Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
I was talking to a friend today who is struggling with her faith. She knows she needs that relationship God craves to share with us, but she says she just can't get to the point that she can surrender it all to Him. As we texted back and forth and I planned out each text with the perfect syntax and verbage, I began noticing that God was revealing Himself to me at the same time I was showing her what I already inherently knew.
It was a realization of things that I have been learning in the past weeks and month, something that is so totally and utterly crucial to our faith, and yet so easily overlooked or misunderstood. I told her that our walk is like an intimate relationship we share (nothing new there), and that if we want to grow closer to our Savior we have to invest time and effort into the relationship (also very unoriginal). But the next statement that flowed from my fingers shocked even me...
When we die to sin, when we admit our fault and our guilt and the fact that our depravity goes so deep to our core that we cannot escape it of our own accord, we are giving up a life we never owned, and gaining a life that is a gift. Our new lives, our new purity is nothing that we accomplished. It's not some new white robe we picked up at the "Simply Heavenly Robes" store. We can't buy these new lives; we can't earn these new lives: they are owned by our Savior because He bought them with His blood!!!!
This in and of itself is no new concept, yet in my mind it flooded every synapse and made me step back and just say, "WHAT?!?!?" This is what I'm living: a life purchased and owned by Christ because he paid in full (TETELESTA) for my sins and my life.
This changes everything! We have a free, non-sinbound life that has been given to us to live and to use to glorify Him who bought it for us. So what are we doing to show our gratitude for grace? What are we doing to point back to our Dad and say, "This isn't me that you are seeing...it's Him!"
Just a thought...or maybe a challenge?
Oh, the Gravity!
We don't realize the importance of what we are living. Our daily lives, all of our choices, every interaction we maintain with another human being holds much weight in the grand scheme of things. And yet we go about our days never really seeing that we are warriors. Yes! Warriors! Fighters in an eternal, unseen battle that is waging around us every day. A battle which is bigger than every one of us, and yet every one of us plays a big part. It has raged among us since before each of our lives, even before all of humanity was ever given breath. A battle between good and evil.
This isn't a metaphorical struggle spoken and written of in great works of fiction, although those metaphors hold a bit of truth in them and allow us to comprehend what we usually cannot see. No, this is a literal struggle. A battle as real as our own flesh and blood. Fights are being won and lost by both sides avery second around the world. And whether we choose to believe it or not, the warriors are among us at all times...US!
Every choice we make, every word we speak tips the balance in one way or another. If one man goes behind the back of another and speaks ill of him, evil wins out. If a man sees a woman and looks upon her with lust, a battle has been won by evil. And although no physical death occurs, those men's hearts have died a bit, and they are one step closer to becoming the hardened, weathered warriors the side of evil longs to possess. It is so much easier to allow those demons around us to infiltrate our minds and souls, and yet we hardly notice it until it's too late.
It seems almost as if there is no hope for the "good" side. If all sins win another battle for evil, how will good ever win out? It turns out that even though the supreme commander of the dark forces holds tremendous sway over the hearts and bodies of man, there is a power much greater in play: Love. "Love conquers all," it has been said, and what a true statement that is. The comfort a woman can give to her hurting child, the compassion a man can show to a stranger in need, the selfless love a martyr exhibits when dying for a movement much bigger than himself are just a few examples of a selfless love that conquers all evil. If lust and hatred and anger can tip the scales towards evil, selfless love tips it tenfold in the other direction.
But although love wins battles, it stems from a much deeper, far more important source than just doing good among the world. A man, the King of Kings and Righteous Warrior, won out against death and defeated sin forever by giving his perfect life to save us all. It was a battle to rival all battles, and it tipped the scales of war forever. So, everyday we move closer to the end, to that final battle when evil is contained forever, we should fight! We must fight!!!
We are his soldiers. Warriors for Christ our ruler that fight not with physical weapons, but with love and salvation in Him who saved us. Everyday is a battle. Satan and his minions are battling to win us over to their side, to trip us up and prove that love and grace have no sway. So let's prove them and the world wrong! Take up your crosses, bear your spiritual armor, and run head-on into battle as warriors wielding Christ's love. The battle against sin has already been won, and Christ is right there with us, by our side and watching our backs. If we have Him with us, how can we lose!
Nobiscum Deus!
This isn't a metaphorical struggle spoken and written of in great works of fiction, although those metaphors hold a bit of truth in them and allow us to comprehend what we usually cannot see. No, this is a literal struggle. A battle as real as our own flesh and blood. Fights are being won and lost by both sides avery second around the world. And whether we choose to believe it or not, the warriors are among us at all times...US!
