Ultimate Love

Are you looking for love? Do you think you are unlovable? Is there someone you wish would show love to you? Do you realize that God loves? Do you say that isn’t enough?

We all desire love. We may hide our desire. We may lie to ourselves, telling ourselves we don’t need love. We may think infatuation is love. Our human minds and hearts can be fooled when infatuation comes into the picture.

We hear song after song played on the radio about love. They cover all facets of our human view of love. The majority of them are about the emotion of love and the related emotions such as infatuation, lust, admiration, affection, passion, and more.

In our churches, we sing songs of God’s love. We hear contemporary Christian artists sing of God’s love. We hear old-time gospel groups sing of God’s love. And still we look for love, failing to understand just how much we are loved by God.

We may not fully understand God’s love for us until the day we meet Him face-to-face. Yet we can gain a better understanding by studying Him. This is not a simple reading of God’s Word, but spending time meditating on His Word, thinking about what is stated, and asking God to reveal the depth of His love for us.

As a parent, I have spent time thinking about God sending His one and only Son to die for me. Have you thought about that? I have one son. Personally, I cannot imagine knowingly sending my son to his death. It is simply hard to fathom. Yet that is what God did for us.

I know, I know, some of you will say, “Yeah, He did that. But He also knew He was going to raise Him on the third day.” True. And He also knew His Son was going to be brutally flogged. He knew His Son was going to suffer mental anguish over being falsely accused and being convicted by a rigged trial. He knew His Son would be mocked, spit on, and laughed at. Would you knowingly put your only son through such humiliation?

Jesus was and is fully God. He was also fully human when He walked this earth. His suffering was no different than our suffering. He loved us enough to go through the worst that humanity could throw at Him for us. He loved us that much and more.

I pray we all come to a better appreciation of God’s love for us. I pray we meditate on His love. I pray each of us return God’s love, loving Him from our hearts. Know that God loves you. Understand the depths of God’s love. Love God in return.

1 John 4:9-10 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Justification Through Jesus

How do you justify yourself? How do you justify your words? How do you justify your actions? How do you justify your behavior? Do you realize there is no way you can justify yourself before God?

We often make attempts to explain our actions, our behavior, and our words. We put the blame on someone else or something bad that happened to us or state we were unfairly treated. In the end, those are lame excuses.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are held to a higher standard. Oh, we don’t like to think so. We make every attempt to state we are human, and we are faulty, which is true. We will state the oft quoted remark that we all are sinners. But that provides no reason for our lack of trying to follow Jesus properly.

We will fall short. Not one of us can follow Him perfectly. Not one of us can meet God’s expectations to the letter. That is why Jesus came to be a perfect sacrifice for us. But as the Apostle Paul states in Romans 6:1-2 we are not to continue sinning with the thought that God’s grace will cover our misbehavior and His grace will increase. Quite honestly, that is testing God, which Jesus, Himself, stated we are not to do in Matthew 4:7.

Can we make improvements on our own? To some degree, yes. Yet we need the Holy Spirit to make changes deep inside us, down in our hearts, deep in our souls. Those come by prayer and a willingness to give up ourselves. We see this truth being written throughout the New Testament.

We are to live our lives less by the letter of the law and more by the spirit of the law. The Holy Spirit is the One who can and will make the changes deep inside us so we can do so. Thankfully, in God’s wondrous forethought and through His grace, we were given the Holy Spirit to be our companion and guide.

We fall short of God’s glory. We are incapable of being perfect. We are not to beat ourselves up for that. Yet we are also not to take advantage of that knowledge and continue to purposely fall short without making every effort to do better and calling on the Holy Spirit to make the needed changes within us. Praise be to God we are justified through His Son, Jesus Christ.

I pray we all reach out to God in prayer. I pray we ask Him to make changes in our lives through His Spirit. I pray each one of us recognize we are justified by Jesus. Desire to make changes in your life. Be willing to give yourself to God. Know you are justified by Jesus.

Romans 3:22-24 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Christ Died for Sinners

Have you ever watched a war movie? Have you noticed it seems all the characters in the movie are heroes? They run toward the fighting. The jump on the grenade to save their buddies. They run straight to the machinegun nest to take it out to save their platoon. Do you believe that is real life?

In rare cases these types of events do happen. They are rare, perhaps very rare. Most servicemen-women do not want to die. They don’t want to be injured. They don’t arbitrarily want to be in combat. Now, give them a mission and they are all in.

We have heard of shootings taking place in churches by deranged, hateful people. Even in these cases, it is very rare that someone will put themselves in front of the gunman to save another. We might think Christians, who know they have eternity with God, would be willing to die to go there now. Yet, that isn’t typically the case.

