This is a great middle ground book in terms of accessibility and conciseness. Although it is a compilation of articles written by some of the most highly regarded teachers and theologians, it's not filled with insider language and over your head analysis of scripture. It's a book written for the express purpose of understanding what the bible is all about.
For a lot of Christians, the bible is a huge, sweeping work of history, theology, and poetry. What Wayne Grudem and his team have done is painted a simple picture of the bible by breaking it down into unifying themes. They use a "how-to" approach for reading the bible and understanding common threads throughout each section.
For example, my favorite chapter, "The Time between the Testaments," does a great job of parsing the political, social, and religious structures surrounding the world of Middle Judaism. After reading this chapter, you can study the N.T. with a deeper appreciation of what the writers were living through during the first century. You can feel more clearly the weight of the religious, political, and social tensions of the time as Jesus is teaching His parables or when Paul confronts the outsiders infiltrating the Galatian church. There is a wonderful mixture of history and and practical theology in every chapter of this book.
I appreciate the fact that this book focuses on teaching the reader to get the most out of their bible study. It is a great study aid and includes some very helpful timelines and summary guides.
{I received this book for free from Crossway for this review.}
Saturday
Love, Sex, & Happily Ever After (Review)
Craig Groeschel doesn't hide behind an "I've got it all together, so let me tell you the answers," facade. That's what I like about his style. He is honest enough to say, "I'm sorry to say we compromised...Eventually we crossed some physical boundaries, never 'going all the way,' but we definitely went too far." He takes an honest look at some really tough (and some wildly unpopular topics) that most couples choose to gloss over or ignore completely.
The most dangerous thing for most couples is their "learn as we go" approach to their relationship. Because they think that love should always be melting hearts and giddy laughter, they are unwilling to do the hard work of love. In the end, disillusionment sets in, and the "I guess he's just not the one for me" conversations start happening. Groeschel does a good job of tackling this type of "fuzzy logic" and others like: test-driving marriage, misplaced priorities, and mutual leadership.
This is one of those books that you keep on the bookshelf for quick reference. It's packed with great illustrations and well written explanations of some of the most confusing issues that couples face. For those about to get married or if you are currently sitting in the middle of a mucky marriage, this book takes the edge off of some very sensitive subjects while at the same time sharing the hard truth about what a marriage submitted to God and to one another really looks like.
The study guide in the back is a great addition to the book. It's not filled with vague generalities like most study guides. It makes the topics in the book very personal and applicable. The questions force you to personalize and honestly give an answer for each topic. It would be a great book to study in a couple's small group.
{I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.}
The most dangerous thing for most couples is their "learn as we go" approach to their relationship. Because they think that love should always be melting hearts and giddy laughter, they are unwilling to do the hard work of love. In the end, disillusionment sets in, and the "I guess he's just not the one for me" conversations start happening. Groeschel does a good job of tackling this type of "fuzzy logic" and others like: test-driving marriage, misplaced priorities, and mutual leadership.
This is one of those books that you keep on the bookshelf for quick reference. It's packed with great illustrations and well written explanations of some of the most confusing issues that couples face. For those about to get married or if you are currently sitting in the middle of a mucky marriage, this book takes the edge off of some very sensitive subjects while at the same time sharing the hard truth about what a marriage submitted to God and to one another really looks like.
The study guide in the back is a great addition to the book. It's not filled with vague generalities like most study guides. It makes the topics in the book very personal and applicable. The questions force you to personalize and honestly give an answer for each topic. It would be a great book to study in a couple's small group.
{I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.}
Pray & Give Thanks
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, pray
without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you.” (ESV)
This is one of those scriptures that is much easier to “Amen”
than it is to live out. But this rejoicing isn’t just in circumstances, it’s
rejoicing in God and His promises. It doesn’t mean that when things are going
horribly wrong we just naively turn a blind eye and act like there is no
problem. You can only truly rejoice when there is hope, and the only true
source of hope in hard times is God’s Word.
Just like in this verse, throughout the bible we are told to “pray and give thanks....pray and give thanks.”
But how do you know what to pray for? And what am I supposed to be thankful for
when everything seems to be coming against me? Well, we had better know,
because it’s during those times when we are at our weakest, which means the
only way out is to draw strength from somewhere else.
The answer, of course, is God’s Word. But specifically we need to
first know what God’s Word says about our circumstances so that we can pray in
faith (which means in agreement with His Word). And then we should begin to
give thanks for His promises. There is no greater expression of faith than to
thank God for your victory while you are still in the midst of the battle.
It’s during those times when an ordinary person would get angry
and depressed and discouraged, because they have no place from where they can
draw even an ounce of hope. But you have your roots planted somewhere else, and
the source that you are drawing up from cannot be depleted - the river of God
and his Word.
Friday
The Pleasures of God (Review)
John Piper's "The Pleasures of God" is an excellent follow up to "Desiring God." He makes an even more irrefutable case for his famous saying "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." God is fully satisfied in Himself, therefore, our joy is fully satisfied in Him.
He points out that you don't really know someone until you understand what makes them happy. Piper wants us to tap into an intimacy with God that few people even know they are able to pursue. If we don't understand the joy of God, we'll be tempted to pursue a relationship with Him that is based on works instead of resting in our justification, which reconciled us to a God who doesn't need us to please Him.
As always, his use of scripture to paint a picture of the character and nature of God is intuitive and fitting. I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking to deepen their personal relationship with God.
Author's Site
He points out that you don't really know someone until you understand what makes them happy. Piper wants us to tap into an intimacy with God that few people even know they are able to pursue. If we don't understand the joy of God, we'll be tempted to pursue a relationship with Him that is based on works instead of resting in our justification, which reconciled us to a God who doesn't need us to please Him.
As always, his use of scripture to paint a picture of the character and nature of God is intuitive and fitting. I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking to deepen their personal relationship with God.
Author's Site
Monday
It Is Finished
American culture is one of the main culprits that threatens our understanding of the gospel. We are the most self-reliant people on earth. We live in an "I got this" culture. Our unquestioned ambition says, "If it's going to be, it's up to me," and "If you want it done right, you've got to do it yourself." We've got this bravado that has served us well in business and has catapulted America to the top of the world's food chain. In fact, our self-reliance has served to define freedom for the rest of the world. We view ourselves as the freest people on earth, because in America if you work hard enough, you can do and be anything you want.
Putting on the bravado and displaying strong self-confidence might work in the business world, but it doesn't translate well into the gospel and our relationship with God.
There is absolutely no room for bravado at the cross.
Yet, that is exactly what we've done. We think that sayings like "God helps those who help themselves" and "God will never allow you to go through something that you cannot handle" are actually in the bible. In fact, the bible teaches exactly the opposite! God helps us because we cannot help ourselves. And while the bible teaches that "He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13), it never promises that we will always have the ability to be self-sufficient. I am constantly brought to the point in my life where I have to come to God and in surrender say, "I've got nothing left. I can't do this without You. Do in me what I cannot."
The biggest lie we believe is that we are in control. This is an illusion. What do we have control over that can't be completely undone by one phone call?
Because of all of this we have a tendency to look at the cross and say, "Surely it can't be that easy," and we feel compelled to help God out. We recognize that we are sinners, but our lack of confidence in the cross is replaced by our self-confidence.
A lot of times our over-confidence is fueled by guilt, and we busy ourselves with all this religious activity, because we want to be seen as responsible Christians. We think that if we can wear ourselves out in the church (like we do in business), the payoff will be increased favor with God. This illustrates an egregious misunderstanding of grace. God's not sitting there impatiently waiting on you to clean yourself up. Because we are powerless to heal ourselves, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24)
Grace means that there is nothing that you can do to earn favor with God, which also means that there is nothing you can do to lose it. It's His work that saved you, not your own efforts. Doesn't it make sense that it's His grace that will also keep you?
Paul asked the church at Galatia the same thing: "Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:2-3)
It's as if we are standing before the cross and we hear Jesus say, "It is finished," and we arrogantly respond, "Not yet."
Self-righteousness is an oxymoron (Isaiah 64:6). Our only appropriate response to the cross is unconditional surrender.
Putting on the bravado and displaying strong self-confidence might work in the business world, but it doesn't translate well into the gospel and our relationship with God.
There is absolutely no room for bravado at the cross.
Yet, that is exactly what we've done. We think that sayings like "God helps those who help themselves" and "God will never allow you to go through something that you cannot handle" are actually in the bible. In fact, the bible teaches exactly the opposite! God helps us because we cannot help ourselves. And while the bible teaches that "He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13), it never promises that we will always have the ability to be self-sufficient. I am constantly brought to the point in my life where I have to come to God and in surrender say, "I've got nothing left. I can't do this without You. Do in me what I cannot."
The biggest lie we believe is that we are in control. This is an illusion. What do we have control over that can't be completely undone by one phone call?
Because of all of this we have a tendency to look at the cross and say, "Surely it can't be that easy," and we feel compelled to help God out. We recognize that we are sinners, but our lack of confidence in the cross is replaced by our self-confidence.
A lot of times our over-confidence is fueled by guilt, and we busy ourselves with all this religious activity, because we want to be seen as responsible Christians. We think that if we can wear ourselves out in the church (like we do in business), the payoff will be increased favor with God. This illustrates an egregious misunderstanding of grace. God's not sitting there impatiently waiting on you to clean yourself up. Because we are powerless to heal ourselves, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24)
Grace means that there is nothing that you can do to earn favor with God, which also means that there is nothing you can do to lose it. It's His work that saved you, not your own efforts. Doesn't it make sense that it's His grace that will also keep you?
Paul asked the church at Galatia the same thing: "Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:2-3)
It's as if we are standing before the cross and we hear Jesus say, "It is finished," and we arrogantly respond, "Not yet."
Self-righteousness is an oxymoron (Isaiah 64:6). Our only appropriate response to the cross is unconditional surrender.
The Fruit of Wisdom
What wisdom is or produces in your life according to Proverbs 3:13-26:
-Happiness (vs. 13)
-It's precious (vs. 15)
-Length of days (vs. 16)
-Riches & honor (vs. 16
-Pleasantness (vs. 17)
-Peace (vs. 17)
-Blessedness (vs. 18)
-Life (vs. 22)
-Grace (vs. 22)
-Safety (vs. 23)
-No fear (vs. 24)
-Sweet sleep (vs. 24)
-Confidence (vs. 26)
-Happiness (vs. 13)
-It's precious (vs. 15)
-Length of days (vs. 16)
-Riches & honor (vs. 16
-Pleasantness (vs. 17)
-Peace (vs. 17)
-Blessedness (vs. 18)
-Life (vs. 22)
-Grace (vs. 22)
-Safety (vs. 23)
-No fear (vs. 24)
-Sweet sleep (vs. 24)
-Confidence (vs. 26)
Saturday
Our Goal: Delight In God
One of the greatest things I like to teach is that we do not have to earn what was freely given to us through Christ. Unfortunately, my biggest fear with teaching against works in terms of them being necessary for a relationship with God is that it might cause some people to assume that I think that bible study and prayer, attending church and serving are unimportant.
