How awesome is it that we have a God who pursues us?
Right from the beginning after the first sin God pursued his creation.
Genesis 3:8-9 - Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the Garden. But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?"
God knew where they were, but he pursued them...he called out to Adam...Where are you? God wasn't distant, He was there with them. He came to them.
Genesis 4:6-7 - The the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
When God saw Cain was angry because his brothers offering was favored, God tried to counsel Cain. Why are you angry? God knew why Cain was angry but was trying to point out to Cain that his anger was a result of his (Cain's) actions...not God's.
God pursued Cain, try to reason with him, tried to show him the error of his way.
And He has continued to pursue and counsel us all through history and continues today.
Prior to me coming back to Him I was haunted by a specific question over and over. "Where is Joe?" I would hear this question continually, in the shower, while driving, at work, etc... I thought I was going crazy...but I now know that it was His pursuit of me. He was pursuing ME? How do I know? As soon as I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior...the questions changed. I was no longer haunted by that question.
He is pursuing all of us all the time. Even in our sin, our troubles, our unbelief...he is pursuing us and will continue to pursue until He comes back.
How is he pursuing you?
Where are you? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
What does it mean to repent?
The definition of repent is:
1. be sorry: to recognize the wrong in something you have done and be sorry about it
2. change ways: to feel regret about a sin or past actions and change your ways or habits
On Wikipedia it's described as "Repentance is a change of thought and action to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law. It typically includes an admission of guilt, a promise or resolve not to repeat the offense; an attempt to make restitution for the wrong, or in some way to reverse the harmful effects of the wrong where possible."
Are we called to repent?
Luke 15:7 - I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine who do not need to repent.
Matthew 3:2 - Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 4:17 - From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
2 Peter 3:9 - 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.
There are so many verses in the bible where we are called to repent or into repentance. How are you doing at repenting of your sin? When you realize your in sin do you repent immediately? Do you repent completely?
What sin in your life have you not yet repented from?
1. be sorry: to recognize the wrong in something you have done and be sorry about it
2. change ways: to feel regret about a sin or past actions and change your ways or habits
On Wikipedia it's described as "Repentance is a change of thought and action to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law. It typically includes an admission of guilt, a promise or resolve not to repeat the offense; an attempt to make restitution for the wrong, or in some way to reverse the harmful effects of the wrong where possible."
Are we called to repent?
Luke 15:7 - I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine who do not need to repent.
Matthew 3:2 - Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 4:17 - From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
2 Peter 3:9 - 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.
There are so many verses in the bible where we are called to repent or into repentance. How are you doing at repenting of your sin? When you realize your in sin do you repent immediately? Do you repent completely?
What sin in your life have you not yet repented from?
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Do you feel like God has let you down?
I heard a very interesting question yesterday:
Do you feel like God has let you down in certain areas of your life? Be honest with yourself. Did something immediately pain your heart when you read that question? Have you felt like you deserved more success, less problems, more money, a bigger house, a better job, a better relationship with your spouse, a better sex life? Have you put expectations on your relationship with Jesus?
The follow up question dug even deeper. Do you allow yourself to sin in these areas? To make up on what you feel God hasn't delivered on? Do you take gaining what you were expecting into your own hands? If you were expecting business success, do you feel justified in cheating? Cheating people to get more money, cheating on your taxes? Do you tell white lies so others might think better of you? If you are struggling in your relationship with your wife, if your sex life isn't what you expected; do you feel you can justify divorce, adultery or pornography?
Do you think God defines success the same way we do? In Jeremiah 29:11 when God says "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future", do you think He defines the word "prosper" as you do?
Jeremiah 9:23-24 - This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise man boast of this wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight"
Genesis 39:2 - The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
Joseph was a slave and yet he prospered. That doesn't sound very prosperous does it? It goes on to say in verse 3 "...and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did." He was a slave!
Are you a slave to your expectations of God and others? If you feel like God has let you down then it's time to drop the expectations you have placed on Him. You cannot love God, you cannot glorify God, you cannot worship God unconditionally when your expectations of Him get in the way.
Do you feel like God has let you down? Maybe the question should be: how have I let God down?
Do you feel like God has let you down in certain areas of your life? Be honest with yourself. Did something immediately pain your heart when you read that question? Have you felt like you deserved more success, less problems, more money, a bigger house, a better job, a better relationship with your spouse, a better sex life? Have you put expectations on your relationship with Jesus?
The follow up question dug even deeper. Do you allow yourself to sin in these areas? To make up on what you feel God hasn't delivered on? Do you take gaining what you were expecting into your own hands? If you were expecting business success, do you feel justified in cheating? Cheating people to get more money, cheating on your taxes? Do you tell white lies so others might think better of you? If you are struggling in your relationship with your wife, if your sex life isn't what you expected; do you feel you can justify divorce, adultery or pornography?
Do you think God defines success the same way we do? In Jeremiah 29:11 when God says "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future", do you think He defines the word "prosper" as you do?
Jeremiah 9:23-24 - This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise man boast of this wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight"
Genesis 39:2 - The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
Joseph was a slave and yet he prospered. That doesn't sound very prosperous does it? It goes on to say in verse 3 "...and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did." He was a slave!
Are you a slave to your expectations of God and others? If you feel like God has let you down then it's time to drop the expectations you have placed on Him. You cannot love God, you cannot glorify God, you cannot worship God unconditionally when your expectations of Him get in the way.
Do you feel like God has let you down? Maybe the question should be: how have I let God down?
Thursday, December 10, 2009
What Jesus do you worship?
