"Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, 'For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.' No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:35-39 NLT
I don't know about you, but these two paragraphs give me great comfort. Have you, like me, experience that love can be conditional? That people in your life can give or take away their love to you. You don't do what they want, and so they take away their love for you.
Our God is so gracious. He loves us no matter what. If anyone should show us conditional love, shouldn't it be Him? But He doesn't. Do you find that hard to accept? Have you been so conditioned that you are only lovable when you are a certain way?
I have. I find it very hard to believe, especially in the beginning. Now, I accept it, but I find that I have to fight the feeling of having to "earn" His love or to keep His love. He loves me NO MATTER WHAT. I don't need to be perfect or beautiful or do anything. There is nothing that I can do that will change His love for me. Even if I deny Him, He still loves ME.
Please know the same is for you. You are loved no matter what. Don't let Satan talk you into believing anything less. You can claim your inheritance in the Lord's love and care and graciousness for you.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Be A Peter
"This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is good for you
and leads you along the paths you should follow.
Oh, that you had listened to my commands!
Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river
and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea."
Isaiah 48:17-18 NLT
When I read this, I get the picture of a Father that is bemoaning the fact that a child of His hadn't followed His instruction and now that precious child is reaping the consequences.
Is that what you are picturing? Are you that child? Have you been feeling your heart and soul being tugged at but you turned away and did what you wanted instead? Have you allowed fear and uncertainty to stop you from doing what you know your Father wants you to do?
Be a Peter! Stop allowing your humanity from keeping you from the peace and righteousness that your Father has planned for you and wants to give you so badly. Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the waves--as long as he was focused on Jesus and had faith in Jesus and himself, he stayed on top of the water. It's when he took his focus off of Jesus and starting doubting his purpose that Jesus had for him and gave into his fears, that he starting sinking.
If your Father in Heaven has faith in you, so should you have faith in you. God doesn't make mistakes! So give Him your fears and insecurities and watch what amazing things He will do through and in you.
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is good for you
and leads you along the paths you should follow.
Oh, that you had listened to my commands!
Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river
and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea."
Isaiah 48:17-18 NLT
When I read this, I get the picture of a Father that is bemoaning the fact that a child of His hadn't followed His instruction and now that precious child is reaping the consequences.
Is that what you are picturing? Are you that child? Have you been feeling your heart and soul being tugged at but you turned away and did what you wanted instead? Have you allowed fear and uncertainty to stop you from doing what you know your Father wants you to do?
Be a Peter! Stop allowing your humanity from keeping you from the peace and righteousness that your Father has planned for you and wants to give you so badly. Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the waves--as long as he was focused on Jesus and had faith in Jesus and himself, he stayed on top of the water. It's when he took his focus off of Jesus and starting doubting his purpose that Jesus had for him and gave into his fears, that he starting sinking.
If your Father in Heaven has faith in you, so should you have faith in you. God doesn't make mistakes! So give Him your fears and insecurities and watch what amazing things He will do through and in you.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Attitude
"Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though He was God,
He did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, He gave up His divine privileges;
He took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When He appeared in human form,
He humbled Himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor
and gave Him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 3:3-11 NLT
There's a lot to chew on in this passage. I'd like to focus on two points that have me "pondering" today.
Point 1. We are called to be humble, as Jesus is humble. He was humble to the point of death on the cross. Humility is not popular today. We have our pride. We live in a self-sufficent and self-serving culture. That in itself breeds pride. When pride is out of control, we go from confident to arrogant. We become judgmental, predjudice and self-absorbed. We dethrone God, and put ourselves in His place.
The Bible says that God actually opposes the proud and gives favor to the humble. The Bible tells us that if we humble ourselves under God's mighty hand, He will lift us up. Imagine God honoring you! God will defend, provide and bless you. The key? Humility. It is a decision of humilty to accept Jesus into your life. To admit you need someone or something greater than yourself. His name is Jesus. It takes humilty to humble yourself every day. To express your need and gratitude for His blessings in your life.
