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And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:8
Jesus tells a story about a merchant who, in his travels, found something of such value that he returned home and sold everything he had so he could have this one, prized possession. Nothing else mattered in life once he acquired it. Whatever the object was, it didn’t do anything to attract the man’s attention. Even so, it was precious enough to pursue.
What could be so valuable that you’d give everything to own it? What could be so important that you would risk everything you had to keep this in your possession? What could one feel so passionate about that they would pursue it with such tenacity? The answer, quite frankly is you.
You see, when the Roman soldiers walked with Jesus to the hill of Calvary it wasn’t their swords that prodded Jesus along the way. It was God. It wasn’t the hands of the executioner that held Jesus’ hands in preparation for the blow of the hammer on the nail. It was Jesus’ Father. It wasn’t the jeers and verbal harassment that caused him to feel so alone as he hung there dying. It was the fact that his Heavenly Father turned his back on him that cause the most pain. The nails and sword didn’t hold him to the, love did. It was an extreme, intense, passionate love for you that kept him on the cross.
The next time you question if you are loved, remember the cross. The next time you feel you are of no value, remember what was price was paid to purchase you. The next time you think you’ve gone to far, made too many mistakes, rebelled one too many times, remember what held Jesus to the cross. His Father, your Heavenly Father, the creator sustainer of the universe put him there so he could enjoy you for eternity.
Could God have rescued his son from the tree that day on Calvary? You bet he could, but then He’d never have been able to call you his own. God loves you passionately and Jesus death on the cross is an eternal reminder of his love and forgiveness. Live today as the cherished possession you are.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving me so much that you gave all you had to make me your own. I’m so unworthy of the grace and forgiveness you have given me. As I go throughout my day help me to remember the price you paid. Remind me of my value in your eyes. Empower me to live for you in light of your great eternal love for me. In the name of Jesus my Lord I pray, Amen.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1
Of all the promises God gives us, none is more precious, more powerful and more amazing than the fact that we are his children. Ponder that thought today. Say it slowly in your mind and contemplate its meaning.
‘I am God’s child. The Creator/sustainer of the universe is my dad.’
When you were in grade school and kids were getting to know you, a question that often came up was “So what does your dad do for a living?” The question was more than a casual one. You were, in a sense, judged by the answer. ‘My dad is a carpenter or my dad works at a gas station’ may not carry as much clout as ‘my dad is a doctor or lawyer or president of the United States.’ Your importance was determined by the value placed on what your father did and you were expected to behave according to that distinction.
Today it’s a bit harder to get the concept of fatherhood established. For one thing, many kids have fathers who are uninvolved in their lives or only see them on given days. The term ‘father’ has lost its luster due to divorce and the dysfunctional state of the family, especially in the USA. The fact that earthly father’s often fail us doesn’t change the character or meaning behind our Heavenly Father. He isn’t distracted by getting the lawn mowed or finishing some project at work. He’s not more interested in his golf score than your well-being. He can be trusted, counted on to always be there, to be a ‘man’ of action not words. Your Heavenly Father will do just exactly what he says he’ll do. He’ll take care of you and knows what is best for you. You can trust your Heavenly Father because you are his child.
I don’t know if the story is true or not. I heard it years ago, but true or not it gives us a perfect picture of how we can trust our Heavenly Father.
The story is told of a house that caught fire in the middle of the night. The parents made it out but were unable to reach their little boy on the second floor. When the fire fighters arrived they heard the boy calling for help from a second floor window. They tried to coax him to jump so they could catch him, but he didn’t recognize their voices and the smoke and darkness (not to mention fear) kept him from being able to see his rescuers.
Then, his father called to him and implored him to jump. Immediately the boy jumped into the darkness to be wrapped in the arms of his father. What made him jump? It was the assurance that his daddy lay on the other side of the darkness and his daddy could be trusted.
You are God’s child. The creator of the universe is your daddy. He chose to make you so. Live today in the assurance that your Father loves you, cares for you, is ready and willing to forgive you of anything in your life that will keep you from relationship with him. He is real. He is powerful. He passionately loves you.
