Tag: Savior

Living in the Constant Flow of Grace

James 1:4
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

We have all, whether a parent or not, probably had the opportunity to instruct young children. We likely recognized the need to stay right near them as they learned the new teaching. It was also likely that we had to encourage them and console them each time they fell short of completely grasping the instruction. We may have needed to bring to their attention the errors of their ways and remind them of the proper process. We persevered with them time and again, rejoicing in each moment of progress, until they had mastered the new instruction. The process required our patience and the patience of the child. We never considered ultimate failure. We always had faith that in the end the numerous trials would be worth the effort.

Thank the Lord for His salvation promise to complete every good work that He starts in us. He will let nothing in our lives escape His attention. He will steadfastly stand by us even as we stumble over and over. He will pick us up as many times as we fall, even though He knows that we will never get it completely right on this earth. He will continue to show us the error in our ways and point out the path that He has set aside for us. He will continue to pick us up until that glorious day when we stand before Him in the image of His Son and He welcomes us into heaven as good and faithful servants.

Let us learn to be patient with the process of sanctification. Let us find joy in the constant grace that Our Father extends to us during each of our trials. Let us prepare ourselves for the perfection in glory that is coming.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, blessed be the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Thank You for His steadfast work in our lives. We pray that we will be quick to see the error in our ways and be even quicker to respond to Your correction. May we completely surrender our lives to the perfect ways of Your Son. As we rise and fall in our frailty, may we rejoice in knowing that Your presence is always with us and You will not leave us before Your perfecting work is done. We ask all these things in the name of our Sure Foundation, Jesus

Removing the Last Parcels of Sin from Our Lives

Matthew 5:26
Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

In Matthew’s gospel, we are taught that when we have a debt that needs to be paid that we should try to reconcile with the one to whom we owe the debt. We will always end up suffering the consequences of the unresolved debt if we do not try to come to terms with our creditor. We should try to come to terms with the creditor prior to going before the judge. This passage is generally regarded as a teaching about how to handle conflict concerning civil matters.

The same perspective can very easily be applied to sin in our lives. It was necessary for Jesus to redeem us from our sin debt for there is not a space in heaven where the slightest sin is allowed. While our entire sin debt has been paid by Our Savior, it remains our responsibility to come to terms with and repent of all the sin in our lives. We must confess and ask forgiveness for every act for which we deserve to be accused and judged before the Throne of God.

As new Christians, we likely found it relatively easy to identify and turn away from the obvious and grievous sin in our lives. It is probable, however, that as we matured in Christ that the Holy Spirit began revealing to us undetected areas in our lives that held the last parcels of sin debt. These may seem to be the smallest of sins, but they are certainly great enough to separate us from Almighty God. Thus, the Holy Spirit is relentless in bringing to light sins that may have been lingering below the surface in the form of such things as anger, jealousy, gossip, greed, etc.

Be certain that this painful revealing process will continue with us until we breath our last breath. Thank God that He has provided His Holy Spirit to bring us to complete repentance for the sin debt that Our Savior has paid in full for us.

Let us call on the Holy Spirit to inspect us, to enlighten us of any speck of iniquity which remains in us. Let us turn away from all that the Holy Spirit reveals that is dark in our lives. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to overcome the continuing solicitations of the world and the attacks of the enemy. Let us seek to remove the last parcels of sin from our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son to spare us from our sin debt. We thank You for Your mercy as You see us struggle against sin in our lives. We thank You for Your grace as You provide Your Holy Spirit to aid us in departing from our errant ways. May Your countenance shine upon as we turn away from our old lives and learn to live according to Your kingdom principles here on earth. We ask all these things in the name of Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

The Light and Power We Need to Escape Darkness

Colossians 1:13
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

Sin is our nature. It never leaves our flesh. It keeps us in darkness from which there is no escape. Without Jesus Christ in our lives, we are easy prey for Satan who stands ready to exploit the power of sin in our lives at a moment’s notice.

