersect in one important place; they tell us how we ought to live. Leviticus 7 teaches us about obedience and sacrifice, Psalms 7 and 8 engage us in taking refuge in the Lord and praising Him for his faithfulness, but then we arrive at Proverbs 22. Proverbs 22 give us as Christians direct instructions for how to live.

Proverbs was written by Solomon, David’s son. The original audience is the Israelites but today it’s you and me. Proverbs covers a wide range of topics including: youth and discipline, family life, self control and resisting temptation, knowing God, how to run your business, wealth and poverty, immorality and wisdom. I got that short list from the NIV study bible, I didn’t make it up! When you read through that list are you as excited as I am about reading Proverbs? One of the many gifts of writing for Bible Journal is discovering the absolute power and (forgive my dramatics) majesty of this book. How often have I sat alone wondering what to do in a certain situation when the answers are right here for us in Proverbs.

Yesterday I was driving my 5-year-old son Oliver to a birthday party. Good old Siri took Ollie and I to his friend Eli’s house in a way we hadn’t been before. She told us to take a left onto Country Club Drive. The speed limit dropped to 15 miles per hour as I inched our small car over big speed humps. Despite living here for years, this was a road we’d never been down before. We stared in wonder at enormous mansions. Both of us were awe struck with this very physical manifestation of wealth and power. I must admit I took an immediate mental detour to a review of our personal finances. I compared our worth to the size and shape of our meager rental home, and then I heard from the back seat, “Mommy, let’s buy one of these houses.”

HELLO…it’s me…Proverbs 22.

 

“Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all” Proverbs 22:2.

 There I was caught up in lust and greed and a big dose of false idols. I took a breath and said a quick prayer. Lord, help me…help me to raise this child in a world that values plastic toys and screens and the money that buys them. Lord, help me to see the security we have in you and show that to my 5 year old son.

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6

 And so I said to him, “Wouldn’t it be fun to live in one of those houses? If we did we would have so much space, we’d have to invite our friends to live there with us! Having a big house isn’t the happy part, it’s sharing it with the people you love.” It was quiet in the backseat for a long minute and then,

“Mommy, maybe someday when we buy our own house and we paint the rooms the colors we want and we get a dog, maybe then we can get a balcony.”

“A balcony buddy, why, what would you do on a balcony?”

“You know, a balcony in our back yard with a grill for hot dogs so you can see us on the playground.”

My son wants a deck. A deck so that he can invite other children to his house for hot dogs and play on a swing set. You see, when we moved to Normal we were only planning to stay for 2 years. We weren’t planning for 3 kids with medical issues. We rented a house much bigger than we thought we needed in 2010 so that we could invite people over, so that people could stay and be here with us. We’re familial people. The front door might as well be one of those circular revolving doors they have at the mall. Our meager and very beige rental home is often messy, cluttered and definitely far from the beautifully appointed crown moulding I had planned for us. Instead, we are blessed beyond measure. We have enough to share. We have received a level of generosity we never could have imagined. We have been blessed by checks from friends and strangers when the medical bills have been too much to bear. We have literally received meals at our door when there wasn’t much money left for groceries.  All provided by Him.

At the end of our readings today, Paul and Timothy (and a guy named Silvanus that I don’t quite know) write to the Thessalonians:

“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 2-3

 When you get up today to go to work or labor in love raising your precious children, hold steadfast to that hope. That hope is very real, it’s as tangible as a country club house. When you look out your car window, remind yourself that it is not the thing you long for but the person within. Whether rich or poor, we were all made by Him. “The generous themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” (Proverbs 22:9). Share your gifts, they come from God and he wants us to be in fellowship with one another. As I sit in my beige office, the sun is rising, my children are awake and calling for morning hugs diaper changes. I am rich in His love in my own little country house.

 

Putting God First – My Testimony

Reading Link: Leviticus 6; Psalms 5–6; Proverbs 21; Colossians 4

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do is to make God first in every aspect of my life. This should be easy, right? Especially since God, the ultimate creative power, put everything into motion. Honoring God should be automatic, but it’s not. Because God is invisible, getting to know Him has been challenging. Because He is personal, He gets me, even better than I get myself. Remarkably, God desires fellowship with people, which becomes possible by faith through Jesus.

