Category: Forgiveness

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I Love You This Much

Last night Dave and I were watching one of our favorite television shows. I know I’ve told you about it before but it’s just a special program, Country Family Reunion, hosted by Bill Anderson on RFD TV.

It’s the older country recording artists singing and sharing fun times from the road and life in general. Last night was a show called Kickin’ Back. The show’s regulars were asked to invite someone they admire and bring them along. One of the newcomers to the show was a young man named Jimmy Wayne.

Jimmy isn’t new to country music because he’s been writing and recording songs since early in 2000. He told a bit about himself last night. He was raised in the foster care system, bounced from home to home. Never had a whole lot growing up, didn’t watch any television to speak of but heard a prison inmate talk and play country music one day in high school.

It changed his life! He wanted to learn to play an instrument and somehow persuaded the prison to let him come and spend time with the inmate and take music lessons from him. When Jimmy was old enough to get out on his own he pursued singing and song writing.

One of the songs he co-wrote came from his own heart ache. He went to the funeral of his birth father, never really knowing him, knowing that all chance of a relationship was over. He co-wrote the song, I Love You This Much.

He can’t remember the times that he thought
Does my Daddy love me probably not
But that didn’t stop him from wishin’ he did
Didn’t keep him from wanting or worshipping him
He guesses he saw him about once a year
And he can still feel the way he felt standin’ in tears
Stretchin’ his arms out as far as they’d go
And whisperin’ Daddy I want you to know

I love you this much
I’m waitin’ on you
To make up your mind, do you love me too
However long it takes I’m never givin’ up
No matter what I love you this much

He grew to hate him for what he’d done
What kind of father would do that to his son
He said damn you daddy the day that he died
The man didn’t blink but the little boy cried

I love you this much
I’m waitin’ on you
To make up your mind, do you love me too
However long it takes I’m never givin’ up
No matter what I love you this much

Halfway through the funeral while the choir sang a hymn
He looked up above the preacher and sat and stared at him

He said forgive me father when he realized
He hadn’t been unloved or alone all his life
His arms were stretched out as far as they’d go
Nailed to the cross for the whole world to know

I love you this much
I’m waitin’ on you
To make up your mind, do you love me too
However long it takes I’m never givin’ up
No matter what I love you this much
Songwriters: CHRIS DUBOIS,DON SAMPSON,JIMMY WAYNE

When Jimmy sang that last verse and chorus there wasn’t a dry eye on the set. There wasn’t one in our living room either!! Most of us know the heart ache of loving someone and not having that love returned. But did you ever stop to think that Jesus and God, the Father, know that heartache too?

Jesus loved us so much that He allowed His arms to be stretched out and nailed to a cross. He allowed His back to be beaten, his forehead gouged with thorns and His side pierced with a spear.

“Then Pilate ordered that Jesus be taken away and whipped. 2 The soldiers made a crown from thorny branches and put it on his head. Then they put a purple robe around him. 3 They kept coming up to him and saying, “Hail to the king of the Jews!” And they hit him in the face.” John 19:1-3 ERV

He said: “I love you this much, I’m waitin on you, No matter how long it takes.”

“But Jesus said, “Why are you so frightened? Why do you doubt? 39 Look at my hands and my feet and see who I am! Touch me and find out for yourselves. Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

40 After Jesus said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 The disciples were so glad and amazed that they could not believe it… 45 Then he helped them understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them: The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. 47 They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem, 48 you must tell everything that has happened.” Luke 24:38-48 CEV

Jesus loves us this much!

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Sibling Rivalry

Anyone who has kids knows from time to time they will bicker and squabble. Parents offend wonder “why can’t you guys just get along”. It hurts our hearts when our kids, who we love so much, have times when they fuss and say hurtful things.

The scripture tells us that God wants us to get along with our brothers and sisters also. He is our loving heavenly Father and He doesn’t like it when His kids quarrel. Doctrines, traditions, rituals may be different but that doesn’t have to be a reason to sever relationship or to talk badly of one another.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

Jesus spent a lot of his final hours and days talking to his disciples about loving one another. And for good reason – one of them was going to betray Jesus, one was going to deny him and the rest were going to scatter. I think Jesus was trying to prepare them for what was ahead. He wanted their hearts set on forgiveness and not blame; for them to walk together in unity and love so that they could draw on strength from one another.

