Monthly Archives: March 2018

No More Tears

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“He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. Isaiah‬ ‭25:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

IMG_1515We often look at this scripture as reference to the afterlife; I believe it is also relevant to this life.

The people of Israel have always had to fight for their promised land. Even though God gave them the land, their enemies didn’t give up  without resistance. They still face rebuke and prejudice from other nations.

Satan, our enemy, doesn’t give up without a fight either. I often hear people talk about “all Hell breaking loose” after giving their lives to Christ. It only makes sense. Satan hates God, and we are His children. As long as we are submitting to Satan he has no reason to come against us.

While this passage was written long before the birth of Christ, it pointed to a time when God’s people will finally have peace.

Jesus first came as a lamb, but will return as the lion of Judah. The Word tells us, He will rule and reign on Earth for a thousand years, followed by the creation of a new Heaven and Earth. (Revelation 20) Those who gave their lives for the gospel will be resurrected to reign with Christ.

I’m going through a really tough time emotionally right now. This verse gives me hope. Whether I live to see the Lord’s return or not, I know that ultimately He will wipe away my tears. In fact, I can go to Him in prayer, crawl up in His lap, and allow Him to comfort me as a loving Father.

I also know when I breathe my last breath on Earth I will breathe my first in eternity. Jesus has conquered death. It is no longer an end, simply a transition.

As for rebuke, it hurts when someone we love scoffs at our faith. It’s not fun to be ridiculed or persecuted, but Paul told us to count it all joy. (James 1:2) God will reward our faithfulness; more importantly we have an opportunity to be a living witness, if we respond appropriately.

PRAYER:
Lord, you are a good Father. I am thankful I can run to You when life is hard. Though You have not promised an easy life, You have promised to be with me through it all. I can trust You will never abandon me.

Thank You for being my comforter, giver of life and for turning rebuke into joy, tears into laughter.

AMEN

Friend of Sinners

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“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

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God loved me before I loved Him! He chose me, before I chose Him. The fact that He loved me while I was still living in willful sin and rebellion blows me away. It should also help me see others with compassion. It’s easy to become frustrated and lose hope with people who refuse to surrender their lives to God. We must continue to love and intercede for those who reject God. Trust the Holy Spirit to melt their hearts of stone.

As I read Romans 5 today it talked about how it is rare that someone would die for a good man, much less a sinner. As Jesus journeyed life on Earth He was scolded by the religious leaders for associating with sinners. He broke religious rules, yet remained completely righteous. He understood the difficulty of reaching people outside the context of relationship.

He knew something else … He knew those claiming to be righteous were hypocrites! Romans 3:10 tells us, “There is none righteous, no . not . one!” The religious leaders were counting on their position of power to save them. They claimed to “observe all the law” and yet failed to observe the most important law of all – to love God and to love others as yourself.

Without Christ we are powerless against our sin nature. We cannot accept the call of God on our life until we are willing to acknowledge our need for Him. In Luke 5:32, Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for loving me while I was (am) still a sinner. Help me to show that same love and compassion towards others who aren’t ready to surrender their lives to you. Let me be a reflection of You rather than a stumbling block to them.

Forgive me if I’ve ever come across like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. I am not better than anyone. Like Paul I recognize that: I am a chief of sinners. (I Timothy 1:15)

Lead me to those who are “ripe for harvest”. Help me to be a friend of sinners. Lord, here am I, send me!

AMEN

 

Justice or Mercy? The Choice is Yours

Posted in Spiritual Growth by

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

IMG_1513I have earned a death penalty for my sins. People often ask why a loving God would send anyone to Hell. I confess, I have struggled with this question. But the truth is, He has given us a choice … justice (getting what we deserve) or mercy (having our wages paid in full by Jesus.) The choice is ours.

The problem is we do not see our sins as worthy of death. We make ourselves judges over God when we try to justify what level of sin actually deserves eternal death (separation from God). 

We cannot understand God’s repulsion of sin because we have lived in a fallen world all our lives. I imagine if we had one glimpse of Heaven and the purity of God’s presence we would fall to our knees and join the angels in their chorus of, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.” God hates sin so much He had to turn His back on Jesus as He who knew no sin became sin for us. (See: Matthew 27:46 and II Corinthians 5:21)

As a society we SCREAM for justice; unless that justice impacts us, or someone we love, in a negative way. We rave defiantly against a God who would send someone to Hell, yet are infuriated when someone who commits a crime we deem worthy of death is given mercy by the court. What a double standard.

The “good news” is He offers us mercy IF we will accept His gift … the sacrificial payment of our debt, by Christ. Any good parent would gladly lay down their life for their child, and that is exactly what God did! But, you cannot benefit from a gift unless you receive it. 

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19  (NKJV)

PRAYER:
Father, thank You for Your mercy and the gift of eternal life. Because of Your love I do not have to face the judgement I deserve for the wages of my sin. Jesus, thank You for being willing to take MY place on the cross.

I pray today for those who do not know Your love, for those who have not experienced Your mercy. Lord, help them to see that You are a God of love, but also a God of justice. You have provided a path of redemption but we must accept it to receive it.

Help us to see sin as You see it. Remove the blinders from our eyes and show us truth. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen

Perfect Man … Perfect Lamb

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“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 NKJV 

IMG_1496As we approach Easter I am reminded that the cross wasn’t pretty! Jesus was beaten, bruised, ridiculed, pierced and crucified for MY sin, and yours. He took OUR place. The perfect man of God became the perfect lamb of God.

Every time I watch the movie, “The Passion” I have to force myself not to turn away as they portray the suffering Christ endured for us.

As amazing as His amazing grace is, He purchased more than our salvation that fateful day. He bought our salvation, our forgiveness, our peace, our healing and our adoption. He bought US. We are now slaves of God rather than slaves of sin.

God did for me what I could not do for myself. I believe He looked to the future and saw each and every soul He would redeem. Somehow, in spite our our unworthiness, He still willingly gave up His life so we could live. We cost Him EVERYTHING!

Salvation is a two-fold process of belief and repentance. You cannot have one without the other. While salvation is free, it will cost US everything as well. God doesn’t want part of us, He wants all of US. Everything we do should be motivated by a desire to please Him. Salvation isn’t an excuse to live in sin; it is the power to overcome it. That doesn’t mean we will live perfect lives, but we now have peace knowing we have a loving Father who is willing to forgive and restore us when we sin. 

PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for paying a debt I could not pay. Thank You for continuing to intercede for me even now! Your grace truly is AMAZING!

I surrender my life to You. I know that I cannot make it without You, but I can do “all things” through You.

Walk with me Lord. Teach me, guide me, correct me, forgive me. I am Yours. My life is not my own. I have been bought with a price, Your precious, perfect, sinless blood.

Help me to never forget what it cost You. Help me to never lose sight of Your suffering. You demonstrated the purest love imaginable. I am eternally in awe of You.

Amen