Tag: Redeemer

With Him, By Him, Through Him for Him

2 Corinthians 5:14
Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.

Had Jesus Christ not died for us, we would be spiritually dead and ruined. We would be slaves to our sin and we would have no power to deliver ourselves from the miserable state that we would be in.

But, indeed, Christ did die for us, so that we could all die to sin and self. As we receive Jesus as Our Savior, we are freed from a spiritually dead life. We are freed to live for Our Redeemer. It is through Christ’s love that we are able to live as Our Redeemer lived in the perfect will of the Father.

It is the love of our beloved, Jesus Christ, that shines forth in us when we submit ourselves to be vessels of His perfect love. The love of Jesus in our lives is what allows us to show the world what living for Christ is all about. With Him and through Him, we will do more for the kingdom of God than we could ever even imagine.

Let us be certain in our faith that Jesus lives inside us today. Let us surrender to Him, giving up our old lives in the flesh and claiming our new lives in the spirit. Let us mirror His nature and His character. Let us live in the fullness of His will and plan for our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son who died for our sins. We praise the name of Jesus for accepting Your will and plan for His life all the way to the Cross. We pray, Father, that the world will see the way, the truth and the life of Jesus through us as we leave our old lives behind in exchange for the our new lives in Christ. We ask, Lord, that the fullness of the life of Your Son, Jesus, be perfected in us. May the world know us as His disciples. We ask all these things in the name of the precious Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Time to Boldly Proclaim Our Faith in Jesus

1 Corinthians 4:13
We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash–right up to the present moment.

Paul and those who joined with him in spreading the gospel message were attacked viciously by the social media of their day. How remarkable it is that Paul’s words of 2000 years ago are so accurate today. The voice of our corrupt world screams out against the gospel message wherever it is presented. The media persecution of celebrities and public figures that speak out for Christ is a perfect example of this growing trend. All who are public proclaimers of the Gospel can expect to suffer vicious attacks in all forms of media simply because they are willing to express the truth about their Savior.

Unfortunately, the attacks of the enemy have quieted the voices of many Christians. We have sat back and watched as prayer has been taken out of our schools and community events. We have allowed the Ten Commandments to be removed from display in public places. We have sat idly as the mention of Jesus has basically been banned in any form, unless of course, it is used to ridicule Him. Now more than ever, as the world spins faster and faster toward total destruction, we must become the lamps on the hill that provide the light to those that are in darkness. If we don’t, who will?

Let us take up our positions as beacons on the hill. Let us stand up against those that decry Our Lord. Let us boldly proclaim our faith in Our Redeemer King.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the blessings that You have bestowed on our nation. We come before You, Lord, and ask for forgiveness for allowing Your Truths to be taken out of our society, to be spit upon and ridiculed just as Your Son was at Calvary. We ask, Father God, that You shine Your Light upon our land so that the darkness that we have allowed to creep in will be overshadowed. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may the laws of our land and the actions of our people come into alignment with Your laws, Your commandments and Your Holy Word. Once again may we call upon You as the God in whom we trust. We pray these things in the name of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

Personal Independence Causes Us to Miss Much of What God has Planned for Us

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

A true disciple of Jesus is one that walks in the same anointed way that Jesus walked. A true disciple follows His Master’s example on a daily basis. A true disciple is energetic and passionate about every task assigned by the Master. A true disciple of Jesus Christ is one that denies self and takes up the Cross that Jesus has prepared for him or her.

During our toddler ages, we are already beginning to express our own individuality and independence. It is during this time that most of us realize for the first time that we are our own person and can make choices for ourselves. Unfortunately, one of our favorite words during these early ages is “no.” Our rebellious nature wants to reject all the good counsel of our parents in order to fully express our own independence. This independent behavior has a tendency to carry over into our relationship with Almighty God. We set a pattern early for ourselves which establishes the importance of our desires over loving authority. We establish lifestyles in which our decisions are made based on the needs of our flesh and not on the desires of Almighty God for our lives. Ultimately, we miss much that God has in store of us.