But I Through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. -Psalm 5:7

As a child, I had a simple and easy faith which prevailed even through some early hardships. Then, when I was fourteen, my step father John died unexpectedly at thirty seven, I was devastated. He had been one of my closest freinds, my mentor and the present father I had lacked for the seven years since my parents had divorced. My faith was derailed. Instead of trusting God to help me work through my grief, I turned away dissapointed and angry even though God was there for me. I replaced my faith in God, with faith in me.  A big mistake!

In the next fourteen years, my rebellion was filled with the pursuit of what I thought was freedom in order to pursue my pleasures. Then, to prove my worth in the world, my efforts eventually led to self glorification. I was going to do everything on my own, and take all the credit. This was comical really, considering how proud I was of the many aspects of my life which I had no control over. Being born into a certain family in America, in my time, or benefiting from some ancestor ‘s success from the 1800’s, or the countless people who helped me out in so many ways that I never even asked for. These were all beyond my control. Looking back I see even my limited achievements often occurred in unexplainable ways, yet I still took the credit. Luck or destiny, either way these were blessings, not accomplishments. Truthfully, despite all the glory I tried to claim for my self, I was never consistently happy, and it was never enough. There were many great highs, but they were always followed by lows; and the saddest thing was this: my life was simply slipping away as I drifted further from discovering my true purpose.

Fortunately I rediscovered the God of my childhood who was still patiently waiting to restore the fullness of the fellowship I had once enjoyed. And still I hesitated.

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. -Proverbs 16:9

With open arms, like the father of the prodigal son, God has welcomed me back to His family. Making me whole in Jesus, forgiving all, and asking for the surrender of my will; not for Him, BUT FOR ME! And still, I’ve hedged my bets, tentatively investing in my relationship with God despite everything I have learned. It is only in my full subordination to God’s will that I receive the full measure of His blessing

God does not ask us to give Him everything, for everything is His. He simply asks us to recognize this fact, and live accordingly. We Are His creation, each splendidly unique. One of a kind as David LaFrance eloquently pointed out on Tuesday.

Once reconciled we begin to discover God’s plan for our lives. Each of us was created for a special reason; to uniquely point the way to God, to glorify Him like no other person could. Only in our genuine relationship with God do we find true freedom and purpose. This is the greatest life we will ever know!

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. -Proverbs 21:31

So what am I waiting for?

New Creation

Mother's hands holding a newborn baby.

Leviticus 5; Psalms 3–4; Proverbs 20; Colossians 3

Jon’s post from yesterday was a refreshing reminder of the gospel message – “when Jesus offered his body and blood as a sacrifice, he paid off all of our sinful debt, past, present, and future.” This is the Good News, it is the source of the hope we have as followers of Jesus Christ!  Today I want to go back to Leviticus and ground us on why we need Jesus, remind us how we got from the Law in Leviticus to Paul’s message of grace through faith in Romans, then look at today’s passage in Colossians to see what a “new creation” looks like.

2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

In each of the first five chapters of Leviticus, we have read about different types of offerings – burnt offerings versus grain offerings, and different situations in which a sacrifice is required: peace offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings.  These are extremely detailed instructions to God’s people for exactly how sacrifices were to be performed in order to achieve the expected outcome – payment for sin.  I’ll be honest, I’m not completely straight on the difference between some of the offerings, and in what situation each was needed.  I also find it really easy to get distracted by all the details of how to arrange the body parts and what to do with the blood when the sacrifices involved animals.  Even so, the main points are crystal clear:

  • God is serious about sin. He hates it. It separates us from Him.
  • Because of his love for mankind, however, God made a way for us to atone for our sins and be reconciled to him.
  • In the Old Testament, atonement was achieved through the sacrifices we read about in Leviticus.

After Jesus’ death/burial/resurrection, we are no longer bound by Old Testament law. We no longer have to atone for our sin through the sacrifices described in Leviticus. We no longer need a priest to be the intermediary between us and God.  Again, “[Jesus] paid off all of our sinful debt, past, present, and future”.  The Holy Spirit lives inside us.

