Friday Thought -- June 28, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:3-10)

Jesus came to set us free from sin.

Jesus has taken our sins away, erasing their guilt and their shame. We don’t bear our sins anymore. They have been removed by the blood of the cross. Forgiveness reigns through a relationship with Jesus and all condemnation has been eliminated.

Jesus has destroyed the work of the devil. The devil’s work is sin and to move others to sin. Jesus defeated the devil on the cross. The devil is still at work, but his fate is sealed, his defeat is sure. His temptations no longer have to defeat us, God has provided the power to overcome them.

Jesus has planted His seed in us, the promised Holy Spirit, to provide the power we need to say “no” to sin. Having removed our sin, He didn’t leave us alone to keep struggling with it in our own power. He put His Spirit within us so it would be possible to overcome sin.

That doesn’t mean that all sin is gone from our lives. We often ignore the Holy Spirit and fail to tap into the power He makes available. But it does mean that sin no longer has us in its bondage and God is at work to change us into His image of purity.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- June 27, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:1-2)

In Christ, we have been made children of God! That’s an amazing and marvelous truth. It happened the moment we received Christ. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13)

God took those who were far away from Him, alienated because of our sin, and adopted us into His family.

We are servants of God, but not just servants.

We are followers of God, but not just followers.

We are worshipers of God, but not just worshipers.

We are God’s children. That speaks of the love God has for us. That speaks of the concern God has for us. That speaks of the commitment God has to us. That speaks of the manner in which God takes care of our needs.

We are His children -- He is our Father! But that isn’t even where it ends. On earth we are His children, but in eternity we will be even more than that! It isn’t even clear what we will be in eternity. Eternity is beyond our understanding. But glimpses have been given to us.

We’ll be like Jesus.

We’ll be heirs with Him.

We’ll reign with Him.

Children now -- more later. What a marvelous gift God has provided us in Christ!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- June 26, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us -- even eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit -- just as it has taught you, remain in him. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.” (1 John 2:24-29)

Three times in this section John urges us to hang on.

 “See that what you have heard remains in you.”

“Remain in Him.”

“Continue in Him.”

Being a Christian was not easy in the day in which John wrote. The Christians were often persecuted. Coming to Christ often resulted in economic hardship, including the loss of job. A relationship with Christ often strained family relationships, even severed them. Sometimes the cost included prison and torture and even death. The costs of

being a Christian were high in John’s day.

The costs for being a Christian still can be high in our day!

In some parts of the world people still face these same costs when they come to Christ. Even in our lives they may have been costs – loss of relationships because those you ran with didn’t want to be around you anymore after you came to Christ – loss of jobs because you wouldn’t do what was required because it violated your conscience. Most of us haven’t faced the most significant kinds of costs – prison, torture and death. But John’s point is that Christ is worth it – worthy whatever it costs to follow Him.

Even when we don’t face persecution or high cost for following Christ, there still is the temptation to let go. We still need the urging to hang on.

Remember -- a relationship with Christ is right -- hang on.

Remember -- a relationship with Christ is worth it -- hang on.

Remember -- He keeps hanging on to you -- hang on to Him.

His, by Grace,

Steve 

Tuesday Thought -- June 25, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist – he denies the Father

and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2:18-23)

The bottom-line between truth and falsehood lies in what is said about Jesus Christ. Jesus declared, “I am the truth.” (John 14:6)

The surest way to identify a cult is to examine what a group says about Jesus. When they deny or weaken the truth about Jesus they have cut the foundation out from under the Gospel and have abandoned it. When they declare that Jesus is an angel, or even an archangel, they deny His true identity as God’s unique Son, co-equal with the Father.

When they say that Jesus is a created being, even the greatest and most powerful created being, they deny the truth that Jesus was from the beginning and all things were created through Him.

When they say that Jesus is a prophet or a teacher, even a great prophet or the greatest teacher, they deny that Jesus is the Word of God … the very source of all of God’s communication to men.

To say that Jesus is “a god” denies the truth that Jesus is “the God.”

Examine what they say about Jesus and you’ll discern the truth or the lie of their teaching. 

Jesus is God’s bottom-line!

Here is the absolute truth: you can’t have the Father without the Son. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) You can’t have a relationship with God without Jesus Christ!

Cling to Jesus, He is God’s truth!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- June 24, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does -- comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

Everything in the world seems so lasting and so important. But that impression is just an illusion. Nothing in the world lasts at all. The new car we bought a few years ago has already been in the body shop getting a dent taken out. It was only a few weeks after we bought it that it got its first scratch and less time than that for me to discover that it wasn’t as perfect as it seemed on the showroom floor!