But our merciful Heavenly Father made it part of His plan to give us the light and the power that we need to escape the darkness. He provided a way for us to be bond servants to His Son and not to be slaves to Satan. Through our relationship with His Crucified Son, we are rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of God. We receive true spiritual light as Christ is revealed to us, causing the prince of darkness to flee from us and the scales of darkness and blindness to fall from our eyes.

Our only refuge from sin is Jesus Christ. By faith in Our Savior we are redeemed at the expense of His shed blood. We are forgiven of our sins so that we may become objects of the Father’s love and delight, just as His Son is.

Let us rejoice in knowing that we have been transferred into the kingdom of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. Let us seek to become beacons of His light for the world around us. Let us humbly accept our roles as vessels of His light so that He may draw others from the darkness into His eternal light.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing a way for us to be freed from our sinful natures. We thank You, Jesus, for giving us victory over sin through Your shed blood and death on the Cross. We thank You, Holy Spirit, for standing with us and strengthening us to overcome the sin in our lives. We pray that we will come to the humble place where we recognize that we are incapable of victory over sin without the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. We rejoice in knowing that one day we will stand in the light for all eternity and darkness will never again touch us. We pray that we may become beacons of light for the world around us. We ask all these things in the name of the Great Light, Jesus Christ.

Putting Our Focus on Jesus

Matthew 14:30
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

When Peter first stepped out of the boat, all He saw was Jesus. He saw nothing but the one he desired to be with. His focus was on His Lord and His Lord alone. With His focus only on His Lord, he walked on water. But then Peter let his focus shift to his surroundings and down he went.

It is a bit difficult for us to relate to walking on water, but we can all relate to finding ourselves in a place in life where we feel like we are sinking. In these times, we are weak in faith and our doubts are overwhelming to us. Too often we get to this place because we are seeking a way out through our own strengths. Our focus is on our problems and not on the promises of Our Savior.

Peter was rebuked for his lack of faith. We should know that we share in Peter’s weakness. As disciples of Jesus Christ, there is no valid reason why we should be of doubtful mind. Even on the stormiest of days, He is always with us as our ever present help.

Let us put all of our focus on Jesus. Let us learn to follow the life path that He has prepared for us. Let us walk that path boldly even when the world tries to distract us and the enemy tries to deter us. Let us be confidently yoked by faith to Jesus all the way to our eternal resting place with Almighty God.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating each of us with a unique purpose through which we serve You and bring honor and glory to Your Name. We rejoice in knowing that we are destined to fulfill our purposes here on earth as well as in Your eternal kingdom. We exalt the name of Our Savior, Jesus, who walks along side us to insure that we have the strength to overcome the torments of our flesh and the attacks of the enemy. May we keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus so we are not distracted or hindered by the things which are trying to pull us away from our purposes. May we stand before You one day and hear the words, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” We ask all these things in the name of Our Redeemer, Our King, Our Priest and Our Prophet, Jesus Christ.

New Creatures in Christ

Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We are the handiwork of the creator of the entire universe, but not merely as creatures, but as new creatures in Christ. We were prepared before hand with the capacity to perform good works for the pleasure, the praise and the honor of Almighty God. We were created not just to perform one good work but to continue to walk in a series of good works. We were created to perform righteous and holy work as visible representatives of Our Savior.

There is nothing that we will face in life that is too big or too small for Jesus to overcome for us. He is waiting to comfort us and guide us and intercede for us in every minute detail and in every seemingly insurmountable circumstance in our lives. Once we receive Jesus as Our Savior, it is His promise that He will insure that we are successful in carrying out His plans for our lives. Why should we try to rely on our own power when we have the power of the creator and sustainer of the universe available to us?

