Friday, August 21, 2015

Extreme Forgiveness

21 But if the wicked man turns from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all My statutes and does that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
22 None of his transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; for his righteousness which he has executed [for his moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation], he shall live. Ezekiel 18
This really makes a beautiful picture in my head.  Every person is wicked and sinful.  There's nothing we can do to get around it.  Before we come to Christ, we are wicked.  However, when we turn from our sinful ways and embrace Christ, we are washed clean.  We will live eternally with him and not die.
Get this: God will not remember any of the sins we committed prior to turning to follow Jesus!
When we meet God, he'll welcome us with open arms. He won't smile and nudge us to say, "Hey, remember that time three years ago that you sinned?  Yeah, that was bad, but I forgave you for it."  It says he won't remember any of our transgressions!
This is a really difficult concept for us to get our heads wrapped around.  Maybe it's just me.  This is complete and total forgiveness.  Forgiveness to the point where God doesn't even remember the sin we committed.  Can we ever truly forgive someone that much?  To the point where we don't hold onto any nugget of how someone has wronged you?
Forgiveness is powerful.  This last week, I attended my mother-in-law's church in Cleveland and the pastor gave an incredibly powerful sermon on "The Real F-Bomb."
Go take a look at it.  It certainly resonated with me, I've watched it at least twice since attending service on Sunday.  I had no idea that it would perfectly tie in with my devotion for the week, but sometimes God puts things right in front of you and there's no avoiding it.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

The Cross, The Resurrection & The Holy Spirit



Hello Friends!

The following article is meant as an encouragement and reminder of the Awesome God we serve!

Please join me in remembering to reach out to those in our personal & professional spheres of influence here @ TR who desperately need to hear the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
May they receive Him as their personal Lord and SaviorPraise the Name of our Lord Jesus!

The Cross, The Resurrection & The Holy Spirit

What sets Christianity apart from every other belief system or religion? For more than 2,000 years, the Gospel facts about Jesus Christ of Nazareth have been proclaimed on every continent and to people from every walk of life. When someone considers the Christian message, what exactly are they accepting – or rejecting?

The Cross:

The instrument of torture upon which Jesus Christ died is the most well-known “symbol” of Christianity. What could possibly explain a two millennia-long fixation on something so horrible? One clue is found in Jesus' final words in which He uttered as He died:

It is finished! – John 19:30

That victorious declaration – spoken in the midst of what looked like humiliating defeat – tells us Jesus Christ saw these events as an accomplishment. But how could such a tragic end to Jesus' amazing teaching and miracle-working ministry be an accomplishment? Jesus taught that He came to:

…seek and save the lost – Luke 19:10

And:

…to give His life as a ransom for many – Mark 10:45

On the Cross, a divine transaction took place. It was His life for the life of the “believer” in Jesus Christ – a willful ransom paid to buy “us” back from our “lost” and “sinful” condition. That's why the day Jesus died is called "Good Friday," not "Tragic Friday!" Jesus' death on the Cross completed the work God gave Him to do, because His mission was not just to “teach” us but to “die” for “us.” All that is left for “us” to do is to personally receive that wonderful, “free gift” for ourselves.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life – John 3:16
As grand as the accomplishment on the Cross was – the story doesn't end there...

The Resurrection:

On the third day, the stone that covered the tomb was rolled away – Jesus Christ came back from the dead! He is “alive” – never to die again! The power over “sin” and “death” has been defeated!

The angel in the Gospel of Luke said to the startled disciples looking for Him at the tomb:

He is not here; He is risen! – Luke 24:6

The Resurrection declared Jesus Christ as Victor over “sin” and “death” – humanity's most unsolvable eternal dilemmas. By “rising” from the “dead,” Jesus Christ proved that even death was no match to His power! Without the Resurrection, Jesus' life would have been “unique” – just like every other human being. Faith in Him under those circumstances would be foolish – a criticism understood by both Christianity's adherents and detractors. In fact, it was the Apostle Paul just a few decades after this event who wrote:

If Christ is not raised, your faith is futile – 1 Corinthians 15:17
Yet, in fact, the Resurrection did occur and Jesus' life and mission became the most powerful events this world has ever seen! Therefore, faith in Him makes sense. And if we fail to trust in Him – in light of what He did for us – disbelief seems foolish. The Resurrection “assures“ us that “power” beyond human comprehension is available to the “followers” of Jesus Christ. Everything changes when we come to the foot of the Cross with empty hands of faith and stare in wonder at the open doorway to the tomb – He is risen!
The Holy Spirit:

And there's more! The power of the “resurrected” Jesus Christ comes to us through the “Holy Spirit.” After His resurrection, Jesus told His followers that the sameHoly Spirit” who “ascended” upon Him at His baptism in the “form of a dove” would be “on” them:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you – Acts 1:8

God's desire is for every true “Christian” to have access to His personal presence and power – in Jesus Christ through the “power” of the “Holy Spirit!” At Pentecost – 50 days after His resurrection – that's exactly what happened!

