Category: Salvation

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Making An Impact

I hope I never become complacent to the way the stories of the Bible touch my heart!

Each year at Easter I am drawn to the encounter of Mary and Jesus in the garden. It has such a powerful impact.

“Mary Magdalene stood crying outside the tomb. She was still weeping, when she stooped down 12 and saw two angels inside. They were dressed in white and were sitting where Jesus’ body had been. One was at the head and the other was at the foot. 13 The angels asked Mary, “Why are you crying?”

She answered, “They have taken away my Lord’s body! I don’t know where they have put him.”

As soon as Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know who he was. 15 Jesus asked her, “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener and said, “Sir, if you have taken his body away, please tell me, so I can go and get him.”

16 Then Jesus said to her, “Mary!”

She turned and said to him, “Rabboni.” The Aramaic word “Rabboni” means “Teacher.” John 20:14-16 CEV

Mary had been at the foot of the cross and I’m sure she saw Jesus take that last breath and utter those words “It is finished”. Her heart broken; she had probably thought of nothing else for the last few days. The Sabbath was over and now she was able to go to the tomb and prepare His body properly for burial.

Jesus was her friend, her teacher, no one had ever been as compassionate as He. She could complete this one last expression of love and loyalty to honor Him. But when she arrived at the tomb He was gone…

Her heart sunk and the tears began to flow. She had probably stuffed her emotions deep just to make it through this last act of service but finding the tomb empty she began to weep.

Turning away from the tomb I’m sure her mind was filled with confusion and hopelessness. With her eyes filled with tears she saw someone standing behind her in the garden. She didn’t recognize this man in the early morning light and with her sight blurred by her tears. She thought he was the gardener.

He spoke to her and she questioned him but then it became personal. He spoke her name, “Mary”.

No one had a voice like His! No one had ever spoken her name the way He did! This was a one-on-one exchange between Mary and her Lord.

Jesus cares about our grieving, our broken hearts, our troubled minds. He cared enough to give His life for our salvation, our wholeness – spirit, soul and body.

“For sure He took on Himself our troubles and carried our sorrows. Yet we thought of Him as being punished and hurt by God, and made to suffer. 5 But He was hurt for our wrong-doing. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so we would have peace. He was beaten so we would be healed.” Isaiah 53:4-5 NLV

In my darkest hours of overwhelming sorrow and in my moments of greatest joy I have heard Him speak my name. When you hear Him speak your name it makes a lasting impact.

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A Gift for All

I imagine that quite a few of you are getting ready for a family gathering this Easter Sunday.

When I was a child our family gatherings were limited; we lived in Arizona and all our relatives lived in Iowa. So, our get togethers centered around our friends from church. Mom would make a big potato salad, cook a ham, make fresh rolls, deviled eggs and pies, lots of pies.

After church everyone would come to our house. We had a ping pong table set up in the carport that Mom would cover it with a sheet. The food would be brought out and organized. Plates and silverware at one end, pies and desserts at the other. The house was filled with love and laughter.

We were celebrating the resurrection – God’s gift to us all!

“In the past we were foolish too. We did not obey, we were wrong, and we were slaves to the many things our bodies wanted and enjoyed. We lived doing evil and being jealous. People hated us and we hated each other. 4 But then the kindness and love of God our Savior was made known. 5 He saved us because of his mercy, not because of any good things we did. He saved us through the washing that made us new people. He saved us by making us new through the Holy Spirit. 6 God poured out to us that Holy Spirit fully through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 We were made right with God by his grace. God saved us so that we could be his children and look forward to receiving life that never ends. 8 This is a true statement.” Titus 3:3-8 ERV

Saved by grace!

I knew that I wasn’t good enough to get to heaven on my own. I needed a Savior and God gave me One. He gave His Son to forgive my sins and make me right with Him. He demonstrated His unconditional love!

The wonderful news of the resurrection is that everyone is included. No one is left outside of God’s forgiveness.

“Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And he is the way all people can have their sins taken away too.” I John 2:2 ERV

There isn’t a heavenly selection committee that includes or excludes us from God’s love. Christ paid the price for all of us and then freely gave us the gift of life.

“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

A free gift. A gift for all.

My Mom gave pie, made with love. God gives us forgiveness and new life from His loving heart. There is no greater gift than God’s free gift of being made right with Him.

I sincerely pray that everyone reading this has, or will, accept God’s gift to us all.

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Imperfect & Usable

After reading yesterday morning’s blog were you consciously aware of the many opportunities you had to be humble?

I was.

One of the things I find most humbling is God’s desire and ability to use us in our imperfection.

He used Adam in spite of his disobedience. Abraham was a man used mightily by God but he had times that he lied to protect his own life instead of trusting God to defend him. David served the Lord faithfully for many years and then committed adultery and murder. Samson was used by God to destroy the Philistines but had anger issues.

