Category: Salvation

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Identity Crisis

Good morning. I’m so glad to be back with you today. My recovery is just starting but now on morning three I am feeling better than I did on morning one. Thank you for your prayers and I appreciate you continuing to pray for me over the next few weeks as well.

This morning I was reading in Matthew 16 where Jesus asked His disciples who the people were saying Jesus was.

“Jesus went to the area of Caesarea Philippi. He said to his followers, “Who do people say I am[a?” 14 They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptizer. Others say you are Elijah. And some say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 Then Jesus said to his followers, “And who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:13-16 ERV

The crowds had been following Jesus for quite sometime and had seen many miracles. The Pharisees and religious leaders were very upset by the things Jesus was doing and they were doing all they could to get rid of Him. They knew the longer Jesus associated with the common people the harder it would be to remove Him from public life. They had to try and discredit him.

Jesus wanted to know who the disciples believed Him to be. They were the ones who had lived with Him and associated with Him on a daily basis. Did they believe that He was God’s Son? Were they willing to follow Him without hesitation? Jesus had a mission from the Father. He was sent to reconcile the relationship between God, the Father, and mankind.

He came to earth to be the Savior of all.

“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!” John 3:17 CEV

The last few days I have had a lot of time to sit and think about that truth, what it means to be reconciled with God. Some of the people of Jesus day were confused about who Jesus really was. Was He the Messiah or just a man? There are many of us now, after His death, burial and resurrection, who recognize Jesus as God’s Son. No confusion here.

However, there is still an identity crisis that needs to be addressed. Let me paraphrase Jesus words and ask “who do we say that we are”? Do we overestimate our own potential by thinking that it is our hard work and superior intelligence that has gotten us the good things in life? Or do we underestimate our value and see ourselves as unworthy of being loved and ill-equipped in life?

When we accept Christ as our Savior we become new; we take on a whole new identity, we become the children of God Almighty!

“The Word (Jesus) was already in the world. The world was made through him, but the world did not know him. 11 He came to the world that was his own. And his own people did not accept him. 12 But some people did accept him. They believed in him, and he gave them the right to become children of God. 13 They became God’s children, but not in the way babies are usually born. It was not because of any human desire or plan. They were born from God himself.” John 1:10-13 ERV

The Apostle Paul, who wrote a large portion of the New Testament, spent most of his time instructing us on who we are in Christ and how we should live to reflect our relationship with our Father.

“When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people. 20 So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. 21 Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin[b] so that in Christ we could be right with God.” II Corinthians 5:17-21 ERV

We should be humbled by the fact that God has chosen us to be His children. He has made everything new. Jesus spoke boldly about His Father, we should too. How is it possible for us to be accepted by God as His children? It’s only possible through our relationship with Christ. This life we have been given isn’t mission impossible.

The mission, my friend, should you choose to accept it is entirely possible through Christ.

“When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:25-26 KJV


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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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Eat Drink Be Merry

Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die! Ever heard that before? Did you think it was Shakespeare or some other poetic author? Do you know it’s Bible?

It comes from the book of Isaiah and was then quoted by the Apostle Paul. People have been living with this idea of self gratification for a long time. I remember  Frank Sinatra’s hit, I Did It My Way, and Peggy Lee’s hit in the late 60’s, Is That All There Is. Each song echoed the sentiment above.

Paul the Apostle was writing to the Christians in Corinth about resurrection from the dead and the promise we have in Christ. He was writing to encourage them and us that there is so much more to life than living for a few days of gratification here.

Friends, so called friends, will try to influence us away from what we know is right and good. It’s called peer pressure and I have quoted this verse to my kids on numerous occasions as they were growing up. It is just as applicable to us as adults. We face peer pressure too. Without the certainty of Christ’s love and His forgiveness we can be swayed by futile thinking.

“If we are not raised from death, “Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we die.” Don’t be fooled: “Bad friends will ruin good habits.” 34 Come back to your right way of thinking and stop sinning. Some of you don’t know God. I say this to shame you.” I Corinthians 15:32-34 ERV

We will be raised from the dead to live with Christ for eternity. The life we will live after death will be much more exciting than this one we are living now. Our hope is in Christ and the power of His resurrection. Having relationship with Christ as our Savior gives us purpose for life now and hope for life after death. For when we die physically, we will live on spiritually.