All of those things are important, and they will always be present in the life of someone who has been truly saved. The problem is that somehow, almost instinctively, most of us use those things as a replacement for the pursuit of God.
Here's what I mean: Those things are vehicles we use to draw closer to God, not destinations in themselves. When you think of them as destinations, you will be tempted to point to all of the things you're doing and say, "I've arrived," as if you are satisfying within yourself some sort of obligation or duty. In fact, you haven't arrived; you've simply gotten in the vehicle.
If our destination is (as it should be) the glory of God and His kingdom (Matthew 6:33; Psalm 37:3-4), then our delight in and joy of God is the fuel that will get us there.
God is never glorified by our begrudging submission to Him. Think of it this way; how is God glorified in our worship and our service of others if we find no joy in it or if we're simply doing it out of duty? (1 Samuel 15:22)
Worship and service is borne out of our love and joy in God, not the other way around. A changed life doesn't bring about a love for God, but a love for God will always bring about a changed life.
This is more than just semantics.
The person who tries to "arrive" at God by merely doing things that seem godly is getting in a vehicle with no fuel expecting it to take them where they want to go.
The tragedy is that once they realize that the vehicle isn't moving them in the direction that they want to go, they'll simply "try harder" in order to push it and force it to go where they want it to go.
Like the Pharisees, they will then end up abusing the things of God, relying on false hope (John 5:37-42 esp. 39 & 42), or worse they will abandon the vehicle all together convinced that it doesn't work and that there is no hope.
This is the difference between living under "law" versus living under grace. Law wants to do where grace says simply receive.
Law assumes that what we do is somehow tied to our position with God. The more we do the more right our position is with God.
Living under grace means understanding and taking delight in the fact that we have already been made positionally right with God by no efforts of our own and nothing we do, right or wrong, will change that (John 10:27-29; Romans 5:1-2).
The things of God aren't commands that we are condemned or saved by (although we have been commanded to do them). They are invitations to experience and find satisfaction in the joy of the Lord (Psalms 51:12; Psalm 90:14; Isaiah 55:2).
God is inviting us to new delights not just new duties; new treasures, not just new tasks (Matthew 6:33). He wants to give us rest, not more work, because He's already accomplished the work. He wants us to wear an easy yoke, not a heavy burden, because He's already carried that burden for us (Matthew 11:28-30).
If you view this life as a burden (which it certainly is) and the things of God as a burden (which they never should be), where will you go for rest, satisfaction, or hope?
When our only goal is to rest in and delight ourselves in God, we will worship and glorify Him in everything we "do."
In the end, that is the only way that our worship of and rest in Him can extend beyond our efforts to glorify Him with our "works" and be that which also sustains us in our darkest times (Psalm 46:10).
All of those things are important, and they will always be present in the life of someone who has been truly saved. The problem is that somehow, almost instinctively, most of us use those things as a replacement for the pursuit of God.
Here's what I mean: Those things are vehicles we use to draw closer to God, not destinations in themselves. When you think of them as destinations, you will be tempted to point to all of the things you're doing and say, "I've arrived," as if you are satisfying within yourself some sort of obligation or duty. In fact, you haven't arrived; you've simply gotten in the vehicle.
If our destination is (as it should be) the glory of God and His kingdom (Matthew 6:33; Psalm 37:3-4), then our delight in and joy of God is the fuel that will get us there.
God is never glorified by our begrudging submission to Him. Think of it this way; how is God glorified in our worship and our service of others if we find no joy in it or if we're simply doing it out of duty? (1 Samuel 15:22)
Worship and service is borne out of our love and joy in God, not the other way around. A changed life doesn't bring about a love for God, but a love for God will always bring about a changed life.
This is more than just semantics.
The person who tries to "arrive" at God by merely doing things that seem godly is getting in a vehicle with no fuel expecting it to take them where they want to go.
The tragedy is that once they realize that the vehicle isn't moving them in the direction that they want to go, they'll simply "try harder" in order to push it and force it to go where they want it to go.
Like the Pharisees, they will then end up abusing the things of God, relying on false hope (John 5:37-42 esp. 39 & 42), or worse they will abandon the vehicle all together convinced that it doesn't work and that there is no hope.
This is the difference between living under "law" versus living under grace. Law wants to do where grace says simply receive.
Law assumes that what we do is somehow tied to our position with God. The more we do the more right our position is with God.
Living under grace means understanding and taking delight in the fact that we have already been made positionally right with God by no efforts of our own and nothing we do, right or wrong, will change that (John 10:27-29; Romans 5:1-2).
The things of God aren't commands that we are condemned or saved by (although we have been commanded to do them). They are invitations to experience and find satisfaction in the joy of the Lord (Psalms 51:12; Psalm 90:14; Isaiah 55:2).
God is inviting us to new delights not just new duties; new treasures, not just new tasks (Matthew 6:33). He wants to give us rest, not more work, because He's already accomplished the work. He wants us to wear an easy yoke, not a heavy burden, because He's already carried that burden for us (Matthew 11:28-30).
If you view this life as a burden (which it certainly is) and the things of God as a burden (which they never should be), where will you go for rest, satisfaction, or hope?
When our only goal is to rest in and delight ourselves in God, we will worship and glorify Him in everything we "do."
In the end, that is the only way that our worship of and rest in Him can extend beyond our efforts to glorify Him with our "works" and be that which also sustains us in our darkest times (Psalm 46:10).
Sunday
Understanding the Discipline of God
We need to be careful not to misunderstand God's wrath and God's discipline as being the same thing. A lot of people assume that both are borne out of anger toward us. The truth is that God's wrath is His response to us based on His hatred of sin. Discipline is His response to us as a Father based on His love for His children.
As believers, Christ absorbed God's wrath in our place on the cross, but because we still live in sin, we get His discipline. This is God's way of lovingly chipping away everything in our lives that does not look like Him so that we can then become more and more like Christ.
“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?"
‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by Him.
For the Lord disciplines the one He loves,
and chastises every son whom He receives.’
"It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
"Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” Hebrews 12:4-13 (ESV)
The picture that this passage uses is that of a parent discipling their children. Any parent can testify that they do not take any pleasure in disciplining their kids. We do it reluctantly, yet willingly, because we love our kids, and we know that however painful it may be, we are actually protecting them from learning the lessons of life the hard way.
In the end, the goal of God's discipline is not to punish us for being sinners (Christ already took that punishment), it's to redeem us by training us for righteousness. In His discipline God is not trying to rob our joy, but rather He is trying to fulfill our joy by lining us up with the way He created things to work.
In the same way, with my kids I'm not simply punishing them because they did something bad. And my goal's not even to to simply stop them from being bad. I'm trying to teach them how to do what's right.
Unfortunately, some people misunderstand God's discipline thinking that He is angry at them and punishing them for their sin. This type of wrong thinking will only produce anger towards God and a heart that will only seek more creative ways to sin so that he won't get "caught."
"There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1
God's goal is not to bruise us, but to heal us. He's not just trying to stop something bad from growing in us. He's also trying to plant something good within us that will grow into the "fruit of righteousness" in our lives (vs. 11). It is extremely painful to have God rip the weeds of sin out of our lives, but in the end it's the most loving thing He can do.
When Bethany was about 3 years old, we found her in front of her Nana's open pill case with medicine spilled all over the floor. Since at that age she was putting everything in sight into her mouth, we could only assume that she had ingested several pills. We immediately rushed her to the emergency room. Oblivious to what was going on, she was happy and playful as the doctors prepared the activated charcoal solution. As soon as they opened her mouth and forced the liquid down her throat, she began to cry and look at me with this, "Why are you allowing this to happen, Daddy?" look in her eyes. As much as it pained me to watch her go through something that was so scary, confusing, and uncomfortable to her, I knew I was doing it for her good. It was my intense love for her that caused me to permit something that traumatic. Knowing that there was something inside of her that could potentially kill her, the cruelest thing I could have done as her father was nothing.
God's love for us is so intense that He will lovingly discipline us (refine us) time and time again until we look like Him.
As believers, Christ absorbed God's wrath in our place on the cross, but because we still live in sin, we get His discipline. This is God's way of lovingly chipping away everything in our lives that does not look like Him so that we can then become more and more like Christ.
“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?"
‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by Him.
For the Lord disciplines the one He loves,
and chastises every son whom He receives.’
"It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
"Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” Hebrews 12:4-13 (ESV)
The picture that this passage uses is that of a parent discipling their children. Any parent can testify that they do not take any pleasure in disciplining their kids. We do it reluctantly, yet willingly, because we love our kids, and we know that however painful it may be, we are actually protecting them from learning the lessons of life the hard way.
In the end, the goal of God's discipline is not to punish us for being sinners (Christ already took that punishment), it's to redeem us by training us for righteousness. In His discipline God is not trying to rob our joy, but rather He is trying to fulfill our joy by lining us up with the way He created things to work.
In the same way, with my kids I'm not simply punishing them because they did something bad. And my goal's not even to to simply stop them from being bad. I'm trying to teach them how to do what's right.
Unfortunately, some people misunderstand God's discipline thinking that He is angry at them and punishing them for their sin. This type of wrong thinking will only produce anger towards God and a heart that will only seek more creative ways to sin so that he won't get "caught."
"There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1
God's goal is not to bruise us, but to heal us. He's not just trying to stop something bad from growing in us. He's also trying to plant something good within us that will grow into the "fruit of righteousness" in our lives (vs. 11). It is extremely painful to have God rip the weeds of sin out of our lives, but in the end it's the most loving thing He can do.