John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Ephesians 2:8, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”

While this is the Good News, we must not forget the nature of God – he is unchanging. The God we serve today is the same God the children of Israel served in the Old Testament.  He is Holy.  He required the children of Israel to be Holy and requires us to be holy.  Yes, we are still sinful.  Yes, Jesus paid the price for these sins.  But salvation does not absolve us of the responsibility to take up our cross every day, to faithfully follow after Jesus, and continue the process changing our hearts to look like his.  Today’s passage in Colossians 3 shows us what taking up our cross and faithfully following Jesus looks like in our lives:

Focusing on the eternal versus the temporal:

1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

 Turning away from sinful practices:

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

 Choosing actions that reflect a Godly character/the Fruit of the Spirit:

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Reflect on verse 15 for a minute, “Let the peace of Christ RULE in your heart”.  Insert the definition of the word rule, as a verb, in this sentence. “Let the peace of Christ [exercise ultimate power or authority over] your heart.” Letting go and giving control over to Jesus is the only path to accomplish the command in verse 17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”.

God, today would you please show me places in my life where I am still in control? Please soften my heart.  Help me surrender all to you.

World’s Greatest Bank

Leviticus 4; Psalms 1–2; Proverbs 19; Colossians 2

Owing money to any entity is really no fun. I doubt anyone in their right frame of mind has said that they truly enjoy owing money. I’m not talking about the act of borrowing and receiving because that portion of the transaction doesn’t feel too bad at all. We borrow each time our credit cards are charged and we borrow larger sums for longer periods of time so that we can work toward home ownership. I’m talking about the burden of being beholden to someone or something.

The other day I paid for lunch for a co-worker using my credit card with the agreement that he’d pay me back. I didn’t have change when he was paying me back in cash, but he insisted on paying me immediately. This transaction then resulted in me owing him two dollars. As I thought about this for a while I realized that he didn’t want to owe me, and I didn’t want to owe him. Have you felt like this before? Why is it that neither one of us wanted to owe the other?

How about when the postal carrier delivers a bundle of mail? When I see a pile of mail, I feel weighted down due to the high probability that there is at least one bill in there, regardless of my ability to pay it. Medical, taxes, insurance, phones, vehicles, home, credit card, organizations, utilities, etc.

Owing something gives me the feeling of an imbalance, a weight, a negativity, as though that person or entity has a piece of me; and I’ll go so far as to say that it almost feels as though I’m enslaved, or owned by something else because what I have is not my own.

What about a debt we cannot pay back? Financial debt can bring depression, strain relationships, and increase stress which can lead to health problems. Having great debt may even lead us to further debt because we feel crippled and hopeless, we cannot focus on the things that can get us out of debt, like our job or finding a job. Depressed yet?

Now please think about how it feels to pay the money back. While it might not be fun to consider parting with money, it does feel good to eliminate a debt. It is a release of a burden, it is restoration of ownership, it is a balancing of the scale. It brings back the equality in the relationship.

As we continue to read in the Bible we learn about the debt that is encountered through sin, thus God requiring payment. Today’s reading of Leviticus 4 had multiple examples where God required payment (animal sacrifices) even for unintentional sin.

Going back to the financial debt. Imagine if that were to be paid off by someone else. How good would that feel to have just one mortgage payment returned by the bank with a message stating “this one is on us”? What if this happened month after month? Or what if the bank sent the following letter:

Dear Customer,

With regard to the massive amount of money you owe us, we are pleased to inform you that your debt has been paid in full by someone else; a great benefactor, so please stop sending us payments. Further, if you have any further debt, or friends or family with debt, kindly let them know that they may transfer that debt to our bank and our benefactor will pay off their debt as well. This offer is valid in all fifty states, all countries, for any and all past, present, and future debt you may incur.

We do ask that you seek to refrain from further borrowing. However, if you feel you have a borrowing problem, we have a personal guide who can be with you at all times, free of charge to help you out.

Please remember that we have been in existence forever, and unlike any other bank, regardless of anyone’s perception of our business model, we will exist forever. We are open 24 x 7 x 365 and there is never a wait to speak with us.

We delight in you. Please come to us with any need, no matter how great or small.

Very truly yours,

I AM Bank

I’m certain that if this actually happened, news of this bank would spread like crazy. Everyone would bank there. In reality, no bank would do this, but God does this through Jesus on the cross. When Jesus offered his body and blood as a sacrifice, he paid off all of our sinful debt, past, present, and future – and it is impossible to pay him back. Instead, our response can and should be pure, humble gratitude, repentance, praise, and falling to his feet as Lord.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)

Would you consider sharing the Good News of our great banker and benefactor with a friend today?

