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You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. Psalm 10:17-18
There are times in our lives when we just need a hug. Not the hug that leads to passion, nor the hug that says ‘everything will be alright’. There are times when things won’t ever be the same again. There are times when passion is the furthest thing from our minds. Times when we just need the hug that says, “No matter what has happened between us in the past, no matter what happens in the future, I’m here for you to walk be your side. To give you my full attention, to encourage you on in life, to listen to your heart and protect your very soul from attack.”
That’s the message your Heavenly Father wants you to hear. There are plenty of people around that want you to think about the Judgment and wrath of God; that remind you of the consequences of a life lived for yourself and not for God; that will give you a whole checklist of things that you need to do/have/feel in order to win the attention of the God of the universe.
Make no mistake. He is a Holy God. There are consequences for our actions when we don’t repent and come to him for forgiveness. But your heavenly Father is not a God of vengeance or condemnation. Jesus himself reminds us that “I did not come into the world to condemn the world but to give the world life! (John 3:17)
To be held by your Father in Heaven doesn’t mean you will be free of trouble. To be held by your Father doesn’t mean pain and sorrow won’t come into your life. To be held by your Heavenly Father means that as you go through the trying times his arms will be around you. Walking hand in hand with God is a marvelous thing, but there are times when nothing but a hug will do. Nothing but being held in his arms will suffice.
To be held in the arms of our Father means He:
Hears us- We will never be ignored.
Encourages us- When the battle gets the toughest he is our number on cheerleader!
Listens to us- Hearing means to hear the word, but listening means he hears our heartfelt feelings.
Defends us- The father provided far more than economic gain. He was the one that mentored you. He was the only one that was educated. He was the one that gave you hope for the future.
The enemy of your soul wasn’t you to think you are in this alone. The voices deep within remind us of our failures, try to take away our hope. Your Father holds you in his arms so that when the attacks come you are safe in his protection and grace.
PRAYER: Father, there are so many times I feel alone. So many times it seems like the battle raging around me is more than I can take. My efforts to succeed, even in serving you, fall short. My past haunts me and my future scares me. Thank you for holding me in your arms. Amen.
“that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:5-6 NLT
A few years ago I changed my cell phone provider and as a result got a new phone number. For a short time after that (and still on occasion) I’d get phone calls from people looking for someone else. I’d tell them that this was my number and I wasn’t the person they were looking for. That person, who ever it was, was no longer at this ‘address’.
That’s what grace is like. As we try to grow closer to Christ, old acquaintances will try to contact us.
Old friend worry will dial our number when the boss tells us that the company will be downsizing and your hours will be cut.
Lust will pop up on the phone screen of your life when things at home get a little to stressful and you begin to wonder if the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence.
You’ll hear the familiar voice of anger as you find the porn magazine under your son’s bed.
Doubt will ask for you to come to the phone when the prayers you prayed so fervently aren’t answered the way you’d hoped.
Fear will text you when the doctor calls and, rather than give you the results over the phone, asks you to come into the office.
Shame and guilt? Oh, they still have your number too. They’ll call at any hour of the day or night, waking you up to remind you of your past or question how you can talk about God with this ‘monkey’ hidden on your back.
Grace tells us that we can respond to each of these old friends by saying, “Sorry. I don’t live there anymore.” Before Christ we lived side by side with all of these old friends. Now that Jesus is in our lives we are changed, we’re new people, we live at I M Forgiven and we no longer need to take calls from the old life.
When the old friends call don’t give them a moment of your time. The shame and guilt you once carried can be placed on the back of a Savior who died to free you from that baggage. The anger, lust, worry and fear can be put out on the curb for garbage pick-up. You have no more use for it.
There’s nothing you can do to free yourself of these enemies of your soul. But that’s okay, Jesus already did that for you 2000 years ago on the cross. Today he sits at the right hand of creator God to be an advocate for us in our struggle. Because of Jesus you no longer live at that old address!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus the old life isn’t willing to let me go very easily. I still struggle on a daily basis with at least one of the old ‘friends’ from my past. Empower me by your Spirit to live free of their harassment. Because of you I’m a new person at a new address and they have no more hold on me. Thank you! Amen.
For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 2 Peter 1:16 NIV
When Moses came down from the mountain after meeting with God his face shone with such brilliance that the people asked him to cover his face in their presence.
When Isaiah entered thetempleofGodand saw him for who he really was he fell to his knees and cried ‘Woe is me!”
When ‘Doubting Thomases saw Jesus he exclaimed “My Lord and my God!” and fell to his knees.
When Mary saw Jesus in the garden she rushed excitedly to the others and exclaimed “I have seen the Lord!”
When the two on the road to Emmaus finally recognized their dinner guest they exclaimed to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us?”
When Peter, the denier, recognized the solitary figure on the beach he jumped into the water shouting “It is the Lord!”
The point is, when you truly meet with God a change occurs within you. A change that is evident to those around you because you are different in appearance, actions and words. When you see Jesus for who he truly is, you can’t help but proclaim to others that you are one with him, you are his.
The point is, too often we go through the activities of religion without any noticeable change. Going to church is good. It can be reviving. It can show you the way to life. But does it change you? Going to three Bible studies a week and religiously reading your Bible and praying can do wonders for your soul, but when you walk away do others say “He’s been with God today. He’s seen Jesus.”
When your kids are out of control, do they see Jesus in you? When your spouse is unresponsive doe he/she Jesus in you? When you are driving on the interstate can others see by your actions that you have been with God or do they think you are trying to send them to God?
