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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
When I was in Bible College, the building we married students lived in was literally one of the oldest buildings in the metropolitan city the College was located in. The building was rich in history but definitely was showing its age. The windows seemed to do little to stop the cold northerly winds. The heating and electrical system was inefficient and, at times, non-operational. The college did everything they could to keep the building updated and safe while we were there.
A few years ago I read that they had torn down the old building and erected a new one in its place. All the years of patching and repairing and fixing and re-fixing had finally come to an end. It was just no use trying to keep the old building in use.
Now, I’m a huge fan of trying to repair and restore old building rather than putting up new ones. However, reality is, sometimes the old just gets to a point where it won’t work anymore. It’s true in buildings. It’s true in cars and it’s true in the spiritual life as well.
In our original form, in the Garden of Eden, we were perfect. That perfection went far beyond our physical appearance. It included our emotional stability, or intellect and most importantly our ability to interact spiritually with the Creator-God of the Universe.
Then sin came into the picture and everything changed. Our physical bodies learned about illness and aging and eventually death. Our emotional well-being was challenged by our view of ourselves in comparison with others and we were hurt by the offenses of others. We began to deteriorate the moment we were born!
Our Heavenly Father looked down on us and realized that just fixing us would never be enough. The damage was too great. His desire for you was so deep that he decided the only way he could restore the relationship he longed to have with you was to start over with a brand new person, inside and out.
The Bible doesn’t say that Jesus came into the world to remodel you or recondition you. He didn’t come to repair what was broken. He came to make a brand new you. The old self is gone the minute you ask Christ to forgive you of your sin.
The enemy wants to remind you constantly that you haven’t changed. He’ll bring up all the things you still struggle with. He’ll point out your flaws. His words are nothing but lies. In Christ you are a brand new Creation!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. As I stand here admiring your creation through the beauty of nature help me to remember that I am completely forgiven because of you. I’m not reconditioned. I’m not repaired or remodeled. In you I am a brand new creation. Thank you for your love. Amen.
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:4
Have you ever thought of the passion behind the words of John 15:4? Jesus Christ, Messiah, the son of the living God is asking to remain in you. Some translations say ‘abide in you’. Either way, He isn’t asking to be WITH me. He wants to be in me and wants me to be ‘in Him’.
He isn’t telling me to clean up my act and join him when I’m done, like being part of the vine is dependent on performance or is the result of some supernatural occurrence. Branches aren’t add-ons or the result of some afterthought.
Branches, of course can’t survive without the vine, but a vine without branches? Not very practical. So the two of them, branches and vines, are interdependent. Imagine that. Jesus thinks enough of me that he says we are dependent on one another.
Now, me being dependent on Jesus? No question about that. But the thought of him being dependent on me adds a whole new perspective to the story. I’m not something he’s about to set on a shelf somewhere until further notice.
We are together. He isn’t asking me to join him one day a week. This is the real thing. This abiding envelopes my emotional, intellectual, spiritual and being. We are intertwined, interdependent, in constant interaction; constantly touching one another’s heart.
I’ve heard sermon after sermon on this passage. Each one seemed to carry with it a sense of huge responsibility to perform, to live worthy of the calling. Branches don’t have the option of living worthy of the vine. They just are. For a branch to pull-away from the vine is dangerous for the vine and can cause nearly fatal consequences because it damages the vine. Were a branch able to pull itself away from the vine, it is always fatal.
What amazing love he has for me that he would consider me to be so much a part of him. What an awesome position I have in him that I would be so close to his heart! As the vine, he is passionate about giving me everything I need to not only survive, but flourish. As a branch my goal in life is to produce beautiful fruit for his glory.
PRAYER: Jesus I’ve never thought of the passion behind abiding or being ‘in you’. What amazing love you have for me. Yet on a daily basis I seem to try to live apart from the one source of power and love that will help me cope with the struggles of this journey called life. Thank you for loving me so much. Empower me with your Spirit to bask in the glory of being a part of you. In your name, Amen.
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19
When we were young we lived on a small hobby farm in the country. Often, on warm summer night we would go for walks in the woods, following a makeshift trail. One time in particular we were using the opportunity to try out our new flashlights we’d gotten from our grandparents. Halfway through the adventure, my flashlight quit working. It was a moonless night and it was dark!
We’d made this hike hundreds of times at day and at night, but since I’d had light and now was ‘in the dark’ it was scary. I had been in the lead but my brother and I decided that I should relinquish that position since he had the working flashlight. With his guidance (and flashlight!) we were able to make it safely back to the house avoiding the obstacles in our way.
I think of that situation every once in awhile when I read this verse. Jesus invites me to follow him. He doesn’t order me to follow him. It’s my choice. I can decide to take shortcuts. I can go off on my own and try to make my way ‘home’ taking my chances at stumbling over rocks, falling into holes or having a branch slap me across the face. Or, I can follow the light and let it guide me through the troubled times.
Following Jesus isn’t the same as ‘following’ someone on some social networking site. He doesn’t ask me to follow him for his sake; he invites me to follow him for my safety and protection. Jesus knows the safest, and the most fulfilling path for me to follow. It may not be the easiest. It may not be the most glamorous. But it’s the best path for me.
Following Jesus takes risk. I risk being the most popular. I risk being wealthy. I risk having the most toys. What I lose following Jesus pales in comparison to what I gain. Rev. Billy Graham had a friend, George Beverly Shea, who turned down a lucrative recording contract to sing for Jesus. His voice could have brought him millions of dollars. Instead, his songs were instrumental in winning millions to Jesus. I may lose temporary treasure here on earth, but what I gain lasts for eternity.