Twenty years ago it seemed like we’d have the kids forever. But time sure passes quickly and they’re all moved out now and we’re alone every evening. Life just speeds by, faster than I can imagine.

Sin is wrapped up in the world. It’s about getting what I want, either the things my body craves or the things my eyes see. It’s about making sure I’m noticed and recognized -- pride. And all of those things pass away so quickly. It seems silly to give a life to the pursuit of them -- but that’s what we do. They seem so important and so lasting -- but they aren’t, that impression is just an illusion.

But seeking God and doing His will -- now that’s lasting! Their impact won’t end with the last breath I take, but move on into eternity! Now there’s something worth giving a life to!

His, by Grace,

Steve 

Friday Thought -- June 21, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” (1 John 2:12-14)

John’s letter contains a challenging message to the Christians he loved and for whom he felt responsible. He was calling them to some hard things. He was calling them to admit their own sin and not deny it. He was calling them to leave their sin behind and overcome it. He was calling them to a new lifestyle, a lifestyle of loving one another. None of those are easy things. The question is, how could they do them?

There’s only one way anyone can do the things John calls us to: through the resources God has provided us.

He has provided forgiveness of sins. That allows us to freely admit that we have sinned and freely admit that we still struggle with sin. We don’t have to deny our sin or try to cover it up, God has provided forgiveness.

He has provided an intimate relationship with Himself: we know Him, we know the Father. We are not powerless, He makes Himself and His power known to us. We aren’t called to leave sin behind and love others in our own strength or without help. He’s there with us to provide what we need to do what He asks.

He has overcome the evil one for us and in us. Satan’s temptations don’t have the power they used to have in our lives. God has already dealt Satan a death blow. He is reeling from what happened on the cross, already defeated. He is weakened in his approach to us. We don’t have to give in to him anymore.

What God calls us to is a challenge. It’s not easy. But He has already provided what we need to meet the challenge.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- June 20, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” (1 John 2:7-11)

The world is constantly seeking something new. There must be some key to life that we have not yet discovered. There must be some new secret that will ensure success and happiness and fulfillment. But it isn’t something new that will provide what we desire! Rather, it is something very old that we need.

A few years ago there was a contemporary Christian song about getting back to the basics of life. That is John’s encouragement here, to go back to the basics, back to the fundamentals, back to the old command. The old command that John refers to is simply to “love one another.” There is nothing new about that command, but it is the one we need to hear again and commit to all over again.

As far back as the Old Testament book of Leviticus, God has been giving the same command to His people. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18)

Our problem isn’t that we’ve never heard the command before. Our problem is that we haven’t been doing the old things that God has given us to do.

In the days of the New Testament there was one thing new about this command: it could be seen lived out perfectly in the life of Jesus. Until Jesus came no one had ever seen that. And more than just living it out Himself, He offers the power (His own Holy Spirit) to enable us to live it out, too.

It is an old command we need, coupled with the new power that comes from Jesus.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- June 19, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:3-6)

What Would Jesus Do? You’ve heard that phrase many times in past years. Children,

teens, and adults used to wear those letters on wrist bands, t-shirts, hats, and all other sorts of items of clothing. It was a fad that swept the country. WWJD -- What Would Jesus Do. I’ve even seen it re-phrased to make a political point: What Would Jesus Vote? I’ve heard it used to challenge social issues, too: What Would Jesus Drive?

It was a modern fad, but it is an old philosophy. It was popularized years ago by Charles Sheldon when he wrote the best-selling book “In His Steps.” But Sheldon didn’t invent the philosophy, either. In fact, it’s a philosophy that can be traced all the way back to the Bible.

It’s the philosophy the Apostle John calls us to in today’s text: to walk as Jesus did, to live like Him. Knowing and loving Jesus is not just a Sunday thing. Knowing and loving Jesus can’t be compartmentalized into a small segment, or even a large segment of our lives. It must encompass every aspect of our lives. It’s a lifestyle.

We don’t check our Christianity at the door of the church as we exit the service on Sunday morning. We live our Christian faith on Sunday – on Monday through Friday – and on Saturday, too. Our Christian faith is a 24/7 thing that is to affect every aspect of our lives – our thoughts, our words and our actions.

The outworking of our Christian faith is about daily life lived after the pattern of Jesus. It’s about treating others like Jesus treated people. It’s about having the priorities of Jesus in our life. It’s about seeking God’s will at every decision point in life. It’s about obedience, knowing God’s Word and His will, and doing what it says.

