Jesus

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FOOLISNESS OR RELATIONSHIP

(1 Corinthians 1:18) For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

There are those who think that Christianity is a myth, and that those who follow the teachings of Jesus are week people who need a crutch in life.  They do not see the wonders of God in his creation.  The people who see life this way have no hope of eternal life, for they are perishing.

As a Christian, I have a relationship with God.  Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins, and he opened the way to connect me with the God who created me.  I am promised eternal life with him.  I talk to him, and he talks to me.  He guides my life, and he is always with me.

Many people are walking down the wide road to destruction, not knowing that a relationship with their creator is waiting for them.  All they need to do is divert to the narrow road that leads to eternal life.  On the narrow road, they will find relationship with their creator and a renewal that begins in this life.

We who have found the Lord carry a great secret that can easily be revealed.  Having the opportunity to present this secret is the ultimate experience.  The truth is that it is no longer a secret.  The message of the cross is opened to everyone.  Even though they may consider us the foolish ones, when a person is willing to seek and find out if it’s foolishness, a soul finds eternal life.

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HOPE

(Ephesians 1:18) I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.

Where I live the summers are very hot.  Often we have weeks where the temperature is more than a hundred degrees every day, and it barely cools off over night.  Occasionally we get a break when the day time highs are in the upper-nineties, and the overnight temperatures descend into the low sixties.  However, the heat returns, and we suffer through the hundred plus days until summer comes to an end.

Hope supports us through the summer months.  We know that cooler weather is coming.  It cooled down last year, so in hope we trust that the pattern will continue.  Meanwhile, we do our best to patiently wait for the heat to end.    

Isn’t life in Christ just like that?  We live in a world full of sin, and we personally deal with the sin within us.  Sometimes we have days full of love and peace.  Other times the battle is on, and we struggle through the hard times.  Yet we have great hope that the struggle will someday end, and we’ll be in the presence of the Lord forever.

Hope is the best way to navigate life.  Hope fills us with joy and gives us the strength to be patient in times of affliction.   Prayer keeps us in touch with our eternal Father so we can live our days anticipating our eternal future.  Our hope is in him who has promised us an eternal life basking in his love.  When we arrive at our final destination, hope will no longer be necessary. It will have fulfilled its purpose.  Till then, hope will be there to encourage us along life’s path.

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THE PRICE OF PEACE

(John 14:27) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

(Philippians 4:6&7) Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Peace comes with a price.  The first thing we will need to give up is pride.  The pride of self-reliance does not produce peace.  It produces stress. When difficulties come, there is no one to help, and we realize we are on our own.  Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  To find peace, we must give up our pride and admit we need Jesus.

Secondly, we must forgive.  Holding on to our right to be offended means we are the ones suffering.  Unforgiveness feeds on its self and weighs us down.  Letting go and forgiving sets us free and allows us be at peace.

Jesus holds the key to peace, and his word tells us how to find it.  Here are a few example

Do not worry; trust God for everything you need and in every situation.

            Forgive as you have been forgiven.

            Do not judge each other, but love one another.

            Love your enemies, and pray for them.

            Don’t concern yourself with treasures on earth.

            You should humble yourself and Pray.

The peace Jesus gives us does not rely on our circumstances.  His peace is founded in our reliance on him, no matter what our circumstances might be.  I guess we can conclude that when we have totally given ourselves to him, we’ll be able to continually experience the peace he gives us. 

I’m still working on completely giving myself to Jesus, but I am often able to find his peace.  How are you doing?

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WHY DID GOD CREATE THE WORLD?

(Genesis 1:1) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

(John 3:16) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

These are two very familiar scripture that most of us know by heart.  We know that God created the world, and we know that he went to great lengths to redeem us from our rebellion against him.  So I am using these two scriptures because I find them instrumental in answering the question that’s been on my mind. Here’s the question: “For what purpose was God moved to create the heavens and the earth?”  No one can know the mind of God, but in this case, throughout the scriptures, he has clearly let us know why he created.