When Bethany was about 3 years old, we found her in front of her Nana's open pill case with medicine spilled all over the floor. Since at that age she was putting everything in sight into her mouth, we could only assume that she had ingested several pills. We immediately rushed her to the emergency room. Oblivious to what was going on, she was happy and playful as the doctors prepared the activated charcoal solution. As soon as they opened her mouth and forced the liquid down her throat, she began to cry and look at me with this, "Why are you allowing this to happen, Daddy?" look in her eyes. As much as it pained me to watch her go through something that was so scary, confusing, and uncomfortable to her, I knew I was doing it for her good. It was my intense love for her that caused me to permit something that traumatic. Knowing that there was something inside of her that could potentially kill her, the cruelest thing I could have done as her father was nothing.
God's love for us is so intense that He will lovingly discipline us (refine us) time and time again until we look like Him.
Double Imputation
A lot of people assume that the only thing keeping us from heaven is our
sin. But we actually have two problems.
1. We have sin....and have no way of getting rid of it.
2. We do not have righteousness....and we have no way of getting it.
So, if we have nothing in us that will earn us favor with God and we
have nothing in us that can make right what we’ve made wrong, on what
grounds can God call us righteous when we are not?
Under the old covenant (in the Old Testament), a spotless lamb, bull, or
goat was sacrificed as a sin offering. Then the high priest would lay his hands
on a goat, symbolizing the transfer of sin from the nation of Israel to the
goat, and send it out into the wilderness (this was the scapegoat).
That was a shadow of what Jesus would do for us as He dies on the cross.
The bible says He willingly took upon Himself the weight of our sin, shame, guilt,
and condemnation (Isaiah 53:3-7).
So, now in the sight of God, He looks at Christ and He sees a mass of
sinfulness, because on the cross our sin was transferred to Jesus.
Now, if that’s all that happened (that single transfer), we would never
be fully justified. We would be innocent in the sight of God, but that is not
what gets us into the Kingdom of God. All that would do is keep us out of
hell…..for the moment….three minutes later, when we sin again, we would be just
as guilty….and Jesus would have died in vain.
-Jesus didn’t take our sin and die on the cross just to get us back to the
Garden of Eden.
-It’s
not just innocence that gets us into the Kingdom of God; it’s righteousness.
“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes
and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:20)
“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds
are like filthy rags.” (Is. 64:6)
That’s why there has to be another transaction. As sinners we cannot
"obtain" righteousness. Even the Pharisees who, in their eyes,
followed the law perfectly still fell short, never attaining righteousness. But
Jesus' righteousness far exceeded theirs. That's what made Him the perfect
sacrifice for our sin to be transferred upon.
So, if our sin was transferred to Christ, what happens to Christ’s
righteousness? This is the second transfer:
Jesus gets our sin and God’s wrath…and we get His
righteousness and God’s grace.
“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that
in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21)
So, now in the sight of God, He looks at us, and He sees the
righteousness of Christ. This is why Jesus' death on the cross doesn't only
change our nature, but it changes our position before God.
This is how Jesus saved us from sin....and to
the Kingdom of God. If we don't understand this, even after we're saved we will be tempted to try and earn what Christ has freely given to us. We cannot earn righteousness or a right standing with God. That has to be imputed to us.
“Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which He thinks
of our sin as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us and
declares us to be righteous in His sight.”
-Wayne Grudem
Monday
God's Wrath Is A Good Thing
If we don’t understand that God’s ultimate purpose is to
glorify Himself, we won’t fully understand His holiness, if we don’t understand His
holiness, we won’t understand sin, if we don’t understand sin, we won’t
understand God’s wrath (it won’t make sense to us), if we don’t understand
God’s wrath, we can’t really understand why Jesus died on the cross, which
means we won’t fully understand God’s grace, and we’ll totally miss the most
beautiful picture of Love there is.
You see how missing even one of these affects the rest?
That’s where we get all these silly ideas like: “God is just mean and cruel,”
“I’m not as bad as Hitler, so I’m a good person,” and “All God had to do was
just forgive us…Jesus didn’t have to die on the cross.”
Most people want to avoid the subject of the wrath of God,
but if we skip that part, we will only have part of the recipe, and without
that key ingredient, we’ll never experience the full flavor of the character
and nature of God. It’s kind of like making a chocolate cake. Sugar, eggs, and
chocolate are all good on their own, but, like God’s wrath, no one wants to
just eat the flour. But if you toss out the flour, you’ll never be able to make
chocolate cake.
I. Wrath of God:
Romans 1:18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress
the truth in righteousness.”
Romans 2:5-8: “Because of your stubbornness and unrepentant
heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath
and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to
every man according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good
seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly
ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
wrath and indignation.”
Romans 12:19: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but
leave room for the wrath [of God], for it is written, “Vengeance is
mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”
Ephesians 2:3: “We were by nature children of
wrath, even as the rest.”
Ephesians 5:6: “The wrath of God is coming upon the sons
of disobedience.”
Colossians 3:5: “Immorality, impurity, passion,
evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry … it is
on account of these things that the wrath of God will come.”
Revelation 6:16: “They will say to the mountains and to the
rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us … from the wrath of the Lamb; for the
great day of … wrath has come; and who is able to stand?’”
Because God is holy, He cannot simply overlook sin. If He
did, He would cease to be just and, therefore, cease to be good. It’s because
God is good that He has to bring sin to justice. God would be unjust to simply
forgive us and say, “I love you so much that I’m just going to forgive you.” In
doing so He’d be belittling His own holiness.
Once we understand holiness and the glory of God and that
our sin is an enemy against that, then we will get a good picture of why God’s
wrath is so severe.
II. The Cup:
Habakkuk 2:16: “The cup in the LORD’s right hand will
come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory!”
All throughout the bible, the cup is synonymous with shame
and the wrath of God towards man’s rebellion against Him.
So, in Luke 22:42 Jesus says, “Father, if you are
willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be
done.”
So, in the end, when we understand our sin and how God’s wrath
is His answer to that, then we will say, “I deserve that cup.” But here’s the
beautiful thing. When it’s time for that cup to be poured on me, it’s going to
be empty. Do you know why it’s empty? Because it was already poured out. It was
poured out on Jesus on the cross.
Hebrews 12:3-4, “Consider Him (Jesus) who endured from
sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or
fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the
point of shedding your blood.”
…..but Jesus did.
God is so jealous for His glory that He will preserve it at ALL costs, and the cross is the
ultimate picture of that. So, in a way we are beneficiaries of God being for
God. But at the same time that God is displaying His wrath toward our sin and rebellion, He is also
displaying His Love toward us.
Think about it. He could have just wiped us all out, right?
He could have said, “That’s it. It’s over,” and He’d have been right to do so.
He didn’t have to do all that it says in Philippians 2 that He did:
-Emptied Himself
-Came to earth as a
man
-Not just as a man but a servant
-Humbled Himself & was obedient to the point of death on
a cross.
III. God’s Grace:
“God so loved the
world that He sent His only Son.” (John 3:16)
“For the joy set
before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame.” (Hebrews 12:2)
“While we were still
sinners Christ died for us,” etc. (Romans 5:8)
The cross is a perfect picture of God’s wrath and God’s love
working together to bring Him glory.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
“God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Justice = getting what you deserve
Mercy = not getting what you deserve
Grace = getting what you do not deserve
In the end, we will
ALL be affected by God’s wrath: you will either be the object of His righteous
wrath when you die (hell), or you will be a monument of God’s grace through the
wrath-absorbing sacrifice of His Son on the cross.
Friday
Feasting On God
One of my favorite verses is Job 23:12, "I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." It's a challenging verse that I rely on when I'm fasting.
One of the surest signs of a mature believer is that he knows what to starve himself of, and he knows what to feast on.
Just in the natural course of living our lives, we create these attachments and dependencies that, while most of them are morally neutral, more often than not rob our passion for the things of God. By nature all of us are too easily satisfied, pouring our affections out on sports, hobbies, careers, etc. Again, these things usually aren't bad, but when it comes to fasting, it's not so much about denying or depriving yourself of food as much as it is about redirecting your affections towards something altogether more satisfying. That's part of the lesson Jesus was trying to teach the woman at the well in John 4:7-15.
Just like food, all of this stuff will only satisfy you temporarily. Sex, money, sports, family, food...are all great, but we'll never experience the fullness of those things apart from God. Apart from God these things will betray you over and over again. Sex will turn to lust, the pursuit of money will turn to greed, food will lead to gluttony, our hobbies and even our family can make us slip into idolatry and pride.
So, in the end, we fast from food, gadgets, TV, etc. so we can free ourselves up to feast on God. I want to empty myself so that I can be filled with His peace, strength, love, grace. I want to detach from those things I am used to running to for peace, approval, and comfort and come to God empty-handed.
Figuratively, I am emptying myself of food and telling God that I am relying on Him to be my spiritual sustenance. Fasting forces you to loosen your hands up on the things of this world and become dependent on God alone. It puts you in a position to where you are dependent on God as your source and sustenance, and you learn to seek God first instead of fleeing to temporary substitutes.
Matthew 6:16 -*33
One of the surest signs of a mature believer is that he knows what to starve himself of, and he knows what to feast on.
Just in the natural course of living our lives, we create these attachments and dependencies that, while most of them are morally neutral, more often than not rob our passion for the things of God. By nature all of us are too easily satisfied, pouring our affections out on sports, hobbies, careers, etc. Again, these things usually aren't bad, but when it comes to fasting, it's not so much about denying or depriving yourself of food as much as it is about redirecting your affections towards something altogether more satisfying. That's part of the lesson Jesus was trying to teach the woman at the well in John 4:7-15.
Just like food, all of this stuff will only satisfy you temporarily. Sex, money, sports, family, food...are all great, but we'll never experience the fullness of those things apart from God. Apart from God these things will betray you over and over again. Sex will turn to lust, the pursuit of money will turn to greed, food will lead to gluttony, our hobbies and even our family can make us slip into idolatry and pride.
So, in the end, we fast from food, gadgets, TV, etc. so we can free ourselves up to feast on God. I want to empty myself so that I can be filled with His peace, strength, love, grace. I want to detach from those things I am used to running to for peace, approval, and comfort and come to God empty-handed.
Figuratively, I am emptying myself of food and telling God that I am relying on Him to be my spiritual sustenance. Fasting forces you to loosen your hands up on the things of this world and become dependent on God alone. It puts you in a position to where you are dependent on God as your source and sustenance, and you learn to seek God first instead of fleeing to temporary substitutes.
Matthew 6:16 -*33
Tuesday
Reborn & Set Free
(This is an add-on to the last post, "What Is Free Will?")
If we have been "set free" in Christ, the manner in which we experience that freedom is in the new birth. But it isn't like Jesus simply opens the door to a new life, and "Voila!" you are "set free." The picture of our freedom is more profound than that.
