Category: Encouragement

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But What About Forgiveness?

For February 7, 2021
When asked how many times we should forgive, the Lord Jesus Christ’s response was immediate, “Not just seven times, but seventy times seven!” (Matthew 18:22) We must be willing to forgive to the extent that He has forgiven us.

In other words, it is incumbent on us as Christians not to seek revenge, harbor grudges, or express ill will toward others whom we feel may have wronged us. Instead, the Lord challenges us to give them a “clean slate,” by treating them as if they have never wronged us, just as He does for us.

He expresses this Kingdom principle in His Model Prayer,

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:12-14 NIV).

Romans 12:19-21 (NLT), which cites from Deuteronomy 32:35 and Proverbs 25:21-22, elaborates further on the necessity for forgiveness,

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

While on the earth for nearly four years, the Lord taught incomparable lessons  on humility and self-denial such as, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24 KJV). But the Twelve Disciples were slow to capture the essence of His teachings, much like we are today.

In addition, we have the Lord as our prime example of humility and self-sacrifice. He freely emptied Himself of His deity and took on a human form so that He could offer Himself as our payment for sin. Yet again, we do not understand that the Kingdom of God encompasses the spiritual realm of God’s glory, majesty, and dominion over the heavens and the earth. It is not a visible kingdom now, but it will be gloriously and incredibly visible soon.

As it was two thousand years ago, it is still true today. We prefer retaliation over reconciliation. From childhood to adulthood, we are taught not to “show any weakness” or let someone “take advantage” of us.

The Lord characterized the End Times as a period of escalating hostility. We see overt “Signs of the Times” in heightened levels of national and international warfare, the proliferation of hostility and rage, and increasing random violence.

In our modern world, we keep track of offenses, and we bear grudges when we need to overlook the offense and forgive the offender. We also “rate” sins on a “sliding scale” as though one sin was more heinous than another looking to justify ourselves.

 But no one can make comparisons since all of us have sinned, and we are deficient of God’s righteous standards (Romans 3:23). Rating sin can lead to falsely characterizing others for past criminal behavior, drug use, marital infidelity, divorce, or an abhorrent lifestyle—even when they now live for Christ fully.

Most of all, it’s hypocritical to condemn someone for his or her past when we have “skeletons” in our closet, as Jesus observes in Matthew 7:3-5 (NLT):

And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, “Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,” when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

All our sliding scales need rescinding and must be replaced with true forgiveness—that is to say, forgive the offender while forgetting the offense.

We cannot impose our self-righteous human standards on God’s divine principles by forgiving certain offenses or forgiving only to a certain level. We must practice what I heard my parents, teachers, and ministers say to me while I was growing up, “God hates sin, but He loves the sinner.”

Just as God does, we too must distinguish between the offense (or sin) and the offender (the sinner) through forgiveness. Certainly at the very least, our lives would be much healthier and happier as a result.

What a Wonderful Savior!

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We Are Living Proof!

For January 31, 2021
For many of us, 2020 was a most unfortunate year with the repressive sanctions against the church, small business closures, random and senseless mob violence, destruction of historical artifacts, election controversy, racial strife, ideological conflict, and world-wide pandemic.

Modernist postulate how humanity is ever-evolving for the better and will create (and worship) a government where love and harmony reigns. This is not new, for in Jesus’ day, Rome enforced emperor worship, which posed a serious threat to all Christians as violators were executed,

The refusal of all Christians to participate in [Emperor Worship] precipitated violent persecution, for the Christians consistently objected to worshipping a human being. The polytheistic Romans, who could always add one more god to their list of deities, looked upon their refusal as a lack of proper recognition for the emperor and a distinctly unpatriotic attitude. Between these two viewpoints, there could be no reconciliation.1

Many today worship a government that proposes a godless ideology to adversely influence politics, business, schools, colleges, media, and even clergy, promoting an empty utopian promise that we can provide for ourselves—apart from God. In other words, we have no need for Jesus Christ, God, or the Bible because human effort and ingenuity are all we will ever need.

Love and harmony will not be found in godless utopia; this is a lie from the pit of hell. Instead, hostility and disrespect will replace civility and common courtesy. Such is happening before our eyes just as Proverbs foretold nearly three-thousand years ago,

When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan. When the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes, but the godly will live to see their downfall. When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. (Proverbs 2, 4, 18 NLT)

Since the onset of sin in the Garden of Eden, we have expressed rage, hate, petty animosity and jealousy towards each other. The first murder was perpetrated by Cain, who killed his brother Abel primarily out of hatred and animosity (Genesis 4:1-8, Matthew 23:35, Hebrews 11:4).