“I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.” John 13:34-35

A real sign to the world around them would be the love Jesus disciples had for one another. The love Jesus was talking about is supernatural – the unconditional, never ending love of God in their lives would be a sure sign that Jesus had impacted their lives. There is verse after verse written about our loving one another, letting the love of God flow through us; Jesus spoke many of them and then the whole book of I John is devoted to our loving one another.

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” Jn 15:12

“These things I command you, that ye love one another.” Jn 15:17

“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;” Romans 12:10

“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13

“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” I John 3:23

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” I John 4:7

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” I John 4:11

Anytime God, the Father, puts this much time and teaching into a subject you know it’s important. These are but a few of the verses that I found on love. I’m not sure what any of us will encounter today but I know God’s message for sure – He wants us to walk in love.

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Mercy & Grace

Someone needs to be reminded of the importance of mercy and grace today. Each morning I thank the Lord for His love, mercy, goodness and grace. I never want to take these characteristics of God’s nature for granted. I never want to forget ALL He’s done for me. I always want to live with an attitude of gratitude.

I wrote this morning’s devotional thought several years ago and the Lord reminded me of it again this morning so I am sharing it with you.

Mercy: (I want this word to become engrained in your heart) from Merriam Webster dictionary
1 a : compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power; also : lenient or compassionate treatment

2 a : a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion

3 : compassionate treatment of those in distress

Compassion shown to an offender.

There was a place in the tabernacle and also in the temple called the Holy of Holies. It was there that the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat of God was housed. The priest would go into the Holy of Holies to obtain forgiveness for the sins of the people of Israel. It was there the priest would be in the presence of God. The focal point of God’s relationship to man was mercy!

“Bezalel built a chest of acacia wood forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. 2 He covered it inside and out with pure gold and put a gold edging around the top. 3 He made four gold rings and fastened one of them to each of the four legs of the chest. 4 Then he made two poles of acacia wood, covered them with gold, 5 and put them through the rings, so the chest could be carried by the poles. 6 The entire lid of the chest, which was also covered with pure gold, was the place of mercy.” Exodus 37:1-6 CEV

This chest was the ark of the covenant – this ark was a sign of God’s presence and here in God’s presence was the place to find mercy! We so often run from God when we sin. The Father’s heart is that we run to Him, run to Him for mercy and for help, run to Him for forgiveness and restoration.

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 ERV

The high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies, after he had offered the blood sacrifice, once a year. Each year he came to offer the sacrifice and ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness for the sins of the people. But that’s no longer necessary.

Jesus became our high priest and He offered His own shed blood for the forgiveness of sins and we have been forever cleansed! Hallelujah!

“Christ came as the high priest of the good things that are now here. He also went into a much better tent that wasn’t made by humans and that doesn’t belong to this world. 12 Then Christ went once for all into the most holy place and freed us from sin forever. He did this by offering his own blood instead of the blood of goats and bulls.” Hebrews 9:11-12 CEV

I heard mercy described like this.

We are taken to court with a long list of charges (sin) against us. The prosecutor (satan) stands before the judge (the Father) and declares that we are guilty. The defense attorney (Jesus) stands before the judge and says “My client throws himself on the mercy of the court, Your Honor.”

The judge then says I will grant your plea for mercy however someone has to pay the penalty. Then the defense attorney, Jesus, steps forward and says “I will pay the penalty Your Honor. Let my client go and take Me in His place. (grace)”

Mercy: not receiving the penalty we deserve
Grace: receiving God’s goodness and forgiveness that we don’t deserve

Thank you Father for your mercy and your grace!

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How Much Do We Owe?

Many people are working on their taxes at this time of year. Most are hoping they will get a refund; some just hope they won’t owe too much. Not sure which category you are in but I want to talk to you this morning about how much we owe.

Most people have a goal of being debt free; we don’t want to owe anyone – not the bank, the mortgage company, the credit card issuers, the Department of Education or the auto industry. But try as we might there is always debt. We’re looking at the bottom line – got to have a good profit/loss statement.

“Now Kristi, I just paid off my house last year. My cars are free and clear. I have no student debt and I pay the full balance on my credit cards every month. I don’t owe anyone, anything.”

