Monday Morning 4/29/2013

How great is God’s total forgiveness in Jesus Christ!

What do those words mean to you? Do you believe and trust what they say?

Maybe for some that is a question: “How great is God’s total forgiveness in Jesus Christ?”

Would you be able to answer? Does it cause you to doubt? Does it make you want to do something to earn that forgiveness? Does it make you to think that you are stuck in your sin forever?

“How great is” – It’s awesome; it’s overwhelming; it’s breathtaking; it’s tremendous, amazing, and cool!

“God’s” – It’s not mine; not yours; not your Pastor’s; not your mom’s or dad’s.

“Total forgiveness” – It’s finished, complete, and perfect.

“In Jesus Christ” – Jesus is the ONE whom we trust and the one who completes our faith, hope and love.

As much as we want to make it into a question, it should be a statement of how awesome is God’s acceptance of you and me no matter of our past or where we are. We should be declaring, “God is so awesome that He is willing to accept us and love us because Jesus is Lord and Savior.

Hebrews is the book of faith: “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11:1) But not everyone thinks faith is enough. Faith pleases God because it shows God His Son Jesus has a priority in our lives. “So faith comes from hearing the Good News; and people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

Hope shows up in the book of 1 Peter: “Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has great mercy, and because of his mercy he gave us a new life. This new life brings us a living hope through Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death. Now we wait to receive the blessings God has for his children. These blessings are kept for you in heaven. They cannot be ruined or be destroyed or lose their beauty.” (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Faith is something we have. Hope is something given by God. Faith and hope are often separate things but they do come together. The place where faith and hope come together is at the cross. It is at the cross that faith and hope are exchanged for love.

God’s love came down in the form of Jesus Christ to become sin for us not so we become righteous. We cannot “become” righteousness on our own. We are “made” righteous when the exchange happens.

When we accept Jesus as Savior and exchange our sin for God’s righteousness “love” happens.

Love is an exchange. In 1 Corinthians 13, Love exchanges patience for no patience. Love exchanges kindness for hostility. It exchanges a humble attitude for pride, and it exchanges trust for jealousy. It leads Paul to say that without love being the result of faith and hope coming together, Jesus’ sacrifice was pointless.

1 John says that there is no fear in love. There is an element of fear in faith and hope. Continued guilt and fear cause us to wonder if there is something we can do on our own. There is nothing. God created His son as a perfect and complete sacrifice to take on Himself the death of our sin. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Galatians 2:20 shows us the depth of this love exchange between God and us: “So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me.” I live by faith … He is the One. Faith and hope died to give me God’s love. The exchange happened at the cross.

Hebrews 10:14 says, “With one sacrifice Christ made his people perfect forever.” Perfect here does not mean “without sin.” Only Jesus lived a sinless life. The word “perfect” here means everything is finished. There is nothing more God or Jesus can do. God created and gave up His own Son to die for our sin. Jesus said that no one has greater love than those who give up their life for their friends. It’s like an artist who is not satisfied until their masterpiece is totally complete and there is nothing more they can do to improve it, do they say, “It’s finished.” God in the flesh said from the cross, “It’s finished, paid off, complete, done, there is nothing more to do.”

So it’s not a question of our faith, God’s hope, and Jesus’ love. It’s a declaration of the exchange of faith, hope, and love: How great is God’s total forgiveness in Jesus Christ!

“… and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Monday Morning 4/22/2013

Stuff happens. Sometimes good things happen, and we call them blessings. Sometimes bad things happen, and we call them troubles. If we trust God we know everything happens for a reason. We all know that is easier said than done.

Everything comes together and God will take whatever situation we face and make it His own for those that love Him and are called by His plan. Nothing happens that God does not already know about.

What happens after the blessing? What happens after the trouble? That is what God wants to see. Sure He wants to see how we “react” when something happens. But He also wants to see how we “act” after He reveals what He has for us.

Blessings are easy. We feel special. We feel great. God is good! It’s just like Christmas morning when we realize we have received what we wanted most. It’s exactly what we expect.

Troubles are a little different. We always seem surprised when trouble happens. Notice I said “when” trouble happens not “if” trouble happens. Let’s be honest. Troubles WILL happen. It’s not what we wanted. It does not come up to our expectations. Somebody else got what they wanted. Why didn’t I?