Capture This Thought

mountain summer landscape. meadow meadow with tall yellow grass and forests on hillside in sunset light

Leviticus 2–3; John 21; Proverbs 18; Colossians 1

Michael Somers brought up a good point in yesterday’s post, titled Taking Thoughts Captive. He said, “Thoughts are curious things. They tend to breed more of themselves. If we think on things that are dark, such thoughts beget more darkness.”   It is true.  What we focus on expands.  Unfortunately, we all, at some point in our lives, find ourselves lost, groping in the darkness, longing for the light. Many of the Psalms express this angst. We can hear the psalmists’ deep cries of distress and desperation that echo in the dark and empty recesses of our own hearts. We also hear them pining for relief. What the psalmists get right in these dark nights of the soul, is the focus point of their plea and petition. They look only to God.

Everything that I know about God says that he cannot live in my dark place. Clearly, if my heart is in darkness, God wants nothing to do with it. His very being will not allow it. This creates an insurmountable challenge for me. Fortunately, God wants more than anything to reconcile my heart to him. He did, after all, create me.  He is my Father.   He loves me far beyond the love that I can comprehend. Just one example comes from Romans 8:38-39 which reminds us that there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from His love.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do you hear what I hear in those wonderful words? They say that nothing in our present circumstances, no people, no higher (or lower) powers, NOTHING can touch his love for us. How can this be true? How does God overlook the darkness upon which I dwell? The difference maker is Jesus Christ. Today we read about the great pleasure that God has in his son. Because of Jesus’ perfection, he has no darkness (1 John 1:5), which is why in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:19). You know the rest of the story, right? His perfection, his light and his fullness were laid out on the altar, sacrificed, given for me, so that God sees only light, not darkness. In fact, when we live with Jesus, our hearts emit such a pleasing aroma that he has brings us into his own presence, and we are holy and blameless as we stand before him without a single fault (Colossians 1:22 NLT). Do you know what that means? It means that the fullness of God is pleased to dwell within our hearts.   Now, that is something worth thinking about!

Thank you for your Son. For his complete sacrifice that allows us to live in your fullness. Fill our thoughts today with your goodness.  As king David does in Psalm 27, I pray that we may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of our lives, to gaze upon Your beauty, our Lord and to inquire in Your temple.  

 

Taking Thoughts Captive

Today’s reading: Leviticus 1; John 20; Proverbs 17; Philippians 4

March 30th, 2016

Taking thoughts captive

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. – Philippians 4:4–8

Here Paul tells us to be careful (or filled with care or worry) for nothing; but to turn such thoughts over to God in prayer with thanks. Then Paul gives us another, what I like to call, ultimate checklist on what we are supposed to be filled with. The sort of things we are supposed to let occupy our mind. Things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy.

Thoughts are curious things. They tend to breed more of themselves. If we think on things that are dark, such thoughts beget more darkness. Have you ever heard the saying ‘when it rains, it pours’ in referring to life’s circumstances? Knowing the truth from God’s word, I wonder if this saying is actually a saying of thoughts rather than of circumstances? Instead let us abide in the word of God and think on things that are light, and let the light shine forth and produce a perfect day.

But the path of the just is as the shining light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. – Proverbs 4:18

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; – 2 Corinthians 10:5

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

May God show us the truth and give us the fortitude to count our blessings in abundance when the deceiver would have us think there are none. Amen.

 

Past, Present, and Future

This week we were asked to reflect on our:

I was________.

I am__________.

Today’s Reading Link:Exodus 40; John 19; Proverbs 16; Philippians 3

I do not consider that I have made it on my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

I know something about each and everyone one of us. Guess? We are all different. You are a masterpiece! There is no one in the world like you. We all have a different set of fingerprints. This unique and humbling information is also accurate for our lives. For myself,  I truly wished I would’ve been in the word more earlier in my life, but I wasn’t.  I also understand now that God has a divine plan for everyone and everything.  As we recently come off the official celebration of Jesus’s resurrection I reflect also on our past, present, and future in Him. I love thinking of what Jillian said yesterday as starting my New Year in Christ.  I’m excited for it! I love this opportunity to be in the Word with others daily. God knows our past and He plans our future.

