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God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. John 3:17 (NCV)
A friend of mine is a car salesman. I trust him completely. When I need a good used car I’ll go to him and ask him to find a car that is a particular style, within a particular price range, and is from his opinion, a good reliable car. Because of my trust in him I’m pretty confident that when I drive off the lot with my ‘new’ car I can trust it. I don’t know its complete history, but I know my friend.
When we seek to purchase a car, some electronic item or a new home we want to know as much about it as possible before we spend the money. We don’t want any surprises.
That’s what makes Jesus’ coming to earth for us even more amazing. Imagine if I were to go to my friend and ask him to find me a car. A few days later he calls and says he found one for me and asks me to come down to the shop to see it.
When I arrive I see a car that’s 20 years old, has three different colored fenders, and the fourth fender is rusted through. One tire is flat, the other three are bald. There is a crack in the windshield and, he informs me, the Air Conditioning doesn’t work and the windows won’t open. Would I buy the car? You say, “Of course not! A person would be stupid to buy something like that and,” you’d continue, “your friend isn’t much of a friend. I’d never trust him again!”
You’d be right of course. No one would buy something like that for any price. But that is exactly what Jesus did! When Jesus was born in that manger over 2,000 years ago he and his Father knew exactly what he was getting into. He knew he was going into a world full of anger, rebellion, abuse and greed. He knew he’d be scoffed at, rejected by he closest friends and innocently murdered. But knowing all this, he came anyway.
If that wasn’t enough, he didn’t come to scold us. He didn’t come to tell us how bad we were. He didn’t come to criticize us for our weaknesses, or condemn us for our rebellion or send us on some guilt trip. He came to save us. He came to forgive us. He came to free us from guilt, shame, anger and bitterness! Jesus didn’t come to earth because of what we were like, he came to earth because of what we needed.
There will be plenty of people who will point out your faults, tell you what you are doing wrong and judge you for your past or present addictions. Jesus didn’t come to make you feel guilty. He came to show you his love.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank you for coming to earth to give me freedom. I struggle so much with feelings of guilt, anger and fear. It’s so easy to go my own way and seek my own desires. I praise you for accepting me, for purchasing me even though you knew all my flaws. Amen.
The Lord hates what evil people do, but he loves those who do what is right. Proverbs 15:9 (NCV)
It’s time to set the record straight. God hates what evil people do. Simply said? No news here you say? But look again at what the words say, or better yet what they don’t say.
GOD DOES NOT HATE EVIL PEOPLE. Religionists, even some that call themselves christian (small ‘c’ intentional) will tell you differently. Maybe not in words, but in actions; by the way they make you feel; or by the heartless advice they give you. Ever noticed how you have a tendency to want to duck when someone says “I’m telling you this in love”?
Let me repeat. God does not hate you if you are living in sin. God does not hate you if you are a felon, an abuser, an atheist. But also, let me emphasize that God hates the evil actions of people. Why? Because evil actions hurt people. Evil actions hurt the victims and the abuser.
If you are struggling with sin right now, it’s important to know that God hates your actions, but he doesn’t hate you. If you are a victim of ‘evil actions of others’ know this. God hates the evil as much as you do. Every blow you receive, be it emotional or physical, hurts him as well. Why? Because even though God hates evil actions, he loves people.
Tucked away in the second part of this proverb is another truth each of us can lean on. The English translation doesn’t quite do it justice. The phrase ‘but he loves those who do what is right’ could be better paraphrased as ‘God takes joy in those who strive to do what is right.’
Fact of the matter is, all of us are evil. Some are evil in their actions. Others are evil in their refusal to work towards forgiveness. Some are evil in direct rebellion to God, others are evil because their actions, while well-meaning, are contrary to the love and acceptance of God.
If you are in an abusive situation today; if you are struggling with addiction; if you are living a secret life that terrifies you, know this. God hates your actions, he doesn’t hate you. He is passionately, madly in love with you. You are worth the fight he’s making to bring you to himself.