Somebody said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.”

 When disappointments happen, the easy thing to do is to blame; blame ourselves or blame others, and sometimes both. Most times it’s hard to know what to say or do because we don’t know the “why” or the “how” of the letdown. When is the last time you “blamed” God for a blessing? It’s a good question.

Disappointment is often an emotional response to a failure of some kind. This can lead to losing faith in someone on whom we were depending, perhaps even a person we love.

The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus loved Martha, her sister Mary, and their brother Lazarus. Because of this, they didn’t sense the need to tell the Lord anything more than “Lord, your friend is sick.” (John 11:3) The way it is written seems to say, “Jesus your dear friend is sick, come and do something.” There is this feeling of “expectation.” And the expectation was that as soon as Jesus heard this, He would come and heal their brother. But Jesus didn’t leave for two more days. And we know the story: Lazarus dies.

When Jesus finally arrives, Martha comes out to meet Him and says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 3:21) She very clearly had the expectation that Jesus would drop whatever he was doing and come right away. Lazarus would be saved and all would be great, rainbows sprinkles and glitter. Wow what a blessing! God is good! But Mary missed the point. She didn’t see God’s real purpose, which was to perform a greater miracle.

God has reasons for permitting us to experience disappointments. He could prevent them, but He wants to show us something better. He wants to show us His purpose. His desire is that after the blessing or after the disappointment we will trust and believe and let our circumstance bring glory to Him.

Jesus did respond when He heard about Lazarus. He said, “The end of this sickness will not be death. No, this sickness is for the glory of God. This has happened to bring glory to the Son of God.” (John 4:4)

And when Mary told Jesus how disappointed she was, Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection. I am life. Everyone who believes in me will have life, even if they die. And everyone who lives and believes in me will never really die. Martha, do you believe this?” (John 4:25-26)

We know the story. Jesus went to the tomb, and prayed loud enough that what he is doing is not for Himself, but for God’s glory. He then had the tomb opened, and called out, “Lazarus, come on out of there!”

Ten minutes before that everybody was disappointed hurt and upset. They thought Jesus did not love them enough to care. All they had to do was wait on Jesus.

When disappointments come, do we say God does not love us and back away from God’s plans for our life? Or do we see disappointment as an opportunity to open up and let God show us something, helping us to understand His purpose and lesson in every situation?

The right response is simply to trust Him.

Monday Morning 4/15/2013

Have you ever known a person who really needed badly to change their ways? Everyone makes mistakes but there are those who just either don’t want to recognize what they are doing is destructive, or they refuse to accept they are the only one who is responsible for their own actions. It’s someone else’s problem.

Then another person comes alone and takes up the task of helping the other person see what they are doing is destructive, not only to family and friends, but to themselves as well. People with good intentions struggle to help, but nothing seems to happen. Other people try to help also but sometimes their help is rejected or refused.

There is a saying, “It’s like beating my head against a wall” because nothing seems to change. No matter what, that wall just will not move. The picture is that the wall usually wins. And all that happens by “beating our head against a wall” is a really bad headache.

Some may just want to stop trying to help. A person would say, “I care about them too much.” Others would just continue to accept the behavior and just tolerate the person. When is the right time to stop “helping” the person who does not want the help?

Well, truth is, we cannot give up trying to help others who do not want to be helped. Some people might say it’s pointless to continue. But the Bible tells us constantly to not give up, to share burdens, and to run the good race. It all points to going “above and beyond” what is necessary to do what’s right. And that’s what God says. Even while we still sin God sent Jesus to die for us. So why is it different for anyone else?

But, that does not mean we cannot control the response. Our response to the person who does not want to be helped is just that, it’s ours. Of course it needs to be in line with what God wants, but it’s still our response.

We need to learn, right now, that no one can control anyone else. What can be done is to control how we “respond” to them and get on with life. Life is meant to be lived for God’s glory not yours or any other person’s.

It is so frustrating and can be so hurtful. The person trying to help becomes angry and frustrated. It leads to depression and giving up. One may ask, “Why can’t they see what they are doing?” “Why do they keep doing it?”

Some people don’t have a clue about how they treat others is wrong because they only see themselves. They have a veil over their eyes. They can’t see the right way to behave, even if they are told in clear and exact terms. One can use God’s Word, but if there is no desire to change, that Scripture is falling on the hard ground of a hard heart.