After the six days of creation, the rest of the Bible is about God’s interactions with mankind.  And since the first sin in chapter three of Genesis, God began the process of bringing about the redemption of mankind. He has provided the means for us to return to relationship with him. And for those who have received his redemption, we have returned to a relationship with our God. Throughout eternity, we will be his children, and he will be our Father.  I think we have the answer to our question.  God wanted a family!

Even here in our fallen world, we understand what it means to have a family. It is something we inherently desire.  If we have a family, we are blessed; if we don’t have one, we long for one.  Granted family is a mixed bag here in our fallen world.  Some of us are blessed to have a family with good relationships, but many are not.  Yet we all wish that we could have a perfect family. 

Unfortunately, we will have to wait for the perfect family.  If we are willing to accept his offer, God has promised us a place in his eternal family.  Being a part of the family that God has been patiently waiting for is awesome, and it will never end.

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WE REFLECT THE LIGHT THAT JESUS BROUGHT TO ALL MANKIND

(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.

(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.

It dawned on me as I was contemplating these words from the book of John that God has placed for us, from the very beginning, an example of how the power of Jesus flows through us.  The sun, which provides us with light, is a ball of nuclear energy of amazing power and endurance.  The moon has no power of its own, but it reflects the light of the sun.  We only see the moon’s light when it is in position to reflect sun light.

Jesus is the all-powerful source of life, and he shines the light of life for all mankind.  We his disciples reflect his light, so that many will be able to know his light. Just like the moon, we don’t have the power of the light, but we can reflect that light.  Without him we are powerless; with him we can reflect the power of life.

The enemy would love for us to get caught up in imagining we have our own power.  It’s a trap of pridefulness, and we know that pride comes before a fall.  Trying to shine the light of life without maintaining our connection to Jesus, the source of power, will indeed results in a powerless display of pride and be useless in God’s kingdom.  That’s why Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing.”

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EASTER, CELEBRATING WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US

(Philippians 2:6-11)  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used for his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

From the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, till the time when Jesus died and rose again, God’s plan of redemption was unfolding.  The plan, as far as I can understand it, was to bring about a population of living beings, created in his image, which would be recipients of his love and live forever in his presence.  These living beings are identified as the ones who have chosen to receive the redeeming actions of Jesus on the cross, and they have entered into the resurrected life he gained for them when he rose from the dead.  We are celebrating the climax of God’s plan this Easter weekend.

  On Good Friday, we bend our knees and mournfully weep as we acknowledge the suffering and death that Jesus experienced for us.  Who can comprehend what Jesus, God the Son, suffered when he took on the sins of the whole world?  What we can comprehend is our own sins for which he died.  In humble gratitude, we take time to remember what he went through for us.  He has given us freedom from our sins.  He died that we might live.

Then comes Easter Sunday, joy springs forth, and we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  Death has been defeated, and eternal life is given to those who will put their trust in God and receive his offer of eternal life.  No other event on earth bears the weight of this day of celebration. 

As we celebrate God’s plan, we invite those around us to join in; for God’s plan is offered to all who will receive what he has prepared. 

There is a final act in his plan, but he’s waiting for you who have yet to come to him.  Don’t put it off.  The time is now.  Open your heart and seek him.  He promises that if you seek him with all your heart, you will find him.

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GOD’S FAITHFULNESS TO HIS WORD

(Matthew 6:31-33) “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Back in the year 1976, give or take a year, I was listening to the sermon my pastor was giving on these words from Jesus.  As I listened, this thought came to me, “I think Jesus really means this.”  In the spring of 1980, as I was driving on interstate 40 heading for California, the Lord spoke to me with these words, “Now is your chance to find out.”  I knew immediately what he meant.  He was pointing out that I could now find out if indeed he meant the words of this passage.

When I arrived in California, I began to pursue my new life looking for the freedom, relationships, and purpose I so desired.  I forgot about God and set out on my own to fulfill my life.  I failed miserably.  In despair, I sat down on a rock and said to God, “I’ve made a mess of this; I can’t leave this rock without you.”  That was all he was waiting for.  In an instance, I felt his presence, and from that moment on, my life changed.