Point 2. Every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord. On the great day of judgement, we will all have to bow before Christ as Lord. But will we all bow before Him as our Lord and our Savior?
Jesus is offering you a life giving relationship. He loves you and gave Himself up for you. Will you invite Him into your life and circumstances today? Right now?
Will you be humble?
"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior." Philippians 3:20 NLT
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though He was God,
He did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, He gave up His divine privileges;
He took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When He appeared in human form,
He humbled Himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor
and gave Him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 3:3-11 NLT
There's a lot to chew on in this passage. I'd like to focus on two points that have me "pondering" today.
Point 1. We are called to be humble, as Jesus is humble. He was humble to the point of death on the cross. Humility is not popular today. We have our pride. We live in a self-sufficent and self-serving culture. That in itself breeds pride. When pride is out of control, we go from confident to arrogant. We become judgmental, predjudice and self-absorbed. We dethrone God, and put ourselves in His place.
The Bible says that God actually opposes the proud and gives favor to the humble. The Bible tells us that if we humble ourselves under God's mighty hand, He will lift us up. Imagine God honoring you! God will defend, provide and bless you. The key? Humility. It is a decision of humilty to accept Jesus into your life. To admit you need someone or something greater than yourself. His name is Jesus. It takes humilty to humble yourself every day. To express your need and gratitude for His blessings in your life.
Point 2. Every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord. On the great day of judgement, we will all have to bow before Christ as Lord. But will we all bow before Him as our Lord and our Savior?
Jesus is offering you a life giving relationship. He loves you and gave Himself up for you. Will you invite Him into your life and circumstances today? Right now?
Will you be humble?
"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior." Philippians 3:20 NLT
Monday, August 31, 2009
Claim It!
"I have heard all about you, Lord.
I am filled with awe by your amazing works.
In this time of our deep need,
help us again as you did in years gone by." Habakkuk 3:2 NLT
When I awoke this morning, I didn't feel like praising God for my new day. I wasn't mad at Him or anything, I just felt stressed, I felt troubled. I don't like waking up that way. I usually wake up ready to face whatever the Lord has planned for me--but not today.
It started yesterday. Emotionally I just wasn't on top of my game. I think what was happening was that Satan was using my insecurities to drain me. If that makes any sense. When you are on the right path, doing His work, Satan will attack you. He's sneaky about it but he will do it. He'll use your weak spots so that you'll never notice until it's too late. Have you ever experienced that?
Well, mine is my self-esteem. I don't have any naturally. It's only through Jesus that I have what I have and it can be rocked so easily. Anyway, I was just being attacked and just needed to give it to God. So, there I was this morning, sitting on the bed talking out loud to God, feeling sad and a loser in the Christian walk arena, when something caught my eye. I turn to look out our bedroom window, and there was our dog, Bobby, looking in the window with a smile on his face and his big old tail just a wagging.
I had to laugh. God has such a sense of humor. He can use anything and anyone to do His will. You see, in the morning, when I first get up, I will go out and talk to Bobby and give him a treat biscuit. So, I think, in my process of talking out loud to God, Bobby heard my voice and what was he wanting? His treat.
Aren't we all a little bit like that? We hear our Master's voice and come to the window to see what we'll get? My Master used Bobby and an everyday occurrence to get me out of my funk and to help me see the beauty of the day. It made me laugh and the joy of the day filled my soul.
So today, this verse has special meaning for me because I do stand in awe of my Jesus' awesome works and some of those works are the wondrous changes He's making in me and my life. The faith that He has in me should overshadow any unfaith that I have in me. The same goes for you. God has faith IN you. Grasp it and claim it!
I am filled with awe by your amazing works.
In this time of our deep need,
help us again as you did in years gone by." Habakkuk 3:2 NLT
When I awoke this morning, I didn't feel like praising God for my new day. I wasn't mad at Him or anything, I just felt stressed, I felt troubled. I don't like waking up that way. I usually wake up ready to face whatever the Lord has planned for me--but not today.
