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So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward. Hebrews 10:35 (NCV)
You started out strong enough. You went to church and a small group Bible Study. Maybe you even had one in your home and you were the leader. As a young person you had aspirations of being in the ministry or even being a missionary to some far off culture. You had visions of winning entire villages to Jesus Christ.
Then reality hit, and it hit hard. You never saw that divorce coming. If only you’d studied harder in high school, maybe your grades would have allowed you to get into college. Your health issues kept you from attaining many of the dreams you had at one time. You wonder what happened to your spouse. He/she once held the same values, the same fire you had for ministry but now, it’s the one hindrance in an otherwise great relationship and it’s keeping you from feeling fulfilled and squashing your ability to use your gifts.
There are those that will tell you that the level of your ability to ‘live for Christ’ is a measuring stick of your love for him. Often, it’s the other way around. The realization of our weaknesses and failures is proof of our love for Christ. That may seem like backwards thinking, but the more we desire to live for Jesus, the more His Spirit will show us areas that need change…and the more the enemy will try to send us on huge guilt trips.
Jesus shows us where we can change. Satan reminds us change is impossible. Jesus gently calls us to him. Satan screams accusations. Jesus calls to you through the darkness. Satan reminds you of the dangers lurking in the dark.
When you feel misunderstood, Jesus understands. When you feel attacked, Jesus sends endurance and safety. When you feel pressured to give in, Jesus sends encouragement to press on. “He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.” Isaiah 42:3 (NLT)
Take courage pilgrim. While we walk this Wilderness Road complete with rocks and the threat of attack from the bluffs on either side of us, we have one who walks with us. He knows the way. He is ready to defend, encourage and protect. He’s ready to walk with us all the way. When we reach the end; when endure this road we’ve travelled; victory will be ours and the reward great!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I need your strength today to be strong. My own fear of failure and the enemies attack have done their work to keep me defeated. Empower me today to be strong through your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 106:1 (NLT)
Love that endures spans the test of time;
The love story between the Creator God of the universe and mankind began in the Garden of Eden. History isn’t series of unrelated, disconnected events but a love story between a loving Father and his earnest desire to have fellowship with his wayward children.
Love that endures weathers the storms of doubt;
Love endures in spite of doubt. In the human realm, when a loved one loses faith is us, and doubts our ability to perform, or our desire to continue in the relationship, it dies. We continually struggle with doubt in our lives. It attacks every facet of our being. But even though doubt attacks our belief in God, our doubt never diminishes his belief in us. Doubt may destroy our faith in God, doubt will never destroy God’s faith in us.
Love that endures seeks restoration when wrongs are done;
Forgiveness for wrongs done in the human realm is considered noble. When a human love relationship is wracked with infidelity, doubt, abuse and defiance, death of the relationship is inevitable. Our father has loved us throughout all of the above. He holds on in our defiance, he continues to show himself when we doubt, he welcomes us back when we cheat on him, he seeks us out when we ignore or blaspheme him. His love doesn’t change when we wrong him.
Love that endures focuses on the object loved, not on the objects condition;
The father didn’t choose the Israelites because they were the most powerful or the largest nation or the most faithful. He chose them because he loved them. Human love is too often based on what the object loved can do for us. God’s love for us is based on what he can do for us! He loves us, not our actions. He loves us, not our beauty. He loves us, not our piety or discipline or ability. He loves us. He loves you. He loves me.
Love that endures loves even when that love is unable to be returned;
Even in our deepest desire to love God, we fail. It’s not that we don’t try. It’s not that we didn’t start out with noble aspirations of being mighty believers in God. We’re human. We fail. We struggle with the very things we hate. Even when you can’t love God the way you want because of the rocks and crevices in the path of life, he loves you. His love isn’t based on our ability to love back.
Love that endures finds joy in the presence of the one loved;
My favorite thought of all. Imagine that. He enjoys just being in our presence. What more can be said? Sometimes I’m not very pleasant. I don’t even like being around me. Sometimes I’m angry, self-absorbed, arrogant, and the list goes on. When I’m at my very worst God finds joy in my presence. Such love!
PRAYER: Father God, Thank you for your enduring love. Thank you that your love for me has nothing to do with who I am, or what I can accomplish or do for you. I’m overwhelmed by your enduring love.
Tiger Woods. Bill Clinton. King David. Ted Kaczynski.
All these people have something in common. They were hiding something. Oh it’s a short list. There are many, many others. Some famous, some unknown. Some hid things in their lives that were major, heinous actions. Some were not. Some have been found out either by admitting their secret themselves, or getting caught red-handed. Some are still hiding.
King David gives us a glimpse into how it feels when we hide. He talks of even his very joints hurting, about loss of sleep, about the fear. Fear is a great motivator to sin. We fear being alone. We fear being caught. We fear being made ashamed. We fear so we do things we know are wrong.
When I was in second grade I took an extra package of crackers from the lunchroom at school. At that school, in that time, that was a no-no. But I slipped them into my pocket without being seen and snuck onto the playground. A strange thing happened on the playground though. That small little package of saltines began to burn. It seemed like everyone was watching me. My leg began to hurt. Finally, the pain was unbearable. As quickly as I left the lunchroom, I returned with the crackers. I announced (confessed) to the cooks my sin, put the crackers on the counter and left before the police arrived.