You may be waiting for me to say since then I’ve had a perfect life.  Well not exactly, but it has been great!  God set me free in ways that I never knew before.  Within a few months, God sent me the lady that has shared this life with me for 43 years.  I’m still fascinated with her.  She is more than I could have ever imagined.  Together, we have a loving family, and a good relationship with each of our adult children, and with their children.  We all walk with the Lord. So our faithful God has blessed our family to the third and fourth generation (well, we’re still waiting for the fourth, but with complete confidence).  God lead me to fulfill the purposes he’d planed for me.  He has given me a rich, full life.

Putting our trust in God has proven to be the right choice.  We have never gone hungry, thirsty, or been without sufficient clothing.  Far beyond that, we have lived in homes and driven vehicles that were nicer than our income would dictate.  We have traveled the country, had many adventures, and enjoyed fun beyond our apparent means.  God has sustained us through tragedy and loss and shown us his love continually. 

I invite you to reread the above scripture verses, and then join me in the realization that God really means what is recorded in his Word.  I have found this to be true, and I share this truth with you in great confidence and without reservation.

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GODS TIMING IS PERFECT

(2 Peter 2:5-10) If he (God) did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)- if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.  This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desires of the flesh and despise authority…

Those who criticize God for allowing horrible things to happen on the earth are confused.  First, they are confused about whom God is, and secondly, they are confused about what God has planned for those who continue to perpetrate evil and fail to repent.  The flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are two excellent examples of what God will do about the evils of sin perpetrated by us humans.Those who think God should continually intervene might consider what that could mean.

We humans are the center of his creation, yet we fail to comprehend that we belong to him who created us.  This verse reminds us of God’s ownership, (Psalm 24:1) “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.”  This verse is the base scripture for godsworldandus.com.  I write about God’s world and those of us who live in it.  What we see happening on the earth is God carrying out his plan for his creation.  He is not unaware.  He knows everything that is occurring moment by moment.  He is continually working toward his ultimate goal, and that goal is to have eternal fellowship with the ones who will respect him and return his love.  He is patiently withholding judgement to allow for all who will embrace his plan of redemption and enter into a loving relationship with him.

God’s timing is perfect.  I state this in full confidence because I know him and love him.  I have great faith in his ability to carry out his plan to the fullness of his desired outcome.

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GOD IS FOR US

(Ephesians 1: 3-5) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

Yesterday morning, I got up, got dressed, and drove to the Costco gas station which opens at 6:00am.  I’m trying to retire form the busy mindset of employment. So as soon as I got on the road, I reminded myself that I had no need to hurry. Even in retirement, I still have built into me the American need to rush, take the quickest route, and drive there as fast as I can.  I’ve found that listening to the Christian radio station distracts me from the “I’m in a hurry syndrome”.  On my short trip to get gas, I heard encouraging songs that reminded me of God’s love for me.  This caused me to remember the above Scripture from Ephesians that I had read the day before. 

It is interesting to note from this Scripture that God created the universe with us in mind.  Of all that seems important through the history of man, nothing compares to the purpose for which God created us.  He chose those of us who now love him before he began his creation. So that we, his adopted children, might live eternally as recipients of his fatherly love.

You may ask yourself, “What have I done to deserve such love?”  The answer is: you have accepted his redemptive gift through Jesus Christ his only begotten Son.  In humble repentance, you have received his offer of forgiveness and put yourself, along with billions of others, right in the center of his purpose for his creation.  Nothing else in all the universe compares to this truth.

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 OUR CREATOR AND US

(Psalm 8:3-5) When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

I love this passage of scripture.  It speaks volumes to me.  The vastness of the heavens directs my thinking to just how limitless is our God who created them.  Who is mankind in the midst of the universe?  Well, it turns out that we’re quite important to our creator.  Mankind is the focus of creation to the point that he sent his only begotten Son to die for us.   I pause to think about this, and I am overwhelmed by this thought.

The great creator of all that we know is loving, personal, and sacrificial in relationship with his created ones.  I desire to take this truth into the depths of my soul.  Sometimes, I ignore God and take for granted his presence in my life.  As I consider these thoughts, they become important motivators to stir me from my complacent self-centeredness and remind me just who I am serving.  He is the creator of the universe in whom we live and move and have our being (see Acts 17:28).