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. To give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Past: Often we can catch ourselves trying to compare, copy, or just want things that others have.  This can include a certain lifestyle, relationship, and of course physical or material things.  This was definitely evident for me growing up. An upbringing that included much adversity in home dynamics and living in poverty to our American standards.  I would do anything to get or make others believe that I had some kind of perfect life.  Acting in one way where on the inside there was an insecure kid who would try to impress others through lies. I was truly selfish in all things doing whatever to look and act a certain way no matter who was hurt. It was all about me.  This was all the center of my world and God wasn’t visible in any of it, and it showed.  We tend to want what someone else has or the next best thing. Not until some rock bottom experiences did I realize I needed to have a closer relationship with God.  I wasn’t able to do any of it.

God grabbed a hold of my heart and put some brothers and sisters in Christ in my life. I started to give more of my own life and desires to Him. So we press on knowing that Christ has made us his own and that is his desire for us.In order to receive this life you need to repent and open your eyes, answer the door, let Him into your heart. Repentance can be a momentary confession but is a lifelong process.

  • The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, Acts 17:30 (We could dwell on the past and point fingers but we realize that isn’t the answer, Jesus is.)
  •  If anyone would come after me , let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but lose his life for my life, will save it. Luke 9:23-24

Present: We live in tension between who we have been and who we want to be. Faith in God allows us to let go and look forward to what he wants us to become. Not to hang onto our past, but grow in the knowing of God and a building of your relationship with Him. We have been forgiven, so we can look forward to a more purpose guided life with God. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us

Future: God knows our final plans but in doing God’s will along the way our efforts in this partnership need to center on Him and not ourselves. We need to use our minds and heart. As we live for him, pray for guidance as you plan, and act in faith when working your plan.

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9

What’s your:

I was________?    

I am_________? 

Dear God,

I was selfish now I am changed while still a work in progress.  Thank you for the change in my life. Please continue encourage us to  put our Faith in you and not ourselves. Release us from the weight of our past and allow us to focus on our eternity with you.  We don’t deserve the sacrifice you made for us but we know you are a loving God who gives grace.  You know our past, you know or future.  I pray you keep us attentive to your lifeline in your Word that  you have provided and remembering the perfect example of your son Jesus. We lift this day up to you.  Let Your will be done.

Not One

Today’s Readings: Exodus 39, John 18, Proverbs 15, Philippians 2

As our family Easter celebration draws to a close tonight, I’m slowing my pace to enjoy the last moments of today reflecting on the miracle of Christ’s resurrection. For those reading it’s Easter Monday or what I’d like to call…a new year in Christ. As the trees begin to bud and our tulips are poking their colorful heads from the earth, the feeling of a fresh start is truly in the air. Today’s readings in John are particularly heavy. We are chronologically celebrating Easter but the readings take us back to Jesus’ betrayal and to the painful details of his impending crucifixion. John’s description of Jesus’ fearless testimony is so tangible.

“So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he.” John 18:3-8

Jesus knew in that moment that he would be left to stand alone. As broken people, few of us would have the courage to enter that room and say, “whom do you seek” and then follow that with “I am he.” It is me. Do I have the strength and commitment to my faith to stand alone when it is required of me? My personal answer is: not always! I’m always looking to shift the blame for my short comings. Today though, I have a chance for a “new year.” Not a January 1st diet and exercise, clean out the garage kind of new year but a new year in Christ. Today, Easter Monday the very first day of Christ’s victory means a new day, a whole new year actually to do better.

In John Chapter 18 Jesus says:

“…of those whom you gave me, I have lost not one” John 18:9

He is referring to a promise he made to his father God in John Chapter 17 verse 12. He is praying for his disciples. Although he was eventually betrayed by Judas, Jesus was asking in prayer that his disciples be united in love as the trinity is united in what he calls, “the strongest of all unions” (NIV study bible, Zondervan) As Christ’s followers, we are considered one of His. Whether we betray him, speak out against him or fail to honor his teachings in our daily life, he is there ready to forgive. Not one of us that chooses to put Him first will be left behind. What a relief! Now that the ham and potatoes have been put away, the candy wrappers and Easter grass vacuumed up, what’s left of this Easter celebration for us. What is your new year in Christ resolution? We have been given to him through baptism and our commitment. Now, I must be the keeper of my own salvation. Paul leaves us with this in Philippians 2:

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed so now, not only as in my presence by much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philipians 2:12-13

Peace to you.