Every choice we make, every word we speak tips the balance in one way or another. If one man goes behind the back of another and speaks ill of him, evil wins out. If a man sees a woman and looks upon her with lust, a battle has been won by evil. And although no physical death occurs, those men's hearts have died a bit, and they are one step closer to becoming the hardened, weathered warriors the side of evil longs to possess. It is so much easier to allow those demons around us to infiltrate our minds and souls, and yet we hardly notice it until it's too late.
It seems almost as if there is no hope for the "good" side. If all sins win another battle for evil, how will good ever win out? It turns out that even though the supreme commander of the dark forces holds tremendous sway over the hearts and bodies of man, there is a power much greater in play: Love. "Love conquers all," it has been said, and what a true statement that is. The comfort a woman can give to her hurting child, the compassion a man can show to a stranger in need, the selfless love a martyr exhibits when dying for a movement much bigger than himself are just a few examples of a selfless love that conquers all evil. If lust and hatred and anger can tip the scales towards evil, selfless love tips it tenfold in the other direction.
But although love wins battles, it stems from a much deeper, far more important source than just doing good among the world. A man, the King of Kings and Righteous Warrior, won out against death and defeated sin forever by giving his perfect life to save us all. It was a battle to rival all battles, and it tipped the scales of war forever. So, everyday we move closer to the end, to that final battle when evil is contained forever, we should fight! We must fight!!!
We are his soldiers. Warriors for Christ our ruler that fight not with physical weapons, but with love and salvation in Him who saved us. Everyday is a battle. Satan and his minions are battling to win us over to their side, to trip us up and prove that love and grace have no sway. So let's prove them and the world wrong! Take up your crosses, bear your spiritual armor, and run head-on into battle as warriors wielding Christ's love. The battle against sin has already been won, and Christ is right there with us, by our side and watching our backs. If we have Him with us, how can we lose!
Nobiscum Deus!
Try this one on for size...
Not sure exactly what to call this yet: LOST? Wait and Sift? Adrift? Still working on it.
Verse 1
Find me here.
Find me here.
Knees to my chest.
Drown in my fears.
Chorus
I don't want to be the only one who knows you,
but I guess that's just the way it's got to be right now.
I don't want to be the only one who's lost in the open sea,
but I guess that's just how it's got to be.
Verse 2
Birds saturate the trees.
No leaves, no leaves can I see.
I wait for the gold to come.
But while I sift, I only find mud.
[Unknown bridge lyrics?]
Verse 1
Find me here.
Find me here.
Knees to my chest.
Drown in my fears.
Chorus
I don't want to be the only one who knows you,
but I guess that's just the way it's got to be right now.
I don't want to be the only one who's lost in the open sea,
but I guess that's just how it's got to be.
Verse 2
Birds saturate the trees.
No leaves, no leaves can I see.
I wait for the gold to come.
But while I sift, I only find mud.
[Unknown bridge lyrics?]
Psalm 51: A Step Back
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight––That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.9 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 13 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
How quickly we can become "no more!" How quickly do we see our sins and our disobedience and think, "It's over...I'm done. God wants no part of me anymore. I'm so far removed that I'm beyond saving." Maybe that's just me? Who knows. The fact is that almost instantly after I have committed some sort of sin against God I feel a guilt and a sense of dread that I have done somthing to forever break my communication with my Savior. But this is not what I'm called to do.
Guilt is not somthing the Lord puts onto us. Guilt is a feeling Satan uses to appeal to our humanity. The first things Adam and Eve felt when they disobeyed the Lord were embarassment and guilt. And it's so easy to feel like that. I mean, we disobeyed the Creator of the Universe, our Father, our Savior, the King of Kings. Anyone would look at that and think, "Wow, I messed up, big time! I don't deserve His forgiveness." And that is exactly true...which makes grace that much more beautiful!
Grace, according to Dictionary.com is mercy, clemency, pardon, or the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. There is nothing we can do to earn it. There is nothing I can do to receive that grace of my own accord. But through Christ's sacrifice, we get that chance. We have the ability to trust Christ and his saving grace and power in our lives to make us right in God's eyes.
David understood this before Christ was even born. We have the chance to go before our Father and confess our sins and become clean FOREVER!!! No more does sin bind us; no longer are we sin's slaves. We are free, for now and forever!
O, Lord! What a beautiful thing you have done for me, for us! Remind me daily of repentance and the grace that you have given us! I will sing praises to you in the streets, from the mountaintops. Don't allow us to hold in this good news of salvation and mercy. Let us tell the world!!!!
