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Relationship Jesus Style
April 27, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: blessings, changed lives, church, Colossians 3:1, divorce, embarrassment, failure, faith, fear, forgiveness, freedom, second chances | Leave a comment
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Colossians 3:1 (NLT)
What is the reality of Heaven? It’s more than a ‘pie in the sky’ response to life. The realities of Heaven start with us today and are a result of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s not about rules, or denominations or religious dogma.
When we talk about our relationship with Jesus Christ, or being a Christian or being a Christ-follower what things set us apart from any other social club?
- We are forgiven: 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
- We are equal: Romans 12:5- “so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
- We are Free to live: John 8:36- “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
- We can call God our Daddy: Romans 8:15- “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
- We can live forever with Jesus: John 3:16-“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- Our Past doesn’t matter: 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
These are just a few of the many things that God has promised us in his Word as a result of our faith in Jesus Christ. Today focus on just one thing and praise God for His loving promises in our lives.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I am so thankful today for the many promises I have in you. I praise you for the fact that my life with you is based on relationship and not rules. I praise you today that even though I fail you on a daily basis you love me and care for me. Help me to focus on you today. Amen.
Don’t Let Yourself Be Robbed
April 7, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: anger, anxiety, divorce, embarrassment, failure, fear, forgiveness, God's promises, grace, grief, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, John 10:10, Restoration, robbery, second chances, stolen joy, thieves, trust, understanding | Leave a comment
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 (NLT)
A friend of mine tells the story of how his house was robbed in broad daylight. The thieves ‘let themselves in’ through his unlocked front door and took a television and stereo system from his front room! Now, you may ask, why did he leave his front door unlocked? The answer would be that he saw no need to lock the door when he was home!
My friend works out of his home office. On the day of the crime he was simply working away and heard a couple thumps. Thinking it was his dogs at play he thought nothing of it until he went to refill his coffee mug. It was at that time that he noticed two gaping holes in his entertainment center! Whoever the culprits were walked right in helped themselves and walked right back out again.
Just as a thief comes and steals from us when we least expect it, life can rob us of the life God intends for us to have. Jesus came to give us life! Rich, full and satisfying life. But that life can be stolen away from us. Anger, fear and our past can cripple our feelings about ourselves and others. Lack of spiritual relationship with Jesus and with fellow believers can leave us weak and searching for more meaning to life.
Sometimes we set goals for ourselves, or try to conform to how others expect us to act or perform. When that happens it’s easy to concentrate so much on what we can’t do that we fail to see what we have accomplished. We fail to see ourselves through God’s eyes.
Sin can also rob us from the full life that Jesus has for us. Feelings of guilt for past mistakes keep us tied to our past rather than being able to use those mistakes as stepping stones to success for the future. Our inability to forgive others for their sins against us, or the bitterness we endure when others refuse to forgive us for our mistakes also keep Christ’s joy from driving us.
My friend could have avoided the pain and embarrassment of being robbed by simply locking his front door. In the same way, each of us can avoid having the joy of Jesus stolen from us by giving our entire lives over to him for safe keeping. Don’t allow emotional thieves to steal what Jesus died to give us. Look to Him and the fact that He loves you so that you can live the full, refreshing life He intended you to have.
Jesus loves you passionately. He wants nothing more that to give you a rich, full and satisfying life. Why not turn your life over to Him today. He wants to protect you.
PRAYER: Jesus I thank you that you want nothing more than to give me a rich, full and satisfying life. As you know I’ve been robbed of this life by many things that have snuck into my life. I ask today that you would remove those things that keep me from you. Restore to me the joy of the Salvation you have given to me through your life, death and resurrection. In your name I pray, Amen.
Lifted from Despair
March 28, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: anxiety, changed lives, compassion, death, despair, divorce, embarrassment, failure, forgiveness, freedom, God, grace, guilt, hopelessness, Psalm 40:2-3, Restoration, second chances, shame, sin, slime | 2 comments
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:2-3
When I was growing up I lived in the country. Our house was located on the end of a long dirt driveway that became a mud hole in the spring. We’d end up parking our car at the end of the driveway and trudging through the mud to get home. Good boots were a requirement! Even so, there were times when we’d walk through a spot where the mud was especially deep. If you stepped on that spot it was almost as if is sucked your foot into the ground and refused to let go. As young children we would, at times need to call for help to get out of that oozing mess!
In Psalm 42 David talks about being in a slimy pit. He is helpless and hopeless to get out. The walls of his prison are steep and slimy so that whenever he tries to climb out he slides back down into the mass of slime on the bottom there is no way out. There is no hope.
But God came to his rescue. God lifted him from the slime and place him on solid ground, on a rock that would never waver, never fail him. David was able to raise above all that tried to keep him trapped. His God given ability to rise above the despair caused others to take notice and to put their faith in God.
There are many reasons we can feel like we are trapped in a pit of mud and slime. Sometimes our own sin fills us with such guilt and shame we don’t feel we can go on. It could be that we are in an abusive relationship and see no way out. Finances, illness, broken relationships, unemployment or underemployment all add to our sense of despair. But Jesus came to help you out of the pit. He sees your struggle and wants to help you onto the solid ground of faith in him. He alone can help you rise about the struggles, the shame, the guilt, and the failures of your life.
Each of us kids were so glad to get through the muddy spots of our driveway! At the end of that muck was dry ground and safety. Today, Jesus reaches out to you and invites you to let Him pull you out of the despair in your life. Ask Him to place you on solid ground so that you can have a new song to sing to those who need to hear the good news of Jesus.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I thank you for your love and forgiveness. Today I feel like I’m sinking fast in this pit of mud and slime. The walls seem impossible to scale. I ask that you would forgive me for my part in getting into this mess. Help me to listen to you and not my accusers. Place in me the new song you promised me so others can know your deliverance and love. Amen.