WWJD – it’s not a fad, it’s a command of God!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- June 18, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

There is a goal laid before us in this passage – “so that you will not sin.” Sin is a big deal to God. He is grieved by our sins – angered by our sins – disappointed in our sins. His goal for us is that we will leave our sin behind and move toward His righteousness.

But the truth is – we won’t make it all the way to the perfect righteousness of God. No matter how hard we try and no matter how long we are working at it – we will never reach the goal. There will always be sin with which we will need to deal.

What are you going to do with your sin?

You can try to cover it up, but though we might be able to hide our sin from other people, we can never hide our sin from God. He sees everything we do.

You can excuse it, and that will work with some people. They will understand the forces that were at work around you and in you that led to your sin. But is there any excuse that you can to God?

You can compare it to the sins of others and hope you come out looking better. That works in some ways because we can always find someone whose sins are worse than ours. But it works not at all with God. When we compare ourselves to Him we always come up far short.

You can try to overcome it, and can have a good deal of success, but complete success isn’t possible in this life. There’s still sin to deal with!

There’s only one things to do with our sin -- give it to Jesus. He’ll speak in your defense, He already is. In fact, He “lives to intercede.” (Hebrews 7:25) But there really isn’t much to say in your defense! He has that covered, too. He’s already made the sacrifice to pay the penalty for your sins.

Take your sins to Jesus – He’s the only place that offers any real help!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- June 17, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1 John 1:8-10)

We are to walk in purity and righteousness. That is what God has called us to. If we aren’t doing that, then there should be concern about the genuineness of our relationship with God. However, we should never get to the point where we think we’ve reached the goal and got this righteousness thing under control – that we’ve got sin licked.

In fact, it seems that the greater degree of maturity that you see in people’s lives in the Bible, the greater degree of awareness of their own sin. Paul called himself the “chief of sinners” and knew he still had not reached the goal of getting rid of the sin in his life.

A right and mature relationship with God is marked by honesty. An honest awareness of our sin and a sincere appreciation of His grace. The pathway to removing all unrighteousness is not by achieving perfection, but through the honest acknowledgement of our problems – it is through confession.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- June 14, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)

In the Bible, light is often used to refer to what which is righteous and pure. Darkness is often used to refer to that which is evil and unrighteous.

We can take great confidence in the knowledge that there is absolutely nothing evil and unrighteous in God. There are many things about God and about what He has done and is doing that we don’t understand. But we can take great confidence that there is a righteous and pure explanation to it all. Most of the explanations for the things we don’t understand will wait for eternity, but then we will see how everything that God was good and accomplished His purposes.

The life God calls us to is to be characterized by the same light that characterizes Him. God never asks us to do anything that is impure and unrighteous. His will is always characterized by righteousness and purity. It is the devil who tries to trick us into thinking that sometimes we need to do something less than pure and righteous in order to accomplish something good. But that is never God’s direction.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- June 13, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched -- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:1-3)

There is a certainty to what is shared in the Bible. The certainty comes from the eyewitnesses themselves. John was among them. What he wrote about Jesus was not mere speculation. What he wrote was not history that he was taught in the classroom. What he wrote was not tradition passed from one generation to the next.

He wrote what he himself saw. He wrote what he himself heard. He wrote about what he himself had touched. There was nothing mystical about Jesus. He was as real as you and I.

There was nothing mythical about the things Jesus did. When He walked on water, what is reported is what actually happened. When He raised the dead, John and the other eyewitnesses, saw exactly what happened. Even when Jesus Himself came back to life again, the account of it was written by those who saw Him die and saw Him alive again; who saw Him laid in the tomb and saw it empty again.

The relationship that is offered with Jesus is real. Those who saw Him have testified. Those of us who know Him now offer our testimony, too.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- June 12, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.” (2 Peter 3:8-12)

Why doesn’t God just put an end to the world? Christians have been looking for it to happen for 2,000 years. Almost every generation has expected theirs to be the final one. Yet, life just goes on and on as though there will never be an end. What is God waiting for?

Peter tells us what God is waiting for: He’s waiting for as many to turn to Him for salvation as possible. There are still unsaved people, many of them. There are still whole groups of people who have never heard the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. There are countries where the Gospel has not had the opportunity to be proclaimed. And God is patiently waiting.