It started yesterday. Emotionally I just wasn't on top of my game. I think what was happening was that Satan was using my insecurities to drain me. If that makes any sense. When you are on the right path, doing His work, Satan will attack you. He's sneaky about it but he will do it. He'll use your weak spots so that you'll never notice until it's too late. Have you ever experienced that?
Well, mine is my self-esteem. I don't have any naturally. It's only through Jesus that I have what I have and it can be rocked so easily. Anyway, I was just being attacked and just needed to give it to God. So, there I was this morning, sitting on the bed talking out loud to God, feeling sad and a loser in the Christian walk arena, when something caught my eye. I turn to look out our bedroom window, and there was our dog, Bobby, looking in the window with a smile on his face and his big old tail just a wagging.
I had to laugh. God has such a sense of humor. He can use anything and anyone to do His will. You see, in the morning, when I first get up, I will go out and talk to Bobby and give him a treat biscuit. So, I think, in my process of talking out loud to God, Bobby heard my voice and what was he wanting? His treat.
Aren't we all a little bit like that? We hear our Master's voice and come to the window to see what we'll get? My Master used Bobby and an everyday occurrence to get me out of my funk and to help me see the beauty of the day. It made me laugh and the joy of the day filled my soul.
So today, this verse has special meaning for me because I do stand in awe of my Jesus' awesome works and some of those works are the wondrous changes He's making in me and my life. The faith that He has in me should overshadow any unfaith that I have in me. The same goes for you. God has faith IN you. Grasp it and claim it!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Light is Sweet!
"Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning."
Ecclesiastes 11:7 NLT
I have a brother who is going through a very sad divorce. He is torn up and angry at the man his soon to be ex-wife is having an affair with and he is angry at God. How could God let this happen to him? He sees no reason for living.
I told Scott that he needed to remember that God has given us free will. And in this case, his ex-wife has used her free will to make a bad thing happen--NOT God.
Do you find yourself doing that? Do you find that when things are going great and wonderful, we have a tendency to not even think of God. He's not in our forethought. We don't even remember to thank Him for His goodness. But boy, the moment something bad is happening, we are all over God, blaming Him for the bad stuff that is happening. It's not right!
God deserves all of our respect and thankfulness. Good times and bad. His love to us is agape and ours to Him should be the same.
God has given us a light at the end of our dark tunnels--it's Him. He will comfort us, love us, support us. All we have to do is turn our life, our hurt, our tunnel over to Him. He will turn it into a light that is sweet. Isn't that a awesome phrase--"light is sweet"?
Life is worth living--dawns are worth waking up to! Give yours to Jesus!
Ecclesiastes 11:7 NLT
I have a brother who is going through a very sad divorce. He is torn up and angry at the man his soon to be ex-wife is having an affair with and he is angry at God. How could God let this happen to him? He sees no reason for living.
I told Scott that he needed to remember that God has given us free will. And in this case, his ex-wife has used her free will to make a bad thing happen--NOT God.
Do you find yourself doing that? Do you find that when things are going great and wonderful, we have a tendency to not even think of God. He's not in our forethought. We don't even remember to thank Him for His goodness. But boy, the moment something bad is happening, we are all over God, blaming Him for the bad stuff that is happening. It's not right!
God deserves all of our respect and thankfulness. Good times and bad. His love to us is agape and ours to Him should be the same.
God has given us a light at the end of our dark tunnels--it's Him. He will comfort us, love us, support us. All we have to do is turn our life, our hurt, our tunnel over to Him. He will turn it into a light that is sweet. Isn't that a awesome phrase--"light is sweet"?
Life is worth living--dawns are worth waking up to! Give yours to Jesus!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
A Trustworthy Saying
"This is a trustworthy saying:
If we die with Him,
we will also live with Him.
If we endure hardship,
we will reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He will deny us.