God's plan for our freedom is not as simple as changing our environment (i.e. our perspective, circumstances, behavior, etc.). I think that's where the Christian "self-help" movement has gone dangerously wrong.
Unlike a man walking out of the prison doors to a new life of freedom, the picture is more like the man, himself, being changed within the prison walls, then living out that freedom in spite of his environment and in front of the other prisoners.
That's why we often don't feel like we are free when the bible says that we are. Have you ever read verses like, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God," (Romans 6:22) and thought, "I certainly don't feel like I've been 'set free' from sin?"
In my life, I relate more to what Paul says in Romans 7:15-19, "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."
The bible makes a clear distinction between being led by the "flesh" and being led by the "Spirit," and as believers, while we live, we can actually be led by both. Thank God He's the source of my righteousness, because on my own, I have no chance for freedom from sin.
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules." (Ezekiel 36:25-27)
Notice that it is God who sprinkles clean water on us to cleanse our unrighteousness, it's God who removes our heart of stone and gives us a new heart of flesh, it's God who puts His Spirit within us, and it's that Spirit who causes us to walk and obey. It's God who rebirths us...it's God who sets us free.
So, there is no room to receive credit and glory for our own salvation. That belongs to God alone. In fact, if freedom were somehow possible without God, wouldn't that merely be considered a prison break? We aren't simply fugitives from unrighteousness. We have been set free and given a new life under grace.
If we have been "set free" in Christ, the manner in which we experience that freedom is in the new birth. But it isn't like Jesus simply opens the door to a new life, and "Voila!" you are "set free." The picture of our freedom is more profound than that.
God's plan for our freedom is not as simple as changing our environment (i.e. our perspective, circumstances, behavior, etc.). I think that's where the Christian "self-help" movement has gone dangerously wrong.
Unlike a man walking out of the prison doors to a new life of freedom, the picture is more like the man, himself, being changed within the prison walls, then living out that freedom in spite of his environment and in front of the other prisoners.
That's why we often don't feel like we are free when the bible says that we are. Have you ever read verses like, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God," (Romans 6:22) and thought, "I certainly don't feel like I've been 'set free' from sin?"
In my life, I relate more to what Paul says in Romans 7:15-19, "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."
The bible makes a clear distinction between being led by the "flesh" and being led by the "Spirit," and as believers, while we live, we can actually be led by both. Thank God He's the source of my righteousness, because on my own, I have no chance for freedom from sin.
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules." (Ezekiel 36:25-27)
Notice that it is God who sprinkles clean water on us to cleanse our unrighteousness, it's God who removes our heart of stone and gives us a new heart of flesh, it's God who puts His Spirit within us, and it's that Spirit who causes us to walk and obey. It's God who rebirths us...it's God who sets us free.
So, there is no room to receive credit and glory for our own salvation. That belongs to God alone. In fact, if freedom were somehow possible without God, wouldn't that merely be considered a prison break? We aren't simply fugitives from unrighteousness. We have been set free and given a new life under grace.
What Is Free Will?
The biggest problem that comes up when people argue about election and predestination is they end up pitting man's "free will" up against God's sovereignty. The assumption is that man chooses God by an act of his own free will.
The problem with this assumption is that on his own, man can do nothing but sin:
"For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." (Rom. 8:7-8)
"The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor. 2:14)
"All...are under sin, as it is written: 'No one understands; no one seeks after God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless, no one is good, not even one.'" (Rom. 3:9-12)
So, do we have free will? Of course, but on our own all we will choose is sin, and we certainly will not choose Christ. In other words, free will means I am free to do whatever I want to do, & what I want to do is sin. This is our nature. (Psalm 51:5; Eph. 2:3)
Without some kind of power to overcome our free will, it will only damn us. It's only when the truth of the Gospel, by way of the Holy Spirit, overcomes our resistance, we will be irresistibly drawn to Him and be saved. (John 3:8; John 6:44, 65; Eph. 2:5, 8-9; 2 Tim. 2:25-26, Rom. 9:15-16; Acts 13:48)
"It is not of man who wills or runs, but of God who shows mercy." (Rom. 9:16)
"For God is the one who is at work both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13)
But don't we choose God by faith? Yes, but if "none is righteous" and "no one seeks after God," where does that ability to respond in faith come from?
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast." (Eph. 2:8)
In the end, if I am going to be damned by my free will, then I need to be rescued and "set free" from the bondage of my will in order to see and savor Christ for who His is (my Savior).
"For freedom Christ has set you free; stand firm therefore; and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Gal. 5:1)
The problem with this assumption is that on his own, man can do nothing but sin:
"For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." (Rom. 8:7-8)
"The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor. 2:14)
"All...are under sin, as it is written: 'No one understands; no one seeks after God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless, no one is good, not even one.'" (Rom. 3:9-12)
So, do we have free will? Of course, but on our own all we will choose is sin, and we certainly will not choose Christ. In other words, free will means I am free to do whatever I want to do, & what I want to do is sin. This is our nature. (Psalm 51:5; Eph. 2:3)
John Calvin put it this way, "[Like Satan, Man], by his fall, was so estranged from goodness (God) that he can do nothing but evil." (Institues II, 3.5)
Without some kind of power to overcome our free will, it will only damn us. It's only when the truth of the Gospel, by way of the Holy Spirit, overcomes our resistance, we will be irresistibly drawn to Him and be saved. (John 3:8; John 6:44, 65; Eph. 2:5, 8-9; 2 Tim. 2:25-26, Rom. 9:15-16; Acts 13:48)
"It is not of man who wills or runs, but of God who shows mercy." (Rom. 9:16)
"For God is the one who is at work both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13)
But don't we choose God by faith? Yes, but if "none is righteous" and "no one seeks after God," where does that ability to respond in faith come from?
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast." (Eph. 2:8)
So, the correct picture of our salvation is not simply, "I chose Christ by walking down the aisle and saying a prayer."
Instead, it's a picture of a dramatic rescue mission, where we were on the precipice of death, unable to save ourselves, when Christ came, and said, "It will be OK. I've got you." And He snatched us up and saved us.
In the end, if I am going to be damned by my free will, then I need to be rescued and "set free" from the bondage of my will in order to see and savor Christ for who His is (my Savior).
"For freedom Christ has set you free; stand firm therefore; and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Gal. 5:1)
Sunday
Satisfied In God Alone
God, help me to be more reliant on Your Spirit and less reliant on my flesh. I am far too easily satisfied in it.
I feel like I am wasting myself on things that simply do not satisfy (Isaiah 55:2).
I want to find satisfaction and joy in the things of God alone.
I feel like James 4 is playing out within me and within my life constantly.
Why should I be blessed by the good things of God when I will most likely just squander it all?
I feel more like vs. 1-4:
"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
But my heart is definitely in vs. 7-10:
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."
I know You are jealous for me (vs. 5). And I want more than anything to be satisfied in You, but my flesh is so weak (Matthew 26:41).
Thank You, God, that You have more grace (James 4:6) than my flesh has strength.
God, please help me to remove cherished sin from my heart (Psalm 66:18).
Thank You for hearing me.
Friday
New Relationships
Our relationship with God is very unique. I was thinking about it recently, and it struck me as unusual that, on one hand, we are called "sons and daughters of God" (John 1:12-13), and on the other hand, we are the future "Bride of Christ" (Rev. 19:7-8). That means that He has not only adopted us as sons and daughters, but He also has given us as His Son's Bride.
The reason why that is so important is that means that we are not merely "in-lawed" to God the Father, but we are legally adopted as His very own, AND legally united with Christ as His very own. That is huge!
I love this picture, because it gives us a clearer understanding of what Jesus really did for us. As the perfect Groom, Jesus rescued and cleansed us by making the ultimate sacrifice and taking upon Himself our sin and wretchedness, absorbing the righteous wrath of God that was piled up against us (propitiation - Eph. 2:13-14).
Not only that, but He went even further by then purifying His Bride by imputing to us His righteousness (expiation - Eph. 2:4-6). In other words, He loved us so much that He not only gave Himself for us in death (first gift), thereby taking on our sin, which means that He emptied Himself of His righteousness (Phil. 2:5-8), but He then gave us a second gift of grace by filling us with His righteousness (Rom. 3:21-26). We are a part of the greatest love story in history!
Random thought: Where does the Holy Spirit fit into this picture? Could it be that the Holy Spirit acts as our "pre-marital counselor?" Think about it, as the betrothed to Christ, we have been justified (sanctified) by Him, but as we wait, the bible says we are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit and His word so that we look more and more like Christ (Rom. 15:15-16; Eph. 5:25-27; Heb. 10:13-18).
I love how these relationships (especially the triune relationship - Father, Son, & Holy Spirit) work together for the good of the Church and the glory of God. It puts a new light on our relationship with God, His love and passionate pursuit of us, and the very nature of our salvation. We are the beneficiaries of God's elaborate plan to glorify Himself. In the end, our salvation is the blood-bought gift of seeing and savoring the glory of Christ. The saving love of God is the gift of Himself.
The reason why that is so important is that means that we are not merely "in-lawed" to God the Father, but we are legally adopted as His very own, AND legally united with Christ as His very own. That is huge!
I love this picture, because it gives us a clearer understanding of what Jesus really did for us. As the perfect Groom, Jesus rescued and cleansed us by making the ultimate sacrifice and taking upon Himself our sin and wretchedness, absorbing the righteous wrath of God that was piled up against us (propitiation - Eph. 2:13-14).
Not only that, but He went even further by then purifying His Bride by imputing to us His righteousness (expiation - Eph. 2:4-6). In other words, He loved us so much that He not only gave Himself for us in death (first gift), thereby taking on our sin, which means that He emptied Himself of His righteousness (Phil. 2:5-8), but He then gave us a second gift of grace by filling us with His righteousness (Rom. 3:21-26). We are a part of the greatest love story in history!
Random thought: Where does the Holy Spirit fit into this picture? Could it be that the Holy Spirit acts as our "pre-marital counselor?" Think about it, as the betrothed to Christ, we have been justified (sanctified) by Him, but as we wait, the bible says we are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit and His word so that we look more and more like Christ (Rom. 15:15-16; Eph. 5:25-27; Heb. 10:13-18).
I love how these relationships (especially the triune relationship - Father, Son, & Holy Spirit) work together for the good of the Church and the glory of God. It puts a new light on our relationship with God, His love and passionate pursuit of us, and the very nature of our salvation. We are the beneficiaries of God's elaborate plan to glorify Himself. In the end, our salvation is the blood-bought gift of seeing and savoring the glory of Christ. The saving love of God is the gift of Himself.
