“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
You volunteer to help a family who recently joined your church to move into their new home. You’re willing to do anything - unload boxes, move furniture, clean floors. You want to make sure they feel loved and welcomed. You also know that they work for a company that you would like to work for, and making friends with them wouldn’t hurt your chances for a job. Are you sure of your motives?
In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul is very concerned about their heart attitude. He reminds them the sole purpose they should have in every deed and thought is to give glory to Christ. “He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (verse 15). Your life should be Christ-centered, not self-centered.
Self-centeredness can be subtle and difficult to detect and true intentions hard to determine. Before you make a decision or take on a task, ask yourself if the action brings honor to Christ. Will you further His name or advance your own? Are you pointing someone to the Savior? Ask the Lord to reveal your true purposes and make every word and deed a reflection of His unselfish love. This sifting cultivates a genuine heart for God, and isn’t that what you want?
“...man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Joint Heirs with Jesus
“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.” Colossians 2:1-10
The word inheritance evokes thoughts of money or property handed down from generation to generation, with some special person receiving a legacy from a parent or relative. The heir is granted full benefits and ownership privileges and has the gratifying knowledge that he is unique, blessed, chosen for honor in some way.
Not many of us will inherit a vast estate or get a surprise phone call from a wealthy relation. But with Jesus as your Savior, you are already an heir with Him of all God’s immeasurable riches. God the Father gave everything to Jesus, “whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world” (Heb. 1:2). He is your fullness and abundant supply for every part of your being.
Do you need strength? God has all power and gives energy for every task. Do you lack wisdom? He provides discernment and insight that cuts through even the densest fog of confusion. Are you searching for contentment? Jesus gives you peace beyond human understanding. A bank account can be depleted; a fortune can dwindle away; houses and property can be taken. But the inheritance you have in Christ is untouchable, unchanging, and inexhaustible.
“...for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him.” Romans 10:12
The word inheritance evokes thoughts of money or property handed down from generation to generation, with some special person receiving a legacy from a parent or relative. The heir is granted full benefits and ownership privileges and has the gratifying knowledge that he is unique, blessed, chosen for honor in some way.
Not many of us will inherit a vast estate or get a surprise phone call from a wealthy relation. But with Jesus as your Savior, you are already an heir with Him of all God’s immeasurable riches. God the Father gave everything to Jesus, “whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world” (Heb. 1:2). He is your fullness and abundant supply for every part of your being.
Do you need strength? God has all power and gives energy for every task. Do you lack wisdom? He provides discernment and insight that cuts through even the densest fog of confusion. Are you searching for contentment? Jesus gives you peace beyond human understanding. A bank account can be depleted; a fortune can dwindle away; houses and property can be taken. But the inheritance you have in Christ is untouchable, unchanging, and inexhaustible.
“...for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him.” Romans 10:12
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Riches of His Grace
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:18-23
The elderly couple had lived modestly for years on their small farm. The land was not the best, but they always had raised enough to survive. They eventually sold the farm to a developer. Working on a hunch, the new owner drilled for and discovered oil - a well worth millions of dollars. For years, this couple had lived on top of an untold wealth and never knew what they had been missing.
Many believers do not understand the vast riches they already possess in Jesus Christ, an infinite treasury of wisdom and knowledge and all good things (Col. 2:3). The moment you accept Him as your Savior you receive everything God is, everything God does, and everything God provides. You lack nothing; God’s immeasurable, overflowing love and power are available to you by His grace for every trial, every decision, every challenge.
The apostle Paul explains how God gives you these astounding resources: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness...” (2 Peter 1:2-3). Today, you can embrace the fullness of His grace and live the abundant life He has planned.
“For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” John 1:16
The elderly couple had lived modestly for years on their small farm. The land was not the best, but they always had raised enough to survive. They eventually sold the farm to a developer. Working on a hunch, the new owner drilled for and discovered oil - a well worth millions of dollars. For years, this couple had lived on top of an untold wealth and never knew what they had been missing.
Many believers do not understand the vast riches they already possess in Jesus Christ, an infinite treasury of wisdom and knowledge and all good things (Col. 2:3). The moment you accept Him as your Savior you receive everything God is, everything God does, and everything God provides. You lack nothing; God’s immeasurable, overflowing love and power are available to you by His grace for every trial, every decision, every challenge.