All of us sin and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). However, the “Born Again” experience transforms our sin nature spiritually and secures our access to the Kingdom of God. This is our regeneration as we invite Jesus Christ into our lives by faith, and we receive a new internal nature that allows us to perform God’s perfect will and show His favor.

We are no longer spiritually dead, because the Holy Spirit lives inside us, transforming us into “new” creatures (1 Corinthians 5:17). With our old life gone and defeated, our new life craves the Lord and His righteousness at all times.

We are living proof of God’s marvelous plan of redemption and transformation to affirm that Jesus Christ forever reigns as Savior and Lord. Our identity as followers of Christ allows us to live morally responsible and spiritually astute, so that we can enhance and preserve a civil, global society.

It is the will of God that we become the benefactors of His grace and love, as John writes,

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God (John 1:12–13 NLT).

We are neither “barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” for the glory of God, and the benefit of others and us. Human lives change drastically in the presence of the Living Christ, and drastically changed human lives (Christ-centered and Spirit-controlled) think, speak, and act in ways that are not detrimental to the health, welfare, or safety of others regardless of race, gender, culture, social status, or political affiliation.

It is possible to change the world…one person at a time.

What a Wonderful Savior!

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What A Wonderful Savior!

For January 24, 2021
Our Lord’s last evening on earth has always fascinated me as I wonder what He may have been thinking and feeling, or what the Disciples may have been thinking and feeling. In the Book of Romans, there is a commentary on our Lord’s actions that yet is beyond belief,

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 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 (Romans 5:6—8 NIV).

The first Adam’s disobedience introduced sin into God’s perfect world, which resulted in our spiritual and physical deaths. Spiritual death or sin, which separates us from God, happened instantaneously while physical death came gradually. In other words, Adam did not die instantaneously, as Genesis 5:5 records indicate he died at 930 years of age.

In essence, God created us to be holy (sinless) beings to live forever in His perfect world. But because of Adam’s disobedience, our world is full of sadness, sin, pain, disease, trouble, and death. Thus as the Bible teaches, all of us will sin, and all of us will die.1

In addition, since we are sinners by nature, our “good deeds” are sin-polluted. A splendid illustration would be how years ago when men wore white dress shirts. Carrying a fountain pen in the shirt breast pocket was a common practice. Unfortunately however, the ink pen leaked often so that the slightest ink spot on the white shirt ruined the shirt—completely.

As the ink spot polluted the shirt, sin pollutes our righteousness. On our best day, we are yet depraved, and our righteousness is worthless before a holy God—who is not sin polluted—and we fail when we try to compare our righteousness (filthy rags) to His,

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind (Isaiah 64:6 NLT).

However, this is not the case with Jesus Christ. He was without sin and fully aware His death would redeem all fallen humanity from sin and restore us to a loving, eternal fellowship with God,

Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous (Romans 5:18-19 NKJV).

It is truly unbelievable how Jesus freely chose to offer Himself to redeem the entire world whether Jew, Gentile, rich, poor, believer or non-believer. All of us can vicariously receive the full benefit of His perfect sacrifice—without preference or distinction.

No longer do Satan, sin, and death bind us. From the moment we accept God’s gift of grace and love that covers our sin forever through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; from that day forward, our faith in His perfect, work determines our righteousness (or lack thereof) before our Heavenly Father.

Ultimately, we will all have to stand before our Maker for our thoughts, words, and actions performed in this life. My question is: Why not stand before Him in His righteousness freely given in Christ? Otherwise, we stand in our pride and self-righteousness to our own eternal peril as Proverbs 16:18 (NIV) implies, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

It is truly inconceivable how—based on our fallen human nature—Jesus would choose to redeem those people who love Him as well as those who hate Him equally. His amazing grace, abundant mercy, and enduring, all-encompassing love remains available to everyone everywhere; to those who choose to believe in Him, and even to those who choose not to believe in Him.

However, only those of us who respond positively, by accepting Him as our personal Lord and Savior, will ever experience the abundant life He promises for us today and receive the eternal life He promises for us tomorrow.

What a Wonderful Savior!

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Look Up…Jesus Is Coming!

For January 17, 2021
Although we live in a world of specialization and fragmentation, it’s amazing how so many of us take the Lord for granted by trying to compartmentalize His access to and influence over every aspect of our human interactions. To some, God has been confined to the church—locked inside four walls—used only at designated worship times.

Far too many of us act as if we do not require His services. We are in full control of our lives, this world, and the lives of others. Unfortunately, these deluded people have bought into the flawed notion they are “the creator” while God is “the created.” Pompously and self-righteously, they think, speak, and act in ways that are detrimental to the wellbeing of others. What a pity.