It may surprise you but here is another truth. God doesn’t expect you to be perfect, he knows your humanity will keep you from that. He does, however desire to help you live as holy as you can through his Son, Jesus Christ.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your promise to love me no matter what. I’m tired of hearing people put me down because I struggle with things I know you hate. Help me to live in holiness and to forgive those who have hurt me because I know this is the ‘right thing to do’. Amen.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, John 10:14 (NLT)
I’m not a farmer. I enjoy the country. I have several friends who are farmers. I live in great farm country. But I’m not a farmer. So I may be about to show some of my naivety but to me, all sheep look alike. I know, I know. I’ve been on farms where the sheep are named, some of the chickens are named, the cows are named. But to me they all look pretty much alike. Especially sheep.
Tradition says that in Jesus’ day shepherds would take their flocks into the hills to eat. At some times of the year they may gather flocks together for the night. This was a great idea. Multiple shepherds could keep the sheep safer from attack, allow the shepherds to take turns standing guard, and give them opportunity for company. Being alone in the hills can be mighty lonely.
In the morning the sheep were divided up. The shepherd knew his sheep (how I don’t know) and the sheep knew their shepherd (even more amazing to me since sheep aren’t known for their intelligence).
Imagine what it must have been like for a sheep to get up in the morning and try to figure out which one of the shepherds to follow. Their lives depended on the decision after all. The shepherd made sure they were fed well, led to quiet pastures, protected from thieves, natural calamity and wild animals. Shepherds that didn’t own the animals weren’t likely to take care of them very well.
When you think about it, life is a lot like that today. We have all sorts of voices telling us to follow this cause or that cause. Politicians telling us we need more programs and more taxes or less programs and less taxes. Religionists telling us we need to stand firm in our beliefs or that we need to be more tolerant of all beliefs. Back and forth it goes. Voices calling out to your heart to go this way or that way to find the relief you are looking for.
Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. What does a Good Shepherd look like?
- A Good Shepherd will never compromise the wishes of the owner. He’ll not lead you in a way that is contrary to what God’s Word says. There are no ‘new revelations’ Does God still speak? Yes. But his words will never compromise the Holy Scriptures we already have.
- A Good Shepherd will never compromise the safety of the sheep. There may be times when we go through dangerous times. Times when the enemy will be lurking, waiting to attack. But our Good Shepherd will never lead us there and leave us there. His protection lasts forever.
- A Good Shepherd will never ask the sheep to compromise their Holiness. We are referred to as the sheep of his pasture. Temptations will come our way. There will be times when those things put before us seem like God’s leading, but are directly opposed to scripture. Holiness is based on God’s sinless plan for our lives. We will never be sinless this side of heaven, but we should always strive to do so.
Perhaps one of the most stunning things about our Good Shepherd is that he will go to extraordinary measures to draw us to himself. I heard a story once. I haven’t been able to verify it, but it goes something like this. If a lamb continued to stray from the flock, as a last resort the shepherd would gently break the leg of the wayward lamb and then set it. As the leg healed the lamb was carried by the Shepherd. The result? The healing of the lamb’s leg also caused a bond to the shepherd’s heart. That lamb, once healed, would never stray again.
The word picture is an amazing reminder that Jesus will do whatever needs to be done to draw us to his close, loving, gracious and merciful arms.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank you that during these uncertain times I can know you will lead me in paths for my own good and God’s glory. Give me wisdom to discern your voice and strength to follow. Amen.
He took away your pride when he let you get hungry, and then he fed you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had ever seen. This was to teach you that a person does not live on bread alone, but by everything the Lord says. Deuteronomy 8:3 (NCV)
Imagine what it must have been like being ripped away from everything you’d ever known. Sure, it wasn’t a perfect situation. The environment was getting more hostile all the time, abuse and murder were becoming common. But at least you had great food, a warm bed to sleep in and a relatively good idea of what tomorrow would be like.
Now, every day is an adventure. Sure, the first few days were okay, even exciting. But the excitement has worn off, patience has worn thin and you can’t bear the thought of one more night in that tent! The beauty of your surroundings has been replaced by wilderness. Not just physically, spiritually too.
This was the plight of those leavingEgyptfor the Promised Land. They were yanked from a situation that was dangerous, yet predictable; secure, yet confining; familiar, although they were foreigners in a far off land.
The wilderness wanderings of God’s people are a beautiful love story of grace. While inEgyptthey were not forgotten. The worse things got for them, the more they called out to a God they barely knew. The beauty of it all is that he heard their cries and delivered them from their enemy.