Now I look back and wonder how many years the cooks laughed over that one, but the lesson still remains planted in my mind. Sin hurts. It weighs us down. It haunts us to no end. We can ignore it. We can pretend it doesn’t exist. We can hide it. But deep inside it sits like a lump in our stomach.
I may be an idealist, but I don’t believe most people sin because they enjoy the sin. They sin either because of ignorance or because they do what they do to cover other pain.
I don’t think the person who goes out and gets drunk does it for the joy of a hangover the next morning, or waking up in jail or a hospital bed or with someone they don’t know. They turn to alcohol or drugs to hide the pain.
I don’t think the person who turns to pornography does so because they enjoy exploiting women. Deep down inside they are looking for love and acceptance. Even false love and acceptance (in their mind) is better than none.
I don’t think the person who involves themselves in an affair does so in order to destroy their families and kids. They are only seeking to relieve the loneliness.
Here’s the good news. You don’t need to hide anymore. You can come to Christ for complete forgiveness. You can get rid of the feeling of guilt and shame and remorse and fear once and for all.
He came to die so you can live. He gave his blood so you can be free.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that I don’t need to hide anymore. Thank you for seeing through my sin and rebellion to know my pain. Forgive me for the hidden things in my life. In your name I pray, Amen.
I answered, “You know, sir.” And the elder said to me, “These are the people who have come out of the great distress. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:14 (NCV)
A commercial going around on TV lately shows a man named ‘mayhem’ that causes all sorts of destruction and pain to people. Property is damaged. Cars are destroyed. Lives are changed. While the commercials are humorous, the reality it, mayhem is coming. A mayhem that has never before been seen in our world.
We see the rumblings on the horizon. Nations once thought strong and invincible have crumbled through political unrest. Natural disasters are happening in places once thought paradise. Secure economies are no longer secure. Careers that once seemed safe are gone. The family, as we once knew it and God ordained it, is under huge attack. Sounds like mayhem to me.
There are many theories about how the end times will shake out. I’m not going to go there. But it’s what happens after the mayhem, the tribulation, the time of distress, which excites me.
In the book of revelation John sees a vision of that happens afterwards. Those of us that have gone through the mayhem will one day wear robes of white. White, the symbol of purity. White, by definition is free of color. Pure. Nothing there. That’s the description of our robes. Once we were filthy rags (Paul’s writing to the Ephesians), but now we are made new, white pure. All because of the blood of Jesus.
I love the word picture from Zechariah 3, “Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.” Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.” Zechariah 3:1-3 (NLT)
So it will be for us. We are washed in the blood. When we get to heaven our clothes will be spotless, cleansed by the blood of Jesus. We will be without fault. The accusations of the enemy will have no basis. New clothes. New life. Grace!
There, in the midst of all of us one will stand with clothes stained with blood. Revelation 19:13 says Jesus will be among us with clothes stained with blood. The stains Jesus wears are the stains of my sin and yours. Stains we should be wearing because of our guilt, stains he took on himself to declare our innocence.
PRAYER: Jesus, Son of the Living God. My Lord. My Savior. In the midst of the trials I face help me to remember that because of you I am free to live in the grace given through your blood. Amen.
She answered, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “I also don’t judge you guilty. You may go now, but don’t sin anymore.” John 8:11 (NCV)
When Jesus stood before the woman caught in the act of adultery, he held in his hands the power to forgive or condemn. Not based on the law, for according to the law her guilt was established. Her condemnation rested in the fact that he was God.
Still, when he asked her who condemned her, the answer was “No one, sir”. Her accusers were gone, only Jesus remained. And in his eyes the woman didn’t see condemnation, she saw forgiveness. Imagine what a relief that must have been. One moment surrounded by her accusers with death imminent, the next, alone with Jesus!
Mankind is so ready and willing to condemn us for our sin, especially those steeped in religion. There is no feeling so painful as being guilty and surrounded by those intent on reminding us of our guilt. Human forgiveness is often dependent on our ability to prove ourselves worthy; or proof of a change in our lives; or our asking forgiveness.
The adulterous woman had no opportunity to prove herself worthy of forgiveness. The law was clear. There were no second chances. There would be no waiting period on Jesus part to see if life-change occurred. His forgiveness came without a single word from the woman. No record of her remorse. No record of a single word spoken by her until Jesus asked “Who condemns you?”
I’ve heard a million sermons on what Jesus wrote in the sand that day. The words written in the sand weren’t nearly as important as what was written on the heart of the woman. Not condemned. Forgiven. Free of accusation. Clean. Valued. Loved. Those are just some of the words that come to mind.
Whatever Jesus wrote in the sand that day isn’t as important is what he writes on our hearts everyday of our lives. He didn’t come to condemn you. He didn’t come to point out your faults or remind you of your failures. He didn’t come to punish you. He came to forgive you and grant you mercy and grace.
Your past isn’t important. Your current situation has no bearing on his love and willingness to come to you to heal you. The most important words Jesus has for us are written on our hearts, and they are written in his blood. It’s time to let go. It’s time to move on. He’s engraved your freedom on your heart with his hand.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I fail so miserably and so often. I’m still haunted by the scars of my past, still reminded by the enemy and other people that I’ve failed. Thank you for the words of forgiveness engraved on my heart. Empower me to live in the freedom you have given me. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 