Let us shake loose from the independence that we have strived so hard to attain throughout our lives. Let us learn to deny ourselves and surrender completely to the will of Our Savior. Let us follow the path that Our Redeemer laid out for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the grace that You provide so that we are able to take up the Cross of Your Son and follow Him. We thank You for Your patience with us as we learn to deny our sinful natures, our ungodliness and our worldly lusts. We pray, Lord, for the strength to exercise the humility, zeal, patience and self-denial that the Cross demands. May we carry out every duty for Your glory and for the gain of Your kingdom. We ask all these things in the name of the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, Jesus Christ.

A New Work in our Hearts

John 16:8
And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin and of God’s righteousness and of the coming judgment.

Jesus instructed His disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to them after He departed the earth. He let them know that the Holy Spirit would be their counselor. He taught them that the Holy Spirit would convince them of their sin and reveal to them the penalty for sin that is required by a righteous and holy God. He also let the disciples know that the Holy Spirit would be their comforter. He taught them that the Holy Spirit would be with them to show them the need for their Redeemer and the value of the gift of salvation.

We received Jesus’ teaching about the Holy Spirit in the Holy Word of God. We have been taught through the Bible of the role of the Holy Spirit in inspiring us with the promise of Almighty God to forgive our sins if we confess them before Him and repent. As we go through the process of asking for forgiveness, the Holy Spirit will remind us that the only reason that Our Heavenly Father can forgive us is because Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins and that had Jesus not become sin for us, Almighty God in His righteousness could not forgive our sin.

Let us praise the Lord for the work of completion that the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives. Let us celebrate anew each time that the Holy Spirit leads us to relish and savor the gift that we have been given. Let us rejoice and give thanks each time that the Holy Spirit begins a new work in our hearts so that we may fully value the treasure that is ours through the Cross.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to convict us of the folly, fault and filth of our sins. We thank You for the Holy Spirit who leads us to Your Son, Jesus. We bless the name of Jesus for He is the only way that we can avoid the penalty of separation from You for all eternity because of our sins. We pray, Lord, that we will be forever mindful and eternally thankful for the Holy Spirit that You have provided to be Our Comforter and Our Counselor. We ask all these things in the name of Our Holy and Righteous Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Atoning Blood of Jesus

Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

When we think of forgiveness, we usually think of it in terms of how it plays out in our natural interactions with others. We may find it hard to forgive someone who has offended us, but we can usually find the mercy to forgive them under the right conditions. They come to us and express sufficient regret and express a sincere desire that they will never do it again. Conversely, we feel like we should be forgiven if we are willing to express our sorrow for the pain we have caused to another and we are willing to say we will not cause that harm again. In the natural, among people of good hearts, this process works much of the time.

Almighty God looks at forgiveness in a different light. He certainly requires the same natural interactions of forgiveness that we are familiar with. For God to forgive us, He requires us to come before Him humbly and confess our sins. For God to forgive us, He requires us to repent of our sins. But Our Father in heaven also requires supernatural interaction. Because of His holiness, we cannot approach Him with our expressions of sorrow and repentance unless we have accepted Jesus as Our Savior. For Our Savior must first approach the Father as Our Mediator. He must identify us as ones who have been cleansed by His atoning blood. In the supernatural, under these conditions, this process works every time without fail.

Let us repent of every sin and iniquity in our lives. Let us ask Our Lord to forgive us with true contriteness in our hearts. Let us rejoice as we are washed clean of every blemish that separates us from Our Father in heaven. Let us praise the name of Our Redeemer who saved us through the richness of His grace.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect, unconditional love and the mercy plan for forgiveness that You have provided through Your Son, Jesus. We bless the name of Jesus for making it possible for us to come before You with our confessions and our desire to repent of our sins. We rejoice in knowing that Our Savior stands before You as Our Mediator and that His atoning blood covers us so that we are acceptable to receive Your forgiveness. We pray, Lord, that we will always be mindful of what it cost You to reinstate us in Your favor. May the world around us see us in the light of Your favor and be drawn to Your Son to receive the same treasure. We ask all these things in the name of Our High Priest, Jesus Christ.

