Christ Jesus

I Timothy 2:5-6 states, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all many…”

A mediator helps two parties in disagreement or conflict to resolve their differences.

Why do we need a mediator between us and God? Because God is perfectly holy and we are naturally sinful, there is a huge divide between us and God. He is the righteous judge who must punish sinners, and we are the sinners with a natural inclination towards sin. He can have nothing to do with us, except punish our sin. We desperately need a mediator between us and God.

Amazingly God sent his son to die on the cross and serve as our mediator. When God sees our sin, he sees the punishment for it that Christ endured. When he looks at us he sees the righteousness of his son, which he has credited to us. The divide is gone, the conflict resolved, the difference disappeared—all due to the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ.

How should we respond? Stunned, amazed, grateful, committed to tell others of this good news. Let’s resolve today to look at the finished work of Jesus Christ as the loving work of God for us. Let’s live life aware of the amazing grace and mercy shown to us. Let’s live all out for him and his kingdom. Let’s praise God for our mediator and our ransom paid.

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Maturing Through Trials

James 1:2-4 states, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

If you are like me, you find it hard to consider trials as pure joy. How can a broken arm be considered good? How can being cut from the softball team be joyful? How can a sickness be a happy event?

Trials are difficult circumstances or events in our life that are hard to endure. They often take us by surprise and stretch us beyond our normal capacities. And as we look in detail at this truth from James, we can learn to look at trials as God working for good in our lives.

First, trials test our faith. They provide a perfect opportunity for us to gauge our ability to trust God, to believe he is fully in control, and to look to him for strength to endure. How would you evaluate your faith in the midst of trials?

Second, trials develop perseverance in us. They stretch us spiritually, emotionally, and physically. As we learn to trust God more and more and trust God to help us and as we see him meet us and assist us through the trial, we will develop perseverance.

Third, trials are part of our maturing as Christians. It is amazing that we can become stronger Christians as the results of trials. As we see God meet us in a particular trial, we will be better prepared for the future trials that are sure to come. As we recognize our weaknesses and limitations, we will be humble and turn to God, Scripture, and others for help. As we come to know trials, we will be better equipped to serve others in need.

Don’t we all want to grow in faith, perseverance, and maturity? Don’t we all want to be complete Christians, lacking nothing? When we think of the present, we will not like trials at all, but when we think of the future, we can, with faith, consider them pure joy.

Let’s keep our eyes on Christ and the future work he will accomplish in our present trial.

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A Lot on My Mind

Last night I went to bed with a lot on my mind. Thoughts of projects I need to finish, people I need to call, and tasks I need to be complete filled my mind as I tossed and turned in my attempt to fall asleep.

This morning I woke up with a lot on my mind. The same unfinished work immediately popped into my mind when I opened my eyes. Fighting to get back to sleep, I began to review my to-do list, which seemed to only get longer and longer. I gave up, and I jumped out of bed early, with a lot on my mind.

What do you do when you have a lot to do and a lot on your mind? What do you do when your to-do list is extremely long and overwhelming?

If you are like me, you are tempted to be anxious and worry. That’s why today and every day like today, I need to live in Ephesians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In this passage God directs us to not be anxious but instead to turn to him in prayer, lifting up our requests to him with thanksgiving. This means we can and must battle our worry and fears by turning from ourselves and our situation and to the Lord of all. We need to pause from our thoughts of the day ahead and focus our thoughts on Christ, who is interceding on our behalf at the right hand of the Father.

The promise is amazing – the peace of God, which transcends all understanding. Instead of fretting and losing sleep, we can experience peace from God. Instead of anxiety and worry, we can experience calm from our heavenly Father. This is what we need guarding our hearts and minds!

So today join me in living in Ephesians 4:6-7. I need to take my eyes off of my situation and look to the Lord over my situation. I need to take my eyes off of my power and look to the One who is all powerful. I need to take my eyes off of my solutions and look to Him who knows all. In the end I will experience the peace of God which transcends all understanding to guard my heart and mind.

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The Redeemed

“‘I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.’ Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel.” Isaiah 44:22-23

This passage describes the Lord’s heart for the nation of Israel and for each of us. Even though the Israelites forsook their Heavenly Father and began to worship other gods, he was willing to forgive them, sweep away their sins, and take them back. For us, he is willing to adopt us as his sons and daughters despite our natural sinfulness and our repeated patterns of sinning against him. This is absolutely amazing!