“That’s how it will be when our bodies are raised to life. These bodies will die, but the bodies that are raised will live forever. 43 These ugly and weak bodies will become beautiful and strong. 44 As surely as there are physical bodies, there are spiritual bodies. And our physical bodies will be changed into spiritual bodies.” I Corinthians 15:42-44 CEV

Each day can and should be filled with purpose and direction. Following the master plan that God has designed for us brings us to victory and joy. Waking each morning and talking with the Father gives us assurance that nothing in our day has caught Him unaware. We can trust Him to give us a life that is full and so much greater than just eat, drink and be merry. The longer we walk in relationship with the Lord we will see that His way and our way begin to merge into one.

“But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory! 58 My dear friends, stand firm and don’t be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile.” I Corinthians 15:57-58 CEV

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Owned Twice

This morning I would like to tell you a story of a little boy named Timmy.

Timmy had saved his allowance money to buy a model boat kit. It wasn’t just any toy boat, it was a sailboat. The day came and his father took him to the toy store, he found the box sitting on the shelf and took it to the register. There he gave his hard earned money to the clerk and he and his father walked out the door.

Timmy worked very hard for the next few weeks on his toy boat. He would come home from school, do his chores and homework and then out to the shop he would run to work on the boat. Finally the day came…the last coat of paint was dry, the sail was in place and the boat was finished.

After school the next day Timmy could hardly wait for his dad to come home. They were going to take the boat on its maiden voyage. They walked to the park together, Timmy was talking non-stop with excitement. They got to the bank of the creek, set the little boat in the water and watched it sail on the current. It was thrilling!

Timmy’s dad gave him permission to take the boat to the creek as long as his chores and homework were done. Each day was a new adventure. How Timmy loved sailing his little boat. One day, he placed his little boat in the creek and as it sailed down stream something terrible happened.

The tether that Timmy had tied to the boat came loose. The boat sailed farther and farther down stream. Timmy had no way to retrieve it and now it was lost. Timmy was heart-broken. He loved that little boat, he had worked hard to make it and now it was gone.

As he walked home his head was hanging low and tears filled his eyes. It was gone!

Timmy’s dad said they could get another kit and build another boat but that just wouldn’t be the same.

One day Timmy was with his Mom in town. They were running errands. As he walked down the street with her, he glanced up and there in the window of the hardware store was his boat. It had a For Sale sign on it. Timmy was thrilled.

His mom took him in the store. The clerk retrieved the boat from the window. The price tag said $12.95. The clerk told them that someone had found the boat outside of town stuck in the creek bank. They didn’t want to boat and sold it to the store owner. That’s how it came to be in the window.

Timmy could have the boat back if he would just pay the store owner what the owner had paid for it. Timmy dug deep into his pockets and pulled out his allowance money. He had just enough. This little boat, Timmy’s boat, had now been owned twice.

It had been redeemed!

This story is one that I heard long, long ago in Sunday School but it can apply to our relationship with the Father. 

We have also been redeemed. Christ redeemed us from a life of sin. When Adam sinned in the Garden all  mankind was lost to sin. Prior to that Adam and God had been in a perfect relationship. They walked together each day. But when Adam sinned that was gone, it was lost.

“Everyone was going to be punished because Adam sinned. But because of the good thing that Christ has done, God accepts us and gives us the gift of life. 19 Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.” Romans 5:18-19 CEV

God wasn’t willing to lose man. He established a plan that would reconcile or redeem His relationship with mankind. The word redeem means to regain possession in exchange for payment. Reconcile means to make compatible or friendly again. Christ did both for us.

“You were rescued (redeemed)  from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don’t last forever. 19 You were rescued (redeemed) by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb. 20 Christ was chosen even before the world was created, but because of you, he did not come until these last days. 21 And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death and honored him in a glorious way. That’s why you have put your faith and hope in God.” I Peter 1:18-21 CEV

“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. 10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us (reconciled), because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life. 11 And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.” Romans 5:9-11 CEV

Just like Timmy’s little boat, we were originally made to have relationship with God in a perfect way but man became lost. It took the sacrifice of Jesus to redeem us for our original owner.

God’s love reached out to us and brought us back. We have peace with God!

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Paid It All

Keeping the focus on the absolute truth of God’s word again today.  

