Universal Prayer

Psalm 65:2 - "O You who hear prayer, to you all men come."

When does a man become a fool and say there is no God? Surely every man at one time in their lives has offered a prayer to heaven. Possibly the only time was when they were in a dire circumstance. As a wise man has said "there are no atheists in foxholes."

If, perchance, there is someone who has never said a prayer to God in this lifetime, they certainly will say one in the life to come. Scripture tells us that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). We can either pray for grace in this lifetime or mercy in the one to come. It is our choice. For every man will pray to God and eventually come to him. May we all choose to come to Him in this lifetime.

Evidence of a New Life in Christ

II Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

Just because we don't do wrong things outwardly is no proof we are new creatures in Christ. Not sinning can certainly be an outward sign of an inward work. However, the honest proof of a new creation within us is one of desire. Do we long for those things we no longer do? Do we secretly desire those things that once brought us and our Lord such pain? If we do, then we may want to question whether "old things" have truly passed away.

If we are not loving the Man, Christ Jesus, rather than a way of life or a creed, then we have missed the point of regeneration. New life in Jesus has never meant promotion of truth but devotion to the One and Only Truth Giver. To be a new creature simply means we are passionately in love with Him who created us. To love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind has all the wisdom and evidence of a new creation in Christ (Matthew 22:37)

May we all know and understand His great love for us, knowing He has given all that we can be all in Him.

Grace is the Word

Revelation 22:21 - "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen."

This is God's last word to mankind in His written word. This is the summation of all the work God has ever done through Jesus Christ on our behalf. Nothing more can be added to the wonderful, beautiful word "grace." He has given His life that we might share in it through His death. What more is to be said?

Beware of those who would say "Yes, but it is grace and this or that." If it must be qualified with a "but," question whether it is really anything that we can "do" for our salvation. True, obedience is necessary to live holy before God." This, friends, comes only through His grace and His ability through us to do so.

May we all live with eternal gratitude toward a Savior who has given us all things through undeserved grace!

Living for Others

Ruth 1:16 - "But Ruth said, 'Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.'"

Holiness (or setting ourselves apart for God) is never for our edification. The bi-product of sanctification truly is a life of peace and joy, but this was not God's main desire in making us holy. Like Ruth, our desire should be to cling to God at all cost. Then, He will reveal His grand plan as we follow.

Sanctification's ultimate result is to draw all our attention from ourselves to others. The only way that can happen is by first looking to Jesus who is passionate for mankind. In the beginning, we will find our focus to be firmly transfixed on the Savior, as Ruth was toward Naomi. In time, however, we find we begin to see the Savior in others as we minister (e.g. Boaz). This is seeing beyond God and recognizing the image of God in others.

Strength From Hope

Isaiah 41:10 - "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Spiritual exhaustion can be so liberating or it can likewise be very debilitating. Once we come to the conclusion there is no way we can save our loved ones, or pay the mortgage and the car loan this month, or be reconciled to a friend who’s become embittered against us, or be set free from our besetting sin – then God can step in. That is, if we allow Him. Hope is the catalyst that propels us toward God's solution. Conversely, hopelessness leads to spiritual and eventual physical suicide. When we trust in God – when all else has failed – the dynamic of hope is energized which brings the miracle.

May we never abort what God is about to do in our lives by giving up on Him. Know this … He will never give up on us. He is mighty to save, beloved of God!

Fulfillment of Scripture

Matthew 26:54 - "How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

Peter came to Jesus' defense with misplaced heroism by cutting off the ear of Malchus, the High Priest's slave. Jesus was quick to point out the folly in trying to protect Jesus or His mission. Many today seek to do the same by defending Jesus as someone He is not. He is not the great liberator of social injustices. He is not even the One to bring peace on earth through remarkable sayings such as "Love your neighbor." However, He is the One who fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies through His obedience to His Father. (http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/messiah.htm)

Beware of those who would seek to make Jesus a humanistic, sentimental human being that wants to make our world better. He came to fulfill scripture by redeeming humanity and will one day create a new heavens and a new earth filled with righteousness. The best we can do in the meantime is seek to convince others He is coming back to do this very thing and to reflect His life to others as ambassadors of our Lord.

Proper Denial

Matthew 26:35 - "Peter said to Him, 'Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.' All the disciples said the same thing too."

Peter thought he could choose the place of his death. As we get closer with Jesus, we find that dying to self never has the extravagance of knowing the place where the Lord requires us to lay down our life. We may be heroic and sentimental in our loyalties, yet we often lack the pluck to identify with Christ's crucifixion when He is telling us to die to our old ways. It is easy to live in the "glory hallelujah" of the resurrection. It is quite another to live in the shadow of His crucifixion when all have deserted us.

Our misguided understanding of death to self can impinge on those around us. Instead of increasing their faith to live and die for Jesus as He desires, we create self-sufficiency in others by our own obstinacy. Humiliation is the touchstone of true death to self, beloved. Humility seeks not its own place of death but embraces whatever the Lord says.

 May we surrender all to Him, properly denying ourselves. For only then will death to self have its greatest reward -- a glorious rebirth in His image.