But deliverance never comes without struggle. Those who struggle with addictive behaviors; are trapped in abusive relationships; are struggling with illness or financial disaster will tell you that. Deliverance doesn’t mean you get to waltz gracefully from imprisonment to freedom without some struggle. The enemy doesn’t give up that easily.
Stuck away in the story of the wilderness wanderings is the story of manna. The story of God’s provision. The story of giving just what each person needs at the time it’s needed.
Manna appeared daily on the floor of the wilderness. It was new every morning to remind the Israelites that God’s love was new every morning as well. Each day was a fresh start.
Manna taught God’s people that yesterday’s failures and victories were to be left behind. Each day was a new chance to see God’s work. In fact, if you tucked manna (your past) away for later use it turned rotten! Yesterday is gone. Today is a new day of God’s grace.
Manna met each persons need individually. Those who gathered too little found that the amount they gathered was just enough for the end of the day. Those who gathered much found that the excess was gone by the end of the day.
Manna, like grace, was personal. I get what I need from God. You get what you need from God. There were no rules, no discussion on who gets what or why. Manna was available to the ‘good, God fearing Israelite’ as well as the rebellious and struggling one. Just as grace through Jesus Christ is available to all regardless of their situation.
With Jesus there is no lack.
There was, of course, a downside to manna, just as there is grace. Not a flaw in grace itself, but a flaw in human thinking. God’s provision was essential for their survival. Yet, soon the Israelites were complaining about manna. They began to take God’s provision for granted. May we never take the grace he’s given for granted. May we never forget the price paid for our freedom: the death of Jesus for our sins.
PRAYER: Father, thank you for the lesson of manna. Help me to see your new provision every day of my life. May your grace always inspire me to live with hope and expectation for what you have for me. Amen.
But to all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 (NCV)
Several years ago some friends of mine adopted a child from a foreign country. As they neared the top of the waiting list they were told by the host country that they’d have 48 hours to arrive at the orphanage once their names ‘were up’. In a sense everything was on hold in their lives knowing that at any moment they would be hopping on a jet plane and flying around the world to meet their new infant.
In talking with the prospective father he told me how excited, nervous and scared he was…all at the same time. Even though they had three children of their own, the excitement of being able to share their love and family stability with this new little life was ‘a chance of a life time.’
I’d forgotten that conversation until recently, when I ran across John 1:12. ‘We’ve been given the right to become children of God.’ Take time to think about what being adopted means in the life of an orphan. They have, for whatever reason has lost parents and family and everything that was stability to them.
- There’s the waiting game. Every day seeing other children meeting ‘new people’ who take them away to a new life;
- Depending on how long they’ve been an orphan, they may have no concept of parents or family;
- Many are victims of some sort of tragedy or trauma;
- Most are lonely. Even though the orphanage or foster parents may do their best to offer comfort, there is no comfort like the comfort of the loving arms of mom and dad.
- They lack positive role models. People who are in their lives consistently, offering love, stability and direction;
- They have no real understanding of a relationship built on love for the reason of love alone;
- They don’t have any cheerleaders in their lives. No one to give them a ‘high-five’ and encourage them when the going gets tough. No one to celebrate their victories or stand by them in defeat.
- Even after adoption some struggle with the fear that these ‘new parents’ will abandon them.
You may be able to think of other struggles of someone who’s lived the life of an orphan. Now imagine that day when someone walks through that door, looks you straight in the eyes and says, “I choose you. For better or worse, with all your faults, for all time.” Imagine the joy and relief to think you’ve been chosen.
Each and everyone one of us has, to some degree, felt the pain of an orphan. The loneliness, the failure, the desire for someone to come alongside us when we are afraid, we’ve failed, we are sick or lonely. Our Heavenly Father came into our lives, scooped us up in his mighty, powerful and gentle arms, looked us straight in the eyes and said, “I choose you. Period.” It was nothing you did. There was nothing you that made you deserve this love. There is nothing that can take this love from you.
Your heavenly Father is someone you can count on to be there when you are lonely, be your cheerleader in victory or defeat, and to guide you through the rough and tumble journey of life.
PRAYER: Father God. Daddy. Thank you for loving me when I’m unlovely, for supporting me when I fail, encouraging me when I struggle to go on. Thank you for choosing me to be your child. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 