Archive for March, 2010

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GOD WITH US

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Day 44

“Because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken”
Psalm 16:8

It is amazing how often we believe God has gone on vacation, or for some reason doesn’t hear us. We worry that we didn’t exercise enough faith to warrant an answer; that God turns a deaf ear to us because we screwed up one too many times, or because we are not worthy. And then there are the times we just don’t “sense” His presence and assume He’s somewhere else. And then there are those who know God is “here”, but not “near”. We pray to Him “up there”.

All of the above ideas represent a false understanding of God our Father. It was announced at the birth of Christ that His name shall be called Emmanuel, meaning “God with us”. When Christ’s work was completed on earth, He gave us the Holy Spirit as a seal of our inheritance. This is an assurance of His presence and His guarantee that He dwells in us. He not only dwells with us, but His salvation is working in us to keep and make us complete in Him. And He declared that “I will be with you always, to the very end of the age” [Matthew 28:20].

What kind of a Father would God be if He were to leave us alone, abandoned, ignored, and left to our own devices? No, He has continually pursued us and sent His own Son to die on a cross for us – all to reconcile us back to Him. He loved us first. And now that we are His children, we are gathered under His covering and His presence is with us always.

“and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Matthew 1:23

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CHRIST IN THE FLESH

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Day 43

“Regarding His Son, who as to His human nature was
a descendant of David, and who through the
Spirit of holiness was declared with
power to be the Son of God”
Romans 1:3-4

God’s Son relinquished equality with His Father to take on the form of a servant and the likeness of man, to make a way for you to be with Him. The depth and fullness of what Christ did for us is inconceivable to our minds and beyond our comprehension. God became, in all things, like us!

Imagine why our God, who knew no sin, would even consider a people who rebelled, not once, but again and again. But He not only considered us, He became one of us. He did this in order to conquer and destroy sin, which seemed to have an insurmountable line of defense. By doing this, He became the Author of our salvation.

God identified with us so that we may have fellowship with a Person who knows our very infirmities. He is full of grace; with unmerited favor for the guilty. He is full of mercy; with compassion to cover the effects of our sins. He is full of truth. He is the Way, The Truth and The Life for us.

“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for
us, so that in Him we might become
the righteousness of God”
2 Corinthians 5:21

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HIS FORGIVENESS – PART 2

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Day 41

If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we
are sinners], we delude and lead ourselves astray,
and the Truth [which the Gospel presents] is not
in us [does not dwell in our hearts]. If we [freely]
admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He
is faithful and just (true to His own nature and
promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our
lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all
unrighteousness [everything not in conformity
to His will in purpose, thought, and action].
1 John 1:8-9 (Amplified)

Sin in a Christian’s life is a matter, not between a lawbreaker and a judge, but between a child and his father.

Before we knew Christ and became His children, we were under the law. We were lawbreakers, and ultimately would have had to face God as our Judge. We were in a state of condemnation. But all this changed when we became His children. All the sins committed under the law during our life were remitted, paid for, and put away when Jesus died on the cross. The law was satisfied because Christ paid the price it demanded.

All the sins we commit as believers, now and in the future, were put away on a legal basis at the cross. This forgiveness comes when we place our faith in Jesus Christ. Sin becomes a personal offense; a matter of grieving the Father’s heart, instead of a legal offense. When we ask His forgiveness of our sins, He is faithful, just, and true to His own nature and promises, and will forgive our sins. He will dismiss them. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses and removes us from all sin and guilt. He will keep us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations.

“This is My blood of the covenant, which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”
Matthew 26:28

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FRUITFULNESS

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

Day 42

“Children, you haven’t anything to eat, do you?”
John 21:5

As a Christian, have you ever been in a place where it seems that there is no fruit in your life? Maybe you have labored in the Lord’s work and it seems to be going to nowhere. Peter started in the ministry with no fruit. He and the other disciples were at the Sea of Tiberias when Peter said he was going fishing. All the others joined him and they fished all night. But they caught no fish, even though they were skilled fishermen.