Aww, but you do. We all do!

“Give everyone what you owe them. If you owe them any kind of tax, then pay it. Show respect to those you should respect. And show honor to those you should honor.

8 You should owe nothing to anyone, except that you will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has done all that the law commands. 9 The law says, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not want what belongs to someone else.” All these commands and all other commands are really only one rule: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” 10 Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law.” Romans 13:7-10 ERV

We owe a debt of love!

First and foremost we owe that debt to our heavenly Father and to Jesus Christ, our Savior. Jesus told a lawyer who was trying to entrap Him that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God. (Lawyers haven’t changed much in the last 2000 years, have they?)

We owe this debt of love because He first loved us. That’s pretty basic. God loved us so much that He wanted to us be a part of His family. He wanted to adopt us and make us His own. But there was a price to be paid. It would cost Him the life of His Son, Jesus.

Imagine this – God was willing to pay the price, as high as it was, because He wanted to bring us into His family! Yes, I would say we owe Him a debt of love.

“We love because God loved us first. 20 But if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don’t love the people we can see? 21 The commandment that God has given us is: “Love God and love each other!” I John 4:19-21 CEV

“We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness. 10 These praises and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen. 11 Do good water and bad water flow from the same spring? Of course not.” James 3:9-11 ERV

God has forgiven each one of us so very much. We all have multiple failings and shortcomings. We act ugly, we become self-righteous and critical. Because our Father and our God forgives us of these things He commands us to be forgiving of others! The price He paid for every individual was the same; no one is of greater or lesser value to the Father.

Let’s not be like the religious man in the story that Jesus told to some of his followers. They were dealing with the issues of self-importance and condemnation of others.

“There were some people who thought they were very good and looked down on everyone else. Jesus used this story to teach them: 10 “One time there was a Pharisee and a tax collector. One day they both went to the Temple to pray. 11 The Pharisee stood alone, away from the tax collector. When the Pharisee prayed, he said, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people. I am not like men who steal, cheat, or commit adultery. I thank you that I am better than this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of everything I get!’

13 “The tax collector stood alone too. But when he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven. He felt very humble before God. He said, ‘O God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, when this man finished his prayer and went home, he was right with God. But the Pharisee, who felt that he was better than others, was not right with God. People who make themselves important will be made humble. But those who make themselves humble will be made important.” Luke 18:9-14 ERV

So I will ask again what I asked at the beginning. How much do we owe?

Lord, let me always keep the “debt of love” forefront in my mind. Let me love others with an open heart that’s willing to forgive when wronged and not harbor any bitterness. Let me see and love others the way that You do! This is a debt that I will gladly pay.

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It’s A Glorious Day!

How do I know that today will be a glorious day? I have God’s promise on it! When His word gives us a promise we can believe it.

“I will tell of your greatness, my God and King. I will praise your name forever and ever.
2 I will praise you every day. I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 The Lord is great and deserves all our praise! No one can fully understand his greatness! 4 Each generation will praise you and tell the next generation about the great things you do.” Psalm 145:1-4 ERV

“I will praise you every day.” King David made it his goal to praise the Lord every day. We should too. I remember something that evangelist Oral Roberts used to say. He was known for his saying “something good is going to happen to you this very day”. He lived expecting to see God’s goodness displayed each and every day of his life.

How wonderful!

Obviously King David or Oral Roberts didn’t face the challenges that you and I face each day, right? They didn’t have to deal with aggravating people, physical illness and pain, wayward children, vicious co-workers or financial upset like we do. Really? Of course, they did. But they knew that God watched over them and provided His best for them on a daily basis. So they spent each day in praise.

This morning I was reading about Jesus trial and His crucifixion. The Jewish religious leaders were driven to destroy Jesus and His ministry. Their vendetta was real. They took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, to get him to pronounce a death sentence but Pilate said he found no fault in Jesus. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who ruled the area of Galilee. Herod found no fault with Him either and sent Jesus back to Pilate.

A crowd had gathered by now, knowing that Jesus had been arrested and the religious leaders had incited the people into a frenzy. They were a lynch mob. Pilate tried to release Jesus but the crowd called for his crucifixion. There was nothing good about this day.