Human beings are not God. Case in point, try stopping earthquakes, floods, or hurricanes; try stopping the sun or moon from emitting light; try stopping the rain from falling or the wind from blowing.

Similarly, we came into this world naked, and we will leave it in the same manner. In addition, we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we will not carry anything out of it.1 Moreover, we did not create the galaxies or the earth, and although it is our home at this time, it is not our final destination.

It is essential that we realize the brevity of life, so that we can grow in His wisdom (Psalm 90:12).  We who trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior understand the critical importance of living for Him daily. Especially since He has promised us everlasting communion through the Spirit and has promised to return for us soon,

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am (John 14:1-3 NLT).

Of the circumstances surrounding His glorious return, Jesus makes this observation,

When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all. And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:26—30 NLT).

Sound familiar? Jesus also adds the following observation regarding tragic days preceding His glorious return,

Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven. And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near (Luke 21:10—11, 25—28 NLT).

Human beings are temporal and finite while God is eternal and almighty. Our death is certain, and we will see Him face-to-face. For some, this will be a time for judgement, accountability, and eternal punishment in Hell. But for His precious children, we will experience His complete grandeur and splendor in Heaven forever in the company of departed loved ones, and those precious saints who have gone before us. Until then, we continue to walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

We are merely transient pilgrims traveling through this world quickly. For some, our pilgrimage will be thirty, forty, or fifty years or less while others of us will far exceed the seventy-year benchmark set in Psalm 90:10. Whatever time we have, as Job 14:5 tells us, the Lord has established end of life boundaries beyond which none of us can pass.

With our humble, reverent, and sincere faith in Jesus Christ, we are certain to experience the pinnacle of His redemptive work—glorification—where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest (Job 3:17). There, we will experience God’s holy, eternal presence fully. Free from sin, pain, and disease, and we will see Him “as He is” and are like Him (1 John 3:2).

Therefore, whether we depart this earth in death, or we depart when He returns for us, our time on earth is short. Now is the time to live for Him, giving Him access to every area of our human interaction—especially since we must give account for it all. Look up…Jesus is coming and very soon!

What a Wonderful Savior!

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Then Pie Is My Favorite Dessert!

For January 10, 2021
Over the past two months, much pie has been consumed during the truncated Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. For many of us, losing the weight we’ve gained from the various meals and celebrations—even though modified—is a perennial New Year’s resolution. Pie is a culprit! Although it is customary to have pie or any dessert following the meal, I tend to have it with the meal to be enjoyed simultaneously!

Speaking of pie, there are those who characterize the Christian faith as merely a “pie-in-the-sky” religion. To these people, all we Christians have is eternal bliss in Heaven. But we have nothing to look forward to receiving in this life. For them, God is dead and the Christian faith is irrelevant.

I beg to differ, because our Christian faith produces a life of abundance (John 10:10), which begins the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and it continues for all eternity. In fact, we who embrace the Christian faith have considerable treasures to gain in this life and the next,

The incentive to win is in the glorious perspective we have because we are “looking unto Jesus.” “Looking away from all else, looking at that which fills the heart.” We are going to run, not because of the prize at the end and not because so many illustrious saints have run the course in the past and have been gloriously crowned, but because the vision of Jesus thrills the soul.1

One of our most treasured possessions—given exclusively to Christians—is the gift of the Holy Spirit. He inhabits and keeps us through the good times of bliss as well as those unfortunate times of uncertainty. He never leaves or forsakes us; cheering our hearts with unspeakable love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control as Galatians 5:22—23 teaches.

Did someone say peace of mind? We Christians are blessed to have the Holy Spirit provide incredible peace of mind—even during uncertain moments—that provides us with comfort and fulfillment that never ends.

This alone, makes our Christian life more valuable than any commodity on the earth, and it certainly makes the Christian life worth living “in real-time” in 2021 as Jesus teaches,

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be (Matthew 6:19—21 NLT).

The joy He sustains within us is never whimsical. It is always at work within us to remind us of how the Lord supplies us with His incredible goodness and mercy every day.

As the Almighty God in Spirit, He is fully capable of purifying, revealing, strengthening, encouraging, and keeping us throughout our life’s journey. He is much more than just our Comforter who “seals” our redemption and secures our heavenly home. He gives us eternal life, direction, purpose, and meaning.

He secures our eternal life in Heaven where there is no more pain, sorrow, or disease and where all our wants, needs, and desires are satisfied in their fullest measure. There, we will thrive in the holy presence of our Lord, along with our departed loved ones, and those precious Saints who have gone before us in a blessed, sinless state of perfect innocence, peace, tranquility, and safety forever.

If all these are pie-in-the-sky, then pie is my favorite dessert. How about you?

What a Wonderful Savior!

 

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