It’s not enough to SAY you’ve been with Jesus. Spirituality isn’t measured by activity it’s measured by the spiritual fruit you exhibit to others on a daily basis. Spirituality is shown best when life is at its worst.
If Jesus has forgiven your sin, show others forgiveness. If Jesus has shown you patience in your weakness, show others patience. If Jesus has remained a faithful friend when you have rebelled and ignored him, show faithfulness to those who are untrustworthy. If Jesus makes you smile, show others the joy within you.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus I thank you for all you have done for me. I praise you for your forgiveness, your grace your mercy and all spiritual blessings you’ve bestowed on me. I’m so unworthy. May others know, by looking at me, that I’ve been with you today. Amen.
But we are citizens of heaven and are eagerly waiting for our Savior to come from there. Our Lord Jesus Christ has power over everything, and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body. Philippians 3:20-21(CEV)
The last time I saw Gus (not his real name) he was 104 years old. An old Norwegian Presbyterian he grew up farming in the fertile fields of Northern Iowa. He’d done well for himself and his sons had built on his legacy with sound farming and reliance on their faith. Gus was as generous with the money the ‘Good Lord’ had given him as he was his big smile and firm handshake.
I visited Gus that last time since I was back in town for the funeral of a mutual friend. She’d spent her last years in a room just down the hall from Gus and his wife in the local rest home. Gus shared his room with his wife of 75 years who, due to Alzheimer’s disease, rarely acknowledged his existence.
I unknowingly arrived just in time for the afternoon hymn sing and sat in the back of the room to listen. Midway through the singing the leader turned to Gus and said “Gus, would you sing your favorite song for us?” He smiled and nodded. She began to play “He the Pearly Gates will Open.” 104 years hadn’t weakened the beautiful Norwegian brogue as he sang all four verses from memory and didn’t miss a word (I don’t think).
Afterwards, I went up to greet Gus. His smile told me he recognized me long before I got to his wheelchair. We sat together and shared a cup of strong coffee. We talked of old times. Gus always talked about old times, the time on the farm, the way life had changed. How some of his most lucrative deals had been done with nothing more than a handshake. That’s all that was needed in those days.
Then Gus began to weep as we talked of the passing of our friend. I asked if he was okay and after he gained his composure he said, “All my friends are gone. I just want to go home.” I knew right away that home wasn’t the few blocks to the comfortable bungalow he and his bride had retired to. Home was to see his Jesus. It was at that point that I realized that home is where your family is, home is where your loved ones are and you feel completely accepted. Home is where Jesus is.
Three years later I heard that the Pearly Gates had swung wide open for Gus. He was home at last. Each of us long to live to be old, but as we grow older our bodies fail, our mind doesn’t work the way we’d like, those we love go on before us. But on the other side, when we go through those gates to see Jesus we’ll be transformed, made new. The physical and emotional pain we are going through now is nothing compared to the glory we’ll share when we enter “The Pearly Gates.”
PRAYER: Lord Jesus. We continue to struggle with life on this side. Thank you for the hope we have of a better life after this. Empower me to live fully for you here in anxious anticipation for lies ahead. Amen.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (NASB)
What does it take to be really great? How can we do our best work in building theKingdomofGodon earth? Is it having big churches with lots of programs? Is it going on mission’s trips to far-off lands or working in soup kitchens? Will ministries through fancy multi-media presentations or books or music bring the good news to the masses that need Jesus?
The answer is yes, maybe. These are all noble and effective kingdom builders. But the most effective way to build theKingdomofGodin our world, our circle of influence, is still the same way that Jesus did it when he was here on earth: being a servant.
Read through the gospels, especially from Mark’s view, and notice the number of times the phrase “And he went on from there” or “and immediately” or “Don’t tell anyone what I’ve done” is used.
Jesus wasn’t about building ministries. He wasn’t about making a name for himself. He wasn’t concerned about leaving a legacy. He came to serve people. He came to live among those who didn’t know what it was like to live in lavish palaces or enjoy the status of political, economic, religious or social status.
If Jesus were to make a quick visit to planet earth this weekend, what church do you think he’d go to? Would he visit a Baptist church perhaps? Would he go the more charismatic/Pentecostal route? Does he like the more traditional approach to worship or would he go for a completely non-denominational and contemporary venue?
At the risk of offending some of my brothers and sisters who minister in churches, I doubt Jesus would go to church if he came back for a weekend. You’d find him at the local coffee shop maybe, or in a park, or maybe even in a bar.
Jesus came to serve people. Jesus came to reach out to those who needed to hear about him. There were so many times in his ministry when it would have been completely understandable (from a human perspective) to set up shop in one town and have people come to him, but he went to them to serve them, to meet their needs, to live where they lived.
We live in a consumer-motivated society. If we don’t like this store, or that shop we go where our needs are met better. But that mentality shouldn’t be a part of the mindset of the Christ-follower. We aren’t here to have our needs met or our egos stroked. We are here to serve people.
How can you serve the person who gets your latte’ at the local coffee shop today? How can you serve the waitperson at the café you stop at for lunch? You know the one that brought your food late…and cold. How can you serve the many others God brings your way?
The church is at its best when it moves outside the walls to serve its neighbors.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, keep me from being the type of person who seeks my needs before the needs of others. Empower me with your Spirit to see how I can best meet the needs of those around me who need to hear your word. In your name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 