Peter denied the Lord and Paul persecuted the Christian believers. Each of these men had issues with humility, however, they repented and were forgiven.

How many times have thoughts from our past side-lined us from doing what we felt God wanted us to do?

Thoughts of failure, fear, unworthiness and shame.

“Some of the teachers of the Law of Moses were Pharisees, and they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors. So they asked his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’

17 Jesus heard them and answered, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.'” Mark 2:16-17 CEV

Jesus didn’t come to the religious elite; He came to those who knew they needed a Savior. He came to people like you and me.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. It’s a day that commemorates Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. The people who had heard Jesus teach, been healed by his touch and seen the miracles that he performed were lining the streets, awaiting His arrival.

“The disciples led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back, and Jesus got on. 8 Many people spread clothes on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields. 9  In front of Jesus and behind him, people went along shouting,

“Hooray!
God bless the one who comes
    in the name of the Lord!
10 God bless the coming kingdom
    of our ancestor David.
Hooray for God
    in heaven above!” Mark 11:7-10 CEV

Now it’s our turn to praise Him!

We have been made new, by His grace. Our imperfections don’t disqualify us. In fact, it is those very things that make us recipients of His grace.

“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

Fully aware of our imperfections, Father, we say thank you for your grace. Thank you for making us new and giving us a life filled with good things. Amen!

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The Delivery

I can’t even begin to tell you how many deliveries we have had since we took possession of our new home. There are so many little things I couldn’t find after the move or I didn’t think I’d need any longer and sold, only to replace them.

It’s one thing to receive a delivery of something I’ve ordered but there’s a completely separate emotion and excitement when I see that it is something which has been sent by a friend or family member.

Never once have I taken that unexpected arrival, set it on the table and left it to be opened later. No, it’s one of those “find the box knife and open it carefully” moments. Everything about this unexpected gift says it’s special.

I was remembering this morning the boxes my Mom used to send when I was in college. The boxes would be wrapped in brown paper and there would be stickers or handwritten drawings on the wrapping. Inside there were cookies, homemade candies, a favorite magazine, stationery and stamps – little things that told me she loved me.

Now, imagine today one of those delivery drivers stops at your house with a package. You don’t recognize the store or the return address. It’s addressed to you but from whom?

It’s the most wonderful gift ever! You’re overcome with emotion. Tears stream down your face; words can’t express the gratitude. You are overwhelmed and now you grab the phone and call the giver of this precious gift and say, “I’m sorry I can’t receive this. I don’t deserve it and I’ll be sending it back.” Really? No, not at all. You call and express your gratitude and love, or at least that’s what I would do.

Do you know that this is exactly what God has done for us? Let me show you.

““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. 25-26 God gave Jesus as a way to forgive people’s sins through their faith in him. God can forgive them because the blood sacrifice of Jesus pays for their sins. God gave Jesus to show that he always does what is right and fair. He was right in the past when he was patient and did not punish people for their sins. And in our own time he still does what is right. God worked all this out in a way that allows him to judge people fairly and still make right any person who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:23-26 ERV

God’s great grace and love gave us something we didn’t deserve. Something we won’t ever earn, something we will never be able to buy. It’s a gift!

It’s a gift of love that comes straight from the Father’s heart. The gift is new life, a relationship with God the Father. We’re saved from the punishment of sin. Jesus took the punishment for us! Why? To show us through all the time to come that He loves us.

I feel I have been given the job of the delivery driver. I get to bring the gift to your home. Once you open it, make sure you call the Father and thank Him for this amazing gift of love!

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Special & Unique

I know we all want to feel special. There is something in us that hopes for the little extras. A bigger piece of pie, an extra scoop of ice cream, more money per hour at work, the bigger bouquet, the nicer car, the corner office and the list goes on.

I’ve never was the one who won the trophy buckle, graduated valedictorian, was promoted to executive team or even won the state championship. But there is one thing I’ve done that puts me in the top group every time!

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

Yes, I’m a member of the world – I’m an everyone! That makes me a recipient of the Father’s love and a recipient of life eternal. I’m one of billions of people who lived on this planet, but I am one in a million in God’s eyes! He knows the number of hairs on my head, He knows when I fall, and He knows my name.

“Training your body helps you in some ways. But devotion to God helps you in every way. It brings you blessings in this life and in the future life too. 9 Here is a true statement that should be accepted without question: 10 We hope in the living God, the Savior of all people. In particular, he is the Savior of all those who believe in him.” I Timothy 4:8-10 CEV

Our heavenly Father has salvation for ALL, but we have a part to play and that is we must BELIEVE in Him.

If I came to your house with a big box, wrapped in beautiful paper, tied up with a gorgeous ribbon and I had put your name on the box, would that present be yours? Well of course it would!