Let us seek Jesus in every element of our lives. Let us submit every breathing moment to Him. Let us rejoice, knowing that He awaits to intercede for us!!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Son, Jesus, who comforts us, guides us and intercedes for us. We pray that You teach us how to put all of our trust in Him. We ask that You shield us from all the distractions that we bring into our own lives. May we learn to walk in the ways that Jesus reveals to us in our hearts. May the Holy Spirit guide us and strengthen us as we seek to endeavor in the righteous and holy work of Your kingdom. We ask all these things in the name of Our Righteous and Holy King, Jesus Christ.

The Rewards of Responding to “Come to Me”

Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

At some level, we all take on the heavy burdens of this world. We all seek to escape from the stress filled grind that most of us experience in some form from our day to day activities. Jesus invites all of us who labor and are carrying burdens to come to Him. He promises that He will provide us with the rest that we need.

But be assured that “I will give you rest” does not mean “I will hold your hand while you lay in bed languishing in your burdens.” It means, “I will pull you out of the darkened state that you are in. I will pull you from the oppression of the enemy. I will give you the spirit of a new life, but I expect you to let go of your old life.”

Why do we insist on hanging on to the old things that do nothing but hinder our progress toward finding the rest that is promised to us? Why do we accept anything less than the full measure that God has set aside for us? It is all about our commitment. When we come to Jesus, we are committing to leave everything of this world behind in exchange for a personal relationship with Our Savior.

Let us abandon the callings of our flesh as we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ and allow His Spirit to guide all that we do. Let us take victory over all of our trials as we live in submission to Our Savior. Let us receive the peace that He promises us as we respond to His command, “Come to Me.”

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing a refuge for us – a place where we can be free from the burdens that the world tries to lay on us. We praise You for providing the comfort that we can find nowhere else except through our relationship with Your Son, Jesus. May we be drawn by the Holy Spirit to respond to the words of promise, “Come unto me.” May we learn to live our lives in the vitality and might that You offer us in Christ. We ask all these things in the name of the One who provides our comfort, Jesus Christ.

Seeking an Intimate Relationship with Jesus

Luke 11:9
And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

In this passage, we find a solemn declaration and promise made by Jesus Himself. The declaration rests on His authority. He makes the statement with the boldness of knowing it is true. He opens the way for us to ask for food for the body and nourishment for our souls and He promises that for those that act in accordance with His counsel shall find their requests satisfied.

When we knock at Jesus’ door, seeking Him, our lives are changed forever. Once we have accepted Him as Our Savior, we are new men and women in Christ. We are new people who are faced with the eye-opening need to let our old selves die, so that our new selves are properly prepared to be in the presence of Our Lord.

Once we establish our relationship with Him, we will be in a place that is greater than anything we have ever experienced before. We will never want to leave that relationship. To stay there, we will find that we are forever humbled by our need to cleanse ourselves. We will find that the experience of first meeting Him is the beginning of our preparation for being in His presence for all eternity.

Let us knock on the door of heaven and let Jesus know that we desire to have an intimate relationship with Him. Let us humbly accept being yoked to Him. Let us learn to surrender to the fullness of living in His presence each day. Let us joyfully anticipate the eternal resting place that He is preparing for us in His Father’s house.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we humbly bow before You. We thank You that we are allowed to approach Your throne because Your Son, Jesus, has prepared the way for us. Make us forever mindful of His sacrifice which washed away our sins for all eternity. Open our eyes to see the sins that remain in our lives so that we may ask forgiveness of them and repent of them. May Your Holy Spirit guide us in continuously seeking the presence of Your Son in our lives. May we find all we need in Him. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord God Omnipotent, Jesus Christ.

Perfectly Prepared for Battle

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Many of the Psalms were written by David. David was proclaimed by God to be “a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do”. Because David proved himself to be obedient to the Lord’s calling on his life, sought God in all things and trusted God in all things, God made him king of Israel.

The first we read about David, we see him as a young man who believed God would give him victory over the giant, Goliath, when everyone else cowered in the face of the giant. The men of the day tried to provide David with their armor to fight the giant. David refused. He knew he only needed God on his side.