The apostle Paul explains how God gives you these astounding resources: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness...” (2 Peter 1:2-3). Today, you can embrace the fullness of His grace and live the abundant life He has planned.
“For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” John 1:16
Friday, January 21, 2011
The Cross: Grace Displayed
“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” John 19:28-30
Jesus’ death was not an accident, an unfortunate ending to a powerful ministry. In fact, His death was the ultimate success. As He hung on the cross in agonizing pain, His final words were, “It is finished.” He had completed what He came to earth to accomplish - our redemption from sin.
Many times Jesus had told His disciples what He planned to do. He wanted them to understand why He had to die, why He could not stay with them forever. Jesus said that He came to “give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). A ransom is the payment demanded for the release of a person from some form of bondage. Jesus was the price that satisfied the requirements of a holy and righteous God and released us from captivity to sin.
When you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you agree with God that the death of His Son is adequate and sufficient payment for your sin. Sin no longer has a hold on you; the punishment of death is rendered null and void forever. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses...” (Eph. 1:7). You find eternal freedom when you place your faith in Christ’s finished work. His victory is yours.
“Marvelous, infinite, matchless, grace, freely bestowed on all who believe...” -Julia H. Johnston
Jesus’ death was not an accident, an unfortunate ending to a powerful ministry. In fact, His death was the ultimate success. As He hung on the cross in agonizing pain, His final words were, “It is finished.” He had completed what He came to earth to accomplish - our redemption from sin.
Many times Jesus had told His disciples what He planned to do. He wanted them to understand why He had to die, why He could not stay with them forever. Jesus said that He came to “give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). A ransom is the payment demanded for the release of a person from some form of bondage. Jesus was the price that satisfied the requirements of a holy and righteous God and released us from captivity to sin.
When you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you agree with God that the death of His Son is adequate and sufficient payment for your sin. Sin no longer has a hold on you; the punishment of death is rendered null and void forever. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses...” (Eph. 1:7). You find eternal freedom when you place your faith in Christ’s finished work. His victory is yours.
“Marvelous, infinite, matchless, grace, freely bestowed on all who believe...” -Julia H. Johnston
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Learning the Hard Way
“Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, ‘I have sinned this time; the LORD is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. Make supplication to the LORD, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.’ Moses said to him, ‘As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease and there will be hail no longer, that you may know that the earth is the LORD'S. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God.’ (Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they ripen late.) So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to the LORD; and the thunder and the hail ceased, and rain no longer poured on the earth. But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.” Exodus 9:27-35
He had attended church since he was a small child. As an adult, he took careful notes on every sermon. When the pastor would talk about specific sins, he would recognize some of the problems in his own heart and say to himself, “That’s me. I need to deal with these things.” But like many, by the time he returned from church, he would forget about his plans to ask God to change his life.
This man has a hard heart. “How is that possible?” you may ask. “He’s hearing what God says.” When you hear God’s Word and refuse to put it into practice, your heart is “hardened” against His truth. Eventually, if you continue to ignore His leading, He lets you follow your own slippery course.
God allowed Pharaoh to tell Moses no again and again. Pharaoh knew what he was supposed to do - release God’s chosen people, the Israelites, from slavery and oppression. Because Pharaoh persisted in his disobedience, he learned some painful lessons he could have avoided.
Ask God to sensitize your heart and make you aware of any tough spots of resistence. He will soften your spirit, renew your understanding, and set you on a course of true submission.
“...But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.” Exodus 8:19
He had attended church since he was a small child. As an adult, he took careful notes on every sermon. When the pastor would talk about specific sins, he would recognize some of the problems in his own heart and say to himself, “That’s me. I need to deal with these things.” But like many, by the time he returned from church, he would forget about his plans to ask God to change his life.
This man has a hard heart. “How is that possible?” you may ask. “He’s hearing what God says.” When you hear God’s Word and refuse to put it into practice, your heart is “hardened” against His truth. Eventually, if you continue to ignore His leading, He lets you follow your own slippery course.
God allowed Pharaoh to tell Moses no again and again. Pharaoh knew what he was supposed to do - release God’s chosen people, the Israelites, from slavery and oppression. Because Pharaoh persisted in his disobedience, he learned some painful lessons he could have avoided.