Some people know they are doing wrong, and they simply don’t care. Simply, that is just messed up. It’s hard to accept, but they really don’t care to change, and they don’t care how it is affecting anyone else.

The problem is that the relationship needs to be seen from a Christian or biblical perspective and the other person, perhaps knows the truth of God’s Word, and maybe they don’t. God’s Word becomes an excuse instead of correction.  It doesn’t matter. They won’t change until they are ready to change.

So, what can be done?

• Model Behavior – The best way to influence, not control, others is to be a role model of how to act. Is it perfect? No, it’s not, but Jesus says in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Let your light shine before them.

Someone may say, “But I tried that.” And then realize once again that the other person may never copy the desired behavior. The best advice would be to let go of it. They can choose to change by seeing what God says and by the example of that character. Sometimes, even seeing it right before their eyes every day does not insure that they will change.

• Pray for them – Ask God to change them. If God changed the heart of Pharaoh to let the slaves go, I know He has the ability to change people too. There are many examples in the Bible where God overcame the hearts of people to bring change. Many times the Bible says that with God all things are possible and with God NOTHING is impossible. The problem is that we are not God.

• Set Boundaries – If the person is acting hurtfully and not paying attention, set boundaries. Be respectful. Be gracious. In Luke 6:31 Jesus was very clear, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” A person will only change when they want to change.

• Be Careful – People can fake changing. Jesus uses the picture of wolves that are dressed like sheep. Some people are manipula­tors. They will change for a little while, but eventually the old ways come back to the surface.

The only lasting change has to come from God. People do not have the ability within themselves to bring into their life lasting behavioral or per­sonality changes. We don’t have that capability — only God does.

So, let’s review. The person needs to recognize they are outside God’s plan and something needs to change. That is the first step. Only God can change someone. The more someone recognizes they are outside God’s will, the more they will resist. Any attempt to change will meet that resistance. The response to them can be controlled. It does not need to be ugly. There is no guilt. The choice is there and the choice is theirs. Let go and let God.

Monday Morning 4/1/2013

Happy Monday! It’s the first morning after Jesus’ Resurrection. This morning I am really asking, “How has Jesus’ resurrection changed your life?”

I’m expecting all the “regular” answers; the “church” answers; the answers we all think Pastor wants to hear so he knows we are paying attention; the answers that will make us look like good little church going boys and girls.

Perhaps the better question is not, “HOW” Jesus has changed your life. The harder, more direct question is, “Has Jesus Changed your life?” Have you let him? Has the power of Jesus' death burial and resurrection impacted your life? Those can be hard questions. But, my friends, it’s not rocket science.

First and most importantly, Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead to change your life. Paul says, “The old me is crucified with Christ, dead and buried with Christ. It’s not me who lives now but Jesus who lives IN me. I live by faith in the ONE who died and gave himself for me!”

It’s. Not. Rocket. Science.

I’ve read what Jesus has said about many things. He is on point with EVERYTHING he said. He knows what He is talking about! One verse has stood out more recently with me. I have discussed this with some of my friends. I’ve gained a new perspective on what Jesus was trying to say. In the King James Version Matthew 6:33 says: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” What is Jesus really saying? The language is confusing, and what exactly is being added? But Jesus is very clear in His message to us.

If you break it down, Jesus is saying if He has changed our life, we will want to do things God’s way and if we do things God’s way we don’t need to worry about any bad consequences or results. He will add His blessing, His grace, His glory. In other words, doing things right, in God’s way, opens the door for Him to show His grace and righteousness through you and me.

Before making any decision, if we look for ways to build God’s kingdom and not out own, and look for ways to expand God’s righteousness, we are living according to God ‘s plan and not our own. Then with that in place, God is now able to use our life to show Himself in all areas of our own communities. If Jesus’ resurrection has changed us, then we are able to impact more than our own life. We are able to have an impact in this world.

Let’s wake up. Let’s grow up. Stop the fighting. Stop the gossiping. Stop the “he said, she said.” Stop the talking bad about each other. Change your attitude.

If we truly want to see God moving, let the message of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection show in your life. Do it right the first time. Build God’s Kingdom not your own kingdom. Then, and only then, when God is first in our life, will He be able to show the power of the resurrection.

It’s not rocket science.