The Fullness of the Flow from the Fount That is Christ Jesus

John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

By faith, we receive Jesus into our lives. When we receive Our Savior, we receive His living water. This life giving stream has flowed from Our Redeemer throughout all time to every place and person. The same life giving stream can flow continuously from our hearts if we are in submission to the Cross and not to ourselves.

Through the fount that is Jesus Christ, we also receive the sanctifying and comforting presence of the Holy Spirit flowing into and through our lives. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the flow can manifest itself in many ways. It can range from the smallest, unseen kindness to a magnificent production on the grandest of stages. The flow is as a fountain of living, running water that is providing continuous streams that are all at once cooling, calming, refreshing and cleansing. The flow is plentiful, constant as a river. It is a continuous stream of the fullness of Jesus Christ and His grace.

Let us prepare ourselves to be willing vessels. Let us submit fully to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that God’s goodness may be poured out through us to the world around us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for using us as founts of Your living water. We praise You for the refreshing and cleansing that it brings into our own lives as we allow the waters to pass through us. We humbly and anxiously submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We pray that we come into the fullness of the flow so that the thirst of those around us may be quenched as we are quenched. We ask all these things in the name of the Life Giving Spirit, Jesus Christ.

Knowledge of God is Imprinted in Every Man

Romans 1:22-23
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul explained how the pagans became idol worshippers. Prior to exposing the idolatry of the pagans, Paul taught how God imprinted knowledge of Himself in every man. He also taught that God confirmed His eternal power and divine nature in His workmanship. Paul’s intention in his teaching was to show that men are without excuse when they worship anyone or anything other than Almighty God.

While it is easy for us to see the foolish nature of the pagans, do we see as easily our own foolishness in placing the things of the world ahead of Our Father in heaven? Like the pagans, have we become vain in our own thinking and foolish in our choices?

God has imprinted the manifestation of who He is in the hearts of each of us. He has created us to be capable of seeking, seeing and understanding His goodness, His power and His promises. This equipping that God has given us should lead us to place Him first, above all other things in our lives. Sadly, we know that all too often we choose foolishness over godliness. We become no better than the pagans in that regard. Alas, we come to the place that we recognize that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Yet, we can rejoice for our merciful God, knowing of our weakness, provided a way for us to stand before Him without blemish. His grace provided us with a Redeemer who washes us clean of our sin and His Holy Spirit that stands by us to strengthen us in our moments of weakness.

Let us become resolute in our efforts to place God first in all things. Let us start each day asking for the Holy Spirit to stand with us and aid us in each decision that we make. Let us end each day asking for forgiveness for the times that we placed the world before Our Creator. Let us rejoice in knowing that on the last day when we stand before Almighty God that we will be received in the image of His Son without blemish.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing Yourself to us. We thank You for placing a void in our hearts that can only be satisfied by a personal relationship with You through Your Son, Jesus. We exalt the name of Jesus whose shed blood washes us clean, making us worthy to stand before You. We ask that Your Holy Spirit stand by us each day as we make our daily decisions. We pray that our choices will always place You first. We pray that our every action will bring glory to You, Your Son and to the Holy Spirit. We ask all these things in the name of the Name Above All Names, Jesus Christ.

Goodness That We Can Only Approach Through Christ

1 Corinthians 11:1
Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

In Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, he exhorted them to pattern their lives after Jesus Christ. Paul understood that obedience to a creed simply takes us to a proper and higher level of lifestyle. Accepting Jesus Christ as Our Savior and patterning our lives after Him will move us toward a level of perfection, holiness and purity that only He could attain and we can begin to approach through Him.