We see the Apostle Paul telling the church in Rome these same truths in today’s passage. The good person he states someone might die for is the soldier that stands next to you. It’s the brother or sister in arms who is good, but not righteous. It is the child the mother or father will shield with their own body.

Paul goes on to state that God demonstrated His love for us when Christ died for us when we least deserved it. He died for us when we were running away from Him. He died for us while we disobeyed Him—stealing, murdering, slandering, gossiping, cavorting, drunkenness, cursing, etc., etc., etc. We know what we’ve done. We know how we have disobeyed, not just once but many, many times.

The good news in all of this is God loves us enough to cover us in His grace and mercy. He is willing to forgive us. We can shed our shame by accepting these blessings from God. We can live free of guilt. Doesn’t that take a huge load off your shoulders? Yet, it doesn’t mean we are to continue in our sinning. As Paul states in Romans 6:1-4, though we are to accept God’s grace, we are not to continue sinning, testing God’s patience.

I pray we all realize that Jesus came to die for us. I pray we all accept God’s blessings of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. I pray each one of us will ask God to steer us away from our past sins and into a life of following Jesus. Know that Jesus died for you. Accept God’s blessings. Go forth and sin no more. Praise God for His blessings.

Romans 5:7-8 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us

Facing Difficulty

Have you ever known there was something coming on your schedule, and you didn’t want to face it? Have you looked for options to avoid facing it? Is there an event you know about today that is coming in the near future that you would like to avoid?

We all face something at some point in our life that we would prefer to avoid. It could be a severe illness of a family member. Perhaps a relationship breakup. We may be forced into changing jobs or making a move. We can all think of something we don’t want to go through.

As we see in today’s passage, Jesus also was facing an event that was daunting. He knew His gruesome death was coming. He knew He was going to face false accusations and a rigged trial. He knew the religious elite were going to be against Him. He knew the general population of the town was going to shout for His death. He knew the Roman governor was going to sentence Him. He knew the Roman soldiers were going to flog Him. He knew He was going to suffer an agonizing death.

As we face events we would prefer we could avoid, we can take courage in knowing that Jesus is with us and He understands. We know that God will never leave us. Our situations can be very bad, tough, and daunting. We may experience fear that threatens to overwhelm us. Yet, we can overcome the fear with Jesus beside us, the Holy Spirit within us, and the Father overseeing all that takes place.

Going through tough situations is not easy. Facing those difficult and draining situations will strengthen us. It is hard to think about that at the time. Yet, our key to navigating the situation is to stay in prayer, rely on God, and not allowing our minds to exaggerate the situation.

I pray we all lean on God as we face tough situations. I pray we recognize Jesus by our side. I pray each one of us spends time in prayer to gain the strength and courage we need. Rely on God. Spend time in prayer. Know that Jesus never leaves you. Trust God.

Matthew 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Growing in Faith

Are you looking for rescue? Are you looking for salvation? Do you long for the comfort and encouragement of knowing your future is secure? Have you turned your heart over to God, putting your faith in Him?

Security can only be partially found in this world, if we put our trust and confidence in worldly possessions, jobs, and relationships. Every one of them will go away at some point. Oh, we like to deny it. We live as though they will go on forever. But they won’t. That is the simple truth.

There is nothing wrong with finding the job that fits you. In fact, it is strongly suggested. You should also look for the right companion for you. The two of you should not simply be in love with one another, but you should also genuinely like one another. There is a difference, and both are needed for a relationship to last. Owning possessions are not bad so long as the possessions don’t own you.

To truly live a life filled with joy, peace, encouragement, strength, courage, and love, our faith must be put into God. It cannot be a passing or false faith. It must a faith that continues grow, taking root in the depths of our hearts. As the passage states below, it must be a faith that we live by.

How do we live by faith? Don’t misunderstand, it does not mean taking on an attitude of waiting for God to do everything while we do nothing. Faith is active. Faith causes us to move. Faith generates the desire to work. Faith shows us the love of God. Faith calms us when we are upset or angry. Faith gives us the courage to take the next step, even when we know we need God’s help to accomplish the task. The deeper our faith, the more we will see God in action beside and in front of us, preparing the way.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the starting point for our faith. Getting to know who Jesus is, what He did, and accepting Him as your Lord and Savior is the beginning. Continuing in faith, experiencing Him work in your life is the growth we experience and need. But we must start with the gospel and believe Jesus is who He says He is, who His apostles say He is. Until we honestly believe, our faith will remain shallow.

I pray we all fully accept Jesus for who He is. I pray we grow deeper in our faith. I pray each of us will experience Jesus working in our lives. Believe Jesus is Lord. Accept Him as Savior. Know that He is the Son of God. Experience Jesus in your life. Grow in your faith.