If you took that present and set it on the dining room table and looked at it, each day, admiring how pretty it was and how nice it was of me to bring it, would it benefit you? No, not really. It’s not until you open the gift, fully accept it, that it truly becomes yours and is a benefit to you.

Many people have seen the gift the Father brought them; the gift of forgiveness and restoration but for whatever reason have failed to open it and appropriate it for themselves.

“Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And he is the way all people can have their sins taken away too.” I John 2:2 CEV

“no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. 13 All who call out to the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:12-13 CEV

So, you see if you are a whosoever, an everyone, an “all people”, the gift is yours! Accept it and take advantage of what we have been given. We are each very special to the Father!

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True Value

Have you ever noticed the way the advertisers work to create low self-esteem at the beginning of each year? They add on to the notation that many have already adopted – I’m not good enough, I weigh too much, I need to join a gym…eat better, join a weight loss program…need a new hair style or different clothes.

It’s out there to convince us that we need to make a change and then we will be happier, more beautiful, healthier, more successful.

Our real value isn’t always recognized. It doesn’t come from how we look, what we eat, what we drive or any of those other things. Our acceptance, our status, comes from who we are in Christ. We have been given the ultimate make-over.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.” II Corinthians 5:17 CEV

The most rewarding thing to me about our “belonging” to Christ is that it doesn’t depend upon our social status, our belonging to a certain club or church, our financial standing isn’t taken into consideration nor is our beauty. It all depends on Christ and not on us. What brings us in to right standing with the Father is our acceptance of the sacrifice of the Son.

“My children, I am writing this so that you won’t sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us. 2 Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.” I John 2:1-2 CEV

All the world’s people…everyone, yes, everyone! No one is left outside of God’s love and His provision for new life. Our part is to accept that free gift; the Lord won’t force us to take it, but He wants everyone to benefit from it. When we accept what Christ has done for us there is no one or no thing that can separate us from God’s love.

“ If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34 Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death?… 

37 In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—…Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” Romans 8:33-39 CEV

Nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from God’s love! The sentiment of the world may be that we aren’t acceptable or that we have no value but that’s not how God sees us. To Him, we are precious – priceless.

“And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.” Malachi 3:17 AMPC

So, as you come into this New Year focus on what is truly life affirming, life changing. Spend time with the Father and let Him confirm your true value.

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Everyone? Who’s Everyone?

Each morning I read through the account of Christ’s birth in Luke 2 but there’s a phrase that has only started to impact my thinking the last couple of weeks.

“Everyone listened and was surprised.” Luke 2:18 CEV

Everyone! Who’s everyone?

The verses right before this have the shepherds running through the streets to find the baby they had been told about. The verse immediately following it tell us that Mary meditated on everything that the shepherds told her.

But who is the everyone?

“ So they went running and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the feeding box. 17 When they saw the baby, they told what the angels said about this child. 18 Everyone was surprised when they heard what the shepherds told them. 19 Mary continued to think about these things, trying to understand them.” Luke 2:16-19 ERV

The “everyone” was obviously more than just Mary and Joseph. One translation says the shepherds told everyone they saw about what the angels said. This isn’t very religious but the image I get in my head is one from the old western movies when someone finds gold.

They run into the saloon, out of breath, ordered a whisky and holler out “I’ve found the mother lode”! And EVERYONE stops to listen. This message that the shepherds gave was of more value than finding the mother lode – the love of God is more precious than silver, more costly than gold!

But back to the everyone…were these people neighbors of Mary and Joseph? Did they finally accept that Mary hadn’t been a promiscuous teenager whose hormones had run wild? We’re they strangers who had come to Bethlehem and registered in the census, who had heard the stories of the coming Messiah and now were “lucky” enough to be in the right place at the right time?

I really don’t know but I do know the shepherds were thrilled with the message they had received and were eager to share it.

Let’s be like the shepherds – let’s share the message with our group of “everyone”.

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Copy/Paste Christmas Style

This morning I opened a tab and input the words “copy paste Christmas image” and what popped up was a catalog of images that were available to copy and paste of all things Christmas.

But that wasn’t quite what I was looking for. You know the concept was God’s idea.

“26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:25-27 KJV

God created us to be like Him – to be His representative, His counterpart on the earth. But when Adam sinned our nature was changed. God had to work to restore what He had intended for man to be. Enter Jesus.

“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

Jesus restored us to the position that we had before Adam sinned. In Christ we are a NEW CREATION – a new creature – like the one that God created in the Garden of Eden. Jesus restored us to our original likeness.

He copies and pastes the origin blueprint that God used for man into our hearts when we receive the gift of salvation.

“But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. 5 We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.)” Ephesians 2:4-5 ERV

In Christ we have been made new.