The same God that helped David slay Goliath is the God that helps us to slay the giants in our lives. The giants in our lives are not named Goliath. They are named such things as addiction, fear, worry, depression, confusion, manipulation, control, bitterness and anger. We do not need to turn to the world to defeat our giants. We only need to go to Our Heavenly Father in the name of His Son, Jesus.

Let us not be fearful in any battle that we are fighting. Just as David did, we can go to the Father to be perfectly prepared for the battle. Let us confidently proclaim victory against whatever giant or giants we are facing. Our ultimate victory has already been set aside for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us Your Son, whose death on the Cross gave us victory over all things. We exalt the name of Our Savior King who opened the gateway to heaven for us. We are so grateful that Jesus stands beside us as we face our giants. We pray that the Holy Spirit will teach us to trust in You, Lord, just as David trusted in You. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord Mighty in Battle, Jesus Christ.

The Purifying Conviction of the Holy Spirit

Philippians 2:12-13
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he knew that they were struggling with sin in their lives just as we all are. He knew that they found it easier “to behave” when they were in his presence, just as we are more on guard in the presence of others. He exhorted them to be constant in their battle against sin whether He was there or not.

He was not telling them that they were working to earn their salvation. He was telling them how to overcome the ongoing attacks of the flesh which would try to lead them back to the sin that had been washed away forever by their Savior. He was reminding them that their victory had already been set aside by the One who had died for their sins and dwells within them. He was emphasizing that they must live in reverent awe of their Savior and not be lead by the whims of their flesh.

So it is with us. We do not work to earn our salvation. If we have received Jesus as Our Savior, we have been redeemed and washed clean of all of our sin. The work of salvation that Paul speaks of is really the work of sanctification. It is the process that we go through as we learn to lean on Jesus and not our own strength to overcome the work of the enemy in our lives.

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to inspect us and to reveal to us the sin that we are holding on to. Let us surrender to the purifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us rejoice in pleasing the Lord as He strengthens us to walk the path of sanctification.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we proclaim our sin before You and ask for Your forgiveness. We thank You that this issue has been settled on our behalf for all eternity. We pray that we may be continually washed by the blood of Your Son and strengthened daily by His presence in our lives. We ask to live in reverent awe of who You are so that we will come under the purifying conviction of the Holy Spirit. We ask all these things in the name of the Tower of Salvation, Jesus Christ.

Humility That Surpasses Human Imagination

Philippians 2:8
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The fact that Jesus left His divine state to become a man illustrates an act of humility that surpasses anything that any human could imagine. Accepting the lowliness of man, it would have been reasonable by any human standard that He would a least appear as a king. Not so for this divine man, He took not a royal station but accepted a position in a lowly manger. His state within humankind never advanced to any level above the lowest elements of society. He worked His entire ministry in the streets and hillsides among the common people.

Aside from His transfiguration before Peter, James and John, His splendor was never to be seen by man until He ascended to His seat beside His Father in Heaven. In the meantime, He endured a life of poverty and suffering which ended in an exposition of public hatred, ridicule and scorn. Then, having no place for personal pride, He accepted death so that we may have life.

Let us lie at the foot of His Cross each day and learn from Our Savior King. Let us take note of His complete obedience to the Father under all circumstances. Let us allow our personal pride to dissolve in the face of knowing why He made these choices – to save us from our sinful and prideful nature. Let us be inspired by His faithfulness and His promises. Let us humble ourselves to the point of putting the old man in our lives to death so that our new man in Christ may live.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we humbly bow before Your throne, asking Your forgiveness for our sins. We thank You for providing the way for us to overcome our sinful nature. May we cling to the Cross of Our Savior. May we learn to set aside our pride and serve those around us in the manner that You call us. May we ignore the scorn of the world as we are obedient to Your calling on our lives. We ask all these things in the name of The Captain of Our Salvation, Jesus Christ.