Here are a couple of verses that point out the absolute atonement that Jesus provided for our reconciliation with God.

“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” I John 2:2

Propitiation is an old word that meanings atoning sacrifice. Jesus is THE atoning sacrifice for sin. He freely gave his life so that we could be brought into right relationship with the Father.

And He’s not just the propitiation for a few but He died for the sins of THE whole world. He has made provision for ALL. No one is excluded or left out.

But why?

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” I John 4:10

Jesus is THE propitiation – the atonement, the reconciliation, the reparation – for our sins. His death was more than enough to provide atonement for all that we have done.

“All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. 24 They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:23-24 ERV

Have you ever looked through binoculars? You know that when you focus in one object the ones around it become blurred.  We need to do that with Christ.

The focus isn’t on us but on Christ and what He has done.

“Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ERV

Everyone – there is another absolute – no one is excluded. Everyone is offered the gift of eternal life because the price of sin has been paid in full!

 

 

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Absolutely True

Each morning when I wake up I say “Lord, speak to me. Father, speak through me.” No, I’m not vain enough to believe that every word I say or write is from the Lord – but that is my goal. The Lord has been dealing with me on absolutes.


You remember High School Math & Science – some things are absolutes.

The same holds true with God’s word and yet we often miss them because of their simplicity. The word “The” often links to an absolute; so for the next few days I want us to look at a few Scriptures that are absolutely true, whether we choose to believe them or not.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

THE way, THE truth, THE life – not a way, a truth or a life.

In coming to Jesus and having Him take us to THE Father we have his promise of being on the right way, having truth and life.

I read something a friend wrote the day about Jesus being THE WAY. It stuck with me. Imagine you are trying to call a friend. You put in the number and when it connects it’s the wrong person.  Embarrassed, you say, “I must have dial the wrong number. Is this xxx-xxxx?” To which the person on the other end says no, this is xxx-xxxy.

You’ve dialed incorrectly. 

There is one way, “the” way, to reach heaven.  It isn’t by our good intentions, living an honorable life, being well versed in world philosophy. No, there is only “the” way.

God’s Word is absolute. Everything else will eventually fail. I choose to stand with the Word as my firm foundation. 

“Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. 25 Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 CEV

Focus on THE today.

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Do You Hear It?

One look at this photograph and you know what I’m going to talk about don’t you?

What do a beeping smoke alarm and the early morning hours have in common? Nothing good!!! Why is it that smoke detectors always seem to wait until the wee hours to chirp or in this case beep intermittently? Trying to tell us it’s time to change the battery but it’s unsettling to say the least…

You probably like me, at one point in time or another you have heard that little chirp coming from your smoke detector, warning you that the battery is low. Or worse yet, you have been frying bacon or burnt some toast only to have the whole thing screech its “something’s on fire” warning so loudly that the entire neighborhood can hear.

Isn’t that the way it is with “warning” devices? They interrupt the normal flow – they come with annoying sounds that set us on edge and that is their purpose. A warning has to be something loud or out of the ordinary so that we stop, look and listen!

Those in the Midwest know they have only minutes to react when they hear the tornado warning. The entire continent of Europe lived in fear of hearing the air raid signal. We hear police sirens, fire trucks and ambulances and move off the roadway when we hear their sirens.

Yes, we are programmed to respond when we hear those warnings!

The same is true in spiritual things. God gives warnings. He sent Moses to the pharaoh; Noah preached to the world during his time; Daniel’s dream told of the fall of the Medo-Persian empire; Jesus came preaching salvation, His second coming and the certainty of the last days.

“Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, “When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”

4 Jesus answered:

Don’t let anyone fool you. 5 Many will come and claim to be me. They will say that they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

6 You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don’t be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn’t the end. 7 Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8 But this is just the beginning of troubles.

9 You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. 10 Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. 12 Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. 13 But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. 14 When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.” Matthew 24:3-14 ERV

“The Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe. They will obey spirits that tell lies. And they will follow the teachings of demons. 2 Those teachings come through people who tell lies and trick others. These evil people cannot see what is right and what is wrong. It is like their conscience has been destroyed with a hot iron.” I Timothy 4:1-2 ERV

Things like this are happening all around the world and even in our own country and states. It can be alarming. However, we have no need to fear or be in distress.

