Friday, December 24, 2010
Charles Spurgeon - Tidings of Great Joy!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Passage for today...
My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
1 John 2:1-6
In light of His great love for us, we should not sin. We do not abstain because of fear of torment. We abstain because of our love for Him. Precious Jesus is our Advocate. Why would we want to sin against such a beautiful, compassionate One? This appeal speaks to our hearts and when we see Him clearly, sin loses its luster.
Our love manifests in obedience. When I love someone, I do all I can to avoid hurting them. This relationship between imperfect humans and a perfect God is peculiar, because He is the one who sustains everything. So our challenge is not to strive to obey because our self-righteousness pleases Him. Obedience flows out of trust. When we disobey, we place trust in ourselves and commit the sin of pride. Our trust and focus then turn inward, away from Jesus. Our faith in His goodness falters as we shift our gaze from His cross to our faults.
Praise Him, there is no sin His blood is powerless to wash away! His sacrifice swallowed up the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). So let us walk as children of Light because that is what we are. May our actions reflect the reality of what Christ has finished in us.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Humility and Grace
Are you looking down on others, feeling sorry they're not as "cutting edge"? If so, you can be sure the leaven of the pharisees has crept in. Pride is subtle and insidious. If we look at our perfect righteousness before God in an unhealthy way, the temptation can be to take credit. Keeping tally of our good deeds or track record is dangerous business. Man looks at outward appearances but God looks at the heart. So we too must look past mere appearances in our lives.
"Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, 'God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.'" Luke 18:13 (Msg)
Here we see integrity and sincerity. The tax man holds a clear understanding of his place before God, outside of His grace. This attitude of honesty and transparency opens the door for God's unmerited favor!
Jesus commented, "This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself." Luke 18:14 (Msg)
So we see a picture of humility. Vanity and pride cannot receive the gracious gift of God's righteousness purchased at Calvary. As we abide in Christ, we must learn to place "no confidence in the flesh," lest we step out from under God's grace. Jeremiah 17:5 affirms this:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD."
Our trust must be in Christ alone. He is our righteousness and He is our life. We set our trust on His finished work. We partake of the divine nature through His great and precious promises. Meditate on these promises as Jeremiah continues:
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
and whose hope is the LORD.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
which spreads out its roots by the river,
and will not fear when heat comes;
but its leaf will be green,
and will not be anxious in the year of drought,
nor will cease from yielding fruit." Jer. 17:7-8 (NKJV)
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Reflections on Georgian's Visit
The faces of abandoned children flashed through my mind. The indigenous poor, living in slums across the world. Dirty "throw-aways" the world had forgotten. He quietly responded, "You can hug and kiss me. Come."
What a loving Father! He values relationship above all else. Everything in the universe has been arranged to promote and sustain relationship. Behold His staggering wisdom and awesome power!