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Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NIV)
So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. (Matthew 27:66)
Just after Jesus was murdered, a couple of his disciples put him in a borrowed tomb. The Religious Elite of the day were concerned about some claims Jesus made of rising from the dead. They asked permission of the Roman governor to place a guard at the tomb to insure that the radical disciples of Jesus would not steal the body. The governor went one step further. Not only did he allow the Jews to post a guard at the tomb, he sealed it with the seal of the mighty Roman Empire.
The Seal was nothing more than a cord secured around the stone with clay holding it in place at both ends. There was nothing magical about the seal. It offered no strength of its own. Its strength and validity rested solely on the power of the Roman Government to make good on its promise. To break the seal meant death. Period.
This was no doubt the word picture that the Apostle Paul conjured up in the minds of his readers as he wrote to the church located in the Grecian city of Corinth. They were well aware of the strength of the Roman Empire. They knew, intimately, of the power of the government to keep its promises.
Eventually, of course, we know that the strength of the Roman Empire dwindled. It was no longer able to keep its promises. It was no longer the most powerful force in the world. As a result, the security of the ‘Roman Seal’ became worthless and meaningless.
The ‘seal’ Paul talks about is a different sort of seal. It’s a seal that is not based on human power. It’s a seal that transcends time. It’s a seal that no one in the physical or the spiritual world can sever. Its guarantee will never become obsolete.
For those of us who have accepted the free gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ we can know we are sealed in God. He gave us his promise, his guarantee, that he would never leave us, forsake us, or hold us under condemnation for our sin.
Our eternal destiny doesn’t rest on our ability to keep a set of rules or memorizing some mantra. Our eternal destiny rests in one who is eternal. Our acceptance is as secure as the universe. Whatever struggle you are bearing. Whoever, or whatever, is threatening you or accusing you today. Remember, because of Jesus, you are sealed with an eternal promise, an eternal hope. The Roman Seal didn’t hold him in the grave, the seal of God’s grace should never hold us back.
PRAYER: Father God. I thank you for Jesus. I praise you for the assurance that there is nothing, including my own rebellious stupidity, that will wrestle me from your arms. Amen.
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)
Nearly 40 years ago my in-laws purchased a small, modest home on a quiet street in the metropolitan area they lived in. A couple years ago they sold that home and moved to a smaller place outside the city…their retirement home.
By the time they sold their home it was no longer located on a quiet street. The area had bloomed over the years, a major interstate and shopping mall moved in just a few blocks away, and the ‘quiet street’ was now one of the busiest four-lane thoroughfares in the area.
From time to time we drive by the old place. It has different owners now. The in-laws didn’t like clutter in the yard. Their definition of clutter was not only bicycles and other things out of place, but lawn ornaments and plants which seemed to just randomly appear.
Ironically, and somewhat humorously, the new owners seem to have a strong desire to place as many lawn ornaments and flower bushes as they can in the small yard. Even though it’s not the taste of my in-laws, there is nothing wrong with what they’ve done. They have the right to do as they please. It’s their house now.
How inappropriate would it be for my father-in-law to stroll into the yard and start dismantling and removing all the ‘lovely decorations’ in his old yard? Not only would it be illegal, it would be preposterous to think of such a thing. It’s not his to touch anymore. The price was paid. There is no more ownership or responsibility.
When each of us was born, we were owned, so to speak, by the ruler of this world (Satan) and our human nature (Satan’s chief ally). Our thoughts, our actions, our desires were a result of his ownership over us.
Now, because of Jesus, we have new owners, or should I say owner. God loved you so much that he purchased you from the slavery to fear, anger, worry, and uncontrollable, rampant desire. The price he paid was huge. It cost him his son. You and I were so valuable that He was willing to spend what it takes to purchase us.
I have a friend that ‘turns houses’. He buys an old, deteriorating shack and spends hours refurbishing, cleaning and restoring the house in order to sell it. Often, when he is finished, the house isn’t recognizable. My friend sees the value others overlook.
In the same way, God saw the value in each of us. As a result he is more than willing, ready and able to take us in our beat-up condition and make us new again. He sees the value in you that others overlook.
PRAYER: Lord God, during those times when I’m feeling insignificant or unable to accomplish anything of any value; during those times of failure; help me remember that you love me enough to purchase me. Keep me from allowing the enemy to try to regain control of me. I’m yours now. Thank you. Amen.
