Bible

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YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN AND FORGOTTEN

(Psalm 103:8-12) The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

When Jesus’ work of taking on the sins of the world was finished, he ascended into heaven.  I like to think that he left behind a vacuum that draws away our sins.  This vacuum is available for all those who receive him as their savior.  This vacuum takes our sins from us and sends them to the place of forgotten.  Unfortunately, through pride and inability to accept this forgiveness, we hold on to certain of our sins.

I speak from experience when I address this subject.  Nothing good comes from holding on to already forgiven sins.  Going back and fixing those sins is only possible in the imagination.  I definitely would change things if it were possible, but holding on to sins only kept me from experiencing the freedom for which Jesus paid such high price. Jesus paid for all sins no matter how egregious.

So, I humbled myself and surrendered those sins to my savior.  It took some time, but eventually I was able to receive the forgiveness God had afforded me.  The value of this struggle with accepting forgiveness brought me closer to my Savior and improved my understanding of his love for me.  It was worth the effort because I learned to forgive myself.  Forgiving yourself is a humbling experience that leads to realizing freedom in Jesus.

If you are in this situation, my advice is to let that vacuum finish removing your sins.  The damage your former sins caused is done.  You can’t fix the past.  Don’t let pride keep you from accepting forgiveness. God has forgiven and forgotten all our sins.  It is alright to live in the freedom Jesus bought for you.

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DO NOT LOSE HEART

(2 Corinthians 4:16-18) Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

In these verses, the Apostle Paul is reassuring us so that we might be encouraged to stay the course of our lives.  Look at your body.  It is aging.  If you are young it’s not so concerning, but at my age wasting away is a good analogy.  Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit is constantly at work within us renewing our souls and preparing us for eternity. 

Our troubles are sometimes overwhelming, yet compared to what they are achieving for us, they are light.  I don’t understand how our troubles in this life achieve eternal glory, or what our eternal glory is exactly.  This is where we trust in faith the one who is establishing eternal glory for us.  “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.”

Paul reminds us that our troubles are momentary. Compared to eternity, the time of this life is quite short.  Our troubles will not last forever.  Even here and now, we have a great advantage.  We can take our troubles to our Heavenly Father.  He will help us through whatever comes our way.  Troubles come and go; Our Father is always with us.

“Therefore we do not lose heart.”  Paul was simply reminding us of what Jesus said to his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world (John 16:33).”  So we stand encouraged dear friends, remembering, “…What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

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GOD’S CHOICE – GOD’S PLAN

(Genesis 12:1-3) The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on the earth will be blessed through you.”

(Romans 8:28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Abraham was called by God to father a people who would carry the truth about our creator God to all his created ones.  He and his descendants were blessed to be a blessing to all people.  Why was Abraham chosen? God is sovereign, and he has the right to choose whomever he decides.

There have also been many thousands of other chosen people who have walked the earth, and many of us are currently walking.  Like Abraham, we have been chosen by God to continue the work of his kingdom.  Each has a specific purpose assigned by God.  For those of us who love him, we have been called by God; and we are workers with a purpose in his kingdom.  What is our purpose?  God directs us throughout our lives to fulfill his purpose in us.  We simply walk day by day, in faith, trusting him to lead us – just as Abraham did.

Who then is not chosen?  The answer is – those who turn their backs to God and go their own way.  To be chosen, all they have to do is turn toward God and seek him. 

    God is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek him.  (Hebrews 11:6) And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 

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 WHEN THE TIME HAS FULLY COME

(Galatians 4:4-5) But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

I have always been fascinated by the idea that God has a plan. This quote from Galatians 4:4, “But when the set time had fully come…” tells us that the timing of Jesus’ birth was planned.  Even today, in the midst of our daily life, God’s plan is unfolding. 