Wednesday
The True Purpose of Ministry
The following are my thoughts after watching an interview between John Piper and David Platt:
If our ultimate goal as the Church is to see lives transformed by the Gospel among all the nations, how does local ministry (marriage, children's, men's, women's, single parent, homeless, etc.) accomplish that?
In other words, how does doing ministry within a church that is so focused on it's own flock accomplish the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations? Do we have to choose? Does it have to be either/or?
-Either a church focuses on local ministry
-Or a church focuses on bringing the Gospel to the "utmost parts of the earth."
The ultimate goal should be that the Great Commission in Matthew 28 dictates to us how and why we pastor and shepherd our congregation locally.
So, for example, we want to teach and guide couples into a Christ-centered, fulfilling marriage but not just for the sake of having a happy, fulfilling marriage. We lead them to an understanding that marriage, according to Ephesians 5:22-32, is a mirror of the Gospel. Therefore, the goal should be to get couples to see that in light of that, they are to move on and be about something bigger than themselves.
We will shepherd our people and build strong marriages so that the Gospel would be spread among all the nations. A bible-saturated, God-glorifying marriage will then have the resources to be able to care about something bigger than themselves and enter into as a family the work of the Great Commission.
In the end, God's glory among every people group is the reason why we teach everything.
-We don't teach freedom from sin for the sake of being freed from sin. They will only learn how to manage their behavior.
-We don't teach tithing and financial stewardship for the sake of mere obedience or to have a "blessed life." They will only learn that God can be please by simple duty or that God's blessing can be bought for price.
-We don't simply teach our kids to obey their parents or not cuss. They will only learn how to play the game, and we will only make "good little Christian boys and girls."
We teach our people in everything how to look at themselves and others through Gospel lenses so that they can be world changers. What good is our teaching and our ministry if it simply terminates on us?
If our ultimate goal as the Church is to see lives transformed by the Gospel among all the nations, how does local ministry (marriage, children's, men's, women's, single parent, homeless, etc.) accomplish that?
In other words, how does doing ministry within a church that is so focused on it's own flock accomplish the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations? Do we have to choose? Does it have to be either/or?
-Either a church focuses on local ministry
-Or a church focuses on bringing the Gospel to the "utmost parts of the earth."
The ultimate goal should be that the Great Commission in Matthew 28 dictates to us how and why we pastor and shepherd our congregation locally.
So, for example, we want to teach and guide couples into a Christ-centered, fulfilling marriage but not just for the sake of having a happy, fulfilling marriage. We lead them to an understanding that marriage, according to Ephesians 5:22-32, is a mirror of the Gospel. Therefore, the goal should be to get couples to see that in light of that, they are to move on and be about something bigger than themselves.
We will shepherd our people and build strong marriages so that the Gospel would be spread among all the nations. A bible-saturated, God-glorifying marriage will then have the resources to be able to care about something bigger than themselves and enter into as a family the work of the Great Commission.
In the end, God's glory among every people group is the reason why we teach everything.
-We don't teach freedom from sin for the sake of being freed from sin. They will only learn how to manage their behavior.
-We don't teach tithing and financial stewardship for the sake of mere obedience or to have a "blessed life." They will only learn that God can be please by simple duty or that God's blessing can be bought for price.
-We don't simply teach our kids to obey their parents or not cuss. They will only learn how to play the game, and we will only make "good little Christian boys and girls."
We teach our people in everything how to look at themselves and others through Gospel lenses so that they can be world changers. What good is our teaching and our ministry if it simply terminates on us?
Monday
The Blessing of Giving
Acts 20:35
"And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
When you were a kid, you had no concept of the joy of giving. In fact, one of the biggest battles we face with our own kids is simply getting them to understand the concept of sharing. But as you grow up, you start learning that there is actually a joy in giving to others Eventually, we find out that it really is more of a blessing to give than it is to receive.
Wouldn’t be awesome if we learned to be generous with everything that God has given to us. Jesus said, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:38). If you’ve ever heard someone say, “You can't outgive God,” that’s where that comes from.
But we’re not just talking about money. Let's learn the joy of giving of our time, our resources, our talents and abilities—whatever God has given us. Some people hoard what God has given them, not understanding that as you give out, more is given to you: "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself" (Proverbs 11:25).
Forgiveness
Colossians 3:13
"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (NKJV)
Forgiveness: "God’s gift to allow you to be who He made you to be in the face of real evil and real pain." -Bob Hamp
The great thing about forgiveness is that it has the power to open the door to your freedom and ultimately connect you to the work that God already performed through Jesus on the cross, but you must choose it. That means you choose to live with the consequences of other’s sin and not charge it to their account. This is never an easy choice, and in some cases, it may be the most difficult choice a human can make. In the Garden of Gesthemane, Jesus made this choice the night before His crucifixion. This choice required such intense prayer that the Son of God sweat drops of blood as He chose to take our sins upon Himself....and not charge them to our account.
Forgiveness is giving whomever offended you back to God, and when you release them, you give them over to God for Him to work justice in their lives. That means you choose to live with the consequences of other’s sin and not charge it to their account This also allows God to work out healing in your life.
We need to learn that we cannot heal ourselves. When you give up the role of being your own healer, you make room for God to do what He does best. I am convinced that the healing and restoration of our souls is the real goal of forgiveness. This allows us to be who we are created to be even when we have faced real evil or real pain.
"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (NKJV)
Forgiveness: "God’s gift to allow you to be who He made you to be in the face of real evil and real pain." -Bob Hamp
The great thing about forgiveness is that it has the power to open the door to your freedom and ultimately connect you to the work that God already performed through Jesus on the cross, but you must choose it. That means you choose to live with the consequences of other’s sin and not charge it to their account. This is never an easy choice, and in some cases, it may be the most difficult choice a human can make. In the Garden of Gesthemane, Jesus made this choice the night before His crucifixion. This choice required such intense prayer that the Son of God sweat drops of blood as He chose to take our sins upon Himself....and not charge them to our account.
Forgiveness is giving whomever offended you back to God, and when you release them, you give them over to God for Him to work justice in their lives. That means you choose to live with the consequences of other’s sin and not charge it to their account This also allows God to work out healing in your life.
We need to learn that we cannot heal ourselves. When you give up the role of being your own healer, you make room for God to do what He does best. I am convinced that the healing and restoration of our souls is the real goal of forgiveness. This allows us to be who we are created to be even when we have faced real evil or real pain.
Thursday
Master or Servant?
Matthew 6:24-25
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.” (ESV)
I recently had a friend confess to me how broken, inferior, and weak he felt. He said the heaviness of that brings so much fear and anxiety that it even affects his relationships. When you’re in that place it’s easy to feel alone and isolated. It makes you feel as if you are the only person who feels that way.
In reality, we're all "broken." Think about it. None of us make it out of here alive, and just that in itself is enough to keep us on edge & filled with anxiety. There's nothing wrong or unusual about feeling fear every once in a while or feeling inadequate at times. I personally feel that way a lot. Sometimes a feeling of failure and weakness just rushes over me out of nowhere. It’s scary, and it often feels like the sky is falling. Where are you going to hide from that?
But when you think about it, isn’t that a blessing in a way? Fear, worry, doubt, etc. reminds us that we don't have all the answers, that we aren't all-powerful, and we aren't as mentally tough as we sometimes convince ourselves to be. Imagine going through life without experiencing the weight of your weakness and sin. Why would we ever trust God? What would we repent of?
If when things go bad, and we don't worry (or even worry about the idea of things going bad), then we'd go through life getting clobbered all the time, wouldn’t we? So, in a way, our weakness and doubts protect us and force us to look outside of ourselves for strength, encouragement...faith. Our weaknesses and the knowledge that we really are broken point us to God.
But here is the turning point. Just like money; insecurity & fear is a horrible master…but it can be a wonderful servant. The question is: Is it directing our hearts toward God and stirring up raised hands of praise to Him, or is it dragging our hearts further away from Him and causing us to raise our fist toward Him? Who or what is the master? Who or what is the servant?
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.” (ESV)
I recently had a friend confess to me how broken, inferior, and weak he felt. He said the heaviness of that brings so much fear and anxiety that it even affects his relationships. When you’re in that place it’s easy to feel alone and isolated. It makes you feel as if you are the only person who feels that way.
In reality, we're all "broken." Think about it. None of us make it out of here alive, and just that in itself is enough to keep us on edge & filled with anxiety. There's nothing wrong or unusual about feeling fear every once in a while or feeling inadequate at times. I personally feel that way a lot. Sometimes a feeling of failure and weakness just rushes over me out of nowhere. It’s scary, and it often feels like the sky is falling. Where are you going to hide from that?
But when you think about it, isn’t that a blessing in a way? Fear, worry, doubt, etc. reminds us that we don't have all the answers, that we aren't all-powerful, and we aren't as mentally tough as we sometimes convince ourselves to be. Imagine going through life without experiencing the weight of your weakness and sin. Why would we ever trust God? What would we repent of?
If when things go bad, and we don't worry (or even worry about the idea of things going bad), then we'd go through life getting clobbered all the time, wouldn’t we? So, in a way, our weakness and doubts protect us and force us to look outside of ourselves for strength, encouragement...faith. Our weaknesses and the knowledge that we really are broken point us to God.
But here is the turning point. Just like money; insecurity & fear is a horrible master…but it can be a wonderful servant. The question is: Is it directing our hearts toward God and stirring up raised hands of praise to Him, or is it dragging our hearts further away from Him and causing us to raise our fist toward Him? Who or what is the master? Who or what is the servant?
Wednesday
True Repentance
Hebrews 12:15-17
“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God….that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” (ESV)
This has always been one of those really puzzling and heavy verses for me. Think about it. Why did Esau find no place of repentance for simply selling his birthright "though he sought it with tears," while someone like David found repentance for adultery and murder?
In the end, Esau’s life was marked by a refusal to follow God’s ways. He was always only concerned about what was in it for him in the moment. In fact, Genesis 25 says that he despised his birthright, because he thought a meal was more important in the moment. After he got what he wanted, he stood up from the table and went on about his business. It wasn’t until after he lost the blessings of his birthright to his brother, Jacob, that he finally repented. And even then he was only repenting to get back what he had lost.