Look up at the sky and watch a cloud pass by – there for a time, but quickly passing by. Consider the morning mist – present for a short time, but then burns off. God treats our sin in a similar way. Our sin is present and he completely and justly hates it, but due to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, he sweeps it away.

God pours out his wrath on his Son instead of us, the guilty. He is holy and must punish wrong doing, and he loves us, providing the solution for our sins. He sweeps away our offenses and our sins, and he redeems us for himself. He brings us into his family and gives us the righteousness of Christ.

This is glorious news! We should shout aloud and burst into joyous song for the Lord has redeemed us. He has swept away our sins and saved us. This is an amazing display of his glory, power, and love.

Stand amazed today at your loving Heavenly Father and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for you.

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Forget God???

God miraculously rescues the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, he faithfully provides for them for 40 years of wandering in the desert, he stops up the Jordan River to allow them to cross into the Promise Land, and he helps them defeat the Canaanites as they take possession of the land. God’s chosen people with their faithful God protecting and providing for them at ever turn. Yet Judges 2:10 describes the shocking news of the next generation of Israelites, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.”

How can this be? How can the faithfulness of God be forgotten? How can the nation God has chosen neither know him nor what he has done for them?

Scripture doesn’t describe the process, but if the nation of Israel is like us, we can imagine how this might happen:

1. Maybe they were distracted by what the good they found in the Promised Land, focusing more on the gifts of the land instead of the Giver.

2. Maybe they became enchanted with the idols of the Canaanites and began to worship them instead of the only true God.

3. Maybe they failed to tell their children about the goodness and faithfulness of God.

Let’s make sure that we rejoice in our Lord and let everyone around us know of our love for him. Let’s make sure that no one is ever surprised to find out that we are Christians. And let’s commit to educate our children in all that the Lord has done for us and Christians throughout the ages, inspiring our children to know and love him as their personal Savior.

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Our Words Matter

In the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul lays out what a Christian should believe – the essential truths of the Christian faith. Then he transitions to how a Christian should live.

In 4:29 he pauses to provide extremely helpful guidance for how a Christian should speak. He states, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

First, a Christian should be marked by what he doesn’t say. The term used for “unwholesome” literally means “rottenness” and “giving off rottenness.” These are words that have a destructive effect on those around us – gossip, slander, malice. Theses should not be on our lips.

Second, a Christian should say words that are helpful for building others up and benefit those who hear. Christianity isn’t demonstrated just by avoiding evil; we must also pursue good. With our mouths, we need to encourage, be thankful, communicate gratefulness, and help those who are down. Our words are to be a blessing to others and meet the needs of those around us.

Notice Paul focuses on the effect our words have on others. We live in a community and function in various groups – our family, our classmates, our friends. Our words can make our social circles stronger or weaker. A genuine Christian should aim to build up others and avoid tearing them down.

How do you talk to your parents and siblings? How do you talk with your closest friends? Evaluate yourself with the standards of Scripture laid out in Ephesians 4:29, and seek develop a personal, biblical conviction regarding your words.

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A Promise for the Weary

Are you wiped out physically, emotionally, or spiritually? Than Isaiah 40:29-31 is a prescription and a promise for you, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

We have a God who is in the business of giving strength to the weary and power to the weak. He knows our condition, understands our deficiencies, and comprehends our needs. Plus, he is capable of renewing us with physical strength, renewed focus, grace for the new day, and a fresh passion for living for him.

Everyone becomes tired and weary. Young and old wear out physically, get to the end of their emotional strength, and go through spiritually dry seasons. We shouldn’t be surprised when this happens to us. It should remind us that we are human and have limitations. We each need rest, sleep, and renewal. This shouldn’t surprise us, but it should humble us.

What do we do? What is God’s prescription? It is to hope in him. We many have limitations, but God does not. We may grow weary, but God does not. We may stumble and fall, but God does not. We may be overwhelmed by our circumstances, but God is not. And when we realize how strong, stable, and firm our God is, we will learn to trust him and hope in him all the more.

The result will be a renewal of our strength. We will still have our limitations, but there will be new grace for the new day head. We will be equipped to run again, to walk again. Trusting in God, we will be ready to face the challenges of every day life.

Lord, help us to hope in you.

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