John 3: 16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever would believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
I've heard that John three-sixteen is the most quoted passage of literature in the history of Mankind. I can't verify that, but I don't doubt it, either.
This one verse gives us the centerpiece of God's love for each of us. True love is a decision to want the very best for the one loved no matter what it costs us. And God is our Maker, and He loves what He made. He is our standard for what love is, and He gave us His most precious--His only Son. I'm sure it pained the Father as much as it pained the Son to die that horrendous death. That's how much He loves us.
God is holy. He cannot have any kind of sin living with Him, marring His glory. The sacrifices He gave His people in The Law could never take away their sins, just cover them; they were to teach us that sin requires death, and the sacrificed animal died instead of the person. Jesus is the Lamb of God, the perfect Sacrifice. His Blood splashed on the sides of His altar, the Cross, could do more than just cover sins, it could actually wash them away completely!
God's own Blood has unlimited worth to pay off every debt and all debt of sin and sins. When Jesus died our human death, and His Blood poured down the sides of the Cross, He fulfilled all the Old Testament sacrifices, starting with the first--the individual one that Leviticus chapter one begins with. He also was the corporate sacrifice, for the Nation, and even more, enough for the whole World. He also purchased the whole Universe.
When Mankind sinned, God placed a curse not only on this Earth, but the whole Universe this globe is a part of. When Jesus makes "everything new" He will re-make, re-format the whole thing, to remove that curse of death, decay and running down (the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Entropy). That's the culmination of God's Plan of the Ages, to make everything pristine, with no pain, no sorrow, no more tears--perfect. (See "the last chapter" or two!)
But to get there, to be a part of that New Creation, we also must start at the beginning, the most fundamental first step. You and I must realize that you and I deserve death, and that Jesus took our death in our place on that Cross, paying each individual debt, personally. I did that, and when you also come to God, admitting your guilt and culpability, and let Jesus die for you; then God will forgive you, wash away all your sins, and give you a New Life, His own Holy Spirit, to live in your dead spirit making it alive. Then you will be changed, never again the same as you were before your encounter with this Saving Grace.
When God showed me Jesus hanging there on His Cross, I knew that I deserved it, not Him, and that He did that for me. That's how much God loved me, and my heart broke, knowing how I had been living against what I knew to be His ways. But He loved me anyway, and I gave control of my life to Him that day, since I didn't know why He made my life, He knew. So He's been directing my days every day since, more than 46 years so far. And I never did return to those seductive ways, I found so much better in Him.
God doesn't want anybody to be lost, but not everybody wants to come to Him. So if you find that you just don't think you're "that bad" to deserve that death, then I suggest you pray and ask God for Saving Faith to believe Him. He loves you more than you can imagine, and He wants you to live with Him in His glory forever.
All you need is Jesus!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, April 7, 2017
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Jesus' Brothers And Sisters And Mother
Mark 3: 21, 31-35
When His family heard about this (miracles, parables, etc.) they went to take charge of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."
Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call Him. A crowd was sitting around Him, and they told Him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." "Who are my mother and brothers?" He asked them. Then He looked at those seated in a circle around Him and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! Whoever does God's will is My brother and sister and mother."
Jesus' brothers didn't believe in Him until after His Resurrection. So when they heard all the fantastic stories about what He was doing and saying, they figured that they were responsible to "save Him from Himself" and take Him home to take care of Him. They even convinced their mom Mary.
I'm sure Jesus went outside to talk to them, and reminded Mary of His supernatural conception and birth events, which she had "pondered in her heart" and merely forgotten about in the years of every-day living. So they went home without Him, and He continued His ministry.
O my Father, may I never forget the love You lavished on me that day You saved me, and remained with me every day since.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
When His family heard about this (miracles, parables, etc.) they went to take charge of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."
Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call Him. A crowd was sitting around Him, and they told Him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." "Who are my mother and brothers?" He asked them. Then He looked at those seated in a circle around Him and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! Whoever does God's will is My brother and sister and mother."
Jesus' brothers didn't believe in Him until after His Resurrection. So when they heard all the fantastic stories about what He was doing and saying, they figured that they were responsible to "save Him from Himself" and take Him home to take care of Him. They even convinced their mom Mary.
I'm sure Jesus went outside to talk to them, and reminded Mary of His supernatural conception and birth events, which she had "pondered in her heart" and merely forgotten about in the years of every-day living. So they went home without Him, and He continued His ministry.
O my Father, may I never forget the love You lavished on me that day You saved me, and remained with me every day since.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Seek First
Matthew 6:33
But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
When we only seek the things of this World, we may accumulate some, but they will not satisfy. When we seek God's face and His ways, according to His Word, then we will gain not only eternal rewards but also some measure of Earthly prosperity.