David, on the other hand, was a man whose life was marked by a passionate love and pursuit of God. He knew that his sins had separated him from God, so when he finally repented (in Psalm 51), that broken relationship was restored. This is true repentance.
In the same way, Jesus, whose life (and death) was marked by a passionate love and pursuit of us, came to restore our relationship with God, which was broken by our sin. And if our repentance is based on anything other than that, we are missing the true meaning of repentance. And we will never find it...even though we seek it through tears. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God….that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” (ESV)
This has always been one of those really puzzling and heavy verses for me. Think about it. Why did Esau find no place of repentance for simply selling his birthright "though he sought it with tears," while someone like David found repentance for adultery and murder?
In the end, Esau’s life was marked by a refusal to follow God’s ways. He was always only concerned about what was in it for him in the moment. In fact, Genesis 25 says that he despised his birthright, because he thought a meal was more important in the moment. After he got what he wanted, he stood up from the table and went on about his business. It wasn’t until after he lost the blessings of his birthright to his brother, Jacob, that he finally repented. And even then he was only repenting to get back what he had lost.
David, on the other hand, was a man whose life was marked by a passionate love and pursuit of God. He knew that his sins had separated him from God, so when he finally repented (in Psalm 51), that broken relationship was restored. This is true repentance.
In the same way, Jesus, whose life (and death) was marked by a passionate love and pursuit of us, came to restore our relationship with God, which was broken by our sin. And if our repentance is based on anything other than that, we are missing the true meaning of repentance. And we will never find it...even though we seek it through tears. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
Monday
Repentance
Matthew 4:17
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (ESV)
I was just thinking that we don’t talk about repentance very much, do we? Why is that? Do we think it’s too offensive to tell someone that they need to repent? Do we not understand it?
The word repent literally means “to think differently.” So, it’s not just something we ‘do.’ It’s a whole new way of thinking. It means we think differently about sin, God, and how we should respond to both.
When Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son, He says that after a long stint of reckless living, the son finally “came to himself,” and then he came to his father and said, “I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” In other words, he realized that his lifestyle wasn’t just harmful to him, but it was an assault on God, Himself. Isn’t that really what sin is?
The prodigal son didn’t just feel sorry for his actions and their consequences, he completely changed his mind about them. Change - isn’t this what Jesus died for? I’m not talking about changing the way we feel or even what we do. Repentance is a change that goes much deeper than that.
Again, repentance isn’t just something we ‘do’ nor is it even feeling sorry for what we did. It’s a new way of thinking, which causes us to respond to God in a new way.
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (ESV)
I was just thinking that we don’t talk about repentance very much, do we? Why is that? Do we think it’s too offensive to tell someone that they need to repent? Do we not understand it?
The word repent literally means “to think differently.” So, it’s not just something we ‘do.’ It’s a whole new way of thinking. It means we think differently about sin, God, and how we should respond to both.
When Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son, He says that after a long stint of reckless living, the son finally “came to himself,” and then he came to his father and said, “I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” In other words, he realized that his lifestyle wasn’t just harmful to him, but it was an assault on God, Himself. Isn’t that really what sin is?
The prodigal son didn’t just feel sorry for his actions and their consequences, he completely changed his mind about them. Change - isn’t this what Jesus died for? I’m not talking about changing the way we feel or even what we do. Repentance is a change that goes much deeper than that.
Again, repentance isn’t just something we ‘do’ nor is it even feeling sorry for what we did. It’s a new way of thinking, which causes us to respond to God in a new way.
Sunday
How To Get Out of A Pit
Psalm 40:1-2
“I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.”
It’s inevitable--sooner or later we all end up in a pit at some point in our lives. So, what do you do when you look around and all you see is dirt?
The first step in getting out of the pit of despair is to cry out to God. Far too often when people get depressed, it is because they are in need of something, but they seek it in the wrong place, which only adds to their problems. Chasing after the wrong thing will always leave you disappointed, and disappointment opens the door to depression.
This is a heart issue, and God is the only one who has the power to heal your heart. So, cry out to Him, and He will hear your cry and bring you up and out.
The second step is to wait. Notice David said, “I waited patiently for the Lord.” That means that the answer to his cry wasn’t apparent for a while. Most of the pits that we end up in have taken us a long time to get into, so it may take some time for you to be delivered.
Take a few minutes and read Psalm 143, then pray that God would begin to heal your heart:
“I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.”
It’s inevitable--sooner or later we all end up in a pit at some point in our lives. So, what do you do when you look around and all you see is dirt?
The first step in getting out of the pit of despair is to cry out to God. Far too often when people get depressed, it is because they are in need of something, but they seek it in the wrong place, which only adds to their problems. Chasing after the wrong thing will always leave you disappointed, and disappointment opens the door to depression.
This is a heart issue, and God is the only one who has the power to heal your heart. So, cry out to Him, and He will hear your cry and bring you up and out.
The second step is to wait. Notice David said, “I waited patiently for the Lord.” That means that the answer to his cry wasn’t apparent for a while. Most of the pits that we end up in have taken us a long time to get into, so it may take some time for you to be delivered.
Take a few minutes and read Psalm 143, then pray that God would begin to heal your heart:
Incarnational Ministry
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
(2 Corinthians 5:20)
My passion is to see people get saved and grow in their walk with God. That’s not really too surprising to hear someone in the ministry say. But I don’t want to do it as a “pastor.” At least not if by “pastor” you’re thinking about the guy who puts off this vibe as if to say, “I’ve got it all together. And you want to know what I know.”
I’m talking about ministry that everyone should be doing. Ministry that invites people to be real, open, and honest by BEING real, open, and honest. I desperately want to position myself in others’ lives to where, like Paul, it’s “as though God were making His appeal through me.” (2 Corinthians 5:20) I have come to call it “incarnational ministry.” In other words, just like Jesus, you come along side someone and do life with them. And, just like Jesus, at times even enter into their suffering with them. Is there really any higher platform from which to preach the love and grace of God?
Lord, I pray that You will help me to minister to and love others the same way that You do. Help me to see others as better than myself. Thank You for entrusting me with others’ lives. I pray that I never take for granted the weight of that privilege.
(2 Corinthians 5:20)
My passion is to see people get saved and grow in their walk with God. That’s not really too surprising to hear someone in the ministry say. But I don’t want to do it as a “pastor.” At least not if by “pastor” you’re thinking about the guy who puts off this vibe as if to say, “I’ve got it all together. And you want to know what I know.”
I’m talking about ministry that everyone should be doing. Ministry that invites people to be real, open, and honest by BEING real, open, and honest. I desperately want to position myself in others’ lives to where, like Paul, it’s “as though God were making His appeal through me.” (2 Corinthians 5:20) I have come to call it “incarnational ministry.” In other words, just like Jesus, you come along side someone and do life with them. And, just like Jesus, at times even enter into their suffering with them. Is there really any higher platform from which to preach the love and grace of God?
Lord, I pray that You will help me to minister to and love others the same way that You do. Help me to see others as better than myself. Thank You for entrusting me with others’ lives. I pray that I never take for granted the weight of that privilege.
Tuesday
The Gift of Grace
John 14:6
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.”
Jesus isn’t being intolerant, arrogant, or closed minded when He says, “No one comes to the Father but by Me.” He’s offering the greatest gift He can give, Himself. He’s offering grace and forgiveness. And He’s giving us the answer to the question that (on some level) every person who ever lived has asked, “What must I do to be saved?”
There are a lot of well-meaning people out there who sincerely struggle with the simplicity of the grace of God. They say, “Surely it can’t be that easy. There has to be more to it,” or “How could God exclude everyone who has lived a good, moral life like Muslims, Jews, etc. just because they don’t believe that Jesus is the only way to God?”
For every religion on earth, their only hope for salvation rests on their ability to follow certain rules and traditions, and in the end, they are banking it all in hopes that it will be enough to save them.
Where religion says, “I’ll do it.” The gospel says, “God did it.” You see, there is nothing in us that gives us the ability to save ourselves. But the Good News is that Christ did what we could not. Christ took our sin and in return gave us His righteousness (Romans 3:21-26).
As well-meaning as it may sound, to trust in our own ability to save ourselves is by default rejecting the gift of salvation that Christ sacrificed so much to purchase for us. When we try to fix ourselves, it's as if we hear Jesus saying on the cross, "It is finished," and we answer back, "Not quite." In Hebrews 10, the bible compares that to “trampling the Son of God underfoot, counting the blood of the covenant by which we were sanctified a common thing, and insulting the Spirit of grace.”
How amazing is it that God offers us a gift as great as salvation?! And He is pleading with you to receive it.
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.”
Jesus isn’t being intolerant, arrogant, or closed minded when He says, “No one comes to the Father but by Me.” He’s offering the greatest gift He can give, Himself. He’s offering grace and forgiveness. And He’s giving us the answer to the question that (on some level) every person who ever lived has asked, “What must I do to be saved?”
There are a lot of well-meaning people out there who sincerely struggle with the simplicity of the grace of God. They say, “Surely it can’t be that easy. There has to be more to it,” or “How could God exclude everyone who has lived a good, moral life like Muslims, Jews, etc. just because they don’t believe that Jesus is the only way to God?”
For every religion on earth, their only hope for salvation rests on their ability to follow certain rules and traditions, and in the end, they are banking it all in hopes that it will be enough to save them.
Where religion says, “I’ll do it.” The gospel says, “God did it.” You see, there is nothing in us that gives us the ability to save ourselves. But the Good News is that Christ did what we could not. Christ took our sin and in return gave us His righteousness (Romans 3:21-26).
As well-meaning as it may sound, to trust in our own ability to save ourselves is by default rejecting the gift of salvation that Christ sacrificed so much to purchase for us. When we try to fix ourselves, it's as if we hear Jesus saying on the cross, "It is finished," and we answer back, "Not quite." In Hebrews 10, the bible compares that to “trampling the Son of God underfoot, counting the blood of the covenant by which we were sanctified a common thing, and insulting the Spirit of grace.”
How amazing is it that God offers us a gift as great as salvation?! And He is pleading with you to receive it.
Wednesday
Where Does Your Hope Lie?
Isaiah 55:2
“Why spend your money on something that is not real food? Why work for something that doesn’t really satisfy you? Listen closely to Me, and you will eat what is good; your soul will enjoy the rich food that satisfies.”
We all experience hurt when someone lets us down. We feel dissatisfied when a situation doesn’t turn out like we’d hoped.
In those moments, ask yourself this question, “Is what I’m feeling right now the result (the fruit) of a heart whose hope is placed in God?”