Peter had returned to the old and familiar. And this is what we often do as Christians – we feel ‘safe’ with the old. We feel ‘comfortable’ with the familiar. The disciples were fishermen; they went and did what was familiar to them, but they caught nothing. And when Jesus came to them, they did not recognize Him. He asked if they had any caught anything – whether they had any fruit. And they were empty handed.

They didn’t recognize Jesus or know His voice because they were laboring in the old and familiar. They had not waited on the Lord, they did not step out in faith. So when He came, they didn’t know Him, and they were empty handed. But in His mercy, Jesus had cooked breakfast for them, and provision was made. He broke bread with them, and then restored Peter to His calling.

“Follow Me”
John 21:19b

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HIS FORGIVENESS – PART 1

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Day 40

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness”
1 John 1:9

There is a question that has haunted man since his beginning. It was introduced by our enemy to undermine our faith and belief in God. In fact, the question accomplished its purpose in leading Adam to challenge God’s authority, and thereby causing the fall of man. What was this question? Simply, “Did God really say . . .” The result was devastating – all are born in a state of separation from God.

Even today, Christians have a hard time believing God in all things, especially when it comes to accepting the forgiveness of sin in our lives. We can easily believe He forgives our past and maybe a sin here and there, but what about repeated offenses? How about sinful habits, judgmental attitudes, arrogance, pride, lust? What about adulterous affairs? What if you sin again and again? Will He forgive you? You believe how is it that can you come again to God and ask forgiveness?

When Moses asked to see the glory of God, part of what he heard was that He was merciful and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. And God’s history with His people has forgiveness; again, again, and again. So when Peter asked how many times we ought to forgive someone (he thought seven times), he didn’t get a quantification or legal answer, but one of mercy – seventy times seven. Seventy times seventy is has no boundaries to forgiveness.

“Who is a God like You, who pardons sins and
forgives the transgressions of the remnant
of His inheritance? You do not stay angry
forever but delight to show mercy”
Micah 7:18

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GOD IS WITH US IN ADVERSITY

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Day 39

“The LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before”
Job 42:10b

Many perceptions of God are skewed; often these cause us to see Him in ways that hinder our understanding of Him. Our sinful nature does not help us much in this area. Sin produces fear, self-reliance and rebellion. Add in our particular religious history (or lack of) and experience that may lead to more false coloring of who God is as a Person. When all is said and done, we have a picture of God that determines our thoughts, beliefs, attitude and behavior towards Him.

What are some of these preconceptions and beliefs that many have formed? God is up there and we’re down here, leading to dichotomic thinking; we separate God from our worldly life and restrict him to ‘church’ and ‘religious’ times. We see God out of fear, having been taught he is a punisher of sin; no balance with grace, mercy and compassion or chastising in love. When we screw up, we deserve what we get. We are not acceptable to God until we can prove ourselves ‘good enough.’ There are endless erroneous ways we look and believe God to be, and none are true.

Let us forever put to rest this false picture of God our Father. Do you believe that God, the perfect Father, would do that to you, His child? God does not change because of our circumstances. Whatever the reason for our adversity, whether it comes by our own hand, from life’s circumstances, or even if God has specifically allowed it (as He did with Job), He is sovereign. Nothing happens to us that He does not see or permit. He stays with us during our tribulations, regardless of our fears to the contrary. He is our Father and Jesus declared not one of us will be lost.

Job’s adversity was severe, but in the end the Lord gave him twice as much. Will he not do the same for his own children saved by his Son’s life?

“Who is this coming up from the
desert leaning on her lover”
Song of Songs 8:5

Posted in God's Promises, Kindness, Love | No Comments »

HIS PRESENCE

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Day 38

“I am with you always”
Matthew 28:20

God’s presence was known by a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night [Nehemiah 9:19] when His people were journeying through the wilderness. His Presence guided them, giving them direction. At one point, because of the peoples’ sin, Moses pled with God about His presence, indicating he would not go on without it. God, although angry at the sin, said, “My presence shall go with you” [Exodus 33:14].