But wait…there was! This was the day that God, the Father, had planned. He sent His Son to be our substitute. He took our place and gave His life so that we could live forgiven, in relationship with the Father.

“Around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon. 45 The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple split down the middle. 46 Jesus shouted, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” Then he died.” Luke 23:44-46 CEV

In only a few days the world would see a victorious Christ rise from the grave! Satan’s defeat would be complete and our lives have been redeemed. All we need to do is receive, as a gift, what Christ did for us on the cross!

A glorious day!

There’s a song that I learned in church many years ago. The lyrics came flooding back this morning as I read the story of the crucifixion in Luke 23.

“One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Chorus: Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

Chorus

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

Chorus

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One bringing
My Savior Jesus is mine

Chorus: Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day!”

It’s a glorious day – a day of hope, joy, forgiveness and peace! Christ has come to fill our lives to the full with a relationship of love that will last for all eternity.

O glorious day!

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The Father’s Always Here

This morning my reading took me to Luke chapter 11. Jesus’s disciples asked him to teach them to pray. They wanted to know how to talk to the Father. Jesus then gave them a brief example of prayer; it’s what we know as the Lord’s Prayer. However, Jesus teaching didn’t stop there. Jesus went on to give them an example of how a friend would respond to an urgent request, made in the middle of the night, by a neighbor.

He compared the friendship of the neighbor to the love of the Father in these verses:

“Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house very late at night and said to him, ‘A friend of mine has come into town to visit me. But I have nothing for him to eat. Please give me three loaves of bread.’ 7 Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Go away! Don’t bother me! The door is already locked. My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you the bread now.’ 8 I tell you, maybe friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread. But he will surely get up to give you what you need if you continue to ask. 9 So I tell you, continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. 10 Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them. 11 Do any of you have a son? What would you do if your son asked you for a fish? Would any father give him a snake? 12 Or, if he asked for an egg, would you give him a scorpion? Of course not! 13 Even you who are bad know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask him.” Luke 11:6-13 ERV

Notice that Jesus says no loving father would give his children something that is bad for them; not a snake, a scorpion or a stone. Loving father’s provide for the needs of their children. How much more will our Heavenly Father provide for us? Jesus points out that the Father will give us the Holy Spirit.

“The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. 14 The Spirit will bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is mine. That is why I have said that the Spirit takes my message and tells it to you.” John 16:13-15 CEV

It is the Holy Spirit who reminds us of God’s word, brings us power for our daily lives and gives us wisdom in all situations. It is the Holy Spirit who indwells us and causes our lives to be fruitful. He is the one who brings the harvest of love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, meekness, faith and patience.

Jesus was emphatic in the instruction he gave to the disciples – ask and keep on asking, search and keep on searching, knock and keep on knocking, when we do we will receive, find and have the doors opened to us.

As parents we desire to be there for our kids – not just when they are little but as they grow. We desire to be a part of their lives and to help in any way possible. We get that from our heavenly Father. We want to be there to help drive away the fear; heal the hurts and celebrate the blessings.

“These children are people with physical bodies. So Jesus himself became like them and had the same experiences they have. Jesus did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil. 15 Jesus became like these people and died so that he could free them. They were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. 16 Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps. He helps the people who are from Abraham. 17 For this reason, Jesus had to be made like us, his brothers and sisters, in every way. He became like people so that he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then he could bring forgiveness for the people’s sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted. He is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.” Hebrews 2:14-18 ERV

Jesus went through life on this earth so that He could be merciful to us, offering us forgiveness. He knows what we experience. He found strength in the time He spent in prayer with the Father. And the Father sent the Holy Spirit to help Jesus in His times of greatest temptation.

“Now filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan River. And then the Spirit led him into the desert. 2 There the devil tempted Jesus for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing during this time, and when it was finished, he was very hungry…14 Jesus went back to Galilee with the power of the Spirit. Stories about him spread all over the area around Galilee.” Luke 4:1-14 ERV

What are you struggling with today? Ask the Father! Seek Him with all your heart and He will send the Holy Spirit to bring the answers, the aid and comfort that you need.

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How Clean Is Clean

When we moved into our home almost five years ago I was thrilled to see the dishwasher that came with the house. It was more upscale than other dishwashers I had owned. It even had a “crystal/china” cycle. This was great!