From the Christmas story, found in the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel, we can read the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah. As you may recall, they were the parents of John the Baptist.  Zechariah was a priest; he and his wife Elizabeth were upright in the sight of God, yet they had been unable to have children.   In their daily life, they were faithful and trusted in God.  They desired to have a child, but they did not abandon God for his seeming failure to answer their prayers, even though they were both well along in years.

One day, at the appointed time, when Zechariah was ministering before the altar, an angel of the Lord appeared to him.  The angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.  Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John…” 

Have you prayed for something and thought that your prayer wasn’t heard?  Maybe, it just wasn’t the right time.  God has a plan that he is working out through history.  We only have a broad, very general insight into his plan, yet each of God’s children has a part in his plan. We are usually unaware of how we fit into his plan.  We just patiently trust in his infinite wisdom.  Don’t lose heart; stay faithful.  In faith we trust that God will complete his plan, and our part will happen as it should when the time has fully come.

Happy New Year!

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THE RIGHT GLUE

  (Jesus prays for us in John 17:26) “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

(John 15:17) This is my command: love each other.

 As a woodworker, I have found that when connecting pieces of wood together, the glue is important.  Screws and nails can be removed, but the right glue never lets go.  Selecting the right glue then, is important.

When people get together, there is only one glue that produces a permanent bond.  That glue is Love.  Jesus prays that the love that bonds him and the Father would be the love that joins us to them.  Now that’s the right glue.  Our permanent bond with our God is love.  God first loved us that we might return that love to him.  The love that Jesus brought into the world can now make a strong connection between us and our creator.

The bonding qualities of love grow stronger over time to the point that love overflow to others.  In other words, sharing love with God gives us the ability to follow Jesus’ command to love each other.  I’m encouraged to keep this in mind as our Christmas Celebration continues, first to worship and commune with my Heavenly Father building a stronger love connection, and then to share that love with others.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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MINISTRY – FOR GOD OR WITH GOD

(Matthew 11:28-30) Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

(John 15:5) I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

People often ask, “What are you doing for God?”  Perhaps the proper response to this question would be, “Do you mean what am I doing with God?”  Doing something for God puts us in charge, and the full wait is then on our shoulders.  We like to be in charge, but that’s not how it works with God.  He gives us a ministry and leads us through the daily fulfilling of that ministry.  He doesn’t expect us to do it on our own.  John reminds us that Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

Months ago one of my beloved granddaughters and her fiancé came to me and asked if I would perform their wedding ceremony.  I was honored by their request and delighted to do it.  However, as the day approached, the weight of performing this wedding ceremony began to weigh heavy on my shoulders.  The importance of the marriage ceremony, and its significance in this young couple’s life loomed heavily before me.  I became overly stressed.  It wasn’t until the wedding day came that, through desperate prayer, I finally realized that Jesus and I would be doing this together.  Oh, how this lightened the load.  Jesus and I did a fine job, and the ceremony went well.

Looking back, I recognize how I had let the responsibility of the task almost steel the joy of the moment.  Jesus had to rescue me, again.  You’d think I’d learn.  There is unmeasurable value in the words of Jesus.  This is a truth I know so well, yet I can all too easily forget this in the process of daily life. 

So, I am again reminded that whatever the task we face, Jesus is right beside us; we are yoked together, sharing the load, doing it with God.

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GIVE THANKS TO GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART

(Psalm 9:1-2) I will give thanks to you, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.  I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Saying thank you can be just a polite thing to say, or when someone has done something special for you, the words can have a deeper meaning because they come from your heart.  Thank you is then an emotional expression of gratitude.

King David in Psalm 9 expresses his gratitude for what God has done in his life.  The thank you comes from his heart, for he has seen God’s hand in protecting Israel.  As the psalm continues, he lists how God has protected and delivered his kingdom from those who would destroy Israel.  David’s heart is for his people, and he is deeply grateful for God’s protection and deliverance. 

Reading Psalm 9 has stirs me to rehearse all the wonderful things God has done in my life.  As I look back over the years, I see his hand protecting, delivering, and blessing those I love, and I am moved, within my heart, to the deep, emotional response of gratitude.