It’s not something we work to earn but something we receive freely by grace. Just as Adam was God’s idea and he did nothing to deserve or even request his creation so is our salvation and our restoration to a living and loving relationship with the Father God.

“Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.” Romans 5:19 CEV

Copy/paste Christmas style! The gift of new life in Christ, the gift of being restored to the Father’s likeness.

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Christmas Wrapping

Today I’ll start wrapping some presents. It’s a task I put off because it’s really not my thing. I have friends who do an amazing job. Their gifts are so beautiful that you almost hate to open them, almost.

I’ve had the wrapping paper in the closet for weeks but I couldn’t find the gift tags. I was determined not to run out to the store just for that so I was going to make some however, the other day, while going through my file cabinet, I found them. Thank you.

I got to thinking about some of the Christmas gifts I have received over the years. The simple gifts that came from the kids when they were little. The gift tag was written in crayon and the gift bows were yarn or string. Dave had a way of making Christmas gifts special – he loved to do leather work and for several years I received hand tooled and hand stamped leather coasters. He would place them on my gift as a “To/From” but really, they were and still are the gifts I cherish most.

There’s one other gift that means the world to me. Understated and wrapped in the most unique way. Looking at it from the outside there was no hint as to the real value. Priceless in fact! But the gift tag was beyond expression – flamboyant, glitzy, a real eye catcher.

“ That night, some shepherds were out in the fields near Bethlehem watching their sheep. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining around them. The shepherds were very afraid. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I have some very good news for you—news that will make everyone happy. 11 Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.” Luke 2:8-12 ERV

The gift tag filled the sky with wonder! The To: and From: were written boldly by the hand of the Father.

“ 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

To: Everyone From: God

The gift: small and non-descript. A baby boy wrapped in cloth laying in a feeding trough on a mattress of hay.

The gift: extraordinary!! The Son of God in human form, left heaven, came to earth to be the Savior of all who believe.

From: The Father’s Heart. To: All Who Believe.

The gift has been wrapped; the tag has been written. Receive the gift that completely changes our lives!

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The Unexpected

Yesterday Dave and I took a drive, not far from our campground to a place called Lee’s Valley Reservoir.  It’s a small lake – such a serene setting.

We weren’t there for the fishing or picnicking. We went specifically to find a strong internet connection so that we could stream our church service and get some computer work done. I couldn’t think of a nicer place to hold up.

It was so good to be a part of a live service and hear good teaching from God’s word.

After we left there, we stopped by to see a friend of ours, another camp host. We had a short visit but when the dark clouds started rolling in, we knew it was time to head for home.  Within minutes the rain was pouring down, the windshield wipers on the truck couldn’t keep up.

About that time my phone rang. The rain was beating so strongly on the roof of the truck I didn’t know if we would be able to hear but I answered. Dave pulled the truck off the road on to an overlook.  It was our oldest daughter. We chatted for a few minutes but explained about the driving rain we were experiencing so we cut the conversation short.

On to home.

As we pulled onto the road to the campground the sun broke through and everything appeared to be crisp and well washed by the rain. I went to check with the hosts on duty to make sure all was well.

What they told me was a bit unnerving. Just moments before we had arrived there had been a lightning strike in the campground. It was close to us. Dave and I went to investigate and make sure all the campers were ok. It struck right behind our 5th wheel in the site up the bank from us. The campers in that site had been sitting outside when it hit! They were obviously shaken but ok. Chunks of timber were thrown everywhere.

Dave and our manager were busy inspecting the tree and discussing its stability and the safety concerns while I spoke with the one camper. I told him I was sure that God had provided he and the others with protection. He agreed and then he said this, “That’s why we live each day as if it could be our last and we are ready anytime that this may be our last breath. I’m ready.”

I assured him we were too, and we were very grateful that they were all safe!

“So always be cheerful! As long as we are in these bodies, we are away from the Lord. 7 But we live by faith, not by what we see. 8 We should be cheerful, because we would rather leave these bodies and be at home with the Lord. 9 But whether we are at home with the Lord or away from him, we still try our best to please him.” II Corinthians 5:6-9 CEV

My question for you this morning is are you ready? Do you know that when you leave this body that you will be present with the Father?  I would hate to think that those reading this might not be sure where they would be if they died today. If you’re uncertain please pray this simple prayer.

“Father, I’m not sure I’m ready if this is to be my final day on earth. I’m not sure I would be in heaven with You. I want to be sure. I know I have sinned, but I also know that Jesus died to see that my sins are forgiven and I can be adopted as one of Your children. I believe that You did this for me, and I ask you to receive me now as Your child. Thank you for giving me new life. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Today is a new day for all of us. Things may come that we aren’t expecting but nothing catches our heavenly Father unaware. We can have peace as we trust in Him.

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