How quickly we can become "no more!" How quickly do we see our sins and our disobedience and think, "It's over...I'm done. God wants no part of me anymore. I'm so far removed that I'm beyond saving." Maybe that's just me? Who knows. The fact is that almost instantly after I have committed some sort of sin against God I feel a guilt and a sense of dread that I have done somthing to forever break my communication with my Savior. But this is not what I'm called to do.
Guilt is not somthing the Lord puts onto us. Guilt is a feeling Satan uses to appeal to our humanity. The first things Adam and Eve felt when they disobeyed the Lord were embarassment and guilt. And it's so easy to feel like that. I mean, we disobeyed the Creator of the Universe, our Father, our Savior, the King of Kings. Anyone would look at that and think, "Wow, I messed up, big time! I don't deserve His forgiveness." And that is exactly true...which makes grace that much more beautiful!
Grace, according to Dictionary.com is mercy, clemency, pardon, or the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. There is nothing we can do to earn it. There is nothing I can do to receive that grace of my own accord. But through Christ's sacrifice, we get that chance. We have the ability to trust Christ and his saving grace and power in our lives to make us right in God's eyes.
David understood this before Christ was even born. We have the chance to go before our Father and confess our sins and become clean FOREVER!!! No more does sin bind us; no longer are we sin's slaves. We are free, for now and forever!
O, Lord! What a beautiful thing you have done for me, for us! Remind me daily of repentance and the grace that you have given us! I will sing praises to you in the streets, from the mountaintops. Don't allow us to hold in this good news of salvation and mercy. Let us tell the world!!!!
Wishful Thinking
Sometimes I just sit and wish. I wish about things that someday will come true, and other things that are just that...wishful thinking. Here are some things I have come up with:
I wish I never had to do the dishes.
I wish I could live at the beach.
I wish I was a bird.
I wish the stars were closer to Earth.
I wish I never got cold.
I wish I never said anything I would one day regret.
I wish I could get through school in a week and still have learned everything I needed to learn.
I wish I could pause time in the moments I can now only reminisce about.
I wish life unfolded before me, ready to be tackled and caged.
I wish I knew the unknown.
I wish summer lasted forever.
I wish time well spent with family was all the time.
I wish I could always smile.
I wish away headaches...forever.
These were on the top of the list. But they are really just trivial streams of consciousness. There are other wishes that I must fulfill...wishes that can mean life or death:
I wish Adam had never sinned.
I wish I always did what God has willed me to do.
I wish I could take back all the times I have ever turned my back on Christ.
I wish I could love always.
I wish my faith was always a part of who I am, not just a second thought.
I wish I was spiritually fearless.
I wish I could win all of my battles.
I wish my vices would disappear forever.
I wish I had never crucified Christ with my sins.
After I thought through each of these weighty wishes, I realized something. Most of these can be fulfilled...through Christ. He takes away all of our screw-ups. He puts peace and love back into our lives. He brings his Spirit to live within us so that others can see our faith and his glory. Through Christ we can win all of our battles, and our sins and vices no longer hold us. With Christ, these things aren't just wishful thinking...they can become reality.
I wish I never had to do the dishes.
I wish I could live at the beach.
I wish I was a bird.
I wish the stars were closer to Earth.
I wish I never got cold.
I wish I never said anything I would one day regret.
I wish I could get through school in a week and still have learned everything I needed to learn.
I wish I could pause time in the moments I can now only reminisce about.
I wish life unfolded before me, ready to be tackled and caged.
I wish I knew the unknown.
I wish summer lasted forever.
I wish time well spent with family was all the time.
I wish I could always smile.
I wish away headaches...forever.
These were on the top of the list. But they are really just trivial streams of consciousness. There are other wishes that I must fulfill...wishes that can mean life or death:
I wish Adam had never sinned.
I wish I always did what God has willed me to do.
I wish I could take back all the times I have ever turned my back on Christ.
I wish I could love always.
I wish my faith was always a part of who I am, not just a second thought.
I wish I was spiritually fearless.
I wish I could win all of my battles.
I wish my vices would disappear forever.
I wish I had never crucified Christ with my sins.
After I thought through each of these weighty wishes, I realized something. Most of these can be fulfilled...through Christ. He takes away all of our screw-ups. He puts peace and love back into our lives. He brings his Spirit to live within us so that others can see our faith and his glory. Through Christ we can win all of our battles, and our sins and vices no longer hold us. With Christ, these things aren't just wishful thinking...they can become reality.