For this holiday of thanksgiving, I pray that you can find time to review what God has done in your life, and that you will be emotionally moved from deep in your heart to give thanks to our God. 

Have a blessed and peaceful Thanksgiving.

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WAITING ON THE LORD

(Isaiah 40: 27-31)  Why do you complain, Jacob?  Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”?  Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Are you waiting on the Lord for directions? Are you getting impatient?  Dealing with our God who has infinite patience and knows all things puts us at a disadvantage.  We don’t have infinite patience, and we don’t know all things.  That’s where faith and trust come in.  I have found that waiting on the Lord is worthwhile.

If we wait on the Lord, we will be in his will for us.  I am a fellow traveler on this narrow road that God has set before us.  At times I have needed to wait, especially in my earlier years with the Lord.  I had to learn to put aside trying to find my own solution and continue to stay on the path set before me.  It wasn’t easy to let go and put my trust in God.

Through the years, there were times when I got impatient and took my own path.  I learned some hard and painful lessons.  This is when the Lord’s patience became apparent.  He allowed me to experience what it’s like to go my own way.  It wasn’t pretty, but it convinced me that waiting on the Lord is the way to go.

Now I actively seek God’s direction, and I wait for his answer.  I know what the alternative will cost me.  Waiting on the Lord is wisdom.  His timing is perfect timing.  As Isaiah says, “but those who hope in the Lord, will renew their strength”.

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THE UNSEARCHABLE MIND OF GOD

(Romans 11:33-36) Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgements, and his paths beyond tracing out!  Who has known the mind of the Lord?  Or who has been his counselor?  Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?  For from him and through him and for him are all things.  To him be the glory forever! Amen.

As we read this statement made by the Apostle Paul, we are given the opportunity to stand in awe of the God we serve, and to recognize how far he surpasses our understanding.  Paul gives us a clear perception of our God.  

When I address God in prayer, I sometimes think I’m being too familiar.  I know God wants to be personal with his children, yet I’m talking to the creator of the universe.  This passage helps me to gain a better perspective and be in a more reverent place as I speak to God.

When people say things like, “why did God let this happen to me?”  I have only one answer, “I don’t know”.  Who can explain all that God does, or what God allows?  The scriptures lead us to know that he has an overall plan to bring about an eternal kingdom for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.  How the individual events of our lives are part of this is unknown to us. Only God knows.  His ways are not our ways. 

What God is doing far exceeds our ability to understand.  We surrender our way of thinking to his infinite wisdom and knowledge.  In some ways this is comforting.  Who would want to serve a god who didn’t know more than they themselves?  Our comfort rests in our faith – faith that trusts in his love for us.    To him be the glory forever!

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LIGHT

(Genesis 1:1-4)  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

The first thing God brought to the earth was light.  Light, as the scientists tell us, is a combination of waves of energy and particles called photons.  This combination of energy waves and particles is still somewhat of a mystery.  God, who spoke light into existence, could easily explain it, but science is still working on it.

The word light is used 232 times across both the old and new testaments.  It is used to describe illumination and metaphorically to contrast with the darkness in our souls.  In 1 Timothy 6:16 we are told that God lives in unapproachable light.  The Apostle Paul was called to be a light to the non-Jewish gentiles (Acts 13:47), and we, God’s children, are called to be a light to those around us, and collectively we are called to be light to the world (Matthew 5:15&16).

The Apostle John in the first chapter of his gospel uses the idea of light to describe Jesus’ advent as the light sent to bring light to the world.  (John 1:4&5) In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  Jesus brought us life and clarity by shining light on sin, and then he died that we might have the victory over sin and no longer live in darkness.

(Revelation 22:5)  There will be no more night.  They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.  And they will reign for ever and ever.

 In the beginning light was given, and at the conclusion of the first creation, we will move on to the new heaven and new earth and live in God’s eternal light forever.  The darkness will be gone.  Our future will always be filled with light.