If not, could it be that the reason why we hurt is because we are placing our hope in the wrong thing? We are relying on that person, even spouses, to satisfy us, complete us, and to meet our needs. We are trusting in our situation to change so that we will finally have peace of mind.
Could it be that we are demanding from that person or situation something that they were never created to provide for us?
So, what does it look like to place our hope in God alone? Does it mean that people will never hurt us again? No, but it means that we can now be free to love them and forgive them, knowing that only God alone can satisfy us and meet our deepest needs. Does it mean that nothing bad will ever happen to us? No, but it means that in spite of our circumstances, no matter how bad, we can have peace, because we know that God is our provider.
In all honesty, what are those things that we are placing our hope in, and why? Why are we trusting sinners to satisfy us in a way that only God can? Why are we allowing circumstances, which can and do constantly change, to hold the fate of our very happiness?
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. And it’s only when we learn to fully place our hope in God, who can change sinners and make all circumstances work together for our good, that we will finally find true joy.
Psalm 63: “God, You are my God. I search for You. I thirst for You like someone in a dry, empty land where there is no water. I have seen You in the sanctuary and have seen Your strength and glory. Because Your love is better than life, I will praise You.”
“Why spend your money on something that is not real food? Why work for something that doesn’t really satisfy you? Listen closely to Me, and you will eat what is good; your soul will enjoy the rich food that satisfies.”
We all experience hurt when someone lets us down. We feel dissatisfied when a situation doesn’t turn out like we’d hoped.
In those moments, ask yourself this question, “Is what I’m feeling right now the result (the fruit) of a heart whose hope is placed in God?”
If not, could it be that the reason why we hurt is because we are placing our hope in the wrong thing? We are relying on that person, even spouses, to satisfy us, complete us, and to meet our needs. We are trusting in our situation to change so that we will finally have peace of mind.
Could it be that we are demanding from that person or situation something that they were never created to provide for us?
So, what does it look like to place our hope in God alone? Does it mean that people will never hurt us again? No, but it means that we can now be free to love them and forgive them, knowing that only God alone can satisfy us and meet our deepest needs. Does it mean that nothing bad will ever happen to us? No, but it means that in spite of our circumstances, no matter how bad, we can have peace, because we know that God is our provider.
In all honesty, what are those things that we are placing our hope in, and why? Why are we trusting sinners to satisfy us in a way that only God can? Why are we allowing circumstances, which can and do constantly change, to hold the fate of our very happiness?
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. And it’s only when we learn to fully place our hope in God, who can change sinners and make all circumstances work together for our good, that we will finally find true joy.
Psalm 63: “God, You are my God. I search for You. I thirst for You like someone in a dry, empty land where there is no water. I have seen You in the sanctuary and have seen Your strength and glory. Because Your love is better than life, I will praise You.”
Monday
Jesus Prays for You
"I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Your’s." John 17:9
How would you feel right now if you knew that Jesus was in the next room praying for you? Would you have more peace? Would you have more confidence?
Well, according to scripture, Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, and He is praying for you right now.
Romans 8:34 says, “Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”
Just before that, 8:26-27 says, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (I love that) And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
When Peter started arrogantly boasting about how great he was, Jesus told him, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail…." (Luke 22:31-32).
Even though Peter denied Christ three times, his faith never failed. Ultimately, he found grace and restoration in Jesus and became the leader of the early Church.
Isn't it awesome to know that if Satan is out to get you, Jesus is praying for you?
That should give you tremendous peace and confidence in Him, knowing that He's mentioning your name in prayer before the Father at this very moment.
God Is Love - Part 2
Romans 8:38-39
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angles nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NKJV)
“I love you, but I’m not in love with you.” That’s probably the worst thing a teenage boy could could hear from his crush. That’s right up there with, “Let’s just be friends.” Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t operate in that kind of love? For Him, that kind of love doesn’t even make sense.
God does not love like we love. Think about it. If God could “fall in love” with us, doesn’t that mean He could also fall out of love with us? God cannot operate in our way of loving, because love isn’t just something God has, feels, or does….it’s something He is (1 John 4:8).
God is also infinite, which means that He has no limits, no boundaries, and no end. That means His love has no limits, no boundaries, and no end. That’s great news! If God’s love is limitless, that means that no person, no matter how wicked; no matter how sinful, is ever so far gone as to be exempt from the love of God! Absolutely nothing can separate us from it.
Tuesday
Spirit-filled Life
Acts 1:8
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Have you ever felt like you're missing out on something? When you look around it seems like others live and move in this anointing in their lives that is just out of your reach. They have an effective, growing ministry, and they are just thriving.
Think about this: what if instead of focusing on what we don’t have, we pursued what God has to give? Remember, on our own we are not fit to serve the Lord. On their own the disciples were uneducated, undertrained, and ineffective. But something happened once they submitted to God that transformed their lives. Just as Jesus had promised, He sent them the Holy Spirit… the gift of the Father… His own Spirit in their lives… the Helper.
And what happened next was supernatural. They were filled with fire, and the Gospel exploded into the first century. That fire ended up turning their world upside down! (Acts 17:6)
Think about it, what would it be like to have that kind of power in your life? What would you be doing with your life that’s different than what you’re doing now? Whatever your answer is, step out and do it! Ask the Holy Spirit to take control of your life, and yield to Him every step of the way. The Word says “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). That’s the Spirit-filled life!
Monday
Change Your Focus
Psalm 105:1-3
"Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord." (NLT)
Sometimes it seems like everywhere you look all you see are problems, strife, turmoil, hurt--all around the world, in our own country, in our community, in our homes...in us.
Why is it that our focus is naturally drawn to all these negative things? We start by worrying, then we get angry, frustrated, and if we leave our focus there, we end up losing hope.
I think we need to change our focus. We have a God who loves us unconditionally and cares about everything that concerns us. Jesus gave His life that we might have the hope of eternity with Him. And the Holy Spirit was given to comfort, guide, and teach us about God’s plan and His love towards us in every circumstance we face.
The bottom line--God is greater than any problem or circumstance.
That's exactly what we need to focus on every day but even more when we are overwhelmed or depressed. We need to change our focus. We need to thank the Lord and tell of His greatness. We need to let the whole world know what He has done. To sing praises to Him. To worship Him and rejoice. When you do this, your circumstances might not change...but you will.
Tuesday
Rhythm
This post is based on notes from a sermon by Matt Chandler:
Genesis 1 was written in Hebrew to read like a poem. It has rhythm to it:
I believe it was written that way because it's describing how God has woven within the fabric of the universe this rhythm, this beat, this grove that is behind everything. It flows through everything. It is the rhythm that all of the universe operates in and under:
-every day turns into night
-every night turns into morning
-fall turns into winter
-the lifecycle of a plant
-the rotation of the earth
-it’s trip around the sun, etc.
So, there’s this rhythm (beat, grove, flow) going on all the time. In other words, God designed the universe and everything in it to work a certain way - including us.
Most people think that God is this cosmic killjoy who hates fun and wants to keep us from enjoying ourselves. But it’s the complete opposite! God created everything and said it was good, but He created it to work a certain way. And He created us to operate and live within it a certain way.
We’ve got to understand this, because all throughout the bible God is begging us to enter into this rhythm and design. In the book of Proverbs it's personified as wisdom in the form of a woman screaming in the streets saying something like, "How long are you going to keep trying to do this contrary to how this was designed to function. If you would just listen to me, I would show you how this is supposed to work in such a way that the joy that you are seeking would be found in it." (Proverbs 8; 16:25).
God is in no way glorified by our begrudging submission to Him. He doesn't want to snuff out our joy by forcing us to follow a bunch of rules. He wants to maximize our joy by leading us back in line with the way He created things to be.
Genesis 1 was written in Hebrew to read like a poem. It has rhythm to it:
“God created this, then He created this, and it was good….”
“God created this, then He created this, and it was good….”
“God created this, then He created this, and it was good….”
“God created this, then He created this, and it was good….”
“God created this, then He created this, and it was good….”
I believe it was written that way because it's describing how God has woven within the fabric of the universe this rhythm, this beat, this grove that is behind everything. It flows through everything. It is the rhythm that all of the universe operates in and under:
-every day turns into night
-every night turns into morning
-fall turns into winter
-the lifecycle of a plant
-the rotation of the earth
-it’s trip around the sun, etc.
So, there’s this rhythm (beat, grove, flow) going on all the time. In other words, God designed the universe and everything in it to work a certain way - including us.
Most people think that God is this cosmic killjoy who hates fun and wants to keep us from enjoying ourselves. But it’s the complete opposite! God created everything and said it was good, but He created it to work a certain way. And He created us to operate and live within it a certain way.
We’ve got to understand this, because all throughout the bible God is begging us to enter into this rhythm and design. In the book of Proverbs it's personified as wisdom in the form of a woman screaming in the streets saying something like, "How long are you going to keep trying to do this contrary to how this was designed to function. If you would just listen to me, I would show you how this is supposed to work in such a way that the joy that you are seeking would be found in it." (Proverbs 8; 16:25).
God is in no way glorified by our begrudging submission to Him. He doesn't want to snuff out our joy by forcing us to follow a bunch of rules. He wants to maximize our joy by leading us back in line with the way He created things to be.
Friday
Hunger for the Word of God
"I rejoice at Your Word." Psalm 119:162
Years ago I came across a passage of scripture that severely convicted me about reading the bible. Job 23:12 says, "I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” What do you do with a passage like that? I read that verse over and over and realized that no matter how I tried to spin it, it was one of those verses that I couldn’t claim. It just wasn’t true about me, but I wanted it to be more than anything. Think about it. What would your life look like when God's Word is as important to you as your physical food?
I knew what it felt like to be hungry from missing a meal or two, and I thought, “Oh, that I would hunger for the Word of God the same way!” If it’s been a while since you’ve felt physical hunger, I challenge you to do this: fast from one meal today. Get a glimpse of the hunger our hearts should have for the Word of God.
One of the hardest things about fasting is denying yourself of nourishment when it is so readily available right in front of you. And you can’t help but think about how crazy it is that we do the same thing spiritually every day! Even though God’s Word is free and easily accessible to us, we will starve ourselves daily without a second thought. Then, we wonder where God is in our life and why we don’t feel His presence like we used to.