2 Corinthians 5:15-21
15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
I can see myself looking through one of those overlooking binoculars. You know, the ones you pay like fifty cents to look through, just so you can magnify and see something so far away in a clearer view? I’m standing on a ledge, looking out over a crystal blue lake, trying to see a lone island, green as an emerald, standing in the middle of the vast body of water. As I put my coins in to look I focus the binoculars to the point I believe will allow me the greatest view of the island. I put my eyes to the holes and peak through, adjusting the lenses until I get it to what I feel is the perfect view.
As I’m bending over admiring this island from afar, a man approaches me and chuckles. I look up and see him staring off at the tiny spot of land I was ogling with a slight grin on his face.
“You can see it better up close,” he says.
“I know, but I have no way of getting there.” I reply, a slight tinge of annoyance in my voice as I can feel the seconds slipping away on my paid binocular time. “I can see it fine over here.”
“Yeah, sure.” He says sarcastically, chuckling again. “I know a better way.”
“You do?” I ask excitedly.
“Yes, I do! Just follow me…”
This story reminds me of how we are so enamored and focused on our views and ideas of the world that we decide to watch God’s plans from afar. We stand on the ledge called Commitment and stare off at the little piece of God’s will He has allowed us to see and say, “Wow, God! You really are amazing. I love your plans, but I can see them just as well right here.” We choose to stand on the sidelines instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of spiritual warfare.
Paul called us Christ’s ambassadors (in some versions it says “friends”), and ambassadors are people that go out into the world on behalf of someone. They don’t sit idly and watch it all unfold; they are part of the action. As Christ saves each one of us, He ferries us past the waters of sin and doubt and into a world where believing is seeing and death is merely a doorway into new life, at least that’s the way He wanted it to be.
But sometimes our vision becomes cloudy again. We can’t always see the nest step on God’s path for us, but we can at least see the path and its boundaries. But when we become complacent we lose sight of the path itself. And even more dangerous is shifting our gaze from Christ to the screw-ups other people commit. We were called out of that when we were born again. We no longer have to see other people through our eyes (the binoculars you pay for), we can see them the way Christ does, as beings created in His image, people to shower with the love Christ has so graciously poured on us.
Christ did the hard work. We just have to plant and water his fields. He is the one who is going to harvest it all. We are called to go out in love. He has the full plan; we just have to follow it. So let’s stop looking through our binoculars; let’s stop seeing a small piece of the big picture. Instead, let’s run towards Christ to get a better view of His plan. That way, when trials come around, we won’t lose sight of Him through the storm. We will be on the same boat, ready to take on anything head on together.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
I can see myself looking through one of those overlooking binoculars. You know, the ones you pay like fifty cents to look through, just so you can magnify and see something so far away in a clearer view? I’m standing on a ledge, looking out over a crystal blue lake, trying to see a lone island, green as an emerald, standing in the middle of the vast body of water. As I put my coins in to look I focus the binoculars to the point I believe will allow me the greatest view of the island. I put my eyes to the holes and peak through, adjusting the lenses until I get it to what I feel is the perfect view.
As I’m bending over admiring this island from afar, a man approaches me and chuckles. I look up and see him staring off at the tiny spot of land I was ogling with a slight grin on his face.
“You can see it better up close,” he says.
“I know, but I have no way of getting there.” I reply, a slight tinge of annoyance in my voice as I can feel the seconds slipping away on my paid binocular time. “I can see it fine over here.”
“Yeah, sure.” He says sarcastically, chuckling again. “I know a better way.”
“You do?” I ask excitedly.
“Yes, I do! Just follow me…”
This story reminds me of how we are so enamored and focused on our views and ideas of the world that we decide to watch God’s plans from afar. We stand on the ledge called Commitment and stare off at the little piece of God’s will He has allowed us to see and say, “Wow, God! You really are amazing. I love your plans, but I can see them just as well right here.” We choose to stand on the sidelines instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of spiritual warfare.
Paul called us Christ’s ambassadors (in some versions it says “friends”), and ambassadors are people that go out into the world on behalf of someone. They don’t sit idly and watch it all unfold; they are part of the action. As Christ saves each one of us, He ferries us past the waters of sin and doubt and into a world where believing is seeing and death is merely a doorway into new life, at least that’s the way He wanted it to be.
But sometimes our vision becomes cloudy again. We can’t always see the nest step on God’s path for us, but we can at least see the path and its boundaries. But when we become complacent we lose sight of the path itself. And even more dangerous is shifting our gaze from Christ to the screw-ups other people commit. We were called out of that when we were born again. We no longer have to see other people through our eyes (the binoculars you pay for), we can see them the way Christ does, as beings created in His image, people to shower with the love Christ has so graciously poured on us.