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Sound Principles

How many times have you asked for guidance? How often are you looking for advice to make a key decision? Do you ask others for their thoughts or what they would do? Have you thought you need to have a firm foundation of principles to guide your decisions?

We make many decisions each day from what we eat for breakfast to where we will get gas for our vehicle. We may have read books on how to weigh the pros and cons of each choice available to us. Yet, we seek someone we trust to provide advice.

I believe taking time to think through the options available to us is important. Using our imagination to look for every option is a good practice. As we look at those options, identifying the pros and cons of each is a sound practice. But how do we determine which one is the best option for us? We must rely on the best principles.

Where do we get the principles to base our decisions on? We should spend time looking at God’s laws. We often think of laws as being hard and fast. For instance, we know we are not to steal. Though some of Gods laws are very much hard and fast like this one, there are many others that are more akin to principles.

Principles are not hard and fast laws but are fundamental guidelines on which laws or other principles are derived. Doesn’t it make sense that we should live our lives on sound principles? What better principles are there than God’s?

As we read God’s Word, looking specifically for those principles, and we take them into our being, we build a firm foundation for making decisions. We also find that many of our decisions are insignificant when we look at them through the eyes of God.

As followers of Christ, we are expected to live by God’s laws and His principles. Sure, we are human and cannot do so perfectly. Otherwise, Jesus would not have needed to sacrifice Himself for us. Yet, that is no reason to stop trying to live by them to the very best of our ability. We are to constantly seek self-improvement by following God’s direction and guidance. This ranges from taking care of our environment to loving one another with the same love Christ has for us.

I pray we all read God’s Word to know His laws and principles. I pray each of us use them as our foundation. I pray each of us make every attempt to live by God’s laws and principles, making our world a better place. Read God’s Word. Seek to understand His laws. Build a firm foundation on His laws. Make your decisions easier. Base your decisions on sound principles.

Psalm 19:8

The precepts of the Lord are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

Plan A Positive Impact

God put His plan in motion hundreds of years before Jesus was born. He prophesied of His plan through several prophets, including Jeremiah, Daniel, Micah, Isaiah, and even Nathan as He spoke to King David. It was written about in the book of Psalms.

Looking back 2,000 years after Jesus was born, walked this earth, died, was buried, and resurrected, we may take some of this for granted. Sometimes we look at history as mundane knowledge. Perhaps we would be better suited to attempt to put ourselves into the historic event.

In an attempt to gain a better understanding of what Jesus faced, we might think about what it would be like to be a prisoner on death row. The date has been set. We know there is nothing we can do to stop it from coming. All appeals to the courts have been exhausted. Short of the governor staying our execution, it will occur as scheduled. This is what Jesus had to look forward to. He knew the date He would be captured, tried, and crucified.

Can you put yourself in that situation? Can you imagine what it would be like to know the exact date and hour of your death—and have to live with it? I dare say most of us go about our lives without thinking of our coming death. We live on in ignorant bliss. I’m not suggesting we should ponder our death to the point of being morbid nor allow it to draw us into incomprehensible depression. Yet, if we truly want to understand how Jesus may have felt and why He sweat drops of sweat like blood in the garden, we need to attempt to put ourselves in His place.

Jesus did not allow the knowledge of His coming death to stop Him from continuing to perform the work He had set before Him. He had planned all He needed to accomplish beforehand and completed it right on schedule. He performed miracles, taught people what God really wanted from them, and set in motion the building of His church and kingdom.

We can learn a key lesson from how Jesus went about His life. We can plan out long-term goals and set intermediate goals to accomplish them. We want to make an impact; we must take time to think through what it takes to accomplish it and put a plan in motion. Jesus did this. Though there may have been some spur of the moment reactions, He had a 3-year plan to complete what He came to earth to do.

I pray we all learn from Jesus to plan our lives with God’s guidance. I pray we take time to determine how we want to be remembered. I pray each of us will put ourselves in Jesus’ situation, knowing death is coming and planning to make an impact in this life. Put yourself in Jesus’ place. Plan your life. Follow God’s guidance. Seek to make a positive impact.

Matthew 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

One God

We have often heard there is one God presented in three different persons. That can be hard to understand. We may wonder why God is described this way. Today we take a look at just one of many Scriptures that provides some insight.

Philip asks a question that I’m sure all of us would ask. In our limited human understanding, Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. Now, doesn’t that sound unreasonable. After all, Jesus has just told them He was going to the Father.

Jesus’ answer is very revealing, even if it doesn’t completely clear up the picture for us. He first asks Philip a question, asking how Philip can say he doesn’t know the Father. Jesus’ reasoning is that He, Jesus, has been with them for a long time. He goes on to state that by seeing Him they have seen the Father. Now, we might say “like father, like son,” but not mean they are the same person. We are simply indicating they are very much alike.