Happy New Year in Christ.

 

 

He is Risen

Today’s Reading: Exodus 38; John 17; Proverbs 14; Philippians 1

In the midst of a world rife with dissatisfaction in prosperity, and frequent acts of terrorism and desperation, I wondered: “What does God see when he looks upon the world He created?” And: “What does he choose to do about it?” My answer was found was in the story of the first Easter. It is a story of unconditional love, personal sacrifice; and redemption for all who ask. A story of Hope for all.

God looks down from Heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. -Psalm 53:2-3

This is also quoted in the middle of Romans 3:9-20, where the case is made that all mankind is guilty, and that our salvation comes not from works but through faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing it is a gift from God. -Ephesians 2:8-10

PRELUDE:

When Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead he demonstrates his power over death. And he explains who He REALLY is to Martha, the sister of His dear friend Lazarus.

Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? -John 11:25-27

PASSOVER — 33 AD:

On the day of the preparation for the Feast of the Passover, the day which required the sacrifice of a spotless lamb, Jesus was crucified. On this day, Jesus, the innocent perfect person, God in the flesh, was subjected to a MOST AGONIZING DEATH.

He took the place of Barabbas, who was actually guilty of insurrection; Barabbas, a man who deserved to die for crimes that Jesus was wrongfully accused. The Aramaic name for Barabbas translates as “son of man,” or “Jesus Barabbas.” It is he who represents all of us who deserve condemnation and punishment which Jesus Christ bore in our place. Remarkably, this happens so that we might be reconciled with our Heavenly Father. In the moment of Jesus’s death, new life became possible for everyone who chooses. In this way God demonstrates perfect love for His creation, making a way back to Him for each of us. The death of Christ is our bridge over the chasm of sin that separates us from God. By faith in the knowledge of Jesus’s sacrifice we receive the power to restore our souls, becoming new creatures, the people we were meant to be in the beginning.

FINALE:

The death of Jesus finds its true meaning in His resurrection. And in this moment Jesus offers living proof of the words he shares with His disciples at the Last Supper: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. -John 14:6

The resurrected Jesus (the spotless lamb of God) demonstrates his power over everything. He is more than a man, he is God in the flesh, whose life and sacrifice points towards Himself, while creating the way back to Him.

For forty days, until he ascends into Heaven, the resurrected Jesus appears to many. This is the foundation of Christianity and proof for the salvation of the world. And just as one story is finished, another begins. It begins in the lives of those who first believed. In the transformation of the timid and confused disciples who become fearless apostles. Then one by one; in the many, God’s Holy Spirit was passed along.

Christianity grew because of a small, radical, splinter group of Jews followed Jesus, witnessed his ministry; his death and resurrection. They followed the God of the Old Testament who appeared as a man; believing he was the Christ. He was the anointed deliverer of God’s chosen people; then all people, as prophesied and recorded in the ancient Scriptures. This true story is documented in the New Testament as well.

…and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance that I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. -1 Corinthians 15:2-6

NEW LIFE:

Easter is both the end and the beginning of the story of God becoming man to save us from our sin. Wise men (like Phil Yancy) have said this happened so that we could see the face of God, to know how to respond to Him who has responded to us in perfect Love. Through Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, God demonstrated the perfect relationship, to and with Himself. The perfect person (something we will never achieve on our own), perfectly responding to God. Jesus, through his life, death, burial and resurrection, (and ascension), ensures that we have the opportunity to be made holy in God’s eyes. In His sacrifice the relationship we are all supposed to have with God and each other is possible. In His resurrection we find our faith and hope. This is the foundation of Christianity!

Jesus purchased a ticket for everyone to the best place in the universe, and to the most perfect life we could ever imagine. Then he offered it to us all freely. By his death and resurrection we have the privilege to dwell within the God of all creation, which is only possible through Jesus as His Holy Spirit dwells within us. This allows the most miraculous fellowship of a lifetime; then an eternity. This is true life as it was always meant to be! He is risen. He is risen indead!

God, please open my heart to your amazing grace. I pray to learn to live in the incredible power and blessing of redemption through the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. I seek the peace, joy and purpose that transcends all understanding. Grant me the faith to see truth, and the wisdom to find it. In the name of Jesus. Amen