A New Name
March 21, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: changed lives, denial of Jesus, embarrassment, failure, forgiveness, grace, healing, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John 1:42, power to heal, Restoration, simon peter, understanding | Leave a comment
And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). John 1:42
Have you ever thought how much easier it would be to follow Jesus if you could see Him, touch Him and walk with Him physically every day? It is hard for you some day to worship and believe when you can’t see (with your eyes) the one who has given you the forgiveness and love you need? Being able to see Jesus doesn’t always make the road any easier.
When Simon came to Jesus he was searching for something different in his life. He was a fisherman and apparently a successful one. From what we read about him in the Bible and history he was an independent thinker and a natural born leader.
But Simon was also an arrogant, outspoken, stubborn, rude and bold man who frequently used foul language. Today, if you saw Simon on the street you’d think he was the last person on earth that would even be looking for Jesus much less become someone who would become the leader of your church. Simon was not a pleasant man to be around.
One day, at the invitation of his brother Andrew, Simon came to check out this ‘new kid on the block.’ As soon as Jesus met Simon He saw qualities in him that would be useful for the Kingdom. It wasn’t because Simon had ‘cleaned up his act’ on the way to meeting Jesus. He was still the proud, outspoken arrogant person he’d always been. But Jesus didn’t look at the exterior attributes of this man. He looked at the heart. He looked at the potential in this man.
If you were to follow the life of Peter from that day forward you would see a man that grew strong in the Lord and eventually did great and mighty miracles. But he was the same Simon. He still had tendencies to go his own way. He still stumbled and rebelled. In fact, Simon denied that he even knew Jesus! That was the ultimate rejection!
Because of Jesus, Simon Peter was able to use many of the positive qualities such as his boldness to speak out, his leadership abilities and his passion to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. But those negative qualities were always there in the corner ready and willing to attack and try to bring him down.
Although we think it would be easier to live for Jesus if we could see Him, it isn’t really so. We will always have battle with our inner selves, with those old habits, those selfish ways and those desires to have things our own way.
Jesus looked at Simon and saw the good things about him. He said to him, “I see some great potential in you! I’m going to help you use all your gifts and abilities in a positive way now for My Kingdom. Simon’s new name of Peter was a sign of a new beginning of ministry, but not a sign of perfection. He would still struggle just as we do.
The Bible says that when we accept Christ as Savior we ‘get a new name’. Our new name empowers us to use our gifts and abilities to show Jesus love, and healing to the world around us.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, there are so many times in my life I feel like Peter. I’m arrogant, selfish, rude and deny you when I want things my way. I ask that you would forgive me for my selfish tendencies. Help me to use this new name you have given me to show your love, forgiveness and healing to those who need to see you. May I be the ‘Jesus in skin’ others need for a new name. Amen.
Free and Forgiven
March 11, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: addictions, anxiety, changed lives, embarrassment, failure, forgiveness, Free at last, freedom, grace, sacrifice, second chances, shame, sin, worry | Leave a comment
Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17
During Old Testament times people were required on a regular basis to offer up sacrifices because of the sin in their life. These sacrifices were made according to God’s law to satisfy, or appease God’s anger at our sin. In a sense they were there to constantly remind us of our failings.
Few of us realize what it means to make a sacrifice like they did in the days of the Old Testament. It cost something. It cost the best lamb from the flock or the best fruit from the harvest. To offer up a sacrifice a person would have to recount all of their sins. It must have been a painfully embarrassing process. The problem with sacrifices back then is that while they appeased God for a time, they didn’t last because you’d leave the tabernacle and go sin again. So you would have to repeat this process time after time.
When Jesus died on the cross He provided a perfect, eternal sacrifice. It didn’t cost us anything, yet it cost Him His life. He not only endured the physical punishment of being beaten until he was near death. He endured the emotional pain of being rejected by His friends, His nation and even God His Father.
Because His sacrifice was perfect it only had to be done once. Since He did this for me I only have to ask Him to forgive my sins and repent of my sinful habits. Repent means to change my mind, or change how I think about sin. When we do this we are promised that those sins will never be held against us. We are FORGIVEN FOREVER!
The problem for us sometimes is that we don’t feel forgiven. Guilt and shame rob us of the freedom we have in Jesus to forget our past mistakes. There may be consequences to our mistakes that constantly remind us we failed. There may be people in our lives that bring up our past mistakes constantly and try to make us feel the pain of being a failure.
Some habits and sin is hard to leave behind. It may be an addiction. It may be the language you use. It could be having thoughts you know aren’t pleasing to God. It could be worry or a large debt or any number of things. You fail time and time again to live free of that sin but it never works. You feel trapped.
Remember that God looks at your heart, not your actions. He’s given us His Holy Spirit to guide us on a daily basis, but when we slip up He won’t shake His head and say “here we go again”. He just helps us up, and encourages us to continue in His way.
Don’t let sin keep you from enjoying God’s best. He is ready and willing to forgive you always. He knows you are weak, but your weakness will never remove you from His love.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I thank you today that you understand me even when I rebel and go my own way. The sins of my past keep haunting me. Every day it seems like I fail you in some way. I struggle with the guilt and shame of my mistakes. Please help me to accept your forgiveness and to forget my past mistakes so I can live in your freedom. Empower me by your Holy Spirit to live daily for you. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 