You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Jesus Christ’ tag.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)
Why did Jesus die? Theologians will tell you that he needed to die as a perfect sacrifice of our sins, and that’s true. We all were lost, subject to our evil sin nature, and destined to eternity separated from God.
The only way to bridge that gap was to have some person who was sinless die on behalf of the world, and that person was, by his choice Jesus Christ. He died so we might live.
But tucked away in Hebrews we find another reason that Jesus died. This reason was, perhaps the motivation for why he died. Jesus died because he knew the pain he would endure on earth would be well worth the joy he’d receive when all things were accomplished.
Joy? You may say? What joy? Was the joy he was looking forward to the joy of living in heaven for eternity? I think not. After all, heaven was his home and the universe was his playground.
Was the joy he was looking forward to the joy of living with his father? Again, I think not. Why would he leave his father on his own will and suffer hardship so he could look forward to being with his father? Doesn’t make sense to me.
Jesus Christ left heaven, endured the shame, ridicule, loneliness, rejection, hate and anger because he was looking forward to the joy of living with you. Yep, you are his joy, his crown, the one he longs to spend time with.
Any of us can endure a little hardship and pain if we know that the end result is better than the present circumstances. Take exercise for example, there may be a few who really enjoy exercise, but for most of us we struggle to get ourselves onto the running path or into the gym. It’s much easier to say, “I’ll start tomorrow.”
But if we want to enjoy good health we exercise. Exercise is good for the heart, prevents or at least puts off some diseases, and can even deter the aging process. The end result is worth the present pain and discomfort.
Jesus knew before he left heaven the first time what life would be like for him on earth. He knew the pain he’d endure for you. Jesus knew, before he left heaven every single mistake you’d make. Every cross or profane word. Every affair. Every visit to the porn sight. Every time you’d mock him. Still, he looked forward to the day he could spend eternity with you. The joy far outweighed the pain.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me so much. Things here on earth get very painful. I don’t understand why I do what I do or have to go through what I am going through. Help me to endure all of this with the expectation I have of spending eternity with you. In your name, Amen.
With praises from children and from tiny infants, you have built a fortress. It makes your enemies silent, and all who turn against you are left speechless. Psalm 8:2 CEV
All of us want to do mighty things. When we are little we don’t play games that we lose at. We always make the winning shot, have the nicest house, the best spouse and perfect kids. The games we play when we are young make us champions.
While it’s human nature to want to be the best, and we should always strive for excellence, it’s important to remember that God’s Kingdom is never about the wealthy, the wise and the powerful. God’s most powerful work is done with the insignificant things.
The smallest seed falling into a rock becomes a tree that splits the rock in two! A delicate flower pushes its way through drought parched soil to bring a touch of beauty to the wilderness. A few fish and loaves fed over 5,000 men. A little mud gave a man his sight. The union of two microscopic cells brings life to the womb. The praises of a child make a fortress against evil.
God doesn’t need our wisdom to outwit the enemy. He doesn’t need our eloquence to thwart the plans of evil. It’s the praises of children, the simplicity of an infant’s words that unleash the mighty power of the Heavenly Father.
An infant doesn’t comprehend the mysteries of life. A child can’t understand all the ramifications of the political world, the economic climate and financial stability. A theologian was once asked what the most important of all the doctrines was for the church to hold onto. His answer became the basis of one of the most well-known of all songs: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
Our Father has given us direct access to his throne. He wants us to come boldly, to come honestly before him with our fears, our burdens, our guilt. But the most powerful prayer we can come with, the prayer is the most effective is the prayer of praise.
What struggle are you facing today? Job loss? Health issues? Relationships with your family, your kids, your spouse? A job that’s unfulfilling? Guilt? Addiction? It may be the hardest thing in your life to do, but when faced with any of these ‘enemies of the soul’ your best weapon is still praise to the Father because God’s power is unleashed when his people praise.
PRAYER: Father God, it’s hard to praise you and worry at the same time. Worry is easier and makes more sense to my frail, human mind. I try to figure all this out when I really need to praise you more. Replace the enemies of my soul with praise for the keeper of my heart, you the almighty God. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
Sing to him; sing praises to him. Tell about all his miracles. Psalm 105:2 (NCV)
Everyone loves a love song. Even us guys like love songs although we don’t always admit it. Proof of that comes from the fact that many of the great song writers in history as well as our era have written songs to the one they love.
So, what love song have you sung to Jesus lately? You might think that an odd question to ask. Me? Sing a love song to God? How could I come up with the words to sing to him? How can I sing him a song of my love when I do such a bad job of showing that love? I mean, look at what I did last week! Look at the words I used when I got upset with my [co-worker, child, spouse, boss]! How would God accept my words of love for him when I can’t use words of love to others?
Or perhaps you are gifted in the area of music and words and you say, “I wrote a love song to him once. Want to hear it?” You may even be able to pop a CD in the CD player and let your music fill the room in praise.
You may be one who struggles with words. You may be one that is gifted in words and notes. Whatever your situation let me suggest a love song each of us can sing. A love song that will bring tears of joy to the eyes of the Father. A tune that will make the angels pause to listen. A message that will waft through eternity, long after the final stanza.
At the risk of offending anyone, I don’t think the Father is all the concerned about what type of music is played on Sunday mornings. I’m not so sure he’s impressed with guitars and synthesizers and drums. I’m not convinced he misses the piano and organs that may grace your sanctuary.