But – God’s patience will end. The world will be destroyed. God has promised it and He will keep His promise. It will come suddenly and unexpectantly -- like a thief in the night. We won’t be able to precisely predict when it will happen, no one will. It will be the end of the world. The whole world will be destroyed and refashioned.

In the meantime, Peter has three instructions for those who are waiting:

·               Live holy lives that reflect our commitment to the Lord.

·               Look forward to the Lord’s coming. It’s not something we should dread, but anticipate.

·               Speed its coming. If God is waiting for as many to be saved as possible, then the one way we can affect the timing of the coming of the Lord is to diligently and faithfully spread the Gospel as much as possible.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- June 11, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he 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 filthy lives of lawless men (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 godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.” (2 Peter 2:4-9)

I was talking with someone some time back who said he did not believe that God would send anyone to hell. It just didn’t seem logical to him that God, who created everything, would treat any of His creation that way. He based his belief upon his own human logic. Such logic is flawed.

The truth, revealed here by Peter as well as elsewhere in the Bible, is that God has already demonstrated that He has and will punish sin. God has already cast rebellious angels out of heaven and they await judgment. God has already demonstrated His willingness to judge the world by the flood He sent in Noah’s day. God has already shown how He deals with sin for which there has been no repentance when He sent fire and destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah. These are just three of many examples of the demonstrations of God’s judgment of sin. They show us that God has and God will punish unrepented sin.

The author of Hebrews reminded us, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31) God will punish sin that has not been dealt with!

That’s the bad news and it is fearful news.  And the bad news is compounded by the realization that all of us have sinned. We’re all subject to God’s judgment and punishment.

But there is good news, too! The good news is that God has made a way to avoid punishment for our own sin. He’s done that by punishing Jesus for us and allowing us to access Jesus’ righteousness by coming to Him in faith. That’s the good news.

But remember that there is bad news, too. Let the bad news motivate us to tell others about the good news!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- June 10, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:8-11)

Are you worried that you won’t hang on to Jesus? Are you concerned that somewhere along the line your relationship with Christ will cool and then deteriorate to the point that you let go of it?

I know many people who do have that kind of fear. But Peter says there is a way to be sure that it will never happen. Security is found by growing. Peter’s promise:  “If you do these things, you will never fall.” That sounds pretty secure to me!

And what are the “these things” that Peter says we are to do in order to have this security?

Verse 8 says to “possess these qualities in increasing measure.” Things like faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. (2 Peter 1:5-7) There isn’t a required level of these qualities that a person has to have in order to qualify for heaven. Rather, it’s growth that will keep us secure – moving forward in our relationship with Christ.

Verse 10 says to “be eager to make our calling and election sure.” The desire to know God is a key to a secure relationship with Him. If we desire to know Him, He will give us the desire of our heart!

You don’t need to be afraid that you will lose the relationship that you have with Jesus. Just hang on and keep growing and there is nothing that will ever take us away from Him. God has promised it!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- June 7, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge ---“ (2 Peter 1:3-5)

God has already given us everything we need to please Him and to serve Him. Consider just three of the things God has provided for us:

He has given us His own Holy Spirit to indwell us. He provides guidance and teaching and encouragement and conviction and so many other things that we need. He is our very present help at all times.

He has given us His own Word. God has spoken His message through human agents and it will help us grow toward maturity. It will point out areas of our lives that are not pleasing to God. It will inspire and encourage us toward holiness.

He has given us His church. We are not alone in our relationship with the Lord. We have others to encourage us. We have co-laborers in the journey of faith we are traveling.

The reason God has given us these things and others is so that we will grow in our relationship with Him and move more and more toward holiness. The world and its temptations have a powerful pull away from God and His will, but God has given us even more powerful tools to move us toward Him.

And one more thing: it is up to us to apply the things that God has provided to our own lives. Peter says that we are to “make every effort.” There is an involvement that we must have in our own spiritual growth. We can’t sit back and wait for God to change us. We must be involved in His church, read and study His Word, and listen to His Spirit.

God has given us everything we need. It’s up to us to use them.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- June 6, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:8-11)

We have an enemy. Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our enemy is human – but it’s not. Our enemy is not our boss, no matter how badly he treats us. Our enemy is not the liberal political camp – or the conservative one. Our enemy is not the sinful person who has hurt you so badly by his uncaring actions. The root of the problem that we face does not stem from the person who stands next to us. The root of the problem stems from the one who inspires the evil in our world – the devil.

Peter describes him as “like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” He wants to devour you – to destroy as many people as he possibly can. He is on the prowl – he is rarely straightforward and visible in his attacks. He lurks in the shadows and schemes deeply behind the scenes. He is like a lion – there are few more powerful animals in the world – and few more frightening.