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (NIV)
Reconciled: to restore friendly relations between parties who once were in close relationship.
Once upon a time the world was a beautiful place of trees and flowers and cool, spring waters. There were no weeds. There were no cloudy skies or inclement weather. Everything was perfect. Even love was perfect back then. Man and woman were naked emotionally, physically and spiritually. All was peace and harmony.
Sounds like a fairy tale doesn’t it? But it’s true. We don’t know how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, but we know that the time spent there was truly paradise. Complete freedom. Complete intimacy. Complete peace with each other and the God who created them.
Then a horrible thing happened. Greed and selfishness and doubt entered into the picture and with it a broken relationship with God. For those of us who have gone through broken relationships with former spouses, children, friends or employers we know the feeling. The feeling of loss, of regret, of failure. The ‘If only’s’ ring loudly in our ears.
Have you ever been caught in the middle of an argument between two people you loved dearly? A situation in which you saw both sides of the argument but loved both parties so much you got involved to try to reconcile the two parties? Jesus did. He saw God’s holiness and he saw your failure. He knew there was only one thing he could do to reconcile you to God and that was to die for you. So he did.
As followers of Jesus Christ each of us has been reconciled to God through grace. There was nothing we, in and of ourselves could do to make that reconciliation happen. Now, through Jesus, we can once more be friends with God.
But wait! There’s more! We have the privilege of bringing others to reconciliation with God and, perhaps, even ourselves. Maybe that’s why Jesus said ‘Pray for your enemies’ (Matthew 5:44). I wonder if he had your situation in mind when he said, “If your brother has something against you, go to him/her’ (Matthew 5:23).
The next time you are weighed down with the guilt of your own sin and failure, remember that Jesus died to forgive and remove your sin.
The next time you think “I could never be reconciled to that person after what they did to me.” Remember what Jesus did for you.
Reconciliation isn’t easy, but it’s something we are all called to do in the power and grace of Jesus Christ. Who can you reach out to today? Who do you know that needs the ministry of reconciliation in their lives?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for giving of yourself so freely so that I can be reconciled to God and have my friendship restored. I pray for those in need of reconciliation, that they may find it. I pray for me, that I may, through the power of your Spirit be a minister of reconciliation to those in need. Amen.
As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Genesis 15:12
It’s during those darkest times of our lives that God often reveals himself. It’s when we are too tired from striving that his strength comforts us. It’s during those times when we can’t see his hand that he reveals himself.
Imagine the scene when God revealed himself to Abram. Jehovah God had promised Abram that his descendants would be more numerous than the sand and that his seed would deliver mankind from their captivity.
God’s promise was sealed with sacrifice but not until Abram fell into a deep sleep and a thick and dreadful darkness encompassed him. It was then, at this darkest time in Abram’s life that God restated his promise.
That’s the way God tends to work. We don’t understand it. It doesn’t always seem real loving for a God who is, in essence love, but it’s the way he works and our trust in him is the foundation on which we enter into the darkness and exit in his timing.
Hundreds of years later, on a stormy Sea of Galilee, a small boat was tossed about in the darkness. The crew was trying desperately to get the boat to shore before the waves broke up the ship and sent them all to a watery grave.
In the midst of the terror, someone noticed a lone figure asleep in the bow. “Jesus!” They screamed over the howling wind, “Don’t you care that we are drowning?” It wasn’t a gentle question. It wasn’t whispered in his ear. It was a scream of terror.
How could Jesus sleep through the darkness and fierceness of the storm? It’s easy to do when you trust the one directing the wind. Complete trust in God allows us to rest in the midst of the most dreadful periods of our lives.
If you are like me, you will admit that most of the time, we lay awake at night because of worry. It could be worry based on our own poor choices. It could be worry over the effect others can have on us. It can be worry over things we know we should have done, or not done, long ago.
Abram, like Jesus, teach us something important for life. During the darkest, scariest, most dreadful times of our lives, our hearts can rest when we completely trust a God who loves us and has promised he will never leave us. EVER.
PRAYER: Father, I confess to you that I’m scared. The things I see in my world, my relationships, and my future are dark and dreadful. Through the power of your Spirit I ask that you would help me rest in you because my trust lay wholly in you for my tomorrows, regardless of my past. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 