The love song the Father longs to hear from us comes from the heart, and songs from the heart are best sung with the hands. The music he longs to hear is the music of your patience with those around you. The music that thrills his soul is the tip you left on the table for the person that just gave you the worst service of your entire life. The music that touches his heart are the words of encouragement you speak to the one who has failed you…again.
Sing for Jesus! Sing his praises from the mountain top by showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The acting out of those words in our world are the words of the love song he longs to hear.
The motivation for our love song isn’t what others have done for us, but what Jesus Christ has done for us!
PRAYER: Lord, there are times in my life when the words of my love song to you are watered down by the circumstances I find myself in. When that happens I tend to give you lip service and don’t show my song to others. Empower me with your spirit to show the words of my love song to others regardless of how I’m treated. Amen.
The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end, but my love will never disappear; my promise of peace will not come to an end,” says the Lord who shows mercy to you. Isaiah 54:10 (NCV)
How powerful is God’s love?
Ask Adam and Eve. They intentionally went against God’s law to forge their own way in life. But he never gave up on them. In spite of the consequences of their actions he welcomed them back into relationship.
Ask David. Although he was called ‘the man after God’s own heart’ he constantly struggled with pride and lust. His Kingdom was mighty, his family was a mess. Yet from his lineage the very son of God came to redeem all of mankind.
Ask Solomon. The wisest and wealthiest man on earth, yet his love of life and his lust for things and women motivated him to erect idols and shrines to false God’s in contradiction of God’s love. In the midst of his wealth he found only vanity. But God never gave up on him.
Ask Peter. One of Jesus’ closest friends. Yet when Jesus needed him the most, Peter denied him. Wouldn’t even admit he knew him. Turned his back on his best friend during that friend’s darkest hour. But when Jesus rose from the dead, Peter was the one disciple Jesus wanted to make sure was at breakfast that morning.
Mountains are a symbol of majesty and unshakeable strength. Yet even a mountain, in all of its grandeur can’t stand up against the power of God’s love. His grace endures forever. His mercy is never ending.
Human love fails. It can grow old. It measures depth by what it can get in life. It’s wounded and even destroyed by poor decisions. Bitterness, envy and the lack of forgiveness (among other things) all work together to bring human love to its knees. When love fails us we can be wounded for life.
But what destroys a mountain? Can sheer will? Can emotion? Can a mountain be destroyed simply by ignoring it? Of course not. In the same way, there is nothing that can take God’s love from you. Regardless of what you have done in the past, regardless of where you find yourself now, God’s unshakeable love is available to you. That’s grace. That’s mercy. You can’t destroy a mountain and you can’t make God stop loving you.
There’s only one thing God’s love won’t do. Because of God’s unshakeable love for you he will never force you to love him back. He’ll never force you to follow his ways. He loves you too much to make you a robot.
PRAYER: Lord God, thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for your unshakeable love. When the voices of hate, anger, guilt, shame and grief attack me today help me rest in your love. When temptation, lust and fear attempt to overtake me wrap me in your arms of love so that I might endure. Amen.
You, LORD God, are my protector. Rescue me and keep me safe from all who chase me. Psalm 7:1 (CEV)
He’d been promised the throne. He was a hero in some people’s eyes as the result of killing a giant. He was a mighty warrior and a man of faith and courage. He was apparently good looking, personable and wise. Who wouldn’t like David? He was the kind of guy you could bring home to meet your parents. He was the kind of guy you hope your daughters bring home to meet you!
But with all of the things he had going for him, David had enemies as well. Plenty of enemies. That’s the way it is in life. No matter how hard you try to do the right things, no matter how close you live to God, regardless of how many battles you’ve won and games you’ve pulled out as the clock struck zero, there will be some who find fault in you.
For David, one of the worst ones was a guy namedCush. We don’t have a great deal of information onCushbut we know he was one of King Saul’s closest allies and we know he didn’t like David one bit. According to historyCushwent before the King with all sorts of lies about David. Lies that were considered treason and worthy of death. Those closest to the throne were more believable. If ushsaid it about David it was most likely true, one would think.
We can all relate to David at one time or another. All of us have those people in our lives who seem to be intent on pointing out every flaw, contradicting every idea, showing us ‘in christian love’ the error of our ways. Sad to say, sometimes those who are our biggest critics are those who proclaim to be closest to God.
The danger comes when we start listening to the accusations. Sometimes those accusations come from people, sometimes those accusations come from the great accuser himself, Satan or one of his slimy cohorts. Revelation 12:10 tells us that he goes before the throne every day to accuse us of something.
There was someone else who, like David, was wrongfully accused. Someone who had enemies watching his every move, judging his every word, trying to contradict or downplay everything he did. His name was Jesus.
David and Jesus both learned a secret each of us needs to learn when the accusers come our way. Two simple steps (simple doesn’t always mean easy) to thwart the thorns in our side.
First of all, know where to go for shelter from the attacks. Both Jesus and David knew the truth about themselves, and that they could go to God, their rock, for safety. He would never fail them.
Secondly, they both knew who they were. David knew he wasn’t perfect, but he knew he was loved by the God of the universe and that God had never failed him. Jesus knew that he was perfect, he was God and that this time of trial was for a short time and would lead to victory. Not only that, but when the great accuser goes before the throne to accuse us Jesus is right there defending us.
The best way to defeat the thorns in your side is to know who you are (a child of God) and know who fights for you (Jesus of Nazareth).
PRAYER: Father God, Jehovah my confidence and deliverer. Thank you for protecting me from those intent on destroying me. When I’m under attack help me to trust in your deliverance. Thank you for Jesus who stands before you daily to defend be because of his great love and forgiveness. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 