Jesus is not simply saying they are very much alike. He is saying they are the same. That is difficult for us to wrap our minds around. As humans, we know a father and son cannot be the same person. Yet, Jesus is saying they are, in the case of God.

He goes on to say the Father is in Him and He is in the Father. We might grasp a bit of understanding in the first half of that statement. It fits neatly in our statement of “like father, like son.” But the second half of His statement causes us to question. We wonder how the son can be in the father.

There is only one explanation—they are the same. If we look at the prophecy of Isaiah regarding the coming of the Messiah, we see Him being called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). When we pull together what Jesus said with the prophecy of Isaiah, we find that Jesus is the Father in human form, as the Son.

I know, it is still a bit confusing. But our faith must include believing there is one God who is presented to us in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are to accept it without reservation, even as we continue to struggle to understand.

I pray we all believe there is one God. I pray we accept that He is presented in three persons. I pray each of us accept this in childlike faith, without reservation. Believe God. Trust Jesus’ statements. Accept one God in three persons. Know that He is God.

John 14:9-10 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”

Choose Belief

What do you believe? Who do you believe in? Do you ever spend time pondering the answers to these questions? Have you wrestled with them for long enough to know without a doubt what you believe?

We live in a cynical world. Our attention is plied for from all directions. There are as many opinions as there are people we interact with. Each of them attempting to convince us to join them in their point of view. We hear opinions put forth as truth, then changed, and told there is a new truth.

We have become skeptical of just about everything we hear. Our guard is up as soon as someone starts relating a story to us. This is especially obvious when it comes to politics. Yet, it is also true in our everyday lives. If you don’t believe it is true, take a moment to think about your family, the stories different members relate to you and the amount of credence you put into their story.

This is not to say we should not believe anything. In fact, it is just the opposite. We are to believe in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. We are to know Him through His teachings, actions, and miracles to the point that we can base our belief of others on the truth of Jesus.

You may be wondering how we can base the truth of a story a family member is telling us against Jesus. It is very simple. When we have invested the time to know Jesus, we build filters or markers to determine what truth is. This then provides a means to determine the truthfulness of what we hear from others. We might call this determining the character of someone.

God sent His Son to be our Savior. Believing this is the first and most important belief we are to start with. Once we believe that, we expand our understanding and belief in the character of Jesus. If we believe there is one God who is presented to us in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—we must believe all that Jesus taught. Believing Jesus is our Savior and loving Him for that, our belief is strengthened as we come to know Him better.

Those who believe in Jesus, trusting Him, is no longer condemned. We have no reason to fear this world. We know that we will continue to live forever, we simply change locations. How comforting is that? We transition from one location to another.

I pray we all decide to believe in Jesus. I pray we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. I pray each one of us will live in the truth of God’s Word. Know what you believe. Believe in Jesus. Trust God’s promises. Live without condemnation. Live in the truth.

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Sacrifice of Praise

Do you work hard doing good for others? Are you constantly looking for opportunities to continue to do good? Are you under the impression that by doing good you can earn your way to heaven?

There are many who think the more good they do the better chance they have to spend eternity with God. We see them volunteering for all types of organizations. Perhaps we are doing this ourselves.

It is not that doing good for others should be ignored. But take a look at today’s passage closely. We are to offer a sacrifice of praise to God. We are to profess His name openly. He is to be at the forefront of our minds. We are to do this while not forgetting to do good and share with others.

What does this mean? It means our attitude toward doing good matters. Are we doing good to earn our way to heaven? Or are we doing good because we are praising God and know we already have heaven promised? If we answer yes to the first question, we will wear ourselves out, doing the work out of our own strength. If we answer yes to the second question, we will naturally do good in the strength God provides, not growing weary.

It comes down to our trust and confidence in God’s promises. When we trust God and the promises He has made, we have an abundance of strength, energy, and focus on the work He has prepared for us to do. We sing His praises and tell others about Jesus. That doesn’t mean we are obnoxious about it. But when asked, we state it is Jesus who is the genesis of our good works. We pray before going about the work. We give thanks for the good work when done. He has the stronger focus rather than the work.

Why is it considered a sacrifice to praise God? When we praise Him with all our heart, we set aside our desires to carry out His. We give up our preferences to serve Him. Our objections to getting messy in this world go away in order to serve those He wants us to serve. Our praise comes from both our lips and in our service. But we must first be willing to praise Him with our hearts and through our confessions of faith.

I pray we all praise God with our hearts, minds, souls, and words. I pray we surrender to His guidance. I pray each of us put God first followed by our willingness to do the good works He has set aside for us. Praise God. Praise Jesus. Put Him first. Follow His guidance. Do the works He set aside for you. Trust God’s promises.

Hebrews 13:15-16 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.