What does this powerful Person of the Holy Trinity do in our lives today? Jesus Christ was clear – He takes residency “
inside” of the “believer” and the “Holy Spirit” comes “on” us so “we” can become His “witnesses” by being “like” Him. The “character” and “power” that Jesus Christ has – “we” have to “overcome” the “sin” in our lives. The “Holy Spirit” produces “fruit” in us! The Apostle Paul describes exactly what that looks like:

...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – Galatians 5:22-23

In other words… The Christian life!

These characteristics demonstrate that God is at work in Jesus' followers through His “Holy Spirit!” And when His “power” produces these “fruits“ in our lives, the natural result is that “unbelievers” will sit up and take notice! If the “fruit of the Spirit” is the Christian “life,” then the “fruit” of the Christian “life” is… more Christians – Hallelujah!

The Cross, the Resurrection & the Holy Spirit. These three aspects God’s Sovereign plan set Biblical “Christianityapart from every other religion and cult group!

Take any One of these aspects away and you don't have the whole story – or the whole Truth. Embrace them all and you will have “eternal life.” He will make you “new” from the moment you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, what we do with Jesus Christ determines what Jesus Christ will do with us – for all eternity...  

Thank you for your desire for Biblical discernment and Truth – Praise the Lord!

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
 
Blessings!
Shane <><

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Make Better Choices

So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone.  But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:14-15

My five year old granddaughter is something else!  The other day, she had a moment with my daughter asking why she did not come to her birthday party.  My daughter explained that she had practice the same day, and she could not miss it or else she would be fined.  In her special way, my granddaughter responds, “Well, you made a choice, and you need to make better choices.”  It’s obvious that she is destined to be a leader one day, and has already figured out where people are on the ‘Accountability ladder.’  As funny as the story is, it reminded me of the choices we must make as Christians each and every day.  When we are rushed for time, do we skip our morning prayer to do other things?  Are we missing Sunday service because of son’s soccer practice or daughter’s cheer tournament?

We must choose to serve God wholeheartedly, and continue to make Him the priority in our lives.  Reading the 24th chapter of Joshua gives clarity to the conflict we face between serving our God and other ‘Gods.’  After all God had done to bring the Israelites out from Egypt, they got to a point where they have turned to their sinful ways, and Joshua made a bold statement to them in today’s verses.  Like all great leaders, he ends his address asking for Israel’s commitment saying, “I choose to serve God.  Who’s coming with me?”  Now we tend to think of Gods as spirits and entities that live above the earth, but there are other ‘Gods’ that we serve and do not really notice.  For example, I have the NFL ‘God’ that might ask me to watch the game instead of an event serving others in need or spending time with family.  The ‘Cosmopolitan’ God obsesses over how you look above where you are spiritually, and the adventurous ‘Thrill Seeking’ God would have us look for greater adventures above a spending time with a God who loves you.  Moderate doses of all these can be fun and in some ways healthy.  However, we must be careful not to let these supersede our relationship with a God who is always there for us.  He is a God of abundance giving us more than what we will ever need, and all we need to do is to choose to serve Him decision by decision.


A choice for God is both simple and yet difficult.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6b)  Choosing to serve Him is a simple one, but this decision requires life changes.  Many of them will challenge our ways of thinking and how we do things.  Let us renew ourselves to putting God at the top of our lives for He alone is worthy.  What false Gods are taking away from you serving God?  What must you reprioritize to put God first in your life?  My prayer is that we are able to as my granddaughter put make better choices.  Amen.

Monday, August 17, 2015

Tues Devo: Ready to answer

1 Peter 3:15-17 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. “(NASB)

Hello,

As the parent of a couple toddlers, I do find myself asking questions to a couple young folks who are not ready with answers! It is very clear when they aren’t ready…there is that pause, some stammering, looking around, and the answer never starts with the answer – but rather with their rationale.
When we are not ready there is generally one of two reasons. 1) We are not expecting the question or 2) We are hoping the question won’t be asked.

In the past I have thought of these verses as defensive verses – be ready to answer in case you get asked. That approach of these verses being used on the defensive I believe have us leave out a valuable element. We are not just to have emergency answers, but to be ready to give an answer at all times, that answer must be natural in us – and reflective of our constant motivation.

What is your motivation? Are you ready to answer – or are you hoping you won’t be noticed and asked?

Have a blessed day,



Whom Shell I Fear? continued

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Last week I wrote how we are to fear God, not this word.  I didn’t take it far enough and a couple of you added to what I wrote so thank you!  They were exactly right, we are to fear God however in the sense that we fear him with respect.  Our fear of God is what keeps us walking in obedience to him, loving him and serving him with all that is within us.  It is why we keep the Lord’s commandments. 


God will protect us from the earthly fears that we face.  He will be there to carry us through the hard times, when we live for him even in the good times.