If we are unfaithful,
He remains faithful,
for He cannot deny who He is."
2 Timothy 2:11-13 NLT
As you read this, do you feel, like I do, that this is a good one to have memorized? When you are faced with a trail or you are faced with a joy, this little "hymn", which the notes at the bottom of the page says is where this probably originated as, says it all.
It's so short and to the point that it doesn't take much to explain it--but what a world of hope, truth and faithfulness does it hold!
Basically it says that if you have given yourself, your life, your soul, to the Lord--in other words, "died" to self, you are to live with Him eternally.
And if you endure--bear His suffering and suffer for Him with your own life, bear witness through trials, and do this faithfully, as He did for you--you will be rewarded when Jesus returns.
One of the humbling thoughts is this--even if we are NOT faithful, He WILL always be, for He cannot be what He is not. Doesn't just the thought of that make you want to be faithful? And then of course, if we deny Him, He will have to deny us because of the fact that He does not go where He isn't invited.
The main idea is this, through thick and thin, God loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. But it needs to be a true give and take relationship. He is willing to give love unconditionally and be unconditionally faithful but you need to stop denying Him and start embracing Him. Can you do that? Have you done that? Please do that! For yourself--for Him.
If we die with Him,
we will also live with Him.
If we endure hardship,
we will reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He will deny us.
If we are unfaithful,
He remains faithful,
for He cannot deny who He is."
2 Timothy 2:11-13 NLT
As you read this, do you feel, like I do, that this is a good one to have memorized? When you are faced with a trail or you are faced with a joy, this little "hymn", which the notes at the bottom of the page says is where this probably originated as, says it all.
It's so short and to the point that it doesn't take much to explain it--but what a world of hope, truth and faithfulness does it hold!
Basically it says that if you have given yourself, your life, your soul, to the Lord--in other words, "died" to self, you are to live with Him eternally.
And if you endure--bear His suffering and suffer for Him with your own life, bear witness through trials, and do this faithfully, as He did for you--you will be rewarded when Jesus returns.
One of the humbling thoughts is this--even if we are NOT faithful, He WILL always be, for He cannot be what He is not. Doesn't just the thought of that make you want to be faithful? And then of course, if we deny Him, He will have to deny us because of the fact that He does not go where He isn't invited.
The main idea is this, through thick and thin, God loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. But it needs to be a true give and take relationship. He is willing to give love unconditionally and be unconditionally faithful but you need to stop denying Him and start embracing Him. Can you do that? Have you done that? Please do that! For yourself--for Him.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
We Also
"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters." 1 John 3:16 NLT
What does it mean to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters? In some parts of the world Christians are actually dying. I think in our culture it means dying to your right to be right. It may mean dying to your agenda, your time, your money, or expectations. It means dying to a lot things. If you know a brother or sister struggles with an alcohol addiction, it means dying to your right to drink around them. It means dying to vengeance and forgiving someone who harmed you or someone you love. It means dying to your desire to run out of the church and get lunch after service, and making time to listen to a brother in need.
I think we believe that if push came to shove, we would give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If persecution hits us, we would boldly die for them. But really we are called to die to the little things every day.
The way to give up our lives for each other, is to let the life of Christ Jesus live in us. Have you asked Jesus into your life?
What does it mean to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters? In some parts of the world Christians are actually dying. I think in our culture it means dying to your right to be right. It may mean dying to your agenda, your time, your money, or expectations. It means dying to a lot things. If you know a brother or sister struggles with an alcohol addiction, it means dying to your right to drink around them. It means dying to vengeance and forgiving someone who harmed you or someone you love. It means dying to your desire to run out of the church and get lunch after service, and making time to listen to a brother in need.
I think we believe that if push came to shove, we would give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If persecution hits us, we would boldly die for them. But really we are called to die to the little things every day.
The way to give up our lives for each other, is to let the life of Christ Jesus live in us. Have you asked Jesus into your life?
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