Free Of Sin

Scripture:
Isaiah 53:4-9 (NIV)

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Devotional:

In the movie A Green Mile one of the characters was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit.  In fact he tried to save a life but couldn’t.  Even in jail the man did what he could to help others.  There is someone who was born a long time ago.  This man was falsely accused, wrongly beaten, and died a very painful death.  All for sins He did not commit.

Jesus lived the perfect life with no sin what so ever.  Yet in the end He allowed Himself to be wrongfully tried and crucified.  When Jesus hung on the cross the sin laid upon Him was not His own.  He took up all the sins of the world, all people from the past, in the present, and those yet to come.  Because He willingly took upon our sin in death we gain life.  In His death and resurrection we find salvation.  Our redemption is paid in full by what Christ did for us. 

When judgment comes we will stand before God guilty.  Romains 3:23-24 (NIV), “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.” My question to you is simple.  Who will be the one to pay the price of your sins?  Will the words come from Jesus that state “I paid the price for their sins; they are no longer guilty but have been cleansed.”  Through Jesus we are made righteous.  Through Him we are purified and can come before God free of sin…

Love Them Anyway

Scripture:

Matthew 10:32-38 (NIV)

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn

“‘a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
    a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Devotional:

This can be a troubling verse to accept.  Sometimes we might even be a little confused.  Christ is has not set out to make enemies of our family members.  However, we are to make Him our priority.  God comes before anyone else.  That includes spouses, parents, and even our children.  God does not want to be second best, or in second position.  For our non believing family members that can be hard to accept and understand. 

How do we deal with these issues?  They are not easy, they hit “too close to home.”  As a matter of fact it can be like a missile strike that has been aimed at our front door.  The missile unfortunately all too often hits the target dead on.  Satan wants nothing more than separating us from God.  He e will use anything he can to achieve his goal.  So how do we overcome?  Matthew 4:44 (NIV) states the following, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”   Christ is love and through Him we are to love.  It is by showing love regardless of how they treat us or what they say that we can overcome.  It is not always easy, in fact it rarely is.  Just remember that Christ paid the ultimate price.  He suffered greatly out of love.  Let Him be your example.  Through the Holy Spirit we can overcome and we can love.

Useful Tools, or Junk Piled High

Scripture:

2 Timothy 2:19-26 (NASB)

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Devotional:

The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared.” Wise words to live by and it is not just for scouts but for all of us.  In fact 2Timothy tells us that we need to be prepared.  It is in being prepared that we become useful instruments for God’s work.  You never know how or when God will use you.  But if you are not ready, willing, and waiting upon Him you will remain on the “shelf” waiting to be used.

How prepared are you?  What is the condition of your heart?  Are you built upon the solid corner stone of Christ?   2 Timothy 2:19 (NIV):

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

Seek God and purge your heart from evil or worldly pursuits.  Leave the wickedness of your heart.  Be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Through Him we are cleansed and able.  Upon our own strength we cannot succeed.  “Be Prepared” is an excellent motto to live by.  In being prepared we are made useful.  We become instruments for created for special purposes. 

However, if we do not cleanse our hearts and pursue God and pursue what is evil then we are useless.  We are equivalent to the rusty tools in the floor of the workshop forgotten and useless.  Which do you want to be?  Which are you?  Pray continuously and read the Bible.  Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart.  You will be shaped into a useful tool used by the creator…

Trustworthy And True

Scripture:

Hebrews 6:13-15 (NASB)

For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.

Devotional:

These three short verses bring two thoughts to mind.  One is the absolute being of God.  After all God is and there is no one greater or mightier than He is.  We will often say that we swear by something greater than we are.  Yet for God there is nothing greater.  Pondering that thought I think how wonderful it is to have a personal relationship with Him.  No one greater stands before us.  No one greater can ever oppose us.  God is absolute and He is the Almighty.  There is comfort in knowing that God is at the top and our relationship with Him is a personal one.

The other thought that comes to mind is patiently waiting for God to fulfill His promises.  He is faithful and true.  He will make good on His word.  Are we patient enough to wait?  Abraham and Sarah thought they needed to take matters into their own hands, Ishmael was born.  In my life I find that when I wait up on the Lord everything turns out much better.  When I become inpatient and try it my own way, I foul it up. 

There is no one or thing greater than God.  He is true and trustworthy.  He will keep His promises.  Being patient is a virtue that will pay off in much greater rewards.  Being patient is not always easy.  In fact I find it rarely is easy.  But knowing God is trustworthy and He does keep His promises just might help to be a little more patient.  Trust in Him you will not be disappointed…