Christ did the hard work. We just have to plant and water his fields. He is the one who is going to harvest it all. We are called to go out in love. He has the full plan; we just have to follow it. So let’s stop looking through our binoculars; let’s stop seeing a small piece of the big picture. Instead, let’s run towards Christ to get a better view of His plan. That way, when trials come around, we won’t lose sight of Him through the storm. We will be on the same boat, ready to take on anything head on together.
Sleep
1 Samuel 3:3, It was well before dawn; the sanctuary lamp was still burning. Samuel was still in bed in the Temple of GOD, where the Chest of God rested.
As I read this chapter during my morning quiet time, a passage I had heard on occasions before, this verse hit me. I could just as easily have skimmed right over it and thought nothing of it unless I had taken the time I did to actually read it and understand it's meaning. In my Bible, it says that Samuel was asleep near the Ark. In order to truly get the full meaning out of this verse we have to remember that the Ark of the Covenant was God's throne on Earth, where His presence dwelled. It was actually the spirit of God here among us humans on Earth.
I don't know how this would sound to anyone else, but I got excited when I read this. Samuel, still a young boy, was sleeping in God's house, within God's presence. How awesome! I continually wish to be in God's will, but Samuel got to sleep in His presence. To fall asleep and be able to hear God waking you every morning must be such an amazing experience. Later in the chapter it says that Samuel grew up in the Lord and was a great prophet. I wonder how much influence Samuel's early experience with God had upon his later years, and how much the fact that Samuel lived in God's presence had to do with him being a great prophet. I guess it goes to show that the more time we spend with God (either physically or mentally) the more we live within his will.
It reminds me of our parents. As we grow up with them we begin to pick up there little nuances, their likes and dislikes, even their personalities. They have such an influence on the way we think and act that our actions sometimes directly point back to their own lives. It can be said the same way about God's influence on us. As long as we're being the stupid, rebellious children of God that comes as our default attitude, we won't pick up God's personality, likes, dislikes, or ideas. But, once we put down our foolish childish ways and pick up a more mature outlook, we begin to respect God and His hold on our lives and we pick up on His will for us. Therefore, more people can see us and say, "Oh, they are Yahweh's children...that's obvious."
So let's act like Samuel and live, eat, breath, sleep in God's presence. Let's learn about our Father who has so graciously adopted us into His eternal family. Until we begin to live in a way our Dad wants, we won't be able to point others to His gracious salvation and gain more brothers and sisters in Christ...
As I read this chapter during my morning quiet time, a passage I had heard on occasions before, this verse hit me. I could just as easily have skimmed right over it and thought nothing of it unless I had taken the time I did to actually read it and understand it's meaning. In my Bible, it says that Samuel was asleep near the Ark. In order to truly get the full meaning out of this verse we have to remember that the Ark of the Covenant was God's throne on Earth, where His presence dwelled. It was actually the spirit of God here among us humans on Earth.
I don't know how this would sound to anyone else, but I got excited when I read this. Samuel, still a young boy, was sleeping in God's house, within God's presence. How awesome! I continually wish to be in God's will, but Samuel got to sleep in His presence. To fall asleep and be able to hear God waking you every morning must be such an amazing experience. Later in the chapter it says that Samuel grew up in the Lord and was a great prophet. I wonder how much influence Samuel's early experience with God had upon his later years, and how much the fact that Samuel lived in God's presence had to do with him being a great prophet. I guess it goes to show that the more time we spend with God (either physically or mentally) the more we live within his will.
It reminds me of our parents. As we grow up with them we begin to pick up there little nuances, their likes and dislikes, even their personalities. They have such an influence on the way we think and act that our actions sometimes directly point back to their own lives. It can be said the same way about God's influence on us. As long as we're being the stupid, rebellious children of God that comes as our default attitude, we won't pick up God's personality, likes, dislikes, or ideas. But, once we put down our foolish childish ways and pick up a more mature outlook, we begin to respect God and His hold on our lives and we pick up on His will for us. Therefore, more people can see us and say, "Oh, they are Yahweh's children...that's obvious."
So let's act like Samuel and live, eat, breath, sleep in God's presence. Let's learn about our Father who has so graciously adopted us into His eternal family. Until we begin to live in a way our Dad wants, we won't be able to point others to His gracious salvation and gain more brothers and sisters in Christ...
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