It didn’t take long for me to lose some of the excited anticipation I had felt. You see, the area we live in has very hard water and the dishwasher had not been properly maintained. Periodically, I would have to take it all apart; wash everything off, de-scale the washing arms (their nozzles would get plugged with hard water deposits) and then run vinegar through it before using it again. This was a common place activity.

Frustration would mount and I would decide to wash all the dishes by hand. In fact, I mentioned to Dave once that we just take it out and he build shelves in the space. I could always use more shelves.

Once we added a water softener I didn’t have to do the ritual cleaning quite as often but still it never really cleaned the way I thought it should. It was embarrassing when company would come and I would find dirty silverware, plates or glasses. It was a cleaned and sanitized dirt but it was still dirt.

Isn’t that the way it is with our lives sometimes? We make the attempt to clean things up, we look good on the outside but still there is a coating of grit or grime that can be felt and seen when inspected further. We have our hair combed, our clothes are clean and we smell pretty but when the stress and pressure come, all-to-often what comes out of our mouths reveals the dirt that has been left behind.

“But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands[a first before the meal. 39 The Lord said to him, “The washing you Pharisees do is like cleaning only the outside of a cup or a dish. But what is inside you? You want only to cheat and hurt people. 40 You are foolish! The same one who made what is outside also made what is inside. 41 So pay attention to what is inside. Give to the people who need help. Then you will be fully clean.

42 “But it will be bad for you Pharisees! You give God a tenth of the food you get, even your mint, your rue, and every other little plant in your garden. But you forget to be fair to others and to love God. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things.” Luke 11:38-42 ERV

The Pharisees were big on “looking good” and having the right appearance. They acted religious but had no true relationship with God, the Father. They were more concerned about keeping the Law, which said to do no work on the Sabbath, than they were with the people who had come to worship the Lord. They constantly criticized Jesus for healing people or extending forgiveness to them on the Sabbath days.

They looked good by bringing their tithes to the Temple and would pray publicly where they could be seen but they neglected to live a life inspired by love and compassion.

“But I say to you people who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Ask God to bless the people who ask for bad things to happen to you. Pray for the people who are mean to you. 29 If someone hits you on the side of your face, let them hit the other side too. If someone takes your coat, don’t stop them from taking your shirt too. 30 Give to everyone who asks you for something. When someone takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. 31 Do for others what you want them to do for you…

35 “I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful. 36 Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy…

“A good tree does not produce bad fruit. And a bad tree does not produce good fruit. 44 Every tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. You won’t find figs on thorny weeds. And you can’t pick grapes from thornbushes! 45 Good people have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.” Luke 6:27-48 ERV (emphasis is mine)

What’s saved in our hearts will be the force that guides our lives. The words we say are directly related to the way we have allowed the Lord to change our hearts. When we come face to face with the love and forgiveness the Lord has shown us it will do a life-changing work in our hearts and we will take on the loving nature of our Savior. Good fruit will be produced; our cups will be clean.

I no longer struggle with clean dishes. Last week we got a new dishwasher! There’s no more hard water scale built up inside and no grime and dirt hiding on the internal parts. It’s new!

Thank you Lord for showing me that You have given me a new heart and I can love my neighbors and my enemies the way You love me!

Take the love of Jesus to your world today. It may be the only Valentine some of them will receive.

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The Importance of a Lamb

Sometimes I know what’s in my heart to share with you but the words just don’t come together. That’s the way it was for me this morning. I kept mulling things over all morning and am glad to share with you an afternoon blog…

I think I would have enjoyed being a young Jewish girl and helping my family raise sheep. That’s probably not something that was done because girls helped out in the home and boys helped in the fields but I would have liked it just the same. The hard part would have been when it came time to select a lamb to kill for the family’s supper or to select one to be offered as a sacrifice by the priests at the Tabernacle.

Several days back I was reading in the book of Exodus about the instruction the Lord gave to the Israelites as they prepared to leave Egypt. For their protection, each home was to select a lamb, a spotless lamb without blemish or defect. The lamb was to be killed, the blood applied to the sides of the door of each home and the lamb roasted for their meal. They were to eat with their shoes on and bags packed so they would be ready to go on a moments notice.