In truth, it is not good enough to be good. It is not good enough to do great works. The only thing that we can do that is of any eternal value is to submit our lives to Jesus Christ as Our Savior, to die of self and to take on the spirit of the One who dwells within us. Anything less than full submission to Our Lord and Master and anything less than becoming imitators of Jesus Christ as His disciples leaves us short of being true Christians.

What is the goal then? The goal is to imitate Jesus Christ in our daily lives. What is the challenge? The challenge is that we are incapable of achieving our goal without the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. What is the answer then? The answer is to surrender all that we are and all that we have and all that we will ever be and all that we will ever have to Our Lord and Savior. Then we must turn to the Holy Spirit daily to guide us and strengthen us as the natural man within us refuses to surrender. Finally, we should rejoice and praise God for He has provided the unchanging, unfailing way, the truth and the life that will allow us to fulfill our stated goal.

Let us yoke ourselves to Our Redeemer. Let us yield to Him as He guides us on our path of sanctification. Let us surrender to Him as He prepares us to stand in righteousness before the Father for all eternity.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing the Word to become flesh so that we could see the standard to which we are all called. May we stand before You one day in the image of Your Son, washed clean by His blood and perfected by His presence within us. Father God, we pray that the Holy Spirit will teach us how to become true disciples of Jesus as we spend our time on earth preparing for the glorious day of coming into Your presence. We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God.

The Delight Placed in Our Hearts

Psalm 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

We are stirred up in our hearts to praise God. We are first moved to praise Him for the magnificence of His creation. We are inspired by the Holy Spirit to praise Him for His holiness and His love expressed through the redemptive work of His Son, Jesus. We learn to praise Him because of His power and His glory that we see expressed in our lives every day.

Let us praise God out of the faith that He has built in us through His Holy Spirit. Let us praise God as we are comforted by His goodness and His grace. Let us praise God with the joy of the expectation of life in His eternal kingdom. Let us praise God with the unshakeable confidence that the victory is ours through God’s greatest gift to us, His Son, Jesus.

Let us praise God with the love and delight that He alone has placed in our hearts. Let our every breath be filled with praise for Our Savior, Our Redeemer, Our King. Let us praise Him by allowing our lives to be living testimonies of the Son of God who has come to dwell within us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we lift our voices toward You in high praise. We bring our thanksgiving for Your precious Lamb, Jesus. We proclaim His holiness and His righteousness. We give thanks for His presence in our lives. We pray Father that You open our eyes so that we may see the presence of Your Son in the tiny things in life as well as the large things. May our every breath praise Him as we come know just how dear He is to You and to us. We ask all these things in the name of the One whose steadfast love never ceases, Jesus Christ.

There Is No One Like the Man at the Door

2 Samuel 7:22
Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

What if a man appeared at your door, a man of immense power and wealth, a man who everyone around the world recognized and praised, how would you greet him? Would you welcome him in? What if he said, “I know you. I have been watching you. I have a plan for you. I want to make you the inheritor of all the riches of my estate.” How would you respond?

This man has knocked on all of our doors. His name is Jesus. He exceeds beyond our imagination any man that walks on this earth. There is no one like Him. He is the way, the truth and the life. There is no other way to the riches of our eternal inheritance except through Him.

He is the Lord, Our God. His name, His nature, His purposes, His promises and His works are all the essence of everything good. He is the one true God, the creator of all things. There is no one like Him. There is no one that even approaches His name. How could anyone not answer when He knocks?

Let us welcome this humble, loving King that knocks on the door to our hearts. Let us receive in faith all that He has prepared for us. Let us be beacons of light to the world around us as we host our Heavenly King in our hearts.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we praise You and exalt You. We thank You for providing Your Son as Our Redeemer. We humbly receive the riches that He has set aside for us through His sacrifice. May we fully submit to Jesus as Our Savior and Lord over our lives as He knocks on our doors and asks us to follow Him. May we become living testimony to His presence in our lives so that others may know Him when He knocks on their doors. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord over all the earth, Jesus Christ.