His Presence was more in the physical realm then, but today He dwells in us. He not only is present with each of us individually, but also corporately as the body of Christ, the church. He emphatically states that “No one less than I myself am with you.” He is with us each day, all the days, and forever. Each morning His grace, mercy and compassion are new to us.

Each day brings its own trials, troubles, and difficulties, but Christ says not to worry about them. Don’t be anxious, Jesus said, for His grace is sufficient for you; and He will be with you always. With His presence come His help, strength, guidance, and protection.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will
not sweep over you. When you walk through
the fire, you will not be burned; the
flames will not set you ablaze”
Isaiah 43:2

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THE MIND OF CHRIST

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Day 37

“Set your minds on things above”
Colossians 3:2

We have a powerful tendency to focus on the negative aspects of life and the problems we face. Doing this tends to polarize issues and offers no solutions. Flesh (our nature) sees flesh (Jn 3:6) and is occupied with itself. It cannot think or act according to the Spirit.

Because Christ tells us flesh produces more flesh, and “do not conform anymore to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind,” we are called to have the mind of Christ. In fact, it is the only way we are able “to test and prove the will of God in our lives” (Rom 12:2). And how do we do this? We are to set our hearts (seat of our emotions) and minds (seat of our will) on things above. By making Christ the center of our life, we come to know him, his will and his purposes.

The great transformation of being a new person in Christ is having the mind of Christ. Our attitude changes and becomes his attitude. We see people as He sees them. We see the problems of life and difficulties as issues to walk through and find strength and growth in the character of Jesus Christ. We gain a confidence that in all things God works for the good of us who love him. We see more clearly, gaining wisdom and understanding and are able to walk in the peace and joy of Christ. The best of all, we become conquerors in him.

“In all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him who loved us”
Romans 8:37

Posted in Conquerors, Transformed, Will of God | No Comments »

WE SHALL SEE THE KING

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Day 36

“But we know that when he appears,
we shall be like him, for
we shall see him as he is”
1 John 3:2

What a day it will be when we come face to face with our Lord and King! We often lose sight of who we really are and forget our ultimate position in life’s difficulties. We focus on earthly things and self instead of Him. Yet, we are being prepared for our future home. Paul said, “We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” [2 Corinthians 5:1].

Paul’s writing about Abraham in Romans 4 is a great revelation of how God works in us. He says that God gives life to the dead, and calls things that are not as though they were. He calls into being things that do not exist. God brought forth a nation of people as His own through Abraham. Abraham accepted it by faith, but over the years he struggled and even lost sight of it in difficult times.

It is clear to us what we shall be in eternity; John says we know this, when Jesus comes, we shall be like Him. God is working in us to complete and fulfill His purposes. He works within us as if we are already completed sons and daughters in Him, and will carry His work to completion until the day of Christ Jesus [Philippians 1:6]. We will then say with David, “I will see Your face when I awake. I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness” [Psalm 17:15].

“They will see His face, and His Name
will be on their foreheads”
Revelation 22:4

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MUCH MORE

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

Day 35

“Much more then, . . . we shall be saved
. . . much more, we shall be saved by His life”
Romans 5:10

“Much more” – what a great statement. We are not only saved, but He also will keep us saved. His love is so great that He died for us while we were yet sinners. He then pursued us in order to rescue us from final judgment, having made the way for us by the cross.

Here is the greatness of God’s love; His blood brought us into a right relationship with the Father, removing the indignation and wrath of God, forgiving all our sins, and making us friends instead of enemies. His blood sanctified us, brought us God’s acceptance, and secured our future in Him. The great ‘much more’ refers to the continuing and effectual work of the cross in our life: His sacrifice forgives not only all our past and present sins, but also any we will commit in the future. John says, “…the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin” [1 John 1:9]. He is faithful to forgive our sins, and “much more”: His resurrection life gives us daily deliverance from sin’s dominion.

“Much more” is the promise of perseverance of our life in Him. God will not allow us to be lost. He will see our final salvation. He will perfect the good work He began in us until the day of Christ Jesus. Yes, the magnificent of God’s glory is that He has not only saved us, but He keeps us saved!

“I shall lose none of all that He has given me,
but raise them up at the last day”
John 6:39

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