“Then people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to happen, stand up tall and don’t be afraid. Know that it is almost time for God to free you!” Luke 21:27-28 ERV

Don’t be afraid. But also don’t become hard hearted. Some want to withdraw and hide almost paralyzed with fear while others take the attitude that it’s no big deal.

Here’s the good news. The warning signs are given so we won’t loose hope, so we won’t give up.  Life should continue on in a normal way; going to work, doing family things, getting married, raising kids. However, we need to be looking for the day that the Lord will return. Living with an expectancy, knowing that our salvation is secure in Christ and doing those things that honor Him.

The Lord is loving and patient. He wants everyone to have the opportunity to respond to His message of salvation and new life in Christ.

“The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives.” II Peter 3:9 CEB

It’s time to look up, the day of HIs coming is soon!

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Worth Breaking the Budget

Have you ever taken time to evaluate your spending habits? We have lived on a budget all our married life.

Everything has a category and an amount and to the best of my ability I try to make it all line up each month. Need to be good stewards right?

This morning I was thinking about spending; spending for groceries, vehicles, clothing, furniture, entertainment, health and extravagances. The way we assign value differs from category to category. I want to get a “good deal” on my groceries so I clip some coupons and shop the ads.

We shop for the best buy when it comes to our furniture and vehicles and are always looking for a super sale. Then there are those things that we willing go into our savings to purchase; a child’s wedding or college education, medical expenses for a loved one. These require sacrifice but a sacrifice of love.

As I was reading in I Corinthians  I saw Paul repeat a phrase that he had used earlier in the book. And we all know that when the Bible repeats something we should be paying attention.

” God paid a high price for you,” I Corinthians 7:23 ERV

I want us to stop and think about our value this morning. Do we understand how priceless we are to the Father?

We’re not like a bunch of grapes or a bag of tomatoes that can be bought cheaply for $.99 per pound. We’re not like the new dress or new car that He waited for the big sale to purchase. We are invaluable to Him.

“God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure. He hid it again and was so happy that he went and sold everything he owned and bought the field. 45 “Also, God’s kingdom is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 One day he found a very fine pearl. He went and sold everything he had to buy it.” Matthew 13:44-26 ERV

The earth is the world, God the Father is the man, we are the treasure or the pearl and Jesus is the price that was paid!

What is it that would cause us to sell all we have – our home, our jewelry, our cars, our boat, our horses, our RV, cash in the CD’s and empty the savings account? What would be valuable enough to have us sell all to buy one treasure?

We are that treasure! God gave His only begotten Son to purchase us!

No words can convey what I am feeling in my heart this morning as I realize in a deeper way God’s love for me.

” And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.” Ephesians 3:18-19 ERV

Father, I will take my words from the Psalms: “Your faithful love is better than life, so my lips praise you. 4 By my life, I will praise you. In your name, I lift my hands in prayer”  Psalm 63:3-4 ERV

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The Bridegroom is Coming

Tomorrow is our daughter and son-in-law’s anniversary. I remember their wedding like it was yesterday.

(this isn’t a picture of them, by the way)

I’ve often heard it said that “this life is just a dress rehearsal for what will come”. That phrase takes on new meaning when looked at through the eyes of a bride.

The wedding rehearsal is a time to make sure that everyone knows what they are doing on the day of the wedding. Where to stand, who sits where, cue the music, walk the aisle, so many things to remember. So much preparation for one day and yet a lifetime.

We as Christians should be preparing too; preparing for a lifetime of eternity in the presence of our loving Bridegroom, Jesus. Our new life in Christ is eternal life and eternal life started when we accepted Him as our Savior. It doesn’t start when we die but it is a life of living in the power and character of Almighty God. We are to be living this out each day with the same excitement and anticipation of a bride waiting for her groom.

“Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want. 5 Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; 6 to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; 7 to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. 8 If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” II Peter 1:3-7

God has provided us with everything we need to be a bride without spot or wrinkle – great and precious promises. As I see it, He has bought us the dress, prepared the venue and hired the caterers. The cake is being decorated and the flowers arranged. It’s time to give Him glory and praise for all He has done.