There is no way that I would ever face a lion by myself and without some kind of powerful weapon at my disposal. I think those who try to battle Satan by themselves are foolish. I need an ally that is powerful enough to defeat the devil for me. Fortunately I have an Ally who is always ready to come to my aid and has already defeated Satan!

In fact, the devil is only “like” a lion. He is a poor imitation of the real thing. The real Lion is Jesus. Jesus is not “like” a lion – He is the “Lion of the tribe of Judah.” (Revelation 5:5)

My job is to be watchful and to resist and stand firm. God’s job is to defeat the devil and to provide us the strength that we need to fend off the devil’s attacks.

We have an enemy and we have an Ally – cling to the One and resist the other.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- June 5, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

I’m worried about _____. You can fill in the blank from your own life. We all have worries. We’re concerned about certain aspects of our lives. We’re not sure things are going to be O.K.

Do you think your problem is too big for God to deal with? Jeremiah reminded us, “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

Do you think your problem is too small for God to be concerned about? Paul told the Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) Any and every problem can be brought to God. There’s nothing that we care about that He doesn’t care about!

Do you think the forces of the world are too strong for God to overcome? John said, “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

Do you think the cost of helping you with your problem is too great for God to be willing to pay? “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all -- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) He’s already made the BIG sacrifice. Don’t you think He’s willing to help you with the little things you're dealing with now?

The bottom line is that God loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His Son for you. He loves you so much that He’ll hold back nothing from you that you need. He loves you more than your parents love you. He loves you more than your spouse loves you. He loves you more than anyone on earth could possibly love you, more than you even love yourself! God loves you.

And because God loves you, you can trust Him with whatever it is that you are worried about! He’ll help --- because He loves you.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- June 4, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:10-11)

The list of gifts that God has given to His people is long. Peter only mentions two of those gifts here, serving and speaking, but there are many others that are listed in 1 Corinthians, Romans, and Ephesians. Even those lists are not exhaustive, but just representative of some of the kinds of gifts that God has given.

The manner in which we are able to contribute to the Kingdom of God is a gift from God. What we do for the Lord does not come out of our own talents and efforts, but from God’s provision. He enables us to contribute to what He is doing in the world. That truth means that whatever credit or praise comes because of what we have done isn’t ours to keep to ourselves, it belongs to God. He created us, He gifted us, and He deserves the praise for what He accomplishes through us.

The purpose of the gifts God has given us is to serve others. They aren’t given to set us apart as special. They aren’t given to demonstrate our value to God or how righteous we are in His sight. They aren’t given to puff us up with pride. They aren’t given for our benefit at all, they are given to us to be used to benefit others, to serve them.

The gifts God has given us are one way that we can pass God’s grace on to other people. They are the way, at least one of the ways, that God wants to use to touch the lives of others.

So, whatever it is that you have, whether it’s a natural talent or a supernatural gift, it comes from God. Use those things for Him, and for those around you.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- June 3, 2013

 Good Morning Friends,

“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry. … The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” (1 Peter 4:1-3; 7)

Do you remember what it was like before you came to Christ? Do you remember the self-focus that dominated your thinking? Do you remember how easy it was to give in to the temptations to sin? Do you remember the ways you hurt yourself and hurt those around you with the sinful decisions that you made?

All of us remember those things. All of us have things in our past that we’d like to forget about and about which we are not proud.

Thank God that He has done a work in our lives to change us. It’s not that the work of God is finished. There are still ways that we give in to the temptations to sin. Still, our lives are not characterized by the same kind of wanton disregard for what pleases God that they were before we came to Christ. Or, they shouldn’t be!

That’s Peter’s point! We have “spent enough time” in sin. Isn’t that true? The memory of how empty giving ourselves to sin made us feel should cause us to be more diligent and disciplined to rid our lives of sinful choices. The memory of the guilt that plagued our spirit before we came to Christ should prompt us to rely on God for victory over the temptations we face today.

And here’s another reason to be more diligent to move toward self-control – we don’t have that much time left!  No one does. The end is near. No one who is over 50 can possibly deny that fact. Life speeds by at such a pace that we can’t believe it and the end is rushing toward us. The end of the world is also rushing toward us. With each passing year the earth seems to grow more and more depraved. Surely God will not allow this world to deteriorate much longer before He calls it to its appointed end.

I know I’ve already spent enough time in sin – haven’t you?

His, by Grace,

Steve