“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month will be the beginning of months. It will be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to the people of Israel when they are gathered together. Tell them that on the tenth day of this month, every man must take a lamb for those of his father’s house, a lamb for each house. 4 If those in the house are too few to eat a lamb, let him and his nearest neighbor take the right amount for the number of people. Divide the lamb by how much each can eat. 5 Your lamb must be perfect, a male lamb one year old. You may take it from the sheep or the goats. 6 Keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then all the people of Israel are to kill it in the evening. 7 Then they must take some of the blood and put it on the wood pieces at the sides and top of the door of each house where they will eat it. 8 They must eat the meat that same night, made ready over a fire. They will eat it with bread made without yeast and with bitter plants. 9 Do not eat any of it if it is not cooked or if it is made ready by boiling. But cook it over a fire, its head, legs and inside parts. 10 Do not save any of it until morning. Burn with fire whatever is left of it before morning.

11 “Eat it with your shoes on your feet and your walking stick in your hand. And you must eat it in a hurry. It is the time the Lord will pass over. 12 For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night. And I will kill all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. I will punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.” Exodus 12:1-12 NLV

The lamb was the sacrifice that the Lord required.

In the book of Genesis animal sacrifices were made to the Lord. Abraham offered bulls, heifers, goats and rams. And in the last couple of days I have been reading as Moses receives the Law and the instruction from the Lord for forms of worship and sacrifices. The sacrifices for the sin offering are always a spotless lamb. It couldn’t be lame or maimed in anyway. It had to be perfect.

But this lamb for the atonement of sins had to be offered every year because there was no power in the sacrifice to make the people perfect. It was only a symbolic offering.

Now fast forward to where I had been reading in the New Testament. I have been in the last chapters of Mark and reading about the crucifixion. It was then I remembered the importance of the lamb.

“John told them, “I use water to baptize people. But here with you is someone you don’t know. 27 Even though I came first, I am not good enough to untie his sandals.” 28 John said this as he was baptizing east of the Jordan River in Bethany.[a

29 The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said:

Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 He is the one I told you about when I said, “Someone else will come. He is greater than I am, because he was alive before I was born.” John 1:26-30 CEV

John the Baptist called Jesus the “lamb of God”. For those who were really listening, this must have been shocking. John was saying that Jesus would be God’s lamb who would remove sin – no longer a symbolic animal but God had provided the perfect sacrifice and He was here now, walking on earth.

Hallelujah!

“But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. That’s why his blood is much more powerful and makes our[a consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no longer do things that lead to death.

15 Christ died to rescue those who had sinned and broken the old agreement. Now he brings his chosen ones a new agreement with its guarantee of God’s eternal blessings!” Hebrews 9:14-15 CEV

When we receive Jesus, recognizing Him as our sacrificial lamb, there is no longer a need for animal sacrifice. The way had been made for us to come to God, completely forgiven, made right and set free. Our sins have been taken away.

Thank you Father for the Lamb!

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Big Announcement – Great News

This is the best news you will ever receive. God loves you and He’s on your side!!

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things.” Romans 8:31-32 ERV

In my reading this morning the Israelites were crying out to the Lord because they were being treated so badly by the Egyptians. God spoke to Moses and told him to tell the people He had heard their cry and was sending him, Moses, to bring their deliverance.

Great News!

God is in the Good News business. When Jesus birth was announced by the angels they said this was “good tidings of great joy” – good news. Jesus even said that he came to bring good news to the people.

“… ‘We must go to the nearby towns, so that I can tell the good news to those people. This is why I have come.’” Mark 1:38 CEV

The good news that Jesus brought to every town was healing the sick, delivering those who were demon possessed and forgiving sin. Jesus came to establish a reconciliation between man and God. Very good news!

You can imagine how excited I got when I started reading these verses in Colossians. I know this is a lot of reading and I don’t normally give lengthy Scriptures for you to read but this is really GREAT NEWS!

“I ask God that you may know what He wants you to do. I ask God to fill you with the wisdom and understanding the Holy Spirit gives. 10 Then your lives will please the Lord. You will do every kind of good work, and you will know more about God. 11 I pray that God’s great power will make you strong, and that you will have joy as you wait and do not give up. 12 I pray that you will be giving thanks to the Father. He has made it so you could share the good things given to those who belong to Christ who are in the light. 13 God took us out of a life of darkness. He has put us in the holy nation of His much-loved Son. 14 We have been bought by His blood and made free. Our sins are forgiven through Him.