This is the verse I quoted that sent my new husband storming out of the house and I didn't know if I'd ever see him again. But that was also the night that God called my husband into sonship with Himself. He was saved that night.
Praise God for helping me to have the strength and fortitude so early in my own walk with God to bear up under the pressure of God's leaning on him to draw him to Himself.
Thank You, Father, for knowing me, and drawing my husband, too. And thank You for the 30 years we had together, and that we both will spend Eternity together with You!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
When we only seek the things of this World, we may accumulate some, but they will not satisfy. When we seek God's face and His ways, according to His Word, then we will gain not only eternal rewards but also some measure of Earthly prosperity.
This is the verse I quoted that sent my new husband storming out of the house and I didn't know if I'd ever see him again. But that was also the night that God called my husband into sonship with Himself. He was saved that night.
Praise God for helping me to have the strength and fortitude so early in my own walk with God to bear up under the pressure of God's leaning on him to draw him to Himself.
Thank You, Father, for knowing me, and drawing my husband, too. And thank You for the 30 years we had together, and that we both will spend Eternity together with You!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
To Be Seen Or Not?
Matthew 5:16; 6:1-4
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.
Be careful to not practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward in Heaven. ...
These seem to be conflicting verses: are we to let people see our good works or not?
I think that if letting others see will bring glory to God, then that is good. But if it will only bring honor to ourselves, then that's the only reward we will receive.
So we need to be very careful and discerning how the hearers will perceive our good works. I won't contribute to the cause if my name will go on a brick, or a plaque, or some list. But if my gift can be anonymous or quietly given to help someone in need or to support a missionary or some other venue that will bring glory to God, not me, then I can feel free to contribute. And God will reward me in Heaven.
And I need to apply this principle with whatever I do.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.
Be careful to not practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward in Heaven. ...
These seem to be conflicting verses: are we to let people see our good works or not?
I think that if letting others see will bring glory to God, then that is good. But if it will only bring honor to ourselves, then that's the only reward we will receive.
So we need to be very careful and discerning how the hearers will perceive our good works. I won't contribute to the cause if my name will go on a brick, or a plaque, or some list. But if my gift can be anonymous or quietly given to help someone in need or to support a missionary or some other venue that will bring glory to God, not me, then I can feel free to contribute. And God will reward me in Heaven.
And I need to apply this principle with whatever I do.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, April 3, 2017
The Big Picture
Luke 24: 27, 32, 45
On the Road to Emmaus, Cleopas and his companion [Mary, his wife, who was with His mother at the foot of the Cross? (John 19:25)] don't recognize Jesus as, And beginning with Moses and with all the Prophets, He explained to them all the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
And they said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the Road while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"
Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
God has given us His Holy Spirit to teach us and give us understanding of what He is saying to us in the Scriptures. It's His Spirit in us showing us a right understanding of this cryptic Book.
To the World it seems to be written in code, that is hard to understand. But to us who have His Spirit, it all makes perfect sense. The whole Old Testament is about Jesus, the Lord God of the Patriarchs. The whole New Testament is also about Jesus, fulfilling everything that was written about Him in the Old Testament.
All the dots do connect, and the more dots we can connect, the broader and clearer the picture is of God's Great Plan of the Ages.
O my Father, I pray that You would continue to open my mind to an ever greater understanding how all Your Word fits together, to connect all the dots, to see and comprehend that Big Picture of all You are doing!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
On the Road to Emmaus, Cleopas and his companion [Mary, his wife, who was with His mother at the foot of the Cross? (John 19:25)] don't recognize Jesus as, And beginning with Moses and with all the Prophets, He explained to them all the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
And they said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the Road while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"
Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
God has given us His Holy Spirit to teach us and give us understanding of what He is saying to us in the Scriptures. It's His Spirit in us showing us a right understanding of this cryptic Book.
To the World it seems to be written in code, that is hard to understand. But to us who have His Spirit, it all makes perfect sense. The whole Old Testament is about Jesus, the Lord God of the Patriarchs. The whole New Testament is also about Jesus, fulfilling everything that was written about Him in the Old Testament.
All the dots do connect, and the more dots we can connect, the broader and clearer the picture is of God's Great Plan of the Ages.