Following Jesus is exclusive. There are many in the world that will tell you of other ways to happiness, other ways to fame and fortune, other ways to fulfillment of your true self. Who knows better what you need? Someone you have never met or the one who formed you in your mother’s womb? Jesus knows the very best path for you to follow because he made you…and he made the path!
Following Jesus is passionate. When you are in a passion filled relationship you want nothing more than to be in close proximity to the one whom you love. Jesus longs for a passionate relationship with you so that, like Adam and Eve, you can walk the path of life together.
PRAYER: Jesus it’s so easy for me to stray from the path. So many times when I decide my way is faster, safer, quicker and more profitable. Following my path has led to nothing but heartache and frustration. I want to follow you completely. Forgive me for straying. Empower me with your Spirit to follow only you. In your name I pray, Amen.
Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David. Ruth 4:16-17 (NLT)
She was Ruth. She was just your normal widow and peasant woman. There was nothing special about her other than the fact that she was a foreigner and a hard worker. Nothing about her would attract someone’s attention to her at all.
He was Boaz. A young, hardworking farmer who was well-respected by men and committed to the God of Israel. But there was one other quality about Boaz. He had a heart for people. His success hadn’t made him forget his God or people.
One day Boaz noticed Ruth gleaning in his field. Gleaners were women who followed after the harvesters to gather what little grains of wheat were left. Often this was the only food they had. On a good day they may even find enough to sell for a few extra coins to cover other expenses.
Moved to compassion for the young woman Boaz instructed the harvesters to leave a little extra for the young woman. He warned them not to harass here, a common occurrence in other fields.
Boaz had plenty of opportunities to push Ruth away. He could have viewed her as any other foreigner and widow and ignored her completely. She wasn’t like him after all. He could have had her stoned the night she slipped into his tent to sleep at his feet. He had a reputation to protect. He could have refused to spend the funds needed to ‘purchase the right’ to marry her.
No one would have blamed Boaz for any of the above actions. He had life made. He was young. He was rich. He was very well respected. But none of that mattered. He saw a person in need and did whatever he could to meet those needs.
Want to read a good love story? Read the book of Ruth. Eventually Ruth and Boaz become husband and wife. To this union was given a son and that’s the best part of this story. The son born to this couple was the grandfather of David, the greatest, most powerful King in Israel’s history, and the man after God’s own heart.
Even more important than David was another child born into this family line. His name was Jesus and he was born to take away the sins of the world. One small act of kindness led to my salvation.
We never know where our small acts of kindness may lead. God may call us to do something relatively simple or something that will yank us out of our comfort zone. Whatever he calls you to do, no matter how simple can be used greatly by him. Reach out to those in need. Be willing to take risks. Go the extra mile in showing God’s love. You never know where it may lead!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. I thank you for the story of Boaz and Ruth and how it shows me that my small acts of kindness can have eternal rewards. I ask that you would help me today to see someone who needs your touch. Then give me the courage and wisdom to reach out to them for your glory. In Jesus name, Amen.
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:14
Sometimes we have to read between the lines when we read the Bible. Sometimes just looking at print doesn’t tell us the whole story. Sometimes, we need to remember that what we call stories in the Bible are much more than mere stories, they are life events. Disney, the Grimm Brothers, Pixar and others tell stories. The Bible talks about life events of people like you and I who are just trying to make the journey as painlessly as possible.
Forget for a moment that Jesus was son of God; that he was deity; that the creator was living among the created as one of them. He just received word that his cousin had been brutally murdered by a lust-filled king because of a stupid promise made during a drunken stupor. They were only a few months apart. They held the same passion for God, the same message for the people. Now John was gone.
Jesus got into a boat to get away from the crowds that were pressing against him. There motives were self-absorbed. They had sick and crippled children; they were the blind, the lame, and the demon-possessed. They had needs and saw Jesus as the fulfillment of those needs.
Jesus’ escape, so to speak was much-needed. Nothing like a boat ride on a quiet lake to give you time to think, time to remember, time to worship. Time alone with your God is never a bad thing, but especially when you are hurting.
His trip was short and when he arrived on the other side another crowd was waiting for him. If it were me, even though I love being with people I’m quite sure I’d look at the crowd on shore and drop anchor. Although he was man, he knew these people. He knew that some would not even say ‘thank you’. He knew that NONE of them were deserving. He knew that some of them were simply there to see a good ole’ fashioned healing service.
In the midst of his sorrow and grief, in spite of the things he knew about the crowd, Jesus had compassion. Read that again. He had compassion. It wasn’t compassion built on the status of the people; it was compassion because of the character of God.
Jesus hasn’t changed. Although he is in heaven at the right hand of his Father he still sees your need. He doesn’t look at whether you deserve healing. He isn’t concerned about how you got to where you are on the journey. He isn’t expecting any payment in return. He may not choose to heal you physically, but his touch can give you the strength to endure. He’s not interested in your ‘get me out of this one and I’ll …” promises. He only wants to make you whole.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. When I read this story I am once again reminded of your great love. What a wonderful Savior who reaches out to us in your own sorrow to lift us from despair. Thank you for loving me. Touch me with your hand of grace and mercy. Empower me to live free of the inner pain I’m in. In your name I pray, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 