Let’s set aside some time each day to nourish and rejuvenate our souls by reading God’s Word and praying. God wants to speak to us, and that’s the primary way He’s chosen to do so. Why wouldn’t we make that time as important as breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
Monday
Complete Confidence
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
If we really want to walk the path that we know God has planned out for us, there must be complete confidence in the Lord to take care of us. We need to remember that we are merely passengers on the journey that God has mapped out. Imagine hailing a cab and then insisting that you drive because you know a better way.
Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us that we are to trust God with all our heart (not just part of it), and we're to acknowledge Him in all our ways (not just some of our ways).
One of the most powerful things that anyone has ever said to me is, “You can’t say, ‘No, Lord,’ and mean both words.” He’s either Lord, or He’s not. He’s either directing my paths, or I have once again taken up the reigns of my own life.
You can't say, "Lord, I want Your will in my social life, but I don't want Your will in my business life." Or, "I want Your will in my church life, but I don't want Your will in my relationships." God doesn’t want just part of your life. If He's worth part of it, isn’t He worth all of it?
What are you holding onto today? Why not give it all to Christ? Lay it all down, and you will find that instant obedience will bring incredible blessing.
Lord, whatever the question is, I say “Yes” to You today. Help me to lean on You only and not my own understanding. Help me to get myself out of the way so that You can work out Your perfect plan for my life. I give it all to You today.
Tuesday
Transformed Heart
Colossians 1:13-14
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
How is it that we have fooled ourselves into believing that if we make promises and behave a certain way, that we are living out God’s best for our lives? Usually it plays itself out with church attendance and comparing ourselves to others. “If I go to church all the time and I act better than I did a couple years ago, or if I’m better than other people who attend my church, then I must be good.” We love to compare our strengths to other’s weaknesses, and then we naturally grow confident in our goodness.
Others try to behave and modify their behavior because they’re afraid of hell and God’s wrath. They believe that if they are good enough, they can earn their way out of hell. The problem is that heaven isn’t a place for those who fear hell; it’s a place for those who love God.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t war against sin in our lives. I’m simply saying that the weapons we have are inadequate to overcome it. Without God transforming our heart and moving us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, we will simply pit sin against sin.
How many times have you seen people battling their fears and anxieties with control or manipulation; their lust with self-righteousness or apathy…no matter which one wins, sin still reigns.
Christ didn’t die to put us on a behavioral modification program, He died to transform us from the inside out. What if instead of focusing on changing our behavior, we focused on transforming our hearts? What if instead of trying to be better than someone else or better than we used to be, we tried to be like Jesus?
God, help us to trust in You alone to do in us what we cannot. Transform us from the inside out so that we can live the life that You created and redeemed us to live.
Seasons of Waiting
2 Peter 3:8-9
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness.” (ESV)
Do you ever feel like things aren’t happening within your timeframe? There have been certain times in my own life where I thought, “Shouldn’t I be further along than I am now? What are you waiting on, God?” There were many in the bible who might have asked those exact same questions.
-How many years from God’s promise to Abraham until the birth of Isaac?
-How many years from Joseph’s dream until he became second in command of all of Egypt?
-How many years did Moses spend tending sheep before delivering God’s people out of bondage?
-How many years between when David was anointed King of Israel and the moment he actually became King of Israel?
-How many years between the time Jesus first said “I must be about My Father’s business” and the beginning of His ministry?
-How many years from Paul’s conversion until he was sent out from Antioch?
I first responded to God’s call on my life at 13 years old. Now, 16 years later, I feel like I am just now stepping into some of what God spoke to me way back then. During that time I was often frustrated, anxious, and in a big hurry to get to what I knew God had planned for me...as if there were some kind of finish line I was racing toward.
Just like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Paul, and even Jesus, if you’re in a long season of waiting, a season of prisons, caves, wilderness, pits, and carpenter shops, just know that you’re in good company. And God is always on time.
Lord, help us to keep our eyes on You during the long, hot seasons in the desert. We know that You have great things planned for each and everyone of us, and You are working out that plan in us even now. Thank You for never leaving us without hope in any situation we face.
Sunday
Forgiveness Is Healing
Colossians 3:13
“Forgive each other as the Lord has forgiven you.”
C.S. Lewis once said, “Forgiving does not mean excusing…if that were so, there would be nothing to forgive.” I think the reason why we have a hard time with forgiveness is because we tend to want to take the path of least resistance, especially in relationships. That may not make any sense at first. In fact, most people would say, “Isn’t forgiving someone the path of least resistance?”
No way. It’s the hardest thing to do, because it’s the only selfless option. Forgiveness is you giving up the right to hurt someone for hurting you. Besides being obedient, you get no satisfaction from forgiving someone...because it’s not about you. You are forfeiting the right for it to be about you.
Even if you’re goal isn’t to hurt the other person, when you refuse to forgive them, it’s still detrimental. I once heard someone call it the “battery acid in the soul.” It leads to anger, resentment, isolation, and even health problems. The funny thing is, more often than not, the other person usually doesn’t have a clue that they’ve hurt you. In the end, people who hang on to bitterness cause more pain to themselves than the person who hurt them.
We are broken people complaining about the fact that other people are broken. Isn’t that really what it boils down to? How silly is that? We need to change our perspective. Just like love, forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. I’m not saying there is not pain and very real hurt involved. When someone hurts us, we may not be able to control how we feel, but we can choose how we act and what we do with our pain. When you choose forgiveness, you are choosing to fix what is broken, you are choosing healing, and ultimately you are choosing freedom.
Lord, thank You for showing us how to forgive. Help us to choose forgiveness, even when we don’t feel like it. We trust in You to bring healing in our feelings, our memories, and our view of those who have hurt us. Make us more like You every day.
Strength Injection
Isaiah 40:29
“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength.”
Today our culture is enamored with the powerful, the famous, and the accomplished. We call them celebrities. There are people out there who are willing to pay any price just to see some of them play their sport. Others wait in long lines to watch their movies or get their autograph. Most of us don’t know them personally or have even met them, but there is something that draws us to them. There is something that makes us want to connect with those who are well-known, talented, or beautiful.
While everyone else is clamoring for the powerful, God is pursuing the faint and the powerless. He gives strength to the exhausted. He seeks out the broken-hearted and the overlooked and gives them the greatest honor imaginable — His attention and His love.
It’s never been God’s method of operation to find those who are powerful and skilled and recruit them on to His team. All throughout the Bible God chooses those who have no merit, who are weak, and who would have ended up being a no body, and He empowers them to do something extraordinary.
It is God's grace, not our value, that draws Him to hurting, helpless people. He is constantly positioning us in such a way to where we receive the greatest amount of joy and He receives the greatest amount of glory. More often than not that means injecting His strength into those who are the weakest so that His power and His goodness can be displayed the loudest.
This is SO freeing because it means that we can let all of our failures and weaknesses (and good works and strength) fall around our feet and reach out to a God, who is the most powerful, famous, and beautiful of them all.
Lord, I realize that You are the only one who can mend the broken-hearted and give strength to the powerless. So, that is how I come before You now. I ask that You do in me what I cannot. Give me an infusion of Your strength, and position me in such a way to make Your name famous.
Thursday
More Than Just Remembering
Luke 22:16-20
"'For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.' And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He said, 'Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.' And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.' And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.'"
This is a beautiful scene of Jesus having supper with His closest friends on the night before His death. It’s the first “Lord’s Supper,” which we still celebrate to this day. But it’s more than just a ceremonial event. It’s about remembering what Christ did for us.
In this passage, Jesus is saying, “What I want you to remember; the banner I want you to wave; the central focus of what you are to be about is My death.”
It’s an unpopular subject today, but the cross of Christ stands central to everything we believe as Christians and all we hope for. It’s a symbol of the price that was paid so that we can have freedom. But freedom and salvation isn’t just something we have, it’s who we are. We are free. We are saved.
Acts 17:28 says, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” So when Jesus says, “Take; eat. This is My body which was broken for you. Drink. This is My blood which is shed for you.” What He’s saying is, “Find your sustenance in Me.” He is a part of us.
It’s more than just remembering.
Next weekend millions of people across America will celebrate the freedom that was purchased for us by millions more who have died to secure it. We will honor and remember them by singing songs, pledging allegiance, and vowing that we too will fight to the death to defend that freedom.
I am very proud to be an American. It is my country, but it is not my kingdom. “God shed His grace on it. And crowned it’s good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea,” but this weekend let’s also remember that we belong to a greater kingdom.
Tuesday
God, The Artist
Ephesians 2:8-10
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (ESV)
The word “workmanship” here is the same word used when describing art. You see, the artist sees what nobody else can. He can take a blank canvas and start applying stroke after stroke of paint onto it, and before anything even begins to take shape, he is already in love with that canvas, because he can already see the final product.
But the artist doesn’t just get joy out of the final product. He gets joy out of the process. While we may just see some red and some blue on a blank background, the artist is passionately consumed in applying the framework for his masterpiece.
You are not a disappointment to God. Okay, so you blew it this week. That's going to be part of the process. There may be a dark broad stroke across your life that might represent the most embarrassing and horrific thing that's ever occurred, and it might just be the one thing that finally heals you. It’s the process, and God is in control.
Be encouraged that God is not just pleased with the final product, He is pleased with the process. It is not a future version of you that God is pleased with. It is you, now--struggling, stumbling, confused, trying to figure it all out.
Lord, work out your masterpiece in my life. I come to You blank, empty, and open-handed. Help me to keep my eyes on You during the most difficult seasons of my life, knowing that You are in control. Make me an example of Your goodness and grace.
Monday
Designed for a Purpose
Ephesians 2:10
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (ESV)
Any tool that is used for something other than what it was created for will not be effective, and it will most likely get damaged. One time I needed a hammer to pound in a nail, but I was too lazy to go out in the garage to get one. So, I ended up using whatever I had handy, like a flashlight. (you know you’ve done it too!)
You can guess what happened. It wasn’t very effective. I was able to get the nail in for the most part, but in the end, it was all bent and misshaped. The wall and the flashlight didn’t look much different.
Too many Christians today are not functioning or flowing in the thing they were created for, and consequently, they are not effective. And sometimes they get hurt and damaged...often taking others down with them.
You do have a purpose. In fact, the word “workmanship” in this verse translated literally means you are handcrafted by God. It’s also the same word we derive our English word “poem” from.
In other words, just like any great piece of art or poetry, your life is not without order and symmetry; rhyme or reason. God has some specific things mapped out for your life. You are not an accident. You have a purpose.
“God, I pray that today You would show me the purpose that You designed into my life. Help me to develop the gifts that You have given me in order to fulfill that purpose.”
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