Ask God to sensitize your heart and make you aware of any tough spots of resistence. He will soften your spirit, renew your understanding, and set you on a course of true submission.
“...But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.” Exodus 8:19
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Cross is the Gateway
“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” Romans 3:21-28
Here’s the conflict: God is a holy and just God who cannot tolerate sin and cannot violate His own character. At the same time, He loves us and has compassion for us, desiring to reach out and restore us to a right relationship with Him.
How did God take care of this problem? His loving solution was the Cross. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, died as the ultimate sacrifice to reconcile us to God once and for all.
You may be thinking, “I haven’t murdered anyone or broken one of the ‘big’ laws. How can I be a sinner?” Sin is any failure to live up to all of God’s standards and commands that He reveals in His Word. And we have all sinned and separated ourselves from Him (Rom. 3:23). In fact, our hearts are so darkened by sin that we do not naturally desire the things of God (Rom. 3:11). We sin because we’re born in sin, alienated from the life and presence of God.
When you trust Christ as your Savior, believing He died in your place and paid the price of sin for you, you are washed of your guilt. God sees you as righteous, cleansed completely of all sin. Through the blood of Jesus, you are holy and blameless. The Cross is the gateway to God.
“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
Here’s the conflict: God is a holy and just God who cannot tolerate sin and cannot violate His own character. At the same time, He loves us and has compassion for us, desiring to reach out and restore us to a right relationship with Him.
How did God take care of this problem? His loving solution was the Cross. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, died as the ultimate sacrifice to reconcile us to God once and for all.
You may be thinking, “I haven’t murdered anyone or broken one of the ‘big’ laws. How can I be a sinner?” Sin is any failure to live up to all of God’s standards and commands that He reveals in His Word. And we have all sinned and separated ourselves from Him (Rom. 3:23). In fact, our hearts are so darkened by sin that we do not naturally desire the things of God (Rom. 3:11). We sin because we’re born in sin, alienated from the life and presence of God.
When you trust Christ as your Savior, believing He died in your place and paid the price of sin for you, you are washed of your guilt. God sees you as righteous, cleansed completely of all sin. Through the blood of Jesus, you are holy and blameless. The Cross is the gateway to God.
“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Gospel of Grace
“For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, ‘You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.’” Acts 20:16-24
The gospel of the grace of God was so revolutionary, so life-changing that Paul’s chief desire and sole mission was to tell it to others. What so drove and motivated him to bear witness to this gospel everywhere he went? It is the good news about Jesus Christ. His death, burial, and resurrection bring new to life to those who believe He died on the cross to pay for their sins. When you accept this gift and make Him Lord of your life, you have everlasting fellowship with God, who loves you more than anyone else can or will.
In her book Grace Under Pressure, Penelope Stokes says: “None of us ‘deserves’ God’s grace...Yet it is our undeserving that places us in a position to receive grace. For grace is dependent not on our character, but on the character of God.”
God’s grace is His unmerited and unconditional favor. Nothing you can say or do or achieve can pay Him back. You didn’t earn His love; He gives it to you freely, no strings attached. It’s hard to understand but life-changing to receive. Is the gospel of God’s grace the message of your life? As a child of God, you are a transformed, living testimony of His eternal love.
“...grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17
The gospel of the grace of God was so revolutionary, so life-changing that Paul’s chief desire and sole mission was to tell it to others. What so drove and motivated him to bear witness to this gospel everywhere he went? It is the good news about Jesus Christ. His death, burial, and resurrection bring new to life to those who believe He died on the cross to pay for their sins. When you accept this gift and make Him Lord of your life, you have everlasting fellowship with God, who loves you more than anyone else can or will.
In her book Grace Under Pressure, Penelope Stokes says: “None of us ‘deserves’ God’s grace...Yet it is our undeserving that places us in a position to receive grace. For grace is dependent not on our character, but on the character of God.”
God’s grace is His unmerited and unconditional favor. Nothing you can say or do or achieve can pay Him back. You didn’t earn His love; He gives it to you freely, no strings attached. It’s hard to understand but life-changing to receive. Is the gospel of God’s grace the message of your life? As a child of God, you are a transformed, living testimony of His eternal love.
“...grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17
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