15 Christ is as God is. God cannot be seen. Christ lived before anything was made. 16 Christ made everything in the heavens and on the earth. He made everything that is seen and things that are not seen. He made all the powers of heaven. Everything was made by Him and for Him. 17 Christ was before all things. All things are held together by Him. 18 Christ is the head of the church which is His body. He is the beginning of all things. He is the first to be raised from the dead. He is to have first place in everything. 19 God the Father was pleased to have everything made perfect by Christ, His Son. 20 Everything in heaven and on earth can come to God because of Christ’s death on the cross. Christ’s blood has made peace. 21 At one time you were strangers to God and your minds were at war with Him. Your thoughts and actions were wrong. 22 But Christ has brought you back to God by His death on the cross. In this way, Christ can bring you to God, holy and pure and without blame. 23 This is for you if you keep the faith. You must not change from what you believe now. You must not leave the hope of the Good News you received. The Good News was preached to you and to all the world. And I, Paul, am one of Christ’s missionaries.” Colossians 1:9-23 NLV

God desires that we know His strength, experience His power and be filled with His joy. Christ came to make the relationship between us and God perfect. By his death on the cross we have peace with God. God, the Father, isn’t mad at us; He loves us!

Great News!

Because of his death on the cross, Jesus brought us to the Father cleansed, holy and pure, without blame. God sees us pure because of Jesus. Christ made everything perfect and made a way for us to come to the Father. Our sins are forgiven.

Great News!

Extra, Extra read all about it! God loves us and He’s on our side!!!



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Ham It Up

We were having dinner with friends last night and talking about old wives tales that carry forward as fact. I was reminded of a story I heard about a young bride. It was her first Easter with her new husband. She had purchased a ham for their Easter dinner. She took the ham and cut off the ends before putting it in her roasting pan.

Her husband asked her why she cut off the ends. After much prodding, she replied “I’m not sure. My mom always did it that way.” At her husband’s encouragement she called her mother and asked “why did you always cut the ends off the ham before you put it in the pan?” Her mother was silent for a moment and then replied “because your grandmother always cut the ends off her ham”.

With this answer sitting hard in her thoughts, and at the prompting of her husband, she called Grandma. “Grandma, why do you always cut the ends off the ham before putting it in the roaster?” Grandma replied “Oh dearie, that’s simple. My pan was too short so I had to trim the ends to make it fit.”

The young bride and her husband laughed heartedly. For years three women had been cutting the ends off the ham because at one point the roasting pan was too short.

“So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think it is more important to follow those traditions you have, which you pass on to others. And you do many things like that.” Mark 7:13 ERV

How many things do we do religiously that have nothing to do with God’s truth but are fashioned by man’s tradition? We say that God can’t love us if we go to certain places or don’t give up certain habits. We are told that if we don’t spend so many days during the week in church or hours in prayer that God will be unhappy with us. He won’t love us.

Maybe you have been told that God won’t love you because of what you have done. You’ve been too bad or you’ve had too many failures or one too many divorces. All of these things are traditions. It is the traditions of men that make the Word of God of no effect.

As long as people are feeling condemned for not being good enough for God they will run from God instead of to Him. Jesus heard this criticism often. This was His response.

“When some teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with such bad people, they asked his followers, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “It is the sick people who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.” Mark 2:16-17 ERV

We will never be good enough to be acceptable to God outside of our relationship with Jesus. We can’t do enough good works. Our own efforts can’t buy us salvation. There is only one way that we can be saved.

“I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV

We don’t clean up to take a shower and we don’t try to keep enough rules to be accepted by God.

I don’t know what religious laws you are trying to keep. I do know the ones I thought were right but I never succeed in keeping them. We have to come to a point where we give up on religious tradition and accept God’s grace at face value.

“But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. ” Romans 5:8-9 CEV

God has so much more for us than we are experiencing. Religious traditions keep us from receiving all God has in store.

It’s time we quit cutting off the ends of the ham and enjoy the whole thing. God’s blessings are so much greater than we imagined.

“I pray that Christ Jesus and the church will forever bring praise to God. His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 CEV

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