PRAYER: Dear Dad, Much as I love my earthly father I have to confess there were times he didn’t understand me like you do. There are times as a parent I’ve failed my own children. I praise you for always being there for me. Forgive me for the times I’ve doubted you or rebelled against you. Help me to live in such a way that even though the world doesn’t know you, they will know I’m your kid. In Jesus name, Amen.
For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. Hebrews 10:10 (NLT)
What do you measure your life by? What we use as our standard is a reflection of our character. Compared to a person deep in the jungle of South America I may be considered very rich. Of course, by Bill Gates standards I’m very poor. I’m very tall compared to a two-year-old; very short compared to a sky scraper. I’m old…compared to a newborn infant; I’m young compared to God!
The problem with the ‘comparison game’ in our spiritual lives is that we only have two things to compare ourselves to. Either we compare ourselves to God or we compare ourselves with other human beings. We can say “Well, I know its wrong to do [fill in the blank] but at least I don’t fly planes into buildings. Or you can say “Sure, I know [fill in the blank] is wrong but at least I don’t molest children. The problem is, in God’s eyes sin is sin. Period. You can rationalize all you want, but if you are living anything but a perfect life you are living a life of sin.
The only other option is to measure our actions against the perfect, Holy, all-knowing, all-powerful creator God of the universe. When we measure our actions against him it’s pretty obvious what the results will be. It’s simply impossible as a human being to live a life that measures up to the plumb line of God’s holiness and perfection. Anything less than perfection disqualifies us from eternal life with God. Anything less than perfection in our relationship with our divine lover hinders that relationship.
The good news in all this is that when we have Christ in our lives God no longer measures our lives against his plumb line, he uses Jesus in our place. We can never meet God’s standards of holiness and perfection but Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us makes us perfect in God’s eyes!
Will sin still hinder our daily relationship with our divine lover? Yes. But we can be forgiven. We can start over again. We can come to God and restore that walk with him because the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood forgives us for all time. That’s grace. Grace puts Jesus next to God’s plumb line and calls us holy!
Don’t compare yourself to others. Stop playing the rationalizing game, telling yourself it’s not your fault or ‘you know it’s wrong but…’ Stop living in failure thinking you’ve messed up one too many times. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross makes you free to live a love relationship with God that is free of sin and full of forgiveness for those times we fall short in our humanity.
PRAYER: Holy God, it’s easy to compare myself to the ‘really bad’ people in life until I realize that the only true measurement of right or wrong it the plumb line of your holiness. I’m a sinner. I fail. Sometimes I fail intentionally because I want it my way. Please forgive me for my stubborn desire to please me in my way. Empower me with your Spirit to live in right relationship with you. Thank you for the grace Jesus gives by taking my place next to your plumb line. Amen.
But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
I watched a TV show the other night about people who were, as the show called them, ‘hoarders’. The homes these people lived in were stacked floor to ceiling with stuff. Some of it was good stuff. Some was junk. Some was garbage and dirt. Barely a path through the homes. It was incredible to watch.
In each story there was some similarity. The residents didn’t’ start out with the intention of being hoarders. I happened over a period of time, sometimes years. There were good reasons as well. Death in the family, broken relationships and/or loss of control all began to ‘pile up’. In the life of each hoarder was a story of the inability to cope with something in life and gradually letting things go until they were out of hand. Some never recovered.
Sin and failure in our lives can be like that. We make on mistake and then another. The guilt starts to pile up. We begin to get weary of the clutter in our lives but too tired or overwhelmed to deal with it.
Jesus doesn’t believe in hoarding! He wants you to be clean, fresh and alive. You don’t need to allow the failures and mistakes of your life to pile up to the point where you can no longer cope. You don’t need to bear the weight of guilt, shame and remorse that holds you back from freedom offered through grace.
Take you struggles to him often. He doesn’t promise to forgive us ‘some day’. He promises to do it right now. Every speck of dust. Every spot or stain. There is nothing you can’t bring to him. It doesn’t matter if it is a choice you made intentionally or an error you made without thinking. He wants to take it all away. He promises to cleanse us from all sin always.
Don’t be a hoarder. Get rid of that load you are carrying right now. He is there and willing to clean house for you!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I’ve been carrying this load of guilt and remorse for far too long now. I am claiming your promise to clean my life up. Take this load of guilt and remove it from me forever for your name sake. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 