O my Father, I pray that You would continue to open my mind to an ever greater understanding how all Your Word fits together, to connect all the dots, to see and comprehend that Big Picture of all You are doing!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Blameless
I Thessalonians 5: 23-24
God, Who calls me, is faithful, His peace will make me holy in every way, and keep my whole spirit and soul and body blameless until that Day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
Jesus took the death I earned on the Cross as my personal Sacrifice (see Leviticus, chapter 1), His blood, splashed on the sides of His altar, the Cross, not only covered but washed away all my sins and the sinfulness of my human nature before I was even born, but was applied to my account on that day that God showed me Jesus on His Cross, and I knew He took my place there.
That is how He made peace between me and God, and that is when I heard His call. The Blood of Jesus is God's own Blood, and it has endless value to pay the debts of all sin and sins, and He purchased the whole Universe. That gives Him the authority to be our Savior; but also our Judge, if we don't accept His payment on our behalf. His gift of Salvation and Redemption is offered freely to every person, but only those who want to come to Him will be saved; all the rest will face their own righteous judgment at His court.
O my Father, I praise You and thank You for Your goodness and Your gentleness and Your care for me. I thank You for Your good plans for my life, and Your wisdom and care in having it play out in my life. I thank You that Your plans are so much better than mine.
Help me, Father, strengthen me in Your righteousness and holiness to accept Your way of interrupting my plans, and help me to not hold it against those You use for this furtherance of Your care for me. Erase my irritation with the realization that these interruptions are from You, not them, to accomplish Your will for me. And may You receive all the credit, all the glory for what You are doing each day in my life.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
God, Who calls me, is faithful, His peace will make me holy in every way, and keep my whole spirit and soul and body blameless until that Day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
Jesus took the death I earned on the Cross as my personal Sacrifice (see Leviticus, chapter 1), His blood, splashed on the sides of His altar, the Cross, not only covered but washed away all my sins and the sinfulness of my human nature before I was even born, but was applied to my account on that day that God showed me Jesus on His Cross, and I knew He took my place there.
That is how He made peace between me and God, and that is when I heard His call. The Blood of Jesus is God's own Blood, and it has endless value to pay the debts of all sin and sins, and He purchased the whole Universe. That gives Him the authority to be our Savior; but also our Judge, if we don't accept His payment on our behalf. His gift of Salvation and Redemption is offered freely to every person, but only those who want to come to Him will be saved; all the rest will face their own righteous judgment at His court.
O my Father, I praise You and thank You for Your goodness and Your gentleness and Your care for me. I thank You for Your good plans for my life, and Your wisdom and care in having it play out in my life. I thank You that Your plans are so much better than mine.
Help me, Father, strengthen me in Your righteousness and holiness to accept Your way of interrupting my plans, and help me to not hold it against those You use for this furtherance of Your care for me. Erase my irritation with the realization that these interruptions are from You, not them, to accomplish Your will for me. And may You receive all the credit, all the glory for what You are doing each day in my life.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, April 1, 2017
God's Strength In Our Weakness
II Corinthians 12: 9-10
"My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." ... For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul had asked God three times to take away the "messenger of Satan" that caused some kind of physical infirmity, and God's answer told him that he needed this reminder to keep pride at bay for the magnitude of the revelations God had given him.
So his response was that he would rather boast of his weaknesses rather than his strengths, so that God's strength would empower him.
O my Father, thank you for showing me how weak I am. Whenever I think that I have a little strength in myself, Father, show me then that I am weak. Only then will I reach out to You for Your strength. Only when I can be strong in Your strength will I be able to succeed in that that You have placed before me to do. Even in the little day-to-day things, especially in the daily things, I need Your strength and faithfulness, for I have none in myself.
Thank you, Father, for giving me enough time to do everything You want me to do. Help me to not be anxious thinking I haven't enough time, or to be lazy thinking I have plenty of time. I have enough time; help me not to waste even a moment, and give my mind clarity and my hands diligence to accomplish this day my part in Your great Plan of the Ages.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
"My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." ... For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul had asked God three times to take away the "messenger of Satan" that caused some kind of physical infirmity, and God's answer told him that he needed this reminder to keep pride at bay for the magnitude of the revelations God had given him.
So his response was that he would rather boast of his weaknesses rather than his strengths, so that God's strength would empower him.
O my Father, thank you for showing me how weak I am. Whenever I think that I have a little strength in myself, Father, show me then that I am weak. Only then will I reach out to You for Your strength. Only when I can be strong in Your strength will I be able to succeed in that that You have placed before me to do. Even in the little day-to-day things, especially in the daily things, I need Your strength and faithfulness, for I have none in myself.
Thank you, Father, for giving me enough time to do everything You want me to do. Help me to not be anxious thinking I haven't enough time, or to be lazy thinking I have plenty of time. I have enough time; help me not to waste even a moment, and give my mind clarity and my hands diligence to accomplish this day my part in Your great Plan of the Ages.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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