“ You also know we did everything for you that parents would do for their own children. 12 We begged, encouraged, and urged each of you to live in a way that would honor God. He is the one who chose you to share in his own kingdom and glory. 13 We always thank God that you believed the message we preached. It came from him, and it isn’t something made up by humans. You accepted it as God’s message, and now he is working in you.” I Thessalonians 2:11-13

We have been chosen by Christ to have a new life, to enjoy the gifts and promises that the Father has provided. When I use the word chosen that doesn’t mean that some have been left out. No, God is all inclusive in His love. He has no favorites, He displays no prejudice.

“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” John 3:16 CEV

It is  by our own freewill that we either accept or reject the precious gift of eternal life that He has provided. I want to live each day in anticipation of what a life with God means. This truly is our dress rehearsal for the great and marvelous things that God has in store for us.

The bridegroom is coming!

 

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You Are My Friends

I woke up this morning, once again, knowing that Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, my Father, the I AM, wants to be my friend.

For the last week we have been looking at people in the Bible who talked with God.

There were many more people who heard God speak to them in the Old Testament times but I just wanted to give you an overview of some of the circumstances.

When we come to the New Testament we are immediately greeted with God sending an angel to speak with both Mary and Joseph.

“Then the angel told Mary, “Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you, 31 and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. 33 He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:30-33 CEV

“While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. 21 Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21-22 CEV

Later God told John the Baptist that Jesus would soon begin to minister in public. He was the Messiah that the Jews had been waiting for, for so long.

Jesus spent a great deal of time in prayer, talking to and hearing from his heavenly Father.  When the religious rulers of the day would ask Jesus where he got His teachings and His authority He would answer them like this.

“Jesus went on to say, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, you will know who I am. You will also know that I don’t do anything on my own. I say only what my Father taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me. I always do what pleases him, and he will never leave me.” John 8:28-29 CEV

Jesus came to show the world the love His Father had for them. He wanted them to know that God was desiring a relationship with them.

“ My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.

28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 CEV

Jesus taught  multitudes and He also ministered to hurting people one on one.  He broke the conventional laws of religion. Jewish people were forbidden to do any kind of work on the Sabbath so when Jesus healed the crippled man on that day the Temple rulers were furious.

“ They started making a lot of trouble for Jesus because he did things like this on the Sabbath.

17 But Jesus said, “My Father has never stopped working, and that is why I keep on working.” 18 Now the leaders wanted to kill Jesus for two reasons. First, he had broken the law of the Sabbath. But even worse, he had said that God was his Father, which made him equal with God.

19 Jesus told the people: I tell you for certain that the Son cannot do anything on his own. He can do only what he sees the Father doing, and he does exactly what he sees the Father do. 20 The Father loves the Son and has shown him everything he does. The Father will show him even greater things, and you will be amazed. ” John 5:16-20 CEV

Jesus was walking, living proof that God the Father desired to have relationship with these men. In fact, Jesus commanded his disciples to go out and do the same kind of miracles that they had seen him do.

“Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions:

Stay away from the Gentiles and don’t go to any Samaritan town. 6 Go only to the people of Israel, because they are like a flock of lost sheep. 7 As you go, announce that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy, and force out demons.” Matthew 10:5-8 CEV

Remember how God called Abraham His friend. Jesus called these men His friends. He was seeing the same desire in them that the Father had seen in Abraham. They weren’t perfect, far from it but they had a desire to know and obey God.

“ Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. 13 The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. 14 And you are my friends, if you obey me. 15 Servants don’t know what their master is doing, and so I don’t speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me.

16 You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. 17 So I command you to love each other.” John 15:12-17 CEV

I could go on with one example after another on the teaching that Jesus gave his disciples. In fact, that’s really what the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are. They are the eye witness accounts of God’s will being done on earth through Jesus and the disciples.

But God didn’t want it to die there. He wanted to continue to reach out to all mankind. He wanted everyone to know His voice and to follow Him. That’s why one of Jesus’ final instructions was this:

“ Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19  Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” Matthew 28:18-20 CEV

Because of the authority Jesus received from the Father and gave to His followers, we can become His disciples as well. We can hear His voice and follow.

“Jesus said to him, “You (Thomas) believe because you see me. Great blessings belong to the people who believe without seeing me!”

30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs that his followers saw, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you can believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Then, by believing, you can have life through his name.” John 20:29-31 ERV

We are the ones who believe on Jesus without seeing Him. We are blessed and have life, eternal life, because of Jesus.

Amen and Amen!

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