I think that for way too many of us, the image of Jesus is of this radiant perfect good looking man with children sitting in his lap that we don't relate to. I remember when I was young and my grandparents took me to church. I would go into the children's classes and we had the old flannel graph (remember those?) and we would talk about the stories of the bible. I've got to be honest I didn't get Jesus. I just remember I couldn't wait until the end when we got to sing and pick our own songs. My favorite, the one that I always picked...Onward Christian Soldiers. I could relate to that.
So what Jesus do you worship? The Jesus who came to be the perfect man the last Adam the one to show us how it should be done, the Jesus that told us to love our neighbor, to turn the other cheek to love our enemies...the Jesus who was kind and caring. Or is it the Jesus who sharply rebuked the Pharisees and religious leaders and turned the over tables in the temple in anger. Maybe it's the Jesus who is God; who ascended to the throne, who comes back someday with a sword of lightning in his mouth on a mighty steed and a blood dipped robe and defeats his enemies.
He is all of these things and more. We can't pick and choose the parts we like and ignore the rest. Jesus is everything, this world is all about Jesus. The bible is all about Jesus. Jesus is Lord, Jesus is the one and only way to the Father, Jesus is the Savior, Jesus is the one to rule them all. It's all about His glory, all things will be made to glorify Jesus. In the end every knee will bow...every knee.
So, what Jesus do you worship?
So what Jesus do you worship? The Jesus who came to be the perfect man the last Adam the one to show us how it should be done, the Jesus that told us to love our neighbor, to turn the other cheek to love our enemies...the Jesus who was kind and caring. Or is it the Jesus who sharply rebuked the Pharisees and religious leaders and turned the over tables in the temple in anger. Maybe it's the Jesus who is God; who ascended to the throne, who comes back someday with a sword of lightning in his mouth on a mighty steed and a blood dipped robe and defeats his enemies.
He is all of these things and more. We can't pick and choose the parts we like and ignore the rest. Jesus is everything, this world is all about Jesus. The bible is all about Jesus. Jesus is Lord, Jesus is the one and only way to the Father, Jesus is the Savior, Jesus is the one to rule them all. It's all about His glory, all things will be made to glorify Jesus. In the end every knee will bow...every knee.
So, what Jesus do you worship?
Thursday, December 3, 2009
It's all about Jesus
It's all about Jesus
It's not about me
He's done the heavy lifting
just so I can be
Jesus is...Love
Jesus is...Mercy
Jesus is...Grace
Jesus is...Sufficient
Jesus is...God
Jesus is...God
He is the only perfect human.
He is the only human to defeat death.
He is the only one we should put our HOPE in.
He is the only one we should put our TRUST in.
He is the only one that can SAVE us.
Glorify Him!
Glorify Him!
John 1:1-5 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
John 1:10-14 - He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 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. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth.
Without Jesus there is nothing, it is all about Jesus and he is sufficient. But we need to believe and need to strive to be like He was when He came in human form. His life on earth is the only life we should use as a model, He is the only person we should long to be like. He is the only idol we should have.
Is He #1 in your life?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Philippians 3:12-16 - Pressing on Toward the Goal
Philippians 3:12-16 - Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Emphasis added)
When Paul writes Philippians he is in prison and nearing the end of his life on earth. Given everything that Paul has been through, the sacrifices he has made, the suffering he has endured in following and teaching about Jesus...he is still humble and confesses that he has not already obtained the prize or been made perfect. If there is anybody at a point in their life that might look back and say..."look what I have done, I deserve what Jesus has for me"...it's Paul. But he doesn't and he knows his journey is not over yet.
"but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." - For me this is an amazing statement. First given all that Paul has done that he has to continue to press on, second because he reminds us that Jesus took hold of us...he choose us. We often talk about the day we accepted Jesus into our lives and it is a day for celebration. But what's more amazing is that Jesus choose us.
"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." - When I read "forgetting what is behind" two things come to mind. First, to forget what is behind requires forgiveness; until we can truly forgive we cannot forget. Second, we can't rest on what we have done in our past. We can't set back and think our past accomplishments are enough or sufficient. We are better off forgetting those and focusing on what is ahead...focusing on Jesus and not on our works.
Our lives and our walk with Jesus is a journey. A journey that is not easy, a journey that is hard, tough and full of suffering. But it's a journey with an amazing prize at the end. A journey worth taking. Let's continue to press on toward the goal together just as Paul continued to press on until the very end.
When Paul writes Philippians he is in prison and nearing the end of his life on earth. Given everything that Paul has been through, the sacrifices he has made, the suffering he has endured in following and teaching about Jesus...he is still humble and confesses that he has not already obtained the prize or been made perfect. If there is anybody at a point in their life that might look back and say..."look what I have done, I deserve what Jesus has for me"...it's Paul. But he doesn't and he knows his journey is not over yet.
"but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." - For me this is an amazing statement. First given all that Paul has done that he has to continue to press on, second because he reminds us that Jesus took hold of us...he choose us. We often talk about the day we accepted Jesus into our lives and it is a day for celebration. But what's more amazing is that Jesus choose us.
"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." - When I read "forgetting what is behind" two things come to mind. First, to forget what is behind requires forgiveness; until we can truly forgive we cannot forget. Second, we can't rest on what we have done in our past. We can't set back and think our past accomplishments are enough or sufficient. We are better off forgetting those and focusing on what is ahead...focusing on Jesus and not on our works.
Our lives and our walk with Jesus is a journey. A journey that is not easy, a journey that is hard, tough and full of suffering. But it's a journey with an amazing prize at the end. A journey worth taking. Let's continue